#(this man will haunt me till the end of my days)

[ratatatastic]

"Listen, I love seeing you get into it after the whistle, too, man. Because you'll throw down—Like, you and [Steven] Stamkos went at it... you been going at it with a lot of different guys, but Evan Bouchard—" "I'm not tough! I'm not tough! No! I felt bad about that, man..." "I gotta ask about the chokehold, though! With Evan and he's like tapping out! Is he making any noises? Do you even know that he's in a compromised position? That maybe he can't breathe or whatever? What was going through your mind when this happened? And what was your reaction when you saw it afterwards?" "Yeah, I mean, listen some guys like to keep up the persona... I'm not the toughest guy in the league, I'll never claim to be that. I don't fight often. I haven't—I don't think I did last year at all, but I do believe in protecting yourself. You know, I saw Barkov get hit, and it was pretty dirty hit in my mind—in the moment, right?...before and after replay, and stuff like that. You understand the league made the right call, and what not... But, I see him, he's vulnerable, he's one of their better players, one of our better players on the ice, that was all it was, right? Just grab him and do something. You know, I felt bad about it, I apologised to him in the handshake line on the way out, right? It's all part of the game."

"What did he say? 'No problem'?" "'Go fuck yourself!'" "No, he said, 'All good, no issue.' I'm sure I'll get hit from behind next year or something so..." "'See, I got 45 points in playoffs...'" "Hey, but I'm with ya! I said it at the time! The Draisaitl hit on Barkov—Like, he knew what he was doing, he went straight through his head...I don't know..." "It's—No doubt, no doubt." "...In regular season he's probably getting suspended. You know, if that's the regular season..." "Yeah, and you know what? It all ended well, and Barkov was fine so... the league made the right call obviously, right?" "Yeah..." "Whatever...but when Max Domi—years ago...and he's kind-of like pressuring you, pressuring you, and you're like, 'What?' And you didn't get your guard up and he catches you with one...he catches you right in the jaw, you ate one! Were you thinking afterwards like, 'Man, I know I'm drawing a penalty here, but I gotta protect myself so I don't eat a fucking punch again like this, and set myself back with concussions'?" "Yeah, that obviously taught me a lot about protecting myself, for sure. For sure. You'd rather be the first one in there than the last one so...Yeah, it's not about dropping the gloves or anything, but getting your guard up and—definitely being the first guy to separate yourself, I think, is important. Yeah, I mean, that's all I'm gonna say about that."

The Cam & Strick Podcast | 7.30.24 (x)

hey diddle diddle the cat with the fiddle...

"im not tough im not tough noooooo i felt bad about that man 😣😣🫣" dear god our players are acting like theyre not war criminals...ekky notoriously not a fighter hes just here for a fun time its not his fault he manages to get involved in every single scrum and starts ragdolling bodies guys

[claire-starsword]

Authentic Story of the Shining Force - Saint Fencer Max - Chapter 5

Translation notes:

All enemies so far were recognizable from the game, but here they seem to be original.

This might be Boken?? The only character in the game with a big backpack and hair. And he does show up in Dragonia in-game.

About the Ancient names. Mega Max is clearly alliterative in both languages. Giga Cain is almost that. K sounds in japanese become g sounds once you add a dakuten (ﾞ), so they're associated. And in english it kinda works out accidentally, because a G is basically a C with extras too. Vega Darksol though? No link. The pattern is lost. I'm kinda mad about it.

From an author's comment: "These two also appear in Tanuma-sensei's Shining Force (lol). Are they official members?" Yuichiro Tanuma is the artist for another Shining Force manga, Descent of Great Intention, whose scans I only found today (warning for a lot of ecchi/nudity/nsfw, i'm still going through but what i've seen is pretty horny already). And yes, these background characters also appear there. This manga was published before that one, though, so this is their first appearance.

"But Claire you're dodging the main topic, Cain just did exposition of the whole lore" yes yes, the similarities between it and the GBA version are what made me interested in this manga to begin with, but I've decided there's so much to compare between all versions of Max and Cain I'll make a whole huge ass post about it instead. Look forward to that.

I will mention however that Cain's bodysuit here reminds me a bit of the manual picture with Max being brought into Guardiana for the first time.

I did say we had to talk about Prompt (and then promptly forgot it in the first draft of these notes). Like Waral, Prompt is not seen anywhere in the beta map. And here, it is depicted as only ruins instead of the country it is in the final game. That in itself wouldn't mean much, however, Chapter 7, where Prompt is, has a lot more weirdness in it. It has peculiar unused content implying a whole deleted cutscene with Cain, Adam, Chaos and Darksol in Metapha, and it freezes the Debug Mode's Battle Test any time you Egress (also, Chapter Selection won't even load it from a save file of another chapter, which doesn't happen for any other chapter). Of course, I don't know the actual code of the game, but this gives me the impression that this Chapter 7 had some other Egress point that got removed later. Basically, if there's one part of the game you can expect to have changed late in development, it's Prompt and Metapha, so it could have been only ruins as the manga depicts here, and as I mentioned in the last chapter, some place or machine called Tenochtitlan could have existed.

Oh boy I keep forgetting notes this time! The goddamn chapter title. Both times the Chaos Breaker is mentioned here, it is written with the usual katakana, but also the kanji 対暗黒魔法剣 (Anti-Darkness Magic Sword) as furigana. I felt it was too clunky to mention both sword names in the dialogue, especially when Cain was already pushing the limits of a lot of speech bubbles this chapter. But anyway, yeah, it's supposed to be a bit of a title drop there.

I. forgot. yet. another. note. When Otrant recognizes the robot using an explosion spell, the manga actually says 核爆烈, a mix of 核 (nuclear) and 爆烈 (explosion). However, I couldn't find this exact wording in dictionaries, only fictional works, so it might just dramatic flavor, since nuclear explosions Don't Work Like That. I kept it ambiguous in the translation to not raise questions in the middle of the action, but it's worth noting since both the aforementioned Descent of Great Intention manga and the UK Sonic the Comic version of Shining Force bring up nuclear themes at some point.

[afrognamedsparrow]

My favorite evil creature...

[chaosandmarigolds]

(Ahem, is everyone listening? this has just been in my head so I wanted to get it out. trigger warnings? Simon just low key sucks)

Simon Riley, the one person that everyone collectively agrees that they had no idea of what he looks like? Of course rumors roam the halls, “I heard it’s brown” “Brown on Brown? Nah It’s gotta be blonde” “heard he’s missin’ half his jaw”

Hell, Price isn’t even sure if he’s seen Simon, sure he’s seen this random man in the halls on early mornings so he had just assumed it to be him…though he was never sure. Then of course Johnny should hypothetically know what the Man he slept with should look like, right? Well…not exactly, but boy did that man know his eyes.

Till that mission it wasn’t even an issue, why would it be? To each their own, his privacy is his own or…something. Until someone with the exact same voice, the exact same build, the same gear and the same eyes found their way in his spot.

So that is how Simon Riley found himself being interrogated by his own team, waking in that dingy cell he knew like the back of his hand, the knives where he knew the veins laid, tendons weakened by their naivety, muscles atrophied as even the walls knew that the roles were wrong.

“This doesn’t gotta be hard, Korin.” he heard himself say, the imposing frame casting a shadow in front of him.

His head spun, “What?”

“Tell us what you know, and you can go home.”

“No…I mean what the bloody fuck are you doing in my fucking gear-“ The sound of the door clanging shut behind someone cut him off.

The silence hung for a moment, eyes Simon only ever saw softened for him hardened, cold, ruthless- as if they only wished him the worst death imaginable. It was haunting. Till Johnny finally spoke, or at the very least looked like he was about to attempt to do so, yet he cut him off.

“What. Is. Going. ON?”

-

First off, you were perfectly content with your life, you had your baby daddy sending you close to 2 grand a month for your daughter and you lived a stable and healthy life. You had your home and your friends, your days in the military long behind you and thrice weekly therapy sessions the only real downside to it all.

That was until Kate fucking Laswell showed up on your doorstep, and you tried to shut the door- but she managed to get her way inside.

“I know he did you wrong-“

“He left me on the front lines, let me get captured, watched me fight for my life in the rings and let it happen- ALL, by the way I was three month pregnant with his fucking kid- That’s beyond wrong, Kate. It’s evil.” You snap back, voice hushed as to where Eleanor wouldn’t hear you from the swingset right outside the window.

She nods her head, pinching the bridge of her nose, “I know. This is…nationally security though and all we need you to do is ID him.”

To that you falter, “he…What…what happened? Is…”

“Oh no no, he’s alive, just…we..don’t know what he looks like and there seems to be two of him.”

….that seemed absurd, so you laughed. “Medical records?” No photos. “Family?” Passed, or clinically insane. “Photos?” None. You went through every option you could think of and there was no solution expect for the man former girlfriend.

So that is how you ended up walking through the corridors of the local military base, your daughter’s head heavy on your shoulder as she slept through it all- you may not trust her father, but you trusted your captain.

-

“So you claim to be my Ex?”

He groaned, “Don’t do this-“

You barely look up from the folder, brief mission details, and knew men in front of you, one was very obviously Simon, and there other was one that looked strikingly similar. Yet so different. You look between them both, eyes staring at the man who wronged so you deeply and profoundly that you doubt you would ever sleep soundly again.

The train of thought you rode was broken as you heard Price ask you for the answer, and you knew if you lied Simon would be forced to endure torture for information he didn’t know, live life in a prison.

“I don’t know who you are, but you are not Simon Riley.”

-

“Two million.”

“One and a half.”

You stare at the imposter, “Three or I go snitch.”

“And rat yourself out as a lair?” He retorted with a laugh, scribbling in the check book. To the naked eye would seem like a very angry and heated conversation between two former lovers, quite the opposite. “Two is fine. And yearly?”

“Sounds fine. “

“Good doing business with you Miss…?”

With a quick snatch of the check you look it over, “Riley.”

“Oh?”

“Simon may have ruined my life, but at the very least he made sure I still get free insurance and housing.”

[superblysubpar]

modern!husband!steve harrington x wife!you

2,603 words

warnings: so like, technically, you don't have to read "We'll Call It Love" , my modern steve series, BUT you're missing soooooo much that got these two idiots here, so I really encourage you to do so. This scene is so so so much more fun if you know all that led up to it, I promise. anyways: | alcohol mentions, slight descriptions of use by reader | smut (public - you get caught *kind of* / fingering / piv unprotected intercourse - creampie / wife,mom,breeding, all the kinks from one Mr. Harrington) - 18+ as always

a blurb for the "Trick or Treat, Freak?" event - don't forget to vote for tomorrow at the bottom of the fic!

A/N: I just wanted to say again, thanks for loving We'll Call It Love so much. I actually got to go see the band COIN last night, the music that inspired the fic, the screenplay, and just...wow. I don't have other words for it. Idk, feeling very sappy for all of you today and this story that means so much to me. Thanks for being here, it was fun to revisit these two 💛 and *now* I'm done with them.

Probably.

The day hadn’t been without its issues, but he’d expect nothing less, when it comes to the two of you.

First, there was Eddie’s girlfriend showing up in fake blood, late, covered in swatches of dark and gory fake gashes and goo all down her arms as she frantically rushed past him and shouted something about busy season and don’t worry, his bride was gonna look beautiful and not in a tragically haunting poetic way but in a romantic sunset kissed glowing kind of way.

Which, you did.

But then, there was an issue with the cake, which, wasn’t supposed to be a cake, but a bunch of peach pies. Robin and Nancy were whispering loud enough to bring him into the kitchen, both of their mouths snapped shut as Steve blinked at the largest solitary pie he’d ever seen. It was massive, comically so, and Robin was waving her hands at him, it’s going be fine spilling out of her lips that had just been freshly glossed for photos. Nancy was on the phone with a bakery and then Eddie was stumbling through the door shouting about canceling the order. He smiled at Steve and told him that you started crying which made him frown and start towards the direction Eddie had just come from, but his groomsman and your best man stopped him, assured him that then you started laughing, that you said your parents would have loved it.

Which, ultimately led to issue number three.

Robin had approached him slowly, fixing his tie, before she whispered that they couldn’t find you, but that there was a note, with his name on it. He had grabbed it with trembling fingers, only to find it didn’t say anything like sorry or I can’t do this, but a quote:

“I’ll have what she’s having.”

He rushed past Robin, shouted about being right back.

Steve found you on a balcony, which took a little bit of work, asking the front desk if anyone booked a room under Buttercup, or Allie, Kate, and ultimately Sally Albright. Then they wouldn’t give him the room number till he confirmed his name was Harry Albright, not Harry Burns. His breath caught in his chest when you turned to look at him, chin quivering and a quiet greeting for him before you started crying. It all ended alright, after you talked about your parents and him and all of it and he kissed you and made a joke about wedding curses. If seeing you in your dress before the ceremony already happened, where was the harm in a sunset balcony quickie?

You didn’t go for it that time, only grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the room with you, asking if he was ready to get married.

Which he really fucking was.

The floor to ceiling windows overlooking the skyline had been good in theory, letting in the beautiful, breathtaking sunset as you said your vows. But they also let in the warmth, the room an oven, leading you to laughing during the ceremony and swiping at his temple with your handkerchief and Eddie fanning Robin while she officiated. And cried.

There was so much crying.

But it was perfect.

You were perfect.

“Sir?”

Steve blinked away from where he was watching you take pictures in the vintage photobooth, you, Robin, Nancy, and Eddie’s girlfriend were all crammed in, sitting on each other’s laps, to the attendant in front of him.

Perfect, but distracting.

“So sorry, what did you ask?”

The venue employee smiled, like he knew the look on Steve’s face well, and then he shook his head. “Nothing to apologize for, sir. I was just letting you know that all the gifts are put away and locked in the car downstairs as instructed by your wife. Anything else I can do for you?”

His wife.

Steve looked over at you again, sighing as you tilted your head back in a laugh at the images in Robin’s hand.

He smiled at the man in front of him and shook his hand, “No, thank you.”

You felt him before you saw him, or rather, smelt him.

Your body spun to find the source of the salty and fried scent to see Steve holding a container of fresh french fries and a smile and eyes that seemed to be perfectly made, and only for you.

“Hey Mrs. Harrington,” he kissed your cheek, lips lingered against your skin as he asked, “Hungry?”

“Starving,” you groaned, your body crumpled against his as you exchanged your glass of champagne for the fries you knew would end up being a great late night snack offered. Warmth filled your stomach at the sound of your new last name, like a lovesick idiot you swore you’d never be.

Steve lifted a fry to your mouth, eyes a deep burnt amber in the low reception lighting as he watched your lips part and steal the fry from between his fingers, his tongue with a mind of it’s own, swiping out over his bottom lip as yours brushed the pad of his thumb.

You snorted.

“You’re so easy, Harrington.”

Steve lifted the fries away from you, eyes glinting as you pouted and reached for them half-heartedly, content to just lean against his body instead as he joked, “Hey. We’re married. You have to be nice to me now.”

Warm breath hit his jaw as you huffed, “Well, if I knew that was the rule, I never would have said I do a few hours ago.”

A kiss was pressed to his neck despite your words, right against his two freckles, then a smile ghosted against his skin when you heard the low rumble in his chest.

Steve’s lips brushed your ear as he bent down, speaking softly, lowly, and sending the warmth between your stomach directly between your legs.

“Don’t start something you can’t handle, honey.”

Your head lifted, stares at one another challenging and hopelessly and sickeningly in love to anyone who was watching.

“Oh,” you laughed, quietly, leaned in to whisper against his lips, “I think I can handle you just fine, Mr. Harrington.”

He had you in the bathroom not even a minute later, one hand locking the door behind him and the other pressing over your mouth as you giggled.

Steve’s mouth was all over your neck as his hands found your hips, guiding you to the counter.

“You’re so beautiful,” words warm and sticky and sweet against your skin as your head fell back against his shoulder in a gasp when his lips found a new spot behind your ear. “Can’t believe I’m married to you. Can’t believe you said yes. Can’t believe you’re all-“

His hand smacked at your ass as he grabbed a fistful of it, scrunching up the fabric of your dress you could care less about now as he growled in your ear the word, “Mine.”

“Steve,” you hated how breathless you sounded, hated how he’d barely touched or kissed you and you were wrecked already, “Hurry.”

He whined into the crook of your neck, spun you and let his nose trace along the straps of your dress, across the lace covering your chest as his mouth followed, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake.

Steve knelt, regretfully removing his lips from your skin so he could carefully lift your dress, handing it to you with a quiet, ��Hold this, honey.”

He pressed a kiss to your check as you did what you were told, but then he got a proper look at you and your lip was captured between your teeth at his groan, from the way his hands ran through his hair.

“Fuck,” he sighed, as his finger trailed up your thigh and found custom, cream colored straps and shiny buckles and pretty lace you’d ordered just for him. “Look at you.”

“You like it?” The question answered by Steve’s own lip bitten raw, his fingers still roaming higher, up the sides of your cunt, already soaked.

“Baby,” Steve laughed, eyes cast down between your bodies, watching carefully as his fingers slipped beneath the wet lace. “Do I like it? I love it.”

“That’s,” your head fell back, exposing your neck his mouth was grateful for. Distracted by the way he dragged his fingers through you, swirled around your clit, the same way his tongue was against your throat. “Go-good.”

Steve pressed against your clit harder, humming against your skin where his mouth was still latched to when your body shook underneath him. Your thighs clamped around his hand, yours clutched at his shoulders with fistfuls of your dress still between your fingers.

He removed his fingers from you, quick to make work of his buckle and pants, aligning himself with you but hesitating just as his tip brushed against your entrance.

Steve looked up at you, under his lashes that cast shadows against pink cheeks dotted with freckles. He gazed at you with the kind of look that you imagined you gave a sunset. Admiring, awed, like you were taking in its beauty the first time every time. Like you knew your time with it might be fleeting, so you had to watch it every second so you didn't miss a single second of it.

He leaned in and let his lips brush over yours tenderly, deciding to take his time and forget the frantic pace you both had started with.

He murmured into your lips as they parted in a sigh beneath his kiss.

“I love you. So much. I think I’ve loved you since I saw you in that bar, I texted Robin about soul mates before I talked to you, I-“

You caught his top lip between yours, an over too quick kiss, but then you were speaking into the corner of his mouth, against his jaw.

“I love you too.”

Steve’s forehead knocked yours, your hips wiggled, making his dick twitch as you stared into each other’s eyes.

“Ready, Mrs. Harrington?”

The tip of your nose brushed his as your laugh bubbled out of you, voice all sarcastic and fond, “Ready? I’ve been ready, Steve. You’re the one taking his tim-ohmygod.”

Steve’s smug smirk twitched in front of you as he thrust into you while fake grumbling, “Me? How about you miss I’m gonna wait over a year to say I love-fuckyoufeelsogood…”

He rolled his hips, only getting deeper, and your thighs tightened on the outside of his, head thrown back against the mirror from the feeling of him inside you, which he followed. His lips skated over your cheek, your jaw, as he slowly pulled out of you and thrust back in.

Your mouth fell open with each drag against your walls that cling to him, that want him to stay there. A noise catches in the back of your throat every time he pushes into you, each time only harder and deeper as he babbled.

“Sorry, I wanted,” he grunted, mouth finding yours only to kiss you once and keep talking, “The first time I have sex with my wife to last, to linger, to-“

Your mouth captured his in a kiss this time, tugging on his bottom lip and gasping into his open mouth when he thrust faster, shallower, your name a begged breath between the two of you.

“Sorry, I didn’t want to wait anymore,” you whimpered, your dress left your fingers so you could grip the back of his head, card your fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck and tug, “To finally have sex with my husband.”

Steve moaned at the word husband, twitching inside of you, which made you grin at the way his hips stuttered, at the way his bottom lip pulled between his teeth.

“Yeah?” You gripped at the back of his head a little harder, knowing what each other liked now. He frantically pushed under the fallen dress to find your clit again with ease, trying to get the upper hand once more as you asked, “You like me calling you my husband, Steve?”

Your mouth brushed the apple of his cheek, it kissed his temple as he fell forward, thrusting faster and making quick figure eights against your nerves, gasping at your teasing.

“Wanna tell everyone I’m your wife? Tell ‘em I’m a Harrington?” Your stomach clenched at the thought too, at the pace which Steve slammed into you even harder, hips meeting in a filthy grind as your head knocked against the mirror. The thumps mingling with the sound of how you were coating him, all a little louder in the bathroom and only making you both a little more turned on.

His forehead pressed to yours as he nodded, lips of parted mouths catching every time he thrust. He moaned, he begged, “Yeah, yeah. Wanna tell them. Wanna…want…pregnant. Mine.”

Your back arched, hand searching until it found his, lacing your fingers together. His others grew sloppy against your clit, slipping over it as you nodded. Chest aching from his admission, from the way you sort of wanted it too, how it didn’t scare you as much anymore, not when it was him.

“Yeah?”

“Ye-yeah, fuck, honey, I can’t-“ Steve kissed you. Passionate and breath stealing as he held your lips to his like he’d wanted to all day. Your clasped hands hit the counter, the click of your rings together made you whine into his lips when they parted. You let him go, his name loud in the bathroom, echoing against tile and sure to be heard even on the moon as his hips stuttered when you clenched around him. Your stomach burned and your eyes blinked rapidly, sure you weren’t on the planet anymore from the amount of stars you could see as his warmth spilled into you.

It takes a second for you both to come back down to earth, for Steve to laugh, for you to press your hands to your cheeks as you looked down at the mess you’d made of yourselves.

Steve kissed at sweat kissed skin, tenderly cleaning you up as you joked with each other, sleepy eyelids and content smiles. Slow kisses that left you both sighing in between lingering touches that weren’t out of necessity, but just because you wanted to be touching.

Completely in love.

He helped you off of the counter and winced at the way your dress fell down all crinkled and obviously mussed. You shrugged before running a hand though his hair, messing it up even more than you already had, then you untied his tie and let it hang from around his neck saying something about it only being fair.

He grabbed your hand, fingers curled into yours as he kissed your knuckles and led you out of the bathroom.

Robin was the first to slow clap.

Your nose pressed to his shoulder, a groaned god dammit on your lips against his suit jacket.

Then Rocketman was blasted on the speakers, a loud “Annnnnnnd Buckley owes me one hundred dollars!” comes from Eddie at the bar, earning a smack to his chest from his girlfriend, which was nice, until she said “I get fifty of that and you know it.”

And it’s all fine, Steve doesn’t really care, because most of the guests are gone and you’re laughing and heading over to grab pie, flicking Eddie’s ear as you went.

Robin slid up next to Steve, shaking her head. “Wow. I really had faith in you Harrington. A bathroom? On your wedding night? I know you two are animals, but you couldn’t wait to have your wife in, oh, I don’t know, a private bedroom?”

Steve only smiled at the way Nancy handed you a water as you caught peach filling from your lip, while you played with the little ‘S’ dangling between your collarbones with your left hand, the large blue sapphire stone sparkling next to glittering diamonds in the light.

His wife.

For those of you who don't know, Leather and Lace was an Eddie series I started when I first started writing for the fandom. I only posted two chapters, and I just fell out of writing it. It was something I was holding close to me, and I wanted to really tell it right. I've been poking at it a lot lately, and the story has changed so much, and I'd love to share it again soon. But for now, have a little blurb from it tomorrow, and I'd really love to hear what you think. This Eddie is a childhood best friend, an enemy, a stranger, and hopefully, one day, a lover. Okay, anyways, happy voting!

*voting will close at 10am CST tomorrow, 10/3

[cryptidghostgirl]

HOLY SHIT

I just got to reading the request you did for me

Aka Till Death Do Us Part (Alastor x Mad Scientist!Reader)

And I love it so much???

Like it's so good 😭

Don't wanna bother you with another request but could you do a part 2? I'm just curious on if the reader ever succeeds or if alastor ends up getting their marriage back lmao

A/N i’m so glad you liked it!! a number of people have been asking for a part two actually so of course :) Also this is my reminder that I am not a woman in stem but an enby in classics so I get science things wrong,, i’m very sorry.

Till Death Do Us Part pt. 2 (Alastor x Mad Scientist!Reader)

Pairing: Alastor x Reader

Warnings: Nothing I can think of please correct me if I am wrong.

Word Count: 2,206

First Part: Till Death Do Us Part (Alastor x Mad Scientist!Reader)

Master Lists:

Master Lists 

Hazbin Hotel Master List

"I can still be useful" Alastor told himself as he straightened the lapels on his jacket, "She still needs me."

Alastor leaned into the mirror, slicking his hair back just the slightest bit.

"Yes." he nodded to his reflection.

Taking a deep breath, Alastor stepped out into the hall. He didn't know why he was so nervous. Y/n had never caused anxiety to rule his being before, so why was it happening now?

Since her arrival at the hotel, she had stayed locked in her room. Two whole days had gone by and the demon avoided everyone and everything. It was not unexpected or out of the blue, she had always favored her own company above anyone else's but, Charlie was growing tense. She had asked Alastor to help bring their newest guest out of her shell, hoping their shared past would cause his attempts to be more fruitful than her own had been. For some odd reason, Alastor had agreed.

Fondness was the trouble. He was fond of Charlie, and he had always had a bit of a soft spot for Y/n. She had been his wife for christ's sake, there was no way he couldn't have fostered some sort of affection for the wildly brilliant and creative girl.

Before he really realized it, Alastor was at the door to Y/n's room. She had taped a sheet of loose leaf to the door. Keep Out had been written on it in all caps, in her familiar, messy handwriting. Alastor's smile softened slightly at the sight.

Y/n had not haunted his thoughts, had not been an obsession, since his arrival in Hell. While he had recalled her with warmth and a slight smile, even looked for her in Hell on occasion, she had mostly stayed out of his mind after his death. Alastor had had bigger things to deal with, more important occupations of his time. He had had plans. He still had plans but, everything had seemed to change the second Y/n had appeared and nearly flat out told him she didn't care about him.

Alastor was nothing if not prideful. His image, his sense of self, his power, it all played in to the idea of himself in his head. He had figured that through the years of their arrangement, the strange woman had come to harbor some sort of affection for him as he did her. He had figured she at least cared for him as a friend, that her irritation had been friendly, playful even. Clearly, he had been incorrect.

The door suddenly swung open revealing Y/n. She wore an cross expression, a lab coat, and safety goggles. Peering over her shoulder into the room, Alastor noted the way her hair was still continuing whatever she'd been working on before opening the door. He had never seen a demon with a form like hers before. It was perfectly suited, equally unusual as the soul it housed.

"I could feel you standing out here."

Alastor raised his eyebrows, bravado taking over.

"Really, my dear?" he asked, leaning on his microphone before him as if it were a cane.

"Yeah." Y/n flatly replied, lifting the goggles from their eyes and pushing them onto their forehead, "What do you want?"

"I..."

What did he want? Alastor was a man who always knew his goals, his aims. He was always working towards something, no deed without its purpose. It was only now he realized that he didn't really know what he wanted from Y/n, why he had really agreed to fulfill Charlie's request with nothing given in return. Alastor cleared his throat, banishing the complicated thought to another time.

"Charlie requested I come speak to you about your lack of participation in the hotel's group activities."

Y/n raised her eyebrows.

"And you care what I do with my time because...?"

She tilted her head slightly to the side, her hands still on either side of the doorframe, blocking him from entering the room. Alastor sighed.

"You're not going to make this an easy conversation, are you."

It was a statement, not a question, and a slight smile cracked across Y/n's tired face.

"You know me so well." she joked lightly.

Alastor was ready, preparing himself to have to force his way into the room to have this chat. He saw the way her hand on the door twitched, and prepared himself to have it slammed in his face. Much to his surprise, Y/n let go of her hold on the door and stepped to the side.

"Are you just gonna stand there or are you going to come in?" she asked after a moment, her head cocked to the side in a genuine curiosity.

Alastor nearly laughed. Always so inquisitive with regards to the world around her, always trying to fill the gaps in her understanding, usually at a loss when it came to what was considered normal interaction. He stepped into the room. Y/n's hair stopped what it was doing with the test tubes in the back and closed the door for her as she turned to face him. After a look of appraisal, she seemed to decide the atmosphere for the conversation and sat down on the bed, patting the empty space beside her at Alastor's continued hesitation. He sat down and she crossed her legs, watching him intently.

"You need to stop avoiding people, and the activities. You are here to be redeemed, aren't you?"

"Oh! I see what the issue is." Y/n smiled brightly, "No, I'm not."

Alastor's brow furrowed. He had thought it odd that Y/n of all people would seek redemption but, had figured the time had simply changed her in ways he had yet to grasp.

"Then why are you here?"

The little beast called hope clawed at the inside of his stomach, gnawed on his ribs. The want was unfamiliar.

"Because I need an angel."

Alastor froze.

"You need..." he watched her in confusion, "you need an angel?"

"Yep." Y/n nodded in earnest.

She smiled up at him, evidently satisfied with herself and her response. She had always been like this. Alastor sighed.

"Why?"

"Because I need to test my virus on one, duh."

"Y/n, what are you planning."

"Same thing as always. Actually, I could use your help. Maybe this isn't all so bad, can you get me an angel? Just at the next extermination or something. I already know it works on demons, I just don't want to actually let my little baby loose without knowing it will work on the angels as well."

"Jesus, Y/n." Alastor laughed lightly, unable to not.

He shook his head in disbelief and Y/n's smile slipped from her face. She was always scheming, always wanting, always doing what it took to ensure she got what she wanted. They were so alike in that way: complete and utter disregard for the world unless it served them.

"What? Did I do something wrong? Did this hotel already work? Have the exterminations stopped?"

"No, I... you really haven't changed."

"Well, I'm taking out the afterlife now instead of the living world, but sure." Y/n crossed her arms, evidently irritated by his remark, "I'm just the same. So are you, by the way. I've heard about what you've been up to since you died."

Alastor was silent in thought for a moment before he spoke again. He looked at Y/n with a determined gaze.

"Are you asking to reinstate our deal?"

Y/n was wrong, Alastor had changed, she just didn't know it yet. The hotel had changed him, whether or not he wanted to admit it. He realized the answer to Y/n's initial question, what it was that he wanted, in that moment and there were only three things. The first was the same as it had been for the last seven years, to get rid of this damned contract he was under. The second? The second he had realized earlier, in his room when he'd been getting ready to come to Y/n, he just hadn't liked it and so, he had ignored it. Alastor wanted to be back in her good books. More importantly, for some undefinable reason, Alastor wanted her back at his side. The world, he had realized, had felt empty without her, no matter how irritating and distracting she could be. Though his motivations were muddy, figuring out the reason for the want was never the priority. The end goal was to fulfill by any means necessary. It always had been, for both of them. The third was that Alastor secretly wanted Charlie's crazy plan to work out. He wanted to protect these sinners, to protect this place they had all worked so hard to build.

There was a point of intersection to be found in two of these three things, if Y/n answered his question correctly. Taking out sinners, taking an angel, could let all hell loose on the hotel. Convincing Y/n to make a deal with him, to give Alastor her soul, well, that would be killing two birds with one stone. He would have his imperfect little companion in afterlife and he could stop her from doing any more damage to the hotel and its reputation than necessary to ensure the first thing took place.

"I suppose."

That was exactly what he had been hoping to hear. The first deal had been under her terms. Alastor had been hoodwinked into it, unable to turn it down due to the information on him she had uncovered. Now, the tables had turned. Alastor held his hand out towards her, grinning malevolently.

"How about this, let's make a new one."

"I don't see why not." Y/n shrugged after having thought it over, her hand meeting his, "Things are different, we're both dead. The old one wouldn't really work anymore."

"No, it wouldn't, would it?"

"Yeah so, you get me an angel to test this on. I start participating more in the hotel. Deal?"

"How about this." Alastor's grin widened, his antlers growing as well as his shadows ate away at the room's walls.

Y/n didn't flinch. Nothing in her expression changed save a slight twinge of intrigue as she watched him become more monstrous by the second, more all consuming.

"I help you get an angel. You stick by my side, like the old days. That would include participation in the hotel and all of Charlie's plans as it is where I work for now. A metaphorical taking of a soul rather than a heart, shall we say."

He was counting on her lack of interest in the world outside of science right now, counting on her lack of understanding of how things worked in Hell when an overlord offered a deal like this. He had chosen the words carefully, getting everything right while keeping the truth hidden.

"I'll still have time to work on my project?" she asked skeptically.

"When there is time."

Y/n smiled.

"Deal."

Green smoke wound its way out from the point their palms met. Y/n watched it, eyes wide with intrigue as it curled around them, temporarily filling the room.

"Is that what happens when deals get made in Hell?" Y/n asked as she let go of Alastor's hand.

"Only certain ones."

"Cool."

She got to her feet, snapping her goggles back over her eyes. Turning to the table, she began to fiddle with her test tubes once again. Alastor retook his normal form, watching her with a satisfied smirk. He summoned the chain, feeling the cool shadow of the mellow across his fingers. Y/n seemed not to notice as the collar formed around her neck. Alastor didn't like that, didn't like being ignored. He gave it a tug and she stumbled back a few steps, her hands flying to her throat and her hair catching the glass beaker she had nearly dropped.

Y/n noticed the chain now. It was impossible not to. As her hair set the beaker down, she turned to Alastor, eyes fixed on the glowing metal. Her gaze traced it from where she held it to his hands. Y/n looked up at him.

"What's this?" she asked, eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion, "When did this get here? How..."

She trailed off and Alastor's smile grew wider still. He advanced towards her, wrapping the excess chain around the handle of his microphone. It clinked menacingly against itself, spawning a sudden deep seated dread in Y/n.

She held her place, her shoulders thrown back and feet planted firmly. Alastor couldn't tell if it was all a show or if she really was not at all scared of him in that moment. He didn't really care, it didn't matter. She stared intently up at him in defiance as Alastor came to a stop about a half a foot away.

"Well?"

"Oh my sweet, you really have no idea what you've gotten yourself in to, do you?"

It was better than he could have hoped, could have dreamed. She was entirely under his control.

"Welcome to the rest of your afterlife."

----

Next Part → Till Death do us Part pt. 3

A/N I wasn't super sure how to end this off, I hope you liked it!!

@marukun @nanami1chu @i-like-potatoes12533 @boogiemansbitch @apenasandorinha @almond-t0fu @mygoldtears @ahellborn @winterisholding @misty-melody @themetalbabygirl @trash-shoot

[fangsandfracturedhearts]

Fangs and Fractured Hearts

Summary: After embracing eternity as a vampire spawn under Astarion's wing, the Crimson Palace becomes a haunting symbol of the man he once was. As his personality unravels into a dark abyss, you flee. A year of hardship unveils the harsh reality of existence as a vampire spawn.

Just as all hope seems lost, a twist of fate reunites you with Astarion, revealing a glimmer of hope amidst the shadows. As you navigate the complexities of your relationship, you must confront the unsettling truth behind the Rite of Profane Ascension and the devilish secrets it holds.

In a race against time, you embark on a daring quest to save Astarion from his descent into darkness. With each choice you make, the stakes grow higher, testing the limits of your courage and determination.

Will Astarion find redemption, or is he destined to succumb to his own inner turmoil?

Pairing: Softish Ascended Astarion x female!Tav Spawn Note: It is/will be mentioned Tav is a draconic sorcerer

Rating: Explicit 18+ [Slow Burn]

Setting: Post End-Game Please note: Written before epilogues were added, so may not be congruent with that content

Warnings [more will be added] - expect mature content/read at your own risk.

Blood drinking. Sexual Themes/Tension. Slow Burn. Eventual Explicit Smut. Pining. Suicidal Thoughts. Biting. Violence.

Small Notes:

I am not well-versed in DnD 5e and it's rules as it pertains to this world, so although I'm going to try and keep it as accurate as possible, some aspects may not align or may be completely made up for story reasons.

Mentioned of in-game content that I've made resolve a certain way for this Tav.

Fabricated camp events.

Tav is named in later chapters (15 +), will have her own backstory, which we may explore eventually.

Details of Tav's appearance have been made up, but I've tried to keep details to a minimum so you can imagine your own Tav.

Otherwise, I hope you all enjoy!

Big thank you to everyone who reads and/or comments/follows/likes/reblogs - it truly does make my day to know you're finding some enjoyment in my story :)

Chapter 1: Lost Between Night and Dawn

Chapter 2: Reunion

Chapter 3: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Chapter 4: Little Lamb

Chapter 5: Rebellion

Chapter 6: Dancing with Darkness

Chapter 7: Rogue Desire

Chapter 8: Free Fall

Chapter 9: Beneath the Veil

Chapter 10: Soulbound

Chapter 11: 'Till Death Do Us Part

Chapter 12: Catharsis

Chapter 13: The Fallacy of Power

Chapter 14: Devil's Ploy

Chapter 15: Reclamation

Chapter 16: Riddles

Chapter 17: Unearthed

Chapter 18: Unleashed

Chapter 19: Hark Thy Plea

Chapter 20: I Forgive You

Chapter 21: Preparations

Chapter 22: This is Our Sanctuary

Chapter 23: Way Down We Go

Chapter 24: His Hands Hold My Heart & He Won't Let Go Until It's Scarred

Chapter 25: Darkside

Chapter 26: The Edge of Erasure

Chapter 27: Sin and Shadow

Chapter 28: Blurred Lines

Chapter 29: A Lonely Kind of Love

Chapter 30: A Brand, A Tether

Chapter 31: Ice Meets Fire

Chapter 32: Adrift

AO3 [cross-posted]

If you're interested, I also write a spawn Astarion x Tav fic - Shadows of the Past

I also write a much darker fic for named Durge and AA that I post to A03 exclusively. It's dark, gory, and not about fixing AA but about them becoming an evil power couple if you're interested - Lie to Me

[aprocessionofthoughts]

Calling All Bats

ai-less whumptober 2023 day 26- came back wrong fandom- dp x dc TW- none summary- Jason starts looking for Danny

ao3 ailesswhumptober23 masterlist part 5 of DLM

Danny found himself pleasantly relaxing with this strange liminal. Which he figured was why Gotham had directed him to that apartment. He had been surprised when he reached Gotham’s border and immediately felt the city’s presence. He had never encountered a living city before even though he knew they were possible. He had hesitated at first, not wanting to intrude on what felt like a haunt. But Gotham had assured him with feelings of temporary protection, she couldn’t do much. She was too weak from constantly being surrounded by corrupted ectoplasm from all the disasters. But she could offer temporary asylum and let Danny know when the GIW entered Gotham’s border. 

Of course Danny hadn’t known that Gotham would be sneaky and direct him to a liminal’s apartment. Danny had not expected a liminal to come in, usually he could sense a haunt, but with Gotham as contaminated as she was, he figured the criminal's presence was hidden. It was also probably because Jason’s ectoplasm was also corrupted.

He wished he could have stayed longer in that apartment. He might have even been able to help Jason. But when Gotham whispered to him that the GIW had come, Danny knew he had to leave before the agents found Jason. Hopefully Gotham’s corrupt ectoplasm would help hide Jason. It might even make it more difficult for the agents to track him down as well.

But he couldn’t risk it. He wasn’t sure where he’d go next. At least he had gotten his bandages changed and eaten a few cookies.

-------------------

Jason didn’t know what to do. The kid was just gone.

How was he supposed to look for him? Where even did he go?

And these GIW agents or whatever were clearly after him. Jason wasn’t about to abandon the kid.

Leaving behind his hot chocolate and cookies he walked over to his room and put his uniform back on. 

The kid was like him. They both came back wrong. Jason grimaced. He’d always described himself as coming back wrong, but thinking about the kid like that was wrong. The kid was fine. Who cared if he’d died before. And maybe, Jason wasn’t messed up either? Danny acted like all this was normal. And maybe it was. 

Whatever. Existential thought could wait till after he’d found Danny and beat the GIW to a pulp.

He left through his window and made his way up to the roof. He paused. He wouldn’t be able to search the whole city by himself. 

That meant he’d have to call in reinforcements.

Ugh. What a pain.

He activates his comm. “Hey, Oracle. Anyone out tonight?”

“Hood, I thought you were ending your patrol early today?”

“I did. Then I found something. I need anyone out to help me out with the situation.”

“Red Robin’s out right now, but Nightwing is still suited up if you need him too.”

“Go ahead and patch them both to my comm.”

“Will do.”

A moment later Dick’s voice came through. “What’s up, Hood?”

“I need your help looking for someone.” Jason said, grappling over to the next roof. “Who are you looking for?” Tim asked.

Jason hesitated before answering, “He’s a kid about fourteen or fifteen, he’s some kind of meta. I was talking with him and he just disappeared. But he mentioned he has government agents trying to hunt him down to experiment on him.” 

“What’s he look like?” Dick asked, voice serious.

Jason paused before getting it over with. “He was wearing jeans and had a black hoodie on. And he has black hair and blue eyes.”

There was silence for a moment before Dick started cackling. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I know this is serious, but really Little Wing? You’ve found us a new brother?”

“Shut up. We need to start looking for him.”

“Of course.” Dick said, sounding serious, but Jason could tell that the man was still smiling.

“Do you know what agency is after him?” Tim asked.

“A group called the GIW. I don't know anything else.”

“I’ll look into them. I’ve also got my systems looking for any black haired, blue eyed kids.” Babs said.

“We’ll find him, Hood.” Dick said.

Jason hoped so.

[everythingelvispresley]

"My worst memory, and the worst day of my life has to be the day Priscilla took Lisa Marie away from Graceland," says Schilling. "To this day, that image still haunts me..."

On October 9, 1973, after 5 years of marriage Elvis and Priscilla were divorced. It was Elvis who filed for the divorce, as token gesture to save Priscilla the embarrassment as she was the mother of his daughter, Lisa Marie, who only 4 years old at the time.

,"It was I very sad day for all of us," says Schilling. "I remember how Elvis just stood in Lisa's bedroom and watched in silence as Alberta (Graceland's cook) helped Priscilla pack Lisa's clothes and toys into several suitcases... Elvis said nothing, but I could see the pain in his eyes," recalls Schilling.

"Suddenly, he yelled out to me and Joe (Esposito) to help Priscilla put the baggage into the car. Elvis just couldn't bring himself to carry the bags out to the car, himself," whispers Schilling.

Unaware of the happening between her parents in her bedroom, Lisa Marie played happily with her nanny outside the grounds of Graceland.

In an aim to spare Lisa the sorry of their separation, Elvis and Priscilla had told her that she was going away on a vacation with her mother to Los Angeles, where she was going to attend school. "It broke my heart to see Elvis, a man who had everything, suddenly be lose the most important person in his life - his daughter."

"Lisa was more important than life itself to Elvis." Now she was being taken away from him," says Schilling.

Although, the court ruled Priscilla gets custody of Lisa Marie, Elvis believed his daughter would be far better off raised with small town of values in Memphis, just like he was, than in a big city like Los Angeles.

"Elvis just stood watching as we load up Priscilla's blue Mercedes.

Until that finally moment, Elvis was still composed, but when it was time to bid farewell to his daughter, Elvis broke down and cried as he swooped his beloved Lisa into his arms. Elvis held Lisa tight for a very long time. "Be a good girl, Button-head," whispered Elvis. (Button-head was Elvis' pet name for Lisa) "You come and visit often, you hear," said Elvis trying to hold back the tears. Then out of sheer desperation Elvis insisted, "Get mummy to teach you how to use the phone, so you can call me everyday, okay."

As Schilling recalls, "Lisa Marie, was always a very perceptive child. She realised this was not the usual way her daddy said goodbye. Normally, Elvis would says, 'Button-head I'm off to work. What do you want daddy to bring you back, this time?'"

"This day was strange, and Lisa knew it. She looked into her daddy's eyes and asked him, 'Are you crying, daddy?"

At the point, Elvis flashed Priscilla a look that could kill, then delivered Lisa into her mother's awaiting arms, turned on his heels, walked back into the house, without looking back.

"I'd seen that look before in Elvis eyes," says Schilling. "It a look that still sends a chill went down my spine, when I think of it... It's was a look of pain, anger, desperation and hurt."

"For the rest of that day, till about 4 am that night, Elvis closed himself up in his bedroom. He wouldn't eat or take our calls."

"We got very worried. We thought maybe he had knocked myself out with a whole lot of sleeping pills."

"From time to time, Joe and I would sneak up to his bedroom and listen at the door. Once I heard him cursing. Another times I heard him screaming. But mostly we heard Elvis just sobbing."

Finally, Schilling admitted, "I now know, that day was the beginning of the end for the Elvis I had met." - Jerry Schilling ( The Day Elvis Cried)

Credit All things Elvis Facebook Group for content

💔💔💔

[easy-revenge]

its been over 2 years since i read volume 9 of chainsaw man and it still apparently has the power to make me sob uncontrollably when i think about it so im going to talk a bit about aki and denji being shown as children during the snowball fight and why it's currently making me wanna rip my hair out :)

aki is already gone during this scene for all intents and purposes, having very little comprehension of the events his body is in and just waiting to be set free. his mind reverting back to the moment he lost his family is not surprising, since that's when his life permanently changed trajectory.

he's not to blame for being stuck in this moment, as it would make sense for any kid his age. however, he didn't put himself on the path towards revenge, which inevitably made him unable to let go. that was makima. she took him by the hand and gave him this "purpose", something she very well knew he was never going to achieve anyway. she trapped him in this predicament and made sure he stayed there till there were no options left for him.

to the very end, aki's life was never his own, but planned for him. aki never left that snowy forest. he wasn't allowed to.

as a result, the essence of aki that remained within the gun fiend after his death materialized as the last genuine version of aki that ever was. a kid playing in front of his house.

moving over to denji, who is the one that got me crying today. his appearance as a child in aki's mind is partly to parallel the bond they shared and the bond between aki and his little brother, whom he lost that day. of course. however i think there's a lot of significance to this choice for denji's character as well.

denji grew up remote and very disconnected from society. he never got the chance to learn how to navigate his feelings and relationships with other people. he had to figure it all out as he went, first with pochita, whom he got attached to and later with aki and power. even with makima.

makima was the first person to ever give him attention and affection, to give him the things he always wanted, but she never treated him like a person. she never helped him get any closer to learning how to be one. he was used, much like aki was, and was given a purpose that was never going to be for his own benefit.

as a result, denji took a while to go through the motions of being surrounded by humans and being taught by them. the first time we saw him face the concept of loss was with pochita, an event that didn't really give him much in terms of experience considering all the implications and how suddenly it changed his life. in its nature, it wasn't a type of loss he would've been able to navigate as a human.

im not going to go into the situation with his father since we saw very explicitly how incapable he was to handle it to the point of blocking it out and having it haunt him till the end of part one. he surely didn't get much data out of that experience either, or the abuse he went through before it.

the first real time he got to see loss occur very close to him was himeno's death. he had no emotional reaction to it, which confused him since he was able to observe its effect on aki and other people around him. he questioned his own humanity for the first time and it upset him, if only momentarily. it gave him a hint of perspective.

sadly, he was going to find out what loss meant the hard way.

with makima still treating him like an animal and the circumstances forcing him to still rely on his instincts, denji's emotional maturity wasn't really prioritized. he did inevitably grow closer to aki and power, without necessarily being able to recognize those feelings for what they were. again he just had to go through the motions.

fast forward to the gun devil arc. he's told by makima on the phone to not think, to just fight aki without thinking about it. we see the progress that's been made in how clearly unable denji is to follow that order, aki being the closest thing to family he's ever had by this point.

he fights his best friend, not even thinking about himself, but of how aki would feel if he were conscious of how much destruction he was causing. still up to this point, denji doesn't know that he loves aki. it hasn't computed to him as a piece of info, only as an experience.

him being shown as a child in the snow, a contrast to the violent reality that his body is in, has as much significance as it does for aki.

denji never really grew up, he never got past his father's death or anything that happened to him before and after that. he was kept from it by his life and makima herself, once again. his ineptitude was weaponized and he was nowhere near being aware of it. he was also stuck.

in that scene, denji experiences real loss. he loses someone he loves and someone who loves him back. someone who thought himself unable to do so but was the first to love him like a human.

he was just a kid, losing his family by his own hand again, only this time he had been loved.

it's highlighted in the next chapter, where he appears unable to grieve and looks kind of numb instead. then we have the ice cream scene, where he thinks the words for the first time and throws up immediately.

his confusion after it happens, him being unable to fathom why his body would have such a reaction, breaks my heart almost more than the entirety of the snowball fight itself, from denji's pov.

im not going to talk about what happens directly after that and its implications bc im gonna end up talking forever, but his behavior throughout the next chapters very much shows how out of his depth he is when it comes to loss and grief and how lost and helpless he is in makima's hands.

my point is, both aki and denji were used, weaponised and kept from growing up while also having to deal with the world and its cruelty at the same time. even the closeness they achieved was planned and used against them both. this is only one of many angles of the snowball fight scene that can be looked at and interpreted in different ways. but it was the one that made me ugly cry today :)

[fluffysucker]

And you come back to me.

Bucky Barnes x Reader

He is back. He is here. He is home.

Written in third pov. Minimum use of Y/N. But lots of female pronouns lol.

Always had this idea in my mind and just decided to write it. Lmk if you like it. Likes, comments, reblogs are very highly appreciated

"Can you, please, stop?. You are driving me insane." Her roommate's voice got her out of her head. She was pacing around the living room nonstop, the floor underneath almost wore off.

She looked at her friend, Allison, with the same look she had had on since it happened. Her pleading eyes holding back tears. Her lips trembling from anxiety. Her friend could almost see her nerves burning down with worry.

"I'm sure he is okay." Allison tried what she had been doing for the past days. Reassuring her.

"You don't know this." She almost shouted at her roommate.

"If something had happened, we would have known." Allison pointed to the TV screen that has been playing the news ever since they found out.

"Yeah, sure. Because the people want to hear about the wellbeing's of the former Winter Soldier." She couldn't help the sarcastic comment from coming out. She wasn't delusional. She knew very well how the media saw him. How the public thought of him. She just didn't find it in herself to ever care.

She moved to sit in between her bestfriend and her boyfriend on the coach they were taking. The man, Louis, was almost living with them at this point.

"He is fine, Y/N." Allison added, trying to soothe her friend's worries.

"Then why hasn't he shown up, yet?." She rested her head on the cushions, letting the dark thoughts consume her.

"I'm sure saving the world takes a bit of a time." Louis spoke. He has been watching her lose her mind for the past few days.

She knew they were right. They were giving all the logical answers to her paranoid questions. But she couldn't help it.

The pain of losing him was like no other. She knew pain all her life. But the day Steve Rogers showed up at her doorsteps with the sad guilty look in his eyes, she felt her whole world crashing from beneath her. He was her world.

The pain was suffocating. It was everywhere and she couldn't escape. She was drowning in the wide ocean with no sign of a shore near. The rocks on her lungs were only getting heavier by the day. The burning fire was eating everything inside of her and nothing can put it off. The pain was so intense that she could feel her body hurting some days. It was translated into her fatigue body.

Five years were a long time. However, it didn't make it any easier. She just figured out how to live with it. How to wake up every single day, knowing it was another day where he wasn't here, and continue her day. How she shouldn't write down stuff happened so she could tell him next time she would meet him. How someone she had known for most of her life wasn't here anymore.

She worked so hard on grasping this idea, but it was so painful. Even when they weren't together, they would still write letters and notes for each other. Now, there was nobody to write to

Their love wasn't an easy one. So many hardships were thrown their way, and they survived them all. And it's was finally the time to have their chance of normality and live the life they deserved. Fate had a different saying. He was ripped away from her.

It was so cruel. So damaging. And she can't say she survived this time.

She put on the act. Just like everyone else. Keeping up with a routine and living a life she barely wanted. Pretending he wasn't always her first and last thought.

She fooled herself into thinking she could try and move on. She never failed in something more. In the past five years, she went on 3 dates on total. And not one of them she even stayed till the end.

She could almost swear she was haunted by him. His face blurring to all the people she knew. His voice ringing in her ears. His soft touch lingering on her. Her mind was playing sick games on her.

She lost the hope of him coming back ever again. Steve explained everything. He was gone. The love of her life was vanished into thin air like he never existed. So when the snap was reversed and everyone was said to be back, she couldn't help it but wanting this to end. To have him back.

However, her mind was getting the best of her. With the news of Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff sacrificing their lives for the greater good, she was stressed, to say the least. She knew him and knew how he thought his life didn't matter anymore , especially with all he had done. She wishes he would know how much he mattered to her. She never stopped reminding him, but she knew him too well.

It's been a couple of days of pure chaos and joy. People were reuniting with their loved ones. And there she was, sitting in between the only people she cared about in the last years, waiting for him. Hoping he would show up.

The thought of him not wanting to be with her anymore crossed her mind more times than she would like to admit. She didn't know what had happened there or how these years passed for him. She couldn't tell.

Her friends tried to ground her back to Earth, keeping the hope bright in her spirit. They were fighting the worst-case scenarios from occupying all her head.

They stayed with her for a while longer. Unlike her, the couple had other people who were blipped back, and she wasn't going to ruin their happiness by keeping them tied up beside her. They should be celebrating, not fighting her demons. While she appreciated their support, she couldn't be selfish.

They knew it was no vain fighting her. So they left. They reached the bottom of the stairs and were about to leave the building when they saw him.

He kept looking around like a lost child. He looked exactly like the pictures she kept in her bedroom.

"Oh my god." Allison couldn't contain it to herself. He turned around very quickly when he heard the words. He was lost he didn't sense their presence.

"Oh my god. You are here." He couldn't help but look at the woman weirdly. He was pretty sure he didn't know her. Maybe the other guy did. But she seemed very happy to see him.

"You must not know which apartment it's." It was like she figured out the solution to the most complicated mathematical problem.

"It's the fifth floor. Apartment 20." He couldn't hide the surprise look on his face when the woman gave him the answer he was indeed looking for.

"You are for Y/N, aren't you?." Allison had to ask when she saw his hard gaze

Allison smiled at the way his face softened immediately at the mention of her name. She could swear she saw his body relax a bit as he nodded.

"Great. She is in apartment 20 on the fifth floor. I'm Allison, Y/N's roommate." The over friendly woman moved away from the stairs to let him use them.

"It is nice meeting you. I'm sure we will be meeting properly again." She was gently pushing him to get up. She wanted her bestfriend to finally have this moment.

He took the hint and nodded his head as he went up. He felt a bit happy knowing she had someone. Someone who looked so cheerful and helpful.

He couldn't deny that his heart flattered at the thought of her talking to people about him. Maybe she still loved him. Maybe she still wanted him

Even with Steve constant reassure that she was still very much in love with him and all her attempts to move on ended before they even began. Once everything died down for a bit after Tony's funeral, he finally gathered enough courage to ask about her.

"Surprised you didn't ask during the fight." Steve teased him as he was the one who witnessed their love for each other most of all.

Little did Steve know, the minute he opened his eyes back in Wakanda, her name was the first thing blurting out of his mouth before Doctor Strange showed up and told them to get ready for the fight.

All these days, he had to fight the urge to ask about her. Was she snapped, too? If not, was she okay?. How was she doing?. So many questions running endlessly in his brain.

He couldn't say he was surprised when Steve told him they stayed in close contact all these years, claiming it was his bestfriend duty to look after her. He also couldn't say he wasn't so grateful to the blonde for doing so.

Steve gave him her new address, reassuring him that she would be so happy to see him. That his worries wasn't true at all.

And here he was now, standing at her door. He kept moving his hand up and down his jeans to calm down himself. He wanted her to be happy, yet he didn't know what he would do if she didn't want him anymore?.

He took a deep breath and stopped the wild thoughts from taking over. With every bit of courage in his body, he lifted his hand and knocked on the door.

"Go away, Allison" Even muffled behind the door, her voice sent a wave of calmness through him. He knocked again softly.

"Allison, I said go be with your family. I'm fine. " He smiled at her. Always so selfless. His heartbeats were starting to pick up. He couldn't wait to see her again. So he knocked again.

"What the hell do you...." Words died at the tip of her tongue once she opened the door and saw him. Her eyes wide open and her jaw almost hitting the floor.

He let his eyes scan her up and down. God, she was so beautiful. She dyed her purple and curled it. She had a different style of clothing. She looked different but still the same somehow.

For him, it was a couple of weeks since he last saw her, but he knew it had been years for her. So he let take her time staring at him like a ghost. Which was kind of true.

She couldn't believe it. He was standing in front of her. Looking just like the last time she saw him. Long hair locks resting on his shoulder. Steel blue eyes deeper than the ocean. All black on outfit. He was here.

"Bucky." It was a tiny whisper. But it didn't miss him.

"Yes, doll." He let her set the pace and choose the next step.

The pet name only he called her sent shivers down her body. His voice so deep, yet so sweet on her ears.

She knew they were back, but she couldn't let herself believe it was really him. Her mind played all sorts of tricks on her, and she wasn't ready to fall victim to a new one.

She thought the lack of sleep combined with overthinking and stress would result in these hallucinations. He was a fragment of her imagination. An new type of coping mechanism.

She needed to make sure he was real. So she stepped forward slowly, lifting her hand to touch his cheek. Fully expecting him to disappear.

She gasped when her fingers made contact with his beard. And he couldn't help but lean his hand into her touch.

"You are here." It wasn't a cruel game. Her wish came true.

"I'm here." He pressed a soft kiss on the palm on her hand.

The gesture sent electricity through her body. A wake-up shock. It was no hallucination. He was real and he was her.

"Bucky."

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, standing on her tiptoes to reach his height. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her even closer.

Like all the weight was lifted off her. It stopped hurting. She was finally free. His significant scent entered her nostrils, making her chest flatter. She buried her face in his neck, wanting to feel all him at once.

Bucky took notice and understood. He moved one of his arms from her waist to her hips, supporting her to wrap her legs around his waist, which she happily did.

She wrapped herself around him like a baby koala. She felt the tears forming in her eyes. For the first time in her life, it was happy tears.

"You are back." Words escaped her mouth. She let her guard down, and her brain wasn't haunting her.

"I'm. I'm right here." Bucky said as he walked the two of them inside and closed the door with his feet.

"I'm back, and I'm not going anywhere, doll." He knew she needed to hear this.

"I got you, doll." It felt so marvellous to hold her. She fitted perfectly between his arms.

It's been weeks for him, and he couldn't believe how much he missed her.

They stood like this for a bit. The only sound in the room was her sniffing. Then he moved them to sit on her coach.

She didn't let go of him. Taking over his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. She needed to feel every bit of him to stay grounded. He didn't mind at all. He even pulled her closer to him again.

"I missed you so much." She couldn't keep the tears anymore. They fell on her face freely. He pressed a kiss to her forehead before wiping them away.

"I'm so sorry." Bucky knew it wasn't his fault, but he also felt the need to apologise.

He rested his forehead against hers, giving her all the contact she could need to be sure he was really here.

She closed the small distances between them and pressed her lips to his. And just like that, she could feel life return her. The cup of water after running in the desert for days. Rocks on her lungs broken into pieces. A lifeboat came and saved her from drowning. All feeling she never thought would go away. All gone and replaced with the familiarity of him.

He kissed her back happily. The kiss was soft and gentle. Serving its role as a reminder that they are back. Together.

They wanted to stay kissing for eternity, but the need for air made them break apart. She pulled away for a bit, looking at his eyes. The eyes she missed so much. The eyes that filled her with warmth.

"I love you so much, Bucky. Losing you was the most difficult I had to go through, and I could never get over it. You are my life. My reason to be. My saviour. My sanity. My everything. My love. My man."

She wanted him to know how much he he truly meant to her. How madly she loved him. How deeply and hopelessly she was in love with him.

"Life without you was meaningless. It had no color or taste. You give my life a purpose. You make me want to live. I love you with my whole heart and more. I never thought I could love someone so much, but I'm so in love with you, Bucky."

She wanted to declare her undying love for him even if it was cheesy. She wanted him to know how devoted she was to him. That it would take all her life to get over him. And she won't succeed. Only her death would make her forget Bucky Barnes. And she wasn't so sure about this even

His eyes glossed with tears. He couldn't comprehend how someone would love after all he had done. Especially someone so sweet and amazing. It must be the world's atonement for all his suffering. And he didn't deserve her.

However, he would never let her go. Only a fool would let a dame like her go. He would cherish her and take care of her for the rest of his life. He would never let anything happen to her. He would die before she would get hurt. He wanted to spend all his days loving her.

He kissed her, trying to show her how much she meant to him, too. Pouring all his emotions into the kiss. Even in the 40ths, he never felt this for any of the ladies he knew. This deep unconditional love. Only for her. Y/N. His doll. His girl

She pulled away with a true smile on her face. She rested her head on his shoulder. Seeking all the comfort and safety he provided. He tightened his grip around her. Pressing soft kisses to her face. Letting themselves sink into each other

He was back. He was here. He was home. And she couldn't be happier

[arctic-scorpio]

[edit: maybe the way i put it was too harsh... he was weighed down by the burden of his position and couldn't see himself as a person loved by others, regardless of his flaws. not trying to character hate here 😭]

-

the thing is, my bf was in a rage about li xiangyi when we first watched the ending (iqiyi version) and i was comforted, i guess, by the way we were on the same page about di feisheng. (about llh ghosting him / leaving at the beach.) as other people have pointed out (for example) li xiangyi's problems were that he was arrogant, he didn't communicate with people, he just went ahead with whatever he thought was best while trampling on the wishes of the people around him who loved him. he got too caught up in the legend of himself and forgot to be a person.

and (if he really fucked off to die like that in the ending,) he did the exact same thing once again as li lianhua. (ignoring the feelings and wishes of the people who love him, stepping on their hearts -- not even leaving them with a body) ((if he really fucked off to die, why? why would he leave them without closure, without even a body to mourn, without a goodbye) (// i guess the doylist answer is because novel canon, but this show and its ending just haunt me so much i keep turning the questions in my head over and over))

for all that he insists that li xiangyi is long dead, the cracks shine through -- one of the most compelling things to me is watching it happen throughout the show. (for that reason i don't think dfs is wrong to call him by the name li xiangyi till the end of the show... or to provoke and agitate him, into showing some fire in his eyes / caring about something / showing some will to live and to fight)

and the thing is, li lianhua might insist on the separation between li lianhua and li xiangyi, but it doesn't exist as anything more than a legend you superimpose on the person. li lianhua also has his reputation as the miracle doctor, after all. the myth of the weak and intelligent physician is still just a myth. the li lianhua who likes spending his days peacefully, growing vegetables and playing with his dog, that's real. but also the li lianhua who spends ten years searching for his shixiong's body, who his companions hear is looking for people from the jinyuan alliance, whose facial expressions turn hard and sharp when he questions people about his shixiong's body -- that's also real.

let him retire from the jianghu and the public eye. let him break and abandon his swords. but don't let him ditch once again the people who care about him without so much as a goodbye ((don't let him go on hating himself and taking everything onto himself and believing that he's not worth saving))

as much as he wants narratively to escape from himself, and to deny that he's anything more than a dead man walking, i just think we shouldn't fall for it or let him get what he wants so easily (i say, while being haunted by the heartbreak tragedy version of the bookended narrative)

[lya-dustin]

The Dornish Princess

(Part ii of the Dornish Princess)

Cw: mentions of sex, fantasizing of murder, attempted murder via drowning

Fool.

That is the new name he was given.

Fool.

Fool for trusting you, for believing your words and a worse fool for loving you.

He cannot chase you and kill you for your betrayal, he was the regent and he must deal with the fall out of his own fucking foolishness.

With his brother at the Stranger’s door and no money to continue the war, his campaign into the Riverlands is postponed.

Postponed being a nicer word for it.

They are to surrender to his whore sister and bastard heirs and beg for mercy.

The negotiations had begun and Aemond has requested exile over death. He would never set foot in Westeros for as long as Rhaenyra lives.

No matter, after he gets his hands on you, it will he worth it.

Aliandra Martell offered her hand in marriage should he bring her your head.

Prince Consort of Dorne is good consolation reward.

His exile isn’t the terrible thing his mother thinks it is, his change of scenery matters not when he hunts you down.

He will enjoy killing you, he dreams of seeing the life leave your indigo eyes as he avenges his honor.

Aemond follows your trail even when he takes up the occupation of sword fro hire as Daemon once did. He hears how you defrauded a Braavosi key holder, how you robbed Sharako Lohar blind and just recently, drove the Rogares of Lys to complete and utter ruin.

Word had come from the spymasters that you lived in Volantis in a manse behind the Black Wall. You’d overstay your welcome once the lord you flatter with your serpent’s tongue and poison him with kisses as sweet as honey.

Where would you go from then? You weren’t welcome anywhere anymore.

You could never go home just as he can’t either.

He disguises himself as a servant, a slave rather. The Valyrian looks so coveted in Westeros were as common as horse shit in Essos. Even slaves had silver hair and purple eyes.

Something he’d learned to exploit as he earned his pay with blood.

Something he’ll exploit to finally end you.

You aren’t Y/N Sand nor Coryanne Martell here. You are merely a wealthy widow enjoying the fruits of your labor.

He stalks into your bath quietly, you assuming it is another servant carrying your hot flowery water pay no mind to him.

You are far more beautiful than he remembered, you grew into your looks just as he went from youth to man these years past.

Five years ago, you ruined his life and made damn sure you would never be forgotten.

“I will wash my own hair tonight.” You say as he takes your dark braid in his hands. Within a heart beat he’s holding your face under the water as he fulfills every fantasy he’s had these five long years.

“Did you miss me, Y/N?” he asks taunting you when he lets you come up for air.

“Not as much as you did, husband.” You gasp and sputter with a laugh. As if you’d known he’d come. “Took you long enough, Aemond the Fool.”

He narrowed his eye and wished he could just drown you in your tub and be done with it. But he doesn’t. He is still the fool he was at nineteen at twenty-four.

“Join me, you reek of dragon.” You say as you gather your bearings and pretend nothing had happened.

He could kill you later, hot water was a luxury even in this warm winter. A good fuck and a hot bath seemed like a better send off you deserved, but Aemond has stopped being so picky with whores these years.

“You need me for a scheme don’t you?” he concludes aa you wash his body with the same soaps you had used. You had done this before, back when he loved you and you ensnared him in your trap.

You had felt divine then, your soft caresses, your sweet lips and the oh so tight cunny you sheathed his cock with.

You haunted him till this fucking day, even after trying to forget you with every willing woman he could find. Not even the Red Priestess with her knowledge of the seven sighs couldn’t erase you out of his mind.

“A final one, an apology from me to you.” You say coming close enough to kiss him stupid.

He’d let you, only if your scheme is good enough for him.

“As if I’d believe anything that comes from your mouth, y/n.” he scoffed and yet snaked his arms around your waist to pull you onto his lap.

He'll discard of you once he is sated, your pretty head was worth as much as this manse. A place close to home too.

“Oh trust me, what I will show you will speak for itself, my sweet prince.” You whisper before leaving the bath all together.

The sight waiting for him in your rooms leaves him without words.

Sharing a room and the distinctive looks of House Targaryen, a boy of five and a boy of eight hold on to plush dragons. The younger a green as Vhagar and the other as red as Caraxes.

His child and Rhaenyra’s lost son, presumably.

“Lysandro bought Viserys from his captors and sought to ransom him back to your family along with my son. I don’t bite unless I have to, dearest husband.” You admit with a hard edge to your soft voice. Somehow he believes you.

“What do you want?” Aemond cannot do anything but stare at the boys, his more than his nephew.

His hair is silver and sleek as his is, a faint smattering of freckles like the ones he had as a boy and his mother’s wicked mouth pouting in his sleep.

“That you recognize Aelyx as trueborn, we were married in truth and he shouldn’t carry the stain of bastardry when he is innocent.” You speak honestly, as if you knew your luck had run out. “Take Viserys and my wealth and negotiate your return to your home. It should be more than what I stole from you.”

If you knew he hadn’t thought of killing you since you showed him his son, you’d think your hold on him was as strong as it was then.

Perhaps it was.

Damn you. Damn you to the seven hells for making a fool out of him.

The following morning he writes home saying he’d found his errant wife and a treasure greater than all the gold in Volantis.

If Rhaenyra lifted his exile, he’d personally deliver Viserys to her.

Aemond the Kinslayer gets a hero’s welcome despite being foolish enough to forgive you and wed you in truth.

But you are not content with just being his wife and the wealth you amassed. No, you like your husband were cursed with ambition.

“Have you ever considered conquering Dorne, your grace?” you ask Queen Rhaenyra who owes you the life of her youngest son even if Aemond took the life of her second born.

[garrettandoscargirlsblog]

Inside Mitch's Mind

Summary: Title says it all. Some fluff,and there will be smut in future chapter. Promise

Yet another late night at Bred To Buck. Lights are dim. Others left a couple hours ago. Just me and My Breezy. My sweet baby girl asleep in the office. Wish I were there,but my mind is in overdrive. Events from the last few days man! From the fight at the wind mill. To the horrible accident at Tyson’s . Now more than ever I have to keep my Breezy safe. She saw me leave . Runs after me. Didn't hear her! Caught up with me. Took my hand in her small,soft hands,” What's going on! Tell me! Did you get through Tyson's head? Tell me you did?” Looking into her angelic face. Anger is still there as I spoke,” Afraid not baby. Knowing he would do something stupid. If he does? Guilt he would feel.Like I did. Still haunts me sometimes. Couldn't sleep most nights. Not till I found you. My rock. Like I am yours. Now… how about we go out a bit? Hmmm? To I don't know our favorite spot near the house?” She smiles at me. God love her smile. Brightens my day. 

Turns off the bar lights as I walk towards the office. Moonlight shines through the windows. Also falls on Breezy. Deep sleep. Kneeling down so I can kiss her soft lips. Slowly wakes up,” Hey there my cowboy. What time is it?” Kisses her again,” late. How about we go home? I'm dead on my feet “  Picked her up,and holds her close to me. Head rests on my shoulder. Oh my tired one. Watched her all night workin her fine ass off. Since yet again we were short handed. Oh to come right over to her to rub them in shoulders to help to ease her tension. Upon leaving told the others to lock up. After a nice shower. Okay, I had the pleasure of givin my darlin a nice bath. Held her close while we relax. Not the first time we did this. Oh the memories of her doin the same for me after the bang bang fest at the bar months ago. Hands were magic!! Now's my turn. Rub her shoulders first then… those perfect breasts of hers. Favorite pillow. Thankfully she didn't stir till reaching between her legs. Her whimper was so faint ,and oh so beautiful. Kisses her temple,” Easy darlin. Got ya. Enjoy yourself. Relax. Then.. bed time.” Continue my quest to make her feel oh Soo good. Make her cumm. 

Finally both of us in our warm bed. Pullin her close as the sound of the rain fall. Soothin sounds as it puts us to sleep. Whisper that I love her in her ear. Heard her,” Love you my cowboy. Now rest.” closed my eyes to hope my nightmare doesn't return. Still haunts me to no end,but now? As long as I have Breezy near me? Finally at long last. Can rest .As long as I ‘m holding her that is.

Sounds of early morning fills the air. Soothing. Beautiful scenery of home. Away from the day to day stuff. Love living here. Healed my very soul the day I came home,and having Pop,and Breezy here is a joy. Sitting on the porch thinking till I hear “ Love the fresh air. Thought ya were asleep. Wanna talk to your old man about it?” Tell him what? That I’m afraid that two rival gangs are at war? That I'm afraid the ones I care about might be in danger? All I could tell him,” Got stuff on my mind is all Pop. Business stuff ya know. Okay, can't lie. Worried about the shit has been happening. Thugs are out for Dwight,and now Tyson might make things worse! I know it” Pop hugs me,” Hope so son. Have to hope for the best. Also… you need to rest son. Go back to sleep. You need it. Btw? Let your girl help.”  Good idea. Sneaked back to bed. Not before slipping off my tee. Hug her from behind. Smelling her hair. Smell of roses . So soothing. Closed my eyes. Think about something soothin. Yes. Think about the vision in bed with me. Which I did. Moment we shared our first kiss. On the dance floor. Before that it was where the small tables were. Was a busy night. Both of us were so tired. Slow song comes on,and it was so perfect so I could rub her back in small circles. Her moans oh so sweetly. Till.. oh fuck she's doing the same,and those hands hit that very spot that ended my ridin career. Lower back. Scar from surgery that didn't work!! No no! Don't think about it! Focus on this vision! Tilting her chin up ever so gently. Closed my eyes as I kissed her ever so slowly. Afterwards our foreheads touched,and whispers,” Been wanna to do that for awhile now. Never got the opportunity to do so baby. So beautiful, feisty, sweet,and..” She kissed me again. Moment later sleep overtakes me,but my phone vibrates! Fuck! Not now!! See it was Goodie. Didn't say much. Sayin Tyson did somethin stupid! 

I fucking knew it! Knew he would do that! Now he's got us in trouble! I gave my two cents in. Even Breezy. Could see the fear in those beautiful eyes. Clinched her hand tighter. Fear what's to come. How it's time to prepare for battle. Hate to close the bar!  One thing for certain. Gonna end this! Soon as that is done. Bar will be open again. Swear it. If not? Breezy and I will be on a vacation. Alone. Both of us need this. Know the perfect place. Breezy behind me. Arms around my waist,” I know what you need baby. I do too. Alone time before all hell breaks loose.” Can't say no to that. Bout to turn around when I heard,” Jimmy got shot! No!” Time to go ,and kick some ass! 

Note: Hope y'all enjoy this. Been wanting to do this for awhile. Has been fun doing it. Even it took me long time to finish. Might do more wink 😉 😉

@dameronscopilot @musings-of-a-rose @romanarose @marmie-noir

[paradoxon-3791]

Songs for The Fears

The Buried: Buried Alive by Creature Feature

“In this oblong box I lie with the hopes I’ll be buried alive….”

The Corruption: Thermodynamic Lawyer Esq, G.F.D. by Will Wood

“Disease is her primary language, garbled and gruesome, her words so absurd….”

The Dark: Friends in the Dark by Aurelio Voltaire

“The night is falling, your faith is faltering, and you’re alone….”

The Desolation: The Day They Come from The Dolls of New Albion

“And on the day we come it’s over, and you will have your fate laid out and spun….”

The End: Elysian Fields by The Mechanisms

“I have found my heart’s last calling, Elysian Fields where I can die….”

The Extinction: Reckless Battery Burns by Ghost and Pals

“Further for thy sake, open my mouth and scream aloud with me….”

The Eye: I Need to Know from Jekyll and Hyde

“I need to know why man plays this strange double game, his hand always close to the flame….”

The Flesh: Meat by Poppy

“Cut out my tongue so that I can’t scream, there’s meat, there’s meat on me….”

The Hunt: Run Devil Run by Haunted Like Human

“And she says run devil run, towards the rising of the sun, run devil run away from me….”

The Lonely: Disappear by Karliene

“If you’re no longer here, I’m scared I’ll disappear into the land of darkness and emptiness and loneliness….”

The Slaughter: Murder, Murder by American Murder Song

“Murder be thy name, and let there be blood….”

The Spiral: The Cabaret of Dreams by Seventh Spire

“Welcome to the stage of dreams, where everything’s real as you let it be….”

The Stranger: Sister Went Missing by Caravan of Thieves

“We were all content with the sentence till we heard her footsteps, till sister came home….”

The Vast: Deadly Diminuendo by Blackbriar

“With your vertigo inducing peaks, where I can hear the echos scream as if they are still falling….”

The Web: Metaphor by The Crane Wives

“I’ve gotten good at making up metaphors, I’ve gotten good at stretching the truth out of shape….”

[it-happened-one-fic]

Fight Till the Very End - Jade

Author Notes: The header for this fic, which also serves as the inspiration for this is, comes from @thegoldenshi-shi and is a lovely design for Punk Jade (Follow the link to see the full picture!) I listened to Jane Child's "Don't Wanna Fall In Love" while writing this and I honestly had the time of my life. As a fair heads-up this fic contains a bit of a headcannon of mine involving Jade and his punk phase. I highly recommend both the song and the art! As per usual, reader is gender-neutral. I hope you enjoy!

Type: Gender-Neutral Reader/ Fluff/ Flirtation/ Romance/ feat. punk Jade

Word Count: 1749

It was one of those days at NRC where you really didn’t know what to think. And truthfully, that wasn’t exactly odd when one lived at a magical school with a talking cat monster in a haunted house.

But this instance was unique because it also robbed you of words. So you didn’t say anything at all as you stared at Jade, who smiled at you in return. Far-too-pleased with himself, judging from his expression.

But he probably was pleased with himself. After all, he was the reason for your loss of words and utter surprise.

In your defense, though, it wasn’t everyday that one saw the usually well-pressed, carefully dressed Jade Leech in an outfit that could only be described as very, very punk.

With cornrows long enough to reach past his knees hanging from his now spiked-up hair, a chain connecting his pierced ear to a sparkly new nose ring, black cloth arm cuffs that extend from his wrists up to his biceps so that his shoulders were visible, and a low-cut top that showed a considerable amount of cleavage paired with silver necklaces that only accented his full black ensemble, you could definitely say this was different from Jade’s usual suit and tie.

It wasn’t a bad different, though. In fact, if you were to be honest, he looked really good. Frustratingly so.

Especially since something about Jade’s expression, from his amused smile to the glint in his mismatched eyes, made you feel like this was all part of some elaborate scheme.

You adored all of the Octatrio, but you were also no fool and knew perfectly well that all three of them enjoyed their little plots and games. So this being a part of some new plot was all too possible. 

But at the end of the day, you were never going to learn anything if you just kept staring at Jade. And the longer you stared in stunned and perhaps awed silence, the more amused the young man seemed to grow.

So at last you broke your silence, tilting your head as you continued to scan Jade’s new ensemble, “Well... You certainly are dressed up today. Is there something special going on, or…?”

You trailed off, half-pondering the possibility of some new event that required new clothes and half-hoping that Jade would fill in the rest for you.

And he didn’t disappoint, chuckling softly and shaking his head as he answered, “No, there’s nothing special going on… Rather, Floyd just happened to mention to me that you might wish to see how I dressed back before you arrived at NRC.”

His eyes were all a glimmer as he shifted, almost as if he were posing for you, but there was no way to ever prove it since Jade seemed to be perpetually posed. Another part of his charm, you supposed.

You blinked, refusing to give him what he wanted and instead questioning the obvious: “You had a punk phase?”

If he was disappointed, Jade didn’t show it. Rather, he seemed oddly pleased by your persistence in not reacting to his new look as he nodded, “Yes, I only changed my style of dress a little before you joined us at NRC.”

A part of you wanted to ask why he stopped, wondering if it had something to do with marketing the Mostro Lounge or himself with his infamous butler persona, but another part of you decided against it. 

After all, Jade was hardly one to really let others' impressions of him hold him back. It wasn’t like he hid his love of mushrooms, and he seemed to revel in others' occasionally frightened reactions towards his and his brother's general aura of illegal activities.

And perhaps concerns about someone using his jewelry as a handle to yank him down while he was indulging in said illegal activities had something to do with it. It would be tempting to use that chain against him after all if you were in a fight with Jade, though you honestly didn’t think it would do much good in the long run.

As you thought more about Jade going about his usual activities, a smile crossed your face at the mental image of Jade doing his usual work as part of the waitstaff in such get-up “Does Azul know you're dressed like this?”

The grin that spread across Jade’s face was perfectly evil, “No.”

You nodded, letting out a little “Uh huh,” as you began to circle the young man. Taking a closer look at his entire ensemble.

“How did you get your hair to grow out so fast? Extensions?” You eyed the many, many cornrows that swayed with every motion he made. Half impressed by how tightly they were braided.

“Magic, Dear. Floyd helped.” You almost rolled your eyes at the way his explanation rolled off his tongue. Magic. Of course they could use magic to grow their hair out if they wanted.

You finally made your circuit back around the young man, and Jade’s eyes immediately latched back onto your face. The amusement within their depths was obvious as he continued to gaze at you. Ever patient as the two of you played whatever this game was.

“Why did Floyd think I’d be interested in seeing you all,” You gestured vaguely to Jade as you paused, searching for the right word as you fought to keep the smile off your face, “Dressed up?”

The more you evaded actually giving your thoughts on his attire, the more amused Jade seemed. And both of you knew why.

It was because he looked nice. In fact, he looked practically beyond nice. He looked amazing, rather like a devastatingly attractive bad boy male lead from an 80’s movie whose sole purpose was to sweep some poor, good girl female lead off her feet.

 At least a part of this game was him getting complimented, but you could see that easily becoming a slippery slope that would end with you in the same position as the good girl female lead.

He tilted his head, pretending to ponder your question, before a smile slipped smoothly onto his face. Confident that he would win whatever this was by the end, “He mentioned how much time we’d been spending together and said he thought you might be interested in learning a bit more about us. I must admit that after what he said, I was curious to learn what you might think.”

You nodded because it was true. Jade had been hanging around you more and more lately. 

Initially, you’d wondered if you had something he or Azul wanted, but it had quickly become obvious that wasn’t the case. Instead, it was more like Jade had his own personal stake in spending his time with you. In fact, if you didn’t know any better, you would say that Jade was genuinely trying to charm you.

It was hard to not let your eyes scan over Jade once more. It was odd to see him like this, but it was also interesting. Almost like he was opening up and showing you just a bit more about his person, and judging from his words, that was true. Though you also couldn’t deny that this still seemed like a part of some elaborate plot.

But you weren’t the only one who was staring at him. In fact, it seemed like everyone that walked by was staring at the usually menacing young man. 

Normally people did their best not to look too closely lest they draw his attention, but either the shock of seeing Jade in punk clothes was so great that they didn’t care or they were confident that he was too focused on you to notice their stares. 

And Jade was focused on you as he stepped closer to you, leaning down slightly so that he entered your personal space. You had enough room to retreat if you were uncomfortable, but he was close enough to easily hold your attention solely on him.

“And, what do you think?” His voice had softened, almost as if he were trying to lull you into giving away every secret thought that went through your brain. And maybe he was, but you weren’t about to lose quite so easily. Not when you weren’t sure if you were even ready to face your thoughts and feelings towards him.

But you smiled, used to his many charms by now, before nodding. Not about to lie to the young man even as you refused to surrender, “It looks nice. I bet you were popular back in your old school if you dressed like this back then.”

He grinned, his sharp teeth flashing as, for once, he didn’t even bother to hide them at your words. But he was pleased. Not only had you complimented him, you hadn’t backed down from the subtle challenge.

But you’d already decided that even as Jade slipped continually closer, you weren’t going to just give way. Even as you felt your fondness for him growing, you’d already promised yourself you’d fight till the very end.

In no way were you prepared to fall in love in this world that wasn’t your own. You couldn’t take that on top of everything else. Not when it could so easily hurt, what with your future being so unpredictable.

And it was scary how close Jade pulled you to the brink of falling for him, even despite your defenses. 

At this point, you knew perfectly well that if you did slip too far, it would be him that you would fall for. But you weren’t going to make it easy for him. Not when he made that cutting edge that love held feel something impressively close to good.

So it didn’t matter how charming, easy to get along with, or attractive Jade was, and it didn’t matter how tempting it might sometimes be. You weren’t surrendering. And if Jade’s expression was anything to go by, he liked that.

Despite yourself, you found yourself smiling back at him, not quite able to stop it even as you felt yourself slide a bit closer to where he lingered. Waiting for you to fall.  

But Jade leaned back, murmuring a soft but incredibly pleased, “Thank you,” as he slipped out of your space. Retreating for now, but no doubt already plotting his next attack in his head as he smiled down at you. Perfectly smug as you both prepared for the next round.

And you’d be ready.