#If the rain could stop that'd be great

[themightywolftiger]

Finally getting around to posting requests. My brain's been super tired, and I forgot to start posting these yesterday.

So, for starters, A Jellie cat sleeping.

A request done for @chimary

[justpoliteconversations]

Harvest Season [Reader + BOTW!Link]

You have a rather odd encounter that leads to an empty pantry. You don't regret it.

One of the fic requests from this Post.  Another to feed the ever expanding trash heap.

Masterlist

TW: None.

Disclaimer: Don't own The Legend of Zelda franchise.

---

You were not expecting today to be different from any other day. The sun was shining, the wind held a cool edge that spoke of an early fall, the air saturated with moisture and the scent of wet soil. And your workers were busy tending to the harvest, covered in dirt and the greasy shine of sweat despite the breeze (and Johnny was complaining, as usual).

You, of course, had already started sorting and crating the product. Shifting through the seemingly neverending mountains of foodstuff as Jessy brought it over in great bag fulls.

A day like any other for this time of the season. Until it wasn't. And the oddity took the shape of a small hyrulian man with long blonde hair, bright blue eyes and a rather horrendous knot of scars on the side of his face. And a sword. Glowing and more fierce looking than any sword had a right to be, no matter it's intended purpose.

He'd paused at the border of your gated property, keen eyes scanning over the half harvested fields and your workers attending to them. One of your workers even returned the stare (Jessy, the fearless cutthroat), while some (namely Billy, but Johnny too) was visibly discomforted by the sight of such a scarred warrior casting his gaze upon them with unknown purpose. You too, felt unease.

Bandits were not unknown in these parts, particularly during the harvesting seasons when the fruits of your (and others like you and your workers) labor were freshly picked and awaiting the merchant's festival in town. And now just happened to be that time, and that man (innocent though his eyes looked) was armed to the teeth.

Only a fool wouldn't be cautious. Even if just a little bit.

But you couldn't ignore him either, as it would be both impolite and potentially dangerous. If you were lucky, he was merely a traveling mercenary or particularly armed traveler that'd just happened upon your little farm. It wouldn't have been the first time such an occurrence had happened.

Though it wouldn't have been the first time a bandit tried to threaten you into handing over your hard earned harvest either. The unmarked plot at the very edge of your property told a very somber story as to how that ended (for him).

You approached the small man with caution and a friendly smile nonetheless. "Hello, friend. What brings you to these parts?" You began, a nice, simple way to scope out the measure of this man. And a distraction, so your workers could ready themselves to pounce if the man proved dangerous (you could already imagine Johnny and Billy shifting their grips on their hoes, Jessy leaning down to pull the dagger from her boot holster).

His eyes never left yours as he brought his hands up, and said in a distinctively grating rasp. "I'm a traveler. But I'm looking for a place to rest for the night." He shifted, casting a glance over the half-harvested field with those wide, blue eyes of his. "I thought I could help in exchange. It'd be nice to not sleep in the rain." His voice had rapidly gotten worse as he spoke, nearly cracking at the end.

You glanced up at the sky, doubtful. "Rain? I don't see a cloud in the sky, sir." You pointed out, skeptical of his words, but not untrusting of them. You knew some folk who could read the weather like a map. Your dear belated mentor being one such person. Could call a snowfall to the hour weeks in advance. Unnatural, that one, but sweet as apple pie.

He opened his mouth to speak, but you held up your hand and stopped him before he could strain himself any further. "No need to push yourself, sir. Just point and I'll have my girl check." He blinked in confusion at your words (had no one truly had the courtesy to accommodate this man's difficulties?) but pointed north nonetheless. And you simply turned your head and called out. "Jessy! North! Check for storm clouds."

"Got it, boss!" She yelled back, and you saw the glint of her dagger sliding back into its holster before off she went, straight to the tallest tree of the lot not far off and up it with squirrel-like grace.

The man looked at you in question, and you kept your body language relaxed and open as you said. "If it is gonna rain, it's gonna storm. It always does in these parts, being so close to the mountains. And I'd like my crops in before then."

The noisiest of your workers (Johnny) groaned, but Billy pushed him with his shoulder and whispered about overtime paid. And it was enough to shut the other up, because of course that'd be the one thing to keep Johnny's mouth shut. Not the potential threat. Not his boss standing just a meter away from an unknown man armed like he's about to go to war. Just the notion of extra pay.

At least he did good work, even if he was a fickle little bastard.

The man nodded, shifting uncomfortably under your stare. And you felt yourself soften at his uncertainty (he just looked so young and lost right then). "Hey. Ya said you wanted to help, right? Just grab a hoe and start hacking. It's the last harvest of summer until we replant for fall, so no need to be a worn hand at it. Just join the boys over there and do what they do." He nodded again, and without another word headed over towards the fence and grabbed one the mentioned tools (putting his sword and shield against the fence in its place. and you felt yourself relax completely. grateful you'd seemed to have made the right choice).

By the time Billy had given him a brief explanation as to what they were doing and how it was done, Jessy had returned with confirmation that the very beginning of storm clouds were just cresting over the mountaintops. And that they'd be on you all by sundown. Just like the man had said.

Well, damn.

---

You'd expected to be working well into the beginnings of the rain (hopeful not into the storm itself, but you'd do it even if your workers decided they didn't want to risk it and left for the night). Maybe, if you were lucky, the storm would slow its progression and you'd have another hour or so to get everything properly picked and sorted before working became too dangerous. Hell, maybe it wouldn't rain at all and the storm had veered off course to somewhere else.

Well, the rain showed up early. Unfortunately. And it was a real doozy of a thunder storm to boot. So much so you and the boys had moved the (metal) equipment as far away from the house as possible to prevent any wayward lightning from roasting you all in your sleep.

However, none of you had been out in the rain when it originally started up a few hours before sun down. Instead, you were all huddled in your house (the triplets had decided to stay the night then risk getting caught in the storm), cooking dinner while Billy praised the man's (Link's) incredible (and it really was incredible) work ethic and Johnny nodded along with an encouraging smile (blessedly silent, thank the Goddesses). Jessy rolling her eyes and listening fondly from her seat on the bed (your bed, thank you very much).

Why? Because as mentioned before, Link was an absolute work horse out there (don't know what his mama fed him as a babe, but you wanted to know something fierce). The man had worked the fields so quickly and so thoroughly the boys had had to step back lest they get in his way anymore than they already had been. And when Jessy (with the help of her brothers) had been unable to pick fast enough to stay ahead of the man, Link had begun picking himself. By which point the triplets had begun hoeing, until the monster of a man had finished the picking and then your poor workers had had to move to sorting to stay out of his way.

He'd finished hoeing not long after, sitting down beside the boys immediately after to start sorting (despite your repeated assurance that he'd done more than enough. to which he'd just smiled impishly and kept his hands moving). Surprisingly, he was slower with the sorting. Though maybe not that surprising. But only because Jessy had whispered to him that you allowed them to eat the misshapen and colored product and he seemed to have taken that as a challenge (that boy can eat. it's kind of scary how much he put away in that one sitting).

The end result of it all was an early day (so Johnny did not get that overtime no matter how much he pouted, the jerk) and a celebratory dinner for Link for a job well done. To which the man had blushed from ear to ear when told as such, trying to deny with gestures you realized was a type of sign language (one you didn't fully recognize. it was as though he had taken standard and added unnecessary motions between words). But he was easily won over with the promise of food.

And that was how you ended up here, cooking a feast enough for ten men (it probably wouldn't be enough, from what you'd seen of the small man. may the golden three preserve you and your pantry) and watching just as fondly as Jessy as her brothers tried to pry out the secrets of Link's inhuman abilities.

You had your suspicions, but you kept that to yourself. It wouldn't be wise to let such information out into the world so irresponsibly. Especially with the likes of the Yiga still prowling these parts (one of the main sources of the bandits) in greater numbers than is normal (it was the season, after all). And especially not when the (potential) object of their attention (and murderous ire) was sitting at your table trying his level best to eat you out of house and home.

But if you cooked a few extra (attack and defense boosting) dishes for him to take with him (leftovers, of course. since he's just got such a ferocious appetite). Forced him to accept the entirety of your savings (as payment, of course, for doing such a great job the day before. not that he knew those were your savings). And extracted (with much guilt tripping) the promise to return if he ever needed a place to rest (or hide or heal).

Well. No one had to know the reason why. It was your business after all (except for Jessy, who had slipped a few bundles of arrows into the bag you'd used to pack his food despite your side-eye. which she'd returned with a meaner one).

And if your hand had lingered on his shoulder a little longer than necessary as you said your goodbyes. And your eyes held more sadness and respect than would be deemed normal for the situation. No one had to know why.

But you think he understood. Because he'd looked you in the eyes, put his hand on yours (calloused. just like yours, but burdened with scars you hoped to never bare yourself), and told you thank you. With so much feeling. With so much conviction. With such strength that your heart ached with the hope it inspired.

After he left, you didn't see him again until some time later. When the blood moons had stopped rising and the roads had cleared and word of Calamity Ganon's demise had spread far and wide to all reaches of Hyrule.

He came to you during a cool summer's evening (just turning to fall. the same time as before when you brought the last summer harvest in) with a sheepish smile on his lips and mirthful eyes. You'd smiled back, just as mirthful (and relieved. so relieved he was okay) as you said. "Come to clear my pantry again, have you?" And he laughed, crackling and rasping, before nodding and picking up a hoe from the fence without being asked.

As he walked past you, you said, grinning. "The others already left for the day. I can't promise overtime, ya hear?"

He snorted. "Won't take long." And you laughed too, before taking up a hoe yourself and following after.

Might as well work up an appetite if you're going to be eaten out of house and home. After all, it's not everyday the Hero of Hyrule comes to raid your pantry.

Might as well join him.

And if you declare a celebration for his hard work once more. Well. No one has to know you weren't talking about your fields.

But by the shine in his lashes as you put your arm around his shoulders and ruffled his hair. You were pretty sure he knew, even if it remained unspoken.

---

I retreat for a brief time to the shadows.

[everybodyshusband]

what was supposed to be a tiny little drabble because dysphoria is stupid and it sucks turned into 1.9k words because i couldn't stop writing, haha !! (see again: dysphoria is stupid and it sucks)

transmasc dysphoric dew being comforted by cirrus and rain <3

cw. lots of crying, dew has a mindset that he can't do certain things because he sees girls doing them but he's aware that this is an unhealthy thought process to have, he also misgenders himself in his head once out of dysphoria

~

Dew's skin is crawling. Sweat from tonight's ritual clinging to his compression shirt and making his skin itch more and more with every second he keeps it on. He needs to get it off. In fairness, his skin has been crawling since before the ritual caused him to sweat buckets into his shirt. He's been feeling distinctively wrong since this morning, when they all arrived at the venue and realised the venue crew had allocated the dressing rooms differently than usual.

Dew's with the ghoulettes. He hates grouping them all together like that in his mind—knows Cumulus would probably have his head if she knew he was referring to the three of them as one single entity rather than individually appreciating them as they all deserve—but today, there's something in the back of Dew's head that itches every time he tries to separate them. He hates it. He can't figure it out.

He doesn't figure it out until after the ritual. When Rain calls out to Dew over his shoulder as he makes his way to his own dressing room. "When the rest of the boys and I are done, we'll meet the four of you in the greenroom with Papa, okay?" Dew calls out his response but the way Rain phrased it won't stop echoing through Dew's mind as he chats with Aurora, lifts his mask off, unbuttons his shirt, unlaces his boots.

"The boys and I" Rain had said.

The boys.

And Dew's not with them.

As he comes to this realisation, he pulls his first boot off, throwing it to the ground in frustration as tears pinprick the corners of his eyes. Cirrus jumps at the loud noise as she unbuttons her shirt, revealing her short-sleeve compression shirt underneath—most days Dew forgets that she wears it, given that it doesn't show when she rolls up her sleeves. And because he's never placed in the same dressing room as the... The girls.

"I don't know what kind of tantrum you're throwing over there, Dew," she says, not looking at him as she takes a seat in front of the mirror to unlace her own boots. "But if you could cool it enough to not make loud noises, that'd be great."

She's joking. He knows she's only joking and that her casual dismissal shouldn't hurt as much as it does but... Well, he's already had an off day and apparently, the disinterest in her tone is enough to break the dam of tears that was already struggling to contain itself.

He cries silently, too scared of disturbing Cirrus even further and of interrupting Aurora and Cumulus' conversation by making more noise. It's not until Cirrus is finished with her boots that she looks up and sees Dew sitting on the beat-up, beer-stained couch with tears streaming down his face. Her face softens immediately, an apologetic furrow forming between her eyebrows as she makes her way over to him. He flinches back before her outstretched hand can come to rest on his knee as if she's got cooties. As if he's going to catch "the girl" from her. As if her touch will cement the fact that Dew's just a silly girl playing pretend with her boyfriends' clothes.

The worry in Cirrus' eyes as Dew sobs makes him hate himself even more. "I'm sorry I was so rude to you, love," she tries.

"'S fine." It's not fine, they both know that. The real apologies and explanations from both of them will come later, they always do. The cursory, meaningless apologies happen in the moment, and the real ones come later as they hold each other close, tears streaming down both their cheeks. That's just how they work.

"Do you want me to get Rain?" She knows her presence is too much for him right now. She's probably able to read him better than he's reading himself. Come to think of it, she probably knew how Dew was feeling before he did, if her gentle questions throughout the day are anything to go by—well, with Cirrus, "gentle" usually means gripping Dew around the neck and ruffling his hair, laughing and pressing a kiss to the top of his head once she's had her fun; Sathanas, he loves her so much.

Dew nods. "Rain," he echoes.

Cirrus nods as well and disappears out the door, letting it band shut behind her as she goes off in search of the water ghoul. On the other side of the room, Cumulus and Aurora are trying very hard to pretend they haven't been watching the entire exchange.

In what feels simultaneously like no time at all and all the time in the world, Cirrus returns with Rain in tow, looking especially soft and relaxed in his street clothes. She must have briefed him about what's happened because although Rain runs to Dew and drops to his knees in front of the couch, he doesn't touch Dew.

"No," Dew whispers softly, longing for Rain to reach out and touch him.

"No?" Rain starts to move away from him.

"No! Come back... Please." He holds his hand out and almost starts crying again out of relief when Rain takes a hold of it.

"You doing alright, darling?" Rain's voice is soft, kind.

Dew tilts his head this way and that, not quite a nod but not quite a shake of his head either. "I'll be okay." He's not actually sure he'll be okay for a while, but he's rather Rain not worry about him even more than he already is.

Rain fixes Dew with a look, but gives him a gentle smile regardless. "D'you want to get out of this, love?" He gestures to Dew's uniform, his pants and the compression shirt that remains clinging to his sweaty skin.

Dew nods, standing up to shuck his pants and replace them with his favourite fluffy sweatpants, balancing himself against Rain and chuckling good-naturedly when he trips as he steps into his pants and almost falls flat on his face. As he tries to pull his shirt over his head, Rain collects the other parts of Dew's uniform and places them into a neat pile.

He turns back to Dew while Dew's shirt is halfway over his head, his head trapped in the damp fabric, stretching it as he tries to pull it over himself to no avail.

"Love–" Rain's hands are gentle as he stills Dew's hands. "Love, stop pulling. You're going to wreck the shirt."

"It's stuck." Dew knows his voice is muffled by the shirt from the way Rain chuckles at him.

The water ghoul's cold hands are welcome against Dew's warm skin as he pulls the shirt back onto his body. "Don't pull it off, you're just going to stretch it. See what Cirrus is doing?" Dew's gaze finds Cirrus just in time to see her cross her arms in front of her body and grip the hem of her shirt, pulling it over her head.

He knows it's irrational, but his stomach twists and his skin begins to itch all over again in that same uncomfortable way as before at the idea of taking his shirt off the same way Cirrus did.

"N– No, that's... That's..." He trails off, voice thick with tears before he can say "the girl's way" because Sathanas, if he doesn't know how horrendous that sounds.

Somehow, though, Rain seems to understand what he wants to say, because before Dew can even start to think about panicking any further, Rain is taking Dew's hands in his and nudging their foreheads together. "Do you want me to take it off for you, love?"

"Sh– Shouldn't you take me out to... To dinner or something first?" He stumbles over his words and his voice cracks as he tells the joke, but Rain laughs anyway and something in Dew's heart feels a little lighter, but with Rain still looking at him expectantly for an answer, all he can really do is nod miserably and pull back from the water ghoul to give him room to help him out of his shirt.

Once Rain has pulled the sweaty shirt off of Dew and has begun searching for the fire ghoul's hoodie, Dew does his best to avoid looking down. He knows he's got something on underneath his shirt—whether it's a binder or tape he can't remember, but the incessant itching feeling from earlier makes him think it might be his tape—but regardless, he's hesitant to test his luck with his dysphoria, especially after everything that's happened today. Soon enough, Rain is passing Dew his hoodie and helping him pull it over his head, ruffling his hair gently and kissing the top of his head once he's finished.

"All done, love," Rain murmurs against his forehead. "Just shoes and then we're done, 'kay?"

Dew nods, eyeing up his choices. He's got the Doc Martens he arrived in leaning against the wall, or the pair of beat-up Converse buried in the bottom of his bag. Against his will, his eyes drift across to the other side of the room, where Cumulus is lacing up her own Docs.

Rain's fingers are gentle against his cheek as he guides his gaze away from the air ghoulette. "Don't worry about what's she's doing," he says gently. "What shoes do you want to wear, Dew?"

He casts a longing look at his well-worn, comfortable Docs before dropping his head and asking for his Converse.

Rain kisses him again—a soft thing that makes Dew's stomach swoop at the realisation of just how loved he is—and moves away to rummage through Dew's bag and hand him the shoes. He kneels down at Dew's feet once more and laces the shoes for him, stroking his knee gently before he stands up once he's done. Rain holds his hand out, offering Dew a hand up, but he ignores it and stands by himself, pretending not to notice the disappointment in Rain's eyes. He can't help it. Rain's extended hand reminded him of all the times Mountain has pulled Lus up off of the couch, or the few times Swiss has offered a hand out to Sunshine to help her up when she's been sat on the floor during their rest time at practice.

Once he's up however, he takes Rain's hand gladly, just as Aether and Aeon or Ifrit and Omega when the pairs walk around the Abbey.

Rain huffs out a quiet sigh, looking over at Dew with a soft smile on his face. "Ready to go?"

Dew nods, grabbing his bag and slinging it over the shoulder not obstructed by Rain's hold on his hand. He pushes the door to the dressing room open and tries to turn left, but Rain tugs him along to the right. "Greenroom, remember?"

Dew sighs and follows without saying anything. In all honesty, he couldn't care less about their post-ritual rundown at the moment. He'd much rather head back to the bus with Rain and let himself be held—maybe he'd even be able to convince himself to curl up into Rain's side without feeling wrong about it.

As they walk, he feels Rain look over at him. He returns the gaze, knowing the smile he sends Rain's way is a bit too tight to be genuine. He's tired out from monitoring his own actions all day, he just wants to cuddle up with Rain in one of their bunks and go to sleep. The water ghoul squeezes his hand twice in quick succession.

You okay?

Dew squeezes back once.

I will be.

[quitealotofsodapop]

So sonce Wukong is heavily associated with he earth and especially FFM, what if the mountain itself changes to fit Wukong's emotional and physical health? Like when he's sad, depressed, or hopeless it becomes more barren and cold, when he's hurt the earth itself cracks and plants wither and die, whe he's happy it's lush, warm, and beautiful like depicted in the show! It doesn't instantly change of course but slowly, the longer the time Wukong is in a certain mood, the more it affects the mountain. That'd also why the monkeys, who have EVERY reason to be distrustful of a stranger on the mountain considering literally everything in the book, are so quick to warm up to and welcome MK and his family into their midst! Because they make Wukong happy!

Ooo this is such a cool idea.

Wukong being basically the Te Fiti of Flower Fruit Mountain and the surrrounding country of Alolai.

When he ws young and unsure, the islands bloomed with new haphazard shoots and flowers.

When he jumped through the waterfall the first time, the rains came and watered the parched fruit trees.

When he travelled onto the mainland and trained with Sudbodhi, the air became heavy with the winds of his travels - A certain Macaque amongst the troop able to hear where exactly their King was based on how he sang to the breeze. Soon the skies became full of fluffy clouds so thick you could nearly walk (or rather Sommersault on them). It was one of the few joys his people appriciated whilst under the threat of the Demon King of Havoc/Confusion.

The night before the King returned, a great thunder rain occurred - startling all of them awake. A thunder of sadness and anger. But when their King landed home and cut the Demon's head in half with his new powers - the sun shined upon the island once more.

When the Brotherhood was made and friendships forged, the mountain bloomed with new life. Spider lilies flourished in the time the King had been whisked away to the Underworld, and lotus flowers sprang forth upon his return.

When their king lost himself as an attendant of Heaven, the waters in the streams became stale like a horse through, and fruits shrivelled on the branches like they had been dried for a dessert.

Oddly enough, when their King made havoc in Heaven; the most that the mountain experienced was a sudden unseasonable bloom of peach blossoms that dripped a heady dew.

When Sun Wukong was defeated and captured for the Furnance... the mountain Burned.

For 49 days straight.

They at first blamed the war god Erlang that had bested their King in the first place, but he and the rest of the brothers of Meishan rallied to save as many monkey yao as possible from the flames and the subsequent floods of murky ash.

When the Monkey King burst forth from the Trigram Furnace, it sent a volley of burning charcoal comets down to earth. Including onto the Stone Place itself.

And when the Buddha was forced to raise his hand? The island stagnanted.

For 500 years the razed island could not grow more than grass and ferns. No more fruits or flowers bloomed. The water was bitter and black with charcoal. And whats more, humans from the mainland beyond had discovered that the country of Alolai was ripe for the picking...

When their King returned once more at the helm of a fight with his religious master, the island rained for the first time in centuries. As he struck down each and every hunter he found, and saved and returned as many as his people as he could, the island seemed to Revive with the scent of blossoms and peaches.

When he left to rejoin his Pilgrim friends, the fruits and flowers still came, now just less sweet.

His subjects knew immediately knew when something terrible had happened with their King years on. The winds stopped blowing as if a switch had been struck. Stone fruit trees crumbled into dust as if they were diseased. The waters of the streams became salted as if with tears... it took a long time for the island to return to some normalcy after that. Though the plum trees never returned, no matter how ardent the efforts of those who keep mountains orchards.

A great bloom of golden flowers and fruits occurred the day their King had reached the home of the Buddha. The rush of life announced via a clap of thunder. The monkeys of the island hooted and sung for weeks at their King's return.

Many years later, fire broke out on the mountain's peak. Their King returned home with a haunted look upon his face but gave no explaination. They began to see less and less of the Western Horse-Dragon after that day... soon the fruits and waters became stale once more. The only flowers that bloomed were ones of mourning.

On a day, after many of arficially sweetened waters adn fruits, a great aurora of golden and purple lights broke forth in the skies above the island - distracting the King's subject long enough that they missed his wonder and conflict at finding a little stone monkey much like himself. The clouds rained heavy with seawater in the days to come.

And on the day a certain child appeared, the sun shone a hue so beautiful and happy that the subjects of the island just knew someone dear to the King had returned.

The plum trees returned some time afterwards, though the fruits were a little sour. They became sweet once more in the year after.

[futurecorps3]

May I request Kaz caring for sick!reader? ❤️

Masterlist <3 -Requests are still open! (For any character of the fandoms in my masterlist)

This is a concept that I absolutely adore. I'm using fem!reader and established relationship for this one !<3 I hope you like it. I'm terribly sorry for the long delay! (Yes, we're going to pretend I never left and that I'm not back after being gone for like five months)

𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐲

WARNINGS: Mentions of death, illness, trauma related to those two, stabbing, blood,

»»————-　𓄿　————-««

He thinks it's, frankly, pathetic. To anyone outside the crows, and even people from inside the slat knew Kaz Brekker was not a man victim of guilt. If anything, guilt was his servant and his bitch, to say the least.

But here he was.

Knowing for a fact Y/N coming down with the worst cold he had seen in... several years, was completely and entirely his fault all because he insisted she had to stay outside the building to make sure no Stadwatch officers came near in the last job they got done.

Her being the most capable fighter of them all was his excuse, but both of them knew he didn't want her to go inside to dive into the smell of rotting corpses and the sight of the death itself. Which she had no issues on causing, but a fresh corpse is way far from a decomposing one.

She understood the difference perfectly. Her past taught her that particular lesson. It wasn't different for him, but he'd only stay near the door while Jesper grabbed the blueprints from that rich asshole's corpse and then get out fast.

She was perfectly fine, keeping both eyes open for anything odd.

It then started raining.

A thing she loved since she had arrived in Ketterdam. There was a certain air brought by the combination of wet alleyways and the noisy streets of the East Stave that brought comfort to her. She said that to him in one of their late-night conversations. But you didn't need to be as clever as Kaz to know that Y/N wouldn't particularly enjoy it as she did inside the comfort her room brought, being outside with no shelter from the little droplets of water, that is.

"Saints, doll, you're drenched!" was the first thing that came out of Jesper's mouth when he saw her after getting out of the morgue. She was. "Did you get them?" was the only thing she answered, wrapping her arms around her shoulders and moving them up and down trying to keep warm, miserably failing.

It had stopped raining a few minutes ago, so the wind was especially colder and faster. Kaz muttered a small "Yes" as he handed the blueprints to Inej for a quick second, taking off his long black coat and draping it over his lover's shoulders. "Let's go, quick," he ordered, keeping Y/N close to him. As close as he could, anyway; their arms touching and pinkies linked as they walked through the city, with Inej guarding them from above.

Kaz knew he should've asked Nina to check her pulse and temperature before she left, or even better, ask her to part to Fjerda the next morning in case Y/N got ill no matter how the girl insisted her friend should leave as soon as possible so the flowers the crows sent for Matthias wouldn't die. Nina left that same night and Y/N started sneezing soon after.

"Would you like some tea? Mom used to add honey, ginger and garlic on it when I had a cold" Wylan offered, seeing his friend's state as his boyfriend, Kaz, and Y/N sat on the small loft in the third floor of the Slat "That'd be great, thank you Wylan" she said, trying to clear her itchy throat. With that, Wylan excited the room with Jesper following after him.

"Are you warm?" Kaz asked, sitting next to her on the couch, stretching his bad leg over the table, being careful he didn't knock over any of the items on it "Mhm" she hummed, tracing small shapes on his gloved hand in search for some comfort. Kaz pulled away immediately to take the leather item off and pulled his hand closer to her thigh so she could continue. She did, giggling softly.

"Did you feel alright earlier?" this time she was the one asking, knowing how uncomfortable the situation could've made him. "It was fine. I didn't touch... it. You know seeing them isn't as bad as-" "Yes" she nodded "What did he even die from?" "Bastard got stabbed and bled to death in an alley, it was just a matter of time for someone of the many people who hated him acted" "Or for you to get him" she smiled, making him smirk softly "Or for me to get him".

"You should go to bed," he suggested, peeking over to the kitchen briefly and seeing Wylan and Jesper playing around with the honey, "They're taking their time" he sighed. Y/n tried turning her head quickly towards the other couple but hissed right away, placing her hand on her head after feeling a sharp sting. Kaz looked at her with worry behind his usual seemingly emotionless eyes.

"I-it's okay. Wylan was really thoughtful when he offered making something warm for me. I'm waiting until it's done," she said, closing her eyes tightly, waiting for the pain to go away. He couldn't bear the sight. He knew it was just a cold, but Y/N was in pain and uncomfortable, and even though he rarely got any rest, he knew it made one feel better.

"Go rest, I'll bring it to your room" he insisted, getting up and helping her up on the way "What if I fall asleep an-" "That'd be great. We can heat it up in the morning. Now go." It almost sounded like an order. Right before she turned around to do as he said, she stopped in her tracks and looked at him once again.

"Thank you," she whispered, now actually turning around to leave.

Kaz watched as Y/N turned to the left and into the hallway that led to her room. After putting his gloves back on and taking his cane , which was resting on another one of the small couches around the area, he stepped into the kitchen, finding Wylan sitting on top of a counter with Jesper standing between his legs.

"How is she?" the Zemeni boy asked, a tint of worry in his tone "Her head started to hurt so I advised she'd go to bed for now, I'll get her the tea when it's done" he answered, leaving his cane propped up against a chair and combing his fingers trough his slightly wet hair "I'm sure this will help," Wylan said "it always did with me, anyway".

Silence took over the room. Not an uncomfortable silence, but not a comfortable one either. Kaz knew for a fact his friends would be all over each other if he wasn't present, but he felt the need to ask something. Something that Inej and Nina would giggle about if they weren't fast asleep or boarding a boat at the moment.

"How do you do it?" he questioned, looking directly at Wylan. "Do what?" "The tea" "Why?" Jesper interrupted, pertinent as ever. "In case this little family tradition makes her feel better... I'd like to make it for her". The silence was even louder now, one of astonishment too. Both men shared looks of confusion, as if they didn't hear him right, splitting in cheesy smiles when they realized they had, in fact, heard Mr. Dirty Hands clearly.

It was all broken by the loud whistle of the kettle, a sharp sound filling the room before Wylan hopped off the counter to turn it off. He carefully grabbed a mug and poured some tea in it, handing it to Kaz after. "I'll tell you when you come back, lover-boy" he smiled, making the raven haired boy roll his eyes as he was handed the cup.

He left his cane behind, exciting the kitchen once again. The tea smelt sickeningly sweet and had a powerful scent of garlic that made Kaz's nostrils and eyes itch a little as he was subtly looking down at it to make sure it didn't spill. He knocked twice, pausing briefly and then knocked two times again, all delicately as to not wake her up in case she was already asleep.

"Come in"

Her room was one of his favorite places in this world. Everything about it screamed Y/N. From the pile of unread books on the desk that left just enough space for her to write and paint to the neatly folded clothes that belonged to both of them. He had insisted he could make his own laundry, but she knew he'd never find the time to do so, and Y/N never really minded helping out.

She was sitting on the bed in her cotton nightgown, propped up against the headboard with the wind crashing on her face. Icy wind. Kaz left the tea on her bedside table, rushing over as fast as his leg allowed him to close the window and curtains. "No!" she whined like a little girl, almost making the man giggle. "It's the only thing keeping me sane. It's fresh." "It is not fresh, it's cold and you're sick," he argued, adjusting the blankets over his lover, careful not to touch her.

Y/N looked up at him in awe. Y/N knew her boyfriend would never in a million years admit to ever be bothered. Kaz Brekker had things in control. If someone was one step ahead, Kaz Brekker was three steps ahead. Kaz Brekker didn't know fear. Most times, she found that to be true, and she had certainly been surprised plenty of times by his mind. That's one of the things that made her fall for him. But she knew it was always different when it came to her.

He became a professional overthinker about her safety and comfort. He just wanted the best for his girl and tried hard to show it the way he could. It was quite adorable to see him worry like this, especially when she really was feeling sick.

Kaz noticed her stare on him after gently tucking her in. "What?" he asked, trying to stop himself from grinning like stupid. "I'm going to get you sick." "Nonsense dear, I never get sick" he smirks, taking off his gloves to caress her cheek. Y/N leaned into the contact before he felt him tense up briefly to then pull away. At first, she thought the contact might've been too much for him but then he said in a very much worried tone a small "You're burning up".

Kaz didn't like her being sick but he knew that if she'd been cold, the water would've risen to his chest and he'd be a helpless little boy all over again, because then it wouldn't've been his girl, the light of his life. That person would've been Jordie. And he was going to lose her. Just like he did with his brother. So he thanked her fever, selfishly.

The boy walked to the bathroom, and she could hear the distant sound of water running. Sleep was taking over her, but she had to stay awake to drink the tea, so she tried her best and this time, succeeded. A few seconds after, her boyfriend was back at her side, now sitting on the other side of the bed while squeezing off the excess of water from the drenching washcloth he brought with him in a small bowl-like plate.

"I'm cold" she hissed when he placed the cloth on her forehead, drying the very few droplets that glided down her temples. "You're fully covered. It's this or have you take a cold bath. You look ill". From the short distance between her face and his, she could see how Kaz's brows were slightly furrowed and his eyes held what looked like guilt.

"This is not your fault," she assured, seeing her boy's eyes look up to hers, his gaze softening at the words. "You couldn't've known it was going to rain, and you were also trying to protect me from seeing the bodies. I'll get better, I'll live"

"You better, love" he smirked, letting the room fall in a very comforting silence, his doubts dissipating instantly. Y/N knew how to make him feel better. She made him better.

After an hour of Kaz playing with her hair as she breathed in and out with her eyes closed but not sleeping, she drank the tea, refreshing her throat a little but not stopping the sting she had been feeling for a while now. When the washcloth dried up, the fever had gone down, Kaz touching her face to make sure himself. Truth is, these little details here and there are what helped him overcome his aversion little by little. There was a long way to go yet, but Y/N was sure he'd make it one day.

Y/N yawned loudly, and Kaz knew it was time for him to go. He didn't want to, though. "Get some sleep. If you need anything, knock twice on the wall" he ordered requested, placing the now empty cup on her nightstand. "Yeah," she responded, laying on her side and pulling the covers up to her nose. "And you should too" she mumbled, already slipping away to a deep slumber.

"Took three seconds" Kaz thought, smiling to himself as he put his gloves on. Y/N laid so peacefully, making the boy realize she was his favorite part of being alive. She had a heart that kept others strong. And all is well. He's okay, she's okay, the crows are okay and even though they live in madness city... it's all okay. He picked up the drenched clothes she discarded hours ago and took them with him, closing the door after blowing the candles that lit the room dimly.

Over the next days, Kaz managed to balance the time between planning their next heist and taking care of Y/N. Which meant endless cups of Wylan's tea made by him, changing the sheets with Inej's help, and opening the windows to her room when the weather allowed it. Thanks to Kaz and the crows' cares, she was back after three days. And she could swear on everything she held sacred she heard Kaz cough a couple of times during that week.

But he'd do it all over again just so she felt better, because she was the one and only thing he held sacred. And if her being well meant he'd have to deal with coughing and a runny nose, he would gladly take it.

[grugruel]

An Affair to Remember

Pairing: Collegue!Bucky x f!Reader

Masterlist

Summary: You've worked with Bucky for quite some time now, from his first greeting and charming smile your affection for him bloomed. Although you kept your crush a secret, you couldnt help but very subtly flirt with him. He's much older, and well.. happily married. Which you wouldnt ever want to ruin, but theres no risk of that ever happening since he would never want you anyway.. right?

Warnings: Age-gap (reader over 20), adultry, slight smut (more to come), jealousy. Let me know what I missed!

Word count: ±4k

AN: Hello! Its my first time writing EVER. Its also my first time really postning anything on tumblr, so go easy on me. But if you do have any notes to make my writing better please let me know! :)

--

My phone rang disturbingly loud, waking me in a startle. I jolted out of bed and franaticly searched for the source of the sound, laying concealed somewhere in my sheets. I became increasingly annoyed the more times the signal repeated itself, but it stopped soon after. Making the phone harder to find and me more agitated.

I eventually found it, noticing several missed calls from Hannah my bestfriend and collegue. Still drousy, I could't bother to call her back so I splayed out on the bed and waited for her to call me again. The rain tapping on my window had me drifting off to sleep, but just then the phone rung.

Disturbed from my sleep yet again, I answered the call asuming it would be her 'God its like 5 in the morning, why the fuck are you calling me?'

'Calm down now girl, by that reaction I presume I woke you up.' The voice on the other end chuckled.

I quirked my brow, last I checked Hannah was not a man, she was usually this sassy however. I looked at the number, not recognizing it and answered with a weary sigh 'Uhm, yes actually. Who is this again?'

'Dont you recognice my voice?' He laughed, 'It's Bucky' and just like that my morning was fixed in the flash of a second. I have been crushing on my married collegue for months at this point and I was fully aware how immoral it was.

Bucky continued 'I talked to Hannah this morning and she said you hadn't been answearing your phone and probably overslept, so I thought I'd give it a try myself.'

Overslept? I looked at the clock on my phone, the tiny letters appearing blurred by my tired eyes, I made them out to be 9:15. My face dropped as, 'Holy shit, I fucking overslept!' I exclamied and he laughed again, 'Yeah, not by a small margin either. We have that meeting today aswell, starting in 15, remember?'

I stumbled around my bedroom, phone in hand searching for aproppriate work clothes. 'I totally forgot' I chuckled, grabbig a tight white tee, a pair of bootcut jeans and struggled to get them on. One of my nails got stuck on a seam in the jeans, making the nail rip. I involuntarily let out a pained whine 'oh, fuck me!' not thinking to much of it and with no time to spare I just got my jeans on and headed for the bathroom to do my makeup.

'Hannah was the one supposed to pick me up' I sighed, 'Buck, you dont suppose you could be a gentleman and pick me up?' I asked sheepishly, 'Im sure I'll find a way to repay you' I said, mostly joking.

There was no answer on the other end, 'Buck, you there?' I asked, but still nothing. I thought I could hear breathing but chucked it up to a bad signal, 'Bucky?'.

Finally there was noise, Bucky cleared his throat and a strained voice came through 'Mmh right, I already told Hannah to go ahead and join the meeting and I'd come pick you up instead, I'll be there in about 15 minutes. If thats alright with you of course.'

'Yes. That'd be great! See you soon' I said and he hung up. I finished my makeup, put some of my best perfume on considering I'd be in close quarters with Bucky. I grabbed my bag, headphones and other necessities, put on my black plateu boots and looked out through my window. The rain was still pouring so I grabbed my black leather jacket and an umbrella aswell.

I checked to clock, 9:25. I had 5 minutes, I gave my appearance a quick once over before heading out. I looked really good, I thought. Maybe even good enough to seduce a married man thats twice my age.

About 15 minutes later Bucky pulled up in a sleek black car, I stood there with my umbrella splayed out over me, shivering.

He stepped out and opened the door for me, giving me an apologetic look. Which gave me a slight giddy feeling, because I imagined it ment that he cared for me. But it could've been because of his very appealing disheveld appearance too.

Either way, late or not. I didn't care much since I was already very late for work and beacause I was genuinley just glad to see him. I folded my umbrella, shook it of and laid it in the car. I turned to Bucky, giving him a quick hug and since I was feeling confident, a small kiss on the cheek aswell.

It made him tense up and I worried that I had crossed a line, but it was to late either way. The rained dribbled down on us, wetting our hair and leaving water stains on our shoulders. I put my hand on his bicep and looked up at him through my lashes, smiling sweetly 'Thank you for picking me up' I said, tilting my head 'but what took you so long though?'

'Nothing you need to worry about' he replied, raising his hand to brush a piece of wet hair from my face, then continued 'And sorry about this darling, it might be I that has to repay you.' he smirked, and gestured to my wet and shivering state.

I got into the car and let my imagination run free for a bit, thinking about what I hoped him "repaying" me could've ment, but I was torn out of my delusion by the sound of the car door closing on the other side. He lit the ignition and turned the heat up, then drove off.

He laid his hand on my thigh, rubbing it up and down in an effort to warm me up. His hand stilled and squeezed my knee, 'I missed you this morning you know.' he smiled.

I was to stunned to speak, beacuse we'd never never really touched eachother before. Partly out of respect for eachothers personal space, but mostly beacuse of his wife. Something had changed in us this morning, and im not sure why.

I laid my hand over his and glanced at him quickly with a shy smile. The scent of the car, along with my perfume, his cologne and the smell of our wet clothes made this moment feel like a piece of litterature. I turned my gace towards the wet roads and passing trees, enjoying this moment together.

Your reaction made him smile, all wet and pretty, acting innocent with thos big eyes and plush lips. Oh how he wished he never married.

We had settled into a comfortable silence, but my curiostiy eventually got the better of me. 'So? Im still wondering, how come it took you so long to get me?'.

He cleared his throat, 'I just, you know-' he couldn't figure out a belivable answer so he opted for a diversion instead, 'I guess I just wanted to get here in one piece, to ensure that you got to work at some point today. Why did you oversleep anyway?' He emphazied, chuckling at his bad attempt at redirecting the conversation.

His chuckle made him seem pleased with himself. He had extremly bad humor, just like a dad. I thought and decided to joke with him, saying it out loud.

It made him slightly uncomfortable at first, he let go of my knee and gripped the wheel nervously. I was afraid I had done something wrong, so I leaned closer and lightly rested my hand on his forearm 'Did I upset you Buck? Im so sorry if I did.'

'What?' He looked at her eyes, full of regret. 'Oh no darling, of course not! I was just thinking about a proper answer.' He said asuringly, 'its just that the wife and I haven't had much luck in that department'.

'No luck in the becoming a dad part or the having sex one?' I asked bluntly, my reflexes covered my mouth with my hand.

I have no idea what came over me. I immedietly regretted the question but since it was already done, I decided to play it cool and act innocent. He looked at me dumbfounded, seemingly as surprised by my bluntness as I was.

We locked eyes for a moment and I tilted my head to the side as if it was the most normal question in the world.

He couldnt help but chuckle, he would never have gussed youd ask something like that. But he answered all the same 'The latter, I suppose' he said shaking his head, barely beliving that he even answered the question.

I felt a bit bad for him, I would never derive him of sex. Since I already was in deep water and feeling as though I couldn't make it any worse. I decided to roll with my newfound bluntness.

'So.. youre sure It has nothing to do with your recently prolonged car rides, flushed cheecks, messy hair, wrinkled and half tucked shirt?' I bit my lip, waiting for his reaction.

He didnt know what to answer, he looked at you wondering if he should tell you off like a child for suggesting such things or if he should tell you the truth. That he'd been desperate for a change in his marrige and hadn't stopped thinking about you for the past weeks, that you were the only object of his desire. That when he slept with his wife he imagined you in her place, laying under him, on top of him, stading on your knees infront of him or bent over the nearest surfice. That he stopped sleeping with his wife beacuse she just didnt do it for him anymore.

Or that he didn't want to tell you that when he hung up your call this morning, he had driven to a secluded parking spot and jacked of while thinking of the whine he heard you make over the phone.

He decided to dismiss your question because he still loved his wife after all and didnt want to ruin their marrige. But at the very same time a part of him still hoped you'd thought of him the way he had thought of you.

'Im sure I dont know what you mean' was all he could say, giving you a quick look and a smirk.

I didnt want to push my luck any further, so I decided to accept his answer and let the subject rest. We continued the rest of of the ride in silence, enjoying the sound of the rain smattering on the roof.

10 minutes later we arrived to work and Bucky opened to door for me again. He took my hand and helped me out, locked the car and we hurried our way inside the building to avoid getting even more wet. The lobby was empty since everyone was presumably already in the meeting, which we had hoped to make it in time for at least half of it.

Bucky laid his hand on the small of your back as the two of you walked to the elevator, he felt it was a justified action since you were in a hurry. But as you were waiting for the elevator to arrive, his hand lingered for a moment longer than what propriety called for. He looked at you, searching for your gaze and hoping to find any sign of mutual affection.

I looked up at him and the amount of butterflies I got was indescribable, his eyes met mine. The eyecontact accompanied by his touch, his cologne and his closeness made my knees go weak. I took a step closer to him closer to him and he started massaging circles into my back with his thumb and you hummed appreciatively in response.

That was all the confirmstion he needed.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened, we stepped inside. He lets go of my back for a second to push the button to our floor and waits for the doors to close before he places the hand even lower on my back, right at the curve of my ass. I leaned against him, grabbing a fist of his jacket and gaze up at him with big doe eyes and a truly, innocent expression this time.

He meets your eyes, the sight before him makes him absolutley ravenous. He squeezed your ass firmly with one hand and as you whined in response grabbed your throat lightly in the other. You looked mesmerized and the thought of you letting him be in controll this way made him stiffen up. He slid his hand to the back of your neck and traced his thumb along your jaw as he inched closer to your face.

His lips a mere ghost over mine, feeling his breath on my skin is the most erotic thing to ever happen to me. Barely a second away from a kiss, the elevator grinds to a halt three floors to early. Taking me completley by surpries, it caused my feet to become unsteady. Bucky grabbed my hips quickly, helping me find my footing as the elevators made that ding. He lets go of my hips and moves his hands up to my shoulders in the matter of a second, just as the doors open.

'Whoa there! A bit light on your feet huh?' Bucky says while laughing as three suit-clad men step inside. 'Hey Barnes, there you are! Good god, man. You look like you've been sailing!' The tall one says and they all laugh, including Bucky.

I was a bit annoyed by Buckys quick rejection of me but brushed it of as I understood his reasoning, he was married after all, and I didnt really want to be know as the adultress whore either.

The doors close again, 'Well its pouring out there Mr. Tanner, sir. Did we miss the meeting?' He asks the the tall man, who im just realising is our boss. 'No It actually went on longer than excpected, we took a quick brake and are headed back up there right now.'

Mr. Tanner looks back at me, raising his eyebrow 'And whos this drenched little thing?' He says and smiles at me, slightly appaled by his audacity, but he was lean and handsome and I didnt want to lose my job so I smile back. 'Im from your group sir, collegue to Mr. Barnes, sir. He gave me a ride to work.' I say as proffesionally I can muster and extend my hand for him to shake.

He takes it, bows down and kisses the back of it, letting his lips linger and glances up at me 'How good of him' the man says and gives Bucky a side eye, 'It's a pleasure, miss. I hope I'll be seeing more of you from now on.'

'Same goes you for Mr. Tanner, sir.' I say and glance at Bucky, who's face have fallen. Much to my pleasure, Bucky appears to be..? I cant distinguish it between jealousy or protectiveness. The elevator halts again, dinging and the doors slide open.

'I'll see you two in the meeting then' Mr. Tanner says with a nod. He then turns to me before walking out, 'make sure to stop by my office girl, sooner rather than later.' He winks at me. Bucky gives him a curt nod 'We'll be there in a minute sir.' He says, forcing a smile and the men walk out.

I look at Bucky, shrugging my shoulders as if what just happened were no big deal and seeing his furious gaze made giggle. I step out of the elevator with Bucky close on my heel. We were a few feet away from the door to the conference room when he side-steped me, grabbed my wrist and pulled me around the corner.

Bucky hade never felt jelousy so strong before, not even for his own wife. Yet he could kill that man for even slightly touching you. When you were out of sight, he forcefully pressed your back up against a wall and placed his hand next to your head, leaning over you. The look of pure innocent excitement on your face made him want to tear you apart.

I had never been with anyone in this way before, I had slept with boys my own age of course. But it couldnt compare, it felt nothing as exciting as this, I could almost feel the wetness pooling between my legs. Bucky inched closer again, determined not to let anything come in our way again, he closed the distance. Our lips met in a feverish frenzy and I completley melted into him, he wrapped his other arm around my back to help me stand upright and then pressed his body closer to mine. There were no distance left between us and I could feel his bulge pressing up against my thigh, I looped one leg around his hip making his bulge hit that sweet spot and I rocked my hips against him, making my jeans cause the perfect friction. He let out a breathy moan which was music to my ears, I could've come undone from the sound of his moan alone. I leaned my head back against the wall and grabbing a fistful of his hair, lightly pulling on it, making him whine inbetween his furious kisses.

Along your jaw and down your neck he kissed and ripped you shirt by the neckline to get better access to that sweet spot inbetween your throat and collarbone. You yelped in surprise which only spurred him on further, becoming even more agressive with it. He couldn't tell his own moans apart from yours at this point and it drove him mad.

Your bliss was interrupted when you heard a voice.

'Oh my god' The woman said, her jaw dropping to the floor. We stopped in our tracks, Bucky let go of me and turned away from her, breathing furiously. I look at the ground gathering myself before facing her. Ready for whatever consequences our actions would hand us, I smoothed my hair and clothes out, cleared my throat and turned towards the woman. I had not realised how tense my face had become until that moment, for when I saw who it was I immedietly relaxed 'Hannah, thank god its you.'

'Are you insane?!' She exclaimed in a hushed voice, 'What if it had been literally anyone other than me?' her jaw was still practically on the floor. I walked up to her while Bucky was still collecting himself, waiting for certain parts of him to calm down.

Altough still in shock, she seemed to be proud 'I really cant belive this, in the office too? You're bold girl.' She said, changing to a whisper 'Good for you honestly, you got him at last huh?' I looked at her nodded excitedly and bit my lip. My crush on Bucky was of course no news to her.

'We really need to get inside before our dissaperance raise any suspicions, but I want all the details later, ok?' she looked me inte the eyes, and I nodded yes. She gave my appearence a once over, 'Girl your eyes were running? And did he rip your shirt?' She the shirt between her fingers and gasps, jealousy tinting her voice 'My goodness what an animal, good job you.' She said and pointed at Bucky, giving a smirk and he chuckled.

Hannah touched up my makeup then took my hand and we began walking around to corner towards to conference room, I gave Bucky one last look as we walked inside.

Me and Hannah sat at the end of the table and Bucky joined the rest of us a few minutes later, taking a seat next to Mr. Tanner. He was looking as dapper as always, as if nothing ever happened.

Hannah leaned in closer to me and whispered 'You're coming to the party with me tonight right?'

'Party?' I questioned.

'Yeah, the firm's been doing good and their celebrating' she replied, 'Im sure Bucky will be there' she said with smile tugging at the corner of her lips. I looked at her, eyes gleaming with mischief and then glanced at Bucky.

'I wouldnt miss it for the world.'

[katyahina]

Nightmare likely used to be a burning Hell (theory? observation?)

This was originally another discussion between me and two friends, but I decided to make my own post in the end! But I will just pre-face the post with a remark that all Nightmares (Hunter's Nightmare, Nightmare Frontier and Nightmare of Mensis) are placed within the same realm!

^ Mergo's Loft (Nightmare of Mensis) seen from Nightmare Frontier

^ Masts from Hunter's Nightmare seen from Nightmare Frontier

> What points towards it having been a hot place once?

In the original discussion ( x ), @fantomette22 brought up the fact that geological formations found all over Nightmare Frontier (and Nightmare of Mensis too) are basalt columns, and are the result of volcanic activity!

I certainly agree that this is an intention! But I also want to point out from myself that the Nightmare Realm, more notably Hunter's Nightmare section, is covered all over on what looks very much like frozen lava:

It honestly leaves up to interpretation just how old the Nightmare Realm is! It might be a very old dimension, and things like Hunter's Nightmare or Mergo's Loft are simply the latest "installations" within it!

There is also another interesting.... environment object within the Nightmare Realm, that is less apparent but is still interesting to consider as a potential evidence:

Within Bloodborne lore, the 'skulls' are wrathful spirits of the dead, found as remains of the victims on Logarius' Wheel, in the spells of Logarius himself, the spells of wizards in Fishing Hamlet and the spirits coming from the glove of an executioner (profession, not covenant):

(Retranslation text from Last Protagonist's ( x ) document which I always use just in case)

So, imagine the spirits of the dead having once burned in Hell the traditional style, but since then solidifying? Not sure whether that'd mean being free of their torment now, or still being stuck in the Nightmare but with a bit of a "rebranding" on what the suffering is now! It could easily be the latter- heck, there are Loran Silverbeasts in the Nightmare, that should be very ancient!

^ There is some lore on ancient Pthumerians, more specifically the Pthumeru Ihyll branch of them, setting themselves on fire to "protect the sleep of the Great Ones"! It seems to imply that the Sentry (Keepers) of the Old Lords burned themselves to atone for the sins, but setting yourself on fire could guarantee the way to be where the Great Ones are? So, the Nightmare Realm!

(The part two of the theory under cut, since the question why the Hell stopped burning is a whole separate train of thought!)

> Why would the Hell stop burning?

I actually have a couple of ideas! My first guess is Age of the Sea! I know that Bloodborne doesn't really touch upon that stuff, but there are a few things to consider!

Not only there are corpses of similar marine creatures (looks similar to a whale skeleton), but also.... is not it strange that such a creature is found in the dungeons, the remains of ancient civilisation before humans? And Chalice Dungeons themselves are very wet, as if the literal flood happened in them!

The Sea rune (associated with Kos and what she was doing before death, presumably, since chanters in Fishing Hamlet say they beckoned Kos and failed to protect her) and the Lake rune (associated with Rom) represent the same concept of guarding the border between mortals and the Eldrich realm of the Great Ones! It even refers to the same concept of "guarding the sleep"! So picture this: maybe somehow this domain used to belong to another Great One (whoever it was), and after Kos took it, the Nightmare has changed accordingly... Maybe it flooded, maybe it rained. In either case, there was a lot of water!

^ I personally headcanon that Crawlers are adolescent forms of the the Parasites found inside of Kos, but I digress... Also, look at how many Sea runes are found in Nightmare Frontier:

(Put together by @val-of-the-north ( x ))

Currently, Kos was killed, and if anything, Rom counts as someone who took this "throne"? Rom might have had at least a partial influence on the form of the Nightmare, since Byrgenwerth is now floating within it? It could have been her own doing, acknowledged or not! I won't really go on about Rom much here though! I have a post from earlier ( x ) delving deeper into her being the "upside-down spider" (as referred to by Micolash in cut lines) and Byrgenwerth the upside-down university, but you still see my point! The "guarding the sleep" might be a very significant thing, as significant as influencing the way the Nightmare Realm functions... depending on which Great One is the central figure of it!

Another idea I've had is kind of connected with the crows in Bloodborne! This one is always a very deep breath to take, but here are some things: 1) Wet Nurse is very crow-like 2) Wet Nurse is very Pthumerian in looks and fighting style 3) There are depictions of crow-like Messengers 4) Hunters of Hunters put their faith in crows to deliver spirits of the death "in heaven, of perhaps Hunter's Dream" 5) Pthumerians have pyromancy 6) Pthumerians and their descendants Vilebloods are connected with those skull-like wrathful spirits 7) Cainhurst has subtle connection with the crows 8) Wet Nurse doesn't bleed, when you hit her there is just ash and feathers 9) Baneful Chanters beg "those who have no blood" to avenge death of Kos 10) We know that Pthumerians sinned very hard somehow, like, it is the reason of their curse 11) Keepers do what they do to atone for something ..

So like... What if the fire of hell was not really extinguished, but rather 'passed' to Pthumerians? So they have pyromancy, the "fire blood", but are also connected with the curses now? Maybe in turn those skull-like spirits live within their genes like Blood Echoes with the hunters, and maybe Wet Nurse herself was involved (since crows are travellers between Nightmare and reality)! All that hellfire transformed into a power of ancient superhumans. They might have stolen it to survive the plague of beasts, or maybe for power? Or maybe they were given it voluntarily? And the "bloodless ones" have the true power to control the Nightmare- so, fuel Hunter's Nightmare on behalf of Kos, her child and her worshippers, for example! It works with her status as a Wet Nurse too, since Mergo is the core of the Nightmare of Mensis / Mensis Ritual, and she is nourishing them! So, nourishing a section of the Nightmare. And, and, AND she might be not the only Great One of this 'type', because they say "bloodless oneS" (plural)! Maybe the powerful crowlike Great Ones are like Amygdalae!

Maybe both ideas work at the same time and Wet Nurse was beckoned for help like Kos once was, and in the same way she suffered somehow? Maybe stealing Mergo is the necessary sacrifice to atone for "failing" her somehow! Or Wet Nurse used to be the guardian or the barrier, like then was Kos, and then Rom?

____________________

Sooo, yeah... The answer to why the blazing Hell is not blazing anymore is really less obvious, but I think the source material already has enough of the Lego pieces to put one together! I've made a choice on which variant to use, but to be honest I still second-guess to this day.... I basically improved my already solid version of the events while writing this post, the search for more ideas never ends I guess

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Jojolands 16: Omnes Viae Romam

What a ruckus this time. We'll skip the body horror cancer fighting stuff in the van. It was quite gnarly though. Nothing super new for Jojo's but after some really tense freaking out from Jodio Dragona rallies enough to use Smooth Operators. Van was no place to be ending but leads us to somewhere to start. A hospital! And since it's set in modern day America I'm glad we got the one joke worked in, about health insurance.

Nice turn to be honest and I like how it all comes together. Now that They know they can utilize Smooth Operators they want to hijack an MRI to find the damage in the others. Charmingman pretty much did the most he could to get Dragona's. Jodio using November Rain did not have to look like a giant sperm cell shooting down a sibling's throat but it did. Speaking of...it's subtle but I like how there's this visible difference. Jodio freaking out about his big brother next to Usagi panicking about Pink-chan. I still think all that's gonna be played with over the course of the part. Anyways:

Never, ever let this gang stop being idiots. Comes around great in the end, but I hope this is a running theme with Jodio. Reminds me of a song from Hair that'd probably drive him crazy. LBJ took the IRT down to 4th street USA...when he got there what did he see? The youth of America on LSD. It...gets sillier from there.

First of all this Matte Kudasai camera gag is fucking hilarious every time and I hope we see it every time. But look at this cunty grandpa! That seems to be the biggest development. We've introduced a sorta detective on the gang's trail. Complete with a little girl he just happened to be babysitting who is really helpful at this sort of thing. And is maybe the origin of the enemy standou? I like them a lot and am curious where it all leads.

Now then...let's get to the finale of this chapter because it really says a lot about what is giving Jojolands so much potential to be an easy #1 for me. We already have the cast to do it, but watch how this all ends.

Love this panel for one thing. But in the end, the detour to the ICU gave the gang a golden opportunity. Or really the Lava Rock subtly pulled them towards it. Howler's land, the deeds they were after to set all this up. The politician's daughter that was attacked by the Stand? Her dad is there. He was already wavering on setting off government intervention on that land and interpreted his daughter's illness as an attack. To me it seemed like he was ready to give up.

But in a moment of serendipity, his daughter had a sudden shift that makes him leave the tablet with the forms on the bench. The gang gets handed a massive extra coup on a silver platter. Using Smooth Operators they pull a fingerprint over and force his hand. It's made clear the Lava Rock is influencing this. Bringing the land closer to them. Everything that happened since touching it to the deeds brought the gang to this moment.

That, my friends, is some killer writing. And truly absurd.

[makriiii]

Caught VII (Arthur Morgan × f!reader)

Word count: 2.5k

Authors notes: Sorry this ones a bit short, but, !Arthur pov alert. Arthur pov long over due 😼

Warnings: 18+, angst, cursing, alcohol.

Ao3 or wattpad!

@thatlittlered

Caught VII

"Y'all sure you don't want to go to the motel?" You question, the night had been long, and the motel just minutes away called your name in from the distance.

You couldn't tell why they didn't hear their names too, but it wasn't much of your concern.

"Im savin' my money." Sean insinuates a bad purchase, but you thought it a great purchase.

"Alright then." You dismiss, indifferent either way. Your mare already turned before you had to ask. She wanted you off her back and you could completely understand why.

The gaslight's outside the motel welcomed you in warmly. The dreams of a bed that didn't greet the floor directly and a private room finally upon you, and you simply couldn't be happier.

"Oh." The clerk blurts, scrambling upright, not having expected more company tonight. "You're lucky. Just one more room."

You could work with that. You only needed one, after all.

You payed him the asked amount, keeping your earnings from tonight out of sight just under the desk.

All that stood between you and a good nights sleep was a flight of stairs and a lock that would accept the key in your hand.

You took two stairs at a time, stumbling upon your room rather quickly. The inside wasn't impressive by any means. The dimensions for a cost efficient build made it cramped, but that arguably gave it charm.

Best money could buy around here, at least.

Locking the door behind you, you stand in the middle of the room. The smokey smell of your clothes had you nose blind this entire time, which made your shirt slightly more acceptable to wear to bed.

Certainly wouldn't go commando, not tonight. The creek happening nailed its self in your mind.

Slipping off most everything besides your shirt and undergarments, you discarded the best of it to the side of your bed. and landed like a sack of potatoes right down onto the bed, sinking into it with comfort.

You didn't reminisce much on todays activities either, your head heavy with drowsiness that had you falling asleep within minutes.

-

Your eyes blinked open unwillingly in response to the knocking that grew with ferocity, desperate and pleading with you to both wake up and answer the door.

It was still dark through the windows but the sound of rain now accompanied the sounds from the outside.

Your brows knit together, a sleepy, confused daze held you from being completely alert. Hell, your brain was so out of it you could hardly process the knocking.

You bent down to grab your gun, checking the round before tiptoeing to the door.

Pressing your ear up against the wood when the knocking stopped, you heard no whispering. Just a sudden bang again from someones fist which shook your entire frame.

If that wasn't enough to wake you up, then it would be the anger you felt from whoever's inconsiderate act this was at this time in the morning.

You swung the door open, gun cocked and aimed at the persons face.

Through the darkness, you could make out your most-hated-to-date man's face.

His shoulders slumped, wet and the perfect image of a soaked puppy dog at the foot of someones door.

"No." You lay your gun away, clenching your jaw with how much audacity this man had.

He stared at you with pleading eyes. Yet, too cowardice to say the words that'd have his chances of getting in just slightly better.

Water droplets fell from the rim of his hat, aiding in his case. But it wasn't enough. Especially after all that banging.

He must've stuck up the poor guy downstairs to find out what room you were in. The last room.

You pushed the door closed after the moments of eye contact you held. Less than happy when it wouldn't close all the way, due to foreseen forces.

"This is my room, shoulda gotten here before-"

"Please, y/n."

Your cheeks rose with a tired smirk. That was a word you could count on hearing from him, never.

"Say it again. More sincerely this time." You demand, holding the door just closed enough that he couldn't weasel his way in.

His lips thinned with reluctance, his pride no doubt took a hit from this. And it delighted you beyond words.

"Y/n, please, just tonight." It wasn't much better, but his tone was enough, you suppose.

You feigned contemplation, which filled his face with desperate prayer.

"Five bucks and I'll let you in." You snickered in elation when he begrudgingly reached for your requested amount and slapped it down in your hand.

You let open the door, leaving the money on top of your pile of clothing. Retreating back into your bed before he strode all the way in.

His gun belt dropped to the floor, followed by his actual belt atop his pants. His boots kicked off haphazardly to different spots on the floor.

You did everything in your power to not turn over and catch a glimpse. Though the need for it in the first place confused you. You didn't like this man.

It went quiet after he'd dropped his wet coat to the floor. Your mind filling with all that had happened back at the creek.

You made sure to take up a great deal of the bed, definitely to help him ward off any thoughts of joining you. You felt his eyes on you.

Or was he already on the floor, lying down? You couldn't tell.

"You'll enjoy the floor, Arthur. Now please stop staring at me so I can sleep in peace."

You could only guess the second part. As you really didn't know if it was paranoia or if he was just standing there.

"I'm not sleeping on the floor." Now your eyes shot open, glaring at him in his loose shirt and boxers, who was in fact, just standing there.

It took everything you had to not grab your gun again and kick him out.

"Do you know how well I was sleeping until some sad, begging, dirty man, came up and slammed on my door?"

"Great, I'm sure. Scoot over please."

You shot out your hand, a defiant no sign. This was no bed for Arthur. Just you.

He took a step closer and you shook your head. "Floor, or back outside."

"I paid my fee. It's only fair. Five dollars is a lot to give you secondhand."

You stood your ground, spreading yourself further in the middle of the bed.

"Don't care. This is barely big enough for me." That wasn't entirely true, and that's why he was persistent. He knew your game.

He stepped closer again, reaching the side of the bed.

This man. You honestly couldn't believe him.

"Ten and I'll let you have the very edge." You wanted to go back go sleep, be over with this.

He wasn't the type to take advantage of you. You had enough close run ins to tell he wouldn't.

This was rather a matter of who could be the worse pain in the ass. And right now, the only reason you gave up, was to have time to sleep.

"You-" He holds himself back, your face twisting with pleasure as he does.

"'Yes ma'am.'" You encouraged. If that were even the right word for it. If he didn't, you'd stick him up and leave him as sad as he came.

"Yes ma'am." Every muscle in his face tensed with frustration and broken pride. You loved it.

Unenthusiastically, you gave him enough space to join you, but you certainly gave your self more room than necessary. Truly only leaving him the bare edge.

He sat down, and when he did, the bed sunk. You started sliding even further on his side, into him even.

"I hardly can sit my whole ass on here, woman. Now move."

You stayed still as a rock. A ever so big grin revealing your intentions.

If he was to impede on your room, your sleep, your bed. You were to impede on his space.

He gives you a grumble before laying down close to the edge. His back against yours with a few irritated exhales. His shirt was slightly damp from the rain but he was warm, sure to dry it on his own soon enough.

"You better not snore." You whisper to him, a wave of languid exhaustion hitting you again.

He yawns in response, faking a few loud snores before you kick him with your leg.

His laugh came out sapped and dry, happy with annoying you one last time. "Snoring isn't as bad as sleeping next to a smoked turkey."

"I offered you the most bang for your buck. " Griping at the smug bastard as you shuffle away further. "The floor."

The darkness around you twisted and turned, slowly loosing consciousness in your pillow when Arthur finally stopped talking.

You felt fine with him in here, safer, even. But you back tracked with that thought, denying it with every bone in your body. It was obvious the reason for that.

Another loud knock at the door caused both you and Arthur to jerk back awake.

"You've got to be kidding me." You groan, rubbing your sore and smoked out eyes. You didn't want to get up, not again.

You reach behind and pat Arthurs arm. You didn't even have to say anything before he obliged and got up to see who it was.

Sean's unmistakable accent mumbled through the door. Bill's too if you heard correctly.

Damn it all. All of them in the room you wanted to yourself. You gave up. Pushing your face further into the pillow.

"You want me to let them in?" Arthur questions softly. That was a first, asking you your thoughts on something.

You murmur out a small whatever. "They likely won't give up if you turn them away."

With that, the door creaked open reluctantly, a few more footsteps joining you inside the room.

"Arthur?" Sean sounded dumbfounded by who opened the door for him. "You snakey bastard you." He chuckles lowly, clearly getting at something.

"Be quiet, Sean. If it were just me Id've not let you in." Arthur hurries him in, Bill not short behind. "Make yourselves comfortable. On the floor."

"Good enough for me." Bill clearly just happy he got to escape the rain.

"Hope we didn't interrupt anythin'." Sean added more with the teasing. Not even traveling all day and being inside a barn oven stopped him from it.

Arthur shoves him away to a far corner of the room before joining you back in bed again. "Just shut the hell up."

Much to your relief you felt this was finally the end of it. Sleep quick to claim you. With the relenting forces that prevented you previous.

-

Arthur's pov.

Arthur sat with a drink in his hand, next to Bill and Sean, you on the other side of them.

He was back in town, near back to camp, but got talked into having 'just one drink' at Smithfield's, to celebrate all the money found at the Secord's place.

The vivid memory of you standing in that flaming building, and thinking you had been crushed by the loft kept in his mind.

Yet, you? You seemed to have completely forgotten about it now.

A faint zap of adrenaline rose up with the thought, quick to be pushed down by the liquor in the mug he held.

The rush he felt, using the butt of his shotgun and then his foot. He wasn't entirely sure he'd get you out.

Rather, he wasn't sure why he had saved you. The first time, after shooting you, he had more of a reason, but now that reason had faded.

He couldn't say he really regretted shooting you. You made him atone everyday and now you were in his gang, the nagging a helluva lot easier to do.

He felt he had every right to shoot you. By his rulebook at least. But you also had every right to be as irate as you were.

He didn't like you. You didn't like him. That much had been established and agreed on.

Arthurs thoughts flew around in his head. This being the only time he really relfected on it.

It confused him even further when you had saved him from that other O'Driscoll and he still didn't have much of a clue as to why.

"You're bein' awfully quiet, Arthur." Bill's hand met his shoulder for a second, shaking Arthur out of his thoughts.

Arthur looked down at the line of you all on the bar. Your face at the end of it, eyeing him expectantly.

"He's outta be makin' sure he doesn't drink too much." Y/n was starting it up again, that cocky smile on her face that he'd love to wipe right off.

"When'd he last get drunk?" Sean questions looking over to you, egging you on.

"Less than a week ago. Boy, you don't even wanna know. " You exaggerated it, of course. He knew you didn't remember much either. That sent off a string of laughter, Bill and Sean shook their heads in agreement.

"You shoulda seen him before we got chased out of blackwater!" Sean's voice was still with rasp, though not as bad as last night.

Arthur couldn't believe it. Not much stopped that girl from making his life increasingly difficult. Sean and you were a dangerous duo, run him straight back out of town.

Sean retold the story of how Arthur got blackout drunk. Meanwhile, Arthur couldn't remember just about anything from that night, and at this rate, Sean had to be making this shit up.

"I don't think any of this happened." Arthur finally announced his desire to stick up for himself, but by that time it was already too late.

All of you except him were having the time of your life, laughing at his unfortunate drunk run all those weeks ago.

Though, a small smile cracked at his lips. The collective chuckling getting to him, even if it was to tease and mock.

The conversation - if you could even call it that, rather bullying, finally came to a slow end.

And surprisingly, the 'just one drink' promise actually held validity, Bill and Sean popping the tender a few coins.

As soon as they cleared out, you marched straight up to him, leaning over to be level with his face.

Arthur put on a 'don't pester me now' face, and to no surprise to him, it did nothing.

"You can pay for my drink." You chime, more than happy to cheat him out of his money again.

God, he hated every word that came out of your mouth. Being an O'Driscoll, it was nothing short of innate in him to despise you.

Yet even through his self assurances, he couldn't convince himself that he understood what he felt for you.

The creek incident. Oh, he had fun with that, but the sight of your bare body sitting on that rock.

It'd take his last breath before he admitted anything of the lustful nature.

---

Is it really an enemies to lovers if theres no cliche one bed trope?

[thedomesticanthropologist]

Important question about Sivvus. How gullible is he? Because I can totally see my Durge Henri thinking he's joking when he's freaking out about the weather and making some offhand deadpan remark like "Obviously, it's raining because the gods are sad we didn't kill enough goblins yesterday."

And then as she watches him grab onto that, she slowly realizes that he's not joking.

So she ends up struggling against not only the urge to kill but the urge to see just what ridiculous bullshit she can get this person to believe.

Eventually leading to her trying to get him to believe "helpful" untruths so the others can do their jobs. "Astarion is constantly hunting in the shadows and can take down any creatures he finds in there easily with his vampire powers so please stop giving his location away to enemies." "Actually in Faerun, royalty famously try to camp just like everyone else to avoid being assassination targets, and we want to keep you safe." Which doesn't always work or creates new, funnier problems.

This is HILARIOUS sadly he's intelligent 😂👏 just out of his depth in a new place.

Since his powers were nerfed by being in a different plane, and emotions /dont/ affect the world around you, he'd be really off kilter for a bit when the world around him didn't respond the way his world did.

For example, he'd probably make fun of or look down on the group for setting up camp and carrying things and having to bring backpacks, assuming that he could use his expansive druidic powers to grow a shelter straight from the earth and then command it to bear fruit for him.

Everyone might even be like damn, alright, go for it that'd be great

And then he tries, and jokes on him, Faerûn isn't as Fey as the Feywild, and instead of a massive living plant shelter he grows a sad little bush sith some Goodberries on it.

Catch him staring at it in shock while everyone else sets up their sleeping arrangements and he has nothing now.

He learns

But the lessons are swift and harsh

[ninjadeathblade]

Moulin Rouge Discotrain AU (part twenty eight)

Summary: (Post-game canon) The Conductor and DJ Grooves agree to finally work on a movie together. They come up with 'Moulin Rouge', a musical drama filled with romance. Over time the two directors grow closer and discover that maybe they don't hate each other as much.

Beginning | Previous | Next

Word count: 927

Warnings: None

Author's notes: Here! They're happy now! Don't sue me for the previous part! I did keep my promise. Seriously, I have made them happier so you can't be that mad with me. Enjoy!

Grooves looked at his phone as it buzzed, checking the message he'd received.

Hey DJ, do you know where Empress is? - Snatcher

He quickly tapped out a reply before returning his attention to the movie on the TV.

It was one of Conductor's ones, his earliest in fact.

About a yellow feathered protagonist and his partner in crime love interest with reddish feathers.

Grooves sighed, flicking off the TV.

“Grooves!”

Grooves sighed, knowing the voice he was hearing was stupid.

Conductor wasn't here.

Conductor was at the studio.

Conductor didn't love him.

Conductor's movie didn't deserve him and he didn't deserve Conductor's affection.

“Grooves! Pecking hell, open yer window!”

Now that sounded too realistic to be his imagination.

Grooves crossed over to the window of the room, opening it up to the harsh weather outside.

“Finally!” Conductor shouted, small sodden form a bright spot against the dark road.

“Grooves! I'm an idiot, I'm sorry! I got nervous back there and said somethin’ that wasn't true!” Conductor continued. “And you were right! Love is like oxygen! So can yer please forgive me? I like you a lot too!”

Grooves paused, clinging to fragments of hope that this was real.

That it wasn't a dream.

“Wait there!” Grooves settled on, closing the window and dashing across the room.

He snagged an umbrella from by the door, racing outside into the rain.

“Grooves! Peck, Grooves, I'm so sorry.” The words poured out of Conductor's mouth as he stood in the torrent of water.

“I messed up. I do it a lot but that's nae an excuse for what I said. I like you so much and I don't know how to deal with that. But I would love to be with you. I'm so sorry for hurtin’ you,” Conductor apologised, hands fidgeting with the strap of his satchel.

Grooves walked over to him, holding the open umbrella over the two of them.

Conductor's feathers clung to his frame, making him look even smaller than usual.

“How are we meant to go about this then?” Grooves asked quietly.

Conductor shrugged. “I don't know. But we'll do it together. I haven't been with anyone since Scarlett but I would like to be with you.”

Grooves smiled softly at the owl, gesturing back towards the block of apartments.

“Want to come in then?”

Conductor shivered and nodded. “That'd be great.”

“Hey Grooves, d'you have any bandages?” Conductor inquired from the other room.

The penguin looked up from where he was ordering takeaway for the two of them.

“Yes, why?”

“The ones I had on got wet when I was runnin’ here. Plus I bled through them,” Conductor explained.

Grooves rushed into his bedroom where the owl was getting changed, staring at his partner.

Conductor grinned sheepishly as he pressed a handful of tissues against his left ankle.

Grooves shook his head, opening a draw and rummaging through it for a bandage before sitting down on the floor in front of Conductor.

“How did you hurt your foot?” Grooves asked quietly, pushing aside the tissues so he could begin to wrap the foot.

“Mucked it up when I was running after you. Didn't make it in time though, elevator was already going,” Conductor said, picking up the towel next to him and continuing to dry his feathers.

“I am sorry,” Conductor continued. “I-”

“Stop apologising,” Grooves instructed, glancing up at him. “We're together now, aren't we? That's what matters.”

Conductor leaned forward, resting his forehead against the penguin's.

“I'm just glad nothing in my bag got ruined,” he admitted.

“Why? What's in the bag?”

“Just some more tapes of me from when I went to theatre club. Figured that even if yer didn't want to be with me, it would still be a decent apology,” Conductor admitted.

“Diamond, you're such an idiot,” Grooves chuckled, tying off the bandage.

"Throw the rubbish in the bin in the corner. And once you've gotten changed I can hang up your clothes to dry,” Grooves stated, standing up.

"Thanks Grooves.”

“Anytime.”

Grooves finished ordering their food then picked up his phone as it rang.

“Hi?”

“Grooves, I'm taking tomorrow off. Also, did Conductor show up?” Empress replied.

“Oh, that's fine. And yeah, he's with me. Why, are you looking for him?"

“I would be if I found out he hadn't showed up. I'd knock some sense through his thick feathered skull! If he hasn't apologised, tell him that-”

“Everything's fine, bye!” Grooves interrupted, quickly hanging up.

Conductor limped out of the other room, lying down on the sofa and curling up against Grooves' side.

"Empress?”

“Yeah.”

“Sayin’ about what an idiot I was?”

“Kind of, yeah.”Conductor sighed, curling further into the hoodie he'd borrowed from Grooves.

"So, you bought tapes to make up for stuff?” Grooves questioned.

“You really want to see those, huh?” Conductor laughed, sitting up slightly and reaching over and picking up his bag.

"Okay then. We've got Phantom of the Opera, Oklahoma, Newsies, Chicago, Heathers, Hamilton, or An Inspector Calls.”

“How is only one of those not a musical?” Grooves chucked at the way that Conductor's face screwed up.

“I told yer, we did lots of musicals,” Conductor mumbled.

Grooves sat up, wrapping his arms around the owl's waist.

Conductor's feathers puffed up and he leant back slightly, just enough to rest more of his body against Grooves'.

"You should pick what we watch,” Grooves decided.

Conductor let out a hum of thought.

“I want to watch all of them though,” Conductor whispered, hugging the stack against him.

“So let's do that.”

[kakusu-shipping]

Red House

A wayward children self insert fanfic, part 1

In which you get to meet our hero and our villain before the story's even began

This is a story that does not necessarily need to be told. But no story needs to be told. They want to be told, wish to be read, and yearn to be adored.

This is a story you've heard before, set in a place you've been.

A little boy, not yet calling himself Emile, and truthfully not yet a little boy, but not quiet a little girl either, runs as fast as his feet will carry him across broken blacktop on a cool autumn day.

He'd just gotten off the school bus, and had gone home just long enough to empty his backpack of books and homework and refill it with toys and snacks. Then he was back out the door and running before his older brothers could ask him where he was off to, or worse yet, follow him.

The trailer park they lived in overflowed with kids coming home from the nearby school, and his house in particular overflowed the most. Five kids and two full time working parents rattling around in a three bedroom home of plastic and kindling was suffocating at times, especially when you were the smallest.

So the boy, not yet a boy, ran from the after school fights and arguments before they started, quickly ducking between bramble bushes at the mouth of the woods circling his home, and slid down a muddy hill that'd yet to dry from the rain two weeks ago.

"MIKEY!" He called, twisting down a well troded path through the woods until he came upon a makeshift house of plywood and garbage left to rot and ruin the forest around them.

Another little boy, littler than the not yet a boy, with thick glasses and short cut black hair, sat within the makeshift home, doing homework on a metal garden table with a half broken glass top.

"Emile," The smaller boy did not say, but for now we shall assume he did, "You could have just gotten off on my stop if you were gonna run straight here anyway."

The littler boy who's name was not Mikey, but instead Micheal, lived in the same trailer park as Emile and his many brothers, just up the street infact, a single stop earlier than Emile.

Unlike the older he did not go home before making the trip into the woods, because even if he had the door would have been locked, with a note from his foster parents saying they would be out until late, and to play outside for the day.

"Yeah, I COULD have, but then we wouldn't have anything to eat." Emile proclaimed as he shoulded his backpack off and dumped it's contents onto the tiny garden table. Some things tumbled through the hole in the table's top or over the edges and spilled onto the floor.

Great Value brand chips in single serving bags and Hug juice barrels and a single Great Value Swiss Roll pack with two chocolate rolls inside, a feast for the kings of the woods.

Micheal immediately shifted through the menagerie of snack foods, landing on a bag of almost cheetos and a blue hug juice which he opened by stabbing through the thin foil with his pencil. "Doesn't your mom get mad when you take too many snacks?"

Emile shrugged as he picked up a red hug, stabing into the foil with his sharp canines before sitting in an old tire with a blanket thrown over it, "Yeah, but she'll never know it was me. My brothers always eat more than we're supposed to anyway."

Micheal nodded and returned to his homework, his legs dangling from the green painted metal garden chair they'd found along side the broken table, supposedly thrown out together. If one was broken, they both were in the eyes of the original owner, making them both worthless.

"What're you working on?" Emile shifted in his spot, grabbing one of the stuffed animals he's packed in his bag that had tumbled out among the snacks.

"Fractions," Micheal answered without looking up, using his spare hand to dig into his not-cheetos bag, "Did you bring your homework? I'll do it for you if you want."

Emile let out a loud sigh, "Noooo, I dumped my bag out to quickly and left it at home. You woulda been bored anyway, it's just multiplication."

Micheal and Emile were the same age, but not the same grade. Though Micheal was far behind in the height department, he was a brilliant mind. He'd skipped from 2nd to 4th grade at his last school, which actually put him ahead of the 5th graders when he moved this past year. Sense he moved in the middle of the year he was currently stuck in Emile's class during the school day, but was doing 5th grade level lessons as homework to prepare to take the Finals at a 5th grade level. His teachers tell him if he does well enough on the final at the end of the year he can go into middle school next year.

Many people looking in would think what a brilliant and talented child, how amazingly lucky he was to be born so smart, and they wouldn't even be half right.

Micheal was a genius yet, but not because of luck, or genetics, or some invisible disability he'd yet to be diagnosed with. Micheal was smart with purpose, with intent to blast through school. The less years he had to spend learning basic division and decimal placement the better, because as soon as he was done with school he could get a job, and as soon as he could get a job, he could buy his own house, and as soon as he could buy his own house he could have his own key, and never ever be locked out to "Go play outside :)" ever again.

He can't be forced to move if he owns the house, he can't be restricted dinner if he made the dinner, he won't have to sleep on the couch or even the floor some nights because there were guests over who needed a bed more. His house, his rules.

Yes, Micheal was smart, smart enough to know his life wasn't fair, and it would never be fair, and it was up to him to tilt the unbalanced scale in his favor, and up until this year he'd planned to do so all on his own.

"So I'm thinking red."

"Red?" Micheal looked up from his homework to Emile, his first friend sense Kindergarten, sense all the moving, sense being the new kid three times in one year.

Emile sat up and smiled as he turned a notebook he'd had stashed in his tire chair to face Micheal, a crude drawing of a house done fully in red crayon sat squarely in the middle. "Red." He smiled confidently, the dye from his hug juice had colored his upper lip almost as bright as the poorly drawn house.

Micheal placed his pencil down and took in the house. Fully red, with four windows in the front with a round door perfectly in the center. There was even a window in the triangle that made up the roof, implying an attic. The yard was green with a crude version of a brown dog and a purple cat standing on either side of two people holding hands in the center, one with black hair and thick glasses, and the other in a triangle dress with long yellow hair.

Micheal nodded

"I like red."

[titlemewickedwonderland]

Ask time! (Hopefully your asks are open...if not, my most sincere apologies!)

Here's an interesting topic for you - Ghouls, and dirty talk...

Who's got a natural talent for it?

Who doesn't, but works hard on improving themselves?

Who's less interested talk...and much more interested in action?

Who practices in front of a mirror while they stutter and blush?

Who needs to work on their skills so that they and the object of their affections can stop bursting into fits of giggles with every attempt?

Who has the ability to simply walk right up to you, whisper absolute *filth* into your ear and have you walking in a horny (and wet) daze for an hour afterwards?

👀 😍

Yay! I'm glad to pick at that Dark! So let's see...

Interesting topic indeedy! - Ghouls, and dirty talk…Let's talk about it; it's just from my point of view but let's see what comes up!

Who's got a natural talent for it?

Who's got a talent for it? I'd definitely say Swiss. Because he's very very…let's just say obscene on the stage as is anyway during shows; very high energy and his microphone stand and platform get more action than anything else! I think he'd naturally exude sexuality both off-stage and on-stage with a very flirty personality. I think he'd like to tease the Siblings with flirty pickup lines and some just pure food for thought that'd leave them reeling not sure whether he is serious or not. But if he's serious, I'd definitely think he'd know just what to say to get under your skin to leave you thinking about nothing else but him.

Who doesn't, but works hard on improving themselves?

Now this one was a flip-a-coin sort of question because it could honestly either be Phantom or Dewdrop. Although both have a level of sexuality on stage as well they don't beat Swiss. Dewdrop is just lewd and being a newer member who's practically under Dewdrop's Wing, I think Phantom would take the cake for this one because he's just getting a feel of himself; playing off of body language and subtle hints simply by watching Dewdrop I think Phantom would be the one who isn't good at flirting or trying to be filthy but would seriously give it his best shot to be impression - he is after all, whether subconsciously or consciously, trying to mimic Dewdrop in that aspect to be more appealing to fans during shows; and let's face it. He's doing a great job, try and error make the best results sometimes!

Who's less interested talk…and much more interested in action?

That would definitely be Dewdrop. Apart from Swiss who's all tease; we all see how flustered and up close and personal he gets with Rain during shows! He's always up there behind the little Water ghoul and he has no problem with being handsy whether it's grabbing Rain's neck, smacking people's butts, or even that one time he kissed Rain's neck. Should I say more? Perhaps he has a bit of a shy side when it comes to off stage but he's a Fireghoul after all, I think it comes as part of his nature. He's very handsy and he enjoys making people get flustered with his words as much as his touch. I feel like he'd be the type to subtly touch you some way or another whether it's grazing your neck or leaning closer to be intimidating while telling you just what he thinks about doing to you.

Who practices in front of a mirror while they stutter and blush?

Is this a serious question? Rain, all the way. Although, I'd like to point out he is getting a little more out of his comfort zone while on stage I do believe that Dewdrop and Phantom are rubbing off on him. I feel like he has little bursts of confidence while on stage that lets him get a little more loose during shows but it's a different matter when he's back home at the Clergy. It's one thing being in front of others during a show when he knows he doesn't physically interact with them in comparison to seeing the same faces of the Siblings back at the Abbey. I think he'd be the one to practice in the mirror at home in an attempt to try and be more confident but he's so embarrassed that he can't stop blushing and stuttering out his words because of how ridiculous it sounds coming from himself. But I also think it's a try-and-error sort of thing for him; the more he practices the more confidence he gets but it doesn't mean he won't mess up a pickup line or something when trying to seduce Siblings. It also doesn't help when he gets teased by the more outgoing members of his pack when they catch him trying out his lines in front of a mirror like a high school boy with his first crush.

Who needs to work on their skills so that they and the object of their affection can stop bursting into fits of giggles with every attempt?

Mountain. Plain and simple. He's an awkward tall giant. Not very familiar with other people and is very quiet so he doesn't often try to break out of his shell to try and be more daring with his interactions. He's more of a quiet ghoul who rather shows his affection in gifting others over dirty talk but I'd imagine Swiss and Dewdrop poking the bear a little saying he simply didn't have the ability to woe a girl besides little gifts. So perhaps Mountain takes it personally and puts himself out there; it's embarrassing to him as much as it is to those who try to woe with some uncharacteristic words just to try and prove the others wrong which only leaves the siblings he tries his lines on giggle because it's so out of character it is for him. But he lowkey does have a competitive bone in his body despite what people may think so he is very determined to prove others wrong about their assumption of him and may even surprise a few with what comes out of his mouth.

Who has the ability to simply walk right up to you, whisper absolute filth into your ear, and have you walking in a horny (and wet) daze for an hour afterward?

All of them! This honestly could be either of these three. Swiss, Dewdrop, or Phantom. While most would expect such things from the most outgoing of the ghouls that no doubt would make you dazed and confused with their straightforward attitude I feel like ANY of the ghouls could do that depending on the day. It's a given that Swiss, Dewdrop, and Phantom would be good at it but it would hit so much harder if by chance Rain or even Mountain who'd get a confidence boost would do something like this making your world flip upside down and make you question how innocent they actually where. Most people forget that despite their different personas they are still ghouls. They come from hell and thus, they come from a rather devious and even sexual lines of bloodline. Especially if they are sexually frustrated; we all know they are ghouls, pack dynamics, and even polyamorous with each other so it could seriously be any of them at random times that make you question what the hell just happened and perhaps even give you some wild imagination to ponder over from that brief interaction.

~

Food for thought! It honestly could go any way, shape, or form but those are ones that I personally feel like match but wouldn't it be interesting to swap around them and see what kind of chaos would ensue? Sorry it took a few days to get to this! Thanks for the ask Darkly! Love getting requests and questions from you guys! <3

[everybodyshusband]

deus in absentia ; chapter two

[previously known as: you're so goddamn frail]

rain/swiss (the band ghost)

explicit | m/m | 6.6k words (12.5k overall) | HURT/COMFORT, coming out, crying (so much crying), making up, pet names, so much LOVE, supportive as fuck swiss, anxiety, unreliable narrator rain

—the world's biggest thank you's are in order for @spoiledleaff who helped with a few sections that were giving me grief months and months ago and to @ghoultrifle who beta'd this whole chapter and has been far more enthusiastic about this whole thing than i ever expected anyone to be <3 and if we could all pretend that this chapter hasn't taken me over a year to write and publish that'd be GREAT ksnksjfdf i hope you all enjoy the fic as much as i've enjoyed writing it !!!

snippet and ao3 link under the cut !!

As time went on and the earth ghoul still hadn’t returned, Rain found that his eyes kept flicking back to the plant mischievously, tempted to pour at least some of his water into the pot, just to see if Mountain would really notice, or if the earth ghoul was just using Rain’s lacking knowledge of earth ghoul magick to his advantage. Unfortunately for Rain’s ever-present sense of mischief, the calmer and at least vaguely rational side of him told him to suck it up and finish the glass; if not to avoid the worsening of his headache, then at least to avoid Mountain’s inevitably disappointed shake of his head. He drained the remaining water in the glass and set it on a side table, more than happy to wait by himself for however long it took Mountain to come back. Before he had the chance to sit with himself for very long however, the sound of running footsteps in the hallway startled him. Excitement sparked in him at the thought that Mountain would be back so soon, along with confusion as to why the earth ghoul would be running to return now that he knew Rain was safe. When he heard a voice call out however, it wasn’t Mountain’s.

“Rain? Baby?”

Rain froze, heart beating as his breath caught in his throat and unshed tears began to sting at the corners of his eyes. Not now. Please not now.

Not when he’d just started to feel better.

“There you are, mi renacuajo.” Rain turned his head towards the door slowly, inhaling sharply at the sight of Swiss standing there, breathing heavily, a relieved smile on his face for having found his love. “I was so worried I wouldn’t be able to find you, Rainy.” Rain could feel his chest heaving faster and with less and less rhythm the more Swiss talked. No matter how hard he tried to control his breathing, his body shook with the force of it and the tears were now threatening to spill down his cheeks.

The second Swiss noticed this however, the smile dropped off his face, immediately replaced by a concerned slant to his mouth and a worried furrow of his eyebrows as he scanned Rain up and down, no doubt taking in the signs of distress. He walked over and crouched on the floor in front of Rain, careful to avoid contact with the water ghoul. “Are you– Are you alright?”

Rain opened his mouth to tell Swiss he was fine, to tell him not to worry, to tell him to go away and leave him alone, but all that came out was a choked sob. Once he started crying again, Rain quickly realised he couldn’t stop himself. It wasn’t the multi ghoul’s fault, it never was, but the sight of Swiss had brought back every single turbulent emotion Rain had been experiencing that day. Despair and dysphoria washed over him knowing that Swiss would, inevitably, say the wrong thing and there was nothing the water ghoul could do about it. This was only followed by waves of worthlessness that took immense delight in reminding Rain that he’d be able to stop these horrible situations if only he could suck it up and tell swiss; if only he could stop being so fucking pathetic. At Mountain’s appearance, Rain had thought the worst of his day was over, but now, with Swiss’ return and remnants of his thoughts from earlier coming back in full force, he wasn’t so sure.

Who was Rain to keep such sensitive information about himself, one of the multi ghoul’s packmates, a secret from him? Who was he to use Swiss as a means of making himself feel worse without his knowledge; to force the multi ghoul to fuck him while neglecting to tell him the full details of Rain’s situation and identity? And who was he to be able to do nothing but cry at the mere sight of Swiss, his friend; his partner? He wasn’t even able to pull himself together enough to pretend he was fine, to relieve Swiss of his worries and reassure him that he’d done nothing wrong. Sathanas, Rain was a fraud. A burden. How dare he let himself break down like this in front of Swiss? All he had to do was smile, hold back the tears, and nod serenely in order to convince the multi ghoul that he was okay.

So why couldn’t he just do that?

[read the rest on ao3 !!]

[mobolanz]

For the soft OC asks: 12, 19 and 14.

Knew I could count on you!:D

12. What's a childhood memory they cherish most?:

Evelyn: a very sentimental individual, who actually believes she took them all for granted and wasted them back then- so the least she can do is cherish the memory fondly.

But one I think about a lot would be a time her father showed her his own ship, just by the time she began elementary school; he told her that in a few years when she's old and responsible enough he'd take her on a trip with it and maybe even inherit it to her when she's fully grown. It was big and impressive for her eyes, of a girl in sheltered upbringing not allowed to leave the safe home (and quite literally, even go outside to the gardens without strict watch. So growing on the unnatural light and limited space of the mansion, as big as it was.)- the idea that in a matter of few years she can finally go wherever she wants. All she needs to do is earn it and do her best and hardest

By the time she reached said age the man decided that for as far as he's concerned he doesn't have a daughter.

( @ ME WHAT PART OF "SOFT ASKS" DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND-)

Mia: first time she showed someone a thing she drew and they went "well this girl should do so much! Like grow to be an actual artist or something". She's been since forever believed to be meant for great achievements on her own uniqueness... so what's stopping her now...?

Cecille: Honestly,, just about anytime she was reading by herself in the personal libary/ the tree. Rather likely whatever she pulled each time was dark poetry/folktales/myths. On the later's case any weather was a good excuse for her too (outside rains & snows obvy), otherwise sitting by the window.

14.What's the most touching gift they've ever received?:

Evelyn: gold pendant with a stone almost shaped like a heart the color of fire she got as a surprise from someoneee after a certain festival in secret (🤭). Even a certain patient of hers (his name is incoming fic spoiler) noticed and bluntly pointed out a very unusual smile as she kept observing it carefully while wearing it to the last of details. She wears it often as possible and takes extra care of it even in dangerous times, not leaving home without it.

Funny thing you asked... The ending got me to doodle as I type this the reinelyn hug before he gets on the ship to paradis in the epilogue,,, and as I mentioned in one of you previous asks.... a ring might be involved this time 🤭🤭✨

Mia: she's got a lot that'd be for sure, but the two things that allowed her to create her most precious creation were individually given to her by the two most important people in her life, so technically it's like a gift from them both. One is a diamond ring, the other is her crystallizing ability, and the she gifted herself with a protected version of the flower that made someone see the spark in her eye and love it.

Cecille: Nothing exactly. And she tries not to care too much. If anything the ribbon is more of a momentoum just innocently handed to her by her tounger sister the only time they saw each other.

That said, she never threw it.

19.What's a guilty pleasure of theirs?:

Evelyn: working late. Also idk if that counts but adressing people in an overly polite manner even if she's been told casualty is just fine. (Although if they specifically state to hate formalities she'd correct herself)

Mia: ah that'd be romantic films, dressing fancily for casual daily routine (which drags the ask "you're invited somewhere...?" ) And giving Sapphy analogies on self development x"3

Cecille: bringing up a random quote to prove her point in a conversation/argument. Also long hot showers.

SOFT OC ASKS

[merosmenagerie]

Been battling torrential rain causing the duck run to flood all winter but finally got the house and run dry and some newly built nestboxes and a raised sleeping platform into the house

If Becque could stop laying behind the pond now that'd be great