#(he dropped the water in a panic as soon as it responded and did his best to wipe the memory from his mind)

[slayfics]

Katsuki joins you in the bath.

Warnings: Katsuki aged up | NSFW themes

800 words~

The warmth of the bath surrounded you as you took another sip of your wine. It was nice to finally be at home and done with the day.

You jumped slightly hearing your front door open and close. You hadn't been expecting anyone over, which caused you to panic until the loud stomps immediately became recognizable.

Katsuki.

He walked into the bathroom, a smirk spreading on his lips at seeing you laid out in the bath with a glass of wine.

"I wasn't expecting you to stop by today," you said, taking a sip of wine.

"Got off early- thought I'd come to say hi," He explained.

"You know that key I gave you to my place was supposed to be for emergencies... not that I'm complaining though," You winked.

Katsuki stood for a few moments taking in the sight of your exposed skin. Silently he cursed the bubbles in the bath that hid the rest of you.

"You look comfortable," he said.

"I am, you should join me," you said, waving the glass of wine that was dangling between your fingers.

"If I join you that water is going everywhere," He laughed.

"I got a mop," you said, taking another sip while your eyes met his, daring him to follow through.

Katsuki chuckled, ripped off his shirt and threw it aside, then worked at his buckle to undress the rest of himself. You watched him taking slow sips enjoying as he peeled all the layers of his clothing off and dropped them to the floor.

"Careful what you wish for," he said before stepping in behind you and wrapping his arms around your waist bringing you up against his chest as he laid behind you in the bath. Water and bubbles spilled out of the tub splashing out onto the bathroom floor.

You laughed at his playfulness and rested your head back against his chest. Katsuki lowered his head to rest on top of yours, nuzzling his cheek slighting into your damp hair. You moved your hand from under the water to run through his hair.

The room was silent except for the sound of settling bubbles and dripping water until Katsuki said in a voice barely above a whisper, "This is nice."

You nodded slightly agreeing.

Katsuki found himself getting lost in the warmth of the bath and the soft feel of your skin beneath his hands. Everything was rough outside of here, but at this moment he felt calm. The stress and loud thoughts that always plagued him were silenced for a moment. Being around you reminded him of the same feeling he gets from hiking. Tranquil, he thought.

"How was work?" You asked bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Shitty," he responded shortly. "You?"

"Shitty," you responded with a giggle escaping your lips. "It's good to see you though," You said. Katsuki didn't respond but tightened his grip around your waist ever so slightly indicating to you he felt the same.

"How long do you get to stay?" You asked.

"I have another patrol at 6 am so... not long," he said solemnly.

"Hm- did you eat?" You asked.

"No... You got stuff in the fridge, right? I'll make something." He spoke.

"Nu-uh," You said and reached out of the tub to grab our phone on the counter. "I'll order something, that way we can spend some time together while we wait for the food," you winked.

Katsuki let out a low chuckle," Not gonna argue with that, but-" Katsuki grabbed your phone out of your hand. "I'm picking what we eat, none of that unhealthy crap you like to order," he said, scrolling through your ordering app with one hand while the other was still squeezed tightly around your waist.

"You're staying the night?" You asked while holding your breath, hoping he wouldn't try to rush out too soon.

Katsuki didn't answer at first. He finished up the order and set your phone at the edge of the tub. Placing his head back on top of your head, he wrapped his other arm around you again, squeezing you tightly into his chest again.

"Yeah," He finally spoke, and you felt yourself relax against him.

"You need clothes? I still have some extras you left. I made sure to wash them for you," You offered.

"Thanks," he said. "I'll clean up this water for you- mops in the hall closet, right?" He asked.

"Yup- and when you're done moping... you can come try to get your clean clothes from me," you said playfully.

"HA? You're gonna make me mop with my dick out?!" He exclaimed.

"Well... I do like a show," You laughed.

"Tch- get ready then. It's show time," he said, and then grabbed you, lifting you out of the water in his arms. Your laughter filled the room.

Tags: @unofficialmuilover @maddietries @fiannee @i-heart-carlisle @derangedmango

[lieslab]

Let the ultraviolet cover me up

꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎ ꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎

Pairing: Jeongin X gn reader

Summary: Your boyfriend appears after the emotional neglect and hurt you experienced as a kid bubbles up at the wrong time.

Genre: Comfort/hurt

Word Count: 2.5K

Depression resources

Trigger warning: Trauma, emotional neglect, implications of depression, and the genuine feeling of being lost as an adult.

_ _ _

You were supposed to be waiting for Jeongin in the apartment. The two of you were going out on a date and he was sure you remembered because he texted you about it this morning. He called your name, stopping inside and standing on the rug. Outside, drops of water were heavily pouring and his shoes were soaked. 

He called your name again, but you still didn’t show up. He frowned, kicked off his shoes, and began through his search in the quiet apartment. The kitchen was bare with every cupboard door shut. There weren’t pots and pans strung out and about. Everything was neat and tidy, just as it had been this morning when he left. 

The living room was left in a similar state. The throw pillows for the couch were placed neatly on each side and a blanket was swung over the back. You usually used that when you were freezing cold, but now it laid neatly folded and untouched. 

There was no familiar thumping of the washing machine or the electronic hum of the dryer. Your voice wasn’t floating from the bathroom and there was no sprinkling of the shower. There wasn’t a roar of water pouring from the spigot for a bubble bath either. 

He called out your name, wondering your whereabouts, but you never responded. Confused and a little concerned, he pulled out his phone and dialed your number. He was expecting a response and an excuse, but when your voicemail picked up instantly, it worried him even more. Did you just hang up on him and purposefully decline his call? 

This morning, you were happy and thrilled about your date. After asking for recommendations for ideas, Hyunjin mentioned a nearby art gallery that hosted pottery classes. You had been wanting a new hobby and he thought it’d be a good place to start. If something bloomed, it’d be wonderful, but if not, it’d be a good memory to look back upon. 

He called your name a final time and searched in the spare room. When he couldn’t find you in another final sweep of the place, his heart sped up. Did something happen to you? Did an intruder break in and kidnap you? Did you take off for some sort of emergency situation?

His mind spun mindlessly and the more he thought, the worse scenarios that he came upon. An evil sasaeng holding you hostage. A random stranger beating you until you were bleeding and screaming. Each thought made him more and more nauseous. 

He finally picked up his phone and called you once more. “Honey, it’s me. I don’t know where you are, but I’m home to take you to our date. You’re really worrying me, so if you could call me back, that’d be appreciated. I love you and I’ll see you soon.” 

He hung up the phone and began to pace. Each back and forth throughout the house weighed his heart down more and more. When you didn’t call back and five minutes had passed, he sent you a text message. He hoped you’d respond, but after another ten minutes, he scrambled to put his shoes on. 

Panic was a ribbon wrapped around his heart and it was tying tighter and tighter. Where did you go? Were you okay? Were you safe? What happened to you? 

He rushed into the car, nearly slipping on the wet concrete in the process, and rushed from the driveway. His fingers were white around the wheel as he drove back through the neighborhood. His eyes darted around, trying to find the one person’s face who matched yours. 

Rain down-poured now. It hit the windshield with heavy taps and he flicked the button to change the speed of the windshield wipers. Over and over and over again, water wiped away, and then it speckled the glass again. 

“Where did you go?” He whispered to himself in a panic. It wasn’t like you to be irrational. You wouldn’t take off into the pouring rain without a good reason. Even then, you’d usually text him if something happened. You rarely changed your plans, so this was out of left field. 

He drove through one side of town. Stop lights changed colors and umbrella-handled pedestrians protected themselves from cold drops. The gray skies made things harder to see and when a rumble shook the car, his stomach dropped. Not just rain anymore, a thunderstorm was brewing. 

Cold drops, gray skies, white bolts of lightning struck the sky, and the thunder roared with the force of a thousand men charging towards their opposing enemies in a war. Screw the date night, he needed to find you before you caught a cold. If he remembered right, the umbrella was still sitting in its place by the front door. If you were without it, you were exposed to the elements without any kind of protection. 

He cursed beneath his breath and pressed the gas pedal harder. Sooner or later, you had to turn up, right? He would drive all night if it brought you any closer to him. He’d never be able to rest until he knew you were safe. 

It was a miracle, a few minutes later, when his phone buzzed. Stuck at a stoplight, he scrambled for it, swiped, and hit the speakerphone button. “Hello?” 

“Jeongin?” Your voice came out wobbly. 

“Hey, there you are. What’s wrong? Are you okay? Where are you?” 

“I’m at the park that we had our last picnic date at.” You sniffled and his heart dropped. “Please don’t worry, I’m not wet, at least, not yet.” 

“Where are you? That park doesn’t have any shelters, so where are you-” 

“I crawled into a slide when the thunder started. Nobody is here, so I’m alone and tucked into a slide.” 

“Why are you there?” 

You stayed silent for a few moments until you finally spoke. “I just needed to get away for a while. Everything was spiraling out of control and I felt like I couldn’t breathe when I was in the apartment.” 

“So you took off in the middle of a thunderstorm?” 

“It wasn’t like that, Jeongin.” 

His eyes slipped shut. You very rarely called him by his first name unless it was a serious conversation. A beep from behind him made him look up. Sure enough, the red light turned green. He pushed the gas and his car inched forward. 

“I’ll be there in a few minutes. I’m on my way right now, okay? Just stay there and try to stay out of the rain.” 

“I’m not going to move, I swear.” 

As he maneuvered through the downtown traffic and the rain, he wasn’t comforted by your soft sniffles on the opposite end of the phone. You were a quivering and sniffling mess. No matter how much you pawed at your tears, they wouldn’t stop. 

The convoluted emotions built up and burst. The wall you had been cementing for so long began to crack. No matter how much you tried to fill them in, it never worked. Hiding in a children’s bright blue tube slide was pathetic, but so were your emotions. 

You tried to control them, but sometimes they choked you. They looped a noose around your neck and then pulled tight. You couldn’t breathe and you couldn’t fight back. You were dragged and most of the time, it led to sobs and shrieks. 

Trauma was never simple and yours crept up on you unsuspectingly. It blinded you as you were getting ready for a date. It throat punched you in the middle of the shower. You could be happy and then you’d see something, be reminded of a faded memory, and everything would fall apart. 

Trauma is labeled trauma for a reason and yours was no different. You didn’t want to get into the nitty-gritty with Jeongin, but you knew you had to. He knew some of it, but he didn’t know just how much the layer of hurt went. It hadn’t just pierced the skin layer, it was cellular level. 

You felt like you didn’t grow up with a heart, at least, not a real one. As people grow up, they’re supposed to be taught how to do things. They’re supposed to learn from their parents and if not their parents, then whatever parental caregiver who’s in charge. Growing and learning during your most formative and developmental years, while childhood stretches into the teenage years, nobody should have to face that alone, but you did. 

Where were the adults in your life when you were having rocky friendships? When you weren’t sure which way to turn, it led you bending backwards and people pleasing the wrong people; where were the adults to lift your rose colored glasses? To talk to you and remind you that not everyone would appreciate your kindness?

And when your age kept climbing and the years grew rockier, who did you have? While parents were making homemade breakfasts for their kids every morning and waking them up at the crack of dawn, you only had yourself. 

There wasn’t a lunch box packed with care. There were no notes that reminded you that you were loved more than you’d ever know. What happened to that? What happened to being a kid and needing to be nagged at by a parent because it was past midnight and you had school so early in the morning? 

Your heart wasn’t the right kind of heart. Instead of growing with each life experience and blooming with life’s greatest knowledge and the best advice from adults, your heart was put together from broken dreams, loneliness, and grief. 

Each piece of raw meat was stitched together by your own hands. There was nobody to mend your scraped knees and remind you to keep going. Not a single adult showed up to remind you how proud of you they were. 

So you grew and grew and grew, but your heart always remained two sizes too small. Envy was a nasty and horrendous thing. You tried to be a good person, but it always bubbled up at the wrong times. It appeared when you saw someone out and about with their parents. 

It was the mother-daughter brunch dates and the father and son visits to the construction store. The way a father put a heavy calloused hand on his son’s shoulder and reminded him that one day, he’d too experience the weight of the world, but for now he was just a boy. 

When mothers held their daughters and wiped away their tears from their first heartbreak, where was your mother? When you chased after the wrong kind of love, why didn’t anyone say stop? Why didn’t anyone care? 

Birthday cards were never signed with love. Despite your average grades, nobody ever bothered to check them. Your parents never went out of their way to ask about your teachers. When you graduated, they didn’t bother celebrating. When you tried to further your education, there were no claps and cheers waiting for you. 

Hurt poured out of you like a dripping faucet and the closer Jeongin drove, the more your eyes watered and your nose dripped. Because after all those years of loneliness and all that depression and misery, how did you manage to find someone so good? 

If your own parents couldn’t see you as valuable, why did he? Why did he choose to stay when your own parents left? Even after you moved out, your phone never rang. There’d never be another call between any of you, unless it was absolutely necessary. 

Old family holidays were spent blankly staring at the TV while the turkey cooled on a paper plate. Christmas movies played, but not a single word was spoken. Gifts were passed out without much thought and it was always the same gift card and they always felt so meaningless. 

By the time Jeongin pulled into the parking lot, there was a break in the rain. He hurried out of his car and rushed towards the end of your slide. He called your name and when he poked his head into the slide you described, there you sat. 

Your eyes were bloodshot and clear snot fell upon your upper lip. Bags were brown beneath your eyes and you wreaked of misery and sadness. His hands reached out for you and you took them with ease. He pulled you from the slide and carried you back to the car bridal style. 

He didn’t waste any time by pulling open the car door and placing you inside. You wiped your eyes and he reached into the glovebox. It was there that he found a clean napkin and gently began to dab away stray tears. 

“Honey, what happened?” 

“It hurts,” you mumbled. 

“What hurts?” He stepped back to scan your body. “Did you get hurt? Did you fall?” 

“The past,” you weakly uttered. “Remembering everything hurts. Everything hurts.” 

“Do you want to talk about it?” A reassuring hand gently laid upon your thigh. He stayed put, even when another clap of thunder rolled on by. The wind pushed back his hair in a strong gust, but he didn’t want to leave your side. 

“Why w-wasn’t anyone there?” Fresh tears built up in your eyes. “Why didn’t anyone care? My p-parents, why didn’t they-” Your words cut off as your eyes squeezed shut. A sob racked your body. 

All he could do was reach over and pull you against his chest. Engulfed in the scent of baby powder and cologne, his hand found your back. You buried your head in his chest and wrapped your arms around his back; desperately clinging for some type of comfort as these feelings tried to destroy you. 

Growing up like that, it always hurts. There will always be a hollowness where love should have been. There will always be a faded ache and sometimes, it will sting. There are horrible and terrible things that have happened to people and no amount of words will take away that lack of love. 

Emotional neglect is a nightmare. To be kept an arm’s length away by the people who are supposed to love you twenty-four-seven, it’s unfathomable. Every kid deserves love and support. They deserve someone to turn to in the darkness. Some savior to steer them along the ship of growth and adolescence, but it’s not always there. 

“I can’t fix the past and I’m sorry, but I’m here now. I can’t heal your wounds, but I can hold you while you mourn. Please don’t run away like that, you made me worried sick.” 

“I’m sorry,” you hoarsely got out. 

“It’s okay, you’re alright.” He leaned forward and gently pressed his forehead against the top of your temple. “Just please let me hold you.” 

The floodgates of heaven could open and pour. They could drench him while he kept you safe in the warmth of his arms. He’d stand here and hold you for as long as you needed. 

Someone needed to hold you and, fortunately, that someone was him. 

| ♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡ | ♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡ | ♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡ |

Taglist: @lina-linny @straykidsstanforeverandever @seungnishi @stellasays45 @emilyywhyy

Masterlist

Taglist and inbox rules

Ko-fi

[hearts4golbach]

The Night Shift.

Johnnie Guilbert x Fem!Reader.

chapter 14.

i unlocked my door, excited to get inside of my apartment. it was around 3:37 in the morning and i was exhausted. johnnie had left around midnight, promising me he'd get some sleep. yet, i still had to put what i was doing to a stop to answer his facetime call.

"hi, johnnie." i whispered, unlocking my door and walking inside.

"hi, y/n." he whispered back, leaning closer towards the phone microphone.

"johnnie, i'm about to knock the fuck out as soon as i get inside so don't expect much more from me." i opened the door to my pitch black apartment. i flipped the switch and lit up the room, noticing some of my jackets had been tossed carelessly on the floor. i furrowed my eyebrows, i must've forgot that i knocked shit over. i shrugged it off and walked into my room. i plugged my phone in, setting it on my vanity. "let me go get some water, i'll be right back."

"mhm." he says, the rasp in his voice proving how tired his is as well.

i lazily walk into the kitchen, kicking off my shoes. my stomach dropped whenever i realized all of my cabinets had been opened and the contents scattered everywhere. i flipped on all the lights, searching around my apartment. i walked into my living room, seeing someone searching through my drawers. i froze in my place, heart stopping as we made eye contact. the panicked, picking up an object and using it so smack me in the head. everything happened so fast. the hit knocked me back, making me fall and smack my head on the corner of my counter. they quickly ran out the front door as i laid on the floor, holding my head to prevent myself from bleeding out. my vision blurred as i frequently went in and out of consciousness. every time my eyes opened, i glanced around the room in panic as i wasn't able to move my body. i eventually gave in to the heaviness in my eyelids.

whenever i woke up, my head pounded. i sat up slowly, looking around the kitchen. on the corner of the counter was blood. my hand flew up to the throbbing in my head, dried blood flaked off as i felt for the gash. there was a scary amount of blood, i knew it was bad. the room was dark as some time had passed, but I wasn't sure how long. "fuck," I muttered, remembering johnnie was still on the phone

I scrambled to get up, resulting in me hurting myself further. I groaned, pressing my hand into my head.

I stumbled into my room, not remembering where I put my phone. "johnnie?" I called, my voice raspy and panicked.

"y/n? are you okay? why were you gone for so long?" I heard rustling on the other side of my room through a speaker. I quickly picked up my phone off the floor.

"i- uh," I stuttered, the pain becoming unbearable. "I need to go to the hospital."

"what happened?!" his voice raised slightly.

"I-I don't have t-time to explain." I sighed, embarrassed because of my stutter. "I have to go now."

"which hospital? me and Jake will meet you."

"what time is it?" I rubbed my eyes.

"like 4:45 in the morning." he answered, confused.

"Jake woul-wouldnt want to go so early. I'll be fine, just let me text you later."

I heard more rustling. "I'm waking up Jake, text me the hospital and do not hang up." he emphasized.

"i-" I began to protest, deciding against it. "okay." I did as he said, texting him the name of the nearest hospital. "don't worry, it's not- I'm not in serious danger, like I'm not going to die."

"and? I still need to make sure you're okay." he argued.

I didn't respond, just sniffled as I held back tears from the mix of pain and emotions flowing through my body.

"it'll be okay, y/n. I'll see you soon." he cooed, attempting to comfort me.

"okay." I let tears fall as I slipped on my slides and walked out the door, holding an ice pack to my head.

we stayed silent as I drove, not long after I got in my car I heard the beeping of jakes car. I assumed he muted while he woke Jake up.

I put my earbud in before I walked in. I walked into the emergency room awkwardly and walked up to the desk. "i-i cracked my head open because I fell and it won't stop bleeding."

the old, wrinkly woman behind the desk had a glint of sympathy in her eyes. "go have a seat, dear. someone will be out for you shortly. keep your ice pack on your head for now."

I began to panic more. it seemed as if she wasn't taking me seriously. but, I did as she said and went to sit.

about 5 minutes later, jake and johnnie speedily walked in through the sliding doors. johnnie quickly scanned the room, his gaze softening as his eyes landed on me.

"hey." I said, flashing an awkard smile before being taken over by pain once more. fuck, I should've taken something.

panic filled his eyes as he scanned my face. "are you okay?"

"yeah, just in a lot of pain." I shrugged. "I hit my head."

"how?!" johnnie interrogated.

"y/n, you have blood all over one side of your face." Jake informed me.

"shit, really?" I wiped the side of my face. I looked at the crusty, dried up blood on my hands.

"y/n." johnnie said, sternly. "how the fuck did this happen?"

"i-" I began to speak, but a doctor walked out.

"y/n l/n." he called.

johnnie grabbed my hand and helped me stand, not letting go of it as we walked.

the doctor rushed me into a room quicker whenever he noticed me covered in blood. he quickly told me to hop up onto the bed/table thing. apparently, the gash was obvious as he didn't bother asking me where it was. he went straight to work, parting my hair. the gash was visible on my forehead but lead back into my hair.

johnnie and jake sat in the two chairs beside the door. I zoned out, occasionally wincing as he parted my hair which pulled the gash enough for me to feel it throughout my whole body. I watched Johnnie's leg as it bounced and as he chewed his nails anxiously.

"you're going to need stitches." the doctor sighed, working quickly to prepare everything. "would you like the laughing gas with the numbing solution? it's much less scary." he explained.

"uh, I guess." I shrugged, my eyes began to feel heavy. the doctor rushed out of the room.

johnnie spoke up. "please, tell me what happened." he pleaded one last time.

"whenever I went to get water, I found out that someone broke in. I panicked, I couldn't run, and they panicked too. they knocked me out, making me hit my head on my counter. I was out for however long, but whenever I regained consciousness, I ran to you."

his expression softened at my last words, his face a mix between a smile and a frown. whenever the rest of my words registered, his eyebrows furrowed. "what are you going to do?"

"I don't know, but I'm not going back." I sighed, closing my eyes.

he pondered for a moment. "why don't you stay with us?"

[tmblrcolouredpaper]

Rain Cloud

Your day has been much less productive than you wished and the unfinished to-do-list turns out umexpectantly stressful, so you end up in overwhelm without even noticing. Soobin, however, notices and calms you down.

Choi Soobin/ Reader

Domestic fluff, sleepy cuddles, stress, crying, comfort

wc: 1354

The darkness from outside seemed to transfer inside the room regardless of the lights that illuminated the walls in cold blue light.

One lightbulb wasn't working anymore and only flickered from time to time in an unpleasant rhythm. The rain hit against the window, even the falling leafs were thrown through the air roughl and striked against the glass with their full surface, combining all droplets in their surrounding in heavy splashes.

'Hi, I'm back.', a happy voice sounded and Soobin entered the room. His hair was wet and the hem of his pants as well.

'You're already in bed.', he remarked and collected a bunch of clothes that he wanted to change into after taking a shower.

'Was a bit tired. How was your day?', you answered and tried to sound happy as well, but you weren't too sure if you managed to ban the tiredness from the sound of your voice as much as you wished.

'Good. It was good. I'll tell you soon, okay? I really want to take a warm shower. The weather is making me freeze all day.', he responded and shoved all clothes he pulled out of the drawer into his arms, walked over to you and gave you a kiss on your cheek.

'Soobin, your hair.', you laughed and wiped the water out if your face.

'Oh, sorry.', he apologised with an excusing smile, stretching the last syllable a bit longer than necessary.

'Just get in the shower, you big rain cloud.', you laughed and pointed at the door.

He left quickly and was laughing himself. You heard the door closing and the shower being activated. The water splashed on the hard floor and you waited until the sound changed when Soobin stepped under the warmed up water. From every side was now the sound of water drops audible and when you closed your eyes it was easy to imagine being at a waterfall.

It was a meditative environment now and you actually felt sleep overpowering you soon after you closed your eyes. You didn't register the ebbed splattering in the bathroom and neither did you hear Soobin entering the room again. However you did realise that it suddenly got darker and when the mattress next to you dipped down and a large body was crawling under the blanket to you, you understood that he must have switched off the ceiling lights.

'Are you asleep?', Soobin whispered softly and pulled the blanket over you properly.

'No.', you exhaled and rolled over closer to him and he welcomed you in his warm embrace by pulling you closer with the blanket around your body.

'Freezing?', he asked gently and you nodded weakly.

'I hate the weather.', he whispered again and kissed your forhead.

'Sleep well.', he spoke after a while of silence and you allowed yourself to drift off completely after placing a lazy kiss on his lips.

'Wake up, no, just- wake up, please.', Soobin pleaded and and you slowly came back to contiosness in the realisation of him holding onto your shoulder tightly.

'Soobin?', you asked sleepily and opened your eyes, but it was dark therefore it wouldn't have made a difference if you kept them shut.

You let your hand wander to the side where he was laying when he came to bed and you felt his arm on which his rested right next to you.

He quickly took your hand and squeezed it gently, but with some trustworthy emphasis.

'Are you okay?', he asked worried and you were surprised to hear a hint if panic in his voice.

'Yes, I'm fine. What's going on?', you asked and sat up, causing him to do the same.

'You were crying, you still are.', he whispered and placed his hand on your jaw to wipe some tears from your cheek.

You took a deep breath and recognised the familiar shaking when you exhaled and your eyes welled up with tears again.

'I don't know why. I didn't realise.', you answered and tried to remember if you had any impactiful dream, but as far as you could judge that wasn't the case.

Soobin pulled you into his chest and caressed your back to calm your shivering body down and you felt ready to just sleep again.

'What happened during the day?', Soobin asked and you recapitulated everything that was going on.

'I was just so tired.', you whispered and immediately felt guilty and wanted to repeat hundreds of apologies.

You wanted to tidy up the apartment, you wanted to do some grocery shopping, you wanted to finally hang up that one painting of the mountains that Soobin gifted you to your birthday. You didn't do any of those tasks. It was your day off and you wanted to get some basic chores done, but in the end you got absorbed by a ridiculously unproductive routine of falling asleep and going on a walk in an attempt to wake up and that happened several time that day. You were stuck in this cycle without finding a way of breaking it.

A loud sob escaped your mouth and you clang into Soobin, thankful that he was holding you firmly.

'It's okay. Tired days are completely okay.', he assured you and laid down with you in his arms again.

'I didn't even hang up the painting.', you cried out and felt so ungrateful for not cherishing the present in a way you wanted it to and how you thought Soobin had to be by that as well.

'It's fine. I think it looks good wherever it is to be honest.', he whispered and let his fingers dive between your hair to message your scalp a little.

You laughed through your tears and answered, 'It's still on the upper shelf. It's probably the spideres' property by now.'

He laughed and you felt a bit more at ease, like always when he was smiling or laughing.

'Mountains are high, so it is kind of fitting. Besides, I find it beautiful there.', he joked and you shook your head, smiling, but slightly annoyed.

'You're tall. I can't even see it properly up there.', you reminded him and he pulled the blanket over you and pushed the hem of your sweater down to make sure that your skin wasn't unnecessarily exposed to any possible cold air.

'I'll just lift you up. Then you can see it and get some mountain-like air up there.', he sighed and you felt bad that he woke up because of you.

'I'm going to hang it up for real tomorrow.', you promised and rolled a bit away from him.

'I'll help and you can now stay in my arms if you want.', he answered and you pushed yourself back into his warmth, reluctantly, but thankful.

'I don't know why I cried.', you repeated and he hummed to signal that he heard you.

'Sorry for waking you up.', you apologised and he shook his head against the pillow.

'Don't apologise for that.', he instructed and threw one leg over you, trapping you cometely in his clingy embrace.

'Okay, sorry. I don't know.', you mumbled, not knowing what to say besides apologies.

'You don't have to.', Soobin mumbled and you realised how close he was as well as how calm.

'You already said so.', you answered confused, thinking he referred to you apologising.

'No. I meant that you don't have to know. You can have a bad day, you can cry and all of that without knowing why right away.', he explained and gave you a soft kiss on your lips that caught you off-guard, but wasn't unpleasant.

He kissed you again and this time lingered a bit longer and you felt all his warmth on and around you.

The rain was still there, but trapped in Soobin's strict hug and his habit of fixing all fabrics around you to make you as comfortable as possible, it was inaudible. One sense was so strongly occupied by pleasantness that it shut out the other regarding the unpleasantness.

When he pulled away he finally laid his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes.

[musewritingsforyou]

The Fight

Part 2

Summary: The day of the battle is here and y/n is struggling to focus

Warnings: injury, vampires, blood, medicine, swearing, violence

Word Count: 1k

A/N: Part two!! this one is a cliffhanger (not rlly if you’ve seen it) so I’ll have part three up tomorrow!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By morning all of the wolves that could fight were up and gone. Emily and I along with a few others from the tribe went back to Billy’s house to wait for the all clear. Now that the day had finally arrived there were no more doubts or thoughts of Jacob in my head. Only pure determination. He would live. They would all live.

We spent the hours waiting in Billy’s living room, continuing to set up supplies and beds. Emily stayed in the kitchen, nervously baking an obscene amount of blueberry muffins. At some points she came in to check on the rest of us, handed us some food and then disappeared back into the warm and sweet smelling room she came from. I knew exactly how she was feeling. The deep dread in her stomach that wouldn't cease, at least not until we could see them again. Not until we could all lay our eyes on them and see that they are okay. 

“How are you so calm?” she asked me when I went into the kitchen for a bottle of water. 

“Who says I am?” I responded by giving her a weary smile and closing the fridge. 

“I have work to do. As long as I know there is something to do I won't panic. Thinking about Jake and worrying about him won't help him right now, besides, I can feel it. I know he’s okay” 

Emily wiped her hands on her apron and slowly approached me with a smile. 

“When did you learn to be so wise, huh?” I gave her a long hug before going back out to the living room. Waiting. That's all I could do for now. Wait.

Two hours later the door slammed shut as a familiar young boy jogged in. 

“Seth? What's going on, shouldn't you be on the mountain?” We all raced to meet him in the hallway, scanning every inch of him for scrapes or bruises as he slowed. 

“A lot happened, there was this red headed blood sucker and I tried to jump her and then Jake ran down to fight and now Sam's yelling and-” Emily went to his side with water and a muffin before leading him to a chair. 

“Breathe Seth. Slow down. You can tell us when you're ready.” he devoured the whole muffin in silence before he could speak again.

“Victoria came up to the mountain. Somehow she figured out Edwards' plan but by then Jacob had already ran to fight. After he heard-'' he paused clearly cursing himself like he said something he shouldn't have.

“Heard what?”  he wouldn't look me in the eye. 

“Heard what Seth? What did Jake hear?” 

“Edward and Bella are engaged. As soon as he heard he ran off for the fight, I tried to stop him I swear but-”

Suddenly my hearing died out until all that was left was a buzz deep in my head. Jake ran off. He ran into the fight. He was already upset, already prone to being reckless and stupid. Now he's gone into battle. Slowly I focused myself and listened back into the conversation.

“What's Sam telling you, Seth? Is he okay?” Emily was still crouched by the young boy's side, now anxiously asking him about her mate. 

“He's fine, tired but fine. He told me to come get sophie. He said the fighting has slowed enough, he needs your help. The pack needs you out there.” 

I clenched my jaw and nodded. 

“What are we waiting for then?” I ran to the door with Emily and Billy in my wake, handing me bags full of medical supplies, a jacket, a flashlight, anything they saw that they thought might be useful. Finally Seth and I stood outside, he ran towards the woods as I looked back to Billy.

“I'll bring him back, Billy, I promise” 

~~~

I clung onto Seth's thick fur as he ran for the clearing in the woods. I could see fires burning all over in an attempt to kill the newborns. He dropped me right in front of a gray wolf lying on its side on the ground. There was a small marking behind the wolf's ear. Quill. It had to be Quill. The gash through his side was bleeding heavily, he must have gotten stuck in his wolf form because of how badly he was hurt. I placed a soothing hand on his ribs and looked into his eyes.

“It's alright Quill, you're going to be fine” I worked faster than ever before, stitching up his side and when I was finally finished and the bleeding had stopped I turned on my knees to find Sam staring back at me.

“Where is Jacob?” I had wanted to look for him the second that I got here, but after seeing the level of carnage all over it felt too selfish.

“I don't know” I stopped breathing.

“What do you mean you don’t know Sam?”

“He was on the field a minute ago, he was fighting, but I can't find him.”

“Is he alive?” I still held my breath with tears starting to come to my eyes.

“Yes. yes he's alive.” I took my first shaky breath as I turned back to Quill, stroking his fur and placing bandages over his wound. I could hear Sam slowly walking away, phasing just beyond my sight to speak with the other wolves. Then came a sound I didn't recognize. It wasn't the sound of a wolf, or a human or of anything I had heard before. Just as I turned my head I heard Edward shout,

“Leah no!” Time slowed as I saw the gray wolf try to grapple with the bloodsucker and then another sound. This one I knew in my very soul. A howl that I could recognize anywhere as a russet wolf leapt from the woods beyond Leah. I spun in place and started to stand as I screamed for him.

“Jacob, don't!” But I was already too late. Leah was thankfully knocked out of its grip as Jacob landed a blow, but the vampire was too quick even for him. I could almost hear Jasper's words from earlier in my mind. 

Never let them get their arms around you

[rising-volteccers]

Prompt, liko gets hurt, how does friede handle 'failing'

This was certainly a fun prompt to tackle! Once again, I got carried away a little with personal headcanons and what not haha. This piece took inspiration from this Twitter post of Liko getting hurt under Friede's watch and @/somniadelapsis idea of different Explorers who are more ruthless in their attempt at nabbing Liko's pendant. Hopefully it's an enjoyable read!

Series: Pokemon Horizons

Characters: Friede, Liko, Mollie

Warnings: Light description of a child character getting hurt

--

Friede didn’t expect for things to get so wrong so quickly.

One minute, he alongside Liko and Roy were on their way back from grocery shopping. The next one, they found themselves ambushed by a different set of Explorers who exercised far less restraint in grabbing Liko unharmed.

Friede did his best to fend off the opposing Skarmory and Carkoal with added support from Sprigatito and Fuecoco. It looked like they were gaining the upper ground until the dust settled post collision of a Thunderpunch against Stone Edge and he heard–

“Liko! Liko are you alright?”

He knew the dangers of his attentiveness on the battle at hand but Friede immediately snapped towards Roy’s loud, fearful voice. Like getting drenched by a bucket of ice water, Friede spotted Roy knelt beside Liko who–

She was on the ground, lying so still that Friede couldn’t help but assume the worst.

“Double Team Cap! Charizard, Flamethrower!” he hastily called before dashing towards the pair. 

Friede dropped to his knees next to Liko. His stomach dropped once he realized that she was unresponsive. The soft rise and fall of her chest at least told him that she wasn’t…

He swallowed heavily. They needed to get back on the ship and have Mollie treat her as soon as possible. 

Friede called for a few more attacks. If his Pokemon seemed a little more vicious with their respective attacks in respond to the barely concealed panic in his tone, Friede didn’t notice. He simply jumped on the advantage of rendering the Skarmory unconscious and had Charizard prepare for take off.

Once Charizard had Liko in his arms, Friede quickly helped Roy onto the dual-type’s back before joining him. With a mighty flap of his wings, Charizard started to rise. Friede ordered for Cap to throw off a few Thunders as distraction while they gained more height. 

After that, Cap managed to jump onto his outstretched arm when Charizard swooped down, weaving his way through the Stone Edge that popped up from the ground. 

“Get us out of here!” Friede’s yell startled Roy, and if he wasn’t focused on guiding Charizard further away from the ranged moves hellbent on hitting them, he’d give the boy an apology. As it was, Friede held Roy in an almost bruising grip in his fear and haste to get back to their ship. 

“F-Friede, that kinda hurts…” Roy’s soft, shaky voice had him loosening his grip but he still kept a protective arm around the kid throughout Charizard’s speedy, tension filled flight. The rapid flaps of powerful wings matched the beat of his own heart, and he swallowed down the rising emotions that threatened to swallow him whole.

Friede can’t afford to buckle under the weight of his immense guilt right now. He needed to ensure Liko got help as soon as possible, not to mention assure Roy who’d fallen into an uneasy, fearful silence as well. 

He swallowed heavily, then spoke just loud enough to be heard through the winds. “Hey, she’s going to be alright. Don’t worry.”

Sensing the slightest of nods didn’t ease anything within him but that was the best he could get.

Upon spotting the docked airship, he signalled for Charizard to land on the outer deck. His partner performed the best landing he could with the extra weight he carried–typically, Charizard only had two passengers on him at a time–and Friede wasted no time in hopping off with a loud, “Mollie I need you!”

In the meantime, he rushed to check on Liko nestled in Charizard’s arms. Friede bit his bottom lip upon seeing her so still, though at least mildly assured that she didn’t appear to have problems breathing. Gingerly, he scooped her up she was so light so still she should never be this still just as Mollie and the rest of the crew burst out from various rooms on the ship.

“Friede? What–?” Murdock started, eyes widening upon seeing Liko unconscious in his arms.

“Different Explorers. She got–got hurt. Need treatment now,” Friede replied in clipped tones, immediately following after Mollie who gestured that they go to the infirmary. Distantly, he heard Murdock checking up on Roy, glad at least that someone else could do that as his focus laid solely on Liko.

“Chansey, get my equipment,” Mollie ordered the moment she entered. With barely a glance over her shoulder, she said, “Put Liko on the bed.”

Friede did as instructed. He then took a step back to give space for Mollie to perform a check-up, knowing full well that she hated crowding while she worked. She snapped on gloves before she gently held Liko’s chin, lightly tilting her head the fact that she didn’t respond through any of that scared him to check for possible injury.

“What happened?” Mollie’s tone was crisp and professional that Friede instinctively stood up straighter.

“We were just done with shopping–” In the midst of all that chaos, he belatedly realized that he left behind the groceries they bought. “–and on our way back when a different set of Explorers went after Liko and her pendant.”

Friede had migrated to a nearby wall throughout his explanation, arms crossed to hide the way his hands lightly shook. His expression reflected the turbulent emotions bubbling within him. Anger at himself for getting so easily caught off guard like that. Ice cold fear on seeing her so still unmoving not responsive. Disappointment that he never considered the nature on how LIko’s pendant protected her. All the times that it did, it was from attacks directly made at her, not where she got caught in the aftermath of one. 

“I see. Then?” Mollie prompted. Friede didn’t notice the way she glanced at him before continuing on with the check-up.

“Charizard and Cap were fending off their Skarmory and Carkoal,” he continued, fingers digging into his upper arm. “The kids helped by having Fuecoco and Sprigatito distract them. It looked like we had the upper hand but then…” Friede took in a soft, shaky breath. “Cap intercepted a Stone Edge with Thunderpunch, causing it to explode into bits. Don’t know if it was the force or one of those rocks hit her cause the next thing I knew… Roy’s rushing towards Liko on the ground.”

Friede already knew that the boy’s frantic calls of her name while he saw her unconscious so still unmoving lifeless would haunt his nightmares for awhile.

“I’ll tell you now it’s likely that she got knocked off her feet and hit her head when she fell,” Mollie eventually replied in the ensuing silence. “I feel a bump on the back of her head. It’s worrying that she’s not regaining consciousness yet but my initial assessment is that she’s also exhausted from the stress of today.”

“That means…”

“I’ll have her stay here and monitored for the night but I don’t see any other injuries to worry about.”

Friede nearly buckled from the crash of relief that washed over him. Setting aside his guilt, this was at least good news to hear. The breath he released shuddered around the edges, shoulders slanting from released tension. 

“Thank Arceus…” he murmured. His eyes slid shut for a moment to ease the sting of welled up tears. Friede took in another steadying breath before opening them to find him on the other end of Mollie’s gaze.

“She’s going to be alright.” While her expression barely shifted from its usual calm, Friede heard the gentle assurance in it. A part of him twisted uncomfortably at the kindness shown he didn’t deserve it not when Liko got her on his watch but he simply flashed her a wan smile.

“Right, thanks Mollie.” Was he thanking her for treating Liko or trying to comfort him, who knows? 

“At the moment, all that Liko needs is rest.” She eyed him critically. “Now, are you hurt in anyway?”

Not anything physical, he thought. Friede lightly shook his head. “Don’t think so.” Only Liko did, causing his stomach to churn from flared guilt. 

“Alright, I’m trusting you on that. If I find that you tried to hide an injury…”

A shiver trailed down his spine from her mild, threatening tone. “Promise I’m not.” Not this time anyway. 

Friede forced himself to remain still at her assessing gaze before she shifted her attention back to Liko.

“I have things handled here. Go on, get some rest yourself. Drink something if you can stomach it, shower, sleep–anything other than working yourself up. If you find yourself spiraling, remember–”

“I know.” Mollie practically drilled various grounding techniques into his head. Whether or not he’d be able to utilize them in that  moment was often a 50/50 chance. At the very least, if he needed… help, Cap knew who to get. Friede preferred to avoid that possibility in the first place so… yeah. He would try not to let his thoughts get the better of him.

Mollie dipped her head once, not saying anymore on that matter. Friede slowly pulled himself away from the wall, forcing his arms to stay by his side instead of staying crossed. He had one foot out of the infirmary when he paused.

“Hey Mollie, when Liko wakes up can you…?”

“I’ll let you know. Whether or not she’ll be up for visitors remains to be seen but I’ll inform you.”

“Thanks.” Friede at last exited the infirmary–only to find himself immediately bombarded by Roy’s worried questions. While briefly stunned, he managed to pull together a mask of his usual confident self. Right now, he needed to be the commander than his crew could rely on. While Mollie handled her task, Friede would perform his.

--

A few hours later, a freshly showered, comfortably dressed Friede that had a mug of Murdock’s calming tea blend in him received a text from Mollie stating that Liko was up. Cap reminded him to keep it cool and not burst out of his cabin in his rush towards the infirmary. 

He barely remembered to knock and waited for Mollie’s faint come in before opening the door. Stepping inside, golden eyes swiftly fell upon the figure sitting on the bed.

Liko, while looking a bit pale and exhausted smiled faintly once she saw him. Friede tampered down the conflicting emotions he didn’t deserve that not when she got hurt because of him to return it with a small smile of his own.

“Hey Liko, how are you feeling?” Friede found it a little surprising that he could sound so gentle like this. He switched places with Mollie, who informed him that she was going to grab a quick meal before leaving the pair alone. 

“U-Um, mostly tired. I’ve got a bit of a headache but Mollie said that’s because of the, um, bump.”

The guilt that settled on the backburner while he kept himself distracted earlier came out full force that he nearly shuddered from how heavy it was. He must have not kept his expression in check since Liko started to frantically assure him.

“Um it’s alright! Or it will be! I just need to be monitored tonight and get plenty of rest.”

Friede would have laughed if it didn’t make him out to be even more pathetic. Look at him, the adult in the room needing assurance from the kid he was supposed to protect.

“Please Liko, I–” Friede released a slow breath. “I’m so, so sorry that you got hurt because I failed to protect you.” 

“N-No it wasn’t–”

“Your mother hired us to protect you, and I failed on that regard,” Friede pushed on. His eyes met her slightly wide, confused ones. “Seeing you unconscious like that… it scared me.”

That last bit came out whispered for he finally acknowledged the primary emotion he tried so very hard to ignore. Friede hated being afraid; he’d take anger, disappointment, guilt–anything other than this all consuming dread and helplessness.

“So I’m not asking for your forgiveness. I only hope that you can still put your trust in us to not fail you a second time.” Having said his piece, he remained quiet while Liko processed it all. Friede waited for whatever judgement she’d give him. 

What Liko did instead surprised him. She huffed out a little giggle, snapping his eyes towards her lightly amused expression. 

“I’m sorry but, um, I just think it’s a little funny that you’d think I lost any trust in you and everyone else in the first place.” Liko played with the edge of her blanket. “What happened today… I know it would have been a lot worse if I had been on my own. Even with Sprigatito, I don’t think we’d have been able to handle two skilled opponents…”

In an uncharacteristically bold move on her end, Liko gently reached out to settle her small hand atop of Friede’s. 

“S-So! Please don’t blame yourself and think that you… failed to protect me. I knew you tried your best! And I’m grateful for that! I’m grateful everyday that you and Mollie and–and everyone look out for me. I’m a part of the Rising Volt Tacklers. I trust all of you… so can you trust me and believe that I’ll be alright?”

Throughout her spiel, Friede simply stared at her in stunned silence. Only after she was done that he dropped his head into his free hand, muffling a resigned chuckle into his palm. 

Liko might not be as confident but man, she reminded him so much of her mother at that moment. The words Liko spoke about trust… it was almost a mirror copy of what she told him years ago when he faced a similar conundrum.

Like mother, like daughter eh? Friede drew in a deep breath before he sat back up, giving her a more genuine smile now.

“Alright, I’ll trust you. You’re really good with your words, you know that?”

“E-Eh? I was just sharing my thoughts…”

Friede knew his guilt won’t be so easily dispersed but he was able to set it aside and make room for this growing part within him that wanted nothing more than to see Liko safe and happy. He made a silent promise to himself that the trust she put in the Rising Volt Tacklers would never be misplaced. 

For now, Friede took heart that everything would reall turn out alright after all.

[whumpdoyoumean]

Whumptober #13

This is a (very late) tag to Stranger Things 4 (: 

xxx it comes and goes like the strength in your bones

Robin’s heart sinks as she stares out the window, watching as the ashy stuff floats lazily down from the darkening sky. It’s so quiet, calm almost, might be something close to beautiful if she didn’t know that it’s a sign of something terrible. She can hear quiet murmurs and shuffling behind her as others move toward the window to see what’s going on.

What’s going on.

None of these people have any idea what’s really been happening in Hawkins. The fear and grief that have permeated the little town are still just scratching the surface of the true terror that lies beneath. They’re trying to pick up the pieces, completely oblivious to the fact that things are only going to get worse. 

“Steve,” she says quietly. She isn’t sure what she’s looking for--some words of reassurance, or maybe just to know that she’s not alone--that he’s as scared as she is. He doesn’t answer and she looks over at him. “Steve?”

His cheeks are flushed, his gaze fixed on nothing in particular, and she can see his chest rising and falling as he takes heavy breaths. 

“You okay?” Robin says. 

Steve blinks. “I don’t feel so good,” he murmurs, his voice low. He makes a sound in the back of his throat, something between a gasp and a grunt, and his eyelids flutter, knees giving way beneath him. 

“Steve!” She launches herself forward, managing to catch him under the armpits before he hits the ground. 

“Whoa,” Steve breathes, his eyes widening as he gets his feet back under him and stands, gently peeling himself from Robin’s grip. “What just happened?” 

“Uh,” Robin says. “I don’t--”

“I think he fainted,” Vickie says from behind her. Then to Steve, “You should sit down, I’ll go get some water!”

“Is he okay?” someone says, and Robin forces a smile. 

“Yeah, we’re fine!” Her voice comes out higher than she meant it to, a little frantic, and she hopes it isn’t too glaringly obvious. “Thanks. Must’ve had his knees locked. Here, Steve, let’s get you to a chair, yeah?”

Steve doesn’t say anything as she grabs him tightly by the arm and starts guiding him through the crowd. His silence concerns her. Something like this would normally embarrass the shit out of him but he doesn’t say a thing, just allows himself to be led to a table a little removed from the gathered people. She can feel the panic starting to build, the familiar tightness in her chest, the noisy racing of her thoughts. She fights through it, forcing herself to take a deep breath as she eases Steve onto a chair. 

“What’s going on?” she asks quietly. Steve isn’t looking at her, and one arm is clutched tightly to his middle. Her mind flashes back to the sight of him lying on the ground, being eaten alive by those things, and she has to physically shake her head to send the memory away. She presses a hand to his forehead. “God, you’re burning up!”

Steve doesn’t respond. He seems barely conscious now, and it’s getting harder to keep the panic at bay. Vicki appears a second later, a water bottle clutched in one hand. Her eyes are wide, eyebrows pinched into a frown.

“Is he okay?” she asks.

Robin looks up at her. “Did you drive here?”

“Uh…y-yeah,” Vicki answers uncertainly.

“Good. Good, um, do you think you could drive us to the hospital?”

She looks a little freaked out, but nods. “Yeah. Yeah, of course.” 

Robin lets out a breath. “Thank you, Vicki. Thank you, I’m sorry about this.” She puts a hand on Steve’s back. “Hey, Steve? We’re gonna get you to a doctor, okay? But you need to get up.”

He nods a little, and Robin helps him to his feet, pulling his arm around her shoulders as she does. They barely make it three steps before he stumbles, and Vicki hurries to Steve’s other side, dropping the water bottle. 

“Let me help.”

The three of them make their way out of the cafeteria, Steve remaining disconcertingly quiet the whole time. Robin starts scanning the crowd as soon as they make it out. It only takes her a moment to spot the familiar curly head. 

“Dustin!” she calls, and he turns sharply, gaze meeting hers for only a second before he notices Steve. His eyes widen a little and he makes his way toward them, moving quickly in spite of his limp. Robin glances over at Vicki. “Room for one more?”

Vicki looks over at her and shrugs a little. “Why not?”

“Steve!” Dustin says breathlessly as he falls in step with them. “What happened?”

“He fainted,” Robin says, and Dustin’s face pales. 

“Oh, god.”

“We’re taking him to the hospital. Vicki, this is Dustin. Dustin, Vicki. She’s driving.”

“Hi,” Vicki says, and then nods toward a little blue chevy. “It’s that one.”

“The one with the red fuzzy dice?” Robin asks, and Vicki blushes a little. 

“It’s my mom’s car.”

Vicki gets behind the wheel while Dustin climbs into the backseat. Robin helps Steve in after him, making sure he’s all the way in before closing the door and hurrying up to the passenger seat. Vicki glances in the rearview as she turns the car on. 

“He’s really out of it,” she says. “I’ve seen people faint before--it happens all the time in band, you know, people lock their knees--but he looks. He looks pretty bad. Did something happen?”

“He, uh.” Robin’s racing mind suddenly goes blank, the million overlapping thoughts coalescing into a single drone. “Um.”

“I think he got hurt,” Dustin says from the backseat. “During the earthquake.”

“Yeah,” Robin says quickly, silently thanking him for saving her. “Yeah, he must not have gone to the hospital since it was so busy.”

The car hits a bump going out of the parking lot and Steve lets out a pained cry, arm curling tight against his middle, eyes squeezing shut. 

“Sorry!” Vicki cries. “Oh, god, I’m sorry. I’ll try and be more careful. Is he okay?”

“Just drive!” Dustin’s voice cracks a little and Vicki’s mouth twists to one side, her brow furrowed. 

“Do you want music?” she blurts after a second. “The radio doesn’t always work but I think there’s a-a Captain and Tennille tape in the glovebox.”

“No, that’s okay,” Robin says. “It’s only a few minutes.”

“Sorry, I’m just--I’m freaking out a little bit? I mean, the town is falling apart and I was making sandwiches and now I’m driving Steve Harrington to the hospital? And this--this is all just a little bit new to me, you know?”

Robin nods, offering her a small smile. “Yeah. I know.”

Vicki smiles back, though it doesn’t quite reach her eyes, then turns her attention back to the road. 

“I’ll let you guys off at the front,” she says as they near the hospital. “Do you want me to stay? I can park and come in. If you want.”

“We’ve got it,” Robin says, hoping she doesn’t come off as rude. “And again, I am--so sorry. Thank you, I owe you big time.”

“I hope he’s okay,” Vicky says. 

“Thanks.”

Robin and Dustin barely manage to get Steve out of the car and into the lobby, and Dustin starts shouting immediately. 

“Hey! We need help! Help!” Maybe it’s the urgent shrillness of his voice, or maybe it’s the fact that Steve is barely standing, but much to Robin’s surprise and relief things move quickly, and before she knows it Steve is being loaded onto a gurney.

“Can you tell me your name?” one of the doctors asks as they wheel him out down the hall to one of the curtained off areas, Robin and Dustin at their heels. Steve is still conscious (sort of) but he doesn’t answer, and the doctor looks over at Robin. 

“Steve,” she says quickly. “Steve Harrington.”

“Okay, Steve? Do you know where you are? Let’s get his vitals…” He turns to Robin as one of the nurses slides a blood pressure cuff onto Steve’s arm. “Can you tell me what happened?”

How does she even begin to explain that? She has no idea, but she has to answer so just starts talking in the hopes that something comes to her.“We were volunteering at the high school and-and he fainted, just kind of out of the blue. And he’s been out of it ever since.”

“Did he say anything to you before he fainted?”

“No, but he was…He was holding his stomach.”

The doctor nods, then turns to one of the nurses. “Let’s lift his shirt up.”

Robin watches with mounting horror as they push Steve’s shirt up, her heart dropping into her stomach as she lays eyes on Steve’s bare torso. The wounds from the demobats are leaking something, and the skin around them is a bright, angry red. 

“Shit, Steve,” Dustin whispers. There are tears streaming down his cheeks. Robin has to blink back tears of her own.

“Do you know how this happened?” the doctor asks. 

“No,” Robin says quietly, barely able to get the word out. 

The doctor’s expression is stern, and he turns to face Robin. “This is serious. If you know anything, you need to tell me. Do you have any idea what did this?”

Robin swallows, her heart hammering, jaw working. She swipes at one eye, brushing away an errant tear, and shakes her head. “No.”

The doctor looks at Dustin and he shakes his head, too. “No.”

The doctor stares at both of them for a moment like he’s trying to decide if he believes them before saying,“Does he have any allergies that you know of? Medical conditions?”

“No,” Robin says again. “He’s--he’s not allergic to anything.”

“Okay. We’re going to do what we can for him but you two need to go wait in the waiting room.”

“But--” Dustin begins, and the doctor shakes his head. 

“We need to work. You can either go out to the waiting room or I’ll have someone take you out of this hospital.”

Robin puts a hand on Dustin’s back. “Let’s go,” she says quietly. “I don’t want to either, but we have to.”

xxx 

The waiting room is unbearable. Robin and Dustin are barely able to find someplace to sit, and the whole place is packed. For such a full room, there’s an eerily small amount of noise, misery and anxiety hanging over everyone like a physical thing. Dustin doesn’t talk to Robin, doesn’t even look at her, just sits with his elbows on his knees as he cries, his shoulders shaking. People come and go, but there are never more than one or two empty chairs at a time. 

It’s at around the two hour mark that a nurse comes in, a solemn look on her face, and says, “Mrs. McCarthy?”

A woman seated across from Robin looks up, and her expression immediately falls, grief etching its way into her features. “No.”

“Why don’t we step into the hall?” the nurse says gently, and the woman slowly rises from her chair.

“Please.” Her voice shakes. “Please, no. He’s gone, isn’t he?”

Any whispering or chatter that had existed before the nurse walked in has vanished. People looks down at the floor, or their hands. Anywhere but at the shattered woman. 

“Mrs. McCarthy,” the nurse says, and Mrs. McCarthy lets out a wail that makes Robin’s chest ache. 

She stares down at her shoes as the nurse leads Mrs. McCarthy out into the hall.

xxx 

“Harrington?”

Robin and Dustin both look up sharply. Robin doesn’t need to see Dustin’s face to know that he’s as afraid as she is.

“Are you two with Steve Harrington?” the nurse asks, and Robin nods. 

“Yes.”

“You can see him now.”

Robin lets out a long breath as Dustin lets out a small, “Thank Christ.”

Steve is propped up in his hospital bed against a pile of pillows, and though he still looks like absolute shit, he definitely looks better than when they got him here. There’s an IV in one arm, and fresh bandages wrapped around his torso. 

“Hey,” he says when he sees them, giving a little wave.

“Steve, you scared the shit out of me!” Dustin cries, and Steve grimaces. 

“Yeah, sorry about that. I’m okay, they’ve got me on a heavy round of antibiotics which should clear things up in a few days.”

He doesn’t mention it, but Robin knows that he’s probably wondering the same thing she is. Do antibiotics even work on demobat bites? 

“How are you feeling?” she says, trying to push that worry to the back of her mind.

“I’m okay…How are you feeling?”

Robin frowns. “What do you mean how am I feeling?”

“Vicki Charmichael.”

Robin sighs. “God, Steve, are you serious? You could have died! Is now really the best time for that?”

“Robin owes her a favor,” Dustin offers, and Steve smiles a little. 

“Good…” The smile fades, his expression growing serious. When he speaks, it’s with obvious reluctance. “Something…something is happening out there. If shit starts to go down, like real shit, you two need to promise me you’ll come get me.”

“Steve,” Robin begins, and he shakes his head. 

“No, Buckley. I fucking mean it. Promise.”

As strange and unlikely as it may have seemed at one point, Steve is Robin’s best friend. Ever since that night at Starcourt, she’s made it a point to be open and honest with him. She’s spent so much of her life lying, it’s really nice to have someone that she can just be truthful with. 

It’s just this once, she tells herself. It’s for his own good.

“I promise,” she lies.

xxx 

[saintgoths]

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜɪʀᴛᴇᴇɴ

WORDS - 3,115.

RATING - G+.

SUMMARY - before the second rounds of the chunin exams, suiren is met with the strange man again.

feedback would be appreciated!

i also cross-post this fic on wattpad and ao3.

previous chapter - chapter twelve.

The moment the Earth tremor had finished, Shinki rushed back to the room he had been staying in, a look of panic plastered on his face at thought Suiren hurt, but when he found Suiren still sat on the bed, she had barely looked as shocked as him but there had been a distinct expression she had. It didn’t matter, when all he had wanted to do was atone for leaving the way he did after their shared kiss.

“Lady Suiren, I apologise for leaving you alone,” he said, his usually detached eyes expressive with an apology and Suiren waved him off as she had focused on the strange sensation that had pulsed through her body.

Her eyes dilated because of the magic she had inherited and as Shinki walked towards the Uchiha girl, she held onto his body and passed it off as for her shock to the Earth quake that had just happened. “I don’t know what that was,” Suiren breathed and as he returned to sit beside her, he had held onto the girl.

She had breathed in his scent, his spice enough to calm her down. “When we kissed, it overwhelmed me,” Shinki truthfully said and apologetic, Suiren pulled from his gasp.

“Then I’m sorry,” Suiren said. “I shouldn’t have made you kiss me,” her hands had then moved up on his shoulders, Suiren sat up and felt the way his paws slid down her back.

“I was being foolish,” Shinki said. “I liked kissing you,” he whispered and with a gentle smile, Suiren had found her hand cup his face before he moved to kiss her again.

She hadn’t been surprised or shock, but there was a slight gasp when Suiren realised what he had done, and she had kissed him back, their passion shorter than the one they shared previously, but Shinki had been calmer, he had held her strongly, breathing in her flowery scent and allowed his admiration of her to carry him through the embrace.

Once he had pulled back, his eyes were shadowed, but he had look more comfortable than before. “I feel better,” Shinki said and as she tilted her head, Suiren softly dragged her hand away from his face.

“You like taking the lead?” Suiren had asked.

“I don’t mind if you take the lead,” Shinki replied.

With her eyebrows wiggled, Suiren placed her hand against his lap. “There can only be one dominant one,” she softly joked.

“Then it shall be you,” Shinki forwardly responded before he pulled himself off his bed. “Let me take you home,” Shinki said as he pulled out his hand for Suiren told hold, and without second thought, Suiren held onto him and allowed him to lead her out of his bedroom.

They had shared a brief conversation when they entered the elevator, it was a calming conversation. Both Ninjas complacent in each other’s energies had walked towards the lobby where the Kazekage had been. He had been worried about Suiren as Shinki was with him when the tremor had begun. “Is she okay?” Gaara questioned before he examined Suiren to see if there were any bruises.

“I’m fine,” Suiren answered and with a short pat, Gaara smiled at her.

“That’s good, take her home Shinki,” his father said and with a short nod, Shinki grabbed Suiren once more, but before the two could leave, the red-haired man spoke once more. “I hope to see you again some time,” he waved and as the two younger Ninjas waved at the Kazekage, they left the hotel.

⋆｡‧₊°꧁ ༺𓆩❦︎𓆪༻ ꧂‧₊˚.⋆

Hair drenched as the warm sprinkles of water stuck her strands against her skin, Suiren gently sucked in a short breath as she took a shower, it hadn’t been long since Shinki had dropped her off, her father had been training Boruto and their mother was at the hospital for a shift. They were going to come back soon to congratulate the twins for being able to go through Round One of the Chunin Exams, and Suiren couldn’t wait to share the family dinner with them.

On the other hand, she couldn’t help but feel guilty for using Shinki to get the power of the Sandstone, but she had told herself that it was for herself to live, and that he would understand if it was exposed of what she did. While playing with the water, Suiren had commenced to train and turn the many water that fell through the tiny holes of the shower head to form into tiny balls that began to float around her.

She could see the reflection of herself in them and had been astonished by what she could do. “With more practice you’ll be able to form waves out of thin air.”

Surprised, Suiren slipped and fell, Sora had surprised her once more, and with a groan, Suiren held the back of her head, she must’ve been bleeding, it was a hard fall that she could hear Sarada quickly rush towards the door to check up on her. “Fuck,” Suiren winced as she slowly sat up, she had felt dizzy and her bones felt funny.

“Suiri? Are you okay?” Sarada called out. “I want to laugh but I’m unsure!”

With a snicker, Suiren rolled her eyes. “I’m fine!” Suiren reassured and the second after she spoke, Sarada laughed before she returned to the kitchen.

Suiren continued to let the water fall against her skin, she felt her pain heal, as if the water was a medicine, Suiren furrowed her eyebrows to check if there was blood from the cut that was formed when she fell, and when she pulled her hand away from the spot that no longer felt sharp, there was no trace of blood.

“Stop surprising me like that,” Suiren rudely whispered.

“You’re a good girl,” Sora said. “Tricking Shinki like that.”

Suiren pouted, she had actually liked Shinki. “I do have feelings for Shinki.”

“Like how you feel for Raiden?” Sora challenged and with her mouth pressed into a thin line, Suiren collected herself to stand on her feet.

Sora hadn’t been speaking anymore, but her silence to his question was answer enough. She couldn’t but feel that way towards Raiden, ever since she had met him, she was infatuated with him, but she couldn’t, he couldn’t.

Suiren had spent the rest of the time showering and when she finished, she stepped out of the bathtub and wrapped her white towel around her body, quickly made it out of the bathroom, aware she had forgotten her slippers and would be aware of how Sarada would get annoyed that she did. She spent ten minutes getting ready, her hair still damp so she had wrapped it around with a hair towel, conscious that her parents had returned from their previous tasks, ears keen enough to hear that they were speaking about the Earthquake that had happened a couple of hours ago and when Suiren met with the rest of them, she couldn’t help but glance at her twin as her twin did the same.

Sarada had speculated that Suiren had found another stone but hadn’t questioned her about it as their parents were there. “Oh---Sarada you cooked today,” Sakura smiled once she realised the fare set on the table. “How comes Suiren didn’t join?”

“I slipped while showering,” Suiren answered as response Sarada cackled.

As she sucked in her mouth, Suiren turned to look at her father in hopes to speak about the Sun Village. “Papa,” she smiled, her gleam enough to take his attention. “Have you spoken to the Sun Village people?” Suiren questioned and with a kind nod Sasuke spoke.

“Yes, I have spoken to them, they’re good people allegedly,” Sasuke said and with her eyebrows furrowed, Suiren briefly thought about what he said. As a man that had travelled everywhere and never seen the Sun Village, that might’ve meant the village was very well hidden.

“I want to fight one of them at the Chunin Exams,” Suiren said as she popped one of the cooked bites into her mouth.

Unsure, Sarada sagged her shoulders. “You don’t really know their abilities, so why would you want to?”

With a challenged arch of her eyebrows, Suiren replied. “They don’t know mine.”

⋆｡‧₊°꧁ ༺𓆩❦︎𓆪༻ ꧂‧₊˚.⋆

The sky had dimmed into its purple hues, the Moon had replaced the Sun and the wind gently whistled as it passed by the village, Suiren had relaxed at the top of the apartment balcony, she had looked over the railings, unaware of her surroundings as she had focused on how the breathy air chilled against her skin.

The man was there, the same man who had given her the drugs had stood a few feet away from her, had looked over the railings to view what the Uchiha girl had stared at, and once he realised, she had stared at nothing but had been lost in her thoughts, the bright smile he had on his face had dropped.

“Nothing,” the man hummed, his erratic appearance making Suiren jump and sigh in relief once she realised it was no threat.

With her eyes closed, Suiren had allowed her heart to beat normally. “Where the fuck did you come from?”

With a smile the red-haired man turned to look at her, he was still wearing the same outfit he had worn the first time he had meant, still looked like the same, as if he had done nothing that commenced everything to stay in the same place. “The Sun and the moon, and where door between the living and the dead is ajar.”

With her eyebrows furrowed, Suiren looked at the moon before she returned to look at him. “Who are you?”

“I have no name,” the man shrugged.

Confused, Suiren shook her head in disbelief. “That’s impossible, a man cannot have no name.”

With his index finger pointed towards him, the man smile became wider. “This man doesn’t.”

“Have you been taking the drugs?” The man questioned before he circled his finger beside his head. “To stop the noises from coming back.”

“No,” Suiren replied. “I haven’t been hearing the noises.”

Unmoved, the man had then looked up at the sky. “You will soon,” he said as his grey eyes watched the stars twinkle, he had taken in the cold smell of the sky and had pressed his back against the metal railings. Suiren awkwardly glanced at him, as she had hugged herself, perplexed to what his role was.

“Who are you?” She pressed.

“I am a man who has no name.”

Bothered, Suiren clicked her tongue in distaste before she spoke again. “What do you want from me?” She had asked, perturbed on what he had wanted, perturbed on what everyone had wanted from her, she had felt like everyone wanted a piece of her, and only a few parts of her were left.

“Only the best,” was what he said and before he had disappeared, as if he was made of nothing.

⋆｡‧₊°꧁ ༺𓆩❦︎𓆪༻ ꧂‧₊˚.⋆

Today had been the Round Two of the Chunin Exams which had been titled capture the pennant, one member of a team had to guard the pennant of the group territory while the other two attacked the enemy’s pennant, it was a chance to show team-work, and Suiren hadn’t been sure if they would be able to show team-work throughout their past, so Suiren had taken the role of protecting the pennant while Raiden and Akane went to attack another group

She had sat at the ledge of the building where their pennant was at, it had stood in front of her, and Suiren had focused on examining her nails, Raiden and Akane had wanted to go for the Sun Team’s pennant, who were sure they would see Suiren, so the Uchiha girl had contemplated on what they would think if they saw her teammates instead of her.

Due to her interaction with the strange man yesterday, Suiren had been more aware of her surroundings, and had taken notice that Shinki that had been sneaking behind her, she had heard the way his magnetic sand chattered and how he used his chakra to walk up the building wall to get where she was. With a smile, Suiren turned to look at him. “Naughty of you to try and steal my group’s pennant.”

“That’s not what I’m planning on doing,” Shinki said and with an arch of her eyebrow, Suiren folded her arms. “I actually told my teammates to not go for your team also.”

With a breathy laugh, Suiren played with her nails, her vision yet trained on Shinki who had his ever-stoic face. “You didn’t need to do that, this is a competition,” Suiren candidly pointed out and stubborn on his choice, Shinki walked towards her. “Are you going soft on me?” She teased as she had then stood up, to face him, though he had been taller than her, so it had been no challenge for him when he saw her stand up.

“I’ve always been soft for you,” Shinki replied and a glint sparked in Suiren’s eyes.

She had a side smile, aware that there had been cameras placed around for the Second Round, viewed by conductors of the Exams. “If they find out how much of a romantic you are, Shinki…cold, hard to pierce through Shinki easily taken charmed by Suiren Uchiha.”

“They’re already watching us,” Shinki shrugged, and with a blush, Suiren sat back down on the ledge.

“You should go now, your team might be needing you,” Suiren spoke and with a kind nod, Shinki made way to the ledge to leave, but before he dropped down, Ryo, from the Sun Team had attempted to take Suiren’s team pennant, however, the Uchiha girl had been quick.

Chakra floated out of her palm and warped into a net in the form of a transparent lotus flower, the size of the flower charged towards Ryo and captured him with its speed and width, Suiren had struggled, but she held onto her strength to imprison Ryo who had been shocked. The translucent lotus flower had glowed as if it were a halo and Shinki stood by, taken aback by her ability.

It had looked beautiful, despite the fact that it flickered, the symbol was detailed, as if it came straight out of a movie. With one last look, Shinki glanced at Suiren before he eventually left the scene, comfortable that she was able to protect herself. “A shame someone else has your heart,” Ryo said as he struggled to get out of the grasp of the lotus flower.

Unmoved by what he had said, Suiren had focused on her ability, aware the size of the projection had slowly drained her, another side of her aware that there had been movement behind her, she could see red strands flowing in their air before she felt the pressure of a kick aim towards her back, with a choked scream, Suiren fell against the floor, but she had been fast to move, and rolled out of Keiko’s way when she realised, she had wanted to throttle her.

Suiren jumped to her feet and quickly aimed a punch against Keiko’s cheek, she hadn’t used much chakra but enough to send the girl flying a few feet away, her attention now on Ryo who had been dropped by flower lotus. Suiren had scrunched her eyebrows and darted towards the black-haired boy with immense speed and kicked his side, with a smirk, Ryo jumped backwards which had commenced Suiren to take out her kunai.

She had positioned a fighting pose towards him, her face plastered with a smirk that challenged him, her eyes messaged him to come forward and as he accepted the challenged, Ryo took a couple of steps forward fore he darted his fist towards Suiren’s face, but Suiren ducked backwards and used the tip to kick his chin, her swift movement had caused him to fly backwards and a line of blood drip from the side of his mouth.

He let out a breathy chuckle as e raised his hands in defence when he noticed Akane and Raiden return to their team mate with another team’s pennant, and as Team Thirteen cheered, Ryo backed against the wall. “We dealt with the other one, Aina,” Akane said as she waved the flag around. “She’s caught in a net only I can release.”

Suiren had laughed as she placed her hands against her hips. “I expected more from you guys,” she said as she curved to look at Ryo, who she had noticed had watched them with a certain knowing look on his face.

“That’s okay, we have another pennant anyways, we were just greedy and wanted another one,” Ryo said as he smudged the blood off his face. “I just wanted to the see the ability of Suiren, and I’m impressed.”

Ryo’s hazel eyes then moved to Suiren’s nose; he pointed his finger towards it. “You’re bleeding,” he pointed out, and abrupt, Suiren wiped the blood with the back of her hand.

⋆｡‧₊°꧁ ༺𓆩❦︎𓆪༻ ꧂‧₊˚.⋆

“Everyone is talking about it,” Sakura said as she carefully walked towards her husband. “Did you know she had that ability?” The pink-haired woman questioned, and with a gentle turn, Sasuke looked at his wife with his uncovered eye.

He had looked just as curious as her. If not, more worried. “I heard she got in trouble by Sensei Ren the other day because she used it, it could be something incomplete,” he said.

“Something dangerous,” Sakura completed. “It was said her nose was bleeding.”

As he sucked in a short breath, Sasuke’s mind quickly swept to the day Suiren had been born, the echoes of Sakura’s weep and the confused cries of their first born, Sarada. He had remembered what the fortune teller had told them and had struggled to keep a clam face. “She should be home by now,” Sakura said, her hands were gently balled, but her fingers had dug into her palms. “We should speak to her,” she suggested and uncomfortably she had folded her arms, her usual bright green eyes dark as numerous strings of anguish wrapped in her mind.

“I’m worried,” Sakura spoke again. “I’m worried what the fortune teller said will come true,” Sakura had said and as Sasuke turned to look at his wife once more, his usual icy eyes warm with apprehension had a glint of agreement. With her lips tight, Sakura fiddled with her fingers before she said one last thing. “We must go home.”

masterlist

tag list - @audreyblack

[undertale-writing-times]

The prompt "I'm happy when I'm around you" with Pinks, pretty, pretty please!

Sorta angsty lol

Pinks didn't really know what was happening when he was put into the tank. Y/n was a friend that he made… quite a bit ago; and today they came to his lake, telling him that they had something really big planned! They filled a tank with water from his pond and were able to get him into it, then they started to 'drive'. It was enjoyable to see all of the trees go rushing by, but they wouldn't really answer anything that he was asking.

Pinks trusted Y/n. He trusted them more than anyone else in the whole world. He knew that they wouldn't hurt him, right? There was no way that they would do anything to hurt him for whatever reason… right?

The longer the trip was lasting, the more worried he started to become. The tank was so small and dark. They had to cover it with a blanket so nobody would see him, but he was able to move it a little to peek out, seeing all of the things rush by. They were going so fast… the 'car' bounced sometimes, which caused some of the water to splash out, and they said that they were sorry about that.

He didn't think he minded too much; I mean, it's not like they did that on purpose. It was still shocking each and every time it happened, though. He lets the blanket drop back down and turns in the tank, looking towards the front, asking, "Y/n, where are we going? I'm starting to get kind of nervous…" He decided to be honest with them. He trusted Y/n, but he was still allowed to feel nervous about all of this! Where the heck were they going? 

"Well…" They start, looking forward, "Remember how we spoke about you going back to the ocean one day? I found the best place where we could let you go… you don't have to live in the little lake anymore." Y/n sounded so pleased when they said that. It was like they'd been thinking about this for a while.

Pinks blinks once, then twice, and his sockets widen when he hears that. He sits up more in his tank, the water brushing over his tail. It felt kind of gross since it had been out of the water for a little while. This tank really was way too small for him to stay in, as expected. "What? No, Y/n, I can't go back to the ocean. I've been… h-how would we get to see each other again? The ocean is so big!" He wouldn't know how to get around, how to hunt, and don't even get him started on the fact that there would most likely be things that would try to kill him.

Plus, he would be alone!

"I… don't know, but I'm sure we could work something out. Pinks, that lake isn't good for you, the food is running out. You need to go."

"But I don't want to! I'm happy when I'm around you," he cried. "Y/n, please, I don't want to go." He felt like he was going to have a panic attack. This isn't fair, they talked about it yes, but he thought they would plan it more together, not just… a spur of the moment type of deal. Y/n didn't respond, so he sank deeper into the water, letting out a whimper.

Soon enough the car stopped again and when he peeked out, he saw that they were back at his lake. He blinks once, then twice, and looks over at Y/n who walks over and moves the blanket fully. "I'm… sure we can figure out something else. I'm sorry Pinks." They looked upset with themselves, "I should have asked you before just doing it… forgive me?" they look up at him, their head turned to the side.

He looks at them and smiles weakly, then pulls them into a hug shaking his head, "Of course I forgive you… just bring it up next time… can you get me out of this tank?" They laugh and nod, helping him get back into his water. They could come up with a plan later on.

[whoami-24601]

International Incident Part 5

Part 1 Part 4

After the drivers decide that Lewis and Logan would do social media posts, Lewis calls Toto for an update. "Toto, what is going on? It's been almost three hours, man. This isn't ok. If we don't get out soon, we are going to come up with our own plan."

From the speakerphone, everyone could hear a gruff Toto say, "we haven't gotten much of an update either. Stefano and some of the FIA are negotiating with the representation of the country. The only thing we have been told is that they are not looking for money. We offered. They seem to want to make a spectacle out of this. They're unhappy with," Toto sighed, "a lot of things really."

"Like what?" Lewis was aware they needed to save cell phone battery, but it felt too important to cut the conversation short.

"Like," Toto hesitated, sounding exhausted, "all of it. Gay rights, women's rights, global warming, and our attempts at reducing carbon emissions. Something about a flag and sponsors, too. It just sounds like they want us to be stuck in the 50s or something. I have no idea how a race was even approved here." The drivers all started whispering amongst themselves with that admission. What were they going to do? Why was this being taken out on them?

"Money talks, Toto," Lewis responds. "We all know that. The big question is - what do they want us to do about it? Those things are much bigger than this one race here. We can't just pledge to set back humanity."

"No, no, we can't, and we won't. We need to figure out how to get you all out and get the hell out of here." Toto paused again to ask, "how is everyone doing?"

"Umm," Lewis surveyed the room. The duos and trios had started to separate again. The closeness during their planning session diminished as they heard Toto's comments. "I'm going to go with not great. Little water, no food, and we're basically on the edge of panic."

"I don't know what to suggest for you all but I will do my best to see if we can at least get you some food and water. Hopefully this ends soon."

"Yeah, ok, Toto, thanks for the update. I'm going to save battery again, so just call if you have an update. We may switch to someone else's phone after a while, but mine is still good for now. We'll text you if that changes." Toto had become the main contact since George and Lewis were part of the problem solving group, and they knew Toto would do everything in his power to get them out. The rest of the team principals were also aware that Toto was the only contact after the initial lock-in occurred.

Everyone settled back into their corners to call their loved ones. The problem solving team also found spaces they could speak somewhat privately, given everyone was stuck in a single room together.

As they walked very slowly back to their corner, Danny said, "well, I guess it's phone call time. Do we want to call one at a time? We can time the one person and provide support?" He turned to Max and Lando for their thoughts.

Max nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's good. I don't think I should call my dad, though. I'll call my mom and Victoria together." Daniel and Lando did not question the decision as they approached their former spot.

Daniel dropped himself down against the wall and opened his legs suggestively. "Anyone wanna come cuddle me?" His eyebrows jumped up and down as he surveyed the two men. Lando immediately blushed and shook his head no while Max seemed to contemplate the offer. "You in, Maxy?"

"Sure," Max answered nonchalantly, settling down between Daniel's legs and leaning casually against his chest. Lando stood with his mouth open at how easily Max had agreed.

Seeing Lando's reaction, Danny told him, "you missed your shot, Lan. Have to wait for the next time my legs are open!" He laughed at his own comment and opened his arm up for Lando to squish next to him, which he did without hesitation.

"Anyone want to call first?" Lando asked softly. He didn't want to call at all but knew it was the right thing to do.

"I will do it," Max said, pulling his phone out from his back pocket, awkwardly knocking against Daniel's legs.

Squeezing his legs back around Max's body once his arm was clear, Daniel teased, "Oh, Maxy," getting a chuckle in return.

While Max was turning his phone on, Lando rolled his eyes and debated about his own phone call. He knew he had to talk to his parents, but he also wished he could talk to his other friend Max. He debated what he needed to say, thinking back to Lewis' suggestions. His parents would absolutely know something was wrong if he just called to say he loved them, and if his dad figured out something was wrong and Lando wasn't telling him, he would get the information somehow. He had Zak's direct line after all. After a few minutes, Lando realized he hadn't been listening to Max. The call had started, and Lando tuned in to hear Max say, "you will be well taken care of if anything happens to me. I met with some lawyers to see to it." Lando raised an eyebrow and looked at Danny for his reaction. Danny was staring at his watch with an intense look on his face, nothing Lando wanted to interrupt. Once again, tuning back in, Lando heard Max say goodbye, and he loved them. Lando was also shocked to see the silent tears falling down his friend's face. He reached over, wrapped their arms together, and put his head on Max's shoulder.

"It is not a lie," Max answered the question Lando didn't ask. "I had lawyers draw up papers that most of my money and property goes to them if I die. I did it a long time ago, but I did not see the point in telling them before. They know racing is dangerous, and it did not seem important."

Daniel slipped an arm between Lando's body and arm so he could wrap both arms around Max. "You did good, Maxy. Your family is so proud of you." As an afterthought he added, "so am I." Max looked over his shoulder at Daniel, grateful.

"I'm proud of you too, Max," Lando added softly. "You deserve everything you've achieved. I just wish I could take away the bad stuff." Lando's head remained on Max's shoulder, so he didn't see the confused face.

"The bad stuff made me deserve the good stuff," Max responded.

Danny sighed and tightened his hold. "No, Maxy. You don't have to go through bad stuff to get good stuff. That's now how life works. You deserve it just for being you."

Max would not agree with his friends, but he did not see the point arguing, so he asked, "who is next?"

"Danny," Lando answered quickly. He bashfully looked back, hoping he would not disagree.

"Sure, sure," Danny conceded, pulling his arms back to get his own phone out. "Maxy, you want to time me with that fancy watch you've got? I probably need like a minute warning. Unlike you, who finished your call in less than 3 minutes!"

"Are you sure you do not need a five minute warning? We know how you like to talk," Max joked.

Daniel tickled Max's side in retaliation, thankful for the laughter it caused. Max squirmed a bit until Daniel stopped to prepare for his call. He was calling both of his parents together. He wanted to call his sister too but didn't think he would have time to arrange it and say what he wanted without raising too many alarm bells.

Lando desperately wanted to listen to Danny's call to try to help prepare him for his own, but as soon as Danny started talking, Lando zoned out again. He watched the different drivers in the room to see how they were reacting to calling their loved ones. Charles and Pierre remained the closest to them, and Yuki had attached himself to that group, or more specifically, Pierre. Pierre was obviously trying to be strong for the men on both sides of him. His face looked hard, likely trying to hide his true feelings. Meanwhile, Yuki looked terrible. He was so confused and staring at his phone like it was a foreign object he had never used before. Charles looked like he had finished his call if the tear tracks on his face were any indication.

Lando looked to the other side of the room to see George and Alex together, George on the phone, and Alex holding his hand while looking at his own watch. Fernando and Carlos were sitting near each other, each on their phones. Esteban was on his phone and talking animatedly while Lance seemed to be zoned out, staring at the floor in front of himself.

A hand touching his back broke Lando from his own reverie, causing him to jump. "I'm sorry, Lan," Danny said, continuing to rub up and down. "You ok? Are you ready to call your parents?"

Lando looked back at Danny, shocked that it was already his turn. He hadn't heard a single thing Danny had said. He can see the tears in his eyes, though. Lando took another look around the room, a deep breath, and turned back to Danny with determination. If everyone else could do this, so could he. "Yes, let's do this." Lando picked up his phone and realized his hands were shaking. He couldn't even unlock it in the first two attempts.

Danny reached over and took the phone from his hands. Without saying anything, he held it steady and let Lando unlock it. Once unlocked, Danny took it and turned airplane mode off and opened the phone contacts. Lando didn't understand why Danny was doing that. He could handle these basic tasks. He didn't see the point in arguing, though. Maybe Danny needed to help him to feel grounded. After a moment, Danny showed him his phone and asked, "this number?" Lando could see "Dad (ICE)" open and nodded. He might need to add his mom, but he would see if they were together first.

"Wait, what time is it in the UK?" Lando asked suddenly. The drivers were calling all over the world, and the timing was bound to cause some alarms to go off.

Max answered, "7pm." Of course Max knew without having to look it up.

"It was the middle of the night for your family, Danny?" Lando asked, concerned.

Danny grimaced and confirmed, "Yeah, I didn't think that through. They definitely know something is wrong, but they know to wait for more information." Then added softly as an afterthought, "hopefully."

Lando stared at the contact on his phone until the screen went dark. He felt shuffling next to him and realized Max had gotten up, and Danny had managed to maneuver them both so Lando was back between his legs. His knees were up on both sides, almost like a leg hug, while his arms wrapped snuggly around his waist. "Do you want to practice?" Danny offered quietly. Lando didn't know what to say. To Danny, to his parents. He leaned back against Danny's chest, thankful for the support. He glanced over at Max, now to his right, who was staring right back at him intensely. As they looked in each other's eyes, Danny stated, "you don't have to lie. Tell them you're having a bad night and you miss them. You just want to hear their voices. That's not too strange to concern them, is it?"

"My parents?" Lando asked with a forced chuckle. "They'd be concered for sure, but I think you're right. They'd be more concerned about my mental health than me being in a fucking hostage situation." Lando felt Danny kiss the back of his head but he didn't say anymore. Lando took that as his cue to just get it done.

Managing to unlock his phone this time seemed like a good sign he was ready. Lando clicked "call" and "speakerphone" quickly. He probably shouldn't do speakerphone given so many people in the room, but he just couldn't handle being the only one that could hear his parents' reaction.

"Hey Lando!" his dad answered, sounding happy to hear from him.

"Hey dad," Lando responded, trying to sound more upbeat than he felt.

"What's wrong?" his dad immediately asked, proving Lando failed his attempt.

"Nothing, just um, could you get mom too, please? I just want to talk to you both." Lando found himself rubbing his leg, trying to force out the nervous energy.

Lando's dad responded, "of course, give me a minute." He could be heard yelling in the background and walking through the house.

Lando felt another kiss on his head, this time just above his left ear. It felt more grounding than the rubbing he was doing. He pushed his head back into Danny's face gently, trying to say thank you silently.

"Honey?" Lando's mom asked, concerned. "Are you OK? Your dad said you wanted to talk to both of us. Do we need us to come to you?"

"No!" Lando exclaims much too loudly. He glances around the room to see if any other driver's noticed but just sees a couple of people looking his way. That was fine. Not too big a scene. "I just mean, no, I'm ok. You don't need to travel all this way just because I'm having a bad night. I'm sure I'll feel better tomorrow."

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" His mom asks.

"I, um, I just," Lando stuttered. He had no idea what to say.

Danny leaned over Lando's shoulder and spoke to the phone, "hey Mr and Mrs Norris, Daniel Ricciardo here. I'm sorry to scare you like this. Lando was just feeling out of sorts, and I thought a piece of home might make him feel better. I didn't consider how that would sound to you."

"Oh, honey," Lando's mom responded softly. "Thank you, Danny. What have I said about the whole Mr. and Mrs. Norris thing? You're an adult, and a close friend of the family. There's no need for such formality."

"Right, right," Danny agreed. "Just feels wrong, like I'm disrespectful if I don't call you that!"

"Well, I'm telling you I don't find you using our first names disrespectful at all," Lando's mom responded sternly.

Danny laughed and agreed, "Ok, Ok, I get it. I don't want to take away from Lan here. Unfortunately, we need to go in a minute. Lando, tell your parents you love them and not to worry about you."

Lando swallowed and did as told, "I love you. Don't worry about me."

"We're always going to worry about you," Lando's dad responds. "We love you too, Lando, so much."

"So much," Lando's mom adds. "Call us anytime, honey. And, Danny?"

"Yes?"

"You take good care of our boy, right?"

"I do my best," Danny answers with a slight catch in his voice. Lando's parents don't seem to notice and hang up after their goodbyes

[ask-healthy-light]

While Spike headed to the kitchen for something to drink, accompanied by Meadowbrook, who had taken an interest in the properties of his Dragon-fire, Rockhoof took the three scrolls, and trotted back to the main Hall, where he loudly announced to Boom and Starswirl they received word from the other three Pillars, who would head to Ponyville as soon as they could, but he got no reaction from them.

A few moments later, Meadowbrook and Spike, carrying a small tray with a couple of glasses and jugs of water, returned to the Hall, where Rockhoof did not look at them, as he gestured to the Unicorns with their noses buried deep in their books; fed up with constantly being ignored, Meadowbrook took one of the many books on the table, and dropped it, startling both Boom and Starswirl as it landed.

Evidently, only now they realisesd they had been stuck in their books for a very long time, so Boom rubbed his eyes and yawned, while Starswirl, still recovering from the shock, rubbed his chest, and got up to stretch his legs; as they got their bodies in working order, they asked neither Spike nor Rockhoof why they did not stop Meadowbrook, who was at the head of the table with her arms crossed.

Being the helpful young Dragon he is, Spike quickly flew over to hand them a glass of water, before Meadowbrook sternly asked them if they had heard anything of what they had said during the last few hours, to which both Starswirl and Boom looked downwards, and apologised to her as they shook their heads, after which she repeated what Rockhoof said, that they received word from the other Pillars.

Luckily, as their focus was no longer on the dozens of books scattered around, this time, Starswirl and Boom actually responded to her message, reacting in a positive manner, before beginning to turn back to the books, before Meadowbrook trotted over, grabbing Starswirl by his beard and Boom by his ear, and taking them outside, telling them they needed a break, like a parent disciplining a child.

So, while Boom and Starswirl, who were rubbing their painful ear and chin respectively, were forced to take time away from their books, heading towards Ponyville in silence, back in the Empire, Light was walking along casually, holding in their second-hoof embarassment and frustration over Eclipse, who was barely holding themselves together, as they nervously trotted next to Light to the kitchen.

To their relief, they found nopony on their way thither, though as soon as they got to the kitchen, Twilight grabbed a big glass of water, drinking it in one go to try to ease her nervousness, but to no avail, as she started whispering to herself; the realisation of their earlier actions in helping Light slowly set in, and she seriously doubted about whether it would even be possible to fix this.

Contrasting to Twilight's justifyable panic, Solar and Light calmly spoke about the possible effect of their actions, for which, Light started to say, they would take full responsibility, though they could not finish their sentence before Solar interrupted them, reminding them it was their idea for Light to sneak into the Archives with their help, which they had only barely achieved successfully.

Remembering the moments directly after exiting the Archives, Light stopped talking and, in silence, they thought for a moment, before they turned back to Eclipse, and wondered, since their names were associated with the titles of the documents they borrowed in the booklet the Guard gave them, would it not be possible for them to return the documents, while Light only helped them carry everything?

Then, afterwards, when the documents were returned, they could ask either the Guards, Lady Cadance, or Lord Shining if they could research the same documents, but now, in a more transparent way; this idea intrigued both Solar and Twilight, who had managed to calm her breath to listen to their plan, though, before this, they would head back to the Princesses, with something to drink, as they said.

After Light grabbed a platter and more glasses and jugs, they turned to Twilight and asked:

"Do you think you'll be able to manage, for just a little bit longer?"

(Thanks for reading! And if you enjoyed, please reblog! Thanks in advance!)

Send an ask or request! | Start at the beginning! | Next part!

Featuring: Boomlord from @thedumbguywithaheart43 Solar Eclipse and Twilight Sparkle as Twilight Eclipse from @asktwilighteclipse

[the-fandom-qu33n]

Chapter 9____To Strike A Match

(UF Sans/Reader)

Rated M...violence, profanity and much else soon to come

_____________

summary

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burnt out sick of the recurring timeline everything is starting to break him down little by little... day after day drink after drink he needed something different a smoke would be good... just needed a...light?

_______________________________________________

his flames died down slightly..his blood seemingly dropping a few degrees...his eyes widened... he saw his child before him frozen as well..the cloaks hood directed to the monster behind him ..she was silent...he was silent...so was Red.....everything was still in this moment...how did he not hear that damned skeleton approach them...how did he not know...

he could hear the rushing water of the river down the way past the tree line...everything was so quiet he could even hear his own flames...he could hear the soft breeze brushing past carrying small amounts of the glittery snow making his flames start to move as it made contact with a small quiet hiss..as much as it was uncomfortable from the cold...the worst was

...he could feel your curiosity building...

he was failing...how ...he....fuck...his guard was dropped enough being to distracted putting on this façade of wonder and excitement for his child...he had failed to notice the present danger...what was he doing...

his eyes snapped to the side where the skeleton would be standing just beyond his eye sight.. staying frozen to his spot still gripping his phone from extracting the hot cocoa previously....his fingers twitched as his temperature began to rise ever so slowly as he was coming out of shock...why was he here...he was supposed to be in HIS bar away from them...what had ice wolf been doing...how did he let RED leave...was his add not tempting enough?...did he know ....did he see you in the door way the other day?...fuck was he playing dumb?...he knew...he had to know....wasn't this fucking monster supposed to be oblivious?! shouldn't he be lazily napping in a ditch somewhere?... why was he here at this moment ...the ONE time he let y/n out...

fate was so cruel to him...

if he was here...does that mean he failed to notice others?...how many monster had he failed to notice...how many have seen them has undyne seen them?... has the guardsmen?...were they reporting it as he wonders this?...was...papyrus around...the king must have been notified by now......Red had seen them to...red was here just a few feet away from his child...his daughter...was seeing this fucking monster up close

......no

he chuckled behind him ..his voice was ...curious making Grillby shiver in panic...he could feel his soul thump harshly

...no no no it was happening no...

the skeleton stepped closer...one step..two...the crunch of the snow under his sneakers was sickening to him...what would he do....what could he do?!

"whatcha doin wit da river guide?..."

river guide?...the river river guide! yes he couldn't see you in the cloak!

he had a chance to get out of this...he had a way of an escape...his mind began to race thinking up another lie...anything to get out of this...yes...he'd fake taking you back to the boat and send him off....he have to tell the guide about it though...its a good thing they were friends...connections hed thank his wife's alter for when he got their child back home...safely...

thankfully this was the time he needed to retort.. finally calm enough to think and respond he was taking to long...your curiosity was probably at a boiling point by now as was Red's...the longer we stayed silent the worst his chances got...one breath....two...three...

"I was taking them-"

another crunch of snow as Grillby could barely see the damned skeleton beside him now just a bit off from his peripheral...his face was contorted into suspicion...as he stared you down...

"wait a minute..dat aint da guide..."

he was caught...he was caught and so were you...all his plans...his lies...everything he did to protect you was crashing so fast around him he was speechless again...his mind racing to come up with anything he could say ...any lie any excuse..maybe a fake distraction... ..if this fucking skeleton wasn't as oblivious as he thought what could he possibly do...

taking another step ...Red was grinning beside him now ..he could see him in the corner of his view easier ...he was concentrated completely on you....

"whos dis yer with den ey grillbz?"

no...no...

he wouldn't ruin everything he planned..this fucking skeleton wouldn't do this to him...standing up he turned to red as his flames grew and whipped wildly.

every ounce of rationality left his as well as his anxiety...his eyes blazed angrily as he snarled at red who now was staring at him with a face of pure shock at how quick he had responded and so angrily to...

"this has nothing to do with you..."

the skeleton's eye light widened as it searched his face quickly as he rounded up on instinct starting to square up ...he had to ...he would hurt him...he would bring him near to dusting he was to close...he was curious...he was suspicious...he needed to go...he needed to be gone he couldn't be here he was supposed to be in the bar...he should have stayed there...now he had to fight... before Grillby could square up harder summoning a hotter flame to his fists he growled threateningly as his flames grew brighter and whipped harder in the air as he puffed up......in an attempt to make him back down

"walk...off..."

Red snarled gritting his teeth as he locked his bones with a click one of his eyelights beginning to flare...

"hm...nah.."

fuck...he wasn't backing down...he had to act fast he had no time he had to start a confrontation but y/n was here...shed see....shit she was watching this...fuck he was displaying violence...!

"I..."

...his eye light seemingly had seen what it wanted as backed down and grinned turning his gaze on y/n...

".....'s dat so?"

__________________________________________________

__________________

if you took the time to read this i appreciate it...

[yourgiantpinkspacewife]

When the mist had finally cleared, I almost thought the Djinni was taking the piss. I had fought numerous foes, bested many puzzles and had worded my wish as carefully as I had thought possible…and now I was watching as some… shiny lizard…tried to scrabble for safety holding a coin that had to weigh half as much as it did.

The Djinni, nor the ring I had summoned it from, were anywhere to be seen. My frustration only grew as I watched the 'dragon' try and scrabble under some rocks, the coins making it impossible as it clicked against the rocks. This….this was NOT what I had wished for. 

I had come for glory…to come back with riches unheard of…to have a name for myself. I grumbled angrily to myself as the dawning realization of what I would have to do sat before me, stalking over in annoyance to grab the weedy thing by its middle, a soft grunting snort escaping my nose as it screeched and tried to breathe…something…at me, a feeling like…being poked in the eye hitting me before I dropped first the dragon, and then the coin it had dropped in its panic, into a pouch.

"By the gods old and new, wyrmling, I came for a dragon with a grand hoard…and I will not rest until I have what I wished for.

~~~

It had been fifty years since that day. I had come back bearing not a grand hoard of a slain foe for accolades, but bearing that foe for stares and derision. No matter…the strange little 'dragon' would soon grow and be off, doing…whatever it was dragons did to amass their hoard…and I would sally forth once more to claim it. Until then, I would keep it safe and train it…no use in a weak foe with naught to its name.

The first few years were…difficult. The little thing was constantly terrified whenever I or my retainers moved around my manse, though I had bidden them to do nothing to harm it, keep it calm and to…look the other way if the little bastard nicked a coin or goblet. It was a dragon all the same but it was to be my greatest challenge.

 It was…slow going but soon the wyrm, Baeg…something or other as my young page had dubbed it, was trepidatiously wandering about for a good piece of food where it could weasel it out of people and sneaking off with coins and trinkets it had 'stolen or been tributed. I only made the mistake of trying to take a piece once, a sharp little snap of its cruel little beak drawing a rivulet of blood…and responded in kind, grabbing it by the middle and biting it firmly on the wing joint and spitting profusely as the taste of…I had no words for it but spat it out all the same.

It, and I, sat there licking out wounds, our eyes narrowing at each other before we went our separate ways, making a note in my mind to better train the brighter to not bite so readily…the distinct murmur of 'as if' wisping through my mind soon after.

~~~

It had been two centuries, and the days had seemed like water in a sieve. Baeggeum had grown slowly but noticeably, reaching the size of a particularly large hound, though much wider. I had taken to teaching Baeg to hunt and track, figuring that the hide and meat would be good profit to build the hoard with, and noticed that it…he…had taken to it naturally. 

I scarcely had to direct him and he was off, whipping through trees and brush as if it weren't there, taking short flights when needed. Scarcely a quarry escaped us, especially when I didn't mind him using his breath, limbs snapping and bodies tumbling as the force took them. Our profits started modestly, scarcely a bounty turned in that didn't come incredulously at the general lack of wounds.

My first real brush with danger since…taking in…Baeggeum came from…well, they would say later they were just adventurers but I knew bandits and bounty chasers when I saw them…and Dragons brought hefty bounties after all, hoard or not. I was on the return from a hunt, the cooling carcass of a dire boar dragging behind us on a cart. I could see the group outside…and partially inside if the struggling gate and guardsmen trying to push it closed were any sign…before we drew attention to ourselves.

I hardly had the words at my lips before an angry…almost prideful wrathful…huff and a flap of wings signaled Baeg slithered off on a flanking move, my bow all but leaping into my hands as I drew, aiming carefully for the ebony placard that denoted the owner of the manse…me. I'd never seen an arrow fly truer, thudding dully but surely into the wood, a clamor rising up as I approached, no king another arrow and aiming a little more surely.

"My dear people, what seems to be amiss?"I asked as loudly and politely as I could muster myself to be, the itching instinct that Baeg was rousing the defense better…I had no idea why or how I felt I knew that but it had been an odd but present sensation since the day Baeg and I had bitten each other. "I would invite you all in, but I am not prepared for visitors…maybe return in a fortnight?"

The lead 'adventurer' scoffed, turning to stare at me and narrowing his eyes for a moment before signaling some of the others to approach, their eyes wary as the head of my arrow swept the crowd gently. "We heard tell you've a dragon here. Dragon hide sells for a Lord's ransom, their heart even more so. If'n you aren't to put the beast down, I don't see why we can't take the problem off your hands." He said, scoffing again as I smiled and shook my head and caught sight of the crowd…from behind, a distant image of the gate and the crowd…and myself.

The lead growled, barking for them to take me, an almost greedy smirk playing across my face as the first took a step to approach and received an arrow to the hip, the man's body crumbling painfully and driving the arrow further in as he fell on it. The rest of the crowd balked, backing up for a moment before shrieking as a roar tore through the air, a shadow passing over us before Baeg landed beside me, his wings curling softly to his side as his head snapped from side to side, his beaked maw clicking and streamers of light dazzled.

"Aye. I do have a dragon here. Been raising the little bastard since you lot were knee-high to a Gnome. Building him a hoard and raising him right so I might see justice done…"I said, though a feeling paced at the back of my mind. I'd come into much more riches since I had wished for Baeg, my estate's name taking on more and more respectful use in the social circles even as murmurs that I was a Dragon Cultist made the same rounds…and only when people thought I couldn't hear them. I shouldn't have been able to, but my senses had grown sharper as I trained Baeg just as his instincts were honed.

"So, once more I ask you…Leave and do not darken my doorstep again."I murmured, the creak of my bowstring drawing beside the growing growl of Baeg. I looked down, meeting Baegs eyes, and felt…pride…and then heard for the first real time just how little and how much Baeggeum was a Dragon, and knew that I had more than just a companion or Game on my hands

"May I hunt, Tadoji? They threaten our hoard…" I heard, a voice of fury and want echoing within and without my head. I flicked my eyes about for a moment before the moments I had pushed to the back of my mind came forth came together, Baeg's head dipping softly. "I await your leave". I scarcely had time to realize the gravity of my predicament when I heard the pounding of feet and shouting, and then a sound akin to a Boulder hitting a valley floor before the lead four hostile were sent tumbling like marionettes into the crowd behind them, Baeg licking his lips and snorting.

I could hold my will and pride no longer, the defense of my home paramount. "You may indulge yourself within reason, Baeggeum. The hide is worth naught and the meat gamey…"I said, a cruel smile playing across my face as the group realized collectively they had a prime hunter and dragon bearing towards them.

~~~

Things had changed in the centuries since my wish had been made. My manse, though it was hard to consider it merely such when 'my land' comprised the better part of a county, had grown since that fateful day just as Baeggeum had. Stories were told of the cruel lord and his beast, many a prospective warlord or noble coming to beg…or demand…assistance in whatever drivel it was the ants fought over.

Scarcely a one left with their pride intact, or the lives if they drew my or Baeggeum's ire, but it was the common folk that drew my attention most deeply. I'd hardly expected my staff to stay on…or their children…or outlying villages came begging and pleading with the scraped together tribute if only we would save them from…whatever was plaguing them…and we did. My…our…coffers grew, my old estate no longer being quite large enough for the influx of tribute and villagers that felt that living CLOSER to the dragon and his minder would keep them safer…and we did.

It was hard not to look prideful from the massive window wherein Baeggeum and I slept, the dragon having long eclipsed even the largest war-elephant or siege weapon, his platinum scales shining like diamond in the light that streamed in through Baeggeum's door-window.

"Tadoji, It has been…long enough. I am no fool, and you…you have had ample opportunity to slay me, or let innumerable other forces slay us. Why does this persist?"Baeg asked, his words gentle in my mind even as confused as he was. I let out a knowing sigh, turning from a missive from some…Menetherin king…and looked up into the opalescent eyes of the closest thing I'd ever have to a child.

"I wished…many, many years past…for a dragon to slay for its hoard. I got you."I said, quietly standing and making my way to the window-door and surveyed…OUR kingdom. "Not a day went by I wonder if I hadn't been cheated…another capricious Djinni screwing a mortal over. And then you grew…and my coffers grew…and those needing our attention grew. Now?". I opened the window, breathing deep of the air that breezed in…someone was baking somewhere and I could hear children's laughter as they felt safe and that all was right in the world".

My reverie was interrupted by soft footsteps approaching up the stairs, and then a knock before I coughed politely to signal allowance for entrance. "Beggin' y' pardon, mi'lords. There's a gent here with some birds…mentions that you'd likely want to…"the maid said quietly, her eyes nervously locked to the floor. I approached, lifting her gaze gently with a scaly hand and smiled. "You've done well to tell me. Your work for today is done, take a rest".

I couldn't help the snicker as the maid squeaked in surprised and all but prostrated herself as I returned to the window, looking down into my courtyard, a hunched figure sitting on one of the garden benches and tossing the occasional handful of seed to an oddly uniform group of finches. I turned my head to Baeggeum, inclining it toward the man.

"Shall we go meet our Guest?"

You wished to find a dragon to slay for its treasure. Now you’re not sure how to feel seeing a thumb-sized dragon try to drag its single shiny copper coin with it as it runs away from you.

[words-writ-in-starlight]

So for the avatar thing your not gonna write, is like wwx actively apart of the wen clan or is it just because he was originally a fire bender that he is just grouped in with them?

I’m not writing it!!!!!  I refuse to answer this because I’m not writing it!!!!!  The Les Mis AU haunts my conscience day and night, and I will not take a further burden upon my heart!

....but no, actually, Wei Wuxian is still the child of a nationless wanderer, who also incidentally happened to be a firebender.  Baoshan Sanren is...Iroh, basically, founder of an extremely secretive and reclusive sect of bending that believes in combining the moves and virtues of all elements to enhance an individual’s skill set.  She’s known for being extremely close to the spirit world, so much so that she’s rumored to be immortal, and she takes in orphans and raises them in her sect--admirers call her the finest bending teacher in history, a mighty earthbender who raised a mountain from a flat plain and hides her people in its clouded heights, detractors call her a cult leader, but everyone agrees that the few students who leave her mountain are the finest in the world.

Cangse Sanren left the mountain to see the world, and fell in love with a nonbender who made her laugh, and she had a son who she adored with her whole heart, a little prodigy of a firebender whose wide clever eyes sometimes looked dreadfully wise for such a young child.  In theory, she wasn’t supposed to go back to the hidden mountain, but once, little Wei Ying looked up at her and said solemnly, “Mama, someday I’m going to learn to fly,” and she kissed his smiling cheeks and said, “Okay, my love.”  And then she turned to her beloved husband, after Wei Ying was asleep, and said quietly, “Someday, we will take A-Ying to shifu, I think.”  

She wasn’t sure what her son carried in his deep silver eyes (such an odd color for a firebender, just like his father’s), but when she taught him the first firebending moves she ever learned, he cocked his head at her and said, “But Mama, we aren’t airbenders,” as if he knew the roots of her unusual form, and Cangse Sanren was not raised by the finest bending teacher in history for nothing.

Except, of course, they never had a chance to take Wei Ying to Baoshan Sanren at all.

Wei Ying doesn’t remember his parents’ deaths.  He thinks he was there, but all he remembers is his mother’s voice, roaring at him like a bonfire to go, run, don’t look, and then--

Light, blinding white, and waking up in a clearing scarred and ruined.

And then he wandered for a while, until the traveling Chief of the Inland Water Tribe found the child of his dead comrade and took him in.

And if Wei Wuxian’s bending style looks...strange, looks off, looks not quite firebender, well, everyone writes it off to the fact that his mother was one of Baoshan Sanren’s students, and to the fact that he was raised by waterbenders.  It doesn’t even really occur to people to check him in their search for the Avatar--surely Cangse Sanren, of anyone in the world, would know the Avatar when she raised him, and she did nothing about it.  He’s just a prodigy, already so well-versed in firebending by the age of seven that he practically trained himself.  Nothing to see, here, citizens.  

Madam Yu has her suspicions.  But she hates the boy, hates him for outshining her own son without trying, hates him for never being respectful or obedient or pliable, as rebellious and uncontrolled as the element he commands.  She will not suggest to her husband that his bastard foundling might be the Avatar, might be a waterbender, might have a claim, however tangential, to her son’s birthright.  So she hates him, and Wei Wuxian is a firebender, nothing more.

Until he’s fifteen and a bit of friendly showcasing between the nations gets out of hand (suspiciously so, a skeptical soul might say, about Wen Xu’s ‘slip’ that lights half the stands on fire) and Wei Wuxian throws himself thoughtlessly in front of Jiang Cheng and calls half the river onto the sparring field, teeth bared and eyes unglowing but unarguably waterbending.

[daisyvisions]

as long as you’re sure you’re okay with it!!

11 (“I’ll make you feel good, I promise. Just trust me.”), 94 (Whispered praises against the other’s lips, which are met with soft whimpers and moans.), and 96 (“Oh, sensitive there, aren’t we?”) with eric please 🥹

yes i might just be the softest subbiest eric whore you will ever meet i apologise 😭

(don't die pup, enjoy every single drop of this request 🤪)

Desperate

Member & Prompts: Eric Sohn (TBZ) + 11. "I'll make you feel good, I promise. Just trust me.", 94. Whispered praises against the other’s lips, which are met with soft whimpers and moans., & 96. “Oh, sensitive there, aren’t we?”

Warnings: Smut (18+, minors DNI), choking, rough sex, pet names (baby, baby girl, princess), cursing, praising? (idk if there's anything else I missed!)

‧⋆ ✧˚₊‧⋆. ✧˚₊‧⋆‧‧⋆ ✧˚₊‧⋆. ✧˚₊‧⋆‧‧⋆ ✧˚₊‧⋆.

It was a cold, quiet afternoon. The sound of raindrops hitting the window, the natural glow from the sky shedding some light into the dark room, and all snuggled up against Eric’s chest.

His back leaning against the headboard, his arms and legs wrapping your body like a warm blanket as you watch him play his video game on the screen in front of you.

Watching the veins in his hands move as he grips the controller, his fingers fiddling with the buttons. You suddenly feel your core throb at the thought of how he caged your body beneath his the night before. Oh how you loved his hands.

The way its firm grip has on your soft skin. The way his rough fingers lightly graze your sensitive spots, making you feel lightheaded every time- just like what had been happening to you at this very moment.

“I-I’m going use the restroom…” you mutter as you get up from the bed. “Okay!” he responds back as his eyes were focused on the game.

Maybe splashing water on your face was a good idea, maybe it would help calm your racing mind… Looks like you spoke a bit too soon. 

The image of the veins protruding on his strong hands were still stuck in your mind, feeling yet another throb down in your core.

Suddenly, you remembered a thought you’ve been trying to suppress down for so long. Would he be into if I asked him? Would he get scared of me or think I’m weird? Shit- You shake your head.

You take a deep breath before opening the door. Looks like today is the day you’ll finally ask him about it.

“Eric?”

“Yes, baby?” his eyes still glued to the screen.

“Have you ever thought about…choking me?”

Eric’s ears perked up like a dog hearing a squeaky toy. The last two words you had uttered had him pausing his game. “What did you just say?”

Oh no, he’s weirded out. Abort, abort, abort- “Uhm… I was just wondering if you’ve ever thought about ch-choking me… Or if you’ve ever done that to someone before…”

You stare at the ground, desperately trying to avoid eye contact as the embarrassment creeps up your cheeks.

Yeah, he did hear that right. He wasn't hallucinating one bit. “Well, I tried it once before... Why? What's in that crazy mind of yours, hm?”

You try to speak, but you feel the words getting caught up in your throat.

“Come here y/n, talk to me.” He calls out for you.

Walking towards him felt like an eternity. What’s worse is you felt your stomach twist from driving up the courage to look at him straight in the eyes.

“Look at me, princess.” His warm hands cupping your face, making you tilt your head up at him. “You can tell me anything.” He smiles reassuringly.

“Well-” you gulp down your anxiousness before continuing, “I was wondering if maybe… we could uh… we could try it?”

His eyes widened. There was a moment of silence between the two of you. You start to panic, thinking you might’ve said the wrong thing.

But you were so wrong. In fact, his eyes had widened in excitement, feeling a sudden twitch in his cock the moment he heard your request.

“Oh baby girl… I thought you’d never ask.”

Your eyebrows shoot up in surprise, you’ve never seen Eric’s eyes go dark the way they did before. “Wait, wha-”

His lips suddenly crash into yours, feeling his needy tongue slip into your mouth. He starts kissing you everywhere from your jaw to your neck.

It seems you’ve woken up a sleeping beast inside him… and you loved it.

You help each other out of your clothes, leaving only but your soaking underwear on. You gasp into his mouth, almost letting out a moan as you feel his rough fingers slightly tighten around your neck.

“Oh, sensitive there, aren’t we?” he grins looking at how you react.

“Eric, please-”

“Please what, baby?” his hand gripping your throat a little tighter now.

“Please, I need you i-inside me” you whine desperately.

“Say no more.” He grabs your waist and aggressively positions you on your elbows and knees, your ass on full display for him. He pushes your panties to the side, exposing your wet cunt.

He leans forward just enough to whisper in your ear, “I’ll make you feel good, I promise. Just trust me.” You feel the tip of his cock brush against your entrance, making you shiver from feeling his precum spreading against your folds.

He impatiently pushes himself inside you without warning, making you both moan from the sudden stretch.

Wasting no time, he starts pounding into you like there's no tomorrow, the grip of his hands on your hips tightening the more he feels his cock rub against the ridges of your walls.

“Oh fuck, Eric-” ”You feel so good around me baby, just like that- shit…”

The sounds of skins slapping, his balls hitting your core, and your nipples brushing against the fabric of the mattress has you entering into another dimension.

“Fuck baby- you’re so tight.” he grunts as he continue to thrust harshly into you. You reply with nothing but a strain of broken moans.

Then Eric suddenly remembers the request you had asked him, making his cock twitch inside you. “Up” he commands.

You do as your told and he pauses his movements monetarily as he helps you kneel upright.

He places his hands around your neck before continuing to thrust inside you, making sure that the grip is firm enough to send a message.

You swear you feel your eyes roll back from the overwhelming senses, jaw slacking open as you pant profusely.

“You like that baby? You like my hands around your pretty neck?” his hot breath fanning against your ear.

“Y-yes, s-so much-” You cry out, his thrusts getting deeper each second, hitting your gummy spot so well.

“You’re doing so good baby, so fucking good.” He moves one of his hands to hold your jaw, turning your head to meet his. His lips latch onto yours with much desperation.

“God you’re so perfect…” He groans into your mouth as his thrusts become more rhythmic, his other hand his gripping your neck.

The tight grip making you slightly gasp for air has your head spinning and your core getting wet each second passing by. This is exactly what you’ve been dreaming of.

“Eric- s-so good, fuuckkk” you mewl.

Whispered praises against the other’s lips, which are met with soft whimpers and moans. Had you known your boyfriend had this side to him, you would've asked a long time ago.

And thank god you did.

[greg-montgomery]

I love - LOVE - your writing! It's such a happy and fluff space and well Aaron... yk 😁🥰

Could you possibly write some "enemies to lover" thingy. Like you get him worked up, all the time and disobey (like a possible background) but the one time it Porsche heavily you go outside and just enjoy rain and smile, maybe even start to Dance - thinking no one notices.

But Aaron does? And he joins you. Maybe even kisses you for the first time in rain?

Like pure fluff and romantic stuff?

No hurry and even when you don't want to write it - that's fine 🥰 thank you!

aaahhhh thank you <333

i hear enemies to lovers and i go crazy. also i’m so sorry i know you said pure fluff but i was literally unable not to make this angsty at first lmfao but it ends with fluff i swear!!

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

“Enough, Agent,” Aaron’s strong voice startled you. “You have acted against my orders twice, and that’s from today alone. If you interrupt me one more time I’m going to remove you from the case.”

“I was only-”

“The last thing we need right now is your input. Please learn how to stay silent and listen every now and then.”

You closed your mouth and lowered your gaze, wishing the earth would open up and shallow you whole. It felt embarrassing to be spoken to like that, especially in front of your colleagues.

It wasn’t rare for you and your boss to fight in the middle of a case, but he had never yelled at you like that before. He had never before made you feel as if you were back in school, ready to cry because your teacher shouted at you in front of the class.

You didn’t say a word for the rest of the meeting.

--

“What the hell was that?” Rossi asked Aaron when everyone else left the room.

“She disobeyed-”

“Come on, Aaron, we’ve all done it! I’ve done it, you’ve done it. She didn’t deserve this.”

He stayed silent, a wave of guilt making his throat feel tight and dry.

“I was ready to go hug the poor girl, she seemed like she was ready to cry.”

Aaron didn’t expect his heart to react the way it did in response to David’s words. He didn’t expect the thought of even a tear from your eyes to hurt him this bad.

But Rossi had to keep going, and break his heart even further.

“And honestly, Aaron, what drives me crazy is how you’re the best profiler I know and yet you fail to realize that the girl is madly in love with you.”

--

It was a blessing that Hotch had decided to continue the case the following day, so you could all go home and rest for the night.

You were the last one in the office. Well except for him, but you weren’t sure if he ever went home in the first place so he didn’t count.

Every single member of the team had made sure to check up on you before they left, and it made you feel so loved. It was obvious how much everyone there cared about you, and it just broke your heart how you couldn’t earn the validation of the person you needed it from the most.

You walked down the stairs and as soon as you took your first step outside the building you felt a drop of rain on the tip of your nose.

Your eyes were still watery from earlier, but rain was one of your favorite things and you couldn’t help but smile at the feeling. The cold air and the drops of water falling around you made you feel alive. So instead of running to your car or going back inside until the rain stopped you decided to stay outside and enjoy it.

Looking up, you watched the stars and the few raindrops that were falling from the sky and you decided that that was the most beautiful thing you had ever seen.

--

Aaron saw you getting up from your desk and after fighting with himself for a few moments he decided to run after you.

If he was honest, he had expected to find you crying - but instead he found you under the rain with a smile so sweet, it made him want to cry instead.

How did he manage to be so cruel to an angel like you?

“I’m sorry, I scared you,” he said when you noticed him and your smile disappeared.

You didn’t respond to him and he started to panic, trying to come up with a way to fix things. He took off his jacket, walking closer and closer to you. He lifted his arms and used it as a shield between you and the rain.

For some reason his gesture made you laugh. “What?” he asked, confused.

“I’m already soaked, Hotch. What are you doing?” you said, giggling.

He felt embarrassed. “Right,” he said, lowering his hands again, holding his jacket in front of his stomach now. “I wasn’t thinking…I’m…I’m nervous.”

“Why are you nervous?” you asked, with a kind voice.

“Because I wanna talk to you.”

“You weren’t nervous when you yelled at me.”

“I deserved that,” he admitted. You didn’t say anything so he continued. “I’m sorry, Y/N. I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled. I feel awful about it.”

“Apology accepted,” you sighed. “And I’m sorry too. Sometimes I like to make you angry on purpose.”

“I knew that,” he said with a bland expression.

That made you laugh. And seeing you looking happy again made him completely forget the fact that his clothes were getting completely soaked already, just like yours.

“But still, that’s not an excuse,” he added.

“It’s okay. It’s just…what you think of me means a lot to me. And I hate to think that I fail you or that I don’t make you proud,” you said, softly.

“Of course you make me proud,” he was quick to reassure you. “You’re one of the best in this team and that’s why you drive me crazy when you get all impulsive and stubborn.”

You looked up at him biting the inside of your cheek so he wouldn’t see your smile. But he did. And he could tell that his praise made you feel good.

“At least wear it,” he said after a moment and offered you his jacket. “I don’t want you to catch a cold.”

You nodded and let him place it around your shoulders. The gesture forced him to move really close to you, the tips of his shoes almost touching yours.

He couldn’t resist you anymore. He brought his hand between the two of you, with his palm facing up.

“Do you need something?” you asked.

“Yes, your hand,” he said.

You gave it to him, seemingly without a second thought, and he used it to pull you slowly against his chest. He looked into your beautiful eyes and all he could think of was the question he finally asked.

“Baby, can I kiss you?”

You didn’t answer. Instead you stood on your tip toes and pressed your lips on his.