#It was SO hard to change my usual brushes and approach. But so fun and refreshing

[juiche]

I tried imitatying a friend's style as a fun little exercise! If you like this style you should check out leafologise on twitter and you'll find the original, untainted ✨glory✨ of it :3

[goquokka00]

Bridge Over Troubled Lovers (Pt. 1)

Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 |

Summary: You are the daughter of the Hwang family, a family infamous for their line of beauty products and even more so for their eldest son: Hyunjin. You're in the market for a husband, but sadly, you don't catch anyone's eye. Not until a fateful evening, where the eldest son of the Bahng family changes everything.

Pairing: Bangchan X Reader (F!)

Genre: Fluff, Angst, Some Humor, Eventual Smut (MDNI) (I will give heavy emphasis on when the smut will occur, don't worry 😊)

Word Count: 2.7K

A/N: Fuck you guys, writer's block is literally no joke 😫. I had this sitting in my drafts for fucking ever, trying to figure out how much to write without it getting boring and I hope that it didn't and I'm so sorry for not getting to it because I meant to have it out earlier but again, writer's block has been beating my ass like you wouldn't believe. So I hope this part makes up for it?? I hope.

Every day seemed to be the same for you. Wake up, get dressed, go down to the dining room for breakfast, and then walk the courtyard with Hyunjin until you got bored and went to the river. Then you'd go back for dinner, listen to your parents and Hyunjin talk about whatever, and then go to bed.

It was a process you'd gotten used to.

Today wasn't much different. You had woken up around dawn, the same time as usual. And as usual, your maid wasn't in to help you. You yawned and stretched, going to your bathroom and brushed your teeth and hair, deciding to leave it down for the day. You also made sure to wash your face and apply a little bit of makeup.

You had to look the part of a Hwang, after all. You really didn't want to have to deal with your father calling you a disgrace to the family. It...wasn't fun to deal with. Not to mention also having to be compared to your brother.

Once you were done in the bathroom, you walked to your closet, finding a dress that would be fitting for the day. You figured that a simple sundress would do. And so, you slipped it on before leaving the room.

Breakfast was pouched eggs and salmon. One of Hyunjin's favorites. Though it was delicious, it wasn't one of your tops. But you still sat down across from Hyunjin, bowing your head to the butler that brought you your food, and began to eat. You made sure to cut the salmon and eggs into small pieces, knowing that you had to be graceful while eating.

Your mother and father was also at the table, eating peacefully, but not making any conversation toward you. It was normal for them not to. You weren't nearly as interesting as your brother. But you still listened to the conversation they were having.

"There's going to be a party at the Han's Friday evening. And I'm assuming you plan to go?" Your father asked Hyunjin, who nodded with a smile. He took a sip of his tea, looking to the old man.

"I do, yes. Hopefully there will be someone there who pique my interest to court." Hyunjin replied.

Yeah, you forgot about that.

Both you and Hyunjin were at the age where you had to try and find someone to marry. And it was tradition for men to court women. Except, there were some problems for both of you.

For one, Hyunjin was always surrounded by women. He just couldn't catch a break, no matter how hard he tried. Not to mention that men also tended to come to him to talk about business opportunities. And while Hyunjin was grateful, he also wanted a chance to court a lady who fit his ideals.

Your problem was entirely different. Any man who approached you wanted nothing more than to talk with your brother. They'd introduce themselves, and then immediately ask if you could get your brother so they could talk business. And while you did so for them, you wished that they'd court. Mainly so you didn't have to stoop to the other women's attempts to court a man.

"I'm sure you'll find someone eventually, Hyunjin. But going to this party will definitely help your chances." Your mother told him, giving him a smile. Hyunjin nodded to her, setting his fork and knife on his empty plate.

"Yes. And I can't wait for it." Hyunjin responded, before standing up from the table. "I think I'm going to go and get a bit of work done. I'm sure I'll see you both around."

"Of course, Hyunjin."

"Work hard, dear."

With that, Hyunjin bowed, before walking around the table to you, gently squeezing your shoulder. It was his greeting to you. And an invite. An invite to join him in his study.

One you'd graciously take.

Once he was out of the room, it got quiet again. Your mother and father went back to eating, and you continued doing so. It was like you were invisible to them. But it was normal, it always has been.

It didn't take you very long to finish your breakfast, standing up and excusing yourself with a smile. And then, you left the table, walking up to Hyunjin's study. And once you reached the door, you gently knocked, opening it to poke your head through.

"Hyunjin, its me." You greeted. Hyunjin's nose was in papers, just like it always was. But it didn't take him long to lift his head up, giving you a smile.

"Hey! I was wondering how long it'd take for you to finish up!" Hyunjin smiled, standing up and walking over to you. You also smiled, watching Hyunjin come and place a hand on your head, gesturing for you to follow him. "Come on, let's go for a walk."

"But don't you have work?" You questioned, watching Hyunjin shrug.

"Yeah, but I've been cooped up for days trying to get all of this work sorted out. I need some fresh air." Hyunjin said nonchalantly. He walked right by you, gently nudging your shoulder. You rolled your eyes, following him.

"You always seem to need fresh air. Couldn't you just open a window?"

"I could, but then I wouldn't get to spend time with you." Hyunjin spoke, turning to give you a smile. You smiled back, the two of you heading out to the garden. And once you both got out there, Hyunjin was immediately greeted by the gardeners.

He bowed, having a small conversation with them, while you stayed by his side, a smile on your face as they spoke. They had no interest speaking with you, all they wanted was to know Hyunjin's opinion on how the flowers and the garden-work looked. Hyunjin humored them, of course, complimenting their work before excusing himself, wanting to continue his walk with you.

And once they were out of ear shot, he finally spoke to you.

"So, how has courting been going?" He asked, watching you roll your eyes. It caused him to laugh. "Not going well, then?"

"How could it be when everyone wishes to talk with you?" You replied, giving him a half smile.

"Is that so?"

"Very. Any man that graces me with their presence only wishes to speak business with the upcoming head of the Hwang Household." You told him, folding your hands in front of you as you both walked.

"I see. Then I suppose Cupid isn't on the side of the Hwangs."

"You haven't had much luck either then, I suppose?"

"How could I? Girls swarm me, men constantly talk business...I barely have time to go and court any girl I see any interest in."

"At least people wish to talk with you." You had a point, and Hyunjin knew that. He had an upper hand with people wanting to always talk with him, always gush over him. And yet, you never seemed to catch anyone's attention. Even when you attempted conversation with a man, they always excused themselves, never to talk with you again.

Always such a pain.

"I suppose you have a point, but you'll find someone someday. I know you will." Hyunjin smiled to you, patting your shoulder as you both walked. "You just have to keep attending parties. Like the one this Friday at the Han's."

"Please, I highly doubt that I'd be wanted there." You replied. "I'd just stand around, clinging to the wall like I always do. Either that or direct men to where you are."

"You don't know that." Hyunjin told you. He stopped walking, going in front of you and grabbed your shoulders, a soft smile on his face. "You could find the love of your life, your future husband that could take such good care of you and-"

"I don't think that's how it's going to play out."

"You never know unless you give it a try!" Hyunjin said to you. He was going to do everything in his power to make sure you'd go. "The only parties and dinner events I've ever seen you attend were the ones our own family hosted anyway. Going to somebody else's gathering could make a large difference."

"But don't we invite the Han's over all the time?" You asked, crossing your arms. "As well as most of the people that they usually invite?"

"Oh come on, name a few people that would be at that party that we'd also invite-"

"The Lee's, the Yang's, the Honeywood's, the King's, the Bridger's, the Porter's, the Dukesbury's, the Lethbridge's, the Kim's, the other Kim's, the-"

"Okay, I get it. We know a lot of the same people. But the Hans know so many more!" Hyunjin said. "After all, they're a toy business! They reach out so often to so many different families, there's bound to be new people for both of us to meet."

Again, he had a fair point, despite your curses you sent towards him. The Hans were a family in the children's toy business, and that meant they were constantly reaching out to any and every family in order to stay accurate and precise with the toys they made.

And that also meant that they were a good party to be social at, because it meant that you'd have more of an opportunity to actually talk to people.

Hyunjin let his words sink in, let you think for a moment, before letting out a sigh, tilting your head up so you'd look at him, giving you a warm smile so you'd actually consider his proposal.

"Just...give it a chance. For me?" Hyunjin asked, moving to look into your eyes. You looked back into his, trying your best to find any reason not to go.

You hated social events, because it was just as you said. You'd keep to the side, occasionally eating some of the hors d'oeuvres, maybe snag a glass of champagne or wine, and direct people to wherever your brother may be.

But at the same time, Hyunjin had a point too. You'd never find your future significant other if you didn't push your boundaries and be social. They weren't going to come find you if you didn't put yourself out there.

And so, with a sigh, you gave him an answer.

"Fine."

||

"You look absolutely lovely today, Channie!"

"Oh, thank you! You look lovely as well, Lady Sophie." Chan gave a smile as he looked to the ladies who had come to his estate's plaza.

He was just on his way out to go and visit the Han Household, knowing that the new head of the family and his good friend, Jisung, wanted to talk with him about some things. And besides, Chan could never say no to a meal that would be free.

Of course, the ladies who gathered in the plaza every morning just to see Chan were a bit in the way, like they always were. Chan just didn't have what it took to be mean to them.

He never did.

But he was thankful when the carriage arrived, the door opening to reveal his friend inside, waving to him.

"Chan! Good to see you again!" He said, Chan smiling at the sight of his friend. He looked to the girls, bowing to excuse himself, before going inside, shutting the door once he was seated.

"It's good to see you as well, Jisung. How has your family been?" Chan asked, Han giving him a smile.

"Oh, we've been doing amazing! Our profits have gone up by 10% in the last month, and we have the Hwang family to thank for it." Jisung said, feeling the horses pull at the carriage, taking them back to his own home. "Their upcoming head, Hyunjin, came up with the idea to make teddy bears with satin cloth to help prevent skin issues. And they've been working like a charm!"

"The Hwangs, huh?" Chan had heard of that family. They were big into skin care and beauty products. From cheaper moisturizers to expensive blushes and foundations. And his sister loved their products with everything in her. Though, Chan couldn't see his family working with them.

How would you even make a business collaboration or a business partnership between a family who makes skin care products and a family who makes guns and weapons for the military?

"Oh yeah. As thanks, I invited them to the party my father decided to host for his and my mother's anniversary." Jisung continued, before gasping and looking to Chan with excited eyes. "You should come, too! I could even introduce you to Hyunjin!"

"Oh, whoa whoa whoa, slow down!" Chan laughed a bit, knowing how Jisung got sometimes. Way too excited, acting before thinking. "As much as I'd love to attend, I have a lot of work to do as well."

"And? It's on Friday, and you don't do much on Fridays anyway. You write to people in the morning, and then you have the rest of the day off, don't you?"

"Well, kind of, but-"

"Then come!" Jisung said, moving next to Chan. He immediately wrapped an arm around Chan's shoulders, moving him back and forth, back and forth. "Besides, you've been meaning to court a girl for your wife, haven't you?"

Ugh, Chan sometimes hated that he was close friends with Jisung.

It meant that Jisung knew of Chan's struggles with finding a girl to court. Mainly because women constantly swarmed him. And because Chan was easy to fluster and shy away, it made him nervous to talk to those women that constantly surrounded him.

Sure, he was nice to them. How couldn't he? Breaking a women's heart was like breaking their soul, at least, that's what his father always told him. But he feared that it also fed their need to always hound him and swarm him and just...overwhelm him.

It...wasn't fun.

"Well, yeah...but it's not like you've been doing much better." Chan said, Jisung crossing his arms with a scoff.

"Pah-lease, I'll have you know that I recently just started courting the younger sister of Sir Minho Lee, and he supports it!"

"No way..."

"Yes way! And she's a kind-hearted soul, couldn't hurt a fly. And honestly, she's amazing in every way, shape, and form...I really lucked out." Jisung couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face as he talked about his significant other. Chan could definitely see that he loved her.

And he was...kind of jealous. He wanted a love like that.

"That's nice, I'm happy for you. Really." Chan said, smiling to his friend. Jisung smiled back, patting Chan's shoulder.

"Listen, with Hyunjin there, I bet you that he'll have all of the girls' attention. He's a pretty handsome guy, I mean, he could be a prince with his looks." Jisung said, crossing his arms. "It'd give you a pretty nice shot at talking to ladies at your own speed. And it'd also allow you to be social without running away from women, y'know?"

"I guess you have a point." Chan said, letting out a sigh.

It would be amazing if Chan could actually have space at a party for the first time in forever. Getting to talk to women at his own pace, getting to converse with men and get more contacts with other families besides the few he had gotten to know from his dad.

And maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to find someone to love. Just like his friends had been able to.

"So then, what do you say?" Jisung asked, looking at Chan in the eyes, obviously hopeful. And with a sigh that faded into a smile, Chan responded.

"I don't see why not." Chan told Jisung. Jisung immediately smiled, getting all giddy with excitement at the idea of Chan going to meet someone at the party.

"Perfect! Absolutely perfect! I'll give you all of the details once we get back to my estate!" Jisung exclaimed, Chan laughing.

It was certainly going to be interesting. That was for absolute certain.

Hey! Firstly, thank you so much for reading this post, and I really hope you enjoyed! If you did, please like, reblog, or comment so I can see how I'm doing with writing and getting feedback! I hope you have a lovely day! Sleep well, stay in good health, and eat something if you haven't! ❤️❤️❤️

Taglist: @kayleefriedchicken @freckleboilix @miss-daisy04 @wolfs-archive @stayyyyyyyyyyyy21

[jxmis]

Wish You Were Sober

Pairings: Rosé Park x Fem!Reader

Summary: You and Roseanne Park have been best-friends for years now. Having finished wrapping up your show before blackpink's last performance at Coachella, you decide to show your support and fly out to LA and watch them. But maybe that wasn't such a good idea. Not after the events that had happened after the afterparty. Everything has changed. (sorry i suck at doing summaries)

Warning(s): angst

A/N: a lil inspiration by Wish You Were Sober by Conan Gray. Soooo I'm having major pcd after seeing BP last saturday soo decided to write for my bias wrecker. I literally just thought and wrote of this a few hours ago. Same with the picture T_T. I also have been writing jennie, lisa, and chaewon fics. Posting whichever I get done first after this one! Enjoy! :)

Rosanne Park isn't usually one to party hard. She isn’t the usual person to get wasted either. It's rare for that to happen.

But as they wrapped up their final night headlining Coachella, a party was thrown for their successful two shows. Being the first k-pop act and girl group to headline, making history! Of course, she had to live it up.

However, one shot became two, three, and even taking a couple sips of margarita. Those who are close to Rosé know that she doesn't have a high tolerance when it comes to alcohol. She's a lightweight.

You being a lot more responsible and smart, only took a few sips of your alcoholic beverage. You handle your liquor pretty well.

You see Rosé's manager trying to talk some sense into her but it seems as Rosé is being stubborn. You sigh, you approach them. Jane looks at you with a pleading look, you nod and gesture for her to go. She silently thanks you, softly patting Rosé's cheek before leaving.

"C'mon, Chae, you've had too much to drink." You carefully and softly put hand behind her back. Rosé shakes her head in protest.

"Y/N/NNN!!! Nooooo 'm havin sooo much funn!" She slurs. She leans against your shoulder, resting her head on it. She looks at you a smile bright on her face, bringing the glass close to you. "Have some! It's sooo good!" You take the beverage away from her hand causing her to pout.

"We're leaving, Chae. You've had your fun. Time for you to rest." Despite her protest, you drag her out of the party. She eventually quits whining and resisting. She sulks instead. "You'll thank me in the morning for this." You offer her support which she gladly takes as she's walking. She's so drunk to the point that she can't even walk straight.

You thankfully arrive back to Rosé's place safely. You did your very best to cover up Chae from the horde of paparazzies as you leave the party. Your bodyguard and Rosé's, as well as her manager using flashlights to ruin their photos.

--------

You look after Rosé. Even when the aftereffects of drinking so much alcohol led her to throw up. You help sooth her by holding her hair and caressing her back. Letting her know you're there and not going anywhere. As soon as you saw her hand on her stomach and a grimace on her face, you knew. You’re quite thankful you were able to get her to her room and rush her into the bathroom.

"It's okay, Chae. I've got you," you say softly. A minute goes by after Rosé seem to have let it all out. You clean up her face and begin her night time routine. You've slept over a good amount of times to have memorized it all. You help her brush her teeth and awkwardly had to help her change into pajamas. It wasn't easy doing that second part with your eyes close. But to your surprise, she was very compliant.

You are so focus on helping her, making sure she's okay that you didn't notice how quiet she's been. "Hey.. you okay?" You say as she settles on her bed. That's when it hit Rosé. Tears starts to pour down her eyes. You panic. You forgot how emotional she gets after everything when she gets drunk. It's been awhile since you've done this. You quickly sit next to her. "What wrong? Don't cry, Chae. It's okay! You're safe."

She sits up and clings onto you. You wrap your arms around her, rubbing her back. First, she repeatedly apologizes. "Thank you for always being there for me and taking care of me, Y/N/N." She says in a hush tone still clinging tightly onto you.

Even though she can't see you, you smile. "Don't apologize, you did nothing wrong. You were just having fun and you deserve to have fun. You know I'll always be here when you're in need." You pull away, bringing your hands on her cheeks, wiping her tears away. "Even if it's having to watch you throw up and clean you up after." You both laugh at that. You smile triumphally at your success on making her laugh.

You move a strand of hair out of her face. Wiping the tears that still remain on her cheeks. Meanwhile, Rosé's eyes remain on you. You notice. The mood suddenly changes in the room. The way Rosé is looking at you... it's different than usual. Maybe you've seen it once in a while whenever you two hung out before. But you always thought you were being delusional. A look that holds so much feelings, unspoken ones.

You see her mouth move but nothing comes out. She closes it and suddenly you see her eyes move to your lips. It catches you off guard. Trying to take it all in, you then feel her lips touching yours. It takes you a minute to process everything. Coming to your senses, you quickly pull away. Rosé opens her eyes. She can see the shock and confusion on your face.

"Chae... what are you.. what are you doing?"

She swallows the lump on her throat. What is she doing? It felt right though. "I- I don't- I don't know." Rosé manages to stutter out, trying to keep her tears at bay. "I just- I thought- Oh god, I'm so sorry." She covers her mouth, surprise with her actions as well.

You get up from her bed and run your hands through your hair. A million thoughts going through your head. Rosé watches you just standing there, stressed out. Now, she's really full on crying. What had she done? She ruined everything. You let out a deep sigh, "Its okay.. it's okay, you're drunk. Under the influence. It was the alcohol in you. Just- Just get some rest, Chae." You hesitantly approach her and kiss her head. "Good night."

"I like you!" Rosé calls out as you're heading towards the door. You freeze. "I like you so much, Y/N. For so long now. The alcohol coursing through my veins just gave me the courage to finally do something about it. So, please stay." She begs.

Silence fills the room after Rosé's confession. There's no way all this time, Roseanne Park, your best-friend has had a crush on you. You sure would've notice if she did... right? She'd never showed any signs that she had romantic feelings for you. You know her like the back of your hand! This is all because she's under the influence. That's all. She's just saying crazy things.

Without looking back, You bow your head down. "That's real sweet, but I wish you were sober," you whisper out. With that, you leave the sobbing blonde's room, silently hoping she heard you. Maybe even remember all of this in the morning. You doubt it.

"But I really do," Rosé says softly, the tone of her voice so sincere... fragile.

[cayemm]

i'm curious about your technique ..... the texture in your fabrics, metals and skin is magnificent, do you have some favorite brushes and how do you approach drawing these materials? thank you!

Hello!! :D First things first, thank you so much for your kind words!! My favorite brushes to render with are these:

I don’t remember where I got this brush exactly :( It might be an old Photoshop brush that I tweaked and/or changed its properties quite a bit over time to suit my preferences. The good thing is, this brush is easily replicable, all you need to do is take a simple round brush and enable color mixing!! Then adjust how much paint you want the brush to pick up and/or how intense you want the color mixing to be :D I use this brush for pretty much everything, from skin to fabrics to metal!! I also want to mention that Clip Studio’s default “Smooth watercolour” and “Transparent watercolour” are decent alternatives!

I've worked with this brush for years now! Nowadays I use it for really fine details which require hard edges or opacity. There isn’t much to say except I really like its texture and it balances between being a hard and soft brush really well ^__^ You can get it here!

I got this one from the CSP Asset store, however it originally had a Japanese name which I couldn’t read, so I changed it to just TEXTURE. I don’t see it in my downloaded brushes catalogue though, so I’ll update this post if I manage to find a link

Really good brush for adding some fancy texture – it’s a simple rake brush consisting of 9 lines, nothing too complicated AND easily replicable :D I consider it a good addition to my personal brushset. It’s really fun to use!

Now... I’ll try my best to explain how I approach things during rendering :D (disclaimer: I am no professional artist…this is just how I do things when painting) So! With skin I always keep in mind that light penetrates its surface and, in a way, illuminates it from the inside. This usually leads to experimenting with many colors depending on the subjects skintone and lighting of their surroundings/scene they're placed in :]

Fabrics - I generally paint them very close to how I paint skin :D Of course it’s not a one-fits-all solution, as there are different types of fabric with different properties. Whenever I render a specific fabric - let’s say for example leather – I keep asking myself “How do I make this look like leather? What properties does a leather surface display? Is it shiny, thick or thin, does the material allow subsurface scattering?”

For metals, I usually stick to a general rule of thumb - use stark contrasting values when rendering (really push those dark, saturated shadows and really shiny lights) and don't forget about how reflective metallic surfaces can be!

That's pretty much it! ^__^ ❤️

[tragicromanceisland]

Ice and Roses

Chevalier x female reader, Gilbert x female reader

Cw: sexual tension, sexual content

Chapter Four

“Nnggh..”

Gilbert’s teasing had gone past your tolerance. You wondered what the hell had happened and how he worked you up so much without having done much at all. The grazing of his teeth against your fingertips. While the tips of his fingers brushed up and down the insides of your thighs. Your lust-filled eyes looked up at him through your heavy-lidded eyes. A devious smirk slowly spread across his lips as he released his hold on your hand and leaned into your neck. The feel of his hot breath against your skin made you wish his lips would make contact with your skin rather than just your hand. The tingling flutter within your lower abdomen made you realize that maybe there was something more between you and Gilbert than you consciously realized.

However, this was a dangerous game you were both playing as you were out in the open behind one of the pillars in the palace. Anyone could catch you two at any given time, and it would be hell if Clavis caught you so intimately with Gilbert. As you doubted, Chevalier would seek you out, though you were certain Gilbert did this for the reason of someone intentionally seeing you both.

“You can try denying how much you enjoy this rabbit. Though I doubt you’ll want to…”

You gasped as your arms wrapped around him as you buried your face into the curve of his neck and shoulder. He chuckled as you slightly trembled once his fingertips had pressed against the wet fabric of your underwear.

“Mmn…” You whimpered. “More.”

Gilbert narrowed his eye. He was finding it hard to restrain himself, as the bulge in his pants was evident he was just affected by your reactions to his little game with you. However, he knew he would have to stop his fun before he could begin. He was strangely disappointed with the thought of having to discontinue since he had riled you up so effectively. Alas, there was nothing he could do. As much as he wished to play, he needed to have his plans come to fruition. This was merely what would begin to irritate the second prince. Though it was risky going against someone like him, it was equally perilous for Chevalier to pick a fight with him.

“What do you believe you’re doing?”

That voice snapped you out of your desire-filled trance as your eyes flickered to the brutal beast. Gilbert faced Chev and grinned.

“You’ve arrived just on time, and here I thought you wouldn’t show. Impressive.”

An hour ago…

You had just finished dancing with Gilbert when Clavis approached you as you were picking up two stemmed glasses of wine.

“Dearie me, I had no idea you would invite such a dangerous man (y/n).” Clavis remarked with his usual evocative grin.

You were always wondering what Clavis was thinking, and you didn’t have a good feeling about why he had approached you. Your eyes darted to Gilbert, who met your gaze. He seemed amused as you knew he was watching.

“What does it matter?”

Clavis raised his brows before furrowing them a terse smile on his face.

“Do you believe that my beast of a brother isn’t angry with you about this? I bet you don’t even know why he held this ball to begin with.”

You narrowed your eyes, and Clavis showed his usual mischievous expression.

“Pfft…hahaha. So you do know. Perhaps I had nothing to worry about…still it would be nice if you could bend just a little to appease him.”

“Clavis, don’t you think I’ve done enough bending for Chev? I know he has a heart, but if he truly wanted me, he would have said as much.”

Clavis leaned against your shoulder as he gently pressed his cheek against yours.

“I believe he was, however…it seems you’ve angered the beast. Perhaps you can find a way to change his mind. I have faith in you, after all.” He pulled away and patted your shoulder with a chuckled. “Don’t disappoint me now. I wish I could stay and watch, but I must be going.”

You watched as Clavis scurried away, and you shook your head. Some things never change. Making your way back to Gilbert, you hand him the wine.

“What will you do, little rabbit?”

You eyed the obsidian prince suspiciously as if he were already fully aware of the situation. It was eerie the way Gilbert and Chev both seemed to have a sense of everything going on before it even occurred or without being told.

“Nothing. I invited you, so you will remain my partner for the evening, so I hope you are prepared to make good on your word about us dating.” You confessed as you took a drink of wine.

Gil watched as you brought the rim of the glass against your lips and took a sip of the crimson liquid. He brought the glass to his lips to conceal his smirk. He had every intention of following through with the relationship he suggested.

“You can always count on me to follow through. My plans are always thorough.”

You arched a brow as you watched the first prince of obsidian drink the wine you brought him. After he finished the glass, his hand covered the hand holding your wine glass and brought the edge of the glass to your lips.

“Drink, we have a lot we need to do after all.”

You didn’t care for his behavior, though he was correct. If your dating were to be believable, you both needed to make it obvious, and what better way than to be intimate around those who gossip?

Whispers began while you and Gil were making your relationship believable. Voices began to speak of a woman who had managed to strike up a conversation with the king. While you had figured the reason you had come here was that Chevalier had a change of heart, did he change his mind? Did you understand him wrong? You felt your heart grow heavy, and you felt a bout of nausea. Did Chev just invite me to show me he doesn’t love me? To tell me to stop believing I have a chance. That I ever stood a chance?

Gilbert observed your sudden distress from hearing the circulating word of Chev with a woman he favored. Of course, he had a brilliant plan to break that armor Chevalier seemed to wear so well. Despite whatever woman he may be negotiating with purely out of obligation and duty for the kingdom of Rhodalite. It was clear from everything he had observed tonight that you were, in fact, his weakness that would become his downfall. Even a beast of Chevalier’s nature could become jealous and territory over what they rightfully believed as theirs. You were the piece he would use in this strategic game to ensure that his men successfully infiltrated the palace with spies. That way, he could always keep a close eye on Chevalier and know what he was up to. This would only work if he could keep you interested in him as long as possible.

Gilbert pulled you close to him, his lips against your ghosting your cheek.

“Don’t listen, follow me.”

You felt it was easier said than done, as you fought the urge to push back tears. Though it was all dissipated when Gil had backed you against the wall behind a pillar in the palace. It was concealed but not hidden. Anyone paying attention could see you both.

“What are you –“ You were cut off by his index and middle fingers pressed against your lips.

Gilbert removed the space between you both as he lifted the skirt of your dress just enough to use his knee to spread apart your legs and draped the remaining fabric around his leg. His fingers slid off your lips as his face leaned in close to yours. You weren’t sure what he was up to, and you weren’t sure if you wanted to go through with whatever he had planned. You didn’t want your reputation ruined. He caressed your cheekbone with the pad of his thumb before taking one of your hands in his and bringing it up to his mouth. You wondered what he was up to when he placed a soft kiss on the inside of your wrist and then your palm before his lips left lingering touches along each of your fingers. You shivered, and he couldn’t hide his smirk. As he then began to nip at your fingertips. A strange sensation jolted through your body as his teeth took claim to your fingertips one by one. Each graze of his teeth is more tantalizing than the last.

A flood of warmth ran through your body, and you felt your cheeks begin to heat as you avoided his gaze. Just when you thought he was done, he did the same thing to your other hand. You had no idea such a thing could be so sensual.

This is how you arrived at your new current situation in Chevalier’s bedroom.

The tension inside the closed room was suffocating, and you weren’t particularly happy to be inside a room alone with Chev. Especially with how things were left between you last time. You could tell by the look on his face he was displeased. He folded his arms as he stood a foot away from you, icy blue eyes that felt like they were freezing you in place.

You weren’t sure how long the silence was, as neither one of you showed signs of backing down. Though you never expected Chevalier to draw his sword and hold the point at your throat.

“If you want to kill me, then do it.”

Chev clenched his jaw as he pushed the end of the blade, further making an indention in your flesh, and a dot of red beaded out onto the reflective blade. You wanted to laugh. You wanted to cry. He had done something to you before, except this time, he was applying a fixed amount of pressure. You could feel a sting where he had pricked your throat. Then, in a swift motion, Chev pulled back his sword and sheathed it.

In the next second, Chevalier had grabbed your hand and pulled you to him. You parted your lips to speak only to have your mouth captured by Chev’s. A needy, desperate kiss that seemed to say just how much he wanted you. His mouth barely left yours before his lips connected with yours once more. You tried to shove him away, and he picked you up and dropped you onto the plushness of his mattress.

“Chevalier!!”

He pinned your body down beneath him as he narrowed his eyes.

“If you were trying to provoke me. You’ve succeeded, and now I hope you are prepared for the consequence of your actions.”

[valeriapryanikova]

hihihi !! came across your tumblr while looking at hermitcraft/life series art (your art is lovely by the way, definitely going into my cool people with cool art collection) , and saw that you use/used krita !! as a krita user, i would love to know your main brushes and canvas sizes, and art process too :D would love to get into things like illustration but no clue where to start ,,

hello! since i get asked about stuff like that relatively often and i'm usually too lazy to answer properly everytime i'll use this ask to answer all of those in one big post :D

Brushes

i don't think i have main brushes? i jump from style to style quite frequently and i love love love trying out new stuff so the set of brushes i'm using for any given drawing can change drastically but there're a few that came to my mind

i've been vibing with the first brush the most lately! it's kinda has spray paint feel to it?? but not really? idk but it's fun to make messy sketches with :D 2nd and 3rd are probably the brushes i find myself coming back to most often bc they're just really basic lol

all of the brushes ^ are default krita brushes bc i dont like downloading brushes from the internet so if you wanna find cool non default krita brushes you'll need to ask sm1 else sorry

(btw my advice: don't care about brushes. limiting oneself to a certain set of brushes can also limit the creativity so don't do that)

Canvas Size

my default canvas size is 2000 x 2000 px and it usually goes up from that if i need other proportions for a piece - basically that means that the shortest side of (almost) any of my drawings is minimum 2000px (2000 x 3000, 2500 x 2000, etc). for pixel art it's the same rules but for minimum of 200px!

social media eats the quality of images really hard so i usually don't see the point of drawing on bigger canvases than that ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Art Process

there isn't much to say about the art process for me bc i'm sure my process is not too different from everyone else's process lol for lineart stuff it's the usual:

super messy, super quick sketch

cleaner sketch (depending on the art style and the vibe i'm going for this step can be skipped)

messy colouring (also can be skipped sometimes; this step is just for myself to find the colour palette i wanna use and to determine whether i like the drawing so far or not so i can change the idea or completely abandon the piece)

clean lineart

flat colouring + shading

adding small details, colouring the lineart, making lighting prettier, etc. (this one cannot be properly described bc for me it's usually a mess of tweaking everything and nothing until i like the final product)

for lineless stuff i don't have a process - i put pretty colours on the canvas and just,, Pray for the best or smth lmao

it most likely won’t be helpful but i do have youtube channel where i (once in a blue moon) post speedpaints! they might help in understanding what my art process is

and that's it i think? i hope this was useful at least in some way :D it's not the best idea to ask me about any of art related things bc my approach to art can be summarised with throwing stuff at the wall until smth sticks lmao

[sweeethinny]

Pink is the warmest color

There was something that irritated Ginny more than anything else, and it was the fact that she got comments about whatever outfit she wore; if she try be fashionable, she was surrendering to the female world and it looked horrible, if she was too masculine she wanted to be different from other women and feel superior, if she was simple she was tacky, if she was extravagant she was tacky too… It was hard.

She didn't usually wear clothes that she couldn't buy at a regular store, just walk in, try on, and that was it, but today was a different day and her husband deserved her to be in all the glory. Of course, hearing those women rant about the way she dressed was enough encouragement for Ginny to walk up to the top floor of the building near the Ministry, having left Harry's office for a visit.

The atmosphere was freezing, but because of the heat it was, she was glad that at least in one place she didn't feel sweaty. The floor was light and very well polished, the walls pale and there were mirrors everywhere from ceiling to floor, the windows were just as big and it was like being inside a… Ginny didn't even know what it looked like.

There were mannequins with dresses - bridal and gala - and all the hangers were full and colored the environment in a gradual and pleasing to the eye way, the fabrics were neatly arranged under a table and some women were walking around in a black suit and sneakers, a tape measure around their neck, and a bracelet full of safety pins that Ginny had never seen one like. It was funny and adorable.

''Good morning, what can we help you with?'' A girl probably her age smiled and approached, dark hair and dark skin, unlike other times, she didn't look her up and down as if judging Ginny by the choice of clothes of the day.

''I need a gala dress.''

‘’You needed to see it! She measured me, and then I stood on a step and she stood there, pinning me, making me try on every dress possible, talking about my hair, the color of my skin, the shoes I should wear… It was… wow , blow mind.'' Ginny said, brushing her teeth while Harry washed up in the shower. ''I'm telling you to get ready, because I'll be getting all the attention,''

''You didn't need it, I don't want you to go somewhere to change your clothes just because a bunch of stupid people talk shit,'' As usual, her husband is too nice.

''I know, and I'll admit that at first I just went there to buy something and thought 'now they won't be able to say I'm tacky and I don't know how to dress', but then when I was there trying on the dresses, I liked it. I think that I will take into account the opinions and change a few things… No big deal, just some colors and 'shapes'… Everything influences the shape, modeling, fabric, color, finish… there are so many things,’’

''I'm glad you had fun,'' Harry turned off the shower, grabbing the towel from the rack and wrapping himself in it. ''But again, don't care what they say, I love your style,''

''You'd love me even wearing the ugliest outfit in the world,'' Ginny walked over to him, giving him a quick kiss, feeling his wet lips and the scent of soap. ''And I'm not sad about it, we just need to be real.''

''Really,'' He shrugged.

''That said, you need to buy a robe or light pink or white, to look good next to me.''

''Look what they said!'' Ginny ran to get the newspaper as soon as the owl landed on the window, even startling the poor thing. A picture of them was on the main page, next to other news—important—of little relevance to her. ''It's me and you!'' The photo showed the two of them waving, smiling for the camera and showing that people around looked at them as if judging them — and they did.

''Ginny and Harry Potter attended last night's awards, and they made quite a splash on the red carpet.

On the night of the 29th, the Personality of the Year award took place at the Mansion of Beaux-Arts, where Harry Potter was competing in the main category of the night as 'The Wizard of the Decade'.

Obviously the competition was won from the moment they announced his name as one of the contestants, but what everyone was really waiting for was the presence of him and his wife, Ginny Potter, player of the Holyhead Harpies Quidditch team.

As soon as they arrived, they started to attract attention; unlike the other wizards, the couple came by car, a long, black automobile that was driven by nothing less than a ghost! Our team did some research and found that the car's name is ''limousine'' and it's not cheap to rent.

Their outfits were another explosive moment, Harry was wearing light pink robes, and Ginny a beautiful dress, signed by the Latin stylist Lua Aziz, also wearing pink but in a much stronger shade, full of shine, with sleeves made of synthetic fur seen that the player is against wearing anything of animal origin, and pearl necklaces and earrings, one of them with a heart pendant that we've seen her wear before.

The sunglasses were used by her and Harry to take the main pictures of the night, but later they both took it off.

Ginny has a bit of a tragic history with her wardrobe, but this time, we can't lie and say she wasn't the color of the night, drawing all the attention and making everyone stay silent, even us at the newspaper.’’

notes:

First, congratulations to Elio Aziz who designed this beautiful dress, which was used in my final illustration work last semester, and which I had already painted as if I were Ginny but as in that drawing I did it with personal information, because it was a uni project, I redid the drawing, so I could post it here. Fashion is so much fun and I think Ginny would be a super stylish person when she's older, if she allowed herself to be, because I know that in a lot of environments, that's not seen with good eyes and women are judged on whether or not they are stylish and well dressed. I also imagine there was only one time that she and Harry allowed themselves to get that much attention, so I wanted to do that moment.

I hope you like the Fic and the drawing, I didn't do one with Harry because I'm terrible at drawing men :/

[hellfireclubmember3]

I'm having a lot of fun writing my Din Djarin X Reader fic! It gives me the warm fuzzies and I hope this chapter does the same for you. If you like it, please consider checking out the rest of the story on my Wattpad!

Love After Loss

Chapter 7 - The Meal

I was really getting used to having Din around. My quiet home wasn't so quiet anymore and it was so nice. This was both exciting, but also worrying. The end of our agreed upon month together was approaching faster than I would like it to. If I was successful with changing his mind, then maybe Din would want to stay here and give up the Way of the Mandalore. 

It was a thought I tried not to think about too often with the risk of being crushed. I did not want to get too attached to Din's companionship just to have it taken away from me if he decided to bathe in the Living Waters and return to the covert after all. Losing my partner and my people so abruptly in the past was excruciating. I know that losing the company with Din won't be as hard, but it won't be pleasant. 

These were the thoughts running through my mind as I worked in the garden. The sun was shining and a light breeze was blowing the sweet air by me. It was so peaceful and serene. While I was working on harvesting some vegetables and weeding the plants, Din was cleaning out the pen and feeding the animals. I don't know how I managed all of this on my own before. Another reason why I'll be sad if he chooses not to stay.

I was wrapping up my work in the garden, my hands and knees in the soil, when Din approached. I had assumed he came over to speak with me, but he walked right by. Instead, he stood near the edge of the garden, looking out into the forest beyond. "Everything okay?" I asked, wondering what he could possibly be looking for.

He scanned the forest a bit more before finally peeling his eyes away to face me. "Yeah, I just thought I saw someone over there."

At his words, I snapped my head over to the forest line to scan it for myself. It wasn't unheard of for someone to be over there. Every once in a while a villager would make their way over while on a walk or gathering supplies of some kind, but they usually stopped by to say hello. There didn't appear to be anyone there, but I still felt uneasy about it. "You sure everything is okay?"

Din turned to me. "Yes, I was probably just imagining it." He said with a comforting smile. The nerves I had in my stomach diminished a bit with his response, but still lingered. Din could tell. "Hey, it's fine. I didn't mean to worry you. Let's finish up out here and go inside. I'm starving!"

And with that, I grabbed my basket of veggies, brushed off the dirt on my hands and knees, and made my way inside. My uneasiness shrinking the closer I got to the door.

Din and I worked closely together to prepare our meal. We made easy conversation and even joked around while cooking. The differences between when Din first arrived here and how he was acting now were astronomical. I think the country living life suited him. 

We sat and the table and began to eat our meal. My thoughts couldn't help but return to the idea of him settling down here with me. I wanted to know what he was thinking, how he was feeling, if he was leaning one way or the other. But, I really didn't want to push him. Ultimately, my goal of the deal wasn't to develop a relationship with him, but simply to expose him to the life that I had learned to love. It wouldn't be right if I tried to convince him one way or the other, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try and see where his head was at.

"So, how are you enjoying your time here?" I tried to ask as casually as possible. 

A thoughtful look seemed to briefly pass over Din's face, but quickly disappeared as he responded just as casually, "It's different than I expected, but... it's nice." My heart jumped a bit at his admission. There was yet hope. "Why do you ask?" 

I tried to calm my excitement and hide any emotion I had before responding. "No particular reason, just wanted to check in." Din gave me another thoughtful look, this time lingering on me. The two of us were quiet, the only sounds between us being the scraping of utensils and food as we finished our meal.

"I haven't decided yet what I'm going to do, you know." Din said, breaking our silence.

I shook my head. "Of course not. And I didn't expect you to." For some reason my throat began to tighten. I had no reason to cry or even get emotional, but I couldn't stop myself. 

Din grabbed my hand gently. "It's a decision that I'm not taking lightly. And you're definitely making it a tougher decision than I thought it would be." He added with a soft smile.

My cheeks warmed. I opened my mouth to speak, but couldn't find any words to fill it with. Instead, I resolved to embrace the moment, ignoring all logic and focusing simply on my feelings. With my hand still in Din's, I leaned in and placed my lips on his, closing my eyes. 

Din seemed surprised at the unexpected kiss, but quickly brushed off any shock and fully embraced it. He kissed me right back, reciprocating my energy and adding his own enthusiasm. After a few seconds, we pulled away and simply peered into each other's eyes. A few awkward moments passed, and then the two of us were laughing together.

Whether the laughter was from nerves or enjoyment, it didn't matter. We were so comfortable with each other and the interaction just felt so natural and easy. "You really are making this challenging for me, Y/N." Din joked and we laughed some more. 

"I'm really not trying to, I swear." But Din didn't seem convinced. It didn't matter though because we clearly were feeling things for each other whether we wanted to admit it or not. And despite our feelings and the kiss we just shared, I still wanted him to do what would be best for him in the long run. Whether that be staying with me, or returning to his old life, I would support him. 

After gathering ourselves and returning to reality, we cleaned up meal and washed our dishes. We spent the rest of the day doing whatever we wanted, but made sure that we were close to each other, always being within arm's reach. 

[crowley-in-arkham]

Rook is right. I'll admit that outright.

I agreed to coffee, as opposed to lunch: and Rook seemed excited.

He offered to drive all the way to Albus City just for coffee, which- Is somewhat inane to me. He said that there's a fantastic little cafe down there dedicated to birds and that he'd tell me all about the city on the way.

He suggested it'd be good for me to get out of Gotham for a while and give me a chance to learn how to live with my new-- arrangement. I'm hesitant to try to rid myself of these, uh, wings, perse.

I sleep on my stomach or side usually, so sleeping hasn't been a bother: but my wardrobe and driving have been impacted incredibly.

I'm relearning to balance, the wings force my posture upright, and my abs constantly hurt from trying not to fall backward.

Jon noticed, well, everyone noticed. Gotham isn't a popular place for metahumans to live for-- obvious reasons. I still need to learn what Stranges' concoction awoke within me.

"Livin' up to Crow, are we?" Crane asked with a chuckle, folding his arms and scanning my wings with a flick of his eyes.

"Unintentionally," I sighed, "Side effect of the formula, I presume."

Jon rubbed his chin and pondered, "Hm, physical mutation? Interesting. I suppose Luthor is onto something in terms of that mystery substance after all."

I tilted my head, "The what?"

Rook must've overheard, as he approached with a wave, "Mornin' Crane."

"Rook," Jon greeted with a nod, "You're becomin' a bit more interactive as a' late."

"Been more necessary than usual."

"Mn," Jon looked back at me, "I heard Tetch freaked out when he saw ya."

I sighed, "A shame, really. I wonder what has him bothered."

Rook looked at Jon, "I'm bringing Crowley down to Albus for a few days."

"Tell Arkham," Jon raised a brow, "Why?"

"Albus has designated flight schools for metahumans," Rook said flatly, "With her change, she'll need the training."

Jon snickered, "Why don't you do it?"

I tilted my head and looked at Rook. Whose mouth formed a hard line, and his brows furrowed hard.

"Boy, I've read your file top to bottom; it should come naturally for ya, shouldn't it? Or is this human get-up more yer speed?"

I snapped, "Seriously, Jon? Again?"

Rook took a breath and chuckled, softening his expression, "I'm Avian; you're absolutely right. I just play normie to keep people comfortable."

Jon looked at him with a small amount of surprise, "I didn' think you'd admit that aloud."

Rook shrugged, "Gotham isn't known for its metahuman hospitality; being from Albus alone was enough to make job hunting just about impossible."

Jon looked at him with a piqued curiosity: "Where in Albus ya from anyway?"

"Coalsgrove."

"Grow up there?"

"Right up until the blaze."

"Must've been rough," Jon narrowed his eyes and relaxed into his stance, "'Fraid of fire?"

"Not too scared of much, Crane."

Jon chuckled, "Sure, sure. Well, the two of you have fun down in Albus city."

Jon brushed the hair from my face, "And Mina, don't fly too close to the sun, woul'dya? I'd rather not see you in a coffin. Hand me your apartment keys."

I tilted my head, only for Jon to add, "To feed yer cat."

"Oh!" I pulled my keys from my pocket and plucked my house key from the ring, "Thank you, Jon."

"Jus returnin' a favor."

"I'll have her home in one piece, old man."

"You'd better, feathers. I make a habit a' scaring birds, after all."

"Jon," I asked meekly, "What do you know about Albus?"

"Never been."

"Oh, I see," I smiled, "If I go again, I'll bring you."

Jon smiled and chuckled, "Sure, why not?"

Jon walked by Rook and I with a small smile on his wrinkled features.

Rook sighed and motioned for me to come with him, "The drive ain't too bad, let's talk to Arkham and get you set and ready to go."

I smiled and nodded, walking beside Rook to Arkham's office. Arkham feels small walking next to both Rook and Jon, they remind me how short I am by just being nearby.

I closed my wings tight to me, trying to take up as little space as possible, when Rook rested a palm on my shoulder, "I might have to ask you some weirdly personal questions about the change, just to let you know."

I nodded, "Yeah, that's not a problem."

When we neared Arkham's office, Rook knocked, stepped in, had a short interaction with Jeremiah, and stepped out to me again.

"You're all set to go. He's gonna have Jon cover your duties in the meantime."

"Thanks, Rook."

"If you ever feel uncomfortable, just let me know," Rook smiled, "I don't want to freak you out."

"I appreciate the gesture."

"Yeah," he beamed, "Of course!"

When we walked down the stairs Rook somewhat chuckled, "I'll teach you how to tuck and wrap your wings too, it can be prudent to keep them out of sight in Gotham."

I sighed, "Is it really that bad here?"

"Just rather you didn't get grounded."

"Grounded?"

"You know," he made a pair of scissors with his fingers.

I shivered at the thought.

"Even Albus has it's issues on the matter, but most metas live pretty normal lives there," Rook shrugged, "It is the metahuman hub of America, after all."

"It makes Gotham sound like hell."

"Albus is like, Metahuman Utopia—since the Surge, anyway. The reputation tends to keep a lot of the bigots out. I'm sure you'll love Haven, I'll bring you by the hero museum since it's only a few blocks from the Aviary."

"I guess lunch turned into vacation."

Rook laughed, pushing back a messy mass of black bangs, "I guess so! There's just a lot to see in Albus City."

As we neared the entrance, Bolton stopped us.

"Rook? Where are you–" Bolton stopped to stare at me, "Another fucking basketcase metahuman? As if Gotham didn't have enough of those wackjobs."

I snapped, "You know what Bolton? Maybe if you weren't such a power-hungry bigoted asshole you'd actually get laid."

I folded my arms, "Rook, we don't owe shithead here an explanation."

Rook looked at me with surprise, "I- uh–" he turned to Bolton, "We already got approved by Dr. Arkham, we're going to Albus to get Crowley a flight license."

Bolton narrowed his eyes and scowled at me, "Fine, but this is going on your history as a strike this month, Rook. Don't let it happen again."

With that Bolton turned on his heel and strode off. Rook let out a sigh and murmured under his breath: "I fuckin' hate that guy."

Rook's car is a hardy one, a tall matte black jeep with tinted windows and an aggressive looking grill guard.

I raised a brow and looked at him.

"I promise I'm not compensating," Rook chuckled, "I use this for work too."

When we piled into his jeep he looked at me, "So, where you live at?"

"For once, someone doesn't just know where I live?" I asked with a snicker.

Rook raised a brow.

"Nevermind, just head towards otisburg and I'll direct you once we get close."

Rook gave a two fingered salute and started his car, "Yes ma'am!"

[heyiwrotesomethings]

BEST DAY EVEEERRRR. ANYWAY

Aoi kanzaki x she/her pillar reader with the prompt: you dumb fucking bitch I'm gonna fucking kill you. The reader witnesses the scene of uzui slapping Aoi and breaks many of his bones. –i guess being best friends and living with the mistress of the butterfly estate has some perks in situations like this one –. Aoi needs some comfort after that. Later on she makes a kakushi take him to his house and pays him a visit the next day to talk to his wives. Before she leaves she tells them.

{2nd prompt} Ladies the next time your husband touches my girlfriend he won't have hands,just a warning.Ah and thank you for the tea it was lovely.Now,bye bye~ thank u

Retribution

Aoi Kanzaki x She/ Her Reader

A/N: It’s beating up on Uzui Tengen hours again. ✨💪🏻 Always a fun time. Thanks for the request! Word Count: 2,738

(Y/n) was tired to say the least. She had to stay up all night in order to find the weasel-y demons that had been terrorizing a small village to the east. It was a tiring game of whack-a-mole that she hoped she would not have to play again anytime soon.

Currently she was making her way back to the Butterfly Estate as was tradition when she finished any mission because Aoi liked to be able to see for herself that she had made it back in one piece. Though her body was demanding her to shovel a hearty amount of food into her stomach before promptly passing out, she always looked forward to seeing Aoi the most, so she could hold off on giving in to her needs as an organic life form for just a little while longer.

What she did not expect to hear as she approached the gate of the usually serene estate was a loud cry and a stressful sounding struggle. She could recognize the distressed voices of the young girls somewhere just beyond.

“What the hell?”

She easily leapt up onto the fence and took in the scene before her, half convinced that she had fallen asleep somehow and was in the middle of a idiotic stress-fueled dream.

Kanao was hovering over the youngest girls, sweating lightly from the stress of the situation, watching Aoi struggle over one of Uzui Tengen’s stupidly bulked up arms. Around him, Tanjirou, Zenitsu and Inosuke, attempted to free Aoi from his grip, but he dodged them all easily, insulting them all the while.

(Y/n) was already poised to yell, to demand an explanation and return Aoi safely to the ground, but Uzui’s next action drastically changed her plan of action.

“Wow, you kids are weak. I can’t spend one more second entertaining you bland nobodies, got it? Now,” he slapped Aoi in the rear, making her yelp, “we’ll be on our way.”

No need for explanations, (Y/n) didn’t think it mattered anymore. She demanded blood.

“You dumb fucking bitch! I'm gonna fucking kill you!” She bellowed, flying to Uzui at full force.

“Eh?” He didn’t even have enough time to look up before a powerful kick struck him so hard in the stomach, the whole foot looked like it absorbed into his body.

There was definitely some internal damage after a blow like that.

Uzui fell to his knees, both hands cradling his stomach. Both hands.

He forced himself to look up and saw the girl he had been holding now resided in the arms of one of his fellow Hashira, surprisingly not Kochou given that this was her home.

He watched in stunned disbelief as Aoi was gingerly put down and surrounded by the other girls, eyes filled with tears. The trio of boys also came to surround them, making sure all would be well.

All most certainly would not be well. Not for Tengen.

“Don’t worry, Aoi,” she brushed Aoi’s askew bangs back into place, “I’ll teach him a lesson he won’t soon forget.”

“Hey, (L/n), what the hell was that f—!”

“You fucking idiot! Disgusting shithead! You tarnish the rank of Hashira! You dare lay your hands on a girl like that, huh?!”

(Y/n) was on him again in a heartbeat, absolutely wailing the shit out of the unsuspecting man. He hadn’t known (Y/n) to be particularly violent. She always seemed like a good-mannered and personable kid during meetings, which was why he was too shocked to fight back. It didn’t help that (Y/n) was putting all of her strength into every blow until it was literally impossible for him to do so.

“I’m gonna force you into an early retirement, asshole! Fuck the Kizuki! Like hell I’m gonna let you walk around thinking it’s okay to hit women! What would your wives think about that? I’m sure they’d be right here beating the shit out of you with me! We’d play double Dutch with your intestines you sick fuck!”

Three pairs of hands were placed on the younger girls’ ears by Kanao, Aoi and Tanjirou. The girls looked like they were covering their eyes with their own hands, but they were peaking through their fingers to watch the gruesome beat down.

Everyone was unable to look away. It was like seeing an awful automobile accident in the city, only no one dared rush in to help. Even Inosuke shuddered at the very audible sound of bones breaking.

“(L/n),” Uzui sputtered, “I’m— I’m sorry, okay? I just needed girl slayers for a mission— to get my wives back— they’re not responding!”

(Y/n) was too busy dislocating his shoulder to listen.

“I think we need to stop her.” Tanjirou said uneasily.

“Are you kidding?! I’m not getting inbetween that!” Zenitsu shrieked.

“Aoi…” Kanao tapered off, causing Aoi’s lips to purse.

Did she approve of the lengths (Y/n) was going to teach Uzui a lesson? Not particularly. Was there a part of her that was kind of enjoying it anyway? …yes.

But before she could attempt to intervene, Shinobu came back from the forest. She had wanted to clear her head and do some mindless herb picking as a way to relax. As soon as she saw the bloody brawl taking place on her lawn, the attempt to relax herself felt moot.

“Can someone please explain to me why (L/n)-san is beating Uzui-san into a bloody pulp on my doorstep?” She asked as evenly as she could.

Kiyo was quick to explain, sniffling and hiccuping as she told Shinobu of Uzui’s attempt to kidnap Naho and Aoi.

“I see…” Shinobu had half a mind to tap (Y/n) on the shoulder to ask if she could cut in and take a turn in beating the man, but it was clear to her that any more, and Uzui would be but a grease-y red stain in the dirt.

Despite being the fastest Hashira, Shinobu took her time walking up to (Y/n) before grasping her wrist, stopping yet another punch aimed for Uzui’s face. (Y/n) turned back to look at her, shocked, as if awoken from a trance.

“(Y/n)-san, I think you’ve made your point. That’s enough for now.” She said.

(Y/n) turned back to look at Uzui and felt her stomach drop a bit.

“Holy shit.”

“That’s my line,” Uzui wheezed, somehow still able to speak, “what the fuck, (L/n)?”

“If you can talk, I expect to be hearing different words coming out of your mouth, Uzui-san.” Shinobu smiled darkly. “Words like sorry and please forgive me and I will never even think of doing such disgusting things again.”

“I, I am sorry. So so so sorry. I just— I‘ll never touch another person without their permission again. I just wanted to save my wives. I needed female slayers to help find my wives…”

“Hmm, looks like you won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.” Shinobu informed. “Several broken bones, a heavy amount of blood loss, dislocations, a concussion too I wager… and that’s all just what I see at a cursory glance.”

(Y/n) felt just the tiniest bit bad. If she hadn’t been so tired, her judgment wouldn’t have been so severe. Still, that really really pissed her off. She could sympathize that his wives were missing, but to kidnap girls who were not fit to fight whatever demon was strong enough to disable three highly skilled Kunoichi, was inexcusable in her eyes.

“I’ll find them then.” (Y/n) volunteered. “I’ll set off tomorrow after you tell me all the details you know.”

“We’ll go with you, (Y/n)-san!” Tanjirou boldly offered.

(Y/n) nodded, “See to it that you are ready to go by then.”

A group of Kakushi followed Shinobu’s orders and whisked Tengen away to be treated. For many of them, it was the worst patient they’d seen all year.

(Y/n) watched them carry him off into the mansion then went to stand in front of Aoi with a sheepish look.

“Do you mind if we go somewhere private?”

“After the morning I’ve had? Let’s go.” Aoi took (Y/n)’s hand and pulled her away from the rest of the group.

They kept walking around the perimeter of the mansion until they reached an entrance close to the permanent residents quarters and they closed themselves in Aoi’s room.

“Are you okay?” (Y/n) asked taking both of Aoi’s hands in hers. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

“You don’t need to be sorry for me.” Aoi huffed, still feeling fear at how close she came to being taken away and anger for not being able to protect herself and Naho.

“I didn’t mean it like that—“

“I know you didn’t I just— I felt powerless. I still feel powerless. If you and the boys hadn’t intervened, Naho and I would be gone. Now you have to go out on another mission because he can’t anymore, and if it has him acting like this then it will surely be something awful.”

“You can’t blame yourself for that. I chose to beat up Uzui has badly as I did. No one told me to do that. No one told me to take his mission either. You have no reason to feel guilty. Uzui made his choices and I made mine.”

(Y/n) noticed Aoi trembling and hugged her tight.

“It’ll be okay. I’ll be back before you know I’m gone. You just focus on keeping Uzui alive so I’m not a murderer, okay?”

Aoi managed a dry laugh, burying her face in (Y/n)’s haori, “If you think I’m going anywhere near that man you are sorely mistaken.”

“I won’t hold it against you.”

Aoi sighed and pulled back, one hand still grasping (Y/n)’s sleeve, “You’ve been out all night, and now you have another big mission tomorrow. You need to eat and go to bed right away.”

“I can stay up a couple more hours. I’ll help you with your chores.”

“No way.” Aoi scoffed. “Why would you want to do that? It makes no sense.”

“So we can hang out more! I missed you.”

Aoi blushed and turned her head away.

“I will eat with you, but then you are going straight to bed so you can get up bright and early to hear the details of your mission, got it?”

“Yes ma’am.” (Y/n) deflated a bit, but perked back up when Aoi pulled her out of the room, but not without a very quick kiss.

***

(Y/n) felt the desire to slap Uzui but refrained. A good night’s sleep helped in clearing her mind and kept her from impulsively choking the man with his IV drip.

His mission was in the Red Light District. He was going to “sell” Naho and Aoi to different houses in order to retrieve information about the whereabouts of his wives and the demon they had been hunting.

Now she and the rowdy trio, along with Nezuko of course, would be going in their stead. The residents of the mansion saw them off, wishing them good luck. (Y/n) caught Aoi in the crowd, they had a private moment earlier in the morning for a proper goodbye, but she made sure to blow her a quick kiss. Aoi rolled her eyes, cheeks tinged pink and (Y/n) grinned before turning towards the path ahead.

***

An Upper Moon. An Upper Moon that was two demons in one. It had not been an easy fight to say the least, but somehow they came out on top. Aoi was going to kill her for how beat up she was, but she was alive at the moment. The whole team was miraculously. Tengen’s wives were grateful for the assistance, but one question persisted.

Where was their husband?

(Y/n) knew it would be better to tell them the truth now rather than dance around it. They were understandably pissed at (Y/n), but she had restrained herself from killing their husband and saved their lives so they counted the score as even. It may have also helped to hear the reason for the vicious attack as it seemed because on they way back home, (Y/n) could hear them whispering harshly about teaching their husband some manners.

Everyone back at the Butterfly Estate was ecstatic over their return. They were immediately whisked away to the infirmary.

Suma, Makio and Hinatsuru piled onto Uzui who had healed remarkably well while they were gone. Make no mistake he was still kind of fucked up, but considering where he started he looked good.

Aoi chewed (Y/n) out relentlessly as she tended to her wounds. She had been so worried! She stayed by her side for hours, monitoring her recovery with a close eye.

Uzui and his wives went home a few days later, but not before Uzui gave a proper, fully conscious apology to Aoi and Naho. He really felt bad about what he had done and what bringing them to the Red Light District would have lead to.

After a couple months of rest and recovery training, (Y/n) and boys were back in tip top shape and ready to get back to duty. But before (Y/n) felt things could truly go back to some form of normalcy, she needed to talk to Uzui just once more.

Although Aoi acted like she was fine, (Y/n) could still tell that the encounter weighed heavily on her. Especially when her eyes would linger on (Y/n)’s new scars. If she hadn’t been grabbed by Uzui, (Y/n) wouldn’t have beaten him up. If (Y/n) hadn’t beaten Uzui up, she wouldn’t have gone on that mission. (Y/n) spent a lot of time trying to dissuade that line of thinking, but Aoi could be stubborn. It would take time for her to believe (Y/n)’s assurances.

So in an attempt to make sure nothing like that ever happened again, (Y/n) caught a ride with a Kakushi who knew the path to Uzui’s Estate to offer one last warning.

Her welcome was more well received than she thought it would be. Suma was actually happy to see her and gave her a hug. Hinatsuru was polite, greeting her kindly before going off to make tea. Makio forgave but she was not going to forget. She offered a stiff nod of recognition and watched (Y/n) with an air of caution.

When Hinatsuru had told Uzui that (Y/n) was visiting, he broke out into a sweat. His bones had only just healed. His skin no longer littered with purple and yellow bruises. The only lingering issue was the slight limp in his step, and even that was supposed to go away with a little more time and physical therapy. He was afraid of seeing all of that progress crumble at the hands of his fellow Hashira.

“Why is she here?” He hissed, peaking into the room where Suma was animatedly talking to (Y/n), “Did someone pin the blame me for something?”

“She isn’t staying long. She just wants to… make something clear? I think those were the words she used. Just don’t say anything stupid and you should be fine.” Hinatsuru said, readying the tea tray.

They entered the room together, Tengen behind Hina, and joined the group at the table. Hinatsuru poured (Y/n) a cup and she thanked her, taking a sip soon after.

“This is very good, thank you for letting me stop by. I won’t take too much of your time.”

“Of course. May we ask what prompted your visit?”

(Y/n)’s eyes rose to meet Uzui’s over the rim of her cup and smirked when he visibly flinched. Something told her she really wouldn’t have to worry about Uzui making the same mistake twice. Word spread fast, and the rest of the Hashira gave him an earful once Shinobu spilled the tea about how he had come to be so badly beaten.

“Ladies, if your husband ever tries to touch my girlfriend again, he won’t have hands. Just a warning to really make sure my point hits home.”

(Y/n) downed the rest of her tea, followed by a pleasant sigh. Oblivious to the four faces that had paled considerably at her words.

“Ah,” she added as she stood and walked towards the door, “and thank you again for the tea. It really was lovely. Bye-bye now!”

(Y/n) left them in petrified silence and began her walk back to the Butterfly Estate. She intended to drag Aoi away from her work for a nice afternoon out.

[lucifer-is-a-bag-of-dicks]

Grabbing Smoke

As much time as Sam spent with her best friends, sometimes she enjoyed a little bit of time alone.

Tucker was helping his mother bake cookies for some kind of fundraiser for the hospital, and Danny was busy visiting Pandora for fighting lessons. Apparently they were using swords today.

As fun as it sounded, Sam opted to stay behind, it had been a while since she'd been down to the park to feed the ducks. She didn't get quiet moments like that very often any more.

There was an uncharacteristic skip to her gait as she walked to the park, a canvas tote bag swinging from her arm.

Living in Amity Park, and especially hanging around with Danny, gave her an eerie sense to when something was amiss. Nothing quite like Danny's ghost sense, but she'd learned to detect a particular chill to the air, a prickling at the back of her neck. It could easily be mistaken for a chilly breeze, but Sam knew better. The crunch of gravel under Sam's boots was the only sound permeating the still air, not even the trees were rustling.

She continued her walk through the park, past the wishing fountain and through a trail where the trees grew slightly more dense.

The trail opened up to a large pond, it wasn't anything especially picturesque, the reeds were a little overgrown, the ground was muddy, but there were a few simple weather worn benches by the path that looped around the water.

Sam took a seat, pulling out a bag of frozen peas. She opened it, tipped a few into her hand and tossed them into the water.

The ducks immediately sped across the pond toward her, fighting for the peas that the turtles hadn't already gotten to.

Instead of grabbing another handful, she held the bag out to the empty seat to her left, waiting for a moment before shaking the bag impatiently.

A green hand slipped into the bag, pulling out a handful of peas before tossing them into the water.

"How'd you know I was here?" Kitty asked, now sitting visibly on the other end of the bench as Sam poured out more peas for both of them.

"I have my ways." Sam smirked. "What I want to know is why you've been following me all week."

"You knew for that long and you didn't say nothin'?" Kitty huffed. "Damn, I gotta up my game."

A duck waddled up and nibbled on her boot.

"Alright alright, ya hungry little doofus." Kitty lowered a hand full of peas and cooed as the duck happily ate from her palm. "Aww these guys aren't shy at all, do you come here a lot?"

"When I can." Sam tossed a few more peas into the water for the turtles. "So why are you following me?"

Kitty sat back and pressed her lips together, thinking.

"Look it's just... I don't remember much from when I was livin', you know? It's all sorta grey and fuzzy, I can't remember what anyone looked like, except Johnny." she tossed some peas to a smaller duck at the back of the group. "But as soon as I showed up here in town and I saw your face, I thought I felt... I dunno, somethin'. Like I'd seen you before, or maybe you just reminded me of someone, but I can't remember who, it's like grabbing smoke."

She lobbed a few peas a little harder than was necessary at the water. The turtles sucked them up greedily.

"So you've just been following me hoping you might remember something else?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Kitty sighed. "But it's not working."

Sam swung her foot idly between a pair of scuffling ducks, splitting them up before tossing out some more peas.

"Maybe I'm related to someone you knew. Where did you grow up?"

Kitty frowned down at the water.

"I... I don't know." she said, deflating somewhat. "I didn't even realise I forgot that."

Sam couldn't help but feel for her, Danny had told her that ghosts would often forget things from their past, especially once they'd been dead for longer than they'd been alive. Somehow she had never really considered how terrifying that must be.

"You know..." Sam started carefully. "I could show you some old family photos. Maybe you'll recognise someone?"

Kitty looked up, eyes shining brightly.

"Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Why not?" Sam shrugged. "If you were here to cause trouble you would have done it by now."

"Aw, I never thought you'd wanna do something like that for me." said Kitty, smiling brightly. "You always seemed like such a bitch."

Sam laughed.

"If you'd spent a week being someone that wasn't Paulina, I would probably have seemed like less of a bitch."

"So you guys are big rivals or somethin'?" Kitty asked, grabbing some more peas and giggling as three ducks tried to eat from her hand at once.

"It's more that we have... conflicting ideologies. She thinks that appearances and reputation are the most important things in life, just like my parents." Sam lobbed some more peas into the water, they both watched them disappear as the turtles quickly snapped them up. "It's shallow and stupid, and I don't get why they have to push that shit on everyone. I don't care what people think, I just want to be whoever the hell I wanna be without having to fight for it all the time."

Kitty's face turned contemplative as she tapped her nails on the back of the bench.

"I think... I was like that." she said, slowly. "I wanted to feel fun and exciting, but my parents..."

She trailed off, frowning.

"My parents... I didn't like them. They didn't like me bein' the way I was, I can't really remember why."

Sam emptied out the last of the peas and scattered them over the ground, she scrunched up the empty packet and shoved it back into her tote bag.

"You know, if we went to school together we would probably have gotten along." said Sam as she stood up, gesturing toward the path. "Let's go check out those photos."

Instead of floating invisibly behind, Kitty walked by Sam's side as they headed back to her house. She idly waved at people as they drove past, grinning when someone stared a little too long and almost ran a red light.

"You know, it's nice bein' able to walk around in the day." Kitty said, skipping a little. "Wish I could do it more often."

"What's stopping you?"

"What do you think?" Kitty's lip pulled up in disgust. "Any time I show up your dumb friend sucks me up in his stupid thermos. Only reason I can walk around right now is because I got you as my get out of jail free card."

"Danny doesn't care if you just want to walk around." Sam scoffed. "He lets ghosts wander around town all the time, he only gets involved when you start breaking things."

"Uggghhh but just walking around is so boring." Kitty pouted. "I mean yeah it's nice and I like it but it gets old real quick."

"Then you'll have to get used to getting tossed back in the ghost zone. Do not pass go, do not collect $200."

"Don't you ever get sick of his goody goody attitude?" Kitty asked. "I mean you and I aren't so different right? You're all about the rebel gig, don't you ever feel like keyin' some asshole's car, or takin' a baseball bat to some mail boxes?"

"Only if they deserve it." said Sam with a smirk. "But I feel like you aren't especially picky about whose stuff you're breaking."

They approached the door to the Manson mansion, Sam hopped up the steps and stuck the key in the lock. She touched the mezuzah on the doorpost without a second thought before opening the door and standing aside to invite Kitty in.

The ghost stared up at her warily.

"I can't get past it."

"Past what?" Sam asked.

"The mezuzah, it keeps me out."

"What?" Sam frowned. "It hasn't stopped other ghosts from getting in."

"Well it stops me." Kitty insisted. "I think it's got somethin' to do with what we believed in when we were alive. I haven't got a problem with churches but when Johnny tried to ride his bike through one he couldn't get in. His mom raised him Catholic, he says he doesn't believe in any of that stuff, but I think he still does, deep down."

"So does that mean you were Jewish?" Sam asked, smiling curiously.

"I AM Jewish." Kitty crossed her arms. "Bein' a ghost hasn't changed that, it just... means that we got a few things a little wrong."

Sam thought about that for a moment, before stepping aside and gesturing toward the door again.

"Well, if you've been invited and you're not going to cause any trouble, then I don't see why you shouldn't be able to come in."

Kitty climbed the steps slowly, fingers reaching out and cautiously brushing over the mezuzah, she didn't feel anything unusual, no zap or burn or pain. She took a step through the doorway and passed the threshold without issue, no invisible force or barrier like the last time she tried to follow Sam inside.

"Well, what do you know." she said, grinning.

Sam lead her into a large, open planned kitchen and dining area, the tiles were bright white save for the specks of mud Sam's boots tracked through the room. The decor was minimalist, the atmosphere bland and sterile, she could smell some kind of citrus surface cleaner.

The back wall was all windows, leading to a patio surrounded by perfectly trimmed grass. As they approached, Sam turned, heading towards a door to their right.

The next room felt a lot more friendly, it was full of bookshelves and red tones. The lounges looked soft and inviting, a fireplace sat cold and empty against the back wall, but Kitty didn't have to try hard to imagine it roaring to life, filling the room with its warm glow.

"This is basically my Grandma's part of the house." Sam informed her, voice low. "Her bedroom is just through there, she's usually napping around this time of day so try not to make too much noise."

Kitty slipped off her jacket and laid it over the back of the lounge, already feeling at home in the cosy little room. She looked over the books as Sam fussed around some kind of large ornate chest.

"Here it is." She hefted a large photo album from the chest, carefully closing and latching it again. "Let's see if you recognise anyone in here."

Kitty sat down beside Sam as she opened up the pristine book, the outer cover was beige with the name Manson inscribed in golden cursive on the front. The first page was full of old faded photos, in greyscale or sepia tones.

"Ugh, I'm not that old." said Kitty, flicking ahead a few pages.

The pictures were colourful now, but still grainy, there was a young blonde boy in seventies style jeans leaning casually against a Chevrolet.

"Wait hold up," Kitty pointed at the boy. "Him, I feel like I've seen him before."

"That's my dad." said Sam, surprised. "His name is Jeremy, did you know him?"

Kitty hummed a little, gently tracing a finger over the picture.

"Jeremy... Jeremy, I'm not sure," she frowned. "But he definitely looks familiar."

They continued through the book, when suddenly Kitty slapped her hand down roughly on a photo of a pair of young women.

"Her! I know her! She was a mega bitch!"

"Shhh keep it down." Sam hissed.

"Sorry," Kitty pointed to the blonde girl in the photo. "That one! I don't know how I knew her, but I definitely knew her. She was a total brat."

Sam slipped the photo out of its sleeve and read the neat cursive on the back.

"This is... my Aunt Caroline, in 1985. She's my dad's sister." Sam looked up at Kitty, amused. "I can't believe you had beef with my family."

"Your family are snobs." Kitty sniffed. "Carrie was such a ditz, she thought she was sooo bitchin' because her daddy bought her a Mercedes."

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Sam grimaced. "Did you guys go to school together or something?"

"Maybe..." Kitty took the photo from Sam's hand, staring intently. "I'm pretty sure I skipped school a lot, I hated it there. It was a private school, we had to wear uniforms, barf."

"I would never have guessed you were a private school kid." Sam shook her head. "But most people would say that about me so it's not like I can judge."

"You went to private school?" Kitty asked, "How'd you end up in that Casper High dump?"

"Got myself expelled." said Sam, voice thick with pride. "Elementary, middle and high school, got kicked out of all three."

"Damn, you're good."

Sam grinned, slipping the photo back in its sleeve and continuing to the next page.

Kitty pointed to a few other photos, remarking on their familiarity, but not quite able to grasp how she knew them, the memories only flickered in her periphery.

"Wait," Kitty whispered, fingers brushing over a polaroid containing three people. "This is..."

The picture looked as though it were taken at some kind of party, a man and a woman faced the camera, each with a glass of champagne raised in their hands. The woman's other hand rested on the shoulder of a teenage girl with auburn hair, pulled into a tidy braid. She stared glumly at the camera.

"That's Katherine." Sam said, pointing to the girl. "She was my dad's cousin, but she got hit by a car when she was-"

Sam paused, looking over at Kitty's wide eyes and then back to the photo.

"Noooo way." Sam pulled the photo out of the sleeve. "Is this you?"

Kitty took the photo in trembling hands.

"I... I forgot I used to look like that." she fiddled with a lock of her green, teased hair. "I remember this party, I didn't want to go but mom and dad threatened to take away all my records and cassettes if I didn't."

Sam stared at Kitty, mouth agape.

"You're Car Crash Katherine?! My dad talks about you all the time! He always told me about the shit you used to get up to, he'd tell me that any kind of 'rebellious behaviour' was a slippery slope to 'dying on the back of some delinquent's motorcycle'." Sam put a hand on Kitty's shoulder. "You were my bad influence role model."

Kitty's red eyes shone with tears, photo still in hand, she wrapped her arms around Sam.

"This is majorly wicked! My legacy lives on! Corrupting the youth from beyond the grave!" Kitty laughed. "My parents would go totally mental."

She stopped laughing, her face turning forlorn as she drew back from Sam and stared down at the picture.

"Are they still alive?" she asked, a tremble in her voice.

"Yeah..." said Sam. "They live in a retirement home in Florida. They don't come around very often."

Kitty traced a finger over their faces.

"I wonder if they miss me." she said quietly. "Or if they were glad to be rid of the family embarrassment."

Sam didn't answer, she had wondered the same thing herself, if her parents would even care if she died. They hadn't given her a lot of reason to think they would.

She rested a sympathetic hand on Kitty's arm.

"Oh, you have a friend over bubbeleh?" a croaky voice spoke from the bedroom doorway.

Sam and Kitty both turned to see Ida Manson shuffling into the room, cleaning her glasses with her sleeve.

"Sorry Grandma, we didn't mean to be too loud." Sam apologised. "This is my... um, friend, Kitty. Kitty this is my Grandma Ida-"

"Ida?!" Kitty shot to her feet, staring in shock at the old woman. "Aunt Ida?!"

Ida squinted at Kitty, before quickly setting her glasses back on her face.

"Well as I live and breath, is that you Kathy?"

"Oh my god this is getting super weird." Sam whispered.

Kitty leapt over the ottoman to wrap Ida up in a tight hug, the old woman was surprised for a moment, but held her warmly in return.

"It's me Aunt Ida! Not really living or breathing but it's me!" Kitty laughed breathlessly.

"Oh my goodness, when all the ghosts started showing up all over town I wondered if I would ever see someone I knew." She rubbed comforting circles on Kitty's back as the ghost choked on a few sobs. "It's good to see you again Kathy."

Ida pulled away and wiped a tear from Kitty's face.

"And I'm so glad you aren't stuck wearing what your parents buried you in."

Kitty couldn't help but laugh through her tears.

"Let me guess, it was that putrid blue dress, wasn't it?"

"The dress wasn't nearly as bad as what they did to your hair." Ida snickered, patting Kitty's hand. "It had little ribbons in it and everything."

"I almost forgot you." Kitty placed her palm gently against Ida's face. "You were the only one in the family who ever loved me for being me, and I almost forgot you. I'm so sorry, I should have come to find you sooner but I just-"

"Shhhh, it's okay bubbeleh." Ida grasped her hand tight. "I think being dead is a pretty good excuse for forgetting a few things."

Sam stood beside the lounge, watching the two in shock, she wasn't entirely certain whether or not to intrude. Whatever she had been expecting to discover with Kitty today, it certainly hadn't been this.

Though in hindsight, it did explain Kitty's familiarity with Sam, people always said she had taken after her Grandma.

Ida let go of Kitty and hobbled over to the photo album still sitting on the lounge.

"Oh you don't want to look at that album." she said, as she shoved it onto the coffee table. She wandered to the other side of the room and began rummaging around in a small cupboard. "You want this one."

She pulled out a book with well worn, peeling edges. Pieces of the plastic sleeves had cracked off and crumbled away. It was old, and weatherbeaten, it was obvious that Ida had looked through it many many times.

"Here we go." she sat down in the middle of the lounge, gesturing for the two girls to come sit beside her. "These are the forbidden photos."

She opened the pages, the photos inside were entirely different from the 'official' album, there were no perfectly poised, prim and proper photos of people in nice, presentable clothes. They were all candid shots, people in the middle of eating or laughing, some were stumbling around blind drunk, a few were smoking joints. There were pictures from parties and protest rallies, in backyards and drive ins.

There was a picture of Jeremy as a young boy, grinning with one of his front teeth missing and grass in his hair.

"Only in this family would losing your baby teeth make a photo 'unsavoury'." Ida grizzled as she continued through the album. "I saved so many pictures that my husband would have thrown out otherwise."

"Ugh, Uncle Peter was such a prude, he wouldn't even let me in the house if I didn't have my shoulders covered up." Kitty rolled her eyes.

"He used to be so much more relaxed when we were young." Ida sighed. "He changed when he inherited his father's business, he forgot how to have fun."

A few pages later Kitty squealed in excitement.

"Oh my god! That's Frankie! She was my best friend, we used to do everything together!"

The Kitty in the photo looked far more like the Kitty Sam knew. Her hair was teased up, and she was wearing a crop top and a miniskirt. The other girl, Frankie, had short curled hair and a leather jacket. They each had an arm around the others' shoulder and grinned wildly.

"I love this one." Ida smiled as she pulled the picture out of the sleeve. "That was the night I gave you a lift to that concert."

"Oh that show was sooo good! I got my nose pierced there! It got so infected, Mom grounded me for a month." Kitty laughed.

"Man, and I thought I was cool for skipping school to go see Circus Gothica." Sam grinned. "I'm gonna have to come home with a tattoo next time."

"I can't believe I forgot about Frankie, I can't believe I forgot about all of this." Kitty held the photo close to her chest, a few tears running down her face. "I'm so glad it's not gone for good."

She kept the photo in hand as they looked through the rest of the album. There were many pictures of Ida, all of them with other people of all walks of life.

"Oh this was when you took us to that pride parade!" Kitty smiled. "You made Frankie so happy, and you knew a lot of the drag queens there, like a LOT."

"Grandma took me to a drag show when I was 10," said Sam. "Even took me backstage to meet them all, my parents thought we went to the theatre to see Romeo and Juliet."

"Oh I have photos from that." Ida flipped through the pages, getting closer to the end of the album. "Here we are, oh Evelyn just LOVED you."

Sam looked at the picture of Evelyn, frowning slightly.

"Oh weird, she kinda looks like Mr Lancer's sister, he keeps her photo on his desk..." Sam paused as she processed what she just said. "That's not his sister is it?"

"You probably shouldn't bring it up." said Ida gently. "Teachers can get in trouble for associating with this sort of thing."

"That's so bogus!" Kitty cried. "I really thought this kinda stuff would be better in the future!"

"It is," Ida assured her. "But we're a long way from perfect."

Ida flipped back through the album, searching for more pictures of Kitty and Frankie. There were a good few of them, each one Ida pulled out and passed over for Kitty to look at and hold onto.

"Oh woah, is that Johnny?" Sam pointed to a picture of Kitty sitting on the back of a motorcycle with a blonde boy. "He looks exactly the same, just a little less pale."

"Oh, did Johnny come back as a ghost too?" Ida asked.

"Yeah! We've been together all this time, in sickness and in death." Kitty beamed. "Mom and dad blamed him for everything I did, even if he wasn't around when I did it. They said him and Frankie were 'corrupting' me."

She rolled her eyes.

"I bet they blamed him for my death too. They'd be so mad if they knew we were still together."

"Just goes to show they had no chance of keeping you two apart." Ida said. "Not even death could do that."

Kitty held the photo tight in both hands, her shoulders began to shake slightly.

"It was my fault you know." she said with a trembling little giggle. "Funny huh? My parents always blamed him for everything, but in the end it was my fault we got hit. We were havin' a fight over somethin' stupid and I distracted him-"

Ida wrapped an arm around Kitty, patting her head comfortingly as she laid it against the old woman's shoulder.

"I think you're being too hard on yourself bubbeleh." Ida whispered gently into her hair. "It was raining, the truck that hit you was running a red light, the driver was charged for both your deaths. Even if you did distract him, you weren't the only card at play that night."

She gave Kitty a light shake.

"And don't think I didn't see the way Johnny used to drive that thing, he was reckless. I have no doubt that he wasn't paying as much attention as he should have been." She placed a kiss on the girl's forehead and squeezed her tight. "It's not fair to hold all of that responsibility on yourself, even if you both did everything right, that truck still would have run that red light, it still would have been raining. It was just pure rotten luck."

Sam had never heard a ghost talk about their death before, even Danny didn't like talking about his accident, and asking about it was incredibly taboo. Sam had been pushing her luck earlier just by mentioning the car crash.

It said a lot about Kitty's love for Ida that she chose to open up about it. Sam couldn't say she was surprised, her Grandma had always been like that. Never anything but an endless well of love and support, and the occasional kick in the pants if you needed it.

"Johnny's always had rotten luck." Kitty sniffed. "Follows him like a shadow."

"Literally." Sam snorted.

After a few more moments, Ida pulled herself away from Kitty, she got up and began rooting through the cupboards, muttering to herself.

"Aha, here it is."

She brought over an empty photo album, it was roughly the size of a small pocketbook, containing only one photo sleeve per page.

"I meant to fill this with photos for Sam to keep." Ida admitted as she shuffled back over to the girls. "But I don't think she'll mind donating it to a good cause."

She winked at Sam, who nodded back.

"Here," Ida pressed the little album into Kitty's hands. "Memories are a fickle thing, but photos are forever."

"I can't take these!" Kitty insisted, pushing the album back. "They're your memories too!"

"Oh my god you're both so old." Sam laughed, "Dad has a printer/scanner. I can make copies."

As Sam took the polaroids to her dad's office, Ida and Kitty pored over the rest of the album, Kitty picking out more photos to copy. She chose a few of Ida and Sam, and even one of Carrie.

"She was a total loser and I hated her but I don't hate remembering her, you know? I want to remember everything, even the bad stuff."

She took a photo of her parents, just one.

When Sam came back with the last batch of photos, Ida finished slipping them into the little album.

"There's still a few sleeves left." Sam pointed out, holding up her phone with a smile. "We've got room for a couple of family reunion pics."

The two girls squished up against Ida as Sam snapped as many shots as she could. Ones where they smiled, ones where they laughed, ones where they laid haphazardly across the lounge together.

Then Sam took a few candids of just Kitty and Ida, as they looked through the new album they'd just made together. Capturing Kitty laughing at something as Ida looked at her with a soft, loving smile.

Kitty clutched the album to her chest as she gave Ida a long, drawn out hug.

"Thank you so much." she said, her voice thick with gratitude. "It's like I can see my life in colour again."

She left the house with the assurance that she would always be welcome back, at any time, and a promise that she would always be looking out for her 'new favourite cousin'.

Sam flicked through the photos she took on her phone, she would have to make sure to have copies printed by the time Kitty returned to visit.

She knew Kitty coming over regularly was going to make things complicated, her apparent newfound protectiveness over Sam could potentially backfire in many spectacular ways, she was petty and troublesome when in the right mood.

But then again, so was Ida, and so was Sam.

At least she had better things to do now than beat up strangers' mail boxes, Danny was certainly going to be glad to hear that.

[twistedmusings]

How the dorm leaders react when they catch you kissing someone from their dorm [Part 2]

A/N: AND HERE IT IS! Oh my god I still can't believe I managed to get this done! I actually stayed on task! Honestly these three were probably my favourite from the original post, I've had far too much fun writing these bois.

And what can I say? Playfully flirty MC is a good MC u wu

Warnings: Heavy smooching, possessive talk, and the reader just really pushing the dorm leader's buttons~

Part 1 here!

“How dare you...?”

Vil was more than happy to be coming back to Pomefiore with all the stuff that had happened today. Classes were more annoying than usual, he had to chase Leona down to tell him to get his work done and there had been some problems in the modeling studio that caused the lights to be brighter than usual and now he had a headache that only a nap could fix.

Thing was, if he wanted to keep his schedule as tight as possible he would need to stay awake for...another 6 hours.

One good thing was waiting for him though. Rook had greeted him at the entrance and let him know that the Ramshackle prefect was in the dorm today as per his request.

Good.

This would keep him awake. He remembers promising you a lesson in proper skincare in order to remedy whatever you did once you woke up in the morning. Deep in the back of his head he remembers you telling him that you just splash cold water on your face but he preferred to think that you at least put some sort of moisturizer. Maybe.

He rushes to his room to freshen up and makes sure that he has the materials he needs. Vil had decided that his own brand of face cleansing products would be a good start for your skin. The tingles in his fingertips went ignored as he thought of you thinking about him in the morning. It wasn’t that sort of thing at all, he reminded himself. Dorm leaders were supposed to help each other out, despite how often they were at each other’s throats, and he was just fulfilling his role not just as a dorm leader but as a...friend.

Vil takes one last look at the mirror and makes his way down the row of rooms in Pomefiore to reach the Lounge, only to stop when he sees you being pulled into one of the many rooms by what was clearly a Pomefiore’s students hand.

Wait what?

It’s almost alarming how quickly he approaches the door and puts his foot in it, choosing to stay quiet as he sees that the two people in the room didn’t even bother to wonder why the door hadn’t closed all the way. The student was pressing kisses against your lips in small intervals, choosing instead to talk as you run your hands up the expensive purple robe and taking in the little designs.

“I had a new lip scrub I wanted you to try out.”

“Really? Then why aren’t we in the bathroom?"

“That’s rather forward for a dorm leader. Is everyone in Ramshackle this daring?”

Vil couldn’t even pinpoint the student’s name. That was your first offense. The only thing he remembers about him is the man’s caramel brown hair and how it contrasted beautifully against his dark skin. After that, nothing could pop into his head that would make that student even remotely interesting for you to be hanging off of him like that! Of all the people to be with, it just had to be a nameless potato, didn’t it?

The hairs at the back of his head stand up as the potato hands you what he believes to be the best lip scrub in the business, which only makes the alarms in Vil’s head go off even louder. That brand wasn’t even known for doing lip scrubs! In fact, they once put out a three in one shampoo/conditioner and the fact that the student even had that brand in the dorms and you just blatantly accepting it was your second offense.

And as much as he wanted to focus on that being the thing that truly bothered him, he felt the alarms deafening him as he saw the potato’s hands wrap around your waist as he kissed you again, your lips parting to let him inside.

He shouldn’t be looking at this, he should be leaving and just leave you to your own devices. The lesson wasn’t important, you weren’t that important to him--

Amethyst eyes widen when you tilt your head as the student starts kissing down your neck, already choosing one spot to make his own as he licks and nips at the skin while you dig your fingers into his robe.

Vil didn’t really know how to describe the sudden surge of energy that caused him to fling the door open and grab the student by the back of his robe and pull him backwards, eyes glaring at you the entire time as you whisper his name, as if suddenly remembering that you had a previous engagement before this whole ‘sticking your tongue down a Pomefiore student’s throat’’ business.

“Prefect. My room. Now.”

You put your hands up and walk out of the room without looking at him, Vil letting go of the student’s robes and walking out after you. He didn’t even need to tell him that he was in trouble, the student would realize it soon enough once Rook delivered the chores that needed to be done by tonight.

A list only that student would be getting instead of the entire dorm.

Vil closes the door of his room and turns the lock rather harshly, looking back at you sitting at the edge of his bed still staring at the window. You weren’t trying to defend yourself, you weren’t even looking at him.

“I hate to be kept waiting, Prefect. Not just that, it is extremely rude to keep someone waiting just so you can fraternize with someone in my dorm.”

No answer. He grabs his desk chair and sits down so he can face you directly.

“What made you go and pick that potato?”

“Why would that be any of your business Vil-senpai?”

It was very much his business, if you asked him. He would have been okay if it was Epel or even Rook that you had picked to make out with but he wasn’t just going to stand around and watch as one of the student’s whose name he didn’t even know threw all of his work out of the window! So he asked the question again, this time getting a chuckle as an answer which only served to upset him even more.

“Out of anyone in my dorm you could have picked, you had to go with someone who offers you such a low quality brand of lip scrub?”

“That is your problem with this? What he offered me? Me and him just started hanging out, we know nothing about each other! I just wanted to change that.”

His headache was coming back again.

Vil put hard work into everything he did. That was his work ethic and people be damned if they thought it was too much. Maybe they couldn’t handle it but they still respected it, respected his craft and the work he put into it.

So why do you, of all of his recent projects, disrespect him so blatantly?

It was clear you weren’t ready yet, Vil wasn’t done working with you yet. After doing something like this, and right inside his dorm, he knew that you had just taken all of the careful brushes and strokes he had decorated your canvas with…

And burnt it right in front of his eyes.

Which is why he didn’t necessarily feel any guilt when he grabbed your cheeks and pulled his own lipstick out of his back pocket, ignoring your protests.

“Quiet.”

He applies the shade quickly and before you have any chance to protest, pushes his lips against yours.

The kiss is anything but sweet. It’s almost punishing. Vil was reminding you that you were a work in progress. He still had so much left to teach you, so much left to work with you and if you kept rushing things you were going to make him mad. Once he was done with you, you could go about your pitiful little life and kiss whoever you wanted and he wouldn’t even bat an eyelash.

A hand grasps at his wrists as you press his palms on your cheeks, your tongue gently pressing against his lips so you could slip inside--

Nevermind. This sort of impatient kissing would also have to go.

He pulls away and pushes you onto the mattress, your eyes hazy with eagerness and confusion as Vil removes his jacket and gloves and leans down to trap you below him.

“Were you this greedy with him? Did he also get this treatment from you? No, don’t answer. I fear I’ll only get angrier if you do. Now be an obedient little potato and stay still, the first thing I’ll fix is that messy kissing of yours.”

“ :( “

Snacks runs had to be the most annoying and heart pounding of his usual daily life quests. If waking up was a struggle enough, especially when no special loot such as new anime or manga was available, it was hard to complete such basic tasks without some sort of incentive.

Although Idia guessed that not dying of starvation was enough of an incentive.

He walks down the corridor of his own dorm, humming a quiet tune to himself as he looks down at all the snacks he had acquired. Which, score! They even had a limited edition chip flavor that came with the card of one of his favourite idols! It took everything in his power to not just spend all of his money on more than one bag but he had such a good day today that he knew his gacha pull luck just had to be good.

The door to a room behind him opens, Idia quickly picking up his pace and hiding behind a corner as he looks at who it could be. He isn't against anyone in his dorm but...he didn't have the means to engage in any conversation that wasn't about his current FPS game or Gakemo so--

"Thank you for the help! I thought my phone was beyond repair!"

His hands tighten around the chips pressed tight to his chest, eyes wide in surprise as he sees you stepping out of the room.

Of all people...why were you here so late?

The student laughs as he scratches the back of his head, handing you back your phone and looking away.

“No--No problem! I...I honestly didn’t think you would come to me for help. I integrated the newest magical technology on it as well as voice activated features and a--a brand new messaging app that sends messages faster!”

Idia clicked his tongue as he heard the student speak. Look at him showing off. You didn’t know that he was taking advantage of your naive mind! You didn’t know anything about magic so, of course, all those features would sound fancy!

When it was literally taking your phone and just downloading some fancy new apps on it!

Yet there you were, marveling down at it as if you had just gotten the latest version.

Well maybe he shouldn’t complain too much, even from here he could see your smile. A part of him worried that all this luck he was suddenly getting would affect the luck he would get on his chip bag but...you were worth it.

Such a rare event shouldn’t be left unnoticed.

Maybe...maybe if he stayed here you could walk by and he could open up the ‘bumping into each other late at night’ event?

“So how can I repay you? Do you need anything done?”

Idia tunes back into the conversation as he frowns, looking back at the two of you as the student looks at every single corner of the ceiling instead of looking at you.

Payment? The guy had just downloaded a couple of apps that wasn’t good enough reason to offer some sort of payment. He frowns and taps his foot impatiently as the guy stutters out a few excuses before finally giving you an answer.

“A ki--A kiss? Would that be alright?”

The Ignihyde dorm leader almost falls down as he hears that, retreating further into his corner as he glared daggers at the guy who had just dared to ask for such a bold request.

A k--kis--kiss? A kiss...from you?

This guy was starting to piss him off! He should just be content staring at you! You were a SSR character all on your own! That guy should be happy he even got to talk to you at all and shouldn’t ask for more than he was given! He already rolled for such a life changing event why would he even want more!

His eyes soften when he sees you mull it over. It was okay, you could reject him. Such a guy wouldn’t even be worthy of a kiss from you so you so all you had to do was say no! Go on, [Y/N], just reject hi--

Idia can feel his heart breaking as his muscles stop working, dropping all of his stuff on the floor with a thud as the sound echoes. Yet it went ignored, the other two people in the hallway too busy with their own activities.

When...when had you even kissed him? Idia only remembers you putting your phone away and the moment he blinked you had already pressed your lips against that other guy--!

He should be leaving, why isn’t he moving?

The student’s hand goes to your waist as you deepen it, his face turning a deep shade of red as you pull away and tap his lips.

“Was that your first kiss?”

“...y--yes..”

You were smiling and giving him such a rare, almost ultimately rare item and Idia didn’t know how long he could stare until he combusted.

So all he could do was turn around…

And run as fast as he could.

He ignored the familiar voice calling out his name, footsteps quickly following him as he started to run out of breath.

Making a poor otaku like him run, even now you were still being so cruel to him!

Idia’s door slides open as he bursts inside, ready to bury himself in his bed and never come out again--!

Only to stop when he hears you hiss in pain.

Blue eyes turn around to see your foot jammed into his doorway, not allowing the electric door to slide closed. A part of him wants to immediately go to you and ask if you were alright but he stops himself as the image of your kiss flashes through his mind again.

“[Y/N]-shi! W--What--!”

You rub at your foot and sigh, walking in with a confused look as Idia presses his back against his bookshelf. He knew it. If a SSR character could be brought to real life, this is the sort of power they would have over him.

The kind of aura you were emitting was enough for him to want to get on his knees, but he chose to remain strong.

“I was calling out to you…didn’t you hear me?”

Idia turns his head and looks at the floor, the pain still raw and emotionally taxing than what he was used to. Disappointment was one thing but heartbreak was a complete other monster!

“Shouldn’t--Shouldn’t you be with your boyfriend?”

He spits the word out, annoyed that a guy from his dorm could unlock...no...could get someone like you. You were open to every single activity Idia gave you, you gave him good feedback and didn’t get scared when you two disagreed on something. Every manga he gave you, you read and every anime he told you to watch, you would watch it.

You were receptive, you were attentive, you were what Idia wanted in a real life friend!

He hadn’t dared hope for more!

That still didn’t mean he couldn’t fantasize when he was all by himself.

“Boyfriend…?”

You tilt your head in confusion before chuckling as you realized what had happened.

“Oh so you saw that.”

Is that all you were going to say?! You had just taken his heart and crushed it into tiny little pieces and you were just going to talk about what a pervert he was being!

Someone just KO him now, like right now!

“Yes...I saw. So what? You were just ki-kissi--doing that thing from everyone to see! So you should just go back to him instead of bullying me in my own room!”

Please just leave, he wanted to cry in peace.

Yet you stubbornly remain, just like the first time he met you.

“Idia I don’t know what crazy assumptions you are making but that guy isn’t my boyfriend.”

You put up one finger.

“He fixed my phone…”

Another one follows after.

“And he asked for a kiss for payment. Simple as that. You shouldn’t act like you caught us doing something major. It was just a kis---”

Large hands land on your shoulders as Idia now stands in front of you, head hung low as he mutters something to himself.

“Just a kiss….just a kiss.”

You jump as he gets close to your face, eyes staring at you pleadingly as he cupped your face.

“JUST A KISS? DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU ARE? AN EXTRA RARE CHARACTER SUCH AS YOURSELF SHOULDN’T BE GIVING OUT SUCH RARE ITEMS LIKE THAT!”

He shakes you back and forth.

“IF YOUR KISS WAS JUST NORMAL THEN EVEN I...I COULD--”

Idia’s eyes fall on your lips, the rush of adrenaline mixed in with his built up desire for you all culminating in two choices popping up in his head. And for the first time, he knew that hesitation was not an option.

So he dives in.

His lips met yours roughly, not really moving them or anything but just pressing them against you. You put your hands gently on his chest but he takes it as a protest, which only causes him to push them onto yours even more.

This was...disastrous.

He had never kissed anyone before. How in the world did he think that he would be able to kiss you? Ah, maybe this was a dream? Right! He had just dreamed all of this up and you didn’t really force your way into his room to confront him!

His hair flares up when you cup his face, pushing him away slightly and tilting him in such a way that your lips would meet in a much softer fashion. He looks down and sees you closing your eyes, following in your footsteps and melting inside your kiss.

You both pull away slowly, Idia opening his eyes and blushing when he sees you licking your lips and sending him a teasing grin.

A rare sight...made only for him.

“I feel like I just spent all my stamina on this one event...so I don’t want to go unrewarded. Can we go further? I want to go further. What option do I have to pick for you to do that again, [Y/N]?”

“Don’t touch them.”

“YOUNG MASTER! WHERE ARE YOU!”

Malleus sighs as he looks on at the Diasmonia students gathered around the outskirts of the school, smiling as he sees Sebek directing them each and every way. Sebek really didn’t give up, did he? One of his classes had been canceled and he was eager to see the gargoyles around Ramshackle in a much better light but he figured Sebek would cause up a stir when he didn’t find him in his classroom.

As much as he appreciated him, Sebek didn’t have to walk him to every single class.

He sighs and goes deeper into the woods behind Ramshackle, the small broken path there leading him down a familiar terrain.

This is where he usually walked with you, after all.

Seeing this place in bright light was so very different. Instead of it being illuminated by his lights, the sun peeked out from over the trees and provided a sunny trail instead of the usual moonlight. He took a deep breath as he breathed in the smell of flowers all around, all of them growing wildly around him and defying any human to try and tame them.

His fingers trace some of the thorns he found on some of them, the flowers attracted to his touch and moving closer to his hands as a small vine wrapped around his finger.

All with his magic’s help after all.

This was his safe space. Malleus would come here during his first and second year and lose himself in the wilderness. In here no one would fear him. Here every single thing was responsive to his touches and even dared to touch back. Some of the wild rose bushes also reminded him of him, Malleus adding a bit more thorns around the flowers as in to emulate the very home he missed.

In this lonely place, he flourished.

But it wasn’t so lonely now, was it?

His third year had brought one big surprise. A human. A child of man who did not know who he was or what he was capable of. They looked at him as if he was just any other stranger roaming around their dorm and not the next ruler of the Valley of Thorns.

And Malleus, being the very curious person he is, found himself pulled to your inattentiveness.

He had dropped many hints that he was eager to get to know you more, relishing in the fact that you two were starting to get closer. And while he had hoped to keep his identity a secret a bit longer, he found it almost unbearable for you to not know who he was.

If you were so open with who you were, then he should show you the same kind of respect.

How wonderful that you were now on a first name basis with each other.

Malleus could walk over to Ramshackle dorm now and knock on your door without hesitation, smiling as he sees your excitement at just what places you two would discover in the dead of night.

Bummer you couldn’t be with him now.

He had seen you come out of your dorm and ask Sebek if he needed any help, to which the fae replied rather rudely that no human could ever track down his young master, so he was a bit reluctant to discover any more places without you by his side.

These walks were something you two did together, after all.

So he remained at this spot, touching everything and anything that would strike his fancy while going deeper and deeper into a small clearing you two had found. A large tree decorated its middle, the leaves falling gently upon the ground as the sun shone down on the large pond that provided this part of the forest with the water it needed to balance out the sun’s gentle rays.

“Shhhh, don’t make too much noise.”

Malleus stops as he hears your voice, his head immediately turning towards the sound as he hears rustling behind him. He smiles and turns to where he thought you were coming from only to be struck by a sudden idea--and immediately hiding among the trees and bushes so you couldn’t see him.

Would you be surprised to find him here?

He hoped so. Malleus had the habit of appearing to you suddenly so this wouldn’t be breaking any traditions between you two. If he played his cards right, you might join him on a walk all the way to the edge of the island.

“Prefect do you know where you are going?”

“I do! I’ve been here so many times. Now come on!”

Another person’s voice. No...he had heard that voice before.

Malleus retreats back into his hiding spot as he sees you rush by, holding by the hand a Diasmonia student as he rushes to follow you. You smile and turn around, still holding his hand while the other looked on in amazement at where you had led him.

“Prefect...this is…”

“Like it? Me and Malleus found it a while ago. This is how we know we are close to the edge of the forest.”

The Diasmonia dorm leader smiles as he watches you show the student around, pointing out different sights and sounds as the other watched on in amazement. That student probably had never gone anywhere this secret and while Malleus was glad you were showing off the place you two shared…

There was a feeling deep inside his chest that flared up angrily as he caught the student looking at you more than his surroundings.

Green eyes watch as the student’s hand clenches and unclenches, seemingly working up the courage to do something as you continue speaking. Which was rather rude, in Malleus’s opinion. You were explaining some wonderful things about the flora here and he was just staring at you without engaging in the conversation.

And how did you two know each other? Malleus had never mentioned you in Diasmonia except to Silver and Lilia, had he known you before him?

Malleus hands grip the tree bark tighter as the student takes your hand, stopping your explanation as he gets you to focus your attention on him.

What--?

“I’ve been eager to find some time alone with you.”

The student clears his throat before pulling you by the hand gently, your surprised look turning into one of playfulness as you follow along with his movements. He leads you to the edge of the pond, spinning you around as you allow him to position you in such a way that you are now closer to him than before.

Which only makes the angry feeling in Malleus’s gut flare up even more.

“Have you now? What for?”

An answer Malleus wanted to know as well.

Blushing, the student smiles and leads you into a dance with no music which only served to make you laugh and make Malleus’s fingers dig deep into the wood of the poor tree.

In the dragon fae’s eyes, you two are dancing for hours without caring about who was around. Why had he even brought you here? This student was part of Sebek’s surveillance crew and yet here he was not doing his job. But he wasn’t the one who brought you here…

You were.

Your actions were lost on Malleus as the dance finishes up, the student dipping you low before bringing you up.

“So you brought me here to dance? Who knew Diasmonia students were so charming.”

Malleus didn’t like the way you were smiling, nor how your hands rested on the student’s shoulders. He hadn’t seen this side of you before, you were playing along with this student and his motives.

Had you always been so playful? Malleus had only seen you during the night and whenever you two spoke it was a conversation worthy of two friends sharing experiences together.

But not this...never this…

“Well, not just a dance. I’ve wanted to state my intentions outright.”

The tree starts to crack slowly as Malleus can feel more thorns growing out of the rose bushes around him.

“Ever since you arrived, you have been an enigma to me. You are always so helpful even to those who do not seek your aid. Even now, you didn’t have to help me search for our Young Master."

He wasn’t searching for anyone, he was too close to you for Malleus’s liking and he needed to learn how to respect your boundaries.

“Yet you still offered me your help...and I…I want to...”

The student was leaning closer as his hands slid down to your waist, Malleus staring as you started to tilt your head as you placed your hands on his chest while his lips were dead set on meeting yours--!

Your face is tilted up as cold lips meet yours, your mouth opening in a surprised gasp as the hold the student had on you was no longer shy and timid but angry and possessive. These lips were pulling you in closer and closer, greedily eating each and every sound you were making as the air was slowly stolen from your lungs.

A string of saliva is left hanging as you two separate, your eyes fluttering open as you think of something to say to such a ravishing kiss.

Only for them to open wide in surprise as you see who you had really kissed.

“Malleus!?”

You turn to look behind the fae’s back, the Diasmonia student looking at his Young Master in mild panic and surprise while Malleus presses you close against his chest, clearly hiding you from view.

Right before the student even had a chance to taste your lips, Malleus had rushed out of his hiding place and pulled him away by the collar of his shirt.

For a dragon to watch on as something that was his was so close to be taken away, the surprise must have gotten to him.

“Go tell Sebek to head back to Diasmonia and call off his search. I will be there by nightfall.”

The student tries to stutter out a response but Malleus glares back as he keeps you pressed firmly against him.

“Now.”

You watch the student leave in a hurry, following the broken path you had led him in with. Your eyes peek up to look at Malleus but the dorm leader waits until the sound of footsteps is long gone before tilting your face up again and leaning down to press his lips against yours in another rough and dominating kiss.

Hands push you forward as your back collides with the huge tree in the clearing, Malleus making sure that the back of your head meets the bark gently as his lips never parted from yours. You wrap your arms around him as best as you could and let out an involuntary squeak when the fae decides to pick you up so that you could pull him in even closer.

He is the one to pull away first, hands firmly on your bottom as you wrap your legs around his waist to support yourself.

“Malleus--”

The fae presses another kiss to your lips, effectively silencing you so that all your attention would be on him.

“Don’t ever bring someone else into this place, child of man. Do I make myself clear? This place is our haven and I will not have someone else come steal both it and you away from me. Well, even if you don’t understand, I’ll make sure to explain it to you thoroughly. Now...kiss me again.”

[roll-da-credits]

SC: Pro Heroes' S/o's Pet Not Liking Them

Characters: Keigo Takami (Hawks), Rumi Usagiyama (Mirko), Taishiro Toyamitsu (Fatgum)

A/n: this fic is brought to you by my rabbit who has unrivaled hate for any man except my dad. He would literally cuddle with my dad but the moment my friend comes who let me tell you ADORES my bunny, he would COMPLETELY ignore him and sometimes even bite him, not like nibbling like bunnies do when they're happy. No, full-on bites like incredibly hard, anyways hope you guys enjoy it. (Also, this was longer than I planned)

🖤❤️🖤

Keigo Takami (Hawks)

You would think Hawks would have a good relationship with birds right? Wrong.

Hawks in the eyes of birds was a bird of prey, which only means one thing, he's dangerous. This unspoken rule amongst birds who are usually weaker doesn't exclude your own pigeon.

It all started when Rumi (Mirko) decided that the group's movie night would be at your house for the first time ever. Obviously, you were rather excited, of all the times you had these movie nights they were never in your home. Another exciting reason was you couldn't wait to introduce Keigo, your lovey lover, to your budgie.

"Hey, birdie." Once you opened the door to your apartment Hawks was leaning there in front of you with a small bouquet of flowers, wearing some casual clothing. Giving a quick to your forehead, you led Hawks into your humble abode.

Your budgie, as always, flew towards you to greet the guest, like he would usually. But instead of landing on your shoulder, he instead flew around Keigo and dove to bite his ears and the exposed skin everywhere.

"So this is the friendly bird you've been telling me about???" Keigo slightly confused and panicked tried to lightly shoo away the flying menace.

You at this point didn't know whether to panic or to laugh at the situation. Your budgie was incredibly kind to everyone, even strangers you just met, and yet here he was, squawking at Keigo trying to bite him.

After a few minutes, you were able to calm your bird down, letting him rest on the crook of your neck and reassure Keigo that he was usually really kind to guests, which Keigo doesn't believe at this point. It wasn't until Rumi came knocking that you stood up to greet her.

Keigo, watched from a distance, excited to see Rumi get attacked by your menace of a bird. "What?!" He exclaimed pointing a judgemental finger at your bird who was now on Rumi's shoulder nuzzling her cheek.

"Scared of a birdie smaller than you Keigo?" Rumi's laughter mocked Keigo, and you couldn't help but let out a few giggles yourself.

"Awww love don't be like that!" You walked over to Keigo and enveloped him in a reassuring hug, still slightly giggling, "I swear I don't know why he doesn't like you."

When the movie started, you and Keigo were cuddling as usual with Rumi slightly third-wheeling, not that she really cared. Weirdly enough you felt a weird tension around you, when you looked over at Keigo, you saw he was staring at your budgie who was on Rumi's shoulder.

Both looking at each other with so much menace it made you burst into laughter. "Is there some kind of bird rivalry?????" Rumi now realizing what was happening laughed extremely loud. "Are you jealous of Y/n's BIRD???"

She teased Keigo, who in retaliation threw a pillow at her. He groaned and pulled you closer. "Whatever, but we're never having movie nights in your house again." You laughed a little before snuggling more into him, "Sure you big baby."

Rumi Usagiyama (Mirko)

"I'm telling you, that little piece of long-looking mouse stole my stuff!" Rumi yelled at you pointing an accusing finger at your ferret who was simply staring up at you her head slightly tilted as if confused about the whole ordeal.

This all started when Rumi decided to come to your apartment straight after patrol, something she's never done. She looked exhausted and in need of some comfort, so you let her in and gave her some clothes to change after showering,

When she walked in, she noticed your ferret staring at her. A weird sense of foreboding crept up onto her. She always had a slight suspicion that the creature didn't like her very much. Whether it was because she was taking up most of your play times with it, or something else, she couldn't care any less.

It was in the ferret's eyes, how they stared at her with intent and a glint of mischievousness. Though when she brought it up with you, you'd brush it off since ferrets are incredibly mischievous and smart.

But the icing on the cake was when she placed her clothes on top of a dresser, including her gloves, to take a shower. Only to come back with both of her gloves missing from the pile. The ferret looking up at her, as if challenging her.

"Rumi, love, why would she even know to hide BOTH gloves. She'd probably steal only one!!" Rumi's mouth fell agape at your statement. You were defending the THIEF???

"You said so yourself didn't you?!! Ferrets are SMART, SHE MUST'VE KNOWN." At this point it was borderline hilarious, so between your next words, you laughed and giggled.

"You probably just misplaced it, come on I'll help you search it. I'm sure we'll find it soon."

No

You both did not find it soon, it had actually been 30 minutes of nonstop searching. Searching your entire apartment close to twice already, you and Rumi both flopped on the couch, exhausted.

"Ok, maybe I should check her toys." Her being your ferret, you finally caved in and searched around her toys.

Low and behold.

"I TOLD YOU!!!" You found both Rumi's gloves tucked away in the long rubbery-plastic tunnel you made for your ferret.

Rumi crashed on the floor in a fit of laughter, with you holding the dirty gloves looking at your ferret rather disappointed at her. Your ferret looked up with its adorable eyes as if it had done nothing wrong.

"Your ferret's a demon I'm telling you!" Rumi wiped a tear from laughing too much.

"I'm sorry for not believing you." You said followed by an exasperated sigh. Rumi walked over to you and enveloped you in a bone-crushing hug, "It's fine, this was actually more fun than just watching random movies like we planned."

Taishiro Toyamitsu

Taishiro loves animals and animals love him. Both skinny and fat form, he's just a lovable person for every single living being. Animals, humans, plants, all of them thrive when being cared for by him. Including you, but excluding your cat.

Taishiro knew the moment you said you had a cat that he would have to work a little bit harder to get her to like him. What he didn't expect was for your cat to completely ignore him no matter what he did.

"Trying to woo her again?" You smirked a little bit when you saw him in his skinny form holding a small bag of catnip smiling rather sheepishly.

"No cat can resist catnip." He paused shortly, "Right?"

You giggled at his adorable antics, reaching up to slightly ruffle his soft hair. Inviting him you watched from afar as Taishiro approached your cat who was sunbathing near a window and, as usual, ignoring him.

He slowly approached her, his big hands slowly opening the bag. When he did, her head immediately darted at him, you stood up straighter at this. Really curious at the first time your cat acknowledged his existence.

Taishiro couldn't feel more excited at the moment and slowly got closer to her, shaking the bag slightly. Your cat's irises expanded, showing that she might be rather happy.

But just as Taishiro was about to pet her, she stretched from her position and walked calmly away from him. Ignoring him once again.

You stifled a laugh at his dejected form, shoulders slumping down and a dark aura surrounding him.

You draped your body over his back, a small attempt in hugging him, "Hey you'll get more chances, I'm sure she'll warm up to you eventually."

Taishiro looked up at you with watery eyes and a small pout, making your heart melt at the sight. "How about this? You'll get even more chances if you live with me."

Your eyebrows wiggled at him, and his slumped figure immediately brightened up. Crushing you in a tight bear hug and shaking you around. "I'll make sure your cat loves me."

[captain-barnes-writes]

Addiction [1 / 2]

Summary: Lee Bodecker is fascinated by the young girl who works at her father’s store. 

Pairing: Lee Bodecker x reader

Warning: Age gap, language, mentions of alcoholism, sexual content, unprotected sex (y’all better wrap it in real life tho bc this is fiction.) SMUT. 18+

Word Count: 4k [NOT PROOFREAD. Any comments, tips, suggestions are greatly appreciated. My Ask Box is always open.] 

Lee Bodecker’s cruiser paraded through the town of Knockemstiff. He thought of how life had changed so much for him in the last few months. A man who was still in his lonesome at his age, caused by his extreme focus on his career, wasn’t blind to the fruits the small town had to offer. The more time passed, the prettier the girls got.

Vibrant sundresses, skirts that reached above the knee and them goddamn stockings. With the years the damn skirts and dresses only seemed to be inching up higher and higher up their legs. Most of the girls were timid under his presence. It was a good thing that they knew who he was and were more than well aware of the power he had.

Lee Bodecker was a crook sheriff in the solemn town; a menacing tormented man who most often than not drank his fair share of alcohol on a weekly basis. A lot of the time he was intoxicated with the moonshine he got from people he bribed. The alcohol always knocked him to otherworldly limits that helped him forget all that plagued him. It was his hidden secret, an unhealthy and disappointing one. A secret which he made sure to keep under wraps. Lee always had the election peering over him, taunting and glaring at him. He had to keep up with appearances.

Even with sore limbs, killer migraines and sunken eyes that didn’t want to see any light, he always made sure to clean the cruiser of any leftover canned beers and packs of cigarettes. He even tended to his own home as well, bagging the glass bottles and cans in black trash bags so as to not raise any suspicions. He was trying his best to stop, but it had become a habit that was hard to shake. Trying to kill one addiction had almost started another one, candies being the other culprit. Sweet little candies to quit the thoughts and yearning need for the arduous liquid that he’d come to rely on far too much.

But then there was another addiction he’d come to have for the past months. It was intoxicating but it wasn’t alcohol and sweet and tender but it wasn’t candies. The girl who worked at her father’s store at the center of town was the debilitating new type of obsession he’d come to have. Boyd Smith’s young daughter was as enticing as they came.

The store was small and slightly rundown, but had the necessities most people in Knockemstiff could need. People didn’t need much in the town anyway. But that girl was easy on the eyes and she wasn’t even aware of it. By far the prettiest in the godforsaken town and probably the whole state. Heck, Lee thought her to be the most beautiful on fucking earth. She managed to tug at his heartstrings in such a way nobody had been able to. Not in a long time, anyway.

When she first spoke to him, an actual conversation, she’d told him “stop eating so many candies, sheriff. You’re gonna get cavities.” And Lee had let out a loud laugh, though it hadn’t met his eyes as if the words she’d said had hit a nerve. They had, but he couldn’t admit it. Regardless the soothing tone of her voice, sweet and delicate, had reeled him in even further.

He visited the store so often, knowing when exactly her father would take his day off. Which were starting to climb up seeing as Boyd enjoyed gambling and drinking his fair share as much as Lee and would leave his daughter to tend to the store more often than not. So she’d be there in her most lonesome tending to her father’s store. He looked forward to seeing her doe eyes and skim his eyes about her gentle frame.

He often found himself wondering what she’d be wearing on days he visited. Being the daughter of a store owner meant that money wasn’t much of a problem for her family, and she seemed to be able to feed her affinity for pretty clothes. He always anticipated what she’d be wearing. Y/N usually wore pastel colored dresses, those pretty sundresses that reached just above the knee. The thin material at times clung to her body on the back giving way to the full bottom she was blessed with and Lee felt himself hardening just at the sight of her alone. He wanted nothing more than to tear the material off her and savor the innocence she oozed.

That day when she first spoke to him, he felt even more drawn to her. The delectable taste of the bonbons he’d stop to buy were of no comparison to her. Lee was either salivating or mouth dry like a desert at the mere sight of the store owner’s daughter.  On that day when she’d uttered those words to him in hopes of alleviating the rather quiet environment, he had placed the money on her hands to pay for the pack of candies as well as a pack of beers. Their fingers brushed and Y/N had almost shuddered.

“I’m gonna have to find myself a new addiction so that doesn’t happen then.” Lee responded. His eyes had met hers and a gleam of mischievousness and mockery were swirling in them. She swallowed harshly, suddenly feeling small under the presence of the town’s sheriff.

Y/N looked at him. Like really looked at him and noticed things she hadn’t before. For instance, the way his eyes were the color of the town’s nearby lake, a sparkling blue, and when he didn’t have a scowl on his face he actually looked handsome. Crinkles at the end of his eyes showed his age, and even with the soft protruding belly he was actually easy on the eyes.

Y/N blushed under his piercing stare, proceeding to count the change aloud and handed it back to him in a clumsy manner.

“One fifty is your change, sheriff. Thank you.”

“No, thank you darlin’. I’ll stop by another day.” Lee countered, voice heavy as his orbs continued their arduous stare on the girl who couldn’t tear her own eyes away from his. She was flushed, a color that suited her so well with the baby blue sundress she wore. He wanted nothing more than to take her on the back of his cruiser and fuck her into submission.

Despite all his bad qualities, the dominance he liked to have, he wanted her to want it too. What was the fun in fucking somebody who didn’t want it? No, he wanted her dainty hands on him. For her to run them through his hair, grip it as she was a breathy broken mess beneath him. He yearned for her lips to moan his name, for her tightness to grip him like a damn vice. Just one look at her and he knew he was done for.

Lee started visiting the store more often. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. She’d be there with her pastel dresses, behind the counter tending to customers in a manner that let him know he couldn’t be the only one thinking of her this way. She was too pure, too celestial to only have one man pining over her. And he was right. He wasn’t the only man looking at her with hungry eyes. There were plenty of them who’d show up at the store throwing flirty comments at her and she’d try her best to deflect them. She’d do so gracefully with shy smiles, an airy laugh while waving them away.

Lee had been there when men approached her in the same manner he did, flirtatiously and with no good intentions. He observed how she’d suddenly become nervous, dropping change on the floor and sputtering out a few sorry’s as she scrambled down to get it from the floor. She’d smile at her suitors, not knowing how to keep them away. How to say no. So when Lee was there, he’d clear his throat loudly and tell them to move along. No more needed to be said, the men would scramble away from the store at the mere words from the sheriff. They were scared of him and the immense influence the town’s sheriff carried just at the tip of his fingers. Lee boasted his power in front of Y/N wanting nothing more than to impress her. He was no longer in his 20s, no longer the slim figure he had 15 years prior, but he’d obtained something that was worth showing off: the power of being an elected official and the town’s sheriff.

Y/N would express her graciousness with a bashful grin and a small thanks would leave her lips, along with a few offerings of free candy or even a pack of cigarettes. She was young, no more than twenty. It was normal for girls her age to have suitors lining up, but she wasn’t an ordinary girl. This was the girl the sheriff was pining over. He was completely and utterly taken by her and he hadn’t even tasted her yet.

Lee wanted more than anything to be the one who clouded the girl’s thoughts. He wanted him to be the first thing she thought of every morning and the very last thought at the end of the night. His own thoughts were consumed by the store owner’s daughter. Her beauty was amplified by the tenderness in which her tone of voice took when she spoke. The way her hair crowned her face so perfectly and the smile lines which took upon her pretty face with a simple little grin. She was addicting and he wanted her so badly. He wanted her as bad as a drop of alcohol.

For Y/N, or any girl her age, it was an honor to be on the receiving end of the sheriff’s admiration. The piercing blue orbs watching with intent, body language screaming that he was taken with her. The way he was an asset to the town, an important one that kept order, that took care of people like her. That warded off danger. She’d be crazy to overlook him and his clear feelings for her.

At first she’d been slightly put off at his constant visits to the store. Sometimes just to buy a single pack of candy. At times he wouldn’t even buy anything. He’d stare at her, initiate conversations that diverted to different topics as if he didn’t want to stop hearing her voice. As if her voice was the only sound he wanted to hear. At times the voice coming from his radio would be the only thing that’d get him to leave the store. He’d huff loudly, bark back an answer, tip his broad-brimmed hat back on his head and wave goodbye to her.

But it wasn’t long until he’d crawled his way into her heart. A slow process that took many months. Gained her trust with conversation and his way of sweet talking. Expensive chocolates and bouquets of roses he’d gone out of town to get would make their way into her hands whenever he’d visit her, almost always finding himself at the right hour when the store was at its most desolate. Just her and him. The beautiful girl was driving him insane, she was slow to give into him. Her shyness a tough barrier to break.

The town would whisper about it. The sheriff wants Boyd’s daughter. The many visits had made their rounds in people’s mouths and being the small town that it was. The townspeople noticed the black cruiser more and more at the front of the store, parked there for more than half an hour at times. And they became suspicious because what could take so long in the small store? It was cramped and only had minimal supplies.  All of Knockemstiff was talking about it in a secretive manner. They didn’t want to feel the sheriff’s wrath, didn’t want to light the anger in his eyes. But they knew. Knew that whatever his intentions were with the young girl, he was sure to get her. He was persistent and always got what he wanted.

Those many visits to the store turned into driving her home at nights. Though it was only a couple blocks from the town center, he still insisted on doing it. A girl like you could get kidnapped on these streets doll, Lee would tell her. He couldn’t believe her father would pick gambling with his friends over picking his own daughter up. She deserved to be cared for, tended to in the best way possible. He wanted to be that man for her; someone she relied on. Someone she could come to love.

At least the one thing her father did right was having her lock up the place early when she was in charge of the store. By 7:30 pm, she’d switch the sign to closed and begin the process of cleaning and making sure everything was tidy to open up the next day. Lee would wait outside for her in his car, smoke puffing from his lips as he took drags from his cigarette. When he would see her coming out, the thin material of her dress swaying with the wind and giving way to the smoothness of her legs, he’d close his eyes to gain control of himself and throw the cigarette outside. She never said she didn’t like the smell, never even made a comment about it as the scent lingered in the car, yet he still cared and wanted to be on his best behavior with her.

The drives to her home would take detours to diners, coffee shops and even to different towns as he felt so enthralled by her presence. He wanted nothing more than be able to spend hours with her. She didn’t even have to touch him, didn’t have to kiss him, but a simple gaze from her had his heart beating erratically. When she began talking to him more, not just waiting for him to continue the conversation, he felt the effect she had on him even more. He felt bewitched, as if the girl was his only sanity. It wasn’t the alcohol, it wasn’t the sugary sweets. It was the tenderness of her voice, her gentle frame and her doe eyes.

It also wasn’t long until she was sinking down onto the length of his cock on the back of his cruiser. She slid down in such slow motion with a heartbreaking guttural moan. Her virgin cunt wrapping him in such tightness his breath had hitched and eyes rolled in ecstasy. Her perky breasts right at his face and he’d taken a hold of them with his lips. Ran his tongue on the brown nipples.

“It hurts, Lee.” Y/N cried softly onto his shoulder. Pitiful tears landing on his clothed shoulder. The poor girl was wincing at the intrusion inside her. Lee deeply regretted taking her this way, her on top of him on the back of his damn cruiser. This wasn’t the place for a girl like her to lose her virginity. Hell, it  wasn’t the place for any girl to lose their virginity. The seats were uncomfortable and movements were limited with the small space.

“I’m sorry darlin’. Fuck.” Lee cursed, feeling his cock twitch inside the tightness of her walls. She was incredibly tight and he didn’t know if he’d be able to hold on for much longer. He wanted to piston his hips against her sweet place, fuck her until she was crying. But she was already crying on his shoulder and it wasn’t even out of pleasure.

She stayed there for a couple seconds, trying to recover herself while being bombarded with sinful thoughts as she sat on his length. She was able to get a hold of herself, feeling a little better with the sheriff’s large hand drawing soothing circles on her bare back. His pink lips were against hers in soft kisses that had her head swirling. The taste of alcohol present on his tongue was a strong comparison to her minty mouth. Him, so imperfect and troubled. Her, innocent and pure. She picked her head up again. Her doe eyes found him in the darkness of the cruiser, the abandoned lot a few minutes out of town was desolate and dark.

Without any warning, her lower body elevated just slightly and came back down again. Lee let out a shaky breath and his hands had immediately slid down to the smooth skin of her ass, fingers marking the fullness of it. She was a mess above him, mouth hanging open with the sweetest moans falling loose. She began to slowly sink down on him again, building a tortuous movement of raising herself up and coming back down. The pain was still present but the sight of the sheriff being patient and not forcing her to move had been incentive enough for her to push the aching pain away. He was already inside her anyways, her chastity a thing of the past.

Lee’s strong hand grabbed the back of Y/N’s neck and pushed their lips together. She was still adjusting to him, moving slow to his standards, so he wanted to control at least one area of the sinful acts that were taking place. His kiss was rough and messy. His teeth took hold of her plump bottom lip and bit it until she shrieked into his mouth. Her dainty hands fisted at his hair.

The movements of her hips were reluctant and inexperienced. The flow of them slow, faltering even at the discomfort of the intrusion. The prodding inside her still stung and her eyes shut tightly when his cock hit a spot inside her that made her feel weak. Lee noticed and the hold on her ass tightened as brought her down at a faster pace. He wanted to fuck her so hard she would see stars on the roof of the cruiser, but she was still visibly aching.

Lee’s lips traveled down her jaw, kissing her there just slightly to bring any comfort to her, before they made their way to the valley of her breasts. She was bare, the baby yellow dress had been unbuttoned and thrown on the floor carelessly. She was unbelievably soft. Skin so delicate and smooth, breasts and ass etched with white stretch marks. His babygirl was so divine and heavenly and he’d just taken her innocence, her purity, on the back of his cruiser.

He was a bastard for not taking her to his home. On his bed. But this had been so sudden, a date to the outskirts of a different town had turned into them kissing like their lives depended on it. He’d conveniently found the empty lot and he couldn’t wait any longer, feeling as if he didn’t bury himself inside her he would explode.

His hips had began to lift themselves off the cold backseat meeting hers in the middle. She was reduced to a string of breathy moans; a beautiful mess before him. His dick was enveloped in her folds, bathing in her sweet juices. The sounds of drenched skin slapping against one another, loud and stained. The air inside the car was stuffy and lingered with the smell of their arousal. He felt like he’d come any second as he felt the familiar sensation building inside him.

“I want to put a baby right in here.” Lee’s hand stopped at her belly, the skin soft and warm. He was already crazy for her. With a single taste of her and he wanted more. He could picture his girl’s belly huge with his baby growing inside her. Maybe that would get him to stop craving the taste of alcohol, to stop wanting to replace his addiction with candies. He wanted her to be his only sane addiction.

Y/N stuttered at his words. Her eyes had widened and hands gripped his shoulders at the rapid movements of his hips. She was rendered silent as her mind swirled with the possibility of carrying Lee Bodecker’s baby. She didn’t know what to think of it. Girls her age were already carrying babies, married even.

But the townspeople chastised and judged those girls who gave away the very thing that made them good in the eyes of the lord, their savior, and she had done just that. Given away the one thing she’d held onto for more than two decades, cherished it, boxed it off and wrote it off for somebody whom she’d marry. The preacher of her church called it a “gift”, a mere pseudonym, and apparently a more appropriate and contained word, for a girl’s virginity. In her town, chastity from girls, taking care of that one gift for a nice man who would care for them was an important thing. But for Y/N, it was too late to look back.

“You heard me, darlin’?” Lee quipped again, hand grasping her jaw to get her to look at him. His azure eyes were laced with lust, swirling with it as his cock hit her sweet spot again and again. What could she say when he was taking the pain away and replacing it with delicious ecstasy?

“Yes, Lee.” She moaned loudly. A foreign heat had pooled in her stomach, the pistoning of his dick inside her driving her closer to a delirious state. Y/N was bouncing on him with his help and she couldn’t help but look at the man whom she’d grown to be fond of for the last few months. Fond was probably not the right term, but she’d only even kissed a boy before and it had been her senior year of high school, so long ago she didn’t even know what she was feeling. It was immeasurable. The grown man whose advances had made hordes of butterflies swirl in her stomach, made her breath quicken and at the sight of him her heart swelled.

“I’m gonna cum inside that sweet pussy of yours.” His words were foul, hips faltering as he felt the tightness of her cunt constricting the living daylights out of him. She had broken down before him, body spasming as an orgasm ripped through her in shocking waves.

“Oh my god oh my god.” She breathed out loudly, her folds seizing him in a shuddering way. Gripping so tight he couldn’t help but come only a mere seconds after her. His hips jolted, climax hitting him with such strength it had forced a string of curse words from his mouth. His cum seeped inside her like ribbons, painting her walls with his warm seed.

When they rode out their high, bodies covered in salty sweat and breathing somewhat steady, Lee grabbed her face and brought their lips together in another kiss. It was short and wet, his tongue swiping against hers. When he pulled away, he looked at the odd expression etched on her face.

“What am I gonna tell my daddy, sheriff?” She asked softly. Brows furrowed in worry. “It’s so late.”

“Your daddy doesn’t give a damn. He’s probably drunk off his ass while gambling.” Lee bit. He was right about her father, he was most likely drunk or gambling. Probably both. Lee was gonna take care of his girl now. Claim her. He had already taken her most precious gift anyway.

He wasn’t going to fuck her on the back of a cruiser. She didn’t belong there, not tainting the backseat of his car, not in an abandoned parking lot. The next time he fucked her he was going to plow into her on his bed. In his house. Because that’s where her sweetness belonged; tangled in his covers, a moaning mess beneath him. She should’ve been waiting for him to come home from a long day of work, arms out steady for him to fall on, lips ready to take his. She was more addicting than glasses of moonshine, more so than candy. Intoxicatingly beautiful, sweet and innocent.

“You’re mine now darlin.”

----

hope y'all enjoy lol I actually liked writing this so might make a second part. Who knows 💀🥴

Dividers can be found here by @writeyourmindaway. Ty!

[hereforhalstead]

Showtime

*Gif not mine, credits to the owner*

• Pairing: Jay Halstead x Reader.

• Requested: Not this one! Just fancied writing a little jealous Jay piece as I thought it had been a while👀 hope you enjoy!

• Warnings: Swearing

• Summary: Voight asks you to go undercover with Adam in which you decide to tease Jay about it as the unit are unaware of your relationship.

• Words: 3083

****

You sat at your desk as Voight called everyone to gather round his office, he makes his way over to the whiteboard and swings it round to show the information on the other side, your eyes wander over the board and the sight of so much detail and CCTV stills. You can’t help but realise you never saw him write any that down, so dread to think the hours he was here until last night to put this plan together. 

He was clearly having one of his days where no options were wanted and or needed, he blitzed through the minor details and barely stopped to take a breath. You all stood watching as he reeled off information that you were all supposed to be taking in, you were secretly hoping someone else was paying more attention than you as it seemed to be going in one ear and out the other. You find yourself loosing concentration as you focus on a random spot on the board, you jolt as Kevin nudges your arm. You turn to see Voight raising his brows at you, jaw hung open with the corner of his lip turned in spite “Sorry, what?” you quickly straighten up and actually focus on what he’s saying. “Nice of you to join us again, Y/N” he shakes his head and continues to point out details on the board.

A few moments later you had pretty much got the gist of the plan but it then came to giving out roles “Halstead, you’re gonna be posing as a bar tender to keep an eye on movements inside”. He barked his order and Jay nodded in response, “Kim, you’ll be a drunk club goer who’s trying it on with Jay so you’ll both be near by”. She rolled her eyes at Jay who always seemed to be used in some form of flirtatious way during these things which suited him but didn’t sit well with you. You trusted your team and would never doubt their intentions but it still wasn’t ideal for them to throw themselves at Jay during these missions and you couldn’t even make a well natured sarcastic comment about how he was yours.

You and Jay had been somewhat of an ‘item’ for a few months, you found yourselves growing closer after becoming partners and soon one thing led to another. Unbearable tension built and Kim was the one to call you out on it, fed up of being put in the middle of your silly spats and childish arguments when it was clear how drawn to each other you were. You decided to keep it between the pair of you as Voight made it clear he wasn’t a fan of relations within the unit, Jay struggled at first but after seeing the way Voight laid into Kim and Adam he soon realised you had a point. It was all fun and games at first, sneaky glances across the room, little touches in the locker room but there was always going to be some negatives that you hadn’t planned for. For example, the way girls throw themselves at Jay was something you’d never get used to. I mean he truly was something else but the way they would do anything to get his attention made you cringe, what was even worse was how he would try and wriggle out of the situations but they would follow him around like a lost puppy. You’d watch as he’d get more frustrated with not being able to tell them he wasn’t single and how he looked to you for help but you couldn’t do much more. 

Jay found it equally as hard as he was quite a jealous and protective person, this was magnified when he was thrown into the deep end of men flirting with you and him having to just stand back and watch. He would step in every now and then if they really weren’t getting the hint but if he intervened every time he wanted, someone definitely would’ve caught on by now. 

Voight finished giving out instructions and demands of Hailey and Kevin taking roles of surveillance in the van parked outside the venue. He was quick to dismiss everyone which left you and Adam without direction, “What about us Sarge?” Adam questions and the group hang back, thinking they’ll be involved in a change of plan. “Oh yeah, how could I forget. The main stars of my show” he slings an arm round each of you as he pulls the pair of you to face the rest “Everyone, meet the new hot couple in Intelligence” he proudly announces and you see Jay’s face drop but you’re just as confused “Come again?” you question but Adam doesn’t need telling twice as he doesn’t seem to doubt Voight’s decision “Fine by me” he winks towards you. You look to Kim and cock your eyebrow with an unimpressed glance, she shrugs back at you and smiles which puts you slightly at ease as you didn’t want to step on any toes due to you knowing how it felt to be put in that position with a certain detective. “I’m putting the pair of you undercover, Adam as the big man and you being his not to clued up eye candy” Voight pats you on the shoulder as you notice Jay roll his eyes “Thanks Sarge, won’t take it personally” you sarcastically respond. 

“Go on, go get dressed up the pair of you.” he releases you from his hold as Adam receives a high five from Kevin followed by a “my man” in praise. “I sent Trudy out to pick up some outfits for you, go and get them from her and get your arses into gear. We leave in an hour.” Voight heads back into his office and shuts the door behind him, you make your way over to Kim’s desk and perch yourself on the edge “Why couldn’t he choose you? Surely he knows you have much better convincing power with Adam than me” you mutter but considering the room was in silence you knew everyone could hear. “You know what he’s like with me and Adam, he’s probably doing this in spite of me” she moans “Just remember to stay on his left side, he always favors his right” she adds and you laugh “he’s such a girl”. 

“M’Lady, shall we go and get red carpet ready?” Adam approaches and offers his arm out to you, you run your eyes up and down his body in judgement but he doesn’t move “Come on, it could be worse. You could be stuck with Halstead” he scans his eyes over to Jay who was already leaning on his elbow and watching the pair of you “Suppose you’re right” you respond to play along with his jokes. Jay tilts his head and a sarcastic grin flashes on his face before turning back to his paperwork “Let’s go you two, why are you still here?” Voight’s rough voice echoes through the room as he storms out of his office “Trudy picking outfits? If I come back in a bin bag just know it was better than whatever god forsaken mess she has picked” you whisper to Kim who chuckles as you take Adam’s arm and head down the stairs to Trudy. 

You’re taken by surprise as she pulls out the clothes from the bags, she’d picked out a nice white shirt for Adam with some tailored black pants and some black leather shoes. “A little magician like for me but I’ll take it” he comments as he takes the bag from her, she stares him down with her intense gaze and then turns onto you. You feel yourself dreading what she will present you with but your jaw nearly drops to the floor when she picks out a little satin black dress and when you say little, you mean little. The corresponding black heels soon get placed on the counter and you can see Trudy trying to conceal her smugness but failing “This the kind of thing you wear for Mouch?” Adam asks and laughs to himself but Trudy doesn’t mirror his humour “I rarely wear anything for Mouch” she winks and Adam clears his throat “I’ll leave that alone if you don’t mind”.

You take the bag into the locker room and slip into the dress, this wasn’t you’re normal attire but you were not mad in the slightest. The shortness of the dress would take some getting used to but once you got the heels on you felt incredible. Luckily, you always kept some make up in your locker due to plans within Intelligence being pretty last minute and you liked to make some touch up’s before you headed out to Molly’s for the evening. You took yourself over to the mirror and began applying your make up, a little heavier than usual as you wanted to match the aesthetic of your outfit but still nothing crazy and thanking yourself for washing and straightening your hair the night before so it was already good to go after a quick brush through. You studied yourself in the mirror and was quite impressed with the outcome and dare you admit, excited to see how riled up it would make Jay. You took out your phone and sent him a quick text message, simply saying ‘Sorry in advance’ so you could say you gave him some form of pre warning. 

Stuffing your old clothes back into your locker you head back upstairs and can feel your heart racing as you get closer and closer to the top of the steps. As soon as you come into sight, you’re met with wolf whistles and various comments to which you never know how to respond “Damn girl, didn’t know you had it in you” Kevin pipes up as his eyes roam your body “Not mad about it, not mad at all” Adam chimes in as Hailey coughs to interrupt “Keep it in your pants boys, you don’t see Halstead drooling over her. Be more like him” she adds and you laugh to yourself at the irony. Jay clears his throat and makes his way over to you, your heart thumping so hard in your chest that you’re sure everyone is bound to hear. He hands you a necklace and you stare at him confused, he picks up your hand from your side and places it in your palm with more force than you were expecting, taking you slightly aback “Voight wants you to wear this, something about how it can be a present Adam gave you but it will really be where your mic goes”. Adam peers over at the necklace and nods “I’ve got good taste, you’re very lucky” he suggests with a wink, Jay soon returns to his desk, avoiding all eye contact and turning his attention back to his monitor. 

“Are you not meant to have a bag of some sort?” Hailey asks and you check inside the carrier bag Trudy gave you but see nothing resembling any accessories “Nothing in here, might’ve left it in the locker room though”. You place the bag on Kim’s desk and head back down the stairs, passing Trudy’s desk as you go. She takes a double look as you stroll past and nods to herself “Not bad Y/N. You’ve got a great stylist” she compliments and you dramatically flick your hair in response, “What’s up with the mood Halstead?” she keeps her eyes on you despite her talking to Jay who makes his way down the stairs “I’m not in a mood?” he snaps back, regretting instantly as she widens her eyes at him “Tell your stompy feet that then” she looks him up and down and then smiles at you “Smash it kid”. 

You feel some sort of warmth from Trudy despite what people think of her, she always had a soft spot for you and you found comfort in seeing her as your ‘work mum’. God for bid she ever found out that you think of her that way though, she’d probably stop speaking to you all together.. 

You stand at Trudy’s desk and wait for Jay to leave but he doesn’t seem to be budging, you feel him staring at you as if he is waiting for you to make the first move “Sorry, did you want something or?” she asks and Jay shakes his head “Voight sent me down here to help Y/N look for something in the locker room” he is quick to respond but you knew it was bullshit, Voight couldn’t care less about you finding a bag let alone putting 2 people onto finding it. You push your thoughts aside and carry on walking to the locker room you had just been getting ready in. The sound of your heels clicking on the hard floor sure turned some heads and it was just your luck a drunk group of men were in one of the rooms to awaiting questioning. One of them leant against the door frame and wolf whistled, the other joined him and made some comment about how you looked but you didn’t give it any attention, Jay on the other hand couldn’t stop himself “Sit back down and shut the fuck up before I make you, we clear?” he slammed the door shut behind them but you kept walking.

“What are you really doing here Jay?” you question as you enter the room, holding the door open for him before walking over to your locker. You hear a loud thud as he shuts it behind the pair of you and leans his back against it, his knee bent as he picks off a bit of fluff from the thigh of his jeans “That dress new?” he asks, still not looking up at you and focusing on his jeans “You know it is, Voight only told the entire team that Trudy bought us outfits?” you huff as you fail to find any form of bag or purse that was intended for you to use. 

You begin to walk around to check other areas you had been within the room, the bathroom, the mirror but nothing seemed to jump out. Meanwhile, Jay was still stood leaning against the door and watching your every move intently “You gonna let me leave and do my job or?” you stand in front of Jay but he doesn’t budge. Instead he simply turns his nose up and shakes his head “Well then do something useful and help me put this necklace on” you hang the jewelry from your hand but he just stares at it “Or I’ll just do it myself then. Fuck sake” you mumble under your breath and walk back over to the mirror.

A few moments go by and it was no use, you couldn’t get the necklace on by yourself and Jay was still being as useless as ever and not moving to help, instead strolling over and sitting on one of the benches in the middle of the room. “Guess I’ll just get Adam to put it on for me, or Kevin. I’m sure they’d jump at the chance to help” you think aloud and strut past Jay who reaches up to catch your wrist before you can get any further “Come here then”.

He pulls you down onto his lap and you can feel his breath against the nape of your neck, a shiver run down your spine as he touches your skin and moves your hair to one side “Looking forward to being coupled with Adam? You look great together” he remarks and you roll your eyes at him for ruining what could’ve been one of your private moments that you were starting to crave. You stand from his grasp as he manages to fix the necklace round your neck and head for the door to leave but he is hot on your trail “Something bothering you?” you ask but Jay responds by looking down on you with that glint in his eye and mischievous smirk to try and divert your attention from how he is behaving “You don’t even have to say a word for me to know you’re lying if you say you don’t care" you chuckle but Jay isn’t amused. 

“Go and have fun, I’m sure I’ll have a great time watching the pair of you all over each other” he comments with gritted teeth “I’m sure we will have a blast, might even stick my tongue down his throat" you quickly add and curse yourself for not thinking before you speak “Go for it, gotta make it convincing” to your shock he agrees but the way his fists hang tight at his side and his nostrils are flared tell a whole different story “You really need to work on your lying skills detective”.

You can sense the rage running through him as the pair of you stand in silence, your eyes flick over to the clock and realise you’re meant to be leaving at any moment and they will be wondering where you are. You place your hand on Jay’s cheek and see him lean into your hand slightly, no matter how tense he is with you he can never stop himself from giving into your touch. “We best get going, I’ve got to see a man about a new boyfriend” you tease causing Jay to regain himself and straighten up “I dare you Y/N. I dare you to put on your little act as best you can because you know I’ll be watching and ready to remind you who you belong to when we’re alone” he threatens and you feel as though your legs could give way out of the weakness he causes you. You know him too well to know these weren’t empty threats and you were now set on going above and beyond to make him jealous “Enjoy the show, baby.”

***

Inbox and requests always open💃🏼

After popular demand, Part 2 to this is now up!

[darling-i-read-it]

May Queen

Pelle x reader

Word Count: 3.7k

Warnings: being indoctored into a cult, murder, suicide, basically the plot of midsommar

Author’s Note: This can be seen as a sequel to ‘Hug’ or it can be read on it’s own!

yeah i was a little excited that you guys wanted this one lol I don’t know if you can tell. I’ve seen this movie enough, it was about time I did something within the events of the film. I also referred to the script so some of the lines will be familiar! I hope you all enjoy!

Requested: by anon, omg your pelle fic wow; would you consider doing a sequel to it that either takes place during the events of the film or just before they arrive at Pelle's commune?

Requested: by anon, I would LOVEEE to see a sequel with pelle cause that was a pretty good fix and I think he deserves a bit more attention, I personally would like to see something happen during the events of the movie just because I think it would be interesting to see but that's just me

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director/creator

(not my gif)

“You think that Pelle asked you to go just because I’m going?” Dani asked, messing with her fingers. You were standing beside your bed, packing your suitcase slowly. Dani had already packed; she didn’t like to be unprepared.

“I don’t know...maybe he thought you would enjoy yourself more.”

“You’re acting like I’m the one who’s been dating him for these couple of months,” she told you. She was sitting on the bed, looking up at you. You nodded a bit, putting another pile of clothes inside.

“I know. I guess I’m just nervous. Meeting his whole group, going to where he grew up. I mean. I really like him. What if I fuck it up?” She shook her head and reached over to grab your arm. You looked her in the eyes.

“He really likes you. I can’t remember the last time Christian looked at me the way that Pelle looks at you.” Her eyes were honest. It made you feel bad. You should have gotten her to break up with Christian when you got the chance. But it was too late now; you were all going to Sweden.

“I suppose you’re right. Per usual.” She smiled weakly.

“Finish packing.”

=======

Pelle almost wanted to tell you about the whole thing. When he was on the plane, it crossed his mind to let you in on the whole scheme of things. The May Queen, the festival, all of it.

But he bit his tongue. That was tradition.

You arrived in Sweden well and took the trek up to where the first stop was. It was beautiful. Truly, it was stunning.

Pelle held your hand the whole way until you arrived at the first spot. There were people around the grassy hills, scattered around. Pelle got out of the car.

“These are other people from America that my friends have brought!” he exclaimed. He gestured to the many people around. You looked around, gazing at the nice afternoon. He grabbed your arm and started to drag you along.

“Hey, don’t rip it off!” you joked and he eased up.

“Sorry, I’m quite excited!” You smiled sweetly at his happiness.

“Me too!” He approached some people and started to introduce them when a man behind you started to yell. You turned around quickly, surprised at the loud noise. Pelle turned around too and his smile only grew.

“If you’ll excuse me,” he said and then ran over to the approaching man. They embraced each other, hugging tightly.

“Everyone, this is my brother Ingemar. Ingemar this is Christian, Dani, Mark, Josh and my girlfriend, Y/N,” Pelle said. Ingemar followed where Pelle pointed, shaking hands with everyone. He paid special attention to you, his smile getting wider. You could tell that he and Pelle were related.

“Nice to meet you all. This is Simon and Connie from London,” he said, gesturing to the others behind him. “Simon and Connie this is Pelle and...all the names I just remembered two seconds ago,” Ingemar said laughing. Simon and Connie said hello. “Perfect timing by the way.”

Ingemar pulled out a bag of mushrooms from his pocket. Your eyes went wide.

“We just took these five minutes ago. Haven’t even started feeling the effects yet,” he explained.

“Oh shit!” Mark said, happily.

“Do you all want to take it now or should we get settled in?” Pelle asked.

“Fuck it, let’s take it now!” Mark said. You weren’t too sure about that. You trusted Pelle and everyone of course but in the new environment...it rubbed you the wrong way. Thankfully, Dani turned to speak to Christian about it.

“I think I want to get settled in first.” Christian was about to speak but you cut him off.

“Me too. You guys go and have fun, we’ll keep each other company,” you said. Pelle turned to you.

“Are you sure? I assure you it’s safe,” he said in a soft voice. You smiled kindly and put a gentle hand on his arm.

“I know! I just wanna get settled. Dani and I can handle ourselves, I promise.” He gave you a longer look, just to check that you were alright and then nodded. You turned back to Dani who grabbed your arm desperately.

“Thank you,” she whispered. You nodded.

“No thank you.”

=====

It wasn’t until the next day, Dani’s birthday, that you were able to get on further. You and Dani played some card games that you had brought with you while you waited for the effects to wear off for everyone else.

Christian came over to sleep beside Dani, still high. Pelle came over to you and braided your hair and then unbraided your hair, making very long sentences that didn’t make sense to whisper in your ear.

But when you arrived at the commune it was bright and sunny. Pelle rushed around, hugging people and introducing you and the group to everyone. You were able to get some blankets to sit on the grass, while everyone got their things together.

There was a group of girls dancing around in circles, wearing all white.

“You should go join,” Pelle suggested, gesturing to you and Dani. She shook her head a bit.

“Oh no, I’m too scared,” Dani said sheepishly. You nodded in agreement.

“Maybe another time.” Christian stood up.

“Hey can I join…” he started turning to Pelle.

“You’re American. Just jam yourself in,” he said. Christian nodded and walked away. “I think I’ll join him,” Simon said and was quickly followed by the rest of the group except you, Pelle and Dani. There was a moment of silence as you watched them go.

“Hey, just real quick,” Pelle said, digging for something in his pocket. He took out two pieces of paper and handed them to you and Dani. You both opened them to reveal gorgeously drawn pictures of yourselves wearing flower crowns. “For you Dani, think of it as a birthday present. For you Y/N, I imagine it’s a thank you present.”

“Oh Pelle,” Dani said. “It’s beautiful, thank you.”

“Thank you for what?” you asked, brushing your finger over it. He smiled and shrugged.

“Just a thank you.”

“Well thank you for it,” you said. “I got Dani a new sweater. Christian forgot.” Pelle raised his eyebrow and you shared a look.

“I forgot to tell him...it’s my fault,” Dani explained. You shook your head.

“I tend to disagree,” you muttered. You folded the picture back up and put it in your pocket. You put your head on Pelle’s shoulders “But I think Christian is rude.”

“Perhaps you are too judgemental,” Pelle mused. “But I tend to agree with you regardless.” You and Dani laughed a bit. “We should probably go and catch up with them in case they get lost.”

=====

You got settled in in one of the large buildings, plenty of beds against the walls. Pelle was on the bed to your right while Dani slept on the one to your left.

“All right, beauty rest! Tomorrow’s a big day!” Pelle announced. You had one of the books you had brought open on your lap but you looked up at him.

“What’s tomorrow?” you asked.

“First of the big cerinomines,” he said mysteriously.

“So you’re just going to be weird and cryptic?” Josh asked, laughing a bit. Pelle pauses and then took Josh's notebook, writing something inside. You made an attempt to look but it was not a word that you recognized.

“What’s that?” Christian questioned. Pelle shrugged and laid down in his bed. You faced him, on the bed beside him.

“What is it?” you whispered to him. He gave you a teasing smile.

“It’s hard to explain.”

“I will come over there and tickle it out of you,” you threatened. He chuckled and turned around so he wasn’t facing you. But he put his arm back behind him, reaching across the space between your two beds.

You grabbed it and rubbed his knuckles anxiously.

=====

There was a very odd breakfast the next day but you tried not to judge. You wanted to really appreciate Pelle’s culture and understand it. He had admired you for your understanding and he knew you would make an effort.

That’s why he chose to love you.

You were the obvious choice.

After that you walked out to a cliffside where most of the people were already out and lined up. You were curious to find complete silence. Everyone was silent as it happened and you were able to do nothing but watch as these two elderly people stood up on top of the cliff.

When the first person, a woman, jumped, you grabbed Pelle, putting your hand in front of your mouth. He grabbed you and wrapped his arms around you but it didn’t change the look of serenity on his face.

Simon was standing next to Ingemar yelling as the man approached the cliffside.

You had your face in Pelle’s arms. You were shaking.

“It is the way of life,” he whispered to you. Simon was still screaming. Another elder was talking to him and you could feel Pelle want to move toward them but he stayed beside you. “It is our way of recycling them and their gifts.”

You pulled away from him and shook your head a bit. You met Dani’s eyes. She wasn’t showing much emotion other than shock. You didn’t blame her.

“They’re dead,” you whispered. He nodded and put his hands on your upper arms.

“And it is an honor to have died that way.” You weren’t sure how to feel. You wanted to be understanding, to try and understand him and his ways. You would want that from him. But he should have prepared you more for that.

You walked over to Dani and walked beside her on the way back to the houses.

=====

“I’m leaving,” Dani said.

“I don’t blame you.” She was already packing a bag. You sat down on your bed, head in your hands. You took a deep breath and leaned back on the bed.

“Are you coming with me?” she asked. Her voice was shaking. She was clearly shaken up by all of this.

“No,” you muttered. “I’m not leaving Pelle yet.”

“Not even after that?” Her voice was quiet but it was urgent. You shook your head a bit.

“I just have to talk to him. He should have warned us more, of course but....it’s what he’s been raised to believe is normal. I don’t think I should think of it as a bad thing.”

“We just watched people die!” You stood up off the bed and put your hands on your upper arms, steading her.

“You can go home and I will not blame you. In the slightest. I just think I should stay longer,” you told her. She nodded solemnly. She took a deep breath in through her nostrils and nodded again.

=====

Before bed that night Pelle approached you. You were standing outside of the bed house, leaning against it to try and clear your thoughts. You almost completely ignored him but in the end you locked eyes with him as he approached.

“I’m sorry I didn’t give you adequate warning,” he said sympathetically. He grabbed your hand and held it. “I thought you would understand but I know now that it was wrong of me to assume.” You shook your head quickly.

“I understand it was just...a shock,” you muttered. He nodded and kissed your forehead softly.

“You are completely safe here. I want you to know that.” He looked you in the eyes when he said it. You believed him. You nodded back and gestured to the house.

“Let’s get some shut eye huh? And maybe warn me if we see another person...you know.” You made a slicing gesture across your neck. He laughed gently and nodded, placing a hand on the small of your back and leading you inside.

=====

Dani walked up to you, still distraught but less so. You were standing beside Pelle the next day as he kneeled in front of the ground picking some vegetables. You turned to her as she walked up, ready to handle whatever she was about to throw at you.

“Hey,” you said, taking the step away from Pelle and toward her.

“Hi. Did you see Simon left without Connie?” she asked. You raised an eyebrow and shook your head.

“Seriously? What a dick.” She clearly felt a little bit off put by it so you lowered your voice. “You think it’s weird?” Dani nodded a bit.

“I don’t know...it’s a little weird. They seemed so close.” You nodded. They did seem close.

“I don’t know...something to keep in mind I suppose.” She nodded quickly in agreement.

======

Dinner that night was simple pastries. You were pleased. The last food they had given you wasn’t your kind of taste. You sat between Pelle and Dani again.

“Have you seen Connie?” Dani asked you quietly. You shook your head.

“Excuse me but I know what happened,” a man sitting beside Mark said. “Her boyfriend called the landline from the train station. She begged us to drive her so we took her down to the station.” You nodded slowly, glancing at Pelle. He shrugged, seemingly in agreement.

“Why would Simon leave without her?” you asked quietly.

“I can see you doing that,” Dani muttered at Christian. You wanted to laugh so you turned to Pelle, sneaking a smile. He shrugged with a smile on his face also.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Christian asked.

“Nevermind.”

“You wouldn’t do that,” Pelle said quietly, so only you could hear. You ate a bite of the pastry proudly.

“You’re damn right.”

======

One of the important books was stolen that night. They announced it at breakfast.

“Where is your friend Josh?” one of the elders asked, after breakfast. You, Christian, Dani and Pelle all stood in front of the two elders, caught like a deer in headlights.

“I know. We have no idea,” Christian said.

“He and your other friend disappear in the same day. You understand how that looks.”

“Yes obviously, but we swear to you we are not a part of this,” Christian said. Dani shuffled a bit.

“We did see Mark go off with one of the girls last night,” she said.

“Which girl?”

“Inga,” Pelle said.

“But Mark wouldn’t have done this. Josh, though, he came to bed with us, and when we woke up, he was gone. And if he did take that book, I just pray you understand we do not identify as friends of his, or collaborators, or anything. I certainly don't vouch for him and we'd be so embarrassed to be connected to this in any way,” Christian explained.

“I feel responsible,” Pelle said. The elders nodded a bit.

“Well you and Odd can go looking. Perhaps you can redeem them,” one of the elders said. You didn’t want Pelle to leave. You didn’t like it when you were separated here. You believed him when he said you were safe but...it was still a little odd. “You two will be going with the women for the day’s activity,” he said to you and Dani. “And Siv asks to see you in her house,” she said to Christian.

You glanced at Pelle as he left. He grabbed your hand and squeezed it, almost saying ‘do well!’.

=====

You and Dani got dressed in white shirts with flower crowns. It made you a tad bit nervous but at least you had her.

She gestured to the drink they were handing out. Cups had been given to both of you to drink it.

“Can I ask what’s in this?” Dani asked one of the girls.

“It’s...tea for the dancing competition.” You raised an eyebrow but took a glass anyway. Dani looked back at you and you shrugged.

“I’ll beat you,” you muttered.

“Try me.”

You both took drinks of the tea.

Your head became fuzzy the second it hit your throat. You hadn’t taken those drugs before hand and you almost didn’t want to do it now but it was already done. Your feet were moving along with the girls, tossing bodies left and right it felt like.

You lost sight of Dani very quickly.

You were running and jumping and laughing until the elder lady yelled to stop then you kept dancing.

Dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing.

Dancing.

It seemed to go on forever. Your mind was hazed, your head hurt, your glances were so quick they gave you whiplash. You were smiling brightly when they announced they were down to the final eight. You finally saw Dani again, in the eight with you.

All of the fallen dancers had sat off on the side. You saw Christian, looking hilariously out of place. And Pelle.

Your heart swelled with love for Pelle. You could barely know anything else for a moment as you stared at him.

You couldn’t see it but in that moment, Dani believed she learned how much she hated Christian.

Then more dancing.

People were speaking and then it was just you and Dani, holding hands, dancing around in a circle, tired and out of breath. She stared at you and a smile went over her face as she held your hand.

And then she tripped. You stopped dancing and someone ran up to you, putting their hands on your shoulder.

“It’s over?” you asked.

“You are our May Queen!” they yelled. You were still hazzed. Each face looked the same. The people running up to you were strangers but you felt nothing but warmth for them. They placed a different flower crown atop your head.

Pelle ran up to you smiling brightly.

“Wow! May Queen, my love!” he said, giving you a strong kiss, both his hands resting on your cheeks. You were smiling brightly and then he was gone. You didn’t want him to go.

They carried you on a platform to a dinner table where you sat at the head, Dani beside you and Pelle on the other side as usual.

One of the elders stood at the end of the dinner.

“Now it is traditional for the May Queen to bless our crops and livestock. And after the luck you just inherited from that salt herring, we should all be doubly encouraged.” You looked around nervously.

“Can Pelle come with me?”

“No. The Queen must ride alone.”

You were starting to come to your own and realize how crazy this all was. How did you get here? How would you get out of here? You found yourself hoping you didn’t get out of here though. This felt like home. Some form of home. As you walked to the carriage you saw a glimpse of the pride on Pelle’s face.

It made you immensely happy.

======

They made you do a ritual in Swedish and you did your best with the limited knowledge of the language you knew. You went to Siv’s house, where she blessed you. You wondered where Dani was. You hoped she was alright. You should have let her become the May Queen. You should have let her win, just so you knew she was alright.

The women left you alone for only a moment where they ushered Pelle into the house with all of the beds where you were. He was still smiling that bright smile as he rushed up to you, hugging you tightly to him.

“You have no idea the amount of honor and pride you have brought to me. I am so very proud of you,” he said, cupping your cheeks. You tried not to get too flustered with your smile in return.

“So I get my picture up on that wall?” you questioned. He nodded pleasantly.

“Yes you will!” He kissed you passionately and you let him, allowing him to dip you a bit. “And you will be allowed to stay here, with the family.”

You didn’t even react. You didn’t feel the need to.

“With you?”

“Yes of course. You will be mine and I will be yours.”

You nodded happily.

“Where is Dani?” you asked.

“She is alright, she’s with the other women preparing. She is also going to stay.” You wanted to laugh of joy with that. “It is time for the final of the ceremonies,” he told you. “You will finally be able to give Christian what you think he deserves, if you wish it.”

He placed an even larger flower crown atop your head.

“And a dress as well, to fit a Queen.”

He gestured to the large flower dress in the room you hadn’t even noticed. He kissed you once more.

“It is time for the final ceremony. I’ll help you put on the dress. Are you ready?” he asked. He looked at you patiently. You nodded.

“Yes, I am.”