#Just to like... explain where I disappeared to

[sleepyhoon]

TWO MOONS - L.HS

pairing. plug!heeseung x reader

genre. smut, 18+ content, one shot, drabble. MDNI!

word count. 4k+

warnings. drug & alcohol consumption, partying, swearing, sex while intoxicated, short smut [ dry humping, multiple orgasms, oral (f. receiving), fingering ]

synopsis. based off of this hard thought! plug!heeseung who likes you so much that he's convinced himself that you're kinda evil.

a/n. sorry this took so long lol hope u enjoy regardless :) no part 2 so plss dont request it but maybe some drabbles!! also not fully proofread so pls disregard any typos or grammatical errors hehe

Never in his life did Heeseung predict he’d be getting bitched around by a girl arguably much shorter, physically weaker, and far less intimidating than him. And yet here he was, shirtless in his kitchen at two in the morning on his third attempt of baking edibles all because you were too scared to smoke a little weed. 

Fucking ridiculous.

It’s his own fault, really, he should’ve known that innocent, good girl persona you put on was all an act you use to control people – specifically men. Stirring the dessert batter in the mixing bowl, Heeseung shakes his head at the memory of you tilting your head and batting your eyelashes at him as you spoke, your perfectly manicured nails – that you probably got some desperate bitchboy to pay for – tracing and lightly scratching his bicep.

“So,” you started, dragging out the ‘o’, “how much do you charge for edibles?”

Heeseung shakes his head, tracing the rim of his half-empty red solo cup as he responds, “Edibles aren’t my forte. You don’t smoke?”

“Not my forte,” you say in a mocking tone, making Heeseung chuckle. “It’s just too much, you know? The smell, how quick it kicks in…not for me. But, uh, if you don’t make them I’ll stop wasting your time, then.” You give Heeseung a friendly pat on the shoulder before turning on your heels, fully prepared to disappear back into the party and find someone who actually meets your needs.

“Wait!” Heeseung stops you, tugging on your arm until you’re back to facing him. He can’t fucking believe this bullshit manipulation tactic you’re using on him is actually working, he’s literally pulling on your arm like a child so you won’t leave him.

You raise a brow at him as you wait for Heeseung to continue, taking note of his sudden nervousness, “Yeah?”

“Uh…are you into, like, brownies? Or…”

The smirk you gave in response said enough, you’ve got him exactly where you want him.

He’d spent the next few hours browsing the aisles of Target, checking his phone every so often and checking off each ingredient as he tossed them into the bright red shopping cart. To make matters worse, you hadn’t even requested normal brownies, you wanted some shit he’d hardly ever heard of before: blondies. 

It was bad enough that Heeseung already couldn’t bake for shit, and here you were demanding he’d make something he’d never even tasted before; you really are a master manipulator.

His third and final attempt at baking the blondies were a success, his three roommates taste-testing the fresh batch as a final confirmation.

“I can’t even taste it,” Jake says, his brows shooting up in delight, “you sure you’re not forgetting the main ingredient?”

“That’s the whole point,” Heeseung explains, cutting the remaining batch into neat squares, “YN doesn’t want the taste to be too strong, she likes when it’s more subtle and takes awhile to kick in.”

“Are you her wife or her plug?” Sunghoon jokes from his spot on the couch, taking a small bite of his own blondie.

“Neither,” Jay inserts himself into the conversation, taking a seat next to Sunghoon, “I’m sure he wants to be both, though.”

“Fuck off,” Heeseung snaps, momentarily narrowing his eyes at his roommates. “We just met, I’m just trying to get to know her.” He sets the knife down, reaching into the wooden cabinet to retrieve ziplock bags.

“You’re already her bitch, what else is there to know?” Sunghoon half-jokes, resting his feet on the ottoman.

“I am not her bitch.”

He totally is, if the way he’s hurrying to send you a picture of the freshly made blondies is anything to go by.

Heeseung * 2:47 AM

[Attachment: 1 Image] Yooo

YN * 9:06 AM

omggggg  ur the fucking best how much??

You didn’t respond until the following morning, causing Heeseung to nearly jump out of his skin once he woke up to your texts. He turns on his side, elbow propped up against the mattress as he formulates a response.

Heeseung * 10:31 AM

1 for 10 or 2 for 15. venmo or cashapp But lmk if you want more 

YN * 10:40 AM

no cash? :(

Heeseung’s about to go on a long winded explanation about how money transferring apps are quicker and more convenient than accepting cash when you interrupt him by sending a photo.

YN * 10:41 AM 

[Attachment: 1 Image] plsssss i don’t trust cashapp and ive been having issues w my venmo acc :(

It’s a photo of the bottom half of your face, lips formed into a cute pout with your camera angled low enough to show off your cleavage. You weren’t even trying to be discreet, setting your forearm underneath your chest to make your boobs sit higher, the cheetah print material of your bra peeking out from under your too-small tank top.

Heeseung swallows hard, staring down at the photo with his pupils blown wide as his trembling fingers type out a response.

Heeseung * 10:50 AM

Actually you know what don’t even worry about it lmao Consider it a gift When r u free for pickup Or i can bring to u Either or is fine lol

YN * 10:59 AM

omg :o are u sure?  don’t want u to lose out on money >.<

Heeseung * 11:11 AM

It’s fine dw about me baby U picking up? Or want me to drop off On campus is too risky

YN * 11:12 AM

thank u hee!!!!!!! im done with classes around 4:30 i’ll pick up around then if that works also u responded at 11:11…angel number u must be my angel :o

There you go again with your subtle manipulation tactics that Heeseung swears won’t work on him. If there really is angel out of the two of you, it definitely wouldn’t be you, but Heeseung’s not too sure he’d be considered one either. After all, in the twelve minutes it took him to respond to your message, he spent ten of them fucking into his fist as he stared at the photo you sent.

His mind conjured up countless scenarios; leaving hickeys and bite marks across your chest, slipping his dick between your tits as you held them together for him, cumming all over them, fucking anything. Desperate wasn’t even the word.

Heeseung * 11:13 AM

Must be :)

After a month and a half of being your personal baker slash bitchboy, Heeseung really is convinced that you’re using him, yet he doesn’t seem to mind. If anything he’s grateful, fully aware that if it weren’t for him being your plug, the two of you likely never would’ve crossed paths despite attending the same universities.

There wasn’t an ounce of school spirit in his body, so he had little to no urgency to attend any of the sporting events you cheered at or one of the many school-sponsored events you were required to attend. Meeting you at that party not too long ago had been his first encounter with you ever, and you clearly left him with a great first impression on him.

Since that night, he’s found himself conjuring up a new batch of edibles for you every week; brownies, cupcakes, cereal bars, whatever the fuck you wanted, and half the time he’d do it for free if it meant he got to give it to you in person.

He still hasn’t convinced you to actually smoke, though, but maybe it’s for the best. The mere thought of getting high with you and how you’d stare him down with half-lidded eyes was enough to make his dick hard — in fact, it already has. Several times.

Enough time has passed to the point where it’s obvious to everyone, yourself included, that Heeseung has genuine feelings for you that go beyond a physical and sexual attraction. Sure, he’s still convinced that you’re a little bit evil and definitely manipulative, but he considers it part of the fun. He’s also deluded himself into having the “I can fix her” mindset that he’s been using to justify his actions of ignoring your red flags.

However, even if he can’t “fix” you, it wouldn’t be a huge loss. Red is his favorite color, after all.

“You sound…crazy, and she sounds crazier,” Jake leans against the kitchen counter, raising a concerned brow at Heeseung as he takes a sip of his drink.

“I’m not crazy,” Heeseung corrects, “and YN is…I don’t know, honestly. Leave her alone, dipshit.”

Jake throws a hand up in defense, glaring when a fellow partygoer accidentally bumps into him, nearly causing him to spill his drink. “Rather be a dipshit than a bitchboy.” He mutters loud enough for Heeseung to hear before groaning, “Wow, speak of the devil.”

Heeseung turns, following Jake’s line of sight until he spots you walking through the front door. Stunning as always, your khaki mini skirt and black halter top fitting as if they were custom designed for you and only you.

Despite extending you an invitation to Sunghoon’s birthday party, Heeseung was fairly certain you wouldn’t show up tonight, assuming you’d be consumed with cheer practice or one of your many extracurricular activities to attend. Yet, here you were, a wicked grin on your face as you made eye contact with Heeseung.

He gulps in return, eyes wide as he watches you walk over to him and Jake.

You stand beside Heeseung, shooting him a quick smile before directing your attention to Jake, “Sunghoon! Happy birthday, king!”

Jake side-eyes you, briefly glancing at Heeseung before responding, “I’m not…you know what? Nevermind, thanks.” He takes this as an opportunity to exit the conversation, giving Heeseung a light pat on the shoulder as he leaves.

“Didn’t think you’d be here.” Heeseung comments, leaning against the kitchen countertop.

You shrug, “Wasn’t doing anything else, figured it wouldn’t hurt to stop by for a little. Besides, I wanted to see you.”

“Yeah?” Heeseung asks, tongue darting out to lick his lips.

“Yeah,” you respond, taking a step closer and resting your hand on his bicep, “got anything for me?”

Fuck, Heeseung knew he should’ve made another batch of brownies or some shit. He seriously hadn’t been expecting you to show up tonight, otherwise he would’ve been prepared.

He shakes his head, “Not this time, you should’ve told me you were coming; I would’ve made something.”

You groan, momentarily tilting your head back, “I just wanted to surprise you.”

“Consider me surprised,” his hand lands on your waist, pulling your body until your flush against him, “why won’t you just smoke with me?”

You grimace, shaking your head in response.

Heeseung rolls his eyes, “Just once? I know your first time wasn’t that great, but, I really think you’d like it if you tried again.”

“I don’t know, Hee…”

“Tell you what,” Heeseung starts, clearing his throat, “smoke with me just this once, and your next few purchases are on me.”

It isn’t much of an offer considering most of the shit he gave you was either free or already extremely discounted, but your eyes light up regardless. “Really?”

Heeseung nods, “I swear.”

You think it over for a moment, the pros instantly outweigh the cons and lead you to accept Heeseung’s desperate offer. 

A few minutes later, you find yourself in a comfortable lounge chair with Heeseung in his backyard, grateful that the remaining partygoers opted to stay indoors, giving you privacy and alone time with him.

You’re sitting sideways on his lap, trying your best to ignore the feeling of his dick pressing right against your ass, neatly rolled blunt in one hand as he uses the other to fish a lighter from his pocket. “You’re nervous,” he comments.

You shake your head, “I’m not.”

“You are, I feel you shaking.”

“I’m fine, just kinda cold. Go on.”

Heeseung studies you for a moment, eye contact strong and intimidating as ever as he brings the blunt to his parted lips. You watch carefully as he brings the lighter towards the tip, focusing entirely too much on the concentrated look on his face as he lights it. Slowly, he begins to rotate it as the end continues to burn, taking a few small puffs here and there.

Satisfied with his creation, Heeseung takes a long, slow drag, inhaling the smoke into his lungs before titling his head away to exhale.

“Your turn,” he says, offering you the blunt.

You hesitantly stare down at it before accepting; it was intimidating to say the least, the scent alone strong enough to make your head hurt. Heeseung watches you patiently, eyes darting between your lips and the blunt in silence.

Deciding you need a little bit of encouragement, he brings his thumb to your lips, parting them slightly as his free-hand wraps around your wrist, “You’ll be fine, trust me.” 

Under the guidance of his calloused hand, you finally bring the blunt up to your lips and briefly inhale before immediately exhaling.

Heeseung chuckles, shaking his head, “How’d that feel?”

You ponder for a moment, passing the blunt back to Heeseung, “I don’t feel anything. Literally nothing.”

“I mean, yeah, you didn’t even inhale it.”

You roll your eyes, “Why are there so many steps? This is why I prefer edibles.”

“I’m just showing you that you have other options, babe.”

“Yeah, well I’m sticking to my baked goods. You can have the rest of that, I don’t want anymore.”

Heeseung’s well aware that you’re a woman of your word, and the chances of you ever smoking again were a definite zero, so trying to get you to change your mind was pointless. However, there is one thing that may just work on you.

“Mind if I try something?”

You perk up, “Try what?”

“I do all the work but you still get high.”

You raise a brow, “That’s possible?”

He nods, “All you’d have to do is take deep breaths.”

Taking a deep breath, you accept Heeseung’s offer with a sigh, resting a hand on his shoulder as you adjust yourself on his lap. “Fine.”

Here goes nothing.

He guides the blunt back to his lips, taking a long drag as he holds the smoke in his mouth. He tilts his head upward towards you, taking your chin in his hand, signaling for you to part your lips. You follow his command and part your lips open, just enough for Heeseung to close the distance and allow the smoke into your mouth, his lips barely brushing against yours in the process.

You take in a deep breath, eyes closed shut and inhale the smoke, careful not to exhale too quickly and have a repeat of your previous attempt.

“How was that?” Heeseung asks, taking note of your sudden silence.

Truthfully, it wasn’t bad. The smell is still too strong for your liking and requires much more effort than biting off a piece of dessert and calling it a day, but it wasn’t bad. You’re certain that Heeseung shotgunning it into your mouth only added to the experience.

“Not bad,” you admit, “probably because you did all the work.”

He chuckles at that, “I’ll always take care of you, remember that.”

Heeseung is having the time of his life, thoroughly convinced that he finally has some power over you. Here you were sitting on his lap in his backyard letting him blow smoke into your mouth. Sure, it may have taken a lot of convincing and begging on his end to get to this point, but none of that matters; baby steps are still movement.

As if the night couldn’t have gotten any better, you’re asking Heeseung to shotgun more smoke into your mouth over and over. He’s careful to maintain a calm and nonchalant demeanor as he does so, not wanting to come off as too eager out of fear of scaring you away. Or even worse, giving you back that power you have over him.

On the fifth time, you swipe your tongue across Heeseung’s bottom lip when he passes the smoke into your mouth, a low groan escaping from him in the process. He’s fully hard in his jeans by now, and there’s no way you can’t feel his dick pressing right into you. Despite the cold weather, your entire body feels warm all over, Heeseung only adding to the pleasure.

You should’ve taken Heeseung a bit more seriously when he said you’d still get high from this; after a few minutes, your limbs were already starting to feel lighter and weaker. A delicate, cloud-like haze fills your head; your vision blurs slightly and it takes a few minutes for you to fully relax.

Heeseung, attentive as ever, remains silent and still has he watches you; primarily due to the fact that you squirming around on his lap is only adding to the uncomfortable tightness in his jeans. One wrong move, and he’d surely be cumming in his boxers.

You rest your forehead against Heeseung, pressing a firm hand against his chest when he moves to blow more smoke into your mouth. He hums, staring up at with a concerned look on his face.

You close your eyes, mumbling, “Heeseung…”

He hums again in response, still holding the smoke in his mouth.

You open your eyes briefly before closing them again, balling up the collar of his shirt in your fist as you lean down to press your lips against his. He opens his mouth on instinct, as if it were a second nature, parting his lips slightly and exhaling the smoke into your mouth once again.

Heeseung absentmindedly sets the blunt down, his hands moving to your waist to pull you closer to him until your tits are pressed right up against his chest. He groans into your mouth at the feelings, tilting his head to allow himself further into your mouth. 

You cup his face in your hands, hips moving forward as you slowly begin to grind yourself against him. “Fuck,” he moans in a low voice, “keep doing that.”

You grind down harsher this time, capturing his moan in your mouth in the process. With each movement of your hips, a shiver descends down your spine at the friction; Heeseung is painfully hard, and from what you could feel, he was definitely packing. Bigger than what you would’ve expected.

It all feels too good; you grinding against him, the state of his high, your tongue in his mouth. It’s all so overwhelmingly euphoric that Heeseung hardly realizes how close he is to literally cumming in his boxers.

His body was always overly sensitive whenever he got high, and often avoided any sort of intimacy that involved another person due to how embarrassingly quick he would finish, and tonight doesn't seem to be any different. What makes matters worse is the fact that Heeseung was already desperately attracted to you and had been dreaming of this moment since he’d first met you.

He pulls away quickly, cursing under his breath, “YN, h-hold on,” he stutters, “slow down, please.”

You don’t listen; in fact, you can barely even hear him with how caught up you were in your own head. “Hmm? Say that again?”

“S-slow – ah, fuck – slow down for a sec, baby.”

His grip on your waist tightens, and despite the urgency in his tone of wanting you to slow down, he makes no effort to still your hips move you off of him. Fuck it, it is what it is.

“Why?” You question, tilting your head, but you’re a few seconds too late.

Heeseung’s entire body shivers, hips jolting upwards as he comes on himself, making a mess of his boxers. While that alone was definitely embarrassing, Heeseung is more annoyed over the fact that you’ve regained your power over him. His priorities were definitely fucked, but he didn’t even care; he could clean himself up later, but the damage to his ego would take longer to repair.

Your hands fly to your mouth in shock, eyes widening as you process what’s just happened, “Oh, Heeseung…” you mumble into the palm of your hands.

He throws his head back, eyes squeezed shut as he runs a hand down his face, “You’ve gotta be fuckin’ kidding.”

“It’s okay! It happens! No big deal!” You try to reassure him, but it goes in one ear and out the other.

Sure it happens and maybe it isn’t a big deal, but it is for Heeseung. He’s not the type to bust a nut over someone squirming around in his lap for ten minutes, this shit was fucking insanity.

“I’m seriously not like this, I’m just overly-sensitive when I’m high. I swear, I-”

“It’s fine, Heeseung,” you interrupt, standing from his lap, “if anything, I’m flattered! Why don’t you, uh, get cleaned up and I’ll see you later?”

“YN, come on, don’t do this.” He pleads, following you and you make your way towards the sliding door. 

“I told you, it’s fine! I’m not like,” you pause, opening the door with a loud grunt, “mad or weirded out or anything.”

You slip back into the living room, Heeseung hot on your tail with every step. “Let me make it up to you!”

You sigh, “Honestly, I don’t think you have it in you to do that right now.”

“I do! Just let me, please.”

“Heeseung, please drop it. I said it’s fine.”

“It’s not fine, at least let me eat you out or something!”

“Heeseung!” Your eyes widen at his lewd, shameless offer, “Lower your voice! We’re in a fucking party surrounded by people!”

He smacks his teeth, “I don’t care. Please, YN.”

“You don’t have to make it up to me, you do not owe me anything.”

A beat of silence passes, then he says, “Then do it for me. Please.”

Even though Heeseung was the one literally begging to go down for you, there is a possibility of him having some sort of power over you; or maybe you just have a soft spot for him. Either way, you end up lying in his bed twenty minutes later, skirt bunched up around your waist as Heeseung’s wet tongue circles your clit, desperate attempt at coaxing a second orgasm from you.

He hadn’t even realized he’d grown hard again just from eating you out, and would likely end up cuuming in his boxers again just from doing this.

“Fuck,” he moans into your folds, pulling away slightly to pepper kisses on your inner thighs, “been waiting so fucking long for this.”

“Yeah?” You question, your grip on Heeseung’s hair tightening.

This earns a low groan from him as he nods against your skin, “You have no idea.”

Deciding he’s spent enough time away from your cunt, his lips make their way back onto you; his tongue falls flat against you, dragging your wetness upwards towards your swollen clit before wrapping his lips around the sensitive bud.

Your body shivers, a beam of sweat dripping down your forehead as your second orgasm approaches. You’ve been eaten out before, countless times, but never like this. It was almost as if Heeseung was doing it for his own pleasure rather than your.

He teases your entrance with his finger before sliding two of them in with ease, curling them upwards and immediately hitting the spot you needed him the most.

“H-Heeseung…hold on…”

He hums, but he’s not really listening, too occupied with kitten-licking your clit and pumping his fingers in and out of you. The knot in your stomach finally snaps and you’re gushing against his hands and mouth, Heeseung only takes this as a sign to continue lapping at your cunt. You have to literally grab him by the hair and drag him away from you.

He stares up at you, pupils blown wide and his chin coated in your juices, but he definitely looks happy. “What?” he asks.

You struggle to catch your breath, “You’re hard again?”

He looks down at his crotch momentarily before shrugging, “I guess.”

“You…don’t you wanna do something about that?”

His eyes flash down to your cunt for a split second, “It can wait.”

You scoff, “Well, I need a minute.”

Heeseung nods in agreement, impatiently drumming his fingers on his bed as you flop against his mattress. “Ready?” He asks once a minute has passed.

“No.”

He sighs, then sighs again, and again and again until you let out a frustrated groan. “Go get me a glass of fucking water.”

“Okay!” He shouts while standing, exiting the bedroom in a hurry. Maybe you really do treat him like a bitchboy, but he doesn’t seem to mind.

[sassycandypoetry]

I typed up some dialogue you can use in the future fic:

Sentinel: D-16! I finally found you!

D-16: Sentinel Prime? H-How?

Sentinel: Let's just say I have my ways. By the way, you and, uh… What was your friend's name again?

D-16: Orion.

Sentinel: ORION! Yes, right! You and Orion just seemed to disappear on me back at the Medbay! So, I 've spent the many hours trying to track you two down, and I see that you, Orion, and that Elita met B-127.

D-16: How do you know Bee?

Sentinel: THAT'S what you've been calling him? Guess it's not a bad nickname. Well… I'M the one who's been protecting him since he was a Sparkling.

D-16: How? By keeping him somewhere that none of us ever knew about? Like he was a PRISONER? Like what Darkwing tried to do to Orion and I?

Sentinel: Darkwing? He was the one who threw you down there? That does explain a bit. Guess I now know who to put on trial when I get back.

D-16: Sentinel Prime… We haven't found the Matrix, but we have a map that could lead us to it.

Sentinel: You found a map so you could find the Matrix? That's… AMAZING, D-16!

D-16: I-It is?

Sentinel: YES! You want to save Iacon as much as I do! And that is an INCREDIBLE thing! In fact… WE could help EACH OTHER.

D-16: What do you mean?

Sentinel: Listen to ME… Bee is in GREAT danger. If I don't find the Matrix as soon as possible, the Quintessons are going to DESTROY Iacon and any other cities left on Cybertron. They, and maybe the High Guard if they decide to team up with them, might even end up trying to take Bee away from me again. If you can get the map from Orion and Elita One, and use THIS to signal MY guards, I can capture all of the High Guard, take Bee back home where he is perfectly SAFE, and I will have YOU become one of my PERSONAL BODYGUARDS.

D-16: Okay, but I have few conditions of my own.

Sentinel: Fire away.

D-16: You have to give Orion a better job. Give back, or even promote, Elita One. And let Bee have a way to see the outside.

Sentinel: Consider it done, D-16.

Visual development for Tangled (2010) by Paul Felix

[iwasntstable]

n.s. | is it true?

🗀 C:/PROJECTS/MYWORK/ONESHOT/ISITTRUE [projects] ﹂ [my-work] | in-progress | favourites 　﹂ all | series | [one-shot] | blurb | head-cannons | ask 　　﹂ … | if-im-there | happy-birthday | [is-it-true]

╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌

➔𝐢𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧𝐭𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞➔➔　𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘷𝘦!+　　[𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝐀𝐎𝟯]

╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌

summary: Always stubborn, Noah refuses to take a break when he's sick, but everyone's convinced you can persuade him.

content tags: fluff, like a smidge of angst, slight miscommunication.

word count: 3.1k.

note: I started this in September and have been thinking about it ever since so it was about time I finished it 🖤

All the text from Jolly said was, “Hey, can you come down to the studio?” And the first thing you hear as you approach the door is raised voices. 

“You tell him!”

“Tell who what?” You ask, entering into the chaos as the hum of noise is reduced to silence and every face in the room turns to look at you.

“Tell Noah he needs to stop pushing himself and go home and rest in bed,” Matt is the first to speak up.

"I don't need to fucking rest," Noah sighs, rubbing his brow.

"And why do I need to tell him that?" You ask.

"She doesn't need to tell me anything!"

"Noah, you're going to make things worse,” Jolly stands with his arms folded like an impatient father.

“Make what worse? What’s going on?” You look between the men in the room, searching each of their faces for answers.

“He’s sick, but he keeps pushing himself even though he can’t sing properly right now. He needs to go get some fucking rest at home or he’ll fuck up his voice!” Jolly explains.

“It’s fine!” Noah protests from his desk chair. Though he was only half facing you, you could see the dark circles under his eyes and the greyish pallor to his skin. “If I need to re-record it, I will, but it’s fine right now,” he continues, and you can hear the hoarseness in his voice. Matt pulls off his hat and runs his hand through his hair in frustration, then replaces the hat back on his head with a sigh.

“Noah, you’re not going to be able to re-record anything if you lose your fucking voice,” Jolly turns to you and states your name firmly. “Tell him.”

“Again, why do I need to tell him? Why would he listen to me if he’s not listening to you?" You know they’re right, but he’s stubborn; you don’t understand what would make your instructions different.

“He'll listen to you because he's fucking in love with you!" Matt shouts.

It was like the air suddenly became thick, and nobody says a word more as your eyes widen and flick straight to Matt. Then to Noah, where he sits wearing what you guess is the exact same expression as yours. Your eyes lock, and you can feel the panic radiating from him. Just as you’re about to speak, the question on the tip of your tongue goes left unsaid as Noah abruptly stands and shoulders his way past the other men. “Noah,” you try, but he’s steadfast in his pace; his shoulder brushes yours as he passes, and not once does he look back.

You watch as his silhouette grows smaller through the window in the door, watching even as he disappears around the corner and out of view. You only turn when Matt calls your name quietly.

"What the fuck was that about?" you all but shout. The men shuffle awkwardly on their feet and struggle to meet your eyes.

"He's sick and losing his voice, but he keeps pushing anyway. We kept telling him to go back home and rest, but he wouldn't listen." Jolly tries to avoid the question.

"Yeah, I get that,” you cast a glance at him. “What did you mean?" You ask Matt directly.

"What?" He responds like a deer caught in headlights.

"What did you mean when you said he'd listen to me because..." You couldn't say it; just the thought had your face growing hot.

"Look, Dierkes, you go. We're gonna go talk," Jolly nods at his friend and spins around the desk chair Noah was sitting in, taking the seat for himself at the computer.

Matt enthusiastically makes his exit. Gathering his bags, he all but runs out of the studio, out from under the weight of your gaze. When the door closes behind him, you sit in the chair next to Jolly, and he turns his own chair to face you.

"He's crazy about you," he starts without hesitation. You pick at the leather of the armrest as your heart begins to race. "He talks about you all the time. Honestly, I don't know how you haven't noticed. He's liked you for months."

"You're serious?" You ask, meeting his eyes, which hold nothing but sincerity.

"You can't say you haven't seen it even a little!” He tilts his head and leans back against the chair. “The way he looks at you, he drops everything for you. Always coming to your side whenever some weird guy flirts with you. He hasn't gone on a date in ages because he's waiting for you!" You bite your lip, unwilling to believe what you're hearing, until Jolly says quietly, "I know you feel the same too."

"What?!" you raise your voice automatically, wishing immediately that you didn't when you see him smiling knowingly at you.

"I see the way you look at him too, when he's not looking. You go bright red when he teases you. Just like you are now. You know I see everything.” You press your hands to your cheeks, and they feel like ice compared to the heat from your face. "You should go talk to him. At least convince him to take a fucking week off," he spins around in his chair, waving his hand and going back to the piece he was working on before all this.

You sit frozen to the spot for a moment trying to process what he'd just said. Noah likes you. He likes you back.

Jolly's voice rings in your head as you stand. "He's liked you for months." You head for the door, out of the building, and into your car on autopilot. Taking a deep breath before turning the key in the ignition and pulling out onto the road in the direction of Noah’s house.

The whole way your mind is racing. "He's crazy about you." You had no idea what you were going to say when you got there. "He talks about you all the time... the way he looks at you." You were telling yourself it wasn't true; it couldn't be. The man you've admired and apparently not-so-secretly adored all this time felt the same way? It was crazy. It couldn’t be true. And yet the concept still makes your heart race, and that treacherous heat makes your skin flush.

You find yourself parked outside his house, your car neatly on the drive right next to his. For several minutes, you go back and forth on whether to go in or just leave. The idea of really confronting him about this situation brings you nothing but anxiety, but the fact that he’s unwell and pushing himself so hard, the need to check on him and at least make sure he’s okay, brings you to his front door.

When you knock, there’s no answer. You wonder if he's watching you from the doorbell camera and choosing to ignore you. After knocking again, you decide to just use your key instead, hoping he won’t be too mad.

Inside, you find no signs of life. All the lights downstairs are off, and the house is statically silent as though it were totally empty. You’d think it were empty if not for Noah’s car parked outside.

You finally figure out where he is when you head upstairs and see the glow of purple LEDs leak from underneath his bedroom door. Your hand hesitates in a fist before you pluck up the courage to knock. No response. You knock a little louder, but still, no response.

Pushing the slightly ajar door open, you peek into his room, finding him lying in bed. Curled up under a blanket, fast asleep. You can’t help but smile at the peaceful sight. He must’ve been exhausted to fall asleep so quickly and deeply. You back out of his room and close the door softly, treading lightly as you go back down the stairs to the kitchen. 

You jump up to sit on the counter and rest your head back against the upper cabinets, closing your eyes. How could you be in this situation? You were content to never tell Noah about your feelings for him, and never ever did you expect your feelings to be reciprocated. You’re still convinced this is all some joke or a misunderstanding. He ran from that studio because he was humiliated by the thought of liking you. There’s no way Noah could want you the way you want him. But after what Matt and Jolly said, you’ll never be content until you know the truth. Even if he denies it, you still have the chance to salvage this friendship that’s so dear to you. He doesn’t know how you feel. It’s not too late to save this, and if he confesses... Shaking your head, you can’t even entertain that thought.

To distract yourself from the feeling of impending doom and to make yourself useful, you decide to cook. Pulling your phone from your pocket, a quick Google search suggests chicken noodle soup as a good option for someone who’s unwell. Warm, high in protein, easy to digest. You slide from the counter to rummage through the kitchen, mentally thanking whoever went grocery shopping recently for having everything you need for the simple recipe.

Following the instructions on your phone, you work quickly, having the food prepared in just over thirty minutes. After preparing a serving in a bowl and buttering some bread too, you balance both on a plate, almost forgetting the spoon before you go carefully back up the stairs.

You weren’t expecting him to be awake yet, but when you knock, he answers.

"Yeah?" His voice is hoarse and quiet even through the door.

"It's me," you say.

There's a brief moment of silence that has anxiety clawing at your throat before he replies, "Go away."

"Noah, please. I just-"

"Just go away," he rasped louder. "I don't wanna talk."

You sigh, feeling the urge to run, but you suppress it. "But I made you soup," you try, but he says nothing. "Can I at least come in and leave this for you?" Again, no response. You can’t help but sigh quietly. He can be stubborn as a bull at times. "I'm coming in. You better be decent," you try to joke. Once more, no response.

You toe the door open gently, stepping into the dim room to find Noah now rolled over in bed, his back to you, still cocooned in the blanket. Moving over some of the items on his desk—a coaster, a book with a dollar bill sticking out as a bookmark, a half-empty bottle of water, the TV remote—you set the food down. Seeing his phone next to him on the mattress, you take it and check the charge, 12%, and a text from Matt that read, “I’m sorry man.” You crouch down by the bed and put it on to charge, then replace it next to him on the mattress.

You stay there for a moment. Internally warring with yourself on whether you were really about to broach this topic. Ultimately, you decide you just have to know the truth.

"Noah, I know you don't wanna talk, but-"

"Good. Go then," his coarse words sting. True or not, sick or not, he had no right to snap like that. 

"Stop being so fucking harsh with me. I didn't have to come here for you, I didn't have to spend time in your kitchen making food for you, but I did. The least you could do is say thank you.” You wait for him to respond, waiting for an apology, but he says nothing.

The urge to run like Matt ran from the studio was strong; your legs flex under you, and you almost stand, but you don’t want to give him the satisfaction. More so, you don’t want to leave him when he's unwell.

"What they said back there," biting the bullet, your voice is quieter now. "Is it true?"

You didn't expect him to answer, what with his commitment to silence. So when that silence stretched on, you resigned yourself to his will. Standing and heading for the door, hand on the handle, you're stopped by his voice, "That's not how I wanted you to find out."

You pause, waiting to see if he'd continue, but he goes quiet again. "So, it is true?" But he returns to his silence. You go back over to his bed, crouching down again. "Will you talk to me? Please."

Noah doesn’t yield.

"I'm not mad or upset. I just want-" You cut yourself off, struggling to say the words out loud. "Jolly told me he sees the way you look at me, how you go out of your way to do things for me and talk about me all the time," he curls in on himself a little tighter under the blanket, hiding from your words. "He also said... how he sees the way I look at you when you're not looking... and how flustered I get when you tease me..." you trail off. Feeling your heart hammering so hard inside your chest that you can hear it in your ears. You honestly can't believe you just said that out loud.

Noah shifts under the blanket, straightening his legs and rolling onto his back, arm over his face, obscuring his eyes. "You're just saying that," he mumbles.

"Noah, I'm here in your room with homemade chicken noodle soup, even after you told me a million times to leave. Who else would I do that for?"

"You'd do it for Nicholas."

"I would not let Nicholas talk to me like that and walk away unscathed."

He laughs, rubs his eyes, and moves his arm, finally looking at you. He has a despondent expression on his face, but somewhere underneath is a slight smile. You smile softly, happy to finally see his face.

"I'm sorry," he tries, but you shake your head.

"Don't be,” you say, taking a deep breath. “I'd probably freak out too if you found out I love you like that."

"You- What?" He sits up a little straighter.

"Don't make me say it again," you groan and rest your forehead on the mattress.

Feeling the bed move, you look up to see him sitting upright and staring down at you. You move too to sit on the end of his bed. Silence once again fills the room, neither one of you knowing exactly what to say next.

Noah closes his eyes and runs a hand through his already messy hair. "Jolly told me so many times to just tell you, but I convinced myself there's no way you felt the same," he confessed.

You almost felt sick from the adrenaline racing through your veins. Looking down at your lap and playing with the sleeves of your hoodie. "Well, I do. He said the same to me too," you let out a bitter laugh. "Seems as though Joakim has been playing cupid." When you look back up, he still seems tense. "Noah, I'm not lying," you hold out your hand to him, which he takes and laces your fingers together. "I was never going to tell you because..." you hesitate again, but it’s too late to turn back now. "I never thought you'd like me back. I thought you'd laugh in my face. I don't deserve you."

"Don't say that. It's me who doesn’t deserve you. You're always so kind and generous,” he glances at the bowl of soup. “Even when I really don't deserve it."

"You do deserve it. You deserve kindness because you give so much kindness. Jolly was right, you do so much for me even when you don't need to. You drove me everywhere before I got my car, even when you were busy. Which I felt so fucking guilty for because I knew you had enough on your plate as it was."

"You know, I hated when you got that car," he smiled shyly. Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I wanted to drive you everywhere, all the time. Whenever you needed. I loved those times when we could just... be alone together," he sighed, not in sadness but in relief. A small smile on his lips.

You don’t think you could handle your heart racing any faster than it already was and decide to change the topic slightly. "How are you feeling, anyway?"

"Terrible, honestly. My throat is fucked. I don't know how I'm gonna finish recording."

"Yeah, you're not," you state. "You're gonna eat the delicious soup I made you, and you're gonna rest. No recording vocals until you're better. I’d say no producing until you’re better, but I think we’d have to detain you. Lock you in the bathroom or something,” you sadly break your hand apart from his and reach for the food on the side table as he chuckles under his breath. "What's so funny?" You ask.

Shaking his head, he says, "nothing. Just, they really were right, I do listen to you.”

Handing him the bowl, you smile teasingly at him, "because you love me."

"Yeah, I do," he smiles genuinely, caressing your hands briefly as he takes it from you to set it on his lap. "Can you stay?” he asks quietly. “I don't want you to go away. Will you sit with me?"

Your heart warms at his sincerity. “Of course I will.” You climb onto his bed and rest back against the headboard next to him in the space he made. A comfortable, familiar setting you’d both been in numerous times before. He leans over to the side table and tosses the TV remote onto your lap.

“Find something for us,” he says. You press the power button and load up Netflix to scroll through the categories as he eats. “Mm,” he hums with a mouthful of food. “This is so good, I should get sick more often. I didn’t know you could cook like this.”

“Yeah, don’t you dare,” you smile as you continue to scroll. The options turn into blurs as they pass by on the screen. Your mind was well and truly wandering at the thought of what was going to come next for you and Noah. Were you dating now? Did he even want that right now, or would it take time? These were all questions that would have to be asked and answered tomorrow. For now, you settled with the contentment that your current relationship wasn’t completely ruined and felt thrilled at the prospect of it becoming something more. 

“Oh!” Noah’s exclamation breaks your train of thought. “Remind me to beat the shit out of Matt the next time I see him.”

You break out in a laugh and lean in closer to his side. “Not if I get my hands on him first.”

This fic was inspired by the following randomly generated prompts, from this post!

꒰ 2 ꒱ “what they said back there. Is it true?” ꒰ L ꒱ relief ꒰ 𓅫 ꒱ the bedside of someone who doesn’t want you there

╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌

✉ C:/SYSTEM/APP/TAG

ᯤ 𝗨𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗦 (28) :　 ⌞⬤ 10 𝗈𝗇𝗅𝗂𝗇𝖾⌝ @iloveyoutodeathbutimdrowning | @english-fucker @collisionofyourkissmakesitsohard | @seven-glass-kids @runadaggerthroughmychest

@lma1986 | @shayzillaaaa | @madamaaubergine @thewrstinme | @amourtoken

⌞⬤ 9 𝖺𝗐𝖺𝗒⌝ @livingdeceasedgirl | @alwaysfightforwhoyouare @thecoyotescry | @romanreigns-supreme | @slutforcoffein

@dethroneackerman | @bluestdai | @fadingangelwisp @broken0mens

⌞⦵ 5 𝖽𝗈 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝖽𝗂𝗌𝗍𝗎𝗋𝖻⌝ @ferduttini | @fadingintothegrey | @lovesick-evangelist @missduffsblog | @anything-more-than-human

⌞◯ 4 𝗈𝖿𝖿𝗅𝗂𝗇𝖾⌝ @thisbicc | @sadbitchenergy | @iconic-taurus @queen-foraday

　+[MSG : join the taglist!]

╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌

[revelboo]

Hello. Your stories are beautiful. Can I ask you write something with Optimus Prime IDW? Thank you very much in advance. ^^

Sure

Gravity Pt 7

IDW Optimus x Reader

• You’re dancing again and he watches from the corner of his optic as he works, one foot sliding sideways before you shift your weight and spin. Servos stilling on his keyboard, he rumbles softly. Likes to watch you move, the way you can twist and bend like you’re boneless. And you catch him watching, flashing your little teeth at him with a laugh. “When I was a kid, my mom was obsessed with living out her dumb ballerina dreams through me,” you say, arms above your head. “Bet she’s rolling in her grave that I ended up an exotic dancer.”

• “Exotic?” He asks and he’s so innocent, it’s sweet. Running through the moves helps you relax, gives your worry and tension an outlet. You wonder what the big guy would think of you if you actually explain it to him, your slide from rebellious teenager to desperate adult. Because working in that dump was only the latest in a string of bad decisions. Every attempt you make to claw your way out of the gutter only driving home that maybe that’s where you belong. You’d resigned yourself to it, gotten tougher and blunter out of necessity, but somehow you can’t make yourself tell him that. He’s just this pinnacle of good and right. And he might not touch you so kindly or at all if he knew how awful you really are. “You were alone?” He asks when you don’t respond. Worrying over you like he always does.

• Blowing out a breath, you rake your fingers through your hair to send it into disarray and stare up at him. Little teeth sinking into your bottom lip as you wave a hand at him. “Don’t worry about it, big guy,” you tell him, but your smile doesn’t reach your eyes. “I can take care of myself.” You can, but still. You’re his to care for and protect, but he won’t pry or push. Hopes you’ll open up to him eventually. Entrust your burdens to him.

• Reaching out slowly as if giving you the option to avoid his touch, he hovers a servo just in front of you and you lean into it, wrapping your arms around that big digit. “I know you can, but I’ll still here if you need me,” he says and the that deep, rumbling voice rolls through you. Makes you realize that you’ve stopped plotting escape or even looking for an opportunity. That you don’t want to go back to your old life. There’s no one left to care for you or even notice that you’ve disappeared except your creditors anyway. Sure, Optimus is only invested in you to keep his own people safe and out of a weird sense of honor, but you want to pretend he really cares. That you belong here and that this time home won’t be ripped out of your fingers.

• “Sure,” you say, little arms hugging his servo and the feel of your heart beating against him. So small, but you try so hard to be independent. Not asking him for anything, even though he’d try to find you whatever you need to be happy. Smiling all the time like you are now, even though it’s brittle. Pretending nothing touches you, when he can tell it does. And all he can do is wait for you to trust him. To really talk to him, because until then he’ll hoard those details of your past that you accidentally let slip.

Previous

[daisymbin]

Hey can i request one where the reader sends Joshua flowers every week when he’s having practice/rehearsals and he asks her

37. "you brought me flowers? just because?" 🥹

omg this is so cute 🥺

request your own: full prompt list!

check out my masterlist!

fluff prompt #37: "you brought me flowers? just because?"

the flowers always came at the same time every week for the past 4 months. like clockwork, they arrived at 11am, brightening the practice room with their soft colors and subtle fragrances.

and every week, joshua’s face lit up as he accepted the bouquet, placing it gently on the counter. he never questioned who sent them—he didn’t want to ruin the magic of it. all he knew was that those flowers had become a highlight of his week, a small moment of beauty in the chaos of rehearsals.

but today, there was no delivery.

the clock ticked past 11, and no knock came at the door.

joshua tried not to show his disappointment, but jeonghan noticed immediately.

“no flowers today?” jeonghan asked, his tone half-teasing, half-curious.

joshua shrugged, fiddling with his water bottle. “i guess not.”

jeonghan smirked. “don’t look so sad, shua. maybe your admirer finally gave up.”

“they’re not my admirer,” joshua muttered, though his chest tightened at the thought.

by 12:30pm, he’d resigned himself to the fact that the flowers weren’t coming. maybe this little tradition had ended without warning. maybe he’d never know why it had started in the first place, or who sent them.

but then the door creaked open timidly at 12:42pm,

you stepped inside, a bouquet of daisies and lavender in your hands as well as some take out bags and joshua freezes.

“y/n?” he said, blinking in disbelief. “what are you doing here?”

“sorry i’m late,” you said, offering an apologetic smile. “the florist didn’t have any delivery slots this week, so… i figured i’d bring them myself. oh! and lunch! you guys haven't eaten right?"

jeonghan raised an eyebrow, watching the scene unfold like it was his favorite drama. he notes the way you're nervous, your hands slightly trembling. the mask of nonchalance on your face did little to hide it all.

joshua stood up, slowly making his way toward you. “you’re the one who’s been sending me flowers?”

you nodded, holding out the bouquet. “guilty.”

he took them from you carefully, as if they might disappear if he wasn’t gentle enough. “you’ve been doing this every week?”

“yeah,” you said, shifting on your feet. “i thought you might like them.”

he stared at you, his expression unreadable. “but… why?”

you hesitated, suddenly feeling very self-conscious under his gaze. “just because.”

his lips parted slightly, his eyes searching yours. “you brought me flowers? just because?”

“yeah,” you said quietly, your cheeks warming. “just because. and… because they make you happy.”

for a moment, the room was completely silent.

then jeonghan let out a low whistle, breaking the spell. “wow. who would've thought…”

joshua barely heard him. he was too busy staring at you, his heart racing in a way he couldn’t quite explain.

“thank you,” he said softly, his voice almost trembling.

you smiled, trying to play it off like your heart wasn’t doing flips in your chest. “it’s no big deal.”

“it is to me,” he said, his gaze never leaving yours.

jeonghan cleared his throat loudly, "so... lunch you said?" and you took that as your cue to leave.

“oh! yes, lunch. here," you laid the take out bags down, "well, i should go, dont wanna intrude,” you said, stepping back toward the door. “i’ll see you later, joshua.”

he watched you leave, the bouquet still clutched in his hands, as if he wasn’t sure what to do with himself.

as soon as the door closed behind you, jeonghan turned to him with a raised eyebrow. “so… are the flowers enough confirmation for you to finally confess, or do you need her to spell it out in neon lights?”

joshua blinked, his mind still replaying your shy smile and the way your voice softened when you said, “just because.”

“she doesn’t…” he started, then trailed off.

jeonghan rolled his eyes. “oh, please. she sends you flowers every week, and today she personally brought them because she wanted to make sure you still got them. & LUNCH! if that’s not a big neon sign saying ‘i like you,’ i don’t know what is.”

“but what if—”

“nope,” jeonghan cut him off. “no what-ifs. no overthinking. she likes you, shua. it’s obvious.”

joshua glanced down at the bouquet in his hands, his heart swelling with something warm and hopeful.

maybe… maybe jeonghan was right.

maybe it was time to stop waiting.

[ramshacklefey]

Oh yes, and in general, these books are an excellent example of "if your characters act like the world is normal, the audience is probably just gonna roll with it."

There's a lot to be said about how/why to make that work, but it mostly boils down to, "Is this something the average reader of this genre is familiar with?" and/or "Is it similar enough to real-world concepts that they'll get the point?"

Governor Module... Hm don't know that one, but 1) it was hacked, so it must be a computer thing and 2) its purpose is pretty obvious from the name and what the character said it can do once it's hacked.

The feed? That's a new word, but okay, it says "entertainment feed" and you can watch shows and stuff with it. That sounds like a kind of internet thing, I know how internet thing works.

Streaming media at work? Everyone knows this! Oh, we can stream media directly in our brains here? Baller.

Giant sand worm? Everyone knows giant sand worm!

There's that feed thing again. Oh we can also send messages using it! Definitely an internet thing.

Laser guns? We fuck with laser guns. Laser guns in arms? Gotcha, character is either a robot or a cyborg, let's keep reading and find out which.

Hopper? New word but obviously a flying vehicle based on what they're doing with it.

Etc.

And really, we see this all over in fantasy and science fiction writing!

Star Trek didn't get around to explaining how warp drive works until TNG, but it's clear from the beginning that it's how spaceships go fast (and remember, this was a pretty new idea at the time).

Teleporter? Ok we've seen stuff where people disappear from one place and reappear somewhere else, now we have a device that does it.

Light saber? No idea how that works, but I know sword and I know light and it's glowing so ok cool.

If something is really new and really strange and really important to the plot, you can go back and give more explanation later. But you can get a loooong way by just. Showing characters using and interacting with things to explain what they are and how they work.

And if you really do need to explain something, a couple sentences will often do, and we can discover more about it as the story goes on.

Jedi?? No idea, but everyone knows knights. Yep and these are good knights, got it. Ohhh, there are evil knights too.

The force? Oh, it gives these Jedi people "powers," so like. Makes them superheroes or wizards. Some kinda magic field. That's neat!

Ah ok, this Darth Vader guy is one of the magic knights. Oh shit he just choked a dude out from across the room! So that's one of the "powers" the Jedi have.

(Martha Wells takes this to an extreme, but also by almost never explaining exactly how anything works, she leaves herself open to just go, "Oh yeah it does this too, but it can't do that" later on in the story.)

An important writing lesson I'm taking away from Murderbot is that you don't always have to ease your readers into the world and the characters and speculative concepts. Sometimes you can just start with the fun part where there's a sandworm trying to eat someone and that's fine too.

[allthemeniveloved]

Little Rat

Summary: Arthur Morgan saves you from an uncomfortable encounter with Micah.

-

The fire crackled low in the center of camp, casting flickering shadows against the trees surrounding Clemens Point. Most of the gang had turned in for the night, save for a few stragglers nursing drinks by the embers. You were tidying up your things near your tent, the quiet hum of the crickets offering a small sense of peace—until you heard the unmistakable drawl.

“Well, look who’s all alone in the dark,” Micah Bell said, stepping into your line of sight with that irritating smirk plastered across his face. His eyes glinted in the dim light, and you instantly felt your guard go up.

“Micah,” you said tersely, keeping your tone neutral. “What do you want?”

He feigned offense, holding a hand to his chest. “Now, that’s no way to greet someone, is it? Just tryin’ to be sociable, sweetheart. Seems like you could use the company.”

You shot him a cold glare. “I don’t need anything, least of all from you.”

Micah chuckled low, ignoring your clear discomfort as he took another step closer, his presence pressing in on you. “Now, now. Don’t be like that. I think you and me, we could get along real well if you’d just stop actin’ so high and mighty. Ain’t nobody else around, anyway. What’s the harm?”

You stepped back instinctively, your pulse quickening. “Back off, Micah,” you warned, trying to keep your voice steady.

He didn’t listen. Instead, he reached out, his hand gripping your arm as he leaned in closer. “Aw, c’mon, darlin’. Don’t be like that. I don’t bite.”

Before you could push him away, a deep voice growled from the shadows. “Touch her again, Micah, and you won’t have a hand left to use.”

Both of you turned toward the source of the voice, and there he was—Arthur Morgan, standing at the edge of the firelight. His hat was pulled low, his jaw set tight, and his hand rested casually on the butt of his pistol.

Micah straightened, sneering. “Well, if it ain’t Arthur Morgan,” he spat. “You always gotta stick your nose where it don’t belong cowpoke?”

Arthur didn’t answer right away. Instead, he took a slow, deliberate step forward, his gaze locked on Micah with a look that could freeze the blood in your veins. When he spoke, his voice was quiet, but it carried an unmistakable weight. “Ain’t no need to explain yourself, Micah. Just walk away.”

Micah raised his hands in mock surrender, a smirk tugging at his lips, “I was only paying her a compliment, that’s all.”

“You keep your compliments - and yourself - far away from her, or you’ll be eating the dirt under my boots. Got it?”

Micah hesitated, his eyes darting between you and Arthur. He opened his mouth to protest, but Arthur’s hand moved slightly on his pistol, and that was enough to send Micah scowling back toward his tent with a muttered curse.

Once Micah disappeared into the darkness, Arthur turned to you, his expression softening ever so slightly. “You alright?” he asked, his voice low and gravelly.

You nodded, though your heart was still pounding. “I am now. Thank you.”

Arthur grunted, his hand falling away from his holster as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Didn’t mean to get involved, but… couldn’t just stand there watchin’ him bother you like that.”

You offered a small, grateful smile. “I’m glad you did. He’s… persistent.”

Arthur’s jaw tightened again, and he glanced toward where Micah had gone. “He tries it again, you let me know,” he said, his tone sharp with barely restrained anger. “I’ll make sure he don’t forget his place.”

There was something in his gaze when he looked at you—something fierce and protective, but also hesitant, like he wasn’t sure he should let you see it. You didn’t know what to say, caught off guard by how much safer you felt just standing near him.

“Thank you, Arthur,” you said again, softer this time. “I mean it.”

He looked away, his cheeks tinged red beneath his scruffy beard. “Don’t gotta thank me,” he muttered, almost embarrassed. “Just… don’t like seein’ you get hurt, is all.”

As he started to walk away, you caught yourself staring after him, wondering why your heart felt a little lighter, even after what had just happened. Arthur, on the other hand, kept his back to you, his fists clenched as he cursed himself for not saying more—for not telling you the truth about why he couldn’t stand the thought of Micah or anyone else getting too close to you.

-

a/n: I’m feeling so unbelievably productive & creative this week and the thoughts are just flowing but I just know I’m going to crash this weekend or next week and not write again for another 7 years

[vhygoxo]

Twilight New Age

After inheriting her grandparents house in the Quileute reservation, La Push, Y/N moves to her home rez. Hoping to start a new life she is soon involved with what she thought were just old legends.

Paul Lahote x Reader

Romance | Fantasy | Drama | Angst | 18+

CHAPTER 2

<< CHP 1

Y/n gazed out of her kitchen window towards the tree line. Her mind else where as she continued to wipe the same dish over and over. Kim took notice as she raised an eyebrow at her cousin.

“Y/n? Are you alright?” She asked curious making y/n snap out of it. Turning her head to see the worry on Kim’s face she smiled. “Sorry I didn’t get enough sleep last night” she explained easing Kim’s mind.

Kim was spending the night. Both wanted to pull up to the bonfire together. But also get a private visit before anything. Although it was all Kim could focus on y/n‘s mind was scattered.

It had been a few days since she first started dreaming crazy. Ever since that first night and the dream of the girl, Renesmee, she's haunted her mind since.

In the dreams she’s always lost in the woods behind her house. Unsure of why she’s there or what she should do. Stuck in an ocean of darkness until she finds moonlight. The feeling switched between being hunted down or else she was searching for something.

Each time her mind tried to focus on avoiding Renesmee. As long as her legs didn’t give out. She would just run and run until it felt time slowed down.

“So how do you feel about tomorrow? Excited?” Kim questioned her. “Yeah I mean it sounds like fun” although she didn’t sound as enthusiastic as Kim wanted. She wasn’t lying about being excited for tomorrow. It’s just her mind was elsewhere.

“That’s believable” Kim said sarcastically making y/n scoff. “I am Kim really. I need a break from all this packing and unpacking” y/n said with a deep sigh. All she wanted was her dreams to calm down. Kim knew what would perk up her cousin.

“Put down the plate and let’s go sit on the porch” she said holding a joint in her hand. Agreeing instantly the two grabbed blankets and sat down on the bench outside. After a few puffs between them they sat in comfortable silence.

“So how does it feel living here? Must be weird with gramma and grampa out of the house” Kim said as she took the joint back. Y/n nodded her head as she exhaled. “I thought so too but now that my stuff is here… I don’t know it’s just different. I do miss him most days” she said staring out into the field.

The topic of her grandfather brought up her dream last night. Again she was lost being chased by something, and as she ran, her legs began to falter. She knew she couldn’t let herself stop. But she fell to her knees and hands almost instantly.

Again darkness and more darkness. Trees and more trees it never ended she thought. ‘Get up! Get up!’ She cried to herself but to no avail. Like a newborn foal who couldn’t find its footing.

Frustrated she tore at the ground beneath her. Ripping out every root and plant in her path. Clutching down on pine needles she winced in pain. Looking down at her hands upset at herself.

“Are you lost girl?” A voice beamed throughout the air. Searching around she knew who the voice belonged to, her grandfather Quil, he stood in the shadows to the left.

When she spotted him he laughed stepping out of the shadows. He looked like the old man that he was before he died. As he walked past a tree he appeared as his young former self. Shocking y/n as he smiled brightly once more.

Walking deeper in the woods he disappeared into the shadows. His laugh morphing into a howl echoing everywhere. Hearing not two feet leaving but four heavy paws trailing off.

“I desperately need a break from everything right now… I’m excited for tomorrow. Is there anything I should bring?” Y/n said as she took the joint. Passing it back to Kim she smiled “Well I mean you could bring more of this” Kim showed the joint making y/n laugh.

“But other than yourself? No you don’t need to bring anything. Everyone else has it covered” Y/n raised an eyebrow as she finally put the joint out. “Everyone else?” Y/n questioned as Kim realized y/n wasn’t used to her lifestyle.

“I just mean that Emily and Sam usually cover the food part. Sam is mean on the barbecue. Emily does the rest. The boys all pitch in for drinks if they don’t opt to just make jungle juice” Kim explained.

In high school Y/n used to go to bonfire parties in the summer with Quil and Kim. From what she remembers they were lots of fun. One could say maybe even too much fun.

“Yikes I don’t think I’ve had Jungle Juice since highschool” she cringed remembering some unsavoury moments. Kim laughed with her reminiscing. The two enjoyed the rest of the night together. Opting to do skincare masks and pedicures to pass time while visiting.

“Aw I should’ve gotten more earlier” Kim said as she showed her empty bag of w*ed. “Jared usually buys me some but he also smokes it up” she sighed annoyed before pulling out her phone. “There isn’t any dispensaries open this hour” y/n said while looking at the clock it read thirty minutes after six.

“Oh I know I’m texting Quil. He always has” she said with a smile. It didn’t take long for Quil to reply. Letting the girls know if they come over quick he could. He was going to be gone soon so if they didn’t stop by soon they’d miss out. Kim vowed she’d pay him back when she can head into town.

Up for a late night cruise the girls hopped into y/n’s car. Picking a song and turning up the music the two headed out. Luckily Quil’s place was close to y/n’s. As they pulled up they noticed a different car sitting in the driveway.

Kim recognized the car right away. “Who’s car?” Y/n asked Kim as they parked. “Oh that’s Embry’s” she answered as she unbuckled her seat belt before jumping out of the car. Signalling y/n to come with her she felt a bit nervous.

“Don’t worry he’s a good guy. Watch” Kim assured y/n as she knocked on the door. But as quick as her hand left the door Quil answered. “Hey guys” he greeted them as they walked in.

Unsure she gathered herself to enter the living room. There Embry sat at the table, he was tall but had a more slim build, dark skin and hair his eyes looked kind. Her nervousness washing away as their eyes met. Although he still had an underlying intensity to him.

“Embry this is my cousin y/n. She’s just moved here” Quil introduced the two as he rose from his chair. For a slim build under his flannel you could notice his muscles. He grinned at y/n showing off his fangs.

“Hey I’m Embry” he said as he stood beside Quil. “Hi” y/n said as she couldn’t help but blush. Which Quil took notice of as he glared at his brother. Who could only keep his toothy grin on his face while staring at y/n.

“Don’t mind this guy he’s not used to new people” Quil teased obviously annoyed as he ruffled Embry’s hair. Causing him to push off Quil, the two started to laugh, and get more rougher with one another. Startling y/n despite knowing the two were playing.

“Alright—Alright!” Kim said as she pushed past the two breaking them up. “You idiots better smarten up y/n isn't used to your rough housing” The two broke up and smiled before laughing some more. Embry looked down at y/n catching her off guard.

“I’m fine” Y/n said following behind her as the two girls made their way to the table. “I had to wrap it tinfoil I don’t have any plastic bags” Quil said pointing to where it was. Kim picked up the tinfoil making a face of disgust as she scoffed.

Quil shrugged his shoulders as Kim continued. “But this makes it look like I’m a crackhead. Who carries a ball of tinfoil?” Quil groaned as y/n laughed. “It doesn’t look that bad Kim” y/n tried to convince her.

“Hey beggars can’t be choosers” He said to her. It wasn’t long before her eyes lit up again. “Can I at least get a smoke off you ?” She asked and even though Quil looked annoyed. He still grabbed four smokes from his cigarette pack.

Kim thanked him and said she’d get him back. But y/n knew Quil wouldn’t want anything in return when she’d eventually return the favour. Embry on the other hand was eyeing y/n up and down. Kim noticed his eyes as if he was inspecting her.

Embry snapped out of his trance. Putting on a smile on his face trying to ignore Kim’s stare. “So y/n what do you think of the rez so far?” Embry piped up trying to change the subject, while also getting to know y/n, she intrigued him. Catching y/n’s attention as they locked eyes once more.

Quil once more quickly butt in. “She’s been coming here her whole life man. It’s not like it’d be a big change right sis” he stood glaring at Embry. Who took note of Quil’s defensiveness of his beloved cousin. Y/n hardly noticed the interaction but Kim had taken note.

“It’s been great y’know? I’m glad to be back here. Excited for the bonfire tomorrow” y/n replied as Embry had a look of excitement. “Hey I'm glad you’re gonna be there. Yeah it’ll be a good time. Lots of food and drink to go around” y/n nodded in response as he spoke.

Quil and Kim could see the connection between the two. For Quil it pissed him off to see Embry basically ogle y/n. Kim on the other hand was excited for the two and was already plotting for them to become a couple.

The two continued to make small talk. Talking about what each other does for a living, etc. Eventually the conversation turned back to the bonfire party. “Do you play any sports?” Embry asked her.

“Uh—“ she said trying to answer somehow without disappointing Embry. She figured sports would be a great excuse to get close to him. The thing was she utterly sucked hence she was an artist.

“Soccer? Football?—“

“Sorry I don’t play sports. Not since high school” she answered as Embry instead of being disappointed simply nodded his head. “Really? No sports at all? Do you even exercise or move around? Don’t wanna get a hunch back from sitting all the time— Ow!” Quil said as Kim slapped him on his arm.

“I go for runs, Pilates, if I really want to switch it up I’ll do yoga. But not sports sorry not sorry” y/n raised her hands up. Earning a chuckle from Embry and Kim.

“Well that’s fine you can sit and visit with me! I don’t play sports with the boys anymore either. I’ve learned my lesson from last time”

Kim replied as she sat staring into the floor. A moment of silence fell over the three as they remembered what happened. Y/n raised an eyebrow wondering if she should even ask.

“Anyway!— I’ll finally have someone to sit on the side lines with me. Leah always plays and Emily is usually off with Sam when she can” Kim gushed excitedly. “Okay okay let’s save it for tomorrow. Sko’ outside and we can share this before we have to leave. Sam’s expecting us” Quil said as he held a pre-rolled j*int.

The three stood outside Quil’s front deck to light it. The two girls only had a few puffs especially y/n since she had to drive. After a great but quick visit the girls headed out. Bidding goodnight the two went back to the house.

As she drove off she noticed how neither of the men got into their trucks. Instead they ran towards the back of Quil’s house oddly enough. Kim and her spent the rest of the night together eventually falling asleep.

Before going to bed she hoped she would be able to sleep. She was constantly tossing and turning each night. But like every night since she’s moved in her dream was intense.

Sucked right back to where she was last night, on her knees and hands buried into the dirt, unaware of her surroundings. The moon wasn’t as bright as it was the first dream. Instead there were levels to darkness she didn’t realize were possible.

She wondered if her grandfather were in these woods. Or maybe the mysterious girl Renesmee. She wasn’t sure why she was always stuck back to this part of the forest. At this point it was starting to frustrate her. It alarmed her how more lucid it was all becoming.

It always felt as if she was meant to search for something. Find something or maybe even someone. Struggling to figure out what to do she took a moment to think.

Before anything she could hear twigs and leaves crunching. Hearing the weight of something moving beyond what she could see. What truly awaited for her in the dark? Frozen in fear she didn’t even want to turn her head.

She could barely see a few feet in front of her. But as the clouds uncovered the moon it revealed many pairs of eyes. All glaring back at her with intent y/n couldn’t read. All she could do was freeze hoping they wouldn’t attack her.

In front of her eyes she could see the figure moving towards her. Witch each step she clenched in fear. Heart beat rising rapidly, this was a dream, would it even matter if she was attacked or not? For her it all felt way too real.

Out of the shadows was a wolf, which was abnormally huge, it's fur in different shades of grey. It stood still with its head lowered. Their grey eyes intensely focused on her own. And for the first time in a while she felt truly calm. Like she was looking at a part of herself.

All the wolves including the grey one whipped their heads to the right. Noticing something that she couldn’t. A few took off in that direction, the ground shook beneath their paws, showing y/n how heavy these beasts were.

In unison they all howled causing y/n to panic. The rest of the wolves ran past her swiftly. The grey wolf stood still turning back to her. She locked eyes with the grey beast once more, a brief moment of where she felt it understood her, before it took a step towards her.

She woke up gasping and in a cold sweat. Unsure of what it all meant and why these dreams kept happening to her. There was something bothering her but what was it?

The spirit of her grandfather and now wolves? She couldn’t help but question herself. All she could do is chalk it up to some crazy dreams. Although she hated to just ignore these issues her instincts told her she’d figure it all out soon.

Focusing on the rest of her day she went downstairs. Finding Kim scoping out the fridge. Bidding each other a quick good morning. “Do you have any coffee creamer? I can’t drink coffee without it” Kim asked.

“Ugh y’know what? I forgot to buy some last time I went. Should we just go to the lodge? I heard they have good iced coffee there” Y/n suggested making Kim perk up instantly. “Ou yes they do! I’m down” The two got ready and hopped into y/n’s car.

The lodge was a small diner on the reservation. Back in the day it served as a diner, you could find anything fried there, with a side of grease. But now it was reformed the menu having smoothies, teas, etc. Including a new cafe menu. Y/n hadn’t been there in ages.

The morning sky was beautiful as the sun still gave a warm tint. Orange, yellow, and blue hues filled the sky. There was still a bit of fog from the morning dew. It felt nice to drive around so early.

The two sat in comfortable silence for a bit. Taking a moment to look at their surroundings. While also waking up fully. Although it didn’t take long for Kim to break the silence.

“So~ Embry seemed to have an eye on you yesterday” Kim said as she looked up from her phone. Y/n’s face flushed pink as she smiled slyly. Before shaking her head in disbelief.

“No way you’re just saying that” she couldn’t help but gush at the thought. “I'm being serious! To me it looked like he liked what he was seeing” Kim although she was teasing she was truly being honest.

“Guess we’ll have to see at the bonfire tonight huh?” She said as y/n shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe” y/n said as she didn’t want to completely dismiss the notion of Embry liking her. She couldn’t deny he was handsome.

“You’ll be able to get to know him more after tonight. He’s always with Quil nowadays. This is coming from someone who’s lived here my whole life” Kim continued about how close Quil and Embry are.

As she drove she looked to the sides of the road. It felt like there was something in her peripheral line of sight. Moving along with her but every time she turned there was nothing. Hoping it wasn’t deer coming too close to the road.

“Look we barely met last night. He’s cute and all but I don’t think I have time for a boyfriend right now”

“Cmon y/n if anything you have all the time in the world right now! You’ve been crying around for a break well I think this is it. Wouldn’t hurt to have a boyfriend to have some fun with. Y’know? Stress relief?”

Kim said making y/n laugh but she knew she was being serious. “Is that what Jared is for? Stress relief?” Y/n teased as Kim immediately stopped talking and pouted.

“Hey me and his connection is more than just being sex fiends! We’ve been together for six—actually almost seven years now! We’re high school sweethearts—“

“Kim I just—“ Y/n tried to cut in and calm her down but Kim continued on. The shadow figure in the corner of her eyes flickered closer. Y/n’s attention started to focus purely on the road. She sat in a cold sweat gripping the steering wheel.

“I think our connection is something to be admired. Honestly! What me and him have is rare no one can tell us otherwise! I’m just trying to help you dear cousin find something close to what I have! And I strongly feel Embry might just be the one—“

With a sharp gasp y/n swerved off the road to avoid Renesmee. Who stood suddenly in the centre of the road. Kim whose head was turned looking at y/n missed the sight. The car swerved and turned as y/n pulled onto the side.

Y/n slammed the brakes and parked. “What the hell?!” Kim cried out as she sat in her seat shocked. Thankfully both were wearing their seatbelts she thought. Luckily they didn’t hit anything either or else it would’ve been worse.

“Did you not see that girl? Holy shit!” Y/n said as she panted heavily shaking in fear. Her hands sweaty, realizing how tight her grip was, she let go and rubbed her hands. “What girl?! There’s no girl?!” Kim said while scanning the area. There was no sign of the girl anywhere.

The two felt the after math of the whiplash of turning abruptly. Kim rubbed her neck sorely as she frowned. Y/n was still shaking from her shot nerves. She closed her eyes and shook her head thinking of what she just seen.

“I don’t know what the hell just happened. I swear there was a girl right in the middle of the road! She was just looking dead straight at the car. I thought she was going to jump! How could you not have seen her?”

“I don’t know! I was just—Well I don’t think we hit her… Did we?”

Kim questioned as the two looked at one another. Both went out and looked around. There was no sign of the girl anywhere including the car. With nothing on the grill Kim felt something was off. As the two got back into the car she questioned her.

“Did you see what the girl looked like?”

Y/n hesitated saying Renesmee’s name. How could she explain to Kim, “oh yes the girl Jacob was with”, without sounding crazy? “Tall, thin, and pale with brown wavy hair” y/n tried to be as vague as possible.

For Kim her mind started to turn. Y/n on the other hand was surprised Kim believed her. After a few seconds it clicked for Kim. There was no way it wasn’t Renesmee, after her and Jacob’s big arrival, there was only one vampire in town.

It wouldn’t be long before her family would follow. Kim knew she needed to alert Jared right away. Y/n noticed Kim’s behaviour change from surprised to serious. Kim turned to face her calmly, which in a strange way, comforted y/n immensely.

“Let’s just say it was a deer. Okay? I’m sure it was with how much wild life there is here… in the meantime we should get going… I needed my coffee like yesterday” Kim said finishing off with an encouraging smile.

Y/n who was still shaken up struggled to put her seat belt back on. But agreed with her nonetheless. She wanted to get away from this road at this point.

“Do you want me to drive?”

“No I’ll be okay. Just a bit shaken up but breakfast will cheer me up”

As the two gathered them selves for breakfast. Y/n pulled out and continued down the road. Although Kim felt her cousin was handling herself. In y/n’s mind all that she could think of was the cold eyes of Renesmee.

Kim struggled to think of why Renesmee would do this. She had hardly knew the girl. But she did know she was a vampire, that’s all she needed to know, all she could think was that she was hunting. Hoping she was a vegetarian like her family.

The thought of y/n somehow being on the menu for Renesmee terrified her. She knew she needed to keep y/n close to her side. At all costs even if y/n somehow got tired of her she decided.

Arriving at the diner it was a comfort for y/n. The building held a lot of close memories for her. It was also nice to just sit down and relax. Kim knew she needed to call Jared sooner than later.

“So I was thinking about tonight, and I wanted us to have a bit of fun before we leave, how about I get Jared to drive us? He can be our DD and you don’t have to worry about driving?” Kim was sincere on this offer. Jared wouldn’t mind knowing him Kim thought.

“You sure? I mean it’s no issue…Did I scare you that much earlier? I’m sorry I just swear I seen that girl. She was so close to hitting the car I panicked—“

“No no you’re good there I believe you! I still trust you and your driving skills. But like I said I wanted us two to pregame at least. Can’t pregame and drive at the same time”

Y/n thought of it as Kim was already texting Jared. “Y’know what? Sure why not” y/n agreed as she smiled while Kim got up from her chair. “I’m gonna call and ask him now. The sooner the better with that guy” she joked while heading outside.

“I’ll be back in time to order” she said to y/n before Jared picked up. Kim quickly told him the situation, about how they seen Renesmee, although he didn’t show it Jared was stunned. Kim knew it as soon as he became serious.

“I’m going to be honest with you Quil told us about her already. But I’ll look into where Renesmee was this morning. I’ll be by to pick you guys up around six” he promised explaining where he was currently.

Y/n sat inside deciding what she wanted to order. With their coffee already served she enjoyed the hot cup. Although it was already a chaotic morning she didn’t want to let it ruin the day. She had a lot to look forward to.

Kim made her way inside eventually. The two ordered and enjoyed their breakfast. Sitting in a booth by the window y/n enjoyed the view. All until two figures came out of the distant fog. A woman and man both tall, broad, and skinny.

She looked curious at the two as they came out of the tree line. Walking on the road towards the diner, it was obvious the woman was getting after the man, who looked younger the more close he got. The two walking in a fast stride together as she roughed up the young guy.

The woman had short black hair and a beauty she’d never seen before. Wearing a black leather jacket and ripped jeans her figure looked flawless. Even under such baggy clothes her slim body looked like a models.

The young guy didn’t look a day over eighteen. With tan features as warm as his smile. He wore only a cut off sweat shirt and denim shorts. Despite it being the beginning of the year. It was hardly spring with how cold it still was.

It was funny watching the two obviously bicker and fight. But also it was so early where were they walking from y/n thought? The two wore regular sneakers so it wasn’t like they were hiking. She couldn’t help but be curious over the two.

Kim noticed the strange look on y/n’s face. Looking back she seen Leah and Seth Clearwater walking in. In her heart she knew why the two were truly there. “Hey guys” she greeted the two siblings as they came to the table.

“Good morning” Seth said as he wore a joyful expression. Y/n felt stunned by the two especially the woman. Who wore a stoic expression as she nodded to Kim. “Who’s this?” Leah asked while looking at y/n.

“Remember that cousin I was talking about? Well guys this is her, her names y/n, she just moved back. Y/n this is Leah and her little brother Seth” Kim smiled as the two eyed her down. Seth’s eyes were kinder Leah’s was defensive and curious.

“Hi” y/n said nervously as Seth grinned. “Hi I’m Seth! Good to see a new pretty face around here—“ he said before Leah nudged him with her elbow harshly. Making him cough as Leah finally smiled at her.

“Yeah It was nice meeting you y/n. Kim we’re just gonna pick up our food and head out. Do you…?” Leah trailed on hoping Kim would take notice. Subtly hinting around if she needed any help. Kim knew Jared must’ve sent her to check on them.

“No I’m good. We’ll see you later” Kim said trying to dismiss them before y/n noticed anything. “Hope to see you at the party later y/n!” Seth tried to get out before Leah pushed him around.

“Hey yeah I hope to see you there y/n. It’ll be good to have another girl to visit. I wish we could stay and chat now but we’re on a tight schedule” Leah smiled making y/n feel more comfortable. Smiling in return she made Leah’s heart skip a beat. “Haha yes I’ve heard that before. We’ll see you guys there” y/n joked as Leah was instead being pushed out by Seth.

“Let’s go before Sam notices we left” Seth ushered Leah as the two grabbed their bags. Sneaking a quick breakfast sandwich on their patrol shift. The two bid goodbye before walking back the same way.

“Where are they even going? They legit just came out of the woods” y/n questioned as Kim’s eyes widened. She didn’t think she would notice them. “Uhh well they like walking—“ Kim choked a bit on her food “They live close near here. Y’know it’s not that weird most people from the rez walk everywhere” she tried to explain.

Y/n shrugged it off as the two paid for their meals. Kim loves her dear cousin, it was horrible she had to hide who she was, and what type of life she truly led. She wondered how long before the veil comes off.

The house was filled with music as y/n’s speaker played loudly. Luckily her closest neighbour was all at least 1-2 kilometres away. The two sat up in y/n’s room as she scanned through her closet.

“I feel like I need new clothes. I mean what can I wear? It’s so cold out you can’t really dress cute” y/n complained as she continued skimming through her closet. Kim sat on the edge of the bed filing her nails. She sighed and put down the file.

“True but I’m sure I can figure something out if you want me to look”

“It’s okay I think I got an outfit lined up. What are you going to wear?” She asked Kim as she perked up from her seat. “I have this really cute jacket I wanna wear. Some jeans and maybe a pair of boots” Kim continued. Eventually fading to background noise for y/n as she sighed.

In y/n’s mind the flashes of Renesmee’s eyes kept haunting her. How she appeared in her dream. All morning she had been trying to shake off the stressful feeling. It must’ve showed on her face since Kim looked worried to her.

“Don’t worry from what I’ve seen in your closet you’ll be fine. Actually I know you’ll be looking *fine”* Kim assured y/n as she grabbed her hips. Y/n giggled but then turned back to being serious.

“It’s not the outfit I’m worried about… it’s just this morning…” Y/n felt as if her mind was cloudy. All attempts of moving and brushing it off seemed futile. Kims eyes widened as soon as she mentioned Renesmee.

“That girl? Y/n—“

“Look I don’t expect you to fully believe me. I know how I sound…But it’s just I feel like everything is catching up to me”

“Everything?” Kim questioned as she looked upon her cousins weary face. She slowly approached her as y/n looked up. “I’ve been dreaming crazy lately. I don’t know how to explain it. But I’m having a hard time trying to explain and understand it all myself” y/n sighed this time more solemnly.

“Look I get it… Things have been crazy for you lately what with grandpas death, Inheriting this house to yourself, living in a new place. But I think you just need to take a moment. Gather yourself and let’s have a good time together. Right? When was the last time you and I had fun together besides last night? Tonight is just one night you can forget all your other worries”

Kim encouraged y/n which did help her a lot. Y/n looked up at herself in the mirror with Kim behind her. Who smiled as she hugged her from the back. Y/n held onto her arms as the two looked at one another in the mirror.

“You’re right… Everything in my life has been so serious lately. It’ll be a fun night tonight” y/n said honestly as Kim grinned brightly. “See? That’s the spirit! It’ll be great, I’ll introduce you to everyone, we’ll have a lot of laughs” Kim stepped away to grab one of y/n’s jackets off the rack.

“And I think you’ll look hot in this” she said making y/n laugh. “Well we should get ready soon right? Isn’t Jared coming by soon?” y/n said making Kim realize the time. She nodded as she pulled out her phone. Seeing her missed notifications from Jared.

“Very true. I gotta answer him actually he’s tried calling me once already” Y/n nodded as Kim left the room heading downstairs. Stepping out onto the porch Kim made sure y/n couldn’t hear. Once she knew y/n wasn’t in earshot she got her phone. After the first ring Jared had answered Kim.

“Hey”

“Hey there handsome. So what did you find?” Kim asked as she leaned against the porch railing. Jared sighed as he slammed the truck door. Tired as he walked inside Sam’s house.

“So we know Jacob and Renesmee are back in town. Sam’s all uptight because we know the Cullens aren’t far behind. I just got back from seeing Jacob actually” Kim cut in almost immediately. “What did he say?” She asked eagerly waiting for him to answer.

“—Well all I know is Renesmee has been with him this whole time. She hasn’t left his sight since they got here”

“What?” Kim asked confused, she thought y/n had seen her today, who else could move that fast? “Yeah Jacob swears she’s been home. I did my part and got the info out of him. Now you gotta explain why. Are you in trouble? Don’t tell me something happened with a vampire—”

Jared asked worried sick, because why would his beloved ask about a vampire, when he knew she could care less about them? Kim shushed him over the phone as she stepped further from the house.

“—Look we’re both fine! I can’t really explain at the moment. Maybe later when the timing is better. But for now thank you for the intel. And again we’re both fine! Perfectly fine! I’m busy with my cousin y/n right now remember? We’re tryna get ready for the party. On that note are you gonna—“

“Yes I’ll be coming by in a bit here to pick up the both of you. Let’s say in an hour? I still gotta do a patrol check before the other guys swap in” Jared answered before she could even finish. The two operated on the same wave length since forever.

For Kim it was always a lovely feeling when they were in sync. She smiled ear to ear as she thanked him. Before promising something special for him later tonight. Which made Jared smile the same way.

“But you’re sure you and y/n are okay? I can come by now—“

“Thank you! Love you I’ll see you in a bit” Kim said blowing a few kisses before hanging up. Jared sighed as he put his phone away. Kim decided to brush off the whole Renesmee ordeal. Because really it could’ve been anyone in front of the car. All that mattered to Kim was no one was hurt or killed.

On the other hand she was worried for her cousin. Kim knew she wasn’t crazy but something in her gut told her, y/n was going through something, Kim trusted she’d get to the bottom of it. Opting to watch over y/n closely from now on.

Jared arrived when he said he would. His pickup truck roaring loud announcing his arrival. Hopping in the truck y/n prepared herself for the whole ordeal. Wondering who else she’ll meet tonight.

The sky was filled with baby blues, soft orange hues, and pink highlights. As the sun was getting close to sunset it was already so colourful outside. The three chatting as Jared drove music blasting.

Pulling up she could see a group of people running around the beach. They were dressed as if it was summer. Shorts and hoodies some even wore cutoff shirts. Kicking around a soccer ball playing a game.

The three got out of the truck as Kim linked arms with y/n. Making her feel even more comfortable. At the main fire there were logs people were sitting on. One woman and one man sat together, rising up once they approached, the rest stopped playing and made their way to the fire.

“Hey guys” Kim said as the two people made their way to greet them. The woman had a scar right across her face but it didn’t affect her beauty. With dark soft straight hair, beautiful cheekbones, she was tall around 5’7. Y/n felt her self taken away by her beauty but was quickly overtaken by the man who was at her side.

The man was huge, at least 6’5-6’6 he stood with broad shoulders, looking fierce which made y/n feel intimidated. Black hair with eyes that matched he held the scarred woman close to her side. Giving off a very intense feeling to y/n.

“Hey glad you guys made it” the woman said as the two smiled. “Guys this is my cousin I’ve been talking about. Say hi~” Kim said as the rest of the group arrived. Rushing in as a huge pack they surrounded the three.

“Hey I’m y/n” she said as the group roared in excitement. From the group she could recognize was Quil, Leah, and Seth. No sign of Embry but a whole pack of rowdy boys eager to meet y/n. Before being able to mutter another word the boys spoke over each other.

“So you’re the new girl?—“

“Finally a new face pretty one at that—“

“New girl? I thought she was Kim’s cousin—“

“Do you play soccer?—“

The man with the scarred woman gave a glare to the group. Before anything they all straightened themselves out. As he turned back he gave a kind smile, so did the woman, as they reached out to give a handshake.

“Don’t mind these boys they’re just excited. I’m Emily and this is my Fiancée Sam” she said as the two shook y/n’s hand. “We’re glad you made it. Kim and Quil spoke great things about you” Sam replied. Both gave off a warm welcome making y/n feel more at ease.

“Thanks for the invite” y/n gave a small smile as the crowd was stifling excitement. “No problem. We’re happy to have new people around. Hope you’re thirsty and hungry there’s plenty to go around” Emily waved her hands to the area.

Before she could take another step Seth rushed forward. Blocking the way as he smiled brightly. The crowd of boys circled around him as an even bigger blockade. Kim and Leah expressed their annoyance with a loud “ugh” as Kim crossed her arms.

“So y/n these are my bros lemme show you. We got Brady, Thomas, and Damien here” Seth introduced the boys. All whose face showed their youth but their bodies showed otherwise. With stern expressions and tight lips they scanned y/n.

The three boys outside of Seth looked around his age. All had dark thick hair, with lean tall figures, and tan skin. Shuffling up to the front were the younger boys. Faces whose expressions were a mix of either excited or nervous.

“This is Colin, Don, and Lil’ Ricky” Seth said as he ruffled up “Lil’ Ricky’s” hair messily. “My names Rick you’re the only one who calls me Lil’ Rick” he argued under Seth’s rough housing. “Ricky Rick!” Colin chimed in as he joined Seth. Eventually the boys continued to all rough house on one another.

“Uh— Great meeting you guys” Y/n said nervously as she watched the chaos ensue. They didn’t look too different from one another, with boyish youth they were still small, lanky with lean bodies. Although they were quite tall for their ages they were still shorter than the rest of the guys present.

“Jesus Christ—“

“For fucks sake—“

Quil and Jared exclaimed as they cut them off quickly. Quil shoved himself into the middle of the blockade. “Alright that’s enough! You guys have to settle” he said before Leah joined in. “Yeah Seth chill out! Go play with these stink boys” she said as her and Jared grabbed them by the collars.

“You guys don’t even play right just straight dirty. My sis here doesn’t need you guys being rough with her“ Quil barked as the boys just bashfully laughed. “That’s this guy sending dirty kick shots” Thomas said to Don who began to argue once more.

Leah expressed her frustration by sighing, giving a glare to Seth, he took the hint. Shoving the rest of them in the direction of the play area. They just shrugged their shoulders and dusted them selves off. Still giggling and laughing as they went to continue the game.

“Sorry about that they’re usually not that… Well they don’t usually act like this” Sam said trying to excuse their behaviour. “It’s no issue. A little too much excitement maybe?” Y/n joked making the rest of the group laugh. “I mean I’m not much a soccer player anyways” she shrugged her shoulders.

“Great! You can sit with me and tell me all about yourself” Emily said as she ushered in y/n to the campfire. Settling into the campsite they all began to visit. Asking y/n where she’s from and what she likes.

“So you’re an artist? Professionally?” Emily asked surprised. “Yes it’s what I’ve been doing since I’ve been young, maybe 17-18, around there. I work and have trained to use most mediums”

Y/n continued since everyone seemed interested. Emily especially as she piped up in excitement. Which was a change from her usual nonchalant expression everyone else was used to

“That’s awesome. I’m an artist too” Emily said with a faint blush on her face. As Sam smiled with pride as he leaned on her. “Really?” Y/n asked glad to find a friend with similar interests. “Oh yes she’s one of La Push’s greatest artists” He proudly proclaimed.

“What type of art do you make?” She asked Emily earnestly. “I’m a weaver, I’m also a teacher, I teach kids weaving at the school here in La Push” Emily continued as Y/n was eager to hear more.

The two clicked together quite easily, finding a lot of each other in one another, in such a small amount of time. The rest of the group which was Sam, Jared, Kim, Leah, and Quil visiting one another. While the rest of the boys continued to play.

Eventually the group grew into a comfortable formality. The time passed like no other as the sun started to set among the horizon. The boys could no longer play without seeing. So they joined the others at the bonfire.

At this point all were fighting for the chance to talk to y/n. Kim and Quil had to remind everyone to settle every now and then. Since y/n sat being bombarded by questions. In all honesty y/n didn’t mind much, it was fun being around so much excitement, she appreciated how friendly and close everyone was.

“I heard you girls had quite the wild morning” Jared chimed in as everyone seemed to already know what happened. Given their reaction y/n could only nod in agreement. “Oh really?” Emily asked curiously as Kim gave a wild look to Jared.

Flashbacks of Renesmee’s eyes flooded y/n’s brain. So much for trying to rid herself of her worries y/n thought. Her anxiety about it all started to rise again. She wondered how much Kim revealed to everyone.

“Yeah it was crazy almost hitting that deer right y/n?” Kim said giving y/n the look of ‘just agree’. Y/n nervously laughed as she once again nodded. “It really was crazy I mean I’m glad no one was hurt” she said which was true for y/n anyways.

The group erupted once more with a hundred more questions. Intrigued by the idea of her and Kim “drifting” around early this morning. Kim and y/n stared at each other as Kim gave an apologetic look. A “Sorry I tell my boyfriend everything” type of look y/n would soon become familiar with.

“It all happened so fast I’m surprised y/n was able to stop safely” Kim continued as everyone looked at the two. “I’m sure you’re shaken up by that. I totally would be if I were you” Emily added as Sam pulled her closer.

Y/n hesitated to answer, trying to ease hee never slightly before she did, giving a reassuring smile to the group. “I mean I feel okay right now. I’d be way different if I actually hit the poor animal” she said causing Leah and Seth to laugh at the poor animal comment.

“Yep but they’re pretty shaken up I had to pick up these poor girls. Save them from driving and hitting another sucker” Jared cockily teased. Kim gutted him with her elbow making the group erupt in laughter.

“Oh please that was you crying to pick us up! Besides you’re just the DD tonight! Me and y/n are gonna have some fun and be drunk as fuck while we do it right y/n?”

“Wha?—Uh? I mean yeah—“ y/n said surprised before Leah cut her off “To getting drunk as fuck!” She yelled. Getting everyone hype even the young boys who couldn’t even drink yet. Emily and Sam gave each other a look before the two laughed shaking their heads.

Sam and Emily started to offer the group alcohol. Which had been sitting in the coolers on ice while they ate and visited. Different beers and coolers sat on the ice. Although y/n was wanting one she hesitated.

Seeing that some of the boys present weren't of age. She was nervous if the group would allow them to drink or not. Seeing the reaction Quil responded. “Don’t worry these boys are gonna go home soon. Just waiting for the rest to come before they take their rides home” as Quil finished one of them reached for a beer.

Before anything it was smacked out of their hand from Sam. “Smarten up these aren’t for you. I put Pepsi and other drinks in the other cooler” he sternly said as the boys pouted. Reaching into the cooler full of soda instead.

“Do you even drink y/n? Or are you just trying to be shy” Leah asked already sitting with an open beer. As if it were a challenge Leah stared down at her. Y/n laughed as she shook her head. “God no” she reached for a cooler making Leah give an approving smile.

In all honesty y/n had started to get that alert feeling again. She felt comfortable with the group. But she knew that wasn’t the cause of it. It was something else she couldn’t control.

Totally outside of her dreams, Renesmee, the nervousness of meeting new people, it was a different feeling entirely. At least this alcohol would help ease the weird feeling rising in her body.

As she cracked into it, the group of boys stood up suddenly, y/n didn’t notice until she looked up. Before she knew it there was a group of four men coming at them. Running across the beach from the tree line.

Y/n thought it was strange considering how late the hour it was. She felt the back of her neck tingle, the hairs on her body standing up all over, although she had yet to take even a sip.

The boys rushed out to greet the four men. But at closer look it was two young boys, Embry who finally showed up, and some other guy who she couldn’t see fully. Blocked by the crowd of rowdy boys in from of them.

The two older ones, the stranger and Embry, were talking with the boys. A gruff unfamiliar voice that scolded them about “getting their asses straight to their home base”. As Embry roughed housed one of the young boys.

To y/n the voice reminded her of an almost military command. ‘Good luck trying to get these boys to listen’ she thought as she took a sip of her drink. But to her surprise they all did as they all argued on who would drive.

Heading up to the trucks in a frenzy she watched in awe. Amongst them she could see the stranger but not clearly. As him and Embry made their way to the fire, their younger brothers rushing around them, the closer they came the more her heart paced.

“Don’t worry those are my brothers” Sam assured y/n sensing the uneasiness coming from her. She nodded as she awaited for Embry to at least join the group. One of the biggest reasons she wanted to come was to talk to Embry.

The rest of the group stood up to greet the four men as they approached. “They all may look big and scary but they don’t bite. Trust me” Emily said as a way of comforting y/n. She smiled to assure Emily but struggled to shake off the weird feeling she had.

As she stood up her line of sight met with him, breath taken away as he stared into her and her whole being, with intense black eyes and a wild look. Y/n stood frozen in place as soon as they saw one another.

She felt like a deer in front of headlights. But unlike the deer afraid of the headlights, and what they stood for, she welcomed it. For it was a feeling like no other. Wanting to bask in the light forever.

Time seemed to stop as she and this man looked at one another. Nothing else around mattered, it all drowned and faded out slowly, as she watched the man’s breath steadily become stronger like a pant.

Taking in his features he stood tall with strong broad shoulders. Tan brown skin with black coarse short hair. Full eyebrows that furrowed as he scanned her as well. He had rugged but handsome features. All which made y/n’s heart skip a full beat.

She had never felt such a strong intensity, such a strong need and desire, for a man like she did now. It was as if her feet and everything else were pulling herself to him. It was there and then she realized why she had been feeling this way for so long. Or at least her instincts told her so. He took a step towards her, lifting his hand slightly, everything in her seized ready for what was to come.

But upon seeing the man snap his head away, stepping backwards, his brothers tried to urge him to settle. She felt a tinge of pain and something that felt like rejection rush through her. As the men around him tried to make him stay.

Time and reality came crashing down onto y/n. Sucking the air back into her lungs she could hear noise coming back to her. As Emily and Kim rushed to her side, not realizing she was staggering backwards as well, Kim latched y/n’s arm under her own.

“Y/n! Jesus are you okay? You’re basically stepping into the fire. And you almost dropped your cooler” Kim asked as y/n tried to understand what just happened. Hearing the yells of Quil and his brothers calling out for the man. She looked up trying to find him among the group of men.

“I’m gonna take these boys home. I’ll be right back” he answered as he walked up to the boys trucks. “Paul!” They continued to cry out loudly as he gave one last look to y/n. Stopping for a moment just to look at her.

She somehow wanted to stop him. Maybe if she cried out like his brothers he’d stop she thought. Before he shook his head in disbelief before running. Y/n began to feel a deep ache in her chest as she sat back down. Reminded of how much a stranger she truly is to them all.

Emily and Kim attempted to comfort y/n as she watched him pull away. As if they knew what she was feeling exactly. Taking the group of boys home in a hurry, spitting rocks as he pulled out, the guys left behind groaned.

“And that was my brother Paul” Sam said defeated by his behaviour. Giving a big sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. “He’ll be back” he added as y/n stared off into the distance. Trying to cope with what she all just experienced.

Y/n realized how crazy she seemed right now. Shaking her head in disbelief she couldn’t believe herself! Since when did she ever want to run into a man’s arms? A stranger at that. It was totally unlike herself.

Embry came and sat by her at some point. But she was too distracted to give him her full attention. She wasn’t sure what to do with herself. Left in a state of confusion. Instead she remembered Leah’s words from earlier. Continuing to finish the rest of her cooler drink.

Reminiscing the wild look in Paul's eyes her heart paced loudly. She hated herself at how much she craved to know him. Was that all it’d take for her to be impressed? She refused trying to keep herself in check.

All she could do was build up courage for when he returned. What face should she make? Should she even introduce herself? Why was she thinking about it all so hard? Most of all did he experience what she felt as well?

End of chapter 2, we finally get to meet Paul, although I’m sure not much expected this reaction. I took some extra time in between editing with adding more characters to the wolf pack. Since we’re told in both the book and movie there’s around seven more members. But the only names we know is Colin Littlesea and Brady Fuller. More to come in the future with both the wolves and vampires. Don’t be shy to leave a comment in the meantime 🫶😌

[dostoyevsky-official]

I’m about to tell you the craziest love story in literary history. And before you ransack the canon for a glamorous rebuttal, I must warn you: Its preeminence is conclusive. Dante and Beatrice, Scott and Zelda, Véra and Vladimir. All famous cases of literary love and inspiration, sure. But these romances lack the 47-year novelistic drama of the craziest story. They lack the stolen gun, the border crossings, the violation of federal law. They lack the forged birth certificate and clandestine love letters. But above all, they lack the leading lady: the secret muse.

[...] I don’t pretend to understand women,” McCarthy told Oprah Winfrey in 2007, commenting on the lack of them in his novels—despite the fact that he was married three times. And for decades, readers took him at his word.

Upon McCarthy’s death, however, the mystery of his personal life has drawn close enough for us to unravel assumptions into their opposites: Cormac McCarthy did not shirk womenkind in his novels. On the contrary, it turns out that many of his famous leading men were inspired by a single woman, a single secret muse revealed here for the first time: a five-foot-four badass Finnish American cowgirl named Augusta Britt. A cowgirl whose reality, McCarthy confessed in his early love letters to her, he had “trouble coming to grips with.”

[...] It’s monsoon season, and lightning bobs and weaves in the corner of your eyes all day like floaters. There are three separate storms to the south, delicately wind-tilted on the horizon. Lightning races them in a stitchless thread, and to the north rain shimmers through the sheerest rainbow, stamped perfectly horizontal against the mountains like the execution line on a document.

[...] Britt says she lived a normal life until the age of 11. That year, and for reasons she never quite understood, her family moved from the snowy plains of North Dakota to the border town desert of Tucson. This is where the muse’s novelistic question mark emerges. An origin story beginning on an ellipse. Something hideous happened to her in the desert. Something traumatically violent. Something that destroyed her family.

Every time she was hit, whether by her father or a foster parent, she would disappear inside herself. It could take weeks, months to reemerge. It got to the point where if it happened again, she didn’t know if she’d ever come out. And she could no longer live like that.

“So I’ve decided I’m not going to be hit anymore,” she told McCarthy at that motel pool. Here she pauses, and you must imagine the sweetest voice you’ve ever heard—a sweetness that isn’t afraid to pull triggers first and ask questions later. “I’m just going to shoot anyone who tries.”

“ ‘Well,’ ” McCarthy said, “ ‘That would explain the gun.’ ”

“And that was so Cormac,” Britt laughs. “And I thought, Thank God this man gets it.”

Just imagine for a moment: You’re an unappreciated literary genius who has not even hit your stride before going out of print. Your novels so far have circled around dark Southern characters who do dark Southern things. You’re stalled on the draft of a fourth novel, called Suttree, which features an indeterminately young side character named Harrogate, not yet written as a runaway. You’re sitting by a pool at a cheap motel when a beautiful 16-year-old runaway sidles up to you with a stolen gun in one hand and your debut novel in the other. She reads in her closet to stay out of violence’s earshot. To survive her lonely anguish, the wound she’s been carrying since age 11, this girl has only literature to turn to: Hemingway, Faulkner, you. She flickers with comic innocence yet tragic experience beyond her years and an atavistic insistence on survival on her own terms. She has suffered more childhood violence than you can imagine, and she holds your own prose up to you for autograph, dedication, proof of provenance.

[...] After learning Britt wanted to be a nurse, McCarthy also introduced a character named Wanda to Suttree, an underage love interest Suttree meets in the month of August. Wanda reads stories about nurses and steals away to Suttree’s tent in the small hours of the night. She is also Britt’s debut death, crushed under a rockslide.

[...] Posting an essay on my favorite writer to Substack on April Fool’s Day, receiving a cryptic comment from his secret muse, and now driving with her to see her horses feels more miraculous than fate. And yet there is something so natural about spending time with Britt. There is a shimmer of recognition with her, an intimate equidistance. After all, I’ve been reading about her for half my life. And now here she is, in the flesh.

[...] The first thing you notice about her, leading Scout and Jake up a dormant streambed to their stalls, is how novelistic she is. She is a woman of compelling themes, tragic patterns, hooks, plot, question marks. She says things like “Cormac warned me I couldn’t hide forever” and “That was back when we had one eye out for the law.”

[...] That’s the muse for you, full of equine wisdom, horse sense. And while she certainly has a way with words, words also have a way with her, as McCarthy found out in 1976. As do landscapes.

[...] He was 43, she was 17. The image is startling, possibly illegal. At the very least, it raises questions about inappropriate power dynamics and the specter of premeditated grooming. But not to Britt—who had suffered unspeakable violence at the hands of many men in her young life—then or now.

[...]One measure of fame is how suddenly cognizant one becomes of the looming biographer, archivist, or graduate student peering over posterity’s shoulder at your personal correspondence. But McCarthy began writing his love letters to Britt when he was out of print, and they brim with an unusual voice—that of Cormac McCarthy in true love’s perfect candor. They’re less like sketches for a painting and more like confessionals. They are written by a man infatuate.

For the first few days of my stay in Tucson, the letters sit in the same Converse shoebox they’ve been stored in since the ’70s. I’ve been giving them a wide berth. To a McCarthy fan, they’re like the Holy Grail. It somehow doesn’t feel right reading the blue ink meant for her blue eyes. What will they be like? Joyce’s encrusted epistles to Nora? Nabokov’s letters to Véra? Or more like letters to a Lolita?

[...] We can expect a writer to be different in person than on the page, but Cormac was very different on the page to Augusta. He was clearly in love, clearly “gone on the subject” of her, from the start. He ends each letter with an “I love you” or something synonymous. (He ends the ones after their romance cooled the same way.) But what we appear to have with lines about pressing “my face between your thighs” is a writer with his nose pressed into the pure perfume between the open thighs of a book.

Then, sometime in the ’80s, McCarthy sends her the manuscript for All the Pretty Horses. “The first thing I see, obviously, is the title. And I thought, Oh my gosh. I started reading it, and it’s just so full of me, and yet isn’t me. It was so confusing. Reading about Blevins getting killed was so sad. I cried for days. And I remember thinking to myself that being such a lover of books, I was surprised it didn’t feel romantic to be written about. I felt kind of violated. All these painful experiences regurgitated and rearranged into fiction. I didn’t know how to talk to Cormac about it because Cormac was the most important person in my life. I wondered, Is that all I was to him, a trainwreck to write about?

“I was trying so hard to grow up and to fix what was broken about me. I still thought I could be fixed. And this felt the opposite of fixing me."

[magical-girl-coral]

How the Meljay reunion should have gone cause I am angry and bitter.

Jayce breathed in deeply as he moved, his hammer dragging behind him as his leg ached in protest, begging to be put down after everything it went through within the last months. But he couldn't. Not now. There were too many unanswered questions. How did he survive the bomb? Why Viktor didn't. What happened here?

Soft footsteps pulled him out of his questioning, their echoes like a familiar melody in Jayce's ears. A cloaked white figure walked towards him, her silhouette as alluring as he remembers. But it couldn't be. Last he heard, she disappeared, probably kidnapped by zaunites. He stalked closer to her, gripping the handle in case it's another hallucination, another trick, another dream-

The cloaked figure revealed their face, spoke his name, and Jayce broke. He ran into the arms of his beloved, dropping his hammer in the process, and held her until it felt as though they were going to merge into one.

Mel held him just as strongly, refusing to allow either of them to breathe. Jayce let her go gently, slowly putting her down on the ground, checking her for injuries or anything that needed a doctor to look after.

Mel cupped his face gently. "I'm fine. Mayne not truly whole, but not hurt." She gave him a look over, worry clouding her face, slowly backing away to view the full picture. It took all of his strength not to take her back into his arms. "Jayce, what on earth happened to you? You look you've been through the hells and back,"

Jayce opened his mouth, wanting to explain anything, everything, but that annoyed voice at the back of his head held him back.

She invested too much in this dream of yours to listen to reason.

This is her life's work too. She won't give up on it so easily. You didn't either at the start.

You've seen how people have been used and thrown away once they've lost their worth. What stops you from being next?

He clenched his head in pain. Mel was now fully concerned. "Jayce, what is happening with you? Should I call for help?"

"No!" Jayce shouted louder than he wanted. He avoided her gaze. "I'm- I'm alright. I just need- I just-" He took a deep breath, and met her eyes. "We need to destroy the Hexgate for good. It's a curse, and I need all the help I can get. Will you be there by my side?"

Mel's gaze didn't weather. Instead, it became even more powerful than before. She held his hand in his where the rune was carved into his skin.

"I've seen the madness great power can inflict on a soul," she said, glancing sideways to the hammer before returning to him. "You have my word, the Hexgate will be destroyed even if it will be the last thing we'll do."

Jayce laid his forehead gently to hers. God, he missed her warmth. "Thank you, for everything. I won't fail."

Just before either of them could truly relax, a presence that made Jayce's skin crawl has decided to make itself known. He reached towards his weapon just as Mel began to glow.

Both of them aimed towards one of the pillars, their combined effort turning it to smithereens without actually hitting their target.

They stared at the other in shock. They obviously had a lot to talk about. But with the silent agreement of later. They had bigger matters at the moment.

Such as the figure they attacked slowly moving towards them. A porcelain puppet with golden edges but no strings. Small crystals shard embedded in its skull. The energy of being something so completely wrong to exist.

Viktor.

"Allow us a moment of civility, Jayce."

[xoxodropletsneedsmorefanfics]

Hey! Read this rant/OLNF-XOXOD theory I wrote instead of writing the essay for my finals

It’s 3am, I rambled a bit, but it’s still interesting to me. #BaePyounforOLNFStep2

Alright, this has been keeping me up at night and I need to share this theory with the XOXOD/OLNF community.

Who's gonna be the other member of the jerk squad that shows up in OLNF?

Based on my sources (aka, random sneak peeks l've seen after obsessively going through old posts), I know my husband Pran shows up in Step 1 in OLNF, just like how Shiloh showed up in Step 1 of OLBA.

In OLBA, we met Shiloh in Step 1 as a 7 year old, met Jeremy in Step 2 as a 12 year old, and saw the both of them again in Step 3 as 17 year olds (and Nate briefly showed up too, but only by text box).

So that opens the question: is another jerk gonna show up with Pran in OLNF?

Answer: I dunno, maybe. I wish. I hope.

A better question, the one l've mainly been cracking down on is...who's it gonna be.

JB is probably never going to show up, she'll probably only be mentioned again.

(Can't wait for the randomized moment where I get to ask Pran how things are with her...if he even talks to us)

We've already had Jeremy and Snake Boy in OLBA, so they're out.

It might be possible, but I feel like Nate and Everett are out too. Just because they were both thrown in boarding school super young. And although it'd be fun to 14 year old Nate or Everett, I really don't think it's likely...unless they're on a field trip or something. Which I really don't see happening in the fall, but I could be wrong.

So we're left with the most likely option, Bae. I wish I would stop here, but the main reason this account exists is to write XOXOD scenarios.

When we met Jeremy in OLBA, there was the "Oh, a green haired boy? Sounds like Cove!...Never mind, get this green chihuahua away from sweet baby Cove."

Imagine meeting Bae: Tamarack/Qiu/ Another Character tells the MC "Yeah. There's this new kid visiting. He’s like our age, but acts way older!” And everyone who knows Baxter is just like “????”

I don’t actually know if Baxter’s gonna disappear after Step 1 or not

Reactions to Bae could vary like, Qiu, Baxter (if he’s around) and Ren disliking his sarcasm, maybe Tamarack not even realizing he’s being sarcastic, and MC having the choice to either hate the sarcasm or not understand the sarcasm.

It’d be funny if we had the option to just flat out punch Bae like we could Jeremy.

Plus, it would be a good chance for Bae and Pran’s “relationship” to be developed.

And the parallels of the Shiloh —> Jeremy pipeline with the Pran —> Bae pipeline would be so beautiful.

I know Pran hates everyone (except for Jeremy and the rest of the King, JB if she befriends/romances him, and seemingly Lynn), but I don’t think we’ve seen Pran fully hating Bae. There’s a whole scene in XOXOD where Bae’s just yapping away to Pran about some random thing and Pran actively decides to stay and listen because “he had nothing better to do”

Bae even covered for Pran during the field trip on Pran’s route.

This was supposed to just be me explaining why Bae’s probably also going to be in OLNF, but now after writing all this down at 2am. I REALLY want Bae to show up too. I wanna see baby Bae and baby Pran. And then the two of them interacting one on one as teens through the OLNF gang.

GBPATCH! MAKE THIS A REALITY! AND MY MONEY IS YOURS!

Ok, I’m done now, bye.

[yanderemisery]

Unseen Patterns

Yandere Izuku Midoriya x reader

TW: stalking, unsettling behaviour.

You first met Izuku Midoriya during a power outage in your apartment building. The hallways were dark, lit only by the glow of emergency lights, and as you fumbled with your keys, he’d appeared behind you.

“You need help?” he’d asked, his voice low but steady. When you turned, the faint light caught his face: youthful, soft-spoken, and disarmingly ordinary.

He helped you unlock the door and handed you a small flashlight. “For next time,” he said with a faint smile before disappearing into the stairwell.

At first, you thought little of him. Just a helpful stranger. But Izuku didn’t stay a stranger for long.

He started showing up in small, unremarkable ways. You’d run into him at the coffee shop down the street. Then at the park where you went to clear your head. Once, you even saw him at your office building, a stack of papers in his arms as he explained to the receptionist that he was making a delivery.

He always noticed you first, offering a wave or a brief hello. You wondered why you always felt uneasy when he was near.

The oddities began small. A cup of tea left steaming on your desk at work when you hadn’t brought any. A playlist on your music app labeled For the Days You Feel Sad—songs you didn’t remember adding but that somehow matched your mood perfectly.

You dismissed it as coincidence until one day, walking home from work, you saw Izuku across the street. He didn’t wave this time. He didn’t even move. He just stood there, half-shrouded in shadow, staring.

You quickened your pace, heart pounding, and told yourself he’d just been distracted, maybe waiting for someone else. But the next morning, you found a note slipped under your apartment door.

“Don’t worry. I’ll always be here.”

Weeks passed. Izuku’s presence was a background hum, something you could almost ignore. Almost.

Everywhere you went, it seemed he’d just left. The barista at your coffee shop mentioned a quiet guy who’d paid for your drink. Your neighbor said a man with dark hair had asked about you, saying he’d found your keys. Even your boss commented on how “that nice courier” seemed to know exactly where to leave your packages, always on time.

And then there was the package that arrived with no return address. Inside was a book you’d lost months ago, dog-eared to a page you’d once marked but forgotten. Scribbled in the margins, in neat handwriting, was a single line: “I knew you’d come back to this.”

The breaking point came one night when you woke to the faint sound of tapping. At first, you thought it was your window—branches brushing the glass, perhaps. But then you realized it was coming from inside.

You froze, straining to hear. The tapping continued, irregular and faint, like someone running their fingers along the walls.

Gathering your courage, you stepped into the hallway and flicked on the lights. The sound stopped instantly, and the silence was deafening. You checked the locks, every door and window, but nothing was out of place.

The next morning, as you reached for your keys, you found something scratched into the wall near your door. It was so faint you might’ve missed it, but when you ran your fingers over it, you could feel the grooves:

“I see you.”

Izuku never admitted to anything. He remained polite, helpful, always ready with a kind word or a quiet smile. But the smile lingered just a little too long. His eyes tracked you like he was memorizing every detail.

And then one day, he stopped appearing.

For the first time in months, you felt free. You changed your locks, moved apartments, even switched jobs. But every so often, something would remind you of him: a book misplaced on a shelf, a faint outline of footprints by your window.

You told yourself it was paranoia, the remnants of a bad memory.

Until you received a single text from an unknown number:

“You’re safe now. I promise.”

[heartfullofleeches]

ITS MY BIRTHDAY TODAY🎉🎉🎉🎉 I was wondering how my favorites would wish me a happy birthday, Tobi, the cafe, host, static, the supernatural harem and the fast food, if that’s too many you can shorten it but I really wanted to have some of my favorite characters from my favorite writer congratulate me on my special day! BTW I’m the one who sent the Prince leash ask, I don’t know if you got it but I accidentally did it anonymously

(The Cafe was a bit too much for me to get this out to you the same day, but I hope you like this regardless! On the bright side, I did get your Prince ask and am working on that too. Happy birthday, chief!)

Tobi:

Has never had a birthday himself, but they know what they are and their significance to humans other regular people. Tobi's the kind of guy to surprise you with presents year round, but as your birthday rolls around they keep items you've had your eye on in their back pocket to gift you on your big day.

Its too embarrassing for them to give you in person, but Tobi creates a collage of all their favorite pictures of you to put up somewhere in your bedroom. Tobi loves baking and cooking so a homemade breakfast, dinner, and your treat of choice would be on the top of their list of surprises for you.

Host:

"Looks like it's a special someone's birthday- Those only come around once a year, you know? If - that's how you want it, anyway."

That time already? Time is a tricky thing for Host to wrap his head around. He could've sworn the last one was just yesterday. It hardly matters. Everyday could be your birthday- Contenstants come and go, but you'll always be his star.

That would, of course, wear the novelty of it all thin. Host is more than happy saving the pinnacle of his gratitude for you as his co-host for that one day. That day's contestants better be too if they want to leave with all the parts they came with intact.

Which is his funny way of saying they won't get any cake.

Static:

"Happy birthday to you.... Happy birthday to you...."

Hunts for every variety of birthday song they can find to serenade you with the second daylight bleeds into your room. Static's disappears predating your birthday can swiftly be explained by the trinkets they bring you, majority centered around the shows and movies you've watched together it knows you adore most.

They'd attempt to rope you into another movie night with you in full control of the remote since it's their favorite way to bond with you - and it's optimal cuddle time.

Supernatural Harem:

"Baron, must you make everything a challenge?"

"Piss off! I left enough room for you two to put your names on the cake.... Maddox more importantly than you, but still."

"We appreciate the consideration, but... Where are we supposed to write "happy birthday"?"

Nothing like waking up on your big day to your Demon husband roommate swearing today will be the day he slaughters your Angel husband roommate. Luckily, your Grim Reaper spouse roommate has the expertise to ķeep you soothed until things cool over long enough for all of them to prepare breakfast for you.

Baron stalks you around to shower you with mandatory birthday kisses- only to get pouty when he's done before noon and continues well past the age you're turning. You'll be older than all three of them by the time he's through.

Maddox, as usual, fills their journal with sketches of you to unveil at the end of the day. Their art skills is the only thing they're proud of in themselves and monetary possessions don't hit quite the mark they're trying to reach when it comes to presents they like to give. If you're a gamer/a fan of stuffed animals they'll pick up a couple so they can use them when you're away and they miss you.

The first birthday you celebrate with Alasdair has to be one to remember. He's watched you from the sidelines for years and now it's finally his chance to do what he's always wanted. It may be a tad selfish of him in hindsight, but he'll pull you aside the day before or after to enjoy a relaxing evening with just the two of you.

Fast Food:

"Code C! I repeat, Coqde C - The clown is loose!"

Birthday? Well you can't expect to have a celebration without the designated party planner, can you? As everyone closes up the restaurant early to commemorate your big day, Twister hoovers over the crew to insure everything goes swimming. The Janitor follows behind it with their trusty spray bottle to keep the clown in check - its the only excuse they have not to give their present to you by hand because they're too embarrassed.

The bathroom Succubus would insist on you opening her gifts to you first - if a certain goat wouldn't pout over it all day as a result. The ballpit hands shower you with all the shiny items lost in their depths. The Storyteller reads you the tale of someone who's birthday happens to fall on the same day - where nothing bad occurs and the universe smiles kindly in their favor.

The ice cream machine ghost whispers in the ears of customers they'd better wish you a happy birthday or be prepared to have dairy filled nightmares

[strawberrybasilsorbet]

Ooh! I'm super late to respond to this, but I love the question :) Unnecessarily long reply incoming.

I think that a canon-compliant argument could be made for basically any answer to this question, on both the "when did Sirius find out" axis and the "how much did Sirius know" axis of the hypothetical graph. (Which is my favorite kind of canon ambiguity, tbh, because I love being surprised by different takes).

That said, one headcanon of mine that I'm quite fond of rests on the idea that Sirius knew everything that James knew — and that James knew 100% of it — basically from the time that the Potters went into hiding.

Because, if (1) Sirius did know the entire text of the prophecy, and (2) Dumbledore's biggest priority in OoTP is to hide that text from Voldemort, then Dumbledore's adamance that Sirius not leave Grimmauld Place makes a lot more sense.

Per Sirius:

"I've been stuck inside for a month...Because the Ministry of Magic's still after me, and Voldemort will know all about me being an Animagus by now, Wormtail will have told him, so my big disguise is useless."

The Ministry of Magic never learns that Sirius is an Animagus, as far as I can tell. (Maybe there's a risk that someone like Malfoy might tip them off? But he never actually does.). And Sirius has demonstrated that he can successfully evade the Ministry in his dog form for two years prior to OoTP — even before allies like Kingsley and Tonks are available to help him out by misdirecting other Aurors. The major threat preventing Sirius from going on Order missions as a dog, then, seems to be the Death Eaters, not the Ministry.

But Death Eaters are a threat to any member of the Order of the Phoenix, not just Sirius! Maybe he's slightly more at risk than others because of the way he's been marginalized by society — the mysterious death/disappearance of Ministry employee Kingsley Shacklebolt, for instance, might be harder to keep secret than the murder of a fugitive — but Voldemort did show that he was willing to kill Order members when Nagini attacked Arthur Weasley. So why should Dumbledore single Sirius out so completely? Why prioritize Sirius's safety over literally any other contribution that he could make to the Order, when other members are also facing risks to their lives?

(This is also where I notice that Dumbledore's insistence on keeping Sirius in hiding doesn't start right away after Voldemort's return. He's perfectly willing to ask Sirius to seek out "the old crowd" at the end of GoF, even though Wormtail has had a year to tell Voldemort everything he knows by this point, including the details of Sirius's Animagus form. The decision to confine Sirius indoors happens sometime after the Order begins to regroup — quite possibly around the same time that Dumbledore learns that Voldemort is after the prophecy.)

Considering the close attention Voldemort pays to Harry's personal ties, it's very plausible to me that Wormtail told Voldemort everything he knew about Sirius, including the fact that he was James Potter's closest confidant. From this, Voldemort might surmise that Sirius knows the text of the prophecy and target him as a result. (Or, even if Voldemort doesn't specifically target Sirius, a random incident resulting in his capture could yield the text of the prophecy through Legilimency if Sirius does happen to know it). If so, Dumbledore's insistence on keeping Sirius inside Grimmauld Place at all times could be read as a direct response to this risk.

I don't think that this take even requires a terribly Machiavellian read of Dumbledore in order to work: if Sirius knows the text of the prophecy, and is at high risk as a result, then hiding Sirius from Voldemort — aside from being essential to the Order's aims — could also be an honest attempt to "[try] to keep Sirius alive," as Dumbledore tells Harry at the end of the book.

Everything mentioned above can absolutely be explained in other ways, of course, but I do think this possibility is quite fun. Loved seeing all of the competing reads too!

When do you think Sirius learned about the prophecy?

I think Dumbledore didn’t tell the Potters much—I think he would’ve kept the most important details to himself. I say this because Voldemort didn’t know the whole prophecy despite having Peter as a spy. If James trusted Peter enough to use him as Secret Keeper, he probably would have shared the knowledge of the prophecy with Peter. And since Voldemort didn’t know the whole thing, we can trust that Peter must not have known it all.

James probably would have shared what he knew with Sirius, but what parts were missing?

I sort of wonder if Dumbledore shared more with Sirius during OotP? But how much?

Clearly, by OotP, he knew there was a prophecy obviously, but how much did he actually know? Did he know the last bit?

Basically, I wanna see that conversation.

[dailyriolu]

A silly guide on how I draw normal Riolu vs My sona

[dykedvonte]

Mini rant below and in the tags, the only time I’ll talk about this and my personal take on it.

The way people talk about hypothetical male Anya on Twitter and the idea of how Mouthwashing would play out if the genders were swapped makes me remember how people still don’t take sexual assault and rape with male victims with the same gravity, especially when the perpetrator is female.