#I’m on TikTok watching this go down and it’s like

[vanteguccir]

── ୨୧ !　HANDS BETWEEN MY THIGHS | BLURB

─ ⋆౨ৎ˚ matt sturniolo x reader

summary: where matt left his hands between Y/N's legs to warm them up for too long.

The drive home was quiet, save for the soft hum of the road beneath Chris’s steady hands on the wheel. The morning had been long, spent in back-to-back meetings, and planning their next tour. Locations, themes, games, merch drops... it had been hours of brainstorming, debating, and writing down ideas until their brains felt like mush.

Chris, somehow still buzzing with energy, was the only one who hadn’t completely shut down.

"I really think we should do anonymous confessions during the shows. I’m telling you, that idea is gold." He said, gripping the steering wheel with way too much enthusiasm for how tired everyone else was.

Nick, slumped in the passenger seat, barely lifted his head.

"Chris. No."

Chris groaned.

"Bro, why do you fucking hate fun-"

In the backseat, Y/N barely acknowledged their bickering. She was curled up comfortably, phone in hand, scrolling through TikTok. But most of her attention was on Matt, who had spent the last ten minutes slowly melting into her side.

His body sat slouched between the left and middle seat, his long lashes fluttering as he struggled to keep his eyes open, his head tilting towards Y/N before he just gave in completely, leaning into her warmth.

Without looking away from her screen, a small smile curved on Y/N's lips as she adjusted, allowing him to curl into her more comfortably. His arms looped lazily around her waist, and his face nestled into the crook of her neck.

She ran her fingers gently through his soft curls, pressing a featherlight kiss to the top of his head, the smell of his shampoo filling her nostrils.

"You tired, baby?" She murmured, her voice soft.

Matt hummed against her skin in response, a quiet, content noise. Y/N smiled, resting her cheek against his hair, pausing the video that was playing on her screen.

"Was a heavy day, yeah?"

He let out a sleepy chuckle, his arms tightening around her.

"Mm... S’nice." He slurred, already half-asleep.

The car’s AC hummed lightly, and despite the summer season, today had been oddly chilly. The contrast between the cool air and Y/N’s body heat must have been noticeable because after a few seconds, Matt shifted again.

Y/N glanced down, watching as he loops one arm beneath her thigh, his fingers grazing the sensitive skin just below the curve of her ass before sliding between her legs, long fingers pressed between the denim of her jeans, seeking warmth.

She smiled, resting the base of her hand holding her phone over his tattooed arm.

"Cold?"

Matt just hummed again, nuzzling deeper into her, burying his nose in her skin, a puff of warm breath following.

"Mm. Better now."

Chris and Nick’s conversation blurred into background noise, their voices distant as Matt fell deeper.

Y/N let him be, letting him steal her warmth, letting him rest, letting him exist against her in the way he always did, and continued scrolling through her phone, occasionally glancing down at the boy curled against her.

Minutes passed, and by the time they pulled into their driveway, Matt was fully asleep; fingers twitching slightly between Y/N's thighs from time to time and back raising and falling slowly with his deep breathing.

Y/N sighed, locking her phone and dropping it inside her purse above her feet, glancing down at Matt. Gently, she ran her fingers through his hair again, pressing another kiss to his head.

"Matt." She whispered, her voice sweet and soothing. "Baby, we’re home."

Matt barely stirred, letting out a quiet, sleepy hum but making no move to wake up.

Y/N’s lips curled into a small smile, brushing her fingers through his hair again.

"C’mon, sweetheart." She murmured, pressing her lips to his head. "We can go to our room, and you can go right back to sleep."

Another groan, low and muffled against her. But this time, he shifted, his body stretching lazily as he blinked up at her, his gaze heavy with sleep. His face was soft, relaxed, and Y/N swore she’d never get over how utterly angelical he looked when he was this tired.

She kept rubbing slow, absentminded circles against his back as she leaned down to grab her purse, feeling as Matt fully sat up, his hands coming up to rub at his face, fingers dragging down as a yawn escaped his lips.

But as she glanced at him again, just to make sure he hadn’t slipped back into sleep, her gaze landed on his hands, and her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Matt, what-" She reached out, frowning slightly as her digits brushed over his skin, tracing the pale red imprints that covered his hand. The marks were deep, clear outlines left behind from where he had clung to her denim-clad thighs in his sleep.

Matt, still halfway in dreamland, blinked in confusion, his sluggish brain taking a moment to catch up. He looked down at his hands, flexing the fingers, eyes widening slightly at the sight.

"Damn." He mumbled, voice rough and groggy. "Had the greatest nap ever, apparently."

Y/N let out a laugh, warm and sweet, shaking her head as she smoothed her hands over his, her thumbs rubbing gently over the imprints.

"I mean, you were holding onto me for dear life." She teased, pressing a playful kiss to his knuckles. "Didn’t realize I doubled as your emotional support pillow."

Matt smirked sleepily, turning his hand over so he could link his fingers with hers, his grip lazy but firm.

"You do. Best one I’ve ever had."

Y/N rolled her eyes.

"Right." She squeezed his hand gently before finally reaching for the door handle. "Alright, come on, sleepy. Let’s get you inside before you fall asleep on me again."

Matt hummed, clearly not opposed to that idea, but he let her pull him along anyway.

A/N: This work is mine, and I don't authorize plagiarism; copy or "inspiration"!

─ ୨୧ ! all the love, L 🤍

[rafesweetie]

. ۫ ꣑ৎ . drew starkey and the sweetie who interviewed him

you’re nothing — that’s what you always tell yourself, anyway. you’re a journalist at a small magazine company, all potential and questions wasted because you’re relatively shy and big names like vogue tend to hire the louder workers.

it was a shock to you when your editor landed you an interview spot at TIFF. she believed in you, wanted to give you an opportunity to chat with some big names.

walking into the room where the stars would be interviewed by all the big names, you’re accompanied by one photographer who brought his camera to film the interviews. your pink heels click on the ground as you walk, and you feel severly underdressed in a black mini slip dress, with your hair down.

you’re handed the less popular movie stars to interview, but you’re nervous nonetheless. face going red when you stumble during a long question (even if they’re extremely intellectual), and fiddling with your nails while you listen.

you’re assuming everyone you interview is lesser known, based on the pattern occuring, until a very familiar figure walks over. right, you almost forgot you had to interview him.

now, it’s not like you knew him personally. you were both from north carolina and you have a two mutuals on instagram, but you and him weren’t friends. the only reason you know him is because you’d be living under a rock if you didn’t — drew starkey.

you can’t help the way you’re shaking a bit, flustered, nervous, and excited all at once.

“hi, y/n l/n,” you greet, then tell him what magazine you’re from. you shake his hand.

“drew starkey,” his voice is deep and makes you shiver. you’d heard from almost everyone how captivating he is, and now you believe it.

“it’s nice to meet you,” you say gently. his baby blues haven’t left yours yet. “i just watched ‘queer’ last night, drew, it was amazing,” you tell him, easing your way into the interview. “what was it like filming around the world? have you ever done that before?”

“uh, yeah, i have,” he nods. “i went to vancouver to film ‘the other zoey’, i think, and i went to serbia for ‘hellraiser.’ but i mean, i feel like for ‘queer’, it was more of an experience. we filmed everywhere, multiple continents, it was kind of crazy. and i mean, i’m a country boy, north carolina, so experiencing cultures outside of traditional america will always wow me,” he explains. “where are you from?”

you smile when he flips it on you because he’s very polite. “i live in north carolina too.” you tell him.

“no shit,” he smiles. “what part?”

“charlotte. i mean, i’m not orignally from there, but it’s where i live now so…” you shrug.

“where are you originally from?”

“this isn’t my interview, mr. starkey,” you smile at him. he chuckles. “can i ask another question please?”

“yes ma’am,” he relents, and you giggle. his smile grows when you giggle — his eyes haven’t left you.

you ask a couple more questions, and eventually he has to leave to go talk to another journalist. but he grabs your hand again and squeezes it, intense eye contact as he says it was nice to meet you, and to have a nice night. you’re already in a trance, even though you try to convince yourself that he was just being polite. he’s polite to everyone.

when he leaves, you can’t help but turn to the photographer with a smile on your face and your jaw dropped, simply because that was the biggest name you’ve ever spoken to. you’re unaware he never stopped the video.

────୨ৎ────

the morning after, when reporters are posting their interviews everywhere, you can’t go three scrolls on tiktok without drew’s face at TIFF appearing. you’re half-asleep, until it clicks that every interview you’ve seen has been specifically your interview with him. captioned with, ‘how to be this interviewer???’ or ‘the way he looks at her?’ or ‘someone tell her hes taken by me already’, or even ‘he looks a little young for her?’ you’ve gone viral. everyone believes that the drew starkey is into you.

you’re down a rabbit hole. the slo mo videos on him glancing at your lips, then licking his own, the way he squeezed your hand, you and him both giggling. you can’t deny how it might look either.

you go onto drew’s instagram. he doesn’t follow you, and you’re a bit nervous to initiate. so you close your eyes, bracing yourself, before hitting follow. an hour later, he follows you back. you open the app — one new message.

[Drew Starkey] : Hey it’s the cute interviewer from yesterday! How are you?

you could’ve sworn that your lungs gave out right there.

[bloomzone]

2025 : #18 THE ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BURNOUT

i feel exhausted. And I don’t mean like "Oh, I need a nap" exhausted y'all know exhaustion that sits in ur bones that makes even the smallest tasks feel like moving a mountain Even when I do get some rest like sleeping for 8h do breathing techniques I still wake up feeling like I’ve been hit by a truck. And not a small one I'm talking an 18-wheeler, full speed (call it whatever u want) . I was tired all the time yet somehow also restless. I wanted to do something, but I also didn’t want to do anything. I was stuck in this weird, miserable limbo where everything felt pointless, but at the same time, I was stressed about not doing enough. Like, how does that even make sense?And honestly, it got to a point where I wasn’t even living anymore I was just existing. Just floating through days waiting for the next one hoping I’d feel better but never really doing anything about it. Because when you’re that deep in burnout, it’s hard to even believe that you can feel better.

But you can. And I know that sounds cliché as hell but listen to me for a second. If I could drag myself out of that deep, dark hole, you definitely can too. And I’m not saying it’s gonna be easy, but I swear to you, it’s possible.

ᡣ𐭩 sᴛᴇᴘ ᴏɴᴇ: sᴛᴏᴘ ᴛᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟғ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ᴀ ғᴀɪʟᴜʀᴇ

If someone talked to you the way you talk to yourself you’d probably wanna fight them Like imagine your younger self sitting right in front of you. If they were struggling, feeling drained, feeling like a failure, would you yell at them to “get their shit together” and call them lazy? No, right? You’d probably comfort them, tell them it’s okay, tell them they don’t have to be perfect.

So why the hell are you so mean to yourself?

Burnout doesn’t happen because you’re weak or lazy but it happens because you’ve been pushing yourself too hard for too long bu experience cuz when I study every single day like NOO stop wake up early,homeworks,school and the same loop go for 1 month I burn out for maybe 15days after (like rn) And let’s be honest, most of us don’t even realize it’s happening until we’re knee-deep in exhaustion. You keep telling yourself, “Oh, I’ll rest once I finish this” or “I just need to push through a little more,” until one day, your body and brain just quit on you.

So the first step? Start being nice to yourself. Start talking to yourself the way you’d talk to a best friend who’s struggling. Because you are not the problem burnout is.

ᡣ𐭩sᴛᴇᴘ ᴛᴡᴏ: ʀᴇsᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʟɪғᴇ ᴅᴇᴘᴇɴᴅs ᴏɴ ɪᴛ (ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ɪᴛ ᴋɪɴᴅ ᴏғ ᴅᴏᴇs)

I know resting sounds like the most obvious advice ever, but do you actually do it? Because scrolling on your phone for five hours doesn’t count as rest. Lying in bed while spiraling about everything you should be doing? Also not rest.

Real rest means giving yourself permission to slow down without feeling guilty. It means doing things that actually recharge you so don't force urself to do ur hard tasks like intense workout at 6am saying yes to extra tasks or project ... But say yes to take walks , listening to music, watching a comfort show DO ANYTHING THAT MAKE U HAPPY not everyone have the same (happiness detox) so yeah . And most importantly, it means not punishing yourself for needing a break.Because pooks you’re not a machine. You weren’t built to be productive 24/7. Even your phone needs to be charged, and you’re out here expecting yourself to run on 2% battery every day? Yeah, no wonder you feel like shit.

ᡣ𐭩sᴛᴇᴘ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ: ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴀ ᴅᴀᴍɴ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋ ғʀᴏᴍ sᴏᴄɪᴀʟ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴀ

i know. "But I just use it to relax." Do you? Do you really? Because last time u checked, scrolling through Instagram or tiktok for hours and comparing your life to a bunch of people who only post their highlight reels doesn’t exactly scream relaxation.

Social media is draining u .fr u don’t even realize it half the time, but it’s constantly feeding your brain unrealistic expectations. One second you’re watching someone’s “That Girl” morning routine, and the next, you feel like a failure because you don’t wake up at 5 AM to drink matcha and do yoga on a balcony.

And don’t even get me started on doomscrolling. Like, do I need to know every bad thing happening in the world the second I wake up? No. But do I do it anyway? Also yes. And then I wonder why I feel like shit before my day even starts.

So hear me out pookie log off. Even for just a day. Delete the apps if you have to limit time . Go touch some grass. Read a book. Hell stare at the ceiling if you want. Just give your brain a break from the constant noise. Trust me, you’ll feel a million times lighter.

ᡣ𐭩sᴛᴇᴘ ғᴏᴜʀ: sᴛᴏᴘ ᴍᴇᴀsᴜʀɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴡᴏʀᴛʜ ʙʏ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴛɪᴠɪᴛʏ

I used to think that if I wasn’t being productive, I wasn’t worth anything. Like, if I wasn’t working, studying, or doing something “useful,” I was just wasting my life. And if I had a day where I didn’t get anything done? the self-hate would kick in.

But fr your value is not based on how much you do. You are not just a machine made to produce work and complete tasks. You are a human being who deserves to exist without constantly proving yourself.

Think about it .. do you judge your friends based on how productive they are? Do you stop loving someone just because they took a lazy day? No. So why do you do it to yourself?Taking a break doesn’t make you a failure. Resting doesn’t make you lazy. And slowing down doesn’t mean you’re falling behind. Sometimes, the most productive thing you can do is give yourself space to breathe.

ᡣ𐭩 ᴛʜᴇ 𝟷-ʜᴏᴜʀ ᴍᴇᴛʜᴏᴅ: ɢᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʟɪғᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ʙᴜʀɴᴏᴜᴛ

U feel exhausted, unmotivated, and even simple tasks feel like a challenge. You know you need to do something, but damn you can’t even bring yourself to move. I get it.

So here’s the deal We’re not fixing your whole life in one day buuuut Instead, we’re using the 1-Hour Method—because when you’re burnt out, committing to an entire day of productivity feels impossible. But one hour? That’s doable.

Step 1: The One-Hour Reset

You don’t need to “fix” everything. Just commit to one hour of doing something that will make you feel 1% better. That’s it.

⏳ The Rules:

Set a timer for 60 minutes.

Pick 2-3 small things that will make you feel lighter.

Do them with zero pressure. Imperfect action > no action.

Examples:

⏰ Minute 0-10: Get out of bed. Wash your face. Brush your teeth. You don’t need a full “that girl” routine, just refresh yourself.

⏰ Minute 10-20: Make your space 5% cleaner. Not a full deep clean—just clear the trash, fold a blanket, or open the window. Small changes, big difference.

⏰ Minute 20-40: Do one small productive task—answer an email, write one sentence of an essay, organize one folder. Just something that reminds you that you can do things.

⏰ Minute 40-60: Move your body. Stretch, walk around, dance to a song—anything to shake off the mental fog.

One hour down, and I guarantee you’ll feel even slightly better than before.

Step 2: The 1-Hour Rule for Self-Comparison

Nothing drains your energy more than constantly feeling behind in life. Comparing yourself to others? Yeah, that’s a fast track to burnout.But the people u’re comparing yourself to? They have bad days too. They feel lost too. They struggle too. You just don’t see it.

So for the next hour try this:

Write down 3 things you’ve accomplished last days or months No matter how small. Maybe you learned a new skill, took care of yourself on a rough day, or simply kept going when you wanted to quit. That counts.

Unfollow or mute accounts that make you feel “less than.” If it doesn’t inspire you, it’s draining you Simple.

Shift your mindset. Instead of “Why am I not there yet?” ask “How can I grow at my own pace?”

You’re doing better than you think. You don’t need to rush. Your journey is yours.

Step 3: The 1-Hour Rule for Overwhelm

Burnout often comes from having too much on your plate. So, instead of drowning in to-do lists, use this:

→ Pick 1 hour a day to focus on just ONE thing. No multitasking. No distractions. Just one task that actually matters.When you train your brain to handle things one at a time, everything feels less overwhelming.

You don’t have to “get your life together” overnight. You just have to start.

ᡣ𐭩sᴛᴇᴘ ғɪᴠᴇ: ғɪɴᴅ ᴊᴏʏ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ (ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ sᴍᴀʟʟᴇsᴛ ᴛʜɪɴɢs)

I know what you’re thinking “ I don’t even remember what joy feels like.” And I get it. When you’re burnt out, everything feels dull, like life lost its color.But you can bring it back. And no, I’m not saying you need to go on some self-discovery journey. Sometimes, it starts with the smallest things listening to a song you used to love, rewatching a movie that made you happy, making a dumb inside joke with a friend, buying yourself a little treat just because , go through ur old photos, remember ur high grades or whatever makes u joyful and full of love

Joy isn’t always some big Sometimes it’s just a tiny moment that reminds you life isn’t all stress and exhaustion.And the more you find those small moments, the more you start to feel alive again.

ᡣ𐭩 ʟᴀsᴛ sᴛᴇᴘ : ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ɢᴏɴɴᴀ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ɪᴛ, ɪ sᴡᴇᴀʀ

If you’re reading this and thinking, “Damn, I don’t even know where to start,” that’s okay. Just start small. Start with one thing whether it’s being kinder to yourself, taking an actual rest day, stepping away from social media, or just reminding yourself that burnout does not define you.Because you will get through this. You’re stronger than you think. And one day, you’re gonna look back at this version of yourself and be so damn proud that you kept going.

Until then? Take it one step at a time or even an hour at the time be gentle with yourself pookie and remember: you are not alone in this.

@bloomzone

[calebsmoocher]

Asking them to go check on a strange noise

It’s movie night and they’re all snuggled up under the blankets…until she hears a weird noise. “Babe, wtf was that? Can you go check?”

Written for Caleb, Zayne, Sylus, Xavier, and Rafayel

Word count: ~1K for each lead

cw: lots of...kissing, I don’t know if I’d genre it as horror; I tried my best to make it scary, but it’s also just straight crack.

A/N: I saw this tiktok and have been laughing ever since imagining how the boys would react to MC asking them to check on a strange noise, and they’re met with that. Fair warning, I have included the scary pictures from the filter. So…no freaking out (they're not that bad). I had so so much fun writing this, i was fucking shitting my pants laughing. Anyway, here’s da link to the tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@...twill/video/7469968509217312043?_r=1&_t=ZS-8tqutQlM2cB

Caleb

“Caleb, did you hear that?” 

He cocks his head towards her, taking his eyes off the laptop between them. “Hmm? Hear what?” She furrows her brows, pausing the movie and sitting up much to his dismay. He’s still lying down, empty arms gesturing for her to come back. But she stays still, hunching over like it would help her hear better. Then she hears it again. 

A sharp grating noise, like nails being dragged across a chalkboard.

“That!”

Caleb sits up now, brows creased. “Okay, I heard that…” he says cautiously. He waits for it to sound again, but there is only silence. “Maybe it’s the saucepans moving around. We used a lot of pans for dinner.” She shakes her head, lips pulled taut. That was no saucepan.

Creeeek. 

She jumps, clutching at his bicep. “Babe, go check.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing.” He goes to wrap an arm around her, flashing her a smile, but she slaps his arm away.

“I’m serious, Caleb. Please, can you go check?” Well, how can he say no to that pout? He rolls his eyes, pulling the blanket off of him and hauling himself up.

“Okay, okay.” He saunters over to the door. He turns the door knob and opens it confidently. “Be back in a second, pipsqueak. Don’t play it without me.” He leaves the door ajar as he leaves and she watches as the darkness engulfs him. 

Her breaths are uneasy. He’s been gone for at least two minutes. What was taking him so long!? She slides her legs out from under the blankets and shuts the laptop. The whole time he had been gone, she had heard nothing. She pushes herself up and waddles to the door, gripping the wall tightly.

“Caleb!?” she whispers into the darkness. 

Nothing.

She sucks in a deep breath, holding her fists out in front of her as she takes a tentative step into the hallway. “Caleb!” she tries again. She can hear her own heartbeat pounding in her chest. It’s thrumming in her ears. Every breath she’s taking is like a shrill drag in the silence of her house. She can feel something behind her. Eyes peering at her that she can’t see even when she looks over her shoulder shakily. No, no, there’s nothing there! She makes it to the end of the hallway before trying to call for him again, wetting her lips before parting her lips. But a weight crashes into her, enclosing around her chest like a vice.

“RAHH!”

She screams, thrashing in his arms. Caleb can barely hold in his laugh as he pulls her closer to calm her down.

“Caleb!” She kicks out at his shins and he yelps. “Fuck you! Seriously!?” His whine struggles into an open laugh. 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” His voice is still breathless from laughing. He presses kisses into her hair, stroking her arms. He feels her frantic pulse through his palms, and it compels him to leave more guilty kisses all over her. 

“You are not sorry.”

“I am. I am,” he reassures her. He kisses at the juncture of her neck, his hair tickling her cheek.

“Okay, enough. Seriously.” She tries to wriggle in his grasp, guiding them back towards her room to no avail. He only hugs her tighter. He loves holding her like this, her scent flooding his senses. Her warmth, although no match for his, soothing his palms. His biceps. His chest. He feels a warmth fan at his nape. And he smiles even wider into her nape.

Wait.

A chill runs down his spine. Who the fuck is behind him? He whips his head around and is met with a chalky face gleaming down at him. Its lips are bloodied and spread into what he can only describe as a carnivorous smile. 

“WHAT THE FUCK?” Caleb throws her forward away from the snarling beast behind him, maneuvering his body quickly to face it. The girl frowns before she screams, eyes latching onto the monster towering over them. Its eyes are a cloudy blue, bulging at its sockets. And its eyebrows are thin and sharp. Her throat is hoarse from that singular scream and she latches onto the back of Caleb’s shirt, boxing her shoulders in. 

Caleb punches it square in the face, bouncing his weight back and forth as adrenaline pumps through him. The monster recoils with a snarl. Its lips quiver before it lurches forward towards them. The girl screams, squeezing her eyes shut. She hears him land another punch. And she hears the monster squeal in pain. Caleb is panting hard, pupils blown as he holds his fists close to his face. 

“What the fuck,” he rasps before slamming his fist into its jaw, “is this!?” The monster lets out an angered shriek before backing up, bracing itself. Fuck-

“It’s gonna charge at us!” Caleb throws his arm back at her, pushing her further down the hallway. “Get back!” She scrambles backwards, hands still gripping his shirt tightly. He turns to run, arms out to sweep her. But as he moves, their legs tangle and they’re both sent crashing into the floor. 

The monster is snapping at Caleb’s legs despite his barefoot attempts at clocking it in its jaw again. His palms haul his weight down the hallway in escape. 

“Oh my god!” The girl screams. Scrambling to her knees, she hurls a nearby book at it. It barely hits its head. She throws a vase. An odd shoe. Anything her hands can latch onto. The monster snarls up at her, puss and blood dripping from its mouth and onto the wood.

“What are you doing!?” Caleb screeches at her. He almost loses his toes. “You’re making it worse!”

Tears blur her vision. She doesn’t stop launching objects at it. One even hits the top of Caleb’s head. ���Well what the fuck am I supposed to do!? It’s trying to eat you!”

Caleb thrusts his palms out and an invisible force pins the monster down. It flails and struggles, teeth snapping at the air. Arms snatching and clawing just shy of Caleb’s legs. She sees him visibly sigh, throwing his head back at her.

“Shit, get your gun.”

The girl gapes, wobbling to her feet. “What!?”

“What do you mean ‘what’!? We have to get rid of this shit!”

She shakes her head. “I don’t have it here! I left it at the association!” He throws his head even farther back before wrapping his spare arm around her and tugging her against his chest.

“Caleb, what-” His hand covers her eyes and he breathes into her ear.

“Just…close your eyes for me. Cover your ears too, if  you can.” She does as he says, shaky hands pressing over her ears.

Despite it, she hears the unforgiving squelch and crackle of bones crushing. Of the floorboards breaking and the wood snapping. Of fluids spurting out and smacking against the walls. Her breath hitches in her throat as she feels the splatter of hot fluid on her legs. 

When it’s all over, Caleb one handedly scoops her into his hold, his other arm still over her eyes. When he finally removes it, she’s seated on the kitchen counter, his arms on either side of her legs. He grabs a cloth and begins wiping the blood off her leg, offering her a small, hesitant smile.

Zayne

She digs her face deeper into Zayne’s chest and he presses a kiss to her forehead. There’s a dip in the audio of the movie playing from her laptop as the characters creep along the walls of the haunted house. She grips onto Zayne’s  forearm, lifting it to semi cover her eyes, eliciting a soft laugh from him. Truthfully, he was no better at horror movies than her. Cautiously, he lowers his face into her hair, using the top of her head as a shield. And he prays she won’t notice. 

“Doctor Zayne, are you scared?” Of course she would notice. He breathes into her hair with a chuckle. “You’re cool and collected on the operating table, but a cheap jumpscare is enough to unsettle you?” Her voice is barely above a whisper as she teases him. Despite being so tense herself, she insists on teasing him.

“I admit, horror movies are not something I usually watch. On the operating table, at least I have the security of anesthesia to prevent my patients from jumping out at me.” He kisses her hair, wrapping his arms tightly around her. “As a hunter, you must have a lot of experience with scary monsters. Does this mean I should entrust myself in your care?”

She rolls her eyes, leaning into him as their attention returns to the movie. She can almost taste the jumpscare about to happen. The characters on the screen wear fearful expressions as the camera zooms in on their shaky lips. The camera pans around them, setting up for the appearance of the monster behind them. But as the screen moves she hears a stretching noise, like the expanding of elastic, followed by the rip of tape. But it sounds right outside her door. She immediately flings out her hand to pause the movie, looking back at Zayne.

“Did you just hear that?”

It sounds again. Exactly like a balloon inflating. The crinkle of latex. The heavy breath of air like someone exhausted.

“Are you sure it didn’t come from your laptop?” She shoves the laptop so he can see it better. 

“It’s paused!” She sits up, removing the quilt. “It came from out there.” She points a shaky finger to her closed door. She turns, shooting him a pleading look.

“Can you go check?”

He rubs his neck, letting out a humourless laugh. “Maybe a light’s blown. Do you really want me to go have a look?”

“Yes,” she whines. “What I said before…I was kidding. Please.”

He gives in, kissing her once more on her forehead. “Okay, I’ll have a look. Don’t worry so much; it’s most likely nothing.”

Just as he wraps his fingers around the door knob the strange noise sounds again. Zayne halts and she slides to the edge of the bed, slowly getting to her feet. She stands a good two metres behind him, hands over her heart. He offers her a reassuring smile, twisting the handle down and letting the door creak open. The hallway is pitch black besides the trickle of light from her bedroom. 

He pauses. It’s silent for all but three seconds until the horrid stretching noise echoes down the hall. It’s quieter this time. She sees Zayne visibly swallow before peering out to the left. He stays there for a few seconds before turning back to her. One foot still in her room while the rest of his body is engulfed in the darkness.

“It’s alright, sweetheart. I didn’t see anything.” She creeps closer, sighing out before lowering her hands from her chest. 

“I’m sorry, I was being silly. It was probably my neighbours.” 

“Don’t be sorry.” He ruffles her hair. “Would you be more comfortable if I closed to door-”

As he speaks, the sound interrupts him and she sees a pale, white monster rise behind him.

“Zayne!” The man whips around. As he throws himself back into the door, it flings open fully, revealing the monster in its entirety. It has a small, smiling face upon a balloon-like body. Inflated and looming over them. Its head nearly touches the roof yet its feet are planted on the floor, engulfed in its huge body. 

“Oh what the fuck !!” Zayne’s voice is a struggle between his usual, even tone and surprise. He spins his body around properly, taking a protective stance in front of her. A pointed ice shard fires towards the monster before breaking against the wall besides its head. 

He shoots another but it misses the monster by a mile. He pushes up his glasses before wiping the back of his hand over his upper lip. A ring of icicles circles his wrist, rotating like arrows ready for release. He fires one more but it shatters on impact against the beast’s chest.

“Zayne! What are you doing!?” He lets out an exasperated gasp. Almost like he’s holding back a laugh. She was right. 

“Oh my god. What am I doing?” he thinks. He manages to compose himself momentarily, gripping the door and shutting it before the monster can close in on them. He crashes his back against the wood, facing her with his mouth agape.

He rubs his palms down his face, exhaling shakily. “I’m sorry,” he apologises immediately. The girl struggles to her knees, hands covering her mouth as she laughs. She was this close to pissing her pants. In both fear and from how incredibly, mortifyingly funny the situation was. 

“I’m sorry,” he apologises again but she only waves her hand through her laughs. “That caught me off guard.” Another burst of laughter. Oh Zayne. “Okay, I’m going to open it again. Are you ready?”

Wait what?

She stops laughing, eyes widening. “What? Noo!” Before she can protest further, he’s already turning the handle and she has to hurl herself up on her feet. When the door opens again, the monster is still there. It’s smile hasn’t moved. And its wide, unblinking eyes look directly at her. Zayne directs his arms outwards as a blinding flash of aqua lights up the hallway. She feels the sudden chill wrap around her as the room’s temperature drops. The monster is frozen away in its personal ice prison. Its creepy smile immortalised in the doorway of her bedroom.

Zayne sighs, pushing his glasses up again. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” she says quickly. Her laugh returns to her, though it is more in relief than anything. “What are we going to do with it?” She asks. He runs a hand through his disheveled hair before kneeling at her bed and dragging her laptop towards them. The screen had gone to sleep in the chaos.

“I’ve never seen anything like it. Surely there must be reports of it.” He clicks the keyboard to wake the laptop up, but in doing so he resumes the movie. The bloodied face of a clown lunges towards him, a shrill scream blaring out from the laptop’s speakers.

“FUCK!”

He slams the laptop shut before burying his face in his hands. Oh Zayne.

Sylus

She had managed to convince Sylus to join her for a movie night in her cramped Linkon apartment, the two of them barely fitting on her bed. His arm is wrapped loosely around her shoulder, not wanting to smother her. Unfortunately, her laptop had lost charge, so their movie night was on its last legs; the two of them peering down at her phone screen. He didn’t mind, though. To be honest, he wasn’t even paying attention. His eyes watching her reflection when the screen would go dark. 

“Sylus, you’re squinting,” she laughs in his face. “You old man!” Sylus can only groan, rubbing at his temple as he opts for just shutting his eyes and resting his head on top of hers. 

“If you’re going to insist on us watching movies like this, at least let me upgrade your phone.”

“No way. My phone hasn’t failed me once in the seven years I’ve had it.”

“Sweetie, It’s definitely outdated.” She pauses the movie, maneuvering herself on top of him.

“Are you free tomorrow?” 

He cradles her jaw, kissing her nose. “Are you asking me out on a date? What did you have in mind?”

“Let’s go to the optometrist.” He groans, pushing her away playfully. “It’ll be so much fun. We’ll get your eyes checked. And I’ll help you pick out some new glasses.”

“You’re killing me, kitten.” She giggles, swatting his hands away and giving him a kiss. Her thumbs brush away the hairs in his eyes, tracing along his eyelids up to the arch of his brows. 

Crash.

She halts, and he supports her weight, gripping her waist. They both look at the door then back at each other.

“What was that?” She asks. He sighs, beginning to soothe the back of his knuckles down her sides.

“It was probably Mephisto.” The girl narrows her eyes.

“I thought you said Mephisto was out keeping tabs in the N109 zone.” Now it’s Sylus’ turn to pause. He cocks an eyebrow.

“Did I say that?” he asks genuinely. She nods.

“Yes, you did.” They hear another clutter, like plates knocking against each other. She leans back onto her ankles, tugging him forward. “Sylus, can you go check?” She puts on her best pout.

“What, are you scared?” His voice is slow and even, taunting even as he pushes forward to the edge of the bed anyway. “Between us, wouldn’t you say you have more experience as a hunter dealing with situations like this?”

“Sylus,” she whines. She follows behind to the door, comforted by the way his broad back fully blocks her view. He twists the handle and the door opens with a squeal. He shoots her a crooked smile over his shoulder before heading down the hallway. 

She sighs out, crossing her arms in the warm light of her bedroom. She can hear his footsteps quieten as they get further away. After a moment, she hears them fade back into focus and he stands at the doorway.

“There’s nothing. Come see for yourself.” He offers her his hand and she hesitantly slides her palm into his. She walks out into the corridor, putting one tentative foot in front of the other. It’s not that she didn’t trust Sylus, but she had heard something moving in her kitchen. She feels the thump of her heart beat against her chest as she braces herself along the wall. Turning a blind corner like this always made her cringe into herself.

“Boo.”

She jumps, her shoulder hitting his jaw and eliciting a painful ‘tch’. Despite the fact that she was still holding his hand and she knew he was right behind her, her nerves were still set alight.

“Sylus!” He rubs at his chin, laughing into the darkness.

“I can’t help it. It’s cute when you’re all worked up like-” Her eyes latch onto a face in the darkness, pale and long. Oh, now she is definitely freaking out. She yelps, throwing Sylus in front of her. His arms jerk out to balance himself before he looks up.

The face is bulbous in shape, and its tethered by a long, thick string where its neck should’ve been. Its mouth is agape and stretched unnaturally lengthwise. Suddenly, the face descends down towards them, a ghastly sound leaving its mouth.

“Oh shit!” He punches it reflexively. He blindly reaches behind him, pushing her further back. Red rings conjure around his wrists as he takes a protective stance. The head jerks back upon the impact and takes a second to balance itself before descending again. It’s slow in its motions. Almost dumb-looking. Sylus sends a whip of energy towards it, but it only fades through the monster’s face. He tries again. Nothing.

Sylus cocks his head. “Okay, what the hell.” Without a second thought he shakes away the energy links and moves towards the head. He wraps his hand around the slimy string and pulls it down before sending his fist straight into its face. She hears it whine in pain, a breathy hollow sound as its face begins to lose shape. Sylus furrows his brow, letting go of the string and shaking the fluids off his hand. The monster just floats there, its expression having not changed. 

When it rushes down towards him again, he lets it. And yet as it closes in on him, it doesn’t harm him. Only circles and inspects him. Its eyes move to the girl, giving a tentative swish before floating towards her. She holds her head back, breath shaky and arms ready to throw a punch if necessary. It doesn’t seem to want to harm them. But it’s still this unknown, hideous creature in her fucking kitchen.

One look at Sylus is all it takes. One look that conveys ‘I don’t want this shit in my fucking house’. Sylus has taken on a relaxed posture, hands in his pockets. He throws a kick at the face, slamming it into the wall. He doesn’t let it get back up, using his legs to knock it down into the ground. Through its whines she almost feels sorry for it. One last kick and the face deflates completely, like a balloon released. He grinds it into the floor with the toe of his shoe. And just to be sure it’s really gone, he gives the shrivelled face a couple of nudges.

The girl breaths out, smoothing down her hair in relief. “What the fuck…” she sighs out. He matches her gaze before moving towards her and giving her a reassuring pat. “You told me nothing was there. How did you miss that!?”

He can’t even laugh, instead settling for a grimace. “I’m sorry, kitten. Truthfully, I have no idea where that came from.”

“We seriously need to get your eyes checked. I’m booking the appointment right now.”

Xavier

It’s a rare chance of divine, cosmic intervention wherein both she and Xavier had coinciding days off. They had spent the day out, window shopping then trying every second restaurant they saw. Now, she’s snuggled up with him in her bed, watching a nature documentary: a Symphony of Life. Her fingers play with his hands, tracing around his knuckles. The veins that protrude at the back. The heft of his wrist as she turns it over. 

“You seem awfully interested in this documentary.”

She breathes out through her nose quickly, not bothering to look up from his hands. “What can I say? Butterflies are my favourite insect.” She feels him press a kiss into her hairline. 

“Yeah, I think we moved on from butterflies about thirty minutes ago.” He rolls onto his side, pushing the laptop to the side before settling his knee between her legs. His hand slips from hers and she finds them wrapping around his biceps as he leans over her. 

“You’ve got the energy to keep this up?” She asks, smiling up at him. “I thought for sure the hot pot we had for dinner would’ve put you to sleep immediately.” He smiles sheepishly at her, planting a kiss on her cheek. 

“What am I going to do tomorrow while you’re off with another squad, traversing the disassociation area?”

“Hey, I don’t make the rules.” 

He kisses down her neck, nipping lightly at the skin. “I guess we’ll just have to make the most of tonight.” Her hands travel down to the hem of his sweatshirt, sneaking her palms over his stomach. He breathes out over her, grabbing her wrist.

“How did your hands get so cold so fast?”

She laughed into him, sliding the fabric up further. “Xavier, I think you might just run really warm.”

Scraaatch.

Her hands freeze much to his dismay, and she leans back.

“Did you hear that?”

He kisses the corner of her lip. “Yeah, I heard that.” The awful creaking noise sounds again. She sits up forcefully, knocking him back. He rolls onto his back with a groan, arms reaching blindly to grope at her.

“There it is again!” She climbs over him, looking around her room. 

His head follows her as she paces around, shuffling things on her desk. “I don’t think it came from in here, baby.” His arms are splayed out on her bed, and his eyelids are starting to droop.

“I know. I’m looking for my gun.” This wakes him up a bit.

“Why would you need your gun?” His laugh is soft. He struggles to sit himself up, stifling a yawn. 

“Xavier, I am like ninety percent sure there is something in my house right now.” She brushes her hair behind her ears, sucking in a few deep breaths. “Xavier, won’t you check?”

He blinks at her but gets up nonetheless. He stops her frantic pacing, twisting the door handle. Before he steps out, he gestures for her to follow him. “Won’t you come with me, partner?” She swallows and nods. They are hunters after all. In the eerie hallway, there’s nothing but the light shining from her room. That’s what she got for trying to save on her electricity bill. They step out together, shuffling down. 

She hears the achy scratching noise again, like the cry of a door hinge mixed with the squeal of nails across a chalkboard. 

“Are you scared?” Comes Xavier’s voice in the dark, she can see him faintly beside her as her eyes adjust to the dark. “Do you want me to hold your hand?” Her chest is pounding with resounding thumps that she is sure he can hear. Nevertheless, she inhales sharply and shakes her head.

“No, I’m not scared.” Maybe she says this in an attempt to calm herself, because there is undoubtedly something in her house. And she prays that it’s an animal of some sort. Preferably a neighbour’s cat. Or maybe a bird. A squirrel maybe? But she can’t fathom how an animal could get into her third floor apartment.

“Really? Then, can you hold my hand?” She looks back at him and his smug smile comes into focus. She rolls her eyes before sliding her hand into his, their fingers interlocking. 

“Do you feel better now?”

He brings the back of her hand up to his lips, planting a kiss. “Much better.”

They step into the living room, backs turned slightly into each other. She listens out for the creaking sound again. It’s faint but constant; and she can’t exactly pinpoint where it’s coming from. 

“Hey,” Xavier’s whisper brings her attention to his finger, pointed at the closed laundry door. She hesitates to take the next step forward so Xavier does it for her. He holds out a protective hand in front of them, as he walks towards the door. The scratches are intermittent now. Gnarly and mean. That’s no neighbour’s cat. Just as his hand wraps around the door knob, it bursts open almost knocking him back.

A creature shrouded in darkness emerges, claw marks etched into the wood of the door. Though her eyes had already adjusted to the dark, she could not make out the features of this monster. Almost like light did not reflect off of it. It was pure darkness with the exception of its glowing, white eyes. 

“AHH.” Xavier screams first, stumbling back into her. Her own scream is shrill and interrupted by a fearful hiccup. What the hell is that? The creature moves sporadically, its arms and elongated fingers digging frantically into the wood. It lurches forward, breaking into a sprint towards them. It doesn’t help that they’re within arms distance of it, either. 

“Holy fuck. I’m too tired for this shit.”

“Xavier!” Her voice snaps him out of his fear induced daze and he scoops her up, throwing himself back through the house. The creature scuttles after them, its footsteps heavy and shaking the walls of her apartment.

Once she finds her feet, she leads him towards the entrance. She isn’t even sure if they’ll be able to outrun the motherfucker. They’re backed up against her front door as she’s frantically shoving the wrong keys into the keyhole. 

“Xavier! Do something!” She cries. His body covers her and he wipes his brow, looking around hysterically. 

“Yeah, fuck, hold on.” He throws his palm out and encloses it around the air before the creature. A flash of golden light surges through her apartment, forcing her to shut her eyes. When she can open them again, she sees the hilt of his sword wrapped tightly in his hand. He drags his index and middle fingers up the blade and a rune of light projects forward. 

The creature is livid now, arms enclosing around them. He feels its inky coldness surround him. Can feel it cut into his cheek. But he’ll be damned if he lets it touch her. 

“Comet trail.” A projection of his sword slams into the creature and the apartment goes white around her. She feels the rumble of the ground beneath her and is swept off her feet. 

When she comes to, she sees the broken headboard of a bed on her dining table. Then the total obliteration of her ceiling. She recognises Xavier’s belongings: like his lamp, his full-body mirror (now shattered), his kettle, even parts of his fucking couch, blown to bits and scattered around her barely recognisable apartment. What. The. Fuck. In his endeavour to take down the creature, he had also annihilated half the complex. At least his own apartment--right above hers--incurred the most damage. How was she not dead, was the more pressing question. She has her answer when a hand helps her to her feet.

“Sorry about your…”

“Xavier, what the fuck.” She watches him tiptoe around the rubble that was her home. There is a stain of pure darkness where he had exorcised the creature. He kicks the debris around it, squatting to inspect it closer.

“That’s a shame. I thought at the very least it would drop a protocore.”

“That was no wanderer.”

Rafayel

The girl reaches up behind her, playing with the out of place strands of Rafayel’s hair. He feigns a frown, swatting at her fingers. 

“You’re blocking the screen, cutie.”

“Hmm?” She hums, reaching again and poking at his cheeks. She’s lying on his chest, head tucked under his chin as an old movie plays on her laptop. 

“This is my favourite part.” 

Her mouth falls open and she rolls onto her side. “Hey, you said you hadn’t seen this movie before!”

He turns her face towards the screen by her jaw, locking her in place with a tight hug. 

“Whaaat? I don’t remember saying that.”

“Rafayel, you liar.” She tries swatting at his face in her cramped position but he quickly stifles it.

“How else would I get you so eager to have a movie night with me? You’re always turning me down.” Now it’s her turn to scoff.

“I do not.” He ‘yeah yeahs’ over her, pressing soft kisses into her hair to get her to quieten down. As they settle back into the movie, there are sounds of footsteps outside her door. She shifts uncomfortably peering up to see if he has any visible reaction. He only looks down at her with a smile and leaves a kiss on her nose. Then she hears it again. They’re quick, scurried footsteps. Okay, now she has to sit up.

“Rafayel, I hear something.”

“What is it, cutie?” She pauses the movie, turning to face him fully with a serious expression. He recognises this and cups her cheek, cocking his head slightly to the side.

“Listen…” she holds her finger up. Sure enough, the footsteps sound again. Like something walking up and down the hall, stopping right outside the door, then going away again. His expression hardens to match hers.

“Scaaary.” 

“I’m not hearing things, right? Babe, can you go check on it?” He gapes at her.

“You want to send me out there?” She can’t tell if he’s pretending to be scared or not, the way his heart is beating so evenly despite the fact there was something outside her bedroom door. But her confusion dissolves as she sees him slide off the bed and walk casually to the door.

“Miss bodyguard, don’t you think you ought to be coming with me?” She rolls her eyes with a huff, getting off the bed. She wasn’t usually this jumpy when she heard strange things. She was never this jumpy on the job, in fact. “If there is someone in your apartment, we’ll have a better chance taking them out together.”

He takes her hand in his before opening the door. He looks left and right before stepping out first. The hallway is pitch black and the light switch is all the way on the other side. He shoots her a reassuring smile, snapping his fingers and lighting a pink flame between them. Its light can only go so far, though. They walk down the hallway reaching the end and entering her living room. 

“Don’t worry, cutie. See? There’s no one here.” It’s true, she can’t hear the footsteps anymore. Maybe their ears were playing tricks on them. 

As he turns them around to go back up the hallway, his flame extinguishes and the smoke carries off menacingly in a gust of wind. She feels her heart drop. Wind? In her third floor apartment? In a hallway with no windows?

“Rafayel, did you…”

He’s quick to reassure her, even though his brows are now knitted and his heart is beating a little faster. “It’s okay. It’s nothing.” Before he can take another step forward, something emerges out of the door in front of them. It turns its head to look at them. Rafayel yells, backing up immediately.

“GET DOWN!”

The figure takes on the appearance of a woman, but as its face comes into focus its mouth is wide open and stretched inhumanely wide. Darkness enshrouds its pale, hollow eyes. It’s a ghost. It has to be a ghost. With a real, physical body. A real, physical body that is coming towards them. 

“WHAT THE FUCK!” He pushes her blindly, in an attempt to get her behind him, but instead she’s launched into the wall. “WHAT THE FUCK!” Rafayel stumbles backwards, despite the ghost’s advances. It has a gnarly shriek, like its crying out. She almost wants to cringe from how harsh it is against her ear drums, but there’s no time. The adrenaline forces her to her feet.

She can feel sweat break out under her arms. On her brow. All over her body. She braces her fists, wrapping them tightly before sending it flying at the entity. It screams in its recoil, so loud she swore it shook the house. It’s head jerks back with a resounding crack. But it refolds itself with that same menacing crack, unfazed. Its arms are clasped together in front of it. It looks almost scared of her, but she dismisses the thought.

“Oh my God, don’t touch my girl!” Rafayel throws a punch at it, sending it back into the wall with another crack. He’s frantic, bouncing his weight back and forth on the balls of his feet. His head turns to look at her. “Shit! Hold my jacket!” He tears the fabric from him, handing it to her before returning to his defensive position. The girl grabs it on instinct, but her brows are furrowed. 

The ghost clambers to its feet. Its hands are now braced against the wall, supporting itself. She doesn’t know what to feel, torn between the fear pumping through her and the churning of gears in her head that insist that what she’s seeing doesn’t line up. Rafayel advances on it, pulling his hand and threatening a punch. She watches the creature cower back, boxing its shoulders in.

“Rafayel, wait!” He doesn’t listen to her, landing the punch and sending it into the ground. She runs up to him, wrapping her arms around his flexed bicep and pulling him back. “Wait! Just wait a second.” His breaths are heavy and ragged. She can see his wrists shaking as they cool down. They watch as the ghost staggers to its feet again. It almost turns away, taking aimless steps in the hallway.

“I think it’s more scared of us than we are of it,” she says. Rafayel sucks in a breath, rubbing the sides of his mouth. He realises it too, lowering his swollen fists. The creature’s cries are broken now. He takes a step towards it and it flinches. It makes him cock his head.

“Fucks sake. Well…” he rubs his temple, suddenly feeling guilty, “what do I do now? Take it outside?”

“Huh!?” 

“Do you have a better idea? I’m all ears.” Rafayel’s voice is rasped. Honestly, she’s stumped.

“Okay, that sounds like a good idea.” She tucks her hair behind her ear. “I mean, should I call anyone?”

“You’re the hunter here, Miss bodyguard.” Right. He’s right. She turns the hallway light on, instantly eradicating anything scary left about the situation. Now, there’s just a ghost in her hallway, whining pathetically from having endured getting suckerpunched three times. 

“Right, well, can you get it to the front door? Then we can deal with it outside.” 

He shot her an incredulous look. “I’m not touching it. Do you have a walking stick or something?”

She leaned a hand on her hip. “Now, really, why would I have that?”

[yannasuniverse]

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐊𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐈𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐁𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮? | 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Dominique Darius x Reader

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Cussing, arguing.

𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬: If you want to be in the taglist just dm me or comment! I tried my best editing this so if there’s any thing spell wrong or said wrong just ignore it😀

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫𝘀: Chapter 1

𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚: This toke me all day to write😭 am sorry it’s so long but hope y’all like it!.

You and Aubrey sat in a booth at McDonald’s waiting for your food to be ready. “Do you think if we put butter in a middle of a cookie and bake it I’ll taste better?” Looking up from your phone giving Aubrey a ‘are you dumb?’ look.

“That’s so stupid, it would make the cookie soggy in the middle duhh” you said in a teasing tone rolling your eyes.

“I’m going to check on the food I’ll be right back” “Ok can u go you fill me cup back up again?” Aubrey nods her head taking your cup with her.

Scrolling through tiktok, turning your head towards the door hearing it door open, your eyes winded a bit seeing Dominique and her teammate Kiki walk in.

Of course she had to be here, you think. Could your day get any worse?. Sliding all the way in the booth putting your head down hoping she didn’t see you.

“Bro what the fuck are you doing?” Lifting up your head, meet with a confused face from Aubrey. “Am hiding” You said looking around making sure Dominique was no where near you two.

“No way your hiding form her” She said laughing as she stuffed a fry in her mouth. “It’s not funny, I don’t feel like arguing am already exhausted” You said grabbing your food.

“Whatever you say” Aubrey said in a teasing tone “Aubrey griffin don’t piss me off” you said mugging her. “Fine I’ll leave it alone, for now.. ” rolling your eyes at her.

You had finished your food, grabbing your Dr Pepper bring it to your mouth but dropping it in the process spill it on your white shirt. “Oh just fuck my life” You said pick up the cup off of your lap.

“Your so clumsy how does that happen?” Aubrey said laughing, “Shut up and am not clumsy” you said glaring at her.

“You are, go to the bathroom to wipe yourself off, and take the tray with you while your at it” She said handing you the tray.

letting out a whine “But that means I have to walk past them, can you come with me please” you ask dragging out the e.

“No, you can by yourself, while I’ll clean up your mess” Aubrey said shoving her last chicken nugget in her mouth.

“Some best friend you are” you said pretending to be mad at her hoping she give in.

“I’m not falling for the fake mad thing, now go” Aubrey said waving you off with a smile. You get up grabbing the tray taking it with you.

“Fine” you said before walking away, dumping the food in the trash, putting the tray away. Your heart started to speed up as you got closer and closer to their table. Making eye contact with Dominique as you walk past into the bathroom.

Grabbing paper towels before making your way to the sink. You began to wipe yourself off with the water hoping you wouldn’t be sticky later.

The bathroom door opened, looking in the mirror to see Dominique in her casual clothes. Just great, you think.

“So how’s your nose” Dominique ask, with her usual shit eating grin. “It’s just fine, thanks for asking” you responded sarcastically continuing to wiping yourself off

Her eyes watch your every move like she was almost examining you. “Are you just going to watch me the whole time or say something” you say becoming annoyed at her watching you. “What’s got you all moody” she ask moving to the other side of you, crossing her arms watching you though the mirror.

“What does it look like? I spill my whole drink on me” You say pointing to the obvious. “Maybe if you weren’t so clumsy that would have happened” Domi said a teasing smile on her face. Your mouth slightly opened no word’s coming out.

“Whatever Dominique” You said turning off the sink, looking down at your shirt still a visible light brown stain on it. Sighing know you should have not wore white.

“Well I have to go before Aubrey gets mad at me, um nice seeing you I guess?” You said questioning the last part. Starting to walk away but stop as Dominique grab your hand cause you to stop.

“What do you d-” “here” She said cutting you off before you could finish, She took of her jacket revealing her white wife beater under. Expand her arm waiting for you too take it.

“You want me? to take your jacket?” You question confused, you could see see Dominique face become slightly red with a look of annoyance and embarrassed lace in. You began to smile preparing to tease her

“Is The Dominique Darius being nice to me?” you teased putting a hand over your heart pouting a bit. Dominique rolled her eyes her face getting more red by the second. “Don’t get use to it” She said shoving her jacket into your hands.

Mumbling a thank you as you put it on, Surprisingly It fit just right on you. “Did you want it back before you leave?, I can wash it and give it back before you do” You ask.

“Yeah that would be great, give me your number so you can drop it off” Dominique said, pulling her phone out of her pocket opening it handing it to you.

Putting your number in under ‘favorite uconn player’ before handing her phone back. She look at the contact name giving you a look.

“What?” You said pretending not to know, walking out of the bathroom with her following behind you “You know what, Favorite uconn player?” Dominique questioned raising a brow. “Yeah because am the best” You say proudly.

“Umm sure if you believe that” Turning your head to glare at her “Whatever you hater, text me the address and I’ll drop it off tomorrow” You said annoyed “And she back to acting like a bitch” Dominique said rolling your eyes at your mood switch as you glared at her.

“You can’t call me a bitch when your one yourself” Domi scoffed “Yeah am a bitch? yeah ok, at least am not in somebody shadow all the time”. A look of hurt come across your face but quickly hide it. And just to think y’all were getting into each other’s good side.

“How about you grow up” “You first” opening your mouth to let out another comeback before Kiki and Aubrey came up to y’all stopping the arguing.

“I see y’all are getting alo-” Aubrey said stop mid sentence seeing y’all giving each the nastiest look’s she ever seen “Never mind then” she said looking at Kiki who just shrug her shoulders in response.

You began walking away, heading outside. Leaving Aubrey and Kiki giving each other confused looks. Aubrey awkwardly waved bye at her new friend before making her way outside.

She got in the car seeing you slouch in your seat arms cross. “Do you want to talk about it.” She ask hesitant. “No.” Nodding her head wanting to give you space, Starting up the car, driving away from McDonald’s making y’all way to the dorms.

The next day you woke up to kk shaking you, “Y/n get up you promised to make me breakfast” Kk whispered in your ear as she shook you. Opening your eyes letting out a load groan turning over to the other side “Kk really? Now? How bout I make you lunch instead” You said your voice a little raspy “No you promised so get up now, before I jump on your bed” Her saying that made you get up. “Fine wait for me in the kitchen” You said getting out of your bed.

Checking your phone to see that Domi had texted you the address of the Hotel, looking over at your desk to see her jacket unwash. Getting up grabbing some sweats off the floor that might be Aubrey’s but who knows. Grabbing the jacket on your way out of your room.

Walking into the kitchen to see kk at the on her phone. Tossing her the jacket “Go put this in the washer while I’ll start making the food” You said diapering into the kitchen not waiting for her response.

“Alexa play Deeper by Dej Loaf and Jacquees” Texting the group chat that breakfast would be ready in 20. “So who’s jacket is that?” Kk ask coming out of nowhere scaring you “First don’t do that and second it’s none of your business” You said handing her a bowl of batter and a spoon.

“Is it someone your hooking up with?” Kk ask even more curiousthen before. “Kk stir the batter before before I’ll not make you any bacon” You said that seem to shut her up.

20 minutes went by fast, now the whole team was in your dorm eating all together. It’s made you happy to see all of your closet friend’s being together all happy. Your phone loudly rang making everyone look at you

“Dang y’all being nosy ”. You said getting up going to your room closing the door behind you. “Hello” You say answering the FaceTime “When are you dropping my jacket off?” Dominique ask only her forehead and eyes showing.

Dang not even a hello?, But I can drop it off now it just got out of the dryer” you say flipping the camera showing her the jacket. “Did you eat yet?” You ask leaving your room, “Um no why?” She questioned you now sitting down at a desk.

“Because I made breakfast and I have a lot leftover, who else didn’t eat?”. Propping up your phone walking away to get to go boxes. “Nobody had anything yet” “Ok I’ll be there in like 30 minutes” You said hanging up the phone.

“Can someone help me make these plates please!” You yelled from the kitchen, soon Aubrey and Jana walk in, “Just put everything in” You said giving them some boxes.

Y’all had finish making the to boxes 10 minutes and now you were at the Hotel waiting for Domi to come help you. Raising your head hearing a loud knock at your window. Opening the door “Did you really have to bang on the window?” You ask annoyed at her childish behavior, opening the back door handing her some of the boxes.

“Yeah I just wanted to make you mad, and it work” She said proudly. “Your so infuriating” you say shaking your head as you grab the last boxes and her jacket before closing the car door.

“Lead the way” walking into the hotel which was really fancy inside. She press the elevator button waiting for a couple seconds as the door opened before stepping in. “So why did you make all this food?” Dominique ask looking over at you a bit “Just made to much that’s all” you said keeping your answer short.

The door finally opened you stepping out the the elevator first then Domi, you followed her down the hall in silence. Reaching her room she knock on the door, the door was opened by Kiki “Hiii thank you for bringing us food, you really didn’t have too” Kiki says to you as she let’s y’all in. “It’s no problem I just made to much” You say giving her a smile.

You sat down at the edge the bed while Kiki sat across from you. “Your so nice I don’t see why Domi hate’s you so much” She says looking over at Domi with a smirk. “Kiki shut up your not funny at all” “I think she very funny” You butting in grinning as Kiki laugh at Dominique face.

“Well am going to take the food to everybody, It was really nice to meet you, you should come to California sometime” She says giving you a hug “Sure I don’t see why not, It was great meeting you too” You said hugging her back “Bye I’ll have Domi give you my number” Kiki said waving before walking out.

Now it was just you and Domi in the room. Neither of y’all said anything to break the silence. “I’m sorry by the way” Turning to look at her confused “What are you talking about?” You ask “You know what I said about you being in somebody shadow all the time” She said not meeting your eyes, realization hit you now remembering.

“Oh it’s ok i guess” You say, “What do you mean i guess, do you not believe me?” Dominique said standing up for the bed making you get up as well feeling threatened. “I mean Kiki probably told you to say sorry”.

She let out a scoff in disbelief “I take my apology back then, you should be lucky that I even said sorry!” She said rising her voice a little “What’s that supposed mean? Oh am sorry that your apology is so fucking rehearse!”. You said crossing your arm’s over your chest stepping a bit closer to her.

“Ok and what if it is! And you wonder why I called you a bi-” “You can’t be serious when you literally do is bully me on the court! And sleep with as many fucking girls you can!” You shout cutting her off, furiously shoved your finger in her chest. “Why does it matter who I sleep with?! Are you mad because you don’t get no pussy or because I wouldn’t fuck you?”

The room went silent, you and her both breathing heavy, tears started to roll down your face. Domi face slightly red from the yelling “Your such a asshole Dominique” “But look who is over here crying like a little fucking girl”. She said rolling her eyes still down at the desk covering her face.

“You know what? fuck you and to think we could get on each other’s good side for once but of course you just had to mess it up” “Well you obviously thought wrong” Grabbing your keys, opening the door to see her whole team at the door with shocked faces.

Mustering the biggest smile you could despite the tears rolling down your face “I hope y’all all enjoyed the food, good bye now” You said walking past all of them speed walking to the elevator.

Everyone went into the room to see Domi sitting down at the desk with her head buried in her hands “I leave y’all alone for a couple minutes and this what happens, why were y’all even arguing this time” Kiki ask walking over to Domi, she uncovered her face shaking her head “Nothing just know she a easy sensitive bitch”.

©𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭: @hellokittyfeenie @favreader23 @authentic-girl03

[aromantic-goldfishdeactivated202]

I find it so funny, in light of TikTok’s imminent American demise, that even now they aren’t considering moving to tumblr. The last two social media refugee crises (Twitter -> X and whatever happened with Reddit) prompted a wave of wide-eyed new baffled tumblr users to flood this app and yet last I heard all of the tiktokers are flooding en-masse a Chinese social media app. That is entirely in Mandarin. Instead of moving to tumblr.

[soldierandawar]

Ryan was mean to a man with sexual assault allegations and who called in a fake bomb threat however will I live?

[spilledmoonlight]

currently experiencing an incomprehensible level of rock bottom right now

[sapphosclown]

just discovered rise of the pink ladies i am perhaps in love with cynthia

[jasonntodd]

.

[littletrashpile]

Can I just say I’m really proud of myself for being totally honest even though it hurts. My throat hurts a lot, but I feel very… free. I’m finding relief in this honesty, this full expression of myself in a place that’s all my own. I’m not, what’s it called, censoring myself and limiting my words, wants, and wemotions. Hehe I made myself laugh.

[thebibliosphere]

Y’all are going to have to gag me because I am going to get even more fucking annoying on my DC bullshit.

He looks so good as Clark.

He’s got that nervous-bewildered look Christopher Reeves did so well while still looking like a walking refrigerator. I’m going to throw up. Please be good. Please. I’m on my knees. My Superman movie crops have been withering for so long...

ID: a TikTok from user @/guywithamoviecamera facing the camera who asks, “hey, do you guys mind watching Superman for a moment?” as he places the camera down in front of actor David Corenswet dressed as Clark Kent who looks at the camera in confusion and says, “sorry, watching who? Who are you supposed to be watching?” with increasing concern as he realizes his cover is blown. /end ID

[partiallysame]

Ghost gets no bitches and he reminds me of whatever that TikTok audio is that’s like “how’d you get her?” And the other person is like “get her? No she grabbed me by the throat and told me I was hers”.

Word count: 800

Warnings: none (ghost being immediately whipped)

So hear me out you’re at the grocery store and while walking down the aisles you see this behemoth of a man. Big muscle sexy, surgical mask covering his face. You want. What to say? How should you approach? Ah yes you need help getting something from the top shelf. Stepping so you’re in his line of sight

“Could you come here?” You ask him and he just gives you a blank stare. Raising your eyebrows clearly waiting for a response he turns around looking for who you could be talking to and who is clearly not listening to you. When he sees no one else in the aisle he slowly points at himself, questioning you. “Yes you.” You smile trying to hold in a laugh. Quickly adding a “please” in the sweetest little voice and he is scurrying over to you.

“Could you please reach that box for me?” Ghost raises his arm up and points to a box when you nod confirming that’s the one you want he hands it to you. “That one too please” he obeys. You have him hand you two more boxes (not needing any of them). Then you try to push your luck a little. “Wait not this one” you hand him a box back and he returns it to the shelf. Before you know it you’ve had this man put all the boxes back just to hand them to you again. A smirk plastered on your face. Not once did the large man question you, not when you were looking up at him with those pretty eyes.

“Ok done with this aisle. Come on.” You start walking and his feet are following you. He hasn’t said a word to you but is following you around the store like a puppy. Down the next aisle you pointed at something (well within your reach) and he handed it you.

“Are you always this obedient?” You watched his eyes go wide but he found himself nodding. He’d probably say yes to anything you ask when you’re looking at him like that, like you want to eat him whole. His answer brought a smile to your face and he swore his knees were gonna buckle. You held out your hand, “phone.” It was a statement not a question and he quickly (fumbling) pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it to you. When you saw it was locked you looked up at him moving the phone ever so slightly towards him. You had meant for him to take the phone and unlock it but instead he mumbled out “0000” a small but dramatic gasp left your lips “oh so he does speak.” You typed in the 4 digits and the phone opened. You looked up at him when the basic passcode worked. “Simple and obedient. Just how I like ‘em” ghost swallowed hard. No one has ever treated him like this. Spoke to him like this. Not even Price. He should be offended? Insulted? Definitely not turned on. Right? (mark him down and scared AND horny). You handed his phone back to him, your number and name resting on his screen. He reached to take the phone from you, but you didn’t let go. Fingers touching you looked up at him “you better call me. I’ll be real sad if you dont.” He swore he was gonna pass out. Before you let go of his phone, hands still touching, heavy steps made their way into your aisle.

“Aye lieutenant there ye are. Been wandering round lookin fer ya.” Soap called down the aisle.

Ghost refused to acknowledge his friend calling for him, keeping eye contact with you. Your smile got bigger as you let go of the phone.

“Lieutenant huh? That mean you know how to give orders too?” He nodded again. “Then I’m definitely going to need you to call me. I’d like to see that.” Your eyes shamelessly raked down his figure. Fuck he needs to hold on to something.

Once you finally walked away, Soap approached quickly asking who you were and when ghosted shrugged his shoulders “I don’t know.” (But he’s gonna that’s for sure)

“She’s a fine looking lass I’m gonna go talk to her.” Ghost’s hand moved fast, grabbing the back of Soap’s neck guiding (pushing) him in the opposite direction of you. He was thanking god you saw him first and not Soap. If you had talked to Soap like that, ghost knew you’d have him walking on a leash (who’s he kidding if you had asked ghost would’ve barked)

Part 2 Part 2.5 part 3

[victory-cookies]

add another tally to ‘genetic potential for having adhd’ boys. first tick being the fact that my grandfather has it. Second one being that. well I don’t know what my dad has going on but it’s something. Third one being that my sister’s therapist just told her she may have adhd

[underskz]

being attracted to all of nct 127 is genuinely my toxic trait