#(I had to stop watching to catch my breath at the Sims one where he was burning fsddfsgh)

[katyspersonal]

https://youtu.be/Y1lZWqF-1sw?si=V2p36CE7mFeTsafA

:D

*opens the video*

....................

Siiiiiiiigh... Honestly, I was going to post the 'STOP TALKING ABOUT [X]' meme video on him as a response, but that meme format, after all, does not even remotely encapsulate the level on which I am sick of seeing this guy all the goddamn time when I am just trying to be autistic about BB on main :pensive:

Okay, I will be honest for once (and also @heraldofcrow and @izunias-meme-hole I think you'd like to listen too). I am a rather simple person, and my brain works in a very simple way. I used to have very strong fear of darkness since early age and into late teens and had extremely intense nightmares revolving around darkness, until my brain just gave up and embraced it and now I enjoy darkness and see it as my element. As a teen I used to really dislike MLP and feel annoyed when people ignored my boundaries and kept posting it on me anyways, nor I could realistically escape it in internet spaces, until one day permanent exposure just made me understand the appeal and I ended up liking it, even still respect it a lot to this day. One of my previous fandoms became such a bad experience that I did not want to see anything related to it within ten yards distance, but my so-called "friends" could not take the L of me no longer sharing interest with them and continued posting about that fandom on me.. and one day, bit by bit, I was starting to like it again and rediscover what drew me in to begin with.

Fear... anger... sadness, pain, resentment... Any negative emotions eventually crumble if I am just permanently exposed to the source that causes them. Even such strong feelings do not last forever, because my brain is simple and can't keep up with them. I am hard-vired to forgive the unforgivable and accept the unacceptable, and above all, I am able to find something loveable in everything and everyone if I am given enough opportunity to really look at it.

.............but Sephiroth is the one and only exception from this rule lololol HAHAHAHAHAHA TROLLED YOU LOOSER NOT EVEN I HAVE ANYTHING IN MY HEART FOR THIS GUY WHAT YOU EXPECTED SOME EMOTIONAL WHOLESOME RESOLUTION TOO BAD YOU DON'T KNOW ME AT ALL THEN HA

[en-gelic]

THE BOY IS MINE — !

syn. when you get jealous gn. fluff 1.1k cw. skinship, jealousy, short reader 엔하이픈 형선 ୨୧ the boy is mine LiA'S NOTE my bday is on monday 🤭 COLLECTION 엔하이픈 막내선

LEE HEESEUNG — You had been watching him interact with the engenes for the past 20 minutes, watching as he made flirtatious jokes and held their hands. Pushing back the uncontrollable pout on your lips, you huffed and dodged his kiss when you arrived home. Bewildered by your indifference, he pestered you about it, trying to bribe you to tell him. "Why are you mad? Just tell me." He pressed, burying his head between your neck, pressing ticklish kisses on your collarbone. "Go talk to your fans." You pouted, shrugging him off and stalking into the kitchen. An amused smile grew on his lips as he bit back laughter at your childish behavior.

"Are the engenes really the cause of why you're mad." He questioned, catching your arm before you could escape his grasp. Feeling embarrassed, you refused to answer. He leaned down and pressed kisses on your lips, each one getting longer than first. Pulling away, he trailed kisses down your neck. "Engenes should be jealous of you," He began between kisses. "Because you have me, and I love you." "More than you love the engenes?" You huffed, feeling your anger deplete. He let out a breathy chuckle, scooping you up in his arms and moving to the bedroom. "Of course."

PARK JONGSEONG — Staring daggers at the waitress, you watched Jay charmingly smile at her and engage in what he called polite conversation, but to you was just straight up flirting. You could see that the waitress had a clear crush on him by the way she batted her eyelashes at him repeatedly and the way she hovered around your table like a lost fly. "Baby, where do you want to go after this?" He asked, finishing the wine in his glass. You muttered a half-hearted reply which he was behavior he was not used to seeing from you. Moving to place a hand on yours, he tried to read your face.

"What's wrong?" He questions, worried about your silence. "I don't know. Ask the waitress, she seems to be bored and waiting for a conversation with you." You complained, picking at your food like a 5-year-old. He smiled his charming smile at you, and you huffed even more, turning to look at him. "Just stop doing that smile to everyone." You complained, pushing down the corners of his mouth. "Now she's probably going to fall in love with you and you'll leave me for her ass and personality." You pouted. Leaning over, he pressed a kiss on your pouty lips. That single action caused your lips to twitch upwards as you tried to bite back a smile. He gave you a few more, leaving his lips stained with your red lip product. Getting out your wet wipes, you moved to wipe his lips but was stopped by him dodging your hand. "I have to show the waitress I have a girlfriend, so my pretty girl doesn't get jealous." He said, teasing you with a grin. "I hate you." You replied, feigning indifference, but actually pleased at his stained lips. "I love you too." He answered. ✶ more under the cut !

SIM JAEYUN — Jake had been laying on the floor, playing with Layla for the past hour, leaving you to relish in your growing hatred to a dog you used to love before. "Should we take Layla out for a walk?" He asked, sitting on the bed beside you. Without replying, you turned away from him, playing games on your phone. He shook your leg, immediately noticing something was wrong. "Babe?" He asked. "Go take her by yourself, since you love her more than me." You mumbled, sinking into your blanket barrier. He stilled for a moment, until he slid into the bed with you. "Are you jealous?" His hot breath swirled at your neck as amusement lined his voice.

"Why would I be jealous of a dog?" You retorted, even though you were indeed jealous of a dog. Knowing how much your pride meant to you, he stifled his giggles, which resulted in you huffing even more and moving out of his grasp. You felt him get out of the bed and heard the door open and close after. Thinking he left, you scoffed and buried yourself in the blanket, thinking about ways to get Layla out of the room. An arm startled you out of your thinking as you were moved to your back. Removing the blanket from your head, you found his eyes gazing down at you. "I was reading something," He started, caging you between his arms. "The art of fixing things with your girlfriend, I think it was called." Clearly, you knew that wasn't a thing, but you listened anyway. Leaning down, he caught your ear with his mouth, moving down to your neck. "Step one, was give her a kiss." Before you could reply, his lips collided with yours messily. Pushing him away, you struggled to catch your breath. "Where's Layla?" You questioned, knowing very well that she would come in between what you were about to do. He grinned his signature boyish grin. "She's on her walk."

PARK SUNGHOON — "Does he have to be so pretty?" You complained silently as your date was continuously interrupted by fans and onlookers stopping him to take a photo with him or get his autograph. "We should go to Tifanny and Co next," He started, excited after meeting his fans. "They just said that a new collection was coming out." Without replying, you excused yourself to the bathroom, muttering pouty complaints to yourself, Sunghoon smiling to himself at your irritation, finding it cute that you were jealous.

To make you even more jealous, he chatted about the fans on the drive home fighting back a smile at your pouty replies. You had been so immersed in your phone that you didn't even notice when he pulled up in an empty driveway. He picked up the phone in your hands and put it in one of his pockets, patting his lap afterwards. Pulling a face, you reluctantly moved to his lap, avoiding his gaze. "What's wrong, love? Feeling jealous?" He teased, moving you to face him. "No." You mumbled through evidently pouting lips. His hand traced the fabric on your jeans, moving his hand from your hips to your waist. Pulling you closer to his body, he pressed a peck on your neck, holding it there before moving to your collarbone. "What do you want?" You complained, pushing away from him. Your action was short-lived as he pulled you back, peppering more kisses on your neck. "You." Dancing around the border of temptation, he kissed everywhere but your lips. After he pulled away, your pout increased. "Why did you stop?" He displayed his perfect teeth through a grin. "I see you've forgiven me. Say please and I'll consider." He teased. "Kiss me and I'll forgive you." In an instant, his lips were on yours; the action of forgiveness becoming messier. Pulling away, you slid off his lap. "I'll forgive you now."

© EN-GELIC, 2024

[rkvriki]

how they realize they are in love !

hii!! i've been so inactive but classes are kicking my ass and i've been struggling to hold myself together lolz. anywaysss i hope you enjoy this little idea i got :D

make sure to leave feedback ! my requests are open and so is my talkbox so let's talk !

WARNINGS ! mentions of insecurities, making out in jakes one, not proofread sorry jrehkdk

words count: 1.8k

LEE HEESEUNG !

— goes out of his way for you

heeseung had this day off but you two made no plans since you had work to do and you really needed to get it done. heeseung was getting ready to go eat out with jay and jake when he received a call from you. when you told him you were sick with headaches and a runny nose, he wasted no time telling the boys he couldn’t make it and ran straight to the closest pharmacy he could find on his way to your house. he picked some soup and the best medicine for your symptoms and went straight to you. when he reached your door he stopped a moment to catch his breath before ringing the door bell. there you were opening the door wrapped in a robe and a red nose from blowing it so much, still heeseung smiled as he saw you. he had you laying down in the bed as he spoon fed you the warm soup and gave you medicine. after a while you fell asleep cuddled to his chest, heeseung not caring if he was gonna get sick or not. he was looking down at you and just started thinking about the things he would do for you, making his heart flutter. seeing you like this made him realize he wanted to do this as many times as he could, he wanted to take care of you for the rest of his life and hoped you would let him do so.

rest under the cut !

PARK JONGSEONG !

— starts daydreaming about a future with you

when you and jay started dating, he knew that, as cliche as it sounds, this time was very different from his previous relationships. something in his subconscious gave him that feeling and he had no complaints. he always knew he wanted to take this for forever. no one had ever made him feel like you did. he found himself thinking about you when you weren’t there and sometimes he let his mind wander a little further from reality. he started by imagining little things such as your first big trip together or future big events in your relationship. as the time started passing he started imagining an actual future with you, he wondered how he would propose to you, would it be in the beach you always go to or in the garden where your dates almost always happen? He daydreamed about seeing you in a big flowy white dress in a beautiful wedding venue or you dancing in front of your guests as you looked at him and him only. he knew this weren’t just silly lovesick thoughts, he really wanted that to happen and he was gonna make sure they would become his reality.

SIM JAEYUN !

— when you kiss

jake always knew he was a sucker for skinship with his partners. he feels the need to constantly be touching you in a way or another, be it kissing, cuddling, hugging or just you holding his pinky as you walk side by side, he just needs to feel your skin on his. he loves the comfort your touch gives him, it makes him feeling fuzzy inside. he loves how you slowly get closer to him when you are both sat on your couch watching tv just to cuddle him. he loves when you get closer to him in your sleep unconsciously. his favorite is when he is doing something and you get on your  tippy toes and reach for his lips to give him a peck. so when you both are on your bed making out, his hand cupping you face gently and his thumb softly rubs your cheek, he pulls away breathless, watching as you look up at him with your doe eyes that don’t match your swollen lips, red from all the biting he did, he feels his heart skip way too many beats. this feeling is foreign to him but he likes it and he almost immediately knows what it is and he leaves you confused when he starts laughing and pulls you in a hug, crushing you in his embrace.

PARK SUNGHOON !

— finds comfort in you

sunghoon had a little bit of a hard time starting to express his emotions to you. he was never one to tell people about his worries and things that are bothering him. when you started dating you were afraid that this would affect your relation since you were a strong believer that communication is the key for a healthy and prosper relationship. you thought that maybe you weren’t showing him that you were there for him and to listen to him, but that changed when one day he ranted to you about something that happened during work and was really letting him down. since that day you reassured him that you were there to listen whenever he wanted and was ready to talk to you. there were days where he got home and said nothing and just laid besides you finding a place in your arms. like today was one of those days, he laid down in your arms as you comfortingly scratched his head, making his eyes flutter shut. suddenly you hear him sniffle, making you turn your head down at him right away. he starts laughing and crying, leaving you confused not knowing what was going on. sunghoon knew what was happening, he finally found home, a home in your arms and your comfort.

KIM SUNOO !

— starts admiring the smallest details about you

sunoo knew the moment he first saw you, you were one of the prettiest people he’s ever met. the way you seemed to have this halo around you, making everyone around you become instantly smiley as they saw you walk in. he loved every single thing about you, he loved every single mole you had and he really loved your smile and how contagious it was. sometimes he found himself observing you doing little things and he always found new details of your to appreciate. he noticed the way your nose slightly scrunched when you made a typo while typing away in your laptop as you worked, noticed how your head twitches a little when you forgot something or how you do this cute bunny nose twitch when you sleep. sunoo often found himself thinking about these details when he went to bed, smiling as he closed his eyes, ready to sleep, but his mind tricks him, not letting him fall into a deep slumber, as it drifts to the image of you, making his heart flutter in his chest. whe he felt first this he was scared, he had never felt this before and he didn’t know what it was, until he realized it happened when he thought of you and he started liking how strong it felt. he smiles to himself when he feels it, hoping that it last forever.

YANG JUNGWON !

— introduced you to his family

jungwon never introduced any partner of his to his family if he had any before you. he never felt like it would be worthy since he never felt like they would last. when you met you clicked instantly and he knew you were gonna be meeting Mr and Mrs Yang, he just needed to wait for the right moment. It was only after almost a year of dating that you met them. It didn’t take that long because he was unsure of doing it, no, it was mostly you avoiding doing it. you were afraid of how they would react. would they like you? what if you mess up in front of them? insecure thoughts filled your mind, but won constantly reassured you you were gonna be just fine and you only realized you had nothing to worry about when you actually met them. Jungwon loved seeing you interact. he found himself smiling unconsciously when you were talking to them or his sister, he knew he wanted to see those interactions more. the moment he realized he really wanted this to be frequent was when he found you playing in his room with maeum after he came back from the bathroom. he observed you from the door, your back turned to him but he could still see what you were doing since you were on the floor. his heart did flips in his chest and he had to bite his smile back, taking a mental picture of this moment.

NISHIMURA RIKI !

— feeling slightly jealous or possessive 

niki was still new with relationships, you were his first serious one, only having little high school romances but nothing too serious, the most he had done was holding hands. when you started dating he wanted to make it serious, he really liked you and he made sure to show you that he did and you did the same. you were his first everything, niki swore he would never forget the way he felt when you first kissed him, something he scolded himself for not taking the big step, making you do it. still he was grateful you like him enough to do it, even if he wanted to be the one indulging it. niki was a little insecure. he knew his job didn’t allow him to go out a lot with you and sometimes he found himself thinking if you were ever gonna get tired of this lifestyle. he knew you were young and had a lot of things to experience and he didn’t want to hold you back from doing it. his biggest fear is you finding someone who can do the things he can’t do with you, since you always need to have your dates at home seeing that his privacy is very limited. one day you asked him if he wanted to meet your friends which he obviously accepted because you talk about them non stop. you all met up in a quiet cafe not wanting to risk being seen with him. niki felt a certain uneasiness when he saw you being really chatty with this one friend and his thoughts got the best of him. he didn’t know why he felt like this, was your friend better than him? do you enjoy their presence better than his? he knew that this wasn’t coming out of nowhere, the fear of losing you was real and it made him want to crawl into a hole and not think about it anymore. you noticed his change of behavior and reminded yourself to talk about it with him later, ending up in a cute confession.

[late-to-the-magnus-archives]

Tada! Another Vast!Jon AU snippet.

I know where this is going now. Oh, boy, y'all are in for a ride.

Martin/Jon Childhood Friends

YouTube Baker Martin!

Famous Photographer Jon!

A plane crash! Angst! Drama!

Stoker brothers!

Archivist Sasha!

Currently: Jon understands he's been marked by the Vast.

He also has learned he's marked by the Eye, and has no idea what that means. Simon Fairchild got him an appointment with an old friend to explain.

(shudder)

Also, Martin is being... shall we say, stalked by a certain Sea Captain who sees some horrifying potential in Martin's delightful little baking show.

Wicked cackle, etc.

----------

Jon peers at the building.

It’s grand and glorious; white stone and red brick, elegant, with just a single, understated sign saying, THE MAGNUS INSTITUTE: EST. 1818 by the entrance.

Something about it, though.

This building would go into the private collection.

The weird collection.

The photos he dares not release because they would destroy his reputation.

The photos he cannot explain because he does not believe in the supernatural, but the images he’s captured don’t care.

Or… well. He rather does believe, now.

He’d thought there was a scientific explanation for his weird photos. There had to be, right? It was atmospheric strangeness, or… or some kind of strange electrical interference.

It’s not, though, is it?

Though for all those photos to be real…

He breathes away the rising nervousness and raises his camera. Focuses. Snaps half a dozen shots.

“It is a lovely building, isn’t it?” comes from behind him, and he jumps.

There’s a man.

And Jon has to take a moment and close his eyes and let his brain reset because this man's head is one huge eyeball, jerking around, looking at absolutely everything in the world.

Jon takes a slow breath and opens his eyes.

The man looks normal now, to Jon’s relief - a decade or two older, well-coiffed and expensively suited - and does not have a huge, unlidded eye for a head. 

“Elias Bouchard?” Jon says.

“Yes. You must be Mister Sims,” says the not-a-man with a thousand-watt smile, and offers his hand.

Jon shakes it. “Thanks for meeting with me.”

“Well, you are in an interesting predicament, aren’t you? Come on in. Ah - fair warning: one of my employees is quite eager to meet you today, should you feel up to it. It seems she’s acquired one of your earlier photos - the spider leg illusion?”

Jon startles. “I thought that burned.” 

“Apparently not.” His gaze is unnervingly penetrating. “Call me Elias, would you? We belong to a very special club, and have no need to be formal.”

“Jon, then,” says Jon, because he kind of has to, even though he wanted the comfortable distance of formality.

“This way.” Elias takes the lead.

And even from behind him, Jon can feel he’s being stared at. 

Watched.

Studied.

Jon chews his tongue nervously as they enter in. The building feels just like Elias does, and everywhere Jon looks - just out of frame, in the periphery - he catches glimpses of something he swears might be more eyes.

If he looks directly, they’re gone. 

He’s pretty sure they’re not gone.

It feels horrible.

It feels wonderful.

It feels like he can stop pretending to be anything he isn’t.

It feels like he needs to go hide in a closet. “It’s, uh,” he manages. “This is, uh.”

“A little much? I know. It can be overwhelming at first - but I assure you, you are safe here,” says Elias. “I’m familiar with your body of work. I’m very impressed, Jon.”

He says that like being impressed isn’t a thing that happens often.

Jon’s heard compliments enough that they don’t make him feel any particular way. He’s too busy being annoyed that he can’t see all the eyes head-on. “Thank you, I suppose.”

Elias nods to a secretary (who pretends not to be staring at Jon's bandages and fails spectacularly), then gestures Jon into his office.

The door closing behind him is frightening and final, and makes him want to turn around and run right back out.

But he doesn't.

He needs answers. He needs to know what this is about, what the Beholding is, what he should do.

Oh, but now, now that they’re not on a public street, now that they’re not anywhere ordinary humans can see, Elias stops pretending to be one.

He circles Jon, too close, unblinking.

Jon stands completely still, like a camouflaging rabbit.

“Amazing,” Elias whispers. “I’d already guessed you were marked by the Eye; your photography is very powerful, Jon. And now, you’ve been marked by the Vast - which, I dare say, is rare enough - but Simon didn’t tell me you had three marks.”

“Three?” Jon says. “What? There’s another one?” 

“Yes. Very old.”

“Oh, come on, now,” says Jon, irritation cresting right over his hard-won and practiced politeness. “Simon told me less than ten percent of the population ends up with one mark, and you’re telling me I have three?”

“Three.” Elias stops in front of him, holding his gaze. “I know what I see.”

Jon’s protests die on his lips.

He stares.

Those eyes.

Those gray eyes.

They -

“What do you see, Jon?” whispers Elias.

“I… please let me photograph you,” Jon whispers back.

Elias smiles. “Of course. We’ll continue talking when you’re done.”

Jon still hasn’t blinked as he raises his camera.

He doesn’t until it’s over.

#

Martin jogs up the steps and takes a second to flap his shirt away from his body, hoping to dry the sweat before it stains.

This was not ideal. He hates running.

He could haul rocks up mountains or walk a million miles, but running? Pleh. For the birds.

“Though they fly, I guess,” he mutters to himself, coat over one arm, and brings up his camera app to ensure nothing is out of place .

He’d gotten a text while jogging and hadn’t noticed.

How does it feel to be so alone?

The number is hidden.

Martin stares at it, his heart caught in an uncomfortable tension.

He -

He shouldn’t. Doesn’t.

He - 

“What?” he whispers.

“Hey!” says Sasha, coming up behind him on the stairs. “Martin! Good to see you!” She gives him a quick side-hug. “Come on in. Just got back from lunch.”

Martin compartmentalizes the text with a will and focuses on the here and now. “So you didn’t see Jon?”

“He’s here?” She looks ready to levitate right off the stairs. 

“Should be. I was supposed to meet him before he went in, but…”

“Come on, have some tea, freshen up. Elias is harmless. I’m sure Jon’ll be fine.” She makes a happy little sound and skips twice, clapping her hands. “I get to meet Jonathan Sims!”

Elias knows about fear gods. Martin doubts he’s harmless. But Sasha’s joy is catching. “Heh. He’s grumpy, but I’m sure he’ll like you.”

She absolutely beams at him. “Rosie,” she says. “Please don’t let Mister Sims leave without seeing me first?”

“Sure thing, Ms. James,” Rosie says. “Oh - you need a visitor’s pass?”

“Probably. One second.” Sasha leaves Martin there and goes to Rosie’s desk to fill out a form.

The office beyond her is closed.

That has to be where Jon is.

Martin can’t hear anything.

He heroically resists the urge to press up against the door and listen in.

Funny, though: no voices come through, but he is certain he hears the click of Jon’s camera.

“There you go.” Sasha hands him a badge not dissimilar to the press pass she’d lent him days ago.

“Oh, I still have the other one,” he says, patting himself down. “Sorry, I left it at home.”

“No worries. You can bring it by whenever. Want to see my Archive?” She smiles like a proud parent.

Martin glances at the door.

“Don’t worry. He won’t leave without us. Come on, let me show you. Come on! You wouldn’t believe the mess it was in when I got the job.”

Another click from that office.

Martin can’t be hearing it. It wouldn’t carry that far.Shook up by that stupid text, he thinks, and wonders if he needs to change his number.

#

“Would you believe she even had statements put in folders with the wrong years?” Sasha is saying, threading her way through a maze of boxes and stacks of paper with the ease of familiarity. “We’re getting it organized, but I really need more help.”

“How much does it pay?” Martin says as a joke.

She tells him.

He trips over a box. “What, for real?”

“Mm-hmm. Benefits, too.”

Martin looks around. “And it’s just… organizing files?”

“That’s what I need help with.”

Could for sure tell Antoine to fuck himself tonight, and wouldn’t even need to click a spooky link to do it. “Do you hire me, or…”

She laughs. “You’re serious?”

“I really am.”

“Well… let’s go back up. See if we can get you an interview, yeah?”

“Hell, yeah. You should get Tim to join us. Danny, too. We could all quit our jobs and be spooky ghost researchers together.”

She laughs. “I don’t know if they’ll let me hire too many folks without qualifications, but… you shouldn’t need any for this? I mean, it’s basically filing.”

Oh. Right. Qualifications.

“I didn’t go to college,” Martin says, heart sinking, wondering what the hell he’d been thinking.

“I don’t care. You’d be looking at files and putting them in little folders with dates. If they say you need a degree for that, I might just quit over it.”

He thinks she’s joking.

Martin is calculating the amount of money needed to keep a building like this up and running, utilities and all, and is fairly sure qualifications will matter very much.

The office door is opening just as they get back upstairs.

Jon looks bombed.

Pale. Dazed. Staring at the floor with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

“Jon?” says Martin.

And it’s like the sun dawns. “You came,” says Jon, abandoning his haze like stepping out of a cave.

Behind Jon is a man who spooks Martin right to his core.

It’s the look, he thinks. Very cat-that-got-the-cream. “You ready to go?” Martin says, too cheerfully.

Sasha gives him a funny look. “I thought you - ”

“I really appreciate the tour. Definitely quite the place you’ve got here,” Martin interrupts because he is not working here under some fear-priest who looks like that.

Sasha’s not stupid. She’s confused, but she immediately changes course. “Sure! But before you go… Mister Sims?”

Jon looks at her as if he hadn’t even realized she was there. “Oh. Hi?”

She minds the bandages and doesn’t try to grab him or shake his hand or anything. “I am so pleased to meet you. My name’s Sasha James. I’m the head archivist here. Could I borrow you for a moment of your time? We have one of your old photos here, and I would dearly love to talk to you about it.”

Jon really does not want to give a moment of his time, but he’s learned to be professionally polite. “I can do that. I don’t know if I have any answers for you, though.”

“Ah - Ms. James, we don’t really allow guests down in the archive,” says Elias Bouchard, almost gently. “It’s not public facing.”

“He’s obviously going to make a statement,” says Sasha, chin raised.

Bouchard smiles. “Well-played. All right, Jon. You can go down.”

They’re already on first-name basis? Martin thinks.

“What about Martin?” says Sasha.

“One violation of the rules is enough for today, don’t you think? Not to worry - I’ll get him some tea. He’ll be fine, I’m sure.”

Oh, none of this was cool. “Uh,” says Martin.

“Sorry,” Sasha says, and means it.

“No, it’s all right. It’s fine.”

Jon touches his arm. Looking the question.

“It’s okay,” says Martin, because logically, Jon needs this connection, and Martin doesn’t want to fuck it up for him. “Go for it. I mean, maybe don’t take too long?”

“I don’t have the energy for ‘long,’” says Jon. “You could go? Meet me at a cafe, or something?”

“You don’t have a lot of energy and you want me to just leave you here,” Martin says, dry.

Jon laughs a little, embarrassed. “All right, all right. I’ll be back quickly.”

Sasha looks like Christmas came early. “This way. Oh, would you prefer the elevator or the stairs?”

“Elevator, please. Stairs are still a little tricky,” says Jon.

Martin watches them leave and wonders if he’s made a mistake.

He looks over.

Bouchard is the epitome of banal, non-threatening smiles. “Tea?”

“Sure.” What’s he going to do? Say no and start throwing punches?

Over what?

Jealousy, maybe?

Jealousy. That’s what it is.

Martin can identify it, but he’s not sure why it’s there, and it bugs him. He just feels weirdly… paranoid in this place.

“Do you have a preference?” says Bouchard, leading him the opposite direction of Jon and Sasha.

“Anything but Oolong.”

Bouchard laughs politely. “Good news: I’m fairly sure it’s Jasmine.”

“That’ll be fine. Thank you.”

He doesn’t look like a fear-priest.

“Jon must have impressed you,” Martin says. “I mean, I doubt the head of the Institute is usually out here making tea for randos.”

Bouchard is still smiling as he turns around, offering a little wax-coated cup. “A keen observation. Yes. He did.”

And, Martin thinks but does not say, Bouchard wants to make a good impression on him, so it’s Nice-to-Martin hours. “Thanks.”

“This must be very difficult for you,” says Bouchard, leaning back against the table and crossing his arms. “Witnessing such a dramatic change in someone you know so well can be rather… frightening.”

Martin blinks. Jon told him?

But Jon said not to tell anyone. He said Martin would be in danger.

Well, apparently, he’d trusted Bouchard at once. 

What else had he told him?

The jealous feeling increases. “It’s… definitely frightening.”

“Understandable. And of course, the fear that you yourself are in danger must be sharp, as well.”

Wait, what? “Me?”

“Of course. New avatars tend to be… ravenous. You’re quite fortunate that he isn’t new to the whole situation, really.”

What kind of a conversation was this? “He…oh. He said there was that Eye thing, too?”

“Yes. For many years.”

Martin has no idea where this conversation is supposed to go. “Well. Got any advice?”

Bouchard laughs. “Try not to be eaten.”

Martin stares at him.

Bouchard smiles.

Martin sips his tea.

Bouchard smiles.

Martin decides there are hidden cameras all over the breakroom for whatever reason, and that’s why he feels practically x-rayed. “I, uh. Can I take this back out to the lobby?”

“I’d really prefer if you drank it in here,” says Bouchard, low and smooth.

It’s too hot.

Martin burns his mouth a little to get it down faster, and he wonders what else Jon told this guy, and he tells himself he will never, ever need to be afraid of Jon.

No matter what his deeply startled gut says.

Bouchard smiles.

Neither of them say another word until the tea is finally gone.

[talesfromsigil]

Royal Road: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/74124/theseus/chapter/1349671/something-unnerving

The void. I felt its comfort surrounding me. Safety. Familiarity. It was the nothingness that I came from. It was where I belonged. And it was where I would stay. I always returned to it, and this was no different. That beautiful emptiness waited for me. A canvas for my thoughts.

But then, in the beautiful nothing, I saw it. A swirling darkness that edged slowly toward me. It came from the horizon and only swallowed more of it the more I watched. It came closer and closer by the moment, demonstrating a terrible power as it consumed the light. I was afraid. I was so afraid that it would catch up to me and make me forget. That it would plunge me into its own distressing darkness. Another familiar emptiness that made me want to flee this time. One that offered no joy or freedom. But it was coming anyway, and there didn’t seem like there was anything I could do to stop it.

The darkness approached and I heard its terrifying din screeching in my ears, the weight of the world crushing my shoulders, the pain… it was an all-consuming sensory overload that ripped everything away from me. And as it inched ever closer, I felt it lurch toward me, and in an instant, I was consumed.

—

I awoke with a shout, throwing my blanket aside as I scanned the room for the darkness, but only found the familiar low lights of my heart in the evening. I took note of my heavy breathing and my shaking hands. I watched the door like a hawk, as if expecting something dangerous to turn the corner and walk in at a moment’s notice. But nothing came.

I took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. A nightmare. It had just been a bad dream. I clicked my tongue, laying back down and staring up at the ceiling as I calmed myself. It had been so long since I had proper sleep where I’d been able to dream. After all, I’d spent so much time inside the core module where I barely needed to sleep at all, followed by an anesthetized knockout and then a drunken blackout. Maybe dreaming was becoming such a foreign thing to me that it was becoming hostile.

I closed my eyes and checked the system clock. I still had about another 20 hours before Doc would clear me to get back into the void. I wondered if maybe I could get away with staying up until then, but with my physical frailty, that seemed like an impossibility. I’d just have to spend some more time training in the sims for the day, and then risk having another dream like that. I convinced myself that it had just been a dream, not something that I should expect to happen again, frightening as it was.

I heard a gentle knocking sound against metal from outside the door. Opening my eyes, I turned to see Doc standing there “Hey.” He waved at me “You screamed. Are you okay?”

“Just a bad dream.” I mumbled “Sorry if I woke you.”

“No, I was already awake, just… browsing the colony’s network. It’s almost morning anyway” He sounded concerned as he walked in “Say, how do you spell Arthausen?”

I spelled it out letter by letter for him before I asked “Why? I didn’t think it would be that hard to look up.”

“Neither did I.” He mumbled, taking my spelling down “But that’s what I searched for already. Nothing.”

“Really?” I raised an eyebrow “It’s not exactly a new condition, I don’t know why Luna wouldn’t have mention of it.”

“That’s the thing…” he mumbled “I called in a favor so I could access to a scholarly relay, get a hold of information from the outer colonies. I only found one public file about Arthausen Syndrome. A Foundation file, actually. And it’s only related to the matter of port security.

“Oh, yeah.” I shook my head, figuring I was done dealing with that chore now “You know those scanners they have us go through at most ports before you travel by ferry? The ones that detect contraband and illegal cyberware and stuff? They also pick up on psionic resonance. There’s this whole procedure I had to go through with showing security a medical card and everything, it was stupid. Like they couldn’t tell I wasn’t a regular ship core just by looking at me.” I chuckled “Bunch of corporate red tape I guess.”

Doc nodded along “Yeah, that’s the procedure. It’s an odd one. They just say to scan the card and put them through when it happens. No contingencies for if they don’t have this card with them or anything either.

“I dunno, I never worked in a position like that myself. I guess they just call their supervisor or something if they don’t know what to do?” I shrugged. I’d never really thought about what the rules behind the scenes for the ridiculous procedure.

“Right, Foundation and their access levels.” He nodded “But what I find most strange is the lack of scholarly information. This sounds like the kind of condition that’s just begging for a slew of theses, and even just anecdotal notes like the ones I’ve been taking, but… nothing. It’s as if, medically, Arthausen Syndrome doesn’t exist.”

I had to laugh “That’s impossible, I grew up with it. They made a big deal out of scanning my brain and everything at a hospital when I was younger.” I paused “Do you have access to medical records, maybe?”

He laughed this time “You crazy? You can’t just get someone’s medical records, that’s private.”

I rolled my eyes “Gimme here. We’re pirates, I’ve worked on system security more than a couple times. You learn the other side of it easy enough.” I motioned to his pad.

He handed it over reluctantly “Are you saying that you’re a hacker?”

I shrugged my shoulders and began tapping away at the computer “System security and hacker are the same job if you flip it around. Besides, I know what it’s like to be a computer now, I’ve never felt more confident that I could crack anything.”

“Oh, I see, it’s a sort of… takes one to know one approach.” I nodded as he continued “But that must be heavily encrypted.”

“Not if you know exactly what information you’re looking for. I’ve got my medical ID memorized.” I began typing it in, injecting the fifteen digit code into a server query. I shifted several variables to make it look like the terminal was coming from a legitimate doctor’s office. I got rejected twice, but the third query I tried brought up my file, and I was in. I handed the tablet back to him and folded my arms in triumph.

“They can’t trace this, can they?” he asked.

“They might trace it to a doctor.” I mumbled, hoping that I wouldn’t cause some random stranger too much grief with this.

He perused my file slowly “Right. It says here, Arthausen Syndrome. But the file for the condition itself is locked. Some kind of corporate clearance.” I leaned over to look as he thumbed through the file.

“That’s… weird. Why would corpos have a hold on the file for a genetic condition?” I asked.

“See the identifier for it? Medical condition codes have all these different codes for identifying things at a glance, there’s a certain structure to them. Neurology starts with a ‘NB’ for instance. The one for Arthausen Syndrome isn’t something they use for genetic conditions. Or neurological conditions.”

“Huh…? So where would you categorize it?” I asked, starting to get curious about where this was going.

He shook his head “I’m not sure. I’ve never seen a code without an identifier like this. I’m going to save a copy of all of this, if you don’t mind me stealing your medical data?” he asked.

“Go right ahead, I’m dead, remember?” I tried to laugh casually at the gesture, but I was concerned now. What did all of that mean?

There was a long silence as he stared at the data pad. “Meryll.” He sounded serious as he asked “What other medical conditions have you had?”

I shrugged “I… don’t really think I have anything else going on, why?”

He nodded “You’re very healthy I suppose. Don’t worry about it. I’ll… keep looking into this. Thank you for your help.”

“Why wouldn’t I? You’re the one looking into me, it’s the least I could do.” I eyed the data pad, but after a moment, decided it was time to get up instead. I was hungry.

As I stepped out into the hallway though, I had an unsettling feeling. Doc was looking directly at my file. Why would he want to know if I had any other conditions from me instead of just looking himself. I looked back to see him staring intensely at the data pad. What had he found so unusual, and why wasn’t he just telling me about it? I wanted to ask him, but I knew he didn’t like people prying into his secrets already. I was sure that he would tell me if something was really wrong, so I just quietly slipped away and hoped he found what he was looking for.

[animeomegas]

let's imagine this: asra and his alpha are having THAT fight, although it's more like asra yelling all desperate and his alpha trying to calm him down so they can talk properly. asra is having none of that (even if his alpha it's not even mad or actually fighting, they just want asra to feel better) so his alpha just interrupts him while he's starting to panic and simply says:

"where do you want to go? i think it would be nice living in the middle of the forest, just the two of us. and if the plague continues for more than a couple of months, we could even open a shop in whatever place we'll live in"

asra is like what?? and the alpha just tells him something like "i want to help our city, but not if that is a reason to be away from you. you're my mate, the most important person in my life. i'm sure i can figure out a spell or something else that let's me help find a cure for the plague while being in some far away city instead with you, the both of us safe and most important: together"

i feel like asra would just start crying because he thought he was going to lose his alpha, that they would choose to stay instead of understanding that he doesn't feel safe in the city anymore and even if someone else could think that he's selfish, it really makes sense to just want his mate safe, you know?

and then they just cuddle (WITH FAUST TOO !!!) while talking about what kind of place they want to live in while the plague still exists. i'm soft :(

¡¡ I JUST HATE THAT IN THE GAME, MC DIDN'T GO WITH ASRA LIKE ?!?!? THEY COULD HAVE USED THAT WATER SPELL TO HELP FIND A CURE WITHOUT BEING THERE PHYSICALLY !!!

(Omg I totally agree! I would have been out of that city the second that plague reared it's head. I simply do not have loyalty to places and I would be gone lmao 🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️💨 Also, my prompt for Asra for Kinktober is emotional sex, which you sent in of course 😉, and I think I might use this post as the backstory for it... @bymoanne)

Okay, so Asra has been watching the plague develop like a hawk, and he's decided that they have to leave. They have to. Otherwise his alpha will die, and Asra knows he won't be far behind. Things are going from bad to worse, and Asra knows they have to leave now before the city gets quarantined.

But then his alpha says the worst six words he's ever heard.

"I want to stay and help."

And Asra breaks down into hysterics completely, shouting and pleading and bargaining and saying anything and everything he can think of to convince them. He's furious at them for doing this to him. For putting him in this position where he can't protect his mate. But he's also not surprised. This is so like them, to want to help everyone, and normally it's one of his favourite things about his alpha, but right now he can't stand it.

And Asra's alpha is just staring at him, completely blindsided by his breakdown, vaguely aware of Faust slithering up to rest on their shoulders. He'd been quick to leave Asra when his shouting started.

They had no idea he was feeling so unsafe, feeling so desperate to leave. They do want to stay and help but not if this is what that decision does to Asra. He'll never leave them, they know that, and they couldn't bare to watch him breakdown like this if they decided to stay.

They try and get him to calm down, but he won't let them speak. He feels like he's going to die, like they both are going to die, if he can't convince them right now that they need to leave.

...

"Where do you want to go?" they interrupt him, speaking loud enough to be heard over Asra's panicked pleading. His voice dies down as the words register.

"What?" he asks, dazed.

"I don't know if I ever mentioned it, but my family had a cabin in the woods about thirty miles from here... It hasn't been used in years, but it was pretty hidden and secure, so it should still be there. From what I can remember, we left the kitchen stocked with plates and cutlery, and the linen cupboard stocked with blankets and sheets. I can't promise that the roof won't leak and that the blankets aren't musty and need washing but, if you want to go there we could fix it up a little?" they offer.

Asra blinks a few times, before his bottom lip starts to quiver.

"Really?"

"Of course! We can pack up as much of our stuff as we can, we'll have to hunt and grow a lot of our food there, but we can bring as many cans of food as we can to supplement. There's a river for fish and everything! I think you'll like it, but it will take us about six hours to get there at least, probably closer to eight with all our stuff- Woah!"

Asra interrupts them by throwing himself into their arms. He can't even begin to stop the tears that fall freely from his eyes. He's so relieved he can barely breathe.

"Thank you, thank you," he sobs into their shoulder. He claws at his alpha's shoulders, desperately trying to pull his alpha closer.

"Shh," they hush, holding him securely. "I do want to stay and help, but not if that makes you feel like this. We're a team. I will never make you stay in a place where you don't feel safe."

"A team," Asra repeats in a whispered voice. Faust gently begins to transfer back to Asra, now that the shouting has stopped.

"A team," they place a kiss on his head. "We'll leave at first light tomorrow, it's too late today. The cabin is hard enough to find in the daylight and I haven't been there in years, the night is too risky. It will give us some time to pack though."

Asra sighs, nuzzling in to his alpha's neck, exhausted. All the adrenaline is starting to crash and now he just feels tired, but also so, so grateful.

"I love you," Asra says, trying to push as much emotion as he can into those words.

"I love you, too," they reply, sliding a hand up to nestle in his hair. "Why don't you take a nap while I make a packing list?"

...

Asra's alpha sits on one of their sofa's, Asra's head cushioned in their lap as he sleeps, and they write a packing list.

They leave just before dawn, with as much stuff as they can carry between them, dragging a small cart behind them to help. They all (Asra, his alpha and Faust) exit the city without touching anything or talking to anyone. They walk in silence, focused on just leaving as fast as possible without a fuss and without catching anything.

It takes a whole day of walking to arrive at the little derelict cabin, but the second they do, Asra feels like a huge weight has been lifted off of his shoulders.

There are cobwebs everywhere, the roof is questionable, and the whole place is covered in dust. But it's workable, especially with magic. They have a food source, a water source, blankets and a bed, a semi functional kitchen... and crucially, they're far away from any town or city.

It's perfect.

[I really want to build the little derelict cabin in the sims 😆 Maybe I will haha]

[thewayshedreamed]

Congrats on the 800 followers bby you deserve it! I have a good one for you. I slipped and fell in the shower and the only person who can help me is my enemy for nessian 👀👀👀

Well, Sim, it was you who BLEW my word count. I should have seen it coming, I guess 👀

Although, I will say you didn't do it alone. I also combined @maastrash 's prompt "Are you hurt? What happened?" and one from anon, "You're cute when you're all worried."

They all went together so well that I couldn't resist. And as a result, you got this 3k+ beast. RIP 800-word limit.

Anyway, I hope you like it, my love! Enjoy!

--

Nesta wasn't sure why she had agreed to go to the beach with Feyre, Rhysand, and his brothers. Gwyn had come through in her time of need and agreed to join them, but she'd quickly flipped her allegiances to spend more time on the beach with the others instead of retreating back to the house with Nesta. She had a suspicion it had something to do with a certain tall, dark, and broody man who hoarded his smiles from the public eye.

Unless the public eye belonged to Gwyneth Berdara.

After the long trek to their rented beach house, Nesta stopped at the edge of the dock to knock the sand from her shoes. There was a small shower outside the backdoor to rinse the saltwater and stubborn sand from her body, and Nesta hissed against the stark cold that rained down on her legs. A proper shower was the only thing that was going to combat the chill in her blood, and that realization was enough to solidify her decision to stay inside the rest of the afternoon with a romance novel.

Her towel was full of sand, so she hanged it over the porch railing and headed directly to the bathroom. It was best if she peeled her bikini off in the shower to avoid scattering any lingering sand all over her bedroom, so she moved swiftly into the small bathroom and cranked the water nearly to the warmest setting. The firm grip of her arms around her body did very little to combat the goosebumps on her skin, and she let out a near moan at the feel of the hot water.

She closed the shower door behind her and stood beneath the spray properly to rinse her hair. Her bikini made a loud slopping sound against the tile in the corner. Dealing with it was a task for someone with any motivation beyond warmth and cleanliness.

Nesta lathered her hair and combed a generous amount of conditioner through her strands to help with the detangling process. The wind had created a monster, adding another notch against the beach in her book.

While her conditioner did the Cauldron's work, she grabbed a wash cloth and body wash. As she moved back beneath the spray, her foot slipped over the suds near the drain, but Nesta righted herself with a firm hand against the tile wall. The excessive amount of conditioner wasn't helping matters.

She rinsed her hair and body all at once to get to her lounge clothes as soon as possible. Stepping out of the spray to hang her washcloth on the nearby rack to dry was near torture now that she was properly warmed, and Nesta wasted no time in stepping back into the water for one last hit before shutting it off.

That was her intention, anyway. What happened instead is that her traitorous feet were no match for the slick tile, and the backward steps were all it took to send her careening to the floor. She slapped at the wall to no avail, finding no ally in reach. What she did find was insult to injury when various toiletry bottles rained down on top of her.

She had stupidly tried to brace her fall with her other hand, sending a spark of pain from her palm to her shoulder. Her groan echoed off the walls and the shower showed no mercy as the water rained onto her chest, all over her face.

A booming voice made her eyes snap open, only to snap them shut against the sting of the water.

"Nes?"

Her delay had been too long. The bathroom door burst open, and through the frosted glass, she saw Cassian's imposing form assessing the situation.

"Nesta? Are you hurt? What happened?"

This could not be happening. Of all the fuckers to be in the house at one of her lowest points, it had to be Cassian. Gwyn would be hearing about this.

"Go away."

She cringed against how dejected she sounded. Turning her head and shielding her eyes with her uninjured arm, she found that he did no such thing.

"Cassian," she warned. "Get the fuck out of here. Now."

He propped a hip on the bathroom counter. Arrogant bastard. At least, from what she could tell, his chin was turned up toward the ceiling rather than his gaze being fixed on the frosted glass.

"Something tells me things aren't going well if you've yet to peel yourself off the floor."

Nesta rolled her eyes and turned her face toward the water once more. Maybe she could drown.

"Let me help."

"I thought I was pretty clear. I'm not accepting help from you."

A deep sigh sounded in the bathroom, but before she could snap, his rough voice followed.

"Fine. Don't accept my help. Rhys came with me to grab snacks for the others. I'll have him switch with me."

"No," she roared, cringing against the command in her voice and her lack of options.

Every time she tried to sit up, pain tore through various parts of her body. Her ass, the hip that had taken most of the impact, her shoulder. She needed help, and while she hated the idea of accepting it from Cassian, she would rot in hell before Rhysand helped her out of the shower. How had she found herself in a situation where her only chance at help was the man who spent the majority of his life being as big of a pain in her ass as possible?

His voice sounded again, but it carried away from her. "Rhys, head back without me." His brother's voice came next, but Nesta couldn't hear him over the patter of water in the shower. "Nah, I'm good. Just taking a break from the sun. I'll catch up."

With that, he shut the bathroom door behind him. At least Cassian had the good sense to lie to Rhys rather than recruit any additional attention to her compromising position.

"Alright, Sweetheart. I've got a towel ready. I'm going to open up and shut the water off."

Nesta's breath hitched at the rush of cool air, at the form that cast her in shadow almost entirely. She pulled her legs up and shielded her chest with her good arm, earning a throaty chuckle from her savior.

"I'm not looking. I'd rather when a woman wants me to see them naked."

Why her need to launch jabs at him overpowered her pain was lost on her. "Must have been a while, then."

"Saw a good set out on the beach, actually. She was feeling pretty generous after watching me and Az play volleyball, I guess."

Nesta scowled. That tingling sensation down her spine didn't feel secondary to her injuries at hearing the story.

"You're a pig," she grumbled, but she let Cassian drape the towel over her front and ease her into a sitting position.

"It felt rude not to look."

Her huff of a laugh was genuine. Damn him. He moved to wrap the towel tightly around her shoulders.

"Think you can stand up?"

Nesta grimaced against the soreness in her hip. "Yeah. In a couple of minutes."

Without a word, Cassian hoisted her into his arms with measured gentleness. Her cheek rested against his shoulder since she didn't have her arms free to prop her up, but she barely had the energy anyway.

He maneuvered them out of the tight bathroom and down the hall to her room, easing her onto the edge of her bed. She opened her mouth to say thanks, but he had already spurred into action.

"What did you want to wear?"

"I'll get it."

He shot her a glare. "Fine. I'll pick."

Nesta growled her frustration, but Cassian only ticked his eyebrows upward in challenge. She hadn't realized initially that he wore only his swim trunks, half of his black hair pulled back and out of his face. The sun added color to his already bronze skin and left a soft blush on his cheeks that accented his hazel eyes. And she, to the contrary, was a lump beneath a massive towel. One that had managed to injure herself during a simple shower, evidenced by the soaked strands of hair plastered to her face and shoulders.

"There's a large night shirt in my suitcase and some sleep shorts."

Cassian grabbed them before turning toward her, a hand gripping the back of his neck. "Anything... underneath?"

Nesta allowed a sardonic laugh. "Underwear are for people with the use of both their arms."

He cleared his throat and left the clothes next to her on the bed. With a final instruction to call for him if she needed anything, he was gone.

She assessed the clothing and picked the shirt up first. One of her arms was through a sleeve in no time, but the second one was another story entirely. With a defeated whimper she gave up, dropping her arms into her lap with a hiss.

"Cassian!"

No response. Maybe he didn't hear her; the house was rather large. Her voice was louder the second time.

"Cassian!"

A muffled thud sounded, followed by a quick, "Coming!"

He appeared at the threshold of her door, dripping with water and suds. A large towel was wrapped around his waist, his grip white-knuckled to keep it in place.

"Everything alright? Where's the fire?"

Nesta blinked at him. "You said to call you if I needed anything," she pointed out, running her eyes over his state in accusation.

Cassian let out a long, suffering sigh. "I meant it, but you said you had this part covered. I take a 3-minute shower, tops."

"Well, I don't have it covered."

There was more bite to her voice than she'd intended, but self-pity and shame were settling into her bones. She hugged the nightshirt tighter against her body to serve as some form of armor, but it wasn't nearly enough.

Cassian's shoulders sagged, but she barely noticed in favor of watching beads of water travel down his torso, over his strong calves, and make a small puddle on the floor below. "I'm sorry. I was full of sweat and sand. I thought you'd be more likely to take help if I was clean."

Something in her chest softened at his forethought, even more so since he was right.

"Go finish your shower," she relented, settling her hips deeper into the mattress. "I can wait until you're done. I just— I need some help with my clothes."

He was on the balls of his feet, ready to haul himself straight to the shower. The water beneath his feet made her breath hitch. The words left her before she could think better of them.

"Careful! Don't rush." He blinked as if seeing her for the first time, but his usual cocky grin eventually stretched across lips. "I can't help you if you fall, too. And I'm not keeping you company on the ground until the rest of them come back."

Cassian's smile grew. He offered her a wink before he replied, "You're cute when you're all worried."

Her eyes narrowed to slits. "Go."

He hurried off on balanced feet, whether that was on Nesta's orders or a natural grace, she wasn't sure. While she waited, she opted to set them up as best as possible to make the process quick and painless. Well, minimally painful, considering there was a layer of awkwardness that was going nowhere fast. That was without counting the actual physical pain she would no doubt endure.

With a pathetic swatting motion, she knocked her sleep shorts to the floor and began shuffling them around with her feet. She'd managed to slip one into the proper leg hole before she heard Cassian's rich laugh from the doorway.

"Stubborn woman," he mused, seemingly allowing a sliver of affection to slip through. Nesta knew better.

She scowled, turning her chin up to make sure he knew how unwelcome his teasing was. He laughed harder and dropped to his knees in front of her, adjusting the tee he’d pulled over his head on his way into the room.

"What do you want to put on first? You're half-committed to both."

"Let's go with the shirt. It's long enough to cover me while we work on the shorts." Cassian nodded, reaching toward the crumpled article of clothing in her lap. Nesta jerked back to establish some expectations before moving forward. "You're about to see me naked."

"Yeah, probably," he sighed, as if it was a burden to him, too. "I won't look more than necessary though."

"Okay, good. And this doesn't change anything, so don't start acting weird around me. We take this to the grave, too. We'll never hear the end of it otherwise."

Cassian bit the inside of his cheek, pursing his lips in a failed attempt to hide his amusement. "You have my word."

He gently peeled the shirt from her grasp, sliding each sleeve beyond the crooks of her elbows before pulling the opening over her head. Nesta hissed at the pinch of pain through her shoulder but bit her tongue.

"I know. I'm sorry." He pulled the fabric down her sides and over her back. The backs of his knuckles dragged across her soft skin, and she barely contained her shiver.

Clearing his throat, he looked to the floor where her shorts were still tangled around her feet. He got to work on straightening them and allowed her to slip her other foot into the proper place. He didn't dare look up at her through his next request.

"Think you could put your weight on the leg that's not as sore?"

Nesta swallowed and said, “Yeah, I think so.”

“Use my shoulders to brace your weight, too.”

Her hands trembled as she reached for him. He was solid beneath her, the muscles in his shoulders unyielding under her grip. She had to resist flexing her fingers more firmly in a test of their resilience.

Cassian eased her shorts upward, the roughness of his knuckles tracing the same blazing path as they had over her back. His gaze was fixed resolutely on the floor, yet he managed to release them at the proper moment. The soft pop of the elastic snapped her out of whatever trance she was under, but the echo remained in the feel of his warm hands easing her hips back down to the mattress.

"Maybe we should have someone take a look at you; make sure you're okay." His brows came together when he realized she was already shaking her head in refusal.

"I'll rest a bit, and I'll be fine. I may be sore tomorrow, but I'm good."

Without a word, Cassian braced one of his legs outward and scooped Nesta into his arms. It grated her nerves how easily he'd lifted them both into a standing position.

"What are you doing? You can't make me go to the doctor."

Cassian leaned back and shook his head, trying to get his rogue hair out of his face. "I'm not manhandling you to the doctor, Nes. Settle down." His bottom lip jutted out to try and blow the strands away while he walked. "I'm taking you to the couch and getting you ice."

Oh. Well, that hadn't been what she expected. The gesture was enough to have her mindlessly raise a hand to tuck a lock of hair behind his ear. His eyes snapped to hers, his steps slowing to a stop in front of the couch. Their faces were close enough that she could run her nose along his if she wanted to, but she definitely didn't. Not even at the feel of his firm chest heaving against her.

They stayed that way, transfixed by the contact that was somehow more intimate than when he had draped clothes over her naked body. Their breathing settled into a rhythm together, and Nesta couldn't resist tracing the path of his sharp jaw. His slight stubble scraped against the pads of her fingers, all the way to his chin, where she grazed over his skin with her thumb. She snatched her hand away like he'd burned her.

Cassian's throat bobbed, and his fingers flexed against her ribs. His other hand did the same against her thigh, except his thumb traced a soft, idle path back and forth along the sensitive skin at the back. He made no moves to put her down.

Nesta knew she would regret the loss of his warmth immediately, but the line they flirted was thin. Not to mention, it was irresponsible to succumb to such a base urge considering, any other time, they would be poised to rip each others' heads off.

The shrieks of children at the neighboring beach house snapped their attention to something beyond the bubble they'd created for themselves. Cassian eased her to the couch and positioned pillows around her to keep as much pressure off of her aching joints as possible. He threw a blanket over her legs before heading to the nearby kitchen for ice.

Nesta watched his retreat with shameless appreciation. How had she never stopped to look at him through her current lens? Doing so may have been enough to make her more agreeable in nature. The thought made worry sink in her gut with what had transpired moments before, and she craved the oddly familiar banter they'd engaged in since he showed up to the scene of her demise.

"So," she called, eyes fixed on the intricately patterned throw pillow beneath her injured arm, "how much did you see?"

His voice was closer than she'd expected, but she managed not to startle. "Uh— I mean. I saw some things."

Nesta fixed her glare on him, and he gave her a sideways smile while he placed the ice strategically over her shoulder. She hissed against the cold, earning a look of apology.

"What things?"

He let out along breath. "A bit of everything, really. Not on purpose. " A slight blush turned the tips of his ears pink, but Nesta didn't comment on it. "Mostly, you know—" He gestured back and forth between his pecs. "—everything else was more... indirect, I guess."

Nesta groaned, allowing her forehead to fall to her good hand, cradling it in her palm. Cassian moved to the nearby armchair and took a sip of his bottled water.

"Don't be embarrassed, Sweetheart," he soothed, albeit mockingly. "They're not the worst ones I've seen today."

—

They had watched a movie in loaded silence until the others trudged up to the house near sunset. Nesta gave the cliff notes of how she'd wound up injured on the couch, making no mention of Cassian's help. The last thing they needed was an onslaught of questions from their nosy friends.

"I thought you were coming back out there. What happened to you?"

Cassian's brows drew together at Rhys' question. "Well, I saw Nesta laid up on the couch and offered to watch a movie with her. I lost track of time."

Rhysand eyed him skeptically, but no one questioned it. Cassian redirected everyone's attention to the matter of what they would cook as a group that night, but he was sure to give Nesta strict orders to stay planted on the couch. Overbearing prick.

With so many hands on deck, dinner was ready quickly. They all settled around the table, and Gwyn had made it a point to cushion Nesta's chair with pillows before letting her sit down. Her best friend must have sensed the verbal lashing that awaited her in the privacy of their shared room that night.

Laughter filled the space while they told stories from the day's events. Apparently, Azriel had rescued Gwyn from a feared creature of the deep while taking a dip in the water. He had hardly been able to stop laughing himself to tears long enough to complete the epic tale of how he defeated the bundle of seaweed that had threatened Gwyn's life so mercilessly. The latter hadn't found it quite so amusing, but Az offered her a broad smile in apology.

Nesta wasn't sure she had ever seen one quite so wide on his face, and holy gods. If she'd thought him to be beautiful before, she had been sorely mistaken.

As they usually did, Rhysand and Feyre settled close to each other as the other talked. Rhys was busy murmuring things into Feyre's ear that made her cheeks as red as Gwyn's sunburn, which earned a proper warning from Cassian to "stop being gross with his little sister". Nesta agreed with him enough to refrain from reminding him that he was in no way related to Feyre.

"Don't mind him, Darling," Rhys purred. "He's pouting because the only action he'll see during this trip will be self-directed."

Cassian nostrils flared in annoyance, and for whatever reason, Nesta found herself rising to his defense.

"I don't know," she sang, "I hear Cassian saw a pretty good set today."

A chorus of questions broke out, but he only had eyes for Nesta. The gleam in his eyes told her he knew she hadn't been referring to the ones flashed to him and Azriel after the beach volleyball game.

"I did," he agreed, sipping some of the amber liquid in his glass. "Perfect, actually."

The questions continued, and Azriel reluctantly began recounting the tale of he and Cassian's victory flashing. Nesta used her good arm to raise her wine to her lips, mouthing a subtle thank you over the glass for everything he'd done for her. The least she could do was preserve a bit of his dignity.

Cassian lifted his class in mock cheers and said everything he needed to with a single wink.

The pleasure was all mine.

[darkcitiesnluv]

jake x fem reader cuddling !!! (fluff 🥺)

Here is it! I hope you like it! I really tried my best! 😅💜❤️💜@bloodsweat-bangtan

Warning: FULL OF FLUFF💖 but mention of " I'll die if you leave me"

====================================

====================================

A yawned escaped from your mouth, waiting for class to end. It's been a long day for you with neverending tests. Can't wait for the time to rest....but wait! Don't you have an anniversary to attend? You widen your eyes and stood up from your desk.

" that's all for today class! " The teacher said with a smile. Everyone got up form their seats and prepared their backpacks to leave. You already had your stuff  packed quickly so you were one of the first students to leave the classroom.

"BOOO!" A dark brown hair boy said as he jumped in front of you to scare you with opened fingers ready to tickle you.

" Ahh! Jake! You scared me!" You said touching your chest where your heart was beating fast. You slightly hit Jake on the shoulder gaining a giggle from him. "I'm sorry my precious baby..." He said with his Australian accent. One of the reasons why you felt so attracted to this boy.

Jake wrapped an arm around your shoulders and pull you into a warm embrace as he pinched one of your cheeks with his other free hand and forced an innocent kiss on your lips.

" Not-in school Jake! You know I'm shy!" You complained trying to pull away from him but he grabbed your wrist and pull you back to him, once again force you another innocent kiss just to tease you. "Sim Jake!"  You said not controlling your loud giggles.

" Jake! Hyung!" Suddenly a short brown hair boy yelled from behind you two with his unzipped backpack and his shoe laces untied.

He stopped next to you and saw the way Jake was giving you all his love and attention. The young boy wiggled his eyes at you two as he nudge his elbow against your arm. " OoOoOo~" he teased making a whole scene.

" Riki! Stop that! And tie your shoe laces!" You scolded him sounding like a mother. That's how your friendship with the young boy was: a relationship of mother and son.............and Jake the father.

"I do it later, Jake are we going to play soccer with Heeseung today?..." Jake asked with a hopeful smile and look.

" Tomorrow little bro, tonight I'll spend time with my pretty girlfriend" Jake said as he peck your chubby cheek.

" Tch! You prefer to spend time with your boring girlfriend than with us, your super cool and fun friends?" Riki asked in disbelief with a fake disgusted face just to tease the heck out of you.

" Hey Niki-san! Careful on what you're going to say in front of my girl!" Jake defended you as he walked in front of you as if to protect you. How proud you felt to see him behave so protective towards you.

" Ok ok I'm sorry" Riki laughed. " Then tomorrow is it, see you later Y/n!" Riki waved as he ran off ahead of them.

Jake locked his fingers on to yours holding your hand. " I have little surprise for our second year anniversary...." He said quietly against your ear. You widen your eyes in shock. " I thought you forgot since you didn't mention it in the morning?" You asked covering your mouth.

" Nop..... you'll see tonight" he said softly kissing on top of your hand he was holding.

°°°

" Don't worry you won't fall! I'm right behind you" Jake chuckled as he stand behind you, covering your eyes. He was taking you to the place where the surprise was. " Ok we're here.....now open your eyes" he whispered to your ear as he lets go of you.

You slowly opened your eyes. You saw the beautiful scenery in front of you. It was like you were looking at a work of art. A small round table with delicious good smelling food, wine, a red rose and a happy candle sitting right in the middle of the table waiting to be a company by two beautiful strangers. The grass was cut short and it's green color was eye-catching. Large wide trees standing around the park like bodyguards protecting the work of art. It's orange, yellow, and brown leaves swinging around with the lightly wind🍃. Then there was the most beautiful view to see.....a river. You loved how the moon reflected itself on the blue deep water. You loved the way the moon shone on you two brightening the romantic mood even better. Let's not forget about the neon lights of the buildings and skyscrapers behind the river making it look almost like the universe.

" Jake ...." You let out breathlessly, a tiny tear leaving from one eye. " This is ..... beautiful....oh my god Jake! This is amazing!" You squeal and jumped on him, wrapping your hands around his neck, your legs around his torso, lips pecking all over his face. " Jake! This is beautiful! You did this all by yourself?" You asked.

Jake chuckled and nodded quickly. " Yes love, I did it all by myself" Jake....lied...well kind of. To be honest he did this with the help of two romantic freaks: Jay and Sunoo.  Now don't get him wrong, Jake really is romantic, he actually came up with all this places for a special date, while the other two helped with some of the settings.

Either way the three did a good job and now we have a happy Y/n crying because of this beautiful masterpiece. " Oh my god!..Gosh!...Girl get off and let's eat!" Jake yelled as he couldn't handle so many of your soft kisses on his handsome face. Giving him one last kiss on his lips you let him go and run towards a chair.

Jake sat next to you. As the gentleman he is he served you food and a glass of the finest wine. "Heaur, what ma queen desarves....." He said exaggerating his Australian accent. You laughed at his silliness and lightly hit him on his shoulder. " Shut up Jake! You're making me cringe!" You still kept laughing inside while sipping your fine wine.

°°°

" Babe, Thank you for this, the food was delicious, the wine was delicious, the desert in front of me was delicious-"

" There wasn't any deserve-"

" You, babe, You are the dessert!" You exclaimed as you pull Jake down to the ground were you two were just sitting a second ago. You two laid on the grass watching the white moon slowly decreasing. Jake turn to look at your pretty  side profile and admire it.

'I'm really dating the prettiest girl on this planet....' he thought to himself. You felt his intense gaze looking at you which made you look back at him as well. As you did he immediately looked towards the moon and pretend as if he never wasn't looking at you.

" Jake, stop! Oh my god Jake" you laughed as you fake punch his arm and side. Jake just flinched and squeak as you tried to. He tried his best to not let you tackle him like that but ended up failing. However, after five minutes he took power over you and had you stuck against him. Your back against his hard chest and stomach, his arms wrapped around together with your arms around your stomach. His breath hitting the tiny hairs of your neck and shoulder.

" I love you,......I love you....Y/n...." He whispered in your ear. You chuckled and smiled at the moon.

" I love you too baby, you're the best thing that ever happened to me, after going through a lot in the past, you've been there for me.....that's why I love you so so much and I swear! Listen to me?....I swear I'll kill myself if you ever leave me Jakey...." You suddenly said with a worry look as you immediately turn around to cuddle him completely; your tiny arms wrapped around his torso, your legs tangle up with his strong soccer player legs. You buried your head against his warm chest and smelled the autumn leaves smell of his cologne.

The thought of Jake Sim leaving you for whatever reason really scares you and you don't want it to become reality.

" Hey! Shhhhh! Don't say that....." He whispered and scolded you. He furrowed his eyebrows down clearly not liking what you just said.

" Babe, look at me.....babe?.....look.....and hear me clearly......I won't leave you....ever.....heard that?....ever princess....you also been there when i needed someone as well....my princess you're my everything......" He kissed your forehead and stay there longer until he pulled away and cuddle you harder against him.

Jake stare at the beautiful moon that brightened the romantic night. He smiled at it and look down to look at you. He patted your hair and closed his eyes still smiling dreamingly.

❤️

💜

❤️

Thank you for reading 🤎

[junko-and-riri-domain]

˚₊·˚ “babes” | ot7 ˚₊·˚

↬ pairing: ot7 x reader ↬ genre: fluff | drabbles | scenarios  ↬ warnings: none ↬ w/c: 1.3k ↬ requested by: 🤍 ↬ request was: Hihii I was wondering if you could do enhypens reaction to calling them things like baby or my love in your native language (excluding English and Korean) ↬ a/n (a few things !!)

since i clearly don’t what “my love” in everyone’s native language “babes” is the place holder word and you can imagine it as whatever “my love / love” is in your language !! also i haven’t done an ot7 post in a while so these might be kinda bad and lowkey might not make any sense 💔

also, the 500 followers event is closed (unless you decide to send one in tonight then i’ll still write it 👀 !! ) but somehow we hit 800 followers today !! how this blog managed to get like 200 followers while i was ia is beyond me 😭

but thank you everyone 🥺 i’ll be writing requests from the 500 followers throughout the week and responding to asks as well <33 

˚₊·˚♤˚· lee heeseung ˚₊·˚♤˚·

late one night you and hee are laying in bed, unable to sleep so you ask him,

“babes, wanna eat some ramen?” he’s like yes, ramen !! but wait,

“babes?” he asks. “isn’t that fish in russian?” (like that whole “te amo” means “i love you” in tagalog / filipino even though it actually means ‘i love you’ in spanish. but yeah, he’d probably think it was something completely different in another language lmao) once you realized what you just called him you tell him,

“it doesn’t mean fish, it means love in [insert your language].” the dots connect in his head and all of a sudden,

“i babes you,” you hear. you can’t help but smile at him and laugh a little because,

“that’s not how the grammar works, but at least you tried.” from then on if he wanted something from you he’d do aegyo and would say.

“babes, please !!”

˚₊·˚✎˚·  park jongseong / jay | self indulgent jay mini fic somewhat related to this req ˚₊·˚✎˚· 

you’re chilling with jay one day and all of a sudden,

“hey, babes can you hand me the remote?” you ask. suddenly he’s frozen in place, looking at you like,

“did you just call me love in [insert your language]?” you look at him, slightly tilting your head to the side and you’re all like,

“huh, i guess i did.” in his head, his mind is going crazy because what ?? you l-word him ?? but then you’re just like,

“wait, how do you know what that word means?” and then he gets all flustered and begins to ramble.

“i went on a YouTube spiral at four am, and, uh… uhh… yeah, i just heard it. it sounded unique so i sorta just remembered.”

“when?”

“like, a few weeks ago.”

“what were you watching?”

“the basics to [insert your language] 101.” you’re shocked but not really since jay is basically a language genius. but now your heart feels all fuzzy and warm because he’s learning your language.

˚₊·˚ ✁˚· sim jaeyun / jake ˚₊·˚ ✁˚·

if anything, you probably didn’t call him babes first. why? because you said it to layla. you stopped by jake’s place before the both of you went to your parent’s place. since you haven’t seen layla in a while, she instantly captured your attention (like she so rightfully deserves).

“babes, i missed you!” you say as you smile while petting her and seeing her tail wag in happiness. jake looks at the sight of the two loves of his life and can’t stop the way his heart flutters a little. he doesn’t want to ruin the moment but he wants your attention so he ends up sort of sitting on the ground next to layla and peeks up at you with wide eyes and a smile.

“babes?” he asked. you end up also sitting on the floor, layla settling onto your lap,

“it means love in [insert your language].” he frowns,

“you said you love layla before saying you love me?”

“who says i love you?” he gets kind of pouty because he knows that you love but he wants to hear it. some time passes and when you’re at your parent’s house, you’re talking to them and you tell them in [insert your language],

“i love jake.” he hears the word and his name in the same sentence. so he takes a chance and using the same sentence you said but with your name he says,

“i love ___.”

˚₊·˚ ❆˚· park sunghoon ˚₊·˚ ❆˚··

it probably slipped out in a moment of panic while the two of you were ice skating. sometimes you slipped into [insert your language] due to a surge of various emotions, sometimes anger, fear, or frustration. sunghoon had asked if you wanted to go on a date to the new rink that just opened and you said yes because ice skating with hoon, how could you miss the opportunity ?? he was holding your hand and skating to your pace trying to teach you how to ice skate. but somewhere down the line, he ended up letting go without you realizing it (like when you ride a bike and the person behind you holding the bike lets go !!) so you turn around, eyes wide at the distance between you and sunghoon and you’re like,

“YAH, BABES YOU SAID YOU WOULDN’T LET GO,” and all of a sudden you lose your balance. thankfully, sunghoon being the great skater that he is manages to get to you and holds so you so that you don’t fall. you’re clutching onto his jacket, trying to catch your breath, “i hate you,” you mutter. he smiles as he moves your hair to get out of your face,

“yeah, keep telling yourself that. wait? what does babes mean?” he asks.

“it means love in [insert your language].” suddenly, ice king composure melts. heart going a hundred miles a minute. mind is all like wait what? he accidentally loses his footing and balance, falling while taking you down with him but you’re fine since you landed on top of him.

“are you ok, babes?” he asks to at least try and keep some cool because even though you’re in an ice skating rink, it suddenly feels as if things just got a hundred degrees hotter.

˚₊·˚❂˚· kim sunoo ˚₊·˚❂˚·

he had been interested in learning about your language and culture, mostly for the food… but a+ for effort, right? he would often ask you, “what does this mean?” “what does that mean?” that kind of stuff, since he was genuinely curious. he picked up a few words here and there, occasionally using a word that he knew in a sentence while talking to you. your family asked you to bring him over for a family gathering / party situation sometimes it felt like they liked him more than you. you were sitting down with a plate of food,

“babes, can you hand me a napkin?” suddenly, your and sunoo’s ears are filled with the sounds of “OOO” and your family begins teasing you. to yourself, you’re just like, did i really just call sunoo… but when you look at sunoo his smile is the widest it’s ever been

“you called me love, matji, matji?” (matji meaning like “right” in korean, idk it just felt right to spell that out here ok anyways)

“how did… how did you know?” and he does that thing where he kind of giggles,

“you just confirmed it!”

˚₊·˚✧˚· yang jungwon ˚₊·˚✧˚·

one night jungwon was dropping you off to the front of your doorstep to make sure you got home safe and sound. you were trying to be cute and said,

“saramhae” (saram means person in korean, but what you really meant to say was, “saranghae” which means i love you in korean). jungwon then does that thing where he smirks at you, tilting his head slightly, and he says,

“nado saramhae, babes.” (so like “i love you too, [love in insert your language]” but it’s saramhae because that’s what you said at first) but then,

“babes?” you ask. he plays it off by saying,

“i’m the leader, i need to learn how to communicate in different languages for engenes.” but really it’s just secret language learner pt. 2 exposed.

˚₊·˚⍢˚· nishimura riki / ni-ki ˚₊·˚⍢˚·

ni-ki’s head was on your lap, eyes closed since he was taking a nap and decided your lap was the best thing to claim as his pillow. you needed to get up so to wake him, you poked his cheeks,

“ni-ki,” you said. nothing.

“riki-ah?” this time as more of a question while lightly patting his hair. also nothing.

“babes, if you don’t wake up i’m gonna shove you off my lap.” suddenly, his eyes open and he looks up at you which causes you to jump back in your seat slightly.

“bae-ehbs?” he asks, trying to sound out the word.

“uh huh.”

“wait doesn’t that mean, love?”

“no… it means pabo,” you reply playfully. (pabo meaning like dum dum / stupid in korean, but it’s not meant to sound offensive here !!)

“no it means ‘love’ jay hyung told me about that word when i started dating you.”

“well, if you knew then why’d you ask?”

“wait, so it actually does mean love?”

“you just said jay told you!”

“yeah but i didn’t believe him.” at the confirmation of the word’s true meaning, he feels happy and kind of giddy at the new name he’s earned for himself from you. like heeseung, he’d use it to get something that he wants from you but instead of aegyo it’s more like teasing.

↬ a/n pt. 2 + semi tmi: i speak two languages and i suck at both, english and my parent’s native language. two & a quarter if you count the bare minimum of spanish i learned from taking it during the first two years of high school and the few words of korean i picked up from kdramas lmao 😭

❦ written by riri ( @enhykkul​ ) | blog masterlist | blog navigation

↬ tagging: @bloom-bloom-pow​ | @markleepooh​ | @sunshineshouchan​ (permanent taglist is open if anyone wants to be in it !!)

[ashdumpsterpile]

ASH’S TMA HURT/COMFORT/FLUFF REC LIST 

For the gays. (And @damcrows who’s been dead for the past 24 hours. Rest in peace babe. Read some gay fic. Deny the inevitability of canon. <3)

___

the end, but the start (of all things that are left to do)  by @ajkal2

Jon wakes up.

aka. mag200 tore out my heart

(Very smol, very short, very spoiler. Def recommend for anyone who just finished the podcast.)

remind me how to smile by @tamerofdarkstars

Jon is probably fine, just hiding out somewhere while the whole murder thing blows over and that's... fine. Martin is fine with that explanation. Really. He's got plenty to distract himself - like listening through the entire What the Ghost episode library, for example. Or watching Georgie Barker's Instagram livestreams.

(Yea this was in the last rec list, but you don’t understand THE ADMIRAL GIVES CUDDLES)

Chamomile by Dribbledscribbles

Whatever the ex-tea was, if it really had ever been that last bag of chamomile Martin claimed he’d found tucked in the back of the cupboard, it was fast now.

Martin had tried catching it, chasing it, blocking its way with shoebox lids and plates and an upended footstool, but the thing was just too quick. Jon knew as well as Knew that he might have left off the attempts completely if not for the creature’s preferred game.

The game was, See How Many Times I Can Push Martin Towards Cardiac Arrest Before He Comes at Me with The Broom.

(Scottish Honeymoon Era. Adorable and weird. A vampire gets harassed.)

hey stranger by @ennuijpg

It’s a late night Tesco run, how eventful could it be? It’s not like Martin is going to run into his boss who’s wearing something absurdly different from usual and get the most acute form of whiplash possible from seeing him, right?

(Martin runs into Jon at the grocery store and has an existential crisis.)

roses roses, roses. by @judesstfrancis

Rose scented laundry detergent. Running into Jon in the breakroom. Running into Jon on his way back to his desk. Rose scented detergent. Running into Jon. Roses. Jon. Roses, roses, roses. 

(Canon enemies to friends to lovers au-ish. Martin POV. Very pining much sweet.)

go softly by doomcountry

And there is nothing else besides this. 

(More hurt/comfort than fluff. Scottish Honeymoon Era. Mild eye mutilation.)

Not Alone by @backofthebookshelf

After the coffin, Daisy and Jon are both fragile. They hold each other up. 

(Post-buried Jon&Daisy starter pack. Very hurt/comfort.)

trust my love by antlsepticeye

“you… you’re real, aren’t you?” jon whispers, the fog slowly dissipating from his mind. “it is not a trick?”

“i’m here,” martin says softly, reaching up to grab jon’s hand that was resting on his cheek, intertwining his fingers with jon’s and squeezing. he moves jon’s hand to martin’s chest, resting it over his heart. “you’re alright. i’m alright. take your time, love. let’s just take some deep breaths, okay?”

(TOUCHSTARVED JON HAS ENTERED THE CHAT.)

reaching out by Athina_Blaine

By the time things settled, when Martin had finally managed to crack through his cold shell, feel some of his old self returning to him in bits and pieces, they had found their little routine.

One that had the two of them sleeping in the same bed, making breakfast, going to the mart. Where Jon reached for his wrist while they slept, and Martin luxuriated in the gentle warmth of his fingers.  

But not one where Martin reached back. One that had Martin kissing Jon awake or taking his hand over the breakfast table, because ... Martin never had the courage to try. And then it never became a part of the routine.

And Martin desperately wanted it to be.

-

Martin and Jon have an important conversation.

(More Scottish Honeymoon Era for the soul. Hurt/comfort/fluff.)

Belabor by @janekfan​

Jon's given the position of Archivist and is falling apart at the seams. Tim and Sasha are upset and playing games. Elias is overbearing and manipulative.

And poor Martin is stuck cleaning up the mess.

(THEE first fic I ever read for tma. Season 1, hurt/comfort/fluff, and hints of Jmartin. janekfan is the absolute master of seasons 1-3 hurt/comfort. This is my favorite, but pls check out the rest of their fics.)

tea, blankets, and a damnable stubborn attitude by ivelostmyspectacles

“Are you really gonna stay here and pester Jon all evening?”

“I’m not pestering him,” Martin retorted, sounding vehement if not busy going through the cupboards. “I’m heating up soup.”

“Oh, you might as well make him another cup of tea while you’re at it.”

“Oh, good idea.”

Jon shot Tim a withering look.

(The one where Jon is ill, Martin makes tea and they watch doctor who together. Fluff 1000%.)

A Kind Hand by @voiceless-terror

Jonathan Sims was adjusting just fine, thank you very much.

In which a minor workplace spill causes Jon to realize that he might have friends.

(Ah yes, the other master of seasons 1-3 fic aka voiceless-terror being my other fav author in the fandom. This one is also season 1 hurt/comfort/fluff.)

A Weather In The Flesh by @cuttoothed

"There is a span of years where Jon doesn’t touch anyone other than the occasional hand shake. It’s not so bad. He’s never been someone who’s needed physical affection."

*

Jon has never been any good at making people want to stick around.

(More touched starved Jon! Much hurt/comfort!)

Something Old, Something New by @cirrus-grey

Months have passed, and everyone is doing better than they were. Daisy and Basira are getting married, Melanie is feeling her old self, Georgie is as much herself as she has ever been, and even Jon has stabilized on his wild fall away from humanity. Everyone is doing better.

Well. Almost everyone.

(Daisy/Barsira wedding! Melanie is a bitch and we love her! Jmartin dance! Post-canon (almost) everyone lives!)

The Weight of Love by @voiceless-terror

Jon is a restless sleeper. Martin attempts to adjust. 

(The fic where Jon is literally me and Martin attempts to sleep for 1k words.)

The Art of Conversation by @voiceless-terror

"Do you ever stop talking?"

Jon has a complicated relationship with words. Difficulties come and go.

(Jon has adhd and Martin is in love.)

Novelty by @backofthebookshelf

Jon experiences A Sexual Attraction; Martin has A Concern. They figure it out.

(Any fic that explores the ace spectrum is a 10/10. We stan all ace interpretations of jon on this blog.)

Half a Hug by Dathen

I know you weren’t going to hurt me, I trust you, he said again and again. And then a different kind of fear shone through, hollow and echoing: “Please don’t stop touching me."

-

Or: Life is hard when you're touch-starved but have trauma related to your closest friend.  Spoilers through TMA 132.

(Honestly bless every author who saw jon&daisy and was like. They’re siblings. No I will not elaborate.)

the loneliness never left me (but i can put it down in the pleasure of your company) by Athina_Blaine

It was about Martin making Jon feel safe, treasured, and loved. And it had been so, so long since anyone made him feel that way.

And, in the face of it all, Jon was starting to flounder.

(At this point I just need to make separate rec list for Scottish Honeymoon Era.)

you can watch me corrode by scarletfish

"So, how long have you been pulling this shit then?"

"I… excuse me?" Jon’s indignant, certain she can’t mean what he thinks she means.

"When was the last time you ate?"

(Georgie decides Jon and Melanie need a normal day off. Jon learns that he and Melanie have more in common than he thought.)

(Look, Melanie isn’t my favorite person in tma, but she and Jon are like THE SAME PERSON and I adore fics that elaborate on their relationship.)

Out of the Wind, In From the Cold by @ostentenacity

There are two bedrooms in the safehouse, and two beds.

For a moment, Jon considers asking to share, but decides against it with a wince. “I really loved you,” Martin had told him. Loved. Past tense. And Martin doesn’t exactly have a lot of choices right now in terms of company; it would be cruel to demand he play at feelings he no longer has just to make Jon happy.

(For a moment, Martin considers asking to share. But he dismisses the idea with a shake of his head. Jon has already done so much for him. Martin isn’t about to ask for more, especially not when it’s something he doesn’t really need. He has his right mind back, and he has Jon’s friendship. That should be enough for him. It’ll have to be.)

---

Jon thinks that Martin doesn’t love him. Martin thinks that Jon doesn’t love him. They do not, of course, discuss this. Unrequited love is already awkward enough, right? No need to dwell on it.

(THEE SCOTTISH HONEYMOON ERA FIC. IT’S ABOUT THE PINING, BEING MUTUALLY OBLIVIOUS AND FALLING IN LOVE. 10000/10.) 

I Do by @voiceless-terror

“I, um- this was supposed to be a lot more romantic, I swear.” Martin looks down at the dirty bar floor. “I had it all planned out, I-I was going to take you somewhere nice, and then we’d go for a walk in the square- I’ll still do it!” He hurries to explain, as if that’s the most pressing part of this situation. “It’ll be really nice, I’ve already hired a photographer-”

In a fit of protectiveness, Martin proposes to Jon.

(Everyone lives, Martin accidentally proposes and Jon is crying in public.) 

________

[bluejayblueskies]

TMA Fanwork Appreciation Challenge: Time Travel

What a lovely way to pay homage to my favorite type of fic when I first joined the fandom! I read so many time travel fics near the beginning, and while I haven't picked up any new ones lately, I still have a list of favorites!

(For @themagnuswriters fanwork appreciation challenge, round two!)

Below the cut since this one is a bit long:

the garden of forking paths | jonmartin, rated T | Ao3: bibliocratic | tumblr: @bibliocratic

Whatever he had predicted might happen, Jon wasn't expecting to survive upon demolishing the Panopticon. He certainly wasn't expecting to be rescued.

Instead, he wakes up in an alternative universe where he's never been the Archivist, and Martin Blackwood doesn't exist.

Martin Blackwood wakes up somewhere else entirely.

I consumed this fic all in one sitting and adored it! An unconventional take on time travel (mixed with reality hopping) that was really captivating and heart-wrenching.

The Path of Least Resistance | jonmartin, rated T | Ao3: chermit

Sasha fixed Tim and Martin with a glare that was deathly serious. “But why should that stop us? It is— or was, I suppose, given... everything— our literal job to investigate supernatural events. If the police won’t figure out what happened to the Institute, we’ll do it. Doesn’t everyone deserve that? Doesn’t Jon deserve that?”

In the face of an unyielding apocalypse, the being that was once Jonathan Sims has a final, desperate idea. The archival assistants pick up the pieces.

I am obsessed with the concept of this fic! Jon goes back in time and kills his season one self, then kills Elias, so Sasha, Tim, and Martin are the only ones who survive from the Institute. They then embark on a quest to figure out what happened. It hasn't updated in a while, but I'm including it because I think it's still fascinating as-is and it truly is my favorite time travel fic in the fandom.

tapes winding forward | jonmartin, rated T | Ao3: skuls | tumblr: @ghostbustermelanieking

Martin gets a closer look at the calendar, and his breath catches in his throat. He's gotten a look at the year, and it's wrong, it's all wrong. 2018. October, 2018. Right there, in Martin's own handwriting, on a Saturday, he's written things on little dates that Martin can't read, because he can't take his eyes off the year. 2018. 2018. They look differently. They have scars they don't recognize. Their hair is longer. 2018.

Martin seizes the calendar off the fridge and goes back into the living room. Jon's still at the coffee table, poking through the tapes piled there, but he looks up when Martin comes back in and says, "Martin, where…" with a familiar bite in his voice.

Martin ignores him, stops him mid-sentence to say, "Jon, what have you heard about time travel?"

---

Martin and Jon wake up two years in the future. It goes about as well as can be expected.

I loved the sort-of-flipping of the typical time travel trope in that s5 jmart goes back in time but s1 jmart also goes forward in time! Another fic that I read all in one sitting and adored immensely. The season one Jon/Martin dynamics in this are fantastic!

The Future's Calling, and It's not Pretty | jonmartin, rated T | Ao3: StormStuff | tumblr: @storm-does-stuff

"Oh, shut up," the doppelganger said, crying and laughing. He looked like Martin, but that couldn't be right because Martin was watching this all unfold. "Now, I'm sorry to just pop in, but I have no clue how long I was in the halls - yes, I know you know - so I'm probably about to pass out. Sorry."

True to his word, he slumped down against the wall. Somewhere, a tape recorder clicked off.

"Alright," Tim said when the silence got uncomfortable, "We're not going to try and pretend that wasn't supernatural, right?"

(or, a time travel au, but this time with monster!Jon)

Time travel but with Jon's consciousness confined to the tapes! Martin carries him around, and typical time-travel-esque shenanigans ensue. The 'Jon is tapes' is a very interesting twist on typical time travel fics, and I had a lot of fun reading this!

Unravel | gen, rated T | Ao3: falling_forever | tumblr: @falling-forever-upwards

Jon has a freaky monster doppelganger locked in document storage and is trying very hard not to have a breakdown about it.

He's not succeeding very well.

(Or; trust, and identity, and becoming.)

A time travel fic that focuses on season five and season one Jon's relationship! I really enjoy the exploration of the nuances of Jon's relationship with himself and just in general the mixture of character study and time travel fic. It also has a nice bit about gender exploration, with season five Jon using they/them pronouns.

[obeyme-kaidii-writes]

Love

ace!Leviathan x ace gn!MC

Words - 2503

Content warnings - asexual characters, some internalized acephobia, lots of love and comfort

Prompt/inspiration - a gift for a reader on AO3 ☺️

Summary - You head to Levi’s room to check on him after not hearing from him all day, only to find him crying alone. After talking with him, you both learn something special about one another.

AO3

You were standing outside of Levi’s door debating whether or not to knock. Usually he was the one calling and texting you, inviting you to join him to play games, or watch anime, or just to hang out together in his room. But today, he had been quiet. Something that hadn’t happened since your early days in the Devildom.

To make matters worse, he was leaving all your messages on read, so you weren’t sure if he was mad at you or just too busy to respond. And you couldn’t think of anything that he had been looking forward to recently that would leave him so occupied. While you were contemplating your options, you pressed your ear to his door to see if you could hear any sounds from inside that might give you a clue as to what he was doing. That’s when you heard the unmistakable sounds of your favorite otaku sniffling and choking back sobs.

“Levi?”, you called out to him, opening his door without waiting for a response.

“Hmm?! Yeah?!” Levi startled, roughly scrubbing at his face to rid himself of his tears and trying to make himself look at least a bit like he hadn’t spent the better part of the day sitting in his room feeling sorry for himself.

“Hey, Levi, what’s wrong?” you asked him gently, as you sat down next to him by his aquarium, facing the opposite direction so you could see him better. He had his knees drawn up to his chest, and by now had given up trying to dry his tears and instead just hid his face in his arms.

When Levi didn’t respond, you simply wrapped your arms around his head and shoulders and held him, running your fingers through his hair. He stiffened for a moment, unsure if he really wanted you so close right now, but soon he had released his hold on his own legs, opting instead to wrap his arms around your middle, practically pulling himself into your lap in the process. And as soon as his face was hidden in the fabric of your shirt, he started crying once more.

All you could do for Levi was hold him, gently rubbing his back and combing his hair with your other hand. You had never seen him so upset before. Is this why he was hiding in his room all day?

“It’s ok Levi, it’s ok.”

But it was definitely not ok. At least not from Levi’s perspective. This had officially been the worst day ever, and there was exactly zero possibility of it getting better. He had stayed up late the night before, crafting the most eloquent love letter he had ever written (well, the only love letter he had ever written), determined to give it to you today to tell you how he felt. And just as he was about to slip it under your door, he stopped dead in his tracks, watching as you smiled and laughed with his brothers on your way to breakfast.

Oh. That’s right. How had he forgotten?

Levi wasn’t stupid, he could tell how smitten his brothers were with you. It was obvious to anyone with eyes, and especially obvious to him who had known them for so long. They had all changed in subtle ways, becoming kinder, softer, more loving, since you had come along. And he had changed too. He knew that. He wrote a love letter for goodness sake. He never would have imagined he would be doing that for anyone that wasn’t 2D.

Still, there was one striking difference between himself and his brothers that he knew from all his anime and manga and dating sims was an essential part of any healthy relationship, and it wasn’t something he could give you. At least, not how he knew it was supposed to be. He loved you more than anything, he had no doubt in his mind about that. He even thought sometimes that you loved him too, with the way you would smile at him or gently hold his hand when he got anxious. But that didn’t make any difference did it? Love alone wouldn’t change things.

That didn’t stop him from clinging to you though, sobbing into your shirt and wishing you could just know how he felt and that he didn’t have to put it into words or explain. Hoping that maybe, just maybe, you felt the same, even though he knew that was impossible. But he could still dream couldn’t he? Dreams were all he had left now.

After a while, Levi’s breathing started to calm and he was able to focus on the sound of your heartbeat. He loved that sound. More times than he’d care to admit, he had gotten distracted just listening to it while you cuddled with him and watched a show together. Sometimes even falling asleep. You had never said anything to him about it before, but the way you held him to you now made him think that perhaps you knew and wanted to make sure he could hear it.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, trying to sit up, but you didn’t let him go and he didn’t fight you. He only snuggled closer to you, which made you smile as you hugged him tight.

“It’s ok, Levi. You don’t need to apologize,” you felt him nod against your chest, and you pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

“I was worried about you today. I tried calling you and texting you all day at RAD,” you paused before continuing, “Can you tell me what happened?”

He didn’t answer right away, and you felt his arms tighten around you.

“It’s ok, take your time. I just want to help,” you soothed, continuing to rub his back as you held him, patiently waiting for him to open up.

“...do you like any of my brothers?”

“Uh, huh? I mean, they're all important to me, if that’s what you’re asking. But where’s this coming from?”

“No, I mean like like them. You know,” he mumbled into your chest.

“Like do I have a crush on them?”

“...yeah,” he replied, meekly.

“Well, no, I can’t say I do. But seriously, where is this coming from?”

Levi didn’t want to answer. He was bad at this stuff. It’s why he wrote the letter in the first place. His thoughts and feelings would just get so jumbled up whenever he tried to talk about these things out loud. He tightened his fist around the letter that he was still holding, crumpled up in his hand. Maybe if he could just give it to you, you would understand?

This time when he tried to sit up and pull away from you, you let him, studying his face closely as he did his best to hide behind his bangs. When you noticed the wad of paper he was holding out to you, you took it from him and carefully unfolded it.

“What’s this?” you asked, and when he still didn’t answer, you started to read.

Dear Henry,

I bet this is weird, getting a letter from me right? I hope you don’t mind. I thought about talking to you, but every time I tried I forgot what to say so I thought writing would be easier.

I’m really glad that you were chosen for the exchange program, and that I got to know you. I’ve never had a best friend before. And you’re the best friend I could ever imagine. I know I’m just...well, me...but I hope I’m able to be at least half as good of a friend to you.

I love you.

xoxo,

Lord of Shadow

aka

Leviathan

You had to read over the letter a couple times just to make sure it was real and you weren’t imagining the whole thing. Levi loved you? But why was he so upset? And what was with all the weird questions about his brothers? As much as you wanted to leap for joy after finally receiving his confession, you were also deeply confused.

“Levi, I’m not sure I understand,” you asked, raising your head to look at him again. Levi was curled up on himself once more, hugging his knees tightly to his chest and keeping his face from view.

“What is there to understand? It’s exactly what it looks like.”

“Then why are you so sad?” you scooted closer to him so that your legs were touching again, and tenderly stroked his head, “Did you think I’d reject you?”

“That’s what you’re going to do isn’t it?” he said, sniffling and pulling his legs even closer.

“No, Levi. Of course not. I love you too.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Why would you think that?” your arms were now wrapped around his shoulders again, your cheek resting on top of his head. You had to admit that it stung hearing him reject your own confession, but it only strengthened your resolve to get answers.

“I’m not like my brothers.”

“I know, that’s why I’m here with you and not them.”

“I wouldn’t be a good boyfriend.”

“I’d like to be the judge of that.”

“But it’s true. I can’t...you know...do the thing.”

“The thing?”

“Yeah the thing.”

“I don’t know what that is, Levi.”

“THE thing. The thing only couples do,” he was getting a bit frustrated now. Were you really going to make him say it?

“Levi...do you mean sex?” you raised your head to try to catch a glimpse of Levi’s face, but all you could see were the tips of his (very red) ears as he turned his head more to the side and buried it further in his arms.

“...yeah.”

“Hey, that’s ok. You don’t need to,” you said, wrapping your arms back around him, hugging him tightly.

“Of course you need to. That’s what couples do,” Levi couldn’t conceal the waiver in his voice as his eyes started to well with tears once again.

“And where did you hear that?”

“I dunno. Everywhere. It’s how it is, isn’t it? You fall in love, you kiss, you...you know...and that’s how you know you’re a couple.”

“Levi,” you chuckled softly, “this isn’t a shojo manga or a dating sim. There are plenty of people in relationships that don’t have sex.” You pressed another kiss to the top of his head as you started to run your fingers through his hair like you had been earlier.

The truth was, this was the exact conversation you had been fearing and why you had avoided admitting to your own feelings for so long. You had been in relationships before, and some of them ended quite badly after you had explained your sexual preferences, or lack thereof you could say. The last thing you wanted was to have Levi reject you, but even more than that, you didn’t want him to think that there was something wrong with him that made you not want to have that sort of a relationship.

Learning that he felt the same way, and struggled with the same fears, was a huge relief to you, lifting a weight you hadn’t even been aware you had been carrying from your shoulders.

“There are plenty of ways to be intimate, to feel connected, that don’t involve sex. And I think we have a pretty good connection already, don’t you?”

You heard Levi sniffle, before he cautiously raised his head to look at you. He was surprised to see the understanding in your eyes, as well as the soft smile that spread across your lips. He hadn’t thought it possible to love you anymore than he already did, but here he was, heart threatening to beat out of his chest, while you looked at him like he was the most precious person in the entire world. When his tears started to fall again, you were quick to pull him back into a hug, and this time he wrapped his arms around you and buried his face into the crook of your neck.

“I love you, Levi. So much. So so so much,” you whispered to him, “Do you want to know a secret?”

Levi nodded against your neck, still too emotional to verbally respond.

“I feel the same way as you. I don’t want that sort of relationship either.”

He tightened his grip around you, soaking up all your words and reassurances. Did you really feel the same way as him? Is that why you understood him so well? Because you wanted the same things? Is that why he always felt so at ease around you? Because you never asked of him more than he was able to give?

“We can do things our own way, you know? That’s for us to decide. Doesn’t matter what anyone else does.”

“Really? I can just hug you and watch anime with you and stuff and you’ll be happy?”

“Yeah. I’ll be happy. I am happy. You’re my best friend, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Then that’s all I need. My best friend.”

The two of you sat in comfortable silence for a while, hugging and cuddling one another, the occasional giggle being exchanged as the smile started to return to Levi’s face.

“Hey, you think we could go cuddle in the bean bag? We could put on an anime or something if you want. My back is just getting kinda sore sitting on the floor like this,” you asked, straightening up and stretching out your neck. Levi was quick to agree and help you up off the floor, leading you by the hand to his oversized bean bag chair.

“Umm...do you think we could...just cuddle?” he gave your hand a small squeeze, blushing at having asked such a direct question.

“Yeah, we can do that,” you replied, taking a seat and tugging Levi down to join you, causing him to tumble into your lap.

“Ah! S-sorry…!” he scrambled to get off of you, but you only laughed and adjusted your legs so that he was seated between them, perpendicular to you.

“It’s ok, you can stay,” you said with a smile, gently holding him in place with your hand on his hip. Levi’s blush deepened, but he nodded in agreement, quickly wrapping his arms around your middle and resting his head on your shoulder, with his forehead pressed against your neck.

As you began to scratch his back, he relaxed more fully against you, enjoying your warmth and the tenderness of your touch. He could feel his worries melting away. He felt so safe with you. So understood. Accepted. It didn’t matter what weird quirk he revealed to you, intentionally or otherwise, you always embraced it, often revealing one of your own to help put him at ease. It was like the two of you were made for each other. Soulmates, if such a thing existed. And his heart had never before felt so full.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too, Levi,” you replied.

[babyybitchhh]

This is the anon who commented about yami! I didn't like nozel at first but I can't lie, he kinda grew on me and he's fine asf. I couldn't look at magna in anyway until I saw him with his hair down. Now I'm like 👀👀👀. More than anything, I just want yami to ruin me. Spank me and call me a good girl pleaseee

Yessssssss

Yami was BUILT to be daddy. So strong, so rough around the edges but with a big soft heart, so beefy 💗🥴💗

Words: 3937

Warnings: daddy kink, alcohol, drunk fingering, vaginal fingering 

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27172960

❤️❤️❤️❤️

You probably should have known better than to start drinking with them. No, not probably. You definitely should have known better.

Hindsight was always twenty-twenty though, and you could see now just how grievous a mistake it had been to accept Vanessa’s invitation without stopping long enough to consider the consequences but, well ... she was one of the only other women in the squad and she seemed to like you well enough. You wanted her to keep liking you, of course. So you’d foolishly jumped at the chance, far too eager to be included in this decidedly unorthodox team bonding exercise of theirs.

The Black Bulls were, by nature, sufficiently rowdy enough on their own but adding alcohol to the mix only seemed to fan the flames. They were the very definition of unruly. Clothes had been shamelessly discarded, more cigarettes smoked than you would have thought possible, arguments over nothing at all turned heated with alarming frequency only to be immediately forgotten and you, you were stuck in the middle of it. Thoroughly lost in your own world and floating serenely through the hazy bog of consciousness without a second thought to what chaos was going on around you.

It was kind of nice, actually. Liberating.

“Remember, ya’ gotta’ have at least three matching pairs to discard,” Magna reminds the assembled party as he quickly deals out a fresh hand. “Or you can do the same suit if ya’ want, but it has to go in order. No incomplete sets.”

The worse for wear table everyone had initially gathered around started off cramped, a tight fit for so many people and with little elbow room to spare. As the night wore on, however, most of the plucky squadron had gradually called it quits and retired until eventually only four remained. You were proud of yourself for outlasting the others but you also knew just how in over your head you were with this particular group. Yami could likely drink anyone under the table and Magna appeared to keep up with him just fine. While Vanessa didn’t exactly hold her liquor well , she could certainly put it away. There wasn’t a doubt in your mind that you were on your last leg here even if you were, for all intents and purposes, having a good time.

“Alright, lets see what ya’ got.”

Feeling simultaneously as light as a feather and sluggish under the weight of heavy, invisible chains, you slowly flip your cards over. It was hard to tell which way was up anymore, especially when your inner vertigo was so off kilter. You were warm, too. Almost unbearably so. Clammy in the worst possible way and you teeter forward in your chair, struggling to focus your swimming vision on the cards spread out in front of you.

It was a shit hand.

Grumbling under your breath, you distractedly tug at your clothes. A soft, fitful whine claws its way up your throat when it does absolutely nothing to alleviate just how stiflingly hot you are and, in fact, only seems to make it worse. You were absolutely burning up and this card game was its own special brand of torture, you decide with nothing short of woozy contempt.

“What the hell’s your problem?” Yami asks mildly from his spot beside you.

He was infuriatingly collected despite having consumed even more alcohol than you had, guzzling down mouthful after mouthful while you’d taken your time sipping on the fruity concoctions Vanessa made special just for you. You’d lost track of how many cups he’d emptied quite some time ago but you were still only on your third. It didn’t make sense. How were you so damn tipsy already?

“Hot.” You groan, not bothering to look up from what was possibly the worst hand you could have been dealt. Letting Magna shuffle the deck was, unsurprisingly, yet another mistake to add to the ever growing list.

Turning his head, Yami glances over at you and you catch the movement from your peripheral but still refuse to divert your attention from the cards. Maybe if you just stared at them long enough, hard enough, they’d morph into something you could actually use. You weren’t a magic knight in name only, right? Surely your grimoire was good for something .

“You’re drunk.” He suddenly announces, loud enough to make Vanessa whip her head around.

“M’not.” You grumble.

“Bullshit.”

The inebriated witch inserts herself into the fray before you can respond, wrapping slender arms around your shoulders and pulling you in against her bosom. “Awww, honey! Did’ju really like my drinks that much?” She coos at you sweetly. “I wasn’t tryin’ to get you drunk. Promise.”

“M’not drunk.” You insist, louder this time, much to Vanessa’s giggling amusement.

Heaving a clipped sigh, Yami leans across the table and taps your cards with a thick finger, slowly drawing your attention back to them. “I’m not saying I don’t believe you,” He says around the cigarette in his mouth. “But someone who isn’t piss drunk would probably know better than to lay their hand out on the table like this. Do you even know what game we’re playing right now?”

Mouth tugging into a frown, you wrack your muddled brain for the answer to that question. “Go fish?”

Magna inelegantly snorts at that. You can feel yourself starting to flush in embarrassment as Vanessa begins fussing over you, softly petting your head with murmured, nonsensical endearments. She definitely wasn’t helping matters and you sincerely hoped none of them could see your fluster.

Yami doesn’t seem to miss it though and he purses his lips, pinning you with an unimpressed glower. “That’s what I thought. Sorry, sweetheart, but you’re officially cut off. No more booze tonight, okay?”

Both you and Vanessa groan in unison. Your head immediately starts to spin in earnest now and you slump against the other woman even as she grabs your drink and holds it up to you as if she were bottle feeding a baby. The notion that she might accidentally dump it all over your head when she was just as intoxicated as you doesn’t even cross your mind and you obediently open your mouth to accept her offering.

“Come on, captain! At least let her finish her dr-drink first! I worked really hard to -”

Yami cuts across her babbling with a huff, standing and grabbing hold of the cup so he can pull it away despite Vanessa’s best attempt to keep it in her fumbling grasp. You watch it go, feeling an odd mix of disappointment and relief. The giddy, jovial mood you’d been imbued with was nice, yes, but realistically your body probably couldn’t handle much more. It was likely for the best.

“Just knock it off.” Pointedly setting the drink down towards the center of the table, Yami turns back with a furrowed brow. “Are you trying to kill her or something? What all did you even put in that?”

Vanessa hums a noncommittal sound of guilt, winding a strand of your hair around her finger.

He scoffs and moves closer with an accompanying shake of his head. Your heart gives a little jolt when you realize he’s coming towards you, not Vanessa, and you can’t help the anxious tinge that sparks in your chest. He was probably mad at you for getting so drunk. He looked mad. You didn’t want to be on the receiving end of one of his lectures though and you lean further into the softly swaying witch next to you in search of protection.

Much to your faltering surprise, however, Yami’s tone sounds closer to exacerbated than angry when he says, “Alright, brat. C’mere. You get to sit with me for the rest of the night so I can keep an eye on you and make sure someone doesn’t try to sneak you anything else.”

You blink, thoroughly confused, and it feels like even something as simple as a muscle twitch takes a small eternity to accomplish. Yami either doesn’t notice or he doesn’t care though.

Shooing Vanessa away, he bends at the waist and curls big hands under your armpits, hauling you straight up out of your seat. You outright squawk, flailing weakly in Yami’s grasp when you suddenly find yourself much further from the ground than you were used to. But your panic lasts only a terrifyingly brief moment and you relax when he draws you close, allowing you to curl your limbs around his thick frame. With a slight jostle, he adjusts his hold and secures you to the front of him. You instinctively nuzzle further into his arms, drunkenly whimpering as you tightly lock your elbows behind his neck.

“You’re no fun …” Vanessa whines on your behalf.

He clicks his tongue. “I’m thinking ahead. You’re not.” He says, those rumbled words reverberating inside your skull and further grounding you by some margin. “But if she gets sick, you’re the one who’s gonna’ clean it up.”

With that admonition, he moves back to his own chair and sits down again. It takes you a moment to get situated on his lap, still unbearably hot and fussy now after forcibly being removed from the fun. The last thing you want is to look like a lightweight in front of your teammates but he finally stills you with a large, mindful hand against your lower back. The silent warning in that innocuous gesture is enough to make you quit while you’re still ahead and, mewling something unintelligible, you press your warm face into his neck so you can settle in to pout.

Magna says something then, successfully distracting Vanessa from the subject, and the game carries on without you. The three of them don’t seem to mind the loss one bit as they seamlessly pick right back up where they’d left off.

It's hard to shake the feeling that your presence at the table was nothing more than an afterthought to them, or maybe a simple nicety, and it stung a little. There was no denying that. But you were much too hazy and disoriented to linger on it for more than a moment, molding yourself to the firm weight against you and going pleasantly slack in Yami’s arms. He was surprisingly comfortable, given his hard physique. A little too warm for your liking when you already felt swelteringly hot, but ultimately comfortable.

The even rise and fall of his broad chest is almost enough to lull you into dozing off right then and there with your head resting on his shoulder. Yami’s rough fingers tracing nonsensical, soothing patterns across your spine is the only thing that keeps you tethered to reality and you sit there, eyes closed, just listening to the slurred conversation going on at your back. It sounded far away now. Muted, as if your ears were stuffed with cotton, but you didn’t mind that too much. Magna was loud enough when sober and even worse when he was drunk.

A long moment later, Yami removes the cigarette from his lips and turns towards you when the other two start bickering about the validity of a certain card sequence. “How you feeling, squirt?” He asks, pressing his mouth against your hair.

“Good.” You murmur dreamily.

He laughs, very quietly, and gives you the briefest squeeze. “Yeah? You’re deadweight, baby girl. Sure you’re not gonna’ pass out on me over there?”

“Mmhmm.”

With a soft click of his tongue, Yami focuses back in on the game. The hand resting on your back slips lower, inconspicuously giving your behind a playful tweak that seems to go unnoticed by the table's other occupants given that they keep talking without pause. Magna would more than likely look away, politely pretending he hadn’t seen it, but Vanessa … if she’d caught so much as a glimpse, you’d be hearing about it right now. That was at least one reason (of which there was many) why what you had with Yami, whatever it was, still remained a secret to the rest of the squad even though it was probably a miracle they hadn’t caught on already, especially when he was so damn handsy with you.

Normally you’d err on the side of caution for that reason alone but you felt just daring enough to give him little push back. Emboldened by the liquid courage sitting hot and heavy in your stomach, confident that he wouldn’t have initiated this had it not been safe to do so, you discreetly roll your hips into him. The drag of your pussy across the front of his pants makes your breath hitch and he stiffens underneath you. That’s all the reaction you get for your trouble though, prompting you to lift your head from his shoulder and lean close to Yami’s ear.

“ Daddy …”

It’s nothing more than a tiny, breathless sigh but the effect it has on him is instantly noticeable. Steel chorded arm tightening around you, he breathes out a terse exhale and pulls you more firmly against his chest until you can scarcely breathe. A wavering puff of air slips from you as your thighs flex around his waist, silently trying to urge him on. It doesn’t work though and a shudder works its way down the length of your spine when he turns towards you again, growling right against the outer shell of your ear.

“Watch it.”

You whine, bucking against him more insistently. “ Nooooo .”

Yami snorts and swivels his attention back around to the cards clasped in his other hand. Pressing your face into the crook of his neck, you take a deep breath until the naturally heady scent of him swarms your senses like a fragrant, masculine cocktail. You can taste him in the back of your throat and it just makes you want him all the more.

Another wiggle of your hips is all the incentive he needs, calloused fingers slipping further down to grab a pinching handful of your ass. Roughly nudging you to sit a bit higher up on his thighs, he reaches lower and snakes his hand under your skirt. You squirm at the first touch against your panties, whimpering softly into his skin. Yami merely tightens his arm around you as he ever so carefully pulls the thin layer of cotton aside just enough to slide those sinfully long digits past the flimsy barrier.

“Spoiled brat,” He murmurs fondly, just loud enough for you to hear. “Already so damp and needy for me.”

You bite down on your tongue to keep yourself quiet, shuddering when he casually traces the length of your slit with abrasive fingertips.

Magna abruptly cackles about something and the sudden noise makes you jolt. Yami, to his credit, remains perfectly still though and merely waits a torturously long beat before continuing in rumbling hushed tones. “How long were you sitting over there in your own mess, hmm?”

“I - it’s not a mess.” You warble into his shoulder, your cheeks flushing hot.

“Oh? This certainly feels like a mess to me …” Pausing, Yami dips a finger into the meat of your labia and the slick quality of your pussy suddenly makes itself known. You hadn’t noticed until now, either because you were too caught up in your inebriated stupor or simply too focused on pouting to pay it any mind, but you were absolutely soaked. It wasn’t exactly surprising. Your body always responded eagerly to being manhandled by the captain but even this seemed a bit excessive.

Whining low in your throat, you decide you don’t want to play this game after all and try to angle your defenseless little cunt away from his searching hand. But Yami puts a stop to that quickly enough and shifts his legs further apart, forcibly spreading your thighs until you can’t find the leverage needed to wriggle out of his hold. You lip quivers when he takes advantage of this vulnerable position to worm a finger into the tight, squeezing heat of your body, gummy walls contracting around the intrusion with a pleasant flutter. It takes everything you have not to throw your head back and unabashedly moan up at the ceiling.

“Can’t you feel that, baby? You’re so wet I didn’t even have to work you open.”

Hiccuping, you shove your face against Yami’s neck again. “Dah - daddy … please .”

“Shh.” He warns even as he starts up a slow pace, sedately pumping into you. “Keep quiet or I’ll have to stop.”

As if on cue, Vanessa says something to him then and Yami effortlessly diverts his attention to the slurring witch as if nothing about the situation were out of place. You dig your nails into the broad expanse of his shoulder blades and bite back a groan, suddenly feeling ten times hotter than before. Even with all your concentration focused on keeping as still and quiet as possible, you find yourself imperceptibly arching to give him better access to your sticky cunt. It was certainly a blessing in disguise that she was just as drunk as you were, otherwise she might have given the whole thing a second thought. The way you were sitting on his lap. The smallest twitch of your hips to accompany the shallow quality of your breathing. It was so obvious what you two were doing. How had they not noticed already?

The table.

Neither Magna or Vanessa could see over it unless they came around and stood right next to the chair. You were essentially safe from the waist down and a fresh spark of confidence alights throughout your whole system with this realization, doubling and then tripling your arousal. It was still risky doing something so brazen right in front of them but you were just drunk enough not to care.

Loins twisting and curling, you carefully rear back to meet his shallow thrusts. You’d never felt more uninhibited in your whole life. “Oooh, daddy,” You whisper, choking on it. “Right there.”

Yami doesn’t miss a beat, easily keeping up with the conversation as he allows a second digit to slide in with the first. You feel the stretch in your bones and you quietly seeth, lashes fanning against the apples of your cheeks when it pushes you to just this side of discomfort. Even being as wet as you are, his fingers were just too thick for your eagerly clenching passage to accommodate them without some resistance and you hedonistically bask in the searing burn. It felt good. Almost good enough for you to lose yourself to the pleasure but, somehow, you manage to keep your wits about you instead of shamelessly writhing in his lap.

You may as well have thrown caution to the wind though. Discretion hardly mattered anymore. You already felt like a blatant little slut and the shock of how much that turns you on has your pussy drooling obscenely all over Yami’s hand.

“Hah - harder, daddy … nnghh, harder, please.”

Rather than obliging, he actually pauses his ministrations and you quietly mewl at the loss of friction. You squirm on top of his muscular thighs and desperately try to fuck down on his digits, panting like a bitch in heat against the captains neck. He shifts underneath you, says something to Vanessa that makes her direct a chiding tone at Magna. Their bickering starts up again and with the rise in volume, Yami gives his wrist a good twist that shoves his fingertips into your upper wall. Static electricity shoots through your system at the sudden pressure on that pulsing sweet spot and the tension in your gut immediately starts to toe the line of unbearable.

Your mouth drops open in shellshocked ecstasy but nothing comes out. It’s hard just to draw breath when the dizzyingly sharp jolt of arousal has your toes flexing uselessly in the air and you tremble, quaking in his arms. Unperturbed by the effect this is having on you, Yami takes his time caressing the velvety soft lining of your insides with sedately smooth motions. Those worn fingertips gradually curl up in the general direction of your belly button and press in deeper, harder, making your cunt absolutely gush around him. You weren’t going to last much longer at this rate.

“Oooh god !” You gasp, clutching him in a death grip.

Turning your head, you press your cheek against Yami’s shoulder and fix your gaze to a random spot on the far wall. The room looked like it was tilted on its axis - - spinning, spinning, spinning - - and all you can do is whine and shake when he scissors his fingers, making more room for himself within you.

You weren’t just overheated anymore. It was as if you’d caught flame, burning from the inside out, and it only gets worse when he flexes his hand, jabbing at the spongy soft spot again and again.

A choked off squeal rises in your throat, just barely held back by tightly clenched teeth. You’re almost positive you can hear the greedy, slopping clicks of your pussy sucking him in deeper just below the surface of the enthusiastic argument going on behind you but they don’t seem to notice. They just keep shouting back and forth at each other, oblivious to what was going on at the other end of the table. You have no idea how you’re getting away with this - aren’t even really sure if you will get away with this when all is said and done - but that’s the very last thing on your mind anymore as you haltingly roll your hips into the blinding pressure.

“Ah - ahh - d - dah - ahh - ddyyy !”

“Do it.” Yami murmurs, his mouth pressed tight to your ear. “Come now , baby. Do it while you have the chance. Come on.”

Your eyes roll back in your head and you give your pelvis one good little twist. The drag of your throbbing clit across the front of his rough pants is the last push you need, the resulting friction searing your veins. It sends you spiraling right over the edge into doped out bliss and you squeak, jerking against him when full bodied tremors grip you in earnest and make you shake.

Riding out the cresting waves as discreetly as you can, you blink back an onslaught of reflexive tears. Your pussy squeezes tight, milking your orgasm on his fingers, even though the effort of forcing yourself to remain quiet nearly breaks your resolve. But you manage, somehow, to breathe through it even as your hips weakly buck in unmitigated pleasure, subduedly twisting in his arms. It felt like you were drowning in it, choking on immense, all encompassing relief.

But Yami doesn’t immediately let up on his concerted attack, continuing to work you over until the spasms start to subside and you whine in frazzled distress. Digits finally stilling inside you, he offers a brief kiss to your hair and it makes you breathe out a tired sigh. You immediately slump, going boneless on top of him, now even clammier than when you’d started. The sweat clinging to your skin has you feeling worryingly damp but you were also satiated and comfortable. It was an acceptable tradeoff, as far as you were concerned.

“Such a good girl. You even managed to stay quiet for me. I’m proud of you.”

Smiling at the hushed approval in his tone, you snuggle further into Yami’s musclebound frame. You were floating on cloud nine, no longer concerned about being removed from the card game; not when the pleasant afterglow and the reassuring presence of your captain - your daddy - had you feeling so at peace. There would always be a next time.

[hanisdaisys]

Every memory reminds me of you.

Paring: Jaeyun!XReader!

Warning : character death + mention of drowning

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“Hey babe ? Are you ready Let’s go to the beach !!”

“Almost jakey, let me just get my swim suit !!”

“Hurry up baby or else the beach will be crowded” he whined

“Promise me you will teach me how to swim?” You yelled since he was in the kitchen

“I’ll see baby, but let’s go the boys are waiting for us!!”

Jake came up behind you softly kissing your shoulder. You were inlove with Sim Jaeyun, your bestfriend, your boyfriend as well as your partner in crime.

_____

“You said your parents have a pool right ? Ahhhh I’m so excited !!!” Jake said before pulling you to the backyard

“Let’s play before eating okay ? MOM DAD WE ARE GOING FOR A SWIM” you yelled alerting your parents that you’ll be swimming with your boyfriend… or well using a floaty since you can’t swim”

“Of course baby !! Your parents won’t mind us swimming right ?” He let out a squeal at the size of the pool, the water looked so clean and cold. Perfect for todays weather .

“Not at all !! Can you teach me how to swim this time Jakey ? I’m getting tired of this swan floaty”

“Mhmm, let’s go Y/N” he ran to the pool without actually listening to you

_______

“Hey baby ? Can we go to the beach today ? The weather is really nice and you finished studying so it’s a great time !!” Jake came from upstairs pulling you hand hoping you’d agree

“Jakey :( you know I have to study a little bit more for my dentistry exam !!” You protested kissing his palm

“Cmon baby :( one time !! I promise I will drive so you can study “ Jake looked like a small puppy, he really wanted to go… how can you say no ?

“Baby I can’t swim remember ?…”you told him as he gave you these soft pouty eyes…

“Oh alright jakey !! let’s go but promise me I can study tomorrow” you couldn’t say no to him

“Of course baby I love you so much”

He ran to you giving you kisses all over, oh man you love this golden retriever so much… he means the world too you.

______

“Hey Jake ? My friends want to go to the beach today… Are you sure you will be fine alone ? I left some food in the fridge for you, call me if ever you need me”

“Of course baby have fun !! I’ll probably be catching up on some sleep.Remember to stay with your friends… you can’t swim angel:(“

“Of course jaeyun,I love you so much,stay safe baby “ you give him a small kiss on his nose as he hugs you… those loving eyes of his, it made you feel like you were his whole world… he was inlove and so were you…..

.

.

.

“Hey y/n don’t go to far…” you friend yelled out

“Y/N CAN YOU HEAR US !!!!” She tried following you but someone held her back

“don’t go, you will end up getting pulled in also.” Her boyfriend told her holding her back

“I CANT LEAVE HER JEREMY, SHES MY FRIEND..COME BACK HERE Y/N” She started crying tears flowed her eyes

“HELP HELP MY FRIEND SOMEONE PLEASE SAVE HER” she attracted all the attention and her boyfriend pulled her back…

“stop yelling !! You’re making everyone stare” he whispered

The lifeguard ran to get his vest. He started running into the water hoping to save you.

But suddenly you couldn’t go back. The waves were pulling you further and further away from shore…. You started to cry, wishing you knew how to swim… You opened your watch barely being able to breath and called Jake…

“Hey baby… what’s wrong, I was sleeping”

- jaeyun I love you I swear… And I didn’t want to leave you like this… I promise you were the only one for me… my drawer beside the bed had my proposal ring for you but I can’t hold back anymore… jaeyun I… love yo-

“ Y/N BABY WHATS WRONG ?!? HELLO BABY”

you fell into the water, your watch close at the impact of the water but you could still hear Jakes whimpers and cries. You couldn’t breath nor swim so you let your body take you where ever it wanted to you. On the other hand jake called the police he wanted you home. He wanted you safe.

The lifeguard ran towards you but it was too late, the water had already filled your lungs… it was too late you were dead. He pulled to shore as your friend cried over you dead body… Jake got there with the cops 30 minutes after. It was too late. He held you face and softly kissed your lips his hands intertwined with your lifeless ones and he held you one last time. “I love you baby and I always will, the universe toke you from me but you will always be mine.”

_____

And the day of your funeral jake couldn’t help but blame himself… if only he taught you how to swim when you asked him… and that’s the reason he became a swimming coach in order to save others… because he was too late to save you.

Your life was robbed but your love will never be robbed. Jake loved you so much, the memories you guys had reminded him how much you loved each other. Even if it was too late he wore his ring everyday reminding himself that he has you in this world. When it would get hard… he would visit you tombstone.. wishing you were there with him instead of beneath him. Little did he know you watched over him everyday and made sure he stayed safe… it would never hurt you for him to find love again but it was his choice. His choice to stay loyal to his partner he lost. He never wanted to be alone, alone in this world without you… but he lived every moment in your name. He will never stop loving you.

“Ours was a great love story that we will continue together some day.”

[alleycat97]

Snow Queen

Part 1? Just some random Hella Soft Blaine and Mc story. I don’t know what I was shooting for but here you go. Maybe a part 2? Idk yet.

F!Blaine x Mc(Kennedy Monroe)

Tag list: @blaine-hayes @samanthadalton @fundamentalromantic @kwaj05 @danna-min-sinclair @mintchocolate-chip @dopeyouth @shows-simp-card @clowneryme @scarlet-letter-a0114 @avanimous @choicesilona @somewillwin @iamsimpforpoppy @robintora @alexlabhont

Some vacation, who would have guessed a private ski lodge for diplomats with body guards and maximum security would have an issue with paparazzi?

Usually they don’t bother or even get near the place unless there is a story, and Kennedy Monroe was the story of the year, that was, if they could catch her.

She spent most of her vacation avoiding the paparazzi by a series of gut wrenching maneuvers on the slopes along with Blaine. It was actually becoming quite fun trying to evade them. It kept the adrenaline pumping for the girls as they tried to outdo one another in their big escapes.

For as much as they skied together and spent time together laughing and hanging out on the slopes, no one had put the two together, something that might unravel itself sooner rather than later.

Blaine and Kennedy started their morning’s off sitting next to each other at breakfast. Blaine always made sure Kennedy finished all her food before hitting the slopes. Besides evading the paparazzi, Blaine helped Kennedy with new moves and tricks on some jumps. Kennedy wasn’t the worlds worst skier, she just wasn’t as polished as Blaine.

But it wasn’t always skiing. The two girls would sneak off the runs and build snowmen and snow angels. One afternoon was so bad with the paparazzi, Blaine pulled Kennedy off the run and built them an igloo to hide in. One of many hidden talents the Ardonian possessed.

Of course the igloo wasn’t the largest of structures, especially the inside. Kennedy nearly had to straddle Blaine’s lap just to fit inside, something neither girl was complaining about.

“I see what you did here Blaine.” Kennedy smirked.

“What? I didn’t do anything.” Blaine replied with her trademark grin. “Just big enough for two.”

The two were quite fond of the igloo, it was their private oasis away from their friends and press on the slopes but would always end up back in Blaine’s room soaking away the aches of the days adventures.

The two started opposite of each other, just barely allowing their feet to rub one another. Then they started sitting side by side so they could hold hands. Then they always ended up with Kennedy sitting with her back to Blaine’s front, with the brunettes legs wrapped around the blonde’s waist.

Kennedy would just relax back into Blaine as she felt the girls grip tighten and the soft brush of her lips caressing the skin behind her ear. Not much was said, but the delicate actions spoke louder than any word either could muster.

One of the last morning’s, Blaine wasn’t at breakfast. Kennedy shot her a quick text before taking her own seat.

Blaine immediately responded with a message telling Kennedy to meet her at the igloo around noon for a surprise. Kennedy couldn’t stop bouncing in anticipation at the possibilities.

A surprise? From Blaine? Kennedy didn’t know whether to be excited or afraid.

Kennedy made it to the top of the ski lift and solo skied down the run and over to the secret igloo that Blaine had made. Finding Blaine tucked away inside with a blanket strung out with a picnic basket.

“Surprise!” Blaine greeted awkwardly, this feeling was all new to her.

“Oh a picnic? How romantic.”

“Yeah yeah I’m a saint. Now dig in, I’ve slaved over this all morning.” Blaine admitted timidly.

“You!? You made all this food? Thanks for the warning.” Kennedy teased pushing the basket away.

“Hey! It’s not that bad! I worked hard on it!”

Kennedy took the basket back and dug in, moaning in surprise on how tasteful the food was. “This is amazing Blaine thank you.”

Blaine smiled due to her small victory. Never in a million years did she ever consider baking anything for anyone, including a special someone. But here she was smiling, watching Kennedy enjoy her handy work.

After the tasteful lunch Kennedy tossed the basket aside, capturing Blaine’s lips with intensity and passion.

“Thank you so much for lunch Blaine, it was perfect.”

“A perfect lunch, for a perfect girl.” Blaine happily replied returning the kiss.

“When did you become so soft!?” Kennedy grinned.

“First day of school when I slammed that limo door shut, I caught a beautiful blonde staring from the sidewalk. I knew then I was toast.”

Kennedy squeezed Blaine’s hand thinking back to that day and how far the two have come, even if it was on the down low.

“But don’t you dare tell anyone Rutherland, my reputation would be destroyed.”

“We will keep it our little secret. And speaking of secrets? Do you think we will ever spill this one?” Kennedy said gesturing between them.

“I hope so, and soon.” Blaine admitted. “I value our time together as us, but I want the world to know you’re mine.”

“I agree. But do you think we are ready to take that on? We have countries to think about, our own people, our families.”

“Hell with them. We are grown women Kennedy, we can make our own decisions for our own reasons.”

“So...you do wish to keep this going?” Kennedy questioned.

“Kennedy we can do anything if we try. It’s just you and me. Our future is what we make it, not what our parents or countries make it.”

“Ok who are you and what did you do with Blaine.” Kennedy teased, lightly nudging Blaine.

“I mean it Rutherland. You mean the world to me. On a night when bad dreams become a screamer, When they're messing with the dreamer, I can laugh it in the face. I can twist and shout my way out, And wrap yourself around me. Because I ain’t the way you found me, And I'll never be the same.”

“D...Did you just quote a Hall & Oates song?” Kennedy thought, mulling over Blaine’s words.

“That’s not important, but what is, is that you changed me for the better Rutherland. You got me bad and I don’t want it to stop. I mean hell, I even cooked you lunch!” Blaine pointed out.

“Yes you did my little chef.” Kennedy said giving Blaine another appreciative Kiss. “Soon the world will know. Soon.”

The two were interrupted by an intense wind gust that started to blow snow into the igloo. Blaine stuck her head out to examine the outside world.

“It’s snowing again. These are big flakes Kennedy, and with this wind, it won’t be long until it’s blizzard conditions.”

“It’s getting colder too.” Kennedy added watching her breath intensify into the air.

“We better get back now before it’s too late.” Blaine spoke hurriedly packing the gear up and slapping her skis on.

The two abandoned their igloo and set off for the lodge. It was a decent run, and the near whiteout conditions had set in quicker than either thought.

“Kennedy!” Blaine yelled over her shoulder. “Stay close! We will cut through the woods up ahead, snow should be lighter.”

“Ok!”

The two approached a small thicket, telling them the woods were close. An odd movement in the thicket caught Blaine’s attention.

“Kennedy! To the left!” She pointed out.

“Paparazzi!” Kennedy yelled back. “Do these guys ever take a day off!”

“I don’t think he see’s us!” Blaine added looking for the guy again. “Where did he go?”

“He was just right out front?” Kennedy said speeding past Blaine unaware of how close she was to the woods. “I don’t see him!?”

“Kennedy! Look out!” Blaine screamed as the man appeared in front of Kennedy with his camera snapping shots of the first daughter.

The close proximity in the blinding snow startled Kennedy and she swerved around the man, hitting a tree head on.

“Kennedy!” Blaine whined out in fear, stopping next to the blonde, checking her over. “You fucking asshole!” Blaine snapped towards the cameraman.

“Oh this is good footage!” The man said recording the entire interaction. “You care to comment why you are so worried about your rival countries first daughter?”

Blaine reared back and slugged the creep. Taking his camera and tossing it against a tree, making sure it was good and broke. “Put that in your article asshole.”

The man staggered over and snagged his sim card before Blaine could and made his escape before Blaine had a chance to kill him.

“Kennedy!? Are you ok?” She asked rushing over when she heard the girl moaning in pain.

Kennedy tried to roll over, crying in immense pain. “Where does it hurt?” Blaine asked.

“My shoulder and neck.” Kennedy weakly got out. “My nose. I...I can’t breathe Blaine!” Kennedy started to freak but Blaine tried to calm her. Blaine noticed the blood surrounding the girls face.

“Broken nose, try and breathe through your mouth. Relax... breathe in, and out. Stay calm and I’ll call for help.” Blaine assured.

Soon the ski patrol made it with a evac snowmobile to find Blaine using her body to cover and warm Kennedy.

“Miss? We need to get her to the lodge.” The rescuer spoke removing Blaine.

The brunette watched as they speed off down the mountain with Kennedy and she hopped on the other machine to quickly get out of this snow storm.

As soon as she made it the lodge her classmates and Tatum had swarmed her.

“What happened to Kennedy?” Dionne asked.

“Yeah! They rushed her in on a stretcher and everything!” Peter added.

“I’ll need to ask you some questions Miss Hayes.” Tatum asked professionally.

“What the fuck is this!? 20 questions? Where is she?” Blaine snapped.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to answer the questions first. I’m not letting you see her without answering my questions. You are a witness and depending on your answers, a suspect.”

“Take your questions and shove them up your ass pretty boy. You’re not stopping me from seeing my girlfriend.”

The room went silent. Blaine could hear the many gasp’s from her friends but didn’t dare hide her relationship anymore.

“Girlfriend!?” Alexei asked. “I thought Evelyn was her girlfriend?”

“Pretend.” Evelyn noted.

“Finally!” Dionne squealed.

Tatum drug Blaine away and wrote down a room number. “That’s her room number at the hospital. Helicopter just took off.

“Then why are you still here?” Blaine questioned.

“I was supposed to interrogate you, but I see no need. I will need to ask you two what happened for my report when this settles down.” Tatum spoke.

Blaine, as restless as ever, called in her helicopter, and within an hour was taking off from the ski lodge in route to the hospital.

It was another 30 minute flight as she rushed into the hospital finding the correct level and the lucky door she was searching for. Demarco guarded the door but nodded for Blaine to go in.

“Kennedy?” Blaine asked easing into the room, finding the girl asleep on the bed. Her nose was severely bruised but had all the blood washed from her face. The cuts had been taken care of, and she was placed in a neck brace.

“Miss?” A nurse spoke entering the room. “We need to get Ms. Monroe to surgery. We are ready for her.”

“Surgery?” Blaine asked worriedly.

“On her shoulder and clavicle. It took a beating on that impact.” The nurse spoke taking the bed out the door.

Blaine wondered the halls alone waiting for Kennedy to finish surgery. It was literally the longest 5 hours of her life and the longest she’s gone without Kennedy aside from sleeping.

She didn’t know exactly how she fell so hard for Kennedy but she knew she didn’t want to go back. Life was so much better and worth living with her by her side.

“Ms. Hayes?” A nurse timidly approached, not wanting to interfere with a somber looking Blaine.

“Yes?”

“Ms. Monroe’s surgery was successful and she has returned to her room. She won’t stop asking for you.”

Blaine smiled as she took off running down the corridors, nearly bulldozing the room door down trying to get in so quickly.

“Blaine!” Kennedy squealed.

Blaine delicately took the girl in a hug, careful not to hurt her too much. “I missed you Rutherland.”

“Not as much as I missed you. You like my new look? Vogue says if your atleast 33% in castings, your trendy.” Kennedy teased.

“I guess given the circumstances, you look ravishing.” Blaine agreed.

“Ms. Hayes, if I didn’t know any better? I’d say your blushing.” Kennedy teased.

“Am not!” Blaine protested, blushing even harder. “Ok maybe alittle, so sue me.”

“I’ll do one better, come here.”

Blaine did as told and leaned down, meeting Kennedy in a much relieved and much needed kiss.

“I love you Blaine.”

“I love you Rutherland. So much.”

[mimosaeyes]

This is a dream, then. A fantasy conjured by the last firing of his synapses in the moment before death. Martin silently thanks his subconscious for it. He’s never had faith the way his mother did, but if there is a heaven for him, he’s quite sure it would have Jon in it.

Post-200. Jon and Martin wake up somewhere else. 2.2k, fix-it but not really.

In case this turns out to be the last fic I finish in this fandom, I want to especially thank my beta @emberidzae for introducing me to TMA. Or, at least, for talking about it enough in my general proximity that eventually I got curious.

Someone is cradling Martin’s head on their lap, and running their fingers through his hair. Jon, he thinks absently. He’d know him anywhere, even by such tiny details as the shape of his calluses where he grips a pen, and the texture of his burn-scarred skin.

But that can’t be right. Jon is dead. He’d killed him in the Panopticon, hands shaking until the instant before the knife had plunged in. The only way he could force himself to do it was to make it as quick and painless as possible. He couldn’t falter and draw out Jon’s suffering, not when it was already such a torment to hear him groan and scream as the building began to crumble around them. Or to see the look in his eyes, the utter trust and love warring against the Beholding’s hold on him.

This is a dream, then. A fantasy conjured by the last firing of his synapses in the moment before death. Martin silently thanks his subconscious for it. He’s never had faith the way his mother did, but if there is a heaven for him, he’s quite sure it would have Jon in it.

He breathes, even and steady like he’s trying to fall more deeply asleep. If these are his last seconds of awareness, he wants to spend them just like this.

Then he hears Jon quietly ask, “Are you awake?”

Martin opens his eyes. Jon is peering down at him, his expression tender and tentative. In the weak sunlight, he looks washed out, his features rendered nearly in greyscale. There’s no trace of the bright red from when Martin had lifted a bloody hand to cup his face. The only indication of everything that’s happened is a faint mistiness about Jon’s eyes.

Furrowing his brow, Martin reaches up and touches his cheek. It’s wet; he leaves behind a fine dusting of black sand that has stuck to his fingers. “Are you crying?” he murmurs, almost confused. Surely, if this is all in his imagination, he’d have made Jon happy.

Jon surprises him with a soft laugh. “Tears of relief, Martin. Look around.”

Reluctantly, still half-convinced none of this is really happening, Martin rolls to one side and sits up. Jon scoots over a little for him, even though there’s plenty of space. The shore is completely deserted apart from them, and silent but for the gently lapping water.

“Is this...?”

At Martin’s questioning look, a smile slowly spreads across Jon’s face. It’s a complicated one, balanced between joy and disbelief, sadness and resignation. “Somewhere else,” he affirms.

“But I—” Martin stares at Jon. There’s no blood on him, no wound; only a tell-tale rip in his shirt where the knife had gone in. “I killed you.”

“I told you to,” Jon objects. His hands come up as if to touch Martin, who rocks back on his haunches.

“I killed you,” he repeats, this time in a whisper.

Jon watches him for a moment. His shoulders lift in a helpless sort of shrug. “Or maybe,” he says, “you killed everything that wasn’t me. Everything tethering them there.”

Martin can feel tears welling up in his eyes. He’s shaking his head slowly, but he doesn’t know why. It’s not like he can deny the physical fact of Jon, here with him, miraculously unharmed and apparently, entirely human. It’s not like he wants to, either. He just hadn’t been expecting to wake up again — in a world he may have helped to doom, next to a boyfriend he was supposed to have died with.

It’s a lot to process.

A single sob escapes Martin, and at once Jon is hushing him, almost vaulting forward in his rush to pull him into a hug. They meet awkwardly halfway, in a tangle of clumsy limbs and warmth. 

With Jon’s arms around him, Martin lets himself just cry for a while.

It feels long overdue. The back of Martin’s throat has felt tight and strained since the moment he woke up to find Jon gone. He’d rushed to find Georgie, Melanie, and Basira, and then he’d rushed up the countless flights of stairs in the Panopticon, not daring to stop and catch his breath for fear he’d be too late. He was, anyway, and the moment Jon had turned around to face him, voice crackling with static and eyes illuminated as if from within, it had all come crashing over Martin: Jon had left him behind after all. He’d broken his promise, been so willing to die in some perverse kind of atonement that he hadn’t even waited to say goodbye.

Martin hardly dares to believe he’s here now, rubbing soothing circles over his back and murmuring, “It’s okay. Shh. I’ve got you.”

It takes some time, but eventually Martin subsides. The trembling stops and his breathing slows. Mildly embarrassed, he pulls back from the embrace. “Don’t ever,” he says wetly, poking Jon in the chest, “do that to me again.”

“I won’t,” Jon says softly. He waits until Martin has settled back on the sand, then takes his hand and interlaces their fingers. 

For a while, they both stare out at the water, the way the seafoam stands out against the dark beach.

“Any idea where this is?” Martin asks.

Jon shakes his head. “I think Iceland has black sand beaches, but... you know. That’s back in our reality.”

Martin lets out a long breath. “It worked, then.” His voice is muted with weariness. “We saved the world.”

“And doomed every other one.” Without letting go of Martin’s hand, Jon pulls his knees up to his chest and rests his chin on them.

“Not everything is your fault, Jon. We all agreed on the plan.” 

He waits, but Jon gives no sign of having even heard the words. He watches him for a long moment, biting his lip. Then he clambers to his feet and pulls on their linked hands. “Come on.”

Jon blinks up at him. “Where are we going?”

“On a walk,” Martin tells him.

The beach looks the same in either direction, and a steep wall of volcanic rock prevents them from going farther inland. Undaunted, Martin starts off towards the left. Jon follows, possibly from force of habit. They’d gone on many such walks together, in the halcyon days at the safehouse before the world ended. 

Normally, Martin would point things out as they passed them by — good cows being a bonus, of course — but this place seems eerily devoid of life. There aren’t even any seashells or bits of driftwood. The air is still. The fog sits in heavy reams.

He’s just wondering if he should bring it up when Jon abruptly starts talking. He’d given one last statement, he admits, up in the Panopticon before Martin arrived. Becoming the pupil of the Eye had given him answers, at long last, about how the entities came to be. 

Jon’s train of thought is uncertain, and he frowns a lot as he rambles. Sometimes he stops and gazes out across the water, the look in his eyes vacant. It’s probably just a side effect of his being ripped away from the Ceaseless Watcher, Martin tells himself. Probably.

“We created monsters,” Jon says at last, “and then I set them loose on the whole universe.” He stops walking and hunches his shoulders. “What does that make me?”

Martin closes his eyes for a moment. “Jonathan Sims, you are not a monster.”

Beside him, Jon’s breathing goes shaky. “But I told you—”

“That I wouldn’t want to see what was left of you?” Martin interrupts. He hasn’t forgotten the desperate look on Jon’s face in that moment, when he’d first refused to leave him. “I’m looking at you right now, Jon, and you know what I see?”

Illogically, he’s almost angry at him; that’s how frustrated he is that the man he loves cannot seem to stop blaming himself for everything. “I see someone who has given everything to make things right. Who chose kindness, even though he’d been marked and manipulated. Even though he kept getting kidnapped and hunted and hurt and — and used.”

Jon is staring at him now, wide-eyed. Martin thinks about the way he’d looked in what he thought were their last moments together. Beautiful and beatific. He touches two fingers to Jon’s chin, tilting it up. “It’s not monstrous to protect the people you love,” he says. “It’s human.”

With his free hand, Jon swipes at a tear that’s running down his cheek.

“Okay?” Martin presses, but gently.

Jon sniffs. “Has anyone ever told you,” he says, “that your pep talks can be rather aggressive?”

He’s deflecting, but Martin decides to let him get away with it. He’s pushed hard enough for now. In any case, he thinks his words have hit home, at least to some extent. There’s still guilt in Jon’s eyes, but although it runs deep, Martin thinks it looks a little less sharp.

Pulling back and turning to resume their walk, he says, “They have to be, to get through your thick head.”

A corner of Jon’s lips quirks up. “That sounds like something Basira would say.”

“Is she alright, do you think? And Georgie and Melanie?”

Jon waves a hand. “I’m sure they’re fine. They’re probably putting the world back together already.”

“Probably make it better,” Martin muses. He sighs. “They’ll have their work cut out for them.”

A beat. “And what about us?” Jon asks quietly. “What do we do now?”

They fall silent, each contemplating the question. 

If they’ve ended up in the same world as the entities, Martin figures, at some point they’ll probably have to start seeking out organisations like the Magnus Institute, working out who the next Archivist is. And if they somehow stop the apocalypse from happening, it’ll only be for a while. There will always be another attempt to foil. 

By some miracle, they’ve made it here. Maybe they’ll be able to build a life together, and enjoy it for a while. But mostly, the future Martin sees stretching ahead of them is just full of more danger and guilt and sacrifice. 

Jon must be thinking along the same lines, because he sighs and says, “Do you know what this reminds me of? It’s like I thought the play was over, but it turns out it’s only the intermission.”

“What did you want it to be?”

For the space of several breaths, Jon is silent. “A good epilogue,” he says at last. “I’d like to think we deserve that much.”

Martin swallows past a sudden lump in his throat. There isn’t really anything he can say to that, so instead he gives Jon a little nudge, and keeps walking.

When he next looks up, his eye snags on a shape on the shoreline ahead of them. It’s the first thing they’ve come across since they woke up here and started walking. In tacit agreement, they both wander over to get a closer look. 

It’s a small boat, complete with a set of oars. The wood has only the faintest suggestion of brown. It’s been bleached to a light grey, though how long that would have taken, Martin can’t guess. 

He clears his throat. “Is anything about all this just a little bit on the nose to you?”

“What?” Jon asks, still peering at the boat. Then: “Oh.”

This looks more like an ocean than a river, Styx or otherwise, but Martin can’t deny that there’s something ethereal about this place. Interstitial. Plus, there’s the otherwise inexplicable fact that Jon’s wound is gone. Honestly, he should have put it together sooner.

He notices Jon watching him then, his head canted and his expression fond. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” Jon says. “You’re just... taking the possibility that you’re dead very well.”

“So are you,” Martin points out.

Jon shrugs. “I’ve had time to get used to the idea. Besides, you’re here.”

His smile, at that moment, is a brittle thing. Martin finds he has to look away from it.

They never seem to get enough time, do they? The cottage in Scotland. That week at Upton House. And now this. Part of Martin is tempted to try and stay here, in this final pocket of respite. He knows that’s irrational, though. 

Maybe this is just a very dramatic-looking beach, and they’ll feel very silly when they wash ashore. Or maybe they’re right. Maybe they’ll get in that boat and... pass on, head towards the light — any one of the phrases people have invented to give shape to the undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveller returns.

Either way, Martin realises, they have to find out. And at least they’ll find out together. Subconsciously, he tightens his grip on Jon’s hand.

“What are you thinking?” Jon asks softly.

Martin looks at him for a long moment. “I did want to take you rowing.” Such light words for the weight of what they imply.

“Where you go,” Jon says, “I go.”

Martin smiles. “That’s the deal.”

It takes them a while to get a rhythm going after they push off from the shore. Martin rows, and after a while, to his mild delight, Jon starts singing a sea shanty under his breath, keeping time to the beat of the oars. 

And as the shore disappears behind the fog, Martin is surprised to find that colours start to filter back into the world. Pinks and yellows, the likes of which the sky above his head hasn’t contained in so long.

He looks at Jon, who looks back at him and nods. 

They meet the sunrise. They leave the world behind.

[also available on AO3 here]

[my TMA fic on AO3]