#“Yeah and I heard they’re all orphans.”

[strewbi]

let me break down the basic plot of what I’m reading

“The small scrappy underdog company you’ve just been hired at is full of the hottest men you’ve ever seen, and they’re all orphans.”

real. that shit made me scream.

[maladaptiveobsession]

“That cute guy is kissing me!”

Synopsis: The reader is intoxicated, doesn’t recognize their partner, and says something along the lines of the post title. Alex, Eden, and Bailey are the focus for this post, all being gender neutral.

Contains: gn!reader, alcohol, medical sedation, noncon drugging, noncon reference

Words: 1,053

Alex:

The two of you had broken out the liquor that night, dancing and overall goofing off. It hadn’t taken long before you were wasted, barely able to hold yourself up. With a faster metabolism, Alex was only moderately drunk. Helping you to the couch, they laid you sideways just in case you couldn’t hold your dinner.

They left shortly to fetch an empty bucket and some water. Handing you the water, you sipped absentmindedly. Watching you struggle with coordination, spilling water all down your shirt, they found the sight adorable and leaned in to peck your lips.

You tilted your head so their lips only grazed your chin. “Oh… You’re really cute, but I’m not available.”

Flattered but tinged with worry, they encouraged you to explain further. “Taken?”

“Mhm! I have a partner. They’re so cute and strong—oh, and they smell really, really nice. I’m so happy we’re together.” You gushed about this mystery partner. Alex’s mood fell, stung by your words.

“Is that right...?” They mumbled rhetorically.

“Yeah. Can I tell you something?” You pause to glance around as if someone else could be listening, not waiting for their response to continue. “I stole their body wash so I could still smell them even when we’re apart.”

That was you? Wait, then that means you were talking about them. Breathing a sigh of relief, they’re reassured knowing you rejected their advances only because you thought they were an admittedly cute stranger.

“My lips are sealed.” Settling beside you, they begin to quiz you. “Why don’t you tell me about this handsome, strong, and good-smelling partner of yours?”

They couldn’t wait to tease you once you sobered up.

Eden:

The procedure had gone well; simple but necessary. Eden’s hatred of hospitals was a well-known fact, but what they hated more than that was the thought of you being in a hospital alone and too doped up to protect yourself. So, here they were, waiting by your bedside for you to wake up. They cradled your hand in their own, rubbing their hand across your knuckles.

Blearily, your eyelashes fluttered open, unfocused. They smirked ever so slightly, noticing a similarity to how you looked out right now and how you looked blissed out on their dick/strap-on.

You swiveled your head around aimlessly before your eyes connected with their own. Your mouth fell open, eyes filling with an emotion they couldn’t determine.

“Whoa… Who’s the cutie?” You looked to a nurse for answers.

Eden felt their cheeks warm, unable to stop the small smile from forming on their lips. Chuckling, they leaned in and captured your lips with their own. You really were too adorable to resist.

You stared at them in a daze, blinking cutely with those wide eyes of yours. Words seeming to have finally found you, you blurted out, “Th-the cutie kissed me!”

From behind, they heard the nurses chuckling. Suddenly aware you weren’t alone, they bowed their head to hide their reddening face. This only prompted more light-hearted laughter.

You still thought they were cute even though you didn’t recognize them? Well, they wondered how you might react once they told you they were your spouse.

Bailey:

They had been about to retire for the night when they received a call to come pick up their ward. Apparently, the drugs some guests slipped into your drink were too strong for you to handle, and they didn’t fancy fucking an unconscious orphan.

They arrived not long later, visibly disgruntled as they pushed through the throng of bodies. The air was thick with the scent of sweat as laughter echoed around the excessively lavish mansion.

When Bailey finally arrived at the room you had been cooped up in, they found you sprawled naked across the bed, looking pale and disoriented. Your skin had turned a sickly hue, making the bruises and ejaculate littering your body all that much more apparent. This wasn’t exactly the scene they had envisioned when those rich freaks approached them to purchase you for the evening.

“Who knew it would get this messy?” they muttered, peering down at your pitiful form. With a grimace, they took off their jacket to wrap you with. You jerked at the sudden contact, peering up at them with tired eyes.

“Who are you?” You mumbled, squinting beneath the harsh fluorescent light. Whatever they gave you must’ve really fucked you if you couldn’t even recognize your tormentor.

“Quit squirming. I’m taking you home,” they snapped as they scooped you into their arms and trudged out of the room. People stared as you passed, some trying to catch a feel but ultimately shrinking back under Bailey’s glare.

“For someone so cute, you’re not very nice.” You slurred, eyes struggling to stay open as you nestled into their chest.

Bailey blinked, taken aback by your unexpected compliment and sudden surge of affection.

“Shut up,” they grumbled before kicking the front door open; the night air nipped at their now exposed arms.

They barked at a straggling partygoer to open the passenger side car door. As they settled you into the passenger seat of their pristine car, you took advantage of the moment. Without warning, you grabbed the front of their shirt, pulling them in close. Stunned, they felt a rush of warmth flood their cheeks as you stole a fleeting kiss.

They pulled back with a growl, the warmth of your lips sending shockwaves through their body.

“Sorry, just couldn’t help myself,” you giggled with a lopsided grin. “Your lips just looked so kissable.”

Slamming the car door shut, they stomped to the driver’s side and slid behind the wheel. The drive home was quiet, marked only by the soft hum of the engine and the muffled sound of your breathing beside them. You leaned against the door, your eyelids drooping as exhaustion overtook you. Fucking great, not only was their jacket stained with cum, you were drooling all down the side of their door interior.

Bailey gripped the wheel tightly, desperately trying to shake the thoughts that clouded their mind. Your lips—how soft they had felt against theirs. They shifted in their seat, recalling the brief moment of contact, fighting against the heat creeping up their neck. “What the hell was that?” they muttered to themself, resolutely avoiding looking at you for the rest of the drive.

[specialagentlokitty]

Cullens x teen!reader - strange family

A Cullen family x teen reader where they adopt an orphan human or wolf shape-shifter? Please - Anon💜

Sitting on the grass outside the school, you sighed to yourself as you looked at the books in your lap.

You didn’t really have an interest in going into the school, not today at least, so you spent the day sat outside working on your homework and studying.

It was nice, peaceful.

At least until a familiar scent hit your nose.

“I’m not causing you any trouble so leave me alone.” You grumbled.

“I just saw you outside is all, do you mind if I have a seat?” The woman asked.

You flicked your gaze up to her, and then shrugged before going back to your studies.

You didn’t have to follow the treaty, since you didn’t belong to the pack, and you weren’t actually from forks itself both the pack on the reserve and the Cullens decided you could stay.

Esme sat down in front of you, and she watched you for a moment.

“Can I ask why you’re not inside? It’s career day, wouldn’t you like to take part?” She asked you.

“I’m fine out here.”

Esme sighed a little bit.

“Won’t your parents be looking for you?”

You shook your head.

“If they’re looking for me I’ll be a bit concerned considering the fact I buried them halfway across the state.”

Esme went quiet and you gathered up your books.

“I just want to be left alone.”

With that you wondered away and left the school, going into the forest to find a different place where you could study.

The Cullens had made an attempt to speak to you, at least Alice, Carlisle, Emmett and Esme had.

The others weren’t too keen on the idea of a rouge werewolf running about the area, but didn’t have much say in it.

You didn’t want anything to do with them or whatever it was that was going on with Bella and other vampires.

You simply just wanted to be left alone.

You spent a few hours away from everyone until you heard someone toss something just in front of you.

“You need to stop running away.”

“I don’t want to stay in that home sir.”

You looked up at the man, and he sighed a little bit as he walked over to you, sitting on the fallen tree.

“Well they’re moving you to a new home today anyway, your current careers have to leave the state.”

You looked at Charlie and frowned a little.

“They’re alright people, I’m sure you’ve heard of the Cullens, you go to school with their kids.”

“Oh hell no.”

“You don’t get a choice in this (Y/N).”

You looked at him and went back to putting your things away.

You didn’t want to argue with him, he had been kind enough to look out for you since you were based here a few years ago.

“Fine.”

Charlie smiled at you.

“Thank you, come on then, I’ve already taken your bags.”

You rolled your eyes at him but followed him back to his car, and you tossed yourself into the back seat and laid across it.

Charlie looked at you but said nothing.

You didn’t want to stay with the vampires, so despite their efforts to get you to talk to them you wouldn’t do it.

You spent months confined to the room they offered you, or laying around in the forest as your wolf form.

Today was one of those days, and you turned around as you heard one of the Cullens approaching you.

“Come on, don’t do that.” Emmett laughed.

He walked around you and dropped himself in front of you and you huffed, baring your teeth at him in warning.

“Don’t be so stubborn.”

You made a grumbling noise and flicked your eyes to him, and phased back.

“What do you want?”

“Everyone is busy, and Rosalie went hunting with Esme and Alice..” Emmett grumbled.

You laughed a little.

“So you’re just lonely?”

“Not since I’ve come to annoy you.” He grinned.

You rolled your eyes and laid back on the grass, and Emmett tossed a bag at you.

“You’ve been out here for hours, it’s something to eat and drink.”

You nodded and you looked at him.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.” You replied.

Emmett laid down next to you and looked up at the trees.

“Do you feel out of place here?”

You thought for a moment.

“Sometimes I guess yeah. But it’s nice knowing you guys aren’t human you know? It makes it easier I guess.”

“Why not live on the reserve?”

“And obey their stupid pack rules? Yeah no.”

Emmett chuckled and he looked at you.

“You’re not so bad. Want to go rock climbing?”

You shrugged and got up.

You began to spend more time with Emmett, he was like you, a little reckless and completely care free, and you got along well.

And you began to spend more time with the Cullens, you began to realise they weren’t so bad.

You got along with them they were good people to you, Carlisle and Esme cooked for you, Alice and Jasper helped you with school work, Emmett and you played game, and Rosalie and you just sat and read in peace.

It was a nice life compared to what you were used too.

You were part of the family, though you didn’t get along with Edward or Bella, or their obsession with one another.

Sitting at the table, you were eating your dinner waiting for the family to come home.

“We’ve got something for you.” Carlisle smiled.

You looked up at him and he set some papers down in front of you.

Looking down you carefully read them.

“You want to adopt me…?” You asked quietly.

“You’re already part of the family.” Esme smiled.

You looked at the two adults and they smiled softly at you.

“We asked everybody else to stay away so we could do this quietly.” Esme said gently.

You looked at them both.

“We know it may be strange, vampires adopting a werewolf, but we already love you like our own.” Carlisle said.

You stood up and looked at the papers.

“I..”

You looked at them.

It had been years since you had a family, a place to call your own.

You lost your family years ago and had been on your own ever since.

Esme placed her hand on your shoulder and you looked up at her with tears in your eyes.

“We just want to hear what you think.” She whispered.

“I.. I would like that…”

You set the papers down, hugging her tightly and she laughed, hugging you back and Carlisle walked over to start signing the papers.

You were going to be an official member of their little strange family, and how stranger could it be to add a werewolf to the mix

[theunbearableweightofpedropascal]

The Crush

Blaise Zabini x Hufflepuff!reader

A/N: Probably not canon but I tried my best because there need to be more fics for Blaise.

Summary: Eavesdropping on your crush and his friend has embarrassing consequences.

Word Count: 3.3k

Throughout your time at Hogwarts Blaise Zabini was a shadow. You knew he was there but he never made himself known, honestly you could count on your hand the number of times you’d heard his voice. Despite his rather rowdy group of friends, he never engaged in their shenanigans. 

When Draco and Crabbe would go about taunting their favorite orphan Blaise would remain in the background. Never standing up for him but never making things worse either. You suppose you were the only one to take the time to observe such details. The crush you’d had on him since 1st year was obvious to no one outside of your friend group, and he never let you live it down. 

Every once in a while they would ask what it was that you saw in him but even you couldn’t answer that question. Well, you could but they wouldn’t like the answer. No one could deny the boy was handsome, he took after his striking mother. But one of the bigger downsides was his problematic view of muggles. His silence spoke volumes, proving you didn’t always have to be loud with your opinions. 

Although you were a Hufflepuff the two of your paths crossed more often than not. In Snape’s class you were seated in front of him and Theodore Nott, allowing you to hear all the things you would miss from across the room. They usually consisted of funny anecdotes and a few pieces of gossip. However, one particular conversation from a few days ago played in your mind. 

“So have you thought about-” Theodore’s question is cut short by a slightly annoyed Blaise.

“No.” Blaise leaves no room for back talk but that wouldn’t stop Theo.

“Look it’s just a one-time thing, you don’t even have to do anything with her just keep her away from the room.” Theo is practically begging but Blaise pays no mind. 

“Why don’t you just tell her to give you two a couple of hours, that should be more than enough time no?” Unsurprisingly Blaise is as sharp as he looks.

“I apologize for trying to hook you up with a pretty girl. How rude of me.” Theo’s exasperation has Blaise concealing his laugh through a cough. 

“She’s not my type.” Blaise’s simple answer piques your interest. 

“Yeah yeah maybe if you lowered your impossible standards you wouldn’t be so damn rigid.” Theodore got him back for his earlier comment. 

“My standards will stay where they’re at.” You almost laugh at the offense in his voice.

“So you’re telling me there’s no girl in Hogwarts that meets your criteria.” You slightly lean back on your stool unable to help yourself. 

“Never said there wasn’t.” You roll your eyes at Blaise’s nonchalant response as if this is any of your business. 

“Enough with the vague answers, what’s her name?” You can see Theodore isn’t above whining. 

“Why in the bloody hell would I tell you that?” Blaise’s tone is laced with humor.

“So she’s not in our house then?” Theo’s interest seems to be at the same level as yours. 

“No, she’s a …” Silently you curse to yourself, upset that you missed the most important piece of information from the conversation. While you marinate in your disappointment you overestimate your balance and tip backward. The embarrassing squeal that leaves your mouth before you hit the floor has the class and Snape turning in your direction. If that wasn’t bad enough Theo and Blaise poke their heads over their desk.

Your face is on fire when you make eye contact with Blaise. His brown eyes bore into you and if words had been exchanged between you two there would be a lump forming in your throat. Theodore tries to rein in his smile until you can’t see him. Before things can become even more awkward you carefully hoist yourself up to deal with the consequences of your actions. 

Once Snape dismissed the class you wasted no time hot tailing it out of there. 

Lucky for you that was on a Friday so you were able to head straight to your room and only come out for dinner. On Saturday you head to the library for some peaceful reading and because most students are going to Diagon Alley you basically get the place to yourself. You gathered three books a fantasy romance, a murder mystery, and a historical romance. 

Muggle studies brought you to some very interesting literature that you couldn’t put down. For some reason or another, they were a lot more raunchy in their writing. But you couldn’t say you didn’t enjoy the debauchery. Based on those books alone you had a hard time seeing why so many wizards had issues with muggles. 

Though you had some experiences with boys around Hogwarts it was nothing like the books you had read. Despite the very descriptive paragraphs written about any male lead, you always pictured the same boy. Perhaps that’s why you loved the brooding leads over the bubbly ones. Pride and Prejudice struck a chord within you.

Short-lived is your peace when the shadow of someone standing over you interrupts you. You trail your eyes up their body before matching a face to a name. Theodore. Quickly you grab your bookmark before he can read any of the words on the page. The silence between you two is deafening, you figured he would be the first to engage since he came up to you. 

“Uh did you need something?” You don’t hide the confusion in your face as he takes a seat next to you.

“I wanted to check on you after your fall but you ran off so quickly.” His tone implied there was more to it. 

“Just a bruised ego.” You nod your head and stare off into the distance to avoid looking at Theo.

“Did you have fun eavesdropping on me and Bee’s conversation?” A smirk planted itself on his face and you wanted to wipe it off. 

“I wasn-” You try to defend yourself.

“Let’s not lie. I saw you lean back, not to mention the staring.” Your jaw drops at how he has you figured out. “It’s not obvious or anything but when you put it all together.”

With nothing to say for yourself you just sit there. You don’t want to admit you have a crush to said crush’s best friend. Something tells you he has a big mouth.

“You know I’m pretty sure he’s interested in you.” Theo leaned closer to you. “He likes his girls quiet and innocent looking.” 

Hook.

“What makes you so sure it’s me?” You refuse to appear too excited in spite of your racing heart. 

“Before you fell he told me she’s a Hufflepuff.” His answer, although very enticing, still doesn’t qualify you. 

Line.

“Still doesn’t mean it’s me.” Theo rolls his eyes at your stubbornness.

“Godrick you two are a match made in heaven.” He pinches the bridge of his nose to regain his patience before addressing you again. “I’ve known Blaise most of my life, I know exactly what he looks for in his women. When he told me your house it wasn’t that hard to figure out.”

“What exactly does he like in his women? You two didn’t exactly go into detail the other day.” Theodore laughs at your sudden brazen manner.

“He has a thing for obedient quiet girls, bonus points if you’re inexperienced. Intelligence is as important as looks, and you’ve got the doe-eyed thing going for you. Plus he may or may not have been checking you out.” It’s almost like Theodore is dangling your favorite candy in front of you waiting for you to bite. 

Sinker.

“All that is great but what am I supposed to do?” The last thing you needed was to embarrass yourself further in front of Blaise. 

“Do I have to do everything?” He shoots back at you. 

“Yes! Did you forget I fell on my ass in front of him?” You frown as you think of the incident again. “I’m not going up to him unless you have a full script for me to use.” 

Theo laughs at your ridiculousness, he can’t understand what’s so intimidating about going up to his best friend. Even when they first met he was never afraid to annoy him. He supposes he understands your position, you are a rather bashful girl.

“Tell you what, a few of us are planning on hanging out in our common room and you should stop by.” Theo sees the objection you’re about to throw at him but he doesn’t let you start. “You’ll know me and Blaise, that’s more than enough. So I’ll see you around 7?” He speeds away before you can give him an answer. 

You slump your shoulders when you realize you didn’t ask him what the dress code was. After all it was just a group of friends, but they are Slytherins. 

………

By the time you left your dorm it was already 7:30. You’d combed through your wardrobe for something casual but not too casual, and ultimately you put on a jumpsuit with a black turtleneck. You played with your already-done hair before spritzing on some muggle perfume you purchased at home. 

The hallways were bare making your secret trip to the Slytherin common room less nerve-wracking. When you make it to the entrance hall you are surprised to see Theo leaning against the wall, seemingly waiting for you.

“And here I thought you’d chicken out. Was it that I said he was checking you out?” He smirks when he realizes that’s what got you to come out. 

“Whatever.” You roll your eyes. “I look okay right?” You awkwardly look around as Theodore takes your outfit in. 

“Zabini would approve.” He turns to open the door leading to the hallway of steps that held the topic of this conversation. You find yourself entranced by the darkness of the hallway, such a contrast to every other hallway in this castle. 

“Sorry about this, the password changes often.” Your only reply is to nod and smile. Taking a discrete deep breath you follow after Theo into a dark green-tinged room. The low light gives your eyes a nice reprieve. When you focus on the tufted furniture you notice they opted for darker green. Most of the Slytherins pay you no mind because they all remain engrossed in their conversations.

“The hell is she doing here?” The question from Draco causes Blaise, Pansy, and Goyle to follow Draco’s line of sight. Blaise sets his sights on you and Theodore, he can’t believe Nott figured it out that quick. All he told him was your house. When he makes eye contact with Theo he sees the smirk plastering his face. 

“Don’t be a brat Malfoy.” Blaise wouldn’t mind your company and he didn’t want Draco to ruin it. 

As you approach with Theo you note the only spots open are Blaise or Pansy. Blaise is delighted when you choose the seat next to him. 

“Would you like something to drink?” Blaise doesn’t waste his opportunity of seeing you in a more intimate setting. “Alcoholic not alcoholic?” 

“Alcoholic please and I’ll just drink whatever you are.” At your request, Blaise grabbed an empty glass and began filling it with Single-malt whiskey. “You know your common room is almost as comfy as ours.”

“We have the better uniforms.” He slides your drink towards you and you waste no time taking your first sip. “I couldn’t imagine having a color scheme as ghastly as yellow and black.”

“This coming from the one with a dungeon for a common room.” Heat courses through your body at this exchange and you laugh. Now that the glass in your hand is half-empty, the tension you felt before eases out of your body.

“How did Nott wrangle you to the dungeon then?” Blaise knew why Theo brought you here but not why you were sitting next to him.

“He told me you were practically begging for my company, so I saw fit to indulge you.” The glass was right beneath your plump lips, giving Blaise an excuse to let his eyes fall. 

“I appreciate the charity.” The back and forth unknowingly prompted the two of you to lean closer to one another. Now the both of you were leaning over the armrest closest to the other. 

“You know despite the tacky color scheme you manage to make it charming.” Blaise may have been on the reserved side but if his mother taught him anything it was the gift of seduction. Based on the way your eyes brighten, he would say he was the top student.

“I think this is the most I’ve ever heard you speak.” You end your observation with another sip of whiskey, only to see you’ve just finished your first glass. 

Blaise reaches for the whiskey waiting for your objection before pouring you another glass. You take the time to look at his profile up close. There isn’t anyone at Hogwarts or otherwise as regal as he was, and it was no surprise considering who his mother is. It seems that not only does he look like her, he’s just as elegant. Even by pouring a damn glass of whiskey.

“It’s also the first you’re around me outside of our classes darling.” His term of endearment warms your face.  

“I wonder who’s fault that is.” The whiskey has loosened your lips allowing all of your thoughts to leave straight through your mouth.

“I’ve never seen you this animated myself.” He looks at you as if he’s trying to commit his vision to memory. “It’s nice.” 

Truthfully it was, Blaise couldn’t remember the last time he had enjoyed a conversation outside of the usual three people he talked to every day. Though he could probably get any woman he was interested in relationship never called to him. Maybe it was the revolving door of men his mother insisted he calls ‘Dad’ or the promise of how different it’ll be each time. 

But you were the glaring opposite of his mother, maybe that’s why he felt such comfort in his daydreams of you. If you’re muggle perfume was anything to go by you were as sweet as candy. The way your curls framed your face was something he’d only seen in paintings across his mother’s estate. 

“So-” Your sentence was cut short by the abrupt arrival of Professor Snape. Low curses went around the table as they got rid of the whiskey and other unsavorable things Snape would disapprove of. You didn’t dare turn, knowing your best shot was to keep your back to him but that didn’t stop the panic from making its way onto your face. 

Blaise communicates nothing through his face as he locks eyes with Theodore across the table. When he turns back to you he slides his hand over your forearm in a comforting manner. “I’ll get you out.” His thumb rubbing gentle circles distracts you from his important question and he repeats your name. 

“Okay.” When your eyes snap back to his you find yourself calming down. Your right-hand reaches for your glass to down it before disposing of the evidence like everyone else. Theo heads in the direction you can only assume Snape is in. 

“Alright, we should head closer to the door and wait there.” The hand that sits on your forearm glides its way past your shoulder and sits between your shoulder blades. He helps to steady you as you stand up and wobble from the whiskey. 

The hand on your back disappears and before you can complain Blaise envelopes his left hand over your right. His tall broad stature provides coverage of your face as the two of you slink up to the front. Snape’s back faces the pair of you while Theo talks his head off about nothing. Assuming he’d had enough Snape begins walking away toward the back of the room where the group previously was. Blaise takes the opportunity to slip out with you and keeps hold of your hand throughout climbing back up the stairs. 

With the full effects of the whiskey settling in you underestimate your step and almost trip but your other hand places a death grip on Blaise’s arm. Your giggles echo in the empty staircase as Blaise brings his right hand around to steady your waist. He loves the jovial sound that comes from you so effortlessly. 

“Such a gentleman.” Before the logical part of you can stop yourself you give Zabini a peck on his cheek. “Thank you.”

For the first time Blaise is truly shocked, he attempts to keep up his cool guy act but his face is scorching where your soft lips touch. The feeling makes him want the earth to swallow him whole. He’s afraid to open his mouth and embarrass himself so he just nods and continues leading you. The both of you stop at the top of the steps and he peeks his head out of the door to make sure Filch isn’t lurking about. When he’s sure the both of you emerge from the dungeon quietly. 

“I lied in the common room, Theodore didn’t say you were begging for my attention. He did tell me what your type was and he was adamant that I was it.” You tilt your head to sneak a glance at him from the corner of your eye. 

“And what exactly did that knobhead say was my type.” The smile that breaks out on Blaise’s face when he looks down at you almost has you tripping over your feet again. 

“You know obedient quiet girls that are as pretty as they are smart. He said I’ve got the doe-eyed thing down, but I would get bonus points for inexperience.” You roll your eyes at the last bit of his criteria. 

Nott may be a lot of things but in this instance he wasn’t wrong. Not entirely, the inexperienced thing doesn’t matter. 

“As much as it pains me to admit, and it really does, 90% of that was correct.” 

“Then why didn’t you say anything?” You stop in your tracks to stand in front of the frustrating man you for some reason fancy.

“Why didn’t you?” His eyebrows pinch as he peers down at you in exasperation. 

“I asked if-” Your childish reply is cut short when Blaise’s lips plant themselves against yours. The hand not holding yours circles your waist before pulling you closer. He separates from you first but you try to chase after him. 

“Come on we don’t want to get caught.” His hand around your waist guides you underneath the stairs you take to your dormitory. This time you turn around and get on your tip toes to place your lips against his again. When you tilt your head to deepen the kiss he returns the favor and licks your bottom lip with his tongue. The small gasp you let out is swallowed by him before his tongue explores your mouth.

The heat in your lower stomach feels the same as when you read those raunchy muggle books. Your hands have a mind of their own as they find their way up his biceps to wrap around his neck. Blaise loves how your body has molded itself against his, you’re so pliable in his hands. Your teeth gently sink into his lower lip and slightly pull causing a guttural groan to leave Blaise’s swollen lips.

“We have to stop love.” His insistence didn’t stop you from kissing around his mouth and neck. He can’t blame you he didn’t even mean the words that came out of his mouth. The last thing he wants is for you to leave his arms but not only would you two get caught, he could feel the strain of his pants trying to contain his excitement. 

“Godrick.” Blaise lost all his willpower to stop your ministrations. The slight whine in his voice does unexplainable things to your brain chemistry, but you finally pull away from his neck. The rise and fall of your chest matches with Blaise and all you two can do is stare. He chances a look at your swollen lips wishing he could spend all night talking with you along the grounds. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow then?” He places his hand under your chin and lets his thumb run along your bottom lip while he awaits your answer.

“Yes.” As pleasing as your answer is Blaise focuses his eyes on yours, and the way they gleam at him. He releases his hand from your face and watches you make your way to the entrance of your dormitory before heading back to his.

[mymoodwriting]

Because You're Mine

Female!Reader x Werewolf!SKZ

Genre: A/B/O

Warning: Anxiety, Betrayal, Drugs, Sedatives, Manipulation, Restraints, Pheromones, Alpha Omega dynamics, Electrocution

Words: 4.4K

Chapter Six

(Prev//Next) (@starillusion13 @salfetkablog @youngunknownwitch @loveforred @hydroyaksha @meowmeeps @azazel-nyx @luvyev @stellasays45)

Prompt: With omegas completely removed from society, they needed their own communities and institutions to grow. All your life you had lived and gone to school alongside your fellow omegas, and orphaned alphas. You had managed to keep yourself together, but now at the university level, keeping your secret had grown impossible. You had to face your fears and make friends with an alpha eventually, and now was the time.

“I cannot believe you!”

Somehow you managed the strength to express your anger, but you could only hold yourself together for a moment. Once you made your point you ran off back to your room. You tried to shut the door behind you, but Felix and Jisung had been quick to follow you, clearly worried but also upset over what had happened. You let them in and then locked the door. You were still freaking out and needed some space to breathe. So you went into the bathroom and turned on the shower head, sitting under it.

“Y/n, everything’s going to be okay.” Felix assured. “We’re okay.”

Both boys were at your side, Felix taking your hand to hold. The tears on your face were mixing with the water, and you were doing your best not to hyperventilate. If your heart beat got out of control the alphas would surely come knocking, and knowing them, they’d knock the door down if necessary.

“What if they’re onto us? What if they know-”

“They don’t know anything.” Jisung stated. “You know other alphas were always meant to come to the dorm to help you get used to multiple scents. It’s just bad timing.”

“Or on purpose. I feel like something bad is gonna happen…”

“Nothing bad is gonna happen. Look, we just need to change the plan a bit but this doesn’t ruin anything for us.”

“I… I don’t know how much longer I can do this… they know something is off but won’t push it but… I… I’m scared…”

“It’s gonna be okay, you know you have us.” Felix reminded. “Besides, this actually works in our favor.”

“It does?”

“Yeah. With the new alphas here, we can suggest a movie night as a bonding experience, and how could any of them refuse? We’ll have them all in one place and knock them out together. This actually solves a problem for us, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah… I guess it does…”

“See, everything’s fine. We just need more gummies.”

“Right…”

Felix’s words really helped to calm you down, taking away the feeling of hopelessness. This was just a minor setback, and nothing more. Although when you heard knocking at your door you got tense.

“Y/n, please open the door.” Chan said from the otherside. “We need to talk.”

You shook your head. “I don’t want to…”

Jisung got up and went to relay the message, but Chan was insistent on talking. There was probably no getting out of it, and at least it would be three to one, so you got out of the tub, Felix wrapping you in a towel and helping you dry off. Jisung opened the door and let Chan in.

“I- why are you wet?”

“I’m fine… what… what is it… you…”

“Look, I’m sorry. I know you’re upset about the other alphas coming in but you’ve been making good progress, and we can’t lose that momentum. You’ve been distant lately and it’s really starting to worry us, all of us, especially me.” Chan sighed. “I need to know what’s going on.”

“…”

“Y/n, please.”

“…”

“Fine. Felix, Jisung, what’s the problem.”

You looked up at Chan with wide eyes. Jisung and Felix glanced at each other nervously. The tension in the air quickly shifted and they weren’t sure what to do.

“Uh…”

“One of you better start talking.”

“She’s just overwhelmed and anxious.” Jisung blurted out. “She needs time to gather herself and relax. That’s all.”

“Is it?”

“Yes.” Felix added. “We all know her situation here. She’s been doing well but a slight step back isn’t a bad thing.”

“Alright, but I want you to properly introduce yourself to the others. Please.”

“… sure…”

“Be out in five. Thank you.”

Chan left and Jisung locked the door again. Your legs gave out and Felix caught you, helping you sit down on the bed. You took a few deep breaths, calming yourself down.

“That wasn’t so bad.” Felix said. “We’re good.”

“Yeah…”

“Let’s get you into dry clothes and then say hi to the others.” Jisung suggested. “We’ll be done real quick.”

“Yeah… yeah… I… can you two sleep with me tonight?”

“Of course.”

You quickly changed into dry clothes and the three of you went out to the living room to greet the new roommates. Of course Jisung and Felix were a bit familiar with them, so this was more about you.

“Uh… hi… my name’s y/n… it’s nice to meet you all… sorry… about earlier… I look forward to getting to know you all… in time…”

“Same here. I’m Changbin, by the way.”

“I know… your friends told me about you before…”

“That’s cool.”

“I… uh… I’ll excuse myself now.”

Thankfully you wouldn’t really be seeing the others for the rest of the evening as they’d be unpacking and settling in. You returned to your room, working on homework. Jisung and Felix eventually joined you, the three of you having a little study session. The two knocked out and you stayed up a while longer to finish some things, ultimately passing out at your desk. You randomly woke up in the middle of the night, groggy and disoriented. You hadn’t woken up the other two, and remained quiet so as not to disturb them. 

It was early in the morning, but not quite time to get up. Your stomach was growling, already wanting breakfast, but that wouldn’t be a good idea. Instead you thought maybe a little snack would quiet your hunger until later. You carefully snuck out of your room, making your way down the hall. As you reached the kitchen you suddenly froze, hearing voices. It didn’t take long to realize the alphas were all gathered for some snacking of their own. You would have quickly retreated, but you wound up overhearing their conversation, realizing they were talking about you.

“Was it really a good idea to bring us in already?” Jeongin questioned. “Y/n didn’t seem too happy about our presence.”

“I know, but this is a necessary precaution.” Chan stated. “She’s been worrying me like crazy as of late, and she’s developing her abilities. If things go south I need to make sure we can handle it and take care of her.”

For a moment you felt bad about being so difficult. The new alphas had nothing to do with your distrust, but then you remembered the recording you had. Maybe it was just those three, but you couldn’t take a chance. Your plan was still to leave, and that’s all you wanted to do right now. You quietly returned to your room, crawling into bed and trying to get some sleep before classes. 

♥♥♥♥♥

You only really managed to doze off, not actually sleeping for the night. At least now you could get up and leave. You were careful as you got your things, not wanting to wake up the others. You managed to sneak out of your room, quietly making your way down the hall and towards the door.

“Morning.”

You froze, slowly glancing over to see Seungmin in the kitchen, coffee mug in hand. He gave you a warm smile, and you shyly returned it.

“I didn’t know you were a morning person.”

“A bit.”

“You want breakfast? Classes don’t start for another hour anyway.”

“Uh… sure…”

You didn’t want to be mean since he hadn’t really done anything, besides, you were kind of hungry. Seungmin made you some eggs and toasted some bread for you, happy to see you eating. He kept himself a few feet away from you, being very respectful of your space.

“Shall I walk you to class? I still have time before my own.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“It’s no bother. I was about to head out myself.”

“Okay then…”

You couldn’t really deny his request, so the two of you headed to campus together. Seungmin maintained a polite distance, but even then he was comfortable to be around. He asked about you, and it wasn’t really that hard to be honest with him. He was a good listener, and seemed like a really nice person. When you reached your classroom he wished you well and was then on his way. Despite how rough things had been last night, he certainly helped put you at ease. After your class you weren’t really that surprised to find someone waiting for you.

“Let me carry your things.”

Changbin took your bag and books, happily walking off towards your next class. Of course the boys knew your schedule, and Hyunjin probably suggested stopping by. The new ones would want to get close to you, and this was one way to do it. You had no choice but to follow Changbin, trying not to make things awkward.

“How are your classes?” Changbin asked. “If you ever need help with anything just ask.”

“Thanks…”

“I hope we didn’t upset you too much yesterday. It was a bit sudden for us too, but I hope we’ll all get along.”

“Me too… you’re really big…”

“Right? I like to work out a lot. I can carry you if you want.”

“No, no, my legs work just fine.”

“My offer still stands if you ever need it.”

“Sure…”

Changbin was very friendly, you wouldn’t think that would be the case if you noticed him from afar. His smile was genuine, and he seemed like someone fun to be around. You were glad you weren’t as nervous around the new alphas as the others. A part of you wanted to believe they weren’t like the others, that they weren’t nefarious underneath all the smiles. Still, you couldn’t take any chances. When you returned to the dorm the smell of bread caught your attention, leading you into the kitchen. There you found Felix and Jeongin baking.

“Hey, you want some? They’re still hot, but should cool soon.”

“Did you guys make them?”

“Yup.” Jeongin said. “Felix is really good.”

You didn’t trust food from the alphas, but if Felix had been helping, and it was with Jeongin, you trusted it to be safe. You happily waited for the pastries to cool, and they were amazing. You had a few more as you studied in the living room, Jisung and Felix joining you, and the other alphas giving you space. It was nice not to hide. From there things kind of fell into a routine. Felix or Jeongin always packed you some snacks for the morning. Seungmin would walk you to class in the morning, and after a while Chan joined in as well. It was a bit nerve wracking, but you managed, and eventually it wasn’t so bad. Changbin and Hyunjin wound up escorting you to different classes throughout the day, sometimes together, sometimes apart. Minho and Jisung would come around too, keeping you company in the dorm and on campus, and always together. Being alone with an alpha would not be a good idea and they knew that.

Even though not much changed, you were certainly feeling more exhausted. It was barely a little over a week since the new alphas arrived, and if you weren’t in a good state of health you wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon. You were still taking your meds on a daily basis, and getting enough sleep, yet you felt kind of off. You figured it was the anxiety of what you had planned. Execution day was right around the corner afterall, you just had to keep yourself together until then. At least it was easy to distract yourself with school work. Since you always got up early to get to class, you were usually the first one there and spent some time alone.

You had your snacks for the whole day, usually having one in the morning, and then the rest throughout the day. You were feeling a bit hungry so you munched on more than one, putting it away once others began to show up. Perhaps you really weren’t sleeping enough, and were having a hard time staying awake in class. You were dozing off, trying to stay awake, but your exhaustion eventually won out. You wound up asleep in class, resting your head on your books. No one dared to wake you, after all omega classes weren’t that serious. So when the class ended you were left to sleep. Even the next class wouldn’t have bothered you, but there was someone waiting for you, and once the rest of the class was gone they entered.

“Awe, she looks so cute.”

Changbin came over to your side, softly petting your head. He tried to softly coax you to wake up, but you were unresponsive.

“Is she okay?”

Before Changbin tried to wake you again Hyunjin stopped him. Your heartbeat was steady, so nothing was wrong. He checked your things and grabbed your snack bag.

“She must have been hungry this morning.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“Nothing. Let’s get her back to the dorm. She must be very tired.”

Changbin picked you up in his arms, carrying you bridal style. Hyunjin grabbed your things and followed behind him. You were sleeping peacefully, no nightmares, which was always good. Although there was concern, and Changbin asked about it when they got to the dorm. The others were in class, so it was just them for now.

“Are you sure y/n’s gonna be okay? If she’s not getting enough sleep then-”

“She’s fine. It’s just she’s been having anxiety, and Chan wanted to help, but you know how she’s been lately. So he asked Jeongin to put a little something in her snacks. Although if she takes too much at once it would mix with her meds and act like a strong sedative. She’s gonna be out for a while, but she’ll be fine.”

“Ah, that makes sense. She was so anxious when we met, but she’s been more docile as of late.”

“Just doing our job. I’ll have to tell Chan and have him lower the dosage so this doesn’t happen again.”

♥♥♥♥♥

It was strange to regain consciousness while in motion. Things were still blurry, but the voices were familiar. You heard bits and pieces, but you were perking up when you heard your name mentioned. You felt something soft beneath you, somewhat able to make out your room. You groaned and rolled over in bed. Even though your mind was fuzzy you were starting to register the words that were spoken.

“Chan wanted to help… put a little something in her snacks… mix with her meds … she’ll be fine… she’s been more docile… just doing our job…”

The rush of adrenaline jolted you awake. You sat up in bed, startling the two others. Your breathing was uneven, and you were staring at them like a deer in headlights.

“Oh, you’re awake.” Hyunjin noted. “How are you feeling?”

“…what… what have you been giving me…?”

“What are you talking about? We-”

“Don’t lie to me! I… I…”

“Did you have a bad dream? Just relax, we’re here.”

“… you’re liars… you’re all liars!”

When the two took a step towards you it forced you to move back, ultimately falling off the bed. They quickly rushed over to your side, wanting to make sure you were okay, but the second you felt hands on you the panic spiked. You began screaming and kicking, trying to get them away from you.

“Get out! Don’t touch me!”

“Y/n, you need to calm down.” Hyunjin said. “We can help.”

“No! Get away from me!”

“It’s okay, it’s okay, we’re not gonna hurt you.”

“Liars!”

You were cornered and at a disadvantage, but that didn’t stop you from fighting back. Although two against one is hardly fair. Somehow you managed to slip out of their grasp, but only for a moment. Changbin quickly trapped you in a back hug, keeping your arms pinned down to your sides. You tried jumping and kicking your legs, but Hyunjin grabbed a blanket to wrap your legs up, not wanting you to hurt yourself. Now that you were restrained they could do what was necessary. You soon caught a whiff of a sweet scent, feeling a bit dizzy.

“That’s it, deep breaths for me.” Hyunjin encouraged. “Just relax, it’s gonna be okay.”

“… stop…”

Once you had lost your strength you were moved to the bed, Changbin at your side in case you tried something. You knew what was happening, the alphas using their pheromones to calm you. It was unfair, but you were helpless to resist. Your head was foggy, and even though you didn’t like this scenario, you were too out of it to do anything, not even feel fear. A few tears slid down your cheek. Even if this was different you couldn’t help but think back to that day, tied up and helpless.

“What is going on!?”

When Chan got to the dorm he immediately caught your scent, along with Hyunjin and Changbin. He knew it was odd for the three of you to be back so soon, and so he went off to find you. He came to your room, intrigued by the scene before him. You were resting in Changbin’s lap, wrapped up in a blanket, which was fine, but it was the smell. Your room was filled with the two alpha’s pheromones, practically turning this into a drug den for you.

“We just needed to-”

“Get out!”

Chan came over to you, pulling you from Changbin’s lap, taking your head in his hands. Your eyes were glassy, and you couldn’t even recognize him.

“What were you thinking!? We’re not properly trained on using our pheromones! It’s all theory now, you don’t know what you could do to her!”

“She was freaking out.” Changbin explained. “What if she ran off or something? It’s our job to take care of omegas, that’s why we’re here, isn’t it?”

“This isn’t how to do it! We’re still learning ourselves, not to mention you did this in her room! This was supposed to be her safe space away from all of us, and you completely ruined it! Get out! Go get Felix and Jisung, now!”

The two headed out in a hurry, Chan getting you out of your blankets and taking you to the bathroom. He started a warm bath, getting you out of your clothes, but leaving you in your undergarments. The water wasn’t so high, so he could leave you for a moment while he stripped your bed and put the sheets in the washer. A while later when Jisung and Felix returned to the dorm Chan explained what had happened, and told them to look after you, and help clean up your room. They didn’t ask for details and just did as they were told.

Felix went over your room, having got some cleaning supplies. Jisung on the other hand checked in with you. He saw how out of it you were. When he reached out you moved away, clearly not in any state to recognize him or his scent. It was frightening, but Jisung knew, he hoped you’d be alright. He helped you wash up, wanting to clean all the scents off you. Felix got you new bedsheets, rolling around in them too so they didn’t smell too clean. He helped Jisung get you out of the bathtub and into some dry clothes. They noticed the tears on your face, but weren’t sure if they could say anything.

“… jisung…”

“Hey, hey, I’m right here, how are you feeling?”

“I thought they were nice…”

“Y/n, this isn’t-”

“I can’t trust them… any of them… I can’t do this anymore…”

“Y/n-”

“All the alphas are liars!” You cried. “They say they know best, or they think they do but this… what did they do to me? Why…”

“It’s okay, you’re okay y/n.” Felix said. “They didn’t hurt you or anything, they were just worried and did something they weren’t supposed to.”

“I have to get out of here… I can’t… I can’t…”

“I know. I think we can do it this Friday, what do you say?”

“Yes… I want to leave.”

“We’ll do so together.”

You got into bed, breathing in the smell of clean sheets, smelling a bit of Felix too. Neither of the boys left, staying with you throughout the night, and come morning. You weren’t going to be leaving your room anytime soon, and they knew that. The others brought food, wanting to check on you, but you didn’t want visitors. Of course if you actually wanted to run away you needed to face them first. Everything was set, so you just needed to put things in motion. The fact that this was the end was what gave you strength. Chan always came by in the morning to check on you, but you’d never talk to him. Until now.

“Chan…”

“Hey, how are you? It’s been a while since I heard your voice.”

Your strength could only go so far, so you were talking to Chan from the other side of the door. You knew he and the others hung around outside your room, listening. Just hearing your voice, your steady heartbeat, it was enough for them to know you were alright. Changbin and Hyunjin had given an apology, but you didn’t respond to it.

“I… uh… I wanted to apologize.”

“Huh? You have nothing to be sorry for. The others-”

“No, I do. I understand… I… you guys say it all the time… that you’re looking out for me… I might have taken things the wrong way… I’m sorry… I’ve ruined all my progress, haven’t I?”

“I wouldn’t say that. You can still talk to me, and you haven’t been having nightmares, right?”

“Not really… Jisung and Felix are good company…”

“I’m glad. They’re good boys.”

“I don’t… I don’t want to mess… this… up… I don’t want to be scared forever…”

“We’ll take things slow, like always, step by step.”

“You think… maybe we could do something… like a movie night…?”

“Movie night?”

“Yeah… like get everyone together… so I can at least get used to your scents again…”

“Are you sure? That might be a lot.”

“I want to at least try.”

“Okay, we can do that.”

“Does Friday night sound good?”

“Yeah, I’ll let the others know.”

“Thanks.”

♥♥♥♥♥

This was such a terrible idea, to have all the alphas around at once, but after this you’d be free, and that gave you strength. Even though the alphas were happy to see you they kept a distance and didn’t make much conversation. Felix had picked out a movie for the night, and you helped get the popcorn and snacks. It would be best for you to hand out the gummies, surely they’d eat them if it came from you. The alphas sat around, leaving you on the couch sandwiched between Jisung and Felix. The movie was a long one, and you cautiously watched the others, seeing them doze off little by little.

Once it seemed everyone was asleep Jisung and Felix checked. They moved cautiously, leaning over the others and snapping their fingers by their ears. There was no reaction at all, so they were definitely asleep. With that confirmed you three went to get your things. You had packed some food and other necessities the day before, so now it was time to leave. You didn’t look back, not wanting, not having, anything to linger on. Fortunately for you that night you had moonlight to guide you. After exiting the door you stayed out of sight and made it into the surrounding woods, the trees hiding you in the darkness.

There was something special about the air, it felt so fresh, and calming. Even though you had no idea how far into the woods you had to go to find some form of civilization, you were just glad to be outside and away from a place you no longer called home. The quiet was nice as well, but you still made some conversation with the others. You talked about your future, and the things you wanted to do. The possibilities were truly limitless now. There was nothing to hold you back. Eventually you were fortunate enough to find a source of water, a stream. You could follow it as it would surely lead to a place where other people were, and the water could hide your scent.

Neither of you really knew how long you had been walking for, but you were starting to feel a bit dizzy. Perhaps the adrenaline of this escape was finally wearing off. It wasn’t a bad idea to rest, so you all settled down by the stream. The sound of the water was quite calming, making it easy to zone out and just think of what awaited you. Although that dizzy feeling persisted, both Jisung and Felix realizing as well. You knew what they were gonna say, but you weren’t gonna go back. If you got sick out here so be it, but you couldn’t go back. You let them know before they even said anything.

“Let’s just keep moving. We still have our meds anyway, so I’ll be fine.”

“I don’t think you will.”

Your head snapped over to the source, immediately your heart sank, a chill traveling along your body. The red eyes of an alpha stared back at you. For a moment you were frozen in time, standing in disbelief, and then you broke out into a run. You weren’t thinking about anything besides escaping, even though you completely left Felix and Jisung behind. With each step reality began to seep back in. Your heart was racing, pounding in your ears, your vision moving between clarity and blurriness. You thought you were moving fast, good footwork to keep you from falling, but getting tackled to the ground was your downfall.

“No! Let go! Let go!”

Your hands were pinned behind your back, keeping you down even as you squirmed and screamed. You noticed someone standing in front of you, and then squatting down. The hand on your head made you freeze up, and you slowly looked up to see Chan. There was a disappointed look on his face, yet he was eerily calm.

“You’re in a lot of trouble for this.”

Perhaps you could plead your case, say something, anything, to get out of this, but nothing left your mouth besides a scream. You felt a rush of electricity from the back of your neck, cutting your world to black. Whatever awaited you when you woke, it surely wasn’t going to be good.

[sixhours]

One Day at a Time - Chapter 8 - Beginning

Series Chapter Index | Read on AO3 | Complete

Rating: Explicit, 18+, here be smut Series tags: The Last of Us, The Last of Us (HBO), Joel Miller x f!OFC, Joel & Ellie, mostly follows canon, SMUT, gratuitous smut, dubious consent (drunk sex), unplanned pregnancy, fluff, references to past miscarriages, angst, hurt/comfort, romance, age gap (~21 years), childbirth, fluffy baby stuff, I've probably forgotten some so please let me know <3

The midwife is the first to notice that Anna’s startle reflex is inconsistent. When she suggests the baby might be deaf, Joel wants to write it off as the woman’s usual dour attitude, but as the weeks pass, it becomes clear that something is different. It’s impossible to make enough noise to wake her, she doesn’t turn her head toward their voices, and she’s inconsolable when they’re out of her limited line of sight. They spend several sleepless nights worrying, making loud noises and watching Anna intently for responses that usually don’t come.

There’s nothing to do about it, though, except wait and see…like her pregnancy all over again. One day at a time.

Anna is most content when she’s tucked into the soft cloth wrap, held tight against someone’s chest, where she can feel the soothing purr of speech against her tiny body. They get adept at going about their daily routines with the baby strapped to them like a marsupial in a makeshift pouch. She especially seems to like Joel’s soft flannel shirts and his deep, rumbly voice–he’s the best at getting her to nap.

Or, as Ellie puts it, boring her to sleep .

Ellie spends more time with them, enamored with her baby sister in a way Joel couldn’t have predicted. He supposes he shouldn’t be surprised, having watched her with Sam all those months ago, but her fierce devotion to this brand-new person in their lives makes him light-headed with pride.

Baby things showed up at their house out of the blue in the days after Anna was born; an antique cradle, bottles, more diapers, and a breast pump contraption that Charlie says makes her feel like a dairy cow. There are enough clothes to outfit a small army and mystery casseroles lining their freezer for weeks.

Tonight he takes one of the casseroles out and sniffs at it warily.

“Not sure about this one, kid,” he says to Anna, strapped to his chest. “Can’t be worse than that tuna surprise thing, though. House smelled for a week.”

The baby makes a soft cooing noise and sticks out her tongue in response.

“Yeah? Well, you didn’t have to eat it,” he mutters, turning on the oven.

“Talking to yourself again?” Charlie murmurs from the couch, snuggled under a throw.

“I’m havin’ a conversation with my daughter,” he says, stroking the baby’s head. “And you’re s’posed to be napping.”

She sits up, bleary-eyed and wan. “Can’t sleep. I miss her.”

“Hear that?” he murmurs. “Mama misses you. Maybe you should wake her up more often. Five times last night wasn’t enough.”

Joel wanders over to the couch and unearths the baby from her wrap to hand her to Charlie, who takes her with a smile and a soft hi sweet girl . Warmth blooms in his chest, followed by sadness; the two often go hand in hand.

Sarah never had this, he thinks, and he mourns what he couldn’t give her; the love of a mother, the delight of a new sibling.

But Anna has it all, in this family cobbled together from spare parts and broken pieces. Like the beginning of a bad joke— a widow, an orphan, and a childless father walk into a bar –where she is the most beautiful punchline he’s ever heard.

Joel comes home to find Ellie on the couch with the baby in her lap and a book on the cushion next to her, frowning in concentration as she flips through the pages. Anna is nine weeks old and more alert than ever, bright eyes taking in everything, and at the moment she’s fascinated by her big sister’s hands, moving in slow, measured gestures in front of her face.

“Where’s Charlie?”

“Your girlfriend is taking a nap,” Ellie says without looking up from her book.

“She’s not–”

He catches himself before he can finish his sentence and Ellie smirks.

“Caught ya.”

Joel sighs. “What’re you doin’?”

She flips to the book cover to show him; An Introduction to American Sign Language .

“Sam taught me some, but I found this at the library. I figured it can’t hurt to start early.”

His throat tightens and he blinks back tears. God, his kids have turned him into a walking fucking water fountain.

“That’s…a great idea, kiddo,” he says, squeezing her shoulder.

“I know,” she says. “Besides, you can use it, too, when your hearing eventually goes.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he mutters. He bends down to boop Anna’s nose. “Your sister is somethin’ else, kid. I’m gonna check on your mo–I mean my–our–”

He growls as Ellie looks up at him expectantly, a wry little smirk on her face.

“I’m gonna check on Charlie,” he sighs. “Call me if you need me.”

He hears a whisper at his back.

“What’s the sign for ‘They are so fucked’?”

Ellie’s laughter and Anna’s quiet coos follow him upstairs.

They still haven’t talked about them . They share a bed, they care for Anna, and…that’s about it. The midwife mentioned something about “resuming sexual activities” and “birth control” and maybe even a vasectomy at their final appointment, and it had taken all Joel had not to laugh in her face. He hasn’t had so much as a hard-on since the kid was born, and Charlie is permanently attached to her when she’s not sleeping or eating.

It might have bothered him if he weren’t so sleep-deprived.

In the bedroom, Charlie is buried under the blankets. He doesn’t mean to wake her, but she startles when the door creaks open.

“Anna?”

“Ellie’s got her, it’s just me,” Joel whispers. “Sorry.”

Charlie sits up, rubbing at her eyes, holding her breasts as if testing their weight. “S’okay. She needs to eat soon.”

He takes a seat on the edge of the bed, smiles at Charlie’s mussed hair. He’s watched her closely over the last few weeks, hyper-alert for signs of depression, for the grief that he knows will never completely subside. A horrible little voice in the back of his mind insists that it’s only a matter of time before she leaves them.

Sarah’s mom made it four months.

But Charlie seems content if exhausted. They’re both exhausted, even with help. With Sarah he’d had the advantage of youth; with Anna, Joel feels every single one of his fifty-eight years…mostly in his back.

“Did you know Ellie’s teachin’ the baby sign language?” he asks.

“Mmm, she mentioned something about that,” Charlie yawns. “She’s smart, your kid. We’re raising geniuses.”

Joel ducks his head to hide a blush of pride. “They’re gonna leave us in their dust someday.”

We. Us.

He reaches out to cup Charlie’s face in one hand, rubbing his thumb along her cheekbone. He could say it was all lust until now, but watching her with Anna makes him feel like a lovesick teenager. Charlie leans into his touch, meets his eyes, and his stomach clenches with a kind of pleasant ache he hasn’t felt in weeks.

Maybe he’s going to need to look into that vasectomy after all.

The moment is rudely interrupted by a wail, followed by Ellie’s voice drifting up the stairs.

“Hey, lovebirds! Your spawn needs a diaper change.”

Joel and Ellie are sprawled on the couch, her tucked into one corner and him on the opposite side, slouched down with Anna on his chest, a movie playing in the background. The baby won’t sleep in the beautiful hand-carved cradle for more than fifteen minutes at a time, preferring instead to slumber on a warm body.

There was a time in Joel’s life when he would have said they were spoiling her, but now, acutely aware of his limited years in a way he’s never been before, he’s decided Anna can fall asleep in his arms until she’s thirty if she wants. There is no such thing as spoiling her as far as he’s concerned.

He’s half asleep, trying to wait out the next hour and a half to let Charlie get some rest, when Ellie’s voice drifts into his consciousness.

“I think I get it now.”

“Get what?” he murmurs, barely able to open his eyes.

“Why you lied to me.”

He’s awake now. His head snaps up to face her. Ellie is curled in a ball with her arms around her knees, watching the baby rise and fall with the rhythm of his breath.

“If it were her…I’d do anything to keep her safe,” she says softly.

Oh.

His first instinct is to lie again, but something about Ellie’s expression and the way she’s watching Anna gives him pause. Between the two of them, they’ve cracked him open. He’s too tired and old to hold secrets.

“I’m sorry I lied to you,” he rasps. “I shouldn’t’ve done that. It was wrong.”

He meets her eyes, waits until he’s sure that she sees him, because she can’t just hear it–she needs to know it with her whole being, to believe it as deeply as he does.

“But I’m not sorry–I’ll never be sorry–for what I did. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat for you…or her.”

Ellie nods, but she frowns, her voice going small and tight.

“What if she was bit?”

The question drops from her lips like a bomb and Joel instinctively tightens his grip around Anna at the thought.

“Wouldn’t you hate me?” she whispers. “For not…for not being able to save her?”

“Never,” he says roughly. “I could never hate you, Ellie.”

“But…what if she could grow up in a better world? A world where you never had to worry about her…or Charlie…or anyone…getting infected,” Ellie asks softly.

He wants to tell her that none of this would have been possible if she weren’t here–their life in Jackson, Charlie, or Anna. He wants to tell her that she is the catalyst for everything he’s done right in his sorry life.

His girl, who wanted to save the world, had saved him instead.

But words are failing so he swallows his tears and puts an arm out. Ellie slides over, curling into his side, and he’s momentarily stunned by her solidity against him. She’s grown in the months since they returned from Salt Lake City. She’s taller, her face thinning out, more like a young woman than a child.

It happens too damn fast, he thinks, looking down at the sleeping infant on his chest.

He whispers the words into Ellie’s hair when his throat finally unlocks, watery and thick.

“She’s growin' up in a better world because you’re in it.”

“She’s finally out,” Charlie whispers, backing away from the cradle and collapsing onto the bed on her stomach with a groan. “I don’t know how one tiny human can eat so much.”

“I’ll take her tonight,” he says. “She can have a bottle.”

“You have patrol in the morning.”

“Can’t sleep for shit anyway,” he shrugs. “Did you eat? Caf’s still open, I can grab you something.”

“Mmm. Maybe later. I need about ten hours of sleep and a big glass of wine,” she mutters into the pillow.

“I can offer you six hours of sleep and a beer.”

“I’ll take it,” she yawns, then brightens. “Oh! I found something at the post today.” 

She rolls over, digs in the nightstand drawer, then unearths a small black box and tosses it into his lap.

He blinks down at it, unsure if it’s the suggestion or the fatigue that slows his tongue. His heart quickens.

“Are these…?”

“Condoms,” she grins. Then she’s crawling toward him and straddling his lap, much the way she did the first time, and she glances over at the silent cradle. “We have a couple hours…should we see if they’re any good?”

“God yes please,” he breathes, all tiredness suddenly forgotten as her mouth finds his, open and wanting.

There’s laundry scattered around the floor, empty bottles and water glasses on the nightstand, used burp cloths draped over the furniture, and the faint smell of sour milk lingers in the air.

And all of it ceases to matter because she’s holding his face in her hands and kissing him, really kissing him for the first time in weeks. Not a peck on the cheek or a nuzzled brush of her lips to his forehead when she thinks he’s still sleeping, but an honest-to-god kiss with tongue and teeth and bite.

Soon she’s rolled underneath him and he’s supping long, languid kisses from her lips, eliciting sweet little moans and breathy gasps that have him thrusting his aching cock into her bare stomach, seeking relief in friction. Even with the condom to dull the sensations, this will be over before it’s begun if he doesn’t get a fucking grip, so he pulls reluctantly away to explore the rest of her body.

Breastmilk gathers in little pearls on the peaks of her nipples, sweet and thick on his tongue as he teases and sucks his way down her chest. He traces the silvery lines on her lower stomach with his nose, the places where she’s been permanently marked because of their daughter, because of him . The sight of her gently swollen belly and the velvety softness of the stretched skin only makes him want her more.

She whimpers when he tastes her, moans when he sucks at her swollen clit and laps at her folds until she’s writhing and coming. Then she’s pulling on his hair with an urgency he understands and he’s rolling one of the condoms on and sinking into her delicious heat. She’s so close like this, pinned by his hips and chest, pressed underneath him like a flower.

He can’t pull himself away from her mouth, can’t stop kissing her and tasting her and swallowing her cries. Her arms enfold him, rubbing languid strokes up and down the slope of his back, pressing into his ass, urging him deeper. He reaches for her hand and rests their entwined fingers above her head.

Mine , he thinks with every thrust, heat coiling in his gut, crawling up his spine. Mine, mine, mine.

“Yours,” she sighs, arching into him, answering the words he didn’t realize he’d spoken out loud. He presses his forehead against hers and stills, breathing hard.

“Yeah?”

His voice is ragged with emotion. Her palms come up to cup his face.

“All yours,” she whispers, then she kisses him and kisses him and he prays the condom does its damn job because he’s falling over the edge.

He’s still softening inside her, luxuriating in the feel of her mouth against his, when the baby wails from her cradle.

Charlie groans underneath him. “Already?”

“Well…we got fifteen minutes,” he mumbles, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

“Give yourself credit, it was at least twenty.”

“It’s like a sixth sense,” he mutters, pulling out with a groan. “Surprised Ellie’s not at the damn door, too.”

Charlie snorts a laugh, sitting up and pulling the sheet to her chest.

“I’m comin’, baby girl,” he says. “Hold on, I know…m’right here.”

But Anna can’t hear him, of course. He pokes his head over the cradle and she quiets. “I’ll be right back.”

She protests loudly when he leaves her line of sight again, totally abandoned. He disposes of the condom and washes his hands…now where the hell are his boxers? The din of Anna’s crying in the background has him stumbling over his feet.

Finally, he plucks her up out of the cradle and puts her against his chest.

“Hey, kid, you’re fine,” he rumbles against her.

She growls in response, all attitude, one tiny fist stuffed into her mouth.

“Think she’s hungry,” he murmurs, nuzzling the top of her head. “Want me to get her a bottle so you can sleep?”

“No,” Charlie says, two wet spots blooming on the bedsheet. “You primed the pump. I’m leaking all over myself.”

“Lucky kid,” he grins. “You get the real deal.”

“You just ate, sweet girl,” Charlie sighs as the baby latches. “Where does it all go?”

“Based on the laundry I folded today, I have an idea,” Joel mutters, crawling back into bed. He sits up against the headboard and pulls Charlie into his arms so she’s propped against him. She burrows into his shoulder and closes her eyes as the baby makes greedy little suckling noises. His free arm wraps around them, cupping Anna’s head, feeling the pulse of her heartbeat in his palm.

Maybe it’s the sex that loosens his tongue, or maybe he’s just too tired to worry over the fallout. He takes a deep breath.

“So I know we said…you’d stay until the kid is born…and that was, uh, ten weeks ago.”

“You kicking me out?” Charlie murmurs, playing with the baby’s tiny fingers as she nurses.

“No,” he says quickly. “You can stay as long as you want. I just…don’t want you to feel like you have to…or like we’re expected to be, uh…something we’re–”

“Joel,” she says, soft but firm. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Heat blooms in his chest.

“Yeah?”

She tilts her head up to look at him, silver eyes shining, and answers him with a long, sweet, lingering kiss that reignites the fire in his lower belly.

He’s definitely gonna need that vasectomy.

[imsosleepyofyourbull]

AroAce Zenitsu

HEAR. ME. OUT.

I know that — given Zenitsu’s very blatant obsession with romance and his behavior toward women in general — this headcanon immediately seems unrealistic, but I genuinely think that it’s one of the most interesting and fitting ideas I’ve ever had for him. Especially when you go deeper into his character and the themes of love, fear, and self hatred that ultimately surround him. They’re present from the very beginning, when he “proposes” to that random civilian girl.

He might say that it’s because he thinks she fell in love with him, but his explanation for why she has to marry him ultimately boils down to “I have to marry someone before I die.” Or “someone has to love me before I die.” It has absolutely nothing to do with the girl he’s supposedly interested in, and that applies to nearly every moment he has with a “romantic interest.” Including Nezuko! It seems like he’s more obsessed with the idea of being in love or having it than actually experiencing it.

It is a very real possibility (given the era and Zenitsu’s implied lack of a real childhood) that he grew up under the assumption that romantic love was the only kind of valid love. More accurately, the only kind of love that couldn’t abandon him. Familial love was supposed to be unconditional, but his parents orphaned him before he was even old enough to remember what they looked like. Platonic love was barely any better, given the implication that his friends abandoned him when his fear originally got in the way of their bond.

There’s little doubt in my mind that he’d seen or even heard tons of married couples who stayed together despite hating or no longer caring for each other, simply because it’s what they were supposed to do. Would it be that much of a surprise if it turned out that Zenitsu had simply latched onto that? If he saw a couple who thought everything about the other was annoying but stayed anyway, and craved it even when he knew it would hurt him? He had seven ex-girlfriends who used him for money and then discarded him.

And every time I watch him fluster in front a random pretty girl, the same question sits at the back of my mind: “do you actually like her, or are you just unused to the idea that someone might look at you and find you desirable at all?”

Because it’s exactly how I used to think.

I used to think that romantic relationships were the only kind where people could stand beside each other forever, without a doubt in their minds that that’s where they were supposed to be for the rest of their lives. That whatever friends and family you had would inevitably have to leave you behind for their romantic partners, and that being anything less than one of those would make you a permanent second choice. So I forced myself to have crushes and become comfortable with the idea of a future where I had kids and a husband and played housewife. I was wrong. Dead wrong.

And, yeah, a lot of this is definitely me projecting onto Zenitsu (a thing I do with basically all of my favorite characters) but tell me that that doesn’t make at least a little bit of sense to you?

[hiddenwritingsintheworld]

My Alpha Ch. 3

 Donations | Share your Thoughts & Feelings | My Alpha Series (coming soon) | Chapter 2

You wrapped your arms around yourself as you leaned closer to the campfire. The quarterly pack camping trip, you hated this damn camping trip and for the last two years, you’d been lucky enough to get your heat during EACH one. But, you should have guessed your luck would run out eventually. “Hot chocolate?” Declan's voice came from above you, looking up, you saw him extending a hand with a small, steaming cup in it. 

You smiled and graciously took the cup, “Thank you very much,” you said sipping the hot beverage. Declan took a seat next to you and smiled nodding, “Of course, you looked like you were ready to throw yourself into the flames to get warm.” he chuckled as you laughed some. “Yeah, I haven’t been on one of these trips in a long time, forgot how cold it gets.” you said quietly. 

Declan stared at the fire for a few moments, just enjoying being near you, before he looked in your direction, “Do you mind if I ask you something?” he asked as you looked at him and shook your head. “Where’s your mom?” he watched as you flinched slightly at the question. “I’m sorry, it's not my business, I shouldn’t have asked.” but you shook your head, “No, it's fine. I just…haven’t thought about my mom in a really long time…” 

You turned more toward Declan, wrapping both hands around the hot chocolate to keep them warm. “My mom and dad were killed by a passing pack. Since I was a baby, pack master became my dad.” you shrugged as he looked on with sorrow etched in his features. “He became my dad after I was orphaned…” you looked from the cup in your hands up to meet his eyes as Declan laid a hand on your arm. 

“I’m so sorry, that sounds awful, did you ever find out who was responsible for their deaths?” he asked as you shook your head, “No, dad just said it was another passing pack, I guess there's some packs that act on wilder tendencies than we do.” you sighed softly looking over at the fire, as Declan nodded, “That’s why I left my previous pack. The Alpha pack master always wanted to fight over all the omegas, he felt he was entitled to “own” them.” he shook his head, “Omegas, I think, are greater than Alphas…everyone looks at them like they’re this weak, timid, mindless, baby making, homemaker machines…but they’re strong…they not only take care of the younglings, they make a home for their alphas to come back to, they hold the entire family together…” he smiled looking down. 

“My mom and dad were true mates, and she used to tell us that Alphas were the biggest and best, because she knew, that one day my brothers and I would become alphas, She was correct by the way, we all became alphas, and last I heard my younger brother just had his 6th child.” he chuckled as you smiled, “thats awesome, congratulations,” you smiled up at him as he smiled back at you. 

Arthur glared from across the campsite, this could not be happening. You were not going to be taken from him, he refused to let you go. His plan may not have gone the way he wanted, but dammit, he’d come too far to lose out now. He had to get you away from Declan. 

“So, I'm sure you believe in true mates and all that?” you asked as he nodded, “yeah, I mean, I know it’s rare but I do, I believe there are two souls that are destined to be together.” he refilled your hot chocolate, and took his coat off, draping it over your shoulders as he noticed you getting colder. “Thank you, it's never been this cold before, but I also don’t remember us ever coming up this high on the mountain for these trips.” you said, shivering. “What’s the point of this trip anyways?” he asked as you bit back a laugh, “It’s supposed to bring us all together, and make us a better pack…but really I think it used to be a way for betas, alphas and omegas to just kinda...hook up, without their parents finding out…and dad just kept it going, but usually the alphas go out hunting, and the rest of us ladies stay here and…as you said “home make”” you laughed as he chuckled, “But it's not all bad, we really get to bond as a pack, which is nice. The guys usually share hunting tips, and they all usually come up with some project, dad usually talks to you guys about anything we need to be aware of, while the women bond, some of us like to sew, so we bring that along with us, others really enjoy books, recipes, even just talking. I think my dad misses how it was when he was a kid, and the women would all kinda….come together to raise and manage the kids, while the men hunted for dinner.” you rolled your eyes as Declan laughed, “your dad is not that old.” 

“Well, what’s got you two laughing so much?” Arthur asked as he stepped in front of you and Declan, “oh, I was telling Declan about why we do these camping trips.” you smiled softly as Declan nodded, “she’s actually given me quite the history lesson of them, I’m really glad I get to experience it this time, my old pack never did anything like this.” he smiled at Arthur who eyed you before nodded and forcing a smile on his features, “yes, pack bonding is important, it’s important we all remember our roles in a pack too. Declan, I wanted you to join us alphas tonight on a hunt. We’re hunting boar…have you ever hunted boar before?” Arthur asked as Declan and you both stood, “I have not, but it sounds exciting, I’d love to join you.” he glanced over at you, and Arthur could feel the time slow right before his eyes. 

An Alpha….checking in with his omega. 

It’s a silent exchange, one that usually happens without either party knowing, Arthur knew exactly what he was staring at and he had to stop it before it progressed any farther. True Mates. He watched as you looked up under your lashes at Declan, blinking once before a small smile crossed your face. Giving permission….to him. He felt his temper growing more and more as each second passed. “Great. We leave in 5 minutes, best go grab your stuff.” he forced out as Declan nodded at him before glancing back at you. “I’ll see you later,” he smiled as you nodded with a smile. “Of course!” 

Arthur watched as Delcan walked over to his tent before grabbing your arm. “Stay. Away. From. Him.” he growled using his alpha voice on you, but something in your eyes, you weren’t entirely buckling before him this time. “I was just being friendly…dad.” you said quietly. “Bonding...as a pack….the whole point of this trip. Declan is part of this pack right?” you asked, raising an eyebrow as Arthur flared his nostrils. “Just stay away from him.” he snapped, growling as others glanced over at the two of you. 

You watched as Arthur stormed off, gathering supplies and others for the hunt. You were standing in your tent, when you heard someone clear their throat behind you, turning around, you smile, seeing Declan holding the tent door open, “Mind if I come in?” he asked as you nodded, “Sure.” you nodded watching him duck and stand hunched over slightly. “I wanted to apologize for earlier if you got in trouble for talking to me…I don’t like seeing you get into trouble.” he said as you shook your head, “Don’t worry about my father, he’s just over protective…he thinks you're going to hurt me or something.” you wave your hand dismissively but Declan nodded, turning his head to listen before looking back at you. “I wanted to tell you that I really enjoyed talking with you tonight and I hope we can continue our conversation over breakfast in the morning.” he smiled as you bit your lip, “I’d really like that,” you said softly. 

The small tent caused the two of you to stand closer than you usually were used to. His scent of pine and campfire filled your nostrils. As you looked up at him again, you could feel the blood rushing into your cheeks, “I overheard your father telling you to stay away from me,” he said softly. You nodded, “But I don’t want to, please be careful out there hunting with everyone else.” you whispered as he leaned down and let his cheek graze yours, “I hope you don’t stay away from me,” he whispered as his lips brushed over the shell of your ear. 

You let out a shaky breath as he slowly pulled back some, and pressed his lips gently to your cheek. “I’ll be fine sweetheart, you stay safe too. I won’t go far, so if you need anything, call me okay?” he stared down at you, his eyes soft as he smiled. You pressed yourself against his chest, rubbing your face into his shirt sighing, “I will. Thank you Declan,” you whispered as he wrapped his arms around your smaller frame. “Of course,” he stayed there for a moment before he pulled away and left your tent without anyone seeing. 

You stood with everyone else as the guys loaded up and headed out to hunt for the night, you kept an eye on Declan as he glanced at you, before they all left. “God he’s so fucking hot, Devin would kill me if he heard me say that, but damn what I wouldn’t do to let that alpha fuck me.” Marlene said as she and Christie walked back toward their tents, your father left a list of chores for the women and betas to take care of while he and the other alphas were gone. As the night went on, most of the women finished their chores and laid down in their tents. 

You however, were still sewing on some items when an alpha broke through the trees, “Pack Master has been injured!” he yelled waking the camp up.

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[alexihollis]

Paying Your Dues

A short thing I wrote, trying to get a better hold on the dynamics and everything. More stuff to come probably! The brain worms really got a hold on this one lol.

“Swan? That you?” Swan heard Cleon call from the kitchen as she shut the door to the apartment behind her, locking the three dead-bolts and hooking the chain. It had been a few months since the Van Cortland Park meeting, but Cleon still insisted on the higher level of security. 

“Just until the Riffs give the all-clear,” she would say, but…Well, Swan did not have high-hopes that that would ever happen. Luther’s damage ran deep and Rogues kept popping up as new recruits of other gangs in ways that made everyone uneasy. The Orphans alone seemed to take half that the Riffs did not pick up the morning after Cyrus’ death, though Mercy insisted Sully was too dumb to be much of a threat. At least Masai seemed…weirdly fascinated with Cleon in a way that Swan did not want to interrogate too deeply. Or at all. 

“Yeah,” Swan called back as she shrugged out of her winter jacket, hanging it up with the beanie she stole from Cowgirl – who bitched, but had an extra hat anyway and Swan was freezing, winter weather really settling in the week after Thanksgiving. If Cowgirl cared that much, she would cross the street from her, Cochise, and Rembrandt’s apartment and steal it back later. 

Cleon appeared in the hallway, slouching against the wall, arms crossed. “Cool. We need to talk about something.”

That took Swan’s attention away from her boots as she straightened back up to look at Cleon, one boot off and one on. “What’s wrong? Is it Ajax?”

After three months, Ajax finally came home. Not even two weeks out, she was still jumpy. Quiet in an unnerving way. Cleon had yet to send her out on an errand and Swan didn’t know how long Ajax would let that slide. 

“No, no, she’s fine. Or- you know what I mean. Rembrandt came by and stole her earlier. No clue what they’re gonna be up to, but at least she’s out of her bedroom.” Cleon shook her head, “Anyway, no. It’s about Mercy- Nothing’s wrong.”

Swan’s heart started beating again. “For fuck’s sake, Cleon!” She threw a glove at Cleon’s head, that she easily ducked, laughing like an asshole. 

“For the love of God, I got her a bartending job two blocks away, will you chill out about her not being in your sight for two seconds?” Yeah. This had been Swan’s life for the past three months. Because her Warrior sisters were assholes. Cleon pushed off the wall, “Come on. I made coffee, we can talk in the kitchen.”

The mug was warm in Swan’s hands and the coffee even warmer as she took a too large drink, barely missing blistering. It suited the cooler weather.

“So, what do we need to talk about?” Swan asked when it became obvious that Cleon wasn’t going to start. Which was strange, because Cleon was not exactly known for her indecisiveness. 

Cleon sighed heavily before saying, “Have you noticed Mercy doesn’t have any clothes?”

Immediately, Swan’s eyebrows tried to merge with her hairline. “Uh…?”

“Her own clothes,” Cleon said.

And Swan went to disagree. Mercy had her own clothes – her color vest, for one, that she had been beyond excited about when Cleon gave it to her. There was a red flannel that she wore all the time. That she definitely stole from Cowgirl, now that Swan was thinking about it. The t-shirt Mercy was wearing the night of the meeting that somehow survived with minimal staining. Her jeans. Her sneakers and the zip-up hoodie. She wore those clothes a lot, when she wasn’t stealing Swan’s stuff. 

She mostly stole Swan’s stuff. Not that Swan was complaining. It started early on, with Mercy rolling out of bed and snagging one of Swan’s t-shirts while Swan half-heartedly complained about thievery to make Mercy laugh. 

When Mercy started working at the bar, Cochise had leant her some appropriate clothes. A small black dress. The tiniest skirt that Swan had ever seen. A pair of similarly sized shorts. A few black t-shirts. It had mostly surprised Swan how many clothes Cochise had to lend in the first place and it had been weeks now. 

Huh.

That was about the time a thick white envelope was placed on the table in front of Swan. At her confusion, Cleon motioned for Swan to open it. It was filled with cash.

“What is this?” Swan asked.

“Mercy’s dues,” Cleon said. 

Swan flipped through the cash. Did the mental math. “This is at least four times what she should be paying. When did she even start paying dues?”

“I didn’t ask for it,” Cleon said. “She gave it to me last night. I stopped by Jenkins earlier. He said that’s practically all the money she’s made at the bar, tips and paychecks.”

“And what did Mercy say? When she gave you this?”

“That she wanted to pay her dues. Contribute to the Warriors. Said thank you for getting her the job and letting her stay here and food and everything,” Cleon said. “She asked if this covered it and when I said, yes, it more than covered it, she asked me to put whatever was left towards your dues.”

“I don’t pay dues,” Swan said. 

The only ones who really did were members who did above-the-counter work, members who made the bulk of their money outside of the gang, which, technically, would put Mercy in that category, but Cleon usually waited a good six months before even broaching the topic. And even then, there were a lot of other circumstances that surrounded whether someone paid into what was less “dues” and more a communal money pot for rent for the various Warrior apartments, food, and, in certain circumstances, a slightly better lawyer. Which, considering Ajax’s recent run-in, did mean that pot could use a bit of boosting, but they still had a comfortable cushion. While Swan expected Cleon to ask Mercy for dues at some point, it was still early and this amount?

“I know.” Amazing. Swan loved it when Cleon talked in circles. Taking pity on her, Cleon continued. “She said that she wanted to pay back whatever you had paid for her over these few months. Said that she didn’t want to just be A Girlfriend anymore, but a fully-fledged member. Which seemed like a lot of emotion that you are in a better position to help her with while you try to convince her to spend her damn money on herself.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll do that,” Swan sighed, rubbing a hand down her face as she tried to think of where to even begin with that conversation. 

Because this was going to be about a lot more than money. They had been skirting around this conversation since the moment Mercy handed Swan her Orphans bandana to make the Molotov cocktail. Like when Swan dragged an overly drunk Mercy home from a house party at one of the lower-level Warriors apartment because someone (Vermin, definitely Vermin) told her it was part of the more traditional initiation. When it came to talking about herself, Mercy got cagy. Not many Warriors liked talking about family, Swan steered as far from the subject as she could, but Mercy wouldn’t even give a damn neighborhood.

Girls like Mercy joined the Warriors before, usually young enough that it made Cleon nervous and so jumpy they refused to give a name until they earned their name. They wanted to burn their old lives to ashes and throw them in the ocean off Coney Island. Swan respected that, she all but did it herself, but they always made Cleon nervous. Until recently, Swan didn’t really understand why – they made some of the best soldiers, fighting with everything in them and then some. Swan loved helping them learn to fight.

Swan loved helping Fox learned to fight. 

Then Swan learned what all that desire to prove yourself, to throw yourself into your new life and protect anyone you got close to could lead to. 

Losing Fox nearly killed her. Losing Mercy would finish the job.

“I’ll talk to her,” Swan repeated. 

Cleon smiled. Leaned over and ruffled her hair, which Swan half-heartedly protested. “It’ll be fine. And tell Rembrandt to take her shopping. The poor girl’s too pretty to be stuck in your clothes. Or your taste in clothes.”

“Fuck off, Cleon,” Swan grumbled. 

The next few hours found Swan in her and Mercy’s bedroom. She tried to distract herself by reading. That failed. Turned on the radio. Got sick of the radio. Tried to watch TV in the living room. Got bored of the news that Cleon insisted on watching for whatever reason. In general, she was being ridiculous. 

The hours leading up to a rumble? Swan was calm. Collected. Helping their newer members chill the fuck out and not lose their heads before the fight began. 

Hours leading up to a potentially emotionally charged conversation with her girlfriend, though? That was the time to panic. Perfect sense. One hundred percent logical. 

Swan didn’t hear the door open. 

She barely heard when Mercy said, “Babe, what are you doing?”

Swan turned on her heel, mid-pace to see Mercy looking at her quizzically as she closed the bedroom door behind her. And said the first thing that popped into her head: “You need new clothes.”

Mercy blinked and looked down at herself, then back to Swan. “I thought you liked this skirt.”

It was Cochise’s skirt. Swan loved that skirt. That was not the point. “Sit down.”

Mercy sat down on the very edge of the bed. “Are you just gonna stand there?”

Swan sat next to her, also perched on the edge, and just far enough that they didn’t touch. They rarely sat like that, especially in their room. It felt alien. 

“Is this about me giving my dues to Cleon?” Mercy asked. 

“She didn’t ask you for them. You don’t owe her any,” Swan said.

Mercy sighed. “Look, it isn’t that I’m not grateful, but…I want to contribute. I’m a Warrior. I’m a member just like anyone else.”

“You are a Warrior, this isn’t about that.”

“Then, why is Cleon being so weird about it?” Mercy asked.

“Because you don’t owe dues. Yes, you do have an actual job and you don’t join us on jobs or anything, but Cleon usually gives a six-month grace period to new members before talking about it,” Swan tried to explain.

“Are those other new members usually living in a Warriors funded apartment and eating Warriors funded food?” She cocked an eyebrow in a way that made it seem like she thought she had won the argument.

Unfortunately for Mercy: “Yes. Usually.” 

“What?”

“Cleon has a thing about picking up strays. Remember?” Swan said. Referencing herself, but then immediately: “Not that you’re a stray.”

Mercy laughed. “Well, I did follow you home.”

Swan chuckled with her. “You did in fact do that.”

A short period of silence followed after their laughter subsided. Mercy sighed, deeply. “I just don’t want people thinking I’m sleeping my way through here. Or that I have it easier than anyone else.” She aimed a slight glare at Swan, “You already refuse to put me through initiation properly.”

Oh, for the love of- “You went through more than enough. You have fucking Ajax vouching for you. You don’t have anything more to prove to anyone.” Then, a thought: “Is someone giving you shit?”

Swan could fix that. Easily. 

“No one here, I just-” Mercy let out a frustrated huff. “I’ve done that before. I’ve been that girl. I hated it. It was horrible. I don’t want to feel like that again.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I get that,” Swan said. “But…you know, treating you like any other Warrior includes not making you pay an absolutely ridiculous amount of dues.”

“All right, all right. Is Cleon giving it back to me or something?” Mercy asked.

Swan gestured over to their dresser. “It’s with the socks.”

“Thank you.”

“I promise people don’t think that about you,” Swan said. “You deserve to have your own things with the money you earned at Jenkins’ bar.” Swan narrowed her eyes slightly at the very familiar red sweater Mercy was wearing. “And I deserve for you to stop stealing my shit.”

“Mm, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Mercy scooted back a little further onto the bed, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. 

“Oh, really?”

“Not at all.”

And, really, Swan should have probably thought through the having-an-important-conversation-on-their-bed a bit more, because how else did she think this was going to end? A good while later found them both on their backs, catching their breaths, in considerably less clothing than before. After a moment, Swan pulled their blanket up past their shoulders as Mercy moved onto her side, then tucked herself against Mercy’s back, face nestled in the small of her shoulder. 

“You know, considering the conversation topic, this didn’t really help your argument,” Mercy said. 

Swan rolled her eyes. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah. Why should I get my own clothes when these seem to be working just fine?”

Swan choked back a laugh. “You’re ridiculous.”

“I try.”

…

“Maybe keep the skirt, though.”

“Cochise said she doesn’t want it back anyway.”

[nightghoul381]

Ellis Twilight ~ Main Route Chapter 7

Disclaimer for route warnings | Masterlist

Additional Content Warnings: None

This a fan translation so it is definitely not 100% accurate. I do not own anything related to Ikemen Villains. Support Cybird by buying their amazing stories!

Apparently, the red-haired woman who was almost kidnapped was treated at the hospital and returned home safely.

“A tall, handsome man suddenly appeared and killed all the thugs.”

Even if she told someone, no one would have believed her, Alfons told me that he’d met the woman wrapped around a pipe at the bar.

(Anyway, I’m glad she’s safe.)

(But the incident is over again…)

--However.

Alfons: “Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you a special piece of information.”

Alfons: “I heard that Victor recovered the people Ellis killed and was able to discover their identities.”

Alfons: “It seems that all of them were members of a gang.”

(A gang…!?)

Gangs are groups of outlaws who engage in all sorts of misdeeds, from extortion to theft to assault.

Even working for the post office, I’d been warned to be careful.

Alfons: “It would seem that this group has migrated from the north over the past few years.”

Ellis: “Ah… Jude’s fought with that gang before.”

Ellis speaks so casually next to me as I bow my head.

Ellis: “It seems like they were trying to blackmail Jude’s business partners and take proceeds from their sales.”

Ellis: “The executive who meddled with this should have been sent to prison.”

Jude: “…The blokes who attacked you and Ellis the day after ya arrived at the castle were also at the bottom of that gang.”

Kate: “…that’s right, they were.”

Those words made me feel closer to the gang and I gasped.

(But then…)

Kate: “A gang calling themselves a circus? What on earth is that for…?”

Alfons: “Mm? Well, people gather around fun and unusual things, after all.”

Alfons: “If you want to kidnap people, isn’t the ‘circus’ a good bait?”

Alfons: “’The best stage of your life, where you’re the leading role!’”

As he speaks with a passionate tone, Alfons takes my hand.

Alfons: “’It’s a shame that you’re smoldering in a corner of the city!’”

Alfons: “’What would you do if you didn’t make use of your talent, beauty, youth, and passion?’”

Alfons: “…If I approach you and get your consent, it’s ours.”

(You’re good at acting…)

Alfons: “The person who was recruiting her was Captain Jake Grace himself.”

Alfons: “She said she was certain it was him on account of the characteristic scar around his eye that he got from being attacked by a wild beast when he was young.”

Kate: “I see…”

(Captain Jake Grace… I guess that means the ‘captain’ is now in a gang.)

Part 2

(Captain Jake Grace… I guess that means the ‘captain’ is now in a gang.)

Even if you end up in debt and ruin,

(To be the one to take down a fellow worker… I don’t know what to do.)

Alfons: “Well, we’ll find out the truth eventually.”

Alfons: “It seems like William and his friends are cleaning up the gang’s base right now.”

Alfons: “I took advantage of the opportunity and wiped it out. The case is settled, right?”

Kate: “The what can we do now…?”

Ellis: “Maybe I’ll just patrol the town to make sure no more people get kidnapped.”

Jude: “They’re wary after yesterday. They ain’t gonna show their tails like that.”

In other words, this is the end of the investigation of the incident that we were given as a mission.

Kate: “What are the kidnapped people doing?”

I want to rescue them as soon as possible, but I still don’t know where they are.

Alfons: “Usually, they’re sold away… if they’re young orphans, they might become gang members.”

Alfons: “If they disobey, they’re threatened with death, so they’re forced to pickpocket, extort, and do other risky chores.”

Kate: “…”

Even though I knew somewhere in my heart that this was reality--,

Alfons: “Gang members were originally like that, struggling desperately to survive.”

Alfons: “These are people who, at some point, stopped caring even if they commit a crime.”

Alfons: “Once you commit one big sin, you become numb to the hurt caused by small sins.”

The words that came out of Alfons’ mouth so smoothly were so realistic that it made my heart ache.

(The feeling of being hurt is numbing.)

For some reason, the image of Ellis showing no emotion in the pool of blood last night, flashed in my mind.

(I wonder if Ellis became numb while working as a member of Crown…)

(…I can’t leave him alone anymore.)

--

After reporting and sharing the situation, I check the notes in my notebook.

Ellis and Jude work to protect me,

As we worked together, I was able to get a rough idea of their schedules.

(Ellis and Jude are both off from work today.)

(Jude said he had something to do by himself…)

Kate: “Um, Ellis.”

Ellis: “Kate.”

At the same time I called out to Ellis, he also called out to me—

Kate: “I-I’m sorry…”

We couldn’t help but stare at each other, and Ellis smiled softly.

Ellis: “…Go ahead.”

Part 3

Ellis: “…Go ahead.”

Kate: “Um…, would you like to go out into town with me?”

Ellis: “Oh, like the patrol I mentioned earlier?”

Kate: “Yeah. I wanted to do whatever I could… Even if nothing happened, I thought it would be a nice break.”

Ellis: “…You really are a hard worker.”

(It’s the usual Ellis…)

A smile spread across his lips and that alone made me feel relieved.

Ellis: “Alright, patrol. Let’s go.”

Kate: “Ah, but I’m also curious about what you were about to say, Ellis, so please tell me.”

(The fact that Ellis had called out to me means he had something to say to me, right?)

Ellis: “I was about to say ‘It’s nice weather and I don’t have to work, so we should take a nap.’”

(Nap…Oh that was before…)

--Flashback—

Kate: “Hmm… I guess it’s when I’m taking a nap on my bed in the sunlight on my first vacation in a while.”

Ellis: “…I’d like to see that. Would you like to take a nap with me next time?”

--End Flashback—

Kate: “..Did you mean it when you said you wanted to take a nap together?”

Ellis: “Yeah….Why?”

(What should I do…)

(I want you to feel a little lighter today.)

(Doing the patrol… I heard what Ellis wanted to do and wanted to make it come true.)

For Ellis, taking the lives of so many people last night was…

Maybe it’s not something that hurts his heart anymore.

(…Ellis said he wanted to do this himself, so I want to make it come true.)

Kate: “Well then… let’s take a little nap in the park between patrols!”

Ellis: “Really?... In that case, I need to bring a warm blanket.”

(Ah, Ellis looks a little happier? Good.)

Kate: “We should also bring some cranberry jam and the scones that Victor baked this morning.”

Ellis: “It’s a picnic.”

Kate: “Yes!”

Part 4

Ellis and I began hurriedly preparing to go on a picnic.

(I wonder if I should wear clothes like this for a picnic…)

I was dressed up a little more than when I was on a mission.

I waited for Ellis in the entrance hall with the basket of scones in hand.

Roger: “Hello, little lady.”

Kate: “Roger.”

Roger happened to be passing by and when he saw me, the corners of his lips lifted into a grin.

Roger: “Are you meeting Ellis for a date?”

***Choices***

1. We're just going out together +2 +4

2.  Is this a date after all? +4 +2

***3. It's not a date. +4 +4***

Kate: “It’s… It’s not a date. It’s a patrol.”

Roger: “With that excited expression, they’re both the same thing.”

(…I wonder if that’s what I look like.)

However, I am aware that I’m a little more fidgety than usual.

Roger: “I heard you had a tough mission yesterday, so I thought I’d treat Ellis to lunch.”

Roger: “Maybe next time.”

Kate: “Now that you mention it, I heard from Ellis that you treat him to lunch often.”

Ellis told me a lot of stories about the members of Crown.

I heard many stories about Roger taking him out to eat delicious food.

Roger: “Maybe when the guy gets overwhelmed with duties during the busy season and gets distracted.”

Kate: “Hehe, you’re like his older brother.”

Roger: “If I were his brother, the first thing I would do is have him quit his job working for Jude.”

(I thought they seemed to get along well, but it seems like he’s worried about his family.)

Kate: “You care about Ellis, don’t you?”

Roger: “Hmm? Ah, that’s right. It’s as part of my research on curses, though.”

Roger: “In the case of Ellis… it’s simply that I have a personal attachment to that curse.”

Part 5

Roger: “In the case of Ellis… it’s simply that I have a personal attachment to that curse.”

(Speaking of Ellis’ curse…)

Kate: “The curse of thorns?”

Roger: “Yeah. To the point where I can’t sleep well unless he’s properly happy.”

I sensed many layers of meaning in his words.

Kate: “Why is that?”

Roger: “That’s a secret.”

I kind of had that feeling before he said it, but Roger wouldn’t tell me that easily.

As I took a deep breath, Roger gave me a testing look.

Roger: “Everyone has something to hide. To reveal it, you have to pay a certain price, don’t you?”

(Does that mean… I just need to offer something in exchange?)

Kate: “…What would I have to pay in exchange for you to tell me?”

Roger: “Let’s see… What if you could win Ellis’ heart?”

Kate: “Eh!?”

Roger: “I think you guys are a good match, don’t you?”

Roger is smiling and stroking his chin.

Kate: “W-What are you talking about?”

I felt like the topic was going to go in a strange direction if this continued, so I hurriedly look for another topic.

Kate: “…Oh, that’s right. Roger.”

Kate: “Do you know anything that makes Ellis happy, or that he does for fun?”

Kate: “On the other hand, I’d like to know what makes him sad and what he can’t forgive.”

(Judging from out conversation earlier, Roger doesn’t seem to be the type to talk about others much…)

When I glanced up with low expectations, Roger’s shoulders were shaking, making me wonder how he interpreted my words.

Roger: “What, so you’re not too happy with him after all?”

Kate: “That’s not what I meant!”

Roger: “I don’t know what to say, ah, but… There are so many things I want to tell you.”

Kate: “…?”

Roger: “His true thoughts, his honest feelings, his desires… I’m the one who wants to know.”

Kate: “Are you saying it’s something you know nothing about, Roger?”

Roger: “Aah.”

It’s pretty bad that he treats you to food on a regular basis and you don’t even show it to the people who wish you happiness.

Roger: “But, there are no humans without emotions or desires.”

Roger: “Little lady, please reveal his ‘secret’ for me.”

Roger: “I don’t know what I’ll have to offer in return.”

Next Chapter

[xxlady-lunaxx]

Giyuu wasn’t deaf. Grieving or not, he could hear. He knew. They spoke of him. Often. His mind, so overcome with pain, had been unable to comprehend the words at first, catching them in his mind to save for later. But deep in the night, when he had run out of tears, he curled in the sheets and remembered.

Many of the whispers were of concern. For the poor orphan boy with no blood relatives and only the fiancé of his dead sister. The meek, little child going through the worst years in his life.

Others were informative. That small kid, yeah, that one? Said he saw his sister die. Really? Poor thing.

But the accusations. Cold, terrifying accusations. He killed his sister. I bet he’s lying. Probably stabbed her. Jealous boy, he is. Always knew he would end up a bad apple. I heard they were shipping him off to some distant relatives, some doctors. Hopefully they’re psychologists. He needs to go to a mental hospital. Or better yet, dead. He said a demon. Hah. Yeah. Schizophrenia, I’m sure. Scared of the dark and seeing things. Thought his sister was this ‘demon’ and drove a knife into her back. Poor girl. And she’d been about to be married! It’s the boy’s fault. Protect your children tonight. You don’t know if he’ll go after them next.

Giyuu didn’t understand why they wouldn’t believe him. He had always been kind to them. He had made sure to never complain. He’d kept up the good manners as Tsutako had instructed. So why? Why would they even suggest that he would kill her? She had been his everything!

And yet… And yet, maybe the whispers had some merit to them. Maybe it was Giyuu’s fault. Maybe he could’ve saved her. Maybe he’d caused all of this, maybe the monster had been after him and she’d saved him and because of that she was dead. Maybe he really was at fault. Maybe- Maybe—

Maybe he deserved death.

Maybe he should die.

No, not maybe.

He should die.

He should.

He would.

[palmettoshenanigans]

Trust me when I say I am trying SO HARD to not write an AFTG fic; I am BUSY, I am ALREADY writing a mammoth fic for something else, I am trying to not be CONSUMMED, I cannot write an AFTG fic.

And yet I keep having ideas. So, to save myself from the Cursed Brain Worms, I'm giving away this frantically written fic snippet I wrote for someone else to write (and hopefully post so I can read it instead of write it)

Here, someone adopt this orphan, I'm not ready to be a writer parent

The foxes are somewhere for a game and Kevin notices Neil. He panics because he thinks Neil is there for him under the jurisdiction of Riko. Neil was at Edgar Allen for a while but he left when Nathaniel picked him up for reasons Kevin doesn't get to learn. Riko told him Neil was to become the next Butcher and work for him. Kevin believed him.

The foxes are having a face off with Riko and Co, when Neil walks up and tells Riko to be quiet. Riko opens his mouth to retort but when Neil only raises an eyebrow he shuts up.

“In fact, I think you should go home Riko.”

Riko says something but Neil says, “I thought I said be quiet?”

Kevin speaks rapid fire French to Neil, Jean joining in, about how it’ll turn out bad if Neil makes Riko mad by embarrassing him like this. Riko says, “It’s rude to speak a language only you understand.”

Neil looks at him and says, in German, “Then I’ll look directly into your eyes and speak a completely different language, knowing you will never understand what I’m saying. I wonder if I talk for long enough and sound like I’m making a thinly veiled threat if I’ll be able to see your face twitch- ah, yeah. Like that. You’re so easily rankled Riko, it’s pathetic.” Andrew snorts and Neil turns to him with a raised eyebrow, which Andrew meets head on. Andrew then responds in German, “xxx”.

Riko makes a threat and Neil examines him. Neil then says to Andrew (in English), “Andrew Minyard, yes?” Andrew just looks at him. “Is it true you carry knives on you at all times?” Andrew nods. “May I borrow one for just a moment? I promise to bring it back.”

Riko says Kengo would never allow this. Neil pauses. “Call him.”

“What?”

“Call him and ask if he’ll be angry if I cut you.”

Riko pauses.

Neil raises an eyebrow. “No? Fine, I’ll do it then.” and he proceeds to pull out a phone and call Kengo on speaker phone, asking in Japanese, “Would you be angry at me for cutting up the second son?” Kengo gives no shits, and Neils grins at Riko as he says bye and hangs up. In english he says, “Well, you heard him.”

Andrew gives Neil a knife and Neil, tip of the knife tucked under Riko’s chin to guide him like a leash, leads him away, but not before sending a wink Andrews way saying, “Thanks for the loan”. Riko and Jean return, both looking pale, Neil gone with the wind. Jean gives Andrew his knife back, relaying a message from Neil about his "good taste in knives".

Seth dies because Riko asks Kevin where Neil is and the foxes don’t know.

The talk show happens, and Kevin says they’re inviting a former Raven to the foxes, pretending that he’s inviting Neil.

After the show, the foxes wonder how the fuck they’re going to get into contact with Neil, with Jean saying “No one contacts Neil! No one finds Neil! He contacts you! He finds you!” Jean then reveals that Neil only answers to the Main Branch after having killed his own dad.

The foxes are at their home stadium discussing their current conundrum when Neil breaks in asking Kevin what the fuck he thinks he’s doing. Everyone tries to convince him to stay.

“What do you want?” They ask him.

“Nothing.” He says.

Allison brings up Seth.

Neil argues, “I didn’t kill Seth. Riko did that. Trust me. I know when I’ve killed someone.”

“Stay for one year,” Andrew says.

“Why?”

“You owe me.”

“Do I?”

Andrew nods. “You promised to bring me back my knife. You didn’t. Jean did. I’ll forgive you for lying if you stay for a year.”

Neil pauses. Then he laughs hysterically. Then he agrees.

(later on, Neil does a job for Ichiro in return for him getting Andrew off his meds. it's revealed that Neil works for Ichiro specifically, not technically the entire main branch)

[lunapwrites]

Segment the actual-fifth

In which I had tried to rewrite it all properly with more of a narrative voice and then lost steam way faster.

Anyway, this is the last one. Promise.

-

I: ORPHAN SOURCE

n.; a self-contained radioactive source that is no longer under regulatory control.

“See that guy knock himself out on the railing?”

Sirius is in fine form tonight, grin wide and white, a half-forgotten joint pinched between his fingers.

Lily wrinkles her nose at him, wiggling her septum ring. “What, the jagoff doing spin kicks in the crowd?” Sirius snorts, and she rolls her eyes. “Yeah I saw him — get fucked.”

Remus throws his head back, sending a stream of smoke into the air. “Wre-ecked,” he croaks, then coughs. James can’t help it — he laughs.

Peter flicks his lighter, takes three tries, then takes a drag. “He didn’t hit anyone, I don’t think,” he muses around his cigarette — no pot for Petey tonight, he’s driving. “Frank would have thrown his ass out if he had.”

“Like a fuckin’ javelin,” Remus pipes up again, miming throwing a spear, woosh. “Right out the fuckin’ window.”

“Serve him right,” Lily adds, not done yet because of course she’s not. She’s tying her hair into a topknot, scowling. “It’s a fucking metal show, not an MMA fight; get that Naruto-ass shit out of here.”

This of course prompts Sirius to start doing that stupid little run, arms straight out behind him as he runs down into the parking lot, and, well, James can hardly let him go it alone. He runs out after him, making nonsensical hand signs and pretending to blast Sirius off his feet. And Sirius, quick as ever, pretends to get his absolute shit rocked, sound effects and all.

You’d think they’d be tired after performing for two and a half hours, but they’re all fucking amped. They always are, takes hours for the adrenaline to fade, for James to feel the burn in his arms and calves, for Remus to register that his fingers are bleeding again. Tonight’s no different.

They’re a bit of a motley crew, the five of them. Former band nerds — later jazz ensemble nerds — who loved music enough to want to get weird with it. If anyone asks them what they play, they all give different answers. Lily calls it prog; Sirius, jazz with balls. Remus rattles off about fifteen different subgenres no one’s ever heard of — James still isn’t sure what a Djent is and at this point he’s afraid to ask. Peter keeps it simple: metal.

James just calls it fun.

They pile into Pete’s van, stubbing out their cigarettes and putting out their joints. Lily calls shotgun and James slips in behind her, and Sirius stage-dives across his lap, landing with his face on Remus’s upper thigh. He twists around, snuggling in like a Labrador looking for belly rubs.

"Keep it PG over there," James warns, and Sirius moans dramatically. No one pays him any mind; they’re all used to it by now.

Lily gets carsick about ten minutes in. She hangs her head out the window, breathing through her nose deep and slow while Pete begs her not to puke in his car.

“Technically,” Remus says, “she’s puking outside.”

He’s always saying that sort of shit — technically and actually and if he was anyone else James thinks he might hate him a bit. Thinks they all might. But somehow, no one who ever meets Remus wants to punch him in the face. He’s got a little je ne sais quois that warms people right up to him, inures him to most consequences. Like a puppy pissing on your favorite shoes. You just can’t be mad.

Sirius is like that, too, but in a

IN A WHAT, LP???? WHAT WERE YOU TRYING TO SAY???????? [shakes brain like a busted vending machine]

The only other thing I had on here was the title section for the second chapter:

II: ISLAND OF INVERSION

n: a region in the chart of nuclides where isotopes have enhanced stability in a sea of mostly fleeting and unstable nuclei at the edge of the nuclear map

[cookiedough77]

PLEASEEEEEE IM DYING TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR OCSSSSS 🛐🛐🛐🛐🛐🛐

oh my gah

well heres some... refrences i made a while back GAH I NEED TO DRAW MORE OF THEM UH UH UH

man ok so i put alot of their lore into a google doc ill just like copy and paste alot of it here:

Okok more of a deep dive on these guys because i wanna do more with them

OK JAY BACKSTORY

So initially, jays mom like wiped out a bunch of superheroes, like when jay was really young (he cant remember it) and shortly after, what very little heroes were left or heroes who were only “super” because of the gear they had, an order was created, to try and take her down

His entire life he was raised by his evil ass mom, mainly manipulating him inot thinking humans were bad (they are generally human but with so much magic into their system that they really arent anymore i guess, similar to like a vampire or a werewolf or something). Its not that jay didnt believe his mother but more of he knew something was wrong with what she was doing, how she was going about things

His mother was a wanted criminal for years, and she was mainly destructive or whatever because her husband died idk-

Im making this up as i go, her husband died from too much magic intake? Like he couldnt handle it, but jays mother blamed humanity because “they were the ones holding him back from his potential” 

Jay barely knew his father, so its not like he had a super connection to him

Now while he was growing up, he didnt actually see his mother attack superheros, mainly took her anger out on civilian, even then she didnt like kill them or anything. So he didnt see his mother as a bad person….. UNTIL 

A new superhero actually DID show up, or merely, one that was “taken down” and came back, and maybe or maybe not jays mother wanted him to kill whoever it was and hes like “uh NO????” she does it herself and jay immediately wants out of this, but he doesnt exactly have a choice, so he starts disobeying her for like a year, and then…

Another superhero shows up, a young one, a new one, a vulnerable one. Im not exactly sure how kylo and jay interact and stuff at first because i guess its the “beginning” not the backstory idk sooooooo save that for later!!!

Anyway well i guess kylos next which is complicated man

Gah you’ve heard about this, one of a bunch of orphans actually survived some mutation and that was kylo, who initially wasnt even given a name, kylos name shows up later

So because theres a “superhero shortage” the order decided instead of waiting, to just make more, no matter how, they just needed strong enough heroes to take down any threats, including jays mom, and yes i know i need a name for her

Now remember when i talked about kylo having “siblings” yeah so there are others, just none of the orphans, “failed attempts” before kylo, too much of the mutation so they're not really “usable” and they science people are trying their hardest to make them “work” they also dont see them as real people!!! Hahahaha

Anyway kylo was kinda like raised like this, usually isolated from the other attempts because she was “perfect” and it was mainly two scientists taking care of kylo, they were new, and didn’t have much experience in the field, kylo was their first “assignment” and btw idk they’re a couple, and when kylo turned 10 they both suggested before kylo going out and “being a superhero” that she should like interact with real people, she looked human enough, and she could blend in, and learn like basic empathy from other people/kids

The order approved this and those are basically kylos adoptive parents.

BUT not before wiping all of kylos memory!!! Hahah they’ve tested it out before, and decide to use it on kylo, to not mess with anything, and the memory just doesnt “go away” its like a polaroid camera and rolls of memories spills out, and they keep it safe, locked away

So kylo spends like 3 years homeschooled, and realizes that shes “different” than others (kylos parents didnt really explain anything to them (they werent allowed)). So she comes up with a dumb constume like all heros and decides to make good use out of it

This all leads up to the actual beginning of the story which is like i dont even know where to start but like i can tell you that kylo and jay team up, obviously jay has more experience with his abilities and is like the main person to take down his mother, but kylo definitely helps

The order “meets” kylo and lets her stay obviously, and jay… well they’re wary of him, and make him stay in the building (where the order resides) to keep an eye on him, and this is basically where jay stays until like hes 18

Jays “indenity” is quickly released to the public, an requirement from the order, and jay tries to do whatever they say to make him seem trustworthy (because he is, my poor boy), all while, kylo is instructed to not tell ANYONE who they are, and kylo follows the rules at first, but over the years she likes to challenge them alot.

Jay and kylo quickly become friends and trust eachother obviously uh uh, yeah, theirs other villains of course, and kylo and jay become friends even while civilians but kylo is told to “not get so close” but they try anyway bruh idk

A lot of things happen and ill probably draw some stuff out or talk about it because man theres so much up in this noggin and it yearns to be free

[spooky-circuits]

can we get clay and viva reaction to the whole kids appeared at the putt putt course

Viva starts talking about how excited she is that Poppy is finally safe here with her and how all her friends will be safe too now that they’re here. In her excitement she doesn’t notice the looks they give each other behind Poppy.

Clay is surprised his baby brother managed to find him with just a group of teenagers he’s as impressed as he is concerned. They tell him about how excited their families will be to know more trolls survived and he realizes that “Oh they aren’t random orphans these kids have a home to go home too.” He knows Viva won’t want to let them risk going home. Especially now that Poppy is in the picture. He understands how she feels all too well now that Branch is here in front of him for the first time since the fight and getting separated in the escape. He doesn’t regret going with Viva that night but there are days where he can’t help but think about the family he’s lost.

Clay doesn’t stop Viva when she tells the snack pack they aren’t leaving and feels guilty when Branch gives him that look of betrayal when he doesn’t speak up.

Viva is scared of loosing her sister and would hate if these kids got eaten just because they want to play action hero. She has to be the responsible one even when these kids look scared of her when she tells them they can’t leave the safety of the golf course. She knows they’ll understand once they see how safe it is here.

Branch says something to Clay from behind the door of the room the kids have been put into. “You know you aren’t going to be able to keep us here right? I don’t know if you noticed but my friends are really good at sneaking out.” Clay still feels guilty but Viva had made some good points Branch just needed to see how great this place was. “Come on Branch I know it doesn’t seem great but you’ll like it here!” The room is quiet behind him. “Branch?… Bitty B?” He opens the door to find a hole in the floor. “Wow he wasn’t kidding about their escape skills… Oh Shit!”

Viva is heartbroken that her sister would just leave she had really thought Poppy would understand but she hadn’t and her sister was gone all over again. Worse than that Clay was grabbing supplies like he was planning to leave too. “Clay what are you doing?” Her voice sounds so small Clay can’t remember the last time he heard her sound like that. She was usually so full of life and energy he hates that he made her sound like that. “I have to go after them Viva. I know you’re scared but I won’t be able to rest until I know Branch is okay. You understand that don’t you.” And she does understand. She hates that she doesn’t have the courage to go out and find Poppy. “I’ll bring Poppy back for you too. So you can stay here and look after everyone.” She hates how he’s making excuses for her but she can’t bring herself to disagree. “Just… just be safe. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you too.” Clay smiles at her. “Did you forget who put all the fire exits in Viv? Safety is my middle name!” She smiles but her face goes serious again quickly. “I mean it Clay I don’t want to loose any more people.” He smiles at her with sad eyes. “I know… Don’t worry I’ll bring them back soon.”

The snack pack was already a good distance from the golf course before they feel comfortable slowing down and Guy goes “I’m sorry your siblings ended up being uh…” he doesn’t want to say anything hurtful since Poppy was clearly torn up about having to leave Viva. Branch just looks at him like “Uh yeah thanks Guy.” Creek speaks up “At least 1 out of 3 secret siblings turned out alright.” It’s poorly timed but it manages to actually get a laugh out of everyone with how absurd their day has been. Branch especially can’t stop laughing. “Oh that’s horrible Creek why would you even say that!”

[gaslightgatekeepgirlbosscombat]

Group C, Round 1, Poll 6:

Propaganda under the cut

Amy Elliott Dunne

She literally faked her own murder and framed her husband for it I don’t know how you can gaslight gatekeep girlboss harder than that. -Made friends with a pregnant woman so she could steal her pee and fake a positive pregnancy test with it -Faked her own murder and framed her husband for it because he was cheating on her -Wrote an entire fake diary and half-burned it so it would look like her husband did it -Slowly drained her blood over days in order to make it look like there was a struggle -Slept with a guy and murdered him just as he finished to make it look like he assaulted her -Bought a bunch of shit on her husband’s credit cards and hid them in his sister’s house so it looked like he had a spending addiction -Have you ever heard of the cool girl rant? The rant where a woman talks about how there’s no such thing as a girl with interests they’re all just doing it for men? That was Amy. - She has a history of manipulating people and in high school made a girl look insane just because that girl was mildly better at something than her - Lied about getting rid of her husband’s sperm so she could impregnate herself with his kid so he’d stay with her because she’s kind of turned on by how much they hate each other - literally the first half of the book is her playing everyone (including the reader) because she knows her husband is such a piece of shit he won’t be able to help incriminating himself TL;DR Amy Elliott Dunne is the most gaslight gatekeep girlboss ever and I need everyone to know this

Harumi

Oo boy where to I start. She emotionally manipulates the main character and then uses his emotions against him to revive his dad but evil. She ran a biker gang/cult and only let her three top generals know who she was. She went to extreme measures to get what she wanted, including burning down her palace and killing her adoptive parents.

some of her greatest hits include: Gaslighing Garmadon into hating Lloyd (his son), Gatekeeping being Garmadon's Son (even though she's not related to him and also a girl), Girlbossing her way to becoming the leader of a terrorist group while also being the Princess of Ninjago. siccing the terrorist group on the royal family, killing the king and queen because she hated them and didn't wanna be princess anyways, she'd rather be the evil puppet master behind a necromanced figurehead dictator.

Harumi is such a girlboss shes an orphan and was adopted by the emperor and empress and then BLEW UP THE PALACE AND KILLED THEM and she resurrected lord garmadon (evil!!!) and runs a criminal org/biker gang also she had this relationship with Lloyd where she pretty much just manipulated him but other than that I support her evilness

"Okay so after an unfortunate tragic pass of her parents dying in a freak accident, she has dedicated her life in taking revenge on those who are even somewhat linked to their death. I'm talking, she manipulated her way into the royal family to get resources, starts a cult/gang worshiping one of the worst villains to ever hit the realms, and also completely plays with one of the ninja's feelings to get what she wants. Oh, yeah his feelings? She knew he had trauma, issues, just wanted to be loved, AND SHE USED THAT before leaving him to die on multiple occasions. She's also one of the few villains to actually win. Like she gets what she was aiming for, she wins. So yeah, Harumi is a girlboss."