#I couldn’t sleep because of this jellyfish

[emmaygrace]

A piece I’ve been working on for a few days, I haven’t really done much digital art nor do I know how to draw digitally even, but I wanted to try it lolll 🪼⭐️

[merakiui]

[viii.] ᵗʰᵉ ᵇᵘᵗᶜʰᵉʳᵉᵈ

serial killer!jade leech x female!reader cw: yandere, unhealthy behaviors/relationship, kidnapping/captivity, descriptions of murder/death, violence, strangulation chapter vii│chapter viii (you are here)│chapter ix

Today’s Thought - As biology would have it, the moray eel is cowardly by nature. Somehow this facet doesn’t apply to a certain someone. What he lacks in cowardice, he makes up for in cruelty.

The three days that follow the first feel like a blurred eternity, and you only know it’s been three because Jade’s explained your daily horoscope thrice now. The first: Do your best and your days will be fortuitous. You’re walking the path to success. The second: You may feel gloomy with the shifting skies. Rainfall may evoke sadness, but the secrets you hide from that important someone will seem even sadder. And the third (today’s prediction): There’s a chance you might find luck in uncertain situations.

These horoscopes might have provided you with a shred of relief if it weren’t for the fact that your slumber has been mostly dreamless ever since that last obscure nightmare, and so you don’t have anything to compare them to. No jellyfish. No strangers sitting at dinner tables. No blue hues for you to contemplate.

You’ve read through A Hiker’s Guide twice in the span of forty-eight hours, committing fungi facts to memory as if they’ll serve any purpose while you remain shackled in captivity. But it keeps you occupied and smothers any morbid thoughts threatening to spill into your skull. Which is what you really need right now—the sweet sense of comfort and contentment.

Jade upheld his end of your bargain yesterday when he poked his head inside the bathroom, presenting the white suit coat Azul had worn the night he faux-proposed. You kept your complaints to yourself, silently scorning him while he draped it across your shoulders. It’s an expensive brand sewn from luxurious fabrics you’d never be able to afford no matter how many extra shifts you pick up at The Devil’s Delight.

Out of habit, you’re attempting to calculate how many times you’d need to sleep with Azul in hopes of convincing him to buy you an outfit of equal grandeur. Your logic tells you multiple times for every pretty button and precise stitch, but your heart tells you it would only take a simple question and a sincere smooch to string him along. He opens his wallet for you as easily as you open your legs for him. 

But that’s just part of the agreement, you remind yourself, petting the silky sleeve like it’s a cat. Stop thinking about him. Focus on other things.

You lift your gaze towards the door.

I wonder what Riddle’s up to. We were supposed to meet up on Saturday. He’s probably angry I couldn’t make it. Or maybe he’s worried I’m not showing up to work. Shaking your head, you scoff bitterly. No, he’s not worried. He’s Riddle. He never worries about distractions like me. He has everything laid out so perfectly. You toy with one of the exquisite cuffs on the jacket, twisting it between your fingers. I guess when you’re that meticulous you never have to worry about anything because, no matter what happens, you’re following a familiar schedule. So even if things don’t go to plan, you can just move to the next item on your list.

You slouch against the wall and sigh.

Maybe it’s better to live repetitive days. It’s boring, but it’s safe.

Before you can start weighing the positives and negatives to that thought, a noise from below resounds. You scramble away from the sink, mindful of your bandaged ankle, and force yourself flat like a pancake, your ear pressed against the tiles. The air is still, your breath is hitched, and then there are footsteps. Four in total. You assume he’s taking off his shoes because there’s a disconcerting quiet that follows. Seconds later, you strain to hear the door as it shuts and locks with a click. 

And then there is more silence. 

Something’s not right, you think, chewing your lip. Anxiety bubbles in your blood, volcanically volatile. He’s not coming upstairs.

You push yourself up onto your arms and retreat to the space between the bathtub and sink.

He always comes upstairs to check on me when he gets home. Right away. So why isn’t he? What’s going on? You shake your head and dig your nails into your arms. Don’t panic. Maybe he’s preparing another meal? But he usually eats before work. At least, that’s what he’s done with me ever since the first day. Maybe he didn’t have work. Maybe he went out to do something. But what? Cover his tracks? Kill someone? Make sure there are no witnesses from that night? Kill someone? Your grip on Azul’s jacket tightens. Relax. Take a breath and think about it logically. He can’t do anything rash. Not when he’s just kidnapped me. Someone must have made a missing report by now, so he has to be careful.

Your eyes slide about the room, inspecting the framed sketches once more. What if it’s the afternoon? He could make up any time he wants and I’d have no choice but to believe him. He could’ve gone out for lunch, or he met up with Azul for the daily walks we usually do. Right. Azul. He has to know something’s up. He has to… Wait.

The realization is glacial, stabbing through your skull mercilessly: He won’t suspect anything because disappearing like this is a routine he’s all too familiar with. In his eyes, I’m just—

Footsteps on the stairs shake you from your theorizing, and you brace yourself for the sight of him. You hope to shrink yourself to a size so small and imperceivable that no one, not even the most keen, cutthroat killer, could find you. You succeed in huddling in on yourself, a ball of tightened nerves just waiting to unfurl at the slightest hint of danger. Sweat beads on your brow and slithers down your spine. The hair on your body stands on end, as if expecting the swift strike of a terrifying tragedy.

Something’s not right.

The knob turns. There he stands in the sliver of space between door and bedroom, backdropped by dim lamplight. He’s dressed plainly in a black hoodie and sweatpants of the same color. It’s arguably the most casual you’ve ever seen him look. And in his arms, held bridal style and slumped like a boneless fish, is a woman. 

Your gaze is drawn to the way her shirt stretches tautly over her abdomen—over the rounded dome that is her stomach—and dread crystallizes your blood. Suppressing a shiver, you meet his stare. A smile slowly crawls onto his lips, and then he steps deeper into the bathroom, pulling the shower curtain aside and lowering the woman into the tub. Tape is plastered to her mouth, and her wrists and legs are bound with expert knots. Just looking at her and the state she’s in makes you sick with discomfort.

“Who… W-Who the hell is that?”

“A roommate,” he replies, all too smooth. “It’s only temporary, so you needn’t get so territorial.”

There’s no way. He’s actually planning to… 

Bile rises in your throat, and before you can stop yourself you’re leaning over the toilet to retch. Saliva dribbles down your chin, landing in the bowl below in a downpour of gross, acidic rain. A petrifying tremor shudders through your body, and you steady yourself against the toilet, coughing until tears gather in your vision and your throat aches. You smack your hand against the handle to flush the physical manifestations of your horror away. Down it goes, never to be seen again.

“Your little parasite doesn’t seem very fond of her,” Jade remarks, standing over you like a patient reaper of death. “There can only be room for one, no?”

You crane your neck to peer at him. “F-Fuck you.”

He smiles thinly, his eyes creasing with manufactured mirth. “It’s just a coincidence.”

“Coincidence, my ass.” With a dark scowl, you wipe the spit from your mouth with a shaky hand. You drag yourself away from the toilet, tasting residual vomit on your tongue. “You can’t hurt her. She… She’s pregnant, Jade. There’s no way you can—”

“She isn’t you. If I recall, I only agreed to keep you alive.” Jade slips his gloves off, drapes them in the basin, and then lathers his hands with soap. His movements are mechanically meticulous, as if these motions have been preprogrammed. Even the way he dries his hands is unnatural. Too prim. Too perfect. “As far as I’m concerned, she’s nothing like you.”

“Why? Because she didn’t kick your ass when you showed up to kidnap her?”

Jade exhales an amused breath. “Of course not.” His eyes frost over when he turns his stare on you. “She never got the chance. Besides, if my ass had been sufficiently kicked, you wouldn’t be here right now.”

“I hope you choke on a fingerbone.”

“That would be most unfortunate. I’ll be sure to eat carefully.”

Peering at himself in the mirror, he smooths his hair down. You didn’t realize it was tousled to begin with. Now that you’re looking, his entire person seems…messy. Even that stray strand falls on the wrong side.

He definitely didn’t go to work, you conclude, studying his features from behind. He’s too casual. It’s hard to imagine Jade in anything other than uniforms. Did he go out with that lady? Maybe not. He seems like the type to dress nicely for dates. So a sweatshirt and sweatpants… They’re both easy to move around in, and he’s wearing dark colors to blend into the night. Did he grab her when she was least expecting it? He said she wasn’t given a chance to fight back, so a struggle was nonexistent. 

You shake your head, unsatisfied with your deduction. I’m missing something. His appearance is messy, but he’s always so clean. So why is he messy? This isn’t making sense.

“How’d you find her? You must’ve planned this in advance.”

“I assure you I’m not seeing other women behind your back.”

“Like hell I’m jealous, you creep.”

He chuckles and leans against the sink, his arms folding easily. “A magician never reveals his secrets.” “Magicians and murderers are two different things.”

“Aren’t they skilled in making things vanish? Both captivate their respective audiences as well.”

“Do you not see how vastly different the two are?” Groaning, you rest your head against the wall. “Did you seduce her?”

“Someone’s curious.”

“What’s her name? Do you even know where she’s from or what she’s been through? You’re taking an entire life away, Jade.”

“Two, actually.”

“That’s even worse! Do you hear yourself right now? You’re insane!”

“Has it ever occurred to you that your morals might not have any influence on what I do?”

He’s doing this on purpose. He could’ve brought anyone home, but it just had to be a pregnant lady.

“You’re sick.”

“Do you truly think so?”

“No sane, healthy person would do this.”

Jade feigns a sad pout and wipes nonexistent tears from his eyes. “To hear you say such things… My heart breaks.”

I hope someone chops you up, you lunatic! Then you can know what it’s like!

“So what’s the plan? She’s stuck here like me?”

“Not for long.”

“You’re really going to kill her?”

“Is that not obvious?”

You glance at the tub. I have to do something. But what? You look around the bathroom, eyeing the frames, the sink, the toilet, the walk-in shower, the tiled floor… Can I kill him? Shatter one of the pictures, grab the biggest shard of glass, and then—

Jade bends down to your height. “You needn’t look so pensive. There’s nothing you can do, and if you try anything I’ll be sure to slaughter you in the most gruesome way at the end of these nine months.” He smiles like it’s not the most sinister threat. “And I’ll watch you bleed out slowly while I cut your skin away in delicate slivers. So if you value a quick, painless death, do yourself a favor and keep your hands to yourself.”

You drag your legs into your chest. You sick freak. His eyes crawl down your face to observe your bandaged ankle. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you.

“That should be enough of a reminder.”

“I’m not stupid. I’m not going to do anything. I can’t.”

I want to, though. I have to.

But there’s the shackle and the chain, restricting your movement and trapping you in the bathroom. There’s also the very heartless serial killer, who values your life as much as one does a meal. Voraciously. That’s as far as his sympathy extends. He doesn’t care about you or your nonexistent baby. You’re not even a person.

To him, you’re just supermarket meat plucked from the street. The most dangerous game he’s ever hunted.

“Good to know.” Pleased with your submission, he rises to his usual height and makes for the door. “Does it hurt?”

“A little.”

“Allow me to retrieve some painkillers.”

“If it puts me to sleep—”

“Rest assured. I have no intention of doing that. Too much and you may never wake again. That, and I’d prefer a meal without unnecessary baggage.”

“Then don’t drug me if you want fresh, healthy meat.”

He says nothing, merely smiling in reply, and departs through his bedroom. You listen to his retreating steps and then, after determining he’s made it downstairs, you drag yourself over to the tub. You yank the tarp-turned-curtain aside and peer down at her.

“Excuse me?” You reach in to nudge her arm. “Miss, are you awake? Please wake up.”

She doesn’t stir. Your gaze sweeps over her face. She doesn’t look bruised or battered. In fact, she’s in much nicer shape than you were when Jade took you.

It couldn’t have been a date or any sort of formal event. Not by chance either… So what is it? What am I not seeing?

You stare at her bump and frown. I’m pretending to be in her position, but she’s actually pregnant. If anyone deserves to get out of this alive, it’s her and her baby.

You shake that thought out of your head next, replacing it with something detached. You have to be logical. In tragic situations, it’s everyone for themself. What if your roles were swapped? Would she feel the same? You’d hope so, but maybe she’d be just like you—someone who’d do anything to survive, even if that was at the cost of another’s sacrifice. It’s not fair, but there’s nothing you can do. She’s doomed.

“Fuck,” you mutter, curling your fingers around the lip of the tub.

I can’t watch an innocent woman die. I have to do something.

Footsteps draw near. You scramble to your corner. Jade returns with two tablets and a glass of water. You down the painkillers in one gulp.

If it knocks me out, at least I won’t have to see anything.

You rest your forehead against your knees. “I wish Azul was here.”

Why am I saying that? Do I really want him here? Maybe Cater would be better. Or Riddle. Anyone but Azul.

“My apologies. The withdrawal must make you feel immensely itchy.” He peers at the tub. You realize you forgot to pull the tarp back to its original place. “Consider this the beginning of your detox.”

“You’re selfish, you know that? I have my entire life ahead of me. I have—” you rub the cold sapphire set into the ring on your finger— “I had a wedding to look forward to. Someone I was going to marry. A baby! And you…” Before you can stop yourself, the tears are falling. Weeks of pent-up emotions overflow. You wipe hopelessly at your face, feeling pathetic for crying in front of him when he could care less, but the rivers continue running. “Y-You fucking took that away from me! And I can’t—it’s all so you can feed yourself.”

You dig the heels of your palms into your eyes and weep like a child. The voice in your head soothes you: You have time. You can still get out of this.

When you pull your arms away, you find Jade gazing at you. “If I’m as selfish as you say, what does that make you?” He pulls his sweatshirt up and over his head, and then you see it. The dress shirt.

A pit opens in your stomach. You feel sickness scraping at your throat again, and the sensation persists when he shucks his sweats next.

All this time, he was in formal attire…

“I have no interest in your affair with Azul. Rather, I find the entire thing quite circular. You were loosely attached once, but now you’re engaged. And then what? Are you going to run away when he does something unfavorable? You have the makings of a most atrocious bride.” Casually, as if this is a conversation held over afternoon tea, Jade folds the clothes and sets them on the towel rack. “I suppose that is just the nature of love. You return like the leashed pet you are and you let him love you because you are just as foolishly fond.”

That’s not true. You’re wrong. I don’t love him. I’ve never loved him.

“Ah, but this is just mere speculation based on what I’ve witnessed.”

“Stalker.”

“Not quite. Do you know how many times I’ve helped you—drunk, dazed, vulnerable you—and you never thought otherwise? I put you to bed. I did your laundry. I stayed by your side and cooked breakfast in the wake of your hangover. For so many years, I’ve beheld the (Name) who thinks she’s loved by all because she doesn’t love herself enough.” At your horrified expression, he laughs. “You like to babble when you’re inebriated. It’s very entertaining… What was it you told me a few months ago? That you’re a nothing human with an empty, ugly heart who isn’t worthy of Azul’s boundless generosity. That you pawn it for lust disguised as love because you can’t afford the real thing. That you—”

He sidesteps the glass you throw at him. It hits the floor and shatters with a splash. Glass shards slide across slick tiles. He watches you silently, his countenance unreadable.

“Shut up!” Odium darkens your face. You inhale a ragged breath, collecting what’s left of your tattered ego, and add in a shaky voice, “You don’t know me. You’ve never known me.”

“Perhaps not.” Jade leans down to smile at you. He’s close, but he doesn’t touch you. You challenge him with a mean scowl. “But I will soon.”

Before you can question that, a soft groan interrupts your discussion. Your head snaps over in the direction of the tub. Jade does much the same, only he moves slower. There’s a pregnant pause, tension crackling in the air, and then there’s movement. The woman struggles in the bath, her screams muffled against the tape. You wince, understanding her horror.

I know what that’s like.

Jade helps her sit up. She resists, shaking her head desperately and shrinking away from his hands as if they’re something monstrous. They are, technically. Her eyes meet yours then. Even though it’s a wordless exchange, everything you need to know shines on her tear-stained face. Her brows are pinched together in stressed disbelief. She’s trembling.

“If you promise to be quiet, I’ll remove the tape.”

Upon hearing that familiar phrase, you shudder. It seems to have the same effect on the woman. She looks at him and whimpers.

“P-Please listen to him,” you speak up, nodding encouragingly. “Don’t fight. It’ll make it worse.”

She spots your bandaged ankle and gazes at Jade with new terror shining in her brown eyes. They’re very pretty. Big and beautiful, almost like marbles. To think the last things she’ll ever see with such doll-like eyes are a hungry monster and a hapless captive.

Jade peels the tape off slowly and, unlike you, she keeps her mouth shut. A wise decision. You don’t want to think about what he might do to keep her quiet.

“There. That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Jade sets the sliver of tape aside. “Now then, I believe introductions are in order.”

“I… I don’t understand,” she whispers, pressing herself against a corner of the tub. “Why am I here? You told me you’d take me to a doctor. Y-You said you’d help me—”

“He’s a liar.” You fold your arms over your chest and huff. The woman’s expression falls. “It’s not your fault. I thought he was good, too.”

“So then—I’m just—why am I here? W-Why are you here?”

Jade steps in front of you to block your view of the distraught woman. “(Name) is my housemate—”

“Not by choice.”

“Still a housemate nonetheless,” he continues. “You’re here because I’m in need of a meal.”

“You’re…hungry? Is that… You’re serious? Is that really what this is about?” She shifts awkwardly in her restraints. You feel bad for her, even more so when you catch the hope bleeding into her voice. “Then, if that’s the case, I’ll cook something for you and you can let me go!”

Jade shakes his head.

You peer past his legs at her. “He’s going to kill and eat you.”

He frowns at you. “And I was intending to bask in the suspense…”

“You’re the worst. Genuinely.”

“I don’t understand… You’re…” She looks between you and Jade. Her eyes gloss over with fresh tears. “You’re going to kill me…”

“Indeed. Ah, but don’t look so disheartened. So long as you continue being good, I’ll grant you a painless death.”

“N-No way… I… I don’t wanna die. Please. M-My baby—I can’t—”

She breaks off with a choked sob. You watch her crumble without a word. It hurts to see her shoulders shake with every rattling inhale. It hurts even more knowing you’re just as stuck but temporarily spared. You glance at Jade to gauge his reaction. Like always, it’s impossible to read him. He’s always been like that, even before you found yourself trapped here. Smiling so sweetly, as if he isn’t a murderer, he would speak to you like a normal person, tease you like a friend, care for you when Azul couldn’t. You were so certain he was your friend—not just by way of association through Azul either.

He hid it—this massive, life-altering skeleton—like an expert. How did you miss it? What did you fail to catch?

Nothing. Because he never gave any indication of what was locked up behind unassuming closet doors.

Now you know better. So does this woman.

“I won’t tell anyone. I promise I won’t, so please let me go. Please, sir. My baby…”

Jade remains unfazed. “(Name) already tried those lines. Care to guess how well they worked?”

Landed me nine months on death row. 

She hangs her head in defeat. “I can’t believe it… I’m actually… This is it.”

You rest your head against the wall and sigh. Jade stares a moment longer before striding to the door.

“I’ll give you time to get acquainted.”

With that, he shuts the door. It’s very obviously a test. He’s probably waiting on the other side, listening in to learn what sort of incriminating information you might share. Not that it matters if she hears it. She’ll take all of this new knowledge to the grave or, in more literal terms, Jade’s stomach.

“I’m sorry you’re caught up in this,” you murmur, tracing invisible circles into the floor. “What’s your name?”

“M-Marisa.”

You glance at her. “It’s beautiful just like you.”

“Oh. Well, t-thank you.” She offers you a shy smile. “My mother named me after the sea. It was her favorite place to visit whenever she needed inspiration. She was an artist, and the sea was her biggest muse.”

“That’s sweet. I wish I knew the lore behind my name.”

“It’s still pretty without the backstory.”

“I guess so.”

I never really put much thought into my name. Does it matter if it’s pretty or ugly?

“Actually… It’s kinda ironic. I don’t like the sea. It scares me, so I stay away from it.”

“The sea itself or what’s in it?”

“Both?” She attempts an awkward shrug. “There are scarier things out there, but there’s something unsettling about the ocean. Maybe I’m silly for thinking that.”

“You’re not. It’s normal to be scared of things we don’t understand.” Like right now. But you keep that part to yourself. “I can’t relate. I love the sea. The lost history, the creatures, the mysteries… It’s all so fascinating.”

“Really? You’re braver than I am!”

“I’m just way too passionate. That’s all.”

Am I? I said I’d be a marine biologist and that’s what I’ve been studying all this time. But…

Marisa sighs. “You’re lucky. I’ve always wanted to find something I could be passionate about.”

“I’m sure you’ll find something one day.” And then you pause. “Or… Um.”

She pastes another hollow smile on her face. “I thought I could be passionate about school, but I couldn’t do it. I dropped out and tried a few jobs. Everyone told me it’d be easier to get married instead of running around like a headless chicken, but that didn’t feel right. I thought I’d be passionate about things like motherhood and babies, but I dunno. I’m already so far along, but I haven’t felt anything yet. No excitement or anxiety. Just emptiness. And I know that’s a terrible thing to feel and think—we’re supposed to love the things we create! I don’t even think I truly love my boyfriend. I’m horrible—I know!”

“You’re not horrible. The truth is—” You stop yourself before the words can slip out. I don’t love Azul. I’m not even pregnant. “I don’t know if you’ll ever figure any of that out, but I know you’re a good person. You obviously care about these things. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be so worried.”

Marisa sniffles. “Thanks…”

“I can help you find your passion. There’s so much to do in the city. I’m sure something will catch your interest. Oh! Have you ever been to Siren’s Heartache? It’s a karaoke place. My friend and I used to go all the time.”

“I’ve been there once!”

“It’s amazing, isn’t it? My friend would order the craziest stuff off their menu. He hates sweets, but he’d get all kinds of sugary drinks and snacks for the hell of it. Said it didn’t matter because it’d look cute on camera, so no one needed to know if he enjoyed it.”

“He did it for the pictures? That’s it?”

“Yep! He loves photography. He’ll do anything to make sure he gets the best angles and lighting.”

“Wow… I don’t think I could be that dedicated.”

“No? Then what about schedules? My other friend used to be on these super rigid schedules. I’m sure he’s still on them now, but back then it was really suffocating. He’s always been so organized, though. It’s impressive.”

“Isn’t that too restrictive? Doesn’t he have any time for fun?”

“Would that be better? A free life filled with ups and downs or a rigid life you can plan around?”

“Both sound just as bad.”

“Isn’t that just life?”

She breathes a sardonic laugh. “From a pessimist’s perspective, sure.”

“What kind of life would you want?”

“Is it bad to say I want something easy?”

“No fair. You totally stole my answer!”

“Then maybe we’re both bad.”

“Yeah…” You stretch your legs out and flex your toes on your good foot. If that’s bad, then I’m the worst. “I guess we are.”

She giggles. “You’re supposed to disagree!”

“Oh, oops. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. I don’t think it’s so bad to want an easy life. If it were up to me, I’d want it to be like one giant tea party. That way everyone can come together for tea and tiny cakes.”

“And you wouldn’t have to work, so who cares if you’re rich or poor!”

“Exactly! There aren’t any expectations. You can be good or bad. Empty like me or passionate like you. It’s all just conversation at the end of the day.” She gazes at you, and her features relax into a real smile. “I wish we could’ve met sooner. You seem like a fun friend.”

Am I really? I feel like I’ve been nothing but trouble for Riddle and Azul. Even Cater…

You hum your acknowledgement before nodding towards her belly. “Have you thought of any names?”

“Nothing yet. I’m not very creative and I don’t want anything basic either. Something memorable would suffice.”

“Like your name.”

“Right! Only nothing connected to the sea.” Marisa chuckles sheepishly. “It wouldn’t mean anything to me.”

“Maybe it doesn’t have to mean anything significant. As long as it comes from the heart and you like it, it should be fine. At least, I think that’s how it works.”

“I have no idea. This is my first time.”

You nod. Somehow it feels like I’m indirectly lying to her…

“You’ll find a name that sticks one day. When you do, let’s get together and celebrate.”

“At the Siren’s Heartache?”

“Wherever you’d like.”

She gasps. “How about a tearoom? There’s this really cute one just outside the city. I go there all the time. The owners are the nicest people I’ve ever met! If we go, we can have our own tea party. You can bring your friend who likes photography. I’m sure he’ll get lots of pretty pictures.”

That’s impossible. We both know there’s no chance of—

“Marisa!” She startles at the urgency in your tone. You look and sound as if you’ve just cracked a cold case. “That’s it!”

“What is?”

“Your passion! Tea parties!”

“I always thought that was more of a hobby…”

“You can be passionate about hobbies. I’ve never gone to a tea party myself and I don’t know what that involves aside from drinking tea and eating snacks, but it sounds like a good time.”

“Oh, it’s the best time! I love dressing up for it, too. On nights when I knew I’d be going the next day, I arranged my outfit in advance. What jewelry I’d wear, what makeup I’d put on, what purse I’d bring… I could spend hours trying on my clothes and picking different pieces. And their afternoon tea sets—they’re everything! You have to try it if you go! I love their egg sandwiches. Well, everything they serve is delicious.”

Your lips quirk up in a playful grin. “See? You’re not empty.”

Stunned, Marisa sits there in the bath. “You’re right,” she mumbles. “I never realized it, but I love tea parties. I love talking with people over food and drinks. I guess it came so easy to me and I did it so often that I didn’t think anything of it.”

“Maybe we can add ‘socialization’ to the list of passions?”

She laughs, her hair bouncing with the movement. It comes right from her chest—authentic amusement—and it’s a musical sound. You wish there was another way. Jade may have shown you mercy, but you’re certain it won’t be the same for her. Even with these unlucky odds, you’re determined to try. It’s the only thing you can do. Try and hope that something goes well.

You gesture for Marisa to turn around. She almost questions you, but you hold your index up to shush her. She stares at you, her lips pressed in a tight line, and nods her understanding. As quietly as she can, she shuffles in the tub until her back is facing you. 

“Hey, what’s this tearoom called again?” you ask as you reach for the biggest glass shard.

“It’s called Portobello.”

“Like the mushroom?”

“Mhm! It’s forest-themed. They’re famous for their chaga tea.”

“Huh…”

Of course it’s mushrooms. You glance at the door. Do you hear that, you freak? Sounds like the perfect place for a mushroom fanatic like yourself.

“Do you like mushrooms?”

“They’re okay. I don’t eat them often. I have so many other foods I prefer…” You trail off as you saw through thick rope with the jagged glass. “Actually, there was this one time I got fried chicken from the city. I was stupid drunk and nothing was open, so my fiancé took me to a convenience store. It was cheap, but it was so yummy! I guess everything is when you’re that gone… Anyway, he was so mortified when I woke up the next morning wanting more. That was the only thing I remembered from that night.”

“Why was he so embarrassed? I think convenience store food is great!”

“Right? You understand it.” You sigh and shake your head, recalling that memory with startling clarity. “Azul is… It’s hard to explain.”

“But you’re engaged?”

“I’m crazy, aren’t I? Marrying a man who gets flustered over fried chicken from the convenience store. He ate it in a fancy suit, too. What a weirdo.”

“He sounds funny.”

“The funniest. It was our first year together as…contractual obligations. He was so determined to make a good impression that he banned junk food from his life. We broke that dumb rule that night. I think that was the first time I saw the real him. He’s cute when he blushes.”

“Contractual obligations? Why not partners?”

You cough awkwardly. “J-Just an inside joke. He’s a businessman.”

“Ah, that makes sense.” She flexes her fingers just as you manage to cut through the first knot. “That’s sweet.”

“What?”

“You and him.”

“What about us?” Your hand hesitates, gripping the shard with new force. Any tighter and you might slice your palm open.

“You must’ve been so hungry, and he went out of his way to make sure you were fed even if it meant breaking his rule.”

“That was just—he hates having to owe people stuff. He was just repaying a favor.”

“My mother used to tell me a good man will visit for your best, but a great man will stay for your worst and everything in between.”

“I…guess.”

No way Azul likes me at my worst.

You shut your mouth and resume your previous motions. With her hands now freed, you lean over the tub to work on the rope binding her ankles.

“What about your boyfriend? You said you’re not sure if you love him?”

“I don’t know what I want. We’re happy being together without any rings or ceremonies, but I feel like that’s not enough. I feel like I’m not enough.”

“Maybe you should take your mother’s advice.”

“I will when you do.”

“H-Hey!”

She giggles. “I’m kidding. I think… I’m glad you have someone who cares. It’s no fun being alone all the time. Sometimes it’s good to share your peace with others, even if that’s getting fried chicken from the convenience store with a weird guy on a chaotic night.”

You laugh, but it comes out choked.

Yeah, Azul’s weird.

And then the first tear lands on her foot. It isn’t long before more rush forth, blurring your vision. You manage to cut her free from the rope just before it becomes impossible to see clearly. When you meet her stare next, she smiles. It’s strained with sorrow.

Why are you crying? She’s just a stranger.

You throw your arms around her and sob quietly into her shoulder. She runs her hand along your back. It’s meant to soothe, but all it does is remind you of the limited time you have with her.

I’m crying because she’s a stranger. Because she’s someone I’ll never be able to know more than this.

“Escape,” you whisper as you pull away, pressing the shard into her hand. “And when you do, wait for me and we’ll have our giant tea party.”

She nods, her eyes shimmering with sadness. “You can count on it.”

When Jade returns, syringe in hand, it’s to a room of suffocating silence. You’ve no idea what its liquid contents are, but it can’t be very pleasant or safe. Regardless, you don’t intend to find out. He steps through the door, looks squarely at you, and smiles. Your skin crawls.

Calm down. It’ll be okay.

“You took your time.”

“Did I? My apologies if I kept you waiting.”

“Have you ever had mushroom tea before?”

He pauses. “Mushroom tea?”

So he wasn’t listening in. Either that, or he’s just hesitating for effect.

“I’ve never had it before, but I’d assume someone with your palate would’ve tried it.”

He laughs humorlessly. “Is there a reason for this assumption?”

“You like mushrooms. Sounds like something that’d be right up your alley.”

“You would be correct.” Jade taps the needle, eyeing the liquid within the plastic cylinder. “I’ve had it before, yes.”

“Was it good?”

“Quite.”

His gaze drifts towards the empty tub and you panic. “W-Will you bring some for me to try?”

He blinks at you. An amused smile pulls his lips apart.

You can’t stop the scowl that forms on your face. “I can’t control what the baby wants.”

Just a little longer… Keep your eyes on me.

“I’d love nothing more for you to try it.”

“But?”

“But there isn’t nearly enough credible information detailing whether chaga is safe to consume while pregnant. It would be very unfortunate if you injured your parasite on account of my negligence.”

“Someone did their research.”

“Indeed.”

“So what’s a good substitute? I want mushroom tea.”

“Pouting about it won’t fix anything.” He reaches to pull the curtain away, and you lurch forwards. The chain rattles. You pause with outstretched arms. Jade watches you with a frown. “Is something the matter?”

You lower your arms. “No… N-No, sorry. Nothing’s wrong. I’m just…hungry.”

“As am I, so if you could stop stalling for her sake I would appreciate it.”

A bone-chilling cold blankets the bathroom.

Your laugh comes out brittle. “Who’s stalling?”

It happens so fast you wish it was slow motion. Maybe then your reaction time would’ve been better. Marisa springs out from behind the door just as Jade turns to view her. She shoves him with as much strength as she can muster, swiping at him with the glass shard. Somehow she manages to drive it into his arm. Taken by surprise, he grunts and shakes her off. The syringe clatters to the floor and you dive to snatch it before he can. With Jade temporarily thrown off, Marisa flees from the room as quickly as she can. You look on with wide eyes, the syringe clutched in a tight fist.

She’s doing it… She’s actually escaping!

Jade curls his fingers around the glass lodged in his skin and rips it out. Blood spurts from the cut, crawling down his arm in a red slither. The chunk rests on the tiles in front of you, and it fills you with a proud satisfaction knowing he’s injured, if only partially. By the time you’ve blinked, he’s already hurrying towards Marisa. She’s about to wrench the bedroom door open, her freedom just beyond the confines of his home, but he seizes her wrist and yanks her away.

Just like the syringe in your hand, your heart drops.

She yelps and twists in his hold, flailing blindly. The scene is eerily reminiscent of your scuffle with Jade—the one you’d gotten into when he revealed himself as the intruder in your apartment. You were drunk then, wholly incapable of fending him off, but Marisa isn’t. She has a chance. She can escape. There has to be a way for—

You watch her fall, cringing at the resonating thud as her back makes contact with the floorboards. Jade’s hands are around her throat before you even know it.

“N-No… Wait. Wait, stop!” You lurch towards them, but the chain only allows you to go so far. You strain against the pull, grabbing at the door frame in hopes of breaking out of the shackle’s restrictive hold. “Jade—”

Marisa’s choked gasp cuts you off. You stare at her hands as they claw at Jade’s in animalistic desperation. Her eyes are so wide you see white; her mouth is open in a silent scream. With Jade on top of her, pinning her to the floor and squeezing her neck with ruthless precision, she can only kick her legs out and produce a haunting garble of sounds as she battles an impossible enemy.

“Stop! Let go of her!”

You grit your teeth and tug against the cuff. It digs into your skin and leaves you aching from the sting. Tears sprout along your lash line, and you cry out in pained frustration. Your agony doesn’t reach Jade’s ears. Or maybe it does and he’s just tuning it out. You’re unsure until you catch sight of his expression. A blank, empty slate—that’s what he is. There’s something murderous smoldering in terrifying two-toned eyes, but his lips are pressed in a firm pout and his brows are pinched together. Not from any sort of distress but, rather, from the physical exertion. His forearms flex, every muscle riddled with tense adrenaline, and his fingers dig into her throat to cut her circulation.

From where you stand, struggling against your restraints, you think his pupils are blown wide. He looks predatory. Unhinged in a feral sort of way. Like a wild animal who’s just pounced on his prey…

A wild animal. That’s what he is right now. Something unbound by human morals and law. A creature led only by instinct—by the intrinsic desire to slaughter and feast.

“Jade!” You give another determined tug to no avail. “Jade, please—you can’t do this! She’s pregnant! She has a boyfriend—a life! You can’t!”

Your voice is shrill, scratching through your vocal chords as if it intends to shred them to ribbons. You’ve never heard yourself sound so panicked before. Never known the crushing devastation of being so close and yet so powerless.

No matter how much you scream, Jade continues to strangle her. You can’t bear to watch any longer. Sinking to the floor, you lean against the wall and press your hands to your ears. You don’t want to hear Marisa’s wheezing breaths. You don’t want to see her struggle. You don’t want to see Jade as he kills her in front of you.

You don’t want to be a witness. You want out.

After minutes of torturous asphyxiation, her thread of life is snipped and she finally fades away. Moments later, urine soaks through her shorts and pools beneath her in a puddle. You look up just in time to see him release her and rise to his full height. Heaving a sigh, Jade tucks his dark hair strand behind his ear. Marisa lies lifeless, a husk of the once bright, bubbly woman you interacted with before this. Now she’s gone.

“Y-You’re a monster…” you manage through thick, anguished sobs.

He killed her. She’s…dead. Jade killed her. I just watched her die and there was nothing I could do and I…let it happen.

“This could’ve been avoided. I was going to give her an easy death, but you forced my hand.” Jade steps around you to pick the syringe up. “Let’s add another rule to our list. Seeing as I’m not allowed to touch you, it’s only fair that you keep your nose out of my work in return.”

Dead… She’s dead. Marisa is…

“Does that sound agreeable, (Name)?”

There’s a ringing in your ears—the warning tick of a clock or the foreboding chime of a death knell. Amidst every overwhelming sensation and haywire emotion, self-preservation echoes in your head: I’ve got to get out of here.

You blink through blurring vision. Are you crying? Numbly, you touch your face. The tears are there, wetting your cheeks in copious amounts. Something’s scratching at the back of your eyes. It’s not enough to feel like sleep, but it’s a familiar sensation. You’re certain you’ve felt it before. But when?

You can’t stop crying.

She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead.

You suck in gulps of air.

I should’ve done more. I could’ve done more! There had to have been something—logically. You have to look at it logically. She was doomed to die the moment Jade brought her here.

You dig your nails into your arms.

We were going to have a tea party. I was going to help her find more passions. We were going to be friends…

You watch Jade bend down to her height and press two fingers to her neck. Suddenly, there are two Jades and both are tilting. He glances at you, but his words don’t reach your ears.

I was going to save her.

Your head hits the floor with a thump. The world goes dark.

Unlike previous times, the dream aquarium is bursting with life today. Moon jellyfish float peacefully behind sturdy glass. A manta ray glides smoothly through the water in laps. Fish of all colors and shapes are caught up in the current. The glow from the tanks dyes the hall in a cool ultramarine.

It’s quiet here. Safe. Comforting.

You’re lying on the floor, dressed in a clean hospital gown, and there is an entire galaxy of jellyfish above you. They’re set into the glass ceiling, their translucent bodies bobbing up and down in hypnotic patterns. You blink once and the blue brightens as if breathing alongside you. You blink again and this time a woman pokes her head into your visual field. Her milky-white eyes, though piercing, don’t frighten you. She blinks one eye at a time and her irises explode with color—now a vibrant green. Her long, black hair is tied back in a braid that sweeps over her shoulder. Tiny stars are twined throughout.

When she speaks, she has the same voice as the woman from the intercom.

“Today’s color is blue. As vast and wide as the sky and sea, as deep and dark as water’s soul, blue is the color of trust and sincerity. It is the color of bruises and sadness. It is the color of loneliness. It is the color that has finally led me to you.”

You stare at her, spooked speechless.

“Hello again, (Name).” She smiles and offers her gloved hand. “It’s been a while. Many years, in fact. I thought I’d never be able to catch you.”

You hesitate. Can you trust her—the woman you’ve spent so many dreams pursuing? There’s no one else here in this hall. She’s your only option. Swallowing your fears, you grab her hand and allow her to hoist you to your feet.

“My name is Marmoris. Ah, I must inform you that I’ve taken the form of someone familiar, so please note that this isn’t the current me. My true form is…not very pleasant. I wouldn’t want to startle you with it.”

“The current you? Your true form?” You draw away from her and bump into the tank behind you. Turning around, you gaze at the image slowly forming within murky waters. It’s…Jade’s bathroom. And there’s Jade, stooped over Marisa’s corpse. He’s looking at you next. You place your hand against the glass, but the scene doesn’t disappear. “W-What is this? What’s going on?”

Marmoris joins you at the tank. Her reflection warps with a myriad of aquatic traits. At one point, you think you see fins where her ears ought to be—shadows of wispy tendrils where her lab coat once was. “You’ll have to forgive me. There was no other way. You’ve already seen too much.” She shuffles closer to you. Her hands cover your eyes next. “Please don’t look. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.”

You squirm out of her hold. The picture presented in saltwater clouds in and out of clarity. “Protect me? I don’t understand. What do you mean by—”

“There’s not much time. I can’t keep you in here any longer than I already have.” She grabs hold of your hands and squeezes them. She looks sincere enough, but you can’t get past the fact that, though she claimed to take on the appearance of someone familiar, you can’t recognize this woman’s features.

She’s a stranger.

Before you can protest further, Marmoris leans in close and presses a kiss to your forehead. Her lips are frigid. The transient security of the desolate dream aquarium melts away, taking you with it.

“I promise I’ll explain everything the next time we meet. When we do, look for me. I’ll be waiting.”

You jerk awake with a gasp. Your hands fly to your throat on instinct. Slowly, while catching your breath, you peer around the bathroom. Marisa has been moved to the tub and Jade’s in the process of cleaning the floor. He glances at you. His arm is bandaged.

“Welcome back.”

You shoot him a withering look. “Eat glass and die.”

“Wouldn’t that please you?”

“It would,” you whisper weakly, more tears spilling over. “It really would.”

For the first time in a while, you can’t recall any slivers of your dream.

[the-1who-n3vr-writes]

A/n: This is not a request or anything, just something i wanted to write since i haven’t done ANY requests whatsoever.. haha.

Gangle, Ragatha, Jax, and Pomni with a Motherly sweet!Reader who’s taller than everyone.

~Gangle~

When you first arrived, you kind of scared her. You scared her from your height. How could someone be so tall?, you tower over everyone. Including KINGER!

she tried to honestly avoid you. But your motherly presence lured her in.

100% took her a while to even speak a word to you

Slowly, she realises how comforting you actually are. How.. motherly you are.

How your voice just sounds so soft and genuine, how comforting it sounds

She liked your voice. A lot.

She loves your room and how the room was just rightfully themed jellyfish

She got used to you eventually, she liked it whenever you put her under your wing to protect her from jax’s evil pranks.

Honestly, thats what made her lured and more comfortable around you. The way you protected her from jax, or any type of danger that could hurt her or break her comedy mask.

You would also fix her comedy mask whenever it broke, and after you fix it, it looks like it hasn’t been broken at all, which she appreciates a BUNCH.

She would show you the drawings she drew to you and she liked how many compliments she’d get from you just for a small doodle.

She would go to you whenever she was feeling sad, or whenever she couldn’t sleep, because your voice is just so soothing to her ears.

She doesn’t realise it, but she’s slowly seeing you as her mother.

Because of you, she started being more joyful.

———

Ragatha

Man, when you arrived to the circus, you two immediately connected. You as a mother figure who’s comforting, and ragatha who’s like the older sister figure.

Even though your towering structure scared her for atleast a LITTLE bit.

You were the one she trusted the most out of everyone. You were like her best friend.

When you two got closer, she slowly started opening up to you. Speaking to you about her doubts, her worries, and you were there, listening and comforting her just like a mother.

She liked it whenever when you were trying to help her sleep, you would gently sing out a calming lullaby you wrote yourself, she loved whenever you sang it. It was her favourite lullaby.

She usually did hard and great things just to hear you complimenting whatever she did, saying things that made her feel like a kid who just won at a schools event. It made her feel appreciated, and loved.

She called you mom once, was never able to live through that again even though you constantly reassured her that its okay.

Although, sometimes, she would feel a tad bit funny whenever you babied her, it felt like she never experienced that kind of affection before. (COUGH COUGH, mommy issues. COUGH COUGH)

She would depend on you whenever something happened to her that made her feel confused or feel like shit.

(Add on, when she first entered your room and realised that it was underwater sea themed with jelly fish lamps, lights, etc.. lets just say she lived in your room for a while.)

Feeling sad?, she goes to you. Feeling mad?, she goes to you. Feeling happy?, she goes to you. Whatever she was feeling, she would always go to you.

She really appreciates you. Like.. seriously.

She loved whenever she was feeling sad and she didn’t wanna talk, you would put cookies under her door. She loved eating food that you cooked, it actually made her feel like she was tasting actual cookies despite not having taste buds like everyone else..

———

Jax

He actually absolutely HATED you when you arrived. You kept stopping him from doing his pranks he calls “jokes”

You also scared the absolute living shit out of him from how tall you were, he actually jumped off the ground with his feet.

It terrified him a LITTLE bit (a lot) whenever your shadow loomed over his figure when you were behind him. Of course, he would never show it. Blud has a reputation and he is NOT ruining it

He hated how you would bribe him out from doing mean shit to everyone ESPECIALLY gangle. It irritated him a lot because of it. (But that didn’t stop him from being an asshole and tripping people over.)

You were EVERYWHERE. He couldn’t even prepare any big prank on anywhere because you wouldn’t allow him to.

Although, he slowly got used to you bit by bit. Rolling his eyes whenever you lightly scolded him for breaking gangles mask again.

He slowly started to adjust to you. Eventually even finding himself glance over to find you, just to make sure you were there.

He would NEVER, NEVER in his LIFE will admit that sometimes even he wanted to hold your hand, wanting to be embraced closely in your motherly comforting arms..

“Can i hug you..?” “What?” “I SAID CAN YOU LOOK A LESS UGLIER!”

He will whisper things unconsciously and deny he ever said anything

(He never melts in the end, sadly)

———

Pomni

Terrified. Absolutely terrified.

Thats her first emotion when she first saw you. She was shivering her timbers.

Will scream and run away when approached by you /srs

You went NUTS trying to find out what you did wrong and she knows

Ah, shit, now she feels bad

If you so happened to end up in that hell hole before pomni, you reassured her first ever and she appreciated it (kind off…)

But over time, pomni slowly shifts to being more comfortable around you

Yes, she’s still nervous around you from your height and shit, but less scared and now acknowledge your comforting presence

Now oftens visits your room when she gets overstimulated by everyone

She was absolutely ASTONISHED by your room

Pomni then decided to live there.

Wasn’t bothered at the way ragatha also visited you

Ragatha + pomni = siblings. You = mom

Even when she wasn’t feeling all well, you helped her understand and calm down, she appreciated how you made her feel validated without any crucial responses

Well, congrats because now you have a little anxiety filled daughter.

Called you mom once

She couldn’t stop apologising after that even when you assured her many times that it was okay

——————

A/n: im so sorry everyone, i cant do anymore characters!!, this has been sitting in my drafts for.. a WHILE WHILE. as so uhm… hope you enjoyed! (I PROMISE I’VE BEEN WRITING DOWN ALL YOUR REQUESTS RN)

[clover-midori]

SHATTERED IN SECONDS

"It was like when you make a move in chess and just as you take your finger off the piece, you see the mistake you've made, and there's this panic because you don't know yet the scale of disaster you've left yourself open to."

- Kazuo Ishiguro

CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE SELMA CONTINUES TO THREATEN BAJA CALIFORNIA AND CALIFORNIA COASTS WITH HIGH STORM SURGE…

On the surface, this storm didn’t seem like a big threat. You’d just have to stay close to shore, so as to not get swept away.

Easy, wasn’t it?

Well yes, but we’re not talking about the surface.

We’re talking about the OCTOPOD. What else would it have been?

Oh right. There was also outside the Octopod. The sea.

A few hours had passed now. The winds were starting to pick up now, as Selma’s outer bands rolled in.

From the HQ, Kwazii kept watching as day gradually turned to night. To him, it looked fantastic. The darkening of the sea’s colors, while painting everything into dullness, was still majestic in a way.

"Avast, if Dashi wasn’t sleeping this out, she’d get some fantastic shots." The cat smiled at Shellington, whipping out his pathetically old BlackBerry Bold 9900. "But at least I’ve gotten this old thing from who knows where!"

Only recently had the sea otter noticed Kwazii’s liking for 2000s technology like this. The other day, when he walked into the cat’s room, he noticed a PlayStation 2 on his dresser.

It was an interesting quirk. Maybe the term "piracy", as in downloading episodes of Velma from a sketchy website full of steamed hams in your area brought Kwazii back to his pirate days. And from there he discovered how cool the 2000s really were.

He was a little confused, but he got the spirit. So, yay for him.

"Shellington? Kwazii? If I were y’all, I’d get away from the windows. Y’know it’s only gonna get worse." Tweak spoke up from behind them. "There’s gotta be some debris coming from somewhere… Rocks and the like!"

"Nyaw, it’s not like it’s gotten anywhere yet! We’ve got time!" The cat laughed it off. "After all, we just gotta wait!"

The bunny facepalmed. She knew he couldn’t risk it forever. Especially not in the wake of a hurricane. A CATEGORY 5 hurricane.

But, of course, Kwazii couldn’t listen. And neither could Shellington. They were just too… disconnected, if anything.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Barnacles made an announcement.

"Octonauts, I advise that all of you stay inside the main area of the Octopod for the rest of tonight. Remember that we are going through an extremely violent hurricane, and it’s moving fast. Should anything happen, we should stick together."

Kwazii stopped smiling.

Shellington stopped smiling, too.

The true scale of what was yet to come, finally came into full view. And it was not good at all.

"Jumping jellyfish. I almost forgot… again." The sea otter was now wide awake, which was rare to see as he tended to be a sleepyhead. But now here he was, in horrific realization.

And not just that, but he knew Dashi was deep asleep in her room. Yet, he couldn’t speak up. Not yet.

Barnacles didn’t know either.

But Kwazii did.

"Captain, I think we’re missing someone… HEY! Any of ye seen-"

And just when you thought things were shit, they were about to become the diarrhea you got after eating one too many breadsticks from the school cafeteria.

The Octopod slowly rumbled, as Selma’s winds picked up once again. For a few seconds, it calmly get steadily rocked back and fourth. Again and again.

"…jumping jellyfish. I gotta go." Shellington rushed to his lab. Kwazii went down his trail, deep into his refuge.

~~~~

Shellington walked around his lab, and he was starting to panic.

"What do we do? What do we do? What… do we do? The Octopod is shaking, the hurricane is already here, and Dashi isn’t in the main area." He kept talking to himself, before bumping into Kwazii.

"C’mon, now! I clearly helped Captain anchor the Octopod! We can’t be that plundered!" He tried to comfort the sea otter. But it wasn’t any use.

"Kwazii, you and I need to get to the launch bay RIGHT NOW. I might have an idea of why things aren’t going well."

A few minutes later, the two had snuck past Tweak, and were tethered to the Octopod by an old iPhone charging cable. Selma kept throwing the currents around and around, and it was becoming increasingly hard to swim.

Fortunately, Kwazii easily noticed what was wrong with the Octopod.

"Nothing?!"

"Fascinating! There’s no marks at all!"

The two shook their heads. Clearly something was playing with them. A sea creature? Most likely. But that couldn’t be. Not in a hurricane!

"…avast! Your free antivirus, this isn’t right!" The cat and otter swam back inside, in panic. The cause was obvious, but the anchor had been set about 3 hours ago! And during that time, clearly many fish were finding shelter…

The anchor simply came loose. Which it had never done before.

It was a sign.

A sign that their time was almost up.

"Kwazii?! Shellington?! What were you two doin’ out there?!" Tweak immediately noticed them, dripping water. "Y'all could’ve gotten real hurt!"

"That’s for Peso to figure out. Me and Kwazii had to find out why the Octopod was shaking. And there’s no marks on the anchor… Meaning that what’s merely happening is that…" Shellington stopped, and immediately turned to Kwazii. "It’s loose."

He went went empty for a moment. "But Shellington, I didn’t do it! I was just guiding the captain and…"

The otter tightly hugged him, shaking his head. "I never said you did it. You were only trying to help… What I’m saying is… Your captain is at fault."

Tweak gasped. "Oh me, oh my, oh WHAT THE HECK?! So… Cap failed to anchor the Octopod deep enough? You’re tellin’ me he left us for dead?!"

"I mean… I DON’T KNOW!" Shellington screamed. "I might just be losing my mind! What I’m more concerned is… how much time do we have left until the anchor is loose enough to completely free the Octopod from the ground?"

The bunny just looked at the otter, horrified as he was. And the answer? Just as obvious.

"Faster than you can say 'WE'RE FUCKED FOR REAL!' WE HAVE TO GET HIS ATTENTION!" Tweak ran upstairs in a panic, something she had never really done before, until now.

By sheer coincidence, she crashed head-on into Barnacles, and it hurt like hell. But her fears numbed out her pain, as she fell back down the stairs. The captain ran for her, trying to catch.

In the end, it ended up in a two-Octonaut stampede. Two likely injuries. But those didn’t matter, when Tweak knew she was about to die in absolute panic from potential disaster.

She wished she didn’t have to say the same about the others. And while she was disappointed in Barnacles, she was just as sorry for him. To know you were in extreme danger during a hurricane, was to be a nightmare. And that? The bunny understood.

It was his fault, and at the same time, it wasn’t.

"Cap…! I’m sorry! I’m so, so sorry… I should’ve been more careful…" Tweak was tearing up. "I just wanted to tell you the bad news… before it’s too late…" she covered her eyes in regret.

"Bad news? Then there’s not a time to waste. Tell me."

Tweak wanted to throw up. The whole thought of this was getting to her HARD. But she had to say something.

"The anchor is loose. It’s not functioning as it should. Cap, you know what this means? You know what this FUCKING MEANS?!" Tweak angrily grabbed the captain by the ears.

"Tweak, let go- Wait… the anchor? Loose? Not functioning as it should? You’re telling me…"

Shellington and Kwazii were gone, and Barnacles only caught sight of Tweak’s leg, as she ran upstairs.

That was the code to make a run for it.

~~~~

Barnacles ran as fast as he could to the HQ, and almost IMMEDIATELY did he SMASH his fist into the Octo-Alert. So hard, that it became louder and higher-pitched than before… and there was no way anyone could ignore.

"OCTONAUTS, TO THE HQ, RIGHT NOW! THIS IS A LIFE-OR-DEATH SITUATION, AND I NEED ALL OF US TO ACT FAST FOR OUR SURVIVAL! WASTE NO TIME OR WE WILL MOST-CERTAINLY DIE."

That was the scariest announcement Barnacles would ever say. And sadder, was that it could be his last.

Almost immediately, Peso ran through the HQ. But he didn’t stop. In fact, he was running for downstairs. He was looking for some certain patients.

"Flappity flippers! They can’t be gone like that! They have to be somewhere!" He was the most anxious he’d have been since 2010, and had his headphones on full volume. He couldn’t hear his own screams either, because all he could hear was Jvne’s hardest album ever. Its title, he screamed to himself.

"STARVING SLVTS… ALWAYS GET THEIR FIX!"

Sorry, what’s that?

Vicki? What about… Oh.

What, have we forgotten Inkling?

"No… I haven’t…" he sighed, looking at Tunip. The Vegimals had all rushed for his library, looking for Shellington as usual. "I would advise you stay with me… Oh, my, The Octo-Alarm is going off and I don’t like the sound of it…!"

He rolled up in his chair, confused about the sound. It never sounded this urgent, but now? It was nightmare fuel.

~~~~

Shellington had never cried so hard before, and now he kept raging in his laboratory, and all that Kwazii could do was watch.

"LOOK AT THIS! I COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING! SOMETHING TO SAVE US ALL! AND YET? I DIDN’T, KWAZII! I DIDN’T!!!" He kept shouting, clutching his face in front of the cat.

"I FAILED YOU! I… FAILED YOU!"

Kwazii was trying to get him to stop crying, but it wasn’t any use. The only thing in life Kwazii feared was spiders, and now Shellington bawling his eyes out.

Not that he hatefully feared it. If anything, it was something he wished to never witness. The otter he spent so much time with. Inches away from heart failure, if anything.

"Nyaw… Who am I to leave him here?… I have to go to the HQ… But Shellington is screaming, and crying… Avast, I can’t go up there. I have to do something!"

The ex-pirate looked at the scientific otter, and knew that, with all that was happening, comfort him.

But this was impossible. With Barnacles’ making these announcements over the Octo-Alarm, his warm hugs were nothing.

"JUST MINUTES AGO, I WAS MADE AWARE OF GRIM NEWS. THE ANCHOR HAS FAILED TO CHAIN THE OCTOPOD, AND IS YET TO COME OFF AT ANY MOMENT. THE OCTOPOD IS STARTING TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY, AND HAS A VERY HIGH CHANCE TO CRASH WITH A VIOLENT IMPACT. WITH THAT, WE CAN ONLY DO ONE THING FOR AN ATTEMPT OF SURVIVAL."

Kwazii could feel himself going more and more deaf, as the screams of Barnacles and Shellington echoed around him, exceeding what he felt was over 175 decibels. Enough to kill him… if this crash didn’t.

"BRACE FOR IMPACT!" Barnacles shouted so loudly, like he was angry at everyone. Like an actual polar bear…

Kwazii had enough of him. All he wanted to do was just hug Shellington. If this was gonna keep on going, the last thing he’d do… was rebel. And so, he did.

"Captain…. SHUT UP!" He shouted back, possibly rupturing a lung. But those didn’t matter anymore. "GET OFF MY BACK AND YE BUZZ RIGHT OFF, UNDERSTOOD?!"

Not that he heard that. But the cat wanted to scream at him.

The cat tightly hugged the otter, trying to talk to him. To know he was not alone. To know he was NEVER alone. He dragged him into his bed, head on the front end.

Kwazii’s idea was to seek shelter inside here. To stay upstairs was too dangerous. And he knew others were likely listening to Barnacles.

If anything, he was hoping Dashi was still asleep.

~~~~

"Listen to me.. Inkling.. I can’t find them anywhere. They’re missing, and I can’t be bothered anymore…" Peso cried in a raspy voice. "I bet you are just as hurt as I am, but please… Save the Vegimals. Get them out of here… and save yourself."

The squid smiled at the penguin, noticing how pale his eyes were. "Goodness me, you look very ill yourself… I promise I’ll look after them."

Peso felt as if he could collapse at any moment, but he still managed to shake his flipper with Inkling. "I’m sorry… I didn’t act faster… I'm gonna miss you…"

"Good luck out there," Inkling nodded. "You're in for one wild ride." Suddenly, the Octopod violently shook, throwing Peso to the ceiling and knocking him out instantly, but not killing him, thankfully. The impact had also caused many books to fly around, some crashing into the window, which left it cracked.

"My books! Peso! Just… what a tragedy! We HAVE to evacuate… Tunip, are you ready?" He looked at the broken window, knowing it was a perfect escape.

"Cheepa… wala… Shellybo." The Vegimal looked back from the door, knowing that otter was still in there.

"…I promise we'll find him once the sand settles. I guarantee that everything has a chance." Inkling held him by one tentacle, and watched as the glass, stressed by the harsh movements of the Octopod, as it continued to glide through the sea’s insane currents, cracked one more time.

And like that, it shattered into thousands of pieces, all which made way for GALLONS upon GALLONS of sea water.

Inkling took one final look at Peso's body, knowing there was no time left. He had to go, go, go.

The other Vegimals followed him, as he charged towards the escape, knowing he was leaving behind everything. Him, Inkling, being the founder… now leaving it all as it went to waste.

At first, the Octonauts were merely a collection of simulations that Inkling had worked on with two humans in LA and Vancouver. Michael and Vicki. To each one another, it didn’t feel like a whole lot, but it was the greatest thing they’d have ever done. None of them knew the impact those simulations from 2006 had. At the time, it was all just for fun.

They decided to cherish it with the other stuff they’d have been doing at the time. All under the studio’s name.

Meomi. A little creative studio dedicated to play, delight and good-liness.

That was how it started.

And now, it was a whole new world that he had made with those two humans. None of them really knew how big this whole thing would become, until it became clear, that it was more than that little… creative… studio.

2010. The Octonauts were real.

And now, they weren’t.

As the squid swam out, hauling the Vegimals, he knew what was going to be left from this.

A lost legacy, eternal regret, and an angry call at 4AM from Vicki.

All because of a broken anchor.

It continued to shred away in the currents. Panel by panel, piece by piece.

The Octopod was slowly falling apart.

But at least Barnacles stopped shouting. At least not on the intercom.

"…S-Shellington?" Kwazii whispered to the otter, both trapped inside his folded-up bed. "Are ye okay now?"

Sea otter couldn’t see for a moment, but then realized what had happened. "Kwazii, is that you? Hi. Why are the lights turned off?"

"Just wanted to help you sleep. I know you’re awake now, so I figured we’d… talk."

Neither really knew what they were referring to. They were just in this… coffin, unaware of their impending doom.

"…Of course. I should have thought about that. What’s on your mind, Kwazii?" Shellington awkwardly giggled. "You seem pretty bored."

For a moment, the cat was thinking. Now, when you’re inside a folded up (Michael) Murphy bed, you think you’re in danger. But not here. If anything, the two were simply enjoying each other’s company.

"Well… I do wanna confess something." Kwazii giggled back. "Ye approve~?"

Shellington let out an "mhmm", which made the cat blush a little.

"Good, matey. Now, I’m pretty sure ye know that we’ve been spending more time than usual lately. And honestly, I myself don’t really know why… But, Shellington, the thing is… and I’m being more genuine than a PlayStation 5 from a shady arcade, and I’ve wanted to say this for months now…

"Go on," said Shellington. "What's up?" He was becoming more intrigued, and Kwazii knew it was truly time to tell him.

"I always did love you. For REAL."

Shellington blushed heavily from those 5 words. With all the time he had spend with the cat, he knew he felt the same way. He went for it as well, smiling bright.

"…I love you too, Kwazii."

But right after that, came a massive…

BANG!

…and everything went darker than ever.

Dashi was still asleep.

Tweak ducked in the launch bay.

Peso, unconscious, was thrown out of the window.

Shellington was hiding in his bed.

Kwazii was with him.

But none of those sounded as terrifying as what Captain Barnacles Bear suffered through.

He was still in the HQ. Where all the glass was.

The Octopod fell flat on its front.

All the glass was smashed, and shards of it were sent flying towards him at an insanely fast speed. And all that Barnacles could do was block his face.

But now, it was too late.

Too late to cry.

Too late to brace.

Too late to scream.

Everything, even hopes and dreams, was shattered in seconds.

[deanwax]

For the WIP titles tag. I need to know more about It's an Electric Thang please 💜

It's an Electric Thang (alt title: Two Cats Meeting) is the only het meet-cute I've ever conceived. It takes place in a world where elemental powers have only started occurring in the human population fairly recently and if you've got 'em, it's best kept secret.

Wyatt's powers are electric, but he doesn't have any ambitions of being a superhero or anything. Doesn't even consider himself sharp enough to learn computer programming. He took a job at an auto repair shop right out of high school and he's real good at fixing anything to do with the flow of electrical current because he can see where the current stops.

One day, he comes across a dusty old cat lying in an alleyway. He can tell it's going to die soon by the way the electrical impulses in its body have slowed, so he decides to sit with it until then. This is when a young nurse named Mary comes out from the back door of an old folks' home. She has the ability to manipulate air, and she tries to put more air into the near-dead cat's lungs. The attempt to resuscitate the cat disturbs Wyatt to his core and he accidentally makes a lightning strike discharge down a nearby drainpipe. This frightens Mary, and she slaps Wyatt across the face:

Mary made her own big sound with the hardest slap Wyatt had ever been hit with in his life. Later that night, when he was in his bed stewing about it, he figured she must have done something to take the wind resistance away from her hand.

They run away from each other after this, but the short story ends when they sheepishly reconcile after next crossing paths.

Here's the first chunk:

Wyatt Scott was a child of incest. He wasn’t supposed to talk about it, but his momma and her cousin Robbie had been in love ever since they was kids, and she’d lied and said Wyatt’s daddy had run out on her before he was born. 

He’d been real cut up about it when he’d found out, listening to them through the kitchen window in the dead of night when he was meant to be in bed sleeping. But now that he was almost a man, Wyatt wasn’t too mad about it. He had all the right numbers of fingers and toes, but he did always wonder if the incest thing was the cause of his electric thing. 

He wasn’t supposed to talk about that, neither. It made people real scared. Couldn’t blame ‘em: why, it felt like just about every other day there was a news story about so-and-so or such-and-such making a real mess of things, robbin’ banks and setting things on fire like the bad guys in movies. The people on the TV called ‘em Paranorms, but that was stupid. Wyatt had never seen a ghost in his damn life. He could see electricity just fine, though, when he wanted to; zipping this way and that in glowing lines that shined through the walls of his house like he had x-ray vision or somethin’.

The human body had electricity, too. Wyatt’s particular comprehension could turn any normal person in a glowing being of light, like an angel, or maybe even a jellyfish, with a brilliant cluster of sparks right behind their eyes. It was a blessed way to pass the time, though any other Scotts at the dinner table were likely to get a little zap if they asked Wyatt to pass the salt.

[odakuram]

ハレモノ/Swelling (English Translation)

Music/Lyrics: sazanami Illustration: Asupara Nas Vocals: Hatsune Miku

“That being said, I felt like I was also told all this when I was born.”

君はもし形を見てくれるなら 僕の居た証も見て取れるだろう 君の立つ姿は雨粒のようで 僕は吐く言葉も濡らしてくれた

If you were to look at my form for me, you’d be able to grasp the proof that I was here. Your standing figure, like raindrops, soaked even the words that came out of my mouth

切られた？切られてはないな 見られた？見られてもないな 浮かれた。浮かれても 追い付かれてはないようだった 振られて踏まれてわかった 誰にも知られてなかった 思い浸ってただけだ

Was I cut off? I wasn’t. Was I seen? Not that, either. I was on cloud nine. And yet, it felt like I couldn’t catch up. I was rejected and trampled on, then I knew No one understood me. I was just really immersed in my thoughts.

気付かないことに気付けないままな 僕だけが残されて今も動けないんだ 戻りたいのわかって？ 戻れないのわかってる。 でもまだ夢見てたい

Still unable to notice what I don’t notice, I’ve been left behind, and even now, I can’t move Do you know that I want to go back? I know that I can’t go back. But I still want to dream

話しかけられる度に 嫌味だと捉えちゃうから ここぞの時誰も僕を助けてはくれないんだ 1人だってわかってる 気取りだってわかってる でもまだ認めてない

Every time I get to talk to you, I get the sense you’re being sarcastic, so no one will lend me a hand when the time comes. I know I’m alone. I know I’m pretending to be bigger than I actually am. But I still don’t acknowledge it.

もう嫌だ もう嫌なのもやだ もういらない もう要らないのにまだ

Oh, I don’t like this There isn’t even a chance that I wouldn’t like it I don’t need it anymore I don’t need it anymore, and yet…

始めた頃はなかった海に 見たことないクラゲが泳いでいる （そうなんだ） 見慣れたフリに困った瓜が 掛けたくない言葉に痞えている （そうなんだ） 呆れるほどに弱った僕を 信じがたい現実が犯していく （そうなんだね） 敷かれた土に埋まった種が 咲きたくないと願って朽ちていく （そうなんだね）

A jellyfish I’ve never seen before swims in a sea that wasn’t there in the beginning (That’s right) A melon troubled by pretending it was used to all this is choked by the words I didn’t want to say to you (That’s right) Weakened to the point of being tired of it, the reality I wanted to believe in wrongs me (That’s right, isn’t it) Wishing that they wouldn’t bloom, the seeds buried in the soil withered (That’s right, isn’t it)

価値のないものに 見惚れてるうちに 無駄だけが明かされて 今を失ったんだ 辿り着いた答えは 星の数ほどあって でもまだ捨てられない

Even though it was worthless, I was so enthralled in it, Eventually, it was revealed that it was a waste of my time and I lost the present The answers I arrived at are as countless as the stars But I still can’t bring myself to throw them away.

自らを治す時に ��側をよく見せるから 心がまだ錆びたまま 煮えるまで気付けないんだ 嘘じゃないことだって 嘘みたいに刺さって でもまだ抜けられない

Because I mostly look outwards when I fix myself My heart was still so rusted and I didn’t notice until I was boiling It’s not a lie, and yet it pierces like one But I still can’t take it out

みんな居なくなるならと 逆に引き篭もることが 何よりも辛くて明日が来なければいいのにさ 眠くなったらどうして 寝てしまうのはこうして まだ陽が当たるから

Locking myself in and wishing everyone would die would be more painful than anything else,  and I wouldn’t want tomorrow to ever come If I wanted to sleep, then why does this happen when I do sleep? That’s because the sun still shines

もう嫌だ もう嫌なのがやだ もういらない もう要らないのにまだ

Oh, I don’t like this There isn’t even a chance that I wouldn’t like it I don’t need it anymore I don’t need it anymore, and yet…

生きてる

I’m alive.

------

Text on-screen (timestamps courtesy of commenter 悠莉-s2d):

0:11　君にもし見放されていたらさ　僕はまだここに居ただろう

If you were to give up on me, I’d still be here, I think.

0:20　君ってさ、かわいい名前して案外汚ないんだね　でも、泥で洗っても取れちゃうから悔しいんだ

To think that you could have such a cute name and be so filthy. But it’d come off even if you washed it with mud, and I find that regrettable.

0:37　ないよ　まさか

I couldn’t catch up, seriously.

0:38　振られても踏まれても解らなかった

I was rejected and trampled on, and yet I didn’t know why.

0:41　いっそ知らないままで良かった

I would rather that no one knew about it.

0:46　一方的だった癖に　ならこれでさよならだ。

This may have all been one-sided, but let this be goodbye.

0:48　未発見なんてこの世にはもう存在しなくて　全部誰かがやらなかっただけの余りものだとしたら

Let's say that there's no longer anything in this world that yet to be discovered, and it's all just the remaining things that someone has yet to do.

0:57　見たい見たいって何度思っても　そこは人の入らなくなった映画館のようで　もう一生、夢なんて見れないのかもね

No matter how much I think of seeing you, it’s like an abandoned theatre–I couldn’t ever dream about it in my whole life.

1:06　でも、そうしたいと思ったは君自身でしょ？

But was it not you yourself who thought about doing so?

1:16　だから欲しかったシーンを全てカットして　退屈な時間を大量に差し込んだ

So I cut out all the scenes that I wanted and replaced it with copious amounts of ennui.

1:57　まるで今見つけたみたいにみんな言うんだ　君がちゃんと見てなかっただけなの��ね

Everyone says it like they found it just now, “But it’s just that you haven’t looked properly, you know?”

2:06　でたらめな文章ほど意味をつけたがるなんて　ほんと笑っちゃうよね

To put meaning in such a rubbish statement…honestly, it’s laughable.

2:15　まるで今見つけたみたいにみんな言うんだ　君がちゃんと見てなかっただけなのにね

Everyone says it like they found it just now, “But it’s just that you haven’t looked properly, you know?”

2:46　”でも、正直もういいかも”　　

“But I guess it’s better to be honest.”

3:51　なんて素晴らしい春でしょうか あなたのせいで　彼はどこかへ消えてしまいましたが

What a wonderful spring, don’t you think? It’s your fault that he disappeared to god-knows-where.

[fakefrench10]

Full moon

It’s funny how stupid it is how lucky I am in some things and how hopelessly unlucky in others.

Like, how it is so convenient that I don’t have to look for keys holding my bike, freezing, tired and hungry, because the front door is broken, and I can just push it and get into the building. And how my bike got stolen because the front door is broken, and one can just push it and get in.

Like how I have a permanent place to stay on the beach, but dating the wrong guy. Or how I found the shoes of my dreams, but my hair got destroyed from bleaching. Or how I have all these hobbies I start but never finish. Or how depressed I am in the grey city these days, but will fly to LA soon. I don’t have any more health problems, but my scars are not going away. Falling behind on sports, but don’t loose shape. No personal life but I can move to Emirates for a couple of years and make tohons of money.

There is always something wrong. Always. And major things. Like I tried to dye my hair once and it turned blue. Then one other time it was orange. My knie still hurts from from a bike accident. Four accidents. My hand too. Destroyed a few cameras and a few camera films. A few sawing disasters. Drilled the wrong wall. Jellyfish bit me in the sea. My loan application got rejected. Didn’t get enough tax return.

Par contre, everything I posted on Vinted yesterday got sold right away. I asked a guy at the supermarket if they had any spare boxes (to ship the sold things). He left his post on the self-service counters to look for some in the storage room. A woman joined to help out. Then another college went with us to look for some in another place. We didn’t find any good ones.

When I was already at the counter with a ficus and water, my only purchase, the guy run to me with a perfect box. I couldn’t believe just how cute that was. The woman at the counter joked - So you would like to but some things. - Yes. I would love to - I said. It’s funny in German. That’s our humor.

My shoemaker hugged me today. Old man. Must be retiring soon. Already the first time I went, he was too happy to see me. We talked about my shoes. When I was picking them up, he fixed my bike sit and gave me a big discount for no reason. We talked about bikes and the weather. Already when leaving we found out he is from Turkey. I said I was from Armenia. I had to say. Tried to smile as before. I thought his face expression changed. But no. He insisted to take my bike downstairs himself.

The third time was today. maşallah - he said when he saw how much work I had brought him. Four pairs. Heels destroyed. Of course. How else, when you live in Berlin.

He asked if I spoke Turkish. Asked again where I am from. We introduced ourselves again. I told him my sister and mom know Turkish. I somehow never learned. Now we talked about Orhan Pamuk. His names is Orhan too. Nice name. Then about my shoes. Then how my bike got stolen and how the new one is way too big for me.

He told me to come back November 11th. He was too loaded. That is in 17 days. I said maşallah. As in it’s a long time. We laughed. I made it to work right on time.

Everybody smiled at me today. I was surprised. Because I was stressed about shipping all the sold things. Because I didn’t sleep well. Because of the full moon. Because I looked trashy. My boss said it was cosy not trashy.

I am too lucky. Though I can never sleep when there is full moon. Things go wrong because I do things. One day my luck is going turn badly. But I will be too happy to even notice it run out.

[finrays]

Thanks y’all, a good night’s sleep was pretty recharging, lol.

What happened was this: we got hit with a sudden squall while working on the back deck of the boat. Within like, ten seconds of the first gust, we were dealing with heavy rain, super powerful wind (our chief scientist estimated 50 mph) and our captain not noticing how bad it had gotten and going through it with the engine at full tilt, which added sea spray to the situation. It was strong enough to pick up a metal pan full of crabs and fling it off the table into the river.

We’d been cleaning up after fieldwork in what was just the expected rain, then the wind came TOTALLY out of nowhere, and it triggered the ol’ Flight/Fight/Freeze response hard on the side of Freeze; I kinda remember ducking under the sorting table (which didn’t help because it was open underneath) and seeing red as what felt like salty pebbles hammered into me. It was DEFINITELY a combination of the rain and river water, which was pretty saline that close to the mouth.

I couldn’t get my brain to work. It was like “If we stand up we’re in trouble. We can’t do that.” Eventually I had to hold out a hand to my coworker and let her grab it to show me where the deck lab was so I could scuttle inside. We were all squished into this tiny little shotgun room together, completely soaked and in some form of shock. Like, wet t-shirt contest, post-shower hair soaked. It was insane.

It all lasted about two minutes but MAN; that was a primal kind of fear I haven’t felt in years and years, if at all. Something in my brain stem was like “This could kill us” and I locked up in response. We lost the sorting pan but no one was hurt, just rattled. I really get why the old-time sailors crossing the oceans on wooden vessels were terrified of storms, this was a quick stinker on the river and it was scary as hell.

The hilarious part of it was that the captain missed it all. No one could get around through the storm to yell at him to slow down, and when we looked through the window into the cabin, was just casually driving with not a care in the world, lol. It was like the marine biology equivalent of;

That was Scary Death-Adjacent Work Incident. Now it’s another notch in my belt and a story to tell, since it didn’t turn out tragic for us. I think y’all are right; adrenaline rush spiked and then lowered. Whew! Definitely better now. Even the jellyfish stings I’d been collecting all day have calmed.

And the NextDoor post wasn’t about me, lol.

It’s incredibly odd how less than two minutes of sheer terror will wipe your reserves out for the rest of the day. We had an Incident at work today that came uncomfortably close to the “Looking Death in the Eye” category and I have been a jittering, exhausted mess with zero ability to cope since then. Like, somebody posted something on NextDoor that my roommate got as a notification that could have vaguely been about me, and I almost burst into tears when I was filling my water bottle and her phone, which she’d left on the kitchen counter when she went out, dinged with it.

[osakiharu]

PEEK A BOO !! : haruchiyo sanzu

✶ maybe going to the extreme to feed your obsession would uncover the one thing you wanted to know most !!

content : gender neutral reader, dark content !! (i think), mentions of guns, mentions of sanzu's katana lmao, stalking, taking photos without consent, obsessive feelings towards someone, intruding, textbook definition of a rushed ending lmao, tell me if i missed anything, little dialogue because i just couldn't add much in with the plot so whoops :(, not proofread

wc : 1k

notes : i can‘t tell if i hate this or not?? it's probably because it has little dialogue but at the same time i really like how this turned out idk..

neighbours are not people you become obsessed with.

they aren’t meant to cause a pang of excitement to strike in your chest when you finally see them. they aren’t people you think you see everywhere because you can’t rid them from your thoughts and daydreams. they’re not really people who you know the full name of and can describe their appearance in such a detailed manner anyone would think you lived together; from something obvious like hair colour to the things you have to look closer for from afar like the pretty hues of their eyes. you’re not meant to know what their regular routine is, what time they wake up, who their friends are, what their favourite colour might be (though at this point you don’t think he cares enough to have one.) you shouldn’t know all this from nothing but a collection of observations and from spending a prolonged amount of time on their social media.

you knew all of that and more. so much. too much, and you knew he wouldn’t want you to know. you weren’t even sure if he knew your name in return, and that made your chest sting a little. did he not want to know your name? probably not, considering how he’d never really attempted to speak to you, spare the rare occasion that your package gets delivered to his house instead of yours. did he not want to study the pretty hues of your eyes that could only sparkle so brightly in his presence? was sanzu, not so interested, so intrigued, so obsessed with you that he didn't even want to start with learning your name? it made your heart sink to think about it. it’s not like that would prevent you from continuing on with your watching and observations, though, which is why you stood in your current position.

in sanzu’s bedroom.

you had repulsed all normal and rational alternatives to retrieve what you wanted, the efforts of the little angel on your shoulder spurned. were you stupid? probably, considering how his car was still in the driveway. the black car that he almost never parked in the same place and position, with the funny little blue and purple jellyfish figurine on the dashboard. there was no sign of him in the house, though, which you found odd considering you never miss him leaving the house opposite yours. you had expected to find him in his room sleeping or perhaps typing away at his work, but the house kept itself devoid of his presence.

but now you realise you never should’ve entered in the first place.

not because of the gun placed on the kitchen table, clearly done in a lackadaisical manner, a few others hidden in draws or under furniture. the katana in his bedroom that held many memories of his and carried the weight of many lives didn’t perturb you in the slightest. the odd box here and there, filled with objects no regular civilian should come into contact with had been ignored.

it was the photos that sat in a pile on his desk. after studying his clothes and reading all his little scrapped notes scattered around the room (half of them saying, “call rindou”), you found the grainy photos of people you didn’t recognise scattered on his desk, some crossed out, some not. you didn’t know any of them until you gently moved your fingers through the pile. “oh…” you could say nothing more as you stared at a plethora of little photos of you. you couldn’t tell what the shaking in your legs or the tears welling in your eyes were from, but the further you frantically looked through them your breathing only became more erratic. in many of the photos you were alone, walking down the street or standing outside your house. in others you were in your room, taken at the exact same angle every time; his bedroom window was directly opposite yours. you feel as though he’s probably seen more than just the things you’re doing in the photos when it comes to your bedroom. maybe it wasn’t your daydreams and you really had seen him everywhere. you couldn’t push aside that theory as you looked through teary eyes at all the little polaroids and printed pictures of you laughing with your friends, or you walking home from meeting with them.

your glassy eyes were wiped on the sleeve of sanzu’s large sweater as you looked up out of his window, but your efforts were futile at the view that was presented to you. though sanzu may possess bubblegum pink hair and a love for brightly coloured suits, his presence in the room held a tenebrosity that seemed to stretch beyond his figure. his figure that stood in your bedroom. you had to be hallucinating, you were sure of it! you rubbed your slightly puffy eyes and shook your head but to no avail, he really was there. the rosy pink strands cascading over his shoulders and down his back, the top ruffled like someone had run their fingers through it. his lean but strong arms reached out to touch or pick your belongings up, studying them with such a caution that anyone would assume they were the most valuable items in the world. “don’t turn around, don't turn around-” you mumbled into his sleeve, and as if on command, he did. sanzu turned to peer into his own bedroom window out of yours to see your figure staring back at him, like a deer caught in headlights.

as an almost sweet smile crept into his scarred face and his hand raised into a mocking wave, your heart began to warm. the reason he wasn’t home was because he was at your house! instead of doing his stupid, boring job, he was making time for you! how kind is he? sanzu’s chest jumped with a chuckle, as did yours with a giggle. you could see the way his bright eyes sparkled, as if he’d finally found a piece of treasure he’d been longing to discover as he noticed his sweater hanging off your body, far too big for you. he always knew you’d look so cute in his clothing! as he turned to take his leave, you decided against attempting to go back home and hide, he'd only catch you anyway.

besides, why would you want to when you don't have to pretend anymore?

reblogs appreciated <3

[missmorosis]

being stupid at 3am

-> feat. oikawa, kuroo, bokuto and bonus. tsukishima

word count: 800

genre: fluff, crack-ishhh

no bc these are all actual conversations ive had with myself at 3am HEHDHD

"Mmm, do jellyfish have brains?" you asked, your eyes spaced out as you spoke your thoughts aloud. It was a genuine question, and you needed an answer.

"Wha-" You saw Oikawa, who was lying down next to you, turn to face you in your peripheral.

"Y'know, they're all clear and stuff." Your eyes met his. "Where's their brain?"

"Wait. Y/N." Suddenly he was wide awake, and he bolted upright, reaching for his phone. He opened up Google on his phone, his fingers typing fast to find an answer.

He misspelled "jellyfish" in both excitement and sleepiness, instead spelling it as “jelylyfsh” but the search engine got the idea. He pinched his screen to zoom in onto an image of the bowl shape of the jellyfish, and low and behold: there was no visible brain, like you expected.

"WHERE IS IT?" He looked back at you with wide eyes.

"EXACTLY."

"Maybe they don't have a brain? They just vibe in the ocean, brainless. Like... zombies," he reasoned, sticking his arms out ahead of him, mimicking a stereotypical zombie. Most logical answer possible.

"They just..." you looked for the right words, "...bop around." You leaned back into your bed, moving from your sitting position into a sleeping position. Your eyes traced the edge of the ceiling as you thought about what jellyfish truly did.

"I wish I could be a jellyfish." He flopped his head onto your stomach, you becoming his personal pillow. His arm hung off the edge of the bed, casually swinging as he thought. "You could sting who you wanted and you don't even have to think. You just dance and float all day,” he sighed, his hands moving animatedly as he spoke, and you hummed in agreement.

You loved this "free" and "silly" side of Oikawa: something you saw the most past 2am. He had always worried about being perfect during the day, around his fangirls, classmates, and such, and while he still had fun, he wasn't as carefree. Maybe that was why you wanted to stay up later.

“Who decided that ‘gen z' was known as ‘gen z'?" you voiced. It was just on your mind, and Kuroo blinked at you, squinting his eyes because he had trouble keeping them open. "Like... did we all just collectively decide on that?"

"You're still awake?" he asked. You nodded, clearly wide-eyed.

Sleep was not one of your intentions; you just wanted to know why "gen z" was "gen z," and who had decided on it. It couldn't just be an overnight decision if everyone in the world referred to your generation as "gen z."

"Go to sleep," he muttered, his voice small and raspy with sleepiness. He trapped you with his leg, pulling you closer as he tried to pull you into sleep as well. He tucked his nose into your shoulder, mumbling other thoughts incoherently.

"But who decided?" you pressed.

"I don't know, but we can find out in the morning." You groaned: you needed to know now rather than in the morning.

"It's already morning," you reasoned. You gestured to your clock, ticking away on the wall, which flashed "3am" to back you up.

"Technically yeah, but 3am is still considered night for many, since people go to sleep at this time." His eyes were closed, but his mouth kept moving, which you somehow found attractive.

"Tetsurouuuu, I need to know." You pouted, but he couldn't see, of course, since his eyes were closed.

"You'll know... in the morning." You huffed. "Sleep."

"Why are hippos purple in like little kids's books?" Bokuto asked randomly, and you hummed.

"That's why I'm saying!" You talked with wide hand gestures. "What about elephants, why are they blue? Both are gray, anyways." He nodded eagerly in agreement. "Why do you ask?" He looked at you proudly before sticking a piece of paper in your face.

"I'm coloring!" Bokuto cheered, and you grasped the paper he shoved into you. It looked like something straight out of a kindergartener's homework. It was like a safari of colors if it was on a paper.

"You're coloring... at three in the morning?" He looked to the wall clock, confirming that it was indeed three am.

"I guess so." He shrugged, as if coloring some printable coloring page from the internet was more important than sleep.

"Can I join you?" You smiled, and he grinned back even wider.

"Of course!" He handed you some blue for the skies, and the two of you got to work.

The crayon compared to Bokuto's hand was tiny, and you were surprised to see how carefully and gracefully he was able to fill out the lines of animals. Impressive.

bonus: tsukishima

"Why do donuts have hol-" you started, but Tsukishima put one hand out blindly to cover your mouth.

"Sleep."

"Okay." There was no arguing with Tsukki.

Haikyuu Taglist: @floralkawa ​ @ray-ofmoonlight ​ @sushijimawakatoshi ​ @bokutsumie ​ @felixsamour ​​

OKAY GN IM AT 4% BATTERY AND I LOST MY CHARGER SEND HELP

[raewritesfiction]

Pleasure Island [Henry Cavill]

A/N: it’s 2.33am and I can’t sleep. Best time to write something. Sorry about editing; on on mobile.

Plot: Henry is a pleasure Dom. Reader has been bratting and talking big so he decides it’s time to punish them.

Pairing: Henry Cavill X Fem!Reader

Warnings: Smut. Unprotected sex. (Always use a condom people!) Forced orgasms.

[[ Lemme know if you wanna be added or removed from tags; no questions asked ♥️ likes are amazing however I really appreciate Reblogs to help spread my writing further! Thank you 🌈😘]]

Tag List: @jaseminedenise @nikkitasevoli @ohh-la-la-leto @iraniq @snewsome756 @vikki-rogue @amelia-in-w0nderland @pandaliciouz @crispyimagines17 @marie-is-blogging @bonniebird @nutinanutshell @louise-buchan @trashybrooke @inlovewithhisblueeyes @sycochick @purplerain85 @zealoushound @summersong69 @pixie88 @beck07990

—

You lay panting and gasping but you knew you weren’t at breaking point yet… Henry growls and watches you intently as your body convulses again with another orgasm. Was this seven? Or maybe eight?

“You only have yourself to blame…” he smirks but keeps a close eye on you all the same. He liked watching you fall apart but didn’t want to push you too far; he knew your limits even when you didn’t.

—

You’d been a brat the entire day. Henry had specifically asked you to plan out what you’d like to do but you had stayed up late the previous night and forgotten all about it. When he had called because you hadn’t messaged, your phone had made you jump awake. Checking the clock and seeing it read 2.27pm you could only utter various curse words under your breath because you knew you’d fucked up. Instead of apologies and admitting your faults of staying up and watching two full seasons of a show you chose violence and decided being a brat would be best.

Henry had appeared after an hour, in which time you had showered and dressed but not eaten. He asked what you’d like but you couldn’t decide and instead grabbed biscuits and chocolate. Henry had pointed out you needed a balanced diet not just sugar and carbs. You had huffed and shrugged and eaten the entire packet in defiance. The look Henry had given you was more than a warning but still you continued with your choice of violence.

Would you like to go out? Play some games? Have you gotten your house work all done? Maybe a glass of water would help? To everything you shrugged and looked around and huffed at Henry. It wasn’t that you were purposefully not making a choice; you just genuinely couldn’t and wanted to have some fun with it. Because why not?

His eyes had narrowed as he watched you drag your feet and do your daily tasks with a little prodding from himself. Every time you huffed he counted and told you it was going to be the amount you came.

“Pfft…. Orgasms aren’t punishment. I can take it.” You had smirked and thrown all your washing in without sorting it into piles of whites, darks and colours.

“Don’t be so sure…. You’re at twelve right now… how many can you normally manage? One or two? Sure. Three? Maybe…. More than five…I think you’d be my jellyfish..” Henry laughed.

“I have a pussy but I’m not a pussy… I edged for two days. Remember?”

“Yes you did sweetpea and I’m very proud of you but orgasm punishment is a whole ‘nother ball game.”

“I can take it.” You answer again.

“I warn you to behave little one.” Henry raises an eyebrow.

“Make me!” You huff over and over.

“Okay…” he nods and stands from the sofa, “bedroom!”

You had giggled and spun on your heels but Henry had pinned you to the wall “safe words…traffic system as usual?”

You nodded and hummed.

“Words. Use them.”

“Yes. Green for go, amber for ease up, red for stop.” You speak softly and look into his eyes.

“Good girl. But…..?” His eyebrow raises.

“The point of having them isn’t to use them. They’re only there as a last resort.”

“Exactly.” Henry nods and then spins you.

—

Henry had started with fingers deep inside you, working you up all hot and heavy until you couldn’t take it anymore and you’d begged him to let you cum. Henry had reassured you that you need no permission; you can cum as much as you like and he even encouraged it.

After number three you had tried to push his hands away but he had reminded you that you weren’t done yet. You’d agreed and given him the okay to tie you to the bed and keep you in place.

For number four and five he had used his lips and tongue; he had expertly sucked and licked his way over and around your folds. Lapping at your juices from numbers one to three and then sucking on your swollen clit in pulses until you called out his name and pulled on the restraints while your legs shook.

Number six and seven had come (no pun intended) courtesy of his thick cock buried deep inside you. Henry’s hips had worked like pistons, rutting into you and stretching your wet pussy. His moans and grunts of primal pleasure were music to your ears and served to drive you to orgasm quickly to which he had groaned loudly as you tightened along his cock and continued to grind his hips into you. You had revealed a while back you loved feeling him deep inside you; deep enough that other women may find it uncomfortable or even painful but to you it was bliss. Henry leaned over you and gripped the headboard; driving his hips into you. They rolled and circled against your deepest area; barely pulling free before pushing back into you again. You panted and whined and then called out roughly as you came again around his cock; Henry moaned and gave short shallow thrusts before grunting through clenched teeth and filling you with his seed.

—

Seven. You were at seven and heading for number eight. While

Henry recouped his stamina with promises to give you your final orgasm with his cock, he picks up your favourite vibe - a small yet very powerful suction vibe - the first time you had used it you had almost blacked out, you definitely saw stars and when teaming it with your curved dildo you had squirted for the first time. And that was only on the second setting; it had six speeds and Henry promised to only use the final one.

“Want a drink before we continue baby?” He offers a glass with a straw. It was water and you scowled at him because he had finally got you to drink something other than coffee or soda. You nod and whisper a thank you, watching his face. “Still green..” you assure him.

Henry nods and holds up the vibe moving onto the bed between your spread eagle legs and finding the right setting before placing it over your still swollen clit. Your hips leave the bed on contact and he has to hold you down; your pants are quick and heavy and number eight takes you over swiftly. He rocks the suction vibe on you and pushes two fingers into your pussy, curling them against your front wall and thrusting them slowly. He licks his lips and moans upon feeling you tighten and flutter around his digits. You rock your hips the best you could and pant breathlessly “holy fuck!” Up until then you had only been making incoherent noise but it seems your brain had reset enough for you to find speech.

“Good girl…” Henry smiles and works his fingers and the vibe; his fingers slip into you just right and he finds the textured area he had been looking for.

You gasp deeply and arch your body, tilting your hips down onto his hand “There!! Fuck!! There!!”

He speeds up his fingers inside you and circles the vibe over your clit. Eight is sudden and almost without any warning; you soak his hand, the bed and blanket and you’re sure you’re going to crush his fingers inside you.

Number nine and ten are drawn out of you with that same suction vibe; circling and pulsing on you at the highest speed. Henry growls and watches you writhe on the bed under him.

“Just three more doll… that’s if you can take them.”

“Green…” you swallow thickly and moan.

“Are you absolutely sure?”

“Yes.. I’m sure.” You nod and smile at him. “Still want your cock in me again..”

“All in good time darling.”

Henry picks up your curved vibe and tests the battery to make sure it didn’t need replacing. Once he was satisfied it would do nicely he slips it into you and makes sure the curve is sat the right way before turning it on the lowest setting.

After your previous orgasms, using the highest settings immediately, Henry wanted to switch up the pace a little and gradually get you where he wanted you. He chuckled low when you whined and rocked your hips for friction “need more…”

“Impatient baby girl… all in good time.” He smiles and thrusts the vibe slowly inside you until he was happy you were whiney enough to which he turned it up and took great pleasure in watching you grind down onto the vibe. “You fucking your self baby?”

“Yes! Feels so good…deep!”

Henry smiles and kisses your inner thigh lightly, working the vibe at a steady rate because he knew it would drive you crazy.

“Speed up…please!”

“Me or the vibe?”

“Both!” You moan loudly and swallow audibly.

He nods “as you wish” turning up the motor to full and speeding up his movements into you. Your body had been waiting and number eleven took you both by surprise. As you came down, Henry slowed the vibe to a stop and slipped it out of you, picking up a plug and lube while you relaxed.

“How’re you feeling?” He keeps his voice quiet and relaxed.

“Holy fuck..!” You groan and move your legs when you feel the lubed plug against your ass. A gentle push and it slips inside you. “Fuck that feels good.”

“Good girl. Are you still okay?”

“Yes..” you nod and open your drowsy eyes to watch Henry who was jerking himself slowly.

“You like to watch?”

“You know I do, baby boy. That's why I like watching you shower.”

Henry grins and twists his hand with a gasp, shuffling to get closer to you. Until now he hasn’t teased any other part of your body but as he slips his cock along your pussy he leans down and sucks on your nipple.

“Untie me?” You ask quietly.

He nods and reaches up, freeing your wrists and helping you lower your arms down to your sides. You hum and roll your shoulders, hands gliding up his chest.

His hands go to your hips and he lifts you enough to slip his cock into you with ease. “So fucking hot and wet for me..”

You drop your head back onto the pillow and wrap your legs around his hips, holding him into you before he even starts moving. You both moan and once settled and buried in your pussy, Henry’s hands go to your breasts. His hips set a slower but steady pace; rolling into you relentlessly while his hands massage and knead your breasts, fingers and thumbs teasing your sensitive, taught nipples. Another secret you had told him was how much you loved the sting of your nipples being released after being pinched or clamped. He made sure to make you squeal when he pinched your nipples in turn, leaning down and sucking them until they were slightly bruised and knowing full well you’d feel them against your bra for a couple of days.

Twelve is like a flush throughout your body; starting at your core and flowing out along every nerve fibre. You scratch down Henry’s chest and mewl his name, tightening along his length in pulses. He growls low and leans himself up to fully watch yoi, taking the time to attach clamps to your nipples; they had small bells attached and Henry smirks, “I’m gonna make those bells jingle.”

You lick your lips and hold his forearms, the pinch of the clamps a perfect bliss, as Henry snaps his hips and your breasts move the clamps pinch a little more and pull. You hiss in a breath through your teeth and rock your hips to him, urging him to keep going. Once you are both comfortable Henry holds your hips and pulls you onto his thrusts; he makes sure to push deep into you with every thrust and rut of his hips, the sound of skin on skin is the perfect backdrop to your mingled moans and whispers, groans and whimpers. You pant heavily, throat hoarse from all the noise you had been making and the dry air in the room.

You felt thirteen creeping up on you. With every snap of his hips you felt the feeling bloom a little more. “Don’t stop!” Tightening your grip on his arms. “Faster!” You whine and twist your hips. “Harder! I won’t break…”

Henry knows you won’t break and speeds up, his hips working hard and fast pounding into you mercilessly. The bells on your nipple clamps jingle happily and as he feels you begin to tighten around him again he reaches up and tugs on the clamps lightly. You move your own hands and grip the pillow beneath your head, Henry grinds his hips and shuffles you up the bed until you hit head headboard.

You gasp deeply, eyes widening. Lucky number thirteen. It takes you over, sending you hot and dizzy. Just as you scream out Henry pulls off the clamps from your nipples and the sting adds to your heightened pleasure. Henry calls out roughly with his release as he once again fills you with his seed.

You both stay panting into the night, not moving for a few moments until Henry slips out of your pussy with a moan. You lay on your back, body trembling, unable to move yourself for the time being.

“Fffuuuuck…” you slur your words. You swallow thickly and realise if he had decided to stick to the huff count, sixteen total, how orgasms could be punishment. You ached in an unfamiliar way and when Henry reaches down between your legs you find yourself whimpering and curling up “No! No more! Point taken!”

He nods and moves his hand away “good girl…” carefully Henry moves you into his side and wraps his arms around you to pull you close, you’re already drifting off and you half wonder if you’re falling asleep or passing out into a cum coma.

[an-angel-in-the-garden]

Hello! I saw that requests were open and I was wondering if I could request the demon brothers from Obey Me! (separately) with a mermaid s/o? The brothers are unaware that their s/o is a mermaid since they hid themself amongst humans and pretended to be one. But since they’re in the Devildom and they miss the ocean, they’ll take really long baths in the bathroom while in their mermaid form whenever they can. Maybe the brothers find out they’re a mermaid when they accidentally see their s/o in their mermaid form? Gender-neutral please! And sorry if this is kinda a long request. I love your work and I hope you have a lovely day! Thank you! ❤️

Aww, I'm glad you like my work thank you for requesting it! And don't worry I love long requests it really helps me when it comes to writing! I will also say this is technically against my rules as I only write for 6 at a time but I will make an exception only for the Obey Me brothers just please keep that in mind. - Lilly

Set up

It's been a rough week the heat in the Deilvdom Is already above average but this past week has been the worst it's almost unbearable and I want nothing more then to get home so I can soak myself for a while. I've been doing that most days anyway but now it's more out of need than a want. Another hot day and another need for a long bath only this time I would get to relax for even longer! 'Everyone should still be at RAD for the meeting" With how hot it was Diavolo said it would be okay for me to head back so I didn't risk passing out so I would have at least an extra hour before anyone got home! Fully submerged in cool water my Iridescent tail just slightly hanging out I let myself unwind from the week. "Other than the heat things have been good I've kept my grades high and tomorrow we'll be going on a date" My lips pull into a smile as I muse not noticing the sound of knocking or the worried voice of my partner calling out to me it seems only natural this would happen one day but opening my eyes to the shocked face of my lover wasn't how I planned it.

Lucifer

Though fully shocked by the news that you're apparently a kind of merfolk he is also in stunned awe

It might take him a few moments but once he recomposes himself he'll jump straight to questioning you on things

He's not mad not even really a little angry that you kept this from him he just wants to know why and how you hid it....did Diavolo know?!

After you answer his questions he just stands there in amazement as a human he thought you the most beautiful being and now you're also like a shining star

You also have no idea how much pride this man has when he finds out you wanted to tell him and only him for a while now

He does get a little shy about a desire he now has but he still tells you about it (it's wanting to see and swim with you in the ocean)

" My my and here I thought you couldn't surprise me anymore then you already have you truly are my most special one huh?

Mammon

So flustered I mean what was he supposed to do you're in the tub and oh...oh you're a merfolk

He doesn't fully know how to process this information but man he knows he's happy and a little upset

Ask tons of questions and most of them are about why and how you hid this from him

Once that's out of the way Mammon is so excited you've been his number one since before you even started dating but knowing this secret about you and being the only one to know even if it was an accident makes him so happy

You get a new nickname then and there and it's His Sea Jewel though he still calls you his human to cause duh

He plans to take you to the ocean whenever he can just so you be fully yourself and enjoy not being in such a small tub( he might even bribe Asmo so you can use his tub too)

"I always knew you were a treasure but babe this is something else ya know"

Leviathan

:o that's him when he sees your tail, You're a sea dweller like him!!!!

Not even really gonna wonder why you didn't tell him he just gonna make sure you haven't told anyone else

Guess what your new couple's activity is! It's swimming in his aquarium room him in his demon form and you in your merfolk from

Is now a hype man for you talking up how cool it is that you are really a merperson and how it's just like the anime my best friend turned out to be a mermaid!

Will not even think about telling his brothers this is his secret with you now no one else should know unless you want to tell them..

Please let him help clean your tail and fins he will do everything you (⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄

Satan

He walks out right away and it won't dawn on him at first that you're a merfolk until he's out of the room

Does tons of research on mermaids and merpeople in general

He's hyper-focused on it for a bit and honesty prefers if you want to tell the others because he can brag that you're all his

Teasing calls you catfish and lovingly calls you jellyfish don't ask why

Is really scared now of bringing you with him to play with cats or showing you the cats he brings in thanks to slightly fearing they may try to eat you

enjoys sitting in the tub with you while you stay in your full form even if you like the water cold if it means holding you like this he won't mind

" What a wonderful surprise my dear jellyfish if you ever want to go see the ocean just let me know it will be our vacation plans"

Asmodeus

At first, he was just happy to see enjoying your time and then he saw the tail

He so excited his partner the second most beautiful person in all the Devildom and the most beautiful human is actually a beautiful merfolk

Will not question it at all he understand why you might want to hide it and that Diavolo probably already knew so he's not worried

Asmo already called you many sweet nicknames but his new favorite is Angle fish

Now that he knows he becomes far more committed to helping you out with a beauty routine after all merpeople can't risk their fins and scales drying or being hurt

If you're okay with it he'll want to post about you in your true form mostly bragging about how amazing you are

" I didn't think you could be any more gorgeous yet here you are angle fish glimmering like a clear night star"

Beelzebub

His first thing after seeing you like this is to be worried you're in the heat so often are you ok?

Beel isn't really fazed by the fact you've been hiding this he's just happy you don't mind him knowing

Won't say a word to anyone unless you want him to but will ask if he can at least tell Belphie

He will go to the beach with you whenever you want and starts to take you with him to work out his gym has a huge swimming pool you can use

Really wants to know about food you like now did you enjoy fish or other types of seafood if so raw or cooked he'll plan a dinner for you

Beel will still call you cupcake but sometimes when he wants to tease you he calls you sushi and if anyone calls you that in a mocking way he will fight

" I've always like carrying you around but now I have even more reasons to"

Belphegor

Doesn't ever notice you have a tail he just wanted to know why you were in the bath for so long

Is both in awe and also doesn't care thanks to you he became ok with humans again and even though he knows you're not really one you clearly choose to live like you are

Is fine with keeping it a secret but will also be real smug if you tell people cause now people think your even cooler but your all his

He can sleep anywhere and thought he wont be in the tub with you he will hold your hand and rub your tail while he sits on the ground and naps

Doesn't like going to the beach much but if you really wanna go hell come with you just to see having fun

Will whole heartedly defend you and fight for you if someone finds out and picks on you or if any of his brothers bother you

" Who would've guessed that you would be such a magical person and to not just that but that even being who you are you still choose me"

Okay I hope that this was to your liking and thank you for reading! And a huge thank you to my best friend @bird-brained-plague-doctor for helping me with some of the ideas used!!!!

[corpsedaydream]

Can i uhhh request a headcannon/consept of corpse just carrying you around and picking you up -🐱

lets fucking gooooooo

_______________________________

carry on

the first time

it’s quick and enough to leave ur mind wondering about what else he could do. you’re at his place and the both of u aren’t the best in the kitchen but tonight u decided to make a meal together. a learning experience. but ur getting a little restless and boy oh boy ur in a ‘i know i’m being really annoying but i just can’t stop being annoying’ mood. and so ur doing little things like poking his side. or when he asks u to retrieve something ur deliberately getting something else. but he’s had enough when he’s about to chop something and u decide on playing a game of chicken by whipping ur hand out over the chopping board. he’d place the knife down and suddenly his hands are on the sides of you and he’s hoisting u up on a part of the bench that’s close enough to still watch but far enough away that u can’t reach anything to keep pestering. “don’t move.” he’d tell u, along with a chaste kiss against the corner of ur mouth. and u listen. bc u knew u were being annoying as hell and also bc it’s the first time he’s ever really lifted u and ur a little thrown off but also excited.

koala cling

when u haven’t seen him in almost two months. and fuck did u miss him so much. you’d jump into him and if he wasn’t ready for it, the two of you would’ve fallen over. but he was so ready, because fuck, he missed you too. your arms would wrap so tightly around his neck and your ankles would cross behind him to lock your legs around his middle. his arms would link so unbreakably around your waist. but even if he was to let go, u wouldn’t go anywhere, u were clinging onto him for dear life.

the jellyfish sting

holy shit it took u so long to convince corpse to go to the beach with u. and of course the one day he finally agrees, it’s the day a jellyfish wraps itself around ur leg and stings u to hell and back. he would be sitting on a towel, not quite ready to venture into the ocean like u did right away. and it seemed he made the right choice bc it was only a few minutes later u were doing an awkward run out of the water and once you’d hit the shore you’d drop down and try to unravel the sea creature from around your leg. he’d hear your sounds of pain and hurry down and at first he’s really not sure what to do. but once he saw the red straps of pain that were quickly forming into welts on your skin, he’d scoop you up. one hand around your back and the other under your knees. he’s extra careful to not bump the stings. there’s no life guards around bc u came to a more secluded beach where not a lot of people went so he’d carry u to the car and place you inside ever so cautiously.

drunk

he’d gotten a call at 1am. actually, he’d gotten about five calls. the first four kept ending quickly bc ur drunken self would get distracted by one of ur fellow drunk friends saying something and you’d accidentally hang up on corpse. only to call him back a minute later. eventually, he’d come to learn the point of the call was wanting to be picked up. and so there u were in his passenger seat on the way home, drunkenly babbling about the antics u and ur friends had gotten up to. he was taking u back to his place bc it was closer. once u both got there, he lost patience with ur slow, drunk stumble kind of walk and instead, hoisted u up in his arms, deciding it was going to be the quicker and more safer way for u to make it to his front door.

over shoulder

ur both in chaotic yet playful moods. and it’s lead to a game of murder in the dark. corpse is too good at being it. each time he finds u, he gives u a scare bigger then the last. this time is no different. he’s spotted u and he’s creeping up ever so silently and when he’s within reach, he yells and uses his strength to lift you up over his shoulder. u yelp at the sudden fright, but laughs quickly follow as you dangle over him from where he’s placed u. “i don’t think murder in the dark is meant to be a contact sport.”

a piggy back

the sun is going down. the sky looks to be hand painted in pinks and oranges by mother nature herself. u were so distracted by the beautiful visuals that u hadn’t felt ur legs going to sleep in your cross legged position. it didn’t help that corpse was in front of u, leaning back against ur legs and front, sending them further into numbness. u were feeling too content, looking at one of your favourite things to look at and having one of your favourite people in your arms. he hops up first when the sunset is almost gone completely. turning to look at u with a questioning look when u don’t make any effort to move. “i will literally fall over and die.” u over dramatise. he laughs but then he’s crouching back down in front of u. “hop on.” and so u do. ur arms wrapping loosely around his neck and your legs hooking over his hips. he’d be sure to get a good grip on your thighs before standing to his full height, shuffling u up a little higher so u could lean comfortably against his back and leave some sweet kisses to the back of his neck.

splash

u could almost fall asleep in ur current position. sun baking was not good for ur skin, but u couldn’t deny that u loved the feeling of laying out by a pool and feeling the sun beaming down on u. that is until a familiar pair of arms are slinking around u and a familiar laugh is sounding out as u gasp in surprise at the sudden lift. “corpse, no-” but it was all so quick, the hold he had to lift u from ur sun baking spot is quickly gone as he instead tosses u right into the pool.

am baby

u were fast asleep on the couch. he knew this would happen. u only had two more episodes left of a show u were watching and u were positive u could stay awake for them. but there he found u after he showered, eyes closed, slow deep breaths leaving ur slightly parted lips, sleeping soundly and missing the episode u had assured him u were going to stay awake for. had the couch been a little bigger, he’d leave u there. but the two seater would cause u to awake feeling all stiff and sore. he turned off netflix first before concentrating on picking you up. “mmm, lemme’ sleep.” you’d whine out croakily, being stirred awake upon feeling his arms slip underneath you. “gotta get u to bed, baby.” he’d respond. “gonna pick u up, okay?” he’d give u a warning before making sure his arms were around ur relaxed body securely to lift u up safely. the movement would wake u a little more but you’d quickly find yourself now resting against corpse. your torso pressed against his as he held you like a baby. he’d be leaning back slightly to support your deadweight, sleepy self. a smile present on his face as he could feel your slow, deep breaths fan over his neck as u rested ur head on his shoulder as he carried u to bed.

playtime in bed

ik what ur thinking and stop it!!!! lmao. u were mindlessly watching instagram stories in bed when u came across someone doing acroyoga. “look,” u tilt ur phone screen towards corpse and he see’s the look on ur face. “we can’t do that.” “why?! it’ll be fun, let’s just try once.” and he rly struggles saying no to u when u get all excited and that’s how the two of u found urself in this position. him flat on his back with his arms stretched upright to where his hands held tightly onto yours. his legs were also up, his feet pressed into your hips as he started to lift u higher. “isn’t yoga meant to be relaxing?” he’d question, bc all he could focus on was not dropping you and it was stressing him out while u just found the whole thing too funny and couldn’t stop laughing. “lift me higher.”

[bbangsoonie]

teach me about love

member: kevin genre: fluff (preschool teacher!kevin au) word count: 2,120 synopsis: when your brother asks you to pick up your nieces from school, you find a teacher that you find to be cuter than the toddlers there.

a/n: happy birthday to our moonlight boy, kevin 🌙

You didn’t really like kids. They were adorable, of course, but they were snotty walking embodiments of germs and you had no idea how to entertain them. They were absolutely precious when sleeping but their tantrums terrified you.

Whenever they came up to you with those bright expectant eyes, you didn’t know what to do except pet their head. Everyone around you would scold you saying that they were children, not dogs. But in your defense, they didn’t seem to mind.

To be honest, you preferred dogs over kids. They were cute all the time.

Nonetheless, you still adored your nieces. The older one, Ahyoung, reminded you of your own past self. She was shy and reserved but sought out love and attention. She constantly needed assurance to fight early signs of anxiety. The younger one, Soyoung, was the complete opposite; she was loud and outgoing. She easily made friends with everyone and adjusted well to new environments.

So when your brother asked you for a last minute favor, you were more than happy to pick them up at their preschool. Unfortunately, however, you were terrible with directions and ended up 20 minutes late.

Apologizing profusely to the staff and teachers, you made your way throughout the building to find their classroom. That was another struggle of its own.

“Auntie Y/n!” you heard two familiar voices screech. You laughed as they ran up to you and hugged your legs.

“Sorry I’m late girls,” you pouted as you squished their cheeks.

“It’s okay, Auntie! Teacher Kevin was playing house with us,” Ahyoung beamed.

“Teacher Kevin was our dog!” Soyoung giggled.

You looked up to see a male teacher sheepishly escape from the tiny playhouse. You held back a laugh, pitying him for what the girls put him through.

“I’m sorry about that,” you chuckled.

“No worries,” he smiled. “It’s my job and I love kids. I had fun playing with them too.”

“I’m Y/n,” you introduced as you held out a hand. “I’m Ahyoung and Soyoung’s aunt. I came to pick them up since my brother got caught up in a work emergency.”

“It’s nice to meet you. My name is Kevin,” he said as he shook your hand. You knew it was unprofessional to think this but he was cute. Like, really cute.

Trying to leave before your smiling cheeks could reveal your thoughts, you quickly collected the girls’ bags and helped them put their jackets on. You bid their cute teacher goodbye and happily suggested an aunt-niece ice cream date. They cheered at the idea of sweets and raced to your car.

The next week, your brother asked if you could pick the girls up from school again. Apparently they had been bugging him to have their favorite aunt come every day.

You weren’t sure if it was his flattery or if it was their sneaky plan for ice cream but you didn’t mind. As a freelancer, you had a flexible schedule. You were glad to spend time with your nieces and catch another glimpse of their teacher.

This time, you made sure to leave your house early. You ended up arriving before dismissal and watched as the kids ran around in the playground. Something about seeing Kevin’s eyes sparkle in front of them made you soft. He seemed so genuinely happy and looked at each student with honey dripping from his eyes.

Soyoung squealed as she chased after a boy who tapped her free in a game of freeze tag. She was a little confused about the rules but the effort was there.

While still keeping an eye on the children, Kevin approached you and asked if you wanted a juice box. You kindly declined, thanking him for the offer.

“You’re really good with the little ones,” you complimented.

“Ah, no, they’re the ones who are good with me,” he shyly shook his head. “I’m thankful that they see me as a fun and respectable teacher.”

“I find young kids to be difficult,” you confessed. “I don’t know how to match their level.”

“I get you. It’s definitely not easy to figure out what they want and try to communicate with them with their still-developing language skills. I’m still not great at it. I just try to improve a little more every day,” he said humbly.

He was a lot better than you who was quick to give up and run away. His words made you reflect and feel slightly guilty.

The bell chimed, making the students rush to line up in front of the door. Kevin left your side to gather everyone together and take them back inside to gather their belongings.

By now, a handful of parents had arrived and were waiting for their children. One by one, the students walked out with their matching yellow chick backpacks, excitedly running up to their guardian.

Your nieces greeted you in that high pitched shriek you loved, body slamming into your open arms. With them in your embrace, you gave them a tight squeeze before getting up and holding their hands to take them to the car.

“Wait!” you heard Kevin call out. Turning around, you were surprised to see him running towards you. When he caught up to you, he held out a book. Taking it, you read the title.

“The Body Language of Toddlers”

“I thought you might find this book useful,” his hands fumbled awkwardly, not knowing where to go. His gesture brought you a warm feeling.

“Thank you, Kevin. I’ll be sure to give it a read,” you smiled.

“Ooooh,” Ahyoung wiggled her eyebrows, making both you and Kevin blush. You ruffled her hair and ushered her towards your vehicle.

Picking the girls up from school became a biweekly thing for you. Every Monday and Friday, you would arrive ten minutes early to chat with Kevin as he told you funny stories that happened throughout the day. And when you worked with a bunch of preschoolers, there were a lot of those types of stories.

You listened as he went on about how a little boy woke up from a nap thinking he had an argument with his friend because of a nightmare he had. Kevin had to convince him that it was all a dream and that his friend did not actually steal his gummy worms and lie about it.

The way he spoke about his students was endearing. He made them sound like lovely angels even when they were cranky and misbehaving.

“We’re looking for chaperones for the upcoming field trip if you’re interested,” he cautiously brought up. “We only had a few parents sign up so we’d really appreciate any extra helping hands.”

Panicking, you stuttered about how you didn’t have the confidence to keep rowdy kids in check at a public space. He assured you that your only responsibility would be to make sure no one ran off and to accompany kids to the bathroom if they had to separate from the group.

He was a smooth talker. He somehow persuaded you into agreeing and you couldn’t believe you left the school that day after signing the form.

“Auntie, do you like Teacher Kevin?” Ahyoung asked you in the car ride back home.

“Sure, Teacher Kevin is nice,” you hummed.

“No, she means do you like like him?” Soyoung pressed.

You feigned innocence and pretended not to understand what they were talking about. They grilled you about how often you talked with him and even pointed out that he didn’t talk to other parents like that. They sure were smart-witted for their age.

On the day of the field trip, you spent a long time deciding on what to wear. You had no idea how casual you were supposed to dress as a chaperone.

You ended up choosing a simple outfit and rushed out the door to avoid being late. You had to say you were excited. It had been ages since you last visited an aquarium. And maybe the extra butterflies in your stomach were because of a certain someone you were looking forward to seeing.

Meeting Kevin outside of the school felt different. He stood out in the crowd of tiny humans. Even more so once you entered the place and you noticed that most of the visitors were families, students, or couples.

You softly smiled as you watched the kids fawn over colorful fish and gawk at sharks. It felt like you were returning to your own childhood innocence. You followed Ahyoung, who was pulling at your sleeve, to the jellyfish section where she asked you to take a picture of her with the transparent creature.

The photos came out so incredibly that you had to immediately send them to your brother. He texted back almost instantly and you scoffed when you read his message.

“Heck yeah I made that. Those are my genes right there.”

Rolling your eyes, the corners of your lips twitched up as you put the device away. You guided Ahyoung back to the rest of the group and ran into Kevin who was coming back from the bathroom with another student.

“How are you enjoying the trip so far?” he asked.

“It’s nice. Honestly not as chaotic as I thought it’d be,” you admitted.

“Oh don’t jinx it. Lunch time will be hectic,” he warned.

He was right. Between picky kids and the kimbap packed by their parents, the unwanted vegetables were flown around the picnic table. You barely managed to avoid the carrot that was flung in your direction. Unluckily, you were unable to dodge the spinach that was now tangled in your hair.

Kevin laughed as he tried to help you take it out, cracking a joke about it looking like seaweed and you looking like a mermaid dragged out of the ocean.

“He means you’re pretty, Auntie!!” Soyoung eagerly translated on his behalf. “Mermaids are super super pretty. Like Ariel, the princess!”

This raised a teasing crowd of “ooh”s from the group of preschoolers.

“Teacher Kevin and Auntie Y/n sitting in a tree,” a boy began chanting, “K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”

His friend made a face and screamed “ew,” making him laugh uncontrollably. Meanwhile, Kevin was trying his best to cover his burning ears. He pulled the beanie over his ears, not wanting to expose his embarrassment.

“My daddy said no boy is good enough for Auntie but I’ll tell him nice things about you, Teacher Kevin. Just specially for you,” Ahyoung proudly announced.

Awkwardly coughing, you stuffed her cheeks with another roll of kimbap. Her muffled cries of resistance were appeased with a juice box shoved into her mouth. The sweet drink diverted her attention away from you and back to her lunch.

You two were now officially shipped by all of Kevin’s students. Even the other teachers giggled as they passed by you.

By the end of the field trip, you were one of the last ones to leave. After all the other students and teachers departed from the aquarium, Kevin escorted you to the car with a sleeping Ahyoung in his arms and a sleeping Soyoung in yours.

You both carefully placed them in their car seats and closed the door after buckling their seat belts. Now that you were alone with him, you didn’t know what to say. Despite the silence, it wasn’t necessarily uncomfortable.

“So have you warmed up to the idea of kids yet?” he finally asked after clearing his throat.

“The book you gave me definitely taught me a lot of things,” you nodded. “Now I’m not completely terrified of them. And seeing you handle kids comforts me.”

“Really? How so?”

“I don’t know. It’s just… you so effortlessly take care of them and I can see how much you cherish each and every one of your students. I envy that.”

“Trust me, it’s not as easy as you think it is,” he chuckled.

Silence fell between you again but you simply enjoyed his presence. You turned your head to see him already staring at you. With your eyes, you wordlessly asked if there was something he wanted to say.

“So uh tomorrow’s Saturday,” he suddenly mentioned. He was fiddling with a loose thread on his sweater and hesitated to speak up again.

“Do you have any plans for the weekend?” he blurted. You couldn’t stop the smile that crept up on your face.

“Nope.”

“Would you like to um grab dinner with me tomorrow then?”

He anxiously held his breath as he waited for your response. Biting his lips, he wondered if he had ruined things by going too fast.

“Sure. How’s 6?” you finally answered.

“6 is great. 6 is lovely. Wonderful. Perfect,” he replied with a huge grin.

a/n: calling all kevin enthusiasts aka @reverienostalgia

i also may or may not have kinda wrote my little cousins into this fic.. 👉🏻👈🏻

[missmitchieg]

Hey, Don't Die

It started out as a joke.

It was always supposed to be a joke.

The boys weren't supposed to die on him. But he forgot to say it. It wasn't his fault! He got distracted by the pretty girl in front of him and their favorite little inside joke just slipped his mind. So he didn't say it, and now the boys were gone.

Or maybe it was his fault they were gone. Sure, maybe it was a coincidence that every time he did say it, they didn't die on him and the one time he didn't say it, they went and died. Or maybe it was some weird fortune or good luck charm.

Whatever it was, Bobby didn't think he would ever be able to escape that positively heart wrenching, soul crushing guilt of how he should have said it, or how he should have been there to run and call for an ambulance.

The first time he said it was to Luke. It was a joke. It was funny. Luke made a comment at the end of the day that he was going to his parents' house to sleep because his bed didn't give him that neck crick that his couch did.

With a laugh, Bobby patted Luke's shoulder and gave a little squeeze. "Alright. Don't die out there, though."

Luke cackled at that and shook his head, giving him a half hug. "I'll try, buddy. Love you."

"I love you, too."

They kept that joke going for a couple of weeks.

The next one he made the joke to was Alex. It was still a joke. It was still funny. Alex was just going to make a quick pizza run and come back.

"Be quick. Don't die." Bobby told him.

Alex smiled and ruffled Bobby's hair the way he knew he hated, waving as he walked out. "I won't, bro."

"You better not. Love you."

"Love you."

Then came Reggie. It was still a joke. It was still funny. They were on a 'friend date', as Reggie called it, to the aquarium. Bobby, Luke and Alex all wanted to watch the great whites in the shark tunnel, but Reggie wanted to go look at the jellyfish in the opposite direction of the sharks.

"Alright. We'll meet back up by the clown fish, then. Don't die alone in there." Bobby smiled and patted Reggie's cheek.

"I won't, Bobins." Reggie chuckled and ran a hand through his hair, giving his best friend a sweet smile. "Love you."

"I love you, too."

It had sort of become their thing after a while. One or two or all of them would go off somewhere without 'their Bobble' and Bobby would always, always tell them, whether it was with a smile or a faux serious look on his face. "Don't die."

Then came that day. July twenty second, nineteen ninety five. Bobby had been distracted by a very pretty girl with curly hair and sparkly eyes and had just forgotten to tell his boys his usual comment of "Hey. Don't die out there. I love you.", so he hadn't said it. And then he got a call. A call to tell him that his band, his best friends, his boys, were gone forever.

He was horrified when he realized what had happened.

What he didn't say.

What he didn't do.

He had broken down about it to his parents, who promptly suggested that he go to therapy about it. Something about how it wasn't healthy to think this way and he did nothing wrong and he couldn't have known what would happen and he needed to talk to someone about it. So he did. He went and he talked about the boys and how it hurt that they were gone and they were never coming back. But he never told his therapist about their thing, about what he would say to them when they left his sight.

He had also managed to become a rock star by means of some sleazy contract he hadn't been given the chance to read properly giving ownership of Luke's music to some company and Bobby had been forced to record the songs and pass them off as his own and keep the true writer a secret.

It was fine. Luke was gone. He wasn't ever going to find out what the contract had roped Bobby into. So he did it. Just not without a few breakdowns in between song recordings and e-mails to his therapist about emergency sessions. But it was fine.

So he went on like that, taking his boys' music and recording it in between breakdowns and therapy sessions and becoming a mega famous rock star, just like he had managed to convince himself his boys would want him to.

He grew up and had a kid. A little girl named Carrie, who was his absolute little pride and joy. A little girl who was never going to live in a garage, or eat out of the back of a beat up car, or get food poisoning, or anything that could harm her. She was going to have only the best health care and knowledge he could buy and teach her and she wasn't going to die.

The first time he had told her the thing, she was a little toddler, going to day care for the first time. She had been excited to go to day care and meet new friends to play with and he had been a wreck thinking of all the things that could happen if he didn't remember to tell her. So he made a mental note to not forget before he walked out the door to go to work.

He had walked inside with a little curly haired toddler on his hip and, with a smile, said to his little girl: "Carrie, love, daddy's gonna go to work now. You're gonna stay here a while and I'll pick you up when I'm done working. I love you. Don't die here."

Carrie had giggled at that and wrapped her tiny arms around his neck, giving him a peck on the cheek. "Love you, daddy!" She said before he let her down and she ran off to bang on a brightly colored toy drum.

Bobby winced as he felt his heart clench in his chest at the sight of his little girl playing a drum, just like his old best friend. He bit his lip as he clenched and unclenched his fists and walked out to the car to go to the studio, where he would try and write a song as good as Luke's old music again.

No matter how hard he tried to channel the guitarist, he just couldn't. He couldn't write like Luke, because he wasn't Luke. And Luke wasn't there to help him. Wasn't there to chuckle and suggest a clever slant rhyme, or a metaphor that would work, or a cool melody that sounded like something Luke would write, but also that Bobby, no, that Trevor could play in his sleep.

He groaned in frustration as he and his team of four other writers just couldn't come to an agreement about which rhyme scheme to use for this song, and kept glancing at the clock until it was the time to go and pick up his baby from day care.

He walked inside and looked around for Carrie, hoping, praying that saying the thing worked, that he hadn't lost his little girl like he lost his boys. "Care-bear? Baby?"

"Daddy!" Carrie giggled and got up from where she was sitting on the floor watching a little curly haired girl slam her fingers against toy piano keys, running up to him. "Hi, daddy!"

Oh, thank God. "Carrie, there you are! My little girl! Oh!" He cooed as he scooped her up into his arms and hugged her tightly to his chest, pressing kisses to the top of her tiny, giggling head.

"Aww!"

"That's so sweet."

"Oh, what a good daddy!"

Trevor looked up and chuckled, shaking his head. "I just love my little girl so much. Come on, baby. Let's go home. We're having that yummy pasta you like for dinner."

"Yay!"

After that, saying the thing became his and Carrie's thing, just like it was his and his boys' thing. He would drop Carrie off somewhere or Carrie would be on her way to the bus stop to go to school, and Trevor would send her off with an "I love you. Don't die.", and his daughter would smile and salute.

"Daddy, I'm going to my friend, Julie's!"

"Ok! Have fun and don't die! Love you!"

"Dad, I'm going to school!"

"Don't die at school! Love you!"

"Dad, can I go to Flynn and Julie's sleepover on Saturday?"

"Sure, just don't die."

And they went on like that for years.

Carrie always thought it was 'just one of dad's funny quirks'. An 'overprotective dad' thing. Sort of like Marlin from that cute kids movie, Finding Nemo. Carrie would go somewhere without him for a period of time, and Trevor would worry endlessly until she came back, completely unharmed. Then came the hugs and kisses and comments of "There's my favorite girl!" from him.

Little did she know just how much her father was suffering. Little did she know just how worried he was when she would leave, how relieved he was when it sank in that she was fine, that it had worked again, just like it always did.

So sure, maybe it wasn't necessarily 'normal' to say that every time his daughter was out of his sight for any amount of time. Maybe he was still a little traumatized. Maybe he should bring it up to his therapist. But he was fine. He was fine, as long as she was fine.

He ended up admitting it to his therapist mid-session. "So I do this thing with my daughter." He started. "Whenever she goes somewhere without me, I always tell her, 'don't die, I love you'. It's-" He coughed and cleared his throat taking a sip of water to will the sudden lump in his throat away. "It's... Something I used to say to my friends before they died."

Dr. Born nodded and wrote something down quickly, gesturing for him to go on.

"I always tell her. I never forget to. Because the one time I did forget... Well." Trevor made a kind of 'you know, I just told you' gesture and shifted, pushing his hair out of his eyes like his Reggie used to.

"I see."

"I guess I think... If I don't tell her, something will happen. Something will hurt her, a-and she'll disappear like my boys did."

"That sounds quite stressful." Dr. Born had said, in his non judgemental, caring therapist voice.

"It is." Trevor admitted, a familiar anxiety bubbling up in his chest. "Because what if I forget one day? What if I forget one day-"

"Trevor." Dr. Born said, sensing an unhelpful anxiety spiral coming on.

"-and Carrie gets hurt? What if I forget to say it to her just one time and-"

"Trevor."

"that's the last time I ever see my little girl, just because I forgot to tell her not to die-"

"Trevor!"

Trevor winced at that and stopped fidgeting with the toy Dr. Born had advised him to buy for his anxiety years ago now, looking up at him. "Sorry."

"Clearly, you were very affected by the death of your dear friends." Dr. Born noted. "But, why didn't you mention saying that to your friends or your daughter before?"

Trevor frowned at the question and looked down, wringing his hands. "I... Don't know. I guess that part hurt too much to talk about, or think about." He said with a tilt of his head.

Dr. Horn hummed at that and nodded his understanding, taking another note.

"My parents told me to go to therapy to talk about losing the boys, and how much that was affecting me." Trevor started. "I didn't have the capacity, I guess, to talk about that, so I stuck to the boys."

Dr. Horn nodded again, still giving him the most understanding, non judgemental look.

"And I-I guess I just convinced myself telling Carrie that was normal. That worrying if I didn't tell her that, I would end up losing her like my boys, was normal." Trevor continued. "That saying it or not saying it was sort of like a telling of what was to come. Because until now, it has been." He explained. "Because every time I said it, the boys lived. The one time I didn't, they ended up in an ambulance. Every time I say it to Carrie, she comes home safe. What if it happens again?"

Dr. Horn nodded again and hummed, looking for the best way to reply to Trevor. "I won't lie and say that's a normal train of thought, or necessarily true."

Trevor sighed but nodded. "Fair enough."

"But I also know it would negatively affect you to just stop saying it cold turkey."

Trevor nodded again.

"I think, whenever you decide you're ready, and you don't have to be ready the exact next time that Carrie goes somewhere, you should try texting it to her when she's already out the door. And eventually stop saying it altogether."

Trevor considered the thought and nodded slowly, wringing the toy in his hands. "I- Should I tell my daughter what I'm doing? It might be weird for her to be so used to hearing that every time she leaves to suddenly not hearing it."

"Oh, good thinking. I think you should tell her. Though, I'll warn you, she might ask about why you're suddenly cutting out a tradition between the two of you."

Trevor nodded, scratching his neck. "What will she think of me when I tell her about it?"

"You'll never know until you tell her."

So he did. Six months after the fact. He sat Carrie down and explained to her that their 'fun dad joke' was going to change a little soon. He explained why he would always say it and about the boys. He explained that it was going to stop.

Carrie sat and listened intently as she processed what her father was telling her, giving him the tightest hug she ever had after he had finished, both of them in tears. She couldn't believe that her father had just been living with that pain for years, and mentally preparing himself for it to stop for months. Knowing all of this, Carrie Wilson was the most confident she had ever been that her father was the strongest man she ever knew.

So she walked out one day, just to get some fro-yo with the girls, and waited for a text from her father when she didn't hear their thing said out loud. It came when she was two steps out the door.

The next time came just the next day, when Carrie was on her way to school. Carrie didn't hear it out loud, so she waited for a text. It came five steps out the door.

The next time came when Carrie had a performance that Trevor couldn't be at. It was in the same direction as the studio, so he drove her to the venue, and Carrie felt a sad smile stretch onto her face as she heard him say, "I love you. Don't die."

Two weeks later, Carrie was going to a sleepover at Julie's for the first time in a long time. She smiled as this time, she made it all the way to the car before she got a text saying their thing.

Almost a month later, Carrie grinned as she walked out to go to school and didn't hear it, and never got a text. She came home that day, no feeling of sickness coming on or bruise in sight. She was fine.

And he was fine, too.

[minniepetals]

nap

❥⋆｡˚ anon said:  Nap + Jellyfish!reader PLEASE DJAJZKAKZAJ - Jellyfish Pumpkin

˚₊· ━━ WORD PROMPT

[ nap ] for a muse to fall asleep on another

genre: sea!au, sea witches!bts, jellyfish!reader

pairing: bts x reader

word count: 1.3k

˚₊· ━━ MASTERPOST

Seokjin sits on the cushioned bench of his private study room, his face grim and serious as he reads the scrolls before him, unbothered by anything else around him. He likes it this way, the peace and quiet with no one to disturb him since the past three hours in order to focus on his studies of black magic. He likes his alone time above anything else and prefers it this way rather than being bothered by people who like to take his time away.

Suddenly he feels a head fall right atop his shoulder and when that takes his attention away from his scrolls with furrowed brows, he freezes for a split second upon realizing it has indeed been way too quiet and the fact that no one has disturbed him for two hours straight was quite an odd thing.

All because the main reason why he can’t get much peace and quiet is fast asleep right beside him, unable to disturb him.

He chuckles softly to himself, remembering why you were in here with him in the first place. Seokjin had made you the only exception to remain by his side because he wanted to use your light in order to read his scrolls. He doesn’t like the light in his study room, feels it’s much too bright for his own comfort and prefers reading with a dim source of light. Due to the fact that you can control your own glow as a jellyfish, he asked you to stay with him.

He remembers the way your eyes had light up when he had asked you and gave you permission to walk into his study room. After all, Seokjin doesn’t often let people in his office so knowing you had been an exception made you so happy.

It’s quite amusing knowing the little things can please you so much but he smiles at the fact that that is so much like you.

Stirring a little, he watches at the way your hands seem to search for his arm, finding it almost immediately and happily inviting yourself to snuggle up against him while holding onto his left arm.

He softens at the sight as your face seems to relax at the action and goes on to take your body and pull you right into his arms so that you’re lying right on top of him. Satisfied with leaving you right there, he returns to reading his scrolls once again.

But not long before there is a knock at his door, disturbing his peace.

Seokjin’s face falls with displeasure but does not look away from his reading as he answers in a low voice. “Enter.”

The servant swims in with a hurry. “Master—”

He holds you closer to him upon your slight stirring at the sudden loud voice and hushes you softly before he gives the servant a death glare that instantly shuts him up. “Do not disturb the Queen.”

The servant is quick to lower himself on the floor and hang his head. “F-Forgive me, Master.”

Seokjin stares at him for a few seconds before he returns to his scrolls while mindlessly stroking your hair. “What do you want?” He demands.

“There is a disturbance at the border, master.”

“Have the other masters arrived yet?”

“Yes master, they call for you.”

He lets out an exasperated sigh before dismissing the servant. For a moment he just sits there, staring at the floor before him before looking down at your peaceful sleeping figure. He hates this, having to leave you. It would be a lot more efficient if you were awake for you to know where he would go but to leave you while you are asleep is another story.

You won’t like it when you wake up with no one by your side, he knows, but what other choice does he have? He doesn’t wish to wake you up now, you look way too peaceful and he doesn’t have the heart to do so.

So Seokjin picks you up with no effort and transports the two of you to your shared private chambers and settles you onto the bed.

Yet just as he is about to leave, your hand is clutching onto his sleeve, refusing to let him go.

He sighs and sits on the edge of the bed and leans in so that his face is just inches away from yours. “Be a good girl, will you?” He says in a gentle tone. “I’ll be back soon, you don’t have to worry so much, you clingy little jellyfish.” He gently pinches your nose and shakes it side to side, causing your face to reflectively scrunch up, making him chuckle lightly. “Sweet dreams, dear one,” he says and presses a soft kiss to your lips and the fingers that hold his sleeves before he has to force your them off in order to leave for his duties.

It was after a few hours later do they finally finish what they have to deal with and return to the sound of your voice resonating gently in the hall of their sanctuary.

“Have you seen them?” They hear you ask, already knowing there is a pout forming upon your lips as your voice is still a little croaky, probably from just waking up. You don’t like waking up alone and they’ve always spoiled you with the idea that you’d always wake up with someone by your side. “Was there an emergency somewhere? Surely they know not to leave me alone when I am sleeping and all of my guards are down. I mean they’re the ones always so protective of me in the first place so why—”

“Well then, we are very sorry for leaving you all alone, my love.”

At the very moment you hear Namjoon’s voice, your color lights up in an instant, matching the sparks in your eyes as your pout is replaced by a bright beam.

Oh how they adore that face.

“You’re back!” You’re quick to swim on over, greeting them with enthusiasm and arms wide open as you fall against Namjoon who catches you without effort. “I was getting worried because I couldn’t find any of you and the last thing I remember was dozing off while Seokjin was reading his scrolls.”

“An emergency was called,” the oldest one affirms your theory from just a few seconds before as he reaches out to tuck your hair behind your ear.

“You’re not hurt, are you?”

“Please,” Yoongi scoffs, “surely you don’t believe anyone can actually harm any of us that easily, right?”

“Just because you’re powerful creatures does not mean you cannot get hurt. I mean look at me,” you say, spreading your arms wide open as you spin yourself around as demonstration, “jellyfishes scare a lot of creatures away but I get hurt too, you know.”

“That’s because of your naivety and the desire to always make friends with everyone around you,” Taehyung states.

“What’s wrong with that?” You ask almost as a way to deflect his criticism, knowing how right he is but not wanting to admit it.

“You know exactly what’s wrong with it,” Jimin tells you with a pointed look and causing your lips to purse together because once again, they’re right. “But,” he goes on a little gentler this time with a hand reaching over to caress your head, “that part of you is one of the many reasons why we love you. Why we came to love you in the first place.”

“Your kind nature can be very harmful to your own self, letting yourself allow creatures that do not deserve you right into your heart. But to tell you to stop doing that wouldn’t be right. Instead,” Jungkook slides an arm around your waist and pulls you right against his chest with a squeeze to your hips, “we’ll be the ones to stop any of them before they can do anything to you. After all, not only are we protective but we are very possessive creatures as well.”