#I never thought I'd write about zombies | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

kaliforniahigh · 4 months ago

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now you've got nowhere to run, now you've got nowhere to go - n.s.

Zombie Apocalypse AU | Nurse!Reader and BestFriend!Noah. The story is set on February 25, 2024. Roughly 2 years after the start of the apocalypse. Check summary here!

I'd like to say that this does not mean that I'm back to writing. I just felt so bad because this story was sitting in my drafts, so I decided to finish and post it. I'm still not writing for Bad Omens or anyone else!

Warning: a zombie apocalypse, duh. Curse words, reader has to kill an infected dog, graphic descriptions of decaying bodies, reader alludes to suicide but doesn't elaborate on it, probably innacurate descriptions of a medical treatment, mentions of vomiting, major character death (I'm sorry), no happy ending, heartbreak. I'm sorry if I missed any warnings.

WC: 6.6k words.

You were used to walking around alone.

Walking around alone meant there was less risk of being spotted.

It's been roughly 730 days since you've been alone. As you walk around the streets, or, what was left of them, you think about how life was before hell began.

You catch yourself thinking about mundane life often. When you weren't thinking about what to eat next, how to find water and keeping yourself away from any doors and windows, so no creatures would grab you - you've had that experience before - you thought about how your life was before all of this.

You specifically thought about the people you had in your life.

You thought about your parents, and how they lived in another state. You never spoke to them again, ever since the cellphone towers stopped working and communication was made impossible. Sometimes, you thought about walking all the way from California to Virginia just to try and find them. But, the thought of finding them devoid of any humanity stopped the ideas from floating around in your head.

And then, you thought about Noah.

You thought about your last interaction with him, when he dropped you off at work on that godforsaken day. He gave you a kiss on the cheek and told you he'd pick you up at the end of your shift, so you could grab some dinner together, like you usually did.

The end of your shift never came, and neither did Noah.

You regretted not saying you loved him on that day. You're pretty sure he knew, but you wish you had told him anyway.

It's been 730 days since that day, and you still wonder what happened to him. What happened to all of the boys, all of your friends.

Were they together? Did they even make it?

The thought of any of them walking around as one of those creatures brought tears to your eyes, and you willed yourself to think about literally anything else.

If there's one thing you learned in all of this, is that there's no space for emotions. They made you weak and vulnerable, two things you couldn't afford to be.

The stench of decay, mold and dead bodies rotting filled the air, but you were used to it.

Every time you saw a body in the distance, with one too many tattoos adorning the colored and sickly skin, you couldn't help yourself from taking a look at it. You had to make sure. You sighed a breath of relief when you saw it wasn't any of your friends. It wasn't your Noah left to rot in the streets with no dignity left.

It meant they could still be out there.

And, as much as you weren't someone with a religious flare, specially in the last two years, you found yourself praying that one day, your path would cross with his, and you'd be able to find just a smidge of the familiarity you felt whenever he was around you.

You felt cold ever since that day. And it didn't have anything to do with the weather. Even though you did think about the people who lived in areas covered by snow. How many of them have died already by hypothermia. How many of them are buried beneath the thick layers of snow.

You though about the worst way to die in this situation. And there were so many ways. The worst, of course, is being bitten and turned into one of these things, and praying to God there is someone to take you out of your misery. You could also starve to death, you could die from dehydration. You could catch a disease.

Or, you could end the misery by yourself. You thought about it time and time again, hand gripping the .38 you carried around with yourself. You found it in somebody's house and didn't think twice about taking it, and all of the ammunition you could find.

For someone who always fought for gun regulation, you found the thought of being happy when you found ammo in some abandoned store a giant contradiction.

Right now, you still found yourself struggling with your morals as a completely rabid and infected dog made it's way towards you. You knew what you had to do, but your hands hesitated nonetheless.

Images flashed in your mind. This dog was once a happy animal, probably with a family who took it on walks, fed it and made sure it lived a comfortable life and slept on a warm bed. It probably played with kids too. Or maybe it was a couple with no kids who adopted it, thinking it was gonna have a life away from the streets.

You thought about your friends' dogs, and how many times you slept with them soundly curled up against you. How many times you fed them some piece of chicken without Matt, Davis or Orie catching you in the act.

But this dog was none of that.

You watched closely as it approached you, and right when it was about to jump, opening it's mouth and baring it's teeth, your finger pulled the trigger. The sound of the shot reverberated across the abandoned buildings, and the animal layed lifeless on the ground.

You thought about how it was probably the time for you to hide, since the creatures were highly sensitive to noise, and you just fired a gun in the middle of the street.

You looked around you, ears straining to detect if you would hear the distinct gurgling sounds. Your hearing became quite good over these two years, specially at night. There was no light, except for the moon that still shined in the sky, mindless to everything that was happening down here on Earth.

You had to rely on your instincts most nights. And it's saved you on more than one occasion.

The area you were walking around right now was new for you. You have spent so many hours walking around and roaming the streets, that it was surprising that you haven't passed through here before. But that didn't mean other people haven't raided the place, taking everything and leaving dust behind.

You noticed that it got harder and harder to find canned goods, or bottled water. Every place was ransacked, including grocery stores and pharmacies, which were the first places people looked through two years ago.

You kept walking, your eyesight settled on a sign in the distance that read "The Three Sisters Market". The place wasn't too big from what you could tell, and, usually, people walked past them without even noticing. You gave up trying to find things in big supermarkets, finding that it was a waste of your time.

As you approached the place, you looked through the transparent glass windows first. Fridges lined the walls, and you could see some shelves knocked over, some stuff fallen on the floor. The cashiers were empty, and if money was worth anything in this world anymore, you would try and look if there was any left.

Standing in front of the door, you looked up and saw there was no bell to alert your presence. You gripped your gun just in case you needed to use it, even if the place seemed empty.

You opened the door slowly and stepped inside. The stench of spoiled food filling your nostrils, and you scrunched up your nose in disgust. Dust filled the air, and you could see the little particles floating in the space, illuminated by the sun streaming in from outside.

You checked every isle before you sorted through whatever they still had in here. As you set foot in the last one, you saw a figure standing at the end of it, and it startled you a bit. Adjusting your eyesight, you could tell the person was a man, and well over 6 feet tall. He was wearing a black tank top and black pants, and as you observed more, you could've sworn you've seen those tattoos before.

He didn't look infected, but you couldn't tell if they were armed or not. Usually, you'd back away and find somewhere else. But, every voice inside your head was screaming for you to talk to this guy. Call out for him and see what his deal was.

So, that's what you did.

But before you had a chance, you stretched your arm in front of you, gripping your gun tight, preparing yourself for retaliation.

"Hey", you called out, voice firm and steady. Your breath betrayed you a little, and you didn't know why you were so nervous. It's not like you haven't come across people before in the two years you've been roaming the streets alone.

The guy froze for a second, as he heard your voice. He was gripping a bag of chips in his hands from what you could tell. But, his hand froze midway, as he was about to put it back on the shelf.

He turned around and when your eyes landed on his face, you cocked your head to the side in confusion, straining your eyes to make sure they weren't deceiving you.

This wasn't possible. You were definitely imagining things. You knew you had gone too long without eating, and now your mind was playing tricks on you.

You took a step back in your shocked state. The gun pointing forward now more slack in your hand, and you decided to lower it altogether, putting it back under the hem of your pants.

"Y/N", he said, and you felt your knees give out a little from under you.

"No, no", you murmured to yourself. "This isn't real", you rubbed your eyes with purpose, hitting your head with your hands a couple of times. When you looked back at the isle, you half expected him to be gone again, but there he stood, tall and demanding, like always.

He took a couple of steps closer, but you stopped him.

"I don't know what this is, or what you're trying to do, but I'm armed", you warned him.

"Y/N", he said your name, softly, but loud enough for you to hear, and you could feel your heart kickstart just from hearing your name falling from his lips again. "It's me. I swear this is no joke"

His hands were trembling, and he was dying to reach for you. But he didn't want to startle you. Instead, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and held it up for you to see.

You gasped. Even from a distance, you could tell he was showing you the same polaroid you've kept with you, even after all this time. Your hand flew to your mouth, as you eyes widened and filled with tears that spilled freely down your cheeks.

"Oh my God", you muttered, still in disbelief that Noah was actually standing right before you. Once you were able to shake yourself from your stupor, your feet acted on their own accord, your boots hitting the floor below you, as you just about ran into his arms.

Noah enveloped his arms around you, in the tightest hug you've ever gotten. You couldn't help but pat your hands all over him. On his back, his sides, his chest, to make sure he was real, made of flesh and bones.

He was here.

You sobbed in his arms, and you could feel his body shaking against yours, feeling the same tsunami of emotions you're feeling. Soon, though, the emotional and physical exhaustion took over you, and your knees buckled from under you, and Noah followed you into a sitting position, not letting go of you for even a second.

You stayed like that for what felt like hours. You started to notice the changes that took place in the years you separated. Noah's hair no longer cascaded down his back, in soft and silky strands, instead, it was short, and framed his face nicely.

Even through his jacket, you could tell he has built muscle in his arms, and his torso, as his arms that held you close to him, felt firmer than ever.

You noticed that he smelled the same. It was inexplicably him, and as the scent filled your senses, it took you back to the countless memories you both shared over the years. And you had no doubt anymore that it was your Noah here with you.

In your haze, you couldn't see the mixture of emotions passing through Noah's face as he nuzzled his head further into you.

For him, it was a movie going through his head. The day he dropped you off at the hospital and was never able to come back to get you. The way that things progressed so quickly, the country collapsing right before his eyes. The way he went back to the hospital only to find it devoid of any life, decaying bodies spread around every floor and room he went into. And no signs of you.

He looked for you everywhere, and as the months went by, he could see it in his friends' eyes. They would never say anything to him, especially knowing the bond you two shared, but Noah knew. He knew that the chances of you still being alive were slim. Still, he didn't want to speak it into existence.

Separating from you, but still keeping himself close, he grabbed your face in his hands.

"I thought I was never going to see you again", he whispered into the space shared between you. "But something inside of me knew that you were still out there. I never lost hope"

You eyes were shining with tears and so were his.

"I was so scared", you admitted, voice small and hands still trembling, as you placed your hands over his. "I was scared of what might've happened to you when I couldn't be there"

Noah was about to respond, when you heard the front door to the small grocery store open. Following your instincts, you stood up abruptly, hands grasping and pulling the gun at whoever - or whatever - had just entered the store.

"Woah, hold on", a man with a cloth covering his mouth said, raising his hands in surrender. "Holy shit", you heard him murmur under his makeshift mask.

"Nick, you really gotta be more careful", Noah's voice filled the sudden silence, and you blinked twice, taking in what he had just said.

"Nick?", you asked.

"If you lower your gun, I can take my mask off", he remarked, and you sensed a little teasing in his voice.

Oh, how much you missed it.

"Shit, sorry", you lowered your gun, and tucked it safely back into your waistband.

Ruffilo took off the cloth covering half of his face and his smile came into view, prompting you to smile with him.

"Surprise?"

"Best surprise ever", you answered and walked towards him, opening your arms and letting him embrace you.

"You don't know how good it is seeing you again", he murmured, face tucked into your neck, with one hand moving up and down your back.

You separated after a few seconds, and you stood there, between Noah and Ruffilo, not really believing this is your life now.

"Where are the others?", you asked, a little hesitant, scared of the answer.

"They're outside as we speak. We should probably get back to them before they get too worried", Nick pointed out.

"You go ahead and tell them everything is fine. Y/N and I will hang back, there are few things in this place we could probably take with us", Noah instructed, and Nick put the mask back over his face, and made his way out of the store.

"I didn't even get the chance to look through this place yet", you chuckled lightly, but Noah didn't answer you. He just stood there, staring at you, with a look of contemplation on his face.

"I can't fucking believe you're standing right in front of me", he said, voice quiet, as he shook his head. "I've spent so long trying to prepare my heart for the fact that I would most likely never see you again, never feel you again, never hear your voice again. And now that you're here, I don't know what the fuck am I supposed to do"

You closed the distance between you two, and stood right in front of him. Grabbing his face in your hands, you touched your forehead with his and saw his eyes flutter close, enjoying the warmth of your skin on his after what felt like forever.

"You don't have to do anything", you murmured. "Just be here, and promise me I'll never have to let go of you ever again"

"I promise", he said back you, eyes open so he could look right into yours as he told you this.

"Now, we gotta look through this place. I assume we don't have much time left", you reminded him. Staying in one place for too long was never really good, and you avoided it if you could.

In the next few minutes, you and Noah searched through the shelves and stored anything that would be of good use inside your backpacks. There were some canned and packaged foods, that you hoped were still edible.

"I think this is everything", you pointed out.

"Yeah, I think we'll be set for several days. Surely this is was our lucky store", Noah said, and you definitely agreed with him.

"Where are you guys headed?", you asked him, as you adjusted the straps on your backpack.

"We were actually trying to get to the hospital where you worked at", Noah closed his backpack, setting it on his back and made his way over to you.

"Why? Do you guys need medicine? I got some on me, we can see if it's of any use for you", you offered.

"Unless you got a tetanus shot, I don't think it'll be of any use, unfortunately", he sighed.

"Who has tetanus?"

"Jolly", Noah told you. "He got a nasty cut on his leg when we were trying to climb over a fence, running from another group of people that were looting in the same area. And since everything is fucking rusted over around here, he probably contracted tetanus"

"Is he showing any symptoms?", you asked him.

"He's having more difficulty with moving around these last couple of days. Which isn't ideal, because we need to get there fast"

"Yeah, that would be ideal. But how are you so sure you're going to find what you need there?"

Most hospitals have already been looted by now, just like drugstores, leaving empty shelves and people painfully dealing with diseases with no medication for treatment.

"Because I remember you saying that the medication used to be stored in a room that needed a code to get in", Noah started to explain, and you nodded. He was right. At your hospital, only authorized people had access to the medication. "And I thought that was our best shot at it", he shrugged his shoulders, and you could see the worry for his friend slowly seep into his expression.

"You could be right. We won't know if we don't try it", you tried to ease his worries a little, but knew that the words woud do little to calm him. "You're lucky I still remember the code. I mean, what would you have done when you got there?"

"Break the door down?", he said, as if it was the obvious choice. Which, you guess it was, but it wasn't the best choice, given the situation.

"And risk the infected hearing you and trapping you inside a hospital?", you questioned, with an amused expression on your face. You knew you got him there.

"Ok, so we might not have thought this far ahead", Noah admitted, stepping closer to you, and placing both of his hands on your shoulder. "I guess I'm just the luckiest man on Earth for finding you, then"

"Guess you are", you winked at him and you both smiled at each other.

"Ok, we gotta go now. The guys are waiting for us", Noah grabbed your hand in his, and led you both out of the store. You looked around, but found no sign of danger, so you followed his lead.

You didn't have to walk much before Noah was leading you into a secluded corner on the street. You could see five other people there. Four were standing up and one was sitting on the ground.

The closer you got, the better you recognized the figures. Matt, Nick, Ruffilo and Davis were the ones standing up. Jolly was sitting on the ground, due to his condition, you guessed. He looked like he was trying to catch his breath as much as he could, since you still had a rather long journey ahead until you arrived at the hospital.

They all had smiles on the their faces as soon as they saw you and Noah approach them, and one by one, they all greeted you with hugs and disbelieving remarks.

Despite all of the craziness still going on in the world, it felt like Earth started to spin on its axis again, and you felt the most content you've ever felt since Noah dropped you off at the hospital on that dreadful day.

"Ok, so, how are you?", you kneeled down in front of Jolly.

"It's getting worse, day after day", he sighed out loud. "I've been feeling my body ache all over. I've also had fever and I can't seem to stop sweating"

You only nodded. Those did seem like symptoms of tetanus, and they would only get worse as the days went by.

"Did you take your tetanus booster shot in the last couple of years?", you asked him. But by the symptoms he was showing, your guess was that he hadn't taken his booster shot in a long time.

"I don't even remember if I've ever gotten one"

"Ok", you got up and looked at the other guys. "We need to get him to the hospital, and fast. I need to administer the right medication and treatment, and that's me assuming we're going to find it there, before the disease gets worse and we're not able to get him there at all"

"Ok, so let's go, guys. The hospital is not too far away, but it's not too close either. We need to walk as much as we can before it's nighttime"

Everyone agreed and got ready to leave. Jolly stood up with the help of his friends and we all started heading towards the hospital.

After what felt like weeks, but were really only a couple of days, you found yourself standing in the same place you were two years ago. Noah was beside you, just like he was two years ago. But, the hustle and bustle of the busy hospital in front of you was nowhere to be seen.

You often complained about your occupation as a nurse, always feeling the exhaustion of the job seeping into your body after every shift at the hospital. The feeling that you were going to burnout looming over your head day after day.

Now, you wished you could go back to how things were before the world went to shit. Back then, you didn't have to worry if you were going to get eaten alive, or transformed into a monster, half dead walking on the streets.

"Y/N and I are going to look for the medication, Ruffilo is staying with Jolly, and Matt and Davis are going to stake out the place for any sign of those creatures", Noah instructed everyone.

Over the days you spent with them, you noticed how easy it was for Noah to take on the role of a leader. You guess it was always like this, even before now. He always felt comfortable calling the shots. It meant he had things under control. It means that they had a plan to follow, and he always worked better that way.

"You guys be careful. We don't know what's hiding in there", Jolly said. You could tell that, deep down, he was feeling guilty about everyone having to do this because of him. Doesn't matter if everyone had already told him that they didn't mind, that no one was ever going to get left behind. You could still see the guilt dancing behind his eyes.

Checking on your guns, you got ready to enter the building. The other guys going through the same motions as you.

"Find somewhere close and safe to be. When Noah and I get the medication, we'll go and find you", You told Jolly and Ruffilo, and they stood up, Jolly leaning on Nick for support, as they surveyed the streets for somewhere safe and hidden enough to stay.

Matt and Davis each went to one side of the building, making sure there were no creatured lurking around.

"Hey", Noah turned to you before you had the chance to start walking towards the entrance. "No matter what happens, we stay together, ok? And you have to promise me to be extra careful. I'm not leaving this place without you again"

"I promise I'll be careful", you combed your fingers through his hair, trying to get the strands to stay back, but they ended up falling over his forehead anyway.

Stepping foward, Noah's chest was almost pressed into yours. You could feel his eratic heartbeat, probably nervous about what was awaiting the two of you inside the hospital. His hand traveled up your arm and rested, warm and reassuring, in the back of your neck, pressing your faces even closer together.

"I'm not gonna lie. I wanna kiss you so bad right now. But I don't wanna do it in front of this rotten hospital, or on this vacant street, devoid of life. You deserve better than this", Noah admitted, his breath was fanning across your face, and you had to restrain yourself from closing the distance between your mouths.

But Noah was right. You've been waiting so long for this moment, that you wanted it to be perfect. You figured you could wait a little longer.

"As soon as we're done with this, you and I are going to find the perfect moment and place to do this", you told him. "Take this as a little motivation", you wiggled your eyebrows and his lips twisted up into a smile.

"Spending the rest of my life beside you is motivation enough", Noah caressed your cheek with his thumb, pressing a kiss on your forehead, before you parted ways.

Tightening the hold on your weapon, you started to make your way to the hospital entrance.

As you expected, the automatic sliding doors didn't work anymore, so you and Noah had to pry it open with your hands. As soon as you got inside, you noticed the stale smell, and the mold decorating the walls.

Pointing in the direction of the pharmacy, you went ahead, since you knew the quickest path.

You and Noah avoided any kind of verbal communication, not wanting to attract any creatures that might be lurking inside the hospital. You watched your steps, since there were hospital beds, cabinets, and syringes thrown around all over the floor. No doubt from the day everything in here descended into hell.

You tried all of the doors as you passed them, checking the rooms to make sure they were empty. So far, the place was completely vacant. The only sounds you could hear were the soft thumps of your boots hitting the floor as you walked. And your heart beating wildly against your ribs.

As you approached the stairs to the second floor, Noah went in front of you, slowly climbing up the stairs, gun in hand and pointing forward. You went a few steps behind him, and stepped into the second floor corridor when he gave you the "ok".

Taking a left and walking all the way to the end of the corridor, you approached a double swing door, that had a "hospital staff only" sign. Looking through the round glass window, you could see that the rest of the corridor was deserted, much like the rest of the hospital you've seen by now.

Giving Noah the "ok", you slowly and carefully opened the door, holding it open so he could step in and close it behind you with a soft click.

You could already see the sign on the door at the end of the corridor that read "pharmacy". Your goal was close, and you wanted to run to it already, but you couldn't let your anxiety get the better of you.

Taking all of the necessary precautions, it took you and Noah a couple of minutes to arrive at the door. When you did, you tucked your weapon in your waistband.

"Cover me while I type in the code", you whispered to Noah, as you clicked on the keypad installed on the door. The screen came to life, and you typed in the first number, and a rather loud sound echoed in the empty corridor and you grimaced. You forgot there was an annoying "ding" sound with every number you clicked.

Waiting a few seconds to see if you had attracted anything, you took the chance and typed in the second number, then the third and the fourth, hearing a wirring sound coming from the door as it unlocked.

"I'll go in first", Noah murmured to you. From the side, you slowly opened the door so he could carefully step inside. Retracting your gun again, you waited for him to tell you that you could come in. After a few seconds, he approached the door from inside the room, signaling that it was safe.

"It's better if we don't close the door. I don't want to risk getting trapped in here", you told him and he nodded.

"Ok, you look for Diazepam, Penicillin and Morphine. They should be over there", you pointed to the end of the room. "I'll take care of the rest", you instructed him, giving him the names of medications he already knew, so it was easier for him to find.

Making your way to where the shots and vaccines were usually stored, you started to look for the tetanus antitoxin. Luckily, you saw that there were a few left, so you grabbed a couple of them before making your way over to Noah.

You noticed that the room was emptier than normal. Usually, there would be a lot more medications in here. Apparently, other medical staff members had the same idea as you, and you thanked them for being kind enough to leave some behind.

"Did you find them?", you asked him.

"I found Morphine and Diazepam, but I couldn't find the other one", he held up the two medications he found.

"It's ok, let me help you look for it"

You sorted through the shelves, and noticed a few things were out of place, making it more difficult for you to find what you were looking for. You tried to find Penicillin, but came up empty, so you went ahead and tried to find another antibiotic.

On the back of the shelf, almost hidden from view, you found a box of Clindamycin, you reached for it and saw that it was still closed.

"This should do it", you told Noah. But you weren't done yet. Since you were here, you were going to grab some Tylenol and Ibuprofen if you could find them. You usually had lots of these at the hospitals, and they weren't too hard to find.

"For when I have a headache", you pointed out and Noah smiled at your remark.

Noah opened his backpack and you put all of the medication in there. He made his way to the door, that was left slightly ajar, and carefully looked outside. Deeming it safe, he stepped out and you went after him. Looking to your left, you saw the sign for the women's bathroom.

"Hey", you silently called out to Noah. "I'll use the bathroom real quick, can you stay out here?"

"Y/N, we have to go. I don't want to stay here for longer than necessary", he said as kindly as he could, but you could tell that he was slightly annoyed by your need to go to the bathroom.

"I'll just check to see if they have running water", you argued. Noah sighed, but nodded anyways.

"Be quick", he instructed, and you gave him a thumbs up.

Opening the bathroom door, you peeked inside. The stalls were open and they all seemed empty, so you stepped in. You made your way to the sinks and tried all of the faucets, but no water came out. Sighing in disappointment, you looked at yourself in the mirror. The dark circles under your eyes were apparent, and you could also see the wisps of hair sticking out from your ponytail coming loose.

Reaching both of your hands up, you undid the ponytail, running your fingers through your scalp. You closed your eyes at the feeling, and that's when you felt something grabbing your ankle, along with a hissing sound.

Startled, you opened your eyes just to see an infected creature crawling on the floor. It's hand was still gripping your ankle tightly. You reached for the waistband of your pants to retract your gun, when you felt a sharp tug, prompting you to loose your balance and fall backwards. Your gun sliding on the floor and landing where you couldn't reach it.

You felt a sharp pain on the back of your head, no doubt you had hit your head hard on the ground when you fell, because there were little black spots in your vision.

Kicking your legs desperately, ou tried to pry the creature away from you, but it was persistent and strong. In a matter of seconds, you were fighting it with your hands, trying to keep it's face away from yours. It's teeth were barred, and it exuded a rotten and vile smell, you had to keep yourself from vomiting all over the floor.

When you noticed one person wasn't enough to fight this thing, you called out to Noah. The sound of your voice was enough to make the creature even more agitated, and seconds before the bathroom door opened, you felt a sharp pain on your wrist, and you screamed out in agony. Wailing your hands, you tried to pry its teeth from your skin, but once it latched on, it was impossible to remove.

A single bang rang across the room, and the half dead creature fell limp against your body. You felt it's teeth loosen, and blood seeping from the wound.

"Noah", you called out his name, breathless.

"It's ok. I'm here", he removed the creature from above you, and kneeled down on the floor beside you. "It's ok, you're ok", he said, but you shook your head. Tears were already gathering in your eyes.

"No", you said, meekly, and shaking your head.

"What do you mean? It's ok, I shot that thing dead, alright? It's fine", he reached for you, and you rested your head on his lap. You started to sob into him. Slowly, you pulled your sleeve up to show him where the creature had bitten you.

Once his eyes fell on the wound, Noah started to shake his head, not believing what his eyes were seeing.

"No, no", he denied, grabbing your arm to inspect it closer. "It's superficial, alright? I'm sure you're going to be ok", he said, but by now, you both knew that was not the case.

"Noah. It's ok", you nodded, but he only shook his head more fervently.

"No, Y/N. This is not happening. Please tell me this is not happening", he started to cry with you, cradling your head in his hands, and bringing you closer to him. Your bodies shook from the intensity of your cries.

"Seeing you again was the best thing that's ever happened to me", you mumbled into his stomach, where you had buried your head. "I'm glad it's with you, rather then me being alone"

"I just got you back. I can't lose you right now, not after all of these years looking for you", Noah brushed your hair away from your face. "No, I'm not losing you"

"You and I both know what needs to be done", you put into words what neither of you wanted to admit.

"No. That's not happening"

"Noah, you have to go", you spoke softly, sensing that if you spoke any louder, the boy would crumble to pieces before you.

"I'm not going. I wanna stay here with you. I don't want to leave you alone. I'm not leaving you alone", he was barely able to speak over his cries. You reached up and delicately brushed your fingers over his cheek, that was wet and red from crying.

"I think this is the perfect time for you to give me a kiss", you told him, and in a millisecond, his mouth was fitting over yours, his hand firmly grasping the back of your neck, bringing your faces impossibly closer. You could taste him, but you could also taste yours and his tears, and it registered in your mind that this was the first and last time you'd be feeling his lips on yours.

Parting, but staying close, you enjoyed having him this way for a few more seconds.

"You gotta go and get the medicine to Jolly, ok? He needs you, and the rest of the boys need you as well", you told him. His eyes were screwed shut, and his face was twisted in agony.

"I love you. I love you so much, you gotta know that, ok? You were the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I'm the luckiest man alive just to have had the opportunity to know someone as amazing as you, and getting to spend so many years with you in my life", Noah confessed, and you smiled at his words.

"I love you too, so much. You're going to do great things still. Even if the world if fucked, I know you and the boys are going to do great. And I'll always be watching over you", you told him. You could already start to feel the difference in your body. "You gotta go now, ok?", so you told him, sliding off his lap and landing on the ground. "Can you grab my gun for me?", you asked him, and you could see the puzzled expression on his face. "I would never ask this from you, Noah. So please, grab my gun for me".

With a solemn look, and shaky legs, he made his way to the other side of the room, where your gun had landed. He grabbed it and gave it back to you. Leaning down and placing one last kiss on your lips, he told you "I'll see you on the other side".

"I'll see you"

Noah got up and walked towards the door. He didn't look back, because he knew that if he saw you one more time, he wouldn't have the courage to step out of that room and leave the hospital.

As soon as the door closed behind him with a click, he heard a loud shot echo around the hospital, and he knew then that the Y/N he knew, cared for and loved with all of his being, was gone.

He crumbled on the floor, a mess of limbs and tears falling from his face, body shaking in pain and agony.

He knew then, that the Noah you loved and cared for, was gone too.

Tag list: @concreteangel92 @foliosgirl @collisionofyourkissmakesitsohard @stardustsirenmelody @concretejunglefm @fadingangelwisp @dontwantthemoney @tosoundlessdarkistare @babygirlchuuya @follow-me-down-to-wonderland @lacy1986 @romanreigns-supreme @xmads-omensx @missduffsblog @rumoured-whispers @thisbicc @badomensgoodomens @floatingkiwi @collective-heartbreak @dontwantthemoney @dream-machine-love @alwaysfightforwhoyouare @amelia-acero @montgomery-929496 @stardustsirenmelody @triedbimsoblu333 @xxkatsatwatwafflexx @noyaisasimp @w0manof-flesh44 @geminigirlfromfinland @zozaline @deardelirium @turn-your-life-into-folklore @dominuslunae @shelbyrlxoxo @super-btstrash-posts @shayzillaaaa @wordskeeper @enemiestolovershoe @haehihello @anameunmusical @blade-dressed-in-red @jilliemiw86 @vinyardmauro @ohheykayyyxo @chey-h @fuck1ng-queen @ichoosetenderomens

#bad omens #noah sebastian #bad omens imagine #noah sebastian imagine #bad omens fanfiction #noah sebastian one shot #noah sebastian angst #bad omens one shot #bad omens angst #nick ruffilo #nick folio #nicholas ruffilo #jolly karlsson #joakim jolly karlsson #matt dierkes #davis rider

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toaarcan · 7 months ago

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What does Mephiles want?

So, Mephiles is my favourite Sonic villain and has been for a while now. His vibes are simply off the charts. But his schemes within schemes are generally considered overly convoluted and nonsensical, and while there's an element of the former, the latter is, in my opinion, an unfair angle.

I know Sonic 06's writing is not the best in general, but I genuinely think Mephiles is one of the best-handled parts of it. So I thought I'd break down why I think he does what he does.

1) Why didn't he just fuse with Iblis in the future/immediately kill Elise to free Iblis in the present/do X more logical and straightforward path to his ultimate goal?

I'm getting this one out of the way slightly out of order because this is another of the many examples of "Audience expects characters to be rational, logical actors who never make emotion-driven decisions."

I can sit here and make theories as to why fusing in the future doesn't work, or argue the toss over whether Elise's death is really a means of releasing Iblis, but the simple answer here is that Mephiles is not a logical actor. He is a spiteful, sadistic monster who could do things the quick and clean way... but he's a time-travelling immortal with power enough to equal the Ultimate Life Form, why not have some fun along the way?

It should also be noted that during the events of Sonic 06, Mephiles has existed as an independent entity for ten years. He spent all ten of those years trapped in a vessel roughly the size of a soda can. Your facetious "Hurr durr why doesn't he just cut onions under Elise's eyes" gotcha can be easily countered by asking "At what point in this man's very short and limited existence would he have learned about the ocular effects of chopping onions?"

2) Mephiles and Shadow: Revenge

Well firstly we need to set aside most of what he does in Shadow's story. Yes, really. The only parts of Shadow's story that are actually part of Mephiles' big plan are the following:

Trying to break or corrupt Shadow in the future.

Acquiring a Chaos Emerald so he can use it to summon the others once Iblis is free.

Shadow actually thwarts that last one, but it doesn't matter, because as we see in the Last Episode, he simply goes and gets another one once he realises that the green and yellow ones are out of play for the moment.

See, Mephiles' attempts to mess with Shadow's head have nothing to do with reforming Solaris. They're a separate, more personal agenda. Because Mephiles isn't single-mindedly focusing on reforming Solaris. He's also out for revenge.

Mephiles' interactions with Shadow are often read as him attempting to corrupt Shadow and turn him over to the dark side, but I'm not sure if that really matters all that much to Mephiles, besides as a means to an end. We see Mephiles really manipulating people in Silver's story, after all, and he has a different approach.

While manipulating Silver, Mephiles presents himself as a benevolent ally, who offers a desperate Silver a means of stopping Iblis once and for all.

Once Silver starts to question him, Mephiles is evasive, not giving Silver a straight answer but instead applying time pressure, reminding him that if he fails in his mission, Iblis' rampage will continue unabated, and implying that time is running out before Sonic triggers the end of the world.

But that's not how he approaches Shadow. Instead, upon meeting Shadow for the first time since he was sealed, Mephiles laughs his mouthless head off, shambles around like a zombie, and promises him "a one-way ticket to oblivion."

I don't think he's trying to get Shadow to join him, guys.

And sure, when Shadow confronts Mephiles in Flame Core, he does extend an offer to Shadow, trying to tempt him to turn on humanity for their future betrayal. He positions the idea of Shadow avenging himself on humanity again as a reasonable thing, as justice.

But when Shadow doesn't bite, he doesn't press it. He just shrugs it off, goes into his crystalline form, and proceeds to start trying to kill Shadow. But why try to make this offer at all?

Easy: This is before Shadow saves Sonic from Silver at Radical Train. If Shadow doesn't intervene, because he's either evil or broken, Silver kills Sonic right there while Elise is watching, helpless in the grip of Eggman's hovercraft, and she probably cries and releases Iblis a few days early.

That's why he switches focus to trying to break Shadow's spirit after this point: Any benefit he could've gotten from corrupting Shadow no longer matters.

Revealing more of Shadow's fate in the future, and everything else he does after this point, isn't about trying to turn Shadow to darkness again. It's about hurting him. That's it. He just wants to hurt Shadow, make him feel like his heroics are futile, because all those ungrateful humans will turn on him in the end anyway, even one of his closest friends will betray him, ordered to hunt down, defeat, and seal Shadow in a prison for a crime he didn't commit.

Past their encounter in Flame Core, this isn't remotely part of the Solaris plan any more, it's purely about Mephiles wanting to torment Shadow, it's revenge for what he does in Aquatic Base in the past. Shadow sealed him in the Sceptre of Darkness ten years ago, and the vast majority of their interactions are Mephiles trying to do exactly what he promised after he escaped.

And that desire for revenge rather neatly explains why he goes about targeting Silver and Elise the way he does too.

3) Mephiles and Silver: For Iblis

Despite his monstrousness, there is someone that Mephiles cares about deeply: Iblis. True, that's technically just another part of himself, but they do exist as separate entities for most of the game, and Mephiles refers to Iblis by name and as a separate entity to himself when Iblis is freed.

And this, combined with his vengefulness, neatly explains why he sends Silver after Sonic.

Because Silver fights Iblis every day. Because when he and Iblis were newly-separated and trying to escape from Aquatic Base, Silver hunted Iblis down and captured him, enabling the Duke to seal him (more on that later). Silver was the instrument of Iblis' sealing, and desperately wants to kill Iblis. What would be more ironic (and we know Mephiles has an appreciation for irony, it's literally in his first line in Shadow's story) than using Silver himself to bring about Iblis' liberation?

How does Mephiles know that Silver is responsible? Time travel, of course. Like, he had to learn where Iblis was sealed, and that crying was the key to the seal on him somehow, he almost certainly hopped back to Aquatic Base to see what went down on Silver's side of things.

That Silver is a good (if desperate) person, but Mephiles is trying to manipulate him into killing another hero only adds to the satisfaction Mephiles would get from watching this all play out.

And though Silver fails, and realises the truth, his interference with Sonic's side of the story only helps push Mephiles closer to his goal, and the third aspect of his vengeance.

4) Mephiles, the Duke, and Elise: Sins of the Father

Let's talk about everyone's favourite Sonic character, Princess Elise III.

Elise is Iblis' vessel, and is incredibly emotionally repressed, having somehow not cried since she was about seven years old, despite both of her parents being dead, the pressures of being a monarch, and the general hormone-driven emotional instability of being a teenager.

As the one thing holding Iblis' rampage back, Elise's death in the crashing Egg Carrier at the end of Sonic and Silver's trip through Kingdom Valley is the point where Iblis broke free and ruined everything. Setting aside whether her death caused it or if she shed a single tear before impact. But this isn't enough for Mephiles, apparently, and despite her being Iblis' vessel, he takes very little interest in her throughout the story... or does he?

Mephiles could take Elise's death as a W, hop over to the crash site and fuse with Iblis there. But he doesn't? Why?

Because he specifically wants to break the seal by making her cry.

This is why Silver's failures play into Mephiles' hands anyway. Because by trying to kill Sonic, Silver keeps opening the doors for Elise to get captured again, forcing Sonic to rush to her aid once more, and generally making their time together much more dramatic and emotionally-tense. This almost certainly helps get Elise, uhhhhh... let's just say attached to Sonic, meaning that when, at the beginning of the final act, Mephiles hits Sonic with the ol' "Nothin personnel kid", Elise's overstressed emotional repression finally fails and she breaks down, releasing Iblis.

But why does he want to do this? Why go through all the extra hurdles of piling more pressure on Elise until she snaps, when he could theoretically just kill her and set Iblis free, or literally just be there for her death?

You guessed it, it's revenge again. But not against Elise, against her father, using Elise as a proxy.

I think if there's anyone in the entire universe that Mephiles outright despises, it's this guy.

The Duke of Soleanna was responsible for the original Solaris Project, during which he attempted to control Solaris' power in order to give himself and his people power over time. However, it's heavily implied that the experiments weren't exactly a pleasant experience for Solaris, given that they ultimately destabilised him, resulting in him being explosively torn into two parts.

This event is the entire reason that Solaris, and his two fragments, are hostile. Before the Solaris Project, Solaris himself was a benevolent and benign entity. As the Flame of Hope, he was genuinely worshipped by the people of Soleanna, and was said to have once saved the city from a great fire, while in the form of an eagle.

Now, it's been theorised that Solaris actually caused that fire, but there's no actual evidence to suggest that beyond association with fire, and engineering a false-flag disaster to force people to worship him generally isn't in-character with what we know of Solaris pre-Project.

That said, their faith wasn't without its darker side, as prophecy foretold that one day, Solaris' wrath would be incurred, manifesting in the forms of the Flames of Disaster. And this is exactly what the Solaris Project ended up doing, driving Solaris berserk and resulting in both of his halves becoming monsters.

So for Mephiles, hatred of Duke, and Elise by proxy, would already be extremely personal. But it doesn't stop there, because the Duke is also the one to seal Iblis within Elise, putting him in the line of fire for the same reasons as Shadow and Silver.

And how better to exact a posthumous vengeance against the Duke than by emotionally breaking his beloved daughter, and in doing so, directly undoing the seal he made, in precisely the way he tried to prevent?

Mephiles' mind was probably made up on how he'd free Iblis from the moment he learned what the key to the lock was.

5) Mephiles' actual goals.

With that in mind, here's my simplified list of what Mephiles wants to achieve in 06.

Re-fuse into Solaris.

Free Iblis by emotionally devastating Elise.

In destroying Elise, achieve vengeance on the Duke by ruining his plans and tormenting his daughter.

Make Silver the one to free Iblis by killing Sonic, an ironic punishment for sealing Iblis to begin with.

Torment Shadow with the terrible future ahead of him as vengeance for sealing him to begin with (Side project).

And hell, here's a flowchart.

It's a bit small, but it should be the right size if you open it in a new tab.

So yeah, I don't think Mephiles' plan is overly convoluted. Most of his actual plan to reunite with Iblis is straightforward enough. Everything other aspect is either a contingency or a side-project, and any inefficiencies are the result of his sadistic need for vengeance on Shadow, Silver, and the Duke.

#Mephiles the Dark #Sonic the Hedgehog #Sonic #Shadow the Hedgehog #Silver the Hedgehog #Princess Elise III #Sonic 06 #Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)

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beansnsoup · 1 year ago

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Jaelyn's fic recs!

Fluff- 🧡

Smut - 💛

Part One! -> Part Two!

Alastor-

☆ Deer Dolly - Series by @ohproserpine 🧡

☆ for valentines day, i thought i'd buy a gun. By @ohproserpine

synopsis: you make your husband mad on purpose. 🧡💛?

☆ Alastor x Wife!Reader by @altruisticalastor

Summary: Lucifer gets a little too brazen with Alastor's darling wife. Guess the Ruler of Hell would just have to learn a lesson about who you belong to 💛

☆ my wife, my wife, my wife, my wife by @iicarused

synopsis:reader is vox’s ex and he’s not too keen of the separation — you were supposed to come back to him! not run around with his rival and get rid of his only access of looking after you (removing any/all electronics from your life) 🧡?

☆ come back to me by @iicarused

synopsis: you’re getting tired of the radio demon (part ii) 🧡?

☆ alastor + cunnilingus by @vmpyria 💛

☆ heaven knows your name by @iicarused

synopsis: heartaches after yearning for each other after decades of being apart 🧡

☆ alastor x married!reader by @bigfatbimbo 🧡

☆ DANCE WITH THE DEVIL by @popamolly

summary. Amidst the vibrant 1920s in New Orleans, a forbidden love unfolds in the lively jazz-filled atmosphere, evolving from an intoxicating romance to a twisted tale of heartbreak and murder, serving as a reminder to never dance with the devil. (SERIES) 🧡💛

Johnnie Guilbert-

☆ New Set by @corrodedcoffins-blog

summary: Giving boyfriend!Johnnie head scratches after getting new acrylics 🧡

☆ Collab by @teapartyprincess4two

summary: You and Johnnie pretend to date, faking it for so long that it became real. 🧡

☆ Run Your Mouth by @samandcolby-ownme

Prompt: Johnnie and reader get into an argument which leads to make up sex. 💛

☆ vampire!Johnnie x reader by @caeunot

summary- you find out your bf is a vampire 🧡💛?

☆ johnnie guilbert x reader by @caeunot

summary- johnnie writing zombie about you 🧡

☆ You by @sturnsreader 💛

☆ you know i’ll keep you in my locket by @stardustloserdoll 🧡

JSchlatt-

☆ "sit on my face." by @ghostkidabs 💛

☆ Jack & Coke part one by @d444zed 🧡💛?

☆ Jack & Coke part two by @d444zed 💛

☆ Mutual breakup headcanon/oneshot by @ohbabydollie 🧡

☆ Mutual breakup oneshot by @ohbabydollie 💛

Ellie Williams-

☆ no room for the holy spirit by @moncherellie 💛

☆ Roommate Trouble by @justkindalivin

summary: Your roommate Jesse and his girlfriend Dina fuck..a lot. loudly. When you finally get fed up after being woken up by their nightly “activities”, you go to Dina’s dorm for some peace and quiet only to run into her roommate, Ellie. 🧡💛

☆ hands to herself by @elliesbarbie

summary: ellie thinks you look a little too good in that bikini you chose to wear for the annual best friend vacay and can’t keep her hands off you 💛

☆ Getting caught with ellie by @me-and-your-husband 💛

☆ Body Ink by @me-and-your-husband

summary: you tattoo ellie's thigh. it's a bit of a compromising position, and it leads you down an unexpected road. female reader. 🧡💛

Alex Turner-

☆ Pillow Talk by @ohladymoon-blog

summary: what the title says, just pillow talk and soft cuddles after sex. ends in cockwarming. 🧡💛

☆ strawberry lace by @lilmisssweetdreams 🧡💛

☆ Test Drive by @savorypink 💛

Spiderman-

☆ Wingman (Hobie Brown) by @love-bitesx 🧡

☆ Crybaby (Hobie Brown) by @merowkittie 🧡

☆ "Thank You, Mrs. Parker." (Spider Noir) by @sabcandoit

Summary: After your wedding, you and Peter go home and have sex for the first time. 🧡💛

☆ Miss Your Face (TASM! Peter Parker) by @dontsaypetertingle

Summary: When you have to go out of town for work Peter gets lonely and a bit needy. An innocent call home to check on him becomes a lot more intense than originally planned. (Has a pt 2) 💛

☆ Break It In (Tom! Peter Parker) by @simplyparker

Summary: Peter gets his first car, and you want to have some fun 💛

☆ Please, Don't Stop Now by @echos-newlegs

Summary: you are in an established relationship with Peter, and he very much wants baby. 🧡💛

Fred Weasley-

☆ Facetime by @albertdabuttler

summary: !!MODERN AU!! Fred calls you in the middle of the night because he can’t sleep, but you look so pretty and he starts getting a little heated up. (Has 3 parts) 🧡💛

☆ Sweet Sugar Candyman by @keykeep 💛

☆ Sleeping In by @screamingoverfiction 💛

☆ Slipping Through My Fingers by @midnightmoonytales

Summary: Watching his little girl grow up had to one of his favorite things to see, but also one of the saddest. Every pivotal moment of her life flashing through his mind, even to this one now. (Wolfstar!daughter reader) 🧡

☆ Electric Pull by @apparentlytheproblem 🧡

Steve Harrington-

☆ I'll Be The Judge (Ft. Robin x Reader) by @luvfae

summary: steve and robin get into an argument about which one of them can give a girl a better orgasm, you come up with an idea to settle the argument once and for all. 💛

☆ Cowboy Hat Rule by @taintedcigs

summary: helping out mr. harrington in his ranch was supposed to be fun, but steve harrington was an asshole. an absolute pain in your ass that teased you, and you gave him the same energy back, always. so when you unknowingly wear his cowboy hat, he decides to teach you what exactly the cowboy hat rule is. 💛

☆ Marriage Pact by @fantasylandloser

summary: besties that plan to get married 🧡💛

Eddie Roundtree-

☆ Blind Date by @luvfae

Summary: The reader and Eddie get setup on a blind date 🧡💛

☆ Lead Singers Are Overrated by @luvfae

summary: working at the whiskey has it perks and that includes getting railed backstage by a certain bassist in a band. 💛

Extras-

☆ Not In On The Joke (Brian Quinn) by @joe--bro

Summary: The Jokers have to do certain tasks to win in the park, and a certain task given by the rest of the Jokers leads Q to talk to you. 🧡

☆ Flavored Kisses (Xavier Thorpe) by @cosmicpearlz

summary: in which you wear a different flavored chapstick everyday and your boyfriend xavier loves it. 🧡

☆ Babysitting (Judd Birch) by @just-another-author-i-guess

Summary: you and Judd are the designated babysitters for the night. 🧡💛

☆ Don't Fake It (Peter Quill) by @professorrw

Request/Summary: peter starts getting frisky with the reader but shes tired and isn’t really in the mood. He would never pressure her or anything but she wants to make him happy and feels bad saying no, so she does it and fakes her orgasm just to get it over with. Later, he somehow finds out (or knew all along, you decide) that she faked it and of course his ego is bruised and he’s kinda annoyed, but also feels guilty she didn’t tell him how she felt. So the next night, she starts coming onto him and he makes damn sure she never fakes it again. 💛

☆ So Beautiful (Loki Laufeyson) by @lokiisdaddyblog

Summary: Reader is feeling insecure and Loki proves to her that she's perfect. 🧡💛

#alastor x reader #jschlatt x reader #johnnie guilbert x reader #ellie williams x reader #spiderman x reader #alex turner x reader #steve harrington x reader #eddie roundtree x reader #brian quinn x reader #xavier thorpe x reader #judd birch x reader #peter quill x reader #loki x reader #fic recs

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juncodraws · 2 months ago

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Tada! For mermaid AND anime fans alike, I drew the Zombieland Saga girls as merms!

Starting off with our girl ✨️Sakura✨️, the tail I chose for her is a Princess parrotfish because I wanted something to contrast her red hair beautifully (the "princess" is accurate too; our sweet princess Sakura🩵). It didn't come out exactly how I hoped, but I'm learning! -Although the glitter was a nice save, tho hard to see here😅- Sakura is such a good girl, I love her sm. She's often very relatable too!

View the rest below!

Next up, my girl ✨️Junko✨️ (Who I unironically relate with the most👀).

I definitely wanted the two professional idols of the group to be dolphins, and I loved how the colors of the Striped dolphin match Junko's patchwork so well. The soft colors really bring out her hair and eyes! I hope we learn how she died in the upcoming movie🙏

Ay! It's ✨️Ai✨️

I thought the Atlantic spotted dolphin was a cute choice for her since it matches her hair so well. But I don't even want to think about Kotaro applying his Hollywood makeup on that tail😶

Ai is a good bean. I really enjoyed her character growth. I'm glad she has Junko to relate with.🩵

Next up, ✨️Lily✨️

I definitely wanted a brightly colored reef fish for this lil bundle of joy, and the orange of the Snowflake clownfish really makes her blue hair pop! It was also fun (and super convenient) turning her star hair pieces into starfish^^

Lily is a solid character. I love how optimistic and supportive she is, and how she isn't petty like some other child celebrity actors. For 12 years old, she's very mature!

Our badass ✨️Saki✨️, heck yeh😎

I knew I needed something fast and powerful for our favorite biker gang leader, and a Blue marlin immediately came to mind. She'll rough you up good!

Saki is definitely one of my favorites. She's strong and hardcore, but not in an obnoxious overbearing sort of way. I love her little fangirlisms, and determination to lead the group right. Love ya girl!🫡

✨️Yugiri✨️ my queen🩵

I just HAD to go with the classic Koi for our favorite courtesan. It was obvious from the start.

Yugiri is my second favorite of the group. She's so stoic and smart, and I call her the "resident slapper." XD She definitely has final boss energy and I'd follow her anywhere🩵 Slay Queen💅

Last but most definitely not least, ✨️Tae✨️

Tae gives me major seal vibes (merfolk-wise), so I made her a Harbor seal Selkie!

Tae, my precious baby girl whomst I love and adore. My favorite feral zombie queen, you are perfect. Please never change🩵

Definitely check out Zombieland Saga if you enjoy anime. It's easily become my favorite comedy anime. The writing, pacing, characters, everything is SO GOOD. I will follow these girls to the ends of the earth fr fr🙏

#traditional art #artists on tumblr #art #original art #fanart #mermaid art #mermay #zombieland saga #anime #anime art

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lycanm00n · 2 months ago

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Muzzled and Free - A Small Ramble About Being Nonhuman in a Human World

I dashed out of my house this morning, the chain collar around my neck clinking softly and catching the morning light like some kind of animalistic mirrorball. The bus I was meant to catch, albeit with the stop being directly outside my house, was in about four minutes and despite being a canine, I was never the fastest runner - quite possibly due to the big combat boots I'd slipped my paws into.

My main form being naturally bipedal thanks to the 'were' in the wolf is an advantage; it isn't overly uncomfortable for me to wear human clothing like I see some of my usually quadruped peers talking about (although, admittedly, I don't so like the way jeans sit with my tail, nor do I like the way shirts seem to flatted my fur). As a result, though, I'm used to getting some odd looks from the humans.

It isn't often you see someone who doesn't quite look human and is clad in a collar and clunky boots padding desperately down the road toward an oncoming bus.

Quite frankly, I don't blame them. If I wasn't a therian, I'd probably be a little bit confused too. I mean, seriously, if you saw a slightly-human-mostly-not scuttling down the road toward you and you weren't accustomed to the veil/disguise nor the animal (therian/nonhuman/etc) community, you'd probably be a little thrown off too. Maybe you'd think it was a kind of dog zombie thing, or that you needed to go back and get another few hours sleep. Or that you'd stumbled into a weird part of town.

Regardless, I like looking like a bag of glitter with all my chains and collars, and bone shaped rings (which, by the way, I found out I have two matching ones and I am THRILLED to wear them on each forepaw like this.) - no matter how much it throws certain humans off. Despite the point of my veil, I like to make my form (of which I now refer to as my humansona) look as wolfish as possible without flat out wearing a tail.

Anyway, I guess the point I'm trying to make is that the humans generally don't care if you're frolicking down the streets wearing a collar and a tail. There are a few assholes out there, sure, but if your area is safe enough, nobody cares! You might get a couple 'wtf is lost in aisle nine' comments in the local supermarket, but I wear that as a badge of honor personally. I also think it's important to know that even if you don't generally openly express your animalism, or even at all, you're still you. You're still a horse if you don't like wearing cloppy boots, still a dolphin if you're afraid of water, still a dog even if you reject domestication. Gear isn't important, and if drawing a pawprint on yourself in biro is enough for you then more power to you, friend.

I've actually spent nearly my entire bus journey writing this while basking in the sun (read: burning to death on the top deck), and if I don't stop I think I'll probably end up missing my stop. I'm not sure if the bus driver has sussed out my dogness but in the interest of not being taken to the pound or a conservation centre, I'm going to leave it here.

Thank you for reading if you got this far into whatever that post was! Here's a dog treat, or a carrot, or like.. the souls of your enemies. Whatever makes you happy! Please comment any thoughts, or anything (I have a disease called can't-shut-up-itis and love chattering, and I might even make another shitty blog post if something catches my eye. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or if it constitutes as an insult that I'd dare be on this website.)

Gonna shut up now LOL. Stay wild 🏕️

#nonhuman #therianthropy #caninekin #therian #turned a #dogkin #wolfkin #pantheonhowls #pantheon doesn't know when to shut up #pantheon is acting like this is livejournal again #enjoy? LOL

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fruitsofbeingafraid · 3 months ago

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which forgetmenauts songs are most transgender?

in honor of trans day of visibility, i thought i'd compile a list of my personal most transgender forgetmenauts songs

starting off strong with charlatan in red. i mean. need i even elaborate??? i know y'all know what mean.

next is coordinate song. the line "feels most like I'm me" is the main support for this interpretation but it's one of those allegories that once you see (hear?) it you can't unsee it, and this will always be a trans song to me.

my next choice is the whole thomas the rhymer trilogy. the whole trilogy. or just the character of thomas the rhymer. my reasoning here is that he is voiced by kit (more feminine voice) in Thomas the Rhymer and Truth Be Told, but in Faerie Queen he's voiced by walker (more masculine). now, in faerie queen, it's established he can't speak, so the song must be his internal voice, as opposed to in the real world like the other songs. why would his outer voice be feminine but his internal voice be masculine?? well i have an idea. (🏳‍⚧🏳‍⚧🏳‍⚧🏳‍⚧🏳‍⚧)

speaking of, the next song on this list is jack. if thomas the rhymer (aka the hawker in jack) is trans, and the song is about him luring jack into the woods, tempting him... wait, i've heard this story before! (its the same metaphor as charlatan in red.) also the way his mother never calls him jack, and the emphasis on his name and also boy throughout the song... interesting.

i'm not gonna write as much about this one but rusalka and the shepherd girl has the same vibes to me. its a pretty similar concept to Jack and charlatan in red (monster/Bad Person luring your child away to join them... hmm.) so i say it's trans.

last on todays list is i took a zombie to prom and all i got was this lousy tshirt. i mean Came Back Wrong is already an INCREDIBLY transgender trope as is, and the concept of something about you changing and your lover or someone in your life being disgusted by you and wanting nothing to do with you... it hurts but it's accurate.

sorry, didn't mean to end off on such a sad description, today is a day for trans joy dammit! moral of the story: every song by the forgetmenauts is trans and also i can make anything into a trans allegory. good night!

#the forgetmenauts #forgetmenauts #what the FUCK do I tag for this fandom #charlatan in red

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luveline · 2 years ago

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hi!!! i really love your writing, i was thinking maybe i could request something for the steve zombie! au? maybe the reader and steve get separated (maybe the reader and eddie go outside of camp and don’t come back for a couple of days, so steve thinks something went wrong and maybe someone got to them) but after days they reunite and it all protective steve fluff? idk if you don’t like it it’s fine just ignore me hehe 🫶🏼

sorry this wasn't very angsty but there is fluff! ty for requesting ♡ steve zombie au. fem!reader, 1.4k

You and Eddie lie with an amicable space between you, though you've agreed to share a huge sleeping bag to conserve a modicum of heat. His hair touches your shoulder whenever he moves.

"Why are you looking at me?" you ask.

"Are you okay?" he asks quietly.

"No. I… yeah, I'm okay."

Eddie never tries anything, doesn't touch you beyond friendly pats on the shoulder or knuckle touches after a job well done. He's never given you any reason to worry, but Steve said he's a guy. He didn't think Eddie was gonna hurt you, but there was a possibility he'd flirt. All I'm saying is that it didn't take long for me to fall in love with you, Steve'd said, his hands in your waistband, tucking in your shirt.

You laughed. Steve, you didn't like me.

Well, not out loud. And I was dumb enough to miss how lucky I was for a while. Eddie's not that stupid. He's not gonna try nothing, but… You know, don't fall in love with him. Please.

You'd wrapped your arms around his neck and shoulders and had him take your weight, impressed and in love at the subtle strength he used to keep you both standing. Don't worry. I won't. I never would.

Not with Steve in this world. Even then, if Steve somehow met his demise, you're pretty sure you'd be done with love.

"Worrying about loverboy?" Eddie asks.

You're definitely worrying about loverboy. "I told him I'd be back in the morning. It's been a whole extra day. He gets– gets so worried. Honestly, it won't surprise me if he turns up looking for us."

"You've been apart?"

"Two or three times." You wince, thinking about Steve the last time you'd been separated. How he'd put his hands under your arms and hugged you, even though you couldn't open your eyes. The time before, how he'd cried into your stomach, hands grasping blindly at your back. "I think he worries about me 'cos I'm kind of useless."

"That's not true. Robin told me all about your psycho takeover."

"She did?" you ask, covering your face with your hand.

"I wanted to know why she calls you killer."

"That's pretty much the only time I've defended myself. He always does the hard work."

"If you're really that useless, why'd you come?" He turns on his side away from you. "You're fine. You've learned to fight just like the rest of us. Steve knows you can take care of yourself. He's probably sleeping like a baby waiting for you to bring him back his new jacket."

You dig for the necklace Steve gave you so long ago under your shirt. You'd thought you lost it, having taken it off before bed the night you escaped the College, but he had it. He gave it back. The little diamond is hard between your fingers. You press it to your lips, wondering if he's really as okay as Eddie claims.

—

Steve lies on his back in the clearing, wishing he was dead. The anxiety is genuinely so bad he's agonised and prone.

Robin laughed at him for worrying when you didn't show up in the morning as you planned to, but by nightfall she was equally worried. A day later, she sits cross legged by his head, her hand on his arm. She's feigning reading, her bottom lip nibbled raw.

"You want some chapstick?" he asks.

"Nah. Stings."

He sits up feeling like someone's kicked him all over. "The brain is a stupid organ. I'm worried about Y/N, so sure, I get to feel like a jet engine fell on me."

"She's fine." He and Robin have been playing a game where one of them mentions you and the other immediately reassures that you're alive. He quite likes it. It makes it easier to breathe. "You need to chill out, that's all. Eddie had that fucking shotgun. They're not in any danger."

"What if she fell and broke her leg or something? He's carrying her across the country like a backpack. That should be me."

"What if he fell and broke his leg? You wanna go give Eddie a lift?" Robin asks, grinning.

Steve thinks the worst part is that he misses you. He's so worried about you he could throw up (he almost did at breakfast, every mouthful cement thick), but he just hates turning to talk to you and finding empty space. He misses the way you smile, your tentative hand holding, even the way you look at him. He remembers the first time he realised you liked him, how your gaze had slowly gone from annoyed to admiring, how your eyes would catch on his arms or the corner of his mouth.

He remembers wiping sleep from your eyes, how hot your cheek felt under hand, and the pit it opened in his stomach. It's a strange thing to notice someone's fallen in love with you by themselves. He had catching up to do. It's probably why he feels like he's on death's door whenever you're not around.

"I don't wanna give Munson anything. S'already stealing my girl, smarmy bastard. They ran away to be together."

Robin gasps. He thinks, Well, I was kidding, then, Holy shit they've actually run away together.

"Stevie!" your voice echoes. "Hey! I've been looking all over for you, why are you guys out here?"

Steve's neck clicks like a Jacob ladder as his head whips up. The fear and anxiety drains from his body, a rapid exsanguination. You look tired but blissfully alive as you jog across the grass clearing, your backpack weighed down and your empty canteens rattling against your thigh.

Steve trips over grass whorls to get to you. Your little laugh before he grabs you drives him crazy.

"Where the fuck have you been?" he asks.

"Got lost. Sorry. Love you," you say, rubbing your cheek against his, your hands bunching up his shirt. You smell like dirt, grass, and tent plastic. It's frankly the best smell in the whole world. He sniffs at you greedily.

"I thought you died," he says.

"Yeah, I did. Eddie gave me sloppy CPR–" You screech as Steve sweeps your leg from under you and giggle as he holds you up, begging for forgiveness as he threatens to drop you. "Sorry, it was just so easy! You set it up for me!"

You laugh as he drags a kiss along your jaw, his stubble scramming your softer skin.

"I love you," he says, "even if you're seeing other boys."

"Never." You close your eyes and wait for a kiss. Steve's more happy that you expect one than he is to give one, which is saying a lot —he wants to kiss you bad enough to feel the phantom of it before he's closed the gap between you.

He gives you way too many kisses.

You push your head down into the crook of his neck and hold him tight. "Sorry I didn't come back when I said I would. Didn't scare you too much, did I?

He was scared shitless. "No, it's alright. It's okay."

He takes your face into his hands and checks you're all in one piece. Same smile. Same dazzled squint when he kisses you.

You leave his arms too soon for his liking. Robin waits patiently for her own hug, less so when you shed your backpack. She hugs you as it falls to the floor.

"Miss me?" you ask into her hair.

"Thought I'd be stuck with mopey Steve forever." Her insult doesn't land, her voice heavy with relief. "You know coming back in the morning doesn't mean any morning, right? Just checking."

"Sorry, Robin. I missed you."

"Eddie bad company?"

"He's nice, he's just not you guys."

Steve puts a hand on your back, fingers hooked in your belt loop. "Where is he?"

"Playing Peter Pan in the mess tent. I got you guys the best winter jackets ever. Though me and you are sort of matching, Steve." You look at him over your shoulder sheepishly. "Sorry."

"The horror," he murmurs.

#steve zombie!au #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington #steve harrington fic #steve harrington blurb #steve harrington drabble #stranger things x reader #stranger things fic #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington fanfiction #stranger things #stranger things 4

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thedream14 · 3 months ago

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I've been reading a lot of Wolverine comics lately!!!

I only have two things to say.

1. Wolverine's stories with Punisher are amazing !!!

2. For some reason, the universe always ends up giving me Poolverine in the most random stories!!!

For example !!! Marvel Universe Vs Wolverine !!!

It all starts with a random virus that turns people into primitive beings. To be honest, they look more like zombies!!!

Wolvie immediately jump into action and try to get a cure !!! But to do so, he will have to make some sacrifices like killing the X-Men.

Eventually, Wolverine has to protect the few scientists who can find the cure!!!

It’s in this part !!!! That WADE appears!!! Deadpool is alive! And ready to help him fight against the infected Hulk !!!

At the end of the battle against all the infected heroes, only Wolvie, Cap America, Punisher and Deadpool remain!!!

PD: Deadpool was the first one to go rescue Logan 👀

After regrouping, Wolvie sends Wade to spy on the infected!!!

In retrospect, I think Wolvie knew the truth about Deadpool all along !!!

DEADPOOL WAS ALWAYS INFECTED !!! 💀

But thanks to his healing factor, Wade could think and maintain his composure. He was constantly fighting the urge to eat meat, but he stayed calm for the sake of the team!

With the information from the infected, Deadpool returns to Wolvie and the others.

This is when Wolvie pulls Wade aside for a private talk!

The whole scene is wonderful 🥹

Logan’s words, along with his sad expression when he recognizes Wade’s condition, are really powerful!

Also, the look of resignation and vulnerability on his face when he asks for Wade’s help, really hurt me.

Finally, we have to talk about Wade's silence during Wolverine’s Speech. He knows that there is a lot at risk and he knows that Logan needs him, that's why he prefers to fight against the virus!

Deadpool decided to stay by Logan's side ♥️

Honestly, I never thought I'd find Poolverine in such a random story like this one !!!

Plz, can someone write a zombie Poolverine AU ???

On a side note, I highly recommend this comic!!! 100% 🙂‍↕️

#poolverine #deadpool and wolverine #deadclaws #deadpool #wolverine

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idylls-of-the-divine-romance · 9 months ago

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The way the Romans thought about Christians is so funny to me cause it's like... well the way I've phrased it is that the Christianoi are Death Cult Hippies basically.

Atheists? Unclear.

Incestuous. They're brothers and sisters but the kiss each other all. the. time. IN PUBLIC!? Imagine what happens at night...

Early on Sunday Mornings and late at nights they rise together to hold "Love Feasts" aka Orgies, Cannibalism (of their god???)

Won't stop talking about torture devices. They have this weird magic ritual called "the Sign of the Cross"

Super into death (initiates must go into Death and come back out alive) and zombies (their god is a zombie? they wish to be zombies?)

Always hanging around cemeteries and tombs. They hold religious worship at gravesites and catacombs, writing on the walls for the dead to pray for them (??). So creepy.

Always. Singing. Also some of them speak in weird languages

Despite the constant singing they are very anti-social. Anti-music, anti-theatre, anti-schooling (??), heck, lots of them won't even wear jewelry or perfume or cosmetics!

They keep taking trash (i.e. infants, esp girls and deformed boys, that were left out to die) and raising them as children

Pacifist? Communist?? Anarchist??? Seriously like they won't serve in the military, won't serve in public office (insisting rather to "pray" for the nation to their god. For it's peace or it's fall, who knows?), the part of the cult in Jerusalem lives in common. By refusing to worship the gods they are in defiance against the cultural and political character and the very nature of Rome itself.

Their god is born of... a virgin?? And she consented!? And then their god died... the death of a slave... intentionally!?!?!

Religion of Women and Slaves. Like seriously. They are farrrrr too inclusive. Multi-ethnic, heterogenity, way to much focus on women's roles, disregard for social classes, etc. Also why do so many slaves (the basis of our economy) convert to this religion???

On one hand, obviously, never persecute anyone. Even if they are a dangerous hippie death cult. But also... like my religion sounds like a hippie death cult! I can completely understand. If i was a roman, I'd want these people killed too lol. These people clearly CLEARLY are "the cause of every public disaster, of every affliction with which the people are visited. If the Tiber rises as high as the city walls, if the Nile does not send its waters up over the fields, if the heavens give no rain, if there is an earthquake, if there is famine or pestilence, straightway the cry is, 'Away with the Christians to the lions!"

So... yeah. The Christians were goth and everyone knows the Romans hate Goths lol

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runningfrom2am · 1 year ago

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empty threats // LTPF

summary: you get in trouble at school, and don't want to go home just yet.

pairing: coriolanus snow x fem!reader

wc: 3.4k

masterlists / nav / requests

tags/warnings: capitol brat!reader, maybe slightly ooc coryo, idk i tried my best. they're just little in this one :'), so no real warnings. besides r being a little violent and threatening, but what's new lol. non-descript mentions and implications of abuse.

a/n: hi! thought i'd post this before s2 of cold nights bc,,, i'm not ready to let this series go just yet lol. this was (kind of) requested a couple of times so i do intend to write another thing ab them before the series! maybe p2 to 'the finer things in life'? lmk

(also would y'all call me crazy if i said this was based on something i actually did in middle school? yes? okay in that case that was a joke. thanks.)

series masterlist // playlist

You were having a bad day. A bad week. Bad month. The academy had not been treating you well this year- nothing really was. But school especially was kicking your ass.

You did well, consistently. A's, A+'s, and it was only at the small cost of your sanity. You hardly slept anymore- which is part of the reason your father started allowing you to wear makeup at the beginning of the year. To hide how dark the circles under your eyes were- how pale you were getting from lack of sunlight and exercise, and the bruises that happened to be visible on warmer days where you weren't required to wear your blazer.

You hadn't slept in a week, you were sure. It was hard to tell. Days and nights blurred together; you were effectively a zombie at fourteen. Even you knew that wasn't right.

"Y/N/N." You didn't realize you were falling asleep leaning on your palm, elbow pressed uncomfortably against the surface of the desk.

"Huh?" You blink rapidly, looking over to the source of your name.

"You okay?" Coryo chuckles quietly, looking you over as he almost always did.

"Never been better." You sigh, shaking your head to refocus yourself on writing the notes on the board.

"You sure about that? I'm not exactly inclined to believe you."

"Yes." You nod, having to lean to the side to even see the board. You didn't notice when Arachne finished her notes and stood right in your line of sight to talk to Livia, who was sitting in front of you.

Yes, your teacher had allowed you to discuss upcoming assignments when you were finished copying down the paragraphs on the board, but that didn't mean Arachne should block your view.

"Arachne." You say, waving for her to move when she looks down at you.

"Have you no manners?" She asks, tilting her head at you.

"Move. Please." You really don't have the patience to argue.

"No thank you, I'm alright here." She smiles, sickly sweet, before promptly returning to her conversation.

You close your eyes, taking a deep breath in before slowly letting it out through your nose. "I'm trying to write, and your massive head is blocking the entire board. Move, now."

Coryo snickers beside you, his notes already long done as he sits back to watch.

"We're trying to have a conversation. Some of us have lives outside of school, you know." Arachne digs her grave deeper, crossing her arms as she stares down at you.

You grip your pen in your hand so tight you're afraid it might break.

"Don't." Coryo says to you, reaching out to grab your shoulder in an effort to calm you. He knew this look on you; you looked like you were about to detonate.

You ignore him, trying to look past her again, but she takes a sidestep to the left intentionally blocking your view now. Back and forth, whichever way you lean she's conveniently moving to be right in your line of sight. You try to listen to Coryo and not cause a scene, you really do, but your patience was deteriorating by the second.

"Arachne, I swear to god I will hit you so hard with this book if you don't get out of my way that you'll have worse memory loss than usual. Move."

"Y/N/N, here, let's just switch. You can see just fine from-" Your friend suggests, already standing up to move and open his seat to you.

"Oh, is that so?" The girl laughs at you. "It's not like these notes will ever matter to you. You probably don't even know what that-"

Within a second you're standing, grabbing the textbook from your desk and swinging it at her.

It hits the side of her head with a loud crack that has her stumbling back. Other students are laughing, you can hear it, but only echoes as you breathe heavily.

You smile as she clutches the side of her head, stumbling down into her empty seat. "Thank you." You nod, moving to sit back down and resume taking your notes. Suddenly, you're feeling much more awake; refreshed at being able to channel your frustration into something physical.

Coryo stares at you, almost in shock. Almost, because Arachne should have known that coming from you, there was no such thing as an empty threat.

"Miss Y/L/N!" Your teachers voice bellows as Arachne starts to cry.

God, she's such a baby.

You aren't given the chance to defend yourself before Coryo is speaking up for you. "Sorry, Sir. She's just had a tough week." You shoot him a look and you can see the panic in his eyes, wracking his mind for a way to excuse your violence in a forgivable manner. "I'll take her down to the office." He's helping you up out of your seat before grabbing your books and your bag for you.

Your teacher clearly doesn't have the energy to get into it with you today so he nods, waving for the two of you to go.

"It's just, you know, lady problems." Coryo says as you pass the teacher on his way over to Arachne, who now has Livia fanning her face with a book as if that would help.

"Just, get her out of here." Your teacher says again.

"Of course you would know- just get your insane girlfriend away from me. I can't look at her anymore." Arachne whines, still clutching the side of her head.

You grit your teeth and jam your elbow into your friends ribs at the unnecessary comment right as you exit the doorway.

"Ow!" He winces, looking back to make sure no one saw. "I helped you!"

"I am not on my period, Coriolanus." You hiss, glaring up at him as he walks beside you. "You're such a pig."

"How am I supposed to know! I just know you assaulted Arachne and that's a hard act to excuse. I tried my best."

"You're lucky I'm not. If I was I'd gut you like a fish right now." You grumble, pulling your bag from his shoulder and giving him a shove back.

"I'll count myself lucky then." He chuckles. He never took anything mean you say to him too personally or too seriously. Your threats only ever seemed to be empty when they were directed at him.

"Coryo! Y/N/N! Wait!" You turn and cross your arms as you wait for Sejanus who's speed walking down the hall to catch up.

"Oh, you're late to the party." You grin, raising an eyebrow at him.

"He sent me to escort you guys, didn't want you to sneak off before actually going to the office." He explains as the three of you continue down the hall.

You groan, rolling your eyes. "Ugh, him too?"

"Gross." Coryo mutters.

"Excuse you, that was rude!" You laugh, bumping your shoulder against his arm. You didn't notice when he started to get taller than you, it seemingly happened overnight.

"And I stand by it." He replies, shaking his head at you as you gasp in mock offense.

"I'm wounded, Coryo. Truly."

"Yeah, you guys are never beating those allegations. Sorry." Sejanus laughs.

"True, but it would be nice if he didn't act like i'm repulsive all the time."

"I do not act like you're repulsive!"

"You guys argue like an old married couple. It's cute."

You don't know what prompted you to walk here. Anxiety, maybe, after the receptionist at the office was instructed by Dean Highbottom to call your father this afternoon while you were in the office.

You stand outside the entrance to Coryo's apartment building, pacing in your academy uniform. You stop, staring at the call panel.

"Level 12 Penthouse: Snow"

You chew your lip, looking down at your watch. It was almost five, you wasted time sitting in after school detention staring at the wall. Just press it. You didn't walk all this way just to go home anyways. Press it.

The buzzer is ringing out of the speaker before you can overthink it.

"Uh, hello?" His voice is crackly on the other end, hardly even audible if you weren't panicking over who would answer.

"Coryo, it's me. Can I come in?"

"Uh, hold on. I'll come down." His voice cuts out and you wait for the buzzer that signifies the door is unlocked, but it doesn't come.

You try the handle anyway, but it remains locked. You groan, peeking in for the first time through the large glass windows that made up the entrance to the lobby.

It was a damn mess in there. Garbage bags everywhere, it looked like the floors or the walls hadn't been cleaned in years. Why on earth was there no maintenance in his building? You knew he had a driver, a chef, maids to clean his own apartment, or so he said. Would it be so hard to have the building cleaned every week?

It's a good few minutes before you see your friend open the doors to the stairs, and looking over at the elevator while he walks up to the door you see there's a maintenance sign on it. That was broken, too. Your brow furrows as he walks up to the glass door, shoving it open.

"Y/N... What are you doing here?" He asks, and you give him a once over. He's still wearing his academy uniform, just like you, but without the skirt that drapes around his legs. The buttons are partially undone and buttoned unevenly.

"I, uh..." You start, giving a slight shake of your head. "Why are you still in your uniform?"

"I haven't had the chance to change.." He lies, eyeing you quizzically. He definitely won't be telling you that his only casual clothes are noticeably too small on him, ankles showing in the only pyjama pants he owns so he had to throw this back on in a rush. Usually, he just sleeps in his boxers and only leaves the house in dress clothes. "What's going on?" He asks, changing the subject.

You take a deep, shaky breath and shake your head. "I... was just hoping you'd want to hangout." You smile, but it's not convincing enough for him.

"Oh, uh, I'm a little busy right now..." He glances back inside.

"Of course. Yes. I'm sorry." You nod, slightly disappointed.

"But, I mean, it's just homework. If you have your stuff we could work on it together." He suggests, sensing your discomfort.

"Came straight from school!" You grin, patting your bag where it hangs at your waist.

"Uh, okay..." He chuckles a bit, checking the time on his watch before reaching past you to buzz his own apartment.

You wait for a moment before another voice rings out.

"Hello?"

"It's me."

"Coryo, did you lock yourself out again?" His cousin sighs.

"Again?" You gasp, covering your mouth as you laugh quietly at him.

His cheeks flush. "No, I didn't. I was hoping you could bring my school bag down to me, Y/N and I are going to hers to work on homework."

Your smile fades as he volunteers your home. The reason you came was because you didn't want to go back there. Not yet.

"I'll be right down!"

You hear the click of it disconnecting and he smiles at you. "Just give her a minute."

"We can't- Uh..." How to word this without sounding weird. "My brother has friends over, I think. They're always super loud so that's why I came here..."

"Oh, okay. Well..." He looks back inside again. "We can find somewhere else to go. My grandma'am is sleeping, that's all."

You're both lying to each others faces and neither of you knew.

"Sounds good." You nod. "My brother and his friends are just like, so annoying. I wish they would just get together and like... read or something..." You laugh nervously, rubbing your arm.

"I get it." He hums and you laugh.

"As if, Coryo, you are that younger brother."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No, I'm not."

"This is exactly how my little brother fights with me so..."

"Except I don't have siblings. So that's impossible."

"Yes you do."

"No, I don't."

"You do!" You laugh. "You realize the genetic components have like... nothing to do with that, right? Tigris is effectively your sister. You live together, for christs sake. Besides, I know I'm right because of... everything." You gesture to him vaguely and he glares at you.

"That's why we get along so well." You smile sweetly at him. "I'm a big sister. I know exactly how to handle little brothers. And you're used to having a big sister around, so you tolerate me."

"Tigris is not my sister, and you are nothing like her."

You playfully roll your eyes. "I wouldn't know. But I would bet money that we have more in common than you know."

"Definitely not." He protests, shaking his head as Tigris steps out of the stairwell with his book bag in hand. She smiles and waves at you as she comes up to the door, opening it to hand it out to him.

"Thank you." He nods, and she turns to you, blocking the door from closing as she stands there.

"Y/N, how are you?" She smiles, holding her housecoat around herself. It had been a long time since you'd seen her- she left the academy before you were old enough to study in the same buildings.

"I'm well, thank you." You smile. "Yourself?"

"I'm good." She nods. "How is school treating you?"

You laugh, shrugging and reaching up to rub your eyes. "Well enough, I suppose. Gives me something to do."

She smiles, sadly, and nods. You look over at Coryo quickly. "Should we be going then?"

He nods. "Yes, we should. Thank you, Tigris."

"Of course." She grins, waving you off as you make your way back down the steps ahead of him.

Coryo throws his bag over his shoulder, rushing to follow you as he notices his mismatched buttons and quickly tries to fix it. "Where do you want to go?" He asks, and you shrug.

"Maybe the park? It's a nice day out." You offer.

He looks around. It wasn't that nice- there was a thin overcast of clouds that suggested it may start to rain, and there wasn't much time before the sun would set. "I mean, it looks like it's going to rain. Noise doesn't bother me, we could just go to your house."

You sigh, looking down at your feet as you walk in no particular direction, kicking a stone across the broken pavement. "No." You quickly dismiss it. "What about the old bomb shelter? I know how to get into the one on my block. There's an unlocked door."

Your friend wrinkles up his nose at the suggestion. "Isn't it gross and dusty and dark?"

"It's not that bad." You laugh. "Don't be a baby."

"Do you remember the bombings?" You ask, pushing aside an old curtain in the underground shelter.

"I don't think I could forget if I wished to." Coryo mutters, looking around. It was dusty, but you had found a light switch very quickly. The lights overhead flickered after years of not being used, but for some reason, power was still connected. Like they were still on standby, waiting for another flood of terrified people to swarm in during the night after years of being left untouched.

"Me neither." You hum, adjusting your bag over your shoulder. "We slept over there." You point vaguely to a far corner of the vast space of old bunk beds and tables.

"Cozy." Coryo mumbles, stepping around a crack in the ceiling where water had dripped down into a puddle on the floor.

You laugh as you place your bag down on a table, quickly removing your blazer to dust off the bench next to it so the two of you could sit. You won't get in any more trouble for dirtying your uniform than you already are for hitting your classmate.

You lay the red material down across it and use your palms to wipe the table so your friend would be more comfortable placing his stuff there. "Here, sit." You smile, patting the spot next to yourself.

"Thanks." He nods, eyes locked on the yellowing bruise that falls around your wrist. It was previously unnoticeable under the shadow of your blazer sleeve, but now with only your blue dress shirt slightly folded up, it was clear as day. To him, anyway. His eyes flick up to your face as you dig through your bag, so blissfully unaware that now he knows why you came to him instead of going home. He hadn't thought of it before.

"Well?" You turn, raising an eyebrow at him when he doesn't make an effort to move. "You scared or something? I don't bite."

He shakes himself out of his stupor of realization. Maybe one day he would say something, but that certainly wouldn't be today. "I'm pretty sure you do." He jokes, sliding into the spot next to you.

"Oh, how you think so little of me." You laugh as he starts pulling papers and books out of his bag. A small smile tugs on his lips, but he doesn't look at you. You tilt your head a little bit, watching his movements closely. He's so sophisticated for a boy who just turned fourteen.

"I was working on math before you showed up. Want to do that first?" His lips are moving suddenly, and you only notice after that he's looking at you.

"Oh, yes. Sure." You smile, quickly turning back to your own notebooks and pulling out the right one. You didn't want to work on homework, not at all, but it was better than being at home.

"What page are you on?" Coryo asks absentmindedly, flipping through his textbook to note both where he is and where you are. You didn't need his help, but he was happy to offer it.

"236. You?"

"250."

"You're fast." You giggle, shaking your head as you look at him.

"Well, I had an hour when I got home, so..."

"Right." You wonder as you stare at his blonde curls if they get poofy when he brushes it. It must. He clearly hasn't had a haircut in quite a while. You twist the ends of your own hair between your fingers. You haven't either.

Coryo's brow is furrowed in concentration as he tries to read in the mediocre lighting, copying down the equation he was working on.

"Why are you friends with me?" You ask impulsively, and his writing hand freezes for just a moment.

"Because... You're nice to me." He answers simply, resuming the question he was on.

"I'm not that nice to you." You giggle. "Everyone is nice to you, mostly."

"Yes, well, you're funny too. It seems that all our classmates have monkey brains, or something."

"So you think I'm smart?" You tease, leaning your chin on your palm.

"Aren't you?" He deflects the question back to you, not risking looking your way.

"I like to think so." You shrug. "But that's not a good reason to be friends with someone."

"Then why are you friends with me?"

You bite your lip, picking up your pencil and suddenly finding an interest in the bite marks you've left in the wood over the last week. "I don't know." You say honestly. "You're nice to me... I suppose." You laugh, seeing the irony in your response.

Coryo finally looks at you, smiling knowingly. "See?"

"Okay, fine. But I like to think we get along really well, don't you think?" You really don't want to do your homework, deciding it would be better to just talk anyway. That's why you went to him, you realize. You wanted to talk.

"Sejanus said we bicker like an old married couple." He chuckles.

"Well, yes, but he's wrong. Besides, an old couple wouldn't be married if they didn't at least get along most of the time."

He nods, tapping his pencil against his notebook. "I guess you're right." He agrees. "But we don't really fight, it's just... pretend. You know that, right?" He looks at you hopefully, trying to pick up on a sense of understanding in your eyes.

"Well, duh." You giggle nervously. "If we really fought I wouldn't be your friend. I'd hit you with a book, as we know."

He nods, but doesn't laugh at your joke. "I wouldn't hurt you on purpose. Ever." Don't look at her wrist, don't look at her wrist, don't look at-

"I know." You nod, speaking quieter now as you feel the seriousness in his tone. The smile on your face is genuine, but he can tell it's forced beyond sadness. "Maybe that's why I'm friends with you."

"That's a good reason." He says softly, matching your smile. "Trust is the most important thing."

You think he doesn't know how much that means to you, but he does. You force yourself to look away quickly, torn between the urges to both cry and kiss him. You'd never kissed anyone before, but you'd decided when other girls started having boyfriends who they only stayed with for a week that if you had to pick anyone, it would be Coryo. Something tells you he wouldn't break your heart.

"So you trust me?" You ask, blinking away tears as you pretend to focus on your schoolwork.

"Of course I do."

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