#I couldn’t decide so this was safer lol

[anxiousbabybird]

Here for some selfship shenanigans 🙂‍↕️ I love kazutora so what are we getting up to

You and Kazutora are partaking in some fun and silly roleplay tonight! He’s pretending he’s an electrician that’s coming to fix your lightbulb but the whole thing ends up so silly that you guys give up on the ruse halfway though and you have fun, silly sex that has both of you giggling between moans the rest of the night. The funny part is he broke your light fixture fucking around with it and he had to call you a real electrician the next day 😂

[gojoscinnamonroll]

“how fun it’s going to be to fuck rip your insides out”

whatever you do… don’t fuck the psycho killer!!!

warnings: minors/ageless blogs dni, slight knife play, INO AS GHOSTFACE MHMM :3 (takuma girlies this one is for u mwahh), ino x fem reader , oral + unprotected , fingering, stalking , pet names , use of y/n , everything is consented btw

word count: 1.6k

a/n: fun fact this fic was based on a dream i had the other night LOL freak

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you were cozied up in your bedroom of the apartment that you shared with your best friend, utahime, alone one night watching horror movies (like a psychopath :D ) because she had left to go to a halloween party that one of her boyfriend’s frat friends was throwing.

“are you sure you don’t want to come y/n? i’ll feel bad just leaving you here, especially with that rumor of that ghostface slasher guy going around… you’ll probably be safer with us, y’know?” your bestie asked out of concern.

“yes ‘hime, ill be fine don’t worry!!! plus i know im going to be all awk since i won’t really know anyone but you” you reassured her. “okay well, just text me if you need anything, and if you want me to stop by for food on the way back just let me know ‘kay!! be safe please and lock the doors when i leave” she said as she gave you a tight hug.

“okay! bye! have fun!! but not too much fun if you catch my drift” you teased as you stood behind the door, “oh hush” utahime laughed as she walked away and met up with her boyfriend down the stairs. you closed the door (forgetting to lock the door because you swore that you heard the click but it was just in your imagination) and walked back to your room to start your michael myers movie marathon which got you to the situation you were in now.

little did you know that this rumored “ghostface” was actually plotting on you next, as he had seen you around campus and thought that you were the most beautiful thing to walk this earth but he didn’t know how he was going to approach you, so he decided to do it the only way he knew how. and lucky for him the door you thought was locked was calling for him, inviting him inside. you were too focused in on your movies, that you didn’t hear the sounds of him coming in and let alone hear him standing outside your bedroom door.

you were about to pop another brownie into your mouth when this mr. ghostface decided to come up behind you and place his hand over your mouth to muffle your shocked screams. you wanted to turn your head to see who it was but this mysterious masked man had a tight grip on you that it was almost impossible for you to turn around and catch a peek. “what’s the matter y/n, you look like you seen a ghost” coyly said from the man behind the mask

wait a sec… why does his voice seem so familiar.. and how does he know my name..?

“if you keep quiet and won’t tell anyone you seen me tonight, i won’t cut your pretty head off and keep it for myself, yeah?” you muffled a “mhm” and he delicately (which is ironic for a psycho killer) removed his hand from your mouth. “so… you got a boyfriend?” he inquired, you shook your head no, in fear of what he’ll do if you speak. “good.. because you don’t know how much i been thinking about this moment y/n. it’s been hard seeing you walk around campus knowing your not mine.” he whispered in your ear as one hand slips down to the waistband of your ghost covered boyshorts and the other down to your right breast in your cropped black tank top.

“someone’s nice and wet for someone who should be scared of the fact that the psycho killer is in their bedroom right now huh” he mocked you in your ear as he plunged two fingers inside of you and you let out a whimper. “cum for me baby and maybe ill let you see who i am”. he was scissoring in and out of you so good that you just couldn’t help but chase your release as you rode his fingers.

what am i thinking?? i just came on a stranger’s fingers?? let alone THE ghost face killer’s fingers??

“eager to know who i am, hmm?” he said as he released his fingers from inside you and up under his mask to get a taste of you. “greedy girl… i’m sorry.. but im not done with you just yet, i wanna hear you scream” as he flips you over and lays you on your back, he pulls your shorts down to reveal that (scary!!!) you aren’t wearing any panties? you can feel the flush of embarrassment rising in your face but all you hear from him is low groan and seeing him lift the mask up (just a teeny bit, exposing everything under the tip of his nose)

“wow your pussy is just as pretty as you, i need to taste more of it too” he starts kitten licking at your clit to get a taste then like the sicko he is, something ignites in him that make him start devouring you. you can’t help the whimpers that come out of you as he starts eating you like a man who hasn’t had a meal in 5 months. he then brings the same 2 fingers that were in you previously back into you as he starts sucking on your clit. you feel your second orgasm of the night building up, “gonna cum baby? good job, you’re doing amazing , i got one more thing for you then you can see who i am” you see a little smirk peek out from under his mask; you can’t help but wonder why does this dude look and seem so familiar? you had a feeling it was that cute, laidback guy from your algebra course, ino takuma. but you could also be wrong and its also wrong that you were about to cum on this strangers fingers + mouth for the second time thinking about another guy like a whore.

“good girl, but i’m going to need you scream on this cock, m’kay?” he pulls down the black sweatpants that he had on revealing the hard on he had hidden in his boxers and his rock hard abs showing from underneath his sweatshirt. fuck, you didn’t know who was more sicker in the head, this stranger that just broke in and is now about to fuck you or the fact you are drooling over his long, skinny, and hard cock staring back at you. either way, you just wanted him to relieve the need you had built up. with his mask still a little lifted, he started giving light pecks on your neck and on your chest as he was rolling his hips into you, leaving your arousal smearing all over the front of his boxers.

“f-fuck me… please” you mumbled under your breath.

“what was that doll? you said you want me to…” he paused as he let his length spring out as he freed it from his boxers, “to fuck you?” he pumped it a few times as he watched you practically beg for him with your cute, big, pleading eyes, “please” you whimpered as you look up at him. and he was wasting nooooo time because like i said before, he was waaaitinggg for this moment ever since he’s laid eyes on you. he won’t admit it but the amount of times he’s fisted himself to you, is a shameful amount but even he can’t believe it himself right now in this moment that his dream was about to come true.

he let out a low growl as he bottoms out inside of you, feeling you clench and gasp around him as you struggle to take him whole, he was fighting the urge not to finish already because goodness gracious did you feel ten times way better than his hand. “you’re such a good girl, you know that right… taking it so good, letting a psycho killer fuck you like the whore you are” he then remembered that he had his prop knife with him, not the real one but its close to it, because he didn’t want to hurt his beautiful girl, and pulled it out to hold it gently against your neck while still pounding you into your pink mattress. “just think baby, how fun this is going to be when i fuck your guts out, yeah?” deep down you knew you had some kinks, but whoever this stranger is, he just unleashed a kink you never knew you had because you couldn’t help the sounds that rolled out of your mouth as he kept hitting that sweet spot in you while holding his signature weapon to your throat.

and its like somehow he knew what you were about to ask because he took off his mask and you were shocked to see that this stranger who was deep inside of you, messy brown hair down, sweat running down his jawline, and breathless ,was indeed who you had a feeling about before. the man you caught yourself drooling over in algebra class many times was the ghostface slasher that was pounding into you at this very moment. you felt your orgasm coming, and coming hard all over his length and at the same time you can feel his coming too. “g’nna cum all over this cock aren’t you pretty girl? go ‘head, it’s all yours ma. you’re going to make me cum all inside of you too” he moaned in your ear as he shot long and warm ropes of his seed into you as he collapsed on top of your warm, fucked out body.

you couldn’t help but play with his hair a little bit as you mumbled “ino… is that you..” he was shocked that you even knew his name but he gave you a kiss to your cheek to confirm that yes, it was him. “did i scare ya?” he giggled. “let’s do this again sometime, yeah?”

now… if utahime comes home to see you like this when she checks in on you, what the heck were you going to tell her when she sees you cuddled up with this psycho killer…

⊹˚₊‧───────────‧₊˚⊹

SORRY GUYS FOR THE RUSHED ENDING don’t hate me pls 😔

[amberlynnmurdock]

Neighbor Pt. 6

Matt Murdock x Reader

Summary: On a random midnight, she comes to Matt's apartment to feel less lonely. Matt lets her in.

Words: just under 3k!

Genres: FLUFF with a dash of angst because of course... they are just two lost souls confiding in the other <3

A/N: I sort of had trouble with this chapter but she's finally here lol. This picks up from Pt. 5... hope you like it!!!

Part 5

Matt felt rejuvenated the next morning. 

Maybe it wasn’t stress he had been feeling the past few weeks… maybe it was something else, something he hadn’t felt in a while. Something that made him need sweet relief that throwing punches and taking hits couldn’t provide. He needed something more sensual—intimate. Something else to get his anxiety and frustration out. Even if it was a brush of contact. Something as simple as a touch. 

Yeah, it had been a while since he’d felt that. And it felt so good to listen to her like that… despite how wrong it was. That was until she said his name out loud. Matt pondered the question all morning as he lay in bed waiting for his alarm to go off. What did it mean? Did she like him like that? What should he do next?

  Nothing, he decided. It was wrong he knew she felt that way about him… it was wrong he continued to listen to her. It was wrong of him to think he could ever make her happy when he leads the life he leads. But God, did it feel so good to think that for a moment—just a moment—it might be possible. 

He rolls out of bed as soon as he hears his automated alarm go off. Wake up, wake up! Matt slams the alarm with his fist, harder than he intended to. He sits for a moment on the edge of his bed, feeling achy all over. Other people in the apartment are waking up right now, too. Downstairs, someone turns their stove on and begins to cook bacon. Another apartment opens its windows to the cool winter air. And her—she’s awake now, too. She turned her TV on to the news.

“Daredevil took down an armed robbery and saved an old woman at the corner bodega…“ 

Matt tunes it out immediately. 

It was strange to hear news about himself playing in her apartment. It made him uncomfortable. There he was, imagining a future with her and playing with the idea of being intimate with her, all the while having one of the biggest secrets ever. 

After a hot shower and brewing coffee, Matt was just about to be on his way out. He heard her shuffling behind her door, slipping her boots on, and zipping up her coat. They always walked out at the same time, an unspoken ritual. Maybe it was safer to keep it like this, Matt thought. Maybe this was as far as they’d ever go. 

Matt took a deep breath as he stepped out, unsurprisingly at the same time as she did. Matt heard her heart rate quicken as she saw him. 

“G’morning, Matt,” she said softly, as casually as she could.

“Morning,” he smiled. Act natural. “Sleep well?” 

She paused, ever so slightly, and locked her door. “I did, better than I normally do. You?”

“Same,” Matt answered, picking up on her hesitation. Maybe he should leave the conversation at this, not push anything further. From the way she was speaking quietly to her slight quiver, Matt knew she was nervous. He didn’t want to make her feel that way. 

“I hope you have a good day, Matt,” she smiled, walking ahead of him down the stairs. Before Matt could give a response, she was already out the door. Matt slowly followed behind, somehow feeling guilty about it all over again. 

She weighed heavy on his mind all day—did he do something wrong unknowingly? All of this was confusing—he heard her say his name at her most intimate, and this morning she seemed to want to avoid him altogether. What happened?

Maybe he was overthinking it. Maybe there wasn’t anything wrong. 

***

Matt walked up the steps to his apartment slowly, one hand using his cane to guide himself, the other holding onto the rail. He passed the floors of the other apartments. They were all so loud to him. Fran had the TV on a bit higher than usual. Someone’s dog was barking begging to be fed. Another was on the phone having a heated conversation with an in-law. All day, Matt was consumed by conversations he wished not to be part of. Sounds he wished he could drown out and turn off.

Finally, he reached the floor of his apartment—and hers. He liked that he shared this floor with only her. He paused at the top of the steps and pressed his fingertips against the wall. She was inside, home already from work. From the sound of her soft breathing and very still movement, Matt knew she was sleeping. A part of him melted inside. Tired from a long day of work himself, he walked as quietly as he could to his apartment and opened the door slowly to avoid making any sound.

He wasted no time changing into his Daredevil gear and waiting on his roof.

***

Matt felt accomplished when he arrived back on his rooftop after a night out as Daredevil. He stopped another robbery and saved an old couple’s bodega. He saved an old man from being mugged. He saved a young girl and her mother from an abusive ex-boyfriend. 

Entering his apartment, he stripped himself of his Daredevil gear and locked it away in his old trunk. He paused, hand still on the locked trunk that held his most detrimental secret. This trunk used to belong to his father. He pushed it inside the closet and closed the door. He made a sign of the cross and stalked off to the bathroom. 

It was shortly past midnight. After washing off in the shower, Matt changed into sweatpants. He lay in bed and shut his eyes. His thoughts always drifted to the same thing: was there more to this life, than just keeping a secret? 

After reciting a prayer and just as he was about to fall asleep, he heard a gentle knocking on his door. His eyes shot open and his senses were fully engaged in the source of the sound. More knocks came. It was her. She shivered under her cardigan and shifted in her slippers from foot to foot, anxiously. Was something wrong? Why was she at his door so late?

Matt threw on a shirt quickly and walked over to open his door. Just as she was about to turn around and retreat to her apartment, thinking this is stupid, Matt opened his door. She stood there with her arms tucked around her frame and shivered from the cold in the hallway.

“Hi,” she said in a tired voice, “I’m sorry, Matt. I know it’s late. But I heard your shower go off and assumed you were awake and—God, I realize how creepy that sounds that I heard your water running so I knew you were awake—never mind. I’ve spoken too much,” she rambled nervously, shivering from the cold in the hallway. Matt was surprised by her presence; he wasn’t upset at all. He welcomed her sudden appearance but couldn’t help but wonder why she was there. 

Not to mention her apologizing for hearing his water running, and assuming he was awake. After all the things he’s heard her do through her apartment… Matt was in no place to judge (not that he would, anyway).

“It's okay,” Matt whispered her name. “I was awake. Is everything alright?”

“Yeah,” she said, and Matt didn’t have to listen to her heartbeat to know she was lying. It was in her voice, her mannerisms. The way she answered quickly without really considering his question. “I just—“ and she was shivering so much.

“You can come in,” Matt opened the door wider. “It’s cold in the hall.” 

“Okay,” she stepped inside his apartment and away from him as he shut his large, old door. Matt locked it and turned around to smile at her. It was then Matt realized he forgot to put his glasses on. 

“I’m sorry, let me get my glasses on,” Matt said sheepishly, reaching for them on the side table. 

“It’s okay,” she said, “you don’t have to put them on.” She paused, looking at his handsome face in the low glow of his apartment. He wasn’t hard to look at at all—from his warm hazel eyes to his plump lips. 

“Are you sure you won’t be uncomfortable?” He asked. 

“Yeah,” she answered. “I’m barging in on your place—you don’t have to sacrifice your comfort for mine.” 

He smiled at that and then offered her to take a seat on his couch. He allowed her a moment to get a sense of her surroundings—she’d never been in his apartment before. Her heartbeat was steady. She looked around his living room and squinted at the windows when the large screen across the street flashed bright purple and pink lights. 

“Wow,” she said, looking back at his dark apartment. “Those are bright.”

“So I’ve heard,” Matt said lightly with a warm smile. “Do you want any water?”

“I’m okay. Thank you.”

She curled up on the corner of his brown leather couch, tucking her feet in underneath her legs. She was still shivering. Matt offered her the blanket that lay on it and she took it gracefully. 

“I’m sorry to bother you,” she said sheepishly wrapping the blanket around her shoulders, “truthfully, I couldn’t sleep and I could use a friend to talk to.”

A friend? Matt’s heart jumped at this. She considered him a friend. 

“I’m glad you came,” Matt replied. 

“On Christmas, you told me that any time I felt lonely, I could come by. So… this is one of those times.”

“Yeah,” Matt nodded. “Felt lonely tonight?”

“Not anymore,” she sighed, pleasantly, like his presence alone was enough to cure whatever it was she was feeling. “I took a long nap after work to avoid it and woke up feeling worse than I did before. Like a harrowing, deep hole in my chest.” 

Matt knew that feeling all too well—a hole he’d been trying to fill since he was 11. It occurred to him in that moment Matt hardly knew anything about her. Where she came from, what her story was. She knew bits and pieces of him but he didn’t know anything more than that she lived alone and worked at a bookstore. 

“I understand,” Matt said. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Maybe another time,” she said, pushing the matter away. “I just wanted to get my mind off it.”

Matt was happy she was comfortable enough to come to him this late at night for nothing more than just another person to talk to. He could be that person for her—he wanted to be that person for her. 

“I didn’t know you had hazel eyes,” she said softly. “You shouldn’t hide them as much as you do behind those red glasses.” 

Matt blushed—unfamiliar with this feeling in his chest, like a bubbling warmth spread over that harrowing hole she was talking about just moments ago. “Oh,” he said. “People can get uncomfortable when they see my eyes.”

“Then screw them,” she said defiantly. “Like I said…you shouldn’t sacrifice your comfort for theirs.” 

“Thank you,” Matt replied. “For understanding that part.” 

“Were you—“

“Born blind?” Matt had finished this question so many times, that it became a habit to interject whenever anyone began to ask it. “No. It was an accident when I was a kid.”

“What happened? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“I don’t mind,” Matt shrugged. He wanted to open up to her, as much as he could—without revealing his biggest secret of all. “I saw an old man crossing the street. A large truck with chemical containers was coming down the block at the same time. I pushed the old man out of the way. The truck lost control, and swerved to avoid hitting us. Well, it did bump me a little, and all the chemicals fell over, leaking everywhere. Some of it got in my eyes and—“

“That was it,” she finished his sentence. “Wow.” 

“That was it,” Matt repeated. His gaze fell on the carpet. He sat at the opposite end of the couch. 

“So, little Matt was a hero?” He could hear the smile in her voice when she said this. Matt chuckled. 

“I did what anyone else would have.”

“How many adults were there, do you remember?”

“It was on a random corner in Hell’s Kitchen. Plenty of people were walking around.”

“So, you did what anyone else would have avoided.”

Matt blushed, looked away from the general direction he was looking in. It felt different to be called a hero when it was coming from her lips. 

“Sure,” he finally said. “We can go with that.”

“Do you…” her voice trailed off, unsure how to phrase her next question without sounding offensive. 

“You can ask me anything,” Matt assured her. “You know a lot about me that some of my closest friends don’t know. Nothing’s off the table.”

“Do you miss having sight? That’s probably a silly question. Do you remember the last thing you saw?”

“The sky,” Matt answered, a flash of blue appearing in his mind. “That was the last thing I saw. And I do miss having sight,” Matt took a deep breath. “But there are other ways to see.”

“Absolutely,” she agreed. “How do you see in other ways?”

What a loaded question, he thought. 

“Touch, for one. I can get a sense of something when I touch it. Smell—easy to distinguish what’s on my plate. I still know what a majority of things look like.”

“But not people,” she stated. 

“Not people,” Matt affirmed. “But there’s a way for me to paint a picture in my mind.”

“How? A person describes what they look like?”

“Descriptions help,” Matt answered, “but touching their face helps a hell of a lot more.” 

She was silent for a moment, understanding his answers and pondering them. She wondered what he would think of her if he could see. Matt felt as if she was wondering that very thought.

“Do you want to touch my face?” She asked in a hesitant voice. “Or I can describe to you what I look like.”

Matt felt his heart grow in his chest. How could he answer that question, without revealing his true feelings for her right then and there? It had been months of being her neighbor that he hoped and prayed he could cross that threshold with her. Hell, it was a miracle she was in his apartment at that moment. 

“Only if you’re comfortable,” Matt finally said, shifting in his seat. 

“I am,” she whispered, leaning forward. “Come here.”

Matt moved closer to her on his couch until his left knee was touching her right. When he sat close enough to her, she grabbed his hand and wrapped her fingers around his wrist to guide him. 

Starting with her hair, she gently brushed his fingers through it. It was soft. Every thread of her hair felt like water slipping gently through his fingers. Matt held his breath as his fingers grazed her neck. He had to close his eyes for this part. Matt gently placed his hand on the side of her neck, feeling how soft her skin felt on his fingertips. Like Braille, he ran his fingers ever so lightly on her skin, goosebumps following his touch. 

He moved his hand to the side of her face, cupping her cheek in the palm of his hand. He gently ran his thumb over her brow bone, smoothing it out. Then he traced his thumb under her eye in a sweeping motion. His gaze fell on her chin. He traced the pad of his thumb down the bridge of her nose, stopping at her cupid’s bow. She gently let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding. Matt gently let out a breath too. He took his other hand and cupped the other side of her face in his palm, feeling her cheeks heat against him. Her heart was pounding in her chest, a steady boom boom, boom boom, he had come to memorize to help him fall asleep. He caressed her chin with his thumb and traced her jawline before slowly running his hand down the length of her neck, retreating to his thigh. 

“Beautiful,” Matt whispered. It was all he could say. 

“Matt…” she uttered his name, trailing off, losing her words. Her heart felt like a cement block in her chest. He swallowed hard, resisting the urge to touch her again. She reached for his hand and placed it on her face, desperate to feel how gently he held her again, something she hadn’t felt in a long time. 

She turns her head into his hand and kisses his palm. Matt moves his fingers to the back of her head and guides her lips to his, a kiss that should’ve happened a long time ago. Her lips molded to his, the taste of her bringing him back to life, filling that empty hole in his chest again. He hoped it had the same effect on her. Her hand moved to hold his face, a plan to not break the kiss. A plan that didn’t matter if it worked or not, because Matt wasn’t going to let go anytime soon. He wasn’t going to let go of her. 

When she eventually did pull back, he only wanted more. 

“Thank you,” she whispered breathlessly, “for letting me in.” 

Letting her into his apartment, or letting her into his heart—both answers were suitable. 

Eventually, she did go back to her apartment, for reasons they didn’t need to say out loud. But it would be a while until they brought up this night again. 

______________________________________________________________

TAGS: @mattmurdocksstarlight @yentroucnagol @danzer8705 @allllium @i-marvel-bitch @babygrlmurdock @writtenbyred @uncle-eggy @marvelcinematiquniverse @sweetbee0108

[jaeyunverse]

the roommate conflict (teaser)

pairing: na jaemin x fem!reader

genres: fluff, crack, angst, found family, strangers to lovers, roommate au, college au

est. wc: 20k

warnings: profanity, chaos, lots of idol features + all warnings to be added in the full fic!

summary: your roommate is the devil incarnate, you can’t afford your own place, chaewon won’t move out of the apartment you’re supposed to move in till the next semester and you’re positive you will kill yourself the next time someone pisses you off. cue na jaemin, the cute boy from next door, who swoops in and saves the day by offering you a place in his home.

taglist: @s00buwu @justalildumpling @imhuh @lovesuhng @loveforred @hibernatinghamster @jamaisunoo @carelessshootanonymous @tangerinelovelees @babyjenono @urfavtallgirl @luvenshiti @tika-writes-lol @jaemsushi @sseramine send an ask / comment to be added!

note: i am in love w roommate aus!!!!!! and i’m really excited for this one hehe <3

masterlist

“So you’re going to keep living with Eunsook for the next few months?”

You shrugged and looked out the window, noticing that you were only a few minutes away from your destination. “I don’t have much of a choice. The dorms are at full capacity and I can’t afford to live alone.”

Jaemin bit his lip in contemplation. Technically, he could offer to let you live with him and his housemates. Chenle had already gone back to China to complete the rest of his education, meaning Jaemin didn’t have a roommate anymore.

Besides, with you chipping in on the rent, his own financial problems would be solved.

To Jaemin, the idea seemed to be a win-win. He enjoyed your company thoroughly and doubted the boys would be opposed to you moving in.

Nonetheless, outright suggesting it to you felt weird. This was only your second encounter, and though your best friends were some of his close friends, he couldn’t just drop the question out of nowhere.

You probably weren’t even comfortable living in a house filled with people of the opposite gender, and the last thing Jaemin wanted to do was make things awkward by putting you in a difficult position.

So, he decided to take the safer route and casually mentioned, “Tell me about it. My roommate returned to his home a month ago and now the rent’s being split three ways instead of four. The economy has been kicking our asses. Finding a good housemate is proving to be tougher than we thought too.”

You averted your gaze from the window to meet his. With no small amount of satisfaction, Jaemin noted that your eyebrows were raised.

You were interested.

The only thing left for you to do was ask.

Come on, he urged you mentally. Do it. Ask me if it’s possible for you to move in.

You opened your mouth to speak, but before you could do so, the car behind you honked multiple times.

Jaemin cringed and stepped on the accelerator, not having realised that the traffic light had turned green.

He glimpsed the shake of your head out of the corner of his eye and knew you’d decided against whatever you were going to say before.

“Yeah. Fuck inflation.”

No matter how hard he tried, Jaemin couldn’t stop his heart from sinking.

[hydrngea]

gyming

a/n : this was a very self indulgent fic that’s very unedited but i hope you enjoy!! this is gonna be a series of short somewhat connected blurbs of gymbro!rafe :))

summary : your first time at a new gym doesn’t start off too great until you meet your new gymbro. | rafe cameron x f!reader, rafe is a gym rat in this, reader is extremely thirsty and downbad lol, fluff.

navigation | masterlist

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

it took you a good 2 months after moving to the obx to try out the local gym.

you know, you know. there’s nothing really to be afraid of; you know how all the machines work and you don’t have to worry much about your form. it’s just now that you’ve moved away for college, you don’t have your best friend working out side by side with you. and it’s got you nervous.

you finally mustered up the courage after a long facetime call with her. you were gonna do it. expand your horizons.

you felt instantly relieved when you walked into the gym and it was empty. you always thought that nine o’clock at night was the perfect time to go, since all the machines and benches were empty a couple hours before the gym closes.

you look around. there’s about 4 people in the gym other than yourself.

there’s some guy in the corner by the deadlift platform that seems to think he’s batman;with a weird all black getup, wearing…combat boots?

another two are a really cringe high school couple. bleh.

and then the last one by the bench presses.

woah. he’s hot. you think, panning him from far away and taking him in. he’s literally lifting triple the amount of weight you can. you didn’t even know the arm had so many muscle groups.

alright, maybe this new gym isn’t so bad.

you find your way to an open bench and put your stuff down. you stare at the plates for a good minute or two and wonder what would be the best the start with. you decide on a safer weight to warm up. it has been more than a few weeks since you’ve benched.

you lay onto the bench and place you hands into position, puffing out your chest while sucking in a tight breath.

you push up on the bar and immediately regret your overconfidence. the weight moves too heavy, yet you still force yourself to continue with reps.

2…3…4..

you’re so close to hitting 6 reps, but suddenly at the end of the forth one your arms give out and the bar begins to fall on you chest.

you do your best to prepare for the blow, but it never comes. you blink a couple times and realize a pair of strong hands have pulled up the bar from you and a handsome face mirrors yours.

oh god. it’s him. the cute guy.

“easy there, sweetheart.” his gruff voice cuts through your thoughts you immediately fall in love.

he places the bar onto the hinges with ease and you quickly sit up on the bench, face burning. your hands are as red as a tomato from the right grip you had on the bar, and your wrist aches from the failed lift.

you pull your headphones off of your head and turn your neck to look at him, “i’m so sorr-“

you begin to apologize but he cuts you off with a chuckle.

“nah, what are you apologizing for? i’m sorry for not asking if you wanted a spot earlier.”

earlier? did he notice me earlier?

“this used to be my warm up.” you say with your head low, a small scoff coming out during the beginning of your sentence.

the stranger shrugs, “well for the first few sets it looked like you were handling it just fine.”

you raise a brow, not able to control the sudden urge for flirtation that comes upon you. “were you watching me?”

he crosses his arms over the bar and leans against it, shaking his head which caused his hair to shuffle a bit and his muscles to flex in the most mesmerizing way ever.

you’re sure you gawking at him and that you should probably avert your eyes from his body but you kinda can’t help it.

“of course i was. couldn’t stop but notice the pretty girl that walked in.”

you roll you eyes at the comment, shaking your head. “i doubt that i’m pretty.”

he scoffs. “you’re the prettiest girl in here.”

“is that because i’m the only girl in here?” you question, undoing your loose ponytail to redo it.

“you know what i meant, pretty girl.”

“mm. sure…pretty boy.” you test out the nickname and he smiles at you for the first time. you swear your feel butterflies all over your body at the simple action.

he takes a step out towards the front of the bench to face you. “how ‘bout we spot each other so we don’t get hurt, pretty girl?” he suggest, a lop sided smile curving onto his gorgeous face.

god. why are you so down bad for a guy you just met?

“why not?” you acquiesce, sending him your own mirroring grin in return.

you think it’s safe to say this won’t be the last time you’d visiting this gym.

—————

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[kywaslost]

Hiya! I read your platonic shinsou fanfic and I was wondering if you could write a fanfic where y/n (fem please) is a pre-teen and gets adopted into the erasermic family but she has a fear of men, and she struggles to do things because she's worried she would look bad/they might do something. Thank you if you do xxx

You’re Safe Here - Shinsou Hitoshi

A/N: Now that I’ve written this entire thing, I’ve realized my dyslexic self read your request as mainly Shinsou. I feel stupid. I’m so sorry lol. If you’d like me to rewrite this I will. I was going to but I really like how this turned out. Please forgive me <3 I also used the prompts below that I found because I thought they’d fit the request.

Prompt/s Used: Lighting whumpee’s favorite candles, or listening to their favorite music, to tell whumpee that the space is theirs and that it will always be safe. / You don’t have to tell me. But if you do decide you want to. I’ll be here. / You don’t feel safe here, do you? 

After being tossed between foster homes for so long, you should be ecstatic to finally be adopted, right? Except you weren’t. You were petrified, to be honest. Usually, you’d meet your supposed new adoptive family and spend time with them while papers and forms were filed and signed, or at least that’s what you’d heard from other foster children throughout the years. But for some reason you were told to back your bags one day to meet your new family. And to top it all off, you were being adopted into a house consisting of only men.

It was a childish fear, to be afraid of almost every male on the planet, but it’s not like you can help it. Men from your past weren’t kind to you, resulting in an aversion to guys of almost every age. You avoided them when you could, fearing they would criticize you, or worse, use you. Being a young female in today’s society isn’t always easy, and you thought it would be safer to just avoid men as best you could.

You met your new fathers first. They were the ones to pick you up from the park where they agreed to meet you with your social worker. They seemed nice enough, but you couldn’t help but hide behind your social worker as they approached you.

“Excuse her,” your social worker smiled. “She’s a bit weary around men.”

“That’s alright!” The one with blonde hair smiled widely. “We understand!” The man was practically vibrating with excitement. So much so the man behind him had to place a hand on his shoulder. “Calm down, Hizashi. You are going to overwhelm her.”

You shot the black haired one a grateful look, thankful for his calmness. You were overwhelmed with anxiety and fear, and you couldn’t help but fear the blonde.

“I’m Shouta. Shouta Aizawa,” the second man said, crouching down a few feet in front of you.

“And I’m Hizashi Yamada!” The blonde smiled brightly, standing beside Aizawa.

Shouta slowly extended a hand out towards you, offering a small smile. “I understand that this is very overwhelming for you. A lot of new changes and new scenery, and I understand you are a bit afraid. How you feel is valid, I promise you. We will be here every step of the way to help you through it.”

You looked between the two men, then to your social worker. She just smiled and nodded encouragingly. Taking a deep breath, you slowly reached out and took Aizawa’s hand. That’s when your social worker patted your shoulder, then voiced that she’d be taking her leave now that you were in the hands of your new caretakers. Your breathing hitched as you watched her leave, panic slowly taking over your body. You jerked your hand back from Aizawa, pulling it to your chest without any thought, too caught up in trying to suppress an oncoming anxiety attack. 

“That’s alright, you don’t have to touch me yet. That’s ok, take your time,” Aizawa said calmly. Both him and Hizashi started to notice your growing panic, glancing quickly at each other before Aizawa stood. 

“Hey, why don’t we sit, yeah?” Hizashi offered, worry clear in his eyes. You nodded sharply, slowly following Hizashi over to a bench. He let you sit down before asking, “Can I sit over here?” He motioned to the other end of the bench and you nodded. You pulled your knees up to your chest, closing your eyes to concentrate on your breathing. 

Eventually you evened out your breathing and calmed your nerves ever so slightly. Uncurling yourself, you stood as you took in one last deep breath. Aizawa was sitting in front of you again, watching you closely. So was Hizashi.

“I’m sorry,” you mumbled. “I’m ok now.” 

The two men also stood. “Don’t apologize,” Aizawa said softly. “Take as much time as you need. We can sit here longer if you’d like?” You shook your head.

“You’re sure?” Hizashi asked and you nodded in response.

“Let’s get you home then.” 

You followed them to their car, freezing as Hizashi opened the door for you. You began to shake slightly again. Getting into the car encloses you with two men whom you barely knew. Needless to say, you were uncomfortable.

“Would you feel more comfortable if we walked?” Aizawa offered from the driver’s side of the car. “We aren’t too terribly far, it shouldn’t take too long. Would you feel safer if we walked?”

After thinking about it, you mumbled a quiet, “Can we?”

Hizashi responded, “Of course!” He turned to his husband. “I can come get the car later after patrol.”

You met their son later that night once dinner was served. It took a while to get used to the thought that you had a family now, and you spent several hours on the couch in the living room trying to grasp the fact that you were now living with three men. It calms your nerves to know that Aizawa and Hizashi were pro-heros, and their son was a hero-in-training, but that didn’t mean you were still on edge. You knew very little about your new family, and until then you would hypothetically sleep with one eye open.

Shinsou seemed nice enough, and he even watched whatever you wanted while your new fathers got ready for patrol. You assured them that you would be alright staying behind with Shinsou, and they apologized profusely for not being able to get out of work for the night. 

Once they had left, it was just you and Shinsou sitting in the living room. You were curled up on one end of the couch, and he was at the other end, giving you your space. You couldn’t help but watch him out of the corner of your eye, afraid he may make a move when you weren’t looking. The purple-haired boy noticed your staring, then turned his gaze from the tv to you.

“You don’t feel safe here, do you?” He asked. His question caught you off guard, and you didn’t answer. “Dad and Pa told me that you may be on edge for a while, that you had an aversion to males. I can only assume it has to do with childhood trauma? You don’t have to tell me. But if you do decide you want to. I’ll be here. I’m a good listener, and I don’t know, I always find it easier to talk to people closer to my age. And if there’s anything I can do to help this transition be smoother for you, please tell me.”

Tears brimmed your eyes as you looked away, nodding. “I think I’m going to go take a shower,” you said as you stood, hugging yourself tightly.

Shinsou nodded, eyes softening. “Ok. Do you remember where the bathroom is?” He helped you find everything you needed, even offering you a pair of his sweatpants and an old shirt to change into.

You took your time in the shower, even taking a moment to sit and cry. It had been a long and tiring day. You were so excited to have a permanent home, but still nervous given the situation. Once you had composed yourself, you stepped out of the shower and got dressed.

The house was silent as you stepped out of the bathroom, just as it was before. You could hear the TV in the living room where you assumed Shinsou still sat on the couch. Except when you entered the hallway, you could hear music coming from further down the hall. You made your way to your new room, not thinking much of it. Shinsou’s room was across the hall, so it could have been him.

You pushed your door open, standing still in the doorway when you took in the room. Your stuff was still sitting on the end of your bed, except now there was a lit candle on your night stand. And the music was coming from your room. A laptop sat open on the small desk in your room, spotify open and playing your favorite music artist. 

“I hope you don’t mind,” Hitoshi said behind you. You turned around to see him standing in the hallway. “Dad and Pa had a list of things you like, so I looked at it.” He smiled softly, putting his hands in his pockets. “I-I wanted you to know that this is your space. You’re safe here. So,” he chuckled, “the candle is, uh, it’s (fav. scent). And I made that playlist while you were in the shower.”

Your eyes welled with tears again. You couldn’t believe how thoughtful Hitoshi was.

“I’m adopted, too, and it was difficult for me at first. And dad did something similar for me. It helped me so I thought it’d help you.”

Shinsou froze as you dove into him, hugging him tightly. He snapped out of it quickly, though, and hugged you back just as tight.

“Thank you,” you cried into his shirt. “Thank you, Hitoshi.”

He smiled, so proud of you hugging him despite your fear. “Of course. Anything for my new sister.”

[tilvcei]

► 𝐑𝐄𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐓

⭢ In which: you and your boyfriend, including your friend get attacked at the house. but you get brutally injured. and one ghostface in particular seems to regret hurting you but— for some reason is mainly after your boyfriend.

☆ | warning(s): blood , stabbing , gore[?]

☆ | note: I really didn’t know how I was going to do this but I made sure to add some extra details to the whole setting and stuff. also, your boyfriend name is Mandy, go with it please :D [i tried lol] also, enjoy!

☆ | gender: they/them (reader)

☆ | REMINDER: Mandy is NOT apart of the scream franchise, he’s just an add in and an oc of mines!! this is all fiction which is not real, don’t take this seriously.

It was just a normal night at sam’s house. it made you a bit more safer, having Mandy — your boyfriend with you, add that as a extra point cause he was protective of you. Ethan was here too, probably as a tag along or a friend, you didn’t know.

But, for some reason— he was extremely nice to you. well, you don’t see it as weird it’s just..odd. you’ve known him for a minute but other than that there was nothing between the two of you.

Mandy has been with you since day one. even after what happened in woodsboro, everyone getting killed. the Amber and Richie situation, and all that crazy stuff.

Anika turned it to the news station, you just found out that Jason carvey had died and someone else, was it all happening again? this is the main reason you had ran away from woodsboro. to get away from this bullshit.

Mandy wrapped his arms around his waist, pressing a kiss to your forehead. if you had seen Ethan’s intense stare at the both of you, then you’d feel a shiver run down your spine.

Oh, how much he hated how that wasn’t you positioned in-between his legs sitting there. it wasn’t fair. why couldn’t that be him? why? it wasn’t fair.

"So, it’s happening all over again?" you questioned, a tremble in your voice, showing how truly scared you were. Mandy placed a reassuring hand on your shoulder.

"No it’s not. we’re gonna be fine. I swear." Mandy whispered to you, you wrapped your arms around his arm and squeezed it tightly.

Ethan glanced over at Mandy while taking a swig of his beer, then he looked away with a scoff.

Mandy turned to him, "somethin’ wrong landry?" he questioned, he’s been suspicious of Ethan since— forever. Him and Chad being the only two males that were friends and then Ethan decided to come in the picture? kind of odd.

"Oh? n-no! uh, nothings wrong." Ethan said, blushing a bit when he noticed you staring at him with a small smile, "leave him alone Mandy, he’s just watching tv." you said with a little giggle.

Ethan felt a smile form on his lips from your giggle, god he loved hearing your voice so much. which is why he was annoyed Mandy got to hear it all the damn time.

"I wasn’t trying to be an asshole, sorry man." Mandy apologized to Ethan, Ethan nodded, "Nah it’s cool, you did nothing wrong." he replied.

Then something clicked, "wait a sec, aren’t you supposed to be at econ?" asked Mandy.

Well shit. there’s a little mess up right there.

"Ah, shit. right! thanks man." Ethan said and grabbed his jacket and backpack, hurrying out the door.

You watched as he left, a frown appearing on your lips. you just hoped he was okay, that’s all. nothing more to it.

———

After a few hours of watching the news, a scratch was heard from the front door, making you stop in your tracks. where the hell was that coming from?

"Hey, guys?" you called out, everyone who was in the kitchen looked at you in confusion, Mandy was the first to stand up and walk over to you, then next was tara.

Tara put a hand on your shoulder, "what, what’s wrong?" she questioned, you didn’t answer and felt your hands shaking in fear. why did you feel so scared?

Something didn’t feel right.

Chad, Sam, Mindy, and Anika appeared too. Mandy turned to you with a look of concern, if anything his freckles were distracting you.

You gripped his hand tightly and pointed at the door, everyone followed your gaze and their eyes landed on the door.

"I hear something. I don’t know what it sounded like but I heard screaming too." you explained, but then you jumped when more banging sounds came from the door and screaming.

Was a massacre happening in there or what? Mandy pushed you behind him while you were still holding his hand tightly.

"Run." Mindy said. and right after she said that, the door busted open and you saw Quinn’s dead body fall ontop of Anika who screamed.

There stood ghostface in the door way, making his way towards all of you. your feet moved faster than you thought it would as you started running.

"This shit again?" Mandy muttered under his breath, annoyed that nobody could get a break from this thing.

He himself started running, ghostface turned his attention to mindy and Anika, mindy tried hitting him but he/she dodged it and stabbed her in the arm, you heard her scream.

Mindy fell to the ground and her back hit the couch, "Get the fuck away from her!" yelled Anika as she wrapped her arms around his leg and hitting it.

Ghostface looked down at her, even though you couldn’t see it you knew somehow he/she was glaring.

Ghostface grabbed Anika by the neck, cutting off her oxygen as he/she did so, his/her grip getting tighter around her neck. you let out a horrified gasp and watched as ghostface brought his knife out.

he/she aimed it right at her stomach, plunging the knife in and twisting her guts while he/she did so. you felt like you were about to throw up, her screams echoed in the room.

Do something. stop standing there.

you searched the kitchen for a knife, when you grabbed it- you had so much fear that you even accidentally cut yourself.

You ran back inside the livingroom, you slipped on one foot but you caught yourself, "leave her the hell alone!" you yelled, stabbing ghostface in his/her shoulder.

he/she flinched before turning to you, his/her actions were slow, like he/she was eyeing you up and down to see if you were a threat. and you could’ve swore..you heard a deep chuckle- was he/she, laughing?

He/she dropped Anika to the ground, the girl groaned in pain and you could hear her sobbing.

Ghostface was slowly starting to make his/her way towards you now. but no, you weren’t gonna let your guard down that easily. not at all.

Mandy appeared with Sam, they were watching ghostface closely, if he or she were to attack they’d be prepared.

"On three..we attack, okay?" Sam whispered to Mandy, he nodded, "got it." he replied.

Ghostface grabbed you by the arm and threw the knife to the ground, "to hell with it, now!" Sam yelled, Mandy and Sam came from behind ghostface and attacked him.

Sam put ghostface in a headlock while Mandy got the knife out of his hands— but somehow this ghostface seemed to be stronger..? as well as more aggressive.

"(Y/n), go, run now!" Sam yelled, you hurried and started running. you heard what sounded like a 'No' come from ghostface.

Mandy froze and so did sam, what did he/she just say? how-

This gave ghostface a chance to hit sam with a right hook to the face, knocking her to the ground. Ghostface swiped Mandy underneath his feet causing him to fall.

"Pretty boys die first, huh?" said the ghostface, tilting its head, Mandy didn’t respond and instead punched him/her in the gut, "fuck you, man!" Mandy yelled.

When you heard Mandy yell, you stopped in your tracks, Anika and Mindy where hiding in a room and trying to get the window open, Anika sat on the bed, clutching her bleeding stomach.

No, you couldn’t leave him. he was the only thing keeping you sane.

Running out of the room you grabbed a brick and started running towards ghostface who was sitting on Mandy’s waist, Mandy tried getting out of his grasp.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" you shouted, before anyone could process anything, you hit ghostface in the head, you watched as he/she fell to the ground.

You helped mandy up, sam helping you as well. Mandy was quick to wrap his arms around you in a hug, "you okay, (Y/n)?" he asked, you nodded.

Sam wrapped a protective arm around you and mandy, watching ghostface closely to see if he/she would get back up again.

And he/she did.

The knife was supposed to aim for mandy but instead…

It hit you. right in the stomach. you let out a scream in pain, the ghostface was quick to recoil in surprise.

"Shit, run! Mandy, get the knife!" sam yelled as she sent a kick to ghostface as he/she fell back

You ran into the room Mindy and Anika were in, Mandy holding you in his arms as he was applying pressure to your wound.

"We have to go, sam you first. also your, uh, Jiminy cricket boyfriend is there." Mandy joked, "it is not the time to be joking mandy. But I’ll admit; it was funny." Sam said with a small but quick chuckle.

Sam was the first to go, mindy was holding the dresser against the door so ghostface wouldn’t get in.

you didn’t have much time because the quicker he or she was in here, the quicker he/she’d slaughter you all in this room.

"M-Mandy, you go. I’ll be right behind you, ok?" you said, groaning in pain when the pain from your stomach didn’t stop.

Mandy shook his head, "No, no. you go." he said, you turned to him with a irritated glare.

"Now is not the time to be the hero. just go, please!" you begged, mandy felt tears form in his eyes as they fell down.

You only nodded at him, he placed a quick kiss to your lips before making his way to the window.

he hurried and got to the other side, not even looking down. Sam and her boyfriend helped her inside.

Next was mindy, you didn’t hear her and anika’s conversation. you sat there in the corner clutching your stomach painfully.

"(Y/n), y-you have to go. th-they’ll be in here soon, go." Anika ordered, you made your way over to her before pulling her into a hug, "I’ll be right behind you." she whispered.

once you let go, you made your way towards the window. Anika did was she told you, she said she’d be right behind you.

You moved back a little to let her go first, she gave you a curt nod, even though the ladder was creaking you had to go. and you couldn’t look down either.

You noticed sam, mindy, and Mandy’s eyes widen, "(Y/n), anika, you both have got to hurry right now." Mindy said frantically while she was sobbing.

Your stomach was still hurting, "c’mon (Y/n) I’m right here, okay? don’t look back either." Mandy said, a sob escaping his mouth as tears fell from his eyes.

"Mandy, I’m scared." you said. even though you didn’t want to continue you knew you’d have to.

You weren’t supposed to turn around but you did, and when you did you saw ghostface right there. staring you and Anika down.

"(Y/N), ANIKA, YOU BOTH HAVE TO HURRY." Mindy yelled, you tried crawling but your hands were staring to slip.

And that’s when you felt it, a hand wrapped itself around your ankle in a tight grip, the grip being so tight it caused your ankle to bleed.

"No, let me go! let me go!" you yelled, ghostface started dragging you backwards and towards him/her, whoever the hell it was.

"C’mere pretty thing." The voice was raspy and rough, who the hell was under that mask? you started sobbing.

"Get away from— me!" you yelled, kicking the person in the face. Anika pushed you in front of her and this seemed to have enraged whoever was under that ghostface mask.

"Come on, I got you." Mandy whispered, holding his hand out for you to reach, you desperately tried grasping his hand, but your fingers kept slipping each time.

Ghostface started shaking the ladder and pushing it side by side, anika started screaming, "I don’t wanna die, I don’t wanna die!" Anika screamed.

Then, as the ladder kept shaking, it tilted, causing you to almost fall. Anika on the other hand…she wasn’t as lucky.

You heard her scream and then a loud bang was heard, she fell to the ground with thud.

Mandy and sam held onto your hand and hauled you up and into the window, you hid your face in Mandy’s chest. his arms wrapping around you as he placed a kiss on your forehead.

He felt eyes bore into the two of you, he slowly turned around to see the ghostface staring at you two. he could feel the anger radiating off of the person.

Who. was. that?

Part two? Idk, hope you enjoyed!

[sailorshadzter]

we'll call this a warm up piece, even if it did take me all day to write lol

“I said I was sorry, what more do you want?”

She eyes him from across the room, arms folded across her chest. “I want you to mean it,” she hisses, every inch the frozen Northern queen she should have been. Never him, it never should have been him.“Forget it,” she says next, turning away, but he cannot help but to reach for her then, to draw her in as he always should have done. As he’s always wished to do. “Jon…” His name is soft upon her lips, curving then with the slightest of frowns. 

“I never meant to hurt you,” he swears with a clutch of his hands, the warmth of her skin bleeding through the wool of her severe black gown. “I swear it, Sansa,” he  continues with a nod of his head, forehead tipping down to touch hers. They are so close now he wonders if she can hear the steady beating of his heart. She doesn’t say it, but she can, making her wonder if he in turn can hear hers. “I only did what I had to do… To protect the North, to protect you…” Finally, he says the words he’s kept inside all of this time. That everything he’s done has been for her, for their home, but in the end… It was always for her. Every move he made, every choice he decided upon, it all led back to her. “You are the one thing in this world that means anything to me, Sansa.” He could live without Winterfell, he could even live without the North, but he could never live without her. “I love you,” he says these words without hesitation, knowing he should have said them ages ago, but fear kept him from speaking them to anyone but the gods themselves. He knows it to be wrong, to love her as he does, but he cannot stop the feelings. And truthfully, he’s not certain he wants to. 

Her cheeks flood with color, but she does not pull away, not even when his hands tighten their grip upon her. This was the one person, the one man, she would so willingly allow to hold her, to touch her. “Jon…” She whispers his name, his confession running circles in her head, the meaning of his words sending chills down her spine. “You mean what you say?” She asks softly, daring to believe in him as she always has. Jon has never led her astray before, she supposes this time couldn’t be any different. In truth, she’s perhaps been too blinded by her own jealousy to see what was right there in front of her eyes. Despite the anger she once held so tightly to, she softens there in his arms, yielding to his touch, sinking into the warmth of it. He holds her as he’s never done before, the gesture speaking volumes; in his arms, she feels safer than she’s ever felt in all of her life. That realization strikes her and she comes to understand in that moment that it was not just in his arms that she felt so safe, it was simply the notion of being with him that made her feel such a way. To her, Jon was safety, Jon was hope, Jon was… Well, Jon was love. 

“I’ve gone to war for you once, I am to go again, what more can I do to prove myself to you?” He asks with a good natured chuckle and she finds herself to be smiling. “I love you, Sansa.” She was his reason to live, his reason to fight, his reason for happiness. It was that very smile that he fought for, the thing he longed to protect was her happiness, her safety. He would fight any battle, any war, any foe if it meant keeping her safe. 

“And I…” She begins softly, but he’s leaning in once more, so close now that she can feel the curve of his lips as he smiles. She cannot say the words, not yet, for she is so compelled to touch her lips to his- to kiss him as she’s never so willingly kissed any man before. He is warm and tastes of ale, the sweetened kind, bringing another smile to her face when she draws away a few moments later. “I love you, too, Jon,” she whispers and it’s his turn to lean in, to capture her mouth with a kiss of his own. There it was, the very truth she’s kept to herself all this time, since perhaps those earliest days at Castle Black. She knows it shouldn’t be, this thing between them, forbidden by the laws of the world, and yet… She must wonder how something so wonderful, so beautiful, could ever be wrong? Her hand traces the length of his jaw, his stubble rough against the pads of her fingers, yet gentle enough that she wonders how long it would take for his cheeks to rub hers red. “I am glad you’re home,” she murmurs, reminding him that he’s been home only one single night now, that there has been so much he’s missed, so much he’s been without. “You mustn't leave me again,” she adds and he laughs, tugging playfully on a stray lock of her long red hair. 

“Even the gods themselves could not make me part ways with you now,” he swears and she knows he speaks the truth. She sinks back into his embrace, ever intent to never again separate herself from him. 

This was where she was always meant to be. 

[imagionationstation]

Okay so I wanna make a 2012 separated au but I wanna add a rise villain lol

basically

Leo’s raised by Splinter

Raph’s raised by Shedder

Donnies raised by BM

and Mikey’s raised by April or the Kraang idk yet

mainly I think it’d be funny if BM spoiled Donnie and you just get spoiled rich boy Donnie idk lmao

— ♊️

NAH BUT THE FIRST TIME I READ A 2018DONNIE ADOPTED BY BIG MAMA FIC, MY BRAIN WENT “What if that was 2012Donnie?” AND I’VE NEVER RECOVERED BC I WANNA BUT IT’S SO OUT THERE THAT I’VE NEVER HAD THE GUTS TO TRY-

(I am so, so sorry, this has spiraled over the last few days. I am weak. Resistance was futile.)

Okay, so, like 2012 universe but Yokai exist…

So I’m going to assume right off the bat that Leo&Mikey don’t know about the Hidden City because they’re being raised by a human (Kirby) and a previous human (Splinter). How these two managed to get their hands on baby mutant turtles, I couldn’t tell you.

Okay, so I’m going to assume Leo&Mikey meet first. Both living as vigilantes in the human world, they’re bound to run into each other at some point. I doubt Splinter would let Leo travel to the surface solo. So maybe Splinter starts taking him up earlier because he deems keeping the tike with him is safer than leaving him alone.

So they get to know the surface early on. Mikey, because he sneaks out whenever he can, and Leo, because Splinter introduced it to him.

They besties who think it’s neat that they look like twins.

And then they come across Raph.

Now, a twin package is coincidence but a triplet turtle who looks scarily similar to them? That’s sus.

In fact, it’s the only reason that Raph doesn’t immediately kill them on site. He’s affronted, frustrated, and admittedly a little curious. So he decides to settle the mystery by taking them down to the Hidden City for a Mystical Relative test. (They are a thing because I say so.)

He knows the Hidden City exists because Shredder has dealings with Big Mama. They work out deals, where Raph fights in her Nexus and Shredder gets trinkets from the Hidden City.

Leo and Mikey are in awe, but also, they had a City that they could walk freely in beneath their feet the whole time?!

Then they take the test and- huzzah, they’re brothers!

And, oopsy, the witch lets it slip that they have another brother??

They press for more, but all she knows is that Big Mama will be their key to finding him.

So Leo and Mikey are determined to look and Raph is none to satisfied to learn that, not only is his family expanding and they’re both dorks, but now he has to deal with one of the biggest mob leaders in the City? No thank you. He did not sign up for that risk.

He tries to brush them off but Leo is adamant that he help- especially if he knows who she is and how they can arrange a talk with her. Even if it’s a long shot, they have to try.

So, Raph gives in to get them off his back.

And he introduces them to the best chance that they’re going to get to receiving an audience with her- And wouldn’t you know it?

That liaison is Donatello!

Of course, everyone knows that Donnie is of pure Yokai descendancy. Big Mama would never adopt some lost soul off the street. Rumors float about but no one knows for sure how he came into her care. The only truth that the Yokai know for certain is that he’s a genius, one in charge of all kinds of equipment for Big Mam’s Battle Nexus.

But, anyway, Donnie doesn’t fit into the brothers’ physical quota.

Normally, nobody can get close to Donatello, but the minute Raph strolls into the Nexus and asks to speak with him- the genius spawns. Body guards are shooed away at the request for privacy as the intelligent turtle eagerly brings them to his workshop.

It quickly becomes clear why Raph was so reluctant. To say that Donnie was ecstatic to see him was an understatement.

Unfortunately for the loner turtle, he’d become a lock for Donnie’s OCD. And similar to how he sees April in canon, he’s (PLATONICALLY) smitten. His obsessive side makes Raph into his idol and his compulsions lead him to do everything possible to try and build a friendship. Even if that means disregarding every single one of his Mother’s rules when it comes to interacting with fighters.

Raph hates the attention, but Donnie’s their best shot.

And Donnie doesn’t hesitate to promise them a meeting.

I’m dying imaging them going on a hunt for a long-lost brother, and Donnie’s standing right there the whole time- 🤣

Assisting every step of the way in the search for himself, with everyone being 100% sure that it cannot possibly be him because Big Mama is good a sewing lies.

Donnie is absolutely a rich kid. He’s utterly mortified when he finds out that Leo actually lives in the sewers of all places.

This AU would be all the more hilarious if Donnie slowly starts to realize that Raph isn’t the perfect person that he thought he was, and the obsession calms, but then he finds out that he’s Raph’s brother and completely loses his ever loving mind.

It would be brilliant.

I imagine Big Mama to be a fun mix of self-centered but genuinely loving. I think that would be an interesting take for her to spend his lifetime using every available opportunity to take advantage of his skills and manipulate his actions… But also, she would wipe out everyone in the entire Hidden City for him in a heartbeat if she thought they posed him any real danger.

On that same note, I think about the episode where the RISE first meet her, and like, how she would react if Draxum came and launched vines not only at her, but at Donnie too. And she instantly loses her cool.

“I may have a revision to do. Big Mama has two rules. One does not steal from Big Mama, and NO ONE touches her tottering TURTLE.” 

I just think she’d be great.

I keep coming back to this-

So I keep envisioning this moment somewhere in the future where the Kraang or somethin’ pose this huge threat, and Donnie (as manipulative as his mother when he wants to be, which isn’t often) is basically like “We are not making deals. I will find a way to go on this mission and I will probably die if you don’t give me reinforcements. You can support me and I’ll keep building for you, or you don’t and you’ll lose your heir.”

Not exact words but you get the gist.

He’s so stubborn in the show. I want to enhance that.

I just want him to bob between innocent and confident. His pride shatters at the slightest negativity, but he also knows exactly what to say to get what he wants. He’s a good boy, but he’s not a pushover to anyone but Raph and his Mother. He’s not a big fan of changing the terms at the last second, but that’s not to say he hasn’t before.

ALSO YOU CAN IGNORE THIS IF YOU WANT BUT I HAVE CONCEPT BECAUSE IT’S IN MY BRAIN NOW.

The very first time that Donnie saw a Battle Nexus fight, he’d been the ripe age of four years old.

His mother was sitting in her private viewing area, perfect as ever, as he stared down in the arena in awe. He’d been ecstatic to see the fights that his mother spoke so fondly of, studying the fighters curiously as they faced on another. 

He quickly fell into the excitement, encouraged by his Mother’s laughter, cheering along with the crowd. That is, until he watched the gorilla Yokai pin it’s opponent to the ground and tear it’s arm clean off.

The scream of agony was drowned in the hollars of the crowd. 

He feel silent, a cry tangled in his lungs for another reason altogether. He looked back at her, as she smiled and watched the crowd go nuts, and then sunk in her lap. He squeezed his eyes as shut as they could be, fists over them, and blood painted behind his lids. He moved his fists to the sides of his head, but he could still hear screams.

He could remember it so clearly. His mother turned him to look at her, peeling his fists away from where they pressed against skull. She had seemed disappointed, looking down on him. Then her expression relaxed as she cooed, “Is it to loud for my whisperous turtle?” 

He nodded, desperately, as she waved one of her assistants over.

They took him to his room. He locked himself in the bathroom to sob, unable to erase the image of gore stains from his mind. He’d passed out, right there on cold tiles, and woke up pressed against his mother. Granted, he woke up screaming, sobbing, and certain he was drenched in his own blood, but she rocked him, calmed his fears, and sang him back to sleep. He slept uneasily in the safety of her hold.

He spent the next week refusing to leave the room.

Eventually, his Mother encouraged him out. A year later, she took him back to the Battle Nexus. The results didn’t change. It repeated for a few more years. The nightmares got progressively more gory.

When he was ten years old, she promised him that he never had to watch the fights if he didn’t want to. He waited until she was out of sight to crumble under the weight of relief and self-loathing, her frown permanently etched in his mind.

From that day on, Donnie made it his life’s mission to support her like she always supported him. He might not understand the arena, but everyone who visited the Hotel loved it. There was no end to the complements and requests that she received when they were attending to matters outside it. She lit up under the attention. He saw no harm in making weapons and armor for the fighters, rewarded with his mother’s glowing smile and proud laughter.

She loved to show him off. The sun to her earth, helping give life to what she’d created. He gave what she asked for, sprinkling his own inventions here and there. He preferred to focus on the defensive wear; she loved the offensive weaponry.

He actively did his best to avoid the arena.

…Until the first time he glimpsed Ribenji on her screens.

Ribenji means vengeance in Japanese. Because Shredder is obsessed with it. And Raph will be his ultimate warrior of vengeance against anyone who crosses his path. Hehe. I think I’m cool.

I don’t pretend to fully understand Big Mama. I just love writing her.

Does Donnie’s name change? Perhaps.

Though I suppose I could see Big Mama having an interest in the Renaissance. That might be something up her alley…

I’M NOT DONE WITH THIS CONCEPT ACTUALLY

“Donnie dearest.” Donnie doesn’t look up from his work, wielding the last of the armor in place. He’s down on one knee and it allows his mother easy access to the top of his head, planting a kiss before stepping back to let him finish. “How’s my lil’ turtley-boo doing with Mama’s big project?”

“Almost finished.” He promises, turning off the wielder. She’s never pleased when he works and talks. She claims it makes her feel less to his work, and he’d never want to make her feel insecure. 

A hand is on his shoulder, keeping him on the ground as she knocks against the metal with deceptively delicate knuckles. “Did you add the mystic fiddeydoodles that I so graciously found for you and you so endlessly prodded me for?”

Donnie feels a blush creep up his cheeks. He hadn’t wanted them at first, but after she’d mentioned how influential they were to putting on a perfect show, he couldn’t resist a couple of requests. “Not yet, Mother. I’m working on it. I swear. It will be ready when you need it.”

He studies her face, imploring, and she smiles down at him. She lifts her hand. “I know you will, my little genius. You always keep your promises.” 

“I’m taller than you.” He points out as he stands, rather than acknowledge the twist of nerves which reminds him that even one failure could tear at her trust in him. 

“Perhaps in this form.” She taps her broach and then she’s hovering over him, smirking with a flair that makes him rolls his eyes. “But you’ll always be my little teensie weensie tottering turtley-boo.” 

“Mother.” He mumbles as he takes off his goggles. His face grows hot, glad for the seclusion of his lab. “I’ll be fifteen in three days.”

“That you will.” She hums, brushing his cheek with one of her smaller appendages. “My magnifferent, brilliant boy.”

She turns away to examine another of his projects. The only reason that she visits the lab is to get a run down of his latest one. He loves that she has a genuine interest in his work, even if she’s not particularly interested in the construction itself. She supplies his needs and works with his wants. What more could a turtle ask for? 

At the same time that Donnie wants to shrivel up and hide when under her undivided affection, he can’t help but appreciate the attention. He never knows when he’ll get to have her doting every hour or if he’ll find himself isolated for a month. 

Donnie quickly reprimands himself. They spoke about his intrusive thoughts. He shouldn’t think that way. He’s not completely secluded with the Hotel staff taking care of him and Gus hanging around. It’s all in his best interest. He’s safer within the hotel than out with the rif-raff in the bar or on the streets. 

…It is nice to be noticed, though. 

He steps closer to her, fiddling with the goggles. “Mother.” 

“Yes, little one?”

She lifts one of his weapons from the table. He hopes she doesn’t test it. It’s not nearly to her fine expectations. “Have you- have you had any dealings with Saki, by chance?” 

“Oh, my dormy genius. You know Mama hates talking business when we’re together.”

“Yes, Mother, of course.” He deflates a bit, watching her sigh.

“If you want to ask after his feisty Yokai pet, all you have to do is say it.”

“Have you seen Ribenji?” Donnie blurts eagerly. “Has he fought recently?”

“I don’t see your fascination with the Yokai when he barely gives you the time of day.”

“I know, Mother, I apologize for being this way.” He says, because it’s what she wants to hear. “But it’s been itching at my brain for some time. I was working on something for him, a side-project that could greatly improve his performance, not that it’s not good already, he’s a brilliant fighter, more than that, he’s inspiring and swift and he handles himself really well, which makes since for a Yokai Foot ninja, but I thought he might appreciate-”

“Donnie, dearest.” Mother sets his weapon down, and he quiets, running the strap along his hand. “I know you idolize the warrior, but please, no more side projects. Focus on your list. I don’t want you getting tuckered out.”

“But Mother-”

“Mama knows what’s best for you.” She tsks as she disappears behind her human form, a whirlwind of magic before she sets a hand in his arm. “This obsessing is unhealthy.”

“I was merely wondering if I could see some clips-”

“A wondering mind is a mind of worries.” She’s not scolding him, but it sure feels like it. The need to plead is still tangling in his airways, kept caged by the calm of her stare. “Refocus it on what’s important. Like your fantablous weaponry! And Mother will worry about her business with Saki.”

“But you always say that I should tell you when something bothers me.” He reminds quickly, ignoring her sharp look. “And it really bothers me that I haven’t been able to check in with one of your champions. Isn’t the arena meant to be mine one day?”

“Not for a good while yet.” She warns. “Until then, Mama would like to keep you away from the fiddlefaddles that bore you so.”

“Bore might not be the right word-”

“So you would like to resume your studies, then?” She looks at him, hand over her heart. “Why, you could have simply said so.”

He sighs, “You’re twisting again, Mother.”

“Do you or do you not want to give up your little hobby?”

“Oh, of course, I want to give up the one thing in the endless hotel that brings me any joy. I dream about it every night.”

“Always with the sarcasm.”

“Mother, please.”

“Mama has given her final word. A proper son knows when to debate and when to obey.”

He nods, shoulders slumping, and she considers him. She sets a gentle hand over the fist that holds his goggles, “Oh, my dear, you know it hurts me to see you disappointed. What if you were to finish your contrabulations and your beloved Mama were to see if she could get you some footage of the latest shows?”

“Oh, would you?” He breathes, daring to believe it. 

She leans against him, on her toes to plant a kiss on his chin. “I will leave you to your work.”

Mother turns to leave, and he beams after her. “Thank you!”

A smooth backward wave. “Anything for my turtley-boo!”

I like to think she’d call him little to remind him of his place, tease him about the fact that he’s taller than most Yokai his age, and she sincerely still thinks of him as the tiny, weak turtle that she adopted more than a decade ago. She’s an excellent multitasker.

Anyway! Thank you for the dopamine! Sorry for the spiral!

[epictacobird]

Dorms react to Demon Slayer! Yuu

I’m so glad people are enjoying this I was so worried it was gonna be too targeted of a demographic lol. Love you all <3

Btw this can be platonic or romantic, no gendered pronouns used, only “you”

Heartslabyul - Savanaclaw - Octavinelle (here) - Scarabia- Pomefiore - Ignihyde- Diasomnia

Warnings: angsty, spoilers for book 3 and 4, dark themes, ptsd mentioned, my favoritism for Azul shows a little

Context:

You're a demon slayer, an extremely experienced one at that. You have been fighting demons ever since you were young, and preparing to do so even younger. When you were unexpectedly thrown into Twisted Wonderland and admitted to NRC, you hid your sword in your uniform, and stashed away your clothes once you could. You figured the best way to survive here was to hide your cards. After all, being surrounded by morally questionable strangers with magic was not ideal. So in case you really needed it, you figured it was best to pretend to be weak so your strength could cover you when you needed it most.

Now that a few months have passed and you've gained reliable friends, you didn't see a point anymore. You felt safer than you ever have in your entire life. You were no longer on a battlefield, no longer surrounded by the pained cries of the people you failed to save. But the battle was catching up to you. Now that you were no longer fighting constantly, you had more time to think. You're nightmares of battle have been getting worse and you can't escape it. The guilt of hiding such an integral part of yourself from your friends wasn't helping either. Eventually though, you let the dam break. You tell them about your life, the reason behind your scars and show them your sword. There's tears in your eyes and you're shaking like the child you once were long ago.

Azul

Took notice of you immediately and decided to make note of you. You could be useful later after all, especially since you seemed pretty clueless about the world around you.

He just wanted to help another poor unfortunate soul being so benevolent and all.

What he didn't count on though was how much of a nuisance you were. You threatened his plans with each step you took.

Like Riddle, your eyes unnerved him. When you were making the deal, your eyes held such intensity it made him sweat. It was as if you were staring right through him, seeing through everything.

Shady calculating people such as himself did not appreciate the idea of being seen through so easily. He thought surely you had figured him all out somehow, yet it didn't reflect much in your actions. It did little to ease his worries though.

He should've known you had something more planned with the way you stared at him. Your eyes are worn by something unbeknownst to him, and piercing through him as if he was your sworn enemy.

So when he overblotted, why did you look at him with such pity? How could eyes sharp as yours soften into something as low as sympathy? He couldn’t believe it. How dare you pity him when you’re the reason everything failed!

You on the other hand were weirdly torn with guilt. You couldn't help but think about all the demons who lashed out when you had them at the edge of defeat. You felt guilty for comparing him to a demon. He just looked like a broken child who finally had enough. Maybe that's just what demons were.

You were thinking too long, and failed to notice Azul's tentacles lashing out at you. In a way it worked in your favor, looking weak was your goal after all.

You didn't appreciate being caught like this though. You tried to reason with him, but nothing worked in his state of frenzy. In the end, you were given a new set of bruises to add to the collection of scars.

When Azul found out the next day he was horrified. Dark circles where his suckers latched onto you littered your neck and wrists and god knows where else. He knew he was strong, he could’ve killed you!

Yet you laughed it off as if it was nothing! How could you be ok with that?

Your kind words at the museum didn’t help either. You told him how you admired him for being so hardworking, how he should stop focusing on the past and be proud of what he accomplished. Just because his contracts were gone didn’t change the skill he held or how successful the Mostro Lounge was.

When he looked into your eyes this time, he wondered how he could’ve ever seen the cold intensity from before. This time, he only saw something so tired, void of life, yet held a sparkle of hope. A fire that burned deep inside just waiting to be let out. It was much more complex than he gave you credit for.

He was intrigued, even more so when he found out about your issues with Scarabia. This was his chance to figure out more about you, and he wasn’t going to let a potential business opportunity slide!

After the day passed and Azul spent more time with you, memories of his overblot came back. Being so busy meant he didn’t have a lot of time to think back to what happened. Your bruises must have healed a long time ago, but what was that scar around your neck? It was just peeking above your collar, he didn’t give that to you, did he?

He asked about it, later that night. Floyd and Jade were already sleeping on the other side of the room. And Grim was long gone as he rested in your lap. The two of you were the only ones awake.

He figured the only way was to be direct, so he adjusted his glasses and spoke as calmly as ever, “How are your injuries? I apologize again for doing that, It was very..unprofessional.”

You shook your head, giving off a small smile, “It’s nothing, they healed a while ago. There’s nothing to worry about.”

He frowned, “Then what’s that scar around your neck?”

He watched you freeze for a moment, as if you were scared by the very idea of his question. You replied with the same composure you always had, “It’s an old scar from back home. My job had some… dangers I guess you could say.”

Dangers? What type of dangers would leave you with claw marks around your neck?? What animal that size would have such precision and patience to aim for your neck?! Wouldn’t it rather use its jaw? And besides what job were you working in the first place?

The shock must have shown in his face, you looked frantic to find a response. But before you could, Floyd spoke up instead.

“Ey, Azul, if you’re done questioning shrimpy can you shut up already? I’m trying to sleep.”

Azul sighed, hating how the conversation was unceremoniously cut short. Nevertheless he let you be and went to sleep.

Soon after the events of Scarabia he offered you a job at the Mostro Lounge. After learning you’d likely mooch off of Scarabia for food, he knew you’d want the extra money.

One evening he was walking around the Mostro Lounge to help close up for the day like always. You were washing up the last of the dishes, and he almost passed you by until he caught sight of the puffiness in your eyes. He did a double take and found that you were indeed crying.

Your crying was so silent, the tears falling angrily out of your eyes while you were calmly washing dishes as if it was normal. Without even thinking, he called out your name.

For once he thinks he actually caught you off guard. You jumped, whipped around to face him and quickly turned your head away from him in less than a second. You knew you couldn’t even wipe away the tears without the risk of getting soap in your eyes and making it worse. So you just kept your head turned and spoke quietly, “Hey Azul, did you need something?”

Truthfully, Azul had no idea what to do other than keep up the whole suave businessman shtick. “Not in particular, I was just closing everything up.”

“Ah, alright. I’m almost done, give me 10 minutes.”

Azul frowned, you were still turned away from him. He sighed and rolled up his sleeves, joining you on the other side of the sink. “Let me help you.”

You wanted to protest but decided against it. Something in Azul’s eyes told you he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. In the end both of you finished quickly and began cleaning up.

“Are you ok?” The question fell out of his mouth quicker he would’ve liked. Either way you responded with a yes, and he could already tell you said it with a smile like you always did. But when he looked over to your hands you were shaking, bad.

He frowned, “Prefect…as your boss I’m inclined to know your well-being. I don’t mean to pry into your personal life but…” He sighed, but before he could find the right words you spoke up instead, “It’s fine, I understand. I guess I just feel a little homesick is all.” You shrank down to your chest, holding your arms close to you, “But every time I think back on it, I’m a little scared to go back. You know?”

That’s when the dam broke. You were still facing away from him but he could tell you were crying again. You confessed to nearly everything, the scars, the pain, the demons, the death. Working in the lounge made you truly realize what your life could’ve been. You could’ve been working a normal job, day but day greeting customers. Going to school, laughing with friends. That’s what your childhood should have been. And going back meant you had to give up that normalcy, even though it was for the better of humanity.

“I’m so sorry Azul, I haven’t cried like this in years.” You laughed bitterly, “This was all probably a bit much. I mean Im not sure if you’d even believe me.”

Azul didn’t say anything and just moved to face you. He looked at your face, splotchy with red and tear stains. You looked defeated, utterly devoid of hope. He frowned and spoke firmly, “You told me at the museum that I should stop focusing on the past and look to the future. That I should be proud of what I accomplished so far- believe your own words. You have a future here, both with the Mostro Lounge and Twisted Wonderland. Whether you choose to stay here or not is up to you, but no matter what, know that there was never a moment I doubted you.”

Azul looked at you, the fire in your eyes returned. It was a little brighter than before, and, although cautiously, you gave a genuine smile.

Jade + Floyd

Jade scared the shit out of you simply because you could never tell if he ever actually knew the truth of what you did back home.

He was always watching you carefully trying to figure you out. He saw the scars and the way you would peer into the trees at night. And when it was dark outside you never allowed your friends to walk alone.

Which must’ve been why when he mentioned that he was going on a camping trip up the mountains on club business you asked to come along.

Does this mean you’re friends now? How sweet.

Truth be told, he was ecstatic by the idea. Floyd never took much interest in his hobby, and he didn’t even bother to humor Azul. No matter your intentions he was grateful you wanted to come along.

So there you both were, hiking up to the camping spot, stopping every so often to collect and admire mushrooms. You listened to everything he said with rapt attention. You even asked questions about which mushrooms were what, and tried to identify some by yourself.

It was easy to say Jade was enjoying himself, and you could’ve sworn his smile seemed more genuine because of it. Any tension between the two of you vanished.

Once you both reached the camping spot though, your mood began to change ever so slightly. You were tensed, expectant even. Although you never let it stop you from pulling your weight setting up.

The next morning. Jade took note of the dark circles under your eyes. You clearly didn’t sleep much, but seemed to function fine despite it. He decided not to pry.

The two of you continued to search the mountain for fungus throughout the day. As it turns out, you remembered more than he expected and the two of you left with a satisfying haul of mushrooms.

Everything was going well and the two of you packed up and prepared to head back down the mountain and return to NRC. Unfortunately it was extremely windy that day. Which meant the dead trees that said fungus were growing on were very unsteady. So it wasn’t much a surprise when the two of you picked up on a heart stopping cracking noise coming from the tree beside you.

You reacted immediately and leapt at Jade, grabbing him by his waist and rolling to safety while the tree fell behind you with a resounding thud.

“Are you ok?” You said as you got off of him, helping Jade to his feet.

“You have amazing reflexes, prefect. Im lucky you came along.” He smiled, although like always it never quite reached his eyes.

You gave a half hearted smile, “Im just glad you’re alright…”

Floyd didn’t care that much about you initially. He thought you were just a little shrimpy.

Once you started working in the Mostro Lounge though, the two of you became better friends. You didn’t mind his squeezes or his rapid mood changes.

At some point though, Floyd made it a game to try to sneak up on you.

You would always catch him, no matter how creative he got. And that only made him more determined to scare you. He would pop out of trees, hide in bushes, closets, hell he even jumped from the roof once.

None of it worked, you’d always manage to figure out where he was hiding. That is, until one fateful afternoon…

You were more tired than usual, and some particularly rude customers that refused to leave didn’t help. All you wanted to do was crash on the rickety bed at Ramshackle.

Which was why when Floyd jumped out to squeeze you from behind your brain went on autopilot and you threw him to the ground.

The two of you sat in silence for a long while. Floyd stared up at you from the dirt with wide eyes while you stood stiff. Just as you were about to rush an apology Floyd began to laugh hysterically.

“Ehhh I didn’t expect Shrimpy to be so strong! You just threw me! Can you teach me how to do that?”

Much to Azul’s disappointment, you did in fact teach him how to do that. It actually became a little thing between the two of you. Sometimes y’all would just wrestle for the sake of it. It reminded you of a little boar guy back home.

Your relationship with the tweels greatly improved after these two incidents. You’d help Jade with his mushrooms, and fuck around with Floyd. You had almost forgotten that Jade was still watching you like a hawk and Floyd had a knack for finding things he wasn’t supposed to.

Lately your nightmares have been catching up with you. You’ve barely gotten any sleep for the past few days and paranoia was starting to set in. Even though your logic said otherwise, you felt safer having your swords close by. So you had it hidden behind your back under you clothes. Aka mistake #1.

Mistake #2 was letting Jade talk you into taking a nap on your break time. Despite everything, you felt safe with the two of them. So there’s no harm in trying to take a small nap right? And Jade was nice enough to give you tea too…

So there you were completely knocked out on the table in the small break room. Unaware to Floyd creeping up on you. He was about to squeeze you until he saw a curious little handle poking out of the collar of your shirt.

“Why would Shrimpy have this…?” He muttered to himself, a smile playing on his lips. He reached out to get a better look at it, but he was caught immediately.

The second his finger touched the hilt of the sword you woke up and flung him to the ground. Once you realized it was him you spoke frantically, “Shit! Sorry Floyd!”

The eel pouted, still on the floor, “Mannn, I didn’t even do anything. Shrimpy’s so mean..”

“What’s going on here?” Jade walked in with a customer service grin, staring at his brother on the floor.

“Sorry Jade. Floyd scared me is all.” You laughed, “I guess I’m just a little jumpy today.”

“It must be because of the lack of sleep, you’ve always had issues with it, yes?”

You nodded and opened your mouth to reply but Floyd spoke first, “Maybe it’s because Shrimpy is sleeping with a sword on their back.”

You looked back at Floyd, who was still on the ground, with wide eyes. Jade did the same, although they were more directed at you.

You sighed, “Floyd-“ you started but Jade interjected, “Azul would throw a fit if he saw a sword peeking out of your back.”

The sword was startlingly obvious now. It had moved out of place when you flung Floyd, now the entire hilt was visible. You deflated, knowing lying would get you nowhere.

You apologized, saying that the sword made you feel a little safer recently. Floyd asked plenty of questions as to why you got the sword in the first place and if he could use it. You answered them all, with the last one not so shockingly being no.

Jade listened with careful attention, after all this was the whole reason he was watching you in the first place. If either of them were shocked they didn’t show it, but both of them were definitely curious. A world of man eating demons? And you were apart of the sole line of defense? You never ceased to surprise them over and over.

You brought endless entertainment to the two of them. It was an odd friendship you shared but you were grateful nevertheless. What will you surprise them with next? Jade and Floyd were waiting at the edge of their seats with you on the stage.

***

The entertainment and twists you gave the both of them were never-ending. And you found an odd comfort in them, it was a weird friendship but one you were grateful for nevertheless.

[smilingformoney]

Rickmas 2023: Day 20. Returning Home | Snape & Abbie

AN: This is a repost of a one-shot I posted before but it fits the prompt so perfectly I couldn’t bring myself to do anything else! (Also I am lazy lol)

Art by @reinekefoxart!

Read now on Ao3 or below the cut:

December 1999

Abbie was exhausted. She’d endured an eight-hour flight, she was jetlagged, and the muggle border control had almost seen the magical flora she’d brought back with her before she managed to surreptitiously cast a charm to disguise it.

She was actually home a day earlier than promised. She wasn’t sure she could handle meeting her family at the airport - it had been hard enough for her when they’d seen her off. She’d much rather see them for the first time in a more comfortable and less public setting. So she had moved her flight a day earlier, and decided to surprise them at home.

She was too exhausted to apparate, especially carrying heavy luggage, so she hailed the Knight Bus and tried not to vomit as it jumped around the country, eventually landing outside the cottage she had missed so much. They’d been living in it barely more than a year when she left, but it already felt more like home to her than either of her parents’ previous houses.

As she pulled her suitcase up the path, Abbie looked up at the windows. The lights were off upstairs, and only the living room light was on - her sisters were probably already asleep, her mother in the living room and her father either there with her or in his study.

Abbie tried to suppress the grin on her face, but she couldn’t help it. It had been an incredible few months, and she was looking forward to her next semester, but she had been so homesick, and she was excited to see them again.

She knocked on the door. She could have let herself in, but she was her father’s daughter and she wanted to add some flair to her unexpected arrival.

The door opened a crack. Then, after a moment’s pause, it opened fully.

“You cheeky bugger!” Persephone laughed. “Come here.”

She pulled her daughter into a hug, and Abbie melted into her mother’s familiar embrace.

“Oh, I missed you!” Persephone said with relief.

“I missed you too, Mum,” Abbie replied with a grin on her face. “Are the girls asleep?”

“Yes, I just put them down an hour ago. How have you been?” Persephone stepped back to usher Abbie inside, taking her suitcase in for her. “Have you been eating properly? Are you keeping safe?”

Abbie laughed. “Great, yes, and yes. It’s amazing how much safer I feel when there’s no Death Eaters lurking in the shadows.”

“Speaking of which - Severus!” Persephone called. He was, unsurprisingly, in his study. “Look who’s here!”

With less than a day to Abbie’s return, Severus was getting anxious. He had been counting down the days to her return since she’d left. He knew he’d miss her, but he’d had no idea just how much; it felt as if he were missing a limb. Or, more accurately, it was as if he were missing a piece of his soul. She wrote, of course, but owls couldn’t fly across the Atlantic and so they had to rely on muggle post, which took far too long for Severus’ liking. He was proud of her for following her dreams, of course he was, but did those dreams really have to be three thousand miles across the ocean?

And so, on the day before she was due to arrive, Severus’ tension was at an all time high. Persephone had taken the girls to bed, leaving him to distract himself the way he knew best - by locking himself in his study and working until something or someone reminded him of the outside world.

That reminder came when he heard his wife’s voice calling his name.

“Severus! Look who’s here!”

Severus sighed. He didn’t care a jolt who may be visiting them so late at night. Abbie wasn’t back until tomorrow, and so there was nobody it could be that would interest him.

When he didn’t respond, she knocked on the door. “Sev!” Persephone called again.

“Tell them to sod off,” Severus called back.

“Oh, fine, I’ll just fly back to New York, then.”

Severus froze. He recognised her voice immediately, and he knew no one else who would have flown from New York - and nobody else quite as sarcastic, although Potter gave her a good run for her money.

He practically leapt from his desk, ignoring the bang of his knee against the corner as he hurried to fling the door open and step out into the hallway.

Sure enough… there she was. She grinned at him.

Forgetting all decorum, Severus strode across the hall to her; she met him halfway, and they collided into a tight embrace as effortlessly as if it were rehearsed.

It felt as if something had slotted into place. It was like taking a sip of cold water when desperately thirsty, or that first bite of food on a starving stomach. A human needs food, water and sleep to survive, but Severus had a fourth need - he needed his best friend.

Abbie clung to him as tightly as he did to her, as if they were both afraid of losing the other again. Severus felt a tear run down his cheek, but he didn’t care. It was a tear of relief, of joy, to have his daughter home again.

“I missed you,” Abbie mumbled into his shoulder.

“And I, you,” Severus replied softly. He kissed her gently on the side of her head - oh, how he had missed those little affections - and pulled back to look at her.

He frowned.

“What the fuck is this?” he asked, lifting a finger to her hair to examine a streak of purple that sat beneath her black locks.

“I knew you wouldn’t like it,” Abbie laughed. “Funnily enough, that didn’t deter me.”

“I suppose the thought only encouraged you.”

Abbie grinned mischievously. Severus couldn’t resist a small smile, relieved as he was to have his daughter home, the smartarse that she was.

“Are you two still having your moment?” Persephone asked as she arrived back at the base of the stairs. “I can come back later.”

“We’re done,” Abbie promised, although Severus disagreed, but he allowed her to step away from him. “I know it’s late, but can I have some dinner? The food on the plane was garbage.”

“Oh, Merlin, she’s speaking like them now,” Severus sighed. “Remember you’re a Hogwarts girl, Abbie, not Ilvermorny.”

“Oh, there’s a boy in my suite who’s from Ilvermorny!” Abbie said excitedly as Persephone began rummaging around in the freezer for food.

“How do you know? You weren’t risking magic in front of muggles, I hope?” Severus asked sternly.

Abbie squirmed uncomfortably. “Actually, he recognised me. Well… my name. Well… your name.”

“Our name,” Persephone reminded her. “We’ve only got frozen pizza, by the way, we were going to go shopping tomorrow before you got in.”

“Yeah, that’s fine. Anyway, I introduced myself and he asked if my father was Severus Snape. Turns out you’re famous over there now too.”

“Oh, Merlin,” Severus sighed.

“But he’s the only one! Nobody else knew. It was nice, actually, to at least have one person over there who knew I’m a witch, but to everybody else I was completely anonymous. People know who I am because of me, not because of you.”

Severus smiled, although his heart twinged with a little sadness too that her new life was so completely separate from him.

“Did he tell you about the Ilvermorny houses?” Persephone asked as she placed the pizza in the oven and set the timer.

“Yes, and I reckon I’d be in Pukwudgie.”

Severus scoffed. “Pukwudgie? Really? What a ridiculous name.”

Persephone looked at them both thoughtfully. “No, she’s right,” she said. “Well, you’re both right - it is a stupid name, but it represents the heart. And no one has a bigger heart than our Abbie.”

“What house do you think you’d be in?” Abbie asked.

“Horned Serpent,” Persephone replied. “You too, Sev.”

Severus humphed. “Well, I suppose that sounds most similar to Slytherin.”

“Actually, it’s more like Ravenclaw. There isn’t really an equivalent to Slytherin. But, yes, it is snakey.”

“Snakey,” Abbie repeated with a laugh. “Snapey and snakey?”

“Exactly!”

Severus shook his head in dismay. He knew it wouldn’t be long until the twins started talking - Ariadne had already managed a few words - and he’d no doubt be subjected to even more nonsense.

He sighed. “Well, Abbie, would you like to join us to watch a film tonight, or would you rather head straight to bed?”

Abbie rolled her eyes. “Oh, sure, because I came home a day early because I missed my bed.” She nudged him playfully. “I came because I missed you, you dolt. What are we watching?”

“We were trying to decide earlier but we couldn’t agree,” Persephone said, leading them into the sitting area.

“Oh, is this the DVD player Dad bought you?” Abbie asked curiously, recalling the letter she’d received a little over a week after her mother’s birthday.

“No, it’s the DVD player your sisters bought me,” Persephone corrected her.

“Oh, right, of course. They bought it. With their money.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, they don’t have money,” Severus sighed. “The shopkeeper simply gave it to them when he saw how cute they are.”

Abbie nodded, as if this were a completely sensible thing to happen. “Well, if you two can’t decide what to watch, I’ll choose something.” She looked through the handful of DVDs that were sitting on a shelf, while her parents settled back into their seats.

“Ha! Told you!” Persephone exclaimed victoriously when Abbie chose Se7en.

“And where am I supposed to sit?” Abbie asked when she turned back towards them and saw that Persephone was sat on the end of the sofa, her legs on Severus’ lap as he sat in the middle.

“With me, of course,” Severus said matter-of-factly. He gestured to the remaining seat next to him, and with a roll of her eyes Abbie sat, cuddling up to him before hitting play on the remote.

“Worth coming home early for?” Severus asked softly as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into an embrace.

Abbie smiled. “Definitely.”

[midnightshard06]

Oh ho I come to you all with a proper little propaganda type thing for the @au-sonic-smackdown . Wanted to write a little something including my boy from Bound by Fate and his opponent. Ended up with this. You guys should totally go vote for my guy, if you want to of course lol.

@wereh0gz Hope I did your boy justice! I always worry when I write other people's characters lol.

Summary: Sonic (Bound by Fate) wakes up in a weird place and eventually runs into someone who looks oddly familiar.

Word Count: 2143 words

Sonic blinked the grogginess away as he slowly got up. What happened? Last he remembered he was falling asleep with Knuckles somewhere nearby… He looked around in a panic. Where was Knuckles? In fact, where was he? Some sort of forest surrounded him but it just felt so… off. Something was deeply wrong and he had no idea what. This place just wasn’t natural. The more he tried to figure out what was going on with this place the more his skin crawled. He quickly tried to shake off the feeling. Wherever this was it was trying to seem normal but the facade was thin. Was this some sort of dream? It would be the most realistic he’d ever had, but it was certainly a possibility. Honestly he really didn’t like any alternatives he came up with.

Maybe he should look around; see if he could find a way out of this place. He rubbed his shoe across the fake grass and frowned deeply. Maybe it would be better to take things slow, as much as he didn’t like the idea. Though there was no telling what was out there and accidentally running into something headfirst wasn’t the most appealing idea at the moment. With a deep breath to ground himself he started to explore.

Yet another thing he noticed as he walked was the total lack of any typical nature noises. His ears laid flat against his head. Just another thing that was off about this place. After more aimless wandering his ears perked up at the sound of something else walking. While part of him was happy for some sort of noise in this place it also had him on edge. What was it? Well if it came down to it he could just run, not that he knew where to run. Though he was good at it and it had always worked out for him before. For now though he just decided to hide behind one of the many, evenly spaced he was just now noticing, trees even if he had no desire to actually touch one of them.

He had to do a double take as what was making the noise came into view. A rather scruffy looking hedgehog walked into the area where he’d been and stopped. They wore clothes which had certainly seen better days. Sonic couldn’t keep himself from staring. There was something about them that was so… familiar. Part of him sort of knew, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to acknowledge it. That was undoubtedly him. Well not exactly. Some version of him maybe? Whatever the case was, Sonic was convinced now. What had happened to him though? As he tried to make sense of what was happening the other Sonic turned to look towards where he was hiding. He looked so… tired. Carefully Sonic came out from his hiding space, which honestly hadn’t been all that good to begin with, and just stared at the other. He stared back. 

Well maybe he should strike up some sort of conversation? Honestly he still wasn’t sure that this wasn’t just a dream but at the very least it could be interesting to have a conversation with another version of himself. “Hey there!” Sonic let a familiar easy grin slip onto his face as he took a couple steps closer to the other him. Until he knew more about the other it was safer to keep some distance. Not that the little distance he did keep would do much if the other him could move as fast as he could. “Names Sonic but uh, I feel like maybe you already knew that?” The other him remained quiet for now, seemingly analyzing him. Honestly it felt sort of uncomfortable, almost like he was being picked apart. People rarely ever tried to analyze him like the other him was right now. Regardless he decided to push on, if he could just break the ice the tension should fade right?

“So uh, how’d you end up here? I for one just woke up here after falling asleep. Kinda weird right?” Sonic put his arms behind his head, trying to relax. “Like this place is weird, and now there’s two of us. What is this place anyway?” He looked around, feeling more nervous as the other him remained quiet. “Really off putting isn’t it? Or uh is that just me? Maybe it’s just me.” He shrugged. “Wonder how we get out of this place actually… if I’m actually missing and this isn’t a dream then Knuckles is gonna freak out when he realizes I’m not there…” He trailed off, suddenly thinking more about how the echidna was going to react than talking to the other him.

As Sonic was slightly lost in thought the other him started to approach. His body language was fairly relaxed and non threatening so Sonic stayed where he was. As the other him came within a couple feet of him he let his arms drop back to his sides. “You’re me huh?” The other finally spoke and Sonic nearly slumped in relief then and there. “A lot younger I take it.” The other hummed as he held out a hand.

Sonic smiled as he shook the offered hand. “Seems so.” As they both let their hands drop he realized the other thing that was said. “Wait what do you mean a lot younger?”

The other him chuckled. “Don’t worry about it kid.”

Sonic hummed. “You know we should by nicknames or something. The whole same name thing could get confusing.” He gestured between the two of them. “You can call me…” He tapped his chin in thought. “Fate! Yeah that works.”

The other him rose a brow in question. “Fate?”

“Yeah I’ve got this whole prophesied to save the world from Dark Gaia thing going on.” Fate shrugged. “So I think it’s fitting.”

“Dark Gaia huh?” The other him nodded. “I remember facing off against it.”

“Wait wait.” Fate waved his hands in front of him. “You’ve fought Dark Gaia?” He shook his head. “Ok first, tell me what I should call you then you totally have to tell me about that.”

As Fate watched the other him he couldn’t help but notice the sort of fond look on his face. Now Fate was really curious but he knew better than to go poking his nose into other people’s pasts like that. Finally the other him sighed. “I guess you can call me Old Man.”

Fate couldn’t contain his snort at that. “Old Man?” He eyed Old Man up and down. Well he certainly was older but old man seemed like a bit of a stretch.

“Well when you get to my age you certainly start feeling like it.” Old Man huffed playfully. “Time takes a toll even on super speedy blue hedgehogs like us.”

“Got it.” Fate hummed. He really wanted to ask how old the other hedgehog was but he seemed to remember reading somewhere that asking that could be considered rude. “Sooooo about fighting Dark Gaia?” He looked at Old Man eagerly.

The other hedgehog chuckled before sitting down and patting the spot next to him. “If we’re going to be telling stories then maybe we should get comfortable.” Fate shrugged and sat down next to Old Man, watching him with a small smile on his face. He listened intently as the other hedgehog regaled him with a story of traveling the world, a friend named Chip, and piecing a broken planet back together. Fate couldn’t help but notice how lively Old Man seemed the further he got into the story. His speech was getting fast and he stumbled over words sometimes but Fate found he didn’t mind it. His smile only grew larger the more animated the other hedgehog got. Finally Old Man was finished and the two sat there in comfortable silence. “So I’ve told you a story. How about you tell me one?” Old Man looked over at him, seemingly curious.

Fate tapped his chin for a moment in thought. Honestly the most exciting part of his life was still ongoing. Maybe he could tell the other hedgehog about fighting off those thugs with Tails’ help? Though honestly that didn’t seem really impressive compared to the story he’d just been told. Well maybe he could buy himself a little time to think of something interesting if he asked the other a question, because there was one major thing about Old Man’s story that he was confused about. “Ok but first I have a question.”

“Shoot.” Old Man nodded at him.

“Who’s Eggman?” Fate tilted his head. “The way you were talking about him seems like you’ve known him for a long time.”

Old Man blinked at him, clearly surprised. “You don’t know who Eggman is?”

“Noooope.” Fate drummed his fingers on his leg. “Should I?”

“Well.” Old Man looked away. “Different worlds I guess. It’s just surprising when he was such a constant in my life when I was young.”

“Well there’s this guy that calls himself Infinite that has been a bit of a persistent issue recently.” Fate shrugged. “And there’s those monsters I guess…”

“Wait wait.” Old Man held up a hand. “Infinite? Really?”

“Yeaaah?” Fate looked at him oddly. “Is that… surprising?”

Old Man shrugged. “Well if he’s anything like the one I fought…”

“You fought Infinite too?!” Fate looked at him in surprise. “How is it that everything that I’m doing you seem to have done already?” He crossed his arms.

“One of the few benefits of age I guess.” Old Man shrugged again, though Fate picked up on the slightly bitter tint of his words.

Fate watched him for a moment. “Wanna hear about the time me and Tails almost got arrested?”

Old Man let out a short bark of laughter. “Sure kid. Sounds interesting.”

Honestly Fate lost track of time as the two talked. Though mostly Fate listened as Old Man told him stories about past adventures. He was starting to be real happy that he’d never met this Eggman guy that was for sure, but the stories were interesting. There were moments where Old Man had to pause like he was trying to remember a particular detail which sometimes led to him skipping bits of a story but that was fine. Fate’s imagination was good enough to try and fill in the blanks. Whether whatever he came up with was correct he would never know.

At some point when Fate was telling the story of how he and Knuckles met he felt an odd tug that had him shutting his mouth quickly and his ears perking up. Old Man perked up as well and Fate would be willing to bet he felt the same thing. “I think that might be our que.” Old Man hummed. Ah right, they couldn’t stay here and exchange stories forever huh? They both had lives and friends to get back to. “It’s been nice chatting with you kid.” He held out his fist for a fist bump.

Fate grinned and happily returned the gesture. “Likewise. Good to know that other mes out there are still good people.” Old Man smiled and nodded. Then a thought suddenly struck Fate, one he felt with such certainty that even though he had no idea where it’d come from he knew it was true. “Neither of us are going to remember this huh?”

Old Man’s smile turned a little sad. “No, I don’t think we will.”

Fate nodded, a similar sad smile on his face. He stood up and held out a hand to help Old Man up. “Well even if I won’t remember this I’m glad it happened. Good luck with everything Sonic.” He let the sadness fade from his smile.

Old Man returned the expression. “Good luck to you too Sonic.” With that everything went white.

Sonic woke up groggily to the sound of Knuckles cleaning up camp. “About time you got up.” Knuckles was glaring at him. “I couldn’t get you up so I had to pick up everything by myself.” He crossed his arms.

As he got up, Sonic stretched. Why did he feel like he was missing something? He checked his bags for the emerald, still there. Pendant around his neck? Check. Huh. Sonic let a lazy smile grace his face to hopefully hide his confusion. “It’s not like there’s much to pick up in the first place Knux.” The echidna simply huffed and walked away. Sonic glanced back down at where he’d been sleeping. Did he have some sort of dream he actually forgot? Whatever it was he had a distinct feeling that it had been a good thing. He was pulled from trying to figure it out when Knuckles yelled for him to get a move on. Maybe he’d remember whatever it was someday.

[howdy-cowpoke]

TIMING: Mid-July LOCATION: The Bizarre PARTIES: Monty (@howdy-cowpoke) & Inge (@nightmaretist) SUMMARY: Monty & Inge meet each other at the Bizarre, finding kinship in their struggles with hunters and bonding over a little murder. CONTENT WARNINGS: Zombie-flavor gore lol

—

There were probably much safer places to do this, but there was nowhere more convenient. Anyway, it wasn’t like he’d come alone — he had Daisy, Dallas, and Denver with him, there more or less as support in case the harvesters on the other side of the market decided to cause trouble. Again, possibly. Monty still wasn’t sure if they’d been the ones to send the strangers that had slaughtered a portion of his livestock, but he might as well assume they had and prepare for the worst. 

The reason for their visit to the market was business: they needed to hire more hands to help protect the farm, as Emilio had suggested. For all his shitty opinions, that hadn’t been one of them. They needed more people, and more that knew how to handle themselves in a scrape. So the four set up a temporary booth in the market after finding out where the new entrance was, plopping their folding card table and chairs in a vacant spot. There was nothing flashy about the production, mostly just a “Help Wanted” sign and Daisy working her charm on passersby. Monty sat at the table to speak with the ones she was able to draw in, and Dallas and Denver stood behind him, arms folded across their broad chests, looking every bit the bodyguards they were meant to be. 

One such interested party, stopped by Daisy for looking like a capable young man who was down on his luck, was corralled toward the table with promises of a place to sleep and free, ethical meals. There was more vetting to be done, of course, and Monty couldn’t afford to let his desire to help anyone that needed it get in the way of his goal. It was clear to him that there was a lack of community between different supernatural species, seeing as how shifters and fae had helped attack the farm. At least of the ones they had killed. So it would continue to be an undead-only venture, and while zombies were preferred, Monty wouldn’t turn away an undead that felt kinship to them. There would be follow-up training sessions that would weed out the liars, of course. This had never been their way before, but someone had made such caution necessary. 

Smiling up at the young man as he walked with Daisy up to the table, Monty held out a hand to him. The palm that slid into his was warm, too warm for an undead, and his grip tightened as he regarded the young man carefully. 

“You are not dead,” the cowboy stated bluntly. The man looked around at them anxiously, his gaze lingering on the brothers that stood like pillars behind Monty. 

“What… what d’you mean?” He laughed nervously. Monty sighed, lacking his usual patience. 

“You are not dead,” he repeated. “We are only hiring undead, I’m afraid. I wish you luck.” The smile on the stranger’s face fell slowly into a frown, and he shoved his hands in his pockets. 

“Fine, whatever, man,” he huffed before stalking away. Daisy gave Monty a shrug, who lifted his hat to run a hand through his hair.

“I would suggest trying to touch them before you decide to bring them over,” he offered curtly, which earned him a hard stare from the woman. He quickly relented, dipping his head. “Sorry, Dais. I am just…” 

“I know, sugar,” she said softly, giving him a sad smile. “It’s alright.” 

Monty felt a hand on his shoulder, much heavier than Daisy’s own, and glanced back to see Dallas reaching out to him. He laughed gently, patting the man’s hand before adjusting himself in his seat, then giving up and getting to his feet. “Take my spot, eh, Denver? I need to… stretch my legs.” The other man nodded, sitting down in the chair that was too small for him, expression stony. Monty couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen him or his brother smile. Times were… hard. Dallas followed Monty away from the stall after a quick exchange with Daisy, refusing to let him wander around by himself even when the older zombie insisted. So the pair began their walk, Monty making sure they stayed well away from the meat market section of the bazaar. 

—

If a place could be a muse (in the artist sense, not the fae one — Inge didn’t know very much about those types), then Wicked’s Rest was one that could never be depleted. It showed her time and time again that there was still room within her to feel horror. And it was through that horror that her art improved, that her nightmares were more vivid and rewarding than they had been in a while, that she felt like the muse – again, not the fae kind – was blossoming.

But it was a double edged sword. For all the inspiration she gained, she also gained paranoia. Suffering made great art, she knew that. She knew that for all the stress she experienced she’d come out an even more accomplished artist, that soon she’d have a breakthrough again and create something that would be a culmination of the past three years in this town. One day she’d look back on her time in this town and stroke the scar on her stomach and not think of factories, classrooms or bunker basements, but in stead of the sculpture or installation she’d made.

So she had to keep at it. Despite the paranoia. Despite Cortez’ promise to chop her up. Despite Dīs being gone. And so that was why she was here, at the supernatural night market. She wanted something to protect her home, the apartment she’d grown so fond of over the past three years. A corner of Wicked’s Rest she wanted to feel as safe in as she did in the astral. Coincidentally, she knew of the place because of the astral — one of the mares she’d encountered over the years was employed there. Inge found it preposterous, using ones astral hopping skills for employment. Still, it was nice to have a connection to the Bizarre. 

She was interested in getting some kind of artifact that could safeguard her home, but it was slim pickings. She knew something like it had to exist – she’d heard of it before, had encountered something of the sort at another similar market (but she’d been too cocky to get it, then) – and yet. Nothing. No slayer repellent. 

Besides, it was hard to not get distracted by all the things on offer. She’d always had a materialistic streak, even if she also tended to be a little stingy. Her eyes were glued on a strange looking medallion she was resisting to ask about when she crashed into a pair of other patrons. It was an act of clumsiness she didn’t think befit her, but her shame would never reach her cheeks as the blood in her veins was stagnant. “Oh,” she said, “Sorry.” Her gaze traveled to the necklace for another second and something within her yearned, but she looked back to the people she’d crashed into. The man hadn’t given off any bodily heat. “What’s up ahead that way?”

—

Monty was taking this time to admire the Bizarre for what it was: a helpful resource, one he'd not fully appreciated the last time he'd been here, distracted and afraid as he'd felt then. There was no fear now, just anger. Indignant and burning, righteous in morality but what should have felt repugnant in how it made him crave revenge. It didn't, though. The desire to crack open the skull of that stupid man that owned the organ stall, to curl his fingers around that brain and rip it free from its stem felt good, and that on its own was alarming. Monty had not felt such things in many, many decades, and he dared not speak them aloud. He wondered if any of his friends could tell… if the reason Dallas had accompanied him was not to protect him from harm, but to stop him from dishing it out. 

It wasn't impossible, he supposed. Even Daisy had been extra gentle with him, quickly forgiving his harsher words that he truly didn't mean to let slip. She seemed worried. They all did, but he had of course assumed it was about the attack, not about him. 

But the way Dallas was looking at him now, distracted enough to barrel right into a woman admiring a pendant, Monty couldn't help but wonder. Dallas barely reacted to the collision, only stepping back to give the woman space and raising a hand in silent apology. Monty quickly stepped in, concern lacing his soft features as a hand found a brief but telling home on her arm. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder as he considered her question. He… hadn't been paying attention for a few hundred yards, lost in his thoughts as he'd dissected the nature of Dallas’ gaze as it kept stealing glances his way. “Ah! I am… not sure, besides our own booth. We were busy… talking.” They hadn't spoken a word. He removed his hand politely, giving her a smile. “What's that?” he asked, eyeing the same pendant she'd been mesmerized by. 

—

How ironic, to be using such polite words in a place like this. A sorry, an are you okay — as if they weren’t scurrying around in a bazaar that moved from place to place via the astral. A bazaar that was filled to the brim with unethically sourced goods and magic goods Inge didn’t even fully comprehend. It amused her, the way he was so gallant, almost. Maybe it had something to do with his age — considering his body temperature, there was a chance he was older than he looked.

“Oh – yes,” she said, waving away his concern. Any question of whether she was okay or not had been met with that same answer for decades, and this time it wasn’t a lie. Maybe a few months ago it would have made pain echo through her body, but she was walking with more ease now. “I can handle a little bump.” 

She raised a brow at the revelation that the other had his own booth. “Hm, what is it you have on offer?,” she asked, letting her gaze flick from the talkative stranger to the silent one. Inge might have prodded and poked the quieter person if she’d been in one of her more upbeat moods, but she had come here with a mission. “And I understand — talking does tend to take away quite a bit of my attention on good days.” 

She moved a little closer to the pendant now, lifting a shoulder, “I’m not entirely sure. It looks beautiful, though … not very subtle, but sometimes an outfit needs a statement piece.” Knowing her luck, it was probably cursed. Inge resisted the urge to reach for it — she could step by and barter on another day. “Not sure if it is what I’m looking for. Do you know anything …” A wave of unease passed through her. To seek for protection was to admit that protection was needed, which was to make others know you thought yourself a target. She didn’t much like it. “Ah, about where to find some form of security?”

—

“Work,” Monty responded simply. She was undead, yes, which (perhaps foolishly) instilled him with more trust, but even so, he did not want to reveal too much. That is, not until her attention turned back to the pendant and she revealed what it was she was looking for, then asked if he had any suggestions. He gave her a sad smile, feeling an immediate kinship as a fellow undead looking to protect themself from those that wished them harm. 

“I am sorry you feel the need for it,” he started. “And I am looking for the same thing, actually, though… not in the form of trinkets.” His gaze fell on the pendant again and he shook his head. “This is the work I am hiring undead for. I have a farm, and we were recently attacked.” Beside him, Dallas seemed to bristle angrily at the memory. Monty put a hand on his arm, taking a beat to allow the feeling to pass before continuing. “It was because of our nature that this happened. We are, all of us, undead. The farm is a way for us to have access to food that helps keep us sustained without threatening the safety of innocent people. Someone here,” he gestured vaguely at the entirety of the Bizarre, though his gaze settled in the direction he knew the organ harvesters to be, “does not like that. They want us to be put out of business. They killed a great deal of our livestock. So I am hiring again, to better protect us and our animals.” 

Perhaps he was being too honest. Perhaps he should have said less, but… something about the woman made him want to trust her. Anyway, he had to be honest with the people he vetted for hire, so what was the difference? It did not matter if she could not or would not work at the farm (she did not seem the type, anyway… nor did she seem desperate for a job), because she was undead and she too was seeking safety. “So unfortunately, no, I am afraid I do not have any helpful advice for you, in the matters of protection.” Holding out a hand for an official introduction, he tried to put on a warmer smile. “My name is Monty. This is Dallas. It’s nice to meet you…?”

—

The zombie prattled on, revealing that he was a farmer (this much Inge could have guessed from his appearance, looking back on it) and that he farmed … well, whatever it was he and his kin needed. So zombies or vampires, then. She found the entire concept somewhat endearing, even if she had long ago moved away from the world of farms.

“Hm,” she said, “I am sorry, too. In your case as well. It’s good, though, I always find — to meet more of our kind. For a bit of solidarity, no?” Exchanging hunter’s names and faces, or having a place to turn to when she was ran through with a sword. It wasn’t a luxury to have a network of undead: it was a need. “I would like it very much if a trinket was enough to protect me, but I think that’s just wishful thinking.” Maybe there were spells or charms that could keep a slayer from detecting her — but that was no longer the issue. Slayers had detected her. A fucking necromancer too, on top of it. “It sounds nice, though. Your farm. I’m not much of a muscle for hire, though, and animals dislike me, but maybe if you stumble upon something useful you can let me know? And vice versa?” Her nose crinkled. “Sorry people are giving you trouble for being self sustaining.”

She took his hand without hesitation, glad to hold a hand that was similar in temperature to her own. This place brought risks, after all, so it was nice to be around someone she didn’t have to suspect too much. “I’m Inge. It’s nice to meet you too.” 

—

“Sí, solidarity is a good thing to be having,” Monty agreed. The reveal that animals were not fond of her immediately drew his mind to Ariadne, and he smiled fondly. “Of course I can do this.” They shook hands, and he decided to just ask. “Are you a mare, Inge? What you said about animals… I know a girl with a similar ‘problem’, as she would put it. I do not know much of the details of her kind, but I cannot say that there is not a part of me that envies the less, ah… deadly form of feeding.” 

Dallas shifted his weight awkwardly from foot to foot, prompting Monty to give him a soft, understanding smile. The two exchanged a wordless glance, Monty nodded in the direction of the way they’d come, and Dallas seemed to relax slightly. “Ma’am,” he grunted abruptly before turning and heading back to the stall. Monty watched him go for a moment before turning back to Inge. 

“He is… wary of strangers. I think we all are right now, but the twins are especially, ah, uncomfortable.” His gaze slid back over to the pendant Inge had been looking at, and his brow furrowed. “... can I ask what it is you are looking for protection from?” A knowing look came over him then. “Or is it as simple as I think it might be…” Meaning slayers, of course. What else?

—

“It very much is,” she said, nodding. It was why she continued to gravitate towards the more undead places in town, where she felt at her safest. Inge considered Monty for a moment, before nodded. “Yes, a mare.” She wondered if she knew this girl — there weren’t as many mares around as there were vampires and zombies, and even less that would qualify that description. “It is a bit of a nuisance, but I wouldn’t call it a problem.” She smiled a little, swallowing a comment that she did think her kind had the most refined and interesting diet. “Well, I envy your ability to heal up quick. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side one way or another, hm?”

She gave the gruff cowboy a nod as he departed, amused by the way he carried himself. Though Inge tried to surround herself with fellow undead and long-lived people, it was never the way this seemed to be. A community, living together and sharing their diet. It really did seem nice. It reminded her a bit of the places in New York she’d visit, though those had been more hedonistic than … agrarian.

“I get it,” she said, though she wasn’t that wary of Monty at present. She gave fellow undead the benefit of the doubt. She started to walk, moving away from the pendant and keeping her gaze focused on all else. Inge nodded with a noise of amusement, “Sadly, it is just that simple. Some slayers know my face and name. It’s unfortunate.” Well, that and whatever other enemies she was making. The necromancer, the lamia … probably one of her colleagues, though she doubted they’d wield any weapons besides sharp words. “But it feels … I don’t know, like a trap to admit I need something like a penchant or a spell to feel safe. Maybe I’m careful around strangers too, now.”

—

“Ah… I am sorry to hear that.” Genuine concern laced Monty’s voice as they walked. “... I know how you feel, though. I think, anyway. Like you should not need the extra help, but you find yourself… frightened without it. Worried, at the very least.” He didn’t want to put any words into her mouth, but figured it was probably clear that he was mostly talking about himself at that point. He could pretend that he was missing out on a carefree life he’d once had, but that had never been the case, had it? As a child, he was wary of his brothers. As a teenager, he was wary of the strangers that offered him odd jobs for terrible pay. As a young adult, he was wary of his fellow ranch hands, and then of the people that kidnapped him and folded them into their band of killers and thieves. Even around them, though it was arguably the better half of his life, he sometimes felt wary. There were things about him that they did not know, that they could not know—not least of all because Monty had not understood them himself. He was still something of an outsider with that gang, only ever feeling truly at ease when he was around Hector. He knew his mentor would always look out for him, always protect him. Until he hadn’t, anyway. 

So there was no life that Monty was longing for, not really. He’d always been afraid, even when he seemed angry or brave. And at the farm, he’d still been wary. Not of the new family he had found, but of those that would threaten them. Men and women like Emilio and Jade, people like the ones that had killed their animals. He could not escape the fear, and he could not escape the feeling of entrapment.

So yes, he understood her quite well.

They continued to chat and walk, Monty finding comfort in the woman’s presence, in the way she carried herself so surely. But from the shadows, someone else was watching. Someone who could sense them both, and didn’t much like their continued existence. This stranger tailed them at a significant distance, keeping busy as they talked and eventually stopped by the booth the zombies had come here to run, before Monty became distracted. Daisy was fine with it, though, agreeing that he needed the distractions. She introduced herself and Denver to Inge before informing Monty that they’d managed to pick out four or five new hands, and would be conducting second interviews on the farm the following day. For now, it was time for them to head home. 

Monty looked to Inge, giving a gentle shrug. “Ah, well. I am sorry we did not find what you were looking for, Inge. But, if your night remains free… would you care to get a drink somewhere back in town?” He was just enjoying their conversation, really, and hoped that she felt the same. 

The figure in the shadows prepared to follow them.

—

It was easy to forget that while this was a town full of hunters, it was also a town full of undead. There were no population statistics in regards to species, but Inge was suddenly reminded of this fact and her own conviction that the amount of undead surely had to outweigh that of hunters in Wicked’s Rest — what with them being harder to kill. Being around Monty, who had created such a vast and steady network of undead, made her feel a level of not only security but something like hope. And though she would never want to live on a farm-based commune (the smell of manure reminded her too much of her mortal life), she liked the idea of a coven of sorts. Perhaps she should reconnect with some of her fellow artistic undead.

Still, she’d remember Denver and Daisy’s names and faces, made a mental note of the farm’s name and to look it up once she got home. It was good to know what places were safe in town. Or, at least — she hoped the farm would be safe, now that they were gathering more people to help defend it.

Inge waved away Monty’s shrug, “That’s alright, I was not expecting to find a golden solution here anyway,” she said, even if part of her was greatly disappointed. She wanted nothing more than to stumble into the perfect fix to her issues, though the trouble with that was that the common factor in all her issue was, well, her own arrogance and indulgence. She felt no need to fix those things, though. “But yes, I’d very much like that — it’s been sweet getting to know you.” 

It was good then, that the Bizarre was located near downtown this night. As they stepped into the dark of the regular world, Inge’s eyes gained their red hue. “What bar do you like? I’m personally fond of Dance Macabre, have you been?” Maybe Monty did like eating fingers, unlike the other zombie she’d met there. “Though I didn’t drive, and I suppose it’s quite a walk …” Too bad zombies couldn’t astral project like her. They really did fall short in that regard.

She stopped to consider her surroundings, head turning to see a shape inching closer to them. At least they both fell short in this regard — neither zombies nor mares had excellent hearing. Inge took a step back, pulling Monty along with her as she stared at the stranger and the axe in his hand. For a moment the air seemed to stand still, the world frozen in time before the axe was swung back and the stranger was rushing over, seeming to jump into action rather than discussion, wasting no words — just swinging that fucking axe at the two of them without thought. Inge yelped and ducked, cursing the world and all its inhabitants as she did.

—

“Ah, I do not think I’ve ever been!” Of course he hadn’t. Monty didn’t make a habit of frequenting bars in town, much less ones that were anything other than dark and quiet. And one with ‘dance’ in the name sounded anything but. He was considering the walk, about to suggest they call a cab, when Inge was reacting suddenly to something he couldn’t see behind him. She pulled him away from it, a look of fear flashing in her eyes. Confused, Monty turned to see a stranger rushing at them with an axe held high. Seriously? 

The zombie heard Inge exclaim behind him and heard the scrape of her shoes on the pavement indicating that she’d made some move to get away—good. He stood firm, sizing up their opponent and choosing to believe that they could not remove his head with a single swing. Especially not from the angle they were coming in at—the axe collided with Monty’s chest, skimming over the dense material of his work jacket before finding the more pliable fabric of his t-shirt and burying itself at an awkward angle in his sternum. The sound he made was not one of pain, but one of anger. He did not like dealing with hunters, not least of all because of the guilt that was now associated with it, given Kaden. 

Before Jade, he might have tried to run. He might have stooped down to pull Inge to her feet and dragged her to safety, leaving the hunter to chase them until he grew tired or no longer felt safe murdering someone in public. But this was post-Jade. Something in him had shifted, and his gentler tendencies were falling to the wayside, piece by piece. “Try again,” he hissed, a ringing starting up in his ears. An imagined one, probably—the same he’d always heard over the din of blood rushing past them when he’d been alive, when the adrenaline kicked in and he had to kill whoever was on the other end of his knife or six-shooter. Kill or be killed, that’s what this was. He couldn’t leave room for guilt. Kaden wouldn’t blame him. 

He didn’t carry weapons with him off of the farm, so his hands quickly found the axe’s handle and the wrist of the hunter. “You should leave,” he warned Inge with a glance over his shoulder, not wanting her to get more caught up than she already was in this—if one piece of him still remained, it was his determination to protect others. “I’ve got—” He was interrupted by a knife to his throat, held by the hunter’s hand he hadn’t managed to snag. The zombie let out a harsh, barking laugh, inwardly horrified at his own reaction. “What are you going to do, pendejo? Saw off my head with that?”

—

The scene unfolded quickly and Inge was glad to have ducked and moved away from the axe’s glinting head. Though the slayer didn’t know it, it really was better for it to find Monty’s body than her own — as he would be able to recover easily, whereas an axe to her chest would surely incapacitate her worse and longer. If anyone was going to catch the blows, let it be the one with regenerative and fast healing. Not her. It was a survivalist way of thinking, a selfish one: but she hardly knew the zombie anyway, and he was giving her an out on top of it. 

Inge considered taking it with both hands, fleeing into the astral and not looking back. It would be simple. It wouldn’t be unprecedented. Her mind flashed to Sanne’s head toppling off her neck for a moment before she burst into dust. If she had ran then, why not now? Monty sounded so very sure of his declaration, too, and Inge was already in the astral, looking down. For a moment she was taken with the selflessness of the zombie, if not confused by it.

The knife cut off his words, though, and while Monty seemed confident enough, she knew all about bravado. There was one more moment of hesitation, her escape route waiting for her but in the end, Inge decided to go for a quick dive. Reappearing on the earthly plane a few inches above their assailant, she jerked at the wrist holding a knife, pulling it back hard as she fell onto the ground. It was the element of surprise and probably not her technique that made the slayer drop the knife. “Fuck you.”

She skittered back just like the weapon, crouched and almost animalistic as her eyes found Monty’s, wondering what he’d want to do next. Her track record for killing hunters had recently taken a dive and had never been very impressive. 

—

She was gone, or at least deathly silent behind him. He hoped she was gone, hoped she was safe. Even as he stared down this hunter, knife to his throat and blade buried in his chest, he was glad. It wouldn’t be long before he’d lose himself, not at the rate this slayer was going. Once he got the ax out, his eyes would start to glaze over. Once the slices to Monty’s neck the hunter was able to get in started to heal faster than he could make them, the zombie would start to forget. He knew this, the slayer knew this, and yet he persisted. Maybe he had hope that he could cut faster than Monty could heal. It was a stupid hope. One that would cost him his life. 

There was a sudden commotion, and Monty was shocked to see Inge reappear and wrench the knife away from his throat. The slayer stumbled back, startled, looking between the two of them. Monty’s gaze met Inge’s and he gave her a grave nod, acknowledging that she’d just spared him a lot of unpleasant mangling, and more importantly, he might be able to maintain his faculties now. He gripped the handle of the ax with both hands and ripped it free, stifling the shout that wanted to press past his clenched teeth. This needed to be quiet. They’d made too much noise already. If he was going to take care of this threat and then the following problem that would come from the gaping wound in his chest, he needed time. Silence would afford them more. 

So he only grimaced, spinning the weapon in his hands and aiming the sharpened blade in the hunter’s direction. The man’s eyes grew wide, and he dove for the knife he’d dropped. 

Only two weapons? Even Emilio would be disappointed by this lack of preparation.

Monty quickly followed, raising the ax over his head as the slayer snatched up the knife and spun around. He didn’t have time to react; no time to duck out of the way or deflect with an arm, and the ax buried itself deep into the base of the man’s throat, where it met his shoulder. The blood poured from the grievous wound like a brilliant waterfall, but Monty’s focus was elsewhere. He clamped a hand over the slayer’s mouth to muffle his cries and shoved him back into the alleyway to their left. The other hand grabbed a fistful of the human’s hair, using that as leverage to bash his head against the brick wall the moment it was within range. 

The man stilled in his grip, but still Monty thwacked his skull against stone, grunting from the effort but otherwise keeping himself perfectly calm and composed. Quite a feat with the way his hunger was escalating, but there was determination in his dark gaze. Bone crunched beneath his hands, red soaked his hands and sleeves and front, and finally, his prize was revealed. The zombie let the body slump to the ground, knelt down beside it, and dug out what he coveted most. It came free in pieces, the smaller of which were immediately lifted to ravenous, gnashing teeth, and the storm inside of him slowly started to calm. 

He removed his jacket, set the rest of the brain matter inside of it, and rolled it up before tucking it beneath his arm. His attention finally fell back onto Inge, who he was surprised to see still there, still watching. He appreciated her for at least acting as a lookout, even if that hadn’t been her intention. 

In a voice that was not fully his own, coming in at a lower, harsher register than normal, Monty spoke. “Maybe we should save the bar for another time.”

—

There was no saying why the slayer had sought them out, but paranoia told Inge it was because of her. She’d been making a mess in town, feeding left and right, repeatedly on the same people. She also wasn’t just a reclusive artist, but a professor at an Maybe it was just a coincidence, the risk that came with venturing into a place like the Bizarre and leaving with another undead — but that didn’t make it any less discomforting. There being various ways for a hunter to have gotten on their trail was more worrying, actually.

She watched with a look of distress how Monty wielded his zombie ferality against the slayer, blood spraying around them like colorful fountains. Her distress was not with the violence, though that certainly did stir something within her — but with the ease the slayer had found the both. 

It was righteous that Monty cracked its skull and picked bits of brainy gore from the corpse. It was just. Inge watched still, though her distress was ebbing and being replaced by something more dull. Defeat, maybe. Though she admired the other’s ruthlessness and determination to pry the brain from its former container, to benefit from this failed attack — she knew she was not capable of such a feat. Superhuman strength was a gift passed over mares. 

All there was, was fleeing and hiding. Sometimes, there was surprising, like there had been today, but even then it was the zombie who had delivered the fatal blow. Inge felt a fondness for the other, even when stained with brain matter. “Hm?” She looked at him funnily, as if she didn’t understand why they couldn’t go to a bar now. “Maybe so, yes. Though … that was a nice display of strength.” Inge kicked the brainless body. “Good riddance.” She said it with pure conviction. If slayers wanted to indiscriminately kill her and her kind, she wouldn’t shed any feelings of guilt about their own early deaths.

“Rain check, then. I’ll need to buy you a drink sometime soon.” As a thank-you, but also as an introduction into an allyship, if not friendship. She looked the other over, gave a nod. “I’ll reach out. Get home safe, now.” And with that, Inge ventured into the astral, giving into that ever-present instinct to flee.

[exouniverse]

Serendipity

Pairing: jimin x gn reader

Genre: fluff, birthday fic

Warnings: none

Summary: A blind date on his birthday—at first glance an unusual choice for a global star like Jimin. But deep within, a tugging intuition he couldn’t deny stirred, as though destiny had plans beyond reason’s grasp.

Word count: 4.9K+

A/N: This one got a little out of my hands with the words lol. My initial idea was to make the birthday fics of about 1K but the premise of this fic needed these many words, otherwise it would have been too basic. Also, I struggled at the beginning with making this one a non-idol au or not, but I went with this and that also made the story what it is now. I just couldn’t gift this to a non-idol au Jimin lol. Happy birthday, Jimin!

Listen to Serendipity, It’s All Love, Honey, and Let Me Know for a better experience.

MASTERLIST | MOODBOARD

The numbers on your watch changed as soon as you entered through the door of the café, showing 6:39 p.m. You almost didn't make it, and you were now torn between indifference and feeling embarrassed for almost ditching your date. Frankly, you've grown weary of your relatives and friends arranging so many unwanted dates for you. You weren't sure anymore, but if you do happen to want to date someone at the moment, you would prefer it to unfold more organically rather than on a blind date.

As late as it was, you still stopped to scan through the customers for a face that could give you any hint of an average desperate weirdo, in case it felt safer to just run away. Not many people seemed to frequent the shop, so you briefly checked your cousin Jon's message that indicated the specific café section where your date would be waiting. The place exuded an air of elegance and seclusion with such minimalistic style, as if designed for the elite, maybe a reason why it looked quite empty. However, it was the fact that your meeting spot was tucked away in the back that heightened your anxiety.

You relied on your trust in your cousin—even when he knew nothing else but teasing you all the time since you could remember. After all, you knew him to have a thoughtful soul beneath all of his façade. He is the only one who understands your frustration with blind dates and how bad they have been for you in the past. On the sole occasion he happened to arrange a blind date for you before, he did it just to humor your family with what they required from you so persistently.

Your date's name sounded nice, at least. You decided to count on that first impression to convince yourself to make your way towards him after you confirmed the exact place where he awaited your arrival. As you reached him, you noticed he was busy with his phone. Seizing the opportunity, you took a moment to observe him. But just as your footsteps neared, he glanced up, catching you off guard. At last, you had the chance to take in his face, and a little spark ignited right inside your heart. His eyes were like the sweetest honey, yet deep and playful.

Your knees turned to jelly when he stood up and bowed, showing you that smile that could probably light up the darkest corner of the universe. His eyes continued to make your heart sprint as they formed two crescent moons over his reddened cheeks.

"Hi, Y/N-ssi?" he spoke up, and the echo of his voice found a place in your mind. You didn't leave, so he continued after he wiped away the little bit of sweat forming on his hands, "I'm Park Jimin; it's nice to meet you!"

You took your seat in silence, barely even conscious that you were doing it. How could it be the Park Jimin from BTS? Was there a possibility that it was his impersonator? No way—his voice, his eyes, his lips, his hands... it was undeniably him.

"I promise to make this date fun; you can trust me?"

You nodded.

"So, first blind date?" he asked, but you were still not even opening your mouth. "First-timer here..." he tried to start up any conversation. "Sorry, I probably am not what you expected."

"No, yes, no, sorry," you blurted out. "I am so sorry."

You had to at least take a sip of water, and thank goodness you already had one served in front of you. How could Jon not say specifically which Park Jimin was the blind date with? His name is so common that it never crossed your mind. It was a friend of a friend of your cousin, not this Park Jimin. Your clown of a cousin had never been this cool to think he could have met Park Jimin or even know someone who knows him.

Your cousin has made a name for himself as DJ Young, and he surely knows a lot of people, but you couldn't fathom the fact that one of those people could be the person you are seeing smiling at you from across the table.

"You're really my cousin's friend's friend?"

"Yeah, I am, I met—"

"This is... crazy... I guess now I get why no one showed me a picture of you." A giggle escaped you after all the calmness you managed to gather.

He was nervous too. It must have been scary to agree and even come to a date without even having seen the likeness of the person you were having the date with, so he empathized, "I'm sorry if that caused you to put your guard up. I guess that explains why it seemed that you were not going to make it."

"No, I'm sorry! Well, to be honest, I'm not a first-timer. Blind dates are just too weird and exhausting most of the time. The people around me push me too much into them because I... sorry, I get to overshare when I'm nervous."

"Oh, you're nervous?" he wondered and raised his eyebrow.

"Yeah, you're a little intimidating—not that I am uncomfortable, just really nervous..." you took a deep breath before you continued, "I really don't know what to say and I'm totally messing this up."

"No, you're not. It's cute." The last two words were almost a whisper, but you did hear them. You chugged the water in your glass, only making him chuckle.

"Let's start again; do you agree?" he suggested. Something about you made him feel at ease.

"Yes, that'd be great!"

He smiled again and waved at you. "Hi, I'm Jimin!"

"Hi, I'm Y/N!" Another nervous giggle escaped you, but at least this one was more controlled and really just due to the silliness of the repeated introduction. Surprisingly, he joined in on the laughter.

You got lucky that the waiter only came after the initial awkwardness had subsided, so you calmly made your order. It was surprising the vast options that the menu offered, but you did manage to decide quickly as your favorite dessert was displayed as a specialty.

A little chitchat between the two of you began soon after the waiter left to get your order. All about the same standard of weather talk. It was only when the drinks and desserts arrived that the conversation started to deviate from the predictable and become more engaging.

"Oh, that's a cute bear on your coffee; is it chocolate?" Jimin asked.

"I don't want to kill it, but it must be tasted," you joked as you felt more comfortable, making him chuckle. As you bit into the soft bear candy, a chocolatey coffee flavor filled your mouth. It had a dash of fruity flavor you couldn't recognize, but it was delicious.

Jimin looked expectantly, which brought a smile to your face. "Would you like the rest?" you offered.

He stopped to think and shook his head, but you still put the last piece of the candy bear on his plate. He smiled at you and hesitantly grabbed the little candy bear’s paws and tasted it. His eyes widened, and he chewed faster. "That was good; was that raspberry? It reminds me of the chocolate we had last year when we went on this trip with your cousin," he reminisced.

This fact sparked curiosity within your thoughts, "come to think of it, how did you end up meeting my cousin?"

"Oh, I’ve known him for about four years now? But the trip was a year ago, around my birthday, when he helped produce one of my songs."

You didn't even taste your drink for how shocking it was to hear something so different from what you know, "wasn't he backpacking through Europe?"

"No? He didn’t tell you?" Jimin got a tiny bit tense. He wouldn't want to cause any issues between you and your cousin just because of NDAs regarding his projects.

Your merry-go-round mind was too fast over this new information, but it stopped when a tiny detail suddenly filled your thoughts: "around my birthday." You gathered up your index of facts about Park Jimin and checked the date on your phone.

"Jimin-ssi, our date, today... it is your birthday, isn't it?"

The gleam in his eyes revealed how caught off guard and surprised he was, and the blush on his cheeks just added to his charm as his nervous chuckle resonated in your ears, leaving you smitten.

"You... yeah, it is. How did you realize?"

"Oh, it was hard to discover it, but I managed," you teased, "but I'm curious... why are you having a blind date with me on your birthday, of all days... of all people?"

"I have to admit, I'm surprised you realized that about me so quickly. Even knowing you're a fan... it's really reassuring to know someone cares enough to remember all those little details," he expressed, appreciating your attentiveness.

He paused and shifted in his seat to get more comfortable. The fondness in his eyes didn't escape you, but it only made you more eager to know what he hid behind his decision.

"To answer your question... and it has to do with your cousin, so I hope he doesn't kill me when I reveal to you all of his secrets," he laughed nervously.

You giggled and took a bite of your dessert to settle for the story that Jimin was about to tell you.

"Uh... well, over the past years, we have always talked about collaborating since he wanted to start producing. Last year, we did," he recounted.

"I had a set of demos we were looking through, and there was one song I really liked but couldn't quite figure out. He looked through the lyrics and told me they reminded him of you. He is a real good talker, so I kinda know a lot about you too," he joked, lightening the mood with a playful tone.

He got you to laugh so easily, prompting you to ask, "so you're my fan too?"

"Nice one!" he laughed along with you.

He grabbed a bite of his dessert before he continued his story, "you know, I remember you calling him once when we were in the studio. I didn't overhear, I swear. However, he really wanted to produce that song after your call."

"What was the song about? If you can share..."

Jimin was hesitant. He remembered the song not being cheery when it came to lyrics. You could feel his indecision, and now you weren't sure if it was okay to ask.

"I could, um, share. It's just... the lyrics weren't... happy?" he revealed. "Your cousin, however, switched it up with some arrangements and made it quite upbeat, more empowering if that makes sense."

You smiled, knowing in your heart that you had healed tremendously after so long. "I see, Jon needs some explanation to do though," you both chuckled.

Now, your curiosity was piqued by another detail, and you couldn't help but ask, "so how, why did you accept—"

"The date?" He smiled and paused.

"It was a few months ago... your cousin mentioned setting us up very casually, almost like joking even, and I surprisingly accepted. I don't really have an explanation as to why I did... something about it just felt... right. I was intrigued by you because of that song and the little bit your cousin mentioned about you. That might give you a better idea. Coincidentally, my birthday was the only day I could spare some time, and my friends were not all going to be around, so we planned on celebrating later. That's why..." he trailed off, offering an explanation for his decision.

He finally understood the magnetic pull that drove him to accept a blind date with you. He thought it was his intuition whispering "why not?" The idea of meeting this mysterious person appealed to his adventurous spirit. However, as he looked at you now, he saw the answer in your face. Your eyes radiated wonder, empathy, and strength. You appeared to be the epitome of honesty and genuineness, surpassing any expectations he had formed in his hopeful imagination. He couldn't help but feel a tinge of guilt for having the advantage of knowing about you beforehand, having seen your picture when all you had was his name and your trust in your cousin.

"That's more than enough reason for me. I'm flattered you accepted," you smiled warmly. Jimin couldn't help but notice the subtle shyness in your expression, which you attempted to conceal behind your drink.

He was about to say something, but you completely derailed his train of thought with your subsequent suggestion, causing him to forget what he was about to say.

"Let's celebrate your birthday!" you exclaimed, your enthusiasm infectious. "I understand we probably can't do much outside, but we can do whatever you want, or can. You deserve to celebrate on your actual birthday."

"Oh, I don't really know... I got caught off guard a bit there," he responded, a little taken aback by your selfless suggestion. He liked it though, it just confirmed everything he already knew about you.

As he pondered for an answer, you tried to ease him into his decision, "just clear your mind; what's the first thing—"

"How about the beach?" he suddenly said.

"The beach? Well, I think we can manage... just—" you stopped, trying to think of how the logistics could go and if it was safe to be in such a public place. "A beach is quite public... although I can find a place less crowded, it takes at least an hour to get to the closest ones from here."

"Well, from Seoul, an hour isn't so bad, especially with good company," he said warmly. "There can be a lot of people at the beach, but we can take some precautions. Although annoying at times, they work quite well. And don't forget, I'm from Busan; I'd do anything for a little beach trip," he encouraged, keeping an upbeat, optimistic tone.

He got you enthused about the trip. It was his wish, after all. "Alright, then let's do this!"

The next ten minutes were spent organizing the spontaneous trip Jimin wanted to embark on. None of you had ever ventured into such an out-of-the-blue plan before. During the brainstorming and preparation for your trip, you both realized that you shared a preference for planning before any adventure. His caring nature was evident in the way that he offered his car, but he still considered your preferences in case you were more comfortable using your own car. However, your plans before the date didn't include meeting Jimin and taking him to the beach for his birthday, so you took the metro after work.

Jimin skillfully navigated along Olympic Road as the two of you left Itaewon. In a moment of connection, you decided to share your favorite playlist with him. To your delight, you discovered that you both coincided with many of your favorite artists.

"Oh, please, play ‘Honey.' That is one of my favorites of Kehlani," Jimin requested after finding out your love for the artist.

You giggled at his liveliness. "Of course, right in the queue," you announced while searching for the song.

Jimin was so serene listening to your choice of music. He paid close attention to the rest of Jimmy Brown's ‘It's All Love' and took a second to look at you while he was driving. You looked so beautiful to him. He couldn't fathom how someone could hurt someone so sweet. You caught him looking at you. Surprised by the gesture, your cheeks heated up, and you could only chuckle quietly. He looked back at the road, smiling, with his heart full of warmth.

"So, should we get the regular rest area food or look for something different?" you asked after a while of contemplating both the scenery and the music you both shared with each other.

"Mmm... I think I'm really craving rest area typical food. It's been a while since I had Sotteok Sotteok," Jimin made his vote quite decisively.

"We can still get some fruit too and balance our dinner, but I do want to indulge a bit too and get ice cream," you confessed.

"Okay, I'm in for the ice cream too, but can I pick the fruit?"

"Yes, you can, Jimin-ssi." You noted on your list that he would pick the fruit.

"Can we talk informally?" he casually asked.

"Are you sure?" you asked curiously. Jimin only nodded enthusiastically since he had to make a turn to finally bring you two to the Yeongjong Bridge Rest Area.

You gazed at him in awe. He was so genuine and funny. You never expected to start feeling this way about him, but he made it so easy. You must have done something right in your past life to be granted this chance to not only meet someone as talented and admirable as Jimin, but to truly understand the kind of person he is. It's unbelievable that this understanding came about not through any other circumstance but a blind date. You had despised them so much for so long, and yet this one, in particular, has brought you so much unexpected joy and appreciation.

"Do you think you'll get recognized?" you wondered. "I can go for the snacks by myself while you stay here, and then we go fill up the tank together."

"I think we're safe. I can wear a beanie and a mask to blend in just a bit, but if anything happens, we can find a way to get back to the car," Jimin alleviated your concern. Yet, you were a little startled when he approached to get something from the storage compartment.

"Beanie or cap?" he asked, looking up at you, not at all serious, as his grin was the widest you had seen on him.

You took a second to get some composure and said, "I'll take the beanie, you take the cap." You grabbed the beanie from his hand, feeling a warm sensation as your fingers lightly brushed against his.

The look that crossed both of your gazes connected the beat of your hearts in flawless unison with your smiles.

"That is a great idea," he could only whisper the words.

The walk towards the rest area's shops was a tiny bit tense. You didn't know what to do with your hands, and Jimin didn't know if he should walk along a little bit closer or keep some distance. The butterfly nerves caught up in both your cheeks, but luckily your masks concealed them. The sight of the enormous bear statue at the rest stop momentarily distracted you from your wandering thoughts, bringing you back to the present. Although it wasn't until Jimin noticed someone stumbling ahead that he gathered the courage to reach out and hold your hand.

"Careful," he whispered, "looks dangerous up ahead."

You felt so comfortable somehow that if there was any agitation for the sudden motion, the spark that lit up in your eyes burned it away.

Just the right amount of people were around for you to blend in easily with the crowd, as everyone enjoyed their time with their own families and friends. Hand in hand, you effortlessly reached the convenience store to grab your snacks. It seemed none of you wanted to let go because you headed in the same direction towards the ready-to-eat items.

"Sandwich or Samgak Gimbab?" You asked.

"Oh, the Gimbab, for sure!" He replied.

After some debates on what to buy, you decided to buy some chips and Jimin’s favorite Homerun Ball. You also indulged further and bought a couple of matcha red bean buns that looked and smelled delicious. Next, you looked for the Sotteok Sotteok for Jimin and decided to buy the ice cream too, intending to enjoy it there before hitting the road again.

It was almost serendipitous that, as you reached the second floor, you stumbled upon the Slow Mailbox. The enticing aroma of coffee from the nearby shop could have easily distracted you, but Jimin pointed towards the area and remarked, "that looks fun."

"Do you think it works?" you asked as you giggled.

"Well, we'll only know a year from now," he shrugged.

"Let's do it! What's knowing what you think of our unbelievable outing until a year later?" you joked.

"I could tell you now," he teased.

You pulled him towards the mailbox, and said "aaah, c'mon, Jimin. Not a word; let's just write it all down."

You purchased your postcards and then sat closely together, enjoying your ice cream as you wrote down everything you had both experienced since the blind date at the café. It has been a magical ride for the both of you, but the most exciting part is that it is far from over. The promise of celebrating Jimin’s birthday at the beach still remained, and now there’s a new expectation with the letter you’ll receive next year on this same date. You might feel too hopeful to think that you will still be in touch with him after all that time, but hope had to be the last remaining sentiment in your heart when you felt such a powerful connection pulling you towards him.

For Jimin, it had also been a magical day. He had come to the date with an idea of you that he needed to somehow affirm. Your cousin had told him you had gone through a lot with the pressures of the world on your shoulders, and he empathized. Creating that song that never even saw the light and he regretted it so much gave him so much insight and hope for you, as well as a desire to truly know you. Words failed to describe how he was feeling in that moment, after everything had fallen into place so incomparably, and yet he had to write it all down so you could find out about it in a year. He really wanted to tell you straightaway, but the hope of still being around you after a year couldn't be jinxed.

"I can write my address on your letter," you proposed once you finished, "you write yours on mine, and we still keep it a little more private."

"That sounds good," he said, briefly looking at you while still writing, and once he finished, he looked back and said, "thank you for thinking so much about my privacy; you didn't need to in any moment, but you still do, and I appreciate it tons."

"I was supposed to know until next year," you teased, making him laugh. "Now c'mon, let's get these letters into the mailbox." This time, you grabbed his hand to lead him to the big red box on the wall.

You put your postcards in the mailbox at the same time, sharing kind looks before you said, "welcome, Jimin! I wouldn't want to cause any trouble."

"You don't," he simply responded.

With the ice cream finished and the snacks bought, the only remaining item on your to-do list was to reach Angel Rock, so you made your way back to Jimin's car easily enough.

"If you don't mind, can I drive now?" you asked as you came closer to where his car was parked.

Your confidence and initiative thrilled him, making him nod as soon as you finished your question. He took the bag you were carrying with the fruits he picked and gave you his car key.

"Keep playing your playlist; I'll switch to mine whenever you want," Jimin said once inside the car.

"You can switch after this song," you accepted as you turned the volume up to yet again Jimmy Brown, now with ‘Let Me Know.'

Switching between R&B, pop, and even some old classics, Jimin curated the perfect playlist to set the mood for the remainder of the trip. You enthusiastically sang along as you continued on your way, occasionally catching Jimin's gestures as he pointed out airplanes flying in the increasingly starry sky.

Jimin received a message from Jon while you were getting closer to Wangsan Beach. He giggled and showed it to you while you waited at a stoplight.

Young: Yo how's the date?

You playfully rolled your eyes but still laughed along with Jimin.

"What should I reply?" he asked.

"Let's send an audio message," you suggested, despicably.

"Oooh, what are you gonna say? I'm intrigued; I like how you think, Y/N."

As the light turned green, you grinned at Jimin mischievously. "Let's give him a little scare; just wait ‘til we get to Angel Rock."

"Ooh I'm excited!" he exclaimed, getting comfortable in his seat to await the teasing you were plotting.

Only five minutes later, you finally reached the public parking lot near the beach. A few cars were parked there; it seemed enough for a Friday night, so at least the beach was not going to be too crowded. Glancing back at Jimin, you noticed his eager anticipation, prompting a laugh from you at his excitement.

"I can't concentrate looking at you," you said between giggles.

Jimin was so caught up in the mood that you two had a little moment just laughing before he grabbed his phone and opened the conversation with your cousin, handing it to you.

"Play along," you grinned, hitting record.

Clearing your throat dramatically, you started, "It's been awful; Jimin is soooo boring! All he does is talk about himself. Where did you find this Hongdae foam-brained guy?"

Jimin burst into giggles, snorting with delight at your theatrics. "My turn, my turn!" He took the phone, adopting a pleading tone. "Jon, hyung, Y/N won't stop speaking in weird accents. Is your cousin a clown? Oh no, a magic trick now?"

You chuckled, playfully shoving Jimin's arm. This was such a new development between you two. It warmed you up to see him joining in your shenanigans, all without judgement.

Jimin hit send, but you still wanted to send your cousin some nice message "Can I?" you asked for his phone back.

Jimin handed it to you, expecting more pranks from you. You hit record once more, "no, Jon. It's been amazing," you sincerely said, "but you'll probably get the details until next year," you joked again, catching his gaze on yours.

Jimin laughed yet again, his heart warmed by the sight of you growing even more at ease in his presence. "You agreed, so don't joke about it," he protested playfully.

"Anyway, I'll let Jimin update you on it when you celebrate with him. It's my turn today after all, thanks coz!"

"It really has been amazing, huh?" Jimin commented without intending to get it on the audio, but you pressed send a little after.

You nodded. "Are you ready for your wish to come true? Let's hit the beach now."

Jimin kept his cap but left his mask behind. Same as you; Jimin's beanie was still on your head, feeling almost like it were yours. You walked across the street to the beach, looking for a place to set up your picnic. It could've been luck or fate, but Jimin happened to have a blanket in his car that he had bought recently but forgotten to get it out.

Jimin had immediately taken his shoes off as soon as he touched the sand; he carried yours too, so you got in charge of spreading out the blanket on the sand when you reached a more secluded side of the beach where fewer campers were around. Every action between the two of you seemed to flow in perfect harmony as you arranged the snacks to enjoy together. Jimin couldn't resist and wasted no time biting into the Sotteok Sotteok. You watched with amusement, captivated by his enthusiasm, as you engulfed the matcha red bean bun.

The sound of gentle waves crashing against the stones further eased you two into the evening. Feeling adventurous, you even dared Jimin to join you in the water. You had played it out so perfectly that he believed you when you reassured him that the water wasn't too cold. His face was hilarious, but he stayed, braving the chill and even splashing water at you. You threw water back at him, but the splashes stopped there since you two got even colder.

Realizing how cold you were, you hurriedly returned to your designated spot and grabbed your coats as soon as possible. As you were getting settled, Jimin whispered, "you know, penguins huddle close together to keep warm," playfully suggesting the idea of getting even closer. Yet, he pulled up a shy smile to try to conceal the fact that he had just poured his heart out.

You couldn't help but melt, looking at him with doe eyes because of the cute way he just asked you to be close to him. Silently, you just moved towards him and smiled.

"Let's not get our feathers any wetter; it's super cold now," you whispered too, trying to ease the tension.

The two of you found warmth and calm as you cuddled and watched the starry night sky merge with the ocean. The shimmering, waning moon, radiating its gentle light, looked exceptionally beautiful. You allowed your head to rest on Jimin's shoulder, cherishing the serene moment together.

"I know we're not supposed to know until next year, but small spoiler alert... I've had an amazing time with you," you confessed and looked up at him, smoothly connecting your gaze with his. A bright smile adorned your face as you continued, "and also... happy birthday Jimin. You deserve so much joy, and I hope you find it every day."

Epilogue

[ichijager13]

Pairings : Eren x reader

Raiting: explicit

Modern AU, aged-up characters (late twenties early thirties), memories, drinking to cop, unhealthy coping mechanism, fluff and smut, overstimulation, angst, morning after.

Summary: After being together for years, Eren decides to put an end to your relationship. On his birthday, only one thing can ease your pain and chase away ghosts of happy memories: Alcohol.

A/N: this is a chapter from Remember how it was, a work that I posted on AO3 months ago. I originally intended to post it on Eren’s birthday but I couldn’t wait lol. I hope you enjoy this one.

Also, I would love to thank everyone for the support you are showing me and for reading my work. your reactions warms my heart and motivates me to write more.

Reblogs and reaction are more than welcomed. be happy :*

It popped into your mind before you even open your eyes. It was today and knowing it will be the first time in six years you won’t be by his side for the occasion brought you tears. You stared at the ceiling debating whether you should let your emotions slip or make yourself something strong to numb your feelings. You ended up opting for the safer option.

You were in the kitchen serving yourself your first shot of the day when ghosts of old and happy days captured you.

 It was past midnight, and Eren was still in his study working on a new model. You glanced one more time at your reflection in the mirror then eyed the small cake and the bottle of red wine you held in each hand. You were a little bit stressed about the dress you picked for the matter. It was a bit edgy for you. taking a deep breath, you threw one last look at the tight silky red dress you were in and headed to where Eren was.

 The moment you opened the curtains of the fitting room the girls’ mouths dropped. “Forget about the mini birthday cake, girl, he will devour you instead”. Sasha breathed excitedly. “Right ladies”. She nudged Annie and Mikasa who couldn’t tear their eyes from you.

“Could you spin around?” Annie managed to ask and you did. The dress was a strappy deep v-neck, and the thin straps ran across your naked back. “Girls I’m afraid he will pass out if he sees her like this”. She whispered.

“That’s the point”. Sasha said, enthusiastic. “It’s his birthday”. She pointed.

“Yeah, well I’m afraid it’s going to be his last”. Mikasa finally spoke. “Roy would be struck if I show up in something like this”.

“Armin too”. Annie added.

“Again, that’s the point. To think that I’m the one who’s single”. She groaned. “You’re buying it, and you’ll put your boldest red lipstick on”. Her eyes were shooting daggers. “Come on give the man a treat he’s turning 30. There’s no better way to celebrate it”.

“What do you think?” you glanced at Annie and Mikasa.

“I guess you should give it a try”. Mikasa said unsure. “Right Annie?”

“Yeah, besides you’ve been together for almost three years”. Annie eyed you again before she follows. “It would be nice to break the routine once in a while”.

“That’s what I’m talking about”. Sasha clapped. “Please for once give up your good girl’s dresses. You’ll thank me later”. She turned her attention to the girls. “And you’d better do the same”.

 So here you are facing your lover’s study room door, you inhaled deeply and called his name. no response, you tried again. “Eren?” Hearing his footsteps, your hands started to tremble. It was too late now; you can’t run away.

“Yes, love?” He spoke as he opened the door. “Why didn’t you just come in?” he was in a loose dark blue cotton t-shirt and grey joggers. The moment his eyes landed on you, he froze.

“Happy birthday, my dear”. You chanted smiling but you got no reaction. He didn’t know where to look. Your curly hair looked amazing, your dress hugged your curves perfectly, revealing much more than what it hid, and that red lipstick. He squeezed his eyes shut and massaged them shaking his head. He has been working for hours he must be dreaming. “Honey, are you okay?” you inquired visibly worried. You sat the bottle and stood up reaching a hand to his face. The view offered to Eren when you kneeled made him curse under his breath.

“I’m…”. he looked at your face again. “Fuck”. He growled rubbing the back of his neck eyes roaming your body from head to toe. “Fine, I’m fine… Fuck”. He snitched the cake from your hand, set it on the nearest place he found, and pinned you to the wall kissing you with igniting passion.

While he was devouring your lips you remembered Sasha’s text 15 minutes ago when you sent them a picture of you.

 Sasha

“Daaaaaaamn, Jager boy will keep you up till the sun rises”

“You look A.M.A.Z.I.N.G, love the lipstick”.

Annie

“Yeah, your hair definitely looks amazing”.

Mikasa

“I hope you’re ready for the long night that’s waiting for you”.

Sasha

“Don’t forget to wear sexy perfume”.

Annie

“A body lotion is better don’t you think Sash?”

Mikasa

“I agree”.

 When he finally pulled away resting his head on your shoulder out of breath he spoke. “Damn, you look…”. He cursed once again. “You look sexy, love”. One of his hands rested on your waist. “This dress looks so good on you”. he confessed against your ear; his warm breath rose goosebumps all over your neck. With the other hand, he tilted your head and started ravaging the thin skin of your neck. “And you smell so fucking nice”. He rumbled; voice dangerously husky. Eren was in trance, unable to think straight. he didn’t know where to touch, where to kiss, or what to say. his blood was rushing through his veins and his heart was pounding against his chest. Breathing never felt this hard. when he finally looked back at your face the sight of your ruined lipstick and crimson cheeks made him hard. “You’re so pretty that my heart might stop”.

“I’m glad you liked it”. you mumbled stumbling over your words.

“Liked it? I fucking love it”. you have never heard Eren curse this much.

“Would you like to blow out the candle and cut the cake?” you hazarded looking at your bare feet. You remembered Sasha’s words from earlier.

“I’m staring now at the cake I wanna eat”. He murmured, face inches away from yours before backing away. “But first, let me see the dress”. His eyes traveled along your body. “Can I see the back?” you baited your lower lip. Feeling your hesitation, he added in a soft voice. “Please, love?” you slowly spun. You heard his sharp breath before he brushed your hair away to uncover your bare back. He moved closer and hugged you. “Forget about the cake. tonight, I’m gonna fuck you until you can’t stand straight”. His words traveled all over your body causing your skin’s temperature to rise and your stomach to clench. His hands were caressing your throat and chest while his lips left a trail of love bits along your back. He slipped one of his hands under your dress and pulled your panties down before inserting two digits inside your warm and wet core. Without a word, he continued kissing and sucking at your skin while his thrusts were becoming faster. With each move, your moans became frantic and louder. With a swift movement, he pulled you on his shoulder and headed to his desk. He carelessly moved his plans and pencils and laid your back on top of it. He pressed his fist to his mouth, hungry eyes scanning your body before speaking hastily. “My pretty girl looks magnificent tonight”. His words were followed by another long and passionate kiss. He then kneeled in front of you pushing your dress up. the moment he swept his tongue against your entrance your lungs stopped functioning correctly.

His moves made you feel so dizzy and the only sounds that could leave your parted lips were long and deep moans alongside undistinguished words. “E-Eren”. You moaned grabbing the loose strands that escaped from his bun. He responded with a deep hum that made the coil forming inside you tightens. Feeling the first waves of pleasure crushing on you, you managed to sort out some intelligible words. “I’m close, my love”. The pet name made him double the pressure he was applying to your nub making you lose track of space and time. The only things you were aware of were: his mouth rummaging what was left of your sanity, his warm breath tickling your soft skin and his fingers digging into the fat of your thighs.

Feeling your walls clench around his tongue when you came, he tightened his grip and sucked your juices. When he finally stood up, you were breathing heavily. He snatched the hand covering your eyes, smiling he pecked your lips and cheeks. “This is the best birthday gift ever”. He spoke against your swollen lips. “Too bad I ruined your lipstick; it looked great on you”. and he kissed you again while helping you sit down. Still feeling dazed you buried your head in his chest. Seeing you like this a deep chuckle left his chest. “I’m still not done with you, my love”. A wide smirk displayed on his face as he caressed your sensitive lips with his thumb.

 Feeling the cold liquor overflowing you got back to reality. That was one of your craziest nights with Eren. When you woke up the next morning every muscle felt stiff.

 Feeling the bed beside you empty you propped yourself on your elbow scanning the room. Eren was nowhere to be seen and the perspective of leaving bed in your state made you cringe. You fell back and buried your face in his pillow. You had no idea that a piece of clothing can get such a reaction from him. last night he got you so fucked up that you barely removed your makeup and cleansed before crashing into bed dragging a giggle from your man.

“Did I go too hard on you?” he asked cuddling you. you had no energy; you placed your hands on his before you were down for the count.

You were dozing off when you felt the bed shift next to you. you slowly faced your lover. He brushed his lips against yours. “Good morning, love”.

“Good morning, honey”. A tired smile curved your lips. “Happy birthday dear”.

“Thank you, love”. he brushed your hair off your face smiling. “How do you feel?”

“Like I’ve been to war”. You breathed making him laugh solely.

“I’m sorry”. He let out laying beside you. “But that dress…”. He paused. “The way you looked yesterday standing there it… it drove me crazy”. He caressed your cheek laughing quietly. “I’m sorry I just couldn’t…”. another pause. “Couldn’t stop”. He shifted and covered his eyes. “Never do that again without a warning or else my heart will stop or worst explode”. He sighed deeply. “Talk about a birthday. By the way the cake was delicious thank you, my love”. Seeing you frowning he added. “I put it in the freezer when I woke up and then took a tiny bite”. He propped an arm around your tired figure and pulled you into a light hug smiling against your bare back.

When he left for work you reached for your phone. the girls left a bunch of messages.

Sasha

“Girls, you think she can keep up?” the first message was from Sasha around 2 in the morning

Annie

“She didn’t give a sign since yesterday, I bet they stayed up late”. She replied this morning.

Mikasa

“I mean she looked so hot; the opposite would’ve been weird. Don’t you think”.

Sasha

“I bet her throat is all covered with hickeys”.

Mikasa

“Jealous?”

Sasha

“Kinda”.

Annie

“I guess Saturday launch is canceled”.

Mikasa

“Yeah, I’ll send a message to everyone”.

You unconsciously reached your hand and caressed your throat. You opened your phone’s front camera to inspect it. Sasha was right, he didn’t go easy on your neck and chest. You can already hear your friends’ teasing.

 You laughed when you remembered your friends’ faces when you opened the door.

 “Geez”. Sasha breathed. She opened and closed her mouth several times before she adds. “He went crazy last night”.

“You did the right thing canceling”. Annie spoke to Mikasa.

“It’s Saturday”. You groaned remembering your weekly launch date. “I just woke up”. you massaged your neck.

“So, what are your plans for tonight. Are you still coming with us”. Mikasa asked.

You shook your head. “I’m planning to have full eight hours of sleep”. You said sinking into your living room couch. “Thank you for canceling. And girls make sure you sleep during the day in case you plan on doing such a thing”. You sighed. “What time is it by the way?”

“It’s noon”. Annie answered.

 Taking a sip, you whispered. “Happy birthday Eren”. As tears made their way down your cheeks.

[rosemary-crane]

Pt. 1 of my (very belated) chaotic corset making process

so way back when in August 2023, I finally got the motivation to make a corset for historical costume purposes, which I’ve been wanting to do for several years now. Most(and not just more) specifically, I wanted a corset that would have been considered fashionable in ~1875-80, especially in 1879, had an elegant silhouette, and was historically accurate.

There’s this one person on Etsy- ateliersylph- and they’ve got a ton of patterns taken from extant antique corsets they own, as well as some other fun sewing things like corset hooks, so I scrawled through their antique pattern offerings to find something that got as close to my specifications as possible. Unfortunately, there isn’t a corset that they dated to specifically the years I was looking for, but Ref P looked close to what I wanted: it had the curvy silhouette, wasn’t too curvy for my liking but still wasn’t too small proportionally for my hips, extended to ~just below the hip, spoon front-opening busk, was versatile enough to be used for more than just one decade in the Victorian era, and didn't support to only under the nipple. The spoon busk meant that it had to have been made in/after 1873, as that was when that style of busk was invented, and it fell out of fashion by the Edwardian era, so it should probably have been made between 1873- around 1900, and more likely closer to 1873 than 1900. It also didn’t have garters tabs attached to it, which became a thing closer to the Edwardian era. Thus, this was the closest pattern they had for what I was looking for, even without them having a date for Ref P’s original corset. I chose the pdf file option instead of a paper pattern to save money.

I also decided to go with a white-greige-light blue color scheme, so I got some white lace and bias binding and coutil, greige lace and cotton sateen(because silk would be even more expensive), and blue silk thread and ribbons for the back lacing, flossing, and decoration. I won’t lie, Bernadette banner’s adventures in ✨the joys of corset making✨ /s definitely inspired my choice of velvet ribbon threaded through lace as trim. Between the 3 commercially available options for boning nowadays, I (1) didn’t want to use plastic so synthetic whalebone was off the table, and (2) getting a smooth edge on the cut ends of steel boning was much simpler and cheaper than spiral steel boning, which needs caps and a cap-setting tool. However, Like A Fool, I didn’t remember that maybe, just MAYBE, I should have waited until I was able to print out the properly-sized pattern and measure to see what size bones I needed(because there are two different widths used, Apparently) before just purchasing a size that I thought was right, but. ://// so that was fun and not something I realized until I had gotten to the point of actually sewing the bone channels on all the panels, but I’ll come back to that later in another post. I also decided that because I couldn’t see the spoon busks in comparison to my body irl, it would be safer to buy a straight busk and just bend it for the curve, and that I was also going to use small-ass floral metal stamps on the busk loops because busks with decorative patterns on the loops were all sold out online to my knowledge :| this all happened over the course of a week where I was looking up materials online and debating whether spending all that money was worth it, until I said fuck it, I’m gonna make it, and bought everything, which took until ~late August/early September to all arrive. So, to pass the time, I searched up all the YouTube tutorials I had watched before of historical costubers making their own corsets for tips and watched them all again, and also went through ateliersylph’s blog posts for instructions and other resources, most of which are in French so get a google translator if u can’t read it like me lol. I finally got the pattern printed out after like, a week or 2, so after that, I was cutting and pasting it together irl, making mockups, etc. until everything else arrived. :D