#I DUNNO WHAT ELSE BUT YEA JUST TO BE SAFE

[lunaetis]

@scarletooyoroi asked :

a possessive kiss that is meant to stake a claim . (To Arlecchino, in the midst of a battlefield they molded into a hellscape. >:))

↪     𝑲𝑰𝑺𝑺  ﹠ ᵀᴱᴸᴸ . || accepting

─「アルレッキーノ」─  this GAME had gone too far.

                that was what the harbinger hear some of his comrades speak to him, some of the ones who had fought alongside the former fixer of inazuma in order to warn him from walking down this very path. the KNAVE watched the flame in his eyes grow dark as he ignored any and all warnings being offered his way. hearing the conversation with her own ears gave a more satisfying feeling with it, to know that he had long lost that sense of rationale and abandoned the need to be understood by his peers, by the people who cared for him, by his own comrades.

                how many fights ? how many battles ? how many encounters ? how much BLOOD had been shed ?

                it didn't matter, it didn't matter one bit !

                he had caught up to her, a feat so IMPRESSIVE that not even some of the best trackers could've achieved. the fourth harbinger could become a phantom if that was what she wanted. no one would be able to find her unless she willed them to, and for THIS BURNING SOUL ? her lips pulled into a menacing grin just at the thought of it. oh, she wanted him to find her. she left him clues, she left him crumbs to follow and he WOULD follow. he always would.

                hatred. attachment. competitiveness. obsession.

                " come on, come on, COME ON !! show me just how deep you've sunken. how blaring RED your ledger is, how CORRUPTED and TAINTED you are now !! " the entity within her eyes were howling in delight as their blades crossed, as their weapons clashed into one another that sparks were flying into the air. the heat of the battlefield was gradually rising, fueled by the FLAMES he littered to every grass the tip of his polearm touched. he was abandoning all cautions, all consequences, he was setting FIRE to the forest and the mountains that screamed in scorching agony.

                it was setting their stage, their background, their REAL-LIFE HELL.

                crimson crosses allowed her to appear behind him without warning, and whipped blade was swung to cut through his skin. the sanguine color splattered upon the flaming grass and embers scattered in the black-burning sky added to the hellish nightmare that became reality. the deadly game these two had engaged, the OBSESSION and darkness instilled into those once tender jade hues. it was her, it was her who corrupted him to the point of no return. and she LAUGHED, bellowing that continuous booming of cackles like a madwoman.

                oh, she was mad, she was absolutely INSANE.

                " SHOW ME WHAT YOU'VE BECOME, SHOW ME ALL OF IT, THOMA !! "

                and she felt it, the HARBINGER felt a violent grip against the whipped blade that cut into his gloved digits. the deep red staining his palm as crimson liquid dripped slowly onto his palm. the former fixer didn't seem to care about it, about the wounds, about the pain, nor the blood. all his whole ATTENTION was drawn to was her. his eyes were only on her. fangs flashed against the flaming backdrop for a split second, and he YANKED her towards him —

                — for their lips to clash against one another. it was violent, wild, unhinged. not an ounce of tenderness, only POSSESSIVENESS as his bloodied lips claimed hers over and over. again and again, tongues and fangs, BITES and more. like a beast that he was, like a beast that she turned him into. a GROWLING, hungry beast with eyes only for her.

                and the knave snaked her gloved fingers through his messy dark blond locks, forming a TIGHT GRIP against his strands. fangs bared, before sinking into his mouth, drawing metallic taste to fill their kiss. it was a CLAIM, a seal, a mark on BOTH SIDES.

                the words were loud in both their heads, as the ENTITY fell silent for a split second.

                YOU'RE MINE MINE MINE. you belong to ME and ME alone.

[scarletwinterxx]

unconditional - jeong jaehyun imagine

hellloooo~ before i go back to being an absolute mess, here's a scenario for our valentine boy. i miss him already😭🥺😭🥺

For my other works you can check them out here, and for my other story series’ you can check them out here.

and if you want, u can buy me coffee(totally optional but any donation is very much appreciated!) thank you🥺💛

All works are copyrighted ©scarletwinterxx 2024 . Do not repost, re-write without the permission of author.

(pics not mine, credits to rightful owner)

Three rings.

It took three rings before you answered the call. It was late so he thought you might be asleep, but he knows you always sleep late so he gave it a try. Just before he was about to hang up he hears your voice from the other line

"What?"

"Not even a hello?" Jaehyun chuckles

"What do you need, Jae? Aren't you rehearsing right now?"

A few hours ago he sent you a text while he was at the practice room, complaining about how he wanted to go home already but he still had a lot of songs to rehearse. It's now past midnight and he just got back home and the first thing he did was call you.

"Nah, I'm back home. I need to wake up early though. I'm going to dye my hair for the fanmeet"

"What is it with you guys and dyeing your hair before enlistment?" you teasingly ask him, referring to your older brother who did the same before shaving his head full of damaged hair just a few months ago. "Are you gonna go bald too?" you ask with a laugh

"Yea no, Jungwoo's not going anywhere near me with a pair of scissors"

"Aw, I was looking forward to that"

"May I remind you how you cried when you saw Taeyong hyung after shaving his head" he reminds you, recalling that emotional night.

The two of you met through your brother, his leader, Taeyong. Through the years you and Jaehyun grew close since you're the same age and used to attend the same school. What he likes most about being friends with you is how you treat him like a normal guy, not some famous boy group member.

To you, he's just Jaehyun.

As for Taeyong, he knows there's something more but he doesn't say anything about it to you. He'll let you figure it out on your own. He already had that talk with his member and even though Jaehyun may be his bestfriend, when it comes to you it's a different conversation. Though Taeyong already knows that Jaehyun's priority is very similar to his, your safety and privacy. Your brother knows you're in safe hands.

"So why did you call again?" you ask your bestfriend

"What's your favorite hair color that I did?"

"Huh? You called just to ask me that? I dunno, blonde? Like your hair during Perfume promotion? Ooooh but pink suites you too"

He listens to you list down all the colors, waiting for you to finally pick one. He lays down on his bed, staring at the canopy above while your voice fills his ears

"Okay I think it's blonde" you say with finality like it's such a serious discussion

"Are you looking at pictures of me?" he asks, a teasing hint in his voice

"I need reference, just to be sure. Why are you asking me anyways?"

"Nothing, just curious. Anyways, I got the tickets for you for the fanmeet"

"Oh shit, didn't I tell you I can't come? I have this thing I can't miss"

Jaehyun immediately sits up on his bed, mood already deflating. It's the last time he'll perform before his enlistment and he was hoping you'd be there. You're always there to watch the group and even the individual members' concerts, in a way you try to show your support while your brother is away.

"Really? You can't reschedule the other thing or maybe come the second day?" he asks, voice still hopeful

"I'll ask my supervisor, no promises though. Sorry, this was scheduled since last month"

"No, don't worry about it. Guess I'll just see you after? I still have your gift from Paris"

"You didn't need to get me anything, I told you! Anyways I need to go, talk to you tomorrow" you hang up the call before he can say anything else.

There's really no other agenda, you weren't about to miss your bestfriend's first solo event. You were going to be there no matter what, rain or shine. You just wanted to surprise him.

The two of you still messaged back and forth before the event, until the morning of the fanmeet Jaehyun was hoping for a change of plan from you but it's been hours since he last heard from you.

"The fans are coming in now, you're going on in less than an hour" his manager tells him "Some of the members are here too, just waiting for the others"

"Okay"

He scrolls through his phone, singing quietly to himself while he waits. People are going in and out of the dressing room so he didn't pay much attention to whose coming in through the doors, little did he know one of the staff member was guiding out just outside the door while you hold a big bouquet of flowers.

"Did I overdo it?" you ask his manager, earning a chuckle from them "I think he'll like it" he tells you

"He better, I spent a good amount of money for these. He's in there right?"

"Mhm, he's alone now. You can go in, maybe he'll stop moping around"

You thank staff for helping you before stepping in his dressing room, he's sitting on the couch with his back to you so he still hasn't seen you.

"Heard you were moping around, maybe this will cheer you up"

Jaehyun turns his head so fast, almost gave himself a whiplash. Checking to see if he heard that right, if it was really you. And there you are, standing a few feet from him with the biggest bouquet of flowers

"Thought you were busy today?" was all he can say.

He really thought you weren't coming today, he was feeling really down despite looking forward to this event for weeks. He just really wanted to share this day with you and now you're here.

"I was lying, forgive me but I wanted to surprise you so you can't be mad at me" you tell him, walking over to where he was. He stands up from his seat to meet you in the middle, you give him the flowers smiling so big your cheeks hurt.

"You really think I was going to miss this? How little did you think of me?" you tease him, there you notice his blonde hair recalling your conversation from a few nights ago "You look cute, I like your hair"

He still hasn't said anything, just looking at you like he can't believe you're here

"Yah, what's with you? You okay?" you ask

Instead of saying anything, he pulls you in for a hug. One arm around your waist while the other holds the flowers you got for him.

"Thank you for coming" he whispers against your hair. You smile at his words, you throw your arms around his shoulder to give him a proper hug "Wouldn't miss it for the world. Are you going to sing my song though?" you jokingly ask as you break from the hug

He looks down at you, now mirroring the smile you had. His previously somber mood making a complete turn for the better now that you're here.

"Which one?" he teases back, even though you think he's only joking there's truth to his words. His songs is his way of confessing his feelings to you. It's not as easy to say the words outright but when he sings them, it's much much easier.

He remembers how much you liked it when he made a cover of 'Like Me Better', that was one of those rare moments he's seen you fangirl over him. When he found out one of your favorite movie moments ever was the one from 10 Things I Hate About You, the scene where Heath sings for Julia, he decided to do a cover of that two. The smile you had on when you first heard his voice singing it is forever etched in his mind.

From then on, you've been referring to it as 'your song'. He performed it too during his birthday event, you were there in the crowd of course wearing a disguise but he didn't forget to throw a smile your way as if to let you know that that song is indeed for you and only you.

"Wait and find out, I'm not gonna spoil it to you"

"So you are singing it" you grin at him, already getting excited

"I'm singing my songs too, aren't you excited for that"

"I am, shut up" you give him a punch on the shoulder, "Oh and Taeyong oppa said goodluck" you add, walking to where he was sitting before. He puts the flower down, following you on the couch while the two of you wait for his manager to call him on stage

"Are you gonna cry tonight? Promise I won't make fun of you... a lot"

He knows you would, like he knows how you would probably take a video if ever do cry. "If I cry, then you'll cry too"

"I'm a sympathetic crier, sue me"

"Your brother will kill me if I make you cry so you better not, oh now that you're here" he takes a paper bag from his stuff, passing it over to you

"Ooo goodies from Paris, is it a keychain? fridge magnet? Wait what the hell, Jaehyun?! This is expensive" you say as you open the cartier box

"Early Christmas gift" he shrugs

"You said that was the Prada bag you got me last time you were in L.A"

"That was your birthday present"

"I can't accept this, Jae. This is too much" you tell him but he's already taking the love bracelet out of the box along with the little screwdriver to put it on for you

"Add it to your stack, it will look good" he mumbles, his focus on putting the bracelet on your wrist

"You gave these too! You're spoiling me too much" you laugh, watching him struggle a bit

"Good, so now other guys won't impress you that easy while I'm gone" he mumbles, finally the bracelet locks on your wrist. He looks up at you, sending you smile then lets go of your hand. You shoot him a look, as if asking him what he meant but he choose to ignore you.

"Hey, we need you out there now. Let's go" his managers peeks his head inside, calling for Jaehyun.

He stands up, you follow behind him but before he steps out the door you hold him by the arm "We're going to talk" you tell him

"About what?" he asks, blinking back at you

"You're insufferable, you know that"

He chuckles at your statement, taking the hand that was holding his arm to hold it in his instead. Intertwining his fingers with yours. You look down at your linked hands, it should feel weird. He's your bestfriend for goodness sake. But instead it feels right, like your hands were molded to fit together.

Hoping he doesn't notice your cheeks getting warm, you keep a straight face while looking up at him.

"Told you, my songs are about you. Didn't you hear the part I said I've been crushing on you but I've just been keeping it to myself"

"How was I suppose to know that was about me?!"

"Who else would it be about?" he asks back, still smiling at you. His dimples on full display

"My answer is always you" he teases. Another song lyric, you know that one too. Rolling your eyes at his comment, you give his side a pinch using your free hand

"Jaehyun we need you backstage!" the two of hear his manager shout from outside

"You have so much explaining to do, Jeong Jaehyun" you tell him, letting go of his hand to push him out the door but he don't budge.

He smiles at you again before swooping down to give you a kiss on the corner of your mouth, catching you totally of guard.

"I'll tell you everything there is to know, later. For now I got a show to do. Gonna make sure my girl won't take her eyes off me" he winks then he opens the door, leaving of behind in utter shock.

You walk out the dressing room, watching Jaehyun's back as he makes his way to the stage. Before he turns to the corners, he looks back at where you're standing sending you a quick smile and a salute. You smile back at him, waving your hand to send him off.

[finniestoncrane]

boomer sends off my size kink brain so crazy. Harleys about 5'7" on her wiki and she's like barely over his shoulders when they stand side by side in the game. so my 5'5" self is just thinking about looking up at him with big pleadin eyes like keep me safe but also wreck me thx. Idk how else to describe that but yea its killing me.

i dunno if that's accurate for harley, because she was holding her own beside joker in the arkham games and he's 6ft 2 (?) from what i remember, and that's what i headcanon boomer!! big long boy!! but i get you, always looking up at him, having to do a little tiptoe push to kiss his silly fuzzy cheeks URGH that kills me!!

but yeah, he'd have to be tall though cos otherwise he'd be dragging his cock around on the ground ;-;

[tojisun]

anon from the simon ask here,, sorry if the enclosure thing was to much i didn't know how else to express how insane i am for that man (⁠´⁠-⁠﹏⁠-⁠`⁠；⁠) and never EVER apologize for ranting i love it n i get it ! i don't think i ever saw my feeling so well explained in words. also, i completely understand the competence kink thing there's something so hot about a man that knows what he's doing and simon IS that man like he just looks so capable n ready for everything AND THE WAY HE CARES UGH i could cry thinking of the way he silently shows it. when i first started getting involved in cod i thought he would be this cold cold man but after watching a 5 hours walkthrough (i told you im crazy) i discovered this truly intricate character who seems like he feels so much even if he says so little HHH i just love him. for me his size was a principal attractive because duh but also i feel that it screams safety, like nothing can hurt you as long as he holds you but that could be my own conglomerate of issues speaking ┐⁠(⁠´⁠ー⁠｀⁠)⁠┌ over all, n as dumb as it can sound, he's a big source of comfort for me cuz i feel that if there's someone who could understand me it definitely him.

anyway im looking forward for the new works, i already know they r going to be amazing, and sorry for the long ass ask you can ignore it if you want <3

DONT APOLOGIZE FOR THIS ASK, IM DEVOURING IT!!! thank you for interacting back btw like oh my god i dunno how else to express how ?-$,&2$:$!: i am for this man and so seeing my ramblings be mirrored back makes me so happy 😭🫶🏼 also dont worry about the enclosure thing hahshshd made me laugh so hard, swearr

AND YOURE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING!!! theres something so fucking attractive about a man whos exceptional at what he does. the authority that underlies his competence because well you cant help but trust him; you cant help but want to trust him. AND THE WAY HE CARES??? THE WAY ITS THAT SILENT TYPE??? i (still) dunno much abt him but just like u, i thought hes those cold guys whos a lil bit of a lone wolf yk? then i found out that those dad jokes he kept cracking for soap was to ensure soap doesnt pass out because hes been shot?? i didnt expect it from him tbh but i think thats why i started spiralling harder – seeing how hes just a caring man!!!

N HHHHH THE SIZE AND HOW HES YOUR SAFETY?? ITS LIKE YOURE PEERING THROUGH MY MIND RN??? im sorry in advance bc ive been overusing this phrase but his size, on top of his personality and skills, makes me feel small but in a safe and tender way. does that make sense?? like, when he holds you, it just feels like he’s folding you within himself before tucking you in the pockets in his chest. and hhhh i cant stop envisioning the way that when he loves, it feels like safety and comfort; security and steadiness. LIKE you fit perfectly in his arms, under his chin, your face pressed on his chest where you can hear his heart beating. because he’s alive and he’s safe and he’s back home with you because he’s found a home in you. yk???

I JUST. I THINK THAT DYNAMIC SUITS HIM N YOU SM – HES YOUR SAFETY BUT YOURE HIS HOME RAAAAAHHHHHH hope that makes sm sense bc im typing this w my heart lodged into my throat and ik im rambling all over the place. im just so into him, its so 😭

“i feel like if theres someone who could understand me its definitely him” YEA. JUST, YEA

thank you so so much for ur support omg 🥹🫶🏼 im like a puddle rn its hdhjwjdjd thank you again for this ask darling <333 im sorry that my response turned out long (again) and hhhh sorry for the sporadic capslock usage 😭 take care sweetheart 💘💘💘

[inkedmyths]

S1: E22 "Devil's Trap"

Brought to you by hey so each and every one of you who made me watch this. You all suck. This is the worst. I hate it here. What sort of BULLSHIT was that—

This episode featuring: Odd interrogation techniques, family dynamics, bodysnatching, and one deeply upset Ink

Banging opening music

I will not fall doooown... when push comes to shove I will rise above... jammin

Here we fuckin go the boys are off to save or avenge their dad

[ Kayla asks if one of the opening montages has used Carry On My Wayward Son. I said no, because I would definitely remember that. ]

Where are we

What the dog doin

Holy water and whiskey. Mood.

Oh this be Bobby

[ Kayla and Crepe cheer. They love Bobby. ]

SCREAMS. JOHN JUST HAS THAT AFFECT ON PEOPLE (referring to when he threatened to shoot John) oh I like him already

Satanic Roach Hotel

Ohh. Bad year. Most years 4 possessions, but this one had at least 27...... well thats rough

UH OH

MEG

DEAN

Fuck off Meg

"Chuckleheads" GREAT word use Meg

GOTTEM

Okaaaay interrogation time

"Where's our father, Meg"

"You didn’t ask very nice"

"Where's our father, bitch"

Goddammit whys he so funny

Oh shes posessed

I dunno about innocent

Oh good news bc it means they can yeet the demon, yea?

"Hit it Sam" (begins praying)

[ Winchesters latest hit single in Christian Rap sweeps midwestern protestant congregations as a big hit! ]

Dean buddyyyy

Uh getting spookyyyyy

This is wild. Interrogation via exorcism

What the fuck are u gonna do here like what do u do

Shes dead but not but whats up

UHHHH WELL THATS FUCKING. SOMETHING

Hello ma'am

That sucks ass. Being exorcised certainly doesn't seem fun, esp when you got dropped from a building

A year............ bro.......

Poor gal...

As I went down to the river....

Oh she gone.............

:(

:((

STOP ZOOMING IN ON HER DEAD FACE

"You guys think you invented lying to the cops?" lmao thanks bobby

"I won't even try to shoot him this time"

[ Crepe asks Kayla if Meg is the woman Bobby has buried in his garden or if that's someone else. Concerning. ]

SCREAMS hes making the car safe and Dean is like MY CAR

Dean just wants his family to stop being self sacrificing. Hypocrite

Sunrise Apartments!

Building full of human shields... thats a problem

Pull the fire alarm lol

Oh those people are SO posessed

Yep there he is, tied u— hm. I don't. Like that actually

"I've got a Yorkie upstairs, and he pees when he's nervous—" Dean for funniest liar

THEY STOLE THE FIREFIGHTERS FITS

Demon? Demön?

Holy water!!

Hes still breathing hes not dead yet

But he might be posessed

Oh just had to check

Uh oh someone else just got posessed

And another....

Aha... the colt

[ Kayla: Uhhh I'm here for the colt stuff - the Winchesters]

2 bullets left!

Alright. Now what

Fambily

Dean can and will kill for his family huh

Uh oh zappy lights

The demon's here!

Uh oh

Something is wrong

OH

OH SHIT

Sam going AAA

AUGH WHATS HAPPENING

I DONT KNOW

WHAT IS THISSSSS

Bullshit bullshit

Me: DEAN WAS RIGHT

Kayla: and why was he right :)

Me: Bc he would have been pissed :(

Kayla: and never proud :)

Kayla: (therapy voice) and how did that make you feel

Me: I hate it here

Kayla: elaborate on that

Me: I haaaate it here

Kayla: mhm mhm (writing stuff down)

"What are you and God going to do?" dammmn

Justice for WHAT

Oh so a demon cares about its family

Good for him but also you were already trying to kill them before??

Yeah? Why?

What's your angle here

Huhhhhh. What the fuck do you want with Sam

"I really can't stand all your monologuing"

Oooough hitting him where it hurts damn

OOOH DAMN DEAN THROWING SHADE BACK

How are u guys goimg to get out of this

Oh shit oh SHIT

AAAAAAAAA

OH THE LEG!! SMART!!!!!!

Oh fuck man

Bro it fucking leaving

Well this is an Awkward Family Ride

Kayla: awkward family ride abt to

TRUCK

What the fuck what the fuck

WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS

BRO WHAT

THATS IT FOR SEASON 1??

BULLSHIT

---

My so-called friends then proceeded to point, laugh, and heckle me for the next 10 minutes. This is bullshit I hope you know. Stupid goddamn cliffhangers stupid Winchesters and their STUPID FAMILY NONSENSE—

[chidoroki]

Black Clover ch354

Fair warning that I am going to ramble on quite a bit this time and it’s all thanks to Lucius who decided to be the clever, little villain he is and conjure up a plan that I had very much feared for my own well being and the great turmoil it would inflict on some favorite characters of mine. That plan consisting of bringing even more powerful mages back to life, specifically those such as Morgen and Acier. (I also figured he’d revive people like Lumiere or Licita as well, but nope, not yet anyways. Or he might not at all, I dunno.) Now for Morgen, there’s no way I could’ve anticipated him in this first panel. Acier however? OH I noticed her INSTANTLY. All thanks to those Silva sandals of hers. We’ve seen Noelle so often throughout the story (and me personally rewatching/rereading many of Nozel’s moments too) that the family’s choice in footwear is just so noticeable. Chances are I might’ve recognized Morgen right away had I focused on his chapters more too, but I didn’t. My flimsy point here is my nerves were sent straight to the edge right from the beginning and it’s almost hilarious how quick a tiny shoe detail instilled so much fear and anticipation into my heart.

As I hoped last chapter, we skip right to judgement day, which I’m sorta on the fence about now that I think about it? Yea I’m real glad we’re finally back in Clover, but still kinda wish we got to see how everyone else prepared for the fight, or their efforts to try and find Asta. We could very well get flashbacks to both later on so I’m not worried. And if we don’t, then whatever, it’s fine. I’m very excited to see Yuno fight alongside William, however where we’re all located right now is a tiny bit concerning? I understand they evacuated everyone into the noble realm for protection, which is great, but if y’all are gonna fight the big bad threat here, how safe can they truly be, ya know? Regardless of that, I noticed Yuno’s left arm is still bandaged up like it was in ch336 and I dunno if there was a reason for it that I most likely forgot about or what (but if we’re all clueless then oooh mystery~). Oh, and because the previously mentioned footwear got my nerves shot, I also took note of how a certain handsome captain wasn’t included in this rooftop lineup and it got me even more worried that he would indeed encounter the lovely lady in the Silva sandals on his own.

Thankfully I didn’t have to fret much longer to finally see Nozel after patiently waiting for many months! Of course I’m relieved to see Mereoleona, Fuegoleon and Rill too, but also others that haven’t received nearly as much screentime. I genuinely want to see more of Randall and Fragil, and hell, all the Purple Orcas honestly. I feel like they get left out on so much, like we barely see Kaiser and he’s the captain. The only Orca we know a lot about is Zara and he’s..- oh my god, what if Lucius revives him too?? OH NO!.. Ah, I digress, but sure we’ve got glimpses of their magic once or twice before as they each had their brief spotlight, but I wanna see them all have a badass moment of some kind! If this is the final battle then we should see just how strong and capable everyone is, yeah? Also, just realized Dorothy ain’t around? Wonder where she might be.

Keep in mind I’m still highly anticipating a certain steel princess to descend into battle but for now I can at least take a breath and appreciate this short YamiChar moment. Happy to see Charlotte apologizing for running away so much recently but feeling even more giddy at the fact Yami essentially set up a date for the two of them. AND how he remembered she and booze don’t mix well and offered tea instead, like how cute of him is that? Unexpected sweet side of him aside, this man looks so exhausted. Has he been worrying about Asta this whole time? Or judgement day? Or both. Possibly that.

Now the calm before the storm is finally over, much to Jack’s impatient and soon-to-be-temporary relief, as Lucius and a newly revealed Morgen suddenly appear behind the rooftop crew. Yeah it would be easy to confuse Nacht and Morgen with that perpetual smile always on both their faces, but the robe here does sorta kinda resemble that of the Grey Deer of which Morgen was a member of. Jack’s comment does make me wonder where Nacht could be if he hasn’t been seen these past couple of days. No doubt with the other Bulls, possibly attempting to locate Asta or something.

But oohh boy, not even ten seconds into the fight and we already got some serious damage on our side. Morgen straight up broke his blade, put a gashing hole right through his stomach and sliced his arm clean off, all in one move! For a dude who loves to cut things up, this is some horrible irony for Jack. For real I have no idea how he’ll recover from this. Granted, William is close by and could summon up a healing tree or whatever he calls it, but y’all gotta be quick about it! Like, super sonic speed fast considering Morgen has light magic and thanks to Patry we all know how much of a pain that could be.

Silly me was so focused on the Silvas during the raw leaks that I barely even thought about the reunion between Yami and Morgen. Sure I was worried about Nacht seeing him again, if and whenever he does eventually show up, but him and Yami were real close friends too. Looking forward to see dark and light magic clash against each other this time. Ohh and our captain dropped his cig, so you know it’s about to get serious.

Now, I dunno if there’s any relation to having Morris paired against the Crimson Lions, but if there is then it’s certainly not as soul shattering as who Morgen and Acier are set on fighting with. Always down to see our undefeated lioness go all out though. Oh, but in this moment I just realized something.. how would Mereo react knowing that Acier is back? Of course I want the Silva siblings to have their moment against their mother, but damn, I’d love to see both women actually battle for once too! Imagine if this was the one time Acier lost to her.. that’d be pretty sweet.

Okay so now is the time I go full on Nozel fangirl and I won’t apologize for any of it, but y’all.. lemme tell you that this encounter has already got me so emotional (and not much has even happened yet!). Back during ch343, just the tiny possibility of Acier being revived entered my head and it struck me with so much worry, so the fact that it is actually happening right here and now is gonna give me several heart attacks. I was completely fine with the brief moment Nozel and Noelle had with Acier’s soul in 303. It was so touching and that entire chapter is what made me love Nozel so much, as it revealed a lot of his character and finally allowed him to own up to his mistakes, to see how strong and persistent he is and to finally be free. Even though we didn’t get to see anything of the recent year and a half timeskip after Spade, I’m sure he became much more relaxed, since he didn’t have to worry about the curse anymore, and possibly have a more meaningful bond with Noelle. Maybe the whole family is doing better now as a whole too, at least I’d like to hope so. I wanted to see this new, improved Nozel so badly (and I sincerely hope the anime expands on that timeskip one day, whenever it returns), but now I have to endure seeing my man stressed beyond belief because he has to fight the mother he loves and respects so much?? WHY?! I want him happy for once in his life and this is the furthest thing from it! In fact, he looks positively pissed off! I have no doubt his anger is more towards Lucius for pulling off this stunt rather than Acier herself. Not to mention that when Nozel last saw her soul in ch303 she was at peace and finally free in a sense, and now he has to watch her fight again against her own will. Sure he’s probably frightened too, I mean it’s not every day your mom comes back to life in front of your eyes (even in a world with magic), but I think his reaction is an interesting contrast compared to Nebra and Solid. The two of them are in complete shock and look far more upset, which is kinda reasonable since neither one has seen their mother since before her death when she was all frail and weak, so seeing her appear suddenly with all that power has got to be chilling.

Now then, I could very well be in the minority for this, but whenever Noelle does join the battle (because she will, I’m certain), I sorta pray she doesn’t do too much? Of course I want her to finally see her mother since she died when Noelle was so very young, but you guys have no idea how badly I want this fight to center more around Nozel (and the other two siblings, sure). Lemme try and explain. As part of the main cast, we’ve seen Noelle level up and have these grand spotlight moments throughout the entire story. While she and Nozel both played a major part in defeating Megicula, due to their personal reasons of avenging Acier (both) and Lolopechka (Noelle), it was still our Bull who landed the final blow against that devil. At the end of the day I just want a big moment for Nozel okay? And I feel like him having the biggest role in this fight against Acier would be such a wonderful way to go about it. Not to mention that this man is in serious need of some kind of power up. Thankfully he’s been strong throughout the entire story, as is required of a squad captain, and he’s no doubt had fantastic displays of strength in both manga and anime, but we’ve seen him pull out the same spells time and time again. A handful of other captains have improved over the story, such as Yami and his different dark slashes, Mereoleona’s hellfire, Fuegoleon with Salamander, as well as Charlotte, Rill and Jack all stepping it up during the Spade invasion. Of course I enjoy the spells Nozel uses now, but he still deserves a bit of an upgrade. Way back in ch178/ep108, Acier expressed how excited she was to see what spells he’ll learn when he received his grimoire, but never got the chance to see any of it due to her untimely death, so I think now is the perfect moment for him to learn something new to spice things up! Like can we give my man some mercury armor please?? Imagine how damn proud Acier would be. And hell, if Noelle can figured out such a spell then it should be no problem for Nozel. I mean, the story praises his level of mana control all the time. Also think it would be pretty interesting to see similar magic such as steel and mercury fight against one another, even more so that they’re around the same age here, which is kinda funny to think about. At least I think so, right..? Acier was in her early thirties when she passed so Nozel has to be about the same age now with all the timeskips we’ve had since the very beginning. Anyways, I really dunno how well Nebra’s mist and Solid’s water will fair against Acier? I see the two of them providing more support than anything. Again, they also look a bit scared to even attack her. Nozel might not have zetten like the Ryuzen Seven or anti-magic like Asta (both methods that proved to defeat paladins), but I’m sure that he certainly has the resolve to fight back. The ch303 flashback showed us how badly he had wanted to save Acier from the curse and the regret of having failed and believing he “killed” her due to watching helplessly. He can certainly redeem himself (in his own mind, I personally have ages ago) during this fight and prove he did indeed become stronger than her by stopping Lucius’ control over her with little to no hesitation. Long ramble aside, I just think it would be far more impactful for Nozel to fight (& win) against Acier due to his magic, history and feelings revolving around Acier rather than Noelle coming in later and claiming another victory solely because it’s her mother she’s never seen or spent time with before.

Oh, also wanted to mention this but the previous chunk of text was getting hella long already, but I wonder how Acier feels about all this? We know from Asta’s fight against paladin Lily that her feelings were still sorta buried deep within, so perhaps Acier won’t go too hard on her children? Or she totally could thrash them..if only to judge how strong they’ve all become. Anyways, do we know if paladins such as Acier and Morgen will die again once defeated? Lily was put into some kind of sleep til Lucius is defeated, but with Heath (who was also revived), it wasn’t really clear if he was killed again or just knocked out last chapter? I dunno. I don’t wanna get my hopes up at the slim possibility of Acier actually getting a second chance at life with her children but oh god, that would certainly warm my heart. And if not, I hope the four of them at least get the chance to say their goodbyes. Speaking of paladins, I don’t think we’ll only have these three to worry about. I’m not entirely sure what all those angel/bird things Lucius has flying around in the sky now, but it can’t be good news. I wouldn’t be surprised if he takes control over more people too, considering he took over Lily pretty effortlessly.

I still have Lumiere and Licita as potential paladins; half because their magic would be very problematic, half because of the drama it would start with Secre and Asta. Yeah anti-magic and/or a real powerful hit like zetten can apparently cancel out Lucius’ control, but surely there has to be more solutions right? Asta is bound to show up eventually..somehow.. but I dunno if the whole Ryuzen Seven would accompany him to Clover as backup. Would be nice of course and I would accept it, if only to see Yami and Ichika meet up again. I do have a random thought that is sort of a longshot, but ya think the Witch Queen could assist at all? Maybe take control back from people with her blood magic or something? How cool would it be if she could flip the switch on the paladin’s minds and have them fight on our side? It would be precious to see Morgen and Nacht team up as well as Acier and all her children. Or queen could do literally anything else, whatever. We really dunno too much about her and it’s been ages since she’s appeared in the story.  I’d happily welcome her if she returned at Vanessa’s request. Imagine if she and the other Bulls went to the witches’ forest to inquire if the queen could see the future regarding Asta or judgement day. It’s a highly unlikely idea but hey if my hope of having Acier encounter her children was possible then I’m holding onto it! good lord i haven’t rambled on this much since tpn. i kinda miss it.

[comfysofti]

Continuing with the 811 swap au drafts, this time doing rewrite of uhhh, death scene in the beginning. I think i remember it fairly well to be able to rewrite it for the au :33

Plus i just woke up and have absolutely nothing else to do. Anyways

Leaving the rewrite under the cut because it ended up a lot bigger than expected

Can i even call it a rewrite? I dunno, will call it an attempt at one, if 811 was a novel, lol

Yea, death scene but in 8:18 swap au

You don't understand who just attacked you. The person seemed both familiar and foreign. You were able to get away, but now with a bleeding wound... You hope your wound wasn't too severe, as warm blood soaks your clothes and clings to your skin. You almost feel lightheaded, although you're not sure why exactly

But then you hear footsteps. Hurried one's, obviously worried. You know who they belong to

"L-Leon! Oh no no no, this wasn't supposed to happen!"

You see Ryker run up to you, with worry in their eyes. They look at your wound, with obvious horror, panic and... Realisation?

"...Ryker, we need to... We can exit through-"

But you quickly get interrupted. Before you know it, Ryker, without another word, wraps their arms around you for support and drags you to the confessional, that you honestly didn't even noticed until now. They shove you inside, before closing the door... But they pushed something else inside. You look briefly at the object, before looking at Ryker through the grates of the confessionals door

"i don't have time to explain, im sorry! But i need you to trust me. We both have limited time. You see the notebook?"

You look down, looking at the object Ryker pushed inside with you... Isn't that Ryker's diary?

"...yes?"

"good. Don't open it no matter what, unless i give permission. But don't let others have it either... I-i'll explain once danger passes. For now, stay here, patch yourself up and again DON'T open that "notebook". Please"

You're confused. Worried. Conflicted. Your wound seems rather unimportant right now. You're worried for their safety. You're the oldest damnit! You should be keeping them safe. Not the other way around... You try to open the door. It doesn't budge, like it's lock got stuck in place. You want to try again but-

"Leon please. Stay there and be quiet. I promise I'll explain everything. And we don't have time right now... Just please stay here and wait. That person is only after me. But now that he knows im not alone-..."

They trail off, pausing at some commotion nearby, something falling, braking in the other room

"... I don't want to put you in a bigger danger, nor i do i want you to die. Please. Just trust me"

Their voice is shaky, they almost stumble over their words in panic and worry. They give you apologetic but serious look. You pull your hand away from the door

"...okay"

"thank you... And don't feel guilty for what might happen to me"

You hear them step away

Then there's some silence... You're still bleeding. Right. You should have some bandages on you, maybe other medical supplies too. You pray they didn't fell out from your coats pocket

...

Here's the bandages! As you take them out, you hear some footsteps. You freeze, trying to see what's going on. It's hard to see, but you see the person that attacked you before approach Ryker, as they seemingly try to leave. You have a bad feeling at the pit of your stomach. You really want to leave, to do something, but as you testes before, you couldn't open the door. Damn it. Ryker, please be safe-

"...V-Vittorino!"

There's brief silence, just for a mere second, before you see the figure point a rifle at Ryker. They take a step back, raising their hands. Oh no no no-

"Please let me explain-!"

"◻◻◻◻◻◻◻◻◻◻◻◻◻◻◻"

Then you hear a gunshot. You feel like your heart left your body. You can't see what's happening clearly and you only get more worried. The only thing keeping you grounded is your own wound. You'll take care of it later

"Christ, Vittorino! ◻◻◻◻◻◻◻◻◻!?"

The person starts talking again, but it sounds like some cacaphony. Voice human and not. Words and laugh, sounds like it's in reverse but also not, all at the same time. You can't understand a word the figure is saying. You focus on Ryker. You can't clearly see where they were shot. But you see blood on their clothes

More talking from the figure. More of this chaotic cacaphony, before the figure grabs Ryker and drags them away. You see them looking at the confessional, with such apologetic and scared look. Fuck it. You try to open the door-

It doesn't budge. You try again-

But then you hear commotion ln another room. Where Ryker was dragged off to. Something breaking, shots... Screaming, flesh tearing, something breaking... Something burning. You feel sick. You try to open that door again and again, but nothing, as the commotion continues. You're too weak because of your wound... Right. Ryker asked you to patch yourself up. You take the bandages, that you didn't even saw you dropped, wrapping them tightly over the wound. You hear the commotion come to a halt. You hide the bandages, before looking at the book or notebook, that Ryker left you... "Don't open it no matter what"... "Don't let anyone have it"

You sigh and hide it in your pocket, holding one hand over it, before trying to open the door again

It opens with ease this time. You slowly step out, listening to any noise. But you don't hear anything. Only your own rapid heartbeat. You pray to god that Ryker is okay

You go to the lobby, seeing Rykers blood stain on the carpet like a long line, leading you. You see some paintings on the wall, previously untouched, stained by something red, like the paintings themselves bleeding

The closer you step to the lobby, the better you feel scent of burned flesh. It makes your stomach churn. And then you see it

Ryker

Or rather their body

Their face is burned practically to the bone, whatever was supposed to be the remains of it, and their mouth look like a huge mess, than something that's part of a human. And there's a huge hole, going right through their chest

Screams of terror and pain get stuck in your throat as you don't even notice how you run up to the body, holding it in your trembling arms, staring in shock. You feel your mind go blank

"...Ryker-"

The name barely leaves your mouth. They're dead. And whoever killed them is still here. That person knows you're here. You need to get help-

You carefully lay Ryker's body back on the floor, before covering their face, or remains of it with a cloth, before staring more at the body. You don't understand who would do this. Why Ryker of all people?

Your legs feel weak and shaky, like there's cement blocks tied to them

"...who... Why you...? God, why- why they?"

You ask, more to yourself than anyone else

There's silence, only storm outside, reminding you that this isn't a dream

But then you see something red, slowly fall on the floor near your feet and Rykers body. A letter?

Indeed it is. And it only has a red paper with "Rosso Cadere" and coordinates written on it

Rosso Cadere... Basilica? Did God answered your question? Is this a lead to figuring out who and why did this to Ryker?

You're not sure, but... Both you and Ryker went to the Basilica. It was an odd place. Maybe it indeed has answers

You pocket the letter, with a quiet "thank you" before looking at Ryker's body again

...no you can't bare looking at it any longer

You need to find help first

Despite the storm outside you quickly leave the church, not knowing where you're running, ignoring the pain in your chest from your wound, clutching the pocket with the "diary" Ryker left you. Your wound is the least of your concern right now. You need to find help first. Maybe if you're quick enough, you'll catch the murdered before that person got away

You can only pray you will

Wounds and questions will wait

[missmoondalorian]

Chapter Twelve - Liaison

You were dreading the conversation with Sisni. How were you going to tell her? There was no good moment. No perfect opportunity. Every time you thought was the right time to tell her, it passed as soon as it came. Tavros noticed your stress, and offered to take her to the market for a few hours, give you time to think. Caspian was occupied with readying the ship with Drinian's help, so you didn't see much of him that day. Honestly it was probably for the best, since every time you saw him that morning the image of him on his knees, his black eyes paralyzing you flashed across your mind, flustering you and making you clumsy. You decided to take a walk up to the forest. 

It had been a while since you went up this way. You used to picnic in these woods with your parents. The river that ran down towards the village, the boulders that acted as a bridge across it, the clearing where you used to play, each had their own fond memories attached to them. You found a quiet spot among the trees, next to a small pond, and sat, enjoying the peace. When is the next time you will be able to hear this? The loudest silence. You took a deep breath in, smelling the fresh eucalyptus, the moss, the bark... "you'll be back" you told yourself. In no time. 

You stood up and thought hard. "Ok." you said aloud to yourself. "How to begin?" You began to pace, and spoke out loud.

"Sis.. I'm going away..." No... too blunt.

"Sis. You like Tavros right? Well now you get to live with him! Bye!" Definitely not.

"Guess who's got two thumbs and is going to Calormen? This girl!" Yea right...

"Sis... I'm about to break your heart and make you feel abandoned." Well at least that one was honest...

"I thought the point was to not upset her?" A voice laughed from behind you. You jumped.

"FUCK. CASPIAN! Don't DO that!"

He laughed.

"How did you even know where I was?"

"The men told me you took a walk, someone saw you come up here." 

"Yea but... how did you find me in here?"

"I tracked you? It wasn't difficult. Plus you're pretty much yelling to the wind."

"Great, now he tracks me... like an animal."

"Would you prefer I hunted you?" He teased.

"Today, yes, actually."

"Well...your head would make a pretty trophy on my wall..."

"Ha. Ha. "

"In all seriousness, what are you doing out here alone?"

"I can't figure out what to say to Sis. Nothing sounds right, and shes going to think I'm abandoning her."

He placed his hand on your shoulder, and looked down into your eyes. "She will understand. Speak from your heart. Speak the truth. I'm sure she will even be excited for you."

You looked up at him and immediately felt a sense of calm. He has a way about him that diffuses you. Whatever was just causing the end of the world suddenly seems like no big deal. 

"How is the ship looking?" You changed the subject. 

"Almost there." He picked up a few small stones, and skipped one across the pond. Two skips.

"What else do you need to do?"

"Well. The deck needs a new coat of lacquer, and we have to convert the storage room into living quarters." Three skips this time.

"Oh right. You need a place to sleep." 

Four skips. He paused and looked confused at you. "I'll sleep below deck with the crew, the quarters are for you."

"Oh." You blushed. "Don't you need them? For...King things?"

He laughed. "King things? Like what?" Three skips.

"I dunno... writing laws, signing papers..?"

"Is that what you think I do all day?" he laughed again.

"Do I look like I know what a king does?" You laughed with him.

"You will be much more comfortable having a room of your own. And I will feel better knowing you are safely tucked away."

"Like a hunting trophy?" You teased.

He chuckled. "Yes. My little trophy."

You walked back into town together, once again, being stopped every few steps by someone wanting a word with the King.

"You know, we will have to start introducing you as my liaison with Calormen sooner or later." 

"It still feels unreal." You shook your head. 

He stopped and looked up at the sky. "Can I show you something?" He asked.

You nodded and he led you towards the docks.

The smell of the sea air was comforting to you. The sound of screeching seagulls and the crest of the waves crashing on the pillars of the dock were what lulled you to sleep every night. You and your father used to come and sit at the edge of the pier and fish, just for fun. You rarely caught anything but that wasn't the point. That is, before it was dangerous to go near the water. Before the Darkness. 

You followed him toward where the Dawn Treader was docked. The setting sun reflecting off the golden ship. You hadn't been this close to it before. It was MASSIVE. It stood taller than any tree on the island. The waves lapped up against the hull and you could hear it creaking as the waves rocked it back and forth. As it bobbed the serpent's head moved up and down, as if it was alive.

Caspian motioned towards the Dawn Treader "Do you want to go aboard?"

"Can I ?"

"Of course."

You walked up the gangplank and stood on the deck of the ship. The fishing boats you had been on might as well have been children's toys compared to this. You looked across the deck, trying to take note of every detail. 

To your left was the back of the ship. The base of a pair of curving staircases framed an ornate doorway, with two stained glass doors. Your eyes followed the stairs upwards to the second deck balcony, where another set of wooden doors with glass windows were closed. At the top of the stairs was the third deck, where the helm stood watch over the rest of the ship. 

To your right, the front of the ship, another narrow stairway climbed up to a second platform, then continued up the serpents neck, exiting right before the top of the head. At the base of the stairs was a doorway, with stairs going downward. 

Directly in front of you was the mast, with the gorgeous purple sail tied up. At the top sat the crows nest. 

Caspian stood with his arms folded across his chest. The wind blew through his hair. This ship suited him. 

"This is the Dawn Treader." he said proudly, spreading his arm out in front of him. "What do you think?"

"She's beautiful.' you gushed.

"Isn't she though?" He smiled. "Would you like a tour ?"

"YES"

He laughed and motioned to his right and you both walked towards the front of the ship. You ran your hand along the smooth railing on the bow. He stopped next to the bottom of the stairs, and pointed downward.

"Down there is the crews quarters, and the cargo hold." He motioned upward.

"Up the stairs is the upper deck. Up or down?" He asked.

"Hmm...Up." You decided.

"Alright then, watch your step, after you," He gave a little bow.

You climbed up the stairs, which were rather steep, and emerged on the second deck. Caspian came up behind you. 

"This view was incredible." You said out loud to yourself.

"This is nothing." He smiled, and pointed upward to the crows nest. "Just wait until you get up there."

"Noooo thank you." You shook your head. 

He laughed. "What, are you afraid of heights?" 

"It's not the height so much as the fall..." your eyes traveled from the crows nest to the water below.

"I would never let you fall. I already saved you once, did I not?"

You blushed and smiled. "I suppose you did."

"Come," he held his hand out to you. "Up here."

He stood by the next set of stairs leading up the serpents neck. They were more steep and narrow than the ones leading up to the deck.

"I don't know if I can fit up there..." you said hesitantly.

"Sure you can. I'll be right behind you."

You took his hand, and allowed him to help you up the first few steps. 

"Go on." He urged.

You climbed, and it was nerve wrecking. But every time you stopped and hesitated, he would put his hands on your waist to assure you he was there.

At the top of the stairs there was a small opening at the base of the serpents head, and exited out it's mouth. 

"There is NO way I'm going to get in there" You turned your head back down to him.

He laughed. "It's alright, look up." 

You did, and your breath caught in your chest.

The sun was setting on the horizon, casting long rays of orange, red, and purple all across the sky. Above the colors the stars were beginning to appear. The water was calm, and reflecting the sky perfectly. Forming an endless spectrum of light.

"Wow..." you gasped.

"Here," he said, and turned his back to you, "place your hands on my shoulders so you can turn and watch."

You did as he suggested, turning around on the stairs, so your back was to the opening in the serpents head. He leaned his back up against your stomach, so you wouldn't lose your balance. You placed your hands on his shoulders for extra security. And like that, you both watched the sun until it completely disappeared off the edge of the world.

[averytinyfrog]

Numb - Scream

first post lol cross posted to my wattpad kinda follows the first scene but not completely i used the first paragraph in my english hw

can be reader insert or not, mc has no description or pronouns so yeah

yea

warnings: you get murdered

~~~~

Turning on the tv, I sit down with a bowl of popcorn. The welcome smell of sweet and salty popcorn greets my nose; tonight is movie night. I hear the soft sounds of leaves rustling outside the window, and a strange feeling that I'm being watched. It's most likely just wind and my imagination, but I look outside anyway: nothing, just darkness and trees. I always get weird feelings like this, that turn out to be nothing. My parents won't be back for hours, so it's a waste of time scaring myself over nothing, when I could be scaring myself over a movie. I finally find the movie I was planning to watch, but just as I am about to turn it on, I hear the phone ring.

With a sigh, I get up from the sofa. The sooner I answer it, the sooner I can get back. I pick up the phone and with a sigh I answer "Hello?"

"Hello." It was a man's voice. I didn't recognise it, probably a wrong number.

"I think you have the wrong number." I hang up.

"Why'd you hang up?" It was the same voice.

"I told you, you have the wrong number"

"Well what makes you think that?"

"I don't recognise your voice. Well, should I recognise your voice?"

"I dunno.." the leaves rustle again, louder, "can I ask you a question?"

I groan slightly in annoyance, why can't this guy leave me alone?! But I can't tell him that, obviously. "Go ahead. Shoot."

"What's your name?"

"Why do you wanna know my name?"

"I wanna know who I'm looking at." My heart drops, everything falls silent but the silence is louder than anything I've ever heard.

"What do you mean? Can-" it's getting harder and harder to force the words out, "can you see me?"

"Yes."

He's just messing with you. He's just trying to freak you out. It's just someone playing a mean prank on you. He can't really see you. I repeat these thoughts over and over again as an attempt to calm myself down.

"So what-" I swallow the lump in my throat, "what am I doing?" I try to calm myself down, there's no way he'll know this.

"You're standing in the living room, you were about to watch a movie, Nightmare on Elm Street," Oh god. "That's a scary movie, do you like scary movies?" Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god. Stop! You can't panic now! There's some weird man on the phone with you who can see your every movement, this is no time to panic!

"Uh.. I guess." I answer his question, not really knowing what else to say. I quickly hang up the phone and run to lock all of the doors and windows. I don't know why he's here or what he wants, I just know that I am not safe. The previous warmth of the house has since been replaced with a bone chilling cold. I jump at the sound of the phone ringing again. I pray it's not him. I pray he's given up and will never call again, and the phone ringing is just a friend asking if I want to hang out tomorrow, or my parents calling to check up on me. I never want to have to hear his voice again.

But I'm not so lucky. I pick up the phone and am greeted with his god awful voice. He's angry.

He screams and yells at me but I'm too scared to pay attention. He said something about gutting me like a fish if I hang up again. He then asks if I'd like to play a game. How can he go from sounding so angry, to sounding somewhat calm.

"Do I even have a choice?"

"Of course you do, who do you think I am?"

"I don't know. I don't know you! You're just some weird freak trying to be funny. Well you're not funny! And I don't want to play your stupid games!" I scream into the phone.

"Suit yourself then" what could he possibly mean by that? Do I even want to know?

The doorbell rings. Oh dear god I hope that's not what I think it is.

"Who's there!?" I call out, my voice shaky with fear.

"Go on, open the door and see for yourself."

Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god.

"I don't think I wanna," I start backing away towards the kitchen and fumble to grab a decent knife.

The glass window beside me shatters, as a large, heavy body crashes into me and I let out a shriek. I feel something sharp cut into my arm as we fall, forcing the knife out of my hand, and propelling it a few feet away. I open my eyes to see a man in a cheap halloween costume: a white mask and a black cloak. Our bodies writhe together as I struggle under his weight. He raises a bloody knife. And that's when it fully hit me. That's my blood. A strange man holding a knife with my blood on it is on top of me. I'm going to die. I can't die. Not now. Somehow, I muster up the strength to kick him away before he can attack.

I get up and run to the door, fumbling with the keys before swinging the door wide open. I look around the familiar garden, a large lawn with plants around the sides, a couple of trees and a fountain in the middle. There's nowhere to hide and I doubt I could run all the way to town without him catching up and me running out of breath. I'd nearly ran to the road when I turn back to look at the house one last time before I die. I can't see him. Anywhere. Was that my imagination? Is he gone? I mean surely he would have followed me out, right?

I let out a sigh of relief, I must have lost him, somehow. I freeze as I hear rustling in the trees and bushes around me again. It's just the wind, it's just the wind, it's just the wind, it's just the wind, I repeat to myself. I hear the rustling get closer, I want to run, I have to run, but I just can't, like my legs have frozen in place. And they won't thaw until it's already too late. And it is too late. I crash onto the ground as the weight of him knocks me over again. I should have ran. I shouldn't have looked back- I should have ran to town- to my friends house- to the police station- and now I'll die because of my own stupidity. Maybe this means I deserve it.

Tears stream down my face and I sob as I feel his hand tighten around my throat, and he raises the knife above his head. I scream, loudly, as loud as I can, as I feel his knife press into my shoulder, he hasn't stabbed me properly yet. He's teasing me. Taunting me. Is this the kind of game he was talking about? He raises it again, and I choke back a sob. I stare dead into what I think are his eyes, hoping to gain some kind of sympathy, maybe a change of heart. But nothing like that comes. He swiftly brings down the knife, thrusting it into my chest. I scream, the intense, searing pain is like nothing I've ever felt before. He stabs me again, and again, and again, and again. My voice is hoarse and quiet. I've lost. I'm done. I take one last look at my killer, trying to catch any signs of remorse, even though he's wearing a mask. I see nothing. I look back at the house, the house I've lived in all my life, the house that's protected me for all these years, the house I will never see again. I feel numb. After everything that's happened I can't feel anything. Just the coarse ground as he drags me away, a rough feeling against my throat as he hangs me from a tree, and another throbbing pain as he cuts across my stomach. But it's all numb.

[nemesyaaa]

ohhh so proud that you have posted your first fic. you already know what i'm thinking of this !! your writings is very beautiful, this is just so good written I dont have words. i really appreciate the relationship between reader and rafe, this kind of dynamic and reader being barry little sister is so brilliant !! welcome to the obx writers club ! hope you will feel more and more comfortable about your works. but this is already very superb !! ✨

rafe loves nighttime; it’s peaceful, quiet, it feels like he has the whole world to himself, and most of all you. he fights hard to keep you as blissfully ignorant and unaware as humanly possible, so you can sleep peacefully next to him. rafe can’t sleep tonight though, how could he? he’s haunted by the consequences of his own murderous actions. he lays awake watching you instead just to feel a tinge of pride from how well he’s kept you safe and happy despite everything. rafe always thought you were an angel, his angel, sent straight from the heavens just for him, and you‘ve never looked more heavenly at peace than you do now. —really I can't say anything because it's just so wow, I just wish to be reader and can see that pretty sleeping beauty, and sleeping next to. « he feels like he has the World to himself » 🥹

once you’re all settled in again, so does grim reality when rafe remembers he still has to find the gun in the drain ‘shit, i’m sorry baby, i gotta go take care of somethin else’ ‘what? more boat stuff?’ you’re joking but still he’s never been more grateful for your lack of knowledge on boats before ‘yeah, yeah, uh, i’ll be back soon as i can though okay?’ ‘okay’ you’re pouting again ‘aw c’mon don’t give me fuckin that look’ he starts rummaging around in his closet for some real clothes to wear just to avoid it ‘what look?’ you feign innocence ‘those fuckin bambi eyes you give me whenever you want somethin’ ‘i dunno whatchu mean’ ‘yeah sure you don’t, fuckin smartass’ you giggle at his grumbles, he comes back dressed for the day since it’s morning now and he still has to go find a murder weapon. — this is what i was talking about when i said i love their dynamic, they're so cute together !! she's the princess with the gangsta

eventually he manages to leave you and rides off on his motorcycle while you watch from the window. after he’s gone you flop back into bed sighing, maybe you can at least dream of him to keep you company while he’s out wondering how the hell he’s gonna explain this to your brother. — oh yea ?? 😩😩😩

‘cmere gimme a kiss fore i go’ ‘promise not to be gone long?’ you look up at him with those big doey eyes once again, you need to make him promise so you can sleep easy knowing he’ll be there when you wake up again, but rafe just sighs ‘ion know how long this is gonna take baby, i said i’ll be back as soon as i can, can’t make any promises okay?’ you’re still pouting at him so he rolls his eyes and grabs your face, squishing your cheeks, and kisses you himself, grumbling about how he has to do everything himself ‘just go back to sleep and i’ll see you later aight? promise’ ‘okay’ you huff in defeat ‘good girl, i love you’ ‘i love you too’ when you kiss him once more he has to refrain from kissing you again or else he’ll never leave the damn house. « squishing your cheeks, and kisses you himself, grumbling about how he has to do everything himself » you know, my favorite part of this 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️ he's just so rafey and i love him so much !!

sugar plums ⏾ ˖ ࣪⊹

❥. ݁₊ inspired by this + me rewatching obx before the new season

❥. ݁₊ word count: 1137

❥. ݁₊ warnings: (remember, you are the only one responsible for your own media consumption, so if you don’t like it please just scroll!) barry’s little sister reader (kinda naïve + v sheltered); w*rd cameron; brief mentions of murder / disposing of a corpse as per canon events of the show; sorta dubcon kiss but reader doesn’t mind; i think that’s it? feel free to lmk if i missed any

❥. ݁₊ notes: this is v much baby’s first official fic so pls be nice to me:3 i also wanna thank my beautiful beautiful moots for supporting me + beta reading this for me, love y’all to death<333

rafe loves nighttime; it’s peaceful, quiet, it feels like he has the whole world to himself, and most of all you. he fights hard to keep you as blissfully ignorant and unaware as humanly possible, so you can sleep peacefully next to him. rafe can’t sleep tonight though, how could he? he’s haunted by the consequences of his own murderous actions. he lays awake watching you instead just to feel a tinge of pride from how well he’s kept you safe and happy despite everything. rafe always thought you were an angel, his angel, sent straight from the heavens just for him, and you‘ve never looked more heavenly at peace than you do now.

you’ve certainly come a long way from a drug dealer's little trailer park princess sister, busting your ass working at the country club hoping you’ll eventually save up enough to afford college someday, to spending your days living the kook life at tannyhill and being spoiled absolutely rotten. although your big brother was apprehensive at first to your courtship with the kook king himself given the fact that he knows rafe, he eventually came around to the idea; he even lets you live with rafe now for the most part, i mean you get to live in a mansion more comfortably than he’s ever been able to provide, so he had to be a little selfless. barry’s always been a little overprotective and very strict with you to keep you safe from the dangers of his lifestyle, but now so is rafe and he’s happy to be responsible enough to keep you out of trouble.

on the surface it seems like the most dangerous place you could be (well, right next to the dingy trailer of your drug dealer brother), but rafe promised your brother you’d be in good hands, a promise he fully intends to keep even if those hands are now covered in blood. all so you can sleep soundly in his arms dreaming of sugar plums, while rafe’s father pulls into the driveway with a dead body in the trunk.

‘rafe’ his whisper startles his son and causes you to stir a little bit when he jumps, though he quickly rubs your arm with his thumb soothingly as he turns just slightly to face his father, careful not to wake you in the process ‘what? what is it?’ so eager to help, yet there’s a small part of him deep down dreading leaving the comfort of your presence for what he’s sure can’t be anything good. but ‘i need your help��� is still enough temptation from the devil for him to get out of bed and smear a kiss to your hairline before following his father out to the driveway ready to do anything for daddy’s approval.

sometime in the middle of rafe carrying gavin’s body to the druthers, you stir from your slumber, searching for rafe in the covers only to come up empty, prompting you to open your eyes in hopes you’ll have more luck with your sight, but he’s still nowhere to be found. you creep into the hallway ‘rafe?’ nothing but an echoing sense of unease. not just at rafe’s absence, but the feeling of trepidation in such a large house; you’re still not quite used to it from growing up in a tiny trailer (because despite rafe’s efforts, you’re still not quite a real kook just yet, and other kooks don’t shy away from making it clear behind rafe’s back). that and you can’t help the nagging sense that something is wrong.

you go downstairs for some water while you wait for rafe to come back from accessorizing a murder wherever he is. and as soon as you’ve finished filling your cup you turn around to see your boyfriend walking in suddenly scaring the hell out of you, you didn’t even hear him come in ‘hey baby, what’re you doin up?’ his voice still so raspy ‘i woke up without you, where’d you go?’ you pout, setting the glass down to wrap your arms around him but you still look up at him with those big doe eyes, and he can’t help but feel a familiar pitter patter in his heart at your clinginess; he quite literally just buried a body but less than a minute with you sends him right back to cloud 9 because fuck you’re the light of his goddamn life, and more than that you’re the only light in his goddamn life ‘just uh, had to help my dad with som‘in on the boat, nothin fancy. let’s getcha back to bed, yeah?’ you smile and nod before taking your water with you as he leads you back upstairs.

once you’re all settled in again, so does grim reality when rafe remembers he still has to find the gun in the drain ‘shit, i’m sorry baby, i gotta go take care of somethin else’ ‘what? more boat stuff?’ you’re joking but still he’s never been more grateful for your lack of knowledge on boats before ‘yeah, yeah, uh, i’ll be back soon as i can though okay?’ ‘okay’ you’re pouting again ‘aw c’mon don’t give me fuckin that look’ he starts rummaging around in his closet for some real clothes to wear just to avoid it ‘what look?’ you feign innocence ‘those fuckin bambi eyes you give me whenever you want somethin’ ‘i dunno whatchu mean’ ‘yeah sure you don’t, fuckin smartass’ you giggle at his grumbles, he comes back dressed for the day since it’s morning now and he still has to go find a murder weapon.

‘cmere gimme a kiss fore i go’ ‘promise not to be gone long?’ you look up at him with those big doey eyes once again, you need to make him promise so you can sleep easy knowing he’ll be there when you wake up again, but rafe just sighs ‘ion know how long this is gonna take baby, i said i’ll be back as soon as i can, can’t make any promises okay?’ you’re still pouting at him so he rolls his eyes and grabs your face, squishing your cheeks, and kisses you himself, grumbling about how he has to do everything himself ‘just go back to sleep and i’ll see you later aight? promise’ ‘okay’ you huff in defeat ‘good girl, i love you’ ‘i love you too’ when you kiss him once more he has to refrain from kissing you again or else he’ll never leave the damn house.

eventually he manages to leave you and rides off on his motorcycle while you watch from the window. after he’s gone you flop back into bed sighing, maybe you can at least dream of him to keep you company while he’s out wondering how the hell he’s gonna explain this to your brother.

thank you for reading! if you enjoyed, likes / comments / reblogs of any support or feedback is the best way to show your appreciation, either way i’m so happy to have you here; i feel like there’s more i can explore with this so i’m down to write more of it if you guys want; but other than that i hope you have a lovely night, muah!

© FAE-OF-PREY 2024

[lupiningwolves]

flying lessons | remus lupin x fem!reader

summary: while remus is gone, sirius and james want to make babysitting more fun

warnings: ddlg, falling off a broom, fluff

—

„ok, i have to go now“, remus announced with a look at the clock. „will you look after her?“

sirius and james now looked at their best friend, then shifted their gaze to the girl taking a nap on his bed next to him. you looked so peaceful, but all three knew that when you’d wake up - your daddy not being with you, gone without saying goodbye - you would be a lot different. „yeah, of course“, sirius answered eventually.

„thank you.“ and with that remus left with a last kiss on your forehead, whispering to be good for james and sirius in hope that you’d here it.

after remus left it didn’t take you long to wake up. just after half an hour you stirred and made small noises nobody could identify. „daddy“, you called softly with your eyes still closed.

james got up from his bed and went to sit down next to you. „hi, peanut.“ you opened your eyes and saw james smiling at you.

„daddy?“, came again from you.

„he’s not here, but he’ll be back soon.“ james feared that you’d start screaming and crying when he saw your facial expression. „but it’s okay. sirius, you and i can have a wonderful time together.“

your lip began to tremble and tears formed in your eyes. remus never left without saying goodbye to you. „wan’ daddy.“ as soon as the first tear escaped your eye you were on james‘ lap in his arms.

„please, don’t cry, y/n. it’ll be okay. he’ll be here soon, yeah?“ you didn’t listen to him anymore, you just sobbed in his shoulder until sirius sat down and took you.

„c‘mon, sweetheart, what’s something daddy doesn’t allow you?“, he asked, a mischievous grin on his face.

you stopped crying out of confusion and looked at him. „dunno“, you answered. „can’t wander off alone“, you said.

sirius nodded understanding and smiled. you truly were a good girl. „something else? something you want to do that he doesn’t allow you?“

„no chocolate past bedtime“, you answered. sirius, again, was unsatisfied with your answer. „no flying on a broom.“

and with that, james put on your jacket, grabbed his broom like sirius and they took you outside to the quidditch field. remus wouldn’t be there until another two hours so they had enough time to fulfil your ‘dreams’ and let you fly a broom.

but as soon as you sat on the wooden stick of a quidditch team player, they realised why remus didn’t allow it. your were everything but steady. „don‘ wanna make daddy mad. ‘m good.“

„you are, y/n/n, we’re just having a little fun“, james said. „remus wouldn’t mind.“

you nodded slowly and listened to the instructions the boys gave you. they always thought remus was bad at flying, but you? it was the worst.

and then, after what felt like an eternity, your feet left the ground. it took you a couple of minutes to stop leaning from left to right. you still didn’t think it was a good idea, but on the other hand you didn’t want to hurt james and sirius‘ feelings. so when they told you to actually start flying, you did.

they were always by your side to stop your from falling. the first round took you long, but you were proud when you finally did it.

„a bit faster now?“, james asked. your eyes widened, but you nodded silently.

at the same time remus and lily walked back to the gryffindor tower, happy that they were done with the presentation faster than they thought. remus feared he‘d find you in the arms of his best friends, crying for him. but he surely didn’t expect to see nobody in the dorm. he speeded down the stairs again, glad lily was still there, reading a book on the couch.

„hey, do you maybe know where sirius and james are?“, he asked her.

„no, but try the quidditch field. where else would they be?“ remus thanked her and ran off.

he hated sport, but running to make sure you were safe was something he‘d gladly do. he was running through what felt like the whole castle until he was outside. he could make out three figures in the air, two - he knew that were sirius and james - were flying fast, someone else - he guessed that it was you - was trying to keep up with them.

„james! sirius!“, he shouted as he stood in the middle of the field. both stopped and turned to him. „down here, now!“ they started flying down, but you didn’t even know how that worked. so you looked at how they did it and tried to copy it. „oh, bloody hell“, remus whispered, know that it wouldn’t end like you planned.

he followed every move you made and now was directly under you. you lost your balance, but this time it was worse. you were upside down and couldn’t hold yourself anymore. the scream you let out was loud, just like the sound when you fell in remus arms and you both were now laying on the ground.

„daddy!“, you exclaimed and threw your arms around him.

„hi, angel“, he whispered in your ear. he had never been so relieved to have you back in his arms.

„missed you, daddy. left without goodbye kissie“, you said pouting.

remus faked a shocked gasp, making james and sirius chuckled beside him. „i did?“ you nodded. „bad daddy. what should i do now?“

„give me a kissie.“ and he did. he plastered kisses all over you face while you were giggling. when he stopped, you kissed both his cheeks. „c‘mon now. let’s get you in the shower.“

remus helped you up, took your hand in his and left james and sirius back. he was mad at them, yes, but all three knew that he wouldn’t be anymore until dinner.

„daddy?“, you asked as he helped you out fo your jacket. „mad at me?“

„no, i’m not mad at you. i’m mad at sirius and james. you’re my good girl, aren’t you?“

„yea, daddy“, you answered smiling. „lub you.“

„oh, i love you more, sweet girl. so much more.“

—

taglist: @depressed-barnes @acciorxses @pinkcloxds @messers-moony-lupin

[drabbles-mc]

Mon Amie

Coco Cruz x F!Reader

Request by @elivanah-writes​: So I was thinking what if he met a girl one day or already knows her for some time but she's moved there maybe a few months ago and only speaks french and english. And she teaches him some words in french. And ends up singing a song for him. The song in the fic can be found Here

Warnings: language, alcohol, a split second of light angst, Coco being a cutie pie

Word Count: 2.8k

A/N: So I did tweak the original request a little bit but I hope you still enjoy it! I know zero French so hopefully I did alright pulling this together. I kind of love these two together though I can’t lie. Hope you guys enjoy it!

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“Nah, I’m just saying,” he chuckled as he watched you pull things from your cabinets to start making dinner, “if you’re livin’ this close to the border, you should know some Spanish.”

“I’m not saying you’re wrong,” you shake your head slightly as you bite back a smile, “I’m just saying that trying to learn Spanish immersively when I know none is a bit much.”

“I could teach you,” he watched for your reaction as he took a sip of his beer.

The offer made you turn to face him, “Oh? Could you?”

“What’s that look for, ma?” he laughed.

You shrug, giggling quietly, “Just didn’t know that you were a teacher as well as a biker.”

“There’s a lot you still gotta learn about me,” he paused, “But forreal. I can teach you if you want?”

“Coco, you really don’t have—”

“I know I don’t have to. I want to,” he lightly drummed his fingers on the countertop, “How ‘bout I’ll teach you Spanish if you teach me French? Deal?”

You laughed, twirling the spoon idly in your hands, “You wanna learn French?”

“Why you gotta look so shocked at everything I say?” he flashed you a quick smile.

“Well, like you said,” you smiled, biting lightly at your bottom lip, “I’ve got a lot to learn.”

You’d spent a lot of time with Coco ever since you found yourself in Santo Padre. You couldn’t quite pinpoint what drew the two of you to each other in the first place, but you became fast friends. The first time you’d invited him over to your place for dinner you could see a million different thoughts flash across his face and you couldn’t deny that being flustered looked cute on him. You reassured him that it was just a friendly invite—no pressure whatsoever. And somehow that turned into him coming over on a somewhat regular basis. There was a sense of security for you in the friendship that the two of you had been building.

Once he agreed to start teaching you, though, you felt like the two of you saw each other practically every day, even if he just stopped in quickly on his way home. He was teaching you the basics, the practical things that you needed to know. And in return you taught him the same things in French. Both of you got a kick out of the other trying to master the emphasis and accents of the other language. Every now and then you’d write words down in French for him just to watch him get blown away by how something spelled out one way, was said completely different.

“Ah, mon amie, don’t give up on me now,” you laughed as you looked over the list of words that you had been “studying”, although that was a bit of a strong word for it, “I’ll get this, I promise.”

He laughed, “I know you will,” he paused and you could feel his eyes on you as you read the paper, “What’s that mean again?”

“Hm?” you looked up at him.

“What’s that mean? Mon amie?”

A soft smile took over your features, “My friend.”

He didn’t say anything, simply nodded in acknowledgment. But despite his silence you could see it on his face that there was a certain kind of comfort in the title. Of course the two of you were friends, but you could tell by the look in his eyes that knowing it and hearing you say it were two completely different things.

“Alright,” he snapped back to the real task at hand, “you remember how to ask where the grocery store is? That’s a good one to know.”

“Yes!” you paused, picturing the flashcards you made for yourself in your mind, “Dónde está,” you pressed your lips together, hesitating on whether or not you were thinking of the right word, “el supermercado?”

He smiled, nodding, “You got it. Basically, if you got dónde está, that’s like ninety percent of all those questions. So you’ll be good.”

“How often do you think I’ll be getting lost?” you chuckled as you got up from the table to grab a couple drinks for each of you.

When he didn’t have an immediate response, you looked back over your shoulder at him and you could see that he was trying to think of the right word. You paused, placing your hands on your hips as you waited to see what he was going to say.

“Souvent,” he finally got the word out.

You laughed, placing your hand on your chest to feign offense at his statement, “Really? You don’t think I have a good sense of direction?”

“You text me at least twice a week asking where shit is in town, ma. And the town ain’t even that big,” he chuckled.

You shook your head as you pulled two beers out of the fridge, “First of all, rude,” you laughed, “Second of all, I’m glad the French lessons are sticking when you really need them,” you mumbled and continued shaking your head as you popped the tops off the beer bottles, “Often. This guy…”

“C’mon,” he chuckled as he got up and walked over to you, “don’t be mad.”

“I’m not mad,” you laughed, handing one bottle over to him, “I’m just…” you racked your brain for the right word in Spanish, “decepcionada,” you laughed as you said it, letting him know that it wasn’t true.

“Don’t worry. You’ll be able to talk shit to me in Spanish soon enough.”

“I can’t wait,” you smiled.

There were a few beats of silence and just as you were about to ask if he wanted to stay for dinner his phone went off. He reached into his kutte and pulled it out, and you could tell from the shift in expression on his face that he was about to have to take off out the door. You tried not to feel too disappointed about it, because you knew that you were just a very small piece of the larger picture of his life.

He held the phone up to his ear, “Yo. Yea, yea, alright. I’ll be there in a few.” The conversation was over as quickly as it started. When he looked over at you, you could’ve sworn that you could see it in his eyes that he didn’t really want to go, or maybe you were just projecting, “I gotta run.”

“I figured,” you took a sip of your beer, “I’ll talk to you later?”

He nodded, “Yea, ‘course,” he stepped in and hugged you, and before he could stop himself he placed a chaste kiss on your cheek, “Bonne nuit.”

You smiled, a soft giggle slipping past your lips as you listened to the way his accent wrapped around the French words, “Buenas noches, Coco.”

“See?” he flashed you one last smile before taking off out the door, “You’re gettin’ it.”

Once the door shut behind him, you let out a small sigh. Your bottle hung limply from one hand as your other came up and lightly caressed over the spot where Coco’s lips had just been. Perhaps friend wasn’t quite strong enough of a word anymore.

You didn’t see him for a few days after that. It wasn’t the strangest thing in the world, really. You knew very little about what the club was involved in but you knew that it was time-consuming if nothing else. But Coco popping in had somewhat become a bit of a routine and it was weird to go a few nights in a row with no sign of him. He’d responded to your texts asking if he was at least alive and safe somewhere, and the sarcasm in his response let you know that he was definitely fine, just busy.

You were sipping on your glass of wine as you watched your pie baking in the oven. Baking late at night when you weren’t ready to fall asleep was something you’d done ever since you started living on your own and realized that no one was around to stop you. It was usually an activity coupled with a large glass of wine and mellow music—just a nice way to relax when it was late.

Over the sounds of the music you could hear someone knock at your door. You knew that there was really only one person it could be. You turned the music down slightly before walking over to the door. When you opened it, you saw Coco on the other side—he was safe and in one piece, but you could see the exhaustion on his face.

“Hey, you alright?” you motioned for him to come in.

“I know it’s late. I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s fine,” you cut him off, not wanting him to feel bad, “I was up anyway.”

He glanced over your shoulder into the kitchen, “You cookin’ at 11PM?” a tired smile crossed his features.

You laughed, “You don’t get to come over this late and then judge my late-night activities.”

It got him to laugh, “I ain’t judging you. I just figured you’d be, I dunno, fuckin’ asleep or something.”

“And yet you’re still here,” you studied his face for a moment, “You sure you’re okay?”

He shrugged, “Just been a long few days. Needed uh, un ami.”

You smiled, taking his hand and tugging him towards the kitchen, “You came to the right place.”

Trying not to get too distracted by how much you loved the way his rough, calloused palm felt pressed against yours, you motioned for him to sit down at the counter. You grabbed another stemless wine glass from the cupboard and poured him a glass. You could see the dubious look on his face and couldn’t help but to laugh.

“Trust me. Wine after a bad day just…hits a little different than a beer. Plus,” you nodded towards the oven, “it’ll taste good with the pie.”

“You’re bakin’ a fuckin’ pie at midnight?”

“Eleven,” you corrected with a smile.

The two of you existed in comfortable silence while you waited for the oven timer to go off. As much as you wanted to ask about what had been going on, to pry about what seemed to have put him in a bit of a mood, you didn’t. Your home was a place away from all of that for him and you were more than content to keep it that way. As the minutes ticked by, you could see it in his face and body language that he was relaxing.

The timer went off, causing both of you to perk up a bit. You took another sip of your wine before setting the glass down and grabbing your oven mitts. You pulled the pie out of the oven and set it on the hot-plate that was on the counter. You smiled when you saw Coco’s eyes light up at the sight of it.

“Espere,” you waved the pie server at him, “It’s hot.”

He smiled for a moment at your recall of the word before asking, “How long we gotta wait?” he took a drink from his wine glass.

You chuckled, “Until I say it’s ready to eat.”

The only sound in the room was coming from your phone as it continued to softly play music from your playlist. You hummed along quietly as you started getting plates and forks out for the two of you. As you were gathering things together, you almost completely forgot that Coco was there and you started to sing quietly, more to yourself than to him.

When you turned around and saw the look on Coco’s face, you became very aware of what you had been doing. Heat rushed to your face and you stopped singing as you set a plate down in front of him.

“I don’t think I’ve heard you sing in any language,” he was smiling, eyes filled with awe.

You laughed nervously, “Singing is usually a Me Time activity.”

“What song’s that?” he nodded towards your phone.

“It’s called Je Vais T’Aimer,” you started cutting into the pie to avoid looking him in the eye.

“You can keep singing, if you want,” he ran the tip of his finger along the edge of his glass, “It can still be You Time.”

“Ask me about it again after I have a few more glasses of wine,” you replied with a smile as you served a piece of the pie onto his plate.

“What if,” he asked through a mouthful of pie, “I said that I’d learn better if I listened to you sing the words?”

You laughed, shaking your head, “I’d say that you’re full of it.”

The two of you sat on opposite sides of the counter and talked about anything that didn’t feel heavy or serious, and it felt good. You each had a few more glasses of wine as you chatted, fingers occasionally brushing against each other as you reached for the bottle. It was already the small hours of the morning before you finally decided to start rinsing off the dishes.

You both had been talking long enough for your playlist to completely loop back around again. You weren’t going to comment on it but you could see Coco’s eyes light up a bit when he heard the slightly familiar piano notes coming from your phone. Making a point to not look directly at him, you quietly began to sing as you started to clean the dishes you’d used while you were baking, the ones that you and Coco had just used to eat.

Coco materialized next to you by the sink, leaning back on the counter. He didn’t say anything as he listened to you sing, and watched you meticulously clean each dish and piece of silverware. You caught smile on his face from the corner of your eye, and it was soft, genuine. For a moment you thought about pressing your lips to it but you stopped yourself.

Even when the song ended, Coco didn’t stop watching you, “You got a good voice.”

You finally fully looked over at him, “I’m glad you think so,” there was a tinge of amusement in your voice.

“Nah, I’m serious,” he playfully nudged your shoulder, “I might not know all the words but I know what sounds good. Don’t gotta be fluent for that.”

You laughed, “I suppose not,” you shut the water off and dried your hands, moving so that you were standing in front of him. Taking a chance, with a little bit of liquid confidence at your back, you reached out and gently stroked your thumb along his cheek, “Feel better?”

He nodded, smiling as he rested his hand over yours, “Yea. Th-thank you. Or, y’know, merci.”

A quiet giggle slipped past your lips as you admired the way his hand continued to envelop yours, “You’re welcome.”

It was evident on his face that he had a thousand different thoughts going through his head at once. You let him get there on his own, saying whatever it was that he wanted to say, “I don’t, um, I don’t wanna fuck this up,” he motioned back and forth between you with his free hand, “but I really…I really wanna kiss you.”

Your heart pounded inside your chest, “Then…do it,” your voice was hardly a whisper.

His eyes widened—he didn’t have to be told twice. He gently tugged you towards him and pressed his lips to yours. You cupped his face in both hands as his arms snaked around your waist, pulling you flush against him. For a minute there wasn’t a single coherent thought in your head as you melted against him. You wished you’d done it sooner.

When you finally pulled your lips off of his, there was a smile on his face and a softness in his expression that you hadn’t seen before. Your hands rested lightly on his shoulders as his fingers drummed against your hips.

You saw his expression shift to one of deep thought and you gave his shoulders a light squeeze, “You okay?”

He nodded, “Yea, yea. I’m good, I just, gimme a sec,” his brows furrowed in thought, “I know this one. Hold on…”

It then hit you that he was trying to remember how to say something. You lightly bit down on your bottom lip, toying with the ends of his hair while you waited for him to remember what he wanted to say.

When he recalled it, it instantly showed all over his face. His eyes met yours, and with calculated certainty he said, “Je t’aime.”

Your stomach erupted in butterflies as you pressed a quick, soft kiss to his lips, “Je t’amie,” you paused, unable to tone down the grin on your face, “That wasn’t one that I taught you.”

He chuckled, “Nah, yea. I, uh, I hit Google Translate for that one.”

You laughed, kissing his cheek, “You’re perfect.”

[ratcandy]

Subcon Forest Analysis

Hi everyone I'm here to spill my aggressive overflowing thoughts on Subcon Forest and what it represents because it's been driving me insane since I finished the Sleepy Subcon time rift. Okay let's go. Obvious spoilers for AHIT ahead so proceed with caution.

This is also very, very long.

Disclaimer/warning: I will be discussing abusive/unhealthy relationships in this analysis. I mean. Vanessa. Come on. Also, there is a section on the nooses, and that delves, of course, into mentions of suicide. It will be sectioned off and easily skipped, but if you'd rather be safe and skip the entire post, that's completely understandable! Please stay safe. <3

Alright. Main point to be had here:

Subcon Forest is a giant extended metaphor for Snatcher's mind and character.

You all get to now listen to me spout nonsense about metaphors and symbolism because I'm a sucker for analysis and I'm given an opportunity to go ham. So perish.

The Ice

Let's start with the most obvious and most glaring thing in Subcon. The ice. It's everywhere. Not just outside Vanessa's manor, either; no, it's throughout the village, too. Shows up in the well and in random locations sprinkled about. When it comes to literal plot, we know that ice is just what lingers after Vanessa's wintery curse on Subcon. But going deeper and analyzing the meaning behind it?

Well, let's look at this from the perspective I've suggested. Subcon Forest being an extended metaphor for Snatcher's mind and character. A symbol for Vanessa then litters his mind, enough where it's certainly noticeable at first but blends in more easily once more of Subcon is unlocked to Hat Kid. This is clearly meant to be his lingering trauma, whether or not he wants to acknowledge it. Which he doesn't, as he never mentions it directly in his forest (that I can recall). Her influence plagues him, as to be expected with the traumatic experiences he went through with her. Breaking the ice is something Hat Kid must do in order to fulfill the wishes of the Fire Spirits (another subject I'll get into shortly), which, if self-indulgently playing with the found family idea, could mean that Hat Kid is helping him heal; if indirectly. Even if fulfilling the Fire Spirits' wish to die is... counterproductive, in that measure, which I'm now getting ahead of myself so hold on a sec!!

Vanessa. Ice. Everywhere. Traces of it all over his forest. That's the effects of an abusive relationship! Especially in a worst-case scenario where... yknow! One party in the relationship dies! So of course ice would be everywhere.

In and of itself, ice is a common symbol in literature and other forms of media. In this case, it's presented as an antagonistic force; emphasis is placed upon freezing and the harm that comes with it. The cold is unwelcoming, threatening, merciless. Snow can act as an insulating force, at least, but ice cannot. It can only make things colder.

A slight stretch: Seeing as this game deals a lot with time shenaniganry, I'm not sure if it'd be too out of left field to connect "freezing" with the theme of time. Yknow. Frozen in time. Both parties here, Snatcher and Vanessa, would be in this frozen state. One largely repressing it and never fully moving on, and the other doomed to her isolation ever since the event in question. They never moved past that moment after the Prince and florist's interaction.

The Fire Spirits (& the Portraits)

I'll put a slight warning here for suicidal ideation, if only because... it's the Fire Spirits we're talking about. It's not as grossly in-detail as the noose discussion will be, though, so make of that what you will.

To me, the Fire Spirits are a very interesting case. After all, they're fire. They're a direct contrast to the ice, thus being the only thing we're shown that could potentially melt it. The Fire Spirits, in my opinion, represent hope or a strength to continue. A strength to move on after troubles of the past.

...And that hope wants to die.

The Fire Spirits wish to burn out, to leave this mortal coil and abandon the forest to the cold. They make no effort to melt the ice, they simply dance, blissfully ignorant towards their surroundings. This being a metaphor for Snatcher's own hope for moving on is made all the more obvious by the fact he wants them gone. The first contract is to kill the Fire Spirits, to kill the hope. Perhaps he believes that sort of thing to be fruitless or naïve, so it only clutters his mind or has him foolishly optimistic at points. So, get rid of it. And the hope is happy to oblige.

(That, or their willingness to leave the forest to its own suffering and not aid in the ice's thaw angers him. Besides the whole "bark bark growl I can't get to parts of my forest because of them!!" which... also could represent a naïve hope clouding his judgement, not allowing him to see a bigger picture. But hope can't all be lost if one wants to move forward...)

A little side-tangent now on the portraits! And it's another slight stretch but the idea is in my head and I can't let it go. Portraits are another common symbol, usually being a physical representation of a memory or idea. For our purposes, let's say they're memories. I know in canon they appear to just hold souls captive or something but for now we're just Ignoring That(tm). The Fire Spirits have to burn the portraits to disappear. See where I'm going with this, maybe?

Instead of handling bad memories (or perhaps memories of the past in general) in any healthy manner, Snatcher chooses to forget/repress them, which just allows his hope to progressively die out.

I'm really hoping this is making sense because it makes a lot of sense to me but I might be insane rn

The Fact that this is a Forest

Forest symbolism breakdown! What's a forest usually mean in literature? "Traditionally, the forest has come to represent being lost, exploration and potential danger as well as mystery and 'other worldliness'." Okay. Yeah. Fair enough. That certainly works with the whole aesthetic we've got going on. Wood usually is life, growth and strength. But the trees of subcon are all dead. So what about that? It stands for death, big whoop, very spooky, we know Snatcher's dead and so are the children, yadda yadda wowie wowie. But. :) The trees in Subcon look a lot like trees that were scorched in a forest fire. Don't believe me?

(You could also argue they're just regular marsh/swamp trees bUT SSHHSUUHSH HANG ON HEAR ME OUT LOOK LOOK,)

What I believe to have happened was a controlled fire to rid the forest of the majority of its ice and snow. Likely done by Snatcher. It leaves behind a very desolate, depressing, barren scene... but. What else do dead/burnt trees symbolize? Rebirth. After all, controlled fires happen to make way for new trees to take the place of old ones. Some trees only drop seeds in fires/hot temperatures, so new ones take root and begin anew. Weird. It's almost like... I dunno. Snatcher was given some sorta second chance, given he's not just a corpse in Vanessa's cellar. So were the subconites. Another life given then by Snatcher. All connected I tell ya!!

Generally, aside from that, forests have many connotations. Mystery, isolation, claustrophobia; a place to dwell on regrets, or the past; to worry over one's future; to seek escape from or escape inside of... hmgmrnmm!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- T / W -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The Nooses

The t/w is given at the top and another cut-off point will follow the bottom of this, for those that would like to skip. This will delve into talk of suicide and abusive tactics used by abusers. Please don't read if it will upset you or make you feel unsafe!!!

Personally, I cannot stand the nooses, but that's just due to my own triggers. Were there a way to hide those from the game or replace the damned talking ones with anything else. I would take it. In a heartbeat. But I can still appreciate the potential analysis to be had with them. So now i'm gonna talk about it despite how uncomfortable it will make me to do so. yEa

So, what about 'em? There are three types of nooses seen in Subcon. At least that I remember but I didn't really go looking for them. Empty ones, ones containing empty subconites, and the talking ones.

Nooses in general obviously can hint towards suicidal thoughts or behaviors of the characters that interact with them. If saying Subcon is Snatcher's mind, it could suggest that he suffered from some sort of suicidal thoughts in life (or currently, if second death is possible... or if he never truly died... or maybe he's trying to figure that out...which has given me... a separate idea...uh oh). But. And hear me out. Different perspective.

A talking noose. I hate them with a fiery passion that is unmatched. But think of the packed symbolism of a noose that talks. And think more about what it says. "I wouldn't mind being strapped around a cute neck like yours." "Be careful now, I don't want to see you meet a miserable end anywhere, but with me." Oddly, a lot of what the noose says seems almost... endearing? One could argue it's a way of luring someone to put it around their necks, which in and of itself is a whole lot to unpack when it comes to suicidal thoughts beckoning one forward; painting itself as something romantic, almost. But. Here's a wild idea, now. What if the nooses, at least the talking ones, are another symbol for Vanessa?

They're tinted blue, after all. While Vanessa's scheme is more red, one could argue two things: One, ice. Blue. Ice. yeah. Or two, the fact that Snatcher's scheme is more purple. Blue and red... make... purple. So, for all we know, Snatcher's current state was a compound effort between suicidal thoughts and Vanessa's treatment of him. Perhaps he even found a way to put himself out of his misery before freezing/starving to death. (I know he has dialogue that argues against that, but... are we certain Snatcher would be the kind to admit suicide over freezing to death?... I don't think so.)

At any rate, a common threat by those in "control" of an abusive relationship is that of killing themselves should the other person not do as they desire. It's a cruel form of emotional manipulation to get their way, worse off if the other party is an empathetic individual. As a person who has been the empathetic individual in relationships like this... I would know. I've been here, unfortunately So, it's not completely out of the question to say Vanessa could've used some tactic like that, even before the whole... cellar ordeal. Did she? I dunno. I'm tossing ideas around. But if she did, the threats of such would sit around in the Prince's mind easily. Even if she has a reputation of not going through with it. It doesn't matter. That shit sticks with you forever, that scare, the potential of it ever being true, is horrifying and it ruins you. I'm projecting, Squirtle.

Still. A noose cannot hang itself. It has to have a victim.

...yea.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- T / W PASSED -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Misc. Ideas

- The spiders: Aside from the usual things spiders can be chalked up to symbolizing - toxicity, alluring danger, just... general pain - I like the potential wordplay that can happen here. Yknow. A black widow. Say the Prince and Vanessa were married when one died. What would that leave Vanessa? A widow. ...She's red and black, too. Yknow. Like a black widow. HA wordplay is fun isn't it?

- Snatcher's tree: Love this place, love sitting in here. But not the point! The inside of Snatcher's tree is such a harsh juxtaposition to the rest of Subcon that it kinda throws ya off guard. After all, the dark, purples and blues then contrasted with the bright warm colors of the inside. Even the music switches over. The thorns outside aren't present indoors. Ohh yeah this is gonna be on the nose as hell but the Tree(tm) is 100% representing Snatcher's appearance/put-on personality vs. his truer nature. Spooky outside with thorns, foreboding, unwelcoming. Then the more comfortable interior. VULnerable. Have I even mentioned that the tree is HOLLOW I mean COME ON. The sturdiness of that tree? Nonexistent. He's not a sturdy guy at all no matter how he fronts

- Intrusions are unwelcome: Snatcher does not like the fact that Hat Kid sticks around in his forest. His personal space. His mind. In fact he tries desperately to get rid of her after their fight, not wanting her presence in his forest at all. He has no problem providing more contracts later on with the Death Wish thing, and he finds great entertainment in messing around with Hat Kid, so it's not just a weird sudden hatred he has for her; it's the fact that. After she's finished being useful, he no longer wants her around, lest she find some things she shouldn't find. Now he's just uncomfortable with her in his personal boundaries. Could just be a denial that she's helped him heal (breaking ice, stealing from Vanessa, being something interesting for his kids to interact with) or just not really wanting a child to get wrapped up in. All that. Most likely the former. Considering the amount of joke-hints he drops regarding his background during his Death Wish dialogue. I see you funny man, making jokes out of your trauma as a coping mechanism. Punts him

Annnd I think that's all I got, for now! I'll make an update post if I get any more sporadic ideas. If you read this whole thing, thank you!! and also!! Wow that was a lot!! Hell world. Please feel free to elaborate on any of my points or debate with me on em!! I'm always open to other ideas, just be aware that if I disagree I am not shy when it comes to debate hehehe, tho I won't be aggressive to any extent I prommy!!

Alrighty. goes to sleep goodnight

[nexyra]

RWBY's Love Language - Part 2

Hello friend ! I'm back at it with a second part and whatever character I can think of ! (Among which best boy Oscar because he deserves it, and also more adults)

Let's go !

***

Oscar Pine

So ! While I love Oscar with my whole heart, honestly guessing his Love Language is no easy feat. One thing for sure : touch isn't is thing even if it's how everyone else chose to communicate their love.

I saw a post a while back detailing how Oscar is always putting his hands up as a barrier when he's scared or uncomfortable and that makes me cry a little instead but it's true TT. Anyway...

In the latest volumes we've got quite a bit of comforting Oscar-talks but I have to wonder how much of that is due to Ozpin's influence really. As a result I've decided to settle on... Acts of Service or Quality Time ! This is based on a few details : when people are upset with him in one shape or form, Oscar was always very eager to prove himself useful, give some aspect of concrete help (such as cooking a Casserole, ringing any bell ?). Plus I imagine that's the exact brand of help his Aunt would have needed most on a farm. Added to that, he always seems fairly happy to be included, be with the others no matter what's going on. Training ? Yay ! A movie with Jaune & Weiss ? Smiling puppy look. Fancy party ? Shenanigans together ! So yea, I love seeing my boy loved and hugged but please everyone settle for the loving he's most comfortable with <3

“She made a choice! A choice to put others before herself! So do I.”

“Oh, uh, yeah. I thought you guys would appreciate a hot meal after... spending all day looking for me, apparently.”

“No, it's okay. These past few days, I've been scared of the same things you were. I don't know how much longer I'm going to be... me. But I did some thinking, and I do know that I want to do everything I can to help with whatever time I have left.”

- - - - - - - - - -

Ozpin

For our favorite immortal wizard aka not quite dead Headmaster... I think the answer is rather obvious. When you're so careful with your words, but also so fiercely devoted to humanity, Words of Affirmation is a must. Ozpin constantly does his best to calm, to reassure. He's good at controlling the conversation and getting people where he wants... Except he more often than not use it to make them think and help them reach an healing ore motivating conclusion. This man is so insisten on giving and cultivating hope, so painfully aware of just how much words can change... There's no doubt in my mind that it's through these very same words that he tries to fight the darkness in others' mind, even when they don't want to let themselves be persuaded. And with some help from the farmboi, Ozpin is gaining in honesty and earnestness. And that can only help in giving comfort.

But to be honest... If you offer him a hug I doubt he'd refuse, and he definitely deserves one. Also therapy. For Oscar too. Everyone in therapy 2k21.

“Ruby. I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet. But at this moment I would not consider your appointment to leader to be one of them. Do you?”

“It's not every day that friends are able to come together like this. Time has a way of testing our bonds, but it's nights like these that can help keep them stronger than ever. Nights like these are ones we'll never forget.”

“Don't worry, Mr. Arc. Your journey is far from over, and the same might be said for all of you. Unlocking your Semblance isn't the end. It can still grow and evolve. Providing you are willing to put in the work, who knows what could happen?”

- - - - - - - - - -

Emerald Sustrai

Now here I'm gonna go ahead and say that the way Emerald has been taught to express her love and the way SHE would rather preffered to be loved most likely do not align. At the side of someone like Cinder, and even Mercury who isn't exactly the most emotionally vulnerable person; the only brand of love that gets an easy pass is Acts of Service, and that's probably what Emerald is the most used to. I can go on a mission with you. I can help. We go right back to the "I can be useful" mentality and I'm not sure she's been shown any other way honestly. Let's be real though : if someone offered a hug or some gentle words ? She'd probably pout & fuss but I hardly doubt she'd object.

“I don't care about Salem! But I owe Cinder everything. You want to fight her that bad? Be my guest.”

“I just... Cinder was the only family I ever had. She cared about me, taught me things... But without her here, I don't know if what we're doing--”

“I've been working on my Semblance. I can help. I won't tell anybody.”

- - - - - - - - - -

Pyrrha Nikos

What's with everyone and dedicating their whole love toward just helping their teammates anyway they can ?! Stop ! But any way, you guessed it. I'm pretty sure one of Pyrrha's top way of showing love is Acts of Service, and nothing means quite as much to her as Quality Time. For someone who's been put on a pedestal and has a hard time relating to people; both touch and words can be a bit awkward. But if they're wrapped up neatly in a training session or semblance explanations ? Well that's already a more familiar area. Pyrrha gives her whole to her friends and those she cares about. And in exchange, if anyone can simply... be there and spend time with her... May it be at the ball or simply sitting in the courtyard... I'm sure our girl would be delighted.

“Jaune, you know if you ever need help, you can just ask.”

“I'm constantly surrounded by love and praise; but when you're placed on a pedestal like that for so long, you become separated from the people that put you there in the first place. But thanks to you, I've made friendships that will last a lifetime.”

“I'll do it. If you believe this will help humanity, then I will become your Fall Maiden.”

- - - - - - - - - -

Qrow Branwen

If I say Gift Giving for the corvid, is someone gonna hit me ? Come on it's fun ! Okay, more seriously... I think this kind of love conversation is kind of a necessity for Qrow. With a semblance such as Bad Luck, making everything complicated... Qrow tries to keep his distance from those he cares about. And since he's an emotionally repressed (but caring) asshole on top of it... Well that kinda narrows down his option. You know what DOESN'T put anyone at risk but can still bring smiles on their face ? GIFTS. Shiny things, souvenirs from his missions all over the world to give to 2 smol nieces. Sounds safe right ? That said, as any good emotionally unavailable character in this show, I gotta say Qrow probably has a thing for helping out and making himself useful in relation to Oz, Tai or the rest of the inner circle. So you know what that means *whisper* Acts of Service.

That said ! When it comes to receiving some love back... Qrow probably likes everything he doesn't allow himself to have. Soft touches, loving & comforting words, spending time with a friend without his semblance making everything complicated... We know that's all he wants.

“You idiot. I know you didn't do this.”

“Look, pal, I'm not sure who you are, but you need to leave my niece alone.”

“No one wanted me... I was cursed... I gave my life to you because you gave me a place in this world... I thought I was finally doing some good...”

- - - - - - - - - -

Clover Ebi

And among our newbies (and gone too soon) friends we have Clover ! Clover was a very good contrast to our dusty old crow but also a great help. Kind-hearted, perceptive and honest; he knew just how to put Qrow's self-loathing in his place and push him to give himself some credit. He always had a nice word or a joke for everyone, and visibly the rock of the Ace Ops : an expert a keeping the moral up and the mood companiable. Evidently, Words of Affirmation was his expertise. Had things gone differently, I'm sure we'd have had time for many more earnest and helpful conversations with this teal-eyed fisherman.

“It's a good thing they had someone to look up to and get them through it. Not everyone is so lucky.”

“I meant deflect a compliment. Those kids wouldn't be where they are without you. You've had more of an effect on them than you realize.”

“We don't have to fight, friend.”

- - - - - - - - - -

Winter Schnee

And today in the "emotionally unavailable" category we have... Winter Schnee ! TALK ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS PEOPLE ! Just - I would say look at Ruby but even she doesn't talk about her bad vibes... Nor does any of the "Words of Affirmation" peeps. Honestly what's wrong with y'all people ? Anyway Winter cares so much. Is it hidden behind professionalism and a stern *big sister* demeanour ? Sure. But it doesn't negate just how much she loves her closed ones. She's fiercely loyal, and even if she doesn't let her personal feelings get in the way of her duty and doing what needs to be done, no one is allowed to say she doesn't care. Countrary to Weiss, Winter doesn't seem as good nor as aware of the love that exists in simply *being* with people. Rather, she's dutiful and ready to help any way she can when given the chance. You guessed it, yet another Acts of Service kind of love... Maybe I'm doing this wrong XD. I'm on the fence about Words of Affirmation as well. Despite her standoffish looks, Winter has always been very open & reassuring during her discussions with Penny. But she's more stern when it comes to Weiss so I dunno x)

“I don't recall asking about your ranking, I'm asking how you've been. Are you eating properly? Have you taken up any hobbies? Are you making new friends?”

“You've grown up a bit, haven't you? You're not the little girl clinging to the family name anymore.”

“You can't just buy trust like everything else! You have to earn it!”

And that's it for Part 2 ! I might do some other characters if people suggest some but I don't have a pressing need to right now. I have many ideas of songs to apply to various characters however so that's prob what my next posts will consist of (or fun templates)

If anyone has tips to create RWBY gifs or links to download the eps in good quality I'll take it ! Good day everyone !

[weathergirl8]

Master of Deflection - Part 6

Finally found time to post this sucker during this crazy week of graduation prep! Graduation practice tomorrow and actual ceremony Friday night for my associate's degree!

This is for you @ak47stylegirl and anyone else who enjoys Alan whump/smothering. Of course, there will be some extra Virgil in there too, because I just love the big guy.

@misssquidtracy @gumnut-logic @godsliltippy Thank you for your support on this fic!!

I bring you some Sky Turnip and Land Cabbage 💙💚

As a friendly reminder, I originally came from the TOS and TB 2004 era. I’ve tried to write a few TAG point-of-views, but my comfort zone is the previous. This will take place with Gordon as the redhead, and Virgil as the middle bro. Sorry!

Summary: Being the youngest of five is always hard, especially when they pounce at the slightest hair out of line. Sometimes the art of deflection can sting.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

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

Virgil tried to suppress a yawn as he grabbed the needed medication from the infirmary. Alan’s fever had climbed nearly another degree. The medic of the family instinctively made the call to start antibiotics quickly. Virgil was confident they were now dealing with more than the common cold and that a bacterial infection was beginning to set in.

Entering Alan’s room, the middle Tracy was concerned to see the bed empty. Only the sight of the strewn sheets and a pile of used tissues remained. “Allie?”

“I’m in here,” Alan’s hoarse voice called from the bathroom.

Virgil sat the meds down and met the crumbled form of his baby brother. Alan sat on the bathroom floor, the wall seeming to be the only thing holding him up. “Sick again?”

“Yup,” Alan grumbled as he reached to flush the toilet. Virgil handed him a towel to clean himself up. “Thanks.”

Virgil helped him up but quickly took hold of his younger brother’s waist as the teen’s legs nearly crumbled. “Alan, you okay?”

“Yea,” the teen panted as another cough erupted from him. “Brain and body just don’t want to cooperate at the moment.”

“C’mon, let’s get you back in bed,” Virgil urged as they made the short walk to Alan’s bed. “If you don’t start keeping things down, I’m going to have to start an IV, kiddo. I’m worried about dehydration.”

“You’re preaching to the choir. This isn’t exactly a party,” Alan wheezed, letting his head sink back into his pillow.

Virgil observed him as Alan coughed and tried to take in a deep breath. “How long has that been going on?”

“I dunno,” Alan shrugged. “Awhile, I guess. It’s not like I’m writing all of this down.”

The middle Tracy handed Alan two pills, motioning for the teen to take the antibiotics. “When you’re not exerting yourself, is it hard to breathe?”

Alan gave his older brother a weird look but decided against the first thought that entered his mind. He wouldn’t exactly call laying in bed exerting himself, but who was he to judge? “If you call breathing with my mouth mostly, then sure.”

Virgil now wished he had kept the kid in the infirmary so he could ease his mind and have all of his equipment at his disposal. Knowing it wasn’t something the baby of the family would do, he opted for what he had in front of him. “Alright, if it gets worse, let me know immediately. Here’s something that will help with nausea, and something to hopefully help with that cough,” he said, handing Alan the tiny pill and cup of cough suppressant.

“Why do these always have to taste so gross?” Alan complained as he quickly swallowed several gulps of water.

“That’s how you know it’ll work,” Virgil smirked, winking at his annoyed sibling.

-TB-

The sunrise was Scott’s favorite part of his morning run. The smell of the morning dew across the island jungle and the colorful orange and yellow hues that rippled across the water.

He slowed his pace to a jog as he came across the broadest part of the beach on the Island. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, the oldest Tracy paused as he noticed a figure ahead. Confusion met him as he recognized the build of the person. Scott quickly jogged forward, calling out to his younger brother. “Virgil?”

“Hey, Scott,” the chestnut-haired Tracy greeted, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a towel.

Scott struggled for a moment. He knew he was treading on thin ice for his brother to be up this early. Virgil was always active, but athletically the medic was more of a gym guy. He found more solace in lifting weights and punching bags. Sprinting and running were always something the other brothers had enjoyed, barring John. It was rare to catch Virgil on a run outside of the gym, especially on one before the sun had been up for at least one hour in the sky.

“Pretty view, huh?” Virgil interrupted his thoughts, almost sensing his brother’s unease.

“Always is,” Scott smiled in appreciation. “No sunrise seems to be the same.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Virgil replied, taking a seat along the sand.

Scott’s concern only increased, but he followed his brother along the cool sand. His blue eyes searched the ocean while taking small glances at Virgil.

“You can ask,” Virgil exhaled, surprising the elder. “I know you’re wondering why I’m out here so early.”

Scott tried to suppress the grin that he knew was also on Virgil’s face. “Didn’t want to push.”

Virgil nodded in understanding, letting his hands rest on his raised knees. “Bad dreams and worried about Alan,” he stated plainly.

“I checked in on the kid before I started my run. Al was sound asleep, but he still felt warm and sounded congested. I think that humidifier might be helping,” Scott said, watching Virgil as he stared out into the water. “I didn’t want to disturb him. He needs his rest.”

“Allie’s exhausted,” Virgil admitted. “Between the coughing, vomiting, and congestion, his sleep has been interrupted. I gave him a round of antibiotics and something to help with the other symptoms. Alan’s definitely caught something bacterial for sure. Those cold waters from the rescue didn’t do him any favors.”

“I’m sure those will help,” Scott reassured. “He just needs time for the meds and his immune system to work.” The elder Tracy studied his brother once again. “Do you want to talk about the dreams?”

Virgil sighed as he threw a rock he had been playing with toward the water. “It was about the last mission.”

“I figured,” Scott added. “I would’ve been surprised if you didn’t. I know what it felt like being on the receiving end. I can only imagine what it was like in the moment physically.”

“Definitely won’t be in my top 20,” Virgil chuckled solemnly.

“Who said it was getting past the top 50?” Scott laughed, nudging Virgil.

“Point taken,” the middle Tracy smiled.

“All jokes aside,” Scott started. “Are you okay?”

“Okay is a relative term, Scott. We compartmentalize and move on-“

“-Virg, you know that’s not what I meant.”

“I do,” Virgil acknowledged meeting Scott's intense gaze. “Look, you know what happened. I don’t have to tell you again. I just…. I can’t get the image of the gun shoved against Alan’s neck out of my head and that look on his face. That look… Damnit, Scott. He’s too much like you!”

Scott tried not to laugh but empathized.

“I could tell Alan was scared, but the kid refused to show it. He was so trusting. Trusting of me to get us out of that situation.”

“You did, Virgil. Allie is safe because of you, and so are you. I was just as worried about you as I was our baby brother,” Scott countered. “You did what you had to, and no one was harmed.”

“That’s not the point, Scott. You have no idea how close it came.”

“What do you mean?” Scott asked, confused.

“There’s a bullet hole in the floor of the rescue platform. A hole that was inches away from hitting Alan when he hit the deck.”

Realization dawned on the oldest Tracy. “Is that what your dream was about? That the bullet actually hit Alan?”

Virgil remained silent as he collected his thoughts. He felt Scott turn to face him, the older pilot’s knees resting against one of his own. “Mostly, but what stuck with me most was that look. Like I said, having a hard time getting it out of my head.”

Scott placed a comforting hand along Virgil’s knee, squeezing it. “I know you don’t need me to tell you about how great you are when quick decisions need to be made. That goes without saying, but Allie trusted you with his life because so would I. Any of us would. The next time a lunatic threatens one of my brothers with a gun, he’ll wish neither one of us were around.”

Virgil smiled. “Thanks, Scott.”

“Anytime. You good?”

“I’ll be fine,” Virgil replied. “We probably should head in. Breakfast will be started soon, and I need to check on Alan and make sure Dad isn’t camping at his side.”

“Dad was still asleep when I checked on Al,” Scott said as they began to walk up the path that led to the main villa. “Besides, he has an early call with one of the new brokers, if I remember correctly.”

“Good, that should keep him occupied,” Virgil grinned.

TBC…

[writingsfromhome]

Bad Timing I(.5)

A/N: This is the sort of backstory to Harry and you, I think it can be read on its own if you want, or before you read the first part too. It’s angsty af, but it has some death and sensitive topics jsyk. I tried to keep it concise but it got a little wordy as angst does. xx

Part 1

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

About 12 Years Ago:

“So are you coming to that party or not?” My roommate asks. She was one of the first people I’d met last year when we started uni and even though we came from different backgrounds we remained friends over the last year, even choosing to room together again. She got me to open up and find the extroverted part of me that was able to enjoy uni outside of academics.

“Ugh, I’m volunteering for the voting booths for the rest of the week. Maybe if I can make it?”

“You’re actually doing that?” She scrunches her nose. “I don’t get it. You’re just way too nerdy to be my friend.”

“And yet you loove me,” I squeeze her against me and she laughs. “It’s my mom, she said I had to do at least one extracurricular so I could meet friends this year.”

“You already have friends,” she points to herself, and with her came her group of friends that’d quickly taken me in last year.

And my mom doesn’t like that I hang out with you, I think. She thought we partied too much even though my grades stayed decent. “She wants me to have nerdy friends too, I dunno. They’re helping me pay my tuition until I get a job so I kinda have to play nice.”

“Parents suck,” my roommate flicks through her closet. I agreed, this was just something I would get through to get through. Then they would leave me alone for the rest of the year.

Little did I know the person they’d partner me with at my polling station was someone who would be in my life for the next decade.

“I’m Harry by the way,” he’d said after we received our orientation and assigned the building we were going to babysit the votes in. “Second year.”

“Me too! I’m Y/N. What’s your major? I’ve never seen you around.”

“Law--well I haven’t decided if it’s law but that’s what I’m in right now.”

“Really? Law?” I was openly judging, he just didn’t seem the law type.

“Well what are you in?” He demands.

“Business,” I cringe.

“Really? Business?” He has a cheeky smile on, one that would become familiar to me.

“Well, you just don’t seem like the law type. They’re usually more uptight, dress way too smart for me.”

“I know, it’s like, we’re not even in the courtroom yet,” he joins in and it makes me laugh--how he could poke fun at his own people. That’s when I knew we would get along fine, and I actually looked forward to the next few days getting to know him better.

“I’m definitely telling my mum about you, she’s been begging me to make friends outside of my circle. I’ll tell her I’m friends with a law student.”

“So we’re friends already?” We’d reached our booth and began setting up the partitions. He takes over when I set it up wrong.

“Obviously,” I say. “I actually like you which means you’ll have a hard time getting rid of me.”

“I’m alright with that,” he grins and I notice the laugh lines that are brought to life as he does. It somehow made him seem more genuinely.

We spend the rest of the time swapping stories, classes, rants. We check student IDs and hand out voting cards in between but it doesn’t feel like a drag anymore. At the end of the day, I invite him to the party my roommate was going to with our friends. If he was going, maybe I would too. He seemed like he might be fun at a party.

“Er,” he suddenly seems nervous. “I’ll have to ask my girlfriend, she wanted to hang out tonight.”

“Well bring her too!” I say excitedly. “Is she law as well?”

“No, she’s in the arts.”

“I like her already,” I push. “Bring her, my friends are fun you’ll learn how to have a good time.”

“I know how to have a good time,” there was the flash of his dimples again. “Text me the address.”

And thus began a friendship for the next four years, partying together, studying together (trying to), and hanging out in each other’s rooms. We would set each other up with other friends, double dated, went out for sunrise-hikes, and took long drives at night when we had to blow some steam off from being over-stressed, over-studied uni students. Our friend circles overlapped, the fabric of our lives eventually bleeding together. We were made of the same fibers, sticking together even after uni, when our friends got more serious about their careers. When they moved out of the country or to another city, we made sure to rent places close enough that we could still see each other often. And somehow, in the new chapter of our lives, without the partying and our other friends to buffer, we became closer than before.

We cared for each other--we didn’t deny that ever. And somehow that platonic love turned romantic as we depended on each other while we navigated adulthood. I can’t exactly pinpoint where things changed, but one evening our relationship was changed forever.

7 years ago:

“She literally wants me to stay until 7, and she was offended when I said no! I’m not even getting paid for that!” I was bitching to Harry about my shitty job.

“That’s bollocks” Harry shrugs. “Just say you’ve got family obligations or something.”

“I said that the one time she wanted us to come in on a weekend and she gave me shite work the following week! I just...I can’t afford to lose this job Harry.”

“That’s shitty, I’m sorry.” He takes the last swig of his beer. “Want another one?”

“I haven’t even finished this one,” I moan at my now warm beer that I’d been nursing for the last hour, too busy ranting to drink it. “It’s getting late though I should head home before it’s dark. Don’t want that nutter that hangs around my building to harass me again.”

“I’ll walk you home,” Harry suggests. He lived a 15 minute walk from me.

“No no,” I get up and take our dirty dishes to the sink. “I didn’t even ask about you, how was your day?”

“Same old,” he sighs against the counter. “I feel like I don’t fit in, everyone my age is finishing their law degree but I don’t think I want to.”

“I knew from the day I met you, you weren’t destined for the courtroom.” I pull him into a comforting hug. “Do what makes you happy, or what doesn’t make you want to say fuck it and quit your job to hibernate.”

“You really know the perfect thing to say,” Harry chuckles but he pulls me tighter against him. I stroke his back, reassuring him he’d be alright in the end.

“Y/N-” he pulls away to say something but freezes mid sentence. I raise an eyebrow but he’s still, staring at my face.

“Harry?” I ask, but he continues staring. “Hello? You alright?”

“Yeah,” he breaks into a sudden smile. That was weird--I make sure he’s okay before letting go.

Before I leave, I kiss Harry’s cheek goodbye--I was never shy in the affection I gave my friends and Harry’s bummed mood needed extra affection tonight. But what I don’t expect is for him to catch me before I pull away, staring intently into my eyes. The lighthearted energy between us disappears instantly as it dawns on me, how close we were, the unspoken feelings in his eyes, the hesitation before he presses his lips to mine.

I kissed him back then, barely understanding what was happening, before pulling away. I give him a smile but that’s just what he sees at the tip of the iceberg, underneath my mixed feelings churn away. My best friend just kissed me, and I wasn’t totally mad about it.

“It’s getting dark I-” I say as Harry says, “Sorry was that okay?”

We laugh awkwardly, neither of us sure what to do at this point. We decide to ignore it instead.

“I’ll talk to you later,” Harry lets me go and opens the door for me. “Watch out for the neighbourhood nutter yea?”

I stand in place, feeling the fibers of our friendship unraveling but feeling hopeless in mending the tear. “Take care Harry.”

I high tail it out, my thoughts going at an impossible rate as I sort out what happened. And we try to ignore it the next couple weeks,

We hadn’t made it official then, too nervous to face what this meant about our friendships. It was only at my sister’s wedding, that I realised what was wrong between us. I’d been mourning our old friendship, and avoiding him in the weeks since the kiss. But what I didn’t realise was that our friendship had been changing over the last year anyway, and getting drunk on champagne and dancing with Harry, while my sister celebrated the happiest day of her life, made me realise there was a cause for celebration here: a new chapter in our lives.

A couple days later, after a stressful day at work, I’d taken the tube to his flat and waited for him outside. He was surprised to see me there, not saying much except to open the door and let me in. As soon as he’d closed it, my lips were attached to his and we’d let our bags drop, coats, and any piece of clothing between us. After that night, we didn’t even try to deny how we felt about each other.

“I didn’t think I could ever be this happy,” he’s whispered to me after. I thought he’d fallen asleep but his whisper in the dark made me grin to myself. “Are you awake.”

“I am. Awake and happy.” I turn to face him, giggling. “Who knew this could feel so right.”

“Our first kiss was quite wrong though wasn’t it?” Harry says and it makes me laugh.

“That’s why I needed to do a redo,” I tease. “Can’t leave you to plan anything.”

“It wasn’t planned I swear, I was trying to be spontaneous.”

“Let’s not try ‘spontaneous’ again then,” I kiss him in the dark. He pulls me snug against him, I never knew how safe it felt. The safest I would ever feel, wrapped in the warmth with my best friend and now something else.

It was a good few months, testing the waters as our relationship underwent a transformation. All of our friends were supportive, but we never missed the glances between them. Apparently, they were waiting for this to happen. But as sweet as those first few months had been, finding out my mum was sick with a timeline was devastating. I came apart at the seams but Harry stayed through it all, holding me together. He’d proposed then, wanting my mum to be part of the ceremony. We had a small wedding, intimate but still magical. It was bittersweet, the amount of love and happiness I felt towards Harry and our loved ones around us as he said I do and as he took my arm and swept me across the dancefloor. But the amount of sadness crushing my chest kept me from being the weightless bride I always thought I would be.

Through it all, Harry stayed by my side. While we were hopeful, the day our hopes were dashed, the days and weeks I mourned. When my sister and her husband came to stay with their crazy toddlers and Harry kept them entertained giving my sister and I time together. I thought he was perfect, that I’d lucked out.

That lasted a few years, 3 and a half to be exact. There were months leading up to our split and we could point to a bunch of things that could’ve led to it. a) him wanting kids, and me wanting to wait or b) long hours we worked as we changed careers and tried to make our way up or c) how hard getting pregnant actually was. Maybe I pushed him away, or he didn’t love me enough to try and make it work.

I think I lied to myself, avoiding the tension creeping into the relationship. The tired excuses and time spent apart, the lack of usual affection, or casual conversations. I was an idiot, I realise every time I think about the end in retrospect. Maybe if I caught on earlier I could have fixed us before we fell apart. Maybe I could have saved us.

“There’s someone coming in Tuesday morning to fix the broken washer, will you be home?” I ask, still in bed and scrolling through my phone. I hadn’t meant to be up this early but Harry woke me as he got up and I couldn’t fall back asleep.

“No,” Harry responds, his back to me as he ruffles through the dresser. “I’ve got a thing that morning.”

“Well I’ve got to go in early Tuesday-I thought you might be home.” I say. I hear an edge to Harry’s voice but I try not to focus on it. He’d been a little cold all weekend and I was scared to think what it meant.

“You couldn’t be bothered to check in when you confirmed the date?” Harry asks harshly.

“I...guess not.” I put my phone down and wait for Harry to turn, maybe I could read his expression. Maybe he was stressed. “Harry?”

“What?” He turns, but he looks at me with no emotion. No stress, no frustration, not even anger. It’s the lack of emotion in his face that cause my eyes to prick with tears. Harry raises his eyebrows and I shake my head, untangling myself from the sheets so he doesn’t see any tears. I rush to the bathroom but forget to close the door out of habit.

“Y/N,” a kinder Harry appears by the doorway. His face has smoothed out the harsh lines, his eyes hesitant and cautious.

“What’s happened with us?” I blurt out. “Why are you so cold all the time? Am I doing something wrong?”

Harry’s face falls and he walks towards me but doesn’t touch me. “It’s nothing like that. It’s...I don’t know. We should talk.”

He reaches his hand out but I flinch away. “Did you meet somebody new or something? What are we talking about?”

“Let’s not do this here. Right now.”

“Why not!” I finally had enough. “I’ve been walking on eggshells for months Harry! I don’t know what’s wrong and I keep waiting for you to bloody tell me!”

“This isn’t working!” Harry raises his voice to compensate for mine. I’m immediately silenced by the volume, and then the words sink in.

“Is there someone else?” I ask.

He doesn’t answer, his gaze on the hanging vines by the window. My heart drops into my stomach like a boulder, and I find it hard to breathe. I clutch the porcelain sink and ask in a surprisingly even tone, “Harry. Answer me.”

“What we have, Y/N...it’s dysfunctional.” He says quietly, meeting my eyes. “It doesn’t matter if there’s someone else, we’ve been fighting for months. Things aren’t the same between us-”

“Who is she?” I ask. I needed to know.

“That’s not relevant,” he shuts my question down quickly. “I’m sorry Y/N, I...I don’t want to hurt you. I care about you, I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Then don’t,” I’d pleaded. “We can go to counseling, talk it through-”

“I can’t Y/N.”

“Because of her.”

“No, because this isn’t good for either of us.” He’d walked up to me, cradled my face. “We’re not good for each other, not like this.”

“Who is she?” I yank his hands away.

“She’s...it doesn’t matter, I swear nothing happened between us Y/N. Knowing who she is isn’t going to help this situation--”

“It is! If it weren’t for her, you’d be willing to work on us--to see a future. You...Harry how could you do this to me? To us?” The tears come with no control. “You’re moving on before we’re even over. How are you giving up on us like that?”

“I’m not!” his voice booms in the tiled bathroom. “I’m not bloody giving up on us! I tried Y/N, so many times. I tried! You just keep pushing at me to be someone I’m not and-”

“I can say the same thing about you!” I throw the brush in my hands into the sink. “We were good! And you got it in your head you wanted a baby even though we’re young, oh my god Harry you kept pestering me to change my mind even though I told you I needed time!”

“It’s not like we could have a fucking baby anyway,” Harry says bitterly before realising what he’d said. “Shit-”

“There you go,” I mock. “I knew it. I knew you were holding that against me. And that,” I jab my finger into his chest. “Is what’s made you so moody, so mean and why we’re always fighting. You held it against me.”.

There was absolute truth to what I said. Last year, Harry had brought the baby topic up. I’d told him we were only in our mid-20s, we had a lot of time, and we still had a career to establish. But he would bring up the topic often enough that I’d given in.To make him happy. And months went by, trying for a baby. Went we finally went to our doctor, she’d told us why it was so hard, it could take us years she’d said.

Harry came home that day dejected, and left me feeling like a failure. I think it tore us up.

“You wanted a baby so fucking bad and when I couldn’t, it made me feel like a complete failure. And I told you that! And you did absolutely nothing to make me feel better. You held it against me, Harry! You didn’t even try to tell me it was okay.”

“It’s not so fucking simple,” he says, his cheeks flushed pink. Maybe it was anger, or maybe it was embarrassment from being confronted with an ugly truth.

“It is. And now you’ve upgraded to a newer model, maybe her version comes with a fertile womb.” I take the cheap shot.

He doesn’t say anything though. And I don’t know why that hurts more than knowing he’d fallen for another woman while he was still married to me. My best friend in the whole world had just broken my heart into a million irrevocable pieces.

“It’s a bunch of things Y/N,” he finally says. “That’s just part of it. We’re not...we’re just not working!”

“Did you even try to make it work?” I ask, swiping my sleeve across my face. “Did you ever think how I felt? How you made me feel Harry? You’ve been slipping away from me without talking to me-” I break off. I couldn’t speak through the heartbreak, the thunderstorm of grief threatens to consume me and my sobs are the only thing that manages to come out.

“I never wanted to hurt you,” Harry tries to place a hand on my shoulder but I jerk away, moving to sit on the edge of the bathtub. “Y/N...”

“Just go,” I say through the tears.

“We can talk more about this later-”

"Just go,” I say louder.

Harry’s phone rings again from the bedroom and he sighs. But he leaves me, crying on the bathroom floor. The sadness that was always in my peripheral consumes me. I’d carried this sadness for a long time--ever since I found out my mum was sick, the sadness plagued me. I’d neatly packed it up once I decided to move forward with my life like my mum would want me to, but now it comes back tenfold, marrying the grief of losing Harry like this. And I stay on the floor crying my grief away for hours, eventually crawling into bed and sleeping the daylight away.

When I wake, it’s 6 and Harry isn’t home. I take that as a sign and get up to pack up a few things. I call my sister who still lived in London then, and crash on her couch, staying there for a few weeks and ignoring any call or text from Harry. When I need to go back, for my things, I find him sleeping on the couch with the TV on, something I always found endearing. But I can’t afford to dwell on how much it hurt seeing him like that.

He must have woken from the noise because when he finds me, he tries to stop me and tell me that we still needed to talk.

“About what?” I ask, just tired now. Too many tears shed and too many hours laying awake thinking about the exact moment we went wrong.

“Us,” Harry looked tired too. He was probably throwing himself into his work with nothing like me to hold him back, I think bitterly. His girlfriend had probably already been to our house--his house.

“What about us?” I barely look at him as I begin folding away all my clothes.

“I don’t know,” Harry sits on the bed. “Don’t you want to talk?”

“I’ve got nothing to say, do you?”

Harry sighs, “I don’t know.”

“Nice talk then,” I say, shoving the rest of my things in just so I could get out.

“I just want you to know I care about you Y/N, I don’t want to hurt you.” He says as I pack.

“It doesn’t matter anymore. If you cared about me, and you didn’t want to hurt me you wouldn’t have done this to us.”

“I wasn’t trying to--I didn’t mean to go and fall for someone else-”

“Just stop,” I cut him off. I couldn’t hear it, how the man I loved fell for someone else. I couldn’t break down here. Again.

He said he cared but it didn’t feel that way. It hurt more than I wished to admit. He knew what I’d been through and he still betrayed me, tossed my heart like it was replaceable. The cut he left in me ran deep.

As I leave he tries to talk to me, but I barrel past him. He still reaches for me and pulls me into a hug, I struggle against him but he’s too strong. He wraps me in his arms until I go still but it’s too much. A sob escapes me, and this time he lets me push him off and leave, my bag banging into my hips every time I take a step. As soon as I got into my Uber, I can’t stop crying. There was an infinite pool of tears where Harry was involved.

3 years ago:

My trust and my heart had been been lost in the war between Harry and I. It only took him a month to mail my divorce papers which sat collecting dust on my dining table until he showed up at work one day and demanded I sign them by the end of that week. I’d taken the day off the day I mailed those in, mourning the end of something that was once so safe and beautiful.

When a close friend calls me on a warm July afternoon, I don’t consider her warning that I shouldn’t check Instagram. That I still had Harry’s friends on my list. I open Instagram before she can tell me why, and see it. Harry was getting married, again. To the woman he gave up on us for. I try to zoom in on a picture without liking it, she was pretty...and blonde. She looked familiar--probably from his office. It didn’t take him long.

It was like someone had taken a retractor to the wound I thought had finally scabbed over. The physical proof that Harry had moved on is just the salt on the wound.

I cry myself to sleep that night.

2 Years ago;

The guy in front of me drones on about his job, mansplaining to me how a mortgage worked as if I wasn’t in finance myself. I excuse myself to use the restroom, checking my phone to see a text from my sister. She’d moved to Scotland this year, to where her husband was from, and I’d missed her terribly in the last year.

A little birdie told me your demon-ex just got divorced 🥂

I stare at the screen, chest feeling tight. I felt vindicated somehow, but I also felt a small bit of sadness. What a fuck-up.

Good for him I had texted back. A part of me wanted him to hurt the way he hurt me.

I went back to my date with a renewed enthusiasm. I’d ordered more wine and got so drunk he was actually interesting enough to take home.

About 1 year ago

“Y/N,” a voice from my past says, one that haunted me some nights. I turn as I exit the shop I was just in. I blink at the sight before me, Harry in a vest and hat. He realises what I’m staring at and laughs awkwardly. “I’m in uniform.”

“You’re...police?” I look up to his face finally. He hadn’t aged a day, although the hat he wears makes him look a little silly.

“Yeah I joined the force uhm...almost 4 years ago now...law didn’t really suit me.”

I know what he was doing, trying to find a baseline to have a conversation. But he was dead to me, and I didn’t want to invite him back in when I was finally forgetting about him.

"Seems like you dropped a lot of dead-weight four years ago.”

I watch his face fall as he realises I wasn’t going to pretend to be friendly.

“Seems that way to you,” he says cautiously. “But that’s not how it happened.”

I shrug. “So. I heard about the divorce. Must’ve been hard being put through that.”

I knew I was being petty, obviously I never got the closure I want (according to my therapist) and I wasn’t over him hurting me the way he did (also according to my therapist). This was how I got my peace, and it wasn’t the best version of me but it was the only one I knew how to be right now.

“Yep,” he crosses his arms over his chest. “So, are you seeing anyone?”

He knew I wasn’t, I don’t know how but the way he stoops to my level I know he knows I hadn’t had a long term relationship since him.

“Not at the moment,” I say awkwardly. “Just focusing on my job...trying to get this promotion.”

“Sorry,” he seems to shake off whatever had come over him. “That was...nosy, I shouldn’t have asked.”

Having him be the bigger person sets something off in me, like there was an anger-bomb inside my mind where he lived and knowing that he was doing okay enough to be able to be the bigger person disrupts this calm I was trying to keep.

“Maybe you shoudn’t have stopped me to ask anything at all. We don’t have anything to talk about anyway.”

I turn around and start to walk away but he catches up, “I wasn’t trying to upset you-”

“Well you have a way of doing that. Please just leave me alone Harry.”

He huffs beside me, “After all this time, can’t we just bloody talk like two adults?”

I freeze and turn to him slowly. He seems to sense this was the wrong thing to say because he takes a step back. “After all this time? Are you serious? I was the one you left behind Harry when you went off to lives your best lift Harry. We’re not living the same life, and we’re not coming from the same bloody place. Don’t fucking patronize me and ask me to talk to you like an adult when you bring out the worst part of me. I meant what I said: I want you to leave me alone. And you know what, if we ever run into each other again, just don’t even talk to me. Pretend you don’t know me. I want nothing to do with you.”

He opens his mouth but his partner calls him from the shop’s entrance. He stays silent, letting me go. As soon as I turn the street corner I rush the rest of the way to the tube, collapsing into a seat and trying to sort out my breathing. It was a shitty feeling, knowing someone was going to be in your life forever because you shared so much history that even when that part of your life ended they were still there. There was so much apart of me, around me, that reminded me of him. And it felt so lonely carrying that around. I wanted to be done with him, I wanted my heart to purge him out. But it couldn’t stop carrying him around everywhere I go.