#And it hurts me so to not be able to visit them right now or any time sooner

[jnw1813]

"What will you have after a hundred years?"

The angst 'ending'.

A cold wind rustles the trees, making his hair sway; it stings his eyes.

Staring down, his fingers flex at his sides as he clenches them into fists. Taking a deep breath, he kneels, head bowed, respectful; it's the least you deserve.

“Hello, darlin’.”

His voice cuts through the silence, filling the void around him with sound. It wasn't fair, though. Every moment of your life had been filled with so much colour, so much ambient noise. To have your grave be so quiet seemed like an injustice.

“I… I'm sorry I couldn't visit on our anniversary.” He sighs, shoulders slumping as he just… deflates. “There was an issue at the edge of the galaxy. Mark needed me and… I know you would've wanted that. Me helpin’ others. You were good like that.”

He swallows, an uncomfortable lump in his throat. He can barely speak around it.

“Still. You– you deserve better. It's our anniversary, after all! Hope you didn't think I'd forget.” He forces a laugh. It comes out wet and weak.

His hands shake in his lap.

“... I'd never forget it.” His voice trembles as he whispers. “Never. Not in a million years.”

He takes a few deep breaths, trying to stay calm before he truly broke down.

It never got easier, even after all these years. It just… hurt. So. Damn. Much.

“So–” his voice wobbles, “–happy anniversary, darlin’.” He whispers, finally letting the tears fall, feeling every bit his age as he stares at your tombstone, the weight of his wedding ring the only thing keeping him tethered right now.

For a while, it was quiet. He lets it be. He gazes at the inscription of your name, the photo of your smiling face, and the trinkets and half withered flowers left for you by those that knew you.

Gazing into those pale imitations of your eyes, he begins telling you about all that's happened since his last visit. He proudly tells you about how your eldest son, Orion, had recently had his third child, a boy.

“Another grandkid! Can you believe it, darlin’? We…” He huffs out a soft laugh; his moustache quivers on his upper lip. “We did good, huh?”

He rubs at his face, distracting himself, getting himself back under control. It never got easier– this, coming here, talking to you like you– like you could actually hear him.

He hopes you can though. Viltrumites didn't have religious beliefs like other species did, but he hoped, prayed, there was some sort of afterlife you were listening from.

Another breath, another shaky sigh.

“... Cassandra is finally getting married. Ain't that something? I can barely believe it myself.” Their Cassie had always been more focused on hobbies and work than personal relationships; Conquest would be a liar if he said it hadn't worried him when she was younger. He wanted the best for his kids, and them having everything he hadn't had prior to you was a part of that. “She's going to have a spring wedding, on the beach we always took her to… says it… makes her feel closer to you.

“She feels bad.” He tells you, eyes straying as he notices a caterpillar crawling onto him.

He lets it be.

 

“Silly things thinks she shouldn't have put it off so long, that if she'd just listened and focused on making relationships earlier, you would've been able to see our little girl walk down the aisle.” He lets out a huff, shaking his head. “For such a smart girl, she sure misses the obvious, huh? I told her straight how you'd have felt about it. That you would've wanted her to take her time and only take this step when she was ready for it.”

He extends a finger as he stops speaking for a moment, the caterpillar shuffling onto his finger. He lifts it to eye level, considering it.

Once, he would've squished it without reserve. Now, he considers it precious.

Looking back at your tombstone, he smiles sadly. You truly did weaken me. The old me would be sickened.

Gently, he lays the caterpillar down on the sun-warmed stone. Maybe, if it chooses to, it'll turn into a butterfly right here. You'd like that.

“... so I'll be walking her down the aisle come spring.” He concludes. A ray of sunlight pierces through the clouds, bright, and reflects off of some sea glass pooled in front of your grave. He spends a moment pulling some weeds out, smoothing out the pile.

“I know you'll be there. I can… feel it, as stupid as that sounds.” He says, laying a hand over his chest. “Mostly ‘cus I know you wouldn't miss it for the world if you were still–” alive “–around. Why would that change now that you're…”

And he can't get the words out. No matter how many years passed, he just couldn't say it out loud. It just made it all the more real. It just made him feel how alone he truly was.

Because while you'd given him multiple beautiful, intelligent children, Viltrumite children who'd live long past him, they weren't you. They could never be you. And it wasn't fair for him to look for you in them, even if they tried to fill that gap in his heart.

So, even as his family grew and expanded, even as he was surrounded by people, the spot at his side was still empty; the other side of the bed still cold.

He was still alone.

[hitlikehammers]

🏀That One Time Steve Harrington Visited an Old Friend, Said Thank You 💕, Dished Some Gossip 💅, Gushed About the ♥️Love of His Life♥️, Offered Apologies, and Brought Their Favorite Flowers as a Perk 💐

☕️OR: 4/5 times Steve/Eddie talk to anyone but each other about their feelings (for each other), +1 (other time they turn around and talk to one another)

“Hey Chrissy-lis.”

The first time they’d met, he’d only just learned the word. She flitted around, so fast and wild, and he’d been able to get her to sit still long enough for someone to tie up her hair when he told her if she wanted to be a butterfly, she had to be a chrysalis first—and her in particular, because she was named just right for it.

She’d beamed at him so big. They’d been fast friends. Sports-spouses, someone called them by middle school. They’d laughed over it, but it wasn’t wrong. They grew up together, even if they rarely spoke, rarely saw each other in the off-seasons—a year off made a difference, for schedules and stuff.

And most of what they had in common was sports, anyway. And the shit that happened at home neither of them wanted to say out loud.

Steve thinks that’s what made them work. Neither made the other say it. They both just sat with it. Knew, and didn’t run.

He wishes he’d known she was hurting so bad. He knows he couldn’t have stopped what happened, no more than Eddie. No more than anyone.

Only Eddie and Rob and Wayne know that. They’re the ones who know what he does and what he feels out loud, now—at least more of it—and they stay.

But Chrissy, she’d brought her own little squad to meets, convinced Hawkins to have the most out-of-place little huddle of pompoms, every time Steve dove into the pool.

And Steve got good with his hair—and he taught himself to be great with Chrissy’s, even when she didn’t need the coaxing to keep still anymore.

“So I promised an update.”

Because he comes. He doesn’t stay long. Always brings flowers he holds on to until he leaves. He likes to think she’ll know he’s been here, if there’s any way for anyone to know anything after…

After.

“He is everything,” Steve tells her like a secret, like the little moments of the things they did trade—bits and pieces, school gossip, boys kiss girls kiss boys—between her sitting down and him spinning her scrunchie sky-high around one last time. “He is absolutely the one.”

He smiles—he’s trying not to feel like he shouldn’t smile at her headstone; she was so made of joy. She deserves more than just the flowers when he comes to visit to make sure her shines never dulled.

Or forgotten.

Which reminds him:

“I never did thank you,” which he regrets, because she should have known, but doesn’t punish himself for, because back then he didn’t believe it—or believed it, but with the wrong person, for a lesser thing entirely.

“For always telling me that I’d find that type of person,” and she always said that, whoever he was with would come to any game, any meet, any…any time they sat, him one bleacher above her to get her hair teased high before anyone else came in—she asked it the most about Nancy and he hadn’t seen it, the why.

“That I wasn’t delusional,” which he thought, for sure, once it ended with Nancy. “That I was worth it.”

That he’s starting to genuinely believe now. With Eddie. Who isn’t just the one. Who is everything.

“You were the only person who said it, for a,” Steve swallows hard; “for a really long time.”

Steve fucking hates the people who try, still, to say that some people who die were too good for this world. Chrissy was just too good.

Period.

“If I didn’t thank you enough, I’m sorry,” and he knows he didn’t. But he also knows she didn’t need him to say it to know he felt it—they communicated a lot in what they didn’t say, after all.

“I hope you know my whole heart’s in thanking you now.”

He walks closer to the stone, runs his hands over the top. Sometimes, here, he gets flashes of what could have been, so close, the man who’s his soul and then some could have ended up with a marker, here.

Now’s not one of those times. It’s happening less now.

He looks at the ring on his left hand, resting on Chrissy’s headstone. Maybe that’s why. Mostly he wanted to be closer. Mostly he wants to pretend she could feel the weight of it, the shape of it, and know how much has happened, in how it’s all turned out.

She was never the type to begrudge someone their joy even if she couldn’t find her own. He feels…he’s working on feeling less than horrible about telling her things like this.

He doesn’t actually believe there’s anything after death. Save he thinks he has to, now.

He cannot imagine an eternity that exists without Eddie.

“Thanking you with my whole heart in it, like, that’s a really big deal, now, more than it was before,” he starts to ramble a little around the ache in him, for the loss of her, for the things he has that she deserved too.

Not instead of him, he reminds himself in Eddie’s voice. That she deserves too.

It helps. Even if he says the same in reverse when Eddie comes to see her.

“Because being able to love like this, and someone to want it? To almost, like,” Steve huffs, shakes his head in the wonder he doesn’t think is ever going to die down; “welcome it with open arms?”

He looks at her name etched in the stone. Pristine.

But cold. Nothing like her. They didn’t understand her. He doesn’t pretend he did in just the role of sports-husband to his cheer-wife. But he thinks…he thinks he knew some things.

“My chest just feels fuller, bigger,” he says, tracing the letters, pressing warmth into them even for a moment, because it has to matter; it has to matter more than nothing. “Like my heart’s stretched wide all the time because it doesn’t ever have to shrink itself anymore just to sneak by without getting the shit beat out of it.”

He comes to the end of the deep-carved ‘M’. He kisses the rough top of the stone because, again. Warmth.

Even for a moment. Least she deserves.

“So my whole-hearted thanks, Miss Cunningham, means more now that it ever could have,” he whispers low, swallows against the tightness in his throat; “and it still couldn’t scratch the surface.”

He wipes at his eyes, knowing they’ll be a little wet even before he feels a single tear fall.

He’s not wrong.

“I’ll keep trying though,” he promises and then steps up again, crouches at the base.

“Let me know next time if the thanks feels bigger, like, critique my form, yeah?” he says as he props the bundle of echinacea he’s been holding, letting his cologne mix a little with their sweetness, a reminder she’s not alone when he leaves.

If there’s…any chance at all, y’know. Worth covering all bases, just in case.

“Nail that dismount in the stars, Chrissy,” he murmurs as he stands up and raps his knuckles on the stone one more time, like he always would, light against her shoulder when he’d finished, to her giggling as he tied off her hair:

“Can’t get a ponytail higher than the one you’ve got, now.”

1: Gareth // 2: Mrs. Harrington // 3: Wayne // 4: Chrissy // 5: ??? // +1: ???

💚

✨also on ao3

💫for @penny00dreadful—happiest of happy birthdays, my lovely 🖤

✨permanent tag list: OPEN (lmk if you want to be added/removed): @ajeff855 @allmyfavoritethingsinoneblog @anthrobrat @askitwithflours @awkwardgravity1 @bookworm0690 @bumblebeecuttlefishes @captain--low @depressed-freak13 @disrespectedgoatman @dragoon-ze-great @dreamercec @dreamwatch @dreamy-jeans137 @estrellami-1 @eternal-sunflowers @friendlyneighborhoodgaycousin @goodolefashionedloverboi @grtwdsmwhr @gunsknivesandplaid @hiei-harringtonmunson @hbyrde36 @imhereforthelolzdontyellatme @kimsnooks @live-laugh-love-dietrich @madigoround @mensch-anthropos-human @nerdyglassescheeseychick @notaqueenakhaleesi @ollyxar @pearynice @perseus-notjackson @pretend-theres-a-name-here

divider credit here, here, and here

[imaginefan]

Friend Amongst Enemies

Elijah Mikaelson X Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1562

Requested: Anon

Request: Could I get a request with Elijah x reader and reader is struggling with being a vampire a lot and Elijah comforts her and is there despite klaus being bitchy towards the reader x AND Can you do an Elijah x reader where the reader gets bitten by Lucien and she scared bur Freya goes to get the cure at the same time and Elijah is there for her the whole time.

Your life had changed. Being human came with challenges but they at least felt like they were things that you could face. Now you had been turned into a vampire and suddenly everything that you faced seemed life or death.

You knew that you weren’t coping with the change very well but there were few people that cared. Klaus had barely tolerated you when you were human, now that you were a permanent thorn in his side he was even more agitated by your presence. Especially because it was not one of his people that changed you. Lucien had been the one to change you, you assumed because he hoped that you would turn against the Mikaelsons but you had no intention of making them your enemies. Elijah was the one that found you huddled in the back room of your apartment.

Funny enough that was where you found yourself now, hiding away from everyone and everything. You hadn’t fed since first waking up. Elijah had been the one to convince you but now as you sat alone, you wondered if you had made the right decision. You were still getting used to your enhanced senses so the sound of your door opening was loud and jarring, easily making you reel back tightening the grip on your knees. “You’ve been like this for days.” Elijah said, his voice was purposefully low as he moved in slow deliberate steps. “Then leave her to desecrate brother, we do not have time to coddle babies.” Klaus’ voice was loud and aggressive, you couldn’t see him but you knew that he was in the apartment too, you assumed just outside the door. “Enough brother if you would rather be somewhere else then I implore you to leave.” Elijah’s tone was different when talking to Klaus, something that you only noticed now but was sure was present the whole time that you had known him. “You know he’ll be here for her soon brother, you shouldn’t still be here when he does.” Klaus warned, though his footsteps were silent and there was still a heart beat in Klaus’ chest noticed and you could hear it retreating. Elijah sighed, you assumed in relief that Klaus had finally gone. “He’s right, Lucien will be coming for you soon.” Elijah knelt to catch your eye. “You won’t be able to fight him if you don’t feed.” “What if I don’t want to fight him? What if I just want this all to end?” You asked. “You should give yourself time, a lot has happened in the past few days, you haven’t had time to experience your new life.” Elijah argued, lifting your chin to look at him. “Klaus is not going to let me have a ring.” The sun blazed through the gap in the curtain as if to prove a point and caused you to pull your legs tighter. “My brother does not control the witches and I remember one that liked you quite a bit.” He said softly reaching into his pocket, he pulled out an elegant ring “Davina sent this for you.” You had helped Davina a number of times, you never agreed with the way that Klaus had treated her and even told him as much. “Come on.” Elijah gently placed the ring on your finger and then pulled your hand into the sun allowing you to feel it. “Let’s go somewhere.” “What if I hurt someone?” You asked. Elijah had always admired your care for everyone else. “You won’t hurt anyone.” He said softly “I’ll make sure of it.”

Over the next few weeks Elijah would visit you everyday and you were slowly coming to grips with the new life that you were leading. Elijah had tried to get you to agree to move into the compound but you had refused on account of Klaus absolutely hating you. Elijah made sure that you were out of the house everyday and that you fed at least once a day. Slowly you felt the strength return to you and realised that the change didn’t need to be as big as you had made it out to be.

You were alone when Lucien found you, you thought that he had forgotten about you considering you hadn’t seen him since he turned you. “Did you think that I forgot about you?” Lucien asked as you walked into your living room that morning. “What are you doing here?” You asked. “I was hoping you would have come to me by now, so I’ll ask you one more time to join me and take down the Mikaelsons.” Lucien looked over at you, noting that you looked better, stronger than when he had turned you then his eyes caught on the ring on your finger. “Now who gave you that?” “None of your business.” You answered. “I’m not joining you.” “I thought you might say that, I’ve seen you with Elijah, so instead I’ll use you to send a message.” Before you could react his teeth bit down on your neck. Fire spread through your body from the bite, it made it hard to hold up your head. “I hope he comes to find you soon.” You pressed your hand to your neck as you stumbled to find stability. This was different, you imagine this was what it would feel like to be bitten by Klaus. “(Y/N)!” Elijah called as he rushed into the apartment, hands reaching out to stabilise you as he turned your head to look at your neck. “What happened?” “Lucien… Bit me…” You managed to say before your head fell forward against his chest.

Elijah easily lifted you, taking you back to the compound “Freya!” Elijah yelled as he carried you up the stairs towards his room. “Brother what are you yelling about?” Klaus asked, appearing at the door of the room. “Lucien has bitten her.” Elijah answered. “A shame.” Klaus sighed as Freya pushed passed him and made it to you in the bed. “The same as Camille?” They all felt the shift in the room at the mention of her name but they continued to ignore Klaus all the same. “Yes.” Elijah answered. “I’ve still been looking into this, I think that we could cure her if we draw the magic out, I don’t know any syphoners but I’ve been working on a spell that can do the same. I just need more time.” Freya said. “Niklaus.” Elijah said as he shifted you against him to prop you up. “Yes brother?” Klaus asked. “Your blood, please.” Elijah pleaded. “Why should she be the one to get the cure?” Klaus asked. “I’m sorry for what happened to Camille but she is not to blame for that, you should not punish her for the actions of someone else.” Elijah gently run his hand over you pulling sweat soaked strands from your face. “No.” Klaus answered as turned and walked away. “Just keep her as comfortable as you can, I’ll work as quickly as possible.” Freya said rushing out of the room, you groaned as he moved both back onto the bed. “Don’t worry you're going to be okay.” Elijah said softly. “You know… Now that it’s really happening… I know that I never wanted to die. Thank you for saving me.” You said through laboured breaths. “And you won't, I promise you.” He pressed a kiss to your temple “and I never break a promise.”

It was almost 6 hours later, when Freya came back “it’s not perfect but even if it doesn’t cure her, it should buy us some time for me to perfect it.” Freya was quick in setting up everything that she needed to perform the spell “put her in the middle of the circle.” Elijah carefully placed you in the centre of the circle. “Relax, it’s going to be okay.” He said softly as he stood and stepped outside of the circle, the next few minutes were agonising and definitely felt like hours as he listened to your faint gasping breaths and then your breaths calmed and your whole body relaxed. “Is it done?” “Yes.” Freya answered. “We will need to keep a close eye on her over the next couple of days, if any of the symptoms come back then we will act accordingly.” “Thank you sister.” He said. “There’s one other thing that we need to do before you move her.” Freya said. “What?” He asked. “Un-sire her from Lucien, we plan to kill him and she will die with him if we do.” Freya reminded him. “Do it.” Elijah said, stepping back again.

When you woke up you felt better then you had before, you looked around and realised that you were still in Elijah’s room “Drink this, get your strength back.” Elijah pressed a cup to your hand, you could smell the blood and downed it in three easy gulps. “How do you feel?” Elijah asked. “Better.” You answered, you pressed your hand to your neck where the wound was, it had healed. “You have to be careful, and you have to tell us if anything feels weird.” Freya said, you looked between them. “Okay.” You nodded “thank you both for saving me.” “No need to thank us.” Elijah said softly as he pressed a kiss to the top of your head. “I’ll protect you from everything. I promise.”

Requests and general question!

[steampoweredskeleton]

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Ignore

[cheapshrimpysheep]

Dating in a Dream - Idia Shroud

SUMMARY: What would his dream be like, exactly the same as in the original story, but with the small detail that he is dreaming that you two are dating?

CHARACTERS: Idia Shroud x Reader 💀🦐

TAGS: Fluff; GN Reader; In a Relationship (kinda)

WARNING: Spoilers from Book 7 and Idia’s dream (Eng Server)

WORD COUNT: 4.930 words

COMMENTS: This was written as a companion piece to the original dream story, so the parts that are the same as the game are just summarized.

I hope you enjoy 💀

Dating in a Dream: (Idia) / Epel / Rook / Vil / Kalim / Jamil / ...

Idia had just finished playing with Muscle Red when the sound of a request from Ortho to make a video call started playing. Even though he finds it strange that he is calling him through Gloomurai's account, he answers anyway. However, he is surprised to see that it is not Royal Sword Academy Ortho, but a humanoid that looks like him.

“Bwha?! *sputter* What's going on, Ortho?! This is the first I've heard from you having an interest in cosplay!”

Ortho wants to try to wake Idia up in a gentle way and to do so he mixes the reality of being a humanoid created by Idia with the act of being any entity or something trying to convince him that he is ‘the chosen one’ to save the world. But Idia keeps finding excuses for it, like it being some kind of prank or something, and he laugh it off. But eventually, continuing with that act, Ortho gets the reaction he predicted from Idia.

“A handsome young humanoid is asking me for help from inside my computer?! I've read literally 500 million light novels with this exact premise! Is it finally time for me to be the chosen one?!”

Ortho almost starts to laugh, but holds himself back.

“That's right, Idia. The time has come. Awaken... from this dream!”

“Dream? ...Hrk?!”

The dream begins to distort and Idia's head starts to hurt. He begins to remember that Ortho didn't grow up and enter Royal Sword Academy, he was a humanoid who attended Night Raven College with him. But it’s at that moment that his phone starts ringing with an incoming call from Ortho.

“Idy! (Nii-chan!) Don't let him fool you! That robo-Ortho is nothing but an impostor!”

“An impostor?” However, Idia continues to have visions of memories of reality. “Gah... What are... all these strange memories?!”

"That impostor's trying to brainwash you!” The dream Ortho insists. “Don't believe him!"

“I should've expected he'd have something in place for this.” The real Ortho says. “So when they're in danger of waking from their dream, the NPCs try to keep them inside. What a sophisticated autonomous spell. Guess Malleus isn't one of the top five mages in the world for nothing!”

“Stay right there.” The fake Ortho says. “I already called for help! But I'm still coming to save you, Idy (Nii-chan)!” And he hangs up.

“Hmm? Called for help?” The real Ortho questions. “Wait! If the darkness uses the people the dreamer likes to trap them here, then does that mean...?”

The door to Idia's room suddenly opens.

“Idia-senpai!” You enter the room, or rather, a version of yourself that Idia's dream created. And you were wearing Ignihyde's uniform. “Ortho called me... AH! What is that? Is this the impostor?”

“(Y-Y/N)!” Ortho stutters your name. “Wait! Why are you wearing Ignihyde's uniform?”

“Because Grim and I transferred here. Duh~”

“Hm?! And when was that?” Now Ortho was more curious to know more about that than to actually wake up his brother.

“When Idia and I started dating.”

“Wehehehe. And it even came with a bonus kitten.” Idia brags about it. “Best deal, ever. The best thing about being a Housewarden is being able to let them move into my dorm without anyone questioning it.”

“So you'd like them to transfer to Ignihyde? Is it so you don't have to go out to visit them?”

“DING DING DING!” Idia smiles enthusiastically talking about you. “Oh, c'mon, who wouldn't abuse their power to bring their little flower closer to them?”

“Little... Flower?” Ortho says almost astonished. He had never heard Idia speak like that about someone... real, at least.

Idia approaches you, or rather, the dream you, with an extremely confident smile and caresses your face. “My little flower~.” He holds your chin to turn your face towards his. “My little bird~.” he affectionately squeezes both of your cheeks with that hand. “My little nutmeg~”

“Cute aggwession.” Your-darknes-self warns between the lips compressed by the cheeks. Which didn't stop Idia from giving them a quick but strongly affectionate kiss.

‘I knew that Idia had a crush on (Y/N), but I wasn't expecting to see him so happy...’ Ortho thinks. ‘But I have to wake him up regardless!’

“Idia, that is not (Y/N). They are in Ramshackle dorm with Grim. And you never confessed your feelings to them. You barely have the courage to talk to them!”

“What? That's not... Okay, fine, but who doesn't get nervous just thinking about the possibility of being caught looking at their crush, let alone talking to them... Especially after practically kidnapping... Grim... URG!” His head starts to hurt again and the world starts to distort.

“He didn't need to confess to me.” Your-darkness-self said. “I confessed my feelings first.” They hold Idia's face to force him to look at them. “Don't listen to him, senpai~” The room gets darker and black goop starts to flood the room. “You don't need to leave your comfort zone to have me. I can do aaall the work for you... I'll jump into a whirlpool of souls if you need me to...”

Another figure forms from the black goop, a grown Ortho wearing the Royal Sword Academy uniform.

“And here I am too, Idy (Nii-chan). It'll all be okay now.”

“(Y/N)...? Ortho...?”

“Wait a second...” Ortho says. “Idia, does that black goop look like Ortho to you? No! Get away from there! Don't let the goop get you!”

“You don't need to think, Idy (Nii-chan). You're just tired from too much gaming. Get a little sleep.”

Idia begins to close his eyes, giving in.

“I don't think he hears me. Idia, no! IDIA (NII-SAN)!”

But Idia ends up being swallowed by the darkness.

When Idia opens his eyes again it was night and he was in the courtyard, dressed in his ceremonial robe. Malleus appears, also wearing his ceremonial robe, and tells Idia that it is almost time for orientation. Idia finds it strange, but he is almost ready to believe it and follow Malleus, until a ball of light appears in the sky and seems to be heading towards them. Idia panics because he thinks it's a meteorite that's going to destroy them, while Malleus simply wonders what that could be.

It was Ortho in his Cerberus Gear. Idia recognizes the Styx emblem and asks if that is a new powered suit his mom built, but Ortho can't explain anything at that moment because Malleus wants to put an end to that inconvenience and send Idia back into a deep sleep.

Malleus, in his Overblot form, and Ortho fight until the dream begins to shatter around them. Malleus withdraws, as his presence in that situation would no longer be necessary to destroy the little Shroud. In his panic, Idia begins to be swallowed by darkness again. Ortho tries to save him, but their mother's voice can be heard through the radio communicator in Ortho's gear, ordering him to get out of there. Realizing that the person in that suit was Ortho makes Idia's head hurt more and the darkness pulls him in harder. Until he is completely swallowed by that black goop.

After his fight in the underworld, and finally realizing that it was all a dream, everything goes dark again.

Lying down with his eyes still closed, he feels a kiss on his forehead. He begins to open his eyes slowly, as if he had just woken up and sees your face.

“Wakey-wakey~” Your-darkness-self says it in the cutest way you could possibly say it. But quickly, that changes. “Ugh, no, too cutsy. Don't make me do that again.”

“Hmm? What are you doing here?” Idia asks.

“Hum?! You make me be transferred to your dorm as soon as we start dating and you still ask what I'm doing here? What a boyfriend.” Your-darkness-self mocks. “Come on, Mister Housewarden, breakfast is ready.”

“Hum?! You make me breakfast?”

“Did you think I would trust you with that role, Chef Instant Noodles? Of course I am the one making you breakfast, for your sake and mine.”

“Aaaah... yeees, a hot significant other taking care of me... Every otako's dream... Heh... Hee hee... Ehehehehehee!”

“Even though I kind of like your psychopathic laugh, it still worries me. What’s the matter?”

“All those rare drops in my MMO...” Idia explains. “Pulling the triple SSR of my fave... Muscle Red never retiring from gaming, me attending orientation in persons... It was all a dream! Everything from start to finish was what I wished for! Classic otaku fantasy!”

“Huh? Wha? What are you...” Your-darkness-self tries to say, but Idia continued, talking over them.

“And In what world would my little brother EVER attend Royal Sword Academy? He wouldn't go to some bright, wholesome school full of guys so extroverted they make my stomach tie in knots.”

Idia's cell phone starts to vibrate.

“Hee hee... looks like someone got their cue to appear in the shot.” he answers the call with a sinister smile. “Ah... what perfect timing. Vil would be proud of you.”

“Hey... Hum? Vil?”

“Yeah, Vil Schoenheit. You know, the super beauty queen in charge of the Film Research Club. The club Ortho goes to.”

“Hm? What are you talking about? I'm not even in Night Raven College to attend that club. I-”

“No, you're right. You don't. I was talking about the humanoid Ortho, enrolled with me in Night Raven College, the school chock-full of SSR Epic Troublemakers. And then there's Phantom Ortho, down in the dark, gloomy Underworld. These are the only two brothers I have! And you are none of them!”

“What?! Wait, Id-”

“Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to do something I would normally avoid at all costs.” Idia finally looks directly at your-darkness-self again. “Resolve a matter in person.” And then, furious at his cell phone. “And I'll be submitting some very in-depth feedback to your customer support! GOODBYE, SIR.” he smiles in a frighteningly sinister way at your lookalike. “Now... about you...”

“Me? Idy-senpai, please listen to me.”

“Ah-ah-ah, sorry. I'm not into getting called cutesy pet names by anyone who's not a video game or anime character. With one single and unique exception.”

Your-darkness-self smiles seductively.

“Oh, no, no, no, no. Trust me, you have no reason to smile. Quite the opposite.”

“It's that stupid robotic copy of Ortho that's putting these things in your head, isn't it? Don't listen to-!”

Idia takes out his magic pen and makes ropes of black smoke form around Your-darkness-self to tie and gag them. By also trapping their legs, they lost their balance and fell to the ground with muffled complains.

“Hehe, cool trick huh? I've been practicing. This smoke is very useful for bringing things to me when I don't feel like getting up. Let's see if it can do the same with a person.” He make the black smoke take your look-alike to sit on his bed.

“Now I'm sure you're not the real (Y/N). They would never treat Ortho like that.” His sinister smile turns sweet for a moment. “In fact, I'm p. sure they're nicer to Ortho than to any other student.” The smile becomes disturbing again. “And looking at this face, knowing it's an impostor just irritates me more.”

He places his index finger on the impostor's chin to tilt their face slightly and seductively upward. “Using someone's crush as a puppet to manipulate them and get what you want from them. I'm not gonna lie, it's a really good strategy. And the best way to PISS ME OFF!” He aggressively grabs your look-alike's face by the cheeks while his hair turns red as he says this and his expression shows the deepest anger.

But soon after he becomes calmer again, or at least appears to be so, and lets go of your-darkness-self's face.

“Aaahh~ Yeah... It was really good to have (Y/N) with me... they are a quite cute otako fellow... and hot too when they get serious... But because they are such popular fave they deserve to have high standards. And not settle for a guy who barely has the courage to speak to them. They would never agree to do all this awesome things for me out of the blue and just because.”

He was smiling slightly talking about you, but then he gets annoyed again.

“I don't know what kind of otaku you had me for, but don't insult me by thinking that I'm one of those sick losers who wants a partner desperately in love with them simply because they exist. That's not only lame, but creepy as hell. A person who reduces their entire personality to be your significant other? What a turn off. Do you think I only like (Y/N) because they are pretty? Please, it takes a lot more than appearance to make me even remember a person.”

“I don’t know who's showing me this messed-up dream, if it is illusion magic or some evil syndicate's brainwashing headset. But let me tell you, your whole narrative sucks. If I can't have a happy ending, you just hit reset? ‘Yes, please meddle more!’ said literally no one, ever. Regardless of what the outcome is... Whether it counts as a happy ending is for ME to decide!”

He pauses for a moment to look at the terrified face of your look-alike.

“You know, the fact that this is a dream only makes things worse for you.” He says smiling. “‘Cause, you know, I'm a p. reasonable guy. If you were a real person I'd still try to resolve things more peacefully. But since I know you're not...” He violently grabs the thick smoke as if grabbing them by the collar and says with red flame hair “I CAN BURN YOU TO A CRISP! But not with that face...”

He grabs your-darkness-self’s face in a way that covers it with just one hand and starts burning it between muffled screams of pain that began to distort as the figure turned into black goop as well. When that was no longer your face, Idia squeezed it in anger and increased the flames until the figure melted into goop and disappeared into the ground.

Idia takes a moment to take a deep breath.

“You're there right, Ortho?”

“Welcome back, Idia.” Ortho reappears on Idia’s screen.

Idia apologizes for the hurtful things he said to Ortho and talks about how incredible he was in his mission. After a heartwarmingly little chat between brothers, Idia asks what in the world was actually going on?

“I understand everything now.” Idia says after Ortho's explanation. “Or at least, I wish I did. But learning Mom's seen everything on my PC was too of a shock to my system. All I've managed to process other than that is Malleus is some kind of ginormous cheater...?”

“Look, um, it was an emergency. Don't let it get to you, okay?”

“Easy for you to say! She's totally seen THAT now. And THAT... She's seen it all... *shock* She... SHE SAW (Y/N)'S FOLDER! SHE KNOWS ABOUT MY CRUSH!”

While Idia was lamenting about that, Ortho remembered that during one of the conversations with their mother...

“Hmm... Orthy... I really don't want to intrude on Idy's privacy, but... Hmm... does he have any friend at school that he or you never told me about?”

“A friend? I try to help him make friends, but I don't think he's ever considered any Night Raven College student as one. Why do you ask?”

“Oh, I just... that... that student without magic, (Y/N), I have almost no information about them, but... what do you think of them?”

“(Y/N)? I consider them a good person, especially compared to most Night Raven College students. They are also quite diligence and can be very caring. But why do you... ... Idia has a folder on them, doesn't he?”

“So, you know about Idy's crush?”

“Well, he never admitted it, but... I can read his vital signs when he talks about or is around (Y/N). I also know that he has already made some drawings and sketches of them.”

“Oh, I saw! They are so beaut- Huh, I mean...”

“I like (Y/N).” Ortho said smiling. “Idia once went to play some video-games in their dormitory lounge with some other students. And I can see that he feels very comfortable around them. (Y/N) respects Idia's space and time, but also likes to help me try to get him out of the room. They are very fun and attentive.”

Ortho didn't need to see his mother's face to know she had a huge smile behind her helmet.

“So why must I have my PC's contents laid bare for my mother to see?! It makes no sense...” Idia kept lamenting. “I just took 50 billion points of psychic damage, at least...” He loses strength in his legs and falls to the ground.

“It really was just an unfortunate accident. One nobody could have predicted...” Ortho says. “Don't worry though, Idia. Mom didn't make any comments about anything there...” Just that one small exception that Idia didn't need to know about.

“GAAAH!” he gets up. “Not low-key discretion! That's the LAST thing a young guy wants! If I didn't naturally incinerate blot, I'd absolutely be overblotting right about now!”

Blaming Malleus for this, Idia vowed to take revenge on him.

You, Grim, Silver and Sebek had just arrived at Ignihyde, or rather, Idia's dream, after Ortho had guided you there after leaving Lilia's dream.

Idia appeared and tried to explain a little of what was going on, until he remembered that he had not yet introduced himself to those two students from Diasomnia with whom he barely interacted with.

“I'm Idia Shroud, housewarden of Ignihyde.”

“Oh, of course! No wonder you looked familiar.” Sebek says. “You had a more... tabular form at orientation. This might be the first time I've had a proper look at you in person.”

“Oh, uh... Yeah. In the real world I attended remotely it seems...”

“I am Sebek Zigvolt of Diasomnia Dorm － freshman, class D, seat 33!” He said quite loudly. “And this is Silver. Same dorm, sophomore year! He always has that blank look on his face.”

“Eep! Talk about loud... Thought my eardrums were gonna rupture there. How do Malleus and his dormmates endure this decibel level at close range every day without ear damage...?” Idia says a little lower, while also thinking: ‘I hope (Y/N) didn't go deaf after spending so much time with him.’

“Sorry, Idia.” Silver apologizes. “I'll tell him to be more careful about that. Though I doubt you'd have to worry about ruptured eardrums in reality, considering we're in a dream － ah! Everyone, stay vigilant!” he suddenly shouts. “Idia, Grim, (Y/N)! Get behind me and Sebek!”

When he suddenly pulls you behind him, you lose your balance and end up bumping your back into Idia’s chest. As soon as this happens, the tips of his hair turned slightly pink. But even if he wanted to move away he wouldn't be able to because Sebek quickly joined Silver to cover you all and ended up making you crumpled against each other. Which made Idia get even more flustered.

“Mrah? What's the matter, Silver?” Grim asks trapped between you and him.

“If Idia's woken up from his dream, we should expect darkness to attack and try to pull him into an event deeper sleep.”

As Silver, Grimm, and Sebek talk about the possibility of Malleus appearing there at any moment, the physical pressure between you and Idia begins to increase and making it harder to breathe.

“Hrrrk... Pressure's... too much... can't breathe...!” Idia still tries to use his strength to create more space between you so that you can breathe too. The pink in his hair ends up disappearing as he is suffocating.

“Not to rain on your parade, but...” A familiar voice said. “We won't actually have to worry about Malleus Draconia or that black goop for a while.”

Ortho reveals himself and explains how they are safe in that dream. He also explains that he disappeared after guiding you there because he cannot appear in his normal form in Idia's dream because it triggers a critical error.

“So, I'll be sticking to a monitor display. Also... Idia's turning pale from oxygen deprivation. Could you please give him some room to breathe?”

Silver and Sebek walked away apologizing and Idia took a deep breath as if he had finally emerged from underwater.

“Whew, I almost set out on a journey to the Underworld... Thanks for the save, Ortho...”

Finally, it was time for Ortho to explain everything that had happened up until that moment. He and Idia tell you about his dream, but obviously hiding the part about your look-alike.

“So, uh... While you guys were chatting it up in Lilia's dream...” Idia says after Ortho said that they would need your help. “I was doing some brainstorming of my own. I've come up with a plan to escape this dream world － or rather, to do something about Malleus.”

“Operation Make Malleus Ugly Cry and Beg for Forgiveness?” You ask.

“Y-yeah, there you go.. Hee. Heehee.”

It may be a small detail that those who don't know Idia might not notice, but being able to understand him and his humor is a huge green flag. And Ortho knows this.

“Anyway, I threw together a video to go over the plan. Would you mind watching it?”

After they showed you the video and explained the plan, Sebek was ready to move on to the next dream. Until Idia warned that it would be a good idea for you to change your clothes so that when you enter your next dreams, the shock of wearing unfamiliar clothes would not be so great for the dreamer as to activate the defenses of Malleus’s spell. But since none of you can do it by yourselves, he installs an outfit-changing spell in your magestones.

“Here, lemme see your magical pens. Oh wait, you don't have one, do you, (Y/N)? Okay, I'll insert a chip with a technomantic program in your phone...”

While he was installing the ship he accidentally pressed one of the side buttons and your locked screen image appeared. It was the exact same image that Idia had on his tablet.

“HUH?! W-why do you have my voice call image as your background?!” Idia asks, surprised.

“Oh! Did I never tell you?” Ortho says. “Give me a second.” A sort of scanning sound is heard, as if he was looking for something in his memory files. “One result found.” he said in his robotic voice before speaking normally again. “The first time I was going to tell you, you were busy playing, so I ended up not doing it. I was talking to (Y/N) once and they said they thought your tablet’s image was cool. I asked them if they wanted a copy of the image for their phone and they said yes. That was a long time ago, though. It's good to know you still have it, (Y/N).”

“Y-you think it is cool?... I-In that case, I can customize an image for you.” Idia started talking excitedly. “I can make a version with a different color, it can even be pink if you want.” The more excited he got about it, the more confident he became and the faster he spoke. “And I can change the eyes too, I can turn them around and make them look like they’re smiling, or I can just rotate them a little bit like they're half-closed, like in an cool annoyed way.”

“Focus on the task!” Grim complained. “Don't you want us to change our clothes?”

“Uh-uh... Y-yeah... S-sorry, I’m on it.” He gets a little shy again.

If you tell him that you accept the offer and that you can talk about it later when that whole dream thing is sorted out, he'll give you that sweet little smile of his.

“There, installation complete.”

“Here you go, everyone!” Ortho says. “You can have your magical pens and smartphone back.”

“Hm? You said you installed something in my magical pen, but it seems no different to me.” Sebek comments.

“Each of you, face your implement of choice...” Idia explains. “And say: 'DREAMY MAGICAL MAKEOVER!'”

“WHAT?! What is this bizarre spell?!”

“You gotta say a cool catchphrase when you change outfits.” Idia smiles amusedly. “That's a staple of transformation scenes in children's anime. That was a joke, for the record. Or at least, half a joke... Thing is, spells should ideally specific phrases to avoid setting them off by accident. And I did make this for the benefit of a bunch of sprouts who can't even do basic outfit changes on their own. I'm busy enough with dev work as it is. So get on with it!”

Regardless of how you say it, Idia will secretly find it very cute, but if you say it shyly he will find it even cuter.

“You want me to save the video of this to share with you later, don't you?” Ortho discreetly asks his brother who confirms.

A screen appears in front of each of you with clothing options: School Uniform, PE Uniform, Labwear, Ceremonial Robes and Dorm Uniform. Ortho tells you to try tapping the outfit you'd like to wear.

You start by trying on the ceremonial robes or the labwear, but you wonder what would happen if you tapped the Dorm Uniform option, because Ramshackle doesn't have a Dorm Uniform.

“Maybe it was a default error.” Idia assumes. “Either nothing happens or there might be some weird glitch... or...”

“AAAH! WAIT!” Ortho and Idia say worriedly in unison after thinking of another possible outcome.

But it was too late and you had already pressed the button to find out. The clothes you had on... transform into the Pomefiore dorm uniform.

“It's random...” The brothers sighed in relief.

“What's wrong?” Silver asks. “Could something dangerous have happened?”

“N-no, just... d-don't worry about it... p-programming stuff.” Idia responds, trying to hide the embarrassment with a smile.

You tap it again and the uniform changes to the Heartslabyul one. Meanwhile, the others also tried their own menus to change clothes and Grim insisted that he also wanted to do that.

“Not like you really need it, Grim...” Idia says. “But I guess I could set it up for you as well.”

“Really?! Gimme, gimme!”

If you thank Idia for doing that for Grim, he will say it's no big deal with a mix of smugness and flusteredness.

While Grim is also having fun changing clothes, you tap the Dorm Uniform option once again and your Heartslabyul’s Dorm Uniform changes to... Ignihyde's. This surprises Idia who immediately sets his sights on you.

“(Y/N). look! All I gotta do is push a button, and I can change into all sortsa outfits!” Grim was changing outfits too quickly.

“Don't forget, Grim, these tools are strictly to assist the user.” Ortho warns him. “The magic for those outfit changes is still drawn from the one casting the spell. And (Y/N), you probably shouldn't go overboard with the smartphone tool either. But before you change your outfit again, can I ask you for something?”

You nod.

“Will you let me take a picture of you with Idia in your Ignihyde uniforms?” He asks in the most cutely convincing way.

Idia even takes a little jump in place, surpriced by that request as well. And he only gets even more flustered when you accept. He would be against that if it weren't for you.

“You two can be such normie sometimes.” Idia says with a shy smile.

You get closer to him and the tips of his hair turn a little pink again. And as soon as Ortho said he was going to take the picture, Grim says he wants to be in it too and jumps into your arms.

“It's funny.” You point. “Grim matches the uniforms.” You lift him up a little. “And your hair.”

Ortho laughs with you and Idia smiles amusedly too, while looking at you foundly.

“Aw, you should be in the picture too, Ortho.” You say.

“Don't worry, I can put myself in the picture through editing.”

“In that case, let's pose as if you were here too. This will make it look more natural when editing.”

Ortho is very happy with your idea and tells you that he will stand on the other side of his brother. He takes a picture of you next to Idia and holding Grim between the two of you.

“If at any point (Y/N) presses the button again and Diasomnia's uniform appears I can take another picture of (Y/N) with you two, Silver and Sebek Zigvolt, if you want.” Ortho suggests, to divert any suspicion from him and Idia.

“I think Lilia and Malleus would also like to see that too.” Silver says in a chuckle,and smiled slightly.

“I recommend setting your default to the Night Raven College uniform.” Idia returns to the main topic. “That one can cover most situations you'll be in.”

You all change into that uniform and were ready to move on to the next dream. After you leave with Ortho, part of his consciousness returns to Idia’s side to ask him something.

“If (Y/N) asks me for a copy of the photo... do you want me to edit your hair to remove the pink ends? Heh heh heh.”

If you would like to read more from me, you can find it in my pinned post: INDEX

[dragon-wolf68]

dc x Dp prompt

So Danny phantom the scrawny ghost boy. Often when he grows up he is depicted as an absolute short king. But I raise you this, Maddie is 5’9 and jack is 6’9 so with those genetics there is no way he would be short no instead he towers over everyone even Dan and everyone is surprised

It’s a normal day in Gotham the birds are cawing, the flowers are wilting, and crime is everywhere. A beautiful day in Dan Phantoms book. He moved to Gotham a few years ago so that he would have a steady source of ectoplasm, and able to fulfill his obsession, wrath. So with that in mind he works as an Arkham prison guard, he’s able to feed off of the prisoners hate and gets to fight them whenever there’s a prison break, which is quite often.

but today is special, today his family is visiting because Jazz wants to become a psychiatrist at Arkham. Both he and Danny tried to talk her out of it but she’s just a stubborn and hard headed as the rest of them. *Ring* oh that must be them

Dan: JAZZ!! Great to see you has it already been 4 years man time sure does fly by.

Jazz: It sure does, you know you could have visited anytime.

Dan: I could but then again a security guards job is never done and I’m one of the best. Now where’s the brat I hope the little twerp did make you come to Gotham all by yourself. Jazz: No he’s here, he’s just getting our bags from the car.

Dan: Ah no wonder he’s taking so long he probably buried under the bags.

Danny coming up the stairs: No need to worry about me, I’m here

Hearing his voice Dan turns and sees little Danny, only he’s not so little any more. Standing at a whopping 7 feet tall Danny towers over everyone. Dan stands agape, shocked at how tall Danny was.

Dan: HOW, WHEN DID YOU GET SO TALL!!! Last I saw you, you were struggling getting past 5’6!

Danny: Hahah, yeah nobody saw it coming, I guess it just took a while for the Fenton gens to kick in, I mean have you seen our family, short is not a word I’d us to describe them.

Dan: But how, I’m your future self and I’m only 6’9!

Danny: I hate to break it to you Dan but I don’t think absorbing Vlads ghost half did you any favors, I mean he’s plenty tall, but he’s only 6’5.

Jazz: Well while you two talk I’m going to settle in.

Jazz proceeds to walk away form the two, and once she turns the corner Danny gets a hardened look and hooks Dans head with his arm. Dan almost shouts in protest thinking Danny will give him the shovel talk about hurting Jazz when Danny surprises him by saying

Danny whispering: So what’s the plan for keeping Jazz away from Red Hood

Dan surprised: What???

Danny: Oh don’t look at me surprised, we obviously have to keep Jazz away from Red Hood. You know Red Hood the bad boy who has a rap sheet a mile long, has a motorcycle, likes kids, and loves Jane Austin. The moment jazz and Hood meet Jazz will want to jump him

Dan processing: and that’s a bad thing why???

Danny: Because Red Hood has a thing for tall redheads, and Jazz is exactly his type, and if they get together that means we’ll have the bats crawling down our backs.

Dan: oh my Ancients your right we have to keep them away from each other no matter what.

now if he gets to sabotaging Danny’s love life in the process then all the better, because he knows a silent little bat that could kick his ass that Danny would fall head over heels for.

[nymphaea-blue]

Period care with Love and Deepspace boys

Info : 2k+ word count, fluff, mentions of sickness (throwing up), talks about periods (obviously), mentions of doctors, our boys being really supportive <3

Note : Oh to have Rafayel warm my tummy and Sylus cook me a meal during my period 😔 Also my reqs are open! I won't always be able to write, but I will do my best on weekends<3

Rafayel

﹒　⁺ Is inexperienced about the matter because of his lemurian origin, but after a bit of googling he got the gist of how to help you. He wanted to help you and make you feel better so he tried his best.

﹒　⁺ He would try not to tease you as much and he would be patient about your mood swings. In a way, he finally realised how you felt about his dramatic antics because you sure were hard to please while you were on your period.

﹒　⁺ Rafayel would have lots of sweets and supplies stacked after you started dating and visiting him more often. He wouldn't be bothered if you wanted to stick with him during the week, in fact he encourages it, especially if you deal with painful cramps, though he would panic a bit each time you expressed any pain.

“Heyy, sweetheart?” No response. Okay then, he would try again, he nudged gently what he assumed to be you all cocooned under his blankets. “Cutie? My love? My lovely bride?” Eventually, you finally lifted the blanket enough to the point he was able to see your eyes. “How are you feeling? I got you some sweets and the medicine you asked for.” He, ever so carefully, set down the tray of food at the table as he sat down next to you on the bed. “Thank you… I feel horrible, to be honest.” You sighed as you managed to untangle yourself from your perfectly made comfort space to sit down and take a bite of the sweets he got you. They were your favourites, everything from treats with chocolate to your weird cravings, but he didn't question it and got them for you. What a lovely boyfriend you had. “No need to thank me, I'm doing the bare minimum. Take your medicine and when you feel better, we can cuddle, how about that?” He offered you a cup of tea as well, to help you take down the medicine and help with cramps. “That sounds amazing, actually.” You agreed to his suggestion and took the medication, even though they were bitter and you hated the taste, you managed to swallow them. He gently praised you and helped you to lay down after you took them. He got behind you, with your head laying nicely on his chest and almost on his shoulder, so he could sneak a few kisses to your neck. After a few minutes he placed his hands on your lower tummy, right where it hurt, and you started to feel a pleasant, warm sensation. “Ooh that feels nice… Like my water bottle, but better and more cuddly.” He chuckled softly as you called him cuddly, he did his best to control his EVOL so it would help you, since he often saw you use something warm on your tummy but sometimes he could see you couldn't really get into a comfortable position, so he thought he would do the job much better on his own. “I'm glad I got hired as your new water bottle. I hope my hands aren't too hot, right? If it starts to burn, let me know, I don't want to hurt you.”  “Now, cutie, just try to rest, alright? Or if you want, we can watch something together, hm? I'm free all day anyways.” “Don't you have an exhibition later today..?” “...” “Eh, Thomas can figure it out.”

Zayne

﹒　⁺ He knows a lot about it, he's a doctor so he had to study about the women's body but especially after the two of you got together he decided to dive deeper into the topic. 

﹒　⁺ Zayne way of helping would include tea, healthy meals and tummy massages, as well as prescribing you medicine or giving you a sick note for work when needed. He was a little worried, even though he was a doctor and he knew it was normal, he still didn't like seeing you in pain.

﹒　⁺ His house would have all the supplies, food as well as spare clothes for you since he much prefers you to spend your period at his house, that way he can ensure you will be in good condition. Zayne doesn't mind putting up with your moods or potential stains, he just wants to see you comfortable again.

“Hello, sweetheart. How are you feeling?” Zayne asked as he saw you laying down on his couch after he came back from work. Unsurprisingly, you were in the same position as when he left you when he went to work, so you slept through most of the day probably, which was good. “I'm doing okay, better thanks to the medicine you gave me. I'm all sleepy though…” You yawned after you gave him a kiss on the cheek when he came closer. The entire day you just wanted to sleep, eat, cry and then sleep again. “That's a possible side effect, but it might also be a way for your body to rest after what happened. I'm glad to see you better, you didn't look your best in the morning.” “You can just say that I looked horrible, Zayne , I felt that way too.”  “... I wanted to be more polite. Although, this wasn't the first time that happened, yes? I have a colleague at work, she's a gynecologist, a good one at that. I can get you in contact with her and make an appointment if you wish, you should get your condition checked out, being in so much pain isn't normal.” He proposed as he started to brew some tea, both for you and himself. “Maybe you are right, I suppose it would be better than having to ask you for prescriptions each month.” You sighed, agreeing with him. As much as you dreaded a doctor visit, it was needed at that point. “I don't mind doing that, by the way. Your health is the most important for me.”

Xavier

﹒　⁺ Slightly confused but knows what to do. He does read lots of articles about how to take care of you online after the two of you start dating, but he had a general knowledge before that.

﹒　⁺ Xavier would take naps with you often, in fact, he would force you to nap with him. You can't be moody or in much pain when you are asleep, right? So he just gets you into his grasp, all nice and warm, and he cuddles you to sleep.

﹒　⁺ His apartment didn't have supplies at first as he didn't know which ones you use, but after you ended up staying over when your cramps got particularly bad, he did get you everything you needed to make sure you would be comfortable. After that, his bathroom is stocked monthly, as well as the sweets drawer (both in his and your apartment).

“... Xavier?” You attempted to get out of his grasp, but he just pulled you closer against him. A few hours ago you were supposed to do some reports for work, you might be on your period but wanderers don't stop after all, so you wanted to go to work tomorrow, but a certain someone pulled you to sleep before you could even touch the papers. “Yeah? What's wrong?” He yawned as he snuggled his head into the crook of your neck. “I need to get up.” “Are you hurting?” “No.” “Do you need to use the bathroom? Are you hungry?” “Well, no.” “Then you don't need to get up. Let's rest some more.” Xavier pulled you closer at that, your back against his chest. “Xavier I need to do reports for tomorrow!” You struggled against him again, you wanted to pry his hands off of you but to no avail, all you did was irritate your stomach more. “No you don't, I called in sick for you, capitan Jenna already agreed that we both have the rest of the week off. Now, relax a little, unless you want to hurt yourself more.” Xavier responded in a matter-of-fact tone, as his arms gently eased around you so as to not hurt you when he heard you whimper. “... I don't know if I should be mad or happy about what you did.” “You should give me a kiss and go back to sleep.” “But it's 3pm?-” “So? Still early. We can take one more little nap before I get lunch.”

Sylus

﹒　⁺ He had a decent amount of knowledge and it stayed that way. He knew how to take care of you and he felt confident in his abilities to care for you during your period, but he can be too overbearing sometimes.

﹒　⁺ He would care for you by getting you food, lots of it. Sweets, drinks, full meals made by a chef, whatever you want. You also have Luke and Kieran at your beck and call if they aren't with him on business, and Mephisto always stays with you so Sylus can keep an eye on you.

﹒　⁺ The mansion would always be fully stocked ever since you came into his life, he found out your favourite brand to use and he got you that, you never have to ask since he checks what's left regularly. He has sweets very often somewhere on his desk for you too.

A loud ringing was heard through your apartment for what you guessed was the fifth time today in a row. Annoyed, you decided to get up and finally open, even though your stomach felt like it was cut in half. “Why good morning, kitten. You had a nice nap?” Sylus greeted you with that familiar smirk of his, though at this moment you found it a bit comforting. “Sylus ..? What are you doing here?” You asked, surprised to see him lean against the doorway to your small apartment. You didn't have much time to ponder as he gently guided you inside and closed the doors behind himself. “Mephisto reported that you didn't leave your bed in over 5 hours, so I thought to check on you. I must say, your abilities to ignore phone calls and door ringing are very admirable.” He walked into your kitchen and put down a bag on the table, before he started to boil some water in a kettle. “Sorry, I just didn't feel like existing today..” You sighed as you sat down on the couch, or well, attempted to before your stomach started cramping again and you found yourself almost lying on the floor instead because of the pain.  Sylus was by your side in a second and he gently put a pillow under your head as well as a blanket over you, he got you a bowl besides the couch too, just in case, since you looked extremely pale. “Don't worry about that sweetie. I'm here now, so I will help you get back to life. We are going to my base later, but for now I got you some food and medicine. That doctor friend of yours proved to be very cooperative, so hopefully you should get better after taking the pills he prescribed.” “You talked with Zayne..? For me?” “Of course, that man is a doctor and I don't know that much about medicine, unless we are talking about sedatives. I told him that I needed something for you and he did recommend a few things, if it doesn't work then I will need to have a… nice chat with him.” “Now, you just lie back and relax. I got you some tea and sweets, but first you need a meal before I can give you them and the medicine, so take a small nap while I work on that, won't you?”

[seungfl0wer]

*Chan Calling You Clingy*

Genre: Angst/Fluff

Pairing: Bangchan x Reader (GN)

Warnings: none? I mean arguing and cursing? Not proof read

The way this one sounds like it could be real hurts me even more not gonna lie

This is part of a series Find the other members here:

Bangchan, Minho, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, Jeongin

-🩵

Your boyfriend and you had just arrived in Australia. He had brought you to spend sometime with him and his family. It wasn’t often that he had time to himself it was almost unheard of though that he had time to be able to visit his home and family. This was not the first time you had met his family. You and Chan had been dating for a few years now. They treated you like family and you were comfortable around them. Chan was able to get 4 whole days here with his family and it made you so very happy to see him be able to spend time with them.

You followed him around a lot while you were there, although you were comfortable around his family it still made you nervous to be without Chan. His sister who was out in the US with friends had told you about a good food spot there that she said “you totally had to eat at before leaving.”

You asked Chan about it when you got there and he told you “you guys would stop there at some point.” The time was winding down really wanting to stop by you asked him again. He just basically sighed “babe we will” his voice low. He sounded grumpy for some reason you stared at him for a second before asking him what was wrong. He rolled his eyes “nothing y/n” he said getting up to grab his drink. He’s seemed irritated all day today and you don’t know what was wrong. Did you do something? Did someone say something?

You didn’t wanna press, you laid your head on his shoulder only for him to move it making you move your head. You looked confused offended even. What was his problem? Why the fuck won’t he talk to you about it. He looked at you “can you just leave me alone” he hissed. He got up walking to his window to look outside. His mom and dad had went to the store quick to grab a few things for lunch.

“Channie what’s wrong?” You ask voice cracking a bit. “Y/n please” he said in almost a growl. You could feel he was angry but why? It was eating away at you before you kept at it “babe talk to me? What’s wrong? Did I do something?” You asked walking towards him. He spun around “y/n what part of leave me alone don’t you get? You’ve been so clingy the whole damn time I feel like I haven’t even had a chance to spend with my family. Can you just leave me alone!” He spat out his words running together.

He’s never raised his voice at you let alone yet at you like this. You could feel your eyes weld up with tears and you nod “fine I’ll leave you alone” you said before grabbing your bag heading out the front door. You walked to the park chan and you would frequently would go to. You went to play some music to calm you down a bit realizing you forgot your phone at the house. You sat there thinking you should go back for it deciding not to. Not wanting to see Chans dumb cute face right now.

You sat in one of the swings wiping your tears away. You sat there calming yourself down for a bit before going to a spot you two had dubbed as “your spot” it was a small spot covered by trees nice and shady. You laid down underneath it your mind just racing. Thinking about how you’ve been lately. You had kinda clung to him a lot while down here, feeling awkward a bit still not wanting to be alone at his house with his parents yet.

Chan had cooled down a bit he was about to text you but his parents came home. He went to help bring in groceries helping his mom put them away. “Y/n go for a walk?” His mom asked grabbing a pan out of the drawer. He tilted his head a bit as she continued “we saw he walking towards the playground you guys go to all the time.” He breathed out a bit and just nodded not wanting to get into what happened.

He headed back to his room to grab his phone to text you to come back for dinner.

Chan ran, he ran as fast as he could. All the horrible scenarios raced through his head. He felt the tears building up as he ran. As he finally got to the park he frantically looked for you. God where were you! He couldn’t find you, his heart sank fearing the worst. Before remembering the little place you guys had a picnic here under the trees.

He raced to the spot his eyes widened as he saw you lying under it. He felt at ease a bit finally finding you. You had fallen asleep under the trees you looked so pretty but yet so sad with puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks.

He softly rubbed your shoulder trying not to scare you awake. “Babe wake up” he said softly. Your eyes fluttered awake bringing your hand up to wipe at them. Trying to focus your eyes and wake yourself up you stared up only to be met with Chans gaze. You sat up looking around forgetting you had come to the park “did I fall asleep” you asked rubbing your head.

Chan almost full on tackled you wrapping his arms around you pulling you to him. “Y/n I’m so sorry for what I said to you” he said burring his face into your shoulder. “I brought you here to spend time with me and my family and all I did was be an asshole.” He said his voice sounded so sad, cracking in parts. He sniffled as he tried to choke back his tears “I shouldn’t have lashed out at you, I’m just sad we have to leave. It’s so hard for me to leave.” He stuttered “I hate that I only get to visit so little. I want to spend more than a few measly days with my family you know? It’s all I ever get. The others get to see their families why can’t I”

At this point he was sobbing into the crook of your neck. You’ve never really seen him cry it’s normally only a few tears before he pushes it away. He doesn’t show this side very often not wanted to seem weak. But here he was crying so hard on your shoulder.

You rubbed the back of his head as you let him cry it out. He started to calm down a bit “Chan I’m sorry if I took away time with your family.” You said still rubbing the back of his head. He shook it no “no no don’t say that you’re part of our family now. I’m sorry for the way I acted you didn’t deserve that.” He pulled away from you wanting to look at your face. He places a hand on the side of your face as he rubbed your cheek with his thumb. “You aren’t clingy by the way, I just said it while I was mad. I know it won’t take away the hurt but please don’t make it make you pull away. I love how you are and I’d never change anything about you.”

His eyes searched your face only to be met with a small stream of tears “I just don’t wanna be to clingy to the point I push you away either.” You said through tears. “You won’t I promise you. I promise you my love. You will never push me away. You’re stuck with me remember?” He said tapping his finger at the promise ring he got you a few months ago “I’m not going anywhere.” He said before pulling you into him. “I love you angel” he said kissing your cheek. “And I love you too” you said whipping away the tears.

He helped you up giving you a big long hug before heading home to the delicious lay out of food his parent had just got done preparing. You headed to the bedroom to find your phone with all his messages. “Babe I’m sorry I never responded to you. I left my phone here” you said with puppy dog eyes looking at him. “It’s ok my love, I’m just happy you’re safe.”

💙 If you’d like to read more of my stuff you can find it Here: Master List . Thank you for reading and if requests are open or you just wanna talk feel free to send me something🩵

[brittle-doughie]

Orchestrated Arrival (Pure Vanilla Cookie)

Previous Story

———————————————————————

[Main Story]

Therapy Progress Note

Y/N Cookie has improved drastically since the last visit with me, being more lively and engaged with my questions and conversations. Their previous symptoms have since cleared up and appear to be back to normal condition. There was one particular thing of note was the incense they carry with them, but they’ve told me that it was just for personal reasons.

I ask that Y/N Cookie returns to me in a week to see if their progress continues to improve. Seeing their smile reminds me of why I chose this line of work.

- Chamomile Cookie.

———————————————————————

You looked up at your drawer mirror, that light in your eyes that wasn’t there before, giving you confidence that you were back. Back in control.

You look over to the incense that was in the burner, giving off that fragrance that you’ve welcomed into your life. You kept counting your stars that Golden Osmanthus Cookie was able to help with your…problem.

You kept inspecting yourself when you noticed that the smoke from the burner had stopped, looks like it ran out of incense. No matter, you open your drawer to get out the next one..until you kept reaching around in there and noticed there wasn’t any.

Well..that was okay, the other drawer also had more, you’ll just open that and get some mo-there wasn’t any in there either.

Now you really started to worry as you go through the drawers to try and look for where you placed the incense, unable to locate any as your searching grew more frantic. You were practically opening any cabinet or drawer and flipping them upside down to look for something, anything!

That hazy feeling in your head was slowing returning and along with it, came their voices again…

…

…

You: “Oh no…”

Shadow Milk Cookie: “Yoohoooo~! If it isn’t my dearest little Cookie!”

You: “What?! You’re here already?!”

Shadow Milk Cookie: “Aw, that’s no way to greet a close friend of yours~!”

You: “We’re not friends. I only allowed you to help that one time and you still had to go overboard with it!”

You sigh to yourself. Looking at yourself in the mirror, you looked like a crazy Cookie talking to thin air from an outside perspective.

Shadow Milk Cookie: “Tsk tsk tsk. I did as you asked, you never said HOW I should do it. Or did that not matter to you in the heat of the moment~?”

You: “Yeah, because I’m not as nuts as you are.”

Shadow Milk Cookie: “Oh, Y/N Cookie! I’m so hurt~ There’s no need to get mad with little ol’ me~ Those three are still alive, right~?”

You only grumbled as you get up to head out the door, only for your hand to freeze up right as it was about to touch the doorknob, confusing you.

You: “What the…”

Shadow Milk Cookie: “Believe me when I say that I hate doing this, but it seems you leave me with no choice!”

Your hand leaves the doorknob as you grabbed your arm with the other one.

You: “No way, it hasn’t been that long yet!”

Shadow Milk Cookie: “Oh no, you see, I’m different compared to my…friends. Nothing you can do will deter me from you…”

You: “Get out of my head!”

Shadow Milk Cookie: “Oh, but it’s just so snug in here! All of these feelings! All of these memories…you’ve been quite the busy Cookie longer than I expected!”

You: “Don’t. You. Dare.”

Shadow Milk Cookie: “If you don’t want to take a trip down memory lane, then listen to what I have to say, cutie~”

You: “……*sigh*..What is it?”

Shadow Milk Cookie: “Surprise! You’re going to Beast-Yeast again! This time, to see the greatest show master across the land, me!”

You: “Of course it’d be that, as if your friends weren’t enough…”

Shadow Milk Cookie: “Aw, don’t be like that. My acquaintances may be a little..intense, but I promise to you that they do care!”

You: “One of them tried to mess with my mind and the other gave me these invisible scars of sort. Is that caring to you? Not to mention that you tried to mess with my head too!”

Shadow Milk Cookie: “Things might have gone a little off script, but I promise it will be different this time!”

You: “And if I say no-“

Shadow Milk Cookie: “THEN YOUR KINGDOM WILL SUFFER FROM YOUR CHOICE!”

You: “What?! You can’t do that! They have nothing to do with this!”

Shadow Milk Cookie: “You’ve forced my hand, Y/N~ I’d hate to hurt you much more, but I will have your little pals on strings if you say no~ I don’t need my puppets alive to toy with them~”

———————————————————————

A brief flash of an image coursed in your head. Your kingdom on fire. Houses in ruin. The grass was wilted as Cookies fled from the chaos.

There in the sky were Crowned Cupcake, Salsa, and Dumpling Cookie. Their limbs twisted and broken on blue strings, their necks…necks don’t bend that way…

The flash goes away as quickly as it came, making you gasp.

———————————————————————

You: “No, you can’t…”

Shadow Milk Cookie: “Oh, but I will! So, what will it be? No pressure~”

You: “I….I…”

*KNOCK KNOCK*

???: “Y/N Cookie? Is everything alright in there?”

You snapped your head to the door to the voice on the other side of it.

You: “Dumpling Cookie?”

Shadow Milk Cookie: “Tick tock, honey~”

———————————————————————

Dumpling Cookie: “Y/N Cookie? Are you..”

The door to your chambers opens as you step out, as you adjust your outfit with a determined look.

You: “I’m fine. But I have to go and attend to something. I’ll be back when I can.”

Dumpling Cookie: “What? This is abrupt of you, I can come along to assess the situation-“

You: “No need, I can handle myself.”

Dumpling Cookie: “Y/N Cookie, do you not remember what I said earlier? If anything is a problem, you can tell me…”

You: “Don’t you trust me that I can handle things on my own?”

Dumpling Cookie: “I’m not doubting you, but..I just wanted to know if you were okay…”

You: “I am, don’t you worry. I’ll see you around…”

You go and head off down the hallway. Dumpling Cookie wanted to reach out and go to you…but stopped herself.

You made your choice clear…

…

…

…

???: “Are they gone?”

Dumpling Cookie sighs as she looked to the side solemnly.

Dumpling Cookie: “Yes…”

Salsa Cookie and Crowned Cupcake Cookie step out of the darkness of the hallway behind her.

Salsa Cookie: “Good. We’re getting to the bottom of this.”

Crowned Cupcake Cookie: “It hurts me to see my dearest shun us out, we need an explanation from them!”

Salsa Cookie: “Don’t be too sad, Dumpling Cookie. Y/N Cookie is clearly hiding something from us and we’re going to figure out what.”

Dumpling Cookie: “I just feel like we could have waited for them to tell us on their own terms…”

Crowned Cupcake Cookie: “The more we wait, the more they could get hurt!”

Salsa Cookie: “Remember, this is for their own good…”

Dumpling Cookie still had conflicted feelings, right as she headed into your chambers alongside the two.

———————————————————————

Pure Vanilla Cookie: “Y/N Cookie, you’re here!”

You: “Y-yeah, here I am.”

Pure Vanilla goes to hug you close as the others head over, glad to see you return to the Faerie Kingdom after many months.

Pure Vanilla Cookie: “Are you okay? Are you well?”

You: “Yes, I am…well….”

Your eyes twinkle a certain blue.

You already regret coming here…

———————————————————————

“What do you mean you won’t hand over control of them?!”

“This wasn’t what we agreed on…”

“Oh please, my friends! You two had your chance with my dearest! Now it’s my time to shine with my special reunion with them~”

“And what if you fail?! We’ll be losing them again from the palm of our hands!”

“It will be a pity if it happens…”

“I’ve got this under control. It’s either us or their kingdom falling under ruin~! They’ll be in our grasp when I’m done with them~”

“You have better be right….”

“Yes, I can’t lose them again….”

———————————————————————

[daydreaming-nerd]

The Prophecy (Lucien Vanserra x Rhys! Sister)/(Azriel x Rhys! Sister)?

Part 2,

Part 3 (Lucien's Version)

Part 3 ( Azriel's Version)

AN: I’ve had this idea for a while but after hearing “The Prophecy” on The Tortured Poets Department I was finally feeling inspired to write it. You guys have no idea how much that album is about to influence my writing. Also I have no idea how this is gonna end lol.

Summary: The only thing worse than having Azriel not know about the bond is watching him and Elain carry on like she doesn’t have a mate as well. Lucien and you have been long time friends but things change after one fateful starfall celebration. It’s not wrong if both of your mates don’t want you right? 

Warnings: smut, unrequited love, situationship, fluff, Lucien is literally and angel I love him sm, did not edit (I am tired)

Word count: 3734

“Please, I've been on my knees. Change the prophecy. Don't want money just someone who wants my company…”

I had known the youngest Vanserra for a while now. I can recall the first time I met him on a lovely day  in the spring court when I was visiting with my brother. The man was more than charming, his words nearly had me buckling at the knees. It was around the same time that I had found out that my brother's close friend Azriel was my mate.

I remember the bond snapping like it was yesterday. We were celebrating solstice in the Hewn City and my feet were nearly black and blue from the amount of drunk men stepping on them while dancing. I was about to ask my brother to take me home when Azriel stepped in and quite literally swept me off my feet. He let me stand on his toes and waltz around the room with him all night to ensure that he himself wouldn’t hurt my feet. At some point in the night the bond snapped and I had never been so happy. 

Azriel and I had been friends for over 100 years and I had secretly harbored feelings for him for at least 75 of them. To have my brother's best friend as my mate felt like fate. I didn’t tell him that night, something I have regretted for the last 400 years. 

Not long after that he rescued Mor and any sparks I thought he felt with me that night were long gone. From that day on all he did was pine for her. I couldn’t blame him, Mor was astonishingly beautiful. For a long time after he saved her I resented her, I felt like she had taken my mate from me. It wasn’t until I realized that she wanted nothing to do with the shadowsinger that my hatred for my cousin dissipated. It wasn’t her fault that Azriel was so smitten with her. It was my fault for not telling him, but now it had been so long since the bond snapped that it seemed weird to bring it up.  

So I sat dutifully by his side whenever  he needed someone to rant to about Mor. It practically ripped out my heart to  hear him talk about how in love with her he was. I was the only person he would open up to like that.  He would spend hours asking me for advice on how to woo her, and I grinned and bore it because, at the end of the day, I got to spend time with him.

I had been playing the girl best friend for hundreds of years. The moment I started to feel like he might be losing feelings for Mor in walked Elain. The beautiful sister of my brother's mate. What's worse? She seemed interested in Azriel as well. 

Elain was easy to hate. Not just for her flirtations with Azriel but for the way she treated Lucien, her mate. Lucien had so much love for the Archeron, and she waved him off without another thought. I might be able to understand her reluctance to accept the bond if Lucien was a brute of a male, but he wasn’t. He was soft, kind and easy on the eyes.

I found him tossing rocks into the Sidra one day, no doubt pining over how Elain had barley even acknowledged the flowers he picked for her. That’s when I told him about Azriel and I’s bond. From that moment on we spent a great deal of time together, ranting about our unaccepted mating bonds. Even though we spent most of the time bitching, there was happiness. More than I had felt in a while. 

Then starfall came…and everything changed. 

“You look far too stunning not to be walking in with a date,” Lucien drawled to me from the outside of the townhouse. 

I had spent all day getting ready for the annual party tonight. My dress was chosen specifically to catch Azriel’s attention, not that I felt like I would succeed. 

“Well finding a date is harder than you think, especially at this hour,” I laugh as I walk through the gate he opened for me. 

“Then indulge me,” he said. I turned to find him offering me an arm. 

“You want to be my date?” I laugh light heartedly, admittedly smitten by the autumn court male. 

“It’s a little last minute but I would be honored to walk into that room with you on my arm,” he said fondly. 

I smiled and shook my head at the male before looping my  arm in his and allowing him to lead me up the steps to the front door. 

“You know, you clean up pretty well Lu,” I cock an eyebrow bumping into him. 

“Thanks, your brother sets a pretty high standard as far as attire for this thing. Who knew he was such a fashionista?” Lucien grins before walking in the door arm and arm with me. I don’t even bother stifling the laugh I let out. 

The room nearly fell silent at our entrance. Sure Lucien and I were close and everyone knew, but they had never seen us like this. Even Az and Elain stopped their oh so intriguing conversation to ogle. I swore I saw anger flit across Elain’s eyes, like she was dead set on owning both Az and Lucien. 

Lucien and I spent the evening as wallflowers, doing our best to stay away from all the happy couples. We had even gotten to the point where we grabbed a bottle of wine off the table and brought it over to our couch, both of us tired of constantly getting up and down for refills. 

It wasn’t until Az and Elain not so subtly got up and walked onto the balcony that we decided we had tortured ourselves enough. We promptly grabbed the bottle of wine and waltzed out of the townhouse not even bothering to say goodbye. I supposed it was that exact bottle that did us in. 

I placed my hand on my apartment door, swaying slightly from the alcohol rushing to my head. Lucein’s hand found my hip, steadying me. While I assured him I would be fine to walk home alone, he insisted he came with me. 

“Thanks,” I laughed unlocking the door. 

“You’re welcome,” he chuckles, wobbling himself. 

“I had a really good time with you tonight,” I say, placing a hand on his chest to steady myself.

“I had a good time too,” he smiled. 

It wasn’t until that moment that I realized how close we were. Lucien looked down at me, the moonlight illuminating his face perfectly. The sudden tension between us was broken when he crashed his lips on mine. 

One thing led to another and the next thing I knew I was lying bare beneath him as he fucked me like his life depended on it. I didn’t realize how badly I needed to get laid until he was buried inside me. Needless to say I understood why people said the Autumn Court males have fire in their blood. 

That was a year ago and since then Lucien and I had decided to continue seeing each other in secret, both of us needing a way to release built up tension so to say. He often stayed the night and we would spend long hours talking about everything from the books we were reading to politics. The sex was amazing, for both of us, but it was the intimacy that came after that I think we both craved the most. An intimacy I would be seeking out shortly given the current topic of conversation between Azriel and I. 

“Gods the other day she was weaning a light blue dress in the garden and I nearly fell to my knees before her,” Azriel ranted to me. 

He had been going on and on about whether or not he wanted to finally make a move on Elain or not. And as his best friend I had to hear about every word of it.

“I saw it, it was a very pretty dress,” I acknowledge, turning the page of the book I was reading. 

“I swear she blushed when I complimented it too, I think I’m making progress with her,” he went on to say. 

“Maybe you should just put yourself out of your misery and talk to her Az,” I suggested for probably the tenth time. 

“You know I can’t just barrel in there. She’s scared and I’m not going to freak her out even more. She will come to me when she’s ready. If she’s ready. Gods that’s assuming she even likes me,” he rambled. 

I roll my eyes and shut my book so loudly it pulls the shadow singers attention. I give him a pointed look that has him startling back just a bit. 

“I know that she likes you Az,” I deadpan. 

“How can you be sure though?” he asks, throwing his head back on the arm of the couch. 

“Because she would be an idiot not to,” I say with a hint of sadness. 

Azriel looked to be at a loss for words, and I realized my words were much bolder than I had wanted them to be. 

Clearing my throat I set my book down on the side table, knowing it will be waiting for me when I come back to my brother’s tomorrow. I stand and subtly adjust my dress.  

“I have to go, but seriously Az, just tell her,” I say walking over to press a kiss to his forehead. 

As I got to walk away I feel him grab my hand, placing a kiss to my open palm, “Thank you for listening y/n, really.” he says earnestly . 

“Don’t worry  about it Az, I’ll see you tomorrow,” I say with a fake smile before setting off towards my modest home. 

When Feyre moved into the townhouse I took it as my queue to move out, knowing my brother and his new mate would want privacy. Of course Rhysand offered me mansions and villas but I was content with a townhouse of my own in the middle of town. Big enough to have my own home library, and small enough to not feel so lonely. 

I make my way down the cobblestone streets, the faelights casting a warm glow on the ground before me. It was late, and many couples were turning in for the night. I could see some cuddled up on their sofa’s through their windows, others were having a nightcap together outside Rita’s. I saw a couple rocking their newborn baby to sleep on the second floor of their home, and for some reason, that was the one that hurt the most to me.

I sighed as I walked up a few steps to my townhouse door. I unlocked the door and was greeted to the smell of jasmine and vanilla and the sound of a cracking fire. I walk up my steps to find Lucien sitting shirtless on my large bed, his hair in a bun at the nape of his neck. The male was the image of relaxation. 

I had given him a key months ago. With the males many jobs, emissary to the night court, ally to Jurian and Vassa,  and liaison to Tamlin, he needed a place to truly call home. For the past 9 months that had been here, with me. I never once objected to his subtle moving in, it was nice to come home to someone waiting for me, sometimes even a homemade meal. For him it was nice to have a  place where he didn’t always have to put on a front. It was a win for both of us. 

“When did you get in?” I ask kicking off my shoes. 

“Just a couple hours ago. How was Azriel duty?” he asked, setting his book down as I began to strip off my cloak and dress leaving me only in my lingerie. It wasn’t uncommon for us to be so casual with one another. 

“Exhausting, did you know that Elain wore a pretty blue dress the other day?” I mocked tossing my clothes into a dirty clothes bin, I noticed his missing shirt was there too.

“Unfortunately yes I did,” he chuckled. “You know what always makes me feel better though?” he smirks. 

“I crawl up the bed towards him, “What?” I smile knowing what the answer will be. 

“You,” he smirks, grabbing my hips and pinning me to the mattress beneath him, his lips pressing to mine. 

“How funny I was about to say the same thing,” I laugh, feeling his lips tickle my neck as he makes his way further down my body. 

His mouth trails the inside of my thighs before sliding my panties down my legs, each brush of his fingers from my hips to my ankles feeling like heaven. The male had been gone for a week, and I was desperate for release. He licks a long stripe up my center, flicking his tongue over the bundle of nerves at the top. My back arches off the bed and his hands find my waist to pin me down. I feel his tongue begin to lap at my clit as his fingers slide into me, no doubt finding the pool of wetness waiting there. 

This is what me and Lu had always been good at, reading each other. When he had a stressful day  I always made sure to make him feel good, and when I came back to the house upset he never hesitated to get on his knees for me. There was this unsaid rule that we would always take care of eachother. 

Lucien’s tongue continues lapping my clit as his fingers curl to hit that spot inside of me that had me gasping for air. As I started to feel myself getting closer and closer he removed his mouth from me, drawing his fingers out slowly. One thing about hooking up for a year? You learn to read each other's bodies, and lord did the seventh son of Autumn know how to read mine. 

“Lu!” I cry out frustrated. 

“Shhh my darling,” he coos crawling up my body. “I simply want to cum with you tonight.” he smirked, seething himself inside of me. 

“Oh gods!” I cry feeling him fill me thoroughly. 

He pulls out and thrusts back in causing me to whimper once more. Mor was right about one thing, the autumn court males have fire in their blood and they fuck like it too. 

“I missed you, missed this,” Lucien groans, his face contorted in pleasure as he builds a steady pace. 

“I missed you too Lu,” I say through ragged breaths as he fucks into me like his life depends on it. Apparently the time apart made him needy as well. 

I could hardly speak as he thrust deeper into me, his hands on my waist holding me steady so tha he could hit me as deep as possible. When I felt myself start to clench around him he doubled over, burying his head in my neck as his hips continued to snap into me.

My hands found his back clinging to the flesh there for an anchor, my walls fluttering around him one last time before I fell apart.The sudden sensation had Lucien biting my neck as he came with a low groan. 

We spent a few moments catching our breaths, he pushed up on his arms and moved a stray hair from my face, assessing to see if he had hurt me, just like he always did.  When he found no traces of pain in my face he rolled over, taking me with him so that I was lying on his chest. 

This was always the part I think we both craved the most. The sex was great, amazing even. But I longed for a pair of arms to fall asleep in, and he longed for someone to hold. Meaningless pillowtalk just for fun.

“I mean it, I did miss you,” I sigh circling my arms around his waist. 

“I missed you too, I hate sleeping in the spring court, it’s so cold and dark there now.” Lucien said, staring at the ceiling. 

“How is Tamlin?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

“Terrible,” he muttered. “I had to talk him into letting me stay.”  He continues playing with the ends of my hair. 

“You’re a good friend for checking in on him though,” I say matter of factly. 

“I still wish I could do more,” he sighs, pulling the covers up on the two of us.

“I understand,” I mutter keeping my head on his chest, staring at the fire that roars next to us. 

A long beat of comfortable silence passes, normally I would fall asleep like this. I would sometimes wake to him being gone, sometimes he would wake to me being gone. Only on weekends would both be able to wake up and go to breakfast together. This was one of those weekends, but instead of falling asleep, Lucien spoke up. 

“Can I ask you something?” he asked, not taking his gaze from the ceiling. 

“Sure,” I reply, waiting for a nonchalant inquiry. It wasn’t the first time he and I had played 20 questions to get to know each other more, though I thought that after a year of it we knew just about everything there was to know about the other. 

“Would you agree that Azriel and Elain are never going to give us a chance?” he asked. 

My heart twinges hearing his name, “Well Az doesn’t know, but even if he did I don’t think he would care. I’m not damsel in distress enough for him.” I snort recalling the unconscious type he has.

“I feel the same about Elain, and there’s something I’ve been thinking about, especially this past week,” he continues still facing the ceiling. 

I prop my head up on his chest wanting to read his face and his eyes flit to me, “Cryptic Vanserra, but go on,” I laugh trying to break the tension. 

“I’ve always been fond of you y/n ever since you visited the spring court all those years ago. Now that I’ve gotten to know you, that admiration has only grown, not to mention you’re a very beautiful female y/n,” he laughs at his own words, a tint of pink dusting his cheek and I can’t help but blush as well. “From the amount of time we’ve been spending together it seems you like me enough, and well…I don’t want to be alone anymore,” he says seemingly avoiding his main point. 

I sit up more, intrigued by his words, “What do you mean Lu?” I inquire. 

“I was wondering if you would like to be Mrs. Lucien Vanserra?” he finally says and my heart nearly stops at the shocking words. “I know I’m not Azriel, but consider me an alternative. I think we could make eachother genuinely happy, maybe help each other enjoy whatever we have left of this miserable life?” he asks, his voice laced with uncertainty. 

I let his words sink in as I stare at the bit of wall behind him. As I consider all that he’s said I realize that he’s right, we do get along. I had spent years trying to find a male to fill the hole Azriel put in my  life, but it always felt wrong. It was as if I was taking someone else’s mate, even when the males didn’t have mates.  It didn’t feel wrong being with Lucien because I knew that his mate also didn’t want anything to do with him. 

I was tired of not always having someone to come home to. Not having someone to go to events with. Not having someone to spend holidays with. Not having someone to call my own. I was tired of being alone, especially since I had been alone for about 400 years, but no longer. 

I smile down at Lucien’s nervous face, “I would be honored to be your wife,” I say. 

“You would?” he beams. 

“I would,” I repeated back to him. “You’re right, we do get along, and I’m tired of being alone too.” 

He presses his lips to mine, both of us smiling into the kiss. We would never fill the sadness of a rejected mating bond, but we would be there for one another. I lay my  head down on his chest again, feeling the sleep come into my eyes. 

“How should we do it?” he asked, tracing shapes on my bare back.

“Hmm,” I thought for a moment. A big wedding seemed odd considering we weren’t mates or anything close to it. Eloping seemed more proper. “I think we should keep it small.”

“Do we tell them?” He ponders the most awkward question.

“We can tell them, but we don’t need to invite them. It can be a modified elopement, they will all know but we can just invite my brother and Feyre, that way we both have family there.” I answer snuggling into his warmth more. 

“By the Cauldron I have to tell your brother I’ve been sleeping with you for over a year,” Lucien said anxiously, running a hand down his face. 

I can’t help but laugh at his stress, “He might be a little mad, but I’m sure Feyre will be so excited about it that he won’t care.” I giggle. 

I feel his body relax under my cheek, no doubt realizing that whatever the High Lady says will be law. He slides a red and gold ring off his pinky finger and slips it onto my left hand. 

“Here, it’s a family ring,” he explains looking at the gaudy ring on  my hand. While it fits on my finger well the jewel on it takes up my whole hand and looks unnatural. “I know I’m not part of the Autumn Court anymore but it’s all I have.” he continues.

“It’s perfect,” I laugh, inspecting the ill-fitting thing, “it’s an outcast just like us.”

Lucien's soft chuckle escapes him as he plants a gentle kiss atop my head. Tomorrow promises its usual dose of chaos, but that's a concern for another day. Tonight, here in bed with my fiancé, though this isn't the life I envisioned, I find myself flooded with a happiness I haven't felt in ages.

Part 2,

Part 3 (Lucien's Version)

Part 3 ( Azriel's Version)

Permanent Taglist: @fides25, @dissociated-always @crystalferret202

[satxnsupreme666]

Angel of life, lover of Death: Rio Vidal x fem!reader

Masterlist

Requested by: @midnight-lestrange

Summary: For many witches and many people you were an angel, a life saver, a light in the middle of darkness, even a goddess you had been called, helping and saving so many witches and humans, always stopping them from facing death, you were known as the “Angel of life” everyone knew that if someone was fighting for their life, you would be the only one capable of helping them not to cross that line between life and death, bur for someone specifically, you had only been an obstacle, always interfering, stopping her from completing her job.

“Death” or Rio Vidal, as she had told you to call her, had presented herself one day in front of you, annoyed that you did not let her do her job and collect the bodies she so much wanted, she started to visit you more frequently, until the two of you fell in love, one day after you were brutally attacked and about to die, you woke up alone and wounded, you only knew, you were supposed to die, but you didn’t, waiting for Rio to come back, she never did, you waited for her for years, and she never came back, leaving you heartbroken and angry.

After many centuries, you see her again at the witches’ road, would she be able to explain what happened or are you going to keep her pushing away because of your anger and pain?

Warnings: Mentions of blood, injuries, reader getting hurt, mentions of a near death experience

Word count:  11k+

Author’s notes: In this story reader saves Sharon/ Mrs.Heart.

 Hello, so this is again a requested story, it was requested a few days ago, sorry @midnight-lestrange that it took me 6 days to write it, I already had the idea of how the story would develop but I had some days in which I could not even get up from bed, however, I was able to finish writing this, and I hope this is what you were waiting for, it has always been a joy writing your amazing ideas, thank you so much for sharing your incredible ideas with me and letting me write them!

I hope this is what you were waiting for @midnight-lestrange ♥️

I hope you like it! ♥️

If you enjoy, could you comment, like or reblog? it would help a lot really ♥️

Taglist: @midnight-lestrange  @eliscannotdance

“Help! You have to help her, please!” Yelled desperately a woman in front you, someone had knocked several times at your door in the middle of the night and even if you were sleeping, you always attended to a call for help.

Behind the crying woman with blood on her hands and part of her gown was soaked with the thick substance, the were to other women carrying a young woman who appeared to be in her early twenties, her chest was covered in so much blood and a visible wound, that happened to look like a bullet wound was right there, at the level of her heart.

“She’s dying!” You did not want to lose any more time so you let them enter and guided them to place the wounded woman on a special bed on the other room, you quickly examined the girl and the wound and using your magic you could see what the bullet had pierced and how many damage had caused to her.

You started to cut part of the upper level gown on her to get more access to the wound, quickly analyzing what to do next, you put your two hands over the wound, applying pressure to it, after a couple of minutes the blood stopped coming out, you took your hands off her chest and placed the bullet you had retrieved on the metal plate next to you on the table with different bottles, the witches that had placed themselves a little farther from you on the wall to give you space were surprised, they had tried it, chanting conjures in Latin to stop the blood from coming out, but it had not worked out, they have heard of you, that you had saved countless witches from their death, but they had not believed it was true, until now, their only option left was you and after seeing what you had done, they could not be more surprised an grateful.

You noticed the unconscious woman starting to move a little, and you sighed, she was going to leave, she just needed time to rest.

“You actually saved her” The blonde witch said to you perplexed and you chuckled a little.

“What happened to her?” You asked the two of them, looking up from the unconscious woman.

“A witch-hunter attacked us, we did not know he had a shotgun with him” She said with a trembling voice, you nodded and sighed again.

“Is he dead at least?” The two of them nodded, proud of what they had done, and you smiled at them.

“Good, your friend is going to be fine, she only needs to rest for a couple of days, but she will be perfectly fine, just, keep safe next time, alright?” You gave them one reassuring smile.

“How can we pay you for this? You saved her! You actually did it, how can we thank you?” The shorter witch with black hair asked you this time.

“I don’t need material things; I will just ask two things from you” You replied looking at the two of them with a serious face and they nodded hastily.

“First, you are going to promise, that you will be more careful when roaming around the forest, alright” They nodded again quickly.

“The second thing is, you are going to let more witches know about me, that way if someone is fighting for their life, they can come to me and I will gladly help, alright? We as witches have to keep each other safe”

“We will do, don’t doubt about that” One of the witches replied back at you with a serious face.

“Thank you, then, you can take your friend back with you, or if you want to let her rest here, you can do it, whatever you prefer will be alright” You commented while taking the bullet from the metal plate and placing it in the trash bin.

“We have to take her with her family, they are going to wonder why we still have to arrive” The blonde woman said to you and you nodded, you walked back to sit yourself in a chair next to the wall and they came closer to her friend, you saw the way they both grabbed the unconscious girl on their arms and turned back at you again to say something else.

“Thank you really, you are really an angel as they say” You only gave them one final smile and you saw a blue cloud smoke surrounding them, after some seconds they had disappeared leaving you alone in your house.

Yawning you decided it was time to go back to sleep, tomorrow you would have to go back to the coven, to gather some more books, you went back to bed, without realizing that a black spot on the window of your house had been there since the two girls had knocked on your door.

You were rather known amongst witches, even famous some people had said, always saving witches on the verge of death, always doing the impossible.

For you it was normal to attend the calls of the witches who had been attacked, were sick or had had different accidents, you knew very well that people could show up at any hour at your home, so of course you were ready all the time.

During the Salem trials you had had a lot of work, groups of witches arriving at different hours of the day calling for your help because one member of their coven had been captured.

Helping thousands of witches had been a common thing through all your life, every witch and many witches were grateful that you had saved them, but you were not aware that you were making the job of some else a lot harder.

A loud bang on your window made you look up from your book, and you went to open the curtain to see which had knocked so harsh on the glass.

You saw no one and burrowed your brows, had they moved to the door? But no one had knocked again, at least not on the door.

With a confused expression on your face you walked towards your door and opened it, but as no one had been there it only made you blink several times, had you not been sleeping properly?

When you were about to close the door, you heard your name being called from afar, and saw two women carrying another witch with blood all over her shirt.

When they arrived at your door you noticed the open wound on her neck.

“Help her please” You heard one of the women pleading you, with eyes full of tears, you gave her a reassuring smile and asked them to follow you.

They placed the girl on the bed and examined quickly the wound, and after many times of seeing and helping witches, you noticed the way the wound had some traces of glass around the edges.

“Where did the piece of glass went to?” You asked them while inspecting the woman a little bit more, you were sure they had been the ones that removed the piece of glass off her neck, but you wanted them to let you know.

“We removed it” The green-eyed witch replied and you sighed.

“When something pierces the skin, you do not have to take it away, because whatever is stuck in there, most of the times is preventing the bleeding” You said to them with a soft tone on your voice, they started to cry more, but it was understandable.

After just some minutes working, the girl on the bed had stopped bleeding and there were no traces of injuries, her breath had stabilized and slowly she opened her eyes, the three of them hugged tightly and you started to clean your hands.

“Remember next time something like this happens, do not remove anything, alright?” You turned to them and smiled slightly at them, before you could say something else, you felt a pair of arms hugging you and you chuckled, you were used to some people hugging you after saving them, it was something usual.

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“You have to stop saving every witch that arrives severely wounded” the sudden voice made you jump; you had thought you were already alone?

Quickly you turned yourself around to look at where the voice had come from.

In front of you was sitting a woman, whose eyes were brown and big, with a stare that made you shiver, you had never seen her, such a beautiful face and elegant presence you would have easily remembered her.

You tried to say something, opening your mouth several times, but nothing came out of your mouth.

The woman who was dressed completely in black chuckled and stood up from your bed, she then proceeded to place herself in the chair where you had left your book, she took it and started to read nonchalantly the first pages.

“You really are something” Said the woman after some minutes of silence.

“Who are you?” You asked her while eyeing the brown-eyed woman.

“You can call me Rio, Rio Vidal” She stood up leaving your book on the chair, she then brought her hand to her hair and took something from there, then she placed that exact same hand in front of you and when she opened her fist, you were greeted with a small black flower on the palm of her hand.

“For you, my lady” She said to you with a smirk on her face.

You could feel your face starting to get warm and carefully you took the tiny flower in your hand, it had been such a nice gesture that you had not totally thought about the fact that a completely strange woman whom you had never seen was inside your house seeming to be so comfortable to had entered without permission.

“I should not be giving you flowers since you only keep stealing my job away, you are stealing my clients sweetheart, but, I’ve been dying to give you that for a while” The woman in front of you said and she started to walk around the room, examining what was on the walls and touching the small plants laying on some windows.

“The one I gave you is not going to die, so make sure you take care of it, alright?” She turned her head for a minute to look at you caressing the small petals of the tiny flower and she smiled.

“Thank you… Rio, I will make sure nothing happens to her, but can you tell me why am I stealing your clients?” You said in a soft-spoken tone, you did not know there was another healing witch, at least you had not heard of someone with the same powers as you.

Rio then came closer to you, so dangerously close that you could smell her scent, it was a sweet scent, a perfume you had never smelled, such a sweet scent that made you inhale deeply.

“You are the angel of life” She told you, still you were not understanding, you saw the way she took one strand of loose hair of your hair and brushed it to the side, her action only made you feel nervous.

“People call me the angel of death, angel of the night amongst other things” She said to you while looking straight into your eyes, analyzing you carefully, her intense stare making you feel nervous, and even after you had an idea of who she was, you did not dare to say something.

“I have also heard people referring to you as Angel of the morning” You slowly nodded, you were aware of the difference names witches call you, and some other women that were not witches, but you never actually mind paying attention to all these names, you just kept doing your job.

“I need you, to stop saving so many witches, leave some of them to me so that I can come for them, alright?” She said with a big smile, waiting for you to agree and make her job a little easier, she then came closer to you taking the little flower on your hands and witch a flick of her hands she converted it into a pin hair.

“It will look better this way, trust me” You saw her placing her hands on your hair and a soft click was heard, Rio then separated herself from you a little to have a better view of the way you were looking.

She knew she had come to make a deal with you, hoping that you would agree to get her some bodies and souls to collect, but she did not actually mind if you did not agree at all.

“There, aren’t you a pretty thing” She said to you smiling, her seducing smile made you feel weak to your knees.

“Out of all the things that I have seen and encountered, certainly I never expected for death to come unannounced at my home to try and seduce me” An even bigger smirk formed on her face and without saying anything else she went to take a seat on the same comfortable chair, taking the book and opening it on the page she had left.

“You are going to have a lot of work today” She said nonchalantly while turning the page with the thumb and crossing her legs loosely, making herself more comfortable, you were sure she was not going to leave anytime soon.

You chuckled and shook your head, but before you could go back to sit comfortably, another loud knock on your door made you prepare yourself, ready to continue your job, giving one last glance at Rio you noticed she was really entertained reading the book on her hands, so you went to answer the door.

In front of you was a woman, a human one and you found yourself surprised, how did a woman, a non-witch had found her way to your home?

She did not seem to have any physical wounds but her skin was painfully pale, there were visible green and purple veins around her neck, the way she was gasping for air and how her hand clung desperately to her chest, these were signs of a poisoning, and it was clear the poor woman was not about to say something, it would physically impossible for her.

You went to help her stay still, and helped her to lay down on the bed, she was looking at you with such a desperate stare, how had this woman the physical strength to arrive at your home in such a bad state? The human villages were located really far away.

“You don´t have to actually save her you know? She is not even a witch” Rio commented without even looking up from the book.

You were not about to agree with her, even if she was not a witch, she needed help, and you were not about to deny the help to someone who had arrived at your house looking to be helped.

After several minutes, you had been able to stabilize her, and her breathing was normal, she started to clear her throat and you handed her a glass of a beverage you had done in merely seconds, she gladly took it and drank the whole glass.

You eyed the woman curiously; you still had no idea how she had found you.

“I came here to make a deal with you sweetheart, why would you not let me do my job?” Rio said to you while leaning a little on the chair, what confused you was that the woman seemed not to have heard her.

“Thank you so much, you have no idea, I thought I was about to die” The woman on the bed commented and took your hand in hers.

“She really was going to die; you should have let her die” Rio said again nodding and you tilted your head to look back at Rio.

“I don´t know how to pay you back, I thought you were a myth, we never thought someone as powerful as you really existed!”

“Oooh, a legend” Rio behind the two of you started to move her hands, you were sure the woman in front of you could not see her, and even if you had wanted to laugh and rolled your eyes, the crying human was still looking at you with a hopeful expression.

After the woman had calmed down and told you how she would tell the other about you, that many women on her village had heard about you, the things that were said about you, that many did not believe you were a witch but an angel, you just listened to her while Rio commented something from time to time from her seat.

After she finally left, and you advised her to be careful you closed the door behind you.

“Looks like you have some fans out there” She was grinning and you went to stand in front of her.

“How did you find me?”  You suddenly asked her, you were full of curiosity.

Rio straightened herself and seemed to be deep in thought but quickly she went back to her original position, her back resting on the chair and with one hand on the book.

“I kept coming here because there was this feeling, a call if you will, something kept bringing me here, the feeling that someone was about to die brought me here the first time, I saw when you helped the first girl that had been attacked, remember? The one with the knife on her stomach?”

She asked you remembering everything so vividly, you nodded, of course you remembered that girl she was one of your sisters of your coven, they always liked to taunt the men around the village that liked to get drunk.

“Well, I came because I knew, or at least I was sure her time had come, I had even prepared a long speech to take her with me, but…” She stood up from the chair and tossed the book aside, it landed on the table with a thud and before you had the chance to scold her about tossing the book, she came up to stand in front of you, her fingers grabbing your chin in a firm but soft grip.

“You saved her” She finished her sentence, and she lifted your chin to look for a second your lips, she licked her own and you felt yourself getting warmer.

You tried to remove your face from her grasp but she did not let you go, her long fingernails painted in black scratched softly your skin.

“Every time I have been here, waiting on that exact same chair, waiting for one of them to die, you always manage to save them, how do you do it?” She asked you, curious written all over her face and that was when she finally removed her hand off your chin, she took a step back looking expectantly at you, waiting for an answer.

“I don´t know, I just do what it feels correct” You simply replied and it was true, you also did not know how you were able to save them.

“Would you mind if I stay for a little while?” She asked you again with that beautiful smile and her perfect brown eyes, you nodded and she started to walk towards your room.

“Out of every room in this house, your room is the only one I had not seen, at least properly, would you give me a tour?” She asked standing on the door that lead to your room, she had that smirk that characterized her and you laughed, you were excited, not everyday Death herself would arrive at your house to flirt with you.

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You really loved the way Rio´s hands felt against your skin, the way she caressed your skin in such a delicate way made you feel so loved, even after some months of her being constantly near you, you were still afraid of saying how you truly felt.

Months of her being near you whenever someone came to ask you for help, to save them and stopping them from dying, Rio being there with you all the time, not minding at all, and always waiting for you to finish.

“It has been so long since you asked me to let someone die” You said to her one day when you two were laying on the grass, she was caressing your cheek softly, her being on the side of her body and you laying completely on your back looking at the sky, she was as usual dressed in black.

“I figured you were not going to do what I said” She replied with a smile on her face, and you looked at her with a shy smile.

“And I did not want to make you feel uncomfortable” She mentioned and you frowned your brows, Rio saw the way your brows contorted and put her elbow on the grass with her chin on her hand.

“My job is only to take those who are dead, not to be the cause of their own death, those are the rules, never to interfere in the process, only to take them when their last beat of their heart is given, only when their time finally comes” Her free hand came to your hair to brush a loose strand and placing it behind your ear, an idea crossed your mind.

“Are you going to be the one then to take me away when my time comes?” Your question made her tense, you saw how her shoulders visibly tensed at your question, and she quickly sat up, pressing her legs to her chest.

You did not understand why her sudden change, and sat as well, getting closer to her, and you took one of her hands in yours.

“What´s wrong?” You inquired, wanting to know what was going on, she gave a slight squeeze to your hand and looked at the sky, for a brief moment she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before turning her body to the side to be sitting in front of you, she took your two hands in hers and looked straight into your eyes, her brown eyes, full of concern, yet you did not know why she was so worried.

“I love you” Your heart skipped a beat, you had been waiting for her to say those words to you, that you could not contain the happiness growing in your chest, a big smile forming on your face,  due to the happiness you were feeling, you had not noticed the way Rio´s eyes filled with tears.

“I love y-“ Rio was quick to put a finger on your lips, preventing you from finishing your sentence.

“Don´t say it please” She said begging you, and you did not understand why she was saying those things to you.

“Please let me” You were begging her and she shook her head, she had fallen for you, so hard, she was scared, she was scared because loving you meant she would have to see you when your time came, and she would not be strong enough to actually face it, she could not see you die, she did not want to.

“Please let me” You begged her again, she the guided your bodies so that the two of you were laying again on the grass, she was again looking at you, looking at your lips and she leant in to get closer to your face, she looked back to your eyes and finally she nodded.

“I love you” You finally said to her, and she could not help herself, she pressed her lips onto yours, to capture your lips, it was a soft kiss, and the first of all of the many kisses you were going to share, when you needed to take some air you separated your face a little from hers and noticed she had her eyes closed.

“Loving me will only ruin your life” She commented with a sad tone, you did not believe that, and you did not understand why she was saying that, so you pressed your right hand on her cheek.

“Then, let me ruin my own life, I don´t mind, I love you, deeply, please let me love you” Even though she had so many thoughts on her head, she felt so contradicted, she could not deny her feelings, she could not help but be with you, even if you were the complete opposite from her, she did not want to let you go, so she gave in the feeling, pulling you closer to her, to taste your lips one more time.

The memory was fresh in your mind even if it had been so many centuries ago.

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“Where are we going Agatha?” The teen asked the older witch who had suddenly said they needed to make another stop right in the middle of the street, he had to hit the breaks so suddenly he feared his car would need some repairing later. 

“To visit an old friend” Had he heard correctly? An old friend? Did Agatha have actual friends? Or was she being her usual sarcastic self? At this point he was not even sure.

The witch opened the door and got out before closing properly the door, the teen went after her walking closer to her.

“Sorry Agatha, but with an old friend you actually mean, a friend friend?” He asked warily eying her slowly, she turned her head to look at him and squinted her eyes, deciding on not to say something back, she decided to keep walking until they reached a pretty house of two floors.

When the door opened you could not believe who was in front of you.

“Agatha?” The older witch smiled and could not help but get happy when she saw you, she had not seen you in years, you quickly opened the door fully and hugged the older witch, her strong grip around your body made you remember all the times centuries ago she had held you when you were completely alone and felt hopeless, she had been the one to help you come out of that dark place you had fallen, always making sure you had eaten and had drunk enough water, you knew she was known as the witchkiller, but she had been so kind towards you, stepping to help you when you had no one, when you had wanted to die, she could really be an amazing mother.

“Sweatheart, how are you?” Agatha asked you with a soft voice, caressing your shoulders and looking at you with so much softness, the teen could not believe what he was seeing, was Agatha really showing affect for someone else?

Agatha had been the one who found you wounded, she had felt sorry for you, she helped you to heal and showed you how to cast different protection spells, she had been your mentor, she was older than you and had taught you many things, she was aware of who were you, and only having dedicated yourself to heal others you had forgotten that your magic was so much powerful and could help you to do many more things apart from healing and saving lives.

After some time of being with her you finally opened up about what had happened, that you should have died and how the Death had made you fall in love with her only to leave you.

“I am fine, it is so good to see you again! I cannot believe you are actually here” You commented while looking at her with a big smile on your face.

The teen could actually not believe what he was seeing, how did you and Agatha had become friends? Were you the only that did not hold grudges against her? Even with so many questions on his mind, he was sure of something, you must be someone so special to have Agatha treating you this way.

She stopped for one moment to place her hands on your face, softly caressing it, you lent into her soft touch.

“It is really good to see you again” She felt guilty, and it was a feeling she was not used to, but when it came to you she left herself feel, after all, she had been your mentor for years and you had become someone really important to her, she felt  protective when it came to you, but after every single thing she had done, she had to leave or otherwise, the people looking for her would have gotten to you.

She still remembered that day when she had to leave, she had cried, she had sobbed so hard but the two of you knew you had to part ways, and even after all these years, she couldn’t help feeling sad about had things had turned out.

“I missed you so much y/n” She said in a whisper and you saw the way her eyes got glossy, you felt you own eyes fill with tears and you pressed yourself against her one more time.

How much you had missed the woman who had been the closest to a “mother”.

The teen behind you closed the door as quietly as possible but still it made you look at him, separating yourself from Agatha, you looked at him with curiosity and Agatha placed her left hand on her pocket while her right hand moved to your back.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude” The boy in front of you commented while rising his hands on the air, he was shocked Agatha was capable of actually treating someone with so much softness and respect, and someone who reciprocated the feelings, it was obvious Agatha meant a lot to you as well as how much you meant to the older witch.

“It´s ok” You chuckled and he seemed to relax, you had so many questions and Agatha sensed your mood, they still had some hours left before they had to get back to her house to leave for the road.

“What do you say, do you have an hour so we can catch up?” She asked you and you nodded.

“Let me go to make some tea, alright?” She did not want to let you go, but she knew she had to, so she took her hand off your back, nodding slightly, you couldn’t contain the immense happiness you were feeling so you threw yourself to hug her one more time before finally going inside your house to the kitchen to start preparing some tea.

Agatha and the teen looked where you had gone through the hallway and Agatha wiped some tears off her face, the teen was completely touched, she was a whole different person, a completely different person that did no seem to be the “witchkiller”.

Agatha noticed the way the teen was looking at her and quickly composed herself.

“Not a word about this, you hear me?” She then proceeded to straighten her hat and started to walk to the same direction you had disappear, he only nodded and tried to hide his laugh, after all it was not common to see Agatha acting all caring all the time.

The two of them followed to your kitchen and Agatha proceeded to sit on one of the chairs of the kitchen countertop and when you turned yourself around to look at the two of them you saw the way the boy was moving nervously.

“Hey, you can come sit here as well, don´t be afraid” You said with a smile to him and he smiled back, he was not afraid of you anyways, he came next to Agatha and you motioned for him to sit, he took the chair and sat there, you chuckled at the teen and Agatha only rolled her eyes.

“Do you want tea or coffee?” You asked the boy while pouring the tea for Agatha, you had prepared the tea for her just they way she had liked you centuries ago.

“I uh, tea would be fine” He said and straightened himself feeling a little bit proud for actually being noticed.

After you placed the cups for them on the counter, you also sat in front of them, you were feeling happy.

“So, are you going to tell me, what brought you here Agatha?” You gave her a big smile and she cleared her throat after taking a sip of her tea, she sighed and put the cup back on the plate.

“I came here because I felt you, I do not know why, but three years ago I did not feel you here, I sensed your presence, I wanted to come see you before-“ She took a deep breath.

“Before walking the witches´ road” You gasped and quickly took her free hand in yours.

“What, why?” You asked worriedly and you saw the way her eyes went to look the cup of tea.

“Someone stole my powers; I need them back and the Salem seven are after me” The teen could not be more surprised; Agatha was showing something more than just pride!

“Oh Agatha” You squeezed softly her hand.

“You came to say goodbye, right?” She nodded slightly.

“Take me with you” She hastily looked up to see you with pleading eyes,

“No” She straightened herself in her seat, you knew she was about to scold you like she had done several times in the past.

“Please, you know me, you showed me how to protect myself, you trained me really well, please nothing will happen to me, let me walk the witches´ road with you, do not push me away again, please?” Agatha felt conflicted, you were an amazing, incredibly intelligent and strong witch, but the road was harsh, cruel, she knew if someone would walk down the witches´ road and would come unscratched, that would be you, but she did not want anything to happen to you.

“Please, I promise to be careful” Agatha then sighed, and nodded, she would try to take care of you at least, it had been so long since she had seen you, and she really could not say no to you. “Fine, but you will be careful, I do not care that you are old enough, you will be under my protection, alright?” You nodded happily, the teen could not hold it anymore, so he asked.

“I am sorry, but who are you?” He could not believe it, someone had mentor you? And that someone being Agatha Harkness? You laughed at his confused tone.

“I am y/n” And his eyes went even more wide.

“Wait, are you the one that every witch called-“  You interrupted him before he could finish his sentence

“The angel of the morning?” You asked with a grin on your face, slightly rising your right eyebrow.

“It has been so long since someone called me that” Agatha laughed at the expression on the teen´s face.

“That is right teen, you are in front of a legend” She commented after taking another sip of her tea, the teen was so excited and he could not wait to ask you several questions, it would be a long journey, you thought.

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“She is not breathing! Can´t you do something?” The teen asked you with tears on his eyes, you were not sure if the road would allow you to, but you had to try, his pleading eyes broke your heart, and your heart also was breaking, you could not let this sweet old lady die because of something that had gone wrong, you knew what the song said “If one be gone, we carry on” but you had to at least try.

You nodded and pressed your fingers on Sharon´s neck, trying to look for a pulse, it was faint, but you sighed when you found one.

“Hep me taking her there” You quickly asked them and pointed at one neat place on the side of the road.

You only wished your powers worked down there on the road, you placed your hands on her neck and a white light started to emanate from your palms, Alice, Lilia and Jenn had worried looks on their faces, they were not sure what you were doing, they were not even sure if you could actually save her, they did not even know what was going with her, they had made sure she had taken the potion so they were completely confused.

After some minutes, the woman laying on the ground started to groan and her breathing came back, you sighed, deeply, and finally you felt yourself relaxing.

“Can we send her back somehow?” You turned yourself to look at Agatha and she nodded slightly, of course she knew, after all, you were sure Sharon was not a witch, so the rules of the road did not apply to her, at least not fully, Agatha went back to where the door had been minutes ago and you looked back at Sharon, her breathing was normal.

Everyone was shocked, how had you done that? Alice, Jenn and Lilia were sharing confused looks, had you just brought someone from death? Or had you only stopped her from actually dying?

“Who are you?” Jenn asked you looking between the woman on the ground and you, the teen placed his hands on your shoulders and looked at the other witches in front of you.

“She is-“

“The angel of the morning” Lilia interrupted the teen, and he pouted, he had wanted to say it, but Lilia did it before him.

“Wait, I thought you were a myth!” Alice came to stand closer to you.

“My mother even wrote a song about you” Alice said to you, you were aware of the song, you had listened to it several times.

“You saved my mother once, you saved her from dying!” Alice commented looking at you, you remembered that day, the day you had saved Lorna Wu from actually dying.

“Yeah, that song is amazing, is one of my favorites” The teen commented moving slightly to the sides, he could not contain the excitement he was feeling.

“So you truly are real” Lilia came to kneel in front of you and Jenn did the same, they all had heard stories about a witch who had been named “The angel of the morning” by humans, and the nickname actually just stuck, from many more witches calling you that, until one day, you simply vanished, no one heard from you again, you had disappeared, leaving your legacy become just a myth, a legend amongst witches and people, no one knew what had happened to you, vanishing with the wind, witches said you had tricked so many times death that finally you had been taken by it, if only they knew what truly had happened.

“You were the only one capable of tricking death” Lilia repeated, and your hand trembled a little, remembering the person whom you had fallen in love with, Lilia sensed your state and took your hand in hers.

“Alright put her in there, we can send her back to her small little house, she will be fine” Agatha said moving her hand in the air.

“We will be needing another green witch” Agatha said out loud.

“A real one this time” Jenn suggested looking directly at Agatha.

“Mi, mi, mi” Agatha responded her in a way of mimicking her voice.

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“For you, my lady” You could not believe what you were seeing, or more specifically, who you were seeing, in front of you was your former lover, offering you another small flower, she was moving the tiny flower on her hand, waiting for you to take it, unconsciously you took carefully the flower off her hand, and when your fingers brushed the skin of hers, it made you shiver, but at he same time, the pain you had thought had been completely forgotten, came overflooding you, the tears quickly forming in your eyes, and you decided to leave, you did not want to be there, you were not strong for that, so you started to walk to the other side of the road, holding the small flowers on your hands.

Agatha looked at Rio and then at you, she pressed her lips together and shook her head.

“Thank you, Vidal, you could not have done a better appearance, you better stay away from her, you hear me?” Agatha pointed at the brown-eyed woman covered in dirt, pointing at her threateningly, but Rio was not going to listen to her, instead, her eyes followed were you had going, and Agatha then flipped her coat and started to walk towards you, she was worried of how you would react or how you were feeling.

You did not dare to look back, too many emotions, too many thoughts roaming inside your head, you had not even notice when Agatha came to your side, taking your arm on her hand, making you jump, you quickly turned yourself around to look at her and your heart felt relieved when you saw it was her in front of you.

Before she could ask you how were you feeling, you threw yourself at her, hugging her tightly and pressing your face against her chest, she shushed you softly and started to make circles on your back with her hand, soothing you, she could feel your distressed, your pain, and she did not know how to help you to ease it.

“Why is she here?” You sobbed hard against her, and she for once in her long life did not have the answers.

“Why is she doing this to me? She left me, she left me there alone, you found me on the ground, dirt all over me, I was bleeding, I was alone, and she was nowhere to be seen, I waited for her for years, and she never came back” Your words were breaking her hear, she knew everything that you had been through, the state she had found you in, the wound in your chest and neck, how long it took you to heal your pounding wounds, neither you nor her knew why the magic was not working, why the potions did not work, why you had to wait months for the injuries to heal by itself naturally, she knew since the first months of your healing journey, that you were longing for someone, that you were always waiting for someone to appear on your door, but after months of waiting, you realized that whoever you were waiting for was not going to arrive.

The day you had completely broken down, you had told her everything, sobbing hard on her arms, since that day, she became protective of you, and decided to take you under her wing.

Seeing you again in this state as she had seen you centuries ago, made her get even angrier at the “green witch” that had made her own way to the road.

“I am not going to let her hurt you again, alright?” She whispered in your ear and you nodded softly against her neck.

After some minutes have passed you finally calmed down and you separated yourself from the older witch, she wiped your tears off your face and rubbed your shoulders lovingly.

“Everything is going to alright, ok?” She said to you in a reassuring way, and you nodded, you trusted in her.

The sound of steps getting closer, made you straighten yourself a little bit and Agatha game you one more smile before walking behind you to talk to the other witches.

“Alright, nothing to see here ladies, we have to keep walking down the road to the next trial, alright?” She moved her hands to show them they had to keep walking, Alice and the teen went quickly to place themselves to your sides and Jenn and Lilia started to walk slowly behind you, leaving Agatha and Rio at the end.

“Are you alright?” You heard Alice asking next to you, and you gave her a sad smile, the teen placed his hand softly on your shoulder and you nodded.

“I will be alright, thank you” You replied back to the shorter witch, Alice shared a worried look with the teen.

“Listen, I do not know how you made it into the road, but you better stay away from her”  Agatha whispered to Rio, just loud enough for her to hear, the way her voice sounded did not match her smiling face, she had a threatening tone on her voice.

“She called me; I just came” Rio replied with an angry tone on her voice, and Agatha could not help but laugh.

“Now? After all these years? What about the other times she called you and you never showed up?” Agatha hissed back, the two of them walking behind the group, if they saw them from afar, it looked as if they were talking friendly.

“You do not know what happened, you have no idea what I had to do, it hurt me more to leave her than you know” For once, Agatha was not sure if the woman next to her was saying the truth, but she could not risk you getting hurt again.

“If you make her cry one more time, I swear Vidal, I do not care if I have to fight Death itself to protect her, you hear me?” Rio laughed, if only Agatha and you knew what she had done to protect you.

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“A long time ago, I loved someone and to be honest, I never stopped loving her, I had to disappear from her life, I was forced to, forced to never get close to her, forced to stop seeing the love of my existence, not having the chance to have a final word with her, I did something I was not allowed to, leaving me scarred for eternity” She said out loud turning her head slowly to look at you, you could see the tears that were threatening to fall down her face, and you could not take it, you could not take the sight, her words, what she was saying, you did not want to accept it, so you did what you knew very well to do, you stood up, and walked far away from them, tears were falling from your eyes.

You were covering your mouth with your hands, trying really hard not to cry out loud, trying hard not to make a scene and show everyone how hurt you were.

You felt a pair a hands caressing your back slowly, and then you felt the way these hands on your back made their way to your lower back, suddenly surrounding your waist with a strong grip, you knew very well the owner of the pair of these strong arms, she held you tightly on your place making you cry harder, and without any more strength in you, you left yourself sob in her embrace.

You let yourself leant into the touch of the woman you had craved so much for so many years, you let the woman who had left you centuries ago heartbroken hold you into her arms, her soft touch against your waist made you remember all the times she had held you close to her.

“I love you” Rio whispered in your ear and hearing her saying those words you had missed so much made you feel suddenly a wave of anger.

You turned yourself around hastily and took a step back from her, you noticed when you looked at her, the tears running down her face, and even if it broke your heart to see her crying, your anger was stronger.

“You don’t get to day those things! You don’t get to say how you still love me! Don’t you see? Don’t you see what you did to me?”  You accused her, pressing your finger onto her chest, she only looked at you with more tears running down her face, she did not find the courage to say something.

“You left Rio, you left me alone, I was hurt, physically and emotionally, I begged for you to come back for me, I begged you to take me with you, I begged for you to come and get me, and you never appeared, I waited for you for centuries and you never came back for me!” You had yelled at her, the pain you had been enduring came back flooding and overwhelming all of your senses.

“Can’t you see the way I loved you, can’t you see the way I still love you? I love you! It’s ruining my life! You are ruining my life, I should have taken into account what you told me years ago, it could have saved us a lot of pain” Your words were cruel, you were hurting her, but if only you would let her explain everything to you, then she saw your sad expression changing into an angrier one.

Rio couldn’t stand the way you were just accusing her; she couldn’t stand the angry look on your face directed at her.

“Don’t you think I wanted to go back? Do you really think I left just because I wanted to?” You blinked several times, and before you had the time to keep fighting with her, you realized the scenery around you had changed, there was a misty forest, fog surrounding the entire place and to your right there was a shack, a shack you had thought you had left behind centuries ago.

“Looks like the road has the next trial ready” The teen said coming behind you, all of the other witches were looking surprised at the entire place.

“Looks like…” Agatha started to say thinking of the word she best described the place”

“Like home” You finished the sentence and Rio and Agatha quickly turned their heads to look at you with their brows furrowed, Jenn, Alice, Lilia and the teen, quickly realized the next trial would be yours.

You didn’t want to think anymore, you did not want to feel anymore, you just wanted to get at the end of the road and wished for this to finish, so before anyone had the chance to say or do something else, you walked straight to the entrance of the shack and opened the door, you quickly entered and were greeted by your old home, you were being greeted by your old life.

Everyone followed after you and entered behind you, their clothes had suddenly changed to the ones according to the era, 1700, where witches had their own black gowns, the teen looked at his clothes and realized his clothes were completely black as well as everyone, it looked as if all of you were attending a funeral.

You walked closer to where the bed in which you used to attend women and witched was placed in the middle of the room, and on the wall, you could read what had been written on there with what looked to be blood.

“How did you trick death?” The teen read out loud, feeling unnerved at what he was seeing. On the other wall there were more phrases written in red “You should have died that night”, was the same phrase that was constantly on your mind.

And you knew it, you knew you should have died that night, that  night were you had arrived home and some witch-hunters were waiting for you, you did not know how they found your home, but there they were, your things scattered all over the place, your books torn apart, the bed had been flipped over, the chairs broken and the wooden pieces were all over the place, every petal and flower Rio had given to you that were in different vases and pots had been torn apart, before you even had the chance to fight back, the attacked you, you could only close your eyes and felt the pain they were inflicting in you, you knew there was so much blood, you could feel your clothes getting wet with the thick liquid.

The door suddenly closed, with a harsh thud making everyone flinch.

You saw an envelope on the white bed in the middle of the room and walked closely to it, taking the envelope on your hands you proceeded to torn the white paper out of it and read it out loud.

“Something unfair was done, cheating faith involved, the blood destined to be shed erased, repairing what had to be done needs to come”

Your brows knitter together, not understanding, but when Rio snatched the paper out of your hand and read it again, she crushed the sheet of paper, shredding it to pieces, and everyone turned their heads to look at her with annoyance.

“Why did you do that? That is our clue!” Jenn said at her and Rio shook her head vigorously.

“No!” Rio yelled with a furious expression on her face, making everyone in the room felt silent.

“Wait-“ You said to everyone rising your hand.

“I should have died that night” All of the witches looked at you, Agatha and Rio started to get worried about what the road wanted them to do.

“That night the witch-hunters attacked me, I knew I was going to die, I waited for death to come to me, to take me, and it never happened, I bled, a lot, I felt asleep thinking I was about to die, and the next day I woke up, with the wounds still fresh, I tried to heal myself but I couldn’t, and then Agatha found me in the middle of the forest, she also tried to help me and heal my wounds with magic, but it did not work, I had to wait months for them to heal naturally” You said recalling the memories.

“Cheating faith, cheating faith” You said again, trying to think what could have happened, you had not done anything that night to try and save yourself.

“I remember seeing you” You said to Rio and walked closer to her, she had more tears streaming down her face, she seemed guilty.

“I saw you there, I remember watching you, you were yelling, but then you disappeared and I never saw you again” You explained to the brown-eyed woman, everyone in the room was looking expectantly at her and she found this opportunity to finally tell you what happened.

“I was there, the night you were attacked, If I had been there earlier, if I had gone with you that night to the village, if I had stayed with you or at our home I would have seen the hunters arriving, I would have stopped you from entering, but I was not there, I was outside, doing my job, when I came later I saw the windows broken, the door opened, and you were laying in the ground, there was so much blood, you were choking on your own blood, I tried to stop the bleeding, I tried to heal magically your stab wounds, but I couldn’t, I was not being allowed, I sensed the air, the air getting thicker, the fog forming around us, I had to do my job, I had to take you with me, but I couldn’t, I couldn’t see you dying, I did not want you to die, I knew it is what I should have done,  but I went against the rules, I broke them, I did not know what was going to happen, but I let you live” Her beautiful brown eyes were full of sorrow and pain, Agatha was crying behind you, the teen was covering his mouth with his hands, Alice could not believe she was in front of Death herself, Jenn had taken a seat on a chair near her and Lilia realized why she felt so unnerved with the presence of who they thought was their “green witch”.

“You saved me? From dying?” You were looking at her with surprise on your face, how had you did not realize what had happened.

Rio nodded and pulled you closer to her, her grip around you tightening.

“I could not let you die, I decided to let you live even if that meant breaking the rules, due to my choice I was punished, forced not to get near you again, I was afraid of what could happen to you if I got near you, and so even if it hurt myself deeply not being close to you again, I decided to sacrifice my happiness in order to let you live a peaceful life” The hot tears falling down her face made you wipe them off her skin, her words made you happy, they lessened the pain, she loved you, she never stopped loving you, finally you threw yourself at her arms, your arms around her shoulders and her own arms gripping your waist protectively, how much she had missed feeling you this close to her, your body against her made her feel complete.

Several minutes passed, you and Rio had not separated from each other, and even though you felt content, you knew what had to be done.

Slowly you separated from her to look into her brown orbs, smiling at her, she loved your smiled, she had missed you entirely.

“We still need to pass this trial” You commented, and she grimaced, closing her eyes.

“No! I am not going to do it!” She yelled, you had never seen her lose control of herself before.

“Sorry, but do what?” The teen asked confused.

“The letter said that what had to be done needs to be repaired” and when you said the last thing everyone understood.

“No way!” Agatha came to stand next to you, she would not let you die.

“Isn’t there any other way? There has to be something else, right?” Alice came closer looking at Agatha, there was no way they would let you die.

“Didn’t we all cheat during Agatha’s trial? There has to be for sure something else we can do” Jenn commented and stood up from her seat to stand next to Rio and you.

“We are not going to let y/n die right!?” The teen wondered out loud looking at every witch on the room.

“No boy, we are not letting her just die like that” Lilia could not actually believe what the road was asking for, it was simply not fair, you, a witch who had saved so many lives, who had helped so many people through the years? She knew the road was cruel, but never had imagined something like this.

The mere thought of you actually dying made everyone feel a pang of awful pain in their chests, Rio seemed to be the most affected one, she was not going to let you die.

You knew that was the only answer, so you let yourself enjoy the feeling of being back in the arms of the woman you loved.

“C’mon, we have to think of something else!” Agatha yelled desperately, everyone had taken a  seat in different places, you were sitting in the floor with your back on the wall, Rio was sitting next to you with her head on your lap, you were caressing her hair and she was touching softly your legs, she wanted to enjoy every bit of you now that you had let her stay close to you.

“What’s that sound?” The teen suddenly asked, and everyone lifted their heads to look at the ceiling, but the cracking sound seemed to be the one of glass about to break, behind you was a window with cracks forming in it. Rio helped to stood up and the two of you looked at the window, before the glass shattered, you pushed Rio to the side she fell down onto the floor and the other witches came rushing to her side to help her, a big piece of shattered glass was able to reach your neck, and you felt the thick liquid starting to go down your chest.

“Y/n!” Agatha asked while walking closer and slowly to you, she touched your shoulder slowly and tried to turn you over to have a look at you, Rio stood up quickly and went to check on you and was able to grab you before your body collided against the floor, Rio was horrified, you were trying hard to breathe, gasping for air, you were clinging onto her clothes and Agatha covered her mouth at the sight.

“We have to help her! Jenn can’t you make a potion or something!” The teen yelled and walked closer to Rio and you, Agatha kneeled next to you and tried putting her hands on your bleeding neck, trying to stop the bleeding, Rio tried to do the same, using her magic hoping her magic would be enough to heal you, but it wasn’t working.

“No please! I am not letting you die, I won’t do it, I don’t care about the consequences, but I am not taking you!” Rio was trembling with fear, why was the road so cruel? What made her heart ache more, was when she saw you still had the small flower on your hair, the same one she had given you when she first met you centuries ago.

“Listen I don’t care if I never get out of the road but I am not letting her die here!” Agatha suddenly said, her hands were tinted red.

Alice, Jenn, the teen and Lilia looked at each other and nodded understanding what they were feeling and what they would actually do, they agreed with Agatha, they were not just going to leave you there.

“I don’t care anymore, I don’t even know what is going to happen, but y/n is not dying here” The teen said and walked closer to the three of you kneeling in front of you.

Alice, Jenn and Lilia felt the same, so they also walked towards you.

“There has to be something else, there has to be another way!” Alice yelled feeling desperate at the amount of blood covering your chest.

They did not care about breaking the rules of the road, about the envelope saying that you needed to die.

“If you broke the rules once, we can do it, all together right?” Agatha inquired looking into Rio’s eyes, all of them were around you, circling your dying figure, but after they could actually think of something else, a door opened, you gasped taking a big gulp of air in your lungs, Rio quickly brushed your neck with her hand and there on your neck, there was no trace of any type of wound.

“What happened?” You said clinging onto Rio´s clothes, you could finally breathe.

“I am not sure, I don´t know” Rio replied to you still not believing what had happened, one moment you were fighting for your own life with a deep gash on your neck, and the other you had no trace of that wound, Rio did not care and pulled you closer to her body.

“You are fine, you are fine!” She started to laugh, she could not actually believe what had happened, but what mattered was that you were fine, that you were alright that you had survived.

The other witches were as shocked as well, they could not comprehend what had happened, how did the wound disappear? You were not bleeding anymore.

Rio separated herself from you and helped you to sit down on the floor, the next thing you felt was Agatha engulfing you in a hug as well, and you let her hold you.

“I am so happy you are fine; I was so scared” Agatha did not care about the others seeing her act this way.

Agatha pressed a soft kiss to your forehead before moving away a little and the teen was the next one that hugged you, Lilia, Jenn and Alice decided it would be a good idea to hug you at the same time, Jenn did not even care the amount of blood surrounding you, they were just happy that you had survived.

“Guys, the door is opened, we passed the trial” You announced happily when you noticed the opened door on the other side of the room.

They did not care at the time, they still wanted to enjoy the feeling, Agatha was smiling softly at you and Rio had not let go of your hand the entire time, she was looking at you with so much love, and was not planning on letting you go any time soon, she swore to herself, she would do whatever it took to protect you, and she knew she would have all the time to have a proper talk with you, right now, she just wanted to enjoy the feeling of your hand in hers.

Agatha for her part was looking at the ceiling in a more thorough way, and she noticed the way some of the colors on the wooded planks did not match the entire color, and after tilting her head to the side, she saw what was written in there.

-Leave behind all traces of selfishness, sisterhood defies disobediences, working as a unit will grant you openness- If she had known that what it would take for all of them to unite and work together onto agreeing for the first time on the same very thing, which had been protecting you, well, she would not have believed it.

 So, what tied together all of them was not the main goal of getting to the end, but it was actually you, one more time, the great legend of the “Angel of the morning” had saved many witches at the same time, she still had to talk to Rio about not hurting you again and threaten Death itself not to hurt you again, but she would have the time for that.

[certifiedlovergirlsstuff]

domestic bliss | m.g. x fem!reader

period pain

“baby, can you do me a favor?” asking the question with your eyes closed and a thickness to your voice. the stabbing pain in your lower stomach makes you want to throw up when all you want to do is sleep.

mark was laying beside you reading a séance dog comic, one hand petting slowly along your hair. “whatcha need?” eyes turned to you.

you switched positions from laying on your side to your back, a deep sigh released from you. “can you lay between my legs and press your head into my stomach? i need a balanced weight.” kneading your fingers into the dough of your pain, trying to get some similar results.

the soft rusting of the comic pages filled your ears and then the touch of marks lips to your forehead warmed your skin, it melted you just a bit. “that bad today?” he asked while crawling lower and over your legs.

you just hummed in reply. heavy lids fought to open just a bit so you can watch mark lay on his back, pressing the base of his skull slowly into your twisting intestines. “this okay?” a large palm squeezed your upper thigh.

“uh, can you try laying on your side so it’s more your cheek? this hurts a little in the bad way.” shuffling just a bit. mark amended to your request, swiping one arm under your back so he was able to hug you close. “better?”

dropping a hand into mark’s black strands, you hummed tiredly. “this will do for now.”

-

sporting your own suit

“think i look way better in this get up than you do, invincible.” twisting your torso and flexing your tiny muscles. mark lay on his bed with a gentle smile, “probably, at least if you had one that was fit to your body.”

a finger pointed towards your boyfriend, “and i thought ahead. asked eve to make me my own outfit. so close your eyes, want it to be a surprise.” digging through your backpack.

“yes ma’am.” you even made sure his hands went over his eyes to obscure any movement. stripping off mark’s baggy black and blues, you exchanged them for a more feminine one piece. the spandex material hugging your curves, legs on display for everyone.

“okay, you can look at my sexy self.” pressing closed fist into your hips while you struck a hero pose. mark quickly dropped his hands and opened his eyes, his mouth parted open swiftly. “holy shit.”

“whatcha think?” strutting closer, doing a small spin on the way. mark’s eyes were glued to you, you saw his adams apple bob with a deep swallow. “i’m really into this.”

stretching a hand, you grazed mark’s jaw with a nail while making work to straddle his lap. those big palms of his possessively cradling your hips, his pinkies rubbing along the skin of your thighs. “was hoping we could have some fun.”

his cheeks flushed, “ye-yeah. that-that sounds great.”

-

visiting another state

“wanna go to california for the day?” mark asked while you laid in his bed. you were painting your nails and he was playing some video game at his desk, just a chill normal monday afternoon.

not taking your eyes off your nails you questioned, “can we go to the beach for a little?” you’ve missed the beach. there was a rustling and then a press on the side of your head, a kiss from mark’s lips. “of course.” and he was already making quick work of packing a bag for the day, throwing in some clothes you’ve left at his house.

both of you walked into his backyard, you looked kinda stupid with goggles on but you didn’t want bugs or air bothering you for the flight. mark just threw on his mask, a smug smirk pointed at you. “looking very cute.”

“i always am very cute. now, sweep me off my feet invinciboy!” holding your arms out and grinning at mark since you know that name irritates him. “you know i can just leave you behind right?”

“baby!”

[dark-konohagakure2]

Could I request a Gaara X reader. Please

He sees her admiring his tattoo while at a neighbouring village, decides that noone will mind him taking her home with him. Gives her a matching tattoo somewhere on her body only he'll be able to see.

tw: dub/noncon, kidnapping, scarification, womb marking, possessiveness, power imbalance, breeding, obsession, abuse of power

All characters depicted are 18+

Gaara is somewhat insecure about his kanji shaped scar, having had it since he was a young boy, and he's never once been complimented on it, only pitied and mocked. So when he's visiting a small village on official business and a very cute villager girl expresses her admiration of his 'tattoo', it awakens something within Gaara.

Gaara is the Kazekage, and a respected one at that, so surely this tiny village wouldn't mind him taking a little souvenir with him, so that's exactly what he does. The red haired Sand shinobi feels a sense of contentment as he makes his way back home with his prize tucked snugly underneath his arm.

Despite his unconventional means of acquiring her, Gaara treats her rather kindly, doting on her and not letting her leave his side, and nobody bats an eye at the fact that the Kazekage suddenly has a woman they've never seen before at his side at all times. Gaara thinks it's fate, she complimented his biggest blemish, the mark of 'love' on his forehead, and he wants to give her one to match.

Gaara already knows exactly where he wants to leave his mark on her. He won't do it anywhere too visible, he wants it to be somewhere only he can see, so that it's a special secret just between the two of them, although it will hurt quite a bit.

"This mark means 'love', something very important to me... I'll give you the same mark right here, on your most precious spot, then we'll be bound together by our love forever... It only hurts for a moment..."

He'll use his sand to leave the kanji shaped scar just above her pussy and directly over her womb, marking her precious womb as his property and his alone. Gaara will even gently hold her hand in a comforting manner until the pain and her tears subside, although it doesn't take long before he finds himself getting a bit excited.

Now that he's marked her womb, he wants to fill it as well, claiming her body both inside and out. He needs an heir anyway, and he can't think of anyone more qualified to be the mother of his children then such a sweet and perfect girl who was able to see the beauty in something as nasty as a scar.

Gaara will be gentle despite the fact that he's practically forcing himself upon her, easing his cock in and out of her tight pussy, his face buried in the crook of her neck and he pants heavily and murmurs words of praise and love to her, his hips firmly yet gently grinding against her own.

This will go on for a very long time, taking hours until he's completely sure that he's thoroughly bred her full of his offspring before he finally pulls out of her, leaving her pussy leaking with his semen as he looks down at her with a gentle smile, a rare expression from the usually stoic Kazekage.

"Th-There... You did a great job, my love... I'm sure our children will be just as sweet and caring as their mother..."

Gaara is glad that he has found what he believes to be true love at long last after so much yearning for love, and he's not going to let her go anytime soon, and if she does get away, he wouldn't mind giving her another mark, just somewhere much more noticeable.

[littlespoonevan]

your hand in my pocket to keep us both warm

post 8x08 because i'm SAD in a way that can only be eased with buddie hurt/comfort 💔 title from abstract (psychopomp) by hozier

-

Buck is the one to drive him to the airport because who else would it be?

It feels a lot like deja vu as he approaches the glass doors of Departures but his step only falters for a moment before Eddie’s hand is catching his sleeve at the elbow and leading him through them. It’s further than Abby ever let him get.

Eddie lets him go as far the security line and he almost looks regretful when he turns to face Buck.

Buck would like to think he’s handled this well so far. He’s been supportive, helped Eddie choose his new home, listened to his fears about his parents, reassured him about Christopher, promised to oversee the shipping of the rest of Eddie’s stuff next week. He’s done everything right.

It hasn’t made any of this feel less wrong.

They look at each other now, awkward in a way they never are, until Eddie drops his bag and pulls him into a hug without saying anything.

Maybe because there’s nothing to say. Buck’s heart has been lodged in his throat since he parked the car; he’s not even sure he could say anything if he wanted to.

Eddie’s arms around him are a familiar weight though so Buck allows himself to sink into them. To tuck his chin into the crook of Eddie’s shoulder and to fist his hands in the back of his jacket like if he holds on tight enough he might be able to convince Eddie to stay.

When Eddie does pull back he makes no attempt to leave the circle of Buck’s arms. Instead one of his hands goes to that same spot at the juncture of Buck’s neck – always the same spot – and when his thumb makes contact with the divot in Buck’s throat he seeks out Buck’s gaze.

“Hey,” he murmurs. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?” Buck croaks, the tell-tale burn behind his eyes becoming more pronounced by the second.

“Like I’m Abby,” Eddie sighs. “Or Ali. Or Tommy. I’m not leaving you, Buck.”

Buck tries to laugh but it comes out too hysterical and Eddie’s hand tightens on his neck.

“I’m leaving,” he allows. “But I’m not leaving you.”

“I don’t know what I’m gonna do without you,” Buck says, the words wobbling in the middle. His hands are still twisted in Eddie’s jacket.

“And you think I do?” Eddie asks with a half-laugh. “Who am I gonna talk to when my folks are driving me crazy? Who am I gonna talk to when I do anything? Besides, you think Chris will accept you not visiting at least once a month?”

Truthfully, Buck has no idea what Chris wants right now but he clings to Eddie’s words anyway.

“Everyone at work is gonna find me insufferable. It was bad enough that last time you weren’t there.”

Eddie laughs again, thumb brushing Buck’s neck seemingly absentmindedly. “No they won’t. And I’ll be on Facetime so much it’ll be like I never left.”

Buck ducks his head but nods anyway, gathering up the courage to say what he wants to say next. “I know you have to go,” he starts, steeling himself as he makes himself meet Eddie’s gaze. “But please don’t go forever.”

Eddie’s expression blanks, his mouth parting over nothing. Buck can only stare back, hoping that just this once it might be different. That he won’t get a, ‘Take care of yourself, Buck,’ and a hand to the cheek before the person in front of him disappears forever.

Eddie doesn’t touch his cheek. Instead he presses their foreheads together hard enough to hurt, hard enough to make Buck’s breath catch and rush out of him on a shaky exhale.

“I won’t. I promise,” Eddie breathes and his hand moves from Buck’s neck to the back of Buck’s head and Buck can’t help wondering for a moment what would happen if he closed the distance between them. If Eddie would kiss him back.

It’s not a thought he’s ever entertained before but he’s thinking it now and it feels…like it makes sense. Like an inevitability.

And what a time to have a realisation like that.

Eddie leans back then and Buck forces himself to unclench his hands, attempting to smooth out the back of Eddie’s jacket with trembling hands.

“You should go,” he says because Eddie won’t.

Eddie nods faintly in agreement and it looks like it takes every ounce of effort for him to take a step back. Buck picks up his bag for him, offers it to him, and tries for a weak smile so Eddie will know it’s okay. That he can go and Buck won’t cause a scene.

“I’ll call you as soon as I get to my parents place.”

Buck nods. “Give Chris a hug for me.”

“I will.”

Eddie starts looking towards the security line again and Buck blurts out, “Tell him I love him.”

Eddie looks back to him, a devastating smile of understanding on his face. “He knows already. But I will.”

Buck nods again and then there’s nothing left to say. Eddie turns to go and Buck does the same because he can’t watch until he’s out of sight. It hurts too much already and he can barely hold his tears back as it is.

He doesn’t need to watch himself get left behind again.

~

He’s just unlocking his car when his phone rings. He doesn’t check who it is as he climbs in, just shoves the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he reaches for his seatbelt.

“Keep me company while I wait for my flight?”

He straightens so quickly the phone almost falls into his lap but he catches it just in time. And he tries to laugh but he thinks it might come out more like a sob. “Keep me company on the drive home?”

“Always,” Eddie says like they’re driving home from work after a long shift.

Buck switches his phone to speaker mode and looks down at the keys in his hand, at the keys to the loft, Maddie’s place and Eddie’s house respectively, considering his options before turning on the ignition.

“So there’s the guy at the gate-“ Eddie starts and Buck lets the sound of his voice wash over him. Allows himself just one singular moment where he closes his eyes and holds his hand to his chest before he pulls himself together and drives out of his space.

Eddie is offering him a play by play of the guy at the gate who’s insisting his luggage is not chirping and Buck gets his breath back enough to make a quip about how that made it through the security scanner.

When he reaches the freeway it takes hardly any thought at all for him to take the exit that’ll get him to the Diaz house fastest.

He’s going home after all.

~

[neuvistar]

❝ MISSING YOU. ❞ signed. jiyan . wc . 721.

— featuring ┊jiyan x fem!reader

— warnings / content warnings ┊all consensual! vaginal fingering, mild titplay, he’s so soft it hurts, use of nicknames (love, wife, etc), jiyan n his fingers.. no comment. | 18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT.

— a/n ┊fell in love w jiyan i lowk think i have a type ✊😇 i got so many writings sitting in the booty cracks of my drafts i’m acc so serious :,) i finished most of them tho! i jus need time 2 figure out when i’ll post them! ++ this is one of the times where i DIDNT post at 1am!! (it’s 8am i’m going back 2 sleep after)

“i missed you, my love.”

jiyan’s heart swells with a fierce protectiveness as he holds you close on his lap after your shared shower with him. you sulked and huffed at him, and he knew why. he hadn’t been home for these past few weeks, busy with his usual activities as a general. he wanted to make it up to you, try and be all sweet.. yet the sight of you, so damp and vulnerable in his arms was enough to drive him absolutely insane.

“i’m sorry i wasn’t able to write back, you sent me quite a few letters.” the general’s fingers trace gentle circles against your cunt, a soothing gesture meant to bring comfort, to remind you that you are safe— providing you with as much ease as possible. “you’re safe now that i’m here.” he murmurs, his voice a warm rumble against your head. jiyan’s thumb flicks gently against your clit, the teasing touches a tender balm to your wounded spirit. “i promise i’ll try to visit you more often, no matter how busy i can get,” he promises, his voice thick with emotion. "but for now, let me take care of you. let me be your safe haven." his fingers slip inside you, a slow, sensual invasion meant to calm your nerves. your husband rubs gently, his eyes locked on your pretty face he loved so dear, gauging your reactions—searching for some sign of solace in his touch. "does that feel good?" he whispers, his fingers moving in a languid rhythm designed to soothe the storm raging within you. “jiyan.. n—need you so bad..”

“i know you do baby, i know you do.” your beloved husband’s heart skips a beat at your voice.. the voice he longed to hear, your involuntary response igniting a fire in his loins. he bit his lip, his free hand trailing up your body to cup your breast, his thumb teasing your nipple. "you’ve missed me, haven’t you?" he murmured, his voice husky and thick with desire.. slowly trailing kisses and nibbles against your neck— teeth grazing your sensitive skin. "tell me what you need, and i’ll give it to you.” he promises, his fingers never faltering in their slow, rhythmic dance.

“m—more.. i want more.” your response to his touch is both gratifying and arousing, a surge of desire flickering through his veins. he feels your cunt clenching around his fingers, your body arching into his touch as a smile tugs at the corner of his lips. "then let go for me.” your body shuddered in his hold, the tension in your core building— you were close already.. his hot breath ghosting over your ear, “let me hear you, my love. let me hear how much you’ve been missing me," he commands, his voice a low, gravelly purr. the pace of his fingers quicken, the slickness coating his digits a testament to his own arousal. jiyan could feel it.. he could feel his cock straining against his pants, aching for release, but he won't give in to his own desires until he's brought his pretty wife to the brink.

the fast flicks of his fingers were driving you to the edge, “mm.. more, right?" jiyan’s other hand slid up your body, fingers teasing and tweaking your delicate nipples, adding another layer of desire. "anything for you.” he murmurs, every touch, every flick, a promise of pleasure and protection. jiyan knew what you needed in this moment, and he's more than willing to give it to you. he wants to overwhelm you with the intensity of their connection, to drown your worries in the tidal wave of your shared pleasure with him. “you’re going to come for me, right?" he purrs, his pace escalating. jiyan’s fingers curl inside you, the change in sensation designed to push you closer and closer to the edge. "say my name when you come for me." he demanded shyly, his thumb moving faster, more insistent. "i want to hear my name come out of your mouth..” the dark room is thick with the scent of sex and the sound of your whines and whimpers, with a desperate whine—your body tightened around his fingers, the sensation of his fingers sending a surge of joy through you.

damn. his fingers.. have they always felt this good?

[throatgoat4u]

breakfast

word count: 10k

summary: matt moves to la and ghosts you, breaking your heart, but when the opportunity arises, you decide to get your revenge

warnings: emotional abuse, psychological manipulation, gaslighting, toxic relationships, exploitation of vulnerability, heavy emotional distress

a/n: guys this might be a long read...... also this is for @bernardsbendystraws song writing challenge thingy. i'm actually shocked i was able to even write this cause like i'm lazy and procrastinate a lot and the fact that the challenge had a deadline too?!?! i'm amazed. i worked pretty hard on this one and i think this just might be one of my favorite things i've written. ps and by the way, i will be calling the reader cherry in this so that's what people will call her and what she introduces herself as! also one last detail, this doesn't happen in the span of like a few weeks or like 1-2 months, this story takes place in the span of like almost a year. so yeah... enjoy!

toodles sluts :)

matthew bernard sturniolo.

god, you couldn’t stand the man. but looking at him now, his life a complete mess, there was nothing sweeter. and the best part? it was all because of you.

four years ago, the two of you were in high school. you and matt had this sort of relationship where you did practically everything like a couple—going on dates, giving gifts, whispering sweet nothings to each other, cuddling, kissing, the pda, fucking—but you were never actually official. matt didn’t do labels until he was sure. and you, like the naive girl you were, went right along with it, telling him you’d wait until he was ready.

he had promised you the world, swore up and down that you were the only one who truly understood him. it’s you and me against the world, baby. one day, i’m gonna marry you, you know that? but they were all lies. lies, lies, lies. the only thing that high school failure was good at was lying—and making it sound so convincing. and you? you had been dumb enough to believe every word.

when you two graduated, he left for la to pursue youtube with his brothers, and naturally, he fed you more lies. baby, i’ll come visit you every few months. we’ll call and text every single day, i swear. i’d never leave you, you know that, right? i love you.

it still astonished you how easily those words had slipped from his lips, how effortlessly he could say them without meaning a damn thing. but the saddest part? you ate it all up like a starving man who hadn’t eaten in years. you believed every single word because—why wouldn’t you? he was the love of your life.

for a while after the move, you and matt stayed in touch, talking almost every second. ten-hour calls, facetime marathons, endless text messages—the works. but slowly, you noticed the shift. he started withdrawing, calling less, ending conversations quicker, taking longer to reply—or not replying at all. when he did, it was just to blow you off. i’m busy. shit, sorry, next time. and you bought it. of course you did. he had just moved to la, and being an influencer wasn’t easy. you gave him the benefit of the doubt.  that was—until he just stopped. he never replied. all calls and texts went unanswered. he had ghosted you.

you were left utterly broken. he had promised you so, so much. you two were supposed to spend the rest of your lives together. you were supposed to be endgame.

but the wallowing didn’t last long.

one day, you opened instagram to find a post—matt shamelessly making out with some girl at a party. a flood of emotions hit you all at once. sadness, confusion, hurt, betrayal. but most of all—anger.

how could you have been so blind? you gave him everything. your time, your trust, your heart. and he threw it all away like it was nothing.

you weren’t going to let it slide.

so you started planning.

now, four years later, you executed it perfectly. it wasn’t easy—oh no, it was tedious. every step had to work seamlessly for the next to fall into place. one wrong move and the entire plan would collapse.

and what plan exactly?

well, in theory, it was a very simple nine-phase plan. you didn’t even mean for the tenth phase to happen, but it did.

phase one: move to la

this was easy. you had finished college with a degree in fashion marketing, and job offers from la weren’t exactly uncommon. all you had to do was pick the highest-paying, most reputable one, and you were on your way.

you settled into the city faster than you expected. the air was thick with ambition, the streets buzzing with influencers and socialites desperate to be seen. it was a world fueled by image, where clout mattered more than character. and if you played your cards right, it was a world where you could thrive.

phase one: complete

phase two: befriend an influencer (preferably one with connections to matt, preferably tara yummy)

why tara yummy? simple. she threw some of the biggest parties in la, meaning tons of other influencers—some of whom could have connections to matt—would be there.

befriending tara? well, that was a process. you had to admit, you stooped to some pretty unethical and borderline pathetic measures to make it happen. and all for what? revenge on a boy. pathetic.

still, you stalked her obsessively, tracking where she would be and when. you knew her schedule for every day of the week—surprising, right? like, tara yummy having an actual schedule? technically, no. but she did go to the same coffee shop every day at exactly 12:43 p.m.

why 12:43? who the fuck cares? as long as you could follow her to her next location, you were fine with whatever time she picked for her little coffee rendezvous.

saturday, february 15, 12:42 p.m.

you were parked outside the coffee shop, drumming your fingers against the steering wheel, the hum of the engine filling the silence. your eyes flickered to the time on your phone.

what if she decided to go somewhere else today? what if something came up? had you picked the wrong day?

then, at exactly 12:44, you spotted her—rushing inside, her oversized sunglasses perched on her nose, phone in one hand, car keys in the other.

you let out a breath you hadn’t even realized you were holding, watching as she ordered her iced oat milk shaken espresso with one pump white mocha, one pump caramel, light cinnamon powder, and vanilla sweet cream cold foam. (don’t ask.)

when she finally got her coffee and walked out, you turned on your car, keeping an eye on her as she made her way back to hers. now, all that was left was to follow her—hopefully to somewhere public where "accidentally" running into her wouldn’t be suspicious.

you waited a few moments before pulling out behind her, keeping a safe distance—close enough to track her, but not close enough to look like you were tailing her.

she drove for about ten minutes before pulling into target’s parking lot.

your eyes lit up almost instantly. perfect.

you parked a few spots away on the opposite side, ensuring a clear view of her. watching carefully, you waited until she stepped out of her car and started toward the entrance before making your move.

inside, you immediately noticed—no basket.

an idea formed in your head.

you trailed behind her, watching as she browsed the aisles, picking up items—a blanket, a book, some makeup, shampoo, conditioner—until her hands were completely full. she stumbled a bit, dropping things occasionally.

this was it. your chance.

you turned down an aisle, walking toward her while she unknowingly walked in your direction. just as you neared her, you looked down at your phone—pretending not to see her—before crashing right into her.

her things tumbled to the floor, and you let your phone slip from your hands for added effect.

"oh my god! i-i’m so sorry, are you okay?" you asked, putting on the best fake concerned voice you could.

she looked up at you and smiled. "yeah, no, i’m okay. how about you?"

"i-i’m fine, don’t worry about me. i’m so, so sorry again. i should’ve been paying attention."

"hey, no, don’t be sorry. it wasn’t really your fault. hell, it wasn’t really either of our faults," she said, laughing as she bent down to pick up her stuff. but you beat her to it.

"no, here, let me get that for you," you said, gathering her things. as you handed them back, you put on a puzzled expression. "wait, you don’t have a basket?"

she shook her head, and you tsked softly before placing each item into yours.

"what are you—" she began, but you cut her off.

"no, it’s okay. i didn’t really have anything in my basket anyway. it’d probably be more useful to you," you said, handing it to her.

she smiled, taking it from you. "stop, thank you so much, you’re so sweet."

"no, stop. it’s really nothing, i don’t mind," you replied, playing it off casually. then, after a brief pause, you added, "oh, and by the way, you’re like… really, really pretty."

"o.m.g. shut up. like, actually. you’re too sweet," she giggled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"no, i’m dead serious. you’re gorgeous."

"well, you too. like, oh god, you look like one of those really hot girls i see who just seem so unapproachable and intimidating," she mused, eyeing you up and down.

"why, thank you," you replied with the kindest smile you could muster. "sorry if this interaction is kinda awkward… i’m new to la and sort of looking to make friends." you lowered your voice a little, trying to sound just the right amount of shy.

her eyes widened, and her mouth parted slightly. "well, consider me your first friend. i’m tara."

"…cherry," you responded.

"nice to meet you, cherry. c’mon. you’ll be walking with me now," she smiled, grabbing your hand and dragging you along.

phase two: complete.

phase three: get invited to a tara event

over the next few weeks, you spent most of your time with tara, considering she was your only friend.

you went shopping together, got your nails done, hit the gym, had spa days, and she even showed you all the best clubs and bars in la. the two of you really hit it off, and it kinda made you feel bad that you were using her. kinda.

wednesday, march 5, 2:54 pm

you and tara were sitting on her bed, planning out her next big party. but this party wasn’t just any party—it was for you. she wanted to throw an event so you could branch out and meet new people because, being a loner in la? yeah, no, you weren’t going to let that happen. especially not with your plan in motion. if you stayed invisible, everything would be ruined. matt would win, and you'd lose once again.

"so, um… tara… how big is this party going to be, exactly?" you asked, carefully faking a nervous tone as you sat cross-legged on her bed, your fingers fidgeting with the hem of your shirt. you needed to convince her you were an introvert. playing that part would help you blend into the background and make it easier to focus on your real goal.

tara barely looked up from her phone, scrolling through pinterest, tapping on various pins as she pulled ideas for the event. “well, i’m inviting the usual crowd, so it won’t be too big,” she replied casually. “just enough to get the party vibes right.”

"right..." you sighed, casting a quick glance at the laptop screen, pretending to chew your lip nervously. your act was flawless, but the truth was, you weren’t anxious about being around people—you were just anxious about matt. you knew him all too well, and if he didn’t show up, everything would fall apart. matt was a big homebody, after all. if he didn’t come, you’d have a much harder time achieving your goal.

you needed to know exactly who matt would hang around at the party, and that meant focusing on his closest friends. it was a given that he'd stick close to his girlfriend, macy, but you had to make sure you pinpointed the others—the ones who would be your best shot at making things happen.

the two of you spent the rest of the day bouncing ideas around for the party. tara wanted to host it at her place, and you both decided on a theme—black, white, and a rich, dark red. it was bold, dramatic—something that would definitely make a statement.

tara had already invited a ton of people. for her, it was just another night to throw a party, another chance to be around her usual influencer crowd. but for you, this was more than just a party. this was the perfect opportunity to get closer to matt's friends and, eventually, get closer to matt himself—so you could finally tear him down.

“so, who all did you invite?” you asked, trying to sound casual, but your mind was already mentally listing off everyone who might be there.

tara smirked, eyes flicking up from her phone as she responded, “oh, you know, the usual bunch. larray, quen, carrington, jake, johnnie… some of the other la influencers. then, of course, there’s the triplets—matt, chris, and nick.”

you nodded along, your expression neutral, though internally, you were bracing yourself. you already knew the triplets, of course. but this party wasn’t about them. it was about the other people who would be there.

“that’s a lot of people,” you said, trying to keep your voice light, but your mind was already working overtime. “what’s the vibe like with everyone? how do they all mix?”

tara shrugged nonchalantly as she tapped away at her phone, her attention already shifting back to the planning. “honestly, they’re all chill. some can be a little extra—like, really extra—but nothing you can’t handle. you’ll fit right in. just make sure you make an entrance, you know?”

you gave her a knowing smile, nodding along, though your mind was elsewhere. you weren’t here to fit in. you were here to observe, to learn who matt’s closest friends were, to subtly insert yourself into their world. and then, you’d take him down. piece by piece, without him even realizing it.

this party was just the beginning.

phase three: complete

phase four: figure out just who’s in matt’s inner circle

you looked in the mirror as you fixed your hair, making sure everything was just right. the tight black dress hugged your hips in all the right places, the slit riding high enough to leave barely anything to the imagination. your hair was perfectly blown out, sleek and cascading down your back like silk. but still, something was missing.

your eyes landed on the red lipstick sitting on the vanity. you grabbed it, uncapping it with a flick of your wrist before carefully applying it to your lips. the deep, sultry shade coated them perfectly, adding just the right amount of boldness to complete the look.

perfect.

you pressed your lips together, ensuring the color was flawless. now, you were ready.

tara walked into the room, and her jaw practically hit the floor. her eyes widened as she took you in, her gaze trailing from your perfectly blown-out hair to the curve-hugging black dress and the deep red lipstick that added just the right amount of danger.

“oh my god.” her voice was barely above a whisper before it quickly turned into an excited squeal. “cherry, you look stunning! you might’ve just been my lesbian awakening because what the fuck?!?” she said, walking toward you with wide eyes.

you giggled, rolling your eyes as you turned slightly to check yourself in the mirror one last time. “oh, shut up,” you mumbled, but the slight flush on your cheeks betrayed you.

“no, no, i’m being dead serious.” she placed her hands on her hips, giving you an exaggerated once-over. “like, i cannot believe you’ve been hiding this version of you. you look gorgeous.”

“thanks, t,” you murmured softly, your lips tugging into a small, satisfied smile. but before you could revel in the compliment for too long, tara’s expression shifted.

“but,” she said, her tone a little more serious now, “i actually came up here to tell you a lot of people are here now. i know you’re not the party type, but… it’s your party. you need to come down.”

you almost laughed out loud at that. not the party type? oh, if only she knew. at least you’d done a good enough job convincing her that you were shy and reserved. it was all part of the plan.

“yeah, yeah, i know,” you mumbled, tugging your dress down ever so slightly, playing up the nervous act just a bit longer. “can… can you come with me? and maybe… stay with me? i don’t really want to be alone with so many people around.” your voice was soft, almost timid, as if the idea of walking into a crowded room made you anxious.

tara’s features softened instantly, her eyes filling with warmth as she gave you a reassuring smile. “of course i’ll stay with you,” she said, reaching out to squeeze your hand gently. “i won’t leave you alone for a single moment tonight, ‘kay?”

you nodded, offering her a small, grateful smile as you took a deep breath.

perfect.

you followed tara as she began to walk out of the room, her arm loosely linked with yours as the two of you made your way downstairs. the muffled bass of the music grew louder with each step, the sounds of laughter and conversation drifting through the hallway.

as you reached the bottom of the stairs, you scanned the room quickly, your mind already working.

the party was in full swing. influencers, tiktokers, and la’s finest were scattered everywhere, drinks in hand and smiles plastered on their faces.

but you weren’t interested in any of them.

your eyes swept the crowd, zeroing in on the people who mattered most. matt’s friends.

they weren’t hard to spot. matt—whenever he did decide to show up at events like these—always stuck close to the people he felt most comfortable with. usually, that meant nick, chris, and a couple of his closest friends. and tonight was no different.

one person caught your eye almost immediately. larray.

he was laughing, completely immersed in whatever conversation he was having. matt had never looked happier in a group of people and it was sort of like a stab to your heart but you quickly shook the feeling off, refocusing on the small group that surrounded matt. nick, chris, larray… and macy.

macy. matt’s new girlfriend.

the girl who had everything you ever wanted.

she was perched right beside him, her hand casually resting on his arm like it belonged there. she looked so comfortable, so secure in her place next to him. it made your stomach turn.

but not with sadness.

with determination.

there they were—laughing, chatting, blissfully unaware that they were about to become pawns in your little game.

but timing was everything.

you weren’t about to make your move too soon. not when there was so much at stake. so, for now, you waited.

you stuck close to tara, mingling with other guests and keeping up appearances. you laughed at jokes, smiled at compliments, and made small talk with influencers you barely cared about. to anyone watching, you looked like you were just another girl trying to blend into la’s social scene.

but your focus never strayed too far.

your eyes flicked back to matt’s group every chance you got, tracking their every move without being obvious.

nick and chris were in their usual spots, close to matt but engaged in their own conversations. larray was his usual vibrant self, effortlessly making everyone around him laugh. and macy… well, she was glued to matt’s side, just as expected.

you kept waiting, biding your time as the night dragged on.

and then, finally, it happened.

matt, nick, and chris stepped away, heading toward the backyard—probably to get some air or escape the chaos for a moment.

perfect.

your heart pounded in your chest as you took a deep breath, steadying yourself.

“tara,” you murmured softly, leaning closer so only she could hear, “i’m gonna go grab another drink. be right back.”

“want me to come with?” she asked, her eyes flickering toward the crowded bar area.

“nah,” you smiled, shaking your head. “i’ll be fine.”

she nodded, giving you an encouraging smile before turning back to her conversation.

and with that, you made your move.

your eyes locked onto larray, who was still standing near the bar, chatting and laughing with a few other people.

game on.

you made your way to the bar, grabbing some random drink that had been left unattended, and started to move toward larray. you made sure to stumble a bit, really selling the whole oops, i’m tipsy act. when you were close enough, you “tripped,” falling forward and spilling your drink all over him.

“shit. my bad. i didn’t mean to do that. i’m so sorry. are you alright?” you asked frantically, eyes darting around for anything to help. you spotted a napkin nearby and quickly handed it to him.

“yeah, i’m okay. chill, girl, damn!” he said, laughing it off as he wiped the drink off his shirt, giving you a playful side-eye.

“gosh, i’m sorry. i might be a little more drunk than i thought. i usually don’t trip over my feet like this,” you mumbled, shifting nervously.

“bitch, it’s okay. i promise, it’s not that deep. my clothes will dry.”

“yeah, i know. but i still feel bad.”

“well, don’t.” he waved you off, flashing you that bright, easy smile. “anyways, i’ve never seen you ‘round. you new here or what?”

“uh, yeah. i moved to la about a month ago for my job.”

he hummed, grabbing his drink off the table and taking a sip. “what do you do?”

“i actually work in fashion marketing.”

his eyes widened instantly, his interest clearly piqued. “wait, so like… do you get all the tea on the brands? tell me everything.”

you giggled softly, shaking your head. “sadly, not yet. i just started. but, trust me, you’ll be the first to know when they let me in on all the juicy shit.”

“you better.” he gave you a pointed look, but his grin was playful.

“cross my heart.” you smirked, making a little x over your chest.

“mm, i like you already.” he gave you a wink before glancing around the room. “but, babe, why are you stuck talking to me when there’s a whole party happening?”

“honestly?” you shrugged, flashing him a sheepish smile. “you’re the most interesting person here.”

“aww, stop it, i’m blushing.” he fanned himself dramatically, making you laugh.

“seriously, though,” he leaned in a little closer, lowering his voice, “stick with me tonight, and i’ll make sure you have fun.”

perfect.

throughout the entire night, you stayed glued to larray’s side. he was the perfect guide to la’s influencer scene, introducing you to a lot of people—some of whom you already recognized from social media. but your focus wasn’t on them.

no, your interest was piqued when he introduced you to madison and quen.

it quickly became clear to you that they were probably the closest people to matt—along with larray.

you watched closely, noting the way they spoke about him, the way they laughed at inside jokes that only came from years of friendship. it was subtle, but the familiarity was there.

these were the people who mattered.

and they were exactly who you needed to get close to next.

you slipped seamlessly into conversation with them, playing up the charm and matching their energy effortlessly. it was easy, really—madison was sweet and warm, and quen? well, she was sharp, funny, and didn’t seem to take shit from anyone.

by the end of the night, you weren’t just some random girl who just moved to la. no, you were now on their radar.

the party came to a wrap and as you exchanged goodbyes and promises to hang out soon, you couldn’t help but smirk to yourself.

they had no idea what was coming.

phase four: complete.

phase five: get close to macy

you realized at the party that it wouldn’t have been a good idea to try and talk to macy because she didn’t leave matt’s side once, and matt would’ve immediately recognized you if he had seen you, which would’ve completely jeopardized the plan.

see, the thing is, macy is a model, and your agency just so happened to be looking for some new faces. after the party, you made sure to keep macy in the back of your mind because you knew it was only a matter of time before you’d be working with her in person. it wasn’t long before you got the chance—both of you were assigned to the same photoshoot for a big brand that the agency was promoting.

the first time you saw her in person, she was a lot quieter than you expected. maybe it was because she was surrounded by other models and people she worked with, but she didn’t seem nearly as outgoing as she came off on social media. you had no intention of just jumping in to get to know her right away, but you did make sure to get in a few casual hellos and comments about how excited you were to be working with her.

the shoot itself was long, and there were a lot of down moments while the crew set up shots or adjusted lighting, which gave you plenty of time to talk. you started by talking about the job itself—what it was like working with the agency, the constant hustle, and how draining it all could be. at first, macy wasn’t very open, giving you short answers, but you could tell she was warming up.

after a few hours of talking about everything from the industry to personal stuff, you noticed she seemed a little more relaxed around you. when the crew took a break, you casually offered to grab coffee with her, making sure it didn’t seem like you were trying too hard. macy agreed, and the two of you grabbed a quick coffee from a nearby shop.

over the next few weeks, you found more opportunities to work together, whether it was at another photoshoot or event. each time, you made sure to keep the conversation going, offering small, relatable advice about the industry and connecting on more personal levels. she started confiding in you more—about the pressure to maintain a certain image, the loneliness that came with constantly being on the go, and how hard it was to find genuine friends in a world full of fake ones.

you didn’t push her. you just listened, offering support when needed and being someone she could trust. eventually, she started to reach out to you first, asking for your opinion on various things, and you could tell she was beginning to see you as a friend, not just another coworker.

the real turning point came when the agency booked you both for a big event. during the event, things were relaxed enough that you had a chance to talk one-on-one. this was when you dropped the suggestion—about how your agency had been looking for fresh faces for future campaigns and how they were always interested in bringing in new talent. it was subtle, but effective. macy took the bait, and the next time you talked, she mentioned she’d been thinking about it and was considering taking the next step.

the seed had been planted. you’d gotten closer to her, built the trust, and now you had her in the perfect position. it wasn’t long before macy was fully onboard with the agency's next big campaign, and just like that, your plan was moving forward.

things were falling into place—slowly, but surely.

phase five: complete.

phase six: start spreading the rumors

now that you were getting closer to macy, madison, and quen, it was time to move to phase six of the plan: spreading rumors. subtle, harmless ones at first, ones that wouldn’t immediately seem like an attack, but that would eventually create tension in matt’s friend group. you knew matt’s friends well enough to know that they would start questioning his actions if the right things were said at the right time.

you decided to start with larray. after all, he was the easiest to get to. you’d spent a good amount of time with him, and he was an open book—always down to gossip and willing to listen. it didn’t take much for you to casually bring up the fact that you’d heard a little something about matt during one of your late-night conversations.

“so, like, i don’t know if i’m the only one who’s noticed, but…” you’d start, lowering your voice, like you were sharing some kind of secret. larray, always keen on gossip, would immediately lean in.

“what? spill it,” he’d say, raising an eyebrow.

you’d shake your head, pretending to hesitate. “it’s probably nothing, but i’ve been hearing stuff about matt… like, he’s been kinda distant lately. i don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but i heard he was kinda flaky at the last couple of events. like, not showing up or leaving early.”

larray’s expression would shift slightly, as though he was mulling it over, but he wouldn’t say much at first. you could tell he was processing the information. the next time he was hanging out with matt and the crew, he’d likely file that tidbit away in the back of his mind.

from there, you’d move on to madison. she was always more perceptive, more cautious about things, but you were good at working your way into people’s trust. one day, as you sat together, sipping your drinks, you’d casually bring up something you’d overheard.

“you know, i’ve noticed matt’s been kinda off lately. like, i don’t know if it’s just me, but he seems different. like, more withdrawn? you know, i’ve been hearing that he’s been talking behind people’s backs about his friends.”

madison would pause, taking a sip from her own drink, but her eyes would narrow just a little. “seriously? that doesn’t sound like him,” she’d say. “who’s he been talking about?”

“i mean, i don’t know if it’s about any one person specifically, but i’ve heard him say stuff about the larray before. not, like, bad stuff, but, like, you know, a little judgmental. he’s always got something to say when he’s not around, which is kinda weird, right?”

madison would probably just shrug it off at first, but you'd know that this type of gossip would linger in the back of her mind, especially when she started noticing the little things that seemed off in matt’s behavior.

last but not least, you’d work on quen. she was sharp, observant, and you knew that getting her to trust you enough to believe what you were saying would be a challenge. but you were up for it. your approach would be a little more direct with her.

one afternoon, you’d be hanging out, and you’d make sure to mention something that would start getting her wheels turning.

“i don’t know if you’ve noticed, but matt’s been acting really off lately. like, he’s not as, i don’t know, present? when he’s around the group, it’s like he’s just not… engaged. he’s distant. i heard him say some weird stuff about how he feels like he’s outgrown a lot of the people around him.”

quen would furrow her brows, not immediately responding. “outgrown? huh. that’s… odd. i mean, he’s always been the one trying to keep everyone together.”

“right? and now he’s just, like, pulling away. it’s strange. especially with how close he used to be with everyone.” you’d pause and look at her, as if genuinely concerned, adding, “maybe i’m reading too much into it, but it’s not just me noticing.”

quen would likely stay quiet for a moment, processing it, but deep down, she’d start to think about it. the next time she was with matt, she'd start paying more attention to the way he interacted with the group. the little things would start to show.

with each of them—larray, madison, and quen—you carefully planted just enough doubt to make them start second-guessing matt’s intentions, his loyalty, and his true feelings toward his friends. nothing too drastic at first, just small seeds of uncertainty. but soon enough, the tension would begin to rise. they’d start noticing what they hadn’t before.

and once they did, it would only be a matter of time before matt’s world began to shift.

you let the information sit with them for a while before starting to up the stakes—making the rumors a bit more… compromising.

“girl, don’t even get me started. i heard matt’s been real weird lately,” you say casually, swirling the straw in your drink as you sit next to larray. it’s subtle, but you know exactly what you’re doing.

“uh-uh, hold up.” larray’s eyes widen as he sets his drink down, giving you that signature side-eye. “what do you mean weird? like… weird weird or just matt-being-a-man weird? ‘cause you know these men don’t know how to act.”

you let out a small, dramatic sigh, playing it off like you don’t want to say too much. “i mean… i don’t know, it’s probably nothing. just heard he’s been kinda distant with macy lately. you didn’t notice?”

“not you trying to soft launch tea and then leaving me hanging,” larray gasps, placing a hand on his chest. “spill, bitch. don’t play with me like that.”

“nooo, it’s not that serious!” you laugh, shaking your head. “just… i saw him the other day and he barely acknowledged her. like, he was all up on his phone the whole time. it was just… weird.”

“not him treating macy like she’s on do not disturb,” larray snorts, rolling his eyes dramatically. “ugh, men are so exhausting. they can’t even pretend to care when they’re in public. disgusting.”

you shrug, acting nonchalant, but you know his perception of matt was changing.

onto madison

one night, when you and madison were grabbing drinks after work, you casually brought up matt’s name again, this time in a more pointed way.

“you know, i think i’ve been seeing something with matt,” you’d say, your voice almost too casual, too innocent. “well, not me personally, but macy has been telling me all these things about how matt’s being all secretive with her and stuff. like recently, that’s been our whole topic of conversation while we’re at work. she tells me he’s on his phone more often and how he’s always so dismissive of her questions when she asks him why he’s been distant lately. i don’t know ‘bout you, but it sounds like to me that he might be seeing someone on the sid

madison frowned, clearly uncomfortable. “seriously? that doesn’t sound like him at all.”

you’d nod, looking concerned. “yeah, i don’t know, but it’s been bugging me. i mean, macy doesn’t deserve that. and maybe he isn’t cheating. but why is he still being weird towards her.”

“yeah no, that’s really fucked up.” madison says, feeling a little sad for macy

“i know i shouldn’t be telling macy’s business like that but it was gnawing at me. and what’s worse is that macy doesn’t even consider that he could possibly be cheating on her. like i don’t know. i just- do you promise not to tell anyone?” you ask, trying your best to sound like you’ve been overcome with guilt.

madison nods, giving you a soft smile. “baby, of course i won’t tell anyone. secrets safe with me. in the end, these could all be rumors and a shit ton of overthinking so i wouldn’t really jump to conclusions but i’d definitely keep it in the back of my mind.”

you nod, returning the smile. “thanks. you’re a really good friend.”

“anytime”

you’d pulled off larray and madison, now all you had left for this round of rumors was quen.

after one evening, when you and quen were hanging out after work, you casually said, “have you noticed something with matt?”

quen raised an eyebrow. “what do you mean?”

“i don’t know, it’s just… i’ve noticed that matt is just… different. but like only with one person.”

her eyebrows furrowed in curiosity as she tilted her head slightly. “who?”

“macy.” you said carefully, like her name was some sort of taboo subject. “it’s weird. he’s like a whole different person when she’s not around. like i feel like he’s more of himself when he’s away from her. when she comes around though, he gets all agitated and annoyed. i might be reading into shit but like… i don’t know.”

quen scoffed, but there was a slight hesitation in her voice. “that sounds like some weird shit, honestly.”

“yeah, i mean, it’s not like macy hasn’t caught on either,” you’d say. “she has! but she’s kinda brushing it off, choosing to ignore it. i just feel like she’s making excuses for him. god i just- i feel bad.”

“well who wouldn’t? like no one should treat their girlfriend like she’s trapping them.”

“yeah no, it’s bad. could you like… not mention this to her. she just- she gets all defensive and mad and she’ll probably realize i told you and i’m not trying to be messy i just needed to get this off my chest and stuff.”

“girl i gotchu. don’t worry.”

“thanks.” you mumble.

now it was time for the even bigger ones. the rumors that would really leave them questioning matt.

you sat beside larray, pretending to scroll through your phone as if what you were about to say was nothing. casual. just another piece of gossip in la.

“okay, so tell me why macy was saying matt’s been so busy with filming and working yesterday’s problem lately,” you murmured, keeping your tone light but just loud enough for larray to catch it.

larray raised an eyebrow, already intrigued. “mmm, okay… and?”

you sighed dramatically, like you didn’t want to be messy but just had to spill. “and… quen told me she saw him at a bar the other night.” you paused for effect, giving larray a pointed look. “like… not the filimg. not working on his project. a bar.”

larray’s eyes widened, lips parting slightly. “bitch, what?!” he blinked, processing the information before shaking his head. “oh no. not this man lying through his motherfucking teeth and playing her in her face.”

“right?” you scoffed, biting your lip to hide the satisfied smirk threatening to form. “i mean, maybe there’s a good explanation, but… doesn’t it seem kinda weird?”

larray leaned back, crossing his arms, and gave you a look. “girl, ain’t no way. if my man told me he was working but was out getting going to bars n shit? he’d be single faster than he could even say single.”

“i knowwww,” you drawled, shaking your head, “but macy doesn’t suspect a thing.”

larray sucked his teeth, already mentally adding this to his list of things to bring up later. “ugh, these men. always something. i swear.”

you nodded, pretending to be concerned, but deep down, you knew this was exactly what you needed.

a few days after your conversation with larray, you decided that you’d get madison again. you and madison found yourselves grabbing drinks again, just like before. but this time? you came prepared even more.

“so… remember what i told you about matt last time?” you started, swirling your straw around in your drink, eyes carefully avoiding madison’s as if you were hesitant to even bring it up.

madison’s expression shifted, her brows furrowing slightly. “yeah… what about it?”

you bit your lip, leaning in a little closer like you were about to spill something big. “okay, so… i wasn’t gonna say anything ‘cause i didn’t wanna let macy’s business out into the open again, but… i’ve got more shit on that situation.”

madison’s eyes widened slightly. “girl, what happened?”

you sighed, feigning reluctance, but you wanted this. “so, macy mentioned something again the other day. she said matt’s been going out more—late nights, no explanation, just saying it’s ‘work stuff.’ but like… get this. when she asked him about it, he got defensive. like, super weird.”

madison’s frown deepened, concern flickering across her face. “defensive? over what though?”

“exactly!” you leaned back, arms crossed as if you were just as confused. “like, why get all worked up if you’ve got nothing to hide? and… i don’t know, macy mentioned she checked his location once and he wasn’t even where he said he’d be. she brushed it off, but…” you trailed off, letting the weight of your words hang between you.

madison’s lips pressed into a thin line. “no… that’s shady as hell. if he’s lying about where he’s at?” she shook her head. “girl, that’s not a good sign.”

“right?” you gave her a look that said you get it. “i mean, maybe it’s nothing… but macy’s too trusting. she doesn’t wanna believe he’d do anything like that. but…” you paused, lowering your voice slightly, “what if he is?”

madison’s jaw tightened, her protective instincts clearly kicking in. “ugh, poor macy. i hate that she’s going through this.”

you nodded, your expression perfectly laced with fake concern. “same. that’s why i told you… i didn’t wanna keep it bottled up. but, you know, i just… i feel bad keeping it all to myself.”

“no, no,” madison said softly, shaking her head. “i’m glad you told me. i’ll… i’ll keep an eye on things.”

after that night, things started falling into place exactly how you wanted.  

a week or so later, you and quen were hanging out again, this time lounging at her apartment after a long day. casual vibes, just the two of you unwinding, but your mind? it was working overtime.  

you waited until the conversation lulled, until the timing felt just right before you spoke up, your tone light but laced with just enough concern to hook her.  

“so… remember what i told you about matt and macy the other day?” you said, fiddling absentmindedly with your phone like it wasn’t that big of a deal.  

quen glanced over, her interest piqued immediately. “uh, yeah. why? what’s up?”  

you sighed, leaning back against the couch like this was weighing heavy on you. “ugh… i wasn’t gonna say anything else, but i’ve been noticing it *a lot* more now. like, girl… it’s bad.”  

quen’s brows furrowed, her attention fully locked in now. “how bad are we talking?”  

“like… okay, so macy told me that matt’s been avoiding spending too much time with her lately,” you started, keeping your voice low and almost hesitant, like you were scared of even saying it. “she says he’s been making excuses. work, friends, whatever. but get this…” you paused for dramatic effect, watching quen lean in a little closer. “the other day? she said they were supposed to hang out, but matt bailed last minute, saying he had something with the boys. but… quen…” you bit your lip, looking conflicted.  

“what?” quen pressed, her eyes narrowing slightly.  

“one of my friends saw him that night. and he wasn’t with nick or chris,” you said, lowering your voice. “he was *with another girl.*”  

quen’s jaw dropped, her expression flipping from curiosity to full-blown disbelief. “*bitch, what?!*”  

“i know,” you murmured, shaking your head like you hated even saying it. “i didn’t believe it at first either. but then i heard it from *two* people. like… what the fuck is going on?”  

quen sat up straighter, her lips pursed in frustration. “nah, that’s wild. and macy doesn’t know?”  

“nope,” you said softly, shaking your head. “and i don’t know if i should be the one to tell her. i mean, she’s already brushing off so much. she’d probably just think i’m stirring shit.”  

quen’s face hardened, her protective side flaring up. “that’s some *bullshit.* she deserves to know if matt’s acting shady like that.”  

“i know,” you sighed, looking down, feigning conflict. “but… i don’t wanna be the one to ruin things, you know? i just… i don’t know what to do.”  

quen shook her head, clearly irritated now. “girl, don’t worry. i’ll keep an eye on him. if he’s up to something shady, we’ll know.”  

you gave her a small, grateful smile, nodding. “thanks, quen. i just… i needed to tell someone. this whole thing’s been eating at me.”  

“don’t worry,” quen said firmly, her tone serious. “if that boy’s up to something, he won’t be able to hide it for long.”  

and just like that, the wheels were turning. quen was on high alert now, watching matt like a hawk. you didn’t even have to do anything more—she’d handle the rest.  

phase six: complete

phase seven: introduce macy to the matt treatment

phase seven was the hardest part.

everything up until now had been about laying the groundwork, planting little doubts in everyone’s minds. but this? this was about making macy feel something that wasn’t even real.

the thing is, matt was a great boyfriend. he wasn’t distant, he wasn’t sneaky, and he wasn’t out here treating macy the way he treated you. and that was the problem.

because if macy never felt the way you felt—if she never experienced the gut-wrenching, soul-crushing matt treatment—then she’d never leave him.

and that? that wasn’t part of the plan.

so, you had to get creative.

step one: distance. but not from matt—from macy’s side of things.

it started small.

“girl, why don’t you ever come out with us anymore?” quen had asked her one night after work, and you made sure you were just within earshot.

macy had laughed it off. “ugh, i know. matt and i have just been spending so much time together lately.”

“damn, glued to his hip, huh?” quen had joked, but the seed had been planted.

and you? you watered it.

“you know,” you said softly the next day, when it was just you and macy grabbing coffee, “it’s great that you and matt are so close, but… don’t you miss having time for yourself sometimes?”

macy frowned a little but shrugged. “not really. i like being with him.”

“of course,” you smiled, keeping your tone light. “but… i don’t know. sometimes too much time together can make things feel… suffocating, y’know? like, matt’s great, but maybe a little space wouldn’t hurt?”

she didn’t agree. not yet. but that’s the thing about seeds—they take time to grow.

step two: fake tension.

if matt wasn’t going to create the tension, you’d have to do it for him.

“ugh,” macy groaned one afternoon while scrolling through her phone. “matt’s been so stressed with everything lately.”

you leaned in, feigning concern. “what’s wrong?”

“just the usual… filming, editing, meetings… he’s been overwhelmed.”

you nodded, playing your part perfectly. “yeah… that’s a lot. has he been… different with you because of it?”

macy’s face scrunched up a bit, her mind already working through a scenario that didn’t exist.

“different how?”

“i don’t know,” you shrugged, keeping it vague on purpose. “sometimes guys get quiet when they’re stressed. pull away a little. they don’t even realize they’re doing it half the time.”

she didn’t say anything after that. but her silence? that was exactly what you wanted.

step three: paranoia.

this was where things got tricky. you had to be subtle, careful not to overplay your hand.

“hey, have you noticed matt texting more lately?” you asked casually one evening, like it was just a passing thought.

macy blinked, looking up from her drink. “huh?”

“oh, nothing,” you waved it off with a smile. “i just… i don’t know. when we were out the other night, i noticed he was on his phone a lot. but it’s probably nothing.”

but it was never nothing.

because now? macy’s mind was already spiraling.

and it worked.

little by little, macy started to feel the things you had felt.

the distance.

the doubt.

the sinking feeling in her gut that something wasn’t quite right, even though matt was still being the same perfect boyfriend he had always been.

but to macy? it wouldn’t feel that way anymore.

because now?

everything felt off.

phase seven: complete.

phase eight: start encouraging macy to break up with matt

phase eight was all about patience.

you knew macy wasn’t ready to let go just yet. she was still holding on, hoping things would get better with matt—even after all the doubts you’d planted.

but that was fine.

because this wasn’t a sprint. it was a marathon.

so you kept playing your part.

you spent more time with her, slowly becoming her confidant.

hangout one: thursday, july 17th, 12:14 pm

another brunch.

macy looked exhausted, her smile just a little less bright than usual.

“you okay?” you asked, keeping your tone light but concerned.

she gave a small shrug, stirring her coffee absentmindedly. “yeah… just tired, i guess.”

you let it go. didn’t push. just offered a soft smile and changed the subject to something easy.

hangout two: wednesday, july 30th, 11:37 pm

a late-night target run.

the conversation was effortless, jumping from one topic to another.

“ugh, i swear, i’m gonna end up living off frozen pizza and sour candy,” you joked, tossing a bag into the cart.

macy laughed, but her response was softer, almost distracted. “at least you know what you like.”

it was nothing. just a passing comment.

hangout three: friday, august 22nd, 10:43 pm

movie night at her place.

you both sat curled up on the couch, the glow of the tv flickering across the room.

“thanks for coming over,” macy murmured, almost too quietly to catch.

“of course,” you said softly, not making a big deal of it.

she didn’t say anything else.

but the way her shoulders relaxed just a little more as the night went on?

that wasn’t nothing.

but none of it stood out.

no lingering looks. no obvious smiles. no heavy silences.

just… a quiet comfort.

she started replying to your texts a little faster.

her invitations to hang out came a little more frequently.

and maybe—maybe—she seemed a little more at ease when it was just the two of you.

but it was subtle.

so subtle that even you didn’t catch it.

because phase eight wasn’t about that.

phase eight was about planting doubt.

and that?

that was working perfectly.

phase eight: complete

phase nine: watch as matt’s life falls apart completely

and this all brings us back to now.

matthew bernard sturniolo.

god, you couldn’t stand the man. but looking at him now—his life a complete mess—there was nothing sweeter. and the best part?

it was all because of you.

his friends had all turned their backs on him. larray, madison, quen—they didn’t look at him the same anymore. the doubt you’d planted in their minds had festered, grown, and twisted everything they once believed about matt.

larray? couldn’t trust matt after the whole “bar incident.” he’d barely speak to him now. anytime matt tried to reach out, larray would leave him on read or reply with some dry-ass response that made it painfully obvious he wasn’t interested. and when he did talk to him?

“girl, i’m busy. find someone else to lie to.”

madison? she kept her distance. she hadn’t confronted matt directly, but you could tell she was piecing everything together. the seeds of doubt you’d planted had bloomed beautifully, and now she didn’t even look at matt the same.

quen? she was the most direct.

“nah, matt,” she had said the last time he tried talking to her. “i don’t fuck with that weird shit. you’re different.”

and then there was macy.

sweet, sweet macy.

she had been the hardest to break. her love for matt was deep—genuine. it took time to unravel that.

but you did it.

every rumor. every carefully crafted conversation. every doubt you whispered in her ear.

it all led to this moment.

she had finally broken up with him.

you weren’t there to see it, but you could imagine how it went down. the tears in her eyes, her voice breaking as she confronted him.

“i just… i can’t do this anymore, matt.”

and matt?

probably standing there, dumbfounded, begging her to believe that none of it was true.

but it was too late.

you had made sure of that.

now, matt was left standing in the wreckage of his own life.

his friends? gone. his relationship? over. his reputation? in shambles.

and he had no idea who was pulling the strings.

you stood on the sidelines, watching it all crumble, a satisfied smirk tugging at your lips.

all that heartbreak? all that pain?

now, it was his turn to feel it.

and the best part?

he never even saw it coming.

but it wasn’t enough.

watching matt’s life fall apart had been… satisfying. no doubt. but it still didn’t give you the closure you needed. not yet.

because he still didn’t know.

and what fun would it be if he never found out?

no, matt needed to see you—face to face. he needed to look you in the eyes and realize who was behind it all. he needed to feel the weight of everything crashing down around him and know that it was your doing.

you needed that moment.

and as fate would have it, that moment was just around the corner.

macy had left something at matt’s place. she didn’t want to go back for it herself—too painful, too fresh—so, naturally, she asked you to grab it for her.

at first, you weren’t sure if it was a good idea. walking back into his space? after everything? but then, you realized…

this was your chance.

you’d have matt all to yourself. no macy. no friends. just you and him.

so, here you were. standing outside his apartment, heart pounding, pulse racing.

you knocked.

once.

twice.

the door swung open faster than you expected, and there he was.

matthew bernard sturniolo.

and he looked like shit.

dark circles under his eyes, hair a mess, his expression was… tired. broken.

“cherry?” his voice was barely above a whisper, pure disbelief written all over his face.

you felt a sick sort of satisfaction bloom in your chest.

“matthew. it’s been a while. how’ve you been lately?” you asked, an almost sadistic smirk tugging at your lips.

he blinked, eyes wide, like he was seeing a ghost. “i-i… wha-what are you doing here?” his voice was barely above a whisper, shaky and unsure.

you tilted your head, feigning innocence. “you really haven’t figured that out yet?” your hand rested on your hip, your tone dripping with impatience. all this hard work, months of planning, and the boy didn’t even have a damn clue. how rude.

but what was even more insulting? the way this idiot had the nerve to shake his head. “n-no.”

wow.

“ugh, you’re as stupid as ever,” you scoffed, shaking your head in disbelief. “it was me, goddamn it. i did it. i’m the reason your sad, pathetic life is crumbling to pieces.”

the color drained from his face, eyes widening—not with confusion this time, but pure, unfiltered terror.

“why… why would you do something like that?” he asked, his voice barely holding together.

you rolled your eyes, a bitter laugh slipping out. “god, are you stupid?” your tone dripped with disdain. “you really don’t remember?”

his silence was answer enough.

“jesus christ, matt,” you muttered, crossing your arms. “four years. four fucking years, and you can’t even remember the shit you put me through?”

his lips parted, but no words came out.

“let me refresh your memory then.” you stepped closer, just enough to watch the panic build behind his eyes. “remember high school? how we did everything like a couple but you never wanted to put a label on it? all that ‘i’m not ready for a relationship yet’ bullshit? and me? i was so fucking stupid, i waited. i waited for you.”

matt’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t speak.

“but it didn’t stop there, did it?” you went on, voice dripping with venom. “no, you kept feeding me lies. you’re the only one who gets me, baby. one day, i’m gonna marry you, you know that?” you scoffed, eyes narrowing. “and like an idiot, i believed it. i believed you.”

his breathing was heavier now, chest rising and falling a little too quickly.

“then you left,” you hissed, your tone colder now. “moved to la. promised we’d make it work, that we’d talk every day, visit whenever we could.” you let out a bitter laugh. “but those calls? they got shorter. the texts? less frequent. until, eventually…” you paused, your gaze hardening as you locked eyes with him.

“you ghosted me.”

his face paled even more, if that was even possible.

“left me wondering what the fuck i did wrong. wondering why i wasn’t enough for you,” your voice cracked, but you swallowed the emotion down, refusing to let him see you break. “and just when i finally started to accept that maybe you weren’t coming back…” you tilted your head, a cruel smile tugging at the corners of your lips.

“i saw the pictures.”

matt’s breath caught in his throat.

“you. at that party. all over her.” the venom in your voice was impossible to miss. “while i was sitting at home, waiting for a text you were never going to send.”

matt opened his mouth, but you didn’t give him the chance.

“and that’s when i realized,” you said, leaning in just enough for your words to cut deeper. “i was never going to be enough for you. but that’s okay. because now?”

you smiled sweetly, though your eyes were anything but kind.

“you’re the one who’s left with nothing.”

you stood there, staring at him for a few seconds, letting the weight of your words sink in. you could see the way he was struggling to process it, the panic mixed with guilt. but it wasn’t your problem anymore. you had done what you came for, and that was all that mattered.

you let out a deep breath, shaking your head in disbelief.

“god, matt,” you muttered, the contempt thick in your voice. “you really are the worst.”

you turned your back on him, hearing him call your name weakly, but you didn’t stop.

"you're nothing but a liar and a coward," you threw over your shoulder. "so enjoy the mess you made. you deserve every bit of it."

without looking back, you walked towards your car, your heart pounding, but not from anger—no, from a strange kind of satisfaction. for the first time in years, it felt like everything was finally in place. like all the puzzle pieces had clicked together, and you had everything you needed.

you slid into the driver's seat, slamming the door shut. you could still hear him shouting your name, but it didn’t matter anymore. his voice was nothing now.

you put the car in drive, the engine rumbling to life, and slowly pulled away from the curb.

as you made your way home, your mind wandered back to macy.

phase ten

you couldn’t help but smile, the anticipation building. it had been a slow burn, but now, things had shifted in ways you hadn’t even expected. what started as a plan to destroy matt had turned into something much more unexpected. you had gotten under his skin—and now, macy’s too.

the thought of macy, her soft lips against yours, the way she started leaning into you more and more, her touch lingering a little longer than it should’ve—none of it had been planned. but here you were, with a beautiful, broken mess of a boyfriend’s ex, and she was yours now.

you smiled to yourself as you sped down the road, your thoughts consuming you.

phase ten: ravish your new girlfriend's body completely.

and just like that, the plan was over. the game had changed. you didn’t need revenge anymore—you had her.

dividers: @bernardsbendystraws

© throatgoat4u