#I’ve been thinking about saving up and maybe trying to take some stand up classes

[prozach27]

.

[jjkamochoso]

How do you think jjk men would court their crush? Feel free to add anyone you want but I would love to read about Choso.

OMG SO CUTE!!!! Thanks for the request and I hope you like it <3

JJK Men Courting Their Crush

A/n: okay so for this, I chose to depict most situations as their first time doing a certain courting activity with you so they’re a lil nervous and haven’t made their crush on you explicitly clear🫣 I hope that’s alright and makes sense!! And I can do a part 2 of them doing the same courtship things but with a confession, just lmk if that’s something you guys want🫶 please enjoy below!!

JJK men x gn!reader

Warnings: none

Yuji: cooking for you

“So, y/n, what do you think?”

Yuji was standing over you as you took a bite of the dish he made. Nervous energy was radiating off of him. He didn’t have much experience in the romance department but knew that usually the quickest way to someone’s heart is through their stomach. He wanted to treat you to some of his favorite dishes as a way to show you that you mean a great deal to him and hopefully get to know you better over a good meal. He had prepped in the school’s kitchen all day after spending hours trying to decide which entrees you’d like the best. He thought back to the times you all went out to eat in the city and what you ordered, then thought about what recipes he knew that were similar. As he was cooking, he hoped you liked what he made enough to where he could eventually do it for you every night.

As soon as it hit your tongue, you felt the warmth of the lovingly cooked food spread through your body. You could tell he spent lots of time on this for you and you were extremely flattered that he would go out of his way to do something like this for you.

“Yuji, it’s absolutely divine. I haven’t had something this yummy in years.”

Yuji put a hand on the back of his neck, sheepish from your compliments.

“I’m really glad you liked it. I have some more recipes that I’ve been meaning to try out and you would be the perfect taste tester if you’re up for doing this often.”

Your eyes lit up. “That would be amazing! But are you sure you wouldn’t mind cooking for me that much?”

“Of course,” he said earnestly, “it’d be tons of fun. Besides, I really like hanging out with you.”

And I really like being the cause of your adorable smile! he wanted to say, but decided to save those words for another time. Chatting and laughing with you was enough for now—maybe he’d cook up enough confidence one day to tell you how he really feels about you.

Megumi: making you playlists

Megumi couldn’t stop fidgeting as he waited for you to meet up with him before class. You had mentioned that you wanted new songs to listen to so when you asked him for recommendations, he took the collecting of songs very seriously. He was never good with his words so maybe you’d get the hint that he had a crush on you from some of the songs he chose. He heard your steps coming down the hall and it was like he forgot how to stand and breathe like a normal human being. He shoved his hands in his pockets and studied a stray rock lying on the ground to look busy.

“Hey Megumi!” you greeted, making him jump slightly. He mumbled out a “hello” and immediately dug into his backpack, a CD emerging from its inky depths.

“Well, I, uh-I didn’t know if you used Spotify or YouTube or something else but I know you mentioned having a CD player so… yeah. Here.”

He thrusted the CD into your hands without meeting your eyes. The plastic case held a disc that said “Y/n’s Playlist” in sharpie.

“Thank you so much!” you said, inspecting it, “I’ll give this a listen after class. I really do appreciate you taking the time to do this for me.”

“It’s nothing,” replied Megumi, running his fingers through his hair.

“Oh wait, I won’t know the song names or artists when I listen to this. Wanna come over later and help me make a track list?”

Megumi felt his face burn up with a blush. “Y-yeah. That, uh, sounds great.”

He’d definitely have to make you more playlists and keep forgetting to include that pertinent information!

Yuta: complimenting you nonstop

“Y/n! I like your shirt!”

“Y/n! Great fighting form!”

“That joke was hilarious, you’re so funny, y/n!”

These were things you were used to hearing when you were around Yuta. He was always showering you with compliments, not that you were complaining. He had a major crush on you and wanted to start letting you know that he saw, appreciated, and admired you without revealing his full feelings for now. You and your classmates were training on the field and Yuta was your sparring partner.

“Wow, you really pinned me down quick! That was amazing,” Yuta said as you extended a hand to help him up.

“You’re always so sweet, thank you,” you replied. “You were really good, though, too! I’m sure you’ll get me next time. You’re super strong.”

Yuta felt his breath hitch in his throat. He was superb at giving compliments but horrible at receiving them.

“Geez, that, umm… it means a-a lot coming from you because you’re so great. Thank you.”

“Please, I’m not that cool! You’re awesome as well,” you told him.

“Yeah, but not as awesome as you!”

It seemed that you two were stuck in a never ending cycle of compliments. After a few more rounds of back and forth, you agreed that you were both cool and strong and whatever other positives you could think of. Yuta left the field in high spirits, thinking of all the creative ways he could tell you how cute you were the next time he saw you.

Inumaki: giving you flowers

Toge stood, clippers in hand, eyeing the flowers in front of him with an intensity rarely seen from the blonde. He was trying to decide on which flowers to cut to make you a bouquet. Taking flowers for personal purposes would normally be extremely frowned upon but he was the plant caretaker and figured he could get away with snipping a few here and there. He thought back to all of your previous conversations, wracking his brain for any moments you might have mentioned a favorite all those times you walked here together. He remembered you’d said you liked them all so he really couldn’t choose wrong. When he made up his mind and clipped his picks, he smiled under his pulled up collar. He walked over to your dorm, an extra pep in his step.

“Toge! Hi!” you greeted kindly as you opened your door. His collar was now pulled down and you felt your heart swell at seeing his cursed marks curled in a happy expression. You were afraid you were about to get pranked when you saw he had his hands behind his back, but your fears were quelled when he presented you with a small bouquet of flowers.

“These are for me?” you asked, surprised.

He shook his head. “Salmon.”

“You’re the best! Thank you!”

You grabbed him into a hug, careful not to crush the flowers. He’d keep bringing you bouquets until either you got the hint that he liked you as more than a friend or he got the courage to write out his feelings.

Noritoshi: writing you letters

It was hard to make friends at the Kyoto school since your classmates were always so on edge about letting people get close, but you and Noritoshi had somehow bypassed that fear and your acquaintance turned into something deeper over the years. Unfortunately for Noritoshi, his feelings now dove even deeper than that, finding himself in the throes of a crush. Unsure of what to do, he’d tried ignoring the nagging feelings in heart every time you spoke to each other, but it never work. After much introspection and consideration, he determined that it would be wise to see if you felt the same. If you did, great. If you didn’t, he’d be released from the constant “what if’s” running through his mind. As he started putting pen to paper, he felt his confidence falter. Who pours their feelings into a letter instead of speaking face to face? Is that cowardly? He changed gears; this letter wouldn’t be of romantic intent, per se, but just of a way to get to know you better and show you he cares about what you think, how you feel, and whatever else he managed to write before his fingers failed him. When he nervously slipped the sealed paper under your dorm door a few days later, he anxiously awaited to see when you would mention it in your face to face conversation with him—you didn’t.

Imagine his surprise when he was greeted with his own letter hours later! You had expressed your delight in his letter and wanted to keep him as a consistent pen pal for the near future. Noritoshi’s hands grasped your letter, fingers tracing your words. With this new open view of each other’s hearts, your private conversations safe from prying ears, he yearned for the day he could tell you the truth of his heart before it was spilled in ink.

Todo: carrying/lifting things for you

Aoi knew you were more than capable of handling things yourself but he wanted to show you that he’d be your perfect, strong protector so he’d always offer to carry whatever you were holding, no matter how big or small. At school? He’d carry your books. Grocery shopping together? He’d lift all the heavy items in and out of the cart. Need to move your car but you’re too lazy to get up? Consider it done—he just picked it up and moved it. He hoped that by continuing to show up for you like this, you’d see how much he really likes you. Of course, he wouldn’t be afraid of speaking to you about his crush on you, but he would rather go out of his way to impress you first before stating his obvious attraction to you.

“Y/n! Let me get that for you!”

Your dorm room door was propped open and Aoi had shown up, seemingly out of nowhere, when you were struggling to move some furniture around in your room. He lifted the couch with ease and shot you an award winning grin and wink.

“Just tell me where you want it.”

You pointed to a spot near the window and he put the couch down gracefully, barely making a sound.

“Anything else I can help with?” he asked eagerly. He’d rearrange the layout of the entire school if you asked him to—anything to make you happy!

Gojo: buying you gifts

Satoru was not the type to outright tell someone he had a crush on them. You know, the whole “love is the greatest curse of all” thing? He’d much rather ignore those feelings in hopes of them disappearing. So when he found himself fawning over you nonstop, he didn’t know the right way to convey his desire to connect with you on a deeper level. He might’ve been running on empty in regard to romantic skills, but his bank account was severely overflowing. He began to take mental notes on everything you looked at and put back while in Tokyo during your shopping trips and visited those places to buy all of it on his own.

“I got this for you.”

Satoru had several bags by their handles that he gently nudged toward you. Confused, you opened them, greeted by multiple items that you had taken notice of but didn’t have the funds to purchase. You didn’t remember Satoru even being there when you were browsing them in the first place.

“Satoru, how did you-”

“I pay attention more than people think,” he shrugged, glad to have his blindfold covering his eyes so you couldn’t see how they softened when they met yours.

“You didn’t have to do that, you know,” you said, trying not to cry tears of happiness.

He chuckled. “I know. You deserve nice things, though. If you can’t treat yourself, then allow me to.”

He was glad he turned infinity off to feel your arms wrap around his in a tight hug. Even if the words evaded him at the moment, he’d be sure to keep showing how much he cares for you by giving you things to remember him by.

Geto: taking you to the farmer’s market

“Come, y/n, I have a fun morning planned for us.”

Suguru had texted you and invited you to the local farmer’s market. You, of course, accepted readily, and now that he was here to pick you up, he was starting to feel a little nervous. Your friendship was a wonderful thing but Suguru craved to get to know you better and see if you shared the same romantic affections he was feeling toward you. He figured that going somewhere low key like a farmer’s market would be great to cultivate easy conversations. As you two walked together, admiring the handiwork of the local artists, you shivered from a cold breeze that kicked up. Suguru was quick to remove his outer layer and drape it over your shoulders.

“Oh, Suguru, I don’t want you to get cold.”

“I’m alright, I promise. I’d rather be a little chilly than see you freeze on my behalf. May I buy you a warm drink as well?”

After that, you were nice and toasty and he glad he could help in any way he could. When the market was closed and you two walked back home, you decided to make a visit here an every week occurrence. Suguru was sure that in a few weeks’ time, he’d prove to you that he’d be a great partner.

Nanami: cooking with you

Kento wasn’t sure how to approach the topic of his romantic feelings toward you. He valued straightforward communication, but he couldn’t find it within himself to outright express his desires for romance right now. Instead, he opted to show you he cared by inviting you over to cook a meal together. He had asked you to pick a recipe and went shopping for all the ingredients. Now that you were finally over at his place, he felt his palms getting sweaty as saw you chopping vegetables, looking extremely cute while doing so. You gave him a sweet smile when you noticed him staring and he quickly looked away, a blush apparent on his cheeks. You dropped the veggies into the hot pan and he started cooking them. You two worked well together, never in each other’s ways and able to partake in conversation while keeping the task at hand. When dinner was ready, you were ecstatic that everything tasted delicious.

“Is it alright if I ask you to join me again sometime soon?” Kento asked.

“I would love nothing more,” you replied sweetly, his stomach now teeming with butterflies.

Choso: stargazing with you

Choso had zero experience with any type of romantic love. He was the expert in familial loyalty, a prime example of being a great big brother, but being a boyfriend? Not his forte. However, his desire to woo you outweighed his nerves so that’s what led him to call you and tell you to meet him outside one night. He read online that looking at the stars is a good way to induce romance and he was determined to prove to you that he’d be a worthy partner. You were taken aback when you saw he had set up blankets on the ground and put out picnic baskets of snacks. He had even wrapped you up in another blanket so you didn’t get cold! Once you were settled, you both chatted about anything and everything as you gazed at the wonders of the night sky.

“Choso! A shooting star, quick, make a wish!”

It was quiet for some time.

“What’d you wish for?” he asked, breaking the silence.

“I’m not supposed to say or else it won’t come true,” you teased, nudging his arm. “What about you?”

He was studying the sky before he looked back at you. “I wished to keep having the privilege of sitting here with you as many days as I can.”

You felt yourself go shy at his confession but it certainly wasn’t unwelcome. After that, you had plans in place to meet up again in a few days to do it all over. Choso was hoping that his next wish would also come true—that he’d be confident enough to bring the true feelings of his heart to light.

Toji: inviting you to local music shows

There was nothing better to Toji than a cheap activity, an attractive person by his side, and the promise of alcohol. That’s what led him to extend an invitation to you to join him at a small concert being held by a band you both liked. When you met him outside the run down venue, Toji felt his heart rate pick up as he saw how good you looked. His calm and collected demeanor didn’t change a bit, though, as he lazily threw an arm over your shoulder and walked with you inside.

“This place is super cool, Toji,” you said, taking in your surroundings.

He smirked. “I knew you’d like it. Wanna get something to drink?”

Toji wasn’t known for having tons of money but he liked you enough to pay for the first round of your drinks. As the band finished setting up their equipment and started playing their first song, you had a blast dancing along while he kept stealing glances at you between sips of his drink, relieved that you were having fun. You were able to convince him to dance with you after a few more drinks (not that the drinks affected his decision making—he just couldn’t deny a request from someone as hot as you). As the night wound down and he walked you home, he felt an excitement spark in his heart that he hadn’t known in a long time. He hoped that one day he’d stop being a coward and tell you he really liked you, but for now, he’d be content just holding you in his arms—and definitely keeping an eye out for flyers with information for the next show.

[callooopie]

Modern!Davos Blackwood headcannons (pt. 1?)

— SFW —

I’ll hit it from the back, just so you don’t get attached — i like the way you kiss me // artemas

I can definitely see myself making more of these. Adding to the modern! Davos lore. Not proofread. LMK if y’all have other ideas or headcannons too!

Benjicot Davos Blackwood. People call him Davos. Only close friends call him Ben. Only you can call him Benji. Although, he goes by his middle name usually. Now, bloody Ben? That’s a story to be told later on how he got... (There is no story. It’s just people saying “Shit.. there’s bloody Ben..” or something like that. There’s no violence to the name, only pure exasperation when people see him)

This is the boy you need to hide away in your closet or under your bed when your parents come checking in on you randomly. You could’ve been working on homework, or just hanging around. And somehow this “annoying” guy appeared outside your bedroom window—and you just had to let him in. “C’mooon, let me in sweetheart.. you think I can’t climb up there? Stand back, I’ll show you.”

He is the type of person to rant about how the education system is rigged, set up to fail students, or rant about it in general and as a whole. Anyway he’s got a 4.0, and makes it onto the dean’s list every semester in college. However he is always late to class—complete with either a Monster or Red Bull drink in tow.

He invites you over to his place like a gentleman. Ignore his “annoying fuckass” roommate.. (it’s Aeron.) He does the whole (“it’s a little messy :3”) as he leads you down the hall of their apartment. “Hello MTV, welcome to my crib.”

He cooks at that desk, game-wise. Faceit level is between 5-6. CSGO rank is Master Guardian II (He does tell you he once hit Global Elite. But he stopped the grind to focus on school, not because he’s washed or anything—maybe you could be his Valorant duo? Or be his support in League; he’ll have you know he makes a mean ADC.. do you do overnight discord calls?—)

If you play more casual games (Minecraft, stardew, etc) he will play with you, HOWEVER, he will either ruin the aesthetic of the minecraft world via automated farms OR speedrun the mines in stardew (he passes out so much it starts to affect the money you’re trying to save for farm upgrades). Every time he goes fishing in either game he puts on a country accent and makes “gone fishing, getting away from my bitch wife” jokes. “I’ve uh- carved out an area for the iron farm. Nothin’ too big—just something to get started.” (Shows you an utterly decimated and leveled biome)

Davos Blackwood fun fact no. 43; he does rallying (rally racing). He went to a rally school for fun over the summer. Ignore the price tag; yes he saved up for that! no it’s not dangerous! Regular driving wise he does donuts in empty parking lots, and takes corners way too fast. He is the type to street race a random ass pickup truck or some other car that pulls up beside him. It is thrilling, and he knows you enjoy it too despite your protests and how you grip the handle above the seat. “No it’s fine.. pfft—don’t worry don’t— I’ll smoke him. Just watch.”

Speaking of cars. Do not complain about his car. This is his baby. His one and only. It’s an old car; it’s so old it’s bordering not being considered street safe anymore. Ignore the anime girl stickers with their tits and ass out, that was there already he didn’t do that. “It’s safe don’t worry—I’m getting the bumper and everything fixed like Monday I swear.. no I did not hit anything why would you say that-“

He’s oddly in-tune with his emotions and emotions of others despite appearances. He’ll KNOW if something’s bothering you. Maybe you’re just a little too quiet, you laugh at a joke a little too late or even if it sounds unenthusiastic. Whatever it is, Davos is on the case. A hug, some pep talk, he’ll let you punch his palms to get any anger out. He’s your ride or die, of course he’d do anything for you. And maybe if it’s a person who upset you he might pay them a visit.. “Who was it this time? Oh—that bitch? Ugh. I’m sorry about that… I have a gun just saying—“

Needs your hand in his. Or some part of you touching him. Whatever works. If he does not get a modicum of affection in 5 minute intervals he shrivels up like a plant—no he’s not being dramatic. Is the type to whine loudly about it regardless of where you’re at. On occasion he lets out bloodcurdling screams as a joke, lamenting about being denied tender love from you. You think it’s funny in private, you do not think it’s funny in public. Which is why he always does it in public. “Gimme your hand. Wha? What do you mean ‘it’s too hot out’? I wanna.. I wanna hold your hand… I don’t care if you’re sweaty—LET ME HOLD YOUR HAND”

I do believe his brain would be.. a little rotted. He sends you tiktoks, niche memes, shitposts. He will watch twitch streams or league/csgo content creators on YouTube. His vocab is normal, but does consist of slang from the gaming community. This can be good and funny, or sometimes bad if he uses it during serious moments. However he’s at least a normal human being and knows when to talk ‘normally’. He says joever unironically

Shadow boxes you. No matter what’s happening or where. You could be looking at something in a store and you just see slow, dramatic punches going toward you. He makes the whooshing sound too. This is how you know he’s bored. He’s also the type to tackle you to the bed. Not in a sensual or cutesy way but in like a WWE way that initiates a caged fighting match between you two.

Regardless of your mastery level of skateboarding he will hold your hands and pull you around on his board. Late at night when the parks or lots are empty, you both will be there. And he’ll be a smiling goof as he gently steers you around on the board. He usually says fuck helmets (his one big flaw), but carries one around just for you. His safety be damned. Yours? No question about it, you’re wearing all the gear required.

Smoker. Red flag. Marlboros, sometimes he uses zyns. It’s bad. Yes he knows he’s going to get lung cancer and succumb to nicotine. But he just can’t help it—it helps him relax. It’s why there’s a plethora of gum and also a cologne bottle in his car. Does it help? That’s to be determined. Does not smoke near you however if you don’t like that, he’s not that bad of an asshole.

[so-long-soldier-writes]

Go to Hell

kai parker x reader

summary: there's nothing like waking up realizing you've been kidnapped by mystic falls' own sociopath, malachai parker. will this day end with your blood on his hands, or will his sweet spot for you save your life?

≪ originally published to ao3: 3/30/23 ≫

tags: consensual non-consent, kidnapping, knife-play, alludes to stalking, sex magic / spell, daddy kink, praise kink, minor spit kink, minor degradation; SPOILERS: secret phrase used for consent, roleplay, aftercare :)

word count: 5.4k

A rattle rings out throughout the otherwise empty room as you shake your hands, desperately trying to free yourself of the cuffs. No luck - they’re on tight, with little to no room for you to move. You bite your lip, scanning the room. Over by the chalkboard, a gleam catches your eye - the key. There’s no way you could reach it though, because even if you got free, your captor would definitely hear your escape. You’re left forced to await his return, and maybe, with a beg for mercy, he’d let you go unharmed. 

“Hello?” You call out gently. “Why am I here?” The only response is your voice echoing. “Please, you’ve kidnapped the wrong girl! I don’t know anything; I’m not worth anything to anyone!”

A click of the tongue interrupts your silence. Footsteps. They stop outside the classroom door. “Huh. I’d like to disagree with that. Surely someone’s looking for you.”

“They’re not, I promise. If you wanted to lure someone here, you should’ve captured Elena.”

Kai Parker stands in the doorway, wielding a knife. “Hm, well, I don’t want Elena. I wanted you.”

“Why?” You swallow hard.

“I’ve been watching you. Carefully. Some might call it stalking, even. I see when you leave your apartment, when you return. I know when you have class, and I know your favorite places to eat. I even know your coffee order.”

“Yeah? And what’s that?”

Kai smirks, then recites your order verbatim as you do every morning to the barista. 

“How do you know that?”

“Like I said, I’ve been watching you.”

“Why me?”

“Do I need a reason?”

“I…”

“I’ll tell you this much: I think you’re pretty. And you’re smart, and whether or not you believe it, you matter to someone.”

You scoff, tugging on your chains once again. “Why do you need me here?”

“I’m trying to learn how to control my magic. See, I siphoned a bunch last night, and now I don’t know how to use it. Oh, and by the way, don’t try to escape. I’ve bewitched the chains. They tighten each time you fight them.”

You stop resisting immediately.

“Good girl. Already learning. Oh, that’s the second part, too. Not only do I want control over my magic, I want control over you. See, you’re a pretty girl, I’ve already said that. But after having no control for eighteen years and being trapped in a prison world, I’m sick of living under my father’s terms. Now, I’m finally out, and I need to be in control of something, someone. And I’ve decided that’s you.”

“Is that what that knife is for?”

“Good observation. When I tell you to do something, you obey me. If you don’t, don’t think I won’t retaliate. There’s a reason I was locked up for years.”

“Oh I’ve heard your history, you-”

“Ah, ah, did I say you could speak? No. And certainly, I did not say you could talk back to me. What punishment do you think you deserve for that, him?”

“Like you’d actually hurt me. You’re all talk.”

A haunting smile takes over his face. “Brave little girl. You underestimate me. Look at me.”

You refuse to meet his eyes.

“Hm. That’s two punishments now. Okay, for the first one, how about…” suddenly, you feel a cut along your cheek. Looking at Kai, you see him directing his finger in a line, yet he doesn’t have to touch you to break skin. “Oh! You can obey, that’s a good girl. See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

“Go to hell.”

“Did you miss the part where I was in a prison world for eighteen years? That was hell, princess.”

“Then go fuck yourself.”

“Now why would I do that when I have you?”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“No. You can’t.”

“As long as you obey, I won’t have to.”

“Kai, please!”

“Begging already? Didn’t count you to be weak, Y/N.”

You whine, tugging against the cuffs. Immediately, they tighten, causing you to cry out. 

“I warned you about that, princess. How’d you forget already?”

“Fine. What do you want from me?”

“I want you to sit still while I try a spell. It’s just a simple silencing spell, so that anyone possibly coming in won’t hear us, okay? I know it’s spring break, but you can never be too careful.”

Slowly, you nod.

“Good girl. This shouldn’t take long.”

As Kai performs his spell, you start brainstorming ways to escape. If you can just get out of the cuffs, you can do your own spell to get away from him, but as long as they tighten, you can’t concentrate enough to break free. Maybe you can try the classic breaking-your-thumbs trick, or maybe, break the table leg around which the cuffs are holding you. You debate this plan, although get so lost in it, you don’t realize when he stops chanting. 

“It’s done. Now, tell me, in that short period, how many different ways did you conjure up a possible escape plan? Hm? Two? Three? More than that?”

“I didn’t-”

“Don’t lie to me, princess.”

“I swear!”

Kai lifts his knife and stands up, “are you sure about that?”

“Fine! Fine. Okay, I thought of two.”

“Only two?”

“Yes, I promise!”

“And what are they?”

You shake your head.

“Be honest with me, Y/N,” he stalks over to you, leaving mere inches between your faces. His knife is pointed at the ground, but his grip on the handle is strong. 

“No.” And in a split second of defiance, you spit on him. It hits him square in the face and drips down quickly, some spilling onto his lip. 

Angrily, he grabs your neck. Not hard enough to cut off your airway, but enough to choke you just a little. The sharp point of the knife rests on your collarbone. The cool metal directly touches your skin. “Answer me.”

“No.”

“Y/N!”

“You won’t hurt me.”

He laughs, “are you sure about that?”

“You don’t have the guts. Sure, eighteen years of isolation made you crazy, but it also made you scared. Scared of your daddy, and what he was capable of. If you hurt me, it’ll make the news. He’ll come for you.”

“Don’t try to manipulate me!”

“You won’t do it, Kai. You can’t. You said it yourself, you think I’m pretty. Why would you kill a pretty girl you like? Hm?” You don’t know why you’re egging him on. Maybe the knife digging into your skin is turning you on a little; maybe it’s his eyes. Or maybe, this is the most excitement you’ve had in a long time, even if your words might be your last. 

“You’re right, why would I kill you?” In one quick motion, he slices the blade down the front of your shirt. It flies open, revealing your black bra for him to see. “Ah, lace. Like you knew you’d be kidnapped.”

“Kai-”

“Oh don’t ‘Kai’ me, I know you’re secretly enjoying this.”

“No.”

“Then how would you react if I-” he drags the blade down between your breasts. Involuntarily, you let out a moan. “There it is. ‘No’ my ass.”

“Don’t.”

“Oh, princess, you’re not going to fight me, are you? It’s this or I kill you.”

“Go to hell,” you repeat. 

Kai smirks, “oh, I’ll be on my way. Right after I get a little slice of heaven.”

There’s nothing you can do as he eyes your body. For a second, though, he seems doubtful - like he’s afraid to hurt you. But then one look into your defiant eyes and his dominance is back. “Look at me.”

You snap your gaze to him immediately.

“Good girl! I’ll give you a little reward for obeying so well.”

For a minute, there’s nothing, and you actually think that’s your reward. But not two seconds later, there’s an unexplainable pressure on your clit, rubbing it in figure-eights. Kai’s not even within kissing distance anymore, so how-? Right. Magic. Despite the situation, you want to groan. He’s so good at it, feeling exactly where you need him, and increasing pressure in certain areas. 

“You like that, princess?”

Lost in the feeling, you can only nod. 

“Use your words.”

“Yes, Kai.”

“I thought so. But we’re going to have to stop there. Can’t have you coming on me just yet.”

The pressure decreases into nothing, soon leaving you wet and cold. As soon as you come to, you realize what you just let him do. Embarrassment takes over and you duck your head away from him. 

“Awh, now don’t get shy on me.” You look back at him, afraid that that’s some kind of code word for needing your attention. “There you go, beautiful. Now, how will you feel about these pants coming off?”

“What?”

“What?” He repeats your question, “I can’t fuck you through jeans, now can I?”

“Kai-”

“I promise I’ll make you like it. All you have to do is listen. Maybe I’ll even untie you, if you promise not to run away.”

“No, please don’t.”

“Awh, come on! Your body is dripping, I can smell your arousal.”

“What?”

“Just another spell, don’t worry. Sex spell, actually. If you’re interested, I have another batch of the herbs. Just a little tea, and you’ll be wanting me in no time.”

“Why didn’t you already drug me? Figure you kidnapped me, might as well drug me, too.”

“Eh, wanted to give you a chance to get horny yourself.”

“Never. Never will I get wet for you.”

“Hmmm, that smell says otherwise. It’s pooling in your panties, Y/N. Sweet, like honey, or… cotton candy.”

You take a risk. “So why’d you drug yourself? You can’t get hard by yourself?”

“Aww, cute. No, I have full control over myself, Y/N. But thanks to my spell, like I said, it lets me know how you’re feeling about all this. And I know that you started to get wet the minute my knife first touched your skin.”

“I…” you curse yourself for not having an answer.

“It’s okay to be turned on. What do they call it? Stockholm syndrome? Falling in love with your kidnapper? I believe they even have a song about it. Huh,” he chuckles, “and it was in your playlist when I looked.”

You laugh in his face, “it’s One Direction. Everybody loves One Direction.”

“Yeah? Can you explain why it made your top ten on your Spotify wrapped?”

“It’s catchy.”

“Catchy, yeah. Or, you have a kink.”

“I do not have a kink.”

“It’s okay to admit, princess.”

“I do not have a kink.”

“Suit yourself.”

Without warning, Kai brings the tip of his blade further down your body, over your clothed sex. It doesn’t hurt, not in the slightest, but you can’t ignore the dull, tingling sensation left by the feeling. Then, he comes close enough to whisper in your ear, “I do believe you liked that.”

You swallow hard.

Kai flips his hand so that the blade is facing the ground before pressing the hilt into your crotch. He applies a bit of pressure, but not enough to cause pain. Just enough to see your face contort up close. “What about this? Do you like this?”

“No.”

“Hm. Let’s find out.”

Maybe if you had said something else, this wouldn’t be happening. Maybe if you said ‘yes’, he’d leave you alone, not wanting to please you, and would move his attention back up to your face. Maybe he’d cut your other cheek, or practice another spell. But no, you had to be defiant. And now he’s unbuttoning your high-waisted jeans, shrugging them down your legs. 

“Ah, lace panties. Matching your bra. I love when girls do that, it’s so sexy.”

“Fuck you, Malachai.”

“Ohh, princess, that is not what you want to call me.”

“What? Awww, are you sensitive? Does it hurt?” Again, why are you egging him on?

“Shut up, or I’ll make you. I have plenty of more silencing spells I could try out on you.”

“So why haven’t you? I could call out right now and expose you.”

“Well first of all, we’re in your old high school, and it’s spring break, like I said before. And second, like I also said before, I’m still learning how to control my magic. I don’t want you quiet, I want to hear you beg and cry for me to let you cum.”

“In your dreams.”

“Maybe this is. Maybe I haven’t kidnapped you. Maybe this is your dream.”

“We both know that it’s not. You’re a sociopath, and I’m your victim.”

“Aww, giving up so soon? You don’t have to be a victim.”

“You kidnapped me.”

“It’s all in good fun.”

“You’re insane.”

“Maybe. But like I told Elena when I kidnapped her, pre-merge, mind you, liking yourself is the most important thing. And I like me.”

“So you like being a sociopath? That pretty much solidifies the fact that you’re going to kill me. You’re going to use me, then kill me.”

“Not if you comply.”

“God,” you scoff, “this is crazy. You’re crazy.”

“Maybe. Let’s find out. Are you ready to listen to me?” He produces the knife again from his back pocket. “Or are we going to do this the hard way?”

You stare at him. This could go two ways: you comply with everything and hope he spares you, or you can fight him all the way through this and die with dignity. Neither option seems good, but then again, that’s the whole point of trying to survive a sociopath’s kidnapping.

“I can see the internal debate.”

“There’s no debate.”

“Again, with the lying! C’mon, fess up or face punishment.”

“No.”

“Still stubborn? Okay. Let’s… ooh, here looks good.” After scanning your body, Kai draws another line with his finger. This time, you see him using magic before you feel it, but soon enough, you can feel it, too. A straight line across your chest. In between your tits. 

“How’s that feel?”

“Go to hell.”

“You really like to say that.”

“I mean it.”

“Will you mean it after this?”

Now his finger is making circles in the air. Every so often, he rubs them together, too. In a few seconds following the gesture, you feel something tugging at your nipple. It’s cold, yer feels so, so good to be stimulated. “Oh fuck,” you whisper.

“There you go. Knew you’d like that. I overheard a phone call you made where you mentioned you loved when your ex would do that. Am I as good as him, Y/N?”

“Better,” you moan out. You slap a hand around your mouth in disbelief at what you just admitted.

“Don’t be embarrassed. It’s okay to enjoy the pleasure I’m giving you. That’s the whole point. You’re pretty, I like you.”

You gulp.

“Ah, and there’s that sweet smell again. Hey, would you like a taste? I know I’m craving it.”

“No, Kai, wait!”

He starts to move back over to you, but your words stop him in his tracks. “No? You don’t want any more pleasure? If that’s the case, I can just do a few spells and then leave you here. When those stupid kids return to their classes on Monday, they can find an almost nude girl, hungry, probably crying, tied up to the ceiling fan. Orrrr,” he drags it out, “you can let me fuck you, as I intended to do upon stealing you.”

You fight back threatening tears, “please don’t leave me here.”

“I don’t want to, princess. Let me take care of you. The only condition is that you obey me.”

“Fine.”

“That’s a good girl,” he strokes your cheek, “no need to cry.” 

With one hand on your face still, the other dips below your panties, feeling around your wet, hot core. Two fingers go in, then two come out, glistening. Kai brings them to his mouth immediately, rolling his eyes in pleasure at your taste. “Amazing. Would you like to taste yourself?”

“I have.”

He grins wide. “I knew I liked you. C’mon, taste yourself on my fingers.”

He repeats the action, bringing them to your lips next. “Good?”

You nod.

“Use your words.”

“Yes.”

“Good girl. Now, I wonder how you’d like this.” The knife reappears, and its hilt is, again, at your core. “Are you gonna let me strip you?”

You bite your lip. The thought of him fucking you with the knife sounds like absolute pleasure, but you hate to let Kai win.

“Come on, princess. The blinds are closed, no one can see you. It’s just you and me.”

“Fine.”

“That’s all? Just ‘fine’?” 

You nod. 

“Alright, I’ll take it.”

Kai hooks one finger around your panties and pulls them down your body. Your lower half is on display for him now; the only thing you have on at all is your bra. “Gorgeous,” he compliments with a lick of his lips. Then, still holding onto the knife, he buries the hilt into your pussy. It’s not deep at all, but it does bring some pleasure. Mostly because it’s a knife that he’s using, of all things. 

After letting you adjust to the feeling, he fucks you as best he can with it. He’s very close to your body, lips against your neck, fingers grazing your core, with every small thrust. You won’t cum from this, but it’s definitely checking off a box on your secret kinks list. “Oh!”

“Mhm, love to hear your whines.” He licks your neck before sucking on it.

If he were a vampire, he would be feeding from you right now. The quickly passing thought makes your body jolt. 

“Oh, princess, what was that?! Something got you all excited.”

“No, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Really? We’re just gonna pretend that didn’t happen? Hm, fine. I’d gladly take input if you like to be pleasured a certain way.”

“This is fine.”

“Is it? Shoot, because I was just about to stop. Knife’s not doing it for me anymore. Need something bigger.”

You hate to admit he’s right. Hate it, hate it, hate it. But he’s turned you on, and now if he doesn’t pleasure you, you’re gonna make him regret it. 

“What do you suggest we do instead? I can magic fuck you, make you believe there’s something bigger, thicker between your legs. Or… I can get a bigger knife. Or, we could do this the old fashioned way,” he ghosts a hand over his pants. It’s just then you realize how tight they’ve gotten; how big the imprint against them is. 

Looking at it, you lick your lips, completely forgetting the setting. Of course, Kai notices. 

“You like that idea?”

Your breath hitches in your throat.

“You don’t need to be scared of me. I said I’m going to take care of you.”

“Please, fuck me, Kai.”

“That’s a good girl, there you go. It’s okay to admit you need me.” He sets the knife down, then walks over to the chalkboard. “If I let you out of those cuffs, do you promise not to run?”

“Yes.”

“Just ‘yes’?

“Yes, daddy.”

“Much better. Do you promise not to scream?”

“Yes, daddy.”

“Promise not to hurt me or escape in any way?”

“Yes, daddy, I promise, I swear.”

“You know if you’re lying, one little spell and I’ll have you back in my grasp. And if that happens, I won’t be so kind the second time. And I certainly won’t let you cum.”

“I know. I’m not lying.”

“Good.” He grabs the key, then stalks back over to you. “When I let you out, go over to that desk and kneel beside it.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you want to keep the knife nearby? As long as you’re a good girl, I promise to not hurt you.”

“Yes, I want it. I like it.”

“Good choice.”

You obey every order as soon as he unlocks the cuffs. Any sane girl would run for the hills despite their promises, but Kai said he’d let you cum, and he is going to, because you say so. You’re going to make this kidnapping worth your while. 

You're on your knees at the desk when he comes back over to you, knife in hand. As he talks to you, he undoes his belt and zipper, then pulls himself out. 

“Okay, princess. Get me ready but not off.”

“Yes, daddy.”

He holds the knife at the back of your neck, but you’re not too worried about it. If anything, it motivates you. You waste no time getting him in your mouth. No part of you wants to wait, and although that should be because you want to get this over with, you secretly know you’re too excited to go slowly. Kai’s average in size, but thick, and even before seeing his cock, you were attracted to his looks. And maybe you do have a little bit of stockholm syndrome, so this isn’t the worst thing that could’ve ever happened to you. Besides, the only time he’s actually hurt you was the small graze on your cheek. If he wanted to cause you harm, he would’ve threatened you more. Kai just seems to want sex, but doesn’t know how to ask.

“You better be smirking because you’re enjoying this, not because you’re plotting.”

“Eumh noph, flotphing,” you respond, mouth so full that the words are incomprehensible.

“What was that?”

You pull off him, a trail of spit still connecting your bottom lip to his length as you do. “I said I’m not plotting.”

“Yeah? Then what was that smirk?”

“Nothing, I was just thinking about how good you taste.”

“Sure you were.”

“Can I get back to it?” You bat your eyelashes.

“Yeah, go. No more funny business.”

After that, he seems to have decided to retake control of the situation, because the knife soon disappears off your neck - you hear it clang onto the desk - and both his hands find their way into your hair. He digs his fingers into your scalp, making you moan, which sends vibrations throughout his body.

“Good girl.”

For about a minute, he then holds your head in place and fucks himself into your mouth. Tears form in your eyes despite how much you’re actually enjoying it. Though before you know it, he’s pulling himself away from you. 

“How are you doing, princess? Think you can take my cock now? Are you still wet?”

“Yes,” you nod as you stand up. He even helps to guide you down onto the desk. “Though I still think you should go to hell.”

“The minute I take myself out of your mouth, it gets vulgar again.”

“I’m sorry, daddy.”

“I didn’t say that was a bad thing.”

He smirks at the face you make, while lining up at the same time. To your surprise, and comfort, he starts slowly, giving you time to adjust. He starts with the tip, teasing your folds, then entering them just barely. Then, entering a little bit more, a little more, a lot more, until you finally nod for him to go fully. As soon as you give him the okay, he’s rocking hard into your body. The desk is shaking and you’re quickly a moaning mess. Sweat glistens at his forehead, somehow making him even hotter.

Suddenly, he’s chanting. Fear courses through your body, unsure of what he’s doing, what spell he’s producing. You’re about to interrupt, possibly burst into tears, when he stops. In fact, another noise stops, too. 

“What was that?”

“Stop that damn desk from shaking. Don’t want it to break and hurt you.”

His concern for you makes your heart warm. Maybe he is just a sad boy who needs to kidnap girls for sex, and uses his sociopathic tendencies to get his way. 

“Plotting again?”

“No, daddy.”

“Better not be.”

“Promise.”

“Good girl. Open your legs wider for me.”

You obey instantly, and he goes deeper. His finger on your upper cervix marks an area he’s hit repeatedly. He’s pressing into it gently, making you gasp each time he hits it again. 

“Kai?”

“What?”

“Knife.”

“You want the knife?”

You nod enthusiastically.

His spare hand grabs the knife again and presses it onto your throat. “Look at you, my sexy, kinky slut. You’re being such a good girl for daddy.” He drags the knife along your body, tracing your tits, your arms, then back to your neck. The finger on your cervix has since moved to your clit, rubbing it exactly how you like it. “Are you close?” He asks after a few more minutes.

“Yes, daddy, I’m so close.”

“Cum for me, princess. You can do it. Come on,” he continues to coax you, not slowing down until you finally hit your high.

You cry out his name, whining and moaning, gasping for breath. Your legs are shaking and your core tightens around him. As you’re finishing, his is triggered. He cums inside of you in thick ropes, probably painting your insides white.

“Holy fuck,” he moans out, riding you through his own high. For a minute, he collapses on top of you in an effort to catch his breath. 

“Kai, no pill,” you say in between breaths.

“Yeah, and I don’t want fucking Gemini babies.”

He pulls out of you slowly. You’re both sensitive and he’s going soft. As soon as he’s out, his cum begins to leak out of you. Some of it he misses and it falls to the carpeted floor of the high school. “Oh well,” he only shrugs. The rest, he gathers in his palm and drips into his mouth. You watch him as he swishes it around, clearly swallowing half the load, but you know there’s more in his mouth. He locks eyes with you and taps his jaw. You know this is code for you to open yours. As predicted, he leans down to spit the mixture into your mouth. “Swallow it. That’s for spitting on me.”

“You deserved it,” you sass back after swallowing.

“Don’t interrupt my spell.”

You shut your mouth and instantly, he starts chanting. A minute later, he opens his eyes.

“Contraceptive spell.”

“That’s handy.”

“Yep.” Kai looks at you, seemingly admiring your body. “I’ll be back. Run if you so wish, or stay, I don’t care. You’ve served your purpose.”

And with that, he leaves the room. 

You sit in the empty room, staring at nothing in particular. There’s a dull burning on your core from his thrusts, and your cheek is still stinging a bit from the cut earlier, but overall, you’re still enjoying the effects from your high. You take a couple deep breaths, then glance over at the knife. It’s a gorgeous knife, of course it belongs to someone as beautiful as Kai Parker. 

Speak of the devil, his footsteps return. 

“How are you feeling, princess?” He leans in the doorway, twice in one day, This time, though, carrying a number of things.

You smile at him, “really good.”

“I didn’t go too far?”

“No, baby, you were perfect.”

“Okay, good.” He comes over to stand beside you again, setting down his supplies. “Let me take care of you, hm?”

“Okay.”

He hands you a water first, “drink as much as you can,” he points to it. “Are you sore?”

“A little.”

“Okay, I got you.” He wipes you down with a wet but warm washcloth, then follows it up with a dry one. On and around your pussy, he applies a moisturizer that instantly makes it feel better. He massages your hips and thighs, too, easing any tension that may have built up from your position. 

“Kiss me, Kai.” The boy stops mid-care to give into your will. He kisses you sweetly, cupping your face. His hands on your chin graze the magic cut, and he breaks the kiss to look at it.

“Shit, that’s worse than I intended.”

“It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt. A little dull pain, but I’ve told you before, I like pain.”

“Mhm, but I’m still going to clean it up, okay?” 

You nod. Kai takes out a new washcloth and dabs the cut clean, before applying some kind of natural healing cream to it. “Feel better?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I’m going to get this one on your chest now.” He repeats the same process to the cut between your breasts.

“Okay. Anywhere else hurting?”

“You didn’t hurt me anywhere, baby.” 

“I know, but anywhere else you need a little care? How’s that wording instead?”

“Not that I can think of. You got the three spots that were a little sore.”

“Okay.”

“I do need a new shirt, though. You cut open my one.”

“I did, didn’t I?”

“That was so fucking hot. I didn’t know you were going to do that.”

“Hey, we had to leave some of the night up for improvisation. What’s the fun in planning it all?”

You grin at him, beckoning him closer with your hands for a hug, As you break apart, though, your face grows sad. “Speaking of which…”

“You okay, princess?”

“Yeah, but um… I didn’t go too far, did I?”

“When?”

“When I was egging you on earlier. When I brought up your dad. I didn’t mean it. You’re not weak; you’re a lot stronger than you know for surviving that prison world.”

“That? No worries, gorgeous, I know you didn’t mean it.”

“But it hurt you, I know it did. I could see it in your eyes.”

“Well, it is partly true. I am afraid of him. But I’m okay, I promise. You didn’t go too far, we were both playing around. And I said much worse to you.”

“I’m sorry, Kai.”

“Rest your little head, darling, it’s okay. You’re perfectly okay.”

“If he ever does come and even try to hurt you, I’d kick his ass so hard he’d be choking on my boot.”

The threat makes Kai laugh. A genuine, happy laugh. “I know you will. I love you, princess.”

“I love you, too.”

“While we’re on this page, though, I didn’t go too far, either, right?”

“Nope, I’m all good.”

“Good, okay.”

“Hey, did you really drink a sex tea, or was that made up?”

“Oh no, princess, I really drank one. And yes, I could smell your arousal, and it tasted as good as it smelled.” He notices your blush. “All that and you’re getting shy now?”

“I can’t help it! You’re so fucking hot, Kai. You’re hot when you’re praising me, and you’re hot when you’re calling me a slut. And oh my god, you’re hottest with that knife, pressed against my throat. I- I- um… I need- we need to do this more often.”

Your confession has Kai just as red as it has you, “I am certainly down to do this again. Say, we could even switch up the location. How would you feel tied to a tree, maybe?”

“Or what if I force you on your knees in that Lockwood cellar, hm?”

Kai’s jaw drops. “That can definitely be arranged.” The thought of you in a dominant position over him suddenly renders him paralyzed. 

“Good,” you kiss his cheek. 

“But before any of that, we need a couple calmer nights. We’ll talk them through again, too.”

“Of course. Is ‘go to hell’ still a good consent phrase?”

“It’s perfect. Work for you?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Now let’s go home, princess. I’m not done caring for you yet. Finish that water, and I’m going to cook you dinner.”

“Okay, Kai.”

“And, we really need to get out of this high school, before the post-spring-break janitors come by.”

“Are we gonna get the little bit of cum you missed?” You point to the small, but darkening stain on the carpet.

“Nope,” Kai smirks, “they can play Salem witch trials with that.”

“Mystic Falls trials of which students snuck in to fuck over break.”

“Exactly. Jokes on them, we’re not in high school.”

“Nope, and technically, you’re old enough to actually be my daddy.”

“Y/N, we’ve hashed this out before!”

“I know, I’m just messing with you… daddy.”

“You better stop before you dig yourself a hole there.”

You giggle, “I would, but I’m tired. And I want you to cook me dinner, because you cook really well.”

“Thank you, princess.” Kai takes your hand, his supplies in the other, to start the walk home.

“Don’t forget the knife,” you snort, grabbing it with your own spare hand.

“Definitely don’t forget the knife. Thank you, again, love.” With a final kiss shared between you two, you make your way home. 

[steddieonmywaywardson]

The Ghost (1990 movie) au nobody asked for!

“Argh! What the fuck? You’re here?” She shrieks. Before Steve can answer, she shakes her head as she begins to pace back and forth in front of the couch. “No. No. You’re not. You’re not here at all,” she babbles. “This was bound to happen. Overactive imagination. That’s what they all say. I’ve been watching too many movies. Concentrating too much on my script. It’s starting to bleed into real life and you’re just a figment of my imagination because I’m tired. Yup. That’s it,”

“I need your help Robin. I-“

“My help?” She laughs mirthlessly. “Oh no. No, no, no,” she’s shaking her head again. “I’m no help to anyone. I need to cut my hours at the video store…and I need to give the writing a break. Maybe go back home to Indiana. That sounds good right now…”

“I’m not a figment of your imagination,” Steve replies gently. He’s been so caught up in the fact that he’s finally found someone who can hear him, he’s forgotten how terrifying it must be for Robin. “I really wish it didn’t have to be this way, trust me, but you’re the first person since I died that’s been able to hear me,”

“Since you died?” Robin blinks. She’s still shaking her head in disbelief. “I can talk to dead people. Like some weird superpower or something…I couldn’t write this shit if I tried…” she slumps down on the couch and puts her head in her hands.

“You’re a writer?” Steve asks.

“Trying to be,” Robin replies, looking up. “Between taking shifts at a video store and an ice cream place to make ends meet,” she sighs. “And now I’m talking to you, as if I wasn’t having a mental breakdown right now. Who are you anyway?”

“My name’s Steve Harrington-“

“Uh huh. Do I know you or something? I don’t remember any Steve Harringtons…” she thinks for a moment. “Wait, were you the guy in my media class? The one who was always leaving his muffin crumbs all over the classroom floor?”

“No. I’m…well, I was a banker. Working near Tribeca-“ Steve answers.

“A banker?” Robin says incredulously. She rolls her eyes. “Why the hell would I make that up? I know nothing about banking!”

It’s obvious they’re getting nowhere but Steve needs to do this. He needs her to hear him so he can save Eddie from Jason.

“I’ll prove to you I’m real! Do you have last week’s newspaper?”

Robin narrows her eyes at him but she dutifully stands up and disappears into the small kitchen. A few moments later, she comes back with a crumpled newspaper, obviously rescued from the garbage. She sits back down and throws the paper onto the coffee table in front of her.

“Turn to page fifteen,” Steve says.

“Can’t believe I’m doing this…” She mutters to herself as she unfolds the newspaper and rifles through it until she reaches the right page.

“Left column, near the bottom,” Steve instructs.

He watches as Robin’s eyes dart across the page and stop when she reaches the article. Her eyes widen.

“Ok so….that doesn’t prove you’re real,” she says after a minute or two. “If anything, it proves my overtired theory. I clearly read about you and now my subconscious is manifesting you,” she explains. “Yeah, I took psychology in college,”

“Please Robin,” Steve says desperately. “I know this is a really shitty situation, OK? I’m dead. I was murdered actually and I’ve been taken away from the love of my life and it just so happens you’re the only person I know of that can hear me. Do I wish it was different? Fuck yeah I do. If I have to…be dead, then why can’t it be my boyfriend who hears me y’know?”

“Your boyfriend?” Robin suddenly looks interested. “You’re gay?”

“Yeah but-“

“Huh.” Robin replies. She opens her mouth as if there’s going to be more, but shakes her head again. “So…why do you need my help?”

[thenon-fictiondays]

Hirano to Kagiura light novel translation 4-4

Chapter 4: Fall.

Part 4

Prev || Next

At long last, tomorrow is the day of the cultural festival.

He’d thought they’d definitely stay late after school to prepare on the eve of the festival, but by rule of the student council, everyone had gone home at the same time today.

It can be said that this policy, which makes no allowances for the classes that were unable to finish their preparations in the time allotted, is typical of a school that values autonomy.

Even the culture clubs’ practices are restricted, and extracurricular activities are also entirely forbidden.

Thanks to that, Kagiura has been on pins and needles. Even though he’d tried to study in his room to suppress his flighty nerves, he can’t make himself focus on English vocabulary at all. Numerical formulas are somehow even more impossible.

Such being the case, he has since been reading a basketball magazine he subscribes to.

“Hey, you like cookies?”

At the sound of Hirano’s voice, Kagiura’s head snaps up.

“Yeah, I like ‘em!”

“Cool. I’ve got some left over that we made in home ec today; you want one?”

As he passes over a cookie, he adds, “I forgot all about them.”

Kagiura would’ve thought it’d just be the round type, but it’s the type of cookie with two colors so you can break it into pieces cleanly. It’s amazing. It looks especially good. 

“Sure, I’ll take it!”

Male students’ homemade sweets are even more of a rarity than their homemade cooking.

Kagiura had made drop candy in his elementary school cooking class, which was his one and only experience in the subject.

“It’s all yours. There was one that Sasaki made, that he made look like a cat’s face, kind of like a tuxedo cat? It was super fancy. Should’ve taken a picture.”

“Did you make this one?”

“Yeah. We used the same dough, though.”

“I think yours is beautiful.”

“Huh? …Oh, haha, thanks. I kinda feel like you’re saying that to make me feel better, but I wasn’t trying to fish for compliments.”

“...Can I eat it now?”

It’ll be dinnertime soon.

“Ah…well, it’ll be our little secret. I’ll eat some, too.”

To Kagiura’s surprise, he puts a finger to his lips in the universal shh gesture.

Gguhh, Kagiura chokes on the cookie he’s already put in his mouth.

“What’s wrong?!”

From hanging out together for half a year, he should know that Hirano’s a soft person by nature, but he still can’t get over it.

“Th- the cookie got into my organs…”

“The fuck?!”

He likes him…maybe.

It shouldn’t leave the realm of maybe yet.

“Th- they were so tasty I kinda ate them too fast…”

Hirano bursts out laughing at his attempt to save face.

This guy laughs so much!

“Hahaha…Gotcha, I’m glad then, ahahaha.”

“Jeez, it’s not that funny!”

He covers his face with the open magazine, protesting that he’s already embarrassed enough, but Hirano’s still laughing as he apologizes.

“Damn. You know, if I ever get married, I hope I find someone who wears their heart on their sleeve like you do.”

At that moment, it’s as if time has stopped.

“.......?!”

Kagiura freezes, the basketball magazine falling from his hands.

“Oh, it’s dinnertime. Let’s go.”

Does he not realize what he just said?

No respect for the fact that he’s just taken Kagiura out in one hit.

Still in shock, Kagiura heads out for dinner slightly behind.

*****

On the long-awaited festival day, the skies are so clear it’s almost too hot.

Inside, the school is teeming with people.

As one would expect of the one day when even current students are allowed to wear casual clothes, there’s color everywhere you look.

Kagiura is wearing the original T-shirt his class had ordered.

The orange uniform, printed with the word “yakitori” and a drawing of meat skewers, stands out quite a bit for its simplicity.

Even as he’d listened to his classmates complain that they didn’t know what kind of casual clothes to wear at school, Kagiura had just figured “it’s hot, so a t-shirt is the only way to go”. But on the day of, he sort of understands how they feel.

The school where they spend all their time in uniforms is suddenly awash with all sorts of outfits. Just this fact is enough to make the vibe a little jittery, like they’re cutting loose.

Even Kagiura, who’s used to wearing casual clothes in the dorms, feels that way, so the students who commute from home probably feel even more out of place.

This time last year, Kagiura, whose choices of cram schools hadn’t been few, had not yet decided his future plans. As a result, he didn’t come to last year’s cultural festival, although it had been a perfect day to visit the school.

Everything he’s seeing is new to him, and although he’s been watching it all come together, each new wonder just deepens his excitement.

And of course, all of the food looks delicious.

Before noon, when he goes to visit Hirano’s class, cultural festival pamphlet in hand, Hirano soon appears, dressed in his favorite white T-shirt.

He lets Kagiura decide their itinerary, since “it’s my second year at this”.

They walk past someone holding up a sign that reads “Cheesy yakisoba in the courtyard!!”

He may be a rival in the Courtyard Stall battle, but Kagiura plans to go buy from them later.

The line for the yakitori stand is quite long; it’s grown from the time Kagiura was managing the stall in the morning.

After they get through the line and are handed a cup of yakitori, Kagiura takes them here and there, tugging at Hirano’s arm.

*****

Prev || Next

✨ANNOUNCEMENT✨

As I've been winding down work on the novel, seeing all yalls comments and support made me super emotional, and I wanted to do something to show my thanks. So I've decided to host a lil giveaway for everyone who's been following along with these updates and sharing your thoughts and reactions with me! I'll make a separate post with more details but I wanted to talk about it on one of the updates since I figured a separate post would just get buried lmao

And as always a very heartfelt thank you to my reading list members @jeizet, @jujupanic, @massyworld, @umbreonwolfy, @acidsuzanne-blog, @neoday, @lary-the-lizard, @tsmginc much love as always ✨

[circus4apsycho8]

𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚘𝚗, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚕. | 𝚊𝚌𝚗𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚒𝚊 𝚡 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 | 𝚌𝚑. 𝚟𝚒

𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢'𝚜 𝚜𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚢, 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜, 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎.

“Hey kid. Come on in.”

You step aside, allowing Romeo to enter your home. Acnologia is out attending his classes for the day, leaving the house to yourself.

“Thanks,” he replies, stepping inside. You notice he’s tenser then normal, which doesn’t surprise you.

You gesture for him to have a seat at your dining room table. “Can I get you any snacks or drinks?”

“I think I’m okay for now, but thank you.”

You nod, sitting down across from him. “All right. So I know you heard Alexander’s real name.”

“Yeah…I’ve been thinking on it for a while.”

“I know you have. I’m here to tell you the facts, not change your mind about him,” you say. “I met him when we battled, as you know. Ever since we traveled together, I started noticing improvements in his character. Which…I understand why you’re hesitant to trust him. I was too at first, but as I got to know him, I realized that he’s just been too enveloped in his magic to see the good in Dragon Slayers.”

“I heard Natsu and Lucy talking to Makarov about his attack on Tenrou,” he notes, sighing heavily. “It’s just…hard for me to know that he’s the reason our guild mates went missing for seven years. And now he’s here. With you.”

“I understand that,” you say softly. “He’s proving to me that he’s getting better. He retained control while we were fighting the dragons, and he’s been working hard to improve his healing and character.”

“I see that now,” Romeo says, shifting his gaze to your face. “And I really think it’s just going to take me a little while to get over it.”

“It’s okay,” you say, smiling. “He knows what he did was wrong, and he’s trying to atone for it as best he can now.”

“I’ll try to give him a break. What do you mean by him trying to maintain control, by the way?”

“He has these…blackouts,” you answer, frowning as you recall that conversation. “He loses control of his magic and conscience self, and his inner dragon controls him while he’s passed out.”

“Oh,” he replies. “I see.”

“Yeah. Doesn’t excuse what he did, because he had to kill a lot of dragons to get to that point, but it does explain.”

“His magic is so powerful….” Romeo comments. “But he’s doing a lot of good now. He saved you, he’s been working on himself, he acknowledges he needs to change and has been getting better. So… ”

“He also joined Crime Sorcière,” you add. “They’re going on their first mission with him this weekend, I believe.”

“Okay,” Romeo replies, smiling. You see his shoulders relax a little bit. “I still don’t think I can forgive him just yet, but…I’ll give him a chance.”

“And that’s all I ask,” you say with a smile.

“I feel a lot better about this now,” he confesses, standing up. You follow his motion, grinning as you ruffle his hair.

“I’m glad,” you state. “Are you doing okay, though? Not just physically…I know what you saw is hard to cope with.”

“Oh…yeah…” His smiles fades as he sighs. “I don’t know. I’ve been having nightmares ever since. But my dad is looking into therapy, so…”

“Good. It’ll help.”

“I hope so. It’s been hard for me to sleep lately.”

“I bet. But let me just say that you’re doing well. Just make sure you get the help you need, all right? And I’m always here if you want to talk.”

“Thank you,” he says, smiling as he comes to hug you. “I should get back to the guild now. But thanks for this, I needed it.”

“Anytime. Be safe, you hear?”

“Got it. See you later!”

With that, Romeo exits your home, leaving you with your thoughts.

Hmm. Maybe you should take a job? It’s not like you have much to do right now. Maybe you should wait for Acnologia to get home first and ask if he would want to come with you.

You look around, realizing that your house is a bit of a mess. Well, maybe some tidying wouldn’t hurt in the meantime. Mind set, you start straightening your house up.

After a while, you’re interrupted by a knock on your door. Hm, not Acnologia. So who?

Upon opening it, you find Jellal standing there.

“Hey,” you greet.

“Hello,” he replies. “Is Acnologia here?”

“Not yet, he’s still at his lecture for the day.”

“Ah, I see. Well, I have a question for you as well.”

“All right, come on in then.”

You step aside, gesturing for him to enter. He does so quickly and with elegance. Once more, you have a seat across from your guest.

“So, as you know, our first mission featuring Acnologia is coming up this weekend,” he starts. “We were wondering if you’d like to come with us?”

“What’s the mission?”

“We’ve caught wind of one of Zeref’s demons lurking in a small village near the northern coast. According to Ultear’s research, we think they’re planning to cause a large-scale massacre on the full moon occurring this Sunday.”

“Demons, huh? Why wait for a full moon?”

“There’s something different about this type,” Jellal replies, frowning. “I don’t know what, though. That’s why we thought we’d offer you to come with.”

“I’ll talk to Acnologia first before I decide. I wouldn’t mind joining, but I want to make sure he’s okay with it too. He’ll be home shortly.”

“Excellent. There is one more matter I wish to discuss…” he sighs, expression growing serious. “We are looking at defeating Zeref in the next year or so. We’re going to need all of the help we can get, and if we could enlist your help…”

“Of course,” you reply, straightening your posture. “Zeref has done enough damage. I’ll be glad to help stop his sorry ass.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” the bluenette replies.

The two of you talk for a bit longer before the sound of the doorknob rattling catches your attention. Moments later, Acnologia walks in.

“Hey!” you greet with a smile as you go to hug him. He grins, returning your embrace and pecking your cheek. “How was your day?”

“It went well enough. And yours?”

“Good,” you reply. “We have a visitor!”

“Ah, Jellal,” Acnologia releases you (much to your dismay) and walks over to the table, where you both sit down.

“Hello. How are you doing?”

“Well, thank you. How about yourself?”

“I’m fine, thank you. I have some matters to discuss with you about our upcoming mission.”

“I’m clear to go,” Acnologia answers, leaning back. “We’re leaving Friday, right?”

“Correct. We’re leaving early Friday morning. I’ll send you the details later on, but as of right now, that’s our plan.”

“Acno, do you mind if I tag along with you guys?”

“Of course not, love,” he replies with a small smile.

“Okay, I just wanted to ask.”

“Perfect. I’ll tell Ultear that you’ll be accompanying us as well.”

You nod, leaning back. “Sounds good.”

...

“This one?”

Acnologia frowns, studying the flash card in your hand. You giggle slightly upon seeing that the tip of his tongue is poking out between his lips, a confused expression on his face.

“Don’t make fun of me,” he growls playfully. “It’ll come to me in a second.”

After Jellal left, you decided to help Acnologia study for another exam. It’s been kind of successful, but you’re in the mood to mess with him for some reason.

“You can do it,” you encourage, a teasing smile on your lips. “...I think.”

“Shut up.”

“Make me.”

He goes silent for a moment, gazing piercing through you in the way that sends excited chills down your spine. Moments later, he lunges forward to grab your cheeks, pulling your face to his. He kisses you roughly, causing you to drop the flashcards so you can wrap your arms around his neck and deepen the kiss.

Seconds later, he pulls away with a smirk. “That seemed to work.”

“Whatever,” you reply with a grin. “Okay, back to studying!”

“I don’t feel like studying anymore.”

“Oh?”

“I want to do something else.”

“Like what?”

“You.”

You laugh, going to sit on his lap. He encircles you within his arms as he pulls you towards him. “That was bad.”

“Maybe so, but it’s true,” he mumbles, a soft smile on his lips as he gazes up to you. The two of you quietly stare at each other for a few heartbeats. “You’re so beautiful, you know that?”

“Acno...”  you mumble, smiling as your heart melts. “Thank you. You are too, though.”

“I could never compare to you,” he mumbles, raising one hand to brush against your cheek.

“Acno!” you whine, drawing out the last syllable of his name as you wiggle in his grasp. He only holds you tighter, grinning against the skin of your neck.

“What? Everything I’m saying is true.”

“Stars, you’re so sweet...” you mumble, resting your head against his shoulder. Mmm. You could stay like this forever.

“Not as sweet as you.”

“Dude!”

He chuckles. “It’s the truth.”

“Give yourself some credit too!”

“I don’t need that,” he says, smiling softly.

“You do need it, you’re just edgy,” you tease, booping his nose.

He scrunches his face. “Hmph.”

Another giggle escapes you as press a kiss to his cheek. “Are you excited about the job?”

“I am. It’s going to be my first official mission.”

“I think it’s going to be fun. Plus, we get to go with Crime Sorcière! I’ve heard such great things about their group!”

“Really?”

You nod. “They have such powerful wizards, like Jellal and Ultear. We can learn a lot from them!”

“That’s true. Do you know if the whole guild is coming?”

“I don’t think so. Angel and Meredy are in Crocus visiting Sabertooth, I think, and Racer and Hoteye are working on another mission.”

“So, it’ll be us, Jellal, Ultear, and…who else?”

“Cobra and Midnight,” you finish.

“And you haven’t met any of them besides Jellal?”

“Nope.”

“I see. Well, how about we get to bed, love? We have an early morning ahead of us.”

…

“Is this the spot?”

“Yes. We’re a bit early, so we still have a few minutes,” Acnologia answers as you glance around.

The early morning sky looms above the two of you, a soft breeze raising goosebumps on your skin. Despite the hour, you can’t help but feel like something is off about the town. You know you’re being watched.

By the looks of it, though, the demonic infestation haunting this town would not be a problem for much longer. Jellal’s letter had instructed the two of you to meet them at Hargeon Town at the listed time. From there, you all would initiate the search for the possessed townspeople. Hopefully that wouldn’t be a problem considering the nature of your magic.

After a few hours of traveling, the two of you managed to make it to Hargeon just in time. Beginning to grow anxious to hunt down Zeref’s demons, you step underneath a nearby streetlight in order to read the job description:

Location: Hargeon Town Task: eliminate demonic activity located near the 8-Island restaurant. Lethal force unauthorized unless facing life-or-death situation. Goal: eradicate all evil from villagers, who have been possessed by Zeref’s lower-level threats. I have a confirmed record of about a dozen, but that’s only the ones that have been seen. We need to exorcise the entities out without harming the villagers. If Erik and Acnologia cannot pick up their scent, we will have to find another way to figure out where they are hiding. Reward: up to 100k Jewel if done correctly. Additional Note: Stay aware in this area. This town is home to Yajima-san. We will need to work quickly as to not cross paths with him.

“How does Jellal get this kind of money?” you wonder, stowing the paper in a safe place.

“From what I heard, he and Ultear managed to negotiate a grant contract with an organization that specializes in criminal reformation,” answers your boyfriend as he runs a hand through his hair.

“Wow, that’s both impressive and clever,” you note, stepping closer towards him. It’s a little bit chilly out, and he seems to sense that as he slings an arm around your shoulders. The warmth from his body helps you stop shivering for the time being.

“Thanks,” you mumble, laying your head on his shoulder.

“Anything for you,” he says, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “Are you doing okay? You seem a bit restless.”

“I love hunting demons,” you admit, jitteriness overcoming you. “It’s my favorite type of job. Their presence here is overwhelming. I can tell they’re going to put up a decent fight considering they stem from Zeref’s magic.”

Acnologia nods. “I understand that.”

A few seconds later, Acnologia suddenly turns in the direction of the road, where you spot Jellal and the others walking towards you. The heavenly body magic is with a tall, dark-haired woman and two men – one, however, seems to be asleep on a floating carpet. Interesting.

You offer a brief wave in greeting as the two of you approach them.

“Good morning,” Jellal greets. “It looks like we’re all here. Excellent. First things first – this is Ultear, Midnight, and Cobra. This is Acnologia and…” he introduces you. “Acnologia is our new recruit and she is a Devil Slayer who agreed to help us fight Zeref.”

“A Devil Slayer? That’ll simplify this mission tenfold,” Cobra notes as he shakes hands with Acnologia. “Regardless, it’s nice to meet you both.”

“The pleasure is ours,” Acnologia replies as you shake Cobra’s hand.

“It is an honor to be working with you both,” Ultear adds with a small smile.

“Same here. I’ve heard amazing things about your magic,” you state.

Cobra lazily points a thumb towards Midnight. “That’s Midnight, but he’s always asleep. If he wakes up soon, I’ll force him to properly introduce himself.”

“Anyways, we should get started in the interest of time,” Jellal interjects.

You nod in agreement. “They already know we’re here.”

“How can you tell?” Cobra questions.

“They’re watching us. They cannot understand our words but they can sense our intention. They aren’t going down without a fight.”

“In that case, what’s our plan?” Jellal wonders.

“Leave the exorcism up to me. There are lots of them here, but we’ll need to subdue all of them if we’re to complete the job without harming the people. Exorcisms are dangerous for the vessel, so we need to get the demons as weakened as we possibly can.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Cobra states. “Where are we headed?”

“This way,” you answer, leading the group towards a clearing in the town. “A large portion of them are gathered just beyond the forest line.”

“Acnologia and Cobra. Can you guys smell them?” you question, spotting Midnight merely peeking one eye open.

“I’m picking up a weak trail,” Acnologia notes.

“Me too. It’s coming from the forest. I can hear them, too. They think they’re being sneaky.”

A twisted grin settles on your face as you ready yourself for battle. “Void Ray!”

Your furrowed stare spies figures emerging from the forest. A ball of dark magic gathers in the tips of your fingers before you send it spiraling out towards the group. The others leap into action, joining in on the attack.

“Dokuryū no Hōkō!” Cobra yells, sending a blast of poison towards their group.

“Invisible Scythe!” Midnight adds, causing ethereal blades to slice towards the demons.

As the demons fall from the first few attacks, Acnologia backs up. “Eternal Flare!”

Magic stars barrel down onto the fallen foes, eliciting the possessed humans to screech inhumanely before they rush towards your group. You can tell they’re all injured and suffering from Cobra’s poison, but the pain doesn’t seem to affect them.

Midnight suddenly steps in front of you and sweeps his right arm out to the side, causing an unseen force of magic to make the group fall.

You snap your fingers while chanting underneath your breath, causing a symbol in the shape of a pentagram to appear on the ground underneath the fallen bodies. There are five symbols in each space between the points of the star-like figure inside.

“Damn you,” one of the demons spits. “Our Emperor will kill you all!”

“Yeah, he’ll get them. There’s no need for us to worry,” another adds.

“Banish Demon,” you mumble, causing the magic circle to light up a dim purple as all of the demons inside the circle start writhing in an attempt to resist the powerful spell. Within moments, all the demons have been exorcised as the humans scream out in agony.

And then, the evil within them dissipates entirely. The pentagram fades and you smile, left with a bunch of confused humans.

“I thought you said they were gonna put up a fight,” Cobra jokes, glancing at you with a smirk.

You chuckle, shrugging. “It appears I was wrong.”

A wave of hushed murmurs catches your attention. You turn to see the townspeople nervously studying you and the others.

“Don’t worry, we’re not going to hurt you. The demons are gone. Are you all okay?” you ask, leaning down to help them each up.

“I feel weak...what happened?” one person asks. This one is a young woman of about twenty years or so. You’re glad this exorcism went well – the results of a bleaker outcome would have been horrific to say the least.

“You were possessed by some of Zeref’s lower-level demons,” Midnight answers, “but they should be gone for good now. If you’ll let us put an anti-possession symbol on you, then you shouldn’t get possessed ever again.”

“You’re feeling weak because of the poison I used. It’s a weaker one that just tires you out. It won’t actually hurt you, it just takes a bit of time to wear off.” Cobra explains next.

“Is anyone hurt?” you ask.

Acnologia goes around healing anyone who has an injury before you and the other five set about stamping anti-possession tattoos on their bodies.

“Um...aren’t they fugitives?” asks a man who is clearly shaken. “I feel like I’ve seen them on the Council’s most-wanted list.”

“They are, yes, but they’re trying to make up for their sins. They’re good people, trust me.”

“How do you know that?” a nearby woman asks you.

“Tell me something,” you say, catching Acnologia’s gaze as you step in front of the crowd. “My old mentor once asked me: ‘What is better: to be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?’ What do you all think?”

That question always gets people. The group falls silent.

“Well, in any case, we recommend that you keep a hefty supply of salt, iron, silver, and holy water handy just in case of a supernatural attack. In that case, your best bets are wizards from legal guilds,” Jellal adds. “We tend to drift about, so it’ll be quicker to alert the legal guilds.”

Ultear nods in response. “Additionally, we would greatly appreciate it if you all keep quiet about our involvement here.”

“Or just say that I was here,” you suggest.

After getting the rest of the villagers secured, you rejoin the group at the road.

“That took way less time and effort than I expected,” Cobra admits once you arrive. “We normally have such a hard time hunting those assholes down. But you knew exactly where they were and how to get rid of them. Did you even read an exorcism?”

You shake your head. “I created a spell that implanted the exorcism’s language into the magic in order to expedite exorcisms.”

“That’s clever,” Jellal notes as Acnologia steps beside you, looping an arm around your waist.

“I mean…if you guys are really set on fighting Zeref, I wouldn’t mind teaching you how to cast it,” you offer.

“We would greatly appreciate that,” Ultear says, smiling at you. “Though…we have another matter we’d like to discuss with you.”

“What’s up?”

“Well…as you were finishing up, Ultear and I decided to make you an offer. We’d like to formally offer you dual guildship with our guild.”

“Dual guildship? That exists?” you wonder.

Ultear nods in response. “It’s rare because it’s hard work, but has been done before. Your primary focus would still lie in Fairy Tail, of course, but you would still be considered a full member of Crime Sorcière at the same time.”

Your eyes widen slightly as you turn towards Acnologia. He chuckles softly, nodding at you. “Are you kidding? Of course, I’d love to be a part of this guild!”

“We are delighted to hear it!” Jellal says as a slight tingling sensation emanates from your skin. You realize it must be your new guild mark.

Cobra grins, patting your back a few times. “Hey, welcome to the team. Both of you.”

…

Two days pass, and you and Acnologia make it home without trouble. Jellal promised to keep in contact, and you’re hoping to hear back from him soon.

With Acnologia out taking his exam, you’re left home alone with a bit of time to pass. Laxus had invited you on a mission with the Thunder Legion, which you’d accepted since you didn’t have much else to do.

You quietly hum as you change into a fresh outfit, checking your appearance over in the mirror. Hopefully Acnologia would do well on his exam – he had been studying hard for it but still struggled with some of the material.

Once you’re ready, you dart to the living room, gathering the rest of your belongings before making your way to the guildhall.

Upon arrival, you’re greeted with the typical ruckus you’d grown used to. Laxus and the Thunder Legion are seated at the bar, speaking with Mirajane.

After weaving your way through your guildmates, you have a seat next to Evergreen, greeting the group.

“Hey guys,” you say, smiling at Mirajane.

“There you are,” Laxus replies. “Ready to head out?”

“Yeah,” you affirm, noting that the commotion has seemingly increased for some reason. Hm, someone must be unconscious now. You’re about to ask the white-haired bartender something, but the question dies in your throat as you see her expression.

She’s frowning, staring at something behind you. “Mira? What is i-?”

You’re cut off as someone harshly grabs the back of your neck, slamming your head down onto the counter. A grunt escapes you as the person snatches your wrists, yelling your name as your guildmates start shouting at whoever’s grabbing you.

“By order of the Magic Council, you are under arrest!”

[nathanxcha]

just a tiny update today // #4

Life’s been living and health’s most certainly not been healing. So here’s just a tiny update in the hopes that I will find more time and ease to properly hop on here.

The image is from a few weeks back when we went on a little trip to the city (it’s a 1.5 hr commute each time), to visit the DIY store and get some things for crafting. They sampled a button closure machine on a piece of felt and not only did that make me want to get one of these machines on my own, but it also made me think that this was the greatest fidget toy of all times. Pleasant tactile exploration.

Still trying to figure out the temporality of this blog, being quite behind on my reports (so much happens all the time) - let’s see if we can keep it stringent (maybe not).

The DIY shop was very cute and full of exciting products - price ranging from cheap-ish (locally produced) to more European prices (for wares made in Japan). Had my eyes set firmly on some crochet and knitting needles made from bamboo, but as I already have a bunch of steel ones, I ended up saving my purse the trouble. Bought a bunch of zippers though, as I had the idea of experimenting with bag patterns. Still waiting on the best fabric for this though.

I did happen upon a millinery equipment piece, however, which I ended up adding to my personal collection and am very happy about. Not having an ironing board here, I was able to use it as such (it has the shape of a tiny hat top on a stand and is very pretty, plus reasonably priced).

I’ve been dreaming of making my tiny shop a full time thing, as it’s the one thing I can comfortably focus all my energy on and be delighted to keep exploring and researching. But as it is, life is infinitely more complex and hard. Entangled in already some classes and upcoming projects, I will continue taking it step by step and seeing where it all takes me. Manifesting the hope of keeping calm and trusting in life (as I am not used to do). Because if there is one thing, I truly crave it’s this : ease in my steps and lightness in my heart. Let’s see how we get there.

[dyandyan0]

bye 2024 😚 12.27.2024

I am currently writing this on my phone so the grammar and punctuation should be a lot better (even though I hate writing on this tiny keyboard T_T)

I’m also currently in the Philippines! It’s been fun so far. But to be completely brutally honest I think it’s way too much family time for me. I love my family and they’re not bad people but I think like anyone my age I can only take so much bonding time with them. Only a week till I go home so I’ll still try to make the most of the time I have left, but I definitely feel a bit overwhelmed /anxious not getting real alone time here. I’ll live tho :p

So update on my last post, I’ve had Instagram deleted for a month now. When I first deleted it, I was a bit scared about how I’d feel about not having the app on my phone. Previous times I deleted the app, I folded and redownloaded in like less than a week because I couldn’t take not seeing people and posting things. But oh my god has this experience been quite the opposite. I feel a huge weight off my shoulders now not feeling like I have to post anything when I go out or prove something to an audience of people that I’m scared of getting perceived the wrong way by. I’ve replaced my Instagram time with reading this past month, and my screen time has gone down so much and! I’ve read like 10 books in just these 2 months. Shits awesome and I feel a lot more relaxed lately. I’m also done with my first semester of grad school (yay!) and did well I think, some of my professors still haven’t put in final grades but I have good grades in their class anyways so whatever. I literally pulled up to my EOHS final 40 minutes late and got the highest score in the class lmfaooo don’t let anybody tell you I’m not an academic weapon.

My new years goal is to run a 5k. I have not run a mile in like. 3 years. So who knows how committed I’ll be but I’m feeling confident as I’ve been able to commit to a lot of things I found challenging in the past before recently (reading, social media cleanse). I’m hoping drinking less and running will help with my stress levels as well.

One final thing to say before 2024 ends. Unexpectedly, or maybe I planned it, I hope they don’t read this but if they do fuck it, I’ve been speaking to an online friend recently quite a bit. I’m adding this here because I haven’t talked to anyone this much for this long in a very long time lmfaoo. So I wonder if I’m playing a dangerous game with myself again, and hoping I don’t end up hurting their feelings in the end and vice versa, but they know how I stand on long distance and I don’t really care if they do things with other people… all I know is I really like talking to them and they like talking to me. It warms my heart really, and it’s a type of affection I haven’t felt in a long time, and I realize I missed it.

I have so many more goals for the new year as well, such as getting a new job and saving more money, (I’m a bit scared with funds at the moment, woops) but I really want to stay in Anaheim as I feel like I’m just getting settled still. As I talk to this person as well, I keep trying to picture myself in a relationship again, and I still really don’t know how I feel about it. Hopefully things become clearer to me in 2025, I’ll see y’all then :)

[smuttslvt]

Imagine going to confessions and the new priest has another way to relieve you of your sins.

Part 2

Since last Sunday I couldn’t get him out of my head. At school he fogged my brain. At dinner his voice put me in a trance as my father blessed our table and all I wanted was for him to be the one to bless us, bless me. Even as I lay in my bed at night it felt like his touch was still on my hand, like a phantom haunting me. These temptations are sin. These thoughts are sinful. Once innocent now they are turning into.. more. My father would say the evil one is filling my head with these fascinations but I can’t help to want more. Needing more.

Confessions are this afternoon and I dress how I usually do, a simple black dress that hugs me tightly with tights underneath, it’s my mothers rule. If I don’t wear them then I’m leading men my way since my body is a temple and all a man needs to do is plead his case to me and I’ll just give it to him - maybe she’s right. If he stood in front of me and got to his knees demanding to be saved from this torture I would gladly help him for the cause.

Everyone from town is here. People I know from school and practice, powerful people that know my father as he is a great business man here also a well respected devoted person to the perish. My brother and I teach every Tuesday and Thursday to the youth about the Bible and its stories. Trying, at least, to lead them to Christ and his word but each day I wanted to sneak away from class and go to his office that was in a different building that’s attached to the church. Hoping he would be there. Where else would he be? Unless he has a wife and family to go home too.

Shaking my head I follow behind the line of people who are waiting for their turn. Some stay to themselves probably thinking about what to say to the father and I’m just praying I see him again. My brother stands behind me huffing and puffing about how pointless this is. How could one man relieve us from sin when we will just do it again and seek him to just be able to do it over and over again. “Shush it we are in church. You need to pay mind to your tone before father hears you.” I whisper to him over my shoulder. “Let him maybe he’ll care to listen to what I have to say.” We both glance to where my father stands with a group of people which I notice to be the mayor and his wife, our principal and my mom stands by his side with the fakest smile on her face. I know why.

My father has been having an affair with the mayors wife and I caught her in our home on night while my mother was out doing grocery shopping with my brother. My father pleaded with me to listen to him that it was not what it seemed but her being half naked and him stuttering told me all the horror I needed to know. Adultery. A sin.

My father has his arm around his wife but his eyes stay on his mistress as he talks to the mayor. My brother pushes me forward since the line was moving along and I noticed I’m next. I play with my fingers and I begin to get nervous. What prayer do I say again?

I knock on the door and he says from behind the door to one of the classrooms. Our confessionals are getting built so this was the best we could do. There’s no wall between you and the person you’re supposed to tell your darkest lies and secrets. He sits in a chair that is in the center of the room with another chair right in front of him empty. “Please come in. Take a seat.” He motions me to sit and I do slowly, closing the door behind me making my way avoiding his eyes maybe he can read my mind and know what I’ve been thinking about him.

“Oh I remember you my dear. Do not be nervous but also you must forgive me I am still new to this trade and I may mess up my lines from time to time..” he chuckles and I smile shyly - he must be a little bit older then me, he has to be or else I am truly in trouble to even like an older man. Looking up to his brown eyes I feel them lock onto mine and that’s it - he got me.

“Let us begin.” He begins with reading a verse from the Bible, he traces the letters underneath his finger tips and like a bug drawn to the light I follow. Maybe I was staring too long since he clears his throat and I shake my head getting out of it. My god get it together.

He looks at me but not in a way of a man of his position should to one of his followers, his eyes scan my attire and he lays back against the chair and fixes his slacks then pulls his coat down from his throat as if he was suffocating. “I’m s-sorry. Forgive me father for I have sinned..” I spoke softly looking down at the floor hiding my redness I know is peaking through my cheeks but then his shoes come into view and he stands right in front of me. “What in gods name could you have done to be called a sinner.”

He lifts my head up with his hand under my chin and if my heart wasn’t racing so fast I would answer him truthfully. “I- I’ve been having these…fantasies.” He tilts his head and grins. “What about so I know how to release these so called fantasies out of you.”

I stand from the chair still having to look up at him, biting my lip from nerves I continue. “Of a man I can’t have. A man who is devoted to something else and if I would to speak on such actions I would be named something fail by the people here and that my father would kill me for even..” I look over to the door thinking I should just leave and make an escape but he turns my face to him again and runs his thumb on my lower lip.

“In these walls I am only to answer you and god, no one will ever hear or know what we speak here.” His voice is low and honest while his thumb is smooth on my skin. “Or do here.”

Aren’t these confessions timed? If I’m in here too long people will start to talk. That I have so many things to relief myself from and that I have a tainted daughter and sister. “That is my confession.” Is all I could muster out and he smirks.

“Then let us give thanks to the lord for he is good.”

Which I respond “His mercy endures for ever.”

[lovesosweeet]

MAY THE BEST MAN WIN

competing for the best toast at their best friends' wedding, calum and tanner go from being pretend rivals to… something like friends. maybe a little more? may the best man win.

read on ao3

part ten

Alcohol has been flowing all day, but the dinner has servers coming and replacing every empty bottle and refilling every glass, so Tanner and the other bridesmaids at the table are giggling and rehashing details of Valerie’s dating escapades from her earlier twenties. The 5SOS guys are all appalled at the stories.

“She just left?!” Luke practically screeches.

Tanner and Elle and Elle’s boyfriend all share a look while they snort and nod. 

“Yeah, she just stood up and turned around and walked out,” Elle clarifies.

“What, so he just had to pay for all the caviar and the champagne?!”

“Hey! He ordered it!” Elle’s boyfriend says, defending the bride and one of his closest friends. 

“Yeah, but—” Luke starts, but Sierra shoots him a glare. 

“He literally told her he had her measurements memorized on their first date, Luke, what do you expect? And he was an absolute dick about it, flaunting his fucking trust fund,” Tanner grumbles out. Her drunkenness is obvious as her words sort of blur together. She’s not long gone, just very clearly tipsy. 

“And then you have Ashton, who took her to a private yoga class on their first date,” Calum says. He’s giggling like a schoolgirl with pink cheeks and a subconscious tendency to keep leaning towards Tanner.

“He was trying really hard to impress. Comically.” Michael shakes his head while he speaks.

“He didn’t need to impress,” Tanner says. Her grin is almost ear to ear. “And guess who got them to talk to each other? Me!”

Calum narrows his eyes at her. “You really think they wouldn’t have eventually slid into each others’ DMs?”

Tanner scoffs. “You think that Valerie Summers checks her DMs?”

That stunts Calum’s thoughts and he has no idea how to answer. He doesn’t check his DMs, and he can only imagine that the thirsty people in Valerie’s would be just as bad, if not worse than, the ones in his. 

The classical music composition that’d been playing throughout dinner gets quieter suddenly, which Tanner wouldn’t have noticed if not for almost everyone at the table turning their attention to the center of the future dance floor, where Mr. Summers is standing with Ashton’s mom. 

“Good evening, everyone,” Ed speaks into his microphone, catching everyone’s attention.

Calum’s elbow digs into Tanner’s arm. It’s time.

“Anne-Marie and I, and of course, my Eleanor,” Mr. Summers says and waves to his wife across the room, “would like to say a gracious thank you to everyone for being a part of this very special day. Everyone here has played a pivotal role in either Valerie or Ashton’s lives, or, more likely, in both.”

He hands the microphone to Ashton’s mom.

“We know we’d probably embarrass them if we spoke more, so instead, we’ve written Ashton and Valerie letters that we’ll give them at the end of the night.”

The crowd laughs at that, and Tanner looks over at the sweetheart table where she sees Valerie let out a sigh of relief that her father isn’t about to speak about Valerie as a child in front of everyone. 

“But, not everyone will do them the same courtesy!” Anne-Marie says, laughing.

Ed takes the microphone back. “The show is about to begin,” he jokes. “We have a few musical performances lined up, but we’ll save those for later, when everyone is on the dance floor. Before we do that, though, the best man and maid of honor have some toasts to give! Everyone, please give your eyes and ears to the very funny, very talented best man, Calum!” 

Calum’s cheeks are flaming hot red as he stands from his chair and strides over to replace Ed and Anne Marie on the center of the floor. 

“Hello, everyone,” Calum speaks, his voice wavering and his hands shaking. “It’s kind of crazy. I can speak to an arena of people I’ve never met before in my life like it’s my job. Well, because it is.

“The second you put me in front of a room full of people who actually matter, and you don’t want me to sing, or play bass, or make jokes… it’s like I’ve lost any sense of stage presence, so I apologize for any bit of, uh, stage fright, I guess, that comes through.

“You know, it’s kind of rude, to be honest, that this is Ashton’s first wedding. I mean, Valerie is great and all — love you, Val — but, this wedding is actually well over a decade after Ashton’s first proposal. And by that, I mean, my proposal. 

“For those of you who haven’t spent hours wading through 5SOS lore on the internet, after our first performance as a band, all the way back in 2011 in Sydney, I got down on a knee in front of Ashton and proposed. I didn’t propose marriage, although, maybe I should have. No, I asked him to join our silly little band that desperately needed our fourth and final piece.

“Ashton, asking you to join our band is the best decision I have ever made. You are my best friend, my brother, my soulmate, and genuinely my favorite human on this planet. I suppose that I can share you with Valerie, your other soulmate and the woman that you have dreamt of for all the years I have known you and longer.

“I’ve felt lucky to witness you find her light in this lifetime, like I can only imagine that you have in so many others. 

“We wrote a lyric a long time ago. Maybe some of you know it. It’s a bit of a deep cut. The line is, ‘nothing lasts forever, nothing stays the same.’ A few years ago, Ashton met another musician in LA. His name is Josiah, and, honestly, I think I like his take on forever a bit more than our angsty teenaged version.

“The line is, ‘nothing lasts forever, ‘cept maybe you and I.’ Well, I’d say that perfectly describes my friendship with Ashton.”

The entire hall of people erupts into laughter. 

“Yeah, yeah, we all get it, I’m joking. Ash and Val, while none of us can predict the future, there is no doubt in my mind that you two are a forever, once in a lifetime kind of thing. Your love is one that I know we will write albums upon albums about, and I can only hope to find someone who shows me the same care that you two so evidently hold for each other.

“I’ve been honored to share a stage with you for this long, Ashton, and I want to say my sincerest thanks to the two of you for the absolute privilege of standing beside you both as you vowed your lives to each other.

“I love you both, and I can’t wait to watch you become the hottest elderly couple on the red carpet in 50 years. Everyone, please join me in raising a glass to the Irwin-Summers!” 

Everyone raises their glasses and hits their glasses against the others nearby while they say a collective ‘woo.’ Calum is grateful that he’s done speaking, and he looks over to the bride and groom who both are looking at him with eyes that are clearly full of love. Val blows him a kiss and Ashton gives him a thumbs up that signals ‘we’ll talk later’ and then Calum hands the microphone back to Mr. Summers.

When he gets back to the table, he pulls Tanner’s chair out for her, making her give him a slight sassy side eye. She doesn’t say it, but she cried while he gave his speech. While her art has always been so visual, she’s always had a strong appreciation for words. Although she’d won gold keys in high school, she hasn’t written outside a journal in years, so she’s not sure how well her speech is actually going to go.

Despite the nerves, she’s just excited to get to talk about Valerie and Ashton, two people that she loves dearly.

“Okay, Calum, that was sweet, but, I fear you may be upstaged. My second daughter, Tanner, is here to give the second toast. Enjoy!”

“Good evening, everyone,” Tanner starts. She’s smiling widely and holding her half empty glass of wine. Her feet are now cocooned in a comfy pair of Nike sneakers, like all of the bridesmaids, which has her dress pooling at her feet without the extra height from her heels. Her hair is now tied back in a loose ponytail, ready for dancing the night away. 

“I know I don’t know all of you, and that’s my fault. If we haven’t met, my name is Tanner, and I have been lucky enough to be best friends with Valerie since we were kids. I don’t tend to be in the same place for more than a few weeks at the time, and that very rarely coincides with Valerie and Ashton’s calendars, so unfortunately, I don’t get to see either of my favorite people very often.

“Valerie, a lifetime with you will never be long enough. I know it, everyone who loves you knows it, and the man that you chose as your husband knows it better than anyone — except for me, obviously.

“When we started kindergarten, we were together. When my father died, we were together. When we started middle school and high school, we were together. When I got my heart broken at the homecoming dance in tenth grade, we were together. 

“These years and years that we have been together have been a time of metamorphic transformation. I have watched you turn into the truest version of yourself, but even when I thought you had reached your highest, you always surprise me, but, truthfully, I couldn’t have ever imagined the amount of light, love, and beauty that you would gain when you fell in love with Ashton.

“What I’ve loved most about watching the two of you fall — head over heels, hard and fast — has been that you have lived every moment with pure intention and adoration and respect for each other. I’ve never seen a love so special, but it’s only fitting that it comes from two of the most kind, creative souls on this earth.

“I don’t need to say it, because I know that you will, but just so it’s on the record: Ashton, please take care of my Val. You’ve got the light of my life in your hands, and I only want to see it get brighter from here.

“Thank you all for listening to my love letter to Val, and a little bit to Ash. I can’t even begin to put to words the joy that this union brings me, so instead, I will leave you with some words that have been around for centuries that I believe that Ashton and Valerie live out every moment of every day. Homer wrote them.

“The gods envy us. They envy us because we’re mortal, because any moment may be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we're doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again.”

Tanner smiles at Valerie from across the room, and for the first time today, and possibly the first time in years, Mrs. Irwin-Summers is crying. 

“To Val and Ash!” Tanner raises her wine with the rest of the room, and then downs the remnants before she hands off the mic and walks back to her seat. 

Music starts playing as she sits down again, with her entree unfinished, she’d planned on eating a few more bites while the dance floor got warmed up. The whole table is grinning at her as she sits, but she doesn’t really notice it. All she notices is a really weird, nervous look on Calum’s face. She doesn’t say anything to him, though.

“I’m sorry, did you make Valerie cry?” Michael asks with disbelief, but he’s laughing.

“Oh, god, yeah, Tanner is the only one who can do that. You should’ve seen how much of a wreck Val was when Tanner said she was leaving New York,” Sarah explains, which earns her a glare from Tanner.

“No, it wasn’t because I was leaving New York, it was because I wasn’t moving with you guys to LA,” she clarifies.

“Oh, and you can’t forget,” Elle continues while giving some kind of weird look to Sarah that the two of them both understand, but no one else does.

“JAMIE!” They yell in unison.

Tanner groans, ducking her head down to rest in her arms on the table. Talking about her ex, outside of her conversation with Calum earlier, was no on her agenda for the evening. 

The band and their wives look at Tanner, Sarah, Elle, and their partners with huge question marks on their faces. Tanner clearly doesn’t want to talk about it, her face still buried in her arms, while the others try to figure out who’s going to explain.

“Guys, is this really your story to share?” Sarah’s boyfriend asks.

The girls are too drunk to have a filter, so his question goes unnoticed. 

“Looks like it’s not a story Tanner is interested in either,” Calum says, but again, the girls don’t care. 

“Tanner was dating this absolute asshat,” Sarah starts, cutting herself off with laughter.

“Yeah, and then, he just randomly broke up with her one morning. Tanner was losing it in the living room, upset over the breakup, but poor Val had to step out because she couldn’t bear to watch her cry. I went into her room a few hours later to see what was up after Tanner calmed down and Valerie was just sobbing in the corner,” Elle says. 

“‘How could he do this to her?!’ Valerie kept asking, crying.”

“Ugh, it was so sweet. Sad, but sweet,” Elle finishes, and she and Sarah are smiling.

“Can we please not talk about this?” Tanner groans. She’s still hiding from everyone. 

“I’m just saying, it’s a miracle that Valerie has ever cried over anything. She’s got such an intense poker face. Speaks to how much she loves you, Tanner,” Luke says.

At that, the group seems to drop the discussion there, so Tanner lifts her head. She sighs, grabbing her glass. 

“I’m going to go get a refill,” she says, abandoning her entree and just planning to eat lots of cake later instead. She doesn’t look back while she walks to the bar, but Calum is only a few steps behind her, trying to keep up with her pace after she’d suddenly gotten up.

When she gets to the bar, she holds up her glass, and the bartender has already memorized what she gets each time and grabs a bottle of bubbly for her.

“I’ll do another as well,” Calum says from beside her, startling her slightly, but she’s relieved to see that it’s not someone who’s going to talk to her more about her ex or the fact that she can make Valerie cry. He puts his empty bottle of beer on the bartop and fishes around in his jacket pocket.

“Are you stalking me?” Tanner asks, repeating the question she had asked him on the night they’d met.

He laughs, his eyes crinkling on the sides as the memory comes flooding back for him, too. “No, I’m just here to settle my account.”

Her left eyebrow raises in question. “Your account?”

Calum turns pink. “Okay, maybe that wasn’t the right wording. I’m here to settle our bet. How’s that?”

Tanner just tilts her head, unsure of whether he thinks she won or he did, even though she stopped caring about the ‘competition’ long ago. 

The best man pulls a crisply folded dollar bill from the pocket inside his jacket and slides it across the bar in her direction.

“You win,” Calum says. 

A victory smile paints her lips, but she can’t help but laugh as she grabs the dollar bill to inspect it and confirms that it’s not Monopoly money.

“Check your Venmo notifications, Allen.”

Then he’s confused. He awkwardly pats his pockets down to find his phone, and when he does, he opens the Venmo app like instructed.

Received from Tanner Thorne 27 minutes ago $1.00 “The best man wins.”

“Tanner, this is from before we even gave the toasts,” Calum points out.

She gives him a sheepish smile. “I knew yours would be better.”

He scrunches his eyebrows together. “Mine wasn’t better.”

“Yes it was!”

“No, it was not. Yours made Valerie cry! And Sarah and Elle! And Luke, for christssake!”

“Luke cried?”

“Yes!”

And then Tanner is giggling incessantly, which makes Calum start laughing too.

“Well, I think yours was better, but I’ll take this dollar and we’ll both zero out. How’s that?” She peers up at him with her big blue eyes, and somehow, for some reason, she steps closer to him.

“Hmm. No, I don’t think that’s fair,” he says. He looks down at her with twinkly eyes and a hint of a smirk. 

“It’s not?”

“I mean, my ego is pretty bruised since you wrote a better speech than me,” Calum mumbles with an obvious air of sarcasm.

Tanner laughs. “Is it?”

He sighs. “Yeah.”

Unable to keep a straight face, Tanner keeps laughing. “What’s fair then?”

“Can you, uh,” he starts, but the words he wants to say get caught in his throat. All the confidence he had in starting his bit is now gone into thin air and he feels a bit breathless. His nerves from before come rushing back and his heart starts to pound. 

Tanner rolls her eyes. “You want me to kiss it better?”

Calum’s face turns bright red, and all he can do is nod.

That’s all it takes for the short blonde girl to weave her hand into the hair at the base of his neck and pull his face closer to her while she rises onto her tip toes. His lips meet hers halfway, while his hands find her waist and bring her as close to him as he can, something he’s been dying to do all day… and even longer.

“HA! Luke! You so owe me fifty bucks!”

Michael’s voice acts as an instant spacer, pushing Calum and Tanner away from each other even though he hasn’t even made it into a five foot radius of the two of them.

“I thought you guys weren’t flirting?” Michael teases.

Tanner shoots him a cold glare. She grabs her newly refilled glass and takes Calum’s hand in hers, dragging him straight for the dance floor. Calum is floating in his mind, holding her small hand in his while he carries his fresh beer in the other, unable to wipe the childlike smile from his face.

“Dance with me, Allen?” Tanner asks when they reach the middle of the floor. She spins around to face him, steps close enough that she can smell his cologne again, and looks up at the man who’s still blushing from being too flustered to make his move. 

“I’ve been waiting all day for this, Danny.”

Before Tanner can pull out her signature dance move of the macarena, Calum bends down and plants his lips on hers again. The electricity in the air, the time spent wishing he could be closer to Tanner but not knowing how to, the way she looks so ethereal tonight, and the alcohol pumping through their veins make him want to take hold of her and never let her go.

And that’s exactly what he intends to do.

[the-planet-ceres]

star student

The second I get home, I collapse into bed, wanting to take a nap but knowing I shouldn’t. I’ve already been slacking off enough; not surprisingly, consistently refusing to do your homework means that you’re going to fail. And nothing ruins your day like your AirPods running out of battery thirty minutes into class so you can’t not pay attention.

Speaking of—thinking of, I guess—I need to charge those.

As I stand and my stomach demands a snack, I slip into the kitchen on ghost feet (do ghosts have feet?), barely glancing at my brother as we brush shoulders. Jack doesn’t flinch at the contact, and when he leaves, I hear the unrestrained thumps of his steps and the snaps as he cracks his knuckles. He doesn’t shrink at his family’s gazes; he’s not the one born with a broken brain that can’t pay attention to anything for more than two seconds. He’s not the one who pretends to be unruly and bratty instead of burnt out with a side of occasional hallucinations.

Of course, nobody cares about that, because nobody knows about that. Besides, the voices in my head are probably just caused by exhaustion anyway; once I slept for three days straight and didn’t hear anything for a week after.

By the time I successfully guess the password to my dad’s computer—which is somehow harder than actually hacking the grading website to make it seem like I don’t have a column of donuts—the Rubik’s cube on the desk has made me shuffle it three different times. As I’m reaching to scramble the little squares again, I hear someone coming. Crap. Guess I’m not postponing the inevitable this time.

Shutting the computer, I dart out and head upstairs at what I hope is a normal pace.

Go back, a tiny voice tells me.

Shut up. I should’ve had more coffee today. I don’t need this right now.

Go back. Show them your computer skills. Redeem yourself.

Since when are you so eloquent?

It goes quiet, replaced by creepy funhouse music that makes me think of black carpet stitched with neon planets.

Determined to at least accomplish something today, I turn on my laptop in search of answers to a math worksheet that has more letters than numbers. The first thing to open is a search reading “cna i sumon a dmeon to raies my graeds,” a remnant of my typical three-in-the-morning frantic races to vomit every single thought in my brain into either Twitter or Google.

I click on a new tab and start copying a problem into the search bar, but I don’t get very far. The funhouse music has faded; now there’s a terrifying chant of Look at it. Look at it. Look at it.

Not going to not going to not going to, I force myself to think. Then: God, I need medicine for this. Maybe I should look that up instead of trying to figure out how big some imaginary circle is.

Of course, because the other entities living in my brain are more powerful than my self-restraint, I end up clicking the Did you mean? on the tab with the demon search and clicking on the first thing that pops up.

It’s some ad for a church asking if I need the light of Jesus.

A bit too late for that if you ask me.

I go back and find something giving instructions on how to make a pentagram out of string, and then it’s one in the morning and I haven’t moved except to sit at dinner and lie through my teeth about starting an online tutoring program. A week ago, I said I would, but then I got distracted by something or other and completely forgot. I’ve written reminders for myself in three different places in the past three seconds, but knowing me, I’ll forget in another two.

Pushing a towel against my door so less light will escape, I manage to set up a ring of candles without setting my carpet on fire. In the middle is some red yarn shaped into a lopsided star; I have zero artistic talent and can’t use a ruler to save my life.

This is ridiculous. If it weren’t for the fact that Jack is probably asleep already, I’d be laughing out loud right now. Of all the things that could be wasting my time right now, I have to pick this one. Well, not me, actually, but another of those voices, commanding me to do it in a tone so harsh my skin is covered in goosebumps.

I pick up a sheet I scrawled a bunch of unintelligible demon chants onto and hold it to a candle, but before I can start reading, all of the tiny flames go out and the temperature in the room drops a solid thirty-ish degrees.

Cursing under my breath, I scrabble for my lighter so I’ll be able to see the way to my bed—my patience for this ran out almost before I started, and I have to be awake in five hours anyway to make it to school on time. As if I actually do anything when I’m there.

Five flicks until the lighter works, and then the dot of fire whooshes out of existence again.

Huh. That’s weird. Shrugging, I stumble over the pile of books that I dumped out to look for a pencil and wave my limbs around like a confused zombie until I trip over the edge of my bed.

When I fall onto the covers, something warm and disturbingly like skin shifts away, and then what feels like a hand is being clapped over my mouth.

“Mmf!” I try to bite at the palm pressing into my lips, but its owner pushes my head back until I’m lying down. When I kick haphazardly, all my legs find is air; my arms flail and smack into something as hard as bone.

“Quiet,” hisses a raspy voice. It’s a bit like one of the ones that I hallucinate sometimes, with the same tone of authority that makes me obey its every command. “I do not want to be discovered. Where is light?”

The hand lifts, and I manage to let out a yelp before it slams back down.

“Scream and I will end you. Where is light?”

This time, I’m too paralyzed by terror to try yelling. “I can turn on the closet light. If we block the door, no one will see from outside.” Yes, being in a smaller space with whatever criminal has somehow made it into my room is a terrible idea, but I don’t want to risk my family coming and getting hurt too.

“Then come. Turn on . . . the closet light.”

The presence shifts to let me stand; as I get to my shaky feet, I grope for the lighter, but it’s gone.

“Over here,” I call softly as I lift the door so it won’t creak. “Go inside.”

A cold breeze washes over me as the intruder enters, making me shiver both from cold and fear. I take a deep breath, worrying that my stupidity might make it my last, then follow, kick a shirt against the door as I close it, and flick the light switch.

And freeze.

At least I have the sense not to scream.

The . . . thing . . . in front of me flashes his needle-sharp teeth, licking his lips with a pair of forked tongues. After a second, he notices my hand scrabbling for the doorknob behind me and his smile—if it can even be called that—morphs into a snarl that makes my legs turn to jelly. I drop my arm and try not to pay attention to the claws on his fingers, the feathery wings sucking all of the light into their blackness, the twisted black horns that could spear me in an instant.

He scratches at the shaggy brown hair they’re jutting out of, and out tumble what look like very tiny bones.

I can feel my face turning green.

“I think it is typical to look a stranger in the eyes when being introduced,” the demon rasps. But even though the intensity of his words makes me fear for my life, I can’t peel my eyes from the scabbed lines running over every exposed inch of his skin or the very threatening knife at his waist.

He could have slit my throat, and nobody would’ve known until morning.

“Girl?”

“Bree,” I mumble. “It’s Bree.” Grandma’s name or not, I refuse to go by Breeshey.

“Bree,” he echoes, pronouncing it more like Blee. “What is it the angels say? Fear not? Or have no fear?”

Enough time passes for it to be obvious that he wants a response, so I shrug and admit, “I don’t know.”

“Ah. Well, it is no matter. Look in my eyes.”

I shut my own, then force them to open and drift upwards past his horrifying mouth. To my surprise, the view isn’t that bad; pupils surrounded by two soft orange rings watch me with something bordering on curiosity. He smiles again, and their corners crinkle.

See? Not that bad.

Actually, scratch that—embedded in his cheeks just below the regular eyes is a pair of smaller blue ones. As I stare at them, they dilate, then twitch and shut.

“What . . . are you?” I ask, my words a shield that keeps him from taking a second step towards me.

“A demon, of course. What kind is unimportant.” His wings close a little as he shifts his balance and knocks a row of hangers off their rack. After a beat, he continues, “My name is,” then lets out a weird gargling noise.

I blink. “What?”

Sighing, he whips out a notepad and pen from who-knows-where and writes Aszksxymysthz. “That is the closest approximation in your tongue. But humans cannot make these sounds, so you may call me . . . Ash.”

“Ash,” I repeat. “So, uh . . . What are you doing here, Ash? Not here to murder me and string up my guts like Christmas decorations, I hope?”

Yeah, let’s give the literal demon ideas, a voice snaps in my brain.

“No. You summoned me for improved academic performance, so that is what I am here to provide.”

As he gets closer and lifts a hand to my face, I sidestep and frown. “So . . . you’re just going to help me? Because I wanted to?” That sounds like something a genie would do, not . . . you.

Ash tilts his head, showing pointy ears as his hair moves, and nods. “Partially, yes.”

Ah, there it is. “What’s the catch?”

“A small thing. Every night at midnight, you must pluck one feather from my wings.”

“Huh? Why? Wouldn’t that hurt you?” Why does it matter?

“I have greater motivations than self-preservation.”

My arms cross of their own volition. “And those are?”

“Unrelated to and thus irrelevant to you. Now, what is there to be done?”

“What do you mean, irrelevant? How do I know you’re not lying?”

His tiny blue eyes open wide, and he repeats more forcefully, “What is there to be done?”

My mouth goes dry, and I’m about to put more distance between us when I realize my back is against the wall. “Well, right now, sleeping. Then school in a few hours. Wait—how are you going to get in? I can’t just walk up with a random demon next to me.”

For a heart-stopping moment, Ash just watches me, and then he’s gone.

“Ash? Wh—”

“Like this,” his voice interrupts. Except—it’s coming out of my mouth. “Your mind is pliable, so I can enter and exit as I wish. Although there do seem to be quite a few vermin here.”

“Vermin?”

“Do you hear things in your head, perhaps?”

Oh. “Um . . . yeah.”

“I can remove them if you would like.”

“Really? You’d do that for me?”

Then he’s in front of me again, and the permanent undercurrent of whispering in my mind dies.

“Whoa,” I breathe. “Sick.” I’m free.

I’m free.

Ash smiles again, and this time, I don’t shrink from him. “Go sleep. I will find a way to occupy myself.”

As I reach for the knob, I suggest, “Maybe you could start by picking up all those shirts you threw on the floor.”

He grazes me with his wing, and I tense until I hear the lightness in his reply. “I will consider it.”

 ⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅

 Midterms come around a few months later, and Ash passes me with flying colors. My teachers praise my sudden diligence as I not only finish things early, but get perfect scores. I no longer get angry at myself because I no longer lose focus every ten seconds. My friends seem more relaxed around me now that I’m not constantly asking for their help cheating (which I stopped doing a while ago anyway, when I stopped caring). Mom and Dad start treating me like the faultless second child again, hoping enough rewards will keep this from ending. Only Jack resents this change; he throws himself into his schoolwork even harder, brushing me off when I tell him he’s too smart to be wasting his time studying material he memorized the day it was given.

It stings a little, that me “bettering myself” has put up a wall between us, but I don’t think about it too much.

He’ll come around. He’ll see the good in this.

Even if, like everybody else, he has no idea how it’s happening.

Even if I’ve probably sold my soul or something without even knowing.

 ⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅

 The morning after a shockingly successful school year ends, I wake up with a weird feeling in my stomach, like it’s being torn open from inside. Great. What a way to start the summer.

But when I stand up and sag under the weight of a back screaming with pain, complaints about food poisoning drain out of my mind.

“Ash? Are you in there?” I whisper. After Mom almost caught him, we agreed that he should possess me while I sleep; sometimes I end up with random aches, but never this bad.

Nobody answers.

“Ash?”

Still no one.

Under the bed, the box where I hide his feathers is empty.

Huh. I guess it makes sense, since I don’t have classes in summer, but a little warning would’ve been nice. I’ve become strangely attached to the demon.

Stretching with a slight wince, I go to the bathroom to shower the last bit of sleepiness away but stop short when I see my reflection.

The pale green of my eyes has darkened to orange, and beneath them is another, smaller pair with light blue irises. Sharp black horns spiral out of my head, and massive wings the same color have sprouted from my back. I bare my teeth; they’re thin and pointy, barely fitting in my mouth.

As I watch in horror, a bright red line runs down my forearm.

I’m about to shriek when the walls melt, giving way to an endless field of fire and hazy smoke set against a crimson sky.

“Ash?” I call again, more frantic. This has to have something to do with him. “What is this place?”

“Your Aszksxymysthz no longer resides here,” a bodiless voice booms. “I have dismissed him.”

“You . . .” Who are you? What are you?

“He mentioned that his motives did not relate to you. But I controlled them, and I have taken an interest in you.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I get a glimpse of a vague black shape that I can’t categorize as any horror I’ve ever seen before.

My hands curl into fists. How could I have been so stupid? I should’ve known not to trust a literal demon. “Meaning?”

That horrifying silhouette comes back into my field of vision and states, “That now he is free, and you are as he was.”

Suddenly my skin burns with agony, and I scream so loud the heat of the air singes my throat until I can’t take it anymore and my brain cuts off my consciousness.

[cosmal]

CONGRATULATIONS!!

spacey jane: remus lupin + glitch / taylor

we were supposed to be just friends. you don't live in my part of town, but maybe I'll see you out some weekend. depending on what kind of mood and situationship i'm in and what's in my system.

lovely boy

summary — remus lupin thinks you can do better.

content — remus lupin x fem!reader, she/her, drunk!reader, alcohol, shitty situationship

note — i know this would really be like a friends with benefits type prompt but i’ve already got a drabble with a glitch prompt like that in my drafts. so i kinda went with the situationship moment here!!! it’s also really rushed and i didn’t know where to go with it at the end sorry!!!!

Embarrassed tears are worse than upset tears, you’ve concluded.

They’re hot and they’re sticky, and super hard to hold back. They bubble up your throat and make it hard to breathe. You cry because you’re embarrassed, resulting in more tears for reacting like that in the first place.

You want to cry up a storm and feel stupid for feeling this way. You decide to hide yourself in the kitchen where you hope no one can find you. Standing to the side, hidden behind pots and pans hanging from the breakfast bar.

The boy you’re really starting to think you don’t like, is really awful. He mocks you and diminishes any thought you have about how he treats you. He makes you think everything is your fault, and the worst thing about it, is most of the time you really do think it is.

He does this thing where he treats you lovely when he thinks he should. When you’re at home in his bedroom, when he’s around your friends or family. Then he gets around his own friends and he likes to pick on you and laugh at your own expense.

You hate that you let him walk all over you but if you tell him you don’t like it or you get upset, you’re the girl who ruins the fun. The girl who overreacts.

Embarrassed tears are the worst. Even more so when you’re a little tipsy and you have zero volume control. You sniffle into the back of your hand when you can hold your breath, pulling it away when your head hurts.

You don’t notice anyone else in the room until he’s speaking. You hold your breath like you’ve been caught.

“Y/N?”

You wrinkle your face when you realise who it is. A boy in your class who you’d rather not see you like this.

“That you?” he asks again. You feel bad for ignoring him but the idea of him seeing you so upset is worse. “I’ve been looking f’you everywhere.”

You turn your head. Remus Lupin stands on the other side of the bar with a bottle of water in his hands.

“Remus,” you hiccup, scrambling to wipe at your warm cheeks. He gives you a soft smile in return and it really hurts. How kind he is and how much you like him.

“Hey,” he says even softer. He offers you the water bottle and it crinkles in his hand. You decide you should probably take it from him, smiling as kindly as you can when you grasp it.

You hold it to your chest. It’s damp and cold where it presses into your skin. “M’sorry,” you mumble, “just really needed a moment.”

Remus rounds the kitchen bar to stand next to you. You try to think back to then you’d started to think he was attractive. How you didn’t want to be caught up with a boy who you really wished you’d save yourself from.

Remus is lovely. Sometimes too lovely, you think. Then he says, “Are you okay?” and you really want to hug him.

“Yeah,” you say. Sniffling despite yourself. “He just really upset me.”

Remus hums, crossing his arms. “He’s totally awful.”

“He’s not,” you argue. You’re not sure why but you can’t stop yourself. “He just doesn’t understand me sometimes.”

Remus turns to take the cap off the water bottle. You sip from it because you should. Mainly because he wants you to. You blink slowly, you might be more drunk than you realise.

“You shouldn’t defend him like that.”

“It was just a laugh.” You really can’t stop yourself from protecting him. Because if he’s like that, what does that say about you? A girl who wants to find love anywhere she can get it, doesn’t matter how shitty the person is who she gets it from. Pitiful, really.

“You don’t look like you’re laughing, to me, dove.”

Dove eats at your tongue, heavy with guilt. You wish you weren’t in such a situation. Remus, despite only talking to you a handful of times, has always been extremely nice to you.

“I’m overreacting,”

Remus looks a mixture of all things sympathetic and pitiful. You really despise it, mainly on your own behalf because you don’t want him to look at you like that. You like it better when he’s giving you that soft smile he does when you see each other at school. It’s better when it’s full of mirth, nothing but.

If you feel suddenly dizzy because you’re upset with yourself or if the effects of too many wine coolers are hitting you, you’re not sure. Your chest feels tight and the tiles beneath you start to wobble.

You grasp Remus’s forearm and don’t stop the tear that falls down your cheek this time. Sniffling you say, “I’m sorry, Remus. I might go home.”

Remus let’s you use him to stable yourself, hand finding purchase on the hinge of your elbow. He presses his fingers into the palm of his free hand to refrain himself from wiping away your tears. He’s incensed that some stupid guy has made you feel this way, because you’re a friend (he hopes) and he hates seeing you like this, but he’s not about to overstep.

“Yeah?” he asks. Watching where water bunches your eyelashes into triangles when you blink. “How you getting home?”

You blink some more, swallowing, “Well I was um- I was going home with him. He was my ride.”

“Right.”

You wrinkle your face. “I don’t want to go home with him,” you sniffle, wiping cruelly at your damp cheeks with the back of your hand. Remus cringes at your flippancy.

“Hey, it’s okay, I can call you a taxi, yeah?”

“Will you? That’d be so amazing.” You smile. It’s wet and a little sad, but Remus still loves it.

“Of course.”

Remus calls you a taxi and waits outside with you in the cold after you’d begged him not to. Remus, I’m fine. It’s really cold, you can go back inside.

He tells you, with only kindness in his heart, that you really shouldn’t hang around that guy anymore. That he’s got plenty of friends that would love to meet you. That he really wants to spend more time with you himself.

You’d never say no to him. Remus is the loveliest boy you know.

[annie-creates]

One day in a year

Pairing: Lady Lesso x reader (kinda platonic)

Genre: fluff

Words: 900

Note: We got a hundred followers! Thank you so much everyone for the support, likes, comments and requests sent. Here's a birthday fic to celebrate. Maybe I can add another character to my repertoire? What would you think? Who should it be? <3

It started with rain. You hated rain. It got you all wet and cold but without the childish excitement snow did. The weather made you not want to get out of bed, but you were a big girl and couldn’t hide away from your responsibilities just because you didn’t like the climate. It wasn’t even a weekend so the pleasure of sleeping in wasn’t indulged to you. With a heavy sigh you got out of bed, choosing a dress to wear today and leaving for breakfast, hoping there was still some sweets left for you.

Due to your absentminded state you accidentally put salt in your morning coffee. Not realizing your mistake earlier than when drinking the disgusting beverage. That only sunk your mood lower, feeling like a lonely rowboat in the middle of a thunderstorm ocean. Not even the blueberry muffin could pick up your sore mood. You rather went to class earlier than needed, not wanting to risk any more troubles. That proved to be quite of use when you almost crashed into a pillar, obviously not paying enough attention to where you’re going.

Students started to pour in just like the rain outside the window until the bell rang and you made sure everyone was here on time. You looked around your table, looking for your prepared materials for this lesson but finding none. You must have done the preparation, where did it go? You wouldn’t forget about such a thing…

“Ma’am, what about the test?” one of your students reminded you.

“A… test?” you asked confused until the realization downed on you. “Oh, the test! Well, I thought maybe we'll go over the study material for the test once more today and we’ll take the test next class.”

You tried to save the situation, which was celebrated by some, booed by others. You could tell who was happy to have more time to study and who wanted to be done with it already. How could you forget such a thing? You never forgot what you planned to do next time in class, let alone when you planed a quiz! You had to improvise the whole lesson and the ring announcing end of class was probably more freeing to you than it was to your students.

By the time of dinner you had changed your dress since you spilled your lunchtime cup of tea on yourself, two broken nails from trying to open some jars which normally wasn’t any problem for you and a scraped knee due your fall over the rocks in the garden. It was safe to say your day was completely ruined and you were ready to just lay in bed hidden under the blankets waiting for it to pass.

“Can’t I have just one day in a year to be perfect? Just one…” you whined to no one in particular, hoping to sleep the rest of the day away.

Your intentions were interrupted with a knock on your door. Why would anyone come to visit you this late? Can’t the universe just leave you alone already? Giving up on your hopes for a peaceful night, you got up and open the door, not expecting Lady Lesso to stand behind it. But there she was, graceful as always with her long coat and shiny cane. Sometimes you wondered if she was a daughter of a fairy of some sort.

“Can I help you?” you asked concerned, if she was here, it couldn’t be anything good right? Your day was already full of unfortunate events.

“I’ve noticed you haven’t been your usual annoyingly cheerful self today.” Her voice was completely blank as was her face. “And even tho I usually enjoy a piece of quiet, it was weirdly disturbing.”

“Uh… thank you..?” you didn’t know why she’s telling you this. “Did you come all the way here just to tell me you… didn’t like my unhappy mood?”

“Not entirely. I also came to give you this. Guessed it might help to cheer you up today.” She thrusted a small package into your hand turning on her heel. “Good night Y/n.” before you could say anything she already left.

With an inept shake of your head you got back inside your room, inspecting the parcel she gave you. It was packaged in a festive paper neatly tucked around. For a moment you contemplated if it was some type of prank. Will a bomb of glitter go of the moment you tore into the present? No, you were very certain Lesso was not one for glitter. Maybe a pocketknife will jump out and pierce your heart… But would she go all the way here just to slaughter you? You didn’t have any beef with her lately, did you?

With a shrug of your shoulders you opened the gift, a little note falling out on the ground. You picked it up, opening the piece of fancy paper. Happy birthday Y/n. That was all the note said, yet the three words warmed your heart up. She remembered your birthday. And she even gave you a gift. And not just some gift, but a rare edition of your favorite story book in your native language you have never seen before. You hugged the book to your chest, a genuine smile making it’s way to your face for the first time today. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad birthday after all.

[erin-bo-berin]

Billy's sister! We see a lot of Mayfield!reader and I think it would be a nice change of pace to see Billy with a sibling he's decently close too.

Can I just say this request motivated me to save some really delicious gifs of Steve telling off Billy? I’ve yet to go back and watch the entire scene since I became a Steve and Joe girl and I’m like ??? WHY IS HIM TELLING HIM TO GET OUT SO HOT?

Also this is still Billy kinda being an asshole but I was going for the he’s looking out for her even if they aren’t THAT close. Idk I hope it’s okay 😬

Your first day at school in Hawkins, Indiana was pure shit.

You half wished you were still in middle school with your little step-sister, Max.

The entire day was basically awkward first introductions by teachers that you were new, boring classes and annoying ass girls questioning you about your brother, Billy.

You weren’t exactly close to your full blooded brother, but you didn’t hate each other as he and Max seemed to. With that said, you were annoyed by the parade of girls—these being ones that weren’t staring at him as he walked by, panties practically melting off.

The only thing that made it better was a senior named Steve. You shared one class with him in the afternoon and happened to sit right next to him.

He didn’t hit on you, like you thought he would, but he piqued your interest. It may only been him that made you change your mind, but maybe you wouldn’t miss California that much anymore, after all.

•

It didn’t take long for you and Steve to start sneaking around.

Why? Because you had to connect with your brother’s arch nemesis.

Billy could absolutely not stand Steve Harrington and you just had to fall for him.

But Billy wasn’t your father and you refused to listen to him when he told you to stay away from him, the one time he caught you with Steve.

Subtle touches and dangerous, stolen hallway kisses became your everyday life. You weren’t afraid of what Billy would do to you if he found out, but you afraid what he’d do to Steve. You’d started to care about him a lot and you weren’t going to let Billy ruin this.

Which is why you were currently hiding out with Steve, Max and her friends at the Byers’ house. He’d found you here and the tell-take signs of the rev of his car outside made you more than aware who was outside. Hence why you were hiding.

“Am I dreaming or is that you, Harrington?” Billy drawled, puffing on a cigarette, smoke billowing from his mouth.

You peered out the corner of the window, watching the interaction. You’d begged Steve not to go out there, but he insisted on protecting you and the kids.

“Yeah, it’s me, don’t cream your pants,” he responded, flatly.

“Have you happened to see my little sister by any chance? Short, sassy mouth, kind of a bitch?” he asked.

You grumbled at his description. Like you were the bitch in the family.

“Nope. Haven’t seen her,” Steve shrugged.

“Funny because last time I went looking for her, I found her with you,” he jabbed a finger into Steve’s chest, “I told her if she knew what was good for her she’d stay away from a douche like you, but she’s not known for her listening skills.”

“I told you,” Steve stepped back, “She’s not here.”

“Oh really? Then who’s that?”

He pointed to the window and you and the kids dropped down out of sight.

“Do you think he saw us?” Max asked.

“He totally saw us,” you groaned.

Steve, outside, was groaning too.

“Shiiiit,” he mumbled, “Listen-”

He turned back to Billy but with one swift push to the chest, he knocked him to the ground before stomping to the door.

“Y/N Hargrove! You get your ass here and I’m taking you home.”

“She’s not going anywhere,” Max said, standing up for you.

“Oh, is that so?” he sneered at her.

“You leave her alone,” you scowled, “You got a problem, talk to me.”

“Okay,” he sized you up, “I’m only trying to look out for you. You’re only gonna get your heart broken. He is going to chew you up and spit you out, sweetheart.”

He peered over as Steve walked through the door much too late, finding your brother already lecturing you.

“You’ll survive Harrington. Plenty of bitches in the sea. Better than my sister, that’s for sure.”

You glowered at him.

“Well, I hate to break it to you, but I’ve been seeing him, Billy. I don’t care how much you despise him. Build a fucking bridge and get over it,” you crossed your arms, defiant.

“I’m not leaving until you’re in the car with me,” he shot back.

That’s when Steve intervened, stepping in front of you, a hand to his chest.

“She said no. So you need to go.”

“Oh look at Harrington, being all manly. Is this the best King Steve can do?” Billy taunted.

“Get out,” Steve said, serious, “I don’t care if you don’t like me. That is not going to change my feelings for her and that sure as hell isn’t going to make me stop seeing her. Hell, I’ll probably want to see her even more.”

Billy chuckled, licking his lips, jaw tensing, but he just looked at you, raising his hands up and backing away.

“Good luck man, I’m just warning you now.”

With that, he turned and left, engine reviving and fading in the distance as he sped away.

You were certain the entire room let out a sigh of relief.

Then came a comment from Dustin.

“At least he didn’t have to fight him because he totally lost a fight last year.”

[topazy]

Inside, outside

Pairing: 10k x reader, Addy Carver x sister reader

Warnings: swearing, smut

Chapter: 2.14

“We were completely different at school. Addy was always popular. I was really shy, the type of shy where you're too scared to put your hand up in class in case nobody cares what you had to say.”

“Could've bet on you being the quiet sibling,” Doc chuckled before joining your sister in trying to figure out why the car broke down.

“I like that you are quiet. Quiet people are always underestimated,” 10k smiled. “Well, everyone except you. I’ve always been able to see how badass you are.”

Your lips pressed together as you smiled. You turned to look up at him as he sat on a piece of metal behind you. 10k quickly jumped down to sit beside you and pressed a kiss to your forehead.

“You two make me sick,” Murphy says, scrunching his nose up. His facial expression changes from disgust to annoyance when he sees 10k lighting a cigarette. “Where the hell did you get those?”

10k takes a puff of his cigarette without answering him. Rolling your eyes, you pull out a carton with a few cigarettes left and toss it to Murphy.

Happy that he had gotten some, Murphy walked away to annoy someone else, but Warren stepped in front of him. “Looks like we are going by foot. Grab what you can.”

Everyone collected their stuff, making sure they had everything they needed, aside from Murphy, who sat pouting. You smirked, “Come on, princess, she means you too.”

—

“How far is it to this supposed rendezvous?” Murphy asks as your group continues to walk through what looks like a very large junkyard.

“A day walk. Maybe two,” your sister answers.

“Everything looks the same.”

You let out a snort, “a zombie apocalypse and a nuke will do that.”

The next few hours went by fast when the conversation turned to what everyone was doing when the apocalypse started. Warren was working at her posted military base. Murphy was in prison. Doc was working as an addiction counsellor when the Z’s attacked. 10k was fishing when he got surrounded, but his dad saved him. Addy was at an ice hockey game and met Mack while escaping. It was bittersweet hearing people talk about him. It made you miss the way things used to be.

You roll your eyes as Murphy continues to moan. “Does anyone even know where we are? It feels like we’ve been walking forever.”

“Somewhere outside sunny California.”

“Seriously, how much further? I don’t feel so good.”

“We should take a break,” Warren says before sitting down.

After a few moments of silence, Addy jumps to her feet. “It can’t be,” she says, turning to look at you with a blank expression on her face. “Where was the one place we always wanted to go as kids? The one place dad always said he’d take us but never did.”

It took you a few seconds to remember, but your eyes widened when you did. “Get out, it can’t be.”

“For real.”

“Well?” Murphy huffed, unimpressed. “Where are we?”

“Disneyland.”

“Uh huh,” Addy shook her head. “Hard to tell for sure, but I think a small world would have been right over there.”

She points to a large pile of rubble.

“Hey, do you still take pictures to document the apocalypse?” 10k asked, pointing to the ‘happiest place on earth’ sign that was still intact.

“I still have my camera, but I ran out of film a while ago. Shame that would have been a good one.”

—

You stared out at the large hole in the wall as the night got darker while the rest of your group finished eating their rations for that night. You sighed, “I’m gonna take a look around. Make sure we are the only ones here.”

“I’ll go with you,” 10k said before finishing the last of his food.

Warren looked unsure as her eyes moved between you. “Fine, but make sure you're back for us leaving. I don’t want to waste time in the morning sending out a search party.”

—

“I think I’ve found something.”

You toss the box you’d been looking through onto the ground to search for 10k. You’d searched the small building for Z’s and found none, along with no supplies.

The area you were standing in was nothing but four brick walls, dirt, dust, and rumble. You scanned the room, trying to figure out where 10k had gone. “Tommy?”

You let out a squeal and jumped when a metallic clanging noise rang out from behind you. Spinning quickly, you see that 10k has dropped ladders down from a higher ledge. Laughing your fright off, you climb up them to see what he’s found.

“I guess someone was living up here,” 10k says, taking off his shoes.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting comfy,” he smiles.

Once you are up on the ledge, he pulls the ladder back up to stop any Z’s from joining you. The previous person who’d been staying in the building had managed to find a mattress, bed covers, and pillows, which was rare.

You lean back into the bed and stare up at the darkening sky, watching a flock of birds fly by. 10k rolled onto his side to face you, “How’s Addy doing? She seemed pretty upset before.”

“It’s hard for her to talk about Mack. Hell, I miss him like crazy and I thought he was a pain in the ass most of the time… I don’t know how she does it. If she hadn’t met Mack that night, neither of us would have made it this far. I wouldn’t have made it on my own.”

“It’s easier than you think. I did it for a long time. After my pa turned, it was just me until I met all of you guys.”

“I’m glad you did.” You let out a small chuckle. “I’ve lost count how many times you’ve saved my ass.”

He brushes a strand of hair out of your face, “it’s just what we do, save each other.”

“Tommy, I uh…” you said nervously, biting your bottom lip. “I need to say what I’m about to say, not because I want you to say it back, but because I need you to know how I feel in case something happens to me. I’m in love with you.”

10k shuffles awkwardly as he remains speechless. He looked down and mumbled something you don’t quite make out.

“What?”

“I'm afraid to say it,” he says quietly, “I told my ma I loved her before going to make her some breakfast, and when I came back she'd died in her sleep. I told my pa I loved him before he went out hunting and got bit. I- I just can’t say it.”

“Then don’t,” you say softly.

You lean forward and kiss him. When you pull back, 10k has a look of guilt on his face. “I know you care, Tommy. I see it every time you risk your life for mine or someone else you care about.”

10k kisses you again, but this time it’s different. It feels more urgent. In one swift motion, 10k wraps his arms around you and rolls you so you are on top of him. You deepen the kiss and only pull away to remove your top and bra. His hands start to roam, up your arms to your shoulders, and they stop when they reach your breasts. 10k looks up at you nervously, “Is this okay?”

You nodded before finding his lips again. You move off his lap and start to undress each other. You lie side by side on the bed with only the blanket covering your bodies. 10k lets out a quiet moan when you start kissing his jawline and neck as you wrap your hands around him, moving your hands slowly.

After a couple of minutes, you feel 10k’s body tense up. “Wait,” he mumbles. “I don’t want to ruin this by…. Ya know… too soon.”

“We don't have to-”

10k smiled at you before cutting you off with a kiss. “I want to. I’ve just never done it before.”

Knowing you’ve got hours until sunrise, you and 10k spent the next few hours exploring each other’s bodies. Spending the night with 10K made you feel normal. It was what you imagined a normal relationship was like, instead of one person always needing to stay awake to watch for any signs of danger.

10k finally lines himself up with you, “ready?”

You nod, letting him know you're ready. At first, his movements are clumsy, but he soon finds a steady rhythm and his pace quickens. You let out a moan when 10k reaches his hand between your bodies, touching your small bundle of nerves. Seeing how much you like it, 10k repeats this action before you finally reach your climax.

You stifle your moans by kissing 10k roughly moaning into his mouth, causing him to reach his own climax.

10k presses his sweaty forehead against yours as he catches his breath. “You okay?”

“Better than okay,” you giggle.

10k presses a kiss to your cheek before moving. A few moments later, he lays down beside you again and wraps his arms around you, saying, “We should try and get some sleep.”

—

You and 10k reached the building you were in previously just as the rest of your group walked out of it. Warren smiles at you widely and says, “Good, I was just about to send out that search party.” When you tie your hair up, her gaze lingers on you for a longer period of time than usual, asking, “Did you find anything useful?”

“Just a few blankets,” you say, feeling the sides of your ears starting to heat up.

You stand confused when Doc suppresses a laugh as he walks by you, while Warren gives you a strange look. You turn to face Addy, “Did I miss something?”

She taps her finger against your bruised neck, “You are covered in hickeys.”

Mortified, you quickly let your hair down. Your eyes met 10k's, and his cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.

“You better have used those condoms I gave you,” Addy says quietly. She gives you a serious look when you don’t answer right away, “I’m serious, Astra, you can’t risk not being safe in an apocalypse.”

“Yes, we were safe,” you whisper. “Now please drop it.”

Addy smiles and wraps her arm around your shoulder, “Good.”

—

While the rest of your group walked ahead, you slowed your pace so that you were beside Vasquez. You’d noticed he’d seemed more vacant than usual and wanted to comfort him somehow, although with Vasquez it was tricky. The balance between being helpful and pissing him off was thin.

"So you're not going to ask what’s bothering me?"

“No,” you say, shaking your head. “I hung back because I’m sick of listening to one cry baby. I don’t need to hear another.”

Vasquez let out a rare chuckle. “I never imagined the saviour of the world would moan so much.”

You roll your eyes, “Tell me about it.”

A few moments passed before Vasquez spoke again. “You never said where you were when the apocalypse started.”

You told him the same story you’d shared with 10k previously. “What about you? Where were you?”

“With my wife and daughter… I was at their funeral. I had to show them mercy.”

You felt a lump form at the back of your throat. Although everyone had lost loved ones, Vasquez had been through a lot before the apocalypse had even started, which explained why he was so cold when you first met.

—

“Are we there yet?”

“You’ve been asking that for the past 3000 miles,” Warren sighs.

“Yeah, I know,” Murphy continues. “But this time I really mean it. Seriously, shouldn’t we be there by now?”

“It should be on the other side of these trees,” Addy adds.

When you step out of the forest onto a main road, you are taken aback by how fresh the sea air is.

“Damn it’s the Pacific Ocean,” Doc says, stepping forward to get a better look.

The scenery was beautiful. It was the first place you’d seen in a long time that was tainted with death. You turn your head in either direction to look for a lab or hospital type building, but all you see is a small restaurant. “This can’t be right.”

Addy looks down at her GPS, “According to this, it’s right.”

“This isn’t what I was expecting.”

“Maybe it’s just another front for an ungrounded lab,” 10k suggests.

Murphy rambles on, “or maybe it’s just another greasy diner! Another cosmic joke at my expense!”

Warren ignores him and says that the building still needs to be checked out. “I don’t want us all to go walking into some kind of trap. So me and Vasquez will go in light and check it out. The rest of you guys stay here with Murphy and get him into this.”

Warren tosses you a bag with a change of clothes in it.

Murphy's eyes move from the bag in your arms to Warren, “oh hell no.”

“Oh hell yes. I don’t want anybody to recognise you. There are probably some bounty hunters lurking around that heard one of those broadcasts. We did not get you this far to lose you to neo-nazi-numbskulls.”

Murphy huffed, “Yes, dear. Anything you say, dear.”

“Thank you,” Warren says sarcastically before looking at the rest of the group. “If we’re not out in ten minutes…”

“We’ll come bursting in after you,” Addy says.

“No, you need to protect the package. Contact Citizen Z for instructions.”

Murphy starts to get changed while the rest of you watch in silence as Warren and Vasquez make their way inside the restaurant.