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#((i know for a time there was a big push for motion capture in animated films))
theheadlessgroom · 8 months
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@beatingheart-bride
"Oh, I hope it'll be something like this," Randall confessed with a smile, as he helped himself to a little tea and a little cookie (nothing fancy, just the ones his mother always used to buy to go along with a cup of tea). "Something with just enough room for us to stretch our legs and grow a family, but still...cozy, in a way."
As far as he was concerned, he didn't need anything that was overly lavish or sprawling, he didn't need a mansion. He wanted space, yes: Plenty of room for the two of them to start a family together, a space for a crafting room so that he could store all of his sewing bits and bobs and work on them at his leisure, all of those sorts of things...
...but he still wanted it to be a homey little place. The one thing he had to say about Gracey Manor was that, for as lovely as it was, it often felt too big, too empty-perhaps if he had the memories Emily did of their undead future, he might feel differently (how could such a huge mansion feel empty with 999 occupants?), but as it stood now, it always struck him as feeling empty in its size, even with all of its art and pretty baubles. No, he'd rather have a cozy home such as this, where he and the ones he loved could stay close.
"B-But what do you think?" he asked, as he took a small sip of tea. "What do you think our future home will be like, Emily? Or...what do you hope it'll be like?"
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antoniettap1303 · 1 year
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✨HxH Headcanons: Madagascar✨
Hello everybody! This time i'm back with something new: an Headcanon/AU of HxH if it was Madagascar! You know... the animated movie. Without any usless talk, here we go, and i hope you will have the same fun as me while reading this.
Is oblivious that Killua, Gon,Kurapika and Leorio in this AU came from a schoolarship campus in York New. While the others are enjoying their own lives, Gon craves to see the outside world. And meeting "The penguins" ( Knov, Morel,Knuckle and Shoot) will only get the situation worst. The same night the guys celebrate his birthday ( May 5th ), and while the others ask to know his wish,he reveals he wants to go into the nature, to everybody's dismay. And neither Killua and "York New York New" will put him at ease.
Everybody realize Gon's gone only at late night, and after a disperate Emergency call,the 3 choose to go search him. Meanwhile Gon is on his own to reach the Central station and go to Connecticut ( he's not an Expert to big cities), between a talk with a Police officer and spinning on ice.
The guys reach the station trough metro, and Killua's wild mannerisms does not help them much with the people in the station. After finding Gon, he goes like "What you have in Your mind!? Have you gone nuts!?!!?", while the Police enters, capturing them, The penguins and Biscuit and Wing.
The daydreaming Alex had, But change everything to Killua and the guys.
The Wake up and here we go with the 2nd tranquillizer and faster ver of daydreaming.
And everybody wakes up in a Police Car. Gon and killua start to argue, Kurapika tries to calm them down, leorio is scared. Meanwhile also the others are in police cars and the penguins manage to take control of the car... while going all out against the many others in front of them.
This leads to a real Domino style clash, whoooo... pushes the guys car over the bridge of a cargo ship ( they're got to be sent to a reformatory who was only reachable by Sea), falling in open Sea.
Killua later wakes up on a shore. He starts to search for the others, finding Leorio a little far away. He goes all out to get him out of sand, until Kurapika finally emerges too. Gon came up with the help of a dolphin ( He goes well with animals).
Then it starts a slow motion scene of Gon and Killua running towards each other screaming each other's name, until he gets easily enraged, and starts chase Gon all Around. The Group riunite,until they realize they are on a desert island.
They go search for help, until they found an indigean tribe, lead by king Hisoka, partying, idnavertidly scaring another tribe ( the phantom troupe ?) Away.
The Group gets cheered by the tribe (as hisoka introduces himself along with his right arm illumi and the little Zushi) as the York New Freaks. After realizing that they're on a deserted island, killua wants to do anything he can to go back to civilization, while gon,and later also Kurapika and leorio starts to enjoy the new situation. Hisoka plans to befriend killua to Save his tribe from the troupe, while illumi tries to dissuade him.
Later also killua stars to feel more natural as gon tells him to, but this leads to his animalistic Side to show up. Everybody runs away, while killua goes to the troupe land. Gon, Kurapika and Leorio wants to Save him, helped by the penguins,who came due that their original Plan wasn't satisfying as planned.
Gon reaches to killua but the troupe starts chasing him and the others, as later, pretending that Gon's his prey to explain the Plan, killua comes to join them in battle.
The guys Board on the ship to go back to YN, but is later revealed trough the penguins that's the motor is broken.
Well. That's it. Hope you liked this AU as much as me. Thank you for reading.
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sloshed-cinema · 1 year
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Apocalypto (2006)
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What is Mel Gibson’s goal with these historical epics he seems so fixated on creating or acting in?  The insistence on using period accurate languages such as Aramaic in The Passion of the Christ or Yucatec Maya in this film would seem to suggest a desire to depict his narrative with respect for its historical sources.  But underneath lies something darker.  The film signals its intent from the start, opening on a title card seemingly victim-blaming the Mesoamerican peoples for being conquered by conquistadores because they were already at one another’s throats.  The peoples depicted in the grand Mayan city in the central sequence certainly are in the final throes of culture, the masses suffering while the decadent few enjoy their pleasures.  There’s something ghoulish about the way Gibson shoots the sequence.  Human sacrifice is a horrific concept, but in finding every possible insert shot of people with bad teeth chomping on fruit and leering layabouts mocking the sacrifices-to-be, this becomes less a portrait of civilization striving to appease its gods with sacrifice to ease their collective suffering and more a carnival sideshow.  The film relishes operatic misery to the point where it feels exploitative.  How many times did I stop and realize that the prior five to ten minutes had been nothing but people tied to poles screaming and wailing.  All shifts when the Spaniards arrive in the closing moments.  To the barbaric characters following Zero Wolf, they are the seemingly the avatar of K’uk’ulkan, these ruthless killers approaching the men about to bring them nothing but Christianity, smallpox, and conquest with seeming reverence.  Jaguar Paw meanwhile seems more uneasy, content to return to the forest.  Cultural murkiness and inaccuracies aside, this seems to be just another colonialist piece of propaganda.
The other facet of misery comes with the shooting style.  The film is production designed within an inch of its life, all elaborate body decoration and obsidian weaponry.  The grand city Jaguar Paw and company are brought to is a pièce de résistance, all step pyramids and adoring crowds and eclipses.  Or rather it would be but for the obvious CGI elements that seep in at the corners.  Terrible motion blur comes to define the film, especially its latter half.  How unfortunate it must be for these actors to suffer and get covered in various gross substances only for the camera capturing them to make everything look cheap and fake.  Which we know it is, but you’re not supposed to reveal that to the rubes watching your shit.  I started to question whether I’d accidentally changed settings on the TV but no, here we are.
THE RULES
SIP
Someone names a plant or animal.
Middle Eye is a little stinker.
Kids get pushed away from the convoy.
Sensationalist insert shot.
Holy motion blur, Camazotz!
BIG DRINK
Wild POV shot.
Horniness!
A dream sequence begins.
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minteyeddevil · 3 years
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Hi!I've always wanted to write something myself, but my vocab isnt very large. Sssoooo can you write something that involves a Female M/C and Levi??? She loses her virginity to him(because let's face it, he may be a loner,and non social but hes been living a very VERY long time. Hes had to have gotten some ass at some point in his life) And hes very understanding and sweet about it all.(but meanwhile trying very hard not to be too rough and just plow into her. If you dont want to use Levi, Maybe Satan..If say Beel would be a good fit(no pun intended) but I'm siding with every fan here. Dudes dick is too big.
I forgot to add(for my virgin idea with Levi) hes trying hard not be too rough since it's been oh so long since the last time he had sex.(that and the M/C just makes him feel like that regardless)
(I don't mind it being about Levi, I love me some otaku boy :3 I really hope this come out as you hoped, and thanks for sending in a request, lovely!)
---
Of all the beings available to her, why did she have to pick him? He's just the disgusting hermit who hides away in his room full of anime figurines and games stacked to the ceiling, glued to his computer screen and in his own little world all the time. Why oh why did she chose him?
Leviathan's brain asks these questions over and over again as he is laying next to MC in his bathtub-bed, her lips softly moving against his own. He can't shake the feeling that this has to be a dream; there is no way in all of the Devildom that this could possibly be happening to him.
He and MC had formed a bond of sorts over her stay in the Devildom; in fact, they had practically gotten glued at the hip with how often they would be around each other. She would hide away in his room til the wee hours of the morning, and even sleep over from time to time, taking up the futon he would lay out for her. Up until she slowly began working her way into his bed. This led to a shy first kiss, one that fried his brain to bits and left him a sputtering mess for days after; even that he couldn't believe actually happened.
As their relationship bloomed, so did their closeness, Levi working out his dislike of being touched to allow her to lay her hands on him, slowly but surely getting him used to her. Their kissing would become more and more heated, hands wondering and touching the most intimate of places, until she finally brought herself to admit she had never physically been with anyone before him. Her admittance was followed by a shy downturn of her face, hiding it against his chest as she waited for his judgment.
Another moment of his brain short circuiting. He felt the heat rising in his chest and creeping up into his face, but he wrapped his arms securely around her, giving her reassurance. "I-It's fine that you've never been with anyone before me, MC. It doesn't make me like you any less, ya know?"
She pulled back and looked up at his face, her eyes soft as they locked with his own. "You sure? I know as a demon who has lived for so long...I am sure you have, um, been with plenty of others..."
"T-That doesn't mean anything!" he yelped, covering his face with his hands for a moment. "I l-like the idea of being with you more...so I, uh, wouldn't mind if, ya know...you let me...be your first."
The tail end of his comment came out in a mumbled whisper, but she caught in none the less. "I would love for you to be my first, Levi. I trust you."
A small groan leaves his throat as her words play back in his mind. She trusts him. He had to make sure this night was the best of her life. With him.
He pulled away from the kiss, both of them panting for moment as they gazed at one another. He visibly swallowed, his fingers fisting into her shirt. "Can...Can I take this off?"
She nodded, sitting up to allow him to pull her shirt off, leaving her in a bralette, his eyes averting from her at first. "It's okay, you can look," she reassured him, reaching her hands out to touch his own.
He swallowed once more, slowly moving his eyes to look, taking in her chest as she reached behind her to unclasp her bra. "L-Lemme do it!" he called out suddenly, and she nodded, allowing him to reach behind her back. He undid the clasp easily, letting out the breath he was holding, only to suck in a deeper one when he saw her bare before him.
He stared for a moment before locking eyes with her once more, asking for permission. Another nod was given, and he lifted his hands slowly, cupping her breasts in each one, giving them a firm squeeze. She whimpered slightly, and he paused, gaging her reaction before continuing, feeling her nipples grow pert against the skin of his palm. He pinched them lightly, rolling them between his fingers, eliciting another whimper from her, before leaning in to capture her lips in a deep kiss.
"You're wearing far too much," she mumbled against his lips when they separated for air, and he gave her a funny look before addressing himself. He gave a small laugh, rubbing the back of his head. "S-Sorry, just...really wrapped up in you. Lemme just, ugh..."
He stood up from the bed and climbed out, taking off his shirt and kicking off his sweatpants. She stood as well, removing her shorts, leaving herself in just her underwear, as they climbed back into his bed. This time he climbed atop her, nestling himself between her legs. His flush had spread up to his ears and down to his chest, making his skin warmer than usual, and she ran her fingers along his skin.
"You doing okay?" he asked softly, his fingers shakily running along her side.
She smiled warmly and nodded. "Ready for whatever you have next, babe."
He visibly shuttered at the pet name, then leaned in to plant kisses to her neck and collarbone. He latched onto a specific spot at the bottom of her throat, sucking the skin there to leave a dark mark. He pulled away with an audible pop, and looked down at the mark, smirking slightly; good way to show that she was his.
He began to nervously plant kisses down her chest, coming to the valley between her breasts. He remembered a scene from a hentai he had watched before, and leaned over one of her mounds, blowing lightly on her nipple. It became pert at the sensation, and he felt her wiggle against him, making him smirk to himself. He than took the bud in his mouth, drawing a tight circle around it with his tongue and gave it a generous suck. She gave a high whine, rutting her hips against him, making him gasp and release her nipple when her core came in contact with his erection.
"G-Getting impatient, huh?" he tried to dirty talk, his hand slowly edging towards her still clothed cunt.
"Maybe," she mumbled, gasping a bit when his fingers rubbed against the damn fabric.
He shimmied down her body until settled between her thighs, his face now level with her core. He swallowed once more, mouth suddenly watering as he noticed the dark spot in the fabric covering her. His fingers shakily moved it aside and he leaned forward, giving her a tentative lick.
Her thighs clamped shut for a moment, making him yelp, until he pushed them back open, looking up at her. "Too much? Want me to stop?" he asked, worry apparent in his voice.
"No, no! It just... surprised me is all. New sensation, ya know?" she replied shyly, biting her lower lip. He nodded, giving her thigh a loving rub. "It should feel good, MC. Just, um, tap me on the head if you need to stop, 'kay?"
She nodded, and he bowed his head back down, pressing his tongue back to her folds, licking generously against her. Her thighs attempted to close once more, but his free hand kept them apart, his other hand opening her folds so he could tongue at her clit. She moaned, wiggling a bit at the sensation growing in her lower belly. His lips wrapped around the small bud, as he slowly pressed a finger inside her, thought stopped when he felt her tense.
He pulled away to look up at her, but she let out a deep breath, and urged him to continue. Lips going back to latch on to her clit, his finger slipped in with ease thanks to her slickness, and soon a second finger joined the first, stretching her out as he scissored them.
A slight sting made her wince as he stretched her, but soon she found her hips rutting against him, a pleasurable build up sending sparks along her spine. He pulled away what felt like too soon, and she whined a bit, looking down at him.
"I, um, I think you're ready," he reassured, climbing back up her body to lock eyes with her. She took in a deep breath, bringing her arms to wrap around his neck. He leaned down and kissed her deeply, his hands working his boxers down to free his cock. When she felt the head prodding her entrance, she tensed and looked at him with worry in her eyes.
"You can always back out, MC. I won't be upset or anything! I understand if you change your mind or if you're grossed out by me..." he babbled, but she hushed him with another kiss.
"No Levi, I want it to be you. I'm just nervous, and kind of scared of pain," she admitted, giving him a wry smile.
He frowned, but nodded in understanding. "I-It'll probably hurt for a little while, but I will do my best to be gentle, 'kay? Whenever you want me to stop just smack me or something."
She giggled and nodded, pressing a kiss to his cheek. He pressed his own to her forehead, and let himself press against her once more. His hand guided his tip into her entrance, and he tried not to groan aloud at how hot and wet she felt already. He was worried he might cum too soon with how good she felt as he slowly began to sink in. He felt her tense suddenly and he froze, looking back to her face.
Her brow was drawn together and lower lip bit tightly between her teeth as she felt the sting of the stretch. Once the initial pain dulled down, she motioned for him to continue. He pressed in further, her walls giving and molding to his cock, until he was fully in, skin pressed to skin.
He waited, feeling her walls flutter and pulse, until she began to roll her hips against him did he begin to move.
He started with shallow thrusts, letting her feel the drag of his cock inside her, little whimpers and moans leaving her. The sounds went straight to his cock, and he wanted so badly to pound in to her; but the last thing he wanted to do was take away from this being her first time.
"D-Does it feel good, MC?" he asked shyly, his breath coming in shaky pants. She nodded quickly, her hands running down his back and trailing down his arms to grip his biceps.
"It feels amazing, Levi...please, can you go faster?"
He groaned loudly at her request, burying his face in her neck to hide to flustered look on his face. He sped up his pace, pressing himself closer to her frame as he kept his cock deep inside her with each thrust. His tip made contact with that sweet spot within, and her vision began to turn white at the ends.
"L-Levi! I think I'm gonna--!"
"Go ahead MC! C-Cum for me, please!"
His name left her throat in a high moan, as her walls clamped down on him, milking him hard and pulling him into his own orgasm. He pulled out as quickly as he could, spilling his seed all over her belly. He leaned back on his haunches, panting for breath, as her body became limp against his pillows.
He looked her over, taking in the blissed out look of her face, and his cum all over her skin; he wanted to etch that image permanently into his memory.
"Lemme get you a towel to clean you up," he mumbled almost embarrassed, jumping out of his bed and throwing on his sweatpants to head out into the hall. When he returned, he also had a bottle of water for her, climbing back into to wipe her down. He gave her his shirt to cover up, and curled into the pillows with her, pulling his blanket over the two of them.
She sighed contently as she nuzzled into his chest, planting small kisses to his warm skin. He shuttered at the sensation, but cleared his throat suddenly.
"Was it, um...was it good...ya know, for your first time?"
What he wanted to ask was did he do well for her. Was he good enough for her; but he'd be damned before he asked that out loud.
Though as if she could read his mind, she gave him the brightest smile, reaching up to kiss him on the lips. "It was amazing, babe. You were amazing. Thank you for taking care of me."
He flustered again, verbally key-smashing in his words, as he wrapped his arms tightly around her and buried his burning face in her hair.
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nincompoopydoo · 3 years
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DEBRIS AND MISERY
WELCOME BACK, AGENT ; PART 4 / ?
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PAIRING: Loki Laufeyson x Female!Reader WORD COUNT: 2.5k SUMMARY: You're back at your desk job at the TVA, suffering the consequences of your mistakes that led to your crash on Sakaar. However, Mobius has a better job for you than doing just paperwork. A/N: I feel like this one has more platonic mobius x reader than loki x reader lol but you know, this loki is meeting her for the first time again. please leave comments, criticism or love, whatever, I love to hear from you guys who are reading this. enjoy xo gif by @alligatorlokis from this gifset WARNINGS: Swearing. Paperwork. support my writing through ko-fi💖 MASTERPOST ; MASTERLIST
The sweet musky smell almost lulls you to sleep as you skim through the case file of a Loki variant, pictures and text of monochrome glaring under the unforgiving fluorescent office lighting. It’s a harsh reminder of your mishap; a simple overlook during a mission that sent you crashing onto the wasteland of Sakaar. According to the reports as you stood on the pedestal, pleading your innocence to the judge, you were there for an estimated 600 years. Maybe more.
The thought of spending six centuries stranded on a planet sends a wave of pain through your skull—it’s overwhelming information but unsurprising. You do feel like you’ve spent 600 years on that God-forsaken planet.
Now, your once fugitive days have been replaced with the return of being trapped behind a desk and having to recount every event that took place during your time there. Word for word. You despise the TVA’s love of paperwork—it’s a fucking nightmare.
The collar of your shirt feels itchy against the back of your neck, bringing your nails to graze it furiously.
You decide to ignore Miss Minutes' cheery voice despite your agitation, your name rolling off her southern accent. It hints at her chagrin towards your disregarding nature.
"Are you even listenin' to me?"
Her voice lacks all sense of her once constant sunny disposition. You spare the projection a glance, watching her rubber-hose-like arms curve to her where you assume her hips would be. She looks at you with an expectant raised brow. You don’t say anything, keeping eye contact as you snatch an empty event report template, spinning in your swivel chair and away from the glowing tangerine clock.
With pursed lips, you swipe the scatter of mess away, revealing an orange typewriter that sits idly within the expense of your stacks of case files and your collection of vintage Earth cassettes. You hear Miss Minutes' sigh as she strides to the other end of your desk, perching on top of a dusty stack of pending paperwork.
“C’mon, it’s just a test,” the animated clock says. You spare her another look as you feed the report template into the roller forcefully. Bing! The return bar dings unceremoniously as it nearly startles Miss Minutes off the stack.
“That is exactly why I’m refusing to listen to you,” you mutter with annoyance, fingers already flying across the keyboard, punching letters onto the event summary section. The loud clickety-clack of the keys makes it impossible to hear over it. “I don’t get why I need to take a test when I clearly know everything I need to know.”
“Well, you were gone for a very long time and we just wanna test your memory on policies and procedures here at the TVA—”
“Then, why didn’t they come and get me earlier? From the moment I stepped foot on Sakaar, I did everything I could to create a Nexus event or even just a spike and you only came when? When I met Loki.”
Your eyes are now on her startled figure, clicks and clacks coming to an abrupt end. You’re upset over your arrest, the whole hoo-ha at the courtroom, and everything before that. Your behavior is nearly childish but understandable to those who express empathy. You feel like you were being used, prioritizing the capture of the Loki variant that has been causing a ruckus to the timeline. But, it is your job to protect the TVA and the sacred timeline. Although you feel that the TVA should be protecting its employees as well.
“Look, I am not taking that test and that’s my final word. Everyone knows I am capable of handling myself. Plus, I do have tons of paperwork to refresh my memory on policies and procedures if that’s what you’re worried about.”
The cartoon clock nods but with hesitation. However, you do make a fair point. Thus, with a swish and a blip, Miss Minutes disappears into thin air, and you’re left to your own devices once more.
Finally some goddamn peace.
As if the universe doesn’t loathe you enough, someone calls your name, approaching from behind you. A groan escapes from your lips, scowling at the glaring keys of the typewriter.
“What?” you spat. In a swift motion, you swivel in your seat and turn to look over your shoulder.
It’s Mobius, approaching you with sudden caution. You let your shoulder sag with relief, happy to see a familiar friendly face.
“Glad to see you’re back and still feisty.” Mobius hesitantly taps your shoulder, flashing you a small consoling smile. Your expression, however, remains unchanged. “Well, you guys did find me after all.” He spots the glimmer of melancholy in your eyes; they avert back to face the typewriter, hands resting on the keys. Mobius shoves his hand into the pockets of his brown slacks, shifting to lean against the edge of your desk. He knows to tread lightly around you after what happened. You’ve changed with wrinkles of age and crinkles of exhaustion. Sakaar must have not been kind to you.
Yet, you’re here, at your desk; alive and well.
“Hey, what’s got you all wound up?”
It’s a stupid question, really but it’s a question to show he still cares. You have every right to be upset. However, you have every right to be thankful. You would have been pruned. Desk cleared and cassettes discarded—it would be as if you never existed. Renslayer would have never given you any mercy after the act you pulled. Disobeying orders and recklessly throwing yourself into danger with the risk of bringing the whole TVA down. You’re impulsive on missions, but it’s your unrelenting determination that drives you to be one of the greatest analysts Mobius has ever seen.
You’re also a friend. A great one. And he isn’t planning on losing one.
“Please prune me, Mobius.”
Your statement comes off as intentionally sarcastic rather than truly meaningful.
“What? I always thought you adored paperwork.” Mobius hears you groan, burying your face in your hands, elbows propped up on the desk. “My back is already hurting, and I have a migraine just thinking about typing out reports of my time on Sakaar. I think it’s quite clear I adore paperwork.” Your muffled voice tinges sarcasm heavily.
Laughter erupts in his chest. He's glad that your sense of humor never changed. Then, the moment quickly passes and he senses a sudden change in the air. You turn up to look at him.
“What was my Nexus event?”
It’s abrupt, almost arbitrary but leads him to even more confusion. Mobius finds himself frowning. “You don’t know?”
You blink. “That’s the one thing they never told me.”
He shifts in his seat on the edge of your desk, blinking up to the ceiling in thought. “Well, from what I heard...it was because Loki willingly helped you. And it wasn’t for his own advantage.”
It’s your turn to frown. “Wouldn’t that be Loki's fault?”
“Apparently not. It was all you.”
You laugh in response; it comes out like a puff of air. “Well, then. That’s a first. I guess I can finally add manipulation to my list of skills. Plus, pick-pocketing weird cosmic fruits.”
Mobius laughs and taps your shoulder again.
“C’mon, take a walk with me. I’ve got a new case that I need your help with.” You shoot him a quizzical look, eyes catching sight of a thick case file in hand—must be important. “I thought I was supposed to be on desk duty.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to sit behind the desk the whole time,” he shoots back a clever answer with a raised eyebrow, beckoning you to accept his offer. Your laugh comes off as more of a snort. It’s the first one in a while. You stand on your feet, stretching your limbs as you shrug on your coat that was hung over the back of your chair.
“Plus, you’re under my supervision,” he says before turning on his heel, heading for the exit. You watch him raise a hand, his back to you, gesturing for you to follow as he pushes through the wooden door. You hum with amusement, trailing behind him.
-
The winding hallways feel hollow, mundane walls lacking any color of brightness the TVA tries to bring to the space when in all fairness, orange isn’t much of a fun color now that everywhere you look, there’s a tinge of tangerine somewhere. The posters that adorn the walls are your least favorite parts of the headquarters’ decorative choice. You pass one that says 'Always Watching' in big bold letters, ominously glaring at you. The words are far from comforting, almost inhumane—a jarring reminder of where you are and where you stand in the hierarchy of this bureaucratic organization.
Mobius clears his throat from beside you, pulling you out from your thoughts. In a weirdly discreet manner, he hands you the case file with an outstretched hand. You take it, eyeing him and his odd behavior, there’s an unexpected shift in the air.
Then, you glance down, reading the scrawled words on the file that reads: Variant L1130, Loki Laufeyson.
Your strides come to an abrupt end, whipping your head up to see Mobius’ sheepish smile. Your eyes are wide, and you’re shaking your head in utmost objection.
“No, no, no. No. Absolutely no—”
“C’mon, it’s just—”
“No, Mobius. Nuh-uh. I swear, if I have to deal with another Loki, I will prune myself. I literally will.”
You're shoving the file to him, as he attempts to suck it up to you like the optimistic idiot he is although he very well knows once you’ve made up your mind, you cannot be swayed. You’re stubborn, rebellious—it’s what makes you dangerous. Yet, the TVA are pessimists. It’s Mobius who truly recognizes your accompanying positive characteristics that make dealing with your spontaneous character worthwhile.
Then, coincidently emerging from the door of the locker room is Loki himself, dressed in a dress shirt, tie, and slacks—clothes and color schemes accustomed to the TVA’s dress code. Mobius can practically see the wires in your brain short-circuiting as soon as you lay eyes on the God. Your eye twitches and from that, he knows you’re about to go mayhem. It’s the mayhem that’s going to break out on him like a hurricane devouring everything and anything in its way.
“You hired him?! You hired a Loki?!”
Your voice is loud, startling Mobius and Loki as passersby stare at the commotion you’re causing. You find yourself hunching in response, shoulders sagging as if it’s supposed to help with averting the attention away from you. Still, your expression doesn’t falter, and you’re staring at Mobius like he’s nuts.
Your voice comes off as a whisper, tone still harsher than before. “Mobius, are you insane?—”
“Just, let me explain,” he cuts you off with a raised palm to you. You purse your lips, sparing a glance to Loki who seems amused by the looks of the conversation that’s turning to more of an argument because you’re directly questioning your colleague’s sanity in public. Nevertheless, you decide to hear him out.
You watch Mobius sigh at the sight of your raised brow. “We have a variant. A Loki variant that’s been killing our Minutemen and I believe it’s the same one that threw you to Sakaar. So, to hunt down a Loki, what better way than to source the help of another?”
Silence. You’re giving him that deafening silent treatment once more. You’re thinking, he can see the mechanics in your brain running like a steam engine. He observes the way your eyes flicker between him, the file, and Loki who attempts to hide his confusion of you and the whole situation.
You’re not his superior, not even close, but he’s hopeful for your approval of his plan.
You cross your arms, shifting in your stance. “Which Loki is this?” You gesture to Loki with a tilt of your head. Mobius heaves a sigh, a hand to his hip and the other waving in the air.
“He’s, uh, he’s from 2012—”
And you’re back to causing mayhem.
“2012?! Mobius! That’s the worst one yet!”
“Now, hang on just a minute—” Loki interrupts, voice tinged with bewilderment and resentment but with two sharp looks directed his way, he instantly shuts his mouth.
You and Mobius are now back to your whispered debate.
“Look, as much as I hate to admit it, the TVA’s survival all depends on catching this variant and that means our survival. He has potential for change, so much of it...You just have to trust me on this.”
Mobius makes an excellent point but you can't help but feel the queasiness rising from your stomach. It feels like bile. You begin to feel the weight of the case file in your grasp becoming heavier and heavier. It’s the thought of risky business, and you’re almost upset as to why Mobius thinks it’s such a brilliant idea to pull you into this case after the stunt you pulled.
“Care to explain why I'm involved in this? You do know I’m being scrutinized for every move I make, right?”
Following your question, he glances at Loki who seems to be growing impatient, eyes wandering around the hallway. He leans forward and lowers his voice though his pitch raises, like when he's excited about a breakthrough.
“Because I know you’re capable of getting Loki to trust you. It happened once, there’s a high chance it’ll happen again and that’s good enough for me.” He watches you blink once. Then, twice. He continues, “And you’re being scrutinized by me. So, does it really matter?”
You’re silent again but in deep thought and not out of spite. Your troubled eyes find Loki’s. He’s already staring at you and for a moment, you see an unknown glimmer in his eye, expression nearly vulnerable but in an instant, he seals it away from you and averts his gaze, busying himself with straightening his pecan brown tie. It’s a small sign that he must have heard what Mobius said to you quietly. Nothing more.
Your gaze returns to your colleague and you pull yourself together, heaving a deep sigh. “Fine, but I still think you’re insane.”
Mobius beams down at you in an almost proud manner. “Welcome back, agent.” And with a turn of a heel, he waves for Loki to follow as the three of you head down the hallway. Loki quickly catches up beside you, much to your dismay. “So, what’s your story?” he leans into you with a curious smirk. You keep your face forward, shoulder back, and chin up as you reply with a monotonous tone. “None of your business, daddy long legs.”
In your peripheral vision, you note how the God retracts in response to your reply, brows now furrowed as he glances down to his legs in an almost sheepish and innocent way.
You struggle to fight down a growing smirk.
Mobius looks over his shoulder for a moment and catches sight of you and Loki’s expression after your exchange.
It looks like the two of you would get along just fine.
TAGLIST:
@lareinedususpense
@poubxlle
@mystoragehatesme
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kitsunekissesxo · 4 years
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Demon Bros Pet Names HCs and Scenarios
Demon Brothers Pet Names Headcanons and Kiss Scenarios
Summary: Headcanons of the brother’s petnames for you, vice versa, gender neutral MC, fluff kisses  <3
Warnings: Implied nsfw, suggestive, somewhat explicit
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Lucifer:
Oh, Lucifer. This man may seem cold but on the inside, and when the two of you are alone, he’s the biggest softie. Like, big softie.
His pet names are more...traditional, if you will. He absolutely despises pet names such as baby, babe, honey, etc., so don’t expect him to use them. If you use them on him, expect a wrinkled nose and a grimace.
His personal favorites are my beloved, my rose, my darling, my love, my dear. He’s very possessive of you and intends to make sure his pet names for you further prove that.
He allows you to call him Luci and LuLu when you’re alone, and, even though he vehemently denies it, he finds it incredibly endearing. Other than that, he isn’t very fond of pet names for himself.
However, he simply adores when you call him your love. He might be possessive of you, but it fills him with so much pride knowing that you want others to know he’s yours as well. 
During sex, you 100% call him Daddy and Sir if you’re into that. If not, his love-making is so intense that you can only manage to utter out his name- and he loves that. It really strokes his ego wink wink
Lucifer absolutely adores calling you princess/my prince during sex, no matter what the mood is. He finds the way it makes your face flush irresistible. 
“Luuuuciiiiii,” you whined out impatiently, attempting to get your boyfriend’s attention. He’d had his nose stuck in paperwork for hours now and you were in some serious need of attention. “You haven’t so much as looked up at me in the past, like, 10 hours,” you pouted.
Finally he raised his head to lock eyes with you. Dark circles marred his beautifully pale skin, showing the effect of the overwhelming workload he was forcing himself to push through. You felt your heart ache at the sight of him, all signs of impatience leaving you to be replaced with a look of worry.
He gave you a weak smile while resting his head in his hand. All you wanted was to wrap him up in your arms and play with his hair as he napped against your chest. So that’s exactly what you went to do- love him.
You stepped towards him, his tired eyes looking up at you quizically.
“My love, please take a break. You’re exhausted. Please,” you softly pleaded, reaching your hand out to hold his cheek, thumb swiping back and forth soothingly.
He closed his eyes and pressed himself into your hand, letting out a content sigh, bringing his own hand up to hold yours to his face. Your heart swelled with love- early on the in the relationship, he’d flinch when you’d try to touch him. Now he treasured every carress you had to offer.
“Come here darling,” he murmured, motioning for you to climb into his lap. You did as he asked, straddling his lap and lacing your hands together at the nape of his neck.
The way he looked at you with such adoration made your heart race. You leaned down to capture his lips in a sweet, loving kiss. His hands came up to press you closer to him, one hand threading into your hair and the other pressing on your lower back. Your fingers played with the hair on the nape of his neck.
He pulled away slightly to whisper against your lips,
“You always know how to stir up these feelings in me, my dear.”
Mammon:
This man adores the cheesy petnames. Like the tsundere he is though, he denies it with a blush so intense it reaches his ears.
He doesn’t even use petnames for you when your relationship first begins. The tsundere is strong with this one.
At first, it seems like all he ever wants to call you is “his human”. And you’d be lying if you said you weren’t a little disappointed
Until one fateful day, he called you. You picked up the phone eagerly and to your surprise he uttered out a, “Hey babe, are ya busy right now? Ya better not be- come to my room asap.”
Needless to say, you could have sworn your heart skipped a beat
Mammon’s pet names of choice include, but aren’t limited to, sugar, baby doll, dollface, doll, baby, babe, honey bun/honey bunny
He loves anything that will make you smile, though. It’s his favorite thing in the whole world.
During intimate times he mainly sticks to calling you baby and baby doll, expect him to desperately moan that into the crook of your neck as he begs you to continue
He blushes, stammers, tells you to stop, but then tells you to not stop when you call him pet names. He not-so-secretly loves it, and you know it.
You like to call him mammonie, monmon, baby/babe, handsome, and my prince. Just to mess with him and to see that cute flush of red on his gorgeous tan skin. It’s also undeniably cute and cheesy
During sex, he absolutely adores being called baby boy. It really gets him going. This boy is a sub
You were scribbling school notes in your notepad, studying for the upcoming exam when your D.D.D rang. You sighed, setting your pencil down and reaching for your D.D.D to see who was interrupting your study session.
It was Mammon.
Of course it was. You adored him, you really did, but his timing was pretty awful. You answered and put the phone up to your ear with your shoulder so you could continue copying down some notes that Satan so generously lent you.
“Yo, yo, yo! Babe, are ya busy? Ya better not be- come to my room asap!” He exclaimed happily.
The phone fell from your shoulder and onto your notepad. You had felt your heart skip a beat. He called you babe.
“U-uh...MC? MC??? That was an accident. I aint mean it. Just...come to my room. Hello? Human, are ya even there??” He stammered on nervously.
You scrambled to pick the phone up, responding in a teasing tone, “Mammon. Three things. 1: I heard that. 2: I’m studying. 3: I heard you call me that.”
You could hear him huff on the other end. He was seriously too cute, too easily flustered.
“Just drop it, wouldja? I aint mean it! Now get your ass over here- I dont care if you’re studying. No one makes The Great Mammon wait!!”
You could practically see him puff his chest out. You just wanted to engulf him in a hug and ruffle his snowy locks so badly. 
With a grin, you taunted, “Okay, babe. I’ll be right over.”
You hung up just as he began to sputter and protest, checked yourself in the mirror, sprayed some perfume/cologne on, and began to make your way to Mammon’s room.
As you reached Mammon’s room, you thanked all your lucky stars that you didn’t run into any of the brothers. Without warning, you swung Mammon’s door open, and he jumped with a shriek.
“Jeez, ya scared the livin’ evil outta me, human!” he exclaimed, clutching his t-shirt near his heart. His cheeks were already tinted a lovely blushed hue against his beautifully tanned skin.
“Awww, sorry Monmon. Didn't mean to startle you,” you poked, watching as he crossed his arms over his chest, beginning to protest that you didn't, in fact, frighten him.
You quickly leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on his lips. He froze, and you could practically hear his heart race. You pulled away, both hands coming up to the nape of his neck as he just stared at you, mouth slightly open, his face bright red. 
“You worry too much, baby.” You teased him, a smile playing on your lips.
And then he leaned in to return your kiss, hands settling on your lower back gingerly
Needless to say, he began to “accidentally” continue to call you endless pet names. He really did love them and you
Leviathan:
Please, for the love of all things unholy, please let this shy boy call you silly pet names. He adores them, simply because it makes you giggle, and he loves knowing that he’s the one making you laugh
Levi appears as though he doesn’t feel shame, but we know he just hides it really well. However, he still rambles to anyone and everyone about Ruri-chan and anime, so he won’t mind you using pet names for eachother around other people
Because of his anxiety though, he probably won’t be too keen on that idea at first. Will his brothers laugh at him? Surely they’ll think he’s gross and creepy regarding his choice of pet names, right? Wrong. Ensure to him that he doesn’t have to do anything that he isn’t comfortable with, and if anyone judges them then they’re just normies. He’ll love you forever.
Levi’s most used pet names for you are sunshine, cutie, snookums, goofball, and player 2
Sunshine is his personal favorite because humans seem to associate happiness with the sun, and you’re his main source of happiness. So why wouldn’t he call you that?
He also refers to you as his player 2 a lot. You’re not only his lover, but his best friend. His partner in crime. His Henry. 
Calling him pet names is undoubtedly one of your favorite things. He stutters, blushes such a deep shade of red, and tries to hide his face behind his hands. Please take ahold of wrists, move them from his face, take hold of his face, and place a kiss on his nose. You want Levi.exe to stop working? K.O’d? Do that.
Your favorite pet names for him are Leviachan, cutie, sweetie, handsome devil, baby boy, my sweet prince, etc. Anything that helps boost his confidence is a good pet name in your book.
During sex, Levi would hardly be able to form a coherent sentence, so I imagine your name would fall from his bitten lips like a mantra
If you’re into it, he would be down to call you master/mistress, 100%
Most of the time you call him baby boy and sweet boy and needy during sex. I HC that he’s very submissive and melts at your endearing yet dominating pet names for him.
We also know it’s canon that Levi has a degradation kink- so use it. Call him a whore, pervert, slut, needy bitch. He’ll let out the sweetest whines and whimpers.
“Levi, sweetie, I promise it’s okay. Nothing happened between Mammon and I. We just went shopping,” You gently explained to a very frazzled Levi.
He was sitting in his gaming chair, anime paused, arms crossed, avoiding your gaze, and pouting. A frown also adorned his troubled features.
He refused to answer you.
“Levi, please speak to me,” you tried again, reaching out to take ahold of his hand.
You offered your hand to him gingerly. He studied it for a moment, and then, with a blush beginning to spread across his cheeks, he complied and laced his fingers with yours. He heaved a sigh as you swiped your thumb against his hand soothingly.
“I know, MC. I trust you. It just makes my blood boil knowing you’re out with him instead of being with me....I don’t really blame you though, I guess. I’m a gross and yucky otaku. I wouldn’t want to hang out with me either,” he grumbled, his voice cracking near the end, along with your heart. You wished so badly he wouldn’t talk so down on himself all the time.
It was time to show Levi just how much he meant to you.
You surged forward to engulf your serpent-like boyfriend in a bone-crushing hug. He let out a squeak, his arms coming up in surprise.
“Leviachan, I wish you saw how much I love you. I love spending time with you. I love playing games with you. I love watching anime with you. I love listening to you rant and ramble about them. I love how passionate you are. You’re so cute when you get like that, yknow?” You murmured to him with as much love as you could muster.
Suddenly his arms were wrapped around you, hugging you tightly to him. He planted a kiss on the top of your head before nuzzling his nose into your hair.
“You normie,” he whispered, “you’re really too much. I think you’re the only person who can find my ranting endearing.”
You pulled away with a pretend frown on your face, lacing your fingers with his once more.
“Normie? Again? Really Leviachan? In what way am I a normie?” You prodded, grinning at him.
He blushed, looking down at your intertwined hands.
“I suppose you’re not really that much of a normie. You do nerd out with me, to be fair...” He grinned back at you- a genuine grin, at that. It warmed your heart.
Before you could say anything else, Levi surged forward to place a chaste kiss on your lips. It was gone as soon as it was there. You blinked, wide eyed at him. His face was ablaze- you didn’t think you had ever seen him so flushed. You didn’t even know he had the confidence in him to do that.
In a rare moment of softness, he whispered
“I love you, sunshine. I really do. I wouldn’t want anyone else to be my player 2.” 
Satan:
Satan is the absolute best in the business at hiding his true intentions; after all, all smiles are an act
Except... you actually stir up feelings of love within him, and it drives his curiosity through the roof
He appears to be very confident so his brothers opinions don’t really matter to him. He’s also awfully petty, so I imagine he moreso uses pet names for you around them to simply dangle in their faces that only he can do that
That doesn’t change the fact that every time you use a pet name for him, hes face flushes an adorable red before he sorts himself out
His favorite pet names for you are sweetheart, kitten, darling, little kitty, gorgeous, wildflower, and my sweet girl/sweet boy
We all know this man is into pet play, so his most used nicknames for you are kitten and little kitty. During and not during intimate times. 
During sex, Satan calls you all sorts of endearing terms- he’s a master of dirty talking. It’s filthy yet simultaneously charming. Kitten, darling, and your name roll off of his tongue the most. If you’re into it, he will definitely degrade you, calling you a needy whore, filthy slut, cumslut, cumrag, fuck toy, you name it and he’ll use it. He’d most likely be opposed to calling you a bitch- it feels too hurtful for him.
You love to call him handsome, my bookworm, stud(teasingly), good looking, and babe/baby. Each and every one earns a chuckle and a momentary blush from him, so it’s definitely worth it. 
Want his attention when he’s too busy reading? Call out his name a few times- he can hear you, but he chooses to ignore you. Bring out the pet names and he’ll be burying his blushing face into his book, completely flustered. He takes a moment to compose himself before tutting at you. You interrupted his very important reading- how naughty.
When Satan’s feeling dominant, he’s dominant. He demands that you call him Sir or Master during sex. He doesn’t mind being called Daddy, but it doesn’t get him going quite like the other two do. When he’s feeling more submissive, absolutely call him your handsome boy. Pet gets him riled up as well- use it from time to time.
You couldn’t believe just how beautiful the sight in front of you was. The stars in the Devildom seemed to burn brighter and more fiercely than the ones in the human world. You were almost entranced by them, not wanting to tear your eyes away from the gorgeous nighttime sky.
That is, until you felt the hand that was holding yours give a gentle squeeze. You quickly turned your head to make eye contact with his emerald gaze. The main emotion you could see in Satan’s eyes was adoration, and suddenly your heart was being squeezed as well as your hand.
Here you were, taking a late night stroll in the Devildom with Satan, the night sky painted with deep clouds and bright stars, and he was looking at you like you were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
He had taken you to what appeared to be a park. You walked along the path hand in hand as you took in every little detail. The deep greenish blue bushes were hiding little critters, the pond had a fountain that splashed around the deep blue water, there were bugs that looked and acted an awful lot like lightning bugs(Satan explained that they were practically the same except that these were called Hell Fire Bugs, were only found in the Devildom, and had little horns that adorned their head), there were giant flowers of golden and orange hues everywhere, and, to your delight, there was a little wooden bench sat right in the perfect spot.
“Satan, can we sit down?” You asked with a smile, motioning to the bench. “I love where it’s positioned; you can take in everything perfectly!” You peered up at him to see that a gentle smile was gracing his features. 
“Of course we can sit down, darling. Are your legs feeling tired of walking as well?” He pondered. After all, he wasn’t completely sure what a human’s threshold for walking distance was.
“Mm, a little bit,” you admitted, absentmindedly rubbing your arm. You’d gotten so caught up in his presence and the sights around you that you’d only just now noticed the beginning of a burning sensation in your legs.
“That’s a shame. I guess I’ll have to carry you to the bench then, huh, kitten?” He said, flashing you a sly smile.
Protests left your mouth but to no avail. You were already thrown over his shoulder, his long fingers resting on your bum, giving a gentle pat. He was comfortably warm, and you were lying if you said you couldn’t stay in his strong arms forever.
You were giggling, squirming, demanding that he put you down that instant- but you both knew how much you loved it. His grip tightened on you as a warning.
“Kitty, if you keep squirming, I’ll have to punish you. It’s not nice to deny my kind gestures.” He teasingly warned, giving a harsher smack to your bum. And at that, you huffed, but calmed down.
He gently set you down on the bench, caressing your face before sitting down next to you, reaching out to grab ahold of your hand once again. You gladly took his hand in yours, sighing contentedly as he swiped his thumb soothingly against yours.
You leaned in closer to him, pressing against his side, and placed a gentle peck on his cheek. His skin was so soft, so warm. Welcoming. You couldn’t have felt more safe, more comfortable, more at home than you did in this moment. He let out a light chuckle.
“Are you happy now?” He murmured, snaking an arm around your waist to pull you flush against his side. You curled your arms around his arm closest to you, resting your head on his broad shoulder. You breathed in deeply, taking in his calming scent. He smelled like old books and tea. “I couldn’t be happier.” You whispered out. Your heart was so full, you could hardly take it.
“Good, I’m glad,” He warmly responded, and began to absentmindedly play with your hair as you both enjoyed the scenery in a comfortable silence. 
“Hey, Satan?” You gingerly asked after a few minutes. He gave a hum in response.
“I wish we could stay like this forever.” You admitted, feeling your face heat up.
He craned his neck to peer down at you, you pulling away gently to look at him.
“You truly are something else. You want to stay with me, a demon, forever? Are you sure about that?” He inquired, secretly hoping you wouldn’t backtrack. And you didn’t.
“I’ve never been more sure in my life. I love you.” You whispered back.
His only response were gentle hands coming up to cup your face, his lips softly melting against yours.
Asmodeus:
Naturally, as the Avatar of Lust, pet names are his forte. He calls you pet names about as often as he tries to cop a feel- so, very often
He loves using them in front of anyone and everyone, shame just isn’t a word in his vocabulary. He finds cute nicknames incredibly endearing and genuinely wonders why everyone doesn’t feel the same way about them.
He high-key expects you to use pet names for him as well. Let EVERYONE know he’s your beautiful boy, dammit. Its obvious but it makes him feel happy, so you’re more than willing to comply. 
His personal favorite pet names for you include, but aren’t limited to, cherub, dear, little darling, angel face, doll face, honey/hun, bunbun, love bug, lover, and mi amor. 
He simply loves to do anything and everything you want him to do to please you, but he expects the same energy in return. 
So, during intimate times, if you want him to degrade you he will. It just isn’t his favorite thing to do- he’d rather worship you and make you feel on top of the world with honey dripping words. Therefore, during sex, he prefers to call you darling, baby, baby girl/baby boy, princess/my prince, beautiful, etc. If you want him to call you mommy/daddy, master/mistress, or sir/madam, he absolutely will. Anything to please you.
Your pet names of choice for him include asmobaby, asmo, lover boy, cutie, beau, charmer, eye candy, heart breaker, heart throb, etc.
“How’s my favorite heart breaker doing?” “Feeling a little frisky, are we, lover boy?” “You see that absolute eye candy over there? That’s my boyfriend”
During sex, you call Asmo anything and everything you want. He’s down to try and do anything, so he’s all yours. He’ll do the same for you. However, he does love being praised- so please use praising pet names for him like gorgeous, handsome, sexy, etc
The most passionate and intense lover you will ever have, and his endless pet names are only the tip *wink wink* of the iceberg. 
For once in the Devildom, you were freezing. Your nose was numb, red, just an icicle, really. 
Asmo had dressed you up with a pompom hat, fluffy earmuffs, and a giant puffy coat with gloves to match in attempts to keep you warm in the Devildom’s famous ice rink. Of course, his entire outfit matched yours with a lovely complimentary color. He figured it was enough for him, so surely his little cherub was warm and snug, right? Wrong. Somewhat wrong, anyway. You were still cold and made a point to complain about it to Asmo. 
“Dear, I promise I will warm you up as soon as we leave, just please do this for me?” He begged, holding your gloved hands in his own. His pinkish-yellow hued eyes stared into your own hopefully, and you knew you could never turn down those puppy eyes of his.
He cheered excitedly when you agreed and took you by the hand over to the rink. He turned around to face you, an expectant expression on his face. He took your hand and placed his lips on the backside, winking up at you, before murmuring, “Watch and learn mi amor!”
With wide eyes you watched as Asmo skated off, moving with incredible balance and grace. Every move was intentional; he looked stunning in this state. Here he was, skating a lutz, an axel, a salchow, everything. He was professional level talented, and he never told you! And, oh, yes, you. You could skate, but not well. 
“Asmobaby, I didn’t know you were so talented at this!” You exclaimed as he approached you, an accomplished smile adorning his features. You skated over to him, his hand reaching out to grab yours as you skated together side by side.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? I love how graceful it looks,” he responded, as you noticed how the tip of his nose was beginning to turn red. His breathing was still a little irregular, his breath coming out in puffs, the cold making the cloud of breath visible. He was so beautiful.
“Darling, if you keep staring at me like that, I won’t be able to control myself,” he teased, squeezing your hand.
You quickly averted your eyes, your face flushing at being caught.
“Oh, don't be embarrassed, MC! There’s nothing wrong with admiring beauty! I do it with you all the time, you know.” He winked, and you had to slap away a wandering hand, leaving a very pouty Asmo.
You attempted to get closer to give him a kiss to make up for it, but you lost your balance, falling right onto your bum. Asmo gasped, made sure you were okay, and then giggled at you.
“Asmo!! I just fell!! On ice!! And you’re laughing!” you feigned offense, resting your hand over your chest. “And I was going to give you a kiss, too!”
Asmo leaned down to help you up, murmuring, “You can’t help but fall for my charming self, hm, love bug?”, and pressed a loving kiss to your chilly lips. His nose bumped against yours, somehow still warm to the touch. You were so enraptured by his lips that you hadn’t even realized he’d gotten you back on your feet.
“How about we...continue this later?” Asmo whispered as you pulled away.
“Oh, you better. You promised to warm me up, lover boy” You huffed, beginning to skate off with him again. “Don’t have to ask me twice, doll. I’ll show you my love allllll night. Now, watch this next trick- it’s absolutely stunning!”
Beelzebub:
This wholesome boy honestly doesn’t understand pet names at first
“Why would I call you a baby, MC, you’re clearly a grown human??”
Even after you explain it to him, he still doesn’t really get it, but it makes you happy, and he’ll do anything to make you happy
When you tell him that he doesn’t have to call you baby/babygirl/babyboy, that he can use almost anything, he lights up.
“My cheesebur-” “No, Beel, anything but that”
Once he somewhat gets the gist of petnames, his preferred ones for you are love muffin, pumpkin, cookie, honey, sweetheart, gum drop, and cupcake
Occasionally calls you his cheeseburger just to enjoy your reaction
Please, please, please, don’t be mean about it. this baby's feelings are hurt so easily and he always means well 
You favorite pet names for him are Beel, beelzeburger,  big guy/big boy, bunny,/honey bun, bonbon, sweet boy, honeybee, Cookie Monster, and handsome
Each time you call him something other than his name, he blushes profusely, his lips upturned in a happy smile
Adores everything you call him, even if its incredibly cheesy because he loves cheese you chose those pet names for him specifically, and he feels honored
During sex, he’s so focused on how good it feels and trying to not hurt you that anything that comes to mind rolls off of his tongue when he speaks, which isn’t often
mainly calls you by your name, but he loves to use babygirl/babyboy if you like it
he also prefers for you to call out his name, as other names don’t really do much for him. if you’re into it, though, I'm sure he won't mind if you call him daddy. will be incredibly confused the first time you gasp it out though
“Huh? Is your father here? Or did you call me that? You’re not my child, though...?”
The music was loud- blaring, actually, and your head was beginning to ache.
Lord Diavolo was holding a party at his castle, with almost every one of his friends invited- it was a huge party. Everyone was sat down at tables or were out on the dance floor. Lucifer was chatting it up with Barbatos, Simeon, Luke(who was just following Simeon around), and Lord Diavolo, Satan was sipping some demonus while flipping through the pages of a book, absentmindedly chatting with Solomon, Mammon and Asmo were participating in some dance competition, Levi was playing his switch with his headphones on, and Belphie was napping on Beel’s shoulder. 
You were sitting at the table with Satan and Solomon, feeling particularly uninterested in their talk of spells and magic. The music was nice, and Mammon and Asmo looked like they were having fun, but you didn’t have the energy to tear it up on the dance floor. You heaved a sigh, feeling insufferably bored.
And that’s when your eyes landed on Beel. Belphie had his cow print pillow resting in the crook of Beel’s neck, snuggling himself into Beel. He was zonked. And poor Beel was munching on whatever food he had left on his plate, looking just as bored as you- at this rate, he wouldn’t have any food left, and soon. 
Making your mind up, you got up from the table and made your way over to Beel. As you got closer, Beel lifted his head at your approaching footsteps and smiled when he saw that it was you- you swore it made your heart beat faster.
“Gum drop! I was wondering when you would come over.” He smiled, motioning for you to take the seat next to him. Belphie continued to snooze on. 
“Actually, Beel, I was wondering if you wanted to go to the kitchen with me? Your supply on food is low, cookie monster ..” You murmured in his ear. He nodded, and went to wake up Belphie. Talking to him didn’t work, shaking didn’t work, nothing did. Beel carefully moved Belphie’s pillow on the table, his head now resting on Beel’s shoulder, and then gently moved Belphie’s head to rest on his pillow. He continued his little cat nap, completely unbothered. 
Beel stood up, took your hand in his, and led you to kitchen.
You lifted yourself up on the counter to sit, watching as Beel opened every cabinet and drawer, rummaging for something else to devour. He finally made his way to the fridge and freezer, and let out a delighted laugh when he discovered a pint of hellish nightshade ice cream.
“Wanna share?” He asked, smiling and showing you the ice cream container.
“Uh, Beel, can humans even eat nightshade? Won’t it kill me?” You inquired, fairly sure that nightshade would kill you dead.
“Oh, no, it won’t. Barbatos said there’s different kinds of nightshade that won’t hurt humans and Lord Diavolo made sure that everything here is human-proof!” He happily exclaimed, already grabbing two spoons. 
If it did kill you, well, that was Lucifer’s problem because you were gonna enjoy some ice cream with your boyfriend.
Beel began to happily eat the sweet treat, you taking bites whenever you could get your spoon in. He noticed you were having some troubles and shyly apologized, retreating his spoon so you could get a good bite.
And oh, you did. It was a heaping spoonful, resulting in ice cream getting on the corners of your mouth. You didn’t know why Beel was suddenly staring ravenously at you instead of the ice cream.
“You have ice cream on your mouth,” he murmured, leaning in closer to you, his face inches away from yours. Your breath sped up.
“Wanna help me clean it off?” Was all you needed to ask before his mouth was on yours, delicately licking off the ice cream. His hands rested gently on your waist, your own hands resting on his broad shoulders. He pulled back gently, a buzzing sound emanating from him.
“I always love your taste,” he exclaimed happily, blush spreading across his cheeks. 
You leaned back in for another syrupy sweet kiss, Beel all too happy to oblige.
Belphegor:
ah, our favorite eboy
he thinks pet names are cute and he really enjoys them, but he’ll never outwardly say that. he might mention it to you when you’re half asleep, though
gets all blushy blushy uwu when you use them around other people, but he doesn't mind. don't expect him to use them on you around other people, though- that's mostly for when you're alone
when he's really happy to see you or really sleepy he’ll use pet names for you regardless of who is around
he finds it to be very intimate so he likes keeping it to yourselves
his favorite pet names for you are dork, cuddle bug, star, teddy bear, and pillow pet
he loves stars and stargazing, and especially loves stargazing with you so he figured why not combine two things he loves and call you his star
he also loves to snuggle you, so you're practically his personal teddy bear- and he wouldnt have it any other way 
you're favorite pet names for him are cowboy, Little Dipper, cuddle monster, snuggle bug, belpharoo, belphie/belpie, and sleepy prince
during sex, belphie likes to call you his cowgirl when he's feeling more dom. he seems like a bratty power bottom/sub, so he’ll call you master/mistress, mommy/daddy if you like that, but he’ll give you shit for it. other than that, your name falls from his lips in breathy moans and whines
you tend to call him baby boy, sweet prince, brat, good/bad boy, naughty boy during sex. he loves being called a bad/naughty boy, PLEASE do it, it really gets him going 
You woke with a start, eyes blinking a few times as you looked around you. You had fallen asleep in the Planetarium. stargazing with Belphie. Oh yeah, Belphie. You turned your head to see he was still fast asleep, holding onto your arm with a death grip. You knew waking him would be fun.
“Belphie? Bellphiiieeeee...” You whispered in his ear, which earned you a little bit of stirring from him. 
“Belpharooooo, it’s wakey time,” You said a bit more loudly, beginning to rub his shoulder.
His eyes fluttered open sleepily, his amethyst gaze meeting yours warmly. He stretched his arms out with an adorably soft yawn, his shirt riding up to expose his soft yet toned abdomen. He gave you a sleepy smile.
“I love waking up to the sight and sound of you, teddy bear” he murmured out, clinging onto you once again, nuzzling his face into the crook of your neck. Your own arm was wrapped around him, the other coming up to lazily play with his hair. He let out an almost purring sound, attempting to get as close to you as possible.
“Uh uh, Belphie, we can’t go back to sleep yet. We’re still in the Planetarium- let’s go to bed, okay my sleepy prince?” You cooed, patting his back to get him to sit up.
With a huff, he sat up, but demanded you pull him up by his arms, giving you the sweetest smile in return. He complained the entire way to his and Beel’s room, his hand gripping yours loosely as you lead him forward.
Beel wasn’t there when you arrived which disappointed you both a bit, but you figured he’d be back soon and with some snacks, too, so that was a plus.
Immediately Belphie flopped onto his bed, hardly giving you enough time to crawl into bed beside him before he cocooned himself with blankets. He turned to face you, eyes glazed over, and yawned once more. You yawned in return, the both of you giggling. His amethyst eyes never left you, even when his hair fell into his face. You gently brushed the strands of navy blue hair out of his eyes, giving him a soft smile as his own hand came up to keep your hand pressed against his face. He nuzzled into your hand, sighing happily, before you wrapped your arms around him loosely. 
“Goodnight, teddy bear” he murmured as you both drifted off to sleep once more.
A few hours had passed when you woke again , only to find that Belphie had not only pushed you to the edge of the bed, but had also stolen all of the covers and blankets. You were chilly without either of those. 
You shook him, earning a groan from the sleepy demon. 
“Belphie I love you but I swear I will execute you if you don’t give some blankets back” you lightheartedly threatened, opting to lay your body across his.
“I don't know what you’re talking about,” he murmured, nuzzling further into his pillows.
“Oh no, you don’t. I literally have no covers! You have all of them! I’m freezing!” you exclaimed desperately. 
He poked his head out of his cocoon, a mischievous glint in those amethyst eyes, his hair sticking up in random spots.
“If you want a blanket so bad, then come get one from me.” He dared you, a smile playing on his sleepy features.
You immediately began your assault by tickling his sides, which resulted in him laughing, gasping, and trying to swat you away. You began giggling with him, not stopping your violent attack on the poor helpless demon. Your torture went on for a few minutes before he finally gave in. 
“Okay, okay! I give in! You can have all the blankies you want, I swear!” he puffed out heavily, tears forming in his eyes from being tickled and laughing so much.
You smiled triumphantly as he let you into his little blanket cocoon, immediately becoming engulfed by warmth and his scent. You were waiting for both of your breaths to even out as you heard a low voice say,
“Hey, I know you guys love each other and all but it’s 4am and I’m kinda trying to sleep”
You looked at Belphie, holding back a giggle as he gave an apology to poor Beel. 
You snuggled up to Belphie once again, beginning to feel sleep take over your body for the 3rd time that day. You fell asleep before Belphie, so you never felt the soft kiss he planted on your forehead and the sweetest “I love you so much” he whispered in your ear.
I hope you enjoyed this! I loved finally writing for all of the brothers- It was so much fun figuring out how to incorporate their personality into my own writing style. Let me know if you’d like me to do a version of this with the undateables! As always, all feedback is appreciated. <3
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albino-whumpee · 3 years
Text
Introduction
Superhero whump for practice and to set me into a writing mood again. Or a creating mood again. Idk anymore. Hope you like it! Also to fill my @badthingshappenbingo card, with prompt “pinned by wreckage”
This is a series 
Masterlist
CW// blood, villain whumpee, superhero caretaker, gruff caretaker, enemies to friends?, murder mention, dub con bondage, impaled limb, defiant whumpee, field medicine and captivity.
Among the gravel and devastation, someone sweated the big drop just trying to get to someone. The quiet was made of the crackling fire and rocks sliding under their step; their “friends” long gone to be celebrated for their did. After years of endless, tiresome battles, they had brought Villain down.
However the hero that had turned off the microphone on the collar around their neck wasn’t sure their team had been heroic at all.
Villain had self destructed after being surrounded without escape. Fearing what they might do with them once captured, they blew up their whole base. Or that’s what the leader told the rest.
Hero spent hours after dawn searching. Digging and clinging to any little sound. After a few hours of smelling nothing but dust and their own blood, they found them. The hero’s breathing slowed looking at villain so utterly defenseless, dirty with blood pooling below them because of how a piece of the fallen building impaled one of their arms, and still somehow, when Hero got closer, was able to pull a scowl.
“Don’t get any closer, hero…” they said between laboured pants.
“Can you stop me?” They stepped forward regardless of their hissing. Hero was slightly amused of Villain recoiling their legs closer, away from their reach. “You lost, Villain”
Their eyes widened before pressing their lips into a tight line “Not yet, I… Im not yet-º
“There’s nothing left. It’s done” they cut them off, now towering over them. “And if you don’t treat that arm you will be done for, too”
“What?” Villain blurted out as Hero placed their hands over the metal structure “The hell are you doing?! Get off!” They screamed throwing weak punches at Hero’s legs and shins. They pushed with all their strength, grunting under their breath and panting harder before wheezing out of the effort. A few drips of blood stained hero’s boots “You’re not taking me to lock me up. That’s. Not. Happening.” they snarled with the fury of a wild animal that’s desperately fighting to get off a hunter’s trap. “Not when I was so close… I won’t let that happen!”
Hero looked from above at the pitiful image of their enemy trying to pointlessly push them away while taking their last breaths.
“They told me to leave you to die” Hero admitted suddenly. Catching villain off guard and throwing them off enough to make them look up at them in surprise. “If I found you alive, they told me to kill you slowly. If I found you half dead, to watch and bring your corpse” Hero’s dark eyes usually had a gleam Villain despised. But hopefulness wasn’t on the eyes that looked down on the dirty villain before them. Both of them knew that but Villain sighed a harsh breath.
After a long moment, Villain kept their eyes trained down, they spoke in a weak voice “They said I…ah, deserved that, didn’t they?”
“Yes”
Villain stilled and their bleeding arm tensed up, blood speeding down at the pressure before Villain released with a whimper. Their voice was empty and completely uncharacteristic of the Villain they knew “Maybe you should listen to them”
“Maybe” the hero said placing their hands over the metal again, firmly buckling their elbows in preparation “But if we’re done dealing with you I can choose for myself” they continued at the same time they freed their arm and Villain cried out.
Villain cradled their injured arm close, losing energy by the second and already tired out from the previous battle, Hero didn’t have to use their super strength to treat their injuries with the medical glue. An sticky white material that was applied with a gun and acted as a plug to stop the bleeding on deep injuries. They had pierced their arm in two sections, forearm and triceps, too close to the center and maybe too dangerous to have only the glue working when Villain was that pale from blood loss. They had to get somewhere else and get better treatment.
But Villain made one last effort to avoid their fate being suddenly placed on Hero’s hands, trying to jump away and falling into a pit filled with water from a busted out pipe. They crawled. Or tried to, but they had no more energy to lift themselves up the ground. Consciousness slipping, they felt themselves get scooped up, a warmth they despised, firmly against their cheek as the world turned white around the edges.
In Hero’s back, with the sway of their trot over the remains of their base, Villain cried helplessly. After so long, it was really over. Them and their work and everything they longed for was…gone. They could see the devastation beyond the ruins. They knew they were no saint, but now after losing, had it been worth it? All the sacrifices made?
They had dreams they took a long, long time to even imagine them. Much more setting them into motion. But they weren’t on the side that get their dreams realized, were they?
“Why?” Villain suddenly asked as Hero was getting back to their airship hidden in the woods, now just a few dead branches from the aftershock of the buildings collapsing.
“Why what?”
Villain couldn’t even find it in them to open their eyes. No energy left to fight either. There was no point now “You’re a…special kind of naive for…helping me when you’re killing me anyways” they said, controlling their breathing to not give out how tired they were. Hero probably already knew, anyways, by how they hanged limp on their back.
“Im not killing you”
“Same thing as locking me up” Hero stayed quiet a second. The sound of their boots crunching the dirt and loose branches didn’t stop.
“I won’t do that either”
Villain laughed wryly “Not just naive but stupid too”
“Guess stupid people stick together” Hero stopped a second to readjust their grip on Villain. A careful hop that let their head rest against their broad back, before they continued and Villain heard the engine of the airship.
“Dunno, your squad isn’t here…” Villain’s stomach churned at the frustration of getting carried into their enemy’s ship, hopelessly under their mercy. Just about to fill every nightmare they had relentlessly tried to avoid. But there was something about the way Hero laughed as they carefully laid them on the bed with nylon belts that ignited a doubt, a little spark of hope that Villain shoved down. In a situation like that hope didn’t have room anymore.
“I wasn’t talking about them” Hero said before eyeing the belts and sighing. Trouble noticeable in their face before deciding to speak again “We will fly to get you help but I need you to be still. I’m sorry but I’ll have to restrain you”
Villain snorted and gave a breathy laugh that ended in them pressing their mouth shut trying to cover the wince of pain from moving their arm. “Your lot never asked before” Villain shakily crossed their arms over their chest, and a dark thought tingled on Hero’s mind. Villain seemed to know exactly how the restraints of the airship worked already. They had never managed to capture them so why..? Villain panted harder and Hero pulled their attention on cinching the belts around them. Over their legs and the three over their chest, careful of the injured arm and passing one over their forehead. They were leaving to the cabin, when Villain talked again. “Neck. You forgot”
“My, you’re chattier than I thought” Hero said not moving an inch to buckle the belt over their neck. Villain opened their eyes and looked up at the metal ceiling, unable to turn or toss their head around. Only barely able to recline their head back a little. Honestly surprised to not been muzzled already.
They smiled at the inverted image of Hero “Just enjoying freedom as long as I can”
“Im not- “ Hero rubbed their temples before sighing long “We will talk about this later, but You can be sure of something, Villain” Hero said walking to the pilot seat and retracting the wheels as they heard the other take a deep breath and wince because of the constriction if the belts. As Hero’s ship went up and prepared for quick transport they added “I’m not giving up on you. Everyone can change”
Villain felt the pull on their stomach they knew so well and closed their eyes. Focusing on keeping an steady breath to not give in to panic.
“We’ll see about that”
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the-crows-typist · 3 years
Note
Since your latest post says you’re back, I’d like to request a ficlet with Azul x F!mc with the random word as curious. I’m so glad to hear you’re back as I really enjoy your writings, thank you 😊!
Thanks a lot Anon, I hope you like this piece of mine.
CW: Minor mention of bullying, Angst with a Happy Ending, minor mention of wound, wound healing and potential OOC
Word count: 3,435
The Possibilities are Endless
“I made a promise to you.”
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Curiosity. Inquisitive, wondering, ready to poke around and figure something out. Around him, all he ever saw the deep blue, the seagrass, the fish he could easily catch with one of his tentacles. Octopi like his were curious by nature and often to a slightly violent extent. He would peak his head over the surface, watching the seagulls cry overhead and the humans walking over planks of wood. In the disguise of the night, the young boy could always watch humans at their most natural and most vulnerable and wonder to himself what life would be like had he been born a human.
He doubted it would be any different from the life he lived day today.
As fun as learning was, it was boring not being able to share it with those who cared. Time with his classmates was bad during classes and all the more during recess but during the times Azul could escape their grasp quick enough, he would swim to lonely areas around the school to read and write his learnings in discarded shells, flipping through page after page of borrowed books from the library learning and taking in the information written on paper. 
His hand halted on a picture of children playing; the light brown color of dirt, the bright colors of shirts and dress, the happy yet dirtied faces of the youth who continued to pass the ball to one another. The young octopus' shoulders hung low, his eyes training down and at nothing. Would his life be that different had he been born human? Would he be able to play with the other children had he been given two legs instead of eight?
There was a sniffle and Azul's rubbed his eyes, forcing himself to breathe slowly. Suddenly something hit his head, something like and equally small. A red sandal floated down to his lap, a kid's shoe. From above, a shadow loomed over him, and on instinct, he gathered his things and rushed to the nearest hiding place. There was the smell of blood in the water, the boy taking courage to peek from the safety of his hiding place.
A girl whose hair flowed in the water like a ribbon speared a fish right through, her mouth covered with a breathing apparatus, eyes protected with goggles, and a red sandal missing from her left foot. Azul looked at the Sandal at his hand then to the girl who expertly drove her spear into another fish. He had never seen a human this up close before and with that spear, he could easily get hurt…Looking at her again, she reached down, patting her empty foot while bubbles released from her breathing gear.
The boy moved slowly and glided through the water while leaving all but the sandal behind. He stopped in his tracks when she turned around, her eyes shined brilliantly behind the foggy looking goggles and immediately trained to the sandal in his hands. 
"Y-yours…?"
He offered the sandal to her, both hands holding it up. She nods her head, taking the shoe from him and slipping it back on. Her hand moved, palm motioning him to follow and finger pointing up. Come with me. He hesitated for a moment, knowing that she came to the sea to hunt and with a spear full of nearly dying fish didn't help her image any better. He pointed at the spear to his chest, finger pushing to the skin and she shook her head. At that moment, she took his wrist and swam up with a swarm of warm bubbles floating around them. Azul wondered if following this human girl to the surface was a good idea if leaving the school so suddenly was all right but seeing her hold him without disgust…
It struck a chord with him.
She gasped when they broke the surface, the sun beating down on them from high above. It was the middle of the day, a time when sailors slept and the water becomes calm. Next to them was a small boat where the girl threw her spear in along with her gear. Without the goggles, he could see her clearly, she had eyes like molten gold and hair stringy like seagrass. "I'm sorry I had to bring you up here with me. My oxygen was running out and I couldn't hear you." 
"It's okay." He said softly, his eyes lingering to the boat then to her. "Um…Did you come here to look for fish?" 
"Yup. Fish are easier to catch than chickens or boar." She laughed, her teeth shiny and smile wide, it was cute and Azul couldn't help but sink into the water to hide his blush. "But it kinda does suck when they're really small, though. I wish I could capture bigger fish so I can have a feast but usually, adults have to do it or I get pulled in trying to catch it." 
"Like groupers?" He asked. "The big kind?" 
"Yeah! Those are really big and taste good too. A light grilling and some salt really go a long way." Azul looked down at the water again as the human moved to chuck her shoes into the small boat. "What's your name, by the way?"
"Azul."
"Like the color blue?"
 
"Huh?" The girl looked to the side and Azul's heart sped up, thinking he said something wrong. "I saw this book once that your name means blue. I was just wondering if that's the reason why you have that name. Your eyes are pretty blue, too." 
"I can ask my parents later…" 
Their brief meeting was cut short when a voice from afar yelled, the girl quickly getting onto the boat as it waddled in the water. "I'll wait for your answer tomorrow. Can I see you here again?" She asked, her wet face smiling down at him and he nodded. "Great! Bye, Azul!" With a snap of her fingers, the small anchor pulled up and the boat sped away with a torrent of water. The two of them waving goodbye as the distance between them grew and grew.
"Tomorrow…"
When he got back to the classroom, the teacher scolded him for being late and the usual pattern of torment began again but somehow the promise he made with the girl with the golden eyes made him push through. He didn't sleep easy that night, especially with the excitement he held in his heart. He couldn't wait for tomorrow. He couldn't wait to see her.
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Their new meeting place was along the rocky cavern where she could sit and on her lap was a book propped up for him to see. Her finger pointed at a word. "See? Azul. It means blue in different languages." Azul leaned against the rocks' the push and pull of the water against his dark skin. "It's a possibility. I never really thought about it that way." 
It was his turn to show her something, a shell with scribbles of writings. They figured early that books from underwater were not easy to bring on land so Azul immediately switched to the gathered shells he had. "I like to read grimoires sometimes and I put anything I find interesting into a shell. Any spell I like is in there."
Taking the shell from his palm, the girl took a look at it and reading its inscriptions. "This spell…"
Azul nodded his head. "It's a spell to change the color of something. It can be anything too." 
"Can I try it out?"
"Can you do magic?"
"A little bit." 
"Do it."
 
Taking a small rock into her hand, the girl looked to the shell to recite the color-changing spell. "Like a rainbow in your palm and voice ever calm, may the item you wish to change be yours to arrange." The rock began to glow, reflecting a myriad of colors like glass under the summer sun. Its shine subsided, the stone suddenly a deep blue. She held it up, staring into it. "Wow…"
"Pretty neat, huh?" Azul smiled up at her when she nodded. "This is super cool! What else do you know, I want to show this to my family later." It was shell after shell of small spells that almost lit up the cavern they stayed in and soon, the floor was littered with shining rocks and off-color stones. The girl sighed, trying to regain her breathing while Azul collected the shells to his chest. "You shouldn't use your magic all willy nilly, you might overblot." 
"That's okay. I'm strong, I can't overblot!"
Azul's grimace and amusement weren't hidden and the two laughed with each other, their soft voices echoing through the empty cavern.
 
"Will I see you here again, Azul?"
There was a silence between them, a beat of hesitation, but Azul leaned against the soft rock with a smile. "If only you bring another book with you."
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The next day, she was late to the meeting but Azul paid no mind to it. In her hands was a big book about mountains and their animals and on her knee was a scratch. "Are you okay?" he asked, pointing his nubby finger at her wound to which he just shook her head. "The kids I play with can be rowdy at times but I didn't want to play with them anymore after that." She set the book down and opened it. 
He looked at her eyes, those pretty gold eyes of hers, and his shoulders hunched a small bit. He knows those eyes. When they droop and look at nothing when the brows are low and furrowed.
 
"Hold still."
With a careful hand and concentrated magic, Azul continued to look at her knee as he let magic flow from within him to her knee. The skin began to close and the pain had subsided, her eyes widened while his closed. 
"Azul?"
He opened his eyes, a hand had stroked his drying hair. He pushed himself too much, it seems, and his friend took to letting him rest against the rocks. Her smile was soft and her eyes no longer looking like they were before, the eyes were warm and the brows relaxed. The wound on her knee was smaller now.
"Thanks." She told him, bringing her legs to her chest. "Here. I'll tell you about elephants."
He leaned in further, careful not to wet the book. "Huh, they're different from the ones we have in the sea."
"Sea elephants, right?"
"Yup. They're all blubbery and have really large noses. We don't usually see them around here but I heard they can get pretty mean." He looks down at the rock in thought. "But they are pretty big like land elephants." The girl closes the book with a huff. "I'll take your word for it. Now, show me what you've got."
Smiling, he set a few shells down. 
"Here's the spell I saw today—."
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Azul rested on the rocks, his hand tracing the markings on the shells he brought. The cavern was empty and silent, his mind whirling to the girl he was supposed to meet in that same spot. He turned the shell over and traced his finger on the grove patterns. 
"Azul, sorry I'm late." 
She came in, drenched in water. "What happened?" He asked suddenly and she just smiled at him, a smile he didn't exactly trust was telling the truth. "I just thought to take a shower on the way here, that's all." His eyes followed her as she sat down with a book on her lap. "Was it the kids again?"
Her shoulders slumped and her lips were pursed. "I…They get rowdy. I thought I could outrun them." She took a look at her drenched form with an awkward laugh. "But at least the book is safe. It's about plants this time." Azul continued to stare at them, blinking and nudging the shells forward. "You protected the book from them, didn't you?" 
"I did." With a watery smile, she nodded her head and brows furrowed. "…I did."
She clutched the book closer to her chest and Azul reached over to pat her good knee. "Azul, you'll always be here, right? You're never going to stop being my friend, right?" Golden eyes mixed with clear glass, her voice sounded so desperate and broken that Azul couldn't help but feel the sadness drip from her lips. He squeezed her knee just a little bit. 
"I will. I promise."
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The next time they met, they were on the small boat they met in with Azul holding onto its bamboo fixtures. "What's life like in the sea?" She asked suddenly, her feet paddling against the water. "It's mostly wet and there's a lot of fish around…" Azul began, his eyes downcast at the water below. "School is like a record and people can be mean sometimes, you have to look out for sharks of giant squids, and the currents are sometimes a butt to deal with." 
Her golden eyes flickered for a moment and she chuckled, eyes closed, smile light, and brows furrowed. "Not much different from life on land, huh? But having pretty fins or tentacles seems fun too." She looks to Azul and for a second she hesitates. 
"Can you turn me into one?" 
He is silent for a moment, surprised and confused why someone on land would want that. "Um…" He stuttered, his face flushed and eyes downcast. "I don't think…My magic can do that, yet." Her golden eyes remained warm and she shook her head. "I'm just kidding." 
Yet Azul had a feeling she wasn't. 
"Is it because of the kids?" He asked curiously but she stayed silent, opting not to answer and instead asked a question in return. 
"You'll always be my friend, right?"
He nodded his head without a second thought but was confused why she would think to ask that. 
"I…I will. Of course, I will."
She rubbed her knee, feeling for the closed wound and sniffling after being exposed to the cold water of yesterday.
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He waited in the cavern the entire day, waiting for her to show up. His shells were prepared but with no one to look at them. He should have known this would happen, he should have known it was too good to be true. He sulked against the smooth rock and felt the washed brush and leave his back. She never came. 
Had he done something wrong? She would have told him.
Perhaps she got bored of him…The spells he showed were the most basic as they come, it wasn't enough. Azul pulled away from the rocks and looked deeper into the empty cavern. Something cold froze his insides yet licked his body like fire, he felt his eyes sting. 
He should have known better.
He left the shells on the edge and went back to sea, never looking back from the place he once held hope in. He forced himself not to cry. He forced himself not to feel sad and only let his feels show when he found himself in his special spot.
He covered his face, remembering their chance meeting, her red sandal, and golden eyes. He remembered her smile, the promise they made. Azul shook his head, telling himself to forget. Forget. FORGET!
Suddenly, a piece of seaweed hit his head and the voice of two boys whispered above him. "I told you that wasn't a trashcan, Floyd." One chided. "What, I'm just gonna throw wherever this and get in trouble? C'mon Jade." He swats the piece of seaweed out of the pot and popped his head out. "Do you mind?"
"Ack!" 
Two eels floated before him and one's eyes were wide in surprise and the other the mix of amusement and a face that just oozes of 'I-told-you-so' energy.
"I'm not a trash can, I'm your classmate." 
"Huh? Oh wait, you're the one we have science class with." The culprit said, pointing a sharp finger at him. "What's your name again?"
"Azul. Azul Ashengrotto."
"Okay, Octie."
"It's Azul!"
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His life turned around when he met the twins, the power that he grew was immense. While Azul was not good at sports as much as the twins; he excelled in books, in his studies, in business. His power allowed him to grant favors, to hold power over those once thought to be strong. For once in his life, no one thought to ever look at him as the stupid, lonely octopus he was once was nor did anyone think to lay a hand on him. 
And things were fine that way.
But more often than not, he would catch himself thinking about the girl he once became friends with and wondering what she was doing or if that wound on her knee was doing okay. Even after the sudden departure, their brief friendship never left his mind nor did the memories lose their sweetness. His feelings were a mix of resentment, curiosity, or sadness, and even guilt.
He would look up from the seafloor to the shining surface above and wonder if she would be there waiting.
"Azul, there's someone who wants to see you." Says Jade.
But the business was always his priority. He turned away from the surface but his heart never could. "Coming." He swam away but his feelings stayed in one place, yearning and hating for the day he'll come to see her.
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Though time heals wounds, the bitter sting of remembrance was something he disliked immensely. Azul's trips to the sea were less frequent and when he did, it was usually to visit his family and help around. With school done for the year and the family business running smoothly, there wasn't much he could do now but bide away his time. 
He swam through the open ocean, his legs propelling him around the deep blue. He would resurface no long after to look at the sun and the water around him, his eyes adjusting to the sudden appearance of light after he had been in the dark blue depths long. It was noon, a time when fishermen slept and left the waters quiet. 
He swam in a certain direction, to a place he once knew. A cavern-like entrance where he pulled himself up and bare feet touching the ground. For the short time he had spent there, he had memorized every crevice and detail.
"It's like it never changed." 
He walked further in and looked in the deepest nook, he saw a tinge of color. Old shells packed into a neat pile, his old shells that he gave away to his friend. Looking back on it, he realized the two of them went through the same thing and wishing the same wishes. She was just more vocal about them.
He picked one up from the pile, it was the spell that allowed an object to change its color. 
"Ah, this one takes me back."
Even how short their friendship was, he had fun just talking to her. While it was sad he never got to see her again after that day, he enjoyed it while it lasted. He returned the shell to its pile and moved to turn around, a figure stopped blocked his path.
Red sandals, eyes like melting gold, hair stringy from seawater, and a spear with two fish held to their side.
"Azul?" Her voice was just as he remembered.
The moment was short and Azul's breathing stopped for only a few seconds. A warmth passed through him, a wave of nostalgia. "You're back." He said, his shoulders bobbing through his airy laughs "I waited for a long time, y'know? Now look at us, we're bigger now." She discarded her spear to the ground and ran towards him, one of her sandals leaving her food as he hugged him. 
 
No words were said between them, their arms looping around each other in an embrace both seemed to be ready and yearning for. Her nose buried into his shoulder and his hands in her wet hair. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'm so sorry I left. I just couldn't—I had to leave. I wanted to go to you but—! She sputtered into your skin. "I had no time left to say goodbye. I'm sorry."
"I made a promise, didn't I?" He said, pulling away from her.
Their foreheads connected, ah, how long had it been since he felt so vulnerable? There were so many things he wanted to say and he knew she also felt the same. Perhaps another time the two of them could put two and two together. 
"I'll always be here."
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calpops · 4 years
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falling facade | c.h.
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part six: falling feelings
part one: falling flowers | part two: falling freedom | part three: falling fears | part four: falling failures | part five: falling fame
5k words
Copyright © 2020 calpops. This original work is not allowed to be reposted on any platform in any format (translations included).
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“What’s this?”
Calum’s attention swiftly turned from cleaning his house and getting it ready for his parents arrival to Arden. She stood in the kitchen, facing the fridge with a timid hand outreached to the door. He knew exactly what caught her attention and prompted the question. He bit back a smirk as he left the throw blanket he was folding in favor of sidling up to her, hip pressing into the cabinets and a nonchalant hand finding the cool marble of the countertops. Her fingers lingered on familiar paper and she turned to face him with a raised eyebrow.
“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten your own work,” Calum teased and let his smirk come back full force.
She let out a small giggle through her interrogation and shook her head. “Okay wise guy. Why is it on display on your fridge door?”
The paper placemat Arden had quickly drawn Calum in in red crayon and sharp lines laid under a magnet on the face of his fridge. He had fished it out of his wallet the night before, not having forgotten it in the folds but keeping it around in an attempt to remind himself of what was real. Their time at the diner was the first of many escapes. It was a comfort to know something honest and authentic stayed with him when he was forced to lie through his teeth; to fabricate stories during interviews, to pose for social media and paparazzi. It was of him and drawn by her in a moment that no one else got to share. It was theirs and theirs alone.
“Because I’m still waiting for a painting to put on the wall. I thought that’d be a good place holder and reminder,” he said and shot a pointed look at the blank living room wall; the empty space above the fireplace begging for life of lively colors and loose waves created by Arden’s hands. It was front and center. A place Calum would be able to see it from almost any position in the living area of his home. He continued in a teasing tone, “you should really get to it.”
Their conversation on the beach about the Clifford house hallway once being lined with Arden’s art only to be replaced by band accolades hadn’t escaped Calum. His request of a painting reminiscent of sunset on the beach wouldn’t go forgotten or be replaced. Arden nodded, the motion was slow and her gaze was indecisive, fingers abandoning the placemat to curl at her sides. A forced shrug lifted her shoulders.
“You know painting is just a hobby for me, right? They’re nothing special,” she said, her voice became meek and her eyes averted his gaze.
Calum was picking up on subtle queues. Her usual ability to hold eye contact faltered when anything about her life was in question. The strength of her words felt weak and weary as if there was a weight crushing her; taking away her usual eloquent articulation and animation. Calum eyed her for a moment, took a peek at the drawing on the fridge and turned back to her.
“Just a hobby,” he replied to the first half of her statement. “That you enjoy and are really good at.”
She smirked, finally looked directly at him once more and raised an eyebrow in challenge. “I also enjoy dancing while I clean and singing in the shower but I assure you I have no rhythm and am not the Clifford sibling blessed with vocal abilities. Sometimes we just do things; whether we’re good at them or not.”  
Calum didn’t know if he had the ability to challenge her further, to push her and make the strength in her voice falter again. So he changed the subject and took her mind away from replaced paintings and feelings of inadequacy and back to lighthearted teasing tones that lifted weight off the reality they were living. Just like moments in the car where their situation became a joke, Calum changed gears in hopes it would make her smile and quip back at him.
“So you won’t be singing at our wedding then,” he said with an over dramatic sigh and side eye; found that his plan rewarded him with a smile and a laugh.
“No, I’ll save that for you,” she replied and twisted the ring that Calum was becoming accustomed to seeing on her finger. The diamond was still much too gaudy and unlike her but it felt familiar and Calum was unable to picture her without it. “If you’re lucky maybe I’ll show you my dancing on our honeymoon.”
Now Calum’s cheeks were warm and tinting with a blush that spoke of the implications her words held; watched as she skipped away from him with a sarcastic laugh following her to the living room where she finished folding the abandoned throw blanket. Calum didn’t have a comeback or rebuttal though his thoughts were filled and alarm bells tried their best to ring through the haze. He shook himself, tried to blow those thoughts away and nearly jumped at the sudden knock on the door. For a moment he feared it was their parents arriving early, interrupting their plan to work out what details they would and would not share with them during their suspected inquisition. But he rationalized and realized it was Michael, he was to arrive early to be in on the details. He wasn’t sure if Michael’s arrival was better or worse.  
***
Calum’s arm found its way around Arden’s shoulder in an all too natural sense. It fit a little too perfectly, was a little too easy and normal. Eyes were on them, parents and siblings; eyes that questioned and eyes that knew but had inklings of wonder clouding them. Michael had agreed to keep up the charade though he made a point that he wouldn’t like it and they both owed him big time. Calum’s arm around Arden was all part of the act but Calum could tell Michael was pondering why it was so easy for them to pull off. He could also see the doubt in his sister’s frown and hoped the panic wasn’t so clearly written on his face. He knew he wasn’t standing with his usual confidence, posture a bit slumped and weight bearing into the cabinet behind him. But Arden eased into his side and loosely held his hand; helped to settle the nerves that simmered and sparked with their families arrival.
“What’s this?” His sister Mali asked, repeating Arden’s earlier words verbatim, touching the same place mat secured to the fridge in the same exact way.
A small grin captured the corners of Calum’s mouth. There were a lot of things he felt he wasn’t prepared to answer or could have thought out more, but Arden’s art wasn’t among them. He knew exactly what to say.
“Arden drew it. On our first date,” he offered and felt the shift of Arden moving to look up at him.
“First date?” She wondered aloud, eyes meeting and holding gazes as she arched her eyebrow in question and amusement.
“At the diner,” Calum began and blew out a breath, hand gliding down her arm as he got lost in the role; caught up in a new game where control really did land in their own hands. He offered truths veiled with something more and something less. He shifted his gaze back to Mali who was eyeing them both; sizing them and their story up. “She told me to sit still and hid it from me until it was done. I’m keeping it up until she gives me a real painting.”
Mali nodded but her eyes squinted and lips pursed for a moment. She took a few seconds to accept the truth and offer a smile before wandering off in search of Duke; past their parents congregated in the dining area. Calum let out a deep breath, all the nerves that felt on the edge of exploding calmed at his sister’s acceptance. Neither Calum or Arden moved from their position, his arm still held her close and her hand didn’t drop from its hold. If asked by Michael later it would be out of necessity. If Calum was honest with himself it’d be a source of comfort.
“Here I thought our first date was the wedding,” Arden whispered, nose twitching as she blushed a timid pink. She stayed quiet so no one else could hear her words but her eyes were wide and told Calum truths no one else would understand. “Your way we got engaged before we even started dating.”
She let out a small giggle and the sound was enough to collide with Calum’s nerves and make the slight alteration of the truth come to life and feel real. Maybe their first date was the wedding, maybe it was an escape in a run down diner, maybe it was a night under the stars during a dying party where inhibitions roamed free. Maybe they hadn’t been on a date at all. What Calum knew was whether the scenarios were real or fake there was something building within him that he couldn’t control or deny.
“We didn’t need to date before we got engaged,” Calum whispered back, eyes averting to the dining room for a split second to ensure their privacy. Their parents still lingered and made small talk; Michael did his best to act as the host. “It was love at first sight, right?”
Arden shook her head, tendrils of hair fell into her face that Calum felt comfortable enough to push back behind her ear this time. She bit her lip and pushed away from the counter their backs were pressed against; Calum worrying for a moment she was also pushing away from him, but she stayed under his arm and her hand firmly held his.
“I’ve known you most my life. I don’t think we fell in love when we were six.”
“Love at second first sight then,” he amended with a laugh; wondering if there might be some validity to that statement.
During their time in the face of the facade Calum often found himself thinking of the first night he had seen Arden again. The house party was ingrained in his memory and the subtleties of her under moonlight stayed with him in vivid flashes and familiar words. He hadn’t known it upon second first sight, not in that split second when their eyes met across the yard and she offered a recognized head nod, but it started to become apparent with backs pressed to the siding, drinks gone empty and pouty lips begging for a favor.
Calum let Arden lead him into the dining area where they were met with an unexpected outcome. Mali’s slight doubt and questioning was drowned out by the belief of their parents. The stories they fed them seemed to win them over; made them excited at the prospect of their children finding each other and falling in love. Though it was quick and unprecedented—with phone calls and circumstances that felt nothing short of suspicious—their parents were blinded by what they assumed was their children’s happiness. Happy. Proud. Excited. All of those words floated around them in a barrage of parental chatter. Calum felt the shift in Arden before he saw it; the way she stiffened against his side, her hold loosening on his hand and the shift of weight from one foot to the other and back again in a rhythmic sway of uncertainty. He wondered if it was anxiety, if the situation wasn’t okay, if there was underlying guilt brimming to the surface.
They made it through dinner, most of the time was spent in a haze that passed over Calum’s thoughts as he drifted from checking the rigid posture that captured Arden and the beaming smiles that their parents graced them with. Every intone of excitement, every near teary eyed admission of pride and pitch of happiness in their voices had Arden lurching. It was minimal and went past the others but Calum caught the subtleties; the slight twitch of her arm or the purse of her lips, the downcast gazes of shiny eyes. His own nerves had calmed but he worried for Arden. It was her want to keep up the charade but he had to wonder if her mind was changing and what that meant for the rest of the visit.
It wasn’t until after dinner when the dishes were done and everyone had split up into smaller groups that Calum sensed something was completely amiss. Arden was in the living room with Mali and her mom—he’d heard her voice just moments ago—but when he rounded the corner she was gone. Before he could ask, before he could even form the thought to ask, Mali was answering for him.
“She took Duke out,” Mali said as she stood and gestured to the sliding glass doors that lead to the backyard. Calum was quick to head over but his sister stopped him short with a low murmur and hand on his wrist. “I know management has a hand in this.”
Calum knew his surprise showed; jaw slackening and an air of disbelief leaving him at the unexpected cornering. Mali could read Calum like a book and they’d never been ones to keep secrets. She was a bit more comfortable reaching and pushing for answers than Calum was but knew when to let up. Her touch fell and she nodded out the door.
“But I know you’re doing what you think is best.”
Calum swallowed down a lump in his throat and exited the house with Mali’s parting words ringing through his mind. The yard was empty, the sun was setting low on the horizon and casting glimmering specks of light against the water in the pool. It reminded him of the sunset dancing along the beach. Of Arden in the water and his towel. Of moments that were too real to be part of the farce. She was nowhere in sight and the usual jingle of the tags on Duke's collar couldn’t be heard. He figured she must have gone to the front yard or up the street to give the old dog a good stretch and walk after dinner. He rounded the side of the house and stopped short. She sat in a familiar position; back pressed to the siding and face turned to the sky. Duke was settled in her lap and nosing his concern into her stomach. Her hands slowly pet him and Calum came to see the glint of a fallen tear tracking down her cheek.
“Arden,” he said her name softly, his own worries etched into his voice. He didn’t want to startle her but she turned to him quickly and wiped at the tear, tried to pretend it wasn’t there or that he hadn’t seen it. She was making to get up but Calum settled down beside her and she stilled. “What’s going on?”
She sighed and he heard the brokenness of her breath. The fracture between the inhale and exhale. “Pretending is just a lot harder than I thought.”
Calum’s chest tightened and his fingers curled into his palms at her response. Her voice was shaky and her hazel eyes were distant. He didn’t understand what she meant. It all seemed to be going well—their parents weren’t as probing as they thought they’d be, they weren’t disappointed in their rash decision or the way they painted the engagement; with glints of the truth and softened edges of drunken escapades.
“Why? They’re all okay with it. Happy even,” Calum offered in an attempt to soothe whatever was bothering her.
Pretending for their parents had been her idea; a request so as not to disappoint her parents with a drunken story and fake relationship. They curated pieces of the truth together and kept to their guns. It was working. But she was cracking and Calum didn’t know why.
“Did you hear them?” She asked and shook her head as Duke nuzzled in even closer, feeling her distress and wanting to offer comfort as well. “They said they’re happy… and proud. The only thing they can be proud of me for is something that’s not even real.”
Calum blanched at that statement. He felt the wind knock out of him and suddenly all the subtleties of Arden at the table began to make sense. It was his turn to shake his head, not able to grasp why she would feel that way. But the shine of her eyes and the bite of her lip spoke volumes of the sorrows she was feeling.
“They didn’t say that’s all they have to be proud of,” Calum reasoned, knowing her parents and the love and pride they had for both of their children and all of their accomplishments.
“I know,” she seemingly agreed and let out another breath. “But they didn’t say they were proud of anything else. Because there’s nothing else.”
“That’s not true,” Calum denied and knew he shouldn’t tell her her feelings were wrong or invalid but they sounded like intrusive thoughts and self doubt; something he’d struggled with himself and would’ve liked to have someone to put them into a new perspective. “You went to university, you travelled, made amazing art—there’s plenty more than us for them to be proud of.”
Arden didn’t say anything for a moment, content to take comfort in the affection Duke was showing her. Calum saw the wavering of her jaw and contemplation cut across her face. She took another few seconds to pull her thoughts together before turning to look him full on, familiar eye contact bringing her fully back to him. He preferred when their gazes didn’t break—liked the strength he could find in hazel even when the subject was delicate and breakable.
“Michael never told you why I really came to visit, did he?” She inquired and Calum realized he hadn’t even asked.
He was too caught up in getting to know her and playing the game that he forgot it all started with a visit. He forgot she had been dodgy in answering that first night at the party. He was sure there was more reasoning than missing Michael for her sudden appearance in a place she so vehemently avoided and seemingly despised.
“No,” Calum answered. “I didn’t ask either. I figured you’d tell me when you were ready.”
Her shoulders slumped as if the weight of the story was bearing down on her at the prospect of telling the truth. Eye contact was steady as she opened up and revealed pieces of her past Calum had only been left to wonder about.
“I was supposed to be figuring things out here. Trying to get my life together and make decisions. Michael was trying to help.”
Calum nodded his understanding. There was a time when he had decisions he needed to make too; two paths unwound at the same time and no right or wrong answer had seemingly been in sight. He’d done the same, sought out his family and then listened to what was inside of him. It took time and then it was sudden, the band was the path he followed and it was a choice he had never regretted. He wanted Arden to follow a path like that too, to wherever she was seeking and find whatever she wanted in life.
“I get it. I know how difficult that can be,” he said and watched as a look of disbelief cut across her features and settled in the way she stared blankly back at him.
“How would you know?” She asked and though the question may have seemed accusatory or like he could never understand, her tone verged on begging to know if he really did and how it was possible. “You had the band. Isn’t that what you always wanted? Didn’t you just… know?”
Calum let out a small and almost sarcastic laugh and quieted when he realized Arden was serious. He realized she didn’t know the choices he faced. They weren’t exactly close during their teenage years; the formation and come up of the band had divided their worlds even more so. It was hard to think of those times, after the weeks Calum had spent with her and all the bits and pieces of their pasts coming back it pained him to think they had been so close yet so very distant from each other for years.
“I had the band and I had football. I had to choose,” he explained and caught her attention as he noted the arch of her eyebrow and the stall of her hand petting Duke.
“But you had options,” she mumbled. “Either would have been something to be proud of.”
“Neither had that certainty, the band might not have succeeded, my football career could have burnt out before it really began. I had to make a choice and then I had to take a chance.”
A breeze passed between them as Arden contemplated his honesty. The situations weren’t carbon copies of each other but they were similar enough Calum felt empathy rattling his ribcage and putting a pang of pain through his heart. The crumple of her face and the stray tear she didn’t bother to brush away left Calum breathless and wanting to reach out. He was hyper aware of everything; their parents in the house, Michael, alarm bells ringing so clearly in his mind, but drowned them out in favor of following his initial instinct. The pad of his thumb was gentle across her cheek, she didn’t say anything, didn’t flinch or question the action. His hand and heart fell as she slightly pulled away and abandoned his gaze to stare up at the night sky. She shifted and settled, sighed once more and geared up to voice her thoughts and struggles by sinking into the comfort Duke provided.
“I wish I had something more solid, something I want. All I have is half a degree and no fucking idea what I want to do with my life. I dropped out of university and travelled to ‘find myself’ but really just ran away. I have nothing that I’m good at.”
Calum was about to interject and remind her of paintings that once hung in the hallway and a place mat posted on the fridge. Her hand finding its way to his knee stopped the words from coming out and he had to wonder if that was her intention. One breath and it was gone.
“At least, nothing that I’m so passionate about that I know it’s what I want,” she said in one fell swoop and surprised Calum. “I don’t have a dream that I'm chasing. If anything I’m only trying to move out of someone’s shadow and doing a bang up job of it. Now I’m caught behind two and stuck in lies that will never end. That’s nothing to be proud of.”
Calum’s throat tightened at the unexpected honesty and turn the night had taken. Only minutes before they were surrounded by family and mindless small talk—or so Calum thought. It was about the engagement and the band and in that moment Calum realized anything to do with Arden outside of their situation hadn’t been brought up. He couldn’t imagine feeling casted into the shadows. His heart ached for her and the struggles she felt she was facing alone.
“I’m sorry for asking you to pretend with our families,” she added, head shaking slightly. “That wasn’t fair. I should just toughen up and tell them the truth. And don’t worry, I’ll tell them it’s my fault and I asked you to go along with it. You shouldn’t have to take the fall for my lies.”
She made to move as if to get up but Calum was quick to stop her; just a light touch and slight shift stalling her intent and bringing them closer. Duke was in her arms but found his way to the ground and stalked off back into the house. A belated moment and skipped heart beat gathered courage for Calum and helped words come out that he had been thinking for weeks. Words that settled in the back of his throat and burned sugary sweet.
“What if it’s not all pretend?”
“What?” Arden was quick to respond and panic—the fear that captured her eyes was unsettling. “Calum, what do you mean?”
She was poised and waiting for his answer as his mind went into chaos. He wasn’t sure he was ready to face everything that came with his own truth but the words came out too soon to stop them. His thoughts were tangled now, fleeting visions of real moments dancing around his mind.
“That we’ve been real… with each other. All those moments away from it all. Those were real. Weren’t they?”
They were real to him—and so were the feelings that followed and defined those moments. The alarm bells rang in full force as she tilted her head and the minimal distance between them felt craterous and minuscule all at once. Peaches invaded his senses and the taste of sugar was just a breath away but it was blown away by approaching footsteps. Arden moved away on instinct and Calum wondered if alarm bells rang in her mind as well. She settled back on the grass just in time for Michael to round the corner and come into view with his arms crossed and a ghost of a smirk disappearing from his face. Calum and Arden both looked up at him in silence and waited for him to speak first.
“Everyone was wondering where you guys wandered off to,” he began and then shot a pointed look at his sister. “Mum and Joy are talking about wedding dresses. Told them I’d find you, they thought you wouldn’t want to miss it.”
“Right, thanks for the heads up,” Arden said around a sigh and began to stand.
She shot Calum a glance as Michael began to lead her back to the house. Calum was quick to get up and follow her into the conversation of possible bridal styles and centerpieces. Duke had found his way to his usual perch on the couch and perked up when Calum and Arden walked in. Calum took up Arden’s side as she broke into the discussion by clearing her throat to announce her presence. The mothers turned to look at her; eyes alight with wedding wonder and idle chit chat being broken.
“I don’t know how to say this,” Arden began and Calum’s stomach sank as he realized the truth was verging on her lips. His hand reached out for hers, in solidarity, to show that he would stand beside her no matter what she decided. They could weather the storm better together than stranded and alone.  “But Calum and I aren’t getting married.”
Instant regret flooded Arden’s eyes as the room fell silent and shock hung thick within the air. She tensed against his side and turned to look at him with a pleading expression that Calum could only interpret as reversing the statement and making the visible disappointment and heartache vanish from the room. He hoped it was what she wanted.
“Not yet, anyway. We rushed the engagement, clearly. We don’t want to rush the wedding too. We want to enjoy some time together without the pressure of planning. We’ll let you guys know when we’re ready for that,” Calum jumped in smoothly as he watched the panic disperse from Arden’s eyes and felt the appreciative squeeze of his hand—a signal and a thank you that reassured him his hope was correct.
Everyone simmered at his explanation; they called Arden’s statement complete theatrics and not a funny joke though they were laughing, Calum guessed it was more so in relief than in good jest. Michael was the only one who didn’t wear a reaction so clearly on his face, just an arch of a questioning eyebrow at the initial honesty of Arden he hadn’t been privy to. Calum knew some explaining to Michael was due—and that Mali wouldn’t be so easily satiated with the on the fly explanation he had come up with.
The rest of the evening went by in a blur of nerves that kept both Calum and Arden on their toes. They tried their bests to remember the odds and ends of what had already been said. Mali pulled Calum aside for a moment as the night was dying down and a bite of fear coursed through him as he knew her suspicions were sharp and came with merit.
“I still don’t know what’s really going on,” she began and offered a sympathetic smile that helped to calm his nerves. “But I can tell there’s something real there. Just be careful, okay? I don’t want to see either of you ending up hurt. Especially not by each other.”
Calum took her words for all they were worth but only slightly nodded to show he had been listening. He still couldn’t manage to give her the answers she was seeking but the nod acted as much more than a method to show he was listening. He understood. He confirmed. He agreed. The last thing he wanted was for this entire situation to end with hurting hearts.
The hole of lies and half truths they were falling into was being dug deeper and deeper; no landing was in sight. He swept the room as everyone prepared to leave or settle in for the night and his stare landed back on Arden who hadn’t peeled her eyes away from him since his saving moment. It took one look to realize that falling was okay, as long as it was with her. As long as it was real. Calum had started to speak his truth to her and now he could only hope that all of the falling feelings that consumed him were somewhere within her as well.
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Humans are Space Orcs, “Cowboy.”
Wanted to try something new.  Aliens meet different ways of living. Was trying to really capture the small town farming feel in this one. Granted I grew up in and near places like this but was from the burbs technically, so, lol, hopefully I did it justice. 
The sky over Jakar was a light violet purple.
Strings of long striated clouds cut across the sky at intervals looking like the ripples you see on the face of a sand dune. The Sun hadn’t yet risen hiding just below the distant horizon. The air around them was warm, but not tropical, rather moderate.
Standing on the loading ramp to the Harbinger and staring out over the strange moon, they could see for miles and miles onto the unbroken horizon. Under the purple sky, there were no trees or rocks, just acres and acres of evenly spaced crops gently rolling over minute hills and shallow divots in the earth. A gently wind blew up from their front rolling over the ground and bringing with it the cool moist scent of fertile dirt.
The sun inched upwards over the horizon, casting a honeyed yellow glow over an unbroken sea of green. With the engines of the ship off, and not a soul in sight, the scene before them was absolutely silent, almost surreal.
As they watched, a ripple of wind blew up from their right churning the green sea before them into a stormy sea. The plant stalks rolled in waves under the slow push of the wind, which, when it reached them, brought the subtle whisper of leaves brushing over each other.
All together, if they closed their eyes, they could almost imagine the sound of a distant sea.
Both Krill and sunny were riveted to that quiet morning in fascination. 
They had never known a thing to be so beautiful, so quiet.
And even though the land was touched by man, the quiet serenity almost had them forgetting that fact.
They stood like that for many minutes, enjoying the silence until a distant sound rose up from the horizon.
Krill craned his neck and Sunny shaded her eyes.
It can in beats of four, a rhythmic thudding of…. something .
They were alerted by the dust cloud, brown tinged purple rising up from the right.
Looking a little longer,they watched as a very strange creature galloped towards them. The animal had four legs, a long snout, a thick neck, and streams of long hair flying from it’s head and rump. THe joints of its front legs faced the wrong direction.
Krill shifted back up the ramp a little ways.
The beats of the animal’s feet grew louder as it got closer, and only then was Krill able to see that, to his shock and dismay, there was a human riding astride it’s back, just casually sitting atop the one ton beast as if it was nothing bouncing up and down with the animal’s jostling movements.
He stared dumbstruck alongside Sunny as the human pulled to a stop gently tugging at the contraption which had been fixed around the animal’s head.
A familiar tawny, and black dog came chasing after her tail wagging, her ears perked.
Waffles skidded to a slow trot and began frantically sniffing through the nearby plot of plants.
Sunny and Krill stepped forward as the human, turned to look at them, restings his hands against his upper thighs as the beast lowered it’s head to sniff at the ground.
“What the hell are you wearing?” Sunny asked the commander.
“A better question is what the hell are you riding.” Krill could already tell this day was going to make him angry, “Aren't you well aware that falling off that thing could kill you, not to mention if it decided to cave your head in with its feet.”
Commander Vir pulled the patterned cloth triangle down from around his face, eyes mostly shadowed by the brim of the very dorky hat he was wearing. The shirt he had on was long sleeve and mid range blue in color with a collar, and matching jeans with a very strange set of heeled boots.
“Forgot you've never seen a horse before.”
He kicked one of his feet up over the top the back of the creature and let himself gently down onto the dirt.
The large animal turned it’s massive head, nudging him in the chest with it’s soft pink snout.
He smiled and rubbed it’s nose.
“A horse?”
“Yes, one of man’s greatest achievements.”
The horse threw its head up and down as if in agreement.
“A knobby kneed dog creature?”
“No a knobby kneed beast of burden, from the back of which humanity conquered the world. He patted it’s neck, “These guys are the reason humanity got as far as it did, at least one fo the reasons.
Krill stared at the ‘horse’ nervously staring into its wide dark eyes, sensing a hint of cunning intelligence that he did not particularly appreciate. Sunny stepped forward a bit, and the horse lifted it’s head, wide nostrils flaring menacingly. 
It stepped back, and the commander held firm, “Woah, easy girl. It’s just sunny.”
The horse didn’t seem convinced, and Sunny stayed at a polite distance.
“Commander, I must insist, that beast could kick your head in if agitated.”
“Oh I know. Believe you me I know.”
The horse tossed it’s head.
“Can we get back to the important question of….. What the hell are you wearing?”
He looked down, “This, my fine friend is the historic gear of the Cowboy, and early symbol of the west, your rough and tumble man’s man who lived rough, worked hard, and is, arguably the symbol of human manifest destiny.”
“I have no idea what you just said.”
The commander sighed, “Look they were total badasses who rode horses, shot guns, and drank too much.”
“Badasses who wore heels?” Sunny wondered 
“Yes, yes they were.”
“And where did you get that outfit exactly?”
He tugged at the shirt rather proudly, “My mother made it for me, you know because that is what she does for a living.”
“Do you often commission really dumb clothing from your mother.” Sunny continued to tease.
“I have an outfit for every major time period from here to to the early Byzantine empire.” He bragged, not that it meant anything.
Her continued teasing was cut off as more noises rose up from the distance, the sound of hooves and the shrill chatter of, what Sunny could only assume was the horses. A larger dust cloud was riding up this time, and as she watched, another group of human came riding down the track. At least three of them riding horseback and wearing outfits much the same as the commander now wore. Though one of them was riding on the front of a strange wooden vehicle pulled by the creatures.
And krill had thought current human technology was primitive.
The two men, and one woman came to a halt just to their side, and looking them over, Krill couldn't help but notice the strange nature of these humans, tanned dark by the sun, their skin tough and calloused, especially about the hands. Though it was early morning they were already covered in dust. One of them touched the brim of his hat upon seeing them and dismounted from his horse walking over to shake the commander’s hand.
“I’m gonna assume your Commander Vir.” He looked around, “Seeing as you’re the only human here.”
“Yes sir.”
His voice was deep, and rather slow with a sort of relaxing quality to it, though there was an edge of steel behind his voice, “Didn’t think you fancy space captains knew how to ride horses.”
“My father worked on one of the farming conglomerates when I was a boy. He made sure we knew how to ride.”
“Smart man.” The old human turned his steely brown eyes on them looking sunny and Krill up and down though he didn’t seem all that surprised. He held out a hand to sunny, “Looks like you’ve got plenty of hands to shake.”
She chirped a laugh and took his hand surprised at how strong  he was, how rough his hands were.
Krill received a nod which was more than alright by him. He turned back and motioned to his companions, “Meet, Jack my son, and Liz y daughter. They volunteered to help out with our little problem.”
“Smugglers you were saying.” 
“Yes. We think they are some of those Tesraki types using our fields as stop points. Wouldn’t mind it so much if they didn’t keep destroying the product. They tend to land where we plant the pink orbs-” He looked at sunny, “Think they are from your planet. A bitch to get to grow here, we have to cut the soil with imported volcanic ash to get them to grow, and every time those bastards show up we lose a yield.” 
His daughter motioned at Sunny and Krill to climb up onto the strange wooden death machine with wheels. At first Krill refused, but sunny grabbed him and hauled him upwards, sitting on one of the  wooden benches. 
Krill reused to sit.
He could see splinters.
“They aren’t supposed to be in for another few days though.” The two men had mounted their horses and were riding side by side now as the ‘what krill learned to be a cart’ started up, rolling over the uneven ground and threatening to rattle his brains out of his head.
“Doesn’t this thing have shocks.” he moaned 
The humans laughed, and the head human turned back to look at him, “Don’t need socks on a wagon…..” He paused, “This one ain’t mch for country livin’”
The commander snorted, “He isn’t much for anything new. Guess you could say he’s a big city surgeon. I don’t think his  species has been without automated assistance for the past ten thousand years. But Sunny there probably gets it, her clan was mainly gatherer types.”
“Yeah, I heard about the Drev. Don’t live so differently from us all told.” beside them lines and lines of crops grew up in the distance, a never ending line broken up by nothing more than a distant building rising many stories above the fields. Massive silver constructions in cylinders with pointy tops.
“What are those?” Sunny asked, pointing.
The daughter looked “Those are silos. Once we harvest the produce, all the food goes in there for storage until we sell it.”
“So much food.” Sunny muttered 
Krill didn’t like the look of them, they appeared dangerous. Up ahead of them, the dog, waffles seemed to be enjoying herself romping about over the dirt road and through the first few lines of plants her tongue lolling her ears up.
“Your Shepherd seems happy.” The man commented, “Better then being cooped up in a flying tin can.”
“Yeah , she doesn’t get to go outside much these days.”
Looking up into the distance, Krill could just make out a slow break on the horizon. They were trees as far as he could tell, which surprised him since they seemed far to big to be here, as unnatural a species as they were.
“Are those oak trees?” The Captain asked, incredulous.
“That they are, got them imported in one of those massive fraighters. Putting them in the ground was complete bullshit, but they took surprisingly well. We wanted the two to be a bit more cozy. 
The closer they got to town the more people they could see. Children ran in and out of the crop lines chasing each other and laughing. 
Women carried baskets with them plucking bright red berries from tall growths of plants turning to wave at them as they passed.
Horses loitered, tied up on the sides of the road next to large, elegant houses in a style Krill had never seen before.
“Wow.” The commander muttered, “This is…. Wow.”
The man smiled, “Much as I love earth, you can’t live like this any more. No more small towns. When I heard how cheep they were selling land up here for, I couldn’t resist. Worked for one of those corporations like your father, and that’s when I heard about the deal going on. Come up here, farm the land and get the property for free.” He motioned to the houses and the barns, “Built most of it with our own two hands. Machinery is a bitch to get out here, so most everything we make by ourselves.”
Krill and sunny stared on in complete fascination. The wooden buildings held together by nothing more than sharp metal spikes, still multiple stories tall and with glass windows. What little technology there was was overshadowed by just how provincial everything was. People carrying buckets of water with their own two hands, polishing boots, and sawing off planks of wood with manual blades.
And despite that, how much more difficult everything probably was, they seemed happy. The people themselves were rough, but well put together, tanned skin, and bright eyes over calloused hands and straight backed postures full of confidence and pride. As they rode past they received nothing but friendly smiles and waved greetings.
Adam was practically a pampered, prim little pretty boy in comparison to the rest, and he was a one eyed, peg legged, space captain for intents and purposes.
A pleasantly plump dark skinned woman waved at them from her porch, where she sat in a very strange looking chair, which instead of legs, had skids? And rocked when she shifted her weight. Which seemed to be the intention.
Sunny and Krill raised their hands back, not sure of what else to do.
The man at the front sighed, “Man you can’t live like this anymore, not on earth anyway.”
Commander vir was looking around with an appreciative smile, “it’s like going back in time. Dam…. it’s nice here.”
“Almost makes you want to get your feet back on solid dirt?” The man wondered 
The commander laughed, “I don’t think so. Your town is great, but there is nothing like the majesty of waking up and seeing the rings of saturn outside our bedroom window, or a nebulae thousands of light years wide, or stepping out of the ship and just…. Floating weightless like nothing can hold you down ever again.”
The man shuttered, “Can’t imagine.”
“Can’t imagine but can’t forget.”
Adam’s horse tossed it’s head and he patted it on the neck.
The other human shook his head, “Cut from a different mold I guess. I’d like nothing more than an honest day’s work under the sun getting my hands dirty. None of that outer space politics.”
Adam laughed, “I suppose I forget about politics most of the time. Honestly consider myself more of an adventurer discovering new planets and new species bravely going where no man has gone before sort of thing.”
The two of them laughed together.
Krill wondered at the strangeness of humanity. Here were two men, one of them a ship captain venturing into the unknown on one of the most advanced pieces of human technology ever created  flying shuttles, talking with aliens and traversing the galaxy, while there was another human a lover of dirt beneath his hands, with no desire to leave his home, or likely even go outside it’s farm’s radius, content with living the same day for the rest of his life, with the same people, building everything with his hands, living without what seemed to be the most basic of human technologies.
And here they were sitting together speaking and laughing.
Getting along despite being so different.
Because humans can just do that.
Humans understand. 
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serasvictoria · 3 years
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So I guess I have an AU now?
Yeah. I have no idea either. It just kinda happened. I was talking to someone (you know who you are) about past fandoms and stuff that I wrote for it way back then, when a scene suddenly popped into my head that wouldn't let me go.
So here you go. Have a Medieval England Outlaw AU.
The closer he got to his home, the heavier the cloak around his shoulders seemed to get.
They were almost moving at a snail’s pace since he was in no real hurry to be reunited with his father, his sister or his betrothed, the latter of which had been dutifully waiting for his return. He brushed over the gaudy brooch that she had given him when he left from these lands a few years ago. Something to remember her by. The thing was hideous and he only wore it now because they would soon be reunited again and then they would probably be wed as soon as possible to unite their houses.
“Charles.”
“Hmm?” He looked up at the man in front of him, a big smile plastered all over his face. “What is it, Talbert?”
“Just wondering why we aren’t racing back home. You must be looking forward to seeing your lady after all.”
Charles shook his head when he heard someone snickering behind him. Joseph was endlessly amused by everything. He was skinny as a reed and because of his build one could be led to believe that he was a push over, but there were few men who were as good with a sword as he was. Talbert on the other hand was a champion at the joust and had unhorsed many a man during tourneys. Some even compared him to the likes of William Marshall, but he always waved those compliments away and joked that he could never compare to him.
“I’m in no rush,” Charles replied with a slight smile. His tunic suddenly felt like it was constricting him and was making it difficult to breathe. “We have been rushing from place to place for a few years now so can’t we take it slow. Just once?”
“Whatever you say,” Joseph said behind him. “But think of how happy Lady Beatrice must be to see you have returned safe and sound? And with hardly a scratch on you as well.”
“We saw to that!” Talbert chimed in cheerily. “Couldn’t have you return home with parts of your anatomy missing.”
“Almost happened too if I hadn’t…”
“Ha, ha. Very funny.” The mood had been good as soon as they had set foot on English soil again, his friends happy to return home once more, so why did he feel so conflicted about it? “Yes, I am very happy that the two of you protected me a few times. Whatever would I do with you?”
Laughter rose on both sides of him and Charles couldn’t help but shudder. The things that they had seen out there. Especially at Acre. So many lives lost and for what? What did they have to show for it in the end? And even worse, on their way back home, the King had been captured in Austria and had since been handed over to the Holy Roman Emperor who had demanded a ransom for his safe return. Everything had ended in a complete shambles and it didn’t look like things would improve any time soon.
“Very quiet all of a sudden.”
It had been a fairly innocent remark and when Charles listened, he did indeed think that it was quiet. Too quiet. No birdsong, no wind rustling through the leaves, it was as if the world was collectively holding its breath for some odd reason. He could see Talbert turn in front of him to open his mouth again, when something flew out at him from the bushes and caused Talbert’s horse to rear up. Whatever it was, it had probably been meant to unhorse him, but he had plenty of experience in that area so it hadn’t worked. He calmed his horse down by putting his hand on the animal’s neck and whispering to it.
Then he heard a screech behind him and all of a sudden someone seemed to have materialised between him and Joseph, someone big who had taken the reins of his horse, and someone else was standing on the other side of his friend with a sword pointing right at his neck. Looking ahead of him, Talbert had maneuvered his horse sideways across the path, sword drawn and was pointing it at someone who was in front of him that Charles couldn’t see.
Before he had a chance to move himself, he could see something moving from the corner of his eye, the flash of a blade, and seconds later, he had fallen off his horse and was laying on his back by the side of the road. Whoever it had been, they had cut the cinch of his saddle and it had slid off the animal and taken him along with it. His hand was on the hilt of his sword, ready to strike if need be, but he felt someone press a boot against the back of his hand so he couldn’t get the sword out of its scabbard.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
Looking up, he saw a lithe figure looming over him, the lower half of the face obscured by a scarf and the brow covered by a hood. The only thing he could make out of his assailant were their dark eyes. He tried to move his hand, but the person put more pressure on their boot and he could hear his bones crunch.
“Stop it.” There was something off about the voice that he couldn’t quite put his finger on, but the pain in his hand was making it hard to focus. He pulled his hand away and flexed his fingers. “Wise choice.”
“Who are you?”
“Come on. Hooded figures surround you and your friends and you think we’ll just tell you who we are?”
“Fair enough.” He looked at Joseph first who shook his head and then at Talbert who was too preoccupied with keeping another person at bay. “What do you want?”
“Your money.” While he had made no motion to reach for a weapon, his assailant was taking no chances and placed the boot in the middle of his chest instead. “For safe passage through these woods.”
“These are my father’s lands. Didn’t think I had to pay for that.”
“Ah. FitzPatrick’s son.” So whoever it was, they were from around these parts otherwise they might not have known that this forest was part of his ancestral home. “Thought you might have died in the desert.”
“As you can see, I haven’t.”
“Clearly.” There was amusement in their voice, but if anything they just leaned more weight on their leg and pressed down on him harder. “Enjoy yourself in the Holy Land?”
“Not really, but I don’t see why it’s any of your business.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. It is my business.” The boot was removed quite suddenly and seconds later a knee replaced it and he could feel the cold blade of the dagger pressing against his throat. “While you were playing war games in the desert, the people were bled dry. I have seen people starve because of this war. And now they are raising taxes yet again, because the King has been captured. Do you think that’s fair? That we starve while your father hides behind his walls?”
“I haven’t been home in years. I didn’t know.”
“No. No, you didn’t.” The dagger was removed and he could feel it skim over his chest before moving to his belt where it cut away his purse. “I’ll be taking this. And tell your friends to hand over their money too if they don’t want any harm to come to them.”
“Talbert. Joseph. Give them what they want.”
“What? Are you serious!” From what Charles could hear, Joseph had already handed over his money, but naturally Talbert was opposing the decision. “I’m not giving them anything.”
“Just do it.”
“But I…”
“Do it or I kill your friend.” Those were very clear and uncertain terms and the person with his knee on his chest even held the knife up so Talbert could see it clear as day. “I will do it. Know that.”
His friend groaned loudly in reply, but he did as he was told. Charles would reimburse him for any money lost as soon as they got home. He would talk to his father about what had been going on in his absence afterwards. It seemed like things had changed dramatically in the years that he had been away. Not that they had been good before, but it didn’t bode well if there were outlaws living in the forest around his ancestral home.
“What’s this?” The tip of the blade was pointing at a ring around his finger. “That looks valuable.”
“I can’t let you have that.” His hand formed a fist to ensure that it could not be taken. “It was a gift from my late mother.” Despite his objections, his hand was pried open and the ring was slid from his finger. “Please don’t.”
It was held up to the light and studied closely. The sunlight glinting of the gold surface and on the crest of his mother’s family that he knew so well. The outlaw slipped it back on his finger gently to his surprise for he knew that the ring was valuable and would be able to fetch a good sum if someone might try to sell it.
“Worthless.” The sunlight that was filtering through the leaves above them reflected on the brooch and caught the outlaw’s attention. “And this?”
“Take it.” Charles removed the damned thing himself and held it up. “You can use it better than I can.”
“Don’t mind if I do.” It was looked at more closely and he could see their mouth twist underneath the hood in disgust. “This thing is hideous.”
“I know.”
“But I’ll take it. We could feed a lot of families with this.” The brooch disappeared into the purse. “No matter how ugly it is.” He heard amusement in the voice clear as day again and then there was a curious tilt to the outlaw’s head, eyes focused on his own once more. “And I want something else.”
“Anything.”
“A kiss.”
“Excuse me?” Charles wasn’t sure if this was a joke or not, but before he could protest to this sudden request the outlaw pulled the scarf down and his eyes widened when he saw that it had been a woman all along. That was why the voice had sounded so strange to him. “You’re a…”
“Yes.” She dipped her head down and smiled at him. Murmuring against his lips, she added, “I am.”
When their lips touched, he swore that he could feel her smiling against his mouth. Whoever she was, she was quite aggressive and had claimed his lips in a hungry kiss. He gave as good as he got, kissing her back with equal fervour until she finally pulled away to take in a deep breath of air. The scarf was pulled back up and she got up in one fluid movement. His purse disappeared underneath her tunic and she signalled at her fellow outlaws. She bowed deeply at him and he could hear her laugh right before they sprinted back into the forest and disappeared among the trees within seconds. They obviously knew this place like the back of their hand.
“Talbert.” His friend had been about to give chase and he stopped when Charles called out his name. “Leave it. Let them have it.”
“We can’t just…”
“Whatever money you lost, I will return it to you.” He got up off the ground and patted the dirt from his clothes. “I promise.”
“That’s not necessary.” Talbert jumped off his horse and looked at Charles’ saddle. “How are we going to fix that?”
“We’re close to home. I’ll think of something.” He picked the saddle up off the ground and put it back on his horse. He couldn’t stop himself from laughing at what had just taken place. Talbert and Joseph looked at each other as if he had just lost his mind. “Come on. We can make it to my home before nightfall if we go now.”
Taking the horse’s reins, he started guiding the animal along the path and walked alongside it. He had to make up some kind of story to tell Beatrice about why he didn’t have the brooch anymore. He’d much rather tell her that he had lost in the Holy Land than tell her that it had been taken from him so close to home.
“Who was that anyway?”
Charles turned to look at Joseph who had his eyebrows raised. Both of his friends had obviously seen the outlaw kissing him and now they were curious. It was a question that he had been asking himself as well.
“I have no idea.”
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New Perspective: Chapter 3
Sorry for the late upload, i just finished finals recently so i’m trying to catch up on lost sleep. Anyways, here’s chapter 3 of New Perspective! See the end for additional notes and the tag list.
Tom Nook x Reader
Slow Burn
Warnings: Spoilers for Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Words: 1.8K
Links: Prologue  -  Chapter 1  -  Chapter 2  -  Chapter 3 (You are here!)
Any photos or gifs do not belong to me, Animal Crossing: New Horizons does not belong to me. Only my writing belongs to me.
gif originally posted by @k-eke
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Animal Crossing: New Perspective
Chapter 3
             Despite last night’s events still ping ponging off the walls in your head, noting about the day seemed too out of the ordinary. The air was bright and crisp, and the fish were biting. Biting as though they might be starving because you just pulled your sixth fish out of the water with a mighty tug of your fishing pole. “Another sea bass…” the grumble left your lips as you slipped the fish into the bucket at your feet. The common fish usually weren’t too bad to catch, but it started to get tiring after pulling one out for the fifth time in a row. Your next cast into the water was interrupted by loud, cheerful shouts of your name coming through the trees.
           Two small tanuki children burst through the trees and crash into you; the sudden weight causes all three of you to tumble back into the water of the stream with a large splash. Sputtering to the surface and wading your way back to the bank, the kids have the decency to look shameful, but the hilarity of the situation sets in, and soon laughter fills the air. “Well now that we’ve all had our baths,” you gasp for breath through your giggles, “What can I do for you two?”
           Still breathless, Tommy managed to speak first. “Dad gave us three Nook Miles tickets for a trip to a nearby island and we want you to come with us!” Sitting up and pushing wet hair out of your eyes, you grin at them. “Well wasn’t that nice of him. Is… he coming too?” you ask hesitantly. “Nope,” Timmy says, “He said he has to do paperwork with Blathers today so he’s gonna be busy.” You nod to yourself; it would make sense since he was the head of the island, and would have to spend time taking care of important things like that. Unbeknownst to you, Timmy and Tommy share a look with each other.
           “Well!” you exclaim. “We better get dried off and get going then! No time to waste.” The boys squeal in excitement rush to help you bring your things to your tent and grab any tools you may need on your trip. Soon enough with their help, everything is ready and you all head over to the airport. “Hey Orville.” You greet the dodo behind the counter who snaps his book shut at your approach. “Hey hey hey! Welcome to your one and only gateway to the skies, the Avviare Airport! What can I help you guys with today?” Timmy bolts up to the counter and all but throws Orville the three tickets. “We want fly!” He shouts, almost visibly vibrating with excitement. Tommy is grasping your hand with his paw, but is bouncing in place, equally as excited as his brother. “Roger!” Orville chuckles at him. “Let’s get you all airborne then!” He takes the tickets and inputs the information onto the computer. “Dodo One, this is Dodo Tower, Wilbur, you copy?” He speaks into his headset, “Got some walkers who need wings, over.” Seeming satisfied with the response he gets; he turns to you all and nods. “Alright, you’re all set to go! Timmy and Tommy, can you guys tell me what you think when you need to travel?” The kids stare at him for a minute before Tommy pipes up. “What would dodos do?”
           “Exactly!” Orville cheers. “And for that Tommy, you get to board first!” Tommy beams up at you and you grin back, ushering him forward to the small hallway leading to the plane. Timmy follows, hot on his heels as they race to get good seats by a window. You share a smile and wave goodbye to Orville, following after the overeager little tanukis. Entering the plane, you greet Wilbur, who is occupied with convincing the kids to stop racing around the cabin and get into their seats so he could take off. “Timmy, Tommy,” you warn, giving them the parent look. That gets them to stop and they sheepishly take their seats, leaving one open between them for you. Wilbur shoots you a thankful glance and starts up the plane. Take off is smooth and soon enough you level out in the sky.
           Tommy settles down and snuggles into your side, lulled by the humming of the plane and the low lights of the cabin. Timmy occupies the time by asking questions about the island you would be visiting for the day. He was very curious about what different bugs and flowers would be on the island, as well as different fish that may lurk in the waters. You entertain him and playfully make up different species of animals that may be on this island or even the next. He seems enamored with the idea and jots down each different thing into a little notebook he carried with him. He shows you some of the entries in the first pages and they are filled with detailed drawings and entries of some of the diverse bugs, fish, and flora around Avviare. “Timmy, this is amazing!” you gush, astonished by the amount of detail filling the pages. Timmy bushes. “Tommy does the drawings, and Blathers helps me with any information I may be missing. He won’t help me with the bugs though cause he’s scared of them.”
           “Blathers should consider employing you instead of your Dad,” you tease, poking him in the stomach. His giggles wake his brother, who sleepily lifts his head. “Are we there yet?” he yawns. Just as you look out the window to check, Wilbur’s voice crackles to life over the cabin speakers. “Alright travelers! We’ll be landing shortly so make sure you’re buckled up.” Checking your seatbelts, you all settle in for the landing.
 _______________________________________________________________
           “Wow!” you exclaim, seeing the natural unkempt beauty of the island. Its smaller than Avviare, but still lush with trees and flowers. Timmy races off and starts exploring immediately, notebook and pencil in hand. Tommy remains closer to your side, choosing to just look around instead. “Look!” he gasps, tugging on your hand and pointing over to an area across the river. A campfire is burning, and a figure can be seen walking around. “Come on, lets go see who that is,” you urge. One small vault over the river later, Tommy and you walk up to a brown and yellow tiger with a blue dress and greet her.
           “Hiii! Fab to meet you! I’m Bangle! Are you visiting from another island too?”
           “Hello,’ you greet back, smiling. “I’m _____ and this is Tommy. His brother Timmy is off somewhere looking at bugs. We’re from Avviare; we’re just visiting for the day.”
           “Avviare? Oh! You mean the brand-new island that just got settled! Word travels fast around these parts. Wow, that’s a big trip just to come hang out with me on this neat little island! We should get to know each other while you’re here!”
           You nod, eager to make a new friend. “Tommy, why don’t you go help your brother with his research? I’m sure he could use an extra pair of paws.” Tommy nods and quickly hugs you before running off to find his brother. “He’s sooo cute!” Bangle gushes, watching him go. “Are they yours?”
“Oh gosh no, you sputter, “They’re my… friend’s children.” Bangle nods understandingly. “They seemed to have attached themselves to you though. I’ve only seen little Tommy’s interaction with you, but I can already tell that they love you! How adorable!” You blush, but your smile widens with her words.
           Bangle sighs contentedly and stretches. “The only thing better than kicking back and chilling on an island would be… TO DO IT FOREVER! If I lived on an island, I’d be the calmest, chillest tiger pop star ever!” An idea sparks in your head. “Bangle, you could move to our island? We only have three residents including me, and it would be great for you and Avviare if you moved in.”
           “Ohmigosh, move to Avviare? Yesss!!!” Bangle gasps and squeals excitedly. “I could move to any old island, but this is way better since you’ll be there! You hear that world? I’m…-” She spins in a circle before doing a cute pose. “- moving to Avviare!!” You clap for the excited tiger who is now muttering about moving plans under her breath. “If you call Tom Nook, he should be able to get everything sorted out for you.” You send her the business number for Nook Inc as well as your number for her to call when she gets ready to move in. “Thank you so much _____!” Bangle gushes, capturing you in a tight hug. You wheeze slightly from the pressure but hug her back.
  _______________________________________________________________
           The day on the island passes relatively quickly after that and soon dusk is permeating the island. Pockets laden down with various things you had collected from the island, both you and the boys made your way back to Wilbur who was waiting with the plane. He chuckles when he sees your tired forms approaching. “Home it is then?” he asks, looking at you three over the top of his aviators. Timmy and Tommy yawn while you nod. “The boys have had a full day and so have I.”
           “Roger that! Climb aboard sleepyheads,” he teases. “Let’s get you all home.”
 _______________________________________________________________
             Adding ‘Child Carrier’ to your list of self-appointed jobs seemed on the table as you had one tanuki child held in each arm. Both were fast asleep, having passed out shortly after takeoff. Walking was a bit of a chore with the three extra bags you had to carry as well but waking them up was no bueno. When you came up to the sandy portion of the main area of Avviare, Nook exited the Resident Services tent to greet you. He opened his mouth upon seeing you carrying the sleeping twins, but you shushed him before he could speak. Nook shook his head in exasperated fondness and gently slid one of the boys from your arms into his as well as taking one of the bags. He motioned with his head to another nearby tent that housed him and the twins when they weren’t working during the day.
           Luckily you and Nook were able to put Timmy and Tommy to bed without them waking. Nook exited the text and you followed, but not before pressing a quick kiss to each of the boys’ heads. Zipping the tent behind you, you stand and stretch, joints popping with satisfying noises. “I take it you all had an exciting day?” Nook observed, watching you with amusement. “Oh definitely, it was wonderful. The boys did some great research and I managed to collect a lot of resources for here.”
           Nook nodded along as you both walked along the beach and you entertained him with some of the antics that went on throughout the day. Night had fallen by this point and the moon was out, casting soft light down. Crickets chirped and a breeze whistled through the island. Nook walked you back to your tent and you part with a hug. As you get ready for bed, you find a note in your pocket from Tom. “You look beautiful :) “ it reads, and you fall asleep, clutching the note close to your chest.
________________________________________________________________
There’s the end of chapter 3! This one is shorter than the other but took me a lot longer to write. My brain is kinda shot from school but hopefully ill have some longer chapters for you all coming up.
Thanks everyone so much for reading! If you’d like, go check out my other works on my page. My uploading schedule is a little inconsistent, but thanks to summer break coming up, I’m hoping to post maybe every other day.
Requests are open!! Send me a message or send me an Ask.
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jessmalia · 4 years
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bittersweet | 31
pairing: stiles stilinski x oc a/n: we’re finally covering the last episode of season 3 and the defeat of the nogitsune! this isn’t the last chapter of season 3 tho, there’s two more that I’ve already written some time ago so they’ll be published in just a couple of seconds. hope you’ll enjoy and please tell me what you thought! warnings: an almost suicide, fighting, a lot of talk about death and, you know, other fun stuff.  wordcount: 1805
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Stiles
I stumbled out of my jeep, holding onto the railing beside it to steady myself. It wasn’t long until Valerie arrived beside me, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and her arm around my waist. Everyone else headed towards the entrance of the school where we knew the nogitsune was waiting. Valerie headed to follow them, but I used my grip around her shoulders to stop her.
“Val, hold on.”
She turned to look at me, frowning. “What?”
“Just…” I took a deep breath. “Okay, I’m telling you this because I know that Scott would never… I- I know what everyone’s thinking, if we kill him we might kill me as well, and even if it does, I need you to promise me to-”
“To what?” Valerie’s voice had risen and she was glaring at me. “Kill you? You think just because I don’t like you I’m okay with letting you die? You think you’re not worth saving?” There was a stubborn fire in her eyes that made my heart stop for a moment. “The plan was to save you. And that’s what I’m gonna do.” With that, Valerie began walking forward, dragging me with her.
When we had caught up with the others by the school doors, Scott pushed them open and the rest of us followed. But to all of our surprise, we weren’t met with the dark school hallway. Instead, we stepped into a snow-covered Japanese garden. Small snowflakes were falling down, slowly covering everybody’s heads and shoulders, the flakes on Valerie’s hair blending in the blonde parts but standing out in the purple ones. We all exchanged confused looks, and before I knew it, my body was warming up. At first, I was confused, but then I realized it must be Valerie warming me up again because of the sudden cold weather.
Everyone turned around when the sound of the doors shutting echoed through the enclosed garden. Guess there was no turning back now.
We spread out the tiniest bit, looking around and generally wondering what we were gonna do now when the sound of feet dragging against the floor got everyone to turn towards the direction of the doors again. A figure was limping out from behind one of the stone pillars. A figure covered head to toe in bandages, wearing a brown leather jacket and army-pants. The nogitsune.
Valerie let go of me to unsheath her sword, Kira doing the same. I instantly missed her embrace, but not just because I was suddenly growing cold again. She then moved to stand in front of me, sword held high. She had exchanged her previous sword with a katana she had successfully stolen from an oni earlier, saying something about how she felt more in sync with it.
The nogitsune turned towards us, and if it had eyes, I was confident they would be locked with mine. “Like I promised, Stiles.” His raspy voice echoed through the garden. “We’re going to kill all of them. One by one!” With that, four oni materialized around us. They started walking forward, slowly closing us in.
“What the hell is this? Where are we?” Scott sneered.
“Between life and death.”
“Bardo,” Lydia mumbled.
“But there are no peaceful deities here, Lydia.” The nogitsune shook his finger. “You’re dying, Stiles,” he whispered. “And now everyone you care about is dying too.”
My eyes narrowed. “What?” I breathed out. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve captured almost all of the territories on the board, Stiles. The hospital. The Sheriff’s Station. And now, the animal clinic. Do you know the ritual of seppuku, Stiles?”
I shook my head. “No, and I don’t want to.”
“When a samurai disembowels himself with his own sword to maintain his honor, but that’s not the cut that kills him. The killing stroke is made by his kaishakunin, who beheads the samurai with his own katana.” The nogitsune turned around slowly and pointed one of his bandaged fingers at Scott. “Scott… Scott is your kaishakunin. I’m going to make your best friend kill you, Stiles. And you’re going to let him. Because just like you, they’re all going to die.” He trudged closer and closer to me. “Everyone touched by an oni’s blade. Unless,” the nogitsune raised his finger, he was so close now that we were standing face to face, “Scott kills you first.”
“Why?” I asked, tears brimming in the corners of my eyes. “Why are you doing this?”
“To win the game.”
The nogitsune raised his hand and the oni raised their swords.
––
The battle was now in full motion. Scott, Valerie and Kira fighting against four oni while Lydia and I were crouched down on the ground, away from the action.
“This can’t be real,” said Lydia, looking around.
“Yeah, tell that to them,” I said, nodding towards the trio fighting the oni. Valerie fought hard, but now going up against two of the oni at the same time, they overpowered her, and her katana flew out of her grip and onto the snow in front of us. Kira and Scott were losing too, I had to do something quick, before they died. With shaking hands I grabbed Valerie’s sword and stood up, holding the edge against my gut. Scott noticed what I was doing immediately.
“Stiles, no!” he screamed. “Stiles!”
“What if it saves you?” I asked. “What if it saves all of you?”
“What if it’s just another trick?!” Valerie countered, but the nogitsune was quick to respond.
“No more tricks, Valerie. End it, Scott. Let your friend fall on his own sword. Do for him what he cannot do for himself. Do it, Scott. Be his kaishakunin. Give up the game.”
Scott didn’t do anything, he couldn’t, he just stood there. But I could. I steadied my grip on the hilt of the sword, readying myself. I was just about to do it when I saw it, reflected in the blade of the katana, a textbook. I looked to my left and there it was, laying on the ground and covered in snow, a business textbook. A quick look further from the book and I saw a school-desk, sitting idly behind a big rock.
“You have no more moves left,” said the nogitsune slowly, sounding like he knew what was gonna happen next.
I let go of the katana easily to the immediate surprise of everyone around me. “I do,” I said and tossed the katana back to Valerie who caught it with ease. “A divine move.”
I looked away from the nogitsune who looked furious at the new development and turned towards Scott, Valerie and Kira. “Stop fighting them! It’s an illusion. You have to stop fighting them. It looks real and it feels real, but, guys, you gotta trust me, it’s an illusion.”
None of them hesitated to listen, walking towards the doors, not fighting back even as the oni slashed their katanas across their bodies. Lydia and I followed. Soon, Scott was just in front of the nogitsune. He pushed him forward and as we stumbled through the doors, he disappeared, and we were all inside of the school now.
Scott, Valerie and Kira immediately checked their bodies where the slicing wounds had been, but they were no longer there anymore.
“We’re okay,” said Scott. We’re–” he didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence. He was quickly knocked down by the actual nogitsune. The one that looked like me. Kira was knocked out quickly after. But before they could get to her, Valerie ran away. She pushed Lydia into the other hallway, away from him, before she stood by my side, katana ready, and I quickly wrapped my arm around her again.
“This was my game,” the nogitsune growled. “You think you can beat me at my game?” He dashed towards us, completely ignoring Lydia. “Divine move.” He was moving so fast Valerie and I had to quickly stumble back to get away from him. “You think you have any moves at all?” he growled, voice tasing by every word. “You can kill the oni, but me? I’m a thousand years old! YOU CAN’T KILL ME!”
“But we can change you!” Valerie said smugly. The nogitsune halted immediately.
“What?” he mumbled, actually sounding scared.
“You forgot about the scroll,” I said.
“The Shugendo scroll.” I could actually hear the smirk in Valerie’s voice.
The nogitsune’s eyes narrowed. He was definitely scared now. “Change the host,” he mumbled.
I nodded. “You can’t be a fox and a wolf.” As soon as the words left my mouth Scott grabbed the nogitsune's shoulder and bit him in the arm. A blood-curdling scream escaped the Nogitsune’s mouth. Scott let go just in time for Kira’s katana to penetrate his chest. He fell to his knees, mouth opening and a firefly escaping out of it. It flew down the hallway just as Isaac appeared. He trapped the fly in the triskele-box, shutting it. The body identical to mine flailed around for a bit more before it cracked and transformed into dust.
Before I knew it, my vision went black and I fell to the floor, one final sound echoing in my ears before I lost consciousness.
“STILES!”
––
My feeling came before my sight. I was laying down, a hard uncomfortable surface under my entire body except under my head, which was supported by some kind of fabric. Someone’s folded up jacket if I had to guess. I blinked slowly. My vision cleared and I saw my friends crouched down around me, Valerie and Scott crouched just by my head. Deep sighs of relief escaped them all as they saw me wake up. I furrowed my brows in confusion before realization washed over me.
“Oh god, I fainted didn’t I?”
Valerie let out a breathy laugh. “Yeah, you did, Stiles.” My brows furrowed again at that. Valerie frowned when she noticed it. “What is it?” she asked.
“You just said my name,” I said softly, the ghost of a small smile pulling at my lips.
Valerie leaned back slightly, breaking eye-contact with me. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was blushing. “Don’t get used to it, Bilinski.”
I think I actually smiled at that.
Instead of responding I looked towards the rest of my friends. “We’re alive,” I whispered. “We are alive?”
Scott nodded. “Yeah. We’re okay.”
I finally let out a breath.
Lydia didn’t seem as relieved, though. She frowned a bit, looked towards the end of the hallway then stood up and walked forward. Not long after did she begin sprinting. The rest of us followed. Once we were out of the school we immediately saw what Lydia had felt. There, below the stairs, we saw Ethan clutching onto his twin’s stale body, sobbing. Lydia ran towards them, tears streaming down her face.
(not my gif)
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thatesqcrush · 4 years
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Fall From Grace, Pt. 2
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Brian Kneef x Reader. Fandom: The Good Fight. Reference: S4, E.4, “ The Gang is Satirized and Doesn’t Like It.” CW: smut (oral, male receiving, female receiving, p in v, language); Brian still being a snarky asshole. AN: Our lovely REE was on The Good Fight for all of 3 minutes so I am taking lots of liberties. I am obsessed with the anti-Barba. He was just delicious.
WC: 1800
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Brian’s hands are big and possessive and they wandered all over your body, exploring. You shivered involuntarily under his touch, eager for more. Your nipples are hard peaks and your breasts felt heavy and strained against the confines of your bra. Your lips trembled as his lips moved down your neck. His fingers swiftly undo the buttons of your blouse and your shirt is pushed open, revealing your lace bra. Brian stepped back, taking you fully in, rubbing his bearded chin as he did so. You bite your lip and unclasp your bra, slowly removing it, before tossing it to the side. You don’t miss how Brian lowered his gaze to watch your very calculated move; he licks his lips at the sight of your bare breasts. The sliver of pink tongue that darts out alone sends a jolt of pleasure between your legs.
Brian takes a step in front of you. “This is one time only.”
You straighten up, feeling suddenly vulnerable. “I know.”
“I mean it. Don’t expect flowers or a call tomorrow. I don’t do the boyfriend thing.”
Your eyes narrowed and you jutted your chin. “I wouldn’t expect it. This is just one of those things that happens.”
“Good – I don’t need a stage 5 clinger.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
“I don’t have a condom.” Brian expanded. “That said, I am clean. I was just recently tested.”
“Same. I have an IUD.”
“Also good – last thing I need is a little bastard looking like me running through Chicago.”
There’s a pause. Brian’s gaze is searing; the heat between you is palpable.  Your heart is pounding so loudly in your chest and you are certain Brian could hear it. The shrill of the phone ringing breaks the tension and you jump.
“STR Laurie, Y/N speaking.” You answer, nearly breathless. The food Brian had ordered arrived. “It’s the food…” you mention to Brian, covering the receiver. “Ummm-I….”
A hand jerks the phone away from you. You look at Brian surprised. “It’s Kneef. Don’t bring it up. Enjoy the food. Ms. L/N is otherwise preoccupied. Hold her calls and hold mine as well.” Brian gruffed.
Brian slammed the phone down into its base and his mouth was on yours again. You moaned his name against his lips. He ran his tongue against your bottom lip, tasting the sweet flavor of your mouth. He curled his hand around your neck and pulled you off the desk so that you were flush against him. You pressed your body against his, reveling in the feel of your body against his. Your hand reached down to his erection, feeling him hard against your palm. Brian growled low, feeling his cock jerk in response.
“You are sure you want to do this?” Brian asked. “I am an asshole, but I am not an animal. I need your consent.”
“Yes. I want this. I want you.” You didn’t miss the glint of delight in his eye as you affirmed your consent.
You moaned as Brian moved his mouth down your neck, his tongue traced a path down the slope, licking and sucking. His hands cupped your breasts and his fingers rolled your nipples, tugging and pinching. You felt yourself dampen in response. His head dipped to capture a globe and you moaned again, throwing your head back. Bites graze your already sensitive skin and you hiss in response. Brian’s tongue runs over the marks, soothing your skin.
Finally, Brian pulled away and you whimpered.
“Take off the rest of your clothes.” He commanded. You nod and you reach around to unzip your skirt. You pull it down and let it pool at your feet, before stepping out. You stood naked, save your panties. Brian motioned for your panties as well. Your thumbs hook into the waistband and you pull them down your legs.
A thought occurred to you. “Anyone could walk in.”
“No one can see shit with all these fucking boxes stacked.”
Brian reached over and took your panties. He brought them to his face and took a deep inhalation before neatly folding them and stuffing them into his pocket.
“Turn around and bend over.” Brian ordered quietly. You do as he commands, lying completely flat on the desk. Every nerve in your body was electrified, sizzling like a snare. Brian felt the knobs of your spine as he ran his hand down your back.
Brian knelt down and pressed his face in between your ass cheeks, as if he wanted to smother himself. His beard tickled your skin and you shivered at the thought of how his beard was going to feel on your pussy. You yelped as he nipped a chunk of flesh once more. Forcefully, Brian opened your legs and with his fingers, he spread your folds apart. You were soaking and your pussy glistened under the overhead fluorescent light. Brian nestled in between your thighs and licked a broad stripe down your slit. You gasped loudly as his mouth devoured your most intimate parts.
“Oh God” you manage to croak out. Brian used his tongue to swirl and lick, slowly and deliberately. He hummed, sending vibrations through your body and you grasped at your desk in futility. You pushed back, eagerly. He used his tongue to alternate fucking you and sucking on your clit. You whimpered as you felt your orgasm build in your belly. A finger slid in and your cunt gripped the digit tightly. “Fuck, fuck, oh fuck,” you whimpered. “Brian please.”
Brian ate you, licking to his fill. He didn’t stop his actions until your legs started to shake. He moved his mouth to your clit and focused his attention there, sucking on your bud with vigor. Your orgasm peaked and you groaned his name as you came. He continued to lap at you until your orgasm faded.
Brian pulled away and you stood and turned around. You watched as Brian unzipped his pants, freeing his hardened cock. He pumped it a few times and you swallowed slowly, a combination of nervousness and arousal.
Without him having to ask (not that you really thought he would anyway), you dropped to your knees. Brian pushed his erection past your lips and eagerly you began to blow him. “Oh fuck yes,” Brian gritted out, his hand wrapping into your hair, gripping tightly. He fucked into your mouth, causing you to sputter and gag, the sound filling the room. You reached down to rub yourself and Brian chuckled low. “So needy.”
You moaned as your fingers rubbed your swollen clitoris. Brian smacked his cock against your cheek and you opened your mouth to take him again once more. You used your free hand to help jerk him as you sucked on the head of his cock. Using your tongue, you flicked it against the spot where the head met the shaft. Brian pulled off and you gasped for air. Your lips were slick and swollen.
“Over the desk again.” Brian grunted.
You rose up and leaned onto the desk again.  
“Fuck me, Brian.”
Brian pushed your legs apart wider; you felt his cock line up against your entrance. Just as he was about to push in, he paused to look at you. Your head was turned to the side, your eyes were closed and your mouth was slightly parted. There was a light sheen of sweat that covered your body. In one powerful thrust, he buried himself deep into your body.
Your cunt gripped his cock tightly as he Brian stilled his momentum. You both groaned at the sensation.  Finally, Brian took hold of your hips, his fingertips digging into your flesh as he began to relentlessly piston you.
“Oh fuck Brian, yes, give it to me,” you cried out. Brian responded by fucking you deeper and faster.
“Take it,” Brian grunted. “I am going to wreck this pussy of yours over and over again.”
Your eyes rolled to the back of your head as he continued to ravish your body. He leaned over to whisper all the filthy things he wanted to do with you and you wanted all of it.
He continued pounding into you and you knew you would feel it the next day. You were panting in lust, desperate to come once more. Brian continued moving in and out of you and you slapped the surface of the desk. The sounds of the desk squeaking combined with the intensity of the fucking was bringing you quickly to the precipice once more. “Please,” you sobbed. “I am so close.” Your cup holder of pens and some paperwork fell to the floor. Brian reached around and found your nub, rubbing it with the pad of his thumb. You lost it, arching your back and whining as you came once more, crying out his name.  Your walls quaked around his cock.
“That’s it, lose control. Take that cock.” Brian encouraged you. Brian looked down to watch himself thrust in and out of you – he could see how slick his cock was with your cream and he gnashed his teeth together in pleasure. He gripped your hips tighter, fucking you harder and faster. His balls tightened and he buried himself all the way inside. With a groan, Brian came deep inside of you, ropes of his hot cum spurting.
Brian withdrew from you and you cried out at the feeling. You began to move, and Brian stilled you. He dropped to his knees once more and spread your pussy lips, watching as his cum slid out of you and drip onto your thighs. He trailed his finger on your thigh and gathered his come onto his finger before finger fucking it back into you. Your legs buckled in response. Finally he withdrew his finger – it was coated in your juice and his cum. He brought it to your face and you sucked his finger clean in response. “Mmmmm.” 
Brian smirked and then stuffed himself back into his pants.
You stood fully, your legs felt like they were made out of jello. Slowly, you gathered your clothes.
Brian leaned against a stack of boxes watching you dress. “One week.” Brian finally spoke up, motioning towards the boxes.
“Considering I just lost valuable time because I was busy with your cock, I think I could use a few more days.” You crossed your arms. Brian’s cum began to seep out once more, and you groaned quietly to yourself at the perverse sensation.
Brian nodded. “Fine,” he replied. “Two weeks.”
Unexpectedly, Brian pulled you into his arms, kissing you deeply. He was disappointed it was all over and deep down he knew that this wouldn’t be the last time. It was too good for it to be just one time.
The kiss broke and Brian pivoted, leaving without so much as a look behind.
Somehow you knew, it wasn’t just one time either. And you looked forward to it very much.
TBC
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an-annyeoing-writer · 4 years
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Chanyeøl x Reader: homini lupus.
Word count: ~3,2 k
Genre: dark, supernatural
Warnings: mentions of violence, blood and injury
I’m actually thinking of writing this for some other members. There are some minor events that weren’t explained and I’d like to refer to them in other fics. We’ll see!
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Homo homini lupus est.
You didn’t know how long you spent in the same position. Your back ached, you were cold, and the migraine wouldn’t leave you in the last few hours at least, ever since you lost the remaining willingness to move. You tried to walk around the small space at least once in a while to keep your body warmer, and yourself – saner. But it didn’t work, and you felt hungry, thirsty, and exhausted. 
The space was small, but you knew it wasn’t meant to be a prison; more like a pantry, considering shelves along the walls, although empty. 
Sometimes, you heard noises. People walked right behind the locked door, ignoring that you sat there in complete darkness, starving, unable to cry for help any longer. You wished someone would come here just to keep you company, or at least tell you what was going on. But no one did – you were kept here like an animal hunted down, caught and then kept alive until it’d be needed dead. Although it’d at least be given water and food to stay healthy until its time came, and you didn’t have even that much. 
You thought you’d pass out when the doorknob moved slightly; you couldn’t see it, but you heard the faint noise and your face snapped up.
“Let me out” you whispered; your throat was dry, your voice hoarse, as if it didn’t belong to you at all. But you stumbled to your feet, pushing forward and falling against the door next moment, slamming your weak fists against the wood even as the noises on the other side dulled out. You cried out incoherently.
And suddenly, something slammed against the door from the other side, making you jump back. You shook, barely standing on your own feet, as the lock was removed on the other side and the door opened, letting in light that blinded you in an instant.
“Why can’t you just keep quiet?” the voice spoke even before you saw the man in front of you clearly.
“I-I heard a sound…” you whimpered.
“I just tripped, don’t think too much. God, can’t you even be quiet for a second?” You kept quiet, though; you waited for your eyes to adjust, and finally, you made out the silhouette in front of you, a man with one hand still on the doorknob and the other holding onto his side. You didn’t see the exact colors yet, but there was a darker stain on the side of his face, one you confused with a shadow at first, but as you soon realized, wasn’t one. 
“Are you hurt?” you whispered.
He snorted. 
“Still stronger than you, no doubt. Stay where you fucking are.”
“I-I can help” you offered.
“I don’t think so, you can barely stand.” He moved to close the door back and, almost instantly, let out a groan, leaning against the door frame for support. You didn’t hesitate before reaching to him; anything to get out of here, no matter how dangerous the world outside could be with him around. 
His immediate reaction was to push you away and you landed on the cold ground, miraculously not letting out a pained sound. 
He stared at you for a short moment, as if rethinking his previous statement.
“Follow me. Don’t slack off. If you can stand up, that is.”
You didn’t know if you could. But the will to get out of this small space turned out way stronger than all the aches and fear gathered in your fragile body. So you ran after him, trying to remember at least some of the passing surroundings, but in the end, able only to walk behind the man who captured you, hoping that he won’t pass out in the middle of the hall – mainly because if anyone was to find you two like this, your explanations would be quite unreliable without his testimony.
Although maybe, just maybe, it’d give you a chance to escape? 
Probably only if no one else was in the house; you wondered how big the building was, but it seemed cozy, closer to a summer house than a mansion, so it shouldn’t be too big. You didn’t change the floor, but you saw some stairs in the distance. You moved into a cozy bedroom and the man motioned you to wait in the middle, walking to the door in the corner, which, as you saw from your perspective, was a bathroom. He came back soon with a small box – first aid kit. 
He threw the box at you, and you barely managed to grab it; at least these few minutes of stretching your bones helped a little with your migraine, and you didn’t feel as dead as before. In fact, literally the opposite – you felt a rush of adrenaline that urged you to move as the man sat on his bed and exhaled heavily. You looked at him more closely. Although he was holding his side earlier, there was no visible injures there. Maybe some bruises under the jacket, you thought.
The only one was on his face. Blood poured from under his closed eyelid, and it was a scary sight. There was a cut over the bridge of his nose too, but it didn’t look half as threatening. 
The man looked at you with his one, dark eye.
“What happened to you?” you asked. He must have calmed down by now, because he didn’t yell anymore, his posture didn’t look half as intimidating as before. He didn’t say a word as you moved a chair to sit next to the bed and open the first aid kit. You didn’t know, what to do. Shouldn’t he wash his face first?
“I was robbed” he announced.
“What kind of robbery leaves wounds like this?” you huffed.
“It wasn’t a robbery. I was stolen from” he clarified, although, in fact, it didn’t clarify much.
“What do you mean? What did they take?”
“Can’t you tell?” His one eye bored into you as the two of you stared at each other for a few moments.
“Oh.” Who’d do something like this… And what for? 
The man seemed amused.
“They’d gladly take you, too, if they knew you’re here.”
“Who?” 
You completely forgot about what you were here for, simply listening to him, first aid kit left on the mattress. 
“People who don’t like what we are.” This reply didn’t explain much. The man huffed. “You don’t need to know the details.”
“You just said they’re after me, too. Who are they? I need to know more.” You were focused on getting the information out of him. It was not an easy task, you had a feeling you were unlucky enough to meet the stubborn one. 
“It’s none of your business.” 
You huffed with annoyance, picking up a bandage roll from the box and throwing it at him. You stood up and started pacing around the room. As if your head wasn’t already overwhelmed, you had even more questions than before. Nothing had been cleared out, nothing at all. 
“Then why do you keep me here? It sounds like you couldn’t care less about my well-being, then why bother?”
“Don’t be mistaken” the man spoke louder. “I couldn’t care less about you, but I don’t want them getting any stronger. I won’t let them put their hands on you until they’re all dead.”
“How many is all, then?”
“Seven” he answered without hesitation. “Six of which I’m going to kill.”
“And the one?”
“If I kill him, I die, too.” The grin on his face made it clear that he was sincerely amused with making you even more confused than you already were. 
“I don’t understand” you admitted.
“You don’t need to. Just stay where you are, could you?” he shrugged. From the box, he took out some pills and took two, but it didn’t seem like he’d do anything about his eye. 
“What about your…?” you hesitated, briefly pointing at his head.
He shrugged.
“I’ll get a new one, no big deal.”
Just who was he? You had way too many questions. Your fear dissolved a little, especially after finding out he was not as hostile as he seemed at first; interest appeared instead. 
He looked up at you with his one eye and scrunched his nose. 
“You’re useless here. Go back to the pantry.”
You glanced at him, not too happy with the perspective.
“Can I use the bathroom at least?”
He shrugged.
“Do what you want. You’ll die if you try to get out, so in your own favor, don’t.” 
“What do you mean?”
“We’re two hundreds miles from the nearest town, and it’s the middle of winter. We’re not gonna kill you, but it doesn’t mean we’re gonna care if you die. If you go, you’ll freeze to death or starve before they find you. So we won’t care.”
“That’s cruel.”
“Maybe. But we have enough of our own problems to worry about.”
“Can I get food?”
“Do what you want.”
So you did. Maybe it’d earn you a bit more chance to get information out of others who were here. Or maybe it’d just make it a bit more bearable, if you could live normally at least. 
You came to a conclusion that there’s nothing more humanizing than a warm shower.
* * *
You slept on the sofa in the living room of the house. It was a spacious building, as you discovered. A few rooms were locked and no one ever entered them – one of the men shared that they belonged to those who passed away. It scared you to realize that death was not something uncommon to them, but you didn’t dare to ask more questions; these rooms were unavailable to you either way, so you stayed in the living room, a place the inhabitants came to only on those rare evenings when all of them were here. Usually, only one or two were in the house to begin with and they busied themselves in their own rooms. There was six of them. And the one who stayed at home the most was Chanyeøl, with his head wrapped in bandages; he didn’t recover yet so he didn’t go out much. You wondered where they all went in the first place – if it was true and the closest town was hundreds of miles away, where were they going all the time?
Once, it became quite obvious. Sehůn came back home with a dead deer over his shoulder; the animal had no wounds so you worried, what if it was poisoned? Would it be safe to eat it? But the others didn’t question it, just prepared it, and that was the first time in a while you ate something warm and fresh. They didn’t really care that you took some, nor that you sat among them while eating. They never paid you much attention at all, but you didn’t mind – it allowed you to see them at ease, not so scary anymore, just a group of people, maybe not friends, but surely not enemies either, more of associates, living under the same roof. 
You saw them come back home tired and dirty, you saw them laugh at stupid jokes while looking as if they just took a bloodbath, you saw them complain about injures that were simply “annoying”, never “life-threatening” or even “dangerous”. 
And one day, you saw Baëkhyun sit next to Chanyeøl and gently take the bandage off his head.
“It looks good” he spoke. “Creepy as hell, though.”
“You should have gotten me a better one. Seriously.”
“I thought this one would suit you more. We can dig out the other one and exchange so that they match.” The sentence was probably the creepiest thing you’ve ever heard, but the man’s smile made it clear he was simply joking, in his own, twisted way that Chanyeøl seemed to reciprocate, because his lips curled into a grin too. 
They heard you shuffle in the door’s entry and both turned their heads towards you.
Chanyeøl’s bright blue eye stared at you with more intensity than the other, dark one you already knew. 
Baëkhyun was right. It was creepy as hell.
* * *
“Aren’t you getting too comfortable?” 
Chanyeøl sat by the kitchen table, elbow on the glass surface and chin resting on his palm; he seemed bored, so he watched you do the dishes after dinner. 
“What do you mean?” you asked, not even glancing back at him. 
“I could put you back in the pantry at any time and none of the guys would stand up for you. I could even kill you and they wouldn’t care. Why do you do this, then?”
“Do what?” You didn’t seem too bothered with his words. You started to get used to his threats. 
“Act like you live here.”
“Do I not?”
“You’re a hostage.”
“Thanks for letting me know” you replied sarcastically. 
You made barely one step before his hand was on your neck, pushing your face against the fridge. His grip was firm, but you didn’t dare to struggle, trying to ignore the way your entrails twisted in fear. You were starting to get used to it, you just needed more time. That’s what you told yourself. He wouldn’t kill you – you repeated it in your thoughts. He wouldn’t kill you, he doesn’t hate you. You’re useful, somehow.
“You seriously think that it’ll change anything?” He leaned down and let his voice turn quieter – the words he was about to speak were not for anyone else to hear. “There’s seven of them. If I kill the one, I die too. What, do you think, will happen, if I kill the others?”
The words started to sink in. All the domesticity and familiarity suddenly turned poisonous. Not even associates, you thought. Just means to reach his own goal. Did the others know? Should you warn them? Or were they all thinking the same way, working together only for now? Was this how the others passed away? Were they also not useful enough for their life to be more valuable than the death of those who were against them?
“B-but there’s only six of you” you noticed. Your voice quivered.
You felt his breath on your neck, his grip didn’t loosen.
“Do you want to know who’s the seventh? Do you, really?” 
Your body shook in fear, and you realized that you should have started fearing him much sooner than you allowed yourself to.
A smirk.
A push, forcing you onto your knees.
And then, silence. He was gone. 
You had to get out of here.
* * *
“Where do you think you’re going?” 
Chën stared at you, amused. It was early spring already, the temperature wasn’t that bad. You picked up the warmest clothes you found, took food and everything else you considered useful. Chën stood in the door’s entry as you walked into the yard; he was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed, not wearing anything special, yet not looking half as cold as you already were upon feeling the weather for the first time in ages.
“Chanyeøl said I can go if I want.”
“You’ll die.”
“Or survive.”
“Doubtful.”
“Worth the risk.”
“Is it?”
“I will either live or survive. If I stay here, I will only die.”
“Better later than sooner, though” he shrugged. 
But you didn’t feel convinced. You made your mind, you knew anything would be better than staying here. You didn’t ask for any of this. Were “the others” really even worse than what you had here? You doubted. Especially now, knowing what was their purpose.
“What the fuck are you doing?!” The angry voice startled you, it was the first thing that made you hesitate, but it’s not like you had much time to reconsider.
A hand wrapped around your hair, pulling you backwards and you landed on the  snow with a shriek, the bag falling off your shoulder. 
Chanyeøl stood over you, his face twisted in anger.
“You think that’s funny?” he spat at you; you didn’t think it was, but Chën’s laughter resonated in the distance. 
“Y-you said…”
“Get the fuck up.”
He seemingly resisted the urge to kick your side to hurry you as you scrambled to your feet, head low in fear. 
Chanyeøl stared at you coldly. 
“Get back inside. Now!” he growled. 
You passed by him without a word. Your body shook in fear and cold; maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to leave, after all? Just how far you’d make it anyway? You were so weak. 
Suddenly, a small, weird sound resonated right behind your back, followed by a groan. You turned around rapidly. 
There was an arrow in Chanyeøl’s shoulder, all the way through, its sharp head glistening with red, sticking out of his back. 
The man stumbled backwards and you jumped away in fear before tearing your gaze away to look in the direction the arrow must have come from. 
There was a man holding a bow in his hand. You knew his face. You’ve meet him before.
But you didn’t. It wasn’t the same person, the look in his eyes was not the mocking glimmer you’ve seen in Sehůn’s. Who was he?
Who were the other five men gathered around?
Two dark eyes of Chanyeøl’s nemesis stared at him coldly, and Chanyeøl glared back with hate you’ve never seen in anyone else before.
“Move away from her” the other Suhø spoke. 
Chanyeøl snorted, pushing himself off the ground. Before you could react, his arm wrapped around your neck as he pulled your body against his chest, a human shield. The arrow in his shoulder didn’t seem to bother him half as much as it bothered you.
“Or what?” he dared.
Someone pushed through the crowd of men; a smaller silhouette that stood behind them until now, with her arms crossed on her chest and an unreadable look on her face. 
Yøu. 
Your breath hitched at you stared at hër in complete shock. Shë stared back, also curious, maybe not that confused, seemingly knowing what awaited hër here, but also surprised – it’s not really a situation one can prepare for too well. You couldn’t help comparing herself to hër. Shë seemed prepared, with hër hair not as messy as yours that weren’t treated with a haircut in ages, lipstick on hër lips, a color that suited hër so well, which should suit you too, even though you’ve never considered it before. 
You didn’t have too long to think about it. 
Chanyeøl pushed you forward, as if instantly giving up your own self; as if, in fact, you didn’t matter to begin with. Just means to his own success, as you realized. What did it matter?  He wanted to kill both of you, anyway. Why did he want hër here so much?
The both of you passed by each other, still too shocked to exchange even a word of greeting. 
You couldn’t see anything, your eyes wouldn’t focus enough to keep you aware of where were you going. You thought you’re gonna stumble and fall, but a pair of hands was suddenly on your shoulders, grounding you, a motion so gentle and protective you couldn’t help the tears gathering in your eyes. You missed it. You missed the warmth.
The other Chanyeøl studied your face intently.
“Are you alright?” he asked and you forced yourself to nod slightly, although your legs felt like a jelly. He pursed his lips. “You can rest. You’re with us now. You’re safe.”
Please, reblog if you enjoyed! It’s not much, but it’d help me a lot!
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juniebjoneswrites · 3 years
Text
Bring Me Home // Harry Styles
Steps From The Past (4)
Just one chapter from ya boi’s big debut!
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T/W: brief gross teacher
/the past/
It’s been three weeks since Eli’s death, a week ago they declared him a missing person. I haven't spoken in five days, haven't left my bed in three. I watch the sun rise and set, rise and set like a melody that if maybe I can get it just right, I won't have to hear it anymore. I won't have to hear anything, not my sister crying in the room across the hall or my parents arguing in hushed tones in the dead of night. I won't have to hear my ragged breaths or the stomach pains from not eating. But I do hear. In the mornings when the birds wake I try to find comfort in their tunes and the warmth of the sun but I'm so frozen over that it can't penetrate my ozone. I like to think I have gravity as if the dust is being pulled down, settling over my body, and sinking into my skin. I imagine it trying to absorb my energies and become whole again but I tell it if that were possible then I wouldn't be lying here. At night I don't hear anything for long periods. Time is broken up by sirens and stray animals foraging in trash cans. I try to listen for whispers that come from just out of reach in case he wants to speak to me or to let me explain. But I know that if he didn't want to listen in life then he's definitely not going to in death.
It's the middle of the day and my mom brings me another sandwich I will not eat. My sister's room is loud and heavy with her music. She sets the plate on my night stand and picks up the old one. My eyes are closed but I can feel her staring at me as she makes her way to the door. I let out a breath as I think she's left, but she puts the plate on my dresser and crawls into bed. She wraps her arms around me and pulls me close and tight. She smells of lavender and honey and I feel her warmth trying to seep into my bones. I want to cry and scream and make her hurt because I can't make anyone else hurt. I need somewhere to direct it but there's no one to blame but myself.
I watch myself thrash, yell, and cry. The snot from my nose is uncontrollable. I am inconsolable. I watch as I lash out at her, she feels my pain but she doesn't run away like I want. I want her to be afraid, to leave me, but she pulls me in hard. I push back harder. I want someone to hurt. If the anger can't escape what will be left of me in the end? Will the heat melt my ice? Boil me over and spill my secrets?
But I am frozen. My anger and pain are locked away under my cold skin and a sunken face. Moving would give way to screams and emotions that I don't deserve. So I let my mother hold me and do the only thing she thinks she can. I let her warmth radiate as it tries to thaw me. When the tears come silently, still with enough coldness to become snow, I slowly bury us alive. The thing with moms is that even as I bury us here I know she won't flinch.
On day eight I find myself in the kitchen standing in front of the stove. The blueing hues from the window tells me the sun will soon rise. I shuffle around maybe aimlessly, maybe not. I'm not sure. I don't realize my hands have a plan until I'm sitting at the table with them wrapping around a steaming mug of hot chocolate. The smell is dark and sweet, making my mouth water. I take a sip and let it scald my mouth and warm my belly. More shuffling comes from behind me.
"Josie?" I croak, slightly startled by my voice.
"Mmm," She sits at the table across from me and stares at the mug. I can see her thinking it over before she grabs her own. I watch her pour the boiling water and mix it with chocolate powder. When we were younger we tried to eat the packets with a spoon and ended up choking.
I want to talk to her. Or do I just want to hear her voice? I don't know. Either way she doesn't speak and neither do I. She pulls my chair away from the table and climbs on my lap. I wrap my arm around my sister's waist and press my face into her side, letting out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. She slides her arm around my shoulder, resting her head on mine. I sip my drink. She sips hers.
"We should shower today," She softly says after a long while. We do smell.
"I haven't cared,"
"Me either,"
"You do smell pretty bad," I say. I might be grinning. She lifts her head up and makes a pained sound. I finish my hot chocolate. We don't take a shower, just walk to her bed and fall asleep until the sun sets again.
I finally take my mom's advice to run but I don't initially start this first time out of the house. I take labored step after labored step and push my legs forward like a puppet. I'm groggy and hazy and the world won't slow down. It's kept going at the same pace it always has. It didn't take time to mourn or review it's checks and balances to see if it made the right choice. It just kept going and now we have to find our way back in like jumping on a train at full speed. I don't check my footing or where I'm placing my hands as I Jump, I go blindly.
Being in the everyday motions feels like hitting the train car at full speed. My palms are sweaty and my breath comes like a punch to the gut. I find things to latch on to. I sit on the bench at the library we use to go to and pretend we're all there people watching. "That woman over there looks like she tells the birds her life as she feeds them," Mia once said, I can hear us laugh but I can hear Elijah laugh the loudest. When I see my reflection in the library's windows, it's just me. I walk away.
I find myself at the skate park where Josie taught me to skateboard. I wiped out, taking most of the blow to my knees. I think there's still a rock in there somewhere. In high school I watched Isaac ask Allie to be his girlfriend before Isaac realized he actually liked Jonah. We joked that Allie must have been a bad girlfriend. When Mia was 13 she told me that a neighborhood guy tried to feel her up behind the drop in ramp without asking. Elijah overheard and the next day we saw him with busted knuckles; when we asked him about it he just winked and shrugged. Mia blushed.
I walk by the elementary school we grew up in, only a mile or so from the high school we graduated from years ago. I wonder if our names are still under the desk in math, room 104. There was a scandal there about a teacher seducing a student and allegedly trying with others. No one found out who the girl was, they kept the information closed. But I can't see the science building without remembering how Allie never went back for Mr. Samuel's lessons after he asked to see her after class, she wouldn't tell me why. It wasn't until my sister broke down his classroom door after school that I realized. She saw his hand on my thigh and kicked the chair from under him. She pushed his chest down, "You'll get what you deserve." And he did.
The ice cream shop across town was walking distance from where my father worked and he would give us money on Fridays to get some, so long as we brought him back one after. That's where, in 10th grade, Jonah and Isaac found a dog with three legs wandering around eating from the garbage. They managed to entice it with ice cream and take it back to Isaac's. He had a dog already but his parents took him in anyway. They named him Berry after the strawberry flavor they captured him with.
Once at a roller rink Jonah fell and Josie accidentally ran over his finger. She stumbled to a stop and crawled back to him, screaming. He was laughing so hard from her reaction, and probably the shock, that he hadn't cared about the blood coming from his fingers. I sped us to the hospital while Elijah called his dad. By the time we got there the shock had worn off, leaving him with the pain. We called him hook for the rest of the year on account of how the bandages made his hand look. He just smiled as Isaac held his other one.
Once Sam told me I should be nicer because no one would want me. Sam is three years older than Elijah. Josie is two years older than me. Sam and Josie used to spend a lot of time together in her room listening to music really loudly. I knew what they were doing but I was still angry that she didn't ever want me to hangout with them together. So when Sam came over I went to see Elijah. Two can play that game, I thought. And two, they played.
Elijah kissed me one afternoon on winter break after we played outside for hours. My whole body was freezing but his lips were soft, albeit cold. As he took my hand and brought me back inside I thought of Mia and her secret glances his way. Blushing when he'd sit next to her, how she always seemed to have just what he needed, when he needed it. I couldn't look at her the next time I saw her but Elijah acted like nothing happened so eventually I let myself think nothing did. That following summer he took her to the movies and she told me that when they went back to his house they had sex. I smiled and told her that as long as she wanted to, then I was happy for her. On the drive home I thought of his bed.
When I got back I wanted to talk to my sister but as usual, Sam was there so her door was shut. I banged and banged until finally she opened it. "What?" She asked annoyed and out of breath. I guess she could see my youthful confusion and anger, I was 16 and she was 18. I knew what they were doing but I didn't know what I was doing. She sighed and opened the door wider, Sam looked annoyed. I shot him a dirty look and he stood up defensively. She was my sister.
"What's your problem?" He asked. My sister raised her eyebrows at him.
"You're my problem," I sneered.
"I was just sitting here,"
"Yeah well now you're not, so you can leave," I threw him his sweater. He laughs, "You know what?" he snatches his shoes, "No one's going to want you if you're going to be such a bitch all the time," With that my sister smacked him across the back of the head and pushed him from her room. He whirled around, "Why do you think Eli didn't choose you?"
"Because he was too busy hiding from you!" I screamed at him, slamming her door in his face.
I leaped face down on her bed and screamed into the pillow. Asking what happened, she crawled on the bed and rested her body on mine. "He slept with Mia," I told her through pillows and tears. But I didn't tell her that on that winter day on break, I did also.
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