#I wish i could have struck him with lightning on the spot

[peachesanmemes]

But arguably worse is if you make a lot of really wonderful detailed spreadsheets with years worth of data that is personal and private, and so you can share them with no one.

No one will see my budget spreadsheet I've worked on on the first of the month every month for a decade. No one will see my graphs tracking my different spending categories over time and comparing the trend lines to inflation and consumer spending trend lines. No one will see my graph that calculates my average spending by month of the year. Or my yearly predictive that shows my averages spread across the coming year, so I know how much I will approximately have in savings next December. No one will see my collapsible data set graphs (!) like my one that is just bank totals for the last decade, or the monthly spending breakdowns by year.

My beautiful 20 page spreadsheet... She is a princess in a tower that I must keep locked away...

i love making spreadsheets. the only problem with making spreadsheets is that i don't have enough things to turn into spreadsheets. the spreadsheet market is in shambles. but i can't just ask people if i'm allowed to make them spreadsheets, because if you go up to someone and go can i make you a spreadsheet they go literally why would you do that. but Sometimes you can social engineer your way into making a spreadsheet for someone and that's the most beautiful feeling in the world.

[maxineryx]

Seeing Dazai without bandages is like winning the lottery, getting struck by lightning, seeing a blue moon, or managing to buy the first three volumes of your favourite manga from the bookstore.

It's a chance close to zero.

Well, none of those things have happened to you yet, including seeing Dazai without bandages. Though, you believe this was even rarer than all those other things listed above because every time you spotted him unwrapping them in the bathroom, he softly shooed you out, or closed the door. You never got an explanation for why, but you had a solid idea of what it might have been.

You weren’t a stranger to Osamu’s past. You knew of all the things he did and who he was, but he was given a second chance, so naturally you put that all behind you and never asked any questions. And of course, most of the things you’ve heard weren’t actually from him. He’s never gone into depth about what used to happen in the Port Mafia. Nor has he ever mentioned any battles, or any struggles he might have faced. However, you were sure that there were some stories to tell under those bandages.

You were also sure that those ‘stories’ might not be as pleasing to hear or to tell, so you never pressured him to talk.

Although, sometimes you just wished he confided in you, because you were together, after all. He knew many secrets of yours, pleasant and unpleasant, and you knew that none of those secrets were even comparable to what he must have gone through.

You just wanted him to tell you, to show you, even if it was a little so that you could lift that guilt off his caring heart to make him feel better.

You and Osamu came home from work a couple of hours ago, when the sun was already set, stars twinkling above. It was dark inside your shared home, the only light source being the bright, white lights around the rectangular-shaped mirror, as you sat on the counter, already showered and face taken care of.

You were watching Dazai apply some moisturizer to his face. His long coat was gone, along with all his other clothes that hid his top half. The only thing stopping you from seeing his skin were the bandages.

“You like to stare, don’t you?” He asked in his usual, playful tone, pausing to take a glance at you before resuming his skincare. “I mean, I don’t blame you. I’m breathtaking.”

Rolling your eyes, you mumbled a ‘yeah, yeah, whatever’, to which he started tickling you, your laughter echoing throughout the house.

“It’s getting late. You should go to bed, I’ll join you in a few minutes.” Osamu said, kissing the tip of your nose.

You frowned. “I don’t feel tired at all,” you started, smiling, hoping he’d agree for the first time, “I’ll wait for you, I mean, how long can it take?”

He sighed, though it wasn’t an annoyed sigh. He helped you get off the counter, gently grabbing your arms, before walking you out. You stopped in your tracks, earning a confused expression from him.

“Osamu… why do you never let me stay? Every night, you push me out without giving me an explanation.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” He put a hand softly atop your head. “You know I don’t want you to see what’s under these bandages…I don’t want to scare you.”

“You’ll never scare me, no matter what I’ll see. I thought you knew that.” You replied, not breaking eye contact. You could start seeing the unease in his eyes as he averted his gaze.

“It’s not that.” He whispered, “You haven’t seen me in the Port Mafia. You didn’t know the Port Mafia executive, Dazai Osamu, because you only know the new Dazai Osamu. And even though I am him, my body still represents the Port Mafia executive, and it always will. I want you to know what I am now, not what I was back then.”

There was a lengthy silence as he removed his hand from your head.

“‘samu,” Instantly, you cup his cheeks, bringing his head down a little so that you could stare into his eyes intensely. Dazai’s eyes flashed with uncertainty and slight shame, something you’d never seen him feel before.

“You’re right. I didn’t know Dazai Osamu from the Port Mafia, but I’ve heard of him. You’re the man I love, ‘samu, nothing could make me fear you, or walk away from you. You were given a second chance and second chances aren’t common in life. Even if your body carries horrible memories, it doesn’t mean that that’s the person you are. The man I love is caring, loving, protective, charming, amazing… and all the other positive words I could use forever.

So please, let me care for you.”

His hands were holding your wrists as you never let go of his face. Tears were bubbling up in your eyes, heart racing from all the emotions. His bottom lip was slightly trembling as he looked at the floor, before letting go of your wrists and turning around, walking back into the bathroom. He didn’t ask you to leave.

And this time, it was you who was unbandaging him as he sat patiently, though averting his gaze for most of the time. It would take time to get him to be comfortable, but you were more than happy to go slow if it meant that he wouldn’t feel as much guilt as before.

So no, you didn’t win the lottery, get struck by lightning, see a blue moon, or manage to buy the first three volumes of your favourite manga at the bookstore, but you did get to see Dazai without bandages. All those things couldn’t even compare to that.

————————

A:N - I’m back after a looooong writing break… just a lil thingy to warm myself up before writing anything longer

[anonymousewrites]

Pearl of the Sea Chapter Thirteen

Found Family! PoTC Cast x Teen! Reader

Platonic! Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, Jack Sparrow, Tia Dalma x Reader

Chapter Thirteen: Hiring on Tortuga

Summary: On the hunt for The Flying Dutchman, a strange man comes aboard, and (Y/N) gets angry as the truth is revealed.

            Lightning struck and highlighted the horizon of the sea. Thunder rumbled above the Black Pearl. Wind swept the calm seas into chaotic waves. Rain pelted down around the crew. In the darkness, a second ship rested on the waves.

            “That’s the Flying Dutchman?” said (Y/N), squinting to see through the dark of night. It didn’t feel like a magical ship.

            “Yes,” said Jack, glancing at them. Tia Dalma’s words echoed in his head, and he paused. He nearly spoke the truth, that it wasn’t the ship, but he couldn’t afford to. But (Y/N) would be furious after this.

            “She doesn’t look like much,” said Will.

            Jack had never been so pleased at a stupid observation from Will. “Neither do you. Do not underestimate her.”

            Gibbs cleared his throat. “Must have run afoul of the reef.”

            “So, what’s the plan, then?” said Jack, glancing at Will. He knew what Will would plan to do, though. He just wanted to hurry things along.

            “I row over, search the ship until I find your bloody key,” said Will.

            “If I came, it would be fast—”

            “No,” said Will and Jack sharply. Will, Gibbs, and (Y/N) looked at Jack in confusion.

            Jack cleared his throat. “What if there are crewmen?”

            “I cut down anyone in my path,” said Will. He nodded and walked towards a rowboat.

            (Y/N) wished they could go with him. With the storm and the waves, they felt such energy. Their restlessness felt like the wind whipping the waters around them.

            “I like it,” said Jack. “Simple, easy to remember.”

            “Be careful, Will,” said (Y/N). They hugged him before he got onto the boat.

            Will hugged them back. “It’s all for you and Elizabeth.” He squeezed them tightly. “And you must be careful, too. I am leaving you alone with these pirates, and I don’t want you to be in danger because of them.”

            (Y/N) grinned at him, and Will saw the stormy glint in their eyes once more. “I will handle any danger they bring to me and return it in kind.”

            Will cleared his throat and set aside the vengeful nature of their words. “I’ll be back soon.”

            “Good luck,” said (Y/N).

            Will stepped into the rowboat, and it lowered into the sea. On the Pearl, all the candles were doused to keep them from being spotted.

            (Y/N) waited apprehensively for Will to arrive at the seemingly wrecked ship. The faint light of his lantern showed him climbing amongst the shoals, but then it disappeared. (Y/N) frowned and leaned forward.

            And then the waves broke open. (Y/N) stared in shock as a ship exploded up from underwater. It was all jagged edges and frayed sails, yet it sailed smoother than any ship (Y/N) had ever seen.

            That was the Flying Dutchman. Which meant…

            (Y/N) whirled on Jack. “You sent him over to the wrong ship.”

            “(Y/N), it will all work out—”

            “You sold him out!” The Pearl shook with (Y/N)’s shout as the waves swelled.

            “(Y/N)—”

            “Why? He was helping you!” hissed (Y/N).

            “He has a debt to pay.”

            A new voice joined the ship, and everyone whirled. A man with a face like an octopus, green-blue and slimy, stood. His tentacles waved in the air, and he towered over the other pirates. Davy Jones had arrived, having swum with nary a sound from his ship to the Pearl. His infamy and mysterious nature had a clear source.

            A creak of wood sounded, and more pirates emerged from the shadows. Each one had the features of a sea creature or the wood of a ship, dripping with seawater and danger and magic. They swarmed the crew of the Black Pearl. They grabbed several pirates who tried to resist, and (Y/N) was grabbed by a pirate with the skin texture of a starfish (and five protrusions on his face to match).

            “Oh…” Jack stared at Jones.

            “You’ve been captain of the Pearl for thirteen years,” said Jones. “That was our agreement.”

            “Technically, I was only captain for two years, then I was mutinied upon,” said Jack nervously, trying to be charismatic as usual.

            “Then you were a poor captain but a captain nonetheless,” said Jones. He wasn’t going to be charmed or have his words twisted to help Jack. “Have you not introduced yourself all these years as Captain Jack Sparrow?” He spat the word with extreme distaste. The crowd jeered and laughed.

            Jack faced Jones. “You have my payment.” His gaze flicked shamefully towards (Y/N). “One soul to serve on your ship.”

            “You bastard!” hissed (Y/N), and the waves churned like their fury. Jack winced.

            Jones glanced at (Y/N), and Jack’s heart beat quicker in worry. “One soul is not equal to another,” said Jones.

            Jack seized upon the opportunity, even if partly to bring his attention back to himself. “Aha, we’ve established my proposal is sound in principle. Now we’re haggling over price.”

            “Price?” Jones frowned and looked at Jack.

            “Just how many souls do you think my soul is worth?” said Jack.

            Jones tilted his head. “One hundred souls. Three days.”

            “You’re a diamond, mate!” said Jack. He glanced at (Y/N). “Send me back the boy. I’ll get started right off.”

            (Y/N) started in surprise. He wants to get Will back?

            “I keep the boy,” snapped Jones. “A good-faith payment. That leaves you only ninety-nine more to go.”

            “If we give you a hundred, will you give him back?” said (Y/N). All the pirates stared at them for interrupting, but their brazenness was not to be stopped.

            Jones narrowed his eyes. “Giving Jack more work. Pathetic.” He took a step closer to (Y/N), and Jack watched warily. “Your soul would give him less.” (Y/N)’s gaze met Jones’s evenly. “If you came instead of the boy, I’d say Jack had…fifty more souls to go.”

            “I’d prefer to keep this one with me, discount notwithstanding,” said Jack pleasantly, and (Y/N) looked at him in surprise.

            He defended me? What does he have to gain?

            Nothing. The answer was nothing, and Jack was as confused about it as (Y/N) was.

            “Then I keep the boy,” said Jones. “Ninety-nine souls if you leave him with me. One hundred if you want him back.” Jones looked at Jack scornfully. “But I wonder…have you gone soft? Or can you just not live with condemning another to servitude while you roam free?”

            Jack’s gaze flicked to the ground before straightening and putting on his usual smile. “Yep. I’m good with it. And if I happen to get lucky, maybe I’ll throw in that hundredth soul for you.”

            Jones scoffed at Jack’s bright tone.

            “Shall we seal it in blood? I mean, ink?” said Jack.

            Jones grabbed Jacks hand aggressively, and a tentacle slithered over it. “Three days.”

            He stalked to the edge of the Pearl. The other pirates let go of the crew. Together, the crew of the Flying Dutchman jumped overboard and disappeared into the stormy waters. Jack stared at his palm as the Black Spot dissolved. He looked up at (Y/N) and then cleared his throat.

            “Mr. Gibbs,” said Jack.

            “Aye?” said Gibbs.

            “I feel sullied and unusual,” said Jack.

            “And how do you intend to harvest these ninety-nine souls in three days?” said Gibbs.

            “One hundred,” snapped (Y/N). Gibbs and Jack looked at them. “One hundred or I’ll run you through, take your compass, and leave you to fend for yourself.” At the end of their threat, they gave a smile, and Gibbs and Jack shivered.

          �� Jack cleared his throat. “Right, right. A hundred. Right on.” He looked at Gibbs. “Fortunately, he was mum as to the condition in which these souls need be.”

            “Ah. Tortuga,” said Gibbs.

            “Tortuga,” confirmed Jack. Gibbs grinned and ran off to the helm. Jack looked at (Y/N). “We’ll get a hundred souls, and we’ll return young William to his bonnie lass, eh?”

            (Y/N) looked at Jack. “Don’t lie to me, Jack. It does neither you nor I any credit.”

            “I’m not lying,” said Jack.

            (Y/N) searched his expression. “I hope not.”

l

            (Y/N) was really wishing they had decided to watch the ship instead of following Gibbs and Jack ashore in Tortuga. They were sitting in the pub as people shouted all around them and just watching Gibbs interview people to get them to sign for sailing with the Black Pearl, but they felt like this was going nowhere. Beside them, Jack kept whispering affirmations to himself before checking his compass. He huffed as whatever was going wrong continued going wrong.

            “How we going?” he said.

            “Including those four, that gives us…four,” said Gibbs.

            Jack groaned and shook his compass while Gibbs focused back on the line. He smiled pleasantly.

            “And what’s your story?” said Gibbs.

            “My story.” The pirate drawled with an angry tone. “It’s exactly the same as your story, just one chapter behind. I chased a mana cross the seven seas. The pursuit cost me my crew, my commission, and my life.”

            Gibbs, (Y/N), and Jack looked closely at the man. (Y/N)’s eyes widened.

            “Commodore Norrington?” they said, staring at the soot-covered, disheveled man.

            “Not anymore,” snapped Norrington. “Weren’t you listening?” He leaned in towards Gibbs. “I nearly had you all of Tripoli. I would have, if not for the hurricane.”

            Jack attempted to grab a decorative plant and hide. Gibbs swallowed hard. (Y/N) sank into their seat (guilty even if they hadn’t been on the ship at the time).

            “Lord,” said Gibbs. “You didn’t try to sail through it?”

            “So do I make your crew or not?” said Norrington, staring daggers at Gibbs. “You haven’t said where you’re going. Somewhere nice?!” He tipped over the table. People gasped and looked at him. Norrington swayed as he spun around and looked at everyone. “So am I worthy to serve under Captain Jack Sparrow?!”

            Jack quickly pulled (Y/N) to their feet and made his way towards the door.

            Click!

            The hammer of a pistol was pulled back, and Jack froze. Norrington leveled his gun at Jack.

            “Or should I just kill you now?” said Norrington.

            Jack cleared his throat and put on a smile. “You’re hired!”

            Should I feel bad about throwing Norrington to Davy Jones? (Y/N) frowned and looked at Norrington.

            “Sorry. Old habits and all that,” said Norrington, sneering as he aimed at Jack.

            I don’t.

            “Easy, sailor!” A pirate grabbed Norrington’s arm.

            “That’s our captain you’re threatening!” said another of the new recruits, wrestling with Norrington.

            He threw the pirate off, and then he stumbled back. Instantly, the man he fell into shoved him. Anger flared. People hit one another, and, as usual, a barfight began in Tortuga.

            “Time to go!” said Jack.

            “Aye!” said Gibbs.

            “Good idea!” said (Y/N).

            The group began to weave through the crowd. If they were lucky, their new recruits would show up at the Pearl after getting some sense knocked into them. They weren’t lucky, though, because they also only had four out of the hundred souls they needed. That meant they were running out of options.

            (Y/N) dodged a body flying through the air, and they were broken from their thoughts. Huffing, they shoved a pirate away, and their hand itched to grab their sword. Jack pulled them aside as another punch flew by their head.

            “Keep an eye out, laddie, can’t have one of the only crew members with a head on their shoulders getting knocked around!” said Jack cheerfully. However, as they exited the building, Jack only let go of guiding them to take a hat from an unconscious pirate.

            “I wanted a chance to punch someone,” grumbled (Y/N). The moment the chaos of the fight had erupted around them, they had itched to join. They had wanted to join the fight, and all of their restless energy had surged to the surface.

            “We’ll have plenty of time for that later,” said Jack. His adventures always ended like that, so he said it with absolute confidence. That being said, something made him prefer for (Y/N) to not be involved in a fight.

            “Captain Sparrow!”

            Gibbs, Jack, and (Y/N) turned around to face the approaching figure, but they kept walking towards the Pearl.

            “Come to join me crew, lad? Welcome aboard,” said Jack.

            “I’m here to find the man I love.”

            (Y/N) furrowed their brow. I recognize that voice…

            Now Jack paused, frowned, and turned. “I’m deeply flattered, son, but my first and only love is the sea.”

            Behind the new person, Norrington went and nearly threw up. He stumbled and leaned on barrels. (Y/N) frowned. He’d really lost himself.

            “Meaning William Turner, Captain Sparrow.”

            (Y/N)’s eyes lit up. They recognized the voice now. “Lizzie!” They threw themself at her, and she grinned, hugging (Y/N).

            “Hide the rum,” whispered Jack to Gibbs.

            “You escaped!”

            “Of course,” said Elizabeth proudly. “Are you alright?”

            “I’m…fine,” said (Y/N), holding back how gleeful they were at being back at sea. That being said, their joy was dampened by all the frustration they’d been through and all their worry over Will.

            “Elizabeth!” greeted Jack. “These clothes do not flatter you. I much preferred the dress.”

            Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Where is Will? If (Y/N) is here, he should be too.”

            Jack coughed and cleared his throat. “I am truly unhappy to tell you this, but—”

            “Davy Jones took Will to work on his ship unless we find a hundred souls to work for him, and we’re terrible at finding new crew members,” said (Y/N), laying it out plainly.

            “What?!” exclaimed Elizabeth.

            “I’m really sorry, I tried to help and even offered to go myself, but it was too late,” said (Y/N), gazing at Elizabeth.

            She shook her head and squeezed (Y/N)’s shoulders. “It’s not your fault. It’s Davy Jones’s.” She glared at Jack. “And Jack’s in some way, I’m sure.” Jack chose to avoid eye contact and look as innocent as possible.

            “Davy Jones?” said Norrington, still swaying. “The captain of the Flying Dutchman?”

            “You look awful. What are you doing here?” said Jack.

            “You hired me,” spat Norrington. “I can’t help it if your standards are lax.”

            “You smell funny.”

            “Jack,” snapped Elizabeth. “All I want is to find Will and go home with (Y/N).”

            “We can’t get a hundred souls,” said (Y/N). They sat down on a barrel. “What can we do? We can’t leave Will with Davy Jones.”

            Jack paused. He suddenly had an idea, though part of him hated that it might disrupt a small amount of…trust he had built with (Y/N). “Elizabeth, is that what you want most? Are you certain?”

            “Of course,” said Elizabeth.

            (Y/N) frowned and looked at Jack. Does he have another plan?

            “Because I would think you’d want to find a way to save Will most,” said Jack.

            “And you have a wave of doing that?” said (Y/N) quickly.

            “…The chest,” said Jack.

            (Y/N) frowned. “How will it help?”

            “You know what is inside. Leverage,” said Jack.

            (Y/N) paused and considered. That made sense. They looked at Jack. They sincerely hoped he wasn’t screwing them over. That would…hurt.

            Jack was certain in his course. After all, he couldn’t get a hundred souls. He intended to save Will. He just…needed something else to do it. Then everything would be fine. And Jack wouldn’t be disrupting the strange faith (Y/N) placed in him. The faith that felt so pleasant to have earned from the wild teenager.

            “Go on,” said Elizabeth.

            “It’s a chest of unknown size and origin,” said Jack hurriedly.

            “What contains the still-beating heart of Davy Jones,” said Pintel, dragging supplies on board.

            Ragetti mimicked a heartbeat.

            Elizabeth glanced at (Y/N). They nodded. “It’s true.”

            “And whoever possesses that chest possesses the leverage to command Jones to do whatever it is they want, as I said,” said Jack. “Including save brave William from his grim fate.”

            “You don’t actually believe him, do you?” scoffed Norrington.

            “I was there when the contents of the chest was revealed. Jack bartered to get a hundred souls instead of ninety-nine in order to get Will back. He’s told the truth about that,” said (Y/N). “I doubt he’s lied about what the chest can do.” He had no reason to since it wouldn’t help him if it did anything else.

            Jack nodded, and he felt himself straighten. Tia Dalma had been right. (Y/N) had some strange faith in him, likely from the freedom he granted them. It was strange. Jack almost felt like he should live up to whatever image of himself (Y/N) had.

            Quickly, he pushed that aside. He just needed everyone on his side, even with using the truth. Then, Jack could control Jones, gain immortality, and have everything he desired. He was out for himself. Obviously.

            Elizabeth considered and eyed Jack warily. “How would we find it?”

            Jack held up his compass. “With this. My compass is unique.”

            “ ‘Unique’ here having the meaning of ‘broken,’ ” scoffed Norrington.

            (Y/N)’s mood swung to irritation. “We’re trying to solve an actual problem here, Norrington, so if you’d like to ignore that magic clearly exists and that the compass may be magic, too, then please do so on the ship. If you’re not up to walking, just tip over into the harbor, yes?”

            Norrington and Elizabeth stared. (Y/N)’s mood swings were getting out of hand, like the winds changing on the seas in an instant.

            “Excellent point!” said Jack cheerfully. “My compass does not point north, but it is not broken.”

            “Where does it point?” asked Elizabeth.

            “It points to the thing you want most in the world,” said Jack.

            “Are you telling the truth?” said Elizabeth.

            “Every word, love,” assured Jack. “And what you want most in this world is to find the chest of Davy Jones, is it not?” He placed the compass into her hands and cupped it.

            “To save Will,” said Elizabeth.

            “By finding the chest of Davy Jones,” said Jack. He flipped open the compass, removed his hands, and stared at the needle.

            It swung around. Everyone tensed. It settled.

            “Mr. Gibbs!” said Jack.

            “Cap’n,” said Gibbs.

            “We have our heading.”

Taglist:

@slytherinroyalty16

@aew-kun-age-regression

@grippleback-galaxy

@andsoigotabutterfly

@insomniacneedssleep

@painstakingly-juno

@kitkatlover015

@chronicallybubbly

@froggyisfriend

@elliottheidiot2007

@paastaboi

@urlocalsabito

@speckle-meow-meow

@dmitrytherat

@vanessa-boo

@ohimjustagirlidrathetnotbe

@snowy-violet

[satureja13]

Cloudy sky above Verdantis this morning. Before Greg leaves, he gathered the Boys at the duelling grounds. And since Jack is the Super Soldier (and has a few genetic modifications), he's the perfect sparring partner/training dummy for Vlad, Saiwa and Jeb. Ji Ho and Kiyoshi don't fight today since they are still not in shape. Vlad and Jack started. The classic - Vampire vs Werewolf.

It's not about winning. Jack can defeat anyone, except for Greg and Kiyoshi. But since Kiyoshi isn't Jack's Alpha anymore, Jack should win a fight against Kiyoshi too. So today it's about teaching the others how to fight, should they be in danger.

Next pairing is Saiwa and Jack. Again the classic (+ 1\2 Dark Elf). Saiwa: "Oh - I've been waiting for a chance like this since - forever!" Jeb can't bear Saiwa getting hurt and has to look the other way.

Even though Sai loves Jack dearly, he often wishes he could smack him for his endless nonsense. Usually Jack runs away and Sai could never hit him, but he hopes he can land a few punches before Jack ends the fight ^^' Jack seemed to know that and let him, lol. Poor Jeb was so worried about his Vanië, though.

And then Jack vs Jeb - Werewolf vs Witch. It was Jeb's first fight! Saiwa was about to faint, seeing Jeb fighting. It looks so rough! Is Jeb even able to breathe?

Oh oh, Jeb isn't used to fighting and so he got a bit dizzy from all this tumbling and turning - and stumbled to the ground! Jack: "Omg, Jeb! Are you ok?" Sai: "I'm going to kill you for this, Jack!"

But Jeb almost immediately jumped up again - phew! That was embarrasing o.o' He so wanted to look cool in front of Saiwa - poor Jack didn't even do anything wrong! After the fights, they were discussing what they could do better and how to proceed training without Greg (since none of the professors can remain beyond the Veil for too long). Greg wants to see Noxee as soon as possible to make the most of their time together before she has to pay the old hags the three witches a visit to discuss Jack and Kiyoshi. And when Greg finally left, poor Jack collapsed on one of the loungers. The fights took their toll on him. Jack tried to keep his composure for as long as possible to not have to argue with Greg about the state he's in. His body is still constantly under pain from the last spot and he feels horrible since that lightning struck him. Noxee's potion didn't help at all and of course he didn't go back to her to whine because he doesn't want her to think he's a weakling... (Omg, Jack!) And he's afraid she's going to tell Greg about it ö.Ö' Jack surely doesn't need another talk with Greg. Even though Kiyoshi drifted away again after Ms Coombes forbid them to hang out together, he was immediately at Jack's side to heal him. Jack won all the fights, but none of the others needed a treatment. He'd gone easy on his friends. Which was an achievement for itself. Not many werewolves have that much control over their wolf - in a fight at that.

Saiwa blinked upwards. He has to hold back tears and already regrets that he hit Jack 😭 And Jeb wants to embrace and comfort Sai, but he's not sure if he would allow it...

Eventually Jack woke up and cursed under his breath. He doesn't want to appear weak in front of Kiyoshi either. And he doesn't want Kiyoshi to see him in his wolf... (Which is stupid, since Kiyoshi made very clear that he likes Jack in both of his forms.)

'And then we lie, beneath a shady tree I love her and she's loving me She feels good, she knows she's looking fine I'm so proud to know that she is mine'

Good day sunshine - The Beatles

Outtakes

I built this lot many years ago and had to laugh when I spotted that mannequin I placed behind the divider ^^'

And Ji Ho is curious what these ointments and potions are for :3

From the Beginning 🔱 Underwater Love 🔱 Latest

Current Chapter: 'Here comes the Sun' from the beginning ▶️ here Last Chapter: 'Who killed Jack?' from the beginning ▶️ here

📚 Previous Chapters: Chapters: 1-6 ~ 7-12 ~ 13-16 ~ 23-28

[zuppizup]

First Kiss (again)

Previous ficlet - Swords

The first thing Callum feels when the world comes back is pain.

Blinding pain.

His body quivers and jerks, and he cries out as every muscle constricts in agonising cramp.

“Shush, Callum...”

Soft hands across his brow, soothing his tight, painful muscles with a gentle caress.

“Rayla?” His voice quivers and shakes as he forces his eyes open. Or rather, eye open. One of them seems swollen shut.

The world beyond her face is dark and blurry, but he figures out she’s sitting cross-legged, his head cradled in her lap.

“Hi.” She smiles shakily at him, her hands still gentle on his face. She’s pale and tired looking, eyes red and glassy.

“What happened?” He croaks, trying to look around, but his vision swims... confusing shafts of light against deep shadow. The continuing pitch and roll of the ship. A persistent smell of mould and damp.

“I don’t know.” She swallows, her voice tight. “I woke up in here with you.”

“Where are we?” He closes his eyes against the rising nausea.

“The brig.” She sighs, and it is only then he becomes aware of the heavy biting shackles on his wrists and ankles.

“They hurt you.” He opens his eyes again, blurry vision just able to make out the trail of dried blood snaking it’s way around her neck and down her throat.

“I’m fine, Callum.” Her fingers smooth his brow as she smiles softly at him. “You’re the one who was struck by lightning.”

Frowning, he reaches for her, wanting somehow to wipe away the blood, but the shackles pull at his wrist, and he doesn’t have the strength to fight against them.

“Rest, Callum.” She takes his hand in hers, squeezing his fingers as she lays them both gently on his chest.

“We have to get out of here.” He pushes himself up, but his muscles won’t obey him, and he crashes into her, gasping in pain.

“Callum!” Rayla grabs him by the shoulders, their chains echoing loudly.

“So, he’s alive then?”  

Rayla turns to face Nyx, shielding Callum with her body. “What do you want?”

“Not as scary as usual, love bug number one.” Nyx smirks at them through the bars. “Maybe if you both didn’t look like you were about to puke.”

“You double crossed us.” Callum tries to glare at her, but he can barely remain upright, which Rayla clearly spots. Attention no longer on Nyx, she encourages him to lean into her, any other position too awkward around their shackled wrists.

“As much as I like you guys, I’m not exactly willing to get myself killed for you.” She frowns at them, then glances over her shoulder. “You need to rest. You’ll need to be in better shape than this if you want to make a run for it.” Her voice is lowered, barely audible over the creaking ship.

“What are you talking about?” Rayla still sounds annoyed at Nyx, but Callum can detect the faint hint of hope in her voice.

“Just be ready.” She steps away from the bars once again. “Or as ready as you can be.”

They hear a door open and close, and then they’re alone again.

“Think we can trust her?” Rayla sighs, shifting a little so she can look at him.

“I’m not sure we have a choice.” His eyes fall to the dried blood on her neck, and he reaches out to touch the back of her head, wishing he could do something about the cut that caused it.

Despite their dire circumstances, Rayla blushes a little, leaning forward to rest her head against his. “You should rest.”

Her breath tickles his cheek, and he wants to protest, but he’s so tired, even from this small exertion. Rayla looks like she’s about to fall over too though. “We both should.”

“I’ll keep watch.” She encourages him to lay down, leaning back against the wall as she does so.

“Rest, Rayla.” He reclines in her lap again, fingers seeking hers. “What else can they do to us?”

“I’m watching you, dummy.” She smiles softly, squeezing his fingers with one hand while the other begins to brush the hair back from his forehead. “Just struck by lightning? Remember?”

“No.” He attempts to smirk at her, and from the genuine smile on her face, it seems he makes a passable attempt.

“Well, thanks for proving my point.” She raises an eyebrow, ruffling his hair a fraction.

Callum smiles at her, raising their joined hands and pressing his lips to her fingers. She takes a shaky breath, biting her lip as she tries to blink back tears.

Unsuccessfully.

One lands on his cheek, warm and wet.

The illusion of cool, controlled Rayla is cracking. Breaking.

Bending over, Rayla kisses the spot where it lands. He lifts his other hand and wraps it around her shoulder as much as the awkward position allows.

It’s hardly comfortable for either of them. The brig is cold and wet and smells foul. They’re both hurt, tired, and hungry. He wants to kiss her properly, but she seems to be crying more now, and so he holds her instead.

She might be watching over him, but he’s going to watch over her, too.

Next prompt - End of the world

[lady-charinette]

Shadows of Chat Blanc

Sometimes, Marinette dreams of going on dates with Chat Noir. Always, Chat Noir is a true romantic, whispering sweet nothings in her ear. Once, Chat Noir promised her something that made the blood in her veins freeze. "I would even give you the moon, princess." Her dream changed. She wasn't with Chat Noir anymore, somebody else greeted her. His smile never reached his icy blue eyes, so unlike her kitty. And yet, all the same. "I did good, didn't I? I gave you the moon, purrincess, I did good, right?!"

It was a cool evening, but his arms around her allowed Marinette to feel none of the chill.

Paris was quiet, a serene city plagued by chaos and nightmares during the day to be granted some respite in the evenings.

Sometimes, Marinette wished this moment could last forever.

The warmth of her kitty left her when he stood up, standing on top of her balcony railing and offering her his hand with a kind smile. “Just say the word princess and I’ll grant you any wish.”

A smile lit up her face and Marinette took Chat Noir’s offered hand. “Silly kitty, what if I ask for something impossible?”

Chat Noir leaned his head down, grabbing both of her hands into his own to pepper gentle kisses on her knuckles. “I would even give you the moon.”

Marinette smiled, leaning in to kiss him sweetly when ice rushed down her spine like lightning.

The moon.

Behind Chat Noir, the image of the brightly shining moon flickered.

Distorted.

Disappeared.

“No.”

Something snapped, a distant image filled Marinette’s mind.

A dream.

A vision.

A memory.

The warmth of her evening date with Chat Noir disappeared, replaced by the rush of harsh winter prickling her skin like sharp blades.

A soft thud behind her alerted her of another’s presence and when Marinette turned around, she swore the cold around her froze her very blood.

Standing before her isn’t Chat Noir anymore, but Chat Blanc.

Striking green eyes became piercingly blue, betraying the pain and anger that consumed him. That plagued him.

Chat Blanc offered Marinette his hand, a distorted mirror image of her kitty from mere moments before. But his smile was pained, drawn tight over the corners, all teeth.

No warmth.

“I did good, didn’t I?” his words struck her chest like a physical blow.

“…What?” Marinette shook her head, the burn in her eyes worsening when she spotted the rising water consuming the buildings. The floating bodies.

A haunting laugh.

“Here purrincess, I gave you the moon. I did good, didn’t I?”

A dull thumping sound echoes in Marinette’s ears and she realized Chat Blanc had grabbed one of her hands, like Chat Noir had done, only he didn’t kiss her hands, he pressed them over his heart. Each pulse a reminder of the agony that coursed through his veins, a desolate existence, where warmth and life have been extinguished, replaced by the unbearable chill that grips him from within.

A chill that threatened to consume her whole.

Marinette wrenched her hand away, stumbling backward.

Chat Blanc’s eyes narrowed at Marinette’s silence and actions. He crawled towards her form on the ground, claws digging into her arms as he gripped her close. “I did good, didn’t I?! Wasn’t this what you wanted?!”

His maniacal laughter drowned out all the alarm bells ringing in her mind, the icy shower covering her body replaced with the white-hot pain of Chat Blanc’s claws digging into her arms.

His shoulders suddenly slumped low, the world was silent until Chat Blanc lifted his head again, stark white hair falling into icy blue eyes.

Hollow.

“I said I did good, isn’t that right, little bug?” Chat Blanc traced his fingers across her jaw and gripped her chin, the claws nicking her skin, a river of blood trailing down her neck.

Chat Blanc licked his lips at that, Marinette swallowed thickly.

“I did everything you told me to, Marinette!” Chat Blanc’s voice filled with malice as it taunted her.

This is all your fault!

When Marinette found her world changing again, she woke up in her room, her bed damp with cold sweat.

When her eyes landed on Tikki sleeping peacefully, her body finally relaxed, evidence that her recurring nightmare didn’t turn into reality.

Again.

Gazing out through her window, Marinette’s gaze stayed transfixed on the source of the white glow that illuminated the dark night sky.

The moon.

Hope you enjoyed! Angsty prompts are welcome :3

[mask-of-prime]

VG: Shouting Match - PART 2

A horrific, unending ringing occupied Vitani's head for hours. Whatever external natural ambience such as crickets and hornbill calls were not only muffled, but drowned out by the awful new frequency. She hoped it wouldn't be forever, as she loved the sounds of twilight. ____ Meanwhile, the rest of the Guard shared this same misery as they surveyed Mekundu Cliffs until dusk. Kelele hadn't been found, and being unable to listen for her presence was no help. Imara shook her head. This wolf's power was so new to everyone. Her very own leader found herself in trouble trying to counteract it. Despite watching Vitani meet her match, Imara wished her friend hadn't left so soon...

____ Vitani retreated to a secluded spot far in the outskirts of the Pridelands. There, she struck a stick against a flammable rock, and tossed the newly-made torch in front of herself. Vitani took a breath, feeling the voices of the past within her chest. With a clear, confident voice, she bellowed: "Roho ya Moto!"

The fire from the torch twisted in a slight current as it grew. Suddenly, a bright, orange flash filled the site. Vitani flinched. There was Nuka, seemingly in the middle of a song he'd been humming. Turning around, he shrieked at his living sister standing before him. "Ugh, can't a ghost get some beauty sleep around here? Sheesh!" "Nuka, this isn't the time for lounging about in the great beyond. I need your help." Vitani deadpanned. "But-" "You promised me I could summon you any time I needed to. Was that not what you said?" "Ohh, alright, alright..." Nuka pouted, "Whaddya need, termite?" "I need your help against this... creature with this weird power. She makes this loud noise that makes the ground shake, knocks everyone down." "That doesn't sound too different from what you do..." "Exactly!" Vitani clenched her paw, "Just... that but incredibly overwhelming! I need to do something different from her. "Soo... why are you asking me?" Nuka squinted, "Why not ask those old guys for help?" "Like Askari, or something? I don't have time to learn everything in one go, let alone waltz back and forth to the Cikha Escarpment, are you crazy?!" "Oh..." Vitani growled, "We gotta come up with something quickly! Some way to cheat..." As Nuka hummed in thought, whispers brushed past his ears. He listened for them. "Hmm? Ooh, yeah. But... wouldn't that hurt? Oh... okay... worth a try..." Nuka muttered to the voices. "What do they say?" Vitani piped. "I promise it won't hurt." Nuka smiled. "What won't-" Vitani's heart raced, "...Nuka -- whoa, whoa, whoa -- WHAT?!" Before Vitani could cower, Nuka's ghastly form launched itself towards Vitani. Nuka's spirit had possessed Vitani's body! Through symbiosis, Vitani and Nuka had duel thoughts and memories, and most importantly; a new power the Roar was now capable of. Feeling an immense burning in her chest, despite her flesh receiving no damage from it, Vitani unhinged her mouth and let out a huge cloud of fire as she roared in agony and pure shock. ____ As Vitani trained with her new fire powers, a kidnapping had taken place while none of the adults were looking... Sauti was staying behind from the royals as they'd discussed amongst themselves about the pup's place in the Pridelands, feeling out-of-place being the only painted dog, and only dog that was really around in the Pridelands. Beginning to stray from the pride, he eventually stumbled across a stranger, a canine like him who claimed she would volunteer as Sauti's adoptee, but it had all been a trick... As Kelele snatched Sauti up, she ranted and raved that the pup could very well signify the return of the Lightning Cry, a power allegedly wielded by the legendary Sikio, a fellow painted dog like Sauti. She couldn't wait to train the boy to awaken a dormant power, and to someday challenge her. If she could defeat the Roar-Wielder, the Lightning-Wielder would be next on her record. The pup was confused. He didn't know of such a legend, nor of such a power. All he knew to do was yell for help. ____ As Vitani exited the secluded area where she'd trained, her ears -- despite still being damaged -- picked up on commotion nearby. She'd rushed to Pride Rock to find that the royals were demanding that Kelele put Sauti down unharmed. The Guard had also tried to subdue her to no avail, Kelele warning that if they dared touch her, she would kill the boy right then. The sight of a crazed woman putting the life of a young boy on the line triggered bitter memories in Vitani of her very own mother's behavior of bargaining with Kovu's life. Overall, Vitani did not take kindly to the sight of children being in danger. Enraged, fire began to build up from Vitani's chest as she told everyone to get behind her. Kelele merely smiled in amusement, awaiting yet another pathetic, predictable attempt to send her flying. Suddenly, flames erupted from Vitani's throat, accompanied by a garbled, pained roar. Kelele dropped Sauti in shock. Luckily, the pup scrambled over to the royals to get out of the way of Vitani's new, hazardous move. "These lands ain't big enough for two power-wielders, Kelele..." Vitani scowled. Unsure how to calculate her moves against fire, a terrifying element she didn't foresee, and now felt blazing the end of her tail, Kelele cowered and scurried away, revealing herself to be a rather poor sport. Vitani heaved as she felt Nuka's spirit leave her body, as Nuka's time to guide his sister had been up once again. The Fire Roar was uncomfortable, but she appeared to have won with it. She slowly turned to see everyone's shocked faces. She walked up to everyone, and looked down at the little newcomer to the Pridelands, and gave a polite nod of approval. ____ ((Author's Note: Vitani discovers how to use fire with her Roar! Long ago, inspiration from this post led me into coming up with fire as a possible element controlled by the Roar, and something unique to Vitani as leader of the Guard. I eventually figured that since Nuka returned as a Fire Spirit, I thought I'd combine the two concepts by having Vitani and Nuka's spirits fuse in a symbiosis/possession-like way. Their fusion is temporary, just as Nuka's time to give Vitani advice is. Since the showdown scene is a trope borrowed from decades of cartoons reenacting the climactic scene in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, I guess this makes Vitani the Good, Kelele the Bad, and... Nuka... the Ugly? He always gets the short end of the stick huh))

[epiphlyte]

reading trees roots: “WOW i love the friendship between a younger tree and his best bud stream! they’re both so precious! i can’t wait to see what their journey together entails when they leave the siste-”

so yup. this kid stream? he’s actually my new son now i love him so much... on par with sunstrike for favourite obscure warriors background character with a cool name... spoilers for trees roots/avos while we’re at it below the cut as i talk about some design choices! :>>

last chance to get out if you haven’t read tree’s roots. anyhow - stream has the “star shaped” pupils as a nod to how he dies... i know ripplestar got struck by lightning, shadowsight got struck by lightning, mudclaw dies crushed by a tree struck by lightning. but has any cat died directly due to a lightning strike, one NOT sent by starclan at that? you could argue that ripplestar died on impact from falling off the great rock, too. stream’s so special :,) still wish he went with tree on his journey

tree is great, also love him! so here’s some explorations - im thinking he has a topknot/man bun before he joins the clans, but also maybe occasionally puts his hair? fur? back in one for his mediator journeys. another reason for rootpaw to think he’s weird haha. here’s also where i decided that all the sisters/ghost seeing cats have a coloured spot in their eye, maybe it turns white when they see spirits? don’t ask why rootspring didn’t have them in his design i hadn’t come up with it then

[late-to-the-magnus-archives]

Iteration - a Malevolent fic, chapter six

John has been poisoned. Who did it? Unknown. How can he be saved? If not for Arthur, he wouldn't.

The ripples from this event hit far distant shores, and no one will come out of it unchanged.

Part 100 of the Surrogate series.

AO3 - chapter six

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

Court was solemn on the dawn of the next day. Magic had dimmed the shine in the throne room, turned the gold a dark and frightening ochre. The windows had disappeared; darkness held the room except for its central occupants. In the gloom, the crowd was packed, because everyone wanted to see who’d had the gall to do something like this.

And everyone wanted to see what Hastur would do to them.

Hastur’s throne seemed higher than usual. Faroe’s was empty. Arthur was not to his left, either; he remained in the medical ward, out of sight.

Before Hastur, in shackles, lit by a harsh spotlight, was the head chef, Bh’tnnkr’nuah. He stood, still in his chef’s whites, his many limbs tied behind his back, his lower tentacles still on the floor. He stood tall. Wet spots from his tears dotted his jacket.

“Bh’tnnkr’nuah,” said Hastur. “You have been found guilty.”

“Yes,” said the head chef without hesitation, without pride, without defenses.

No one made a sound. Parker’s breathing was possibly the loudest thing in the place, and he stood over by the corner, wearing a cloak and hood. Sunny’s tiny, unhappy sniffles were only audible to him.

“We are a fair court,” said Hastur with a low rumble. “You may speak in your defense, should you wish.”

Bh’tnnkr’nuah’s breath stuttered just a little, but when he spoke, his voice was even. “I do not defend what I did. Zis was… I am sorry. Do as you must. Zis is what had to happen.”

Parker’s fists clenched.

“Nothing to say in your defense? Not even a reason given?” said Hastur like a growing fire.

“I have given you my reason. Zis is all zat I have.”

“Then my judgment stands.” Hastur’s volume rose. “Bh’tnnkr’nuah has attempted the highest of crimes: he poisoned my marked. He did so willfully, with full intent. I think it only fitting that since he tried to take life, he should instead be given far more than he wanted. I condemn you, Bh’tnnkr’nuah, to my salt mines. There, you will languish. You will never see the sun again; you will live your life under the Erosian Salts of Koreth, where your skin will slowly be eaten away, but I will not let you die. Perhaps in a few thousand years, I will give you merciful release from that burning pain… but more likely… I will not.”

Lightning struck, or seemed to; a crack in the air, in the floor, shattering the tiles where that chef had been standing, and the air itself burned black in the shape of him for a lingering, frightening moment.

Hastur studied his audience. “Am I not merciful?”

Murmurs of fearful assent.

“Am I not good?”

Murmurs of fearful assent.

“Leave. Court will resume tomorrow. And by all means… talk about what happened,” Hastur added. “Next time, I will not be kind enough to ignore the family of traitors.”

Quiet gossip had already begun as the doors slammed open, blinding everyone briefly with morning light.

Parker slipped out, hood low, one hand up to gently stroke his jaw.

#

I d… I still don… I…

“It’s okay, buddy,” whispered Parker, moving between dignitaries and getting out of the more populated areas of the palace. “That went about as good as it could go.”

But it wasn’t anybody’s… who did it? Who lied to him?

Parker sighed. “Nobody knows that. Not even him. Come on. We gotta fill Arthur in.”

Sunny’s voice trembled. I hate this. But I… I… fuck. He was weeping now, softly. I understand. I see why Hastur did it this way. There wasn’t another way. Protecting his people, seeming just, still doing what was needed… I don’t know any other way it could have gone.

“Lots of ways, and all of them suck,” said Parker, and knocked on Arthur’s door.

Arthur flung it open. He must have been pacing right in front of it.

“You gotta learn to doublecheck who’s there,” said Parker lightly as he entered.

“What happened?” said Arthur. “They said you found someone. They said someone was caught.”

“Take a seat. This is…”

It’s horrible, said Sunny.

Arthur took a seat, and Parker told him a story.

A story of a young monster serving a major god, working his way through the ranks to support loved ones far away; a young monster with an even younger family, and the horror of learning they suffered a magical plague all the way on the other side of the Dreamlands.

A young monster who went, desperate, to the Oracle, and took the worst deal of all in exchange for a cure: a favor, without limit, to be rendered when asked without question.

It had seemed the right thing to do. His daughter had been so young; his mate, so frightened. They both lived. That was worth it, right? It was. And if the Oracle had never called on that favor, never asked for that thing, all the better, and this young monster (who slowly became an older one, and rose to head chef in the court of the greatest King of all) thought maybe… just maybe… the debt had been forgiven.

It had not, and the letter had appeared by his bedside with two packets and clear instructions: to ensure Arthur ate the contents of the first packet, and to ensure that the second packet was secured to the bottom of his food cart where it would detach itself in his room and trigger what had been swallowed.

It seemed to be from the Oracle. His handwriting, his seal; it made clear that, should this be disobeyed, his family would come down with that plague again, and this time, nothing would save them. And the no-longer-young monster wept, because what else could he do?

He knew, obeying, what it would mean, and sent his mate and child away, far away, to another world, because the King would want his due.

It would be fair. It would be right. He also did not plan to run. Justice would be done.

The contents of the first packet were still warm as if just cooked—some kind of sweet sauce, and a perfect accompaniment for the meal that night. The contents of the second package aped life, and Bh’tnnkr’nuah shuddered as he tried not to think too hard about the life that would be taken.

“Wait just a fucking second,” said Arthur. “The Oracle is dead. Months dead. What the fuck? Did… how’d he send anything?”

“He didn’t,” said Parker. “Someone broke into his fucking place, stole shit like his seal, and pretended to be him.”

Arthur paled. “Oh, gods. So it was a lie?”

And someone’s life was ruined because of that lie. “Yeah,” said Parker, low.

“A fucking… someone knew this guy owed that and… wait. Wait, this doesn’t make sense.”

“Yeah, it does,” said Parker. “Like the Smith case. Remember? Smokes Malone called in that marker, though Jerry didn’t owe it to him.”

“Fuck,” whispered Arthur. “He was stuck. What else was he supposed to do? His family… What the fuck was he supposed to do?”

Th-that’s why, Sunny hitched, Hastur didn’t kill him. He had to punish him, but he… Bh’tnnkr’nuah had a daughter, and he…

“It still couldn’t be excused,” said Arthur. “If he’d gone after Faroe…”

“Yeah,” said Parker. “Couldn’t let him off, either.”

Arthur exhaled, leaning forward. “Fuck. Fuck.” He wiped his eyes. “Fuck!”

He got off easy, said Not-John.

Everyone ignored him.

It wasn’t right. None of it, said Sunny. And nobody knows who set it all in motion… except that they were powerful enough to deliver these things undetected.

“Does Bh’tnnkr’nuah know he’s been tricked?” whispered Arthur. “Know his life is fucked for a lie?”

“Yeah,” whispered Parker.

“Fuck,” said Arthur, and wiped his face again. “He has to feel so… horrible. But he still did it. He made his choice. And if… if he’d gone after  Faroe… the Keeper said if I didn’t have John, I’d be dead. She w… she would’ve…”

“Yeah, so,” said Parker. “It’s done. Hastur’s got a shit-ton of experts going over all the staff now, seeing who owes what where, making damned sure nobody can do that again. Dunno if that’s gonna work, but.”

Arthur took John’s hand. “Whoever it was really must hate you,” he said softly.

Fuck them. Not-John didn’t sound half as confident as he wished.

“Still missing a motive,” said Parker. “Since we don’t know who in fuck it was.”

Arthur’s smile was weak, but true. “And that bugs you.”

“Yeah, that bugs me!  Fuck, I’ll be up nights thinking about this.”

“If we ever find out, I hope Hastur puts them through hell,” Arthur said, teeth bared, and gripped John’s hand tight.

Very gently, almost subtly, John gripped him back. Fuck you all, he said, trying to cover that up, and clearly did not mean it at all.

(epilogue)

[screaming-universe]

Captain’s Responsibility

aka Eddie got hurt when he fell off the ladder, Bobby makes sure he's taken care of

also on ao3!

.

Bobby already had one firefighter to worry about; he really wished he did not have to think about another. But at least it gave him something to do.

“Eddie, you need to get checked out,” he said, trying to sound calm even though he was one second away from just picking the firefighter up and carrying him to the ER himself. He entertained that thought for a moment; Eddie might be surprised enough to not struggle. “You got thrown off the ladder when the lightning struck – don’t even try to deny it, I saw it happen. There’s nothing we can do here and I don’t want to have to worry about you too. “

Bobby wished that he could let go as he could see the others do in the waiting room. Let himself feel the pain and the fear instead of being there for the others to lean on, to make sure that they were taken care of. Eddie just shook his head, his face still pinched as he tried to keep all of his emotions in, to keep it together.

“Eddie,” Bobby repeated. He could point out that Buck would want him to go but he had a feeling that that wouldn’t help at all. He could invoke Chris, who needed Eddie to be alright but that felt wrong too. “Either you go or I’ll drag you there myself.”

“I’ll help,” Hen said.

Chimney had gone to meet Maddie – and the Buckley parents, apparently. But Bobby was sure that he’d help to drag Eddie off to the ER too.

“I can’t,” Eddie finally said, his voice barely recognisable. “I have to– I can’t leave him, Bobby.”

“You’re not leaving him,” Hen said. “We’ll just go to another part of the hospital and Chimney will let us know when there’s something new to know.”

Somehow, between the two of them they managed to walk Eddie over to the ER. They weren’t sure if they should go but neither Eddie nor the nurse asked them to leave, so they stayed. The nurse asked about what had happened and between the three of them they managed to cover everything. The lightning strike, falling backwards of the ladder, landing on his back. And completely ignoring all of that to help Buck.

The nurse told Eddie to strip to the waist and left to get a doctor. Eddie moved stiffly as he pulled off his turnout coat, as if every move hurt him. Bobby should not have let him go back up that ladder, he knew. But he could not have stopped him either and if Eddie hadn’t been there– Bobby couldn’t bear to think about it.

Eddie managed to unbutton his shirt but he couldn’t pull it off his shoulders. He tried three times, then he let his hands drop.

“Help,” he said so quietly it was hard to hear. And Bobby was reminded of a day five years ago, when Hen and Buck had been there for him when he’d needed help and asked for it. Before he had known Eddie. Eddie was so much like Bobby, he realised once again.

“Of course,” Bobby said and slowly helped Eddie with the shirt, careful to not hurt him any further.

He managed to keep his gasp in as he saw Eddie’s back. But as he exchanged a glance with Hen, she seemed as startled as he was. Eddie’s back was a tapestry of dark violet spots, almost black in some places, that stretched from the back of his shoulders to his turnout pants. It looked horrible.

The doctor seemed to agree and sent Eddie off get x-rayed to make sure that his spine had taken no damage. It was fine, as it turned out but it made Bobby realise what could have happened this night. Buck’s heart had stopped and Eddie’s spine could have been broken too.

In the end Eddie was allowed to go with them to the waiting room. The lightning seemed to have not actually touched Eddie – at least there was nothing the doctors had been able to find. Somebody was supposed to stay with him for the next days, to make sure they hadn’t missed anything. That would not be a problem, Bobby thought. Nobody wanted to be alone right now.

So he sat there with them, in his hand a salve that would help with bruising. Bobby had rubbed some of it on Eddie’s back just before they had gone back to the ER. It had been hard to ignore the way Eddie kept flinching, in more pain than he allowed anybody to see. Eddie was taken care of for now. He would be fine, at least physically. They would have to wait and see if Buck would be too.

[monstersoc]

Titanic without the iceberg - Richlady!Monster+ Commoner!Worm

Summary: think smth similar to the plot of pat and jens titanic if the ship never hit the iceberg (Angst, humor, happy ending tho also this is seperate from the real story)

A less then fine day it was today. Despite the predictions of weather being hot and sunny, rain had started pouring dowm and lightning struck down making the guests aboard tale shelter to avoid getting soaking wet. While most were annoyed and angered at this sudden change- one was afraid of it.

The loud crack of the thunder and the white flash of lightning bought her discomfort and the cold temperatures didn't help soothe her at all. Her hands shook slightly as lighting and thunder burst, a fitting sound to match the rough patter of the rain and she greatly wished the rain would disappear- to where it went was not her concern.

As she internally panicked, an unwelcome guest decided to climb aboard the ship. How he managed to get from land to the ship on the sea was a mystery but what was not a mystery was the trouble he would be in if spotted by security. The security also weren't skinny or weak, quite the opposite actually. They were muscly and had a permanent glare etched on their face. Anyone could tell they don't show mercy to any wrongdoer.

The boy carefully and quietly weaved through the people, attempting to act natural to no avail. Security immediately looked at him- muttering words of suspicion- and the boy realizes he needs a quick cover up. Someone to help him blend in.

He immediantly heads to the frightened girl, feeling he can trust her the most to help him out. The girl notices him heading her direction and immediantly becomes confused. The boy looks nothing like the people on the ship and is soaking from head to toe which could only mean one thing- he is a commoner.

A poor person. Someone not meant to be aboard this ship. Someone who the girl, who was born into an extremely wealthy family and was meant to be on this ship should find no interest in. Yet she does anyway. Like when a girl gets a crush on some boy she saw while in a school hallway.

The boy finally reaches her and immediately goes behind her as if using the girl as a shield. The girl looks behind her- intruiged at his actions- and decides to face him.

"Afternoon, is there something I can do for you?" She asks politely and the boy responds. "Don't mind me just using the pretty posh lady as a shield from security" and the girl tilts her head. "Pretty, posh lady.?" She repeats- clearly judging his choice of words.

He nods his head with a small smirk, as if finding amusement in her reaction. "Hm, normally I don't stay around commoners like yourself but, I will admit, you are attractive" she says with a sly smirk before thunder strikes down. The girl jumps slightly at the sound and fear overtakes her body for a second before she clears her throat.

"Apologies, I have a silly fear of lightning" she says with discomfort and the boy puts a hand on her shoulder, comfortingly. "Hey, it's not a "silly fear", it's totally normal to fear lightning" he says and the girl finds her lips parting in slight shock. A total stranger- not someone she was arranged a marriage with- treating her with kindness. Kindness not even her own parents bother to treat her with.

In that very moment, there was an unfamiliar feeling in her chest. Her heart beat a little faster and she felt nervous for multiple reasons. Most confronted these feelings head on but, what does she do? She makes an excuse.

"Apologies, I must go run some- errands" she says and the boy gives her a weird look. "But its raining-" he begins before the rain miraculously stops and the sun starts to shine. "Not anymore! Goodbye!" I say, ready to leave. "Ah- alright.. bye..?" he says while removing his hand from her shoulder. "We shall meet again, commoner" she says before turning around and walking away.

"'Attractive'? Real straightforward woman, huh"

~Timeskip~

Evening- it was- and the girl found herself tired and bored. She was currently sat at a table making small talk with the other guests on board as per her parents wishes. She was only ever bored as every person was the same. The all asked where she was from, always complimented her. She was starting to despise it. Scratch that- she did despise it. She desperately wanted something new, a thrill.

Whenever she decided things were overwhelming or exhausting, she would go to the rooftop. A calming place where no one ever seemed to notice her. She quickly excused herself claiming she had some "errands" to run (an overused excuse of hers but oh well) before walking off politely.

Sneaking quietly, she climbed up the wall and onto the roof. She went over to the edge of the roof and watched the people from below. A calm sigh left her at the relaxing sight. She enjoyed watching people from above go about their regular business. It made her feel like some observer and she enjoyed it. She often wished she was a ghost during times like these. Unfortunately, her peace was disrupted.

"Boo"

A yelp left the girl and she turned around, summoning her polearm and pointing it at the intruder. "Woah there" he says, putting his hands up in mock surrender. The girl let's out an exasperated sigh and puts a hand to her chest. Her weapon disappears as she takes a few deep breaths.

"Don't scare me like that!" She finally says and the boy smiles. "What brings you up here?" He asks and the girl quickly responds. "I just need a place to get away from the chaos and the roof happens to be the best option" she says while turning around to face the view.

He goes closer as she turns back around to face him. "What about you? Why are you up here?" She asks. "Well I'm not exactly meant to be on this ship, am I?" He says and the girl awkwardly laughs. "Right, commoner" she says.

Darkness takes over and the sun finally sets and she let's out a sigh. "Well I suppose I should call it a night" she says and he looks at her. "See you tomorrow morning then?" He asks and she nods her head. "Good night, commoner" she says. "Goodnight pretty lady" he says in return and the girl blushes. She quickly covers her lower face with her fan. She clears her throat and nods her head before walking away, silently praying he didn't see her blush. Unfortunately for her, he did.

~Next morning~

The girl had awoken quite early, as per her usual schedule, and found herself getting up immediantly. Normally she would relax knowing she had the same boring schedule of endless dates. Today though, she had one thing on her mind- the commoner.

She made her way out and began to look for him around the boat. She searched and searched for half an hour but ultimately failed. Unfortunately, she had to go on yet another date with another man who was probably not all that different to the others.

She let out an annoyed sigh and slowly headed over to where she was meant to meet this man. She looked around and a man already seated waved at her. She walked towards him and took a seat in front of him.

From there began the endless small talk with compliments scattered in between. She gave fake smiles and laughs at whatever he said without noticing the boy on the roof she had been searching for before.

He had been jumping up and down while waving his arms before a bright idea came to mind. He quickly scribbled down a note on same paper before scrunching it and throwing it down at the girl. However, it ended up hitting her date right on the head. The guy in questions angrily stood up and picked the paper up.

"Who threw this?!" He yelled and the girl cringed internally. If there was one thing she hated more than thunder, it was yelling. She stood up and calmly spoke. "I'll take that for you and find the person" she starts while talking the paper. "I'll be quick" she finishes before walking off and unfolding the paper.

She walked towards the edge of the boat and read the contents of the paper. Her eyes immediately widened and she quickly looked towards the balcony. He made eye contact with her and waved with a smile. A pure smile made its way on her lips but it was quickly covered with one of her fake ones and a polite wave.

The boy looked in slight confusion at her posh behavior but let it go as she made her way towards the balcony. When she made it, she noticed he was nowhere in sight and looked around confused. She peaked over the balcony to see if he had somehow made it down when a hand went on her shoulder.

"WAH!" She yelped and spun around only to see the commoner in question. "I told you to stop that!" She said while holding a hand to her chest and the boy laughed. "But your reactions are cute" he says and the girl immediantly blushes.

"I- what!" She says, flustered. Her ability to maintain eye contact was gone and the boy smirked at her state. "Why are you so red? Are you sick?" He says while putting his hands on her cheeks. The girl immediantly stutters out a "no I'm perfectly fine" and the boy removes his hands.

"I must go now I have to- erm- run some errands, yes!" She suddenly says in a panic and she quickly walks off with a "good afternoon, sir". The boy looks at her amused before turning around and heading up to relax on the roof.

The girl had decided to go to the edge of the ship and stare at the sea ahead. She was angry- not at the commoner or her parents or the man on that date. She was angry at herself. If there was one thing she couldn't do, it was fall in love with a commoner.

"God I'm so stupid" she huffed while leaning over the railing. Her parents would kill her if they found out she was in love with someone poor who wasn't even meant to be on this boat in the first place. She sadly sighed before turning around and deciding to head back to her temporary room.

~time skip to evening~

The boy wandered around on the rooftop waiting for the girl to (hopefully) arrive. He was fully aware of his feelings for her and the comfort she bought him. Not to mention her cute reactions that were oh-so enticing.

The sound of footsteps hit his ears and he quickly recognized them as the girl he was just thinking about. He hid from her eyeline and she made it to the very edge of the roof and started to quietly sneak up behind her. If he was being honest, he enjoyed scaring her. The cute expression of shock that would appear was enough to make him lovesick and he adored that.

"Hey" he says and the girl immediantly jumps. "What did I say about scaring me!" She shouts and the boy laughs. "I believe I already told you I find your reactions cute" he says and the girl blushes. "Yes you- uh you did" she says while looking away.

He steps closer to her and grabs her chin lightly with his hand to make her face him. "Is the ground more interesting than me?" He asks and the girls eyes widened. To her he looked ethereal. A strong word to use for someone of his class but it was used anyway. Like a defense mechanism, she immediantly made an excuse.

"Ahem- I have to go- I have things to do, you know?" She says while frantically trying to find a way around him. "What do you have to do?" He asks seriously and she chucks another pathetic excuse. "Uh- errands! Yup!" She responds and he looks at her with an eyebrow raised. "You had errands already" he says and the girl immediantly snaps back. "Well you know how it is for the rich! Always got to work!" She says and he crosses his arms.

"What work?" He asks. "Uhm.. cleaning! Lots of cleaning! And I really don't want to be late so-" she starts before being interrupted. "There are plenty maids down there- why would they request your help?" He speaks quickly and she starts to noticeably panic. "You can never have enough help! Now please let me through!" She says but the guy doesn't budge. "Why do you want to leave?" He asks and she doesn't respond.

"Just- let me leave!" She yells and he yells right back. "Why do you want to leave?!" And her answer makes his heart drop slightly. "Because your poor! I can't be seen with someone like you! It's forbidden! Now let me through immediately!" She yells and he goes silent. "I'm sorry" he says while moving out of the way.

Quickly, she walks off without saying goodbye and the boy watches her sadly. Perhaps it was partly his fault for pushing her so far but the girl was still to blame as well.

The girl mostly went to the roof for comfort but obviously that was not an option so she went to the next best place- the edge of the ship. There she thought about what had just happened. She knew she would end up snapping slightly and it was only a matter of time before she released all her anger.

"I- I have to.." the girl spoke aloud to herself. She knew there was only one option she could make and it wasn't the best. She pulled out a pen and some paper and began to write;

Dear Mother and Father,

Only a few words in and she froze up. It was clear this was not a decision she wanted to make. "Come one just!- just write it!" She yelled at herself. She forced the pen down to the paper and slowly began writing each word. She felt her heart breaking little by little but she pushed through regardless.

She looked at the sentence on her paper and a small tear fell. The paper got a wet start and this only depleted her mood more as she quickly folded the letter. She hastily ran over to where the mail was usually delivered and halted her movements on the stairs.

She needed to have the letter delivered but she couldn't bring herself to move. To give it to the mail people. As if on cue, the commoner came up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. He found himself gravitating towards her because he felt the need to apologise. He wanted to make amends and make sure their friendship isn't ruined.

"Hey" he said and the girl gave a simple nod with a "hello". The boy looks at the letter in her hand and curiosity peaks him. "Whats that in your hand?" He asks and the girl looks down before looking back up at him. "Oh- erm- just a letter nothing important" she says quickly and the boy only grows more curious. He attempts to sneak a look and the girl immediantly pulls the letter to her chest.

"Like I said- it's nothing important" she quickly repeats and the boy looks at her with an unconvinced look. He quickly grabs the letter out of his hand with a teasing smile. "Catch me if you can~" he says before taking off and the girl panics.

She quickly chases after him but ends up losing him completely. "Archons no!" She says under her breath and quickly runs up to the balcony. She frantically looks around from her high point and eventually spots him. "Worm!" She yells while getting down and running towards him.

Then rain starts to fall.

A few short seconds and she's there but she stops in place when she sees the hurt look on his face. "Your having an arranged marriage?" He asks and the girl says nothing. "Please give it back" she says while putting her hand out.

Reluctantly, he gives the letter back and apologies. "I shouldn't have took it, sorry." He says sadly and the girl nods. Without another word said, she left with the letter towards the post people.

She goes up to them and speaks. "When is the post open?" She asks. "Not until tomorrow morning, sorry ma'am" he says and the girl nods her head. "That's alright, I shall return tomorrow" she says before turning the other way.

She couldn't bear to have to hold on to the letter. It was miserable. She loved him but she couldn't. She couldn't be with him. Again, she found herself on the edge of the rooftop, reading the sentence over and over.

"I want an arranged marriage"

She didn't- not at all- and the fact had bought tears to her eyes. As heavy rain poured and heavy tears fell along with it, the faint sound of footsteps approached. "Is this really what you want.?"

She wiped her tears quickly and turned around to face him. She said nothing. She just stood there. He came closer and repeated his question. "Is this really what you want." He said seriously and the girl dodged the question.

"This is what my parents what- for me to marry a rich man" she said and the boy felt himself get annoyed.

"Why are you sacrificing your own happiness for your parents!?" He yelled and the girl flinched at the sound. "Your parents clearly don't care about you!" He continued.

"Stop trying to make your parents happy!"

"What about us!"

"Why are you doing this!"

"YOUR MARRIAGE IS JUST AN ACCESSORY FOR YOUR PARENTS TO SHOW OFF!"

"Please be quiet.." the girl whispers as her breathing becomes heavily unsteady. "I can't be a disappointment. I can't disappointment them again. If I date you I'll disappoint them

I can't.

I can't.

I can't.

I can't!" She yells repeating the same phrase over and over again in a panicked frenzy. "Woah, hey!" He starts before quickly grabbing her hand. "Breathe, okay?" He says, putting his other hand on her cheek. "I shouldn't have yelled, I'm sorry" he says and the girl shakes her head.

"No its my fault.. I've disappointed you now too..." she says and the boy immediately pulls her into a hug. "You do not disappoint me, Monster" he says as the girl makes no effort to move.

A comfortable silence wriggles it's way in and the girl backs away from the hug once she feels she can breathe again.

The boy looks at her and takes her hand. "Can you answer something truthfully please?" He asks and the girl nods. "Is this what you want? Not what your parents want- what you, yourself want" and the girl hesitatantly shakes her head.

"No, I don't want an arranged marriage" she starts before trailing off. "I want- uhm" she awkwardly says. "I- erm- wow.. I want to uh-" she continues and Worm attempts to stifle a laugh.

"Ah- you know what I want" the girl says giving up and the boy smiles before getting down on one knee. The girls face turns into one of shock and she looks around nervously. "W-what are you doing! This is quite fast, no?" She says but the boy pays no mind.

"Monster, ever since I first saw you, I felt a comfort I had never felt before. I knew then and there that you were the one I wanted. The only one I could ever want. So would you consider making me the happiest guy in the world and.. marry me?"

The girl looked around frantically in a panic with a flushed face and the boy started to panic thinking she was going to say no. "YES! I mean- ahem- yes, I would be delighted to offer my hand in marriage" she corrects herself while reaching her hand out.

The boy smiles and puts the ring on her hand before leaving a kiss there making the girl sweat in embarrassment. He slowly rises and cups her face with his hands. The girls breath hitches as he leans closer and eventually their lips connect. After a long kiss, they part and the girls face is incredibly red.

"This is rather embarrassing"

BONUS!!:

Being married to a commoner was forbidden according to rich people so the girl still had to go on many- MANY dates with generic people. Worm came up with ways to ruin the date each time.

The favorite date destruction if hers was the first.

The guy was immediantly making uncomfortable advances- saying how he wants to marry her and it made the girl extremely uncomfortable. Worm had immediantly come pretending to be a waiter and asked if they would like some wine.

An evil smirk overtook the guys face and he had decided to order wine for "the pretty lady". It was clear there was malicious intent behind the smirk and the ridiculous compliment which slightly worried the girl.

The man bought himself closer as if attempting to kiss her and- fortunately for the girl- the 'waiter' had conveniently spilled the wine on him. The man stood up and yelled at him to which Worm gave a quick apology- pretending like he cared.

Thankfully, that was enough to get rid of the guy and Monster, forgetting other people exist, immediately stood up and squished her loves cheeks. "Your so.. adorable" she spoke and the boy immediately blushed. "Monster.. there are people watching" he whispered and the girl immediantly put her hand down and cleared her throat. With another pathetic lie, she excused herself and ran to the rooftop.

The boy followed quick behind her and she began to complain at the embarrassment she just endured.

"I called you adorable and squished your cheeks!" She said while pacing back and forth. The boy blushed at her words and the girl paused.

"Are you blushing.?" She says with a smirk and the boy gets more red. She goes up to him and puts her hands on his cheeks and leans in close. She almost kisses him but quickly swerves and kisses his cheek instead. She's back up with a smile.

"I thought getting flustered was only a me thing" she says and the boy jokingly glares at her comment. She laughs a little but stops when he grabbed her hand. He left a soft kiss and the girls face bursts with a red shade.

"Who's flustered now?~"

[dimadimoo]

Hi. So, this is my first post on this blog and it just so happens to be my birthday. I’m 28 now. What’s really cool is that today’s the exact day I was born. I was born on a Wednesday, and today is also a Wednesday. Isn't that cool? I had to wait seven years for my birthday to land on the same day again. 

I can’t believe I’m officially a grown ass adult man but honestly, I still feel like I’m 19. Not much has changed since then... or maybe a lot has. I got really depressed. The start of 2024 was the lowest point of my life, like the darkest pit I’ve ever been in. I hated it, I hated my life. But honestly, I don’t think I could ever truly hate myself. I think I’m a pretty cool, fun guy. It’s just that life is shit and it keeps making me feel like shit and just driving me insane.

Turning 28 scares me. I don’t feel ready to be a "real" adult with responsibilities and all that. Maybe if my life was different or wasn't so depressing, I’d be so excited about it. But right now 28 just feels like an expiration date.. Like, most people by 28 have their shit together—careers, families, businesses, traveling the world, partners, whatever. And here I am, still trying to figure it out. I’m not there yet. Not even close.

I’ve spent most of my life battling depression and suicidal. Just wasting time, pretending to be someone I’m not, even around my own family. Failed friendships, no romantic love despite having a few real life crushes. I haven’t even been able to do the things I really want to do in life. Constant family drama, financial stress, rejections, and just a lot of depressing stuff… blergh. And honestly, I still don’t know who I really am or what I want to do with my life. I don’t have a vision or a future, really. Most of times, I feel like an alien, just here to observe life from the outside. I mean, yeah, I’ve learned a lot about life, human civilization and technology, history and cultures, creativity, music, sex, food, religions, spirituality, my existence, yeah all that stuff. But have I really lived? Not really. I want to live life, not just watch it go by and then realize I haven’t done anything.

But today, I’m not feeling depressed or sad at all. I’m actually happy. I started this blog as my own therapy, and I’m writing my first post on my birthday, on the exact day I was born. That’s gotta mean something, right? I feel like I’m finally starting to discover a bit of who I am like, a piece of "my identity". Like, fun fact, I’m more of a stereotypical Gemini than my actual sign, Virgo. There’s so much I haven’t figured out about myself, but I think other people around me have seen it. I wish I could be more honest with myself and the people around me.

I’m tired of this dangerous, toxic people pleasing mentality and tendency of me. I want to be unapologetically real and honest. It’s hard, but I need to do it. Just straight up say "No, I want this. Respect my choice, and if you don’t like it, fuck you." I need to stop giving a fuck about what people think, yes, even my mom and sis. But I still feel like I'm a really selfish bad guy. I don't want to be a villain to those around me. But what if I am? Will a lightning from heaven struck me and killed me on the spot? I don't know. Here we go again with my overthinking.

Oh and there’s this guy I had a crush on. Met him on Discord. He’s from the Philippines, and we’ve been talking for like five months—almost every day. But lately, I’ve been too busy, and my brain’s been in full meltdown mode, hahaha. I liked him, almost romantically, but not anymore. I thought he was my soulmate, but now, I don’t know man. Even though we’re on the same wavelength and vibe well and stuff, I still feel disconnected from him, honestly, from everyone in my life. I just don’t feel compatible with anybody.

And there’s no way I’d end up with him. The old me thought he was “the one,” but naahh. He lives far away from me and he's a bi and there are just too many things that make me go, “Hmm not for me.” and other circumstances (me). But anyway, that’s just a highlight reel of my life in the past few years, I think. So yeah. Am I excited about what’s next? Not really. I still wanting to leave this reality behind and escape to the one I’ve created in my head, where I can finally meet him... my true love. I love and miss him so much. And to live a life that meant for me. I’ll get there someday… my true home. I just know I will.

Anyway, here’s to being 28. Happy birthday to me.

[bcntbouquet]

Derward could swim but only the basic strokes. As a victim of near-drowning, his adoptive father felt like it was required learning. Still in all, that only applied when he was conscious. He eventually roused after his red-haired rescuer had helped him grip onto the ladder. He seemed to recall hearing a soft voice, but now only heard the captain’s shouts from overheard.

“Where’s Jennings?”

“Who?” one of the crew asked, confused, helping his mates into the escape dinghies.

“Actin’ stupid… Com’ on! It’s Darwerd!"

The crewman shrugged dumbly, continuing to aid the other men while the captain rushed around frantically in search of the missing man.

The young sailor rolled his eyes fondly; after all these years, the captain could not (or perhaps just would not) say his assistant’s name correctly.

“I’m here, father, but… I- I can’t move…”

The two locked eyes now, captain and Jennings,

“Whatever d’ya mean ye can’t move?” the captain asked, squinting past the smoke.

“I-I don’t know! But I can’t! I'm not sure how much longer-”

His cry was cut short, the captain having jumped to reach him. “If I’ve told ya’ once, boy, I’ve told ye a thousand… I ain’t yer father…” But his harsh words betrayed him, as he risked life and limb to hoist the slighter man onto his back and maneuver him to safety.

It was humiliating, being slung around like a child again, and yet it was infinitely comforting to know someone, if only one, cared for him. Little did he know that the captain was his second saviour of the hour.

●●●●

By morning, the entire ship was totaled, unsalvageable be even the finest shipwright. Having to restart from scratch was tough, but the crew were thankful to be on land for a while. Everyone had survived.

Derward was being treated at the nearest hospital; he had been diagnosed with mild injury due to electric shock. After just a couple of days, he was even able to walk again—A fact he was very grateful for, due to pride. How tired he was of being thought of as useless. Something like this would’ve just been another nail in his social-status coffin.

On the third day, he grew restless, daydreaming (and sometimes dream-dreaming) of a half-fish-half-girl with cinnamon-coloured locks and glittering skin; the girl he thought he’d seen the afternoon the storm had begun brewing. And not just within. The skies were bad that day as well.

After getting both doctor’s and captain’s approval to leave, Derward returned to the sight of the shipwreck. It was a stretch, he knew, but he didn’t know where else to look.

“… You’re real, aren’t you?” he asked, looking over the side of his pea-green rowboat. Having been in the heart of the storm, the everyday churn of the ocean now seemed like nothing. He was grateful he was in a remote spot, where no one would witness himself seemingly talking to himself.

“I’m sorry I told you to leave… I remember what happened now, and… I know you saved my life… I won’t hurt you… and I won’t let anyone else know you’re here… I just want to have a look at you… Please… I really don’t wish to spend the rest of my life believing I have a condition… You’re the only explanation for how I ended up back on the ship… I was struck by lightning… but I think you know that…”

As a boy he’d pore over the books in the ship library, revisiting the titles on merfolk. In those days, he wanted to be one of them more than he wanted anything else. Alas, those books he’d so loved had went down with the rest of the ship, causing Derward to sigh heavily in their remembrance.

An hour he waited for the girl, and then another, but there were still no signs of her existence beyond that of his imagination. So he lazily cut up an apple he’d brought along and then laid down in the small boat for a nap once he’d dropped anchor. The last thing he needed was getting lost at sea without provisions or companionship.

What was the strange zig-zag of light that had struck the ship's mast, Ariel wondered? She could feel the current in the air like an electric eel swimming past, or the energy from her father's trident. The man who had spoken to her had been unlucky enough to have been struck by it, straight out of the sky. It must have been the storm. And what about the strange billowy red that had appeared now on the mast and sails? She could feel the heat from here.

Realizing the unfortunate human did not have the same ability to breathe underwater, she swam toward the splash quickly. She hoped he could swim, but wasn't sure. The sea was choppy, the crests of the waves breaking around them.

"Don't worry, I've got you."

She grabbed him by the arm and swam him swiftly atop the surface of the water to the ladder on the hull of the ship, placing his hand on the nearest rung.

"Hold on."

She hoped the unlucky stranger could make it to the lifeboats with the rest of the crew in time.

[nininikki]

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓: e. jaeger x black fem!reader

ꨄ summary! — you absolutely despise biochemistry. good thing you’ve got the perfect tutor.

ꨄ warnings! — nsfw, smut! porn with plot, male masturbation, eren’s a nerd & an absolute loser in this (it’s so hot), reader’s a lil mean, dom-ish reader, sub-ish eren, dry humping, tiny bit of nipple play, finger sucking (idk what else to call it?), oral sex (m!receiving), reader’s a bit of a tease, face fucking, little bit of clit play, unprotected, penetrative sex (piv, wrap it up guys!), riding.

ꨄ author’s note! — am i ashamed of this? slightly. was i leaking like a faucet while i wrote it? … anyway… lmk if i missed anything in the warnings!

ꨄ word count! — 4.4k

it had all started when your professor held you back at the end of class. his usual sandpaper drawl of a voice livened with a stern tone as he informed you—no, warned you—that you were in dire jeopardy of failing his class, and he’d be assigning you a tutor.

some loser who (apparently) sat two rows in front of you in class. some loser your professor had chastised you for not knowing, as if it were something important enough for you to pay attention to. “well, i guess it could be hard for you to pay attention to… anything, really. what, with all the sleeping you do in my class.”

you simply scoffed and muttered, pig fucker under your breath. you had only fallen asleep once or twice in there, and you highly doubted you were the only one.

“whatever.” you sighed, running your hands over your skirt, sprouting up from your seat, and heading for the door. “i’ve got a class.”

“well, then, i’ll just send you his contact information, and let you be on your way.” to any unsuspecting person, that might’ve sounded polite. but you caught the sardonic—possibly even sadistic—tone of his voice. he’d managed to annoy you even further when he shouted, “your sessions start thursday!”

***

thursday had arrived, and eren had gotten the feeling his professor was grossly underestimating when he’d said, “she can be a bit of a hard time, but if anyone can get through to her, it’s you.” because you had proven to be a hard time, and then some.

it didn’t help in the slightest that you were so pretty, either. when he first entered the library and saw you sitting in the spot you two had agreed on, the blood under his skin ran hot and the air around him became as warm as though lightning had struck the very spot where he stood.

there you sat, not in a chair like a normal person would, but on the table. the first thing he’d taken notice of was your smile; dazzling, wide, framed by a pair of full, glossy lips, and totally not directed at him. eren felt a blush bloom across his cheeks nonetheless.

a skimpy outfit adorned your body, hugging you in places he’d have to stop himself from imagining later. a white miniskirt covered the very top of your thick thighs, and a soft pink tank top contrasted perfectly with the brown tone of your skin.

you were twirling the ends of your dark, curly braids with your manicured fingers while you looked into your phone camera and snapped various selfies. legs crossed and swinging idly back and forth.

when he’d finally trudged his way over, it had taken a rather loud, “ahem.” to pry your eyes off your phone.

“oh,” you said, your eyes snapping to him and going alight with some unknown emotion before dampening down to indifference. “you must be eren.”

he smiled at the sound of his name coming from your mouth. “nice to meet you.”

“y’know, i really wish i could say the same.” you replied, sliding gracefully off the table to find a seat behind it and taking the faint scent of cherry blossoms with you.

eren never had the greatest poker face, so he wasn’t surprised when you’d noticed the slight hurt wrinkling his features. “no offense to you. i just don’t really wanna be here.”

“i’m sorry about that.” eren said, pushing his glasses up over his nose. usually, witty remarks fell off his tongue as easily as saliva, but he’d caught sight of you batting your thick eyelashes in his direction, and found his mouth was dry as dust. “but professor ackerman told me you were failing.”

“so? professor ackerman’s an asswipe.” you giggled, frustratingly aloof and unserious, pulling a tube of lipgloss out of your purse and applying a shiny new coat to your lips, something eren never thought he’d be attracted to in all nineteen years of his life. “whatever.” you continued. “let’s just get this over with, please.”

***

and for the next few weeks, that was how all your sessions would start. every thursday, you’d meet eren in that stuffy, yawn-inducing library, prefacing the next hour of hell with some form of a complaint. and eren, the saint he was, would only giggle and blush like some schoolgirl.

sure, you guessed you could admit that he was an okay tutor.

so what if in only three weeks of working with him, you were absorbing the knowledge way faster and more effectively than you did with professor ackerman.

so what if eren made biochemistry, dare you say, fun? so what if he took perfect notes? and never gave you shit for dotting your i’s with hearts? and was maybe— only maybe—a little funny? and had the prettiest eyes you’d ever had the pleasure of looking into? and the coolest hair? and his lips, full and pretty and bubblegum-pink. you’d sometimes catch him chewing on the end of a pen, not knowing you could be envious of a writing instrument.

“stop that,” you murmured to yourself as you headed to your designated spot.

eren was already there, twirling his pen between his fingers and skimming through a textbook. “god, i’m so ready to get home.” you chimed, mentally noting how you’d began to mean it a little less everyday.

his eyes flitted up to where you stood, undressing you in a way that he probably thought was subtle. “yeah, why’s that?” rabid butterflies attacked your stomach when he pushed his glasses up his nose.

you sat down next to him and pulled your notebook out. “new episode of rupaul’s, obviously.”

eren only chortled, gesturing to your outfit, more specifically, the thong peeking out of your jeans. “y’know, that’s gotta be against some kind of dress code.”

“oh. i could… i could change right quick if you want.”

“really?”

you released your passive facade with a short laugh. “fuck no. i’d wear this shit to church if i wanted.”

“whatever.” he rolled his eyes, and refocused his attention to the textbook on the table. “are you ready to study for this test?”

***

“okay, i think i’m all set.” after memorizing thirty-five different flash cards and definitions and diagrams, your brain was mince meat in your skull. your limbs felt wracked with fatigue despite hardly moving them at all throughout the hour. “i really think i could make a c.”

nothing could’ve prepared you for the pure, unparalleled joy dawning over eren’s face. “that’s—that’s amazing. really, i’m…i’m proud of you.”

“i’m exhausted, ‘ren.” your eyes nearly fluttered shut. “god, how are you so happy right now?”

“i’m happy i was able to help you, that’s all.” he flipped his textbook shut and relaxed a little in his chair. “knowing i’m able to help y—help others with my own knowledge is, like, i don’t know, the best feeling in the world.”

wryly, you murmured. “you must not know what sex feels like.”

eren gasped—or was it a cough?—as his mouth opened and closed like a dying fish. those rabid butterflies from before returned with a vengeance when his voice cracked on a giggle and his entire face blushed a cheery shade of crimson.

“but no, seriously. thanks for all the help & stuff, ‘ren. i’ll let you know how it goes?” you pretended not to notice the mental breakdown he was having and instead packed up all your things.

“y—yeah, uh, you do that.”

***

god, she’s fucking insufferable, eren mused as his dick twitched in his pants.

as soon as the session was over, he’d rushed to his dorm with only one thing on his mind: getting you off of it. seriously, how could you expect him to act normal around you? looking and acting and sounding like that. like everything he didn’t know he needed until it was hanging inches from his grasp.

he had done everything in his power to stay soft for more than five minutes. took two ice cold showers, went over every page in his anatomy notebook, did the same for his french notebook, and then doused himself under another cold shower.

but no matter what eren did, he was on a one-track mind. had been ever since you strutted into the library with your thong clinging to the fat of your hips, lips as glossy as ever, and that intoxicating, saccharine scent of cherry blossoms so thick in the air between you two.

now, there he lay, dick straining uncomfortably against his tented sweatpants and thoughts of you running rampant through his head.

“fuck it.” eren muttered, freeing his dick from his pants and hissing as it made contact with the harsh, cold air. he closed his eyes and wrapped his hand around the sensitive head, the back of his eyelids burning with the immediate sight of you.

what your manicured hand would look like in his stead, working his dick in long, slow strokes. a weak moan left his throat when he thought about you smearing his precum over the tip with your thumb, just the same way he was doing, but only better because it was you.

how pretty you’d look with him in your hand, but how much prettier you’d be with him in your mouth. how your tongue would swirl tantalizingly slow over the tip before you took it between your thick, shimmering lips. in that moment, there wasn’t a feeling he craved more than your tongue sliding over the thick, tender vein that coursed from his base to his tip.

and your tits, god your tits, and what he wouldn’t give to put his hands on them. to start slow; light, shallow squeezes that’d gradually become rougher over time. to run his fingers over your nipples and watch them harden before his own eyes. “so fucking pretty.” he’d say before he took one into his mouth and listened to your breathy little whimpers as he gently sucked on it.

your voice slid into his head like some sort of horny, impulsive thought. “i’m exhausted, ‘ren.” the nickname you had given him falling gracefully off your tongue. your lidded eyes staring up at him as though he were the only thing in the fucking world.

“please.” eren whispered to no one in particular, stroking his cock faster and feeling electricity invade the air around him. “please, i…”

“you must not know what sex feels like.” and eren could’ve melted into a puddle where he lay. because he didn’t know what sex felt like, but what he wouldn’t have given for you to rip his pants off and show him in the middle of that library.

he didn’t know what sex felt like, but he’d be damned if the thought of fucking you stupid hadn’t been running on a loop in his head since the first week he met you.

eren could feel his orgasm approaching nearer with each and every desperate pass along his dick. an invisible coil tightening in his gut, the erratic beating of his heart, and the moans building behind his lips becoming harder to contain.

“yes, yes, yes.” voice nearly dying at the thought of what your pussy would feel like wrapped around him. “you feel so fucking good.”

with a few eager jerks of his cock, eren felt the coil in his gut snap and he was letting a yearning cry of your name slip past his lips. “don’t stop, don’t stop, don’t fucking stop.” eren begged, sloppily fucking himself through his orgasm and not stopping until his dick was too sensitive to take much more.

after his head had screwed itself back on properly and the room had stopped spinning, eren mustered enough energy to find a tissue and wipe his spend off his fingers and lower abdomen.

all while muffled, fuzzy feelings of guilt—guilt he was too tired to process—gnawed at the back of his head.

***

“is now a bad time?” you asked, trying to keep your eyes focused on anything but the sight in front of you. eren, bare chested, messy-haired, and sleepy-eyed. or maybe he just always looked like this without his glasses. “‘cause i can come back, like, way later.”

you were maybe expecting a, “yeah, later.” or “no, right now’s fine.” you definitely weren’t anticipating the door slamming shut in your face without so much as a word from him.

for a few moments, you’re torn between hurt and confusion, not knowing which emotion swirled more prominently in your stomach.

just as the thought of leaving crossed your mind, the door swung open and your eyes were graced with a new sight. eren, an old t-shirt thrown haphazardly over his body, glasses sitting clumsily over his eyes, and faint remnants of water splashes on his face.

“i’m so sorry about that.” he explained, ushering you through the threshold of the door. “i just needed to be presentable, i guess.”

you scoffed with a roll of your eyes. “nobody’s presentable at nine in the morning, ‘ren.”

“nobody but you, apparently.” eren laughed, gesturing to the outfit you wore.

you clutched the test papers in your hands and your head bobbed on a faux-modest nod. “yeah, i figured i’d go out for drinks later whether i passed or failed.”

“so…” eren asked, trying to sneak a look at the papers behind your back. “c’mon, i don’t think i can wait any longer.”

you couldn’t contain the smile threatening to break out over your face any longer. “well, since you asked so nicely.” you unfolded the papers in your hand, revealing the front, which was marked with a bright red c.

the thick gasp eren sucked in as relief swam through his eyes was your finishing point. that newborn excitement and joy you felt when you first saw your score came coursing back through your veins in full force. thoughtlessly, you wrapped your arms around eren’s neck and let out an ecstatic scream as he lifted you off your feet and spun you around.

“i did it! i did it! i did it! i did it! i fucking did it!” you squealed, the unbridled happiness in eren’s eyes only fueling yours.

then, without sparing a cautionary thought, you kissed him. you kissed him because there was no way this moment could’ve gone without it. you kissed him because the exhilaration dancing over your skin wouldn’t have allowed you to do anything else.

fervently, hungrily, passionately, you kissed him like it was the last thing you’d ever do. “i’m…i’m sorry.” you breathed into his mouth when you broke away. “i’m really sorry. i don’t know why i did—” and then he was kissing you.

softer, slower, more intense in some foreign way. like you were something tender and fragile and meant to be handled with care. but really, that couldn’t have been further from the opposite. for days—no, weeks—on end, him fucking you open on his dick had been in the background of all your usual thoughts.

slowly, eren’s hand grazed over the soft skin of your thigh before it found purchase on the underside of your knee, pulling it up and around his waist, the other one quickly following. “is that okay?” he rasped, the sound going straight to your already throbbing clit.

you ran your thumb over his bottom lip and watched his eyes darken with lust in real time. “mhm, it’s perfect.” one of your hands unfastened from around his neck and trailed down the expanse of his toned stomach, not stopping until you reached the hem of his sweatpants. “can you get on the bed for me?”

“fuck, yes,” eren backed up until he was seated at the edge of the bed, kissing you desperately along the way. his hands stumbled gingerly over the front of your shirt, fingers toying with the fabric. “can i…” he trailed off, eyes moving frantically from your face to your pert nipples that lay beneath the thin material.

quickly, you make work of untying the front of your shirt and exposing your tits to the brisk air. “you wanna play with ‘em?” you questioned, desire oozing off your skin like sweat.

“yes, please,” and carefully, his velvety palms slid up your waist, stopping just before he got there. eren’s pupils, blown to their very max, grew wider as he dragged his gaze over you.

he took them both in his hands, fondling them as though they were gold. the pads of his thumbs skimmed over your sensitive nipples, and you couldn’t help the whines slipping past your open mouth. “fuck, just like i imagined.” eren cooed.

just like i imagined. the words were like music to your ears, sending another aching throb to your clit. “you thought about me like this, baby?” you ground your hips down against his lap, body flaring with want when your clit dragged over the hardness of his cock.

eren shook his head, mouth opening around a needy mewl. “n—no. i didn’t mean it like—”

you interrupted him with another roll of your hips, grabbing him by the chin and muffling the moans coming from his mouth with a frenetic kiss. the sounds he sang into your mouth had your hips moving faster against him, and you weren’t a virgin, but you swore you could cum from just hearing him alone. “tell me the truth, ‘ren.” you breathed over his mouth. “you thought about touching me like this?”

“yeah,” he admitted, pinching your nipples between his fingers. “i really try not to, but you’re so fucking pretty.” at that, you could feel your pussy grow impossibly needier, arousal soaking the thin fabric of your panties.

deciding that you couldn’t take it any longer, you crawled off his lap until you were kneeling before him, the tent of his erection more prominent than ever in his pants. you purred, “did you think about this, too?” as you pulled his pants down his legs and took his thick cock in your hand.

six inches at least, the head flushed a pretty shade of pink, a thick vein running under it, a shiny bead of precum leaking from his tip, and the erection casting a shadow across your face. the sight of it had your mouth watering and your hips moving against nothing, desperate and aching to have it inside of you. “answer me, ‘ren.”

eren made a noise that was a mix between a moan and a cry. “shit—yeah. i can’t help it, your mouth’s so fuckin’ pretty.” he looked down at you, cradling your cheek with a shaky palm.

as you began to slowly stroke his dick, you adjusted the placement of his hand just slightly, so that his thumb was sitting against your lips. you pressed a light kiss to it before taking it into your mouth. “you’re so—fuck.” you felt him harshly buck his hips up into your hands when you began to suck on it.

watching the sanity drain from his eyes as he looked down on you had you a mess, pussy unattended and drooling with want. “i’ll cum if you keep doing this.”

“but i want you to.” you pouted, dropping his thumb from your mouth.

eren nodded, swallowing thickly. “i do too, but…” you searched for an answer in his eyes, but came up blank. “not like—”

“oh.” goosebumps rose along your skin at the realization. “do you wanna cum in my mouth, eren?”

“i—” you stamped wet kisses along that vein under his dick, and reveled in the sight of him bucking up against your ministrations.

“you what?”

he nodded, fingers digging into his mattress comforter. “i do, i—i really fucking—”

you let a bead of saliva fall onto his tip before taking it your mouth, sucking on it nice and slow, gauging his reactions before you went any further. “‘s that feel good, baby?”

“mhm,” sniffle. “yeah.”

“want me to take it deeper?”

“do whatever you w—”

before he could finish, you were taking him between your lips, not stopping until you could feel him at the back of your throat, his dark thatch of pubes brushing against the tip of your nose.

“oh, shit—fuck. you’re so good…” eren whimpered, trying his best to keep his hips planted where they were.

you pulled off, a string saliva connecting the two of you. “fuck my face, eren.” you rasped. the lust etched into his features quickly morphed into confusion. “i want you to use me, okay?”

he nodded unsteadily, and when you sucked him back into your mouth, you were surprised he actually listened. cautiously, his fingers carded through your hair, and he held your head in place while fucked up into your mouth.

there you go, baby. just like that. your fingers found themselves teasing your clit through the drenched material of your panties, so worked up at the feeling of him using your mouth just the way you both needed.

not long after, you could hear him cry, “oh, fuck. i’m cumming, i’m cumming, i—” followed by warm, thick streams of cum painting the back of your throat. you pulled away, wiping rogue trails of drool from the corners of your mouth.

eren’s chest heaved as if he’d just run a marathon and his eyes were focusing and unfocusing about five times a second. satisfaction burned in your chest. after catching your breath, you wondered aloud, “was that just like you imagined too?”

eren pulled you off the ground by your arms so that you were straddling him again, rasping into your mouth, “i wanna feel you.”

genuinely caught off guard and still a little dizzy from what you just did, “huh?”

“i want you to fuck me.” he said—no, begged—as his grip on your waist grew tighter. “please, baby.”

you stared down into the oasis of his eyes and were met back with nothing but need. pure, unadulterated need. “alright.”

after shimmying your skirt and heels off your body, you pushed him backwards on the bed until he was at the headboard. “i’m gonna ride you. is that okay?”

“yeah, that’s—” he interrupted himself with a grunt when you guided his hands to the hem of your panties, gesturing for him to pull them down.

“if you get these off of me, i’ll let you keep ‘em.” you grinned wantonly, fingers drawing patterns over his happy trail.

not a second later, eren’s hand was on the nape of your neck, pulling you into a sloppy, passion-drunk kiss; your back contorted into a deep arch as his soft tongue moved dizzily around your mouth, all while he pulled your underwear down your shaky legs.

“feel how wet i am, ‘ren.” you implored between kisses. you brought his all-too-careful hand to the very center of your frustration, shivering slightly as his fingertips grazed your clit. “and it’s all for you.”

“for me?” he exhaled, rubbing you in soft, torturous circles. you could tell they were only experimental, and that he didn’t really know what he was doing. still, you couldn’t deny it felt fucking incredible.

your hips fell victim to his tantalizing ministrations, grinding desperately against his timid fingers. “yes, baby. it’s all yours.”

you positioned yourself above his dick, letting it catch on to your clit a couple times before aligning it with your dripping hole. “you want this?”

“more than anyth—” you sank down slowly on the tip, letting out a few whimpers of your own at the stretch of just that alone. eren whimpered helplessly before you, any prior thoughts completely forgotten as his hands find purchase on your hips. “more, more, please. i needa feel your pussy so bad.”

“you’re so fucking big, ‘ren.” you whined as you brought yourself lower and lower with every sniffle and whimper from him, the remaining bits of your resolve crumbling as his thick cock stretched you out. when you sank down completely, eren’s face had scrunched up so tight you thought it might cramp. “do you like the way my pussy feels, baby?”

just as he was about to answer, you rose to the tips of your toes to bounce yourself up and down on it. loud, provocative squelching noises followed each pass of your sopping cunt against his dick. “i love it, i love it, i fuckin’ love it, baby.”

eren’s eyes screwed shut and you halted slightly, moving up to bounce only on his tip. you grab him gently by the chin, and his pretty eyes flutter open. “keep your eyes on me while i fuck you, okay, ‘ren?” he just nodded pathetically, keeping his eyes fixed to you even as tears streamed down his face. “yeah, just like that. you’re doing so good for me.”

you dropped your fingers down to let them pass against your clit, ordering, “open for me.” before you dropped them into eren’s waiting mouth. when you took those fingers from his mouth so you could cradle his face, it wasn’t long before the tip of his dick found that deep, sensitive spot inside you that had you close to cumming in only a matter of seconds.

“i’m gonna cum, ‘ren.” you mewled. desperately, you leaned forward to take his lips in a messy, lustful kiss. “gonna cum all over your dick, baby. you want that?”

the fat of your ass dimpled under the pressure of his fingers. “god, yes! please, please just keep fucking me like that.”

it only took a few more hits on that spot before you felt your body erupt with the built up pressure of your orgasm, gushing streams of white all over eren’s cock with a cry of, “fuckfuckfuckfuck!” skin nearly bursting in flames at the sheer intensity of your release.

“i’m so close,” eren cried, looking up at you with pleading eyes. “can i…” his voice died, then came back. “cum inside you?”

you smiled into his mouth. “yeah, baby fill me up.” and just as you were about to muster the little strength remaining in your knees, eren held you where you sat.

“no, i wanna do it this time.” he whispered. “just sit there and let me use you, okay?”

shocked (and a little turned on) by his foreign demeanor, your mouth fell agape. eren took the opportunity to kiss you as he pounded up into your pussy, filling the room with the repeated sounds of skin slapping and fucked out moans.

soon after, you could feel eren cumming inside you, singing a slight whine of your name as he caked your walls in thick layers of white.

when the two of you came down from your post-orgasm high, eren wrapped a blanket around your bodies and pressed light kisses over your cheeks before sitting his fogged glasses on his nightstand. falling asleep next to you without a care in the world.

so, yeah, you’d say tutoring was going a little better than you had imagined.

© NININIKKI. do not translate, copy, or modify my works in any way shape or form.

[sweetnsour1]

10:12

Fluff, Kaminari x g/n reader

“Don’t be du-“ Your eyes darted to his face, already regretting the word it was too late to change. “-mb.”

His golden eyes widen, but smoothly shift away from you, angling further down the table of friends. You shut your eyes for a moment to block out the sight of his plastered smile, knowing the corners of his mouth will look strained while the corners of his hurt eyes will be relaxed. The mask you hate to see him wear…and yet, today you were the reason for its intrusion on what was supposed to be a fun weekly meetup.

You turn away from him as well, rejoining the conversation he had decided to leave. You let their words ricochet around you, not volleying many responses of your own. Sometimes it was surprising really…how easy it was for the two of you to act okay.

You were both praised for the warmth and fun you’d bring into a situation, but…the seat beside you had gone cold. You could feel it as sharply as if someone had cranked the thermostat to frog hibernation levels. Yet, none of the smiling faces surrounding you had noticed. They hadn’t heard the crack your faltered word had forced onto his painstakingly glued together self worth. The way it struck one of the weakest spots, fracturing his years of hard work in no time at all.

You continued smiling through the lunch, wondering if the rest of the heroes at the table realized a villain was among them. You had hurt their friend right in front of everyone. You felt anger roll through you, displacing it onto them for a moment. You wished one of them, any of them, had caught you and reacted with the frustration you now turned back onto yourself. Instead you laughed at their jokes, made a couple of your own, and smiled at his, while something inside you twisted at the dulled light in his usually bright eyes. You waited.

You frowned as you watched him get the gps set up, plugging in Love Shack as the destination, before the directions home began to echo through the song he had playing. He hummed along, seemingly determined to wait until he wouldn’t bother anyone…not even you. Even after hundreds of arguments and pleas, he’d still hide pain from you if he could. You couldn’t wait the way he could. You set your hand over his as he grabbed the gear shift, determined to stay in this parking garage until you fixed what you’d broken.

“Ki…look at me, please.” He laughed until he saw you weren’t smiling. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s fine, baby. I was being d-“ You slapped your hand over his mouth a little harder than you'd meant to, causing his eyes to flash for you a bit as his eyebrow shot up.

“It’s bad enough I said it. Don’t make me mad at you too.”

You made sure to go heavy on the pout. You felt his lips smile against the palm still pressed tightly against them. He grabbed at your wrist, rotating it so his mouth was free to kiss the lightning tattoo marking one of his favorite spots like an x on a map.

“Maybe I like it when you’re mad at me?”

His laugh crinkled the corners of his bright eyes at the sight of your double extreme pout. He grabbed at your chin with his thumb and pointer finger, not unlike Chargebolt’s pose, pulling you to him. He munched at your bottom lip until your smile tugged it back into place. Once all traces of pout were gone, he kissed you...letting just a little bit of electricity course through his lips as they met yours. You readied an eye roll for his usual Did you feel a spark? punchline, but didn’t need it after all. He tapped his forehead against yours, muttering something softer and more genuine against your lips.

“Thank you.”

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[sniixnn]

hello! Can I please request and Isabella x female reader, Where Isa and reader have a secret relationsip and she tries to break up with the reader because she has to marry Mariano but after the rebuilding of Casita they get back together and the family finds out

꒰ ➼ ❝ just the way it is ❞ ꒱

isabela x reader

warnings: angst to fluff, nothing really

a/n :: this took me a while to figure out because i wasn’t sure when to cut it off or to have a timeskip :’) hehe i hope you like it though, because this was a really good idea!!

potential encanto spoilers !!

‘no, you aren’t listening!’ isabela exclaimed, waving her arms around with frantic movements. ‘i’m only doing this for the family!’ she cried, her head falling into her hands.

‘isa…’ you murmured, coming over to cup her face in your hands, and she looked up, stray tears falling from her eyes. ‘i understand now.’ you muttered, sighing.

‘we can just… put pause on everything.’ she offered, cringing at her sentence as a cluster of hydrangeas bloomed behind her.

‘…but you, yknow, get married...’ you finished, frowning. she closed her eyes in deep thought before she pulled away from you.

‘i just don’t want to make this worse for you, y/n.’ she reminded, shaking her head. ‘or for me. i just… it’s over.’ you were surprised with her collusion, before you saw yourself out of the casita, avoiding the watchful eyes of the curious family. you resigned yourself to your room for the rest of the day, hell, was it longer than that? you couldn’t tell. eventually, you urged yourself to go outside. you weren’t just a kid that could hide away from your problems; you lived alone, you need to take care of yourself. so you went to the purchasing end of the town, to get goods for your dinner. that’s when you saw her again.

it was not that hard to spot her, as she dazzled the townsfolk with her gift once again, her blooming flowers decorating the houses and carts surrounding her in no time. but by her side, you saw who she had referred to as mariano, or in other words, her husband of the future. he was, you had to admit, not a sore sight to look at. he had looped an arm around isabela and they were engrossed in conversation. isabela flickered her eyes away from him just for a moment, and she managed to catch a glimpse of you. eyes widening, she averted her gaze and grimaced. you frowned and delved into the townspeople, disappearing just in time for mariano to not catch a glimpse of you.

you had heard about the ever so perfect madrigal family going through a rough patch, if you could even call it that, cracks in the house then spreading to the town, causing a ruckus as people demanded answers. no, you didn’t know what was causing it, but you knew that a cluster of people bothering the family would make the situation worse. since it had started, the weather had been lightning and thunder, constantly making people live in fear of going out and getting struck.

you were aware that the proposal was in a few days, and you wondered if that played into the cracks. as terrible as you felt about it, part of you wished it went badly. you slipped outside, greeted by a downpour of rain. failing to cover yourself, you were in search of fresh produce to take for the day, before you listened closely. looking down, you noticed the pebbles on the ground shaking, a cluttering mess against the floor. turning your attention to the casita, you watched as a crack slowly spread up the middle of the building, before making it’s way to the town. you suppressed your scream of horror, taking a few steps back in fear before trying to run, other people witnessing the tragedy not seeming to notice the casita and it’s downfall, focusing more on getting to the safety of somewhere without the rubble falling down.

once the cracks had stopped, people peered to see where the source was, and you widened your eyes at the sight of the casita in crumbles. only one thought ran through your mind: isabela. you ran in a hurry of emotions, panic, stress and fear combining to become determination.

‘isa!’ you exclaimed, grasping what you could to hurl yourself over the remnants, approaching the family. out of breath, you looked around panicked. you eyed the group before seeing her, and the state of her. ‘isa..’ you whispered, shrinking back slightly as the family tuned their attention to you. at the sight of you, she relaxed slightly, running up to embrace you in a hug. ‘are you okay?’ you whispered, tightly wrapping your arms back around her.

‘i’m fine.’ she reassured, and as she cupped your face you realised that there was still no ring prominent on her finger. confusion evident, she shied away, looking away as pink carnations bloomed on her dress and decorated the ground beneath both of you. ‘oh, right.’ she looked away, taking a glance back at her family. ‘i… things happened. we didn’t go through with it, so i guess i should ap—‘ you kissed her, pressing your foreheads together as she wrapped her arms around your neck.

‘no, isa. don’t apologise.’ you muttered. abuela coughed from behind you. quickly pulling away, isabela was quick to drop her head to the ground. camilo looked on curiously, giving a few nudges to mirabel as he smirked. most of the family looked more surprised and shocked than anything else, others also sad about the state of the house. abuela simply smiled, placing a hand on isabelas shoulder as she nodded approvingly. nothing needed to be said; the interaction said enough as isabela let out a relieved sigh, turning and grasping your hands in hers.

‘please, stay with us.’ she begged, rubbing her thumb in circles on your cheek. ‘rebuild the house with me, together.’ smiling, she pulled you off in a haste to grab tools to start the fixing of the house as you protested behind her.