#Light Beer Forecast

[karan777]

[diazsdimples]

After the lightning, Buck downloads just about every weather app he can find. He doesn’t tell anyone - because he knows they’d immediately become concerned - he’s terrified of thunderstorms. If it’s forecast to be rainy, he’ll check, double check, and triple check that it’s only rain, and not a storm too. What he doesn’t know, is Eddie’s done the same thing.

The first storm happens a couple of months after Buck goes back to work, and he's ready for it. It's one of their nights off, so he gathers all the blankets in the loft, makes himself a little nest with his laptop, a hot water bottle, and some noise canceling headphones and he hunkers down for the night. He's just squeezed his eyes shut after the first flash of lightning when his phone rings. It's Eddie. Initially he doesn't want to answer, because he doesn't want to have anyone asking him how he is right now, but he also knows Eddie will just keep on ringing until he picks up. So he does.

Not once during that call does Eddie ask how Buck is. He immediately lauches into a long tale about Christopher's new crush, which turns into a story about the main characters on the telenovela he watches and "how the fuck have they not figure out they're in love yet", and finally they end up debating the pros and cons of having a smart fridge that shows you what's inside without having to open the door. Buck hangs up feeling a little confused, wondering what the occasion was for such a call, but the storm has passed and he didn't have a panic attack.

The next storm is in the dead of winter and Buck has been watching it brew for days, his anxiety mounting as it builds. He's planning on doing the same as last time, but then Eddie invites him over for dinner. It's not their usual night, and Chris is away with his grandparents in Texas, so Buck is a little confused but he says yes nonetheless. He's looking forward to some time with Eddie - the two of them have been toeing the line between friends and something more ever since the lightning, with long lingering touches and late night phone calls. When he gets there, Eddie has ordered them pizza, there's a case of beers on the coffee table, blankets on the couch, and a new sound system that looks like it could blow the windows out of the Sistine Chapel if given half a chance.

They have a really nice evening and Buck manages to ignore the way the clouds are churning outside, how the wind picks up and rain begins to splatter against the windowpanes. He's comfortable on the couch, with Eddie a warm line against his side from how closely they're pushed together. When the room lights up from the first strike of lightning, Buck jumps. He looks around wildly, just barely fighting the urge to clap his hands over his ears as the thunder booms. Eddie looks up from their movie, and turns up the sound on the TV until the thunder is inaudible. He places a hand on either one of Buck's shoulders and gently guides him down until he's settled against Eddie's chest. Eddie's arms wrap around Buck, holding him from behind and Buck can feel the fear slowly receeding.

"It's okay," Eddie whispers in his ear. "I've got you. You're safe."

The storm rages outside, but Buck doesn't panic. He's safe, in Eddie's arms, and though he might jump and his breathing might speed up every time there's a flash, Eddie strokes his arms and pets his hair and finally, almost nervously presses a kiss to Buck's forehead.

"Is- is this okay?" he asks Buck, so quietly that if it weren't for the fact that his lips were brushing Buck's ear, Buck wouldn't have heard it.

"Yeah," Buck replies, burrowing closer into Eddie's chest as his heart blooms with love, the warmth spreading down to his toes. "I'm safe."

[megalony]

Early Arrival

This is an Evan (Buck) Buckley imagine requested by Anon, I hope you like it I had a lot of fun writing this.

Taglist: @lunaticspoem@butlegendsneverdie@langdonzvoid@jennyggggrrr@rogmeddows@radiob-l-a-hblah@rogertaylorsbitontheside@chlobo6@rogertaylors-lipgloss@sj-thefanthefan@omgitsearly@luckytrashgooprebel@scarsout@deaky-with-a-c@killer-queen-ofrhye@bluutac@vousmemanqueez-blog@jonesyaddiction@milanosaurus@httpfandxms@saint-hardy@7-seas-of-fat-bottomed-girls@mrsalwayswritex @rogerina-owns-me  @hellsdragon@im-an-adult-ish@crazylittlethingg@allauraleigh@onceuponadetectivedemigod@ceres27@avyannadawn@noonenuts@sleepylunarwolf@coverupps@justagirlthatlovedtoread @musicistheway @missdreamofendless

911 Masterlist

Summary: During a bad storm that delays services and keeps everyone trapped in their homes, (Y/n) goes into labour with only Evan there to help her through it.

Enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Raising the bottle to his lips, Evan took a large swig and leaned his forehead against his other arm that was smudging into the fogged up window. It was getting so bad outside that he couldn't see the street anymore. The rain was beating down against the window like bullets spraying down so hard and fast they looked as if they would break the glass.

It was supposed to be two in the afternoon but it looked more like two in the morning. The sky was a dark blue and grey haze and cars were whizzing past with full beam lights shining through the blackness. Although there weren't a lot of cars out in this.

Evan could hear the forecast blaring from the tv and it was telling people to stay inside unless they urgently had to leave the house. People were advised not to drive in this weather, buses were being delayed and stopped. Emergency services were stretching thin from the amount of accidents being called in.

God, he was glad he wasn't at work today.

He hadn't been at work all week and he wasn't going back for another month yet. Evan could just imagine the phone call he was going to get from Eddie tonight, telling him what a lucky bastard he was for missing the amount of callouts they were going to get today.

Pushing away from the window, Evan drained the last of the beer in his bottle and moved to sit down on the sofa.

He quite liked how cosy the apartment felt with the lamps on and the candles (Y/n) had lit earlier. There were over ten candles spread around the living room, dotted in front of the tv, on the coffee table and along the shelves on the wall. If they experienced a power cut today at least the couple would be alright.

He just changed the channel over to a movie when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He dropped his head on the back of the sofa and glanced over to the stairs and a gentle, warm smile flooded his face when his eyes set on his wife.

"How do you feel, babe?" His eyes followed her as she took very slow steps down and padded across towards him.

"Rough,"

"Come're,"

A warm, if pained smile pulled at (Y/n)'s lips when she watched him rest his left leg up on the sofa and open his arms wide, waiting for her to fall into his embrace. She eased herself down onto the sofa between his legs and slumped back into his chest as he wound his arms around her waist, resting his hands on her bump. She could feel his lips pressing to the top of her head and his arms pushed into her sides, squeezing her lightly.

"You look a bit better," He commented quietly as he slouched back into the sofa so they were practically lying down in the den of pillows littering the sofa.

Evan had been worried this morning when (Y/n) started to feel sick and couldn't stomach breakfast. She'd felt worse when a headache formed behind her eyes and the only good thing was the sound of the storm outside had sounded soothing and relaxing to (Y/n) for some odd reason. For the last hour and a half she had tried to sleep off her unease and left Evan downstairs to his own devices.

"Your child is a handful," (Y/n) closed her eyes and nuzzled her face into Evan's neck. She moved her hand and held his wrist, slowly moving his hand lower down her abdomen so he could feel the movement that had been persistent for the last week.

"They take after me, what do you expect?"

He began rubbing his hand up and down her stomach, pressing his fingertips a bit firmer against her skin like some kind of massage when he noticed (Y/n) shifted like she was in some sort of discomfort or pain. Every time he felt the baby wriggling or kicking he stopped his movements and rested his palm against her stomach. Her stomach was hurting and it felt like she was going to turn stiff but Evan’s massage was helping.

(Y/n) wasn't sure how long they laid there in a comfortable silence, her mind kept cutting off and dozing for a while. Her face was burrowed into Evan's neck and every now and then her fingers would graze up and down his bare arm.

But after a while, (Y/n) moved her hands to his thighs that were caging her in and tried to push up so she could sit up properly. She felt his hands graze up her sides until he was holding her chest and he gently nudged her forwards to help get her sitting up. When she was sat up, (Y/n) kept her hands clenched down on Evan's thighs and she tilted her chin down into her chest as her eyes closed.

"Babe, you alright? Do you feel sick?"

When a spluttering 'Oh God' left her lips, Evan shot upright and his hands clamped down on her hips. He leaned his head over her shoulder to try and see what was wrong but he couldn't figure it out. Her eyes were snapped closed and her nails were onw puncturing into his thighs, but when she opened her eyes, he followed her line of sight.

Her eyes were downcast to her thighs.

(Y/n)’s waters had broken.

Tears started to fall from her eyes and she couldn’t find it in herself to wipe them away as she just stared down at her thighs like there had been some kind of mistake or like she was waiting to wake up from a dream.

Why was this happening now? Right in the middle of the storm?

The only silver lining (Y/n) could think was that Evan was actually here with her when this happened. They had both been nervous that she would go into early labour before he finished and went onto annual leave and he would be on a callout when it happened. Bobby had given him his time off starting from this week since (Y/n) was thirty-seven weeks pregnant now and labour was going to be anytime soon. Her pains and feeling sick for a few days was a sign labour might be early.

Evan just didn't think it would be this early. His child had impeccable timing to decide to arrive when they were overtaken by a storm raging through the city.

"Oh fuck! babe I- I can't drive you out in this, it's too risky. Let's get you settled and I'll have to call 911 for backup." There was no way Evan was driving the truck out in this, he never drove the fire truck when the weather was bad because he didn't trust himself.

He couldn't go out with his wife in labour because if someone crashed into them or the tyres skidded in the rain and went off the road, help would be delayed. It would be the safest bet to stay home and call for the emergency services to come out to them. This way, (Y/n) was somewhere warm and safe and Evan had helped Bobby deliver a few babies, he knew the basics.

"It's your choice where you want to be, up or down," Evan motioned to the stairs before he very carefully eased himself from behind her so he could kneel down on the floor.

"What?" Why would she want to go and try to get settled in bed when an ambulance would soon come out to take them to the hospital? It seemed more practical to stay downstairs and wait here.

"Baby… help won't get here as fast as it usually would, the storm's causing crashes and makes the teams go slower. You've just got me,"

He started to smooth his hands up and down her thighs when she started to cry. This wasn't what she wanted when she envisioned having their baby. (Y/n) wanted to be in the hospital with Evan holding her hand, not delivering their baby. And she wanted Maddie here with them and the midwife they had been seeing since they found out about this pregnancy.

This wasn't fair.

"I can't move,"

"Sofa it is then." His smile was calming and (Y/n) felt one of the hundreds of burning nerves within her calm down at his pouting smile. "I'll call 911 now and go grab towels and everything we need. Just to be safe."

Deep down, Evan knew it was more than just wanting to be safe in case help took a while. He knew how long it could take emergency services to reach a situation and he didn't want to just sit and wait for them like a sitting duck. He wanted everything ready so if his wife started to push, he would be prepared to deliver his own child.

Evan rummaged around in his pocket for his phone as he bolted up the stairs and went towards one of the cupboards. He grabbed a pile of towels and some flannels and a sheet, and took a handful of (Y/n)'s hair bobbles in case he couldn't find anything else to use as a clamp for the cord.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"Hi, this is firefighter Buckley, I'm at twenty-one Hill court and my wife is in labour. I need whatever service you can get out to me."

"How far along is she?"

"Thirty-seven weeks." Evan stayed stood at the top of the stairs, just out of earshot of (Y/n) because he knew what was coming next.

"Okay sir, all of our dispatch teams are currently busy or being diverted but someone will be with you as soon as possible. Try and make your wife comfortable and keep a track of contractions, they should be a while apart and labour can take a few hours-"

"Her water already broke and contractions are coming quick, I think she's been in labour since last night."

Evan could see in hindsight that (Y/n) had most likely started labour during the night when she had been restless and uncomfortable and feeling sick. He couldn't be sure how long she had been in labour for but he needed help soon, the baby was coming now.

"I've updated dispatch of your situation, they will be there as soon-"

He hung up. He didn't need that bullshit that wasn't always true. They couldn't give him a time frame because teams were currently being told where to go and being changed from one scene to the next. When things started to progress Evan would call them back and see if Maddie was on shift so she could talk him through it. Until then, he would do what he could and wait for any sign of a dispatch team.

***

"Evan, fuck!"

(Y/n) closed her eyes and buried her face in her arm and dug her nails into Evan's thighs. She could feel his hands smoothing up and down her shoulders and he nudged his knees into her sides, silently telling her that he was listening.

She was knelt down on the floor in front of the sofa, resting uncomfortably between Evan's legs as he sat on the edge of the sofa, holding her up. The old bedsheet Evan had found was spread out on the floor beneath (Y/n) and she was left wearing her bra and Evan's button up shirt, having kicked off her underwear and leggings earlier.

(Y/n) took as many deep breaths as she could manage but her lungs were on fire. They were burning like she was breathing in smoke and she could feel her lungs inflating and deflating which was something (Y/n) never normally felt and it was horrible.

She stayed limp and let him move her so he could ease from beneath her so he could move beside her. Her arms fell onto the sofa and she pressed her forehead into the seat, arching out her back as Evan bent down to try and see if she was dilated or not and how far they had gotten.

"Alright, I'm calling back, I think you're ready."

(Y/n) was past the point of caring about that now, someone would turn up to help them eventually but right now Evan was the only one here who was able to do something and to help so he needed to help. When another contraction tore through her already broken body, (Y/n) pushed her head further down into the cushion as she let out a scream. Her eyes snapped closed but a small wave of relief shot through her when she felt Evan’s hand taking her own.

"911 what's-"

"This is firefighter Buckley, again, put me through to dispatcher Maddie Kendal. Now."

He wasn't playing around anymore, someone should have been here by now he didn't care how bad this storm was. His team should be out there somewhere and they should have heard all the dispatch calls. They should be on their way to him to help deliver his first baby. He needed his sister on the phone to walk him through this.

"Buck? What's going on?"

"(Y/n)'s in labour, like, pushing! I need someone to walk me through this I'm on my own here." He reached over and set the phone down on loudspeaker on the sofa so (Y/n) could have some peace of mind too.

He had seen Bobby deliver a few babies but Evan had never been alone in this situation to do it himself and he didn't want to be doing this alone. If something happened or went wrong he had no medical team here to take over or rush in with advice and do it for him. If something bad happened to his family, Evan was the only point of help and he didn't like that.

"Oh God… alright, whereabouts is (Y/n) right now?"

"I'm- I'm in-"

“Baby, baby stop pushing.” Evan’s words confused (Y/n) and she opened her eyes to look at him but she could see something in his eyes that worried her but she couldn't do what he asked. The pain was excrutiating but it felt better when she pushed, she wanted this over with.

“It hurts.” (Y/n) breathed through the words as she finally stopped pushing when the pain subsided for a moment.

"I know baby but you need to trust me. Maddie I can't see the head… I can see the feet. The baby's breach."

The look on Evan’s face made (Y/n) shudder because she could see all the emotions he was feeling and she knew each of them too well. He had sorrow and fear glistening in his eyes. The times he had seen labour, the babies hadn't been born breach. They came the normal way, head first, feet last like this baby should be. Evan knew this complicated matters.

A sob left (Y/n)’s lips as she relaxed all of her muscles instead of holding them tensed, feeling like she was sinking into the floor that she wanted to swallow her whole. She remembered reading about babies being born breached like this, they could get stuck or they could try and breathe whilst their head wasn’t born and suffocate. (Y/n) felt like she was going to be sick at the thought of the baby getting stuck when there was no professional here who would be able to help.

“I c… I can’t just wait here Evan.” (Y/n) whimpered as she felt her lips pulling down at the corners trying to release another sob. She could already feel her stomach tensing and the muscles tearing, it was going to be physically impossible for her to not push on the next contraction. She couldn’t just lie here and wait for help, she had to push.

"(Y/n), how are you positioned, are you lying down in bed?"

"She's knelt on the floor in front of the sofa."

"Good, that's good, okay Buck I need you to move her up onto the sofa, get her sitting on the very edge. Trust me, this will be a safer and easier position, gravity will be on your side. I can walk you both through this until help arrives and I've put you as a code red someone will be there soon."

"Alright," Evan slowly held (Y/n)'s arms and looped them around his neck, twisting her body so she was facing him instead of the sofa.

He felt her muscles go limp for a few seconds and she let him move her around. He pulled her up onto buckling knees and shaking legs before he turned her around and perched her on the very edge of the sofa, just like his sister said. Once Evan was sure (Y/n) was alright and wasn't about to collapse or scream in agony, he knelt down on the sheet on the floor and held onto her thighs for a few seconds.

Evan could see the logic here; if their baby got stuck, gravity would hold onto them and help pull them down.

"I need to push!"

"(Y/n), you start pushing again that's good and Buck, you'll need to help unhook the feet and let the legs dangle once they're out."

When (Y/n) cried out and tucked her chin into her chest, Evan grabbed a few towels to place around and have ready before he dared look again and see if the baby was any closer to being born yet. (Y/n) dug her hands into the sofa to the point she could feel her nails scraping through into the fabric as she tried hard to hold herself steady but she felt like she was going to fall forward into Evan.

His hands were both shaking horribly as he reached out and held onto the newborn’s legs that he could see. He tried to be gentle and uncurl them so they dangled down and didn't get caught or stuck.

“Maddie the legs are born. You okay baby?” Evan tilted his head up to lock eyes with her but his hands stayed shakily holding onto their baby’s lower half. He didn’t like it, he didn’t want to be doing this. Evan felt like his hands were covered in glue or slime that was sticking them to the baby and it made his stomach churn. He could handle blood and guts when he had to help others but this was something else entirely. This was his own wife and he didn't want to be the one to fix her and hold their baby like this.

“Hmm.” (Y/n) hummed back, nodding her head as she closed her eyes, digging her hands a bit more into the cushion to stabilise herself as she felt another contraction building up.

(Y/n) shivered, feeling her stomach muscles tightening when Evan had to pull on the baby’s arms to make sure they too didn’t get stuck or bent or caught in the way. The moment Evan let go of the baby with one hand to reach out for a towel, his head snapped back to look at (Y/n) as she cried, her foot beginning to tap against the carpet as she squirmed like she couldn’t manage to sit still.

"Buck, how are we looking?"

"I'm holding the body, just the head left."

"Okay. (Y/n), you need a really big push as soon as a contraction hits, we don't want baby waiting long in case they try and breathe too soon."

(Y/n) pulled her legs up a little as she continued to squirm around. It was like there was a weight tied to her and it was pulling on her insides and causing pain. When another pain hit, (Y/n) hit her hand against Evan’s shoulder to grab his attention and nodded that this was it.

"Almost there, keep going baby." He held a towel in his hands and curled it around their baby, trying to keep them stable and warm while he waited for (Y/n) to push again.

As soon as the weight felt like it had been dragged down, (Y/n) let herself flop back into the sofa and braced her weight on her tiptoes so she didn't slide down onto Evan. That was it, she just knew that was their baby out and in her husband's arms. She had done it.

"Maddie I've got them- fuck!"

“What? W-what’s wrong?” (Y/n) leaned her head down to try and see what was happening as Evan took their newborn baby into his arms and set them down on his lap. Her stomach tensed as she watched him quickly unravel the cord that had pressed around the baby’s neck but (Y/n) didn’t know if it had been tight or rather loose. She didn’t know if that had happened during the struggle of labour or if possibly it had been like that before. But it couldn’t have been, she felt the baby moving so it couldn’t have been strangling them for very long.

"Buck what's going on?"

“It’s alright…” Evan seemed to be speaking to himself more than to (Y/n) or his sister as he fumbled to grab the pair of scissors he had found downstairs earlier. He hastily clamped and cut the cord before he turned the baby on their side so he could rub his hand up and down their back to get them breathing.

(Y/n) felt her chest heaving as she tried to regain back the breaths that she had lost but her eyes were focusing on Evan as much as they could with the tears beginning to distort her vision. The moment a small cry flooded through the air, both parents felt like they were going to faint.

“She’s okay.” Evan wrapped the towel tight around his baby girl, rubbing his hands over her frame to make sure she wasn’t cold or still in some state of shock.

When he tilted his head up to look at (Y/n), the grin on his features was like nothing (Y/n) had ever seen before.

Pushing himself up on his knees, Evan leaned over and ever so gently settled the newborn into (Y/n)’s arms before he grabbed another towel ready for the placenta. At least this part was easier and Evan knew to keep the placenta so a doctor could check it was all there. The last thing they wanted was (Y/n) having a retained piece of placenta and needing surgery to get that out.

"She's alright Maddie… you've got a baby niece."

Evan’s legs were the ones to turn to jelly this time around as he slowly sat down on the sofa next to (Y/n), his eyes focused on the bundle in her arms who was well worth the wait. Turning her head, (Y/n) leaned her head on Evan’s shoulder as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. His arm wrapped around her back so he could rest his hand on their girl’s head, brushing his thumb over the small tufts of hair he could see.

“We did it.”

[authorhjk1]

A night in Chengdu

Xiaoting X Male Reader

(You will know when to play the music)

You let out an annoyed groan as you see the weather forecast. Because of a heavy storm, your plane wasn't able to get far, and now you had to land in China.

Which isn't ideal for several reasons. You won't make it to your company on time, you have to try to solve the problem from somewhere else and you need to find a way to get out of here again.

Because it seems like the heavy storm will keep going during the whole night, you can't get further by plane. You ordered a taxi, so you can drive to the airport in Chengdu. The storm isn't supposed to be there. And from that airport, you can take off.

Once the cab arrives, you get in and give him the address. He looks at you weirdly, since it's a three hour drive. You don't know a lot of Mandarin, and it was hard enough to even order a cab. You are not in the mood for any more conversation.

You work on your laptop during the drive. Maybe it's possible for you to solve parts of the problem on the way. The rain keeps drumming onto the windows and onto the roof. In the far distance, the thunder echoes through the night.

After sending another email, you check your phone, seeing a text from Ahin.

You know immediately that she is drunk.

"I hate you."

Three simple words.

And a picture. You guess it's her apartment. The lights are dimmed. In the back, on the kitchen counter, you see several bottles of alcohol. Soju, wine, beer. But your main focus isn't her apartment. It's Ahin herself.

She has taken a picture of herself in her mirror.

Her gorgeous body is on display for you, as she is only wearing lingerie. It's black. Lacy. Almost see through. You see the hint of her nipples under the thin fabric.

The black straps connect her black thong to the thin, dark material that his covering her legs from her feet to her thighs.

You recognize her shoes. Heels from Ysl. The golden logo is used as heel, while the rest of her shoes are black. You mentioned them to her before, saying that you would like seeing Ahin in them.

You are equally surprised and happy.

Her black silk robe is not covering any of her front. It slipped off her left shoulder, while her right is covered by her blonde hair.

"I could have been yours tonight."

You sigh in frustration and disappointment equally, as you read her last text.

Now you would give everything to be home immediately. But you have to pull yourself together. Your world is only about work. Not about Ahin.

Although you feel like she is getting bigger and bigger in your life.

It's weird. The two of you haven't spent much time together. But you still really enjoy her company. Even when you are not inside of her. You shrugged it off as just being lonely previously. Now you feel like it might be something else.

If you weren't in a cab right now, your pants would already be at your ankles. But now you can just wait it out. Wait it out until you are alone. You hope you will find Ahin like this once you are back home.

The sounds around you get louder once more. It seems to rain even more now. You can see lighting in the far distance.

Checking the weather app on your laptop, you groan in anger.

The wind has shifted. The storm is now heading right for Chengdu.

You hate it. You hate it when you can't control something. In those moments, you sometimes wonder why you work so hard to make so much money. When you get sick, or the weather messes everything up. Other people. It's just annoying.

But what are you supposed to do now?

Try to find another airport?

The wind might shift again. And you don't wanna pay hundreds of dollars for a cab ride.

You quickly message one of your assistants to book you a hotel in Chengdu. Deciding to just wait it out, you go back to focusing on work.

Hours later, you finally arrive. After paying the driver, you enter the hotel and walk up the reception. Once you get your card, you head towards the elevator.

Suddenly, a group of women appear in front of you, and you almost collide with them. Barely able to keep your balance, you look after them. People.

You see them walking to what seems like a party in one of the huge rooms of the hotel.

The picture of Ahin flashes through your mind as you watch the women enter the room. They are all wearing dresses and high heels. Some of them are holding drinks already.

You have two options. Either sit alone in your room. Or try to pick up one of the women from the party.

Deciding on the latter, you get to your room quickly. You roll your suitcase towards one of the corners, barely glancing at the room, before you leave again.

Luckily, you were able to change after your dressing room escapades. You don't have pants on which are marked by Karina's juices anymore.

You fix your hair in the mirror of the elevator as you make your way downwards.

Once you arrive, you read the sign at the door. A birthday party.

Once you step inside, you realize that about 90% of the people present are women. Which will make your night a little easier. You scan the room, trying to figure out whom to approach first.

You almost stumble forward as something hits you in the back. Turning around, you see two women one is holding the other, who seems to be too drunk to stand alone. A diadem is placed on her messy hair. The birthday girl, you guess.

The woman next to her draws your attention to herself, though.

Her short pink dress hugs her body, while her brown hair flows down her back. The silver necklace highlights her collarbone beautifully. White gloves are hiding her slim hands.

An apologetic smile decorates her angel like face.

"I'm sorry, sir."

She bows and hurries to get her friend inside the room.

You follow her with your eyes, unable to get her face out of your mind, as you take in her body from behind.

When she is covered by the crowd, you walk over to the bar. It has been quite a long day, and you are getting tired.

Leaning against the bar, you check the alcohol on the shelve behind it. It seems like most of the women bought their own alcohol since almost none of the bottles are open.

The bartender looks a little bit bored, spending his time watching the gorgeous women dance through the room. The music is pretty loud for your taste, but you decide to stay.

You are about to order when a hand gently touches your arm. Recognizing the white glove, you look at the woman to your right.

"Hello again. I'm sorry about hitting you."

"It's fine."

You give her a reassuring smile.

"Let me buy a drink."

Now it's her turn to smile.

"No one has ever said that to me before."

You make her chuckle.

Turning towards the bartender, you order the best Bourbon you can see behind him. Glancing at the woman next to you, it seems like she doesn't know much about Bourbon. She is holding about thirty dollars worth of money in her hand.

After he put the glass of brown liquid down in front of you, he turns towards the woman.

"That would be 554,15 Yuan, miss Shen."

Her jaw drops, and you see her step from one foot onto the other.

You pretend not to notice as she glances at you, giving her an innocent look.

Surprisingly, she is able to hold in her emotions, although you see a hint of anger flicker in her eyes.

"Let me get my purse real quick."

She disappears in the crowd once more.

You can't suppress a laugh once she is out of sight. Taking out your wallet, you let four hundred dollars fall on the bar.

"For the glass and the rest of the bottle. You can keep the change if you play along."

The man nods, a happy smile on his face.

You guess he doesn't get tipped a hundred bucks often. But you don't have change.

When the pink dress is back, she eyes the bottle of Bourbon on the bar.

"Don't tell me...."

She looks at you. Her eyes wide in disbelief.

"I asked him."

You nod at the barkeeper while keeping eye contact with her.

"The bottle is around 2.7k."

It looks like her eyes almost fall out of her head.

"Two what?"

"Two thousand seven hundred seventy yuan, miss Shen."

The barkeeper answers her question politely, and you wink at him.

"I don't have so much money with me."

You see her panicking while searching her purse.

"It's okay, miss. I will just pay for myself. Thanks for the offer, though."

The disappointment is visible on her cute face. She just wanted to be nice.

"Miss Shen, is it?"

She looks up at you, taking a moment before nodding.

"You are friends with the birthday girl?"

"Yes, but I was actually on my way out. I'm flying home early tomorrow."

"Where are you from?"

"I'm from here. But I live in Korea."

Her disappointment and anger seem to have disappeared.

"How about this?"

She gives you a curious look.

"Since you aren't paying for my drink, let me but one for you."

You see her cheeks redden as she looks away. You are not entirely sure if it's because of embarrassment or shyness. But she looks adorable now.

"That feels kinda wrong. I should at least pay for my own drink."

"Please."

You gesture towards the shelve.

"I insist."

You see her thinking for a moment until she finally gives in.

"Alright, thank you."

She smiles at you warmly before turning towards the bartender.

"How much is the cheapest drink?"

You didn't expect her to be this considerate.

"What do you like to drink most?"

You ask before the man can answer.

"Red wine, but -"

"The best, please."

You don't let her finish, and a couple of moments later, a glass of red wine stands in front of her.

"How much is this?"

She whispers, pointing at the glass.

"207 Yuan, miss Shen."

"We'll take the bottle."

You put two hundred on the table.

"You can't do this."

The young woman holds your hand.

"It's fine."

"I can't let you spend so much money on me."

You shrug it off as the barkeeper places the bottle in front of her.

"Let's go."

You down your glass in one shot. The idea is worse than you expected. You feel like you just drank pure fire. Trying to hide your burning throat, you take the two bottles and turn around.

You don't wait for her as you start to walk towards the door.

A couple of moments later, you hear her heels on the floor, as she is trying to keep up with you.

"Where are we going?"

"You said that you were about to leave anyway."

She nods.

"Well, I didn't buy these bottles to drink them at the bar."

You see her confused face, and until you reach the elevator, you don't hear a response.

"Oh."

It seems like she got what you are saying.

"I don't even know you."

"(Y/n). I would shake your hand, but..."

You show her the bottles.

"Xiaoting. It's a pleasure."

She smiles and grabs the wine bottle, moving it up and down a little, as if she is shaking your hand.

"The pleasure is all mine."

You reassure her, as the two of you step into the elevator.

"Do you do this often?"

She looks down as she asks the question.

"Drink? Probably more than I should."

She chuckles.

"No. I mean, buying women drinks and inviting them to your room."

"You would be surprised."

"What do you mean?"

"I work a lot. I usually don't have time for stuff like this."

"I feel honoured."

Her sarcastic tone makes you smile.

Thirty minutes later, the forgotten bottles are standing on the table. Your chair is turned away from it, as Xiaoting is sitting in your lap. Her brown hair covers your faces as she pushes her tongue forward. Trying to get access to your mouth.

The two of you share a deep kiss, while one of your hands is placed on her beautifully shaped ass. When she leans away for air, you drown in her gorgeous eyes. The taste of the wine is now lingering on your lips, as Xiaoting leans down again, connecting her mouth with yours.

You found out a lot about her while the two of you were drinking, so you want to find out if she was telling the truth.

While your right hand is still holding her ass, your left one grabs the phone on your table.

Xiaoting breaks the kiss. A questioning look on her face.

"You said you are a dancer, right?"

She nods.

"I am."

"Dance for me."

A smile appears on her lips before she pecks yours one last time. Getting off your lap, Xiaoting takes a couple of steps back.

When you start the song, she takes only a second before she knows what it is. Girl's day's "Something."

She snaps her fingers with the beat before she starts dancing. When it says "drop it," she does just that. Kneeling on the floor, her eyes are on yours as she leans forward. Her hand sliding over the floor. You catch a glimpse of her tits before she is on all fours. Moving her butt to the music, her hair is partially covering her face. The brunette's gloves roam her body as she sways her hips to the rhythm of the song.

You have seen the original dance before, but Xiaoting seems to be improvising a little. The dance was suggestive before already, but she is adding a new layer to it now.

Instead of pulling her dress to the side and showing off her legs, Xiaoting slowly lowers herself on the floor.

She stays like this for a couple of moments. She seems to know exactly where you are looking at, as her hand glides over her butt slowly. Her glistening heels sparkle in the light, showing off her porcelain skin.

You wonder if she is as fragile as she looks, as her hand traces along her curves while she stands up again.

Her body seems to be made to hypnotize you, as Xiaoting dances in front of you.

Her hips sway from left to right as she moves to the rhythm.

While one of her hands is hovering over the hem of her dress, the other is touching her chin. The brunette bites onto one of her clothed fingers teasingly before slowly getting the white glove off with her teeth.

She throws it playfully at you before turning around. Lifting her hair up in a makeshift ponytail, Xiaoting shows off her beautiful back to you.

When she drops to her knees this time, she closes and opens her legs slowly. It makes her move up and down a little, making your eyes focus on her backside. Looking over her shoulder at you, she gives you a wink while her left hand roams her butt.

You feel yourself getting harder with every single movement, as Xiaoting slowly stands up again, showing off her curves.

Walking over to you, she puts her hands on your shoulders before sitting in your lap once more. She keeps moving to the music as she begins to grind herself on you.

Automatically, your hands grab the cheeks of her ass, as you don't want her to leave again. Xiaoting leans forward, pressing her chest into your face. You enjoy the feeling of her dress on your skin and her small breasts behind it.

After leaning back again, her left hand leaves your shoulder before touching her own collarbone. Her fingers follow its path until they reach her naked shoulder.

With her thumb, she slowly pushes the strap of her dress towards the edge of her shoulder. Her eyes are on yours, as you watch her.

Finally, the strap falls off her shoulder, hanging loosely around her arm. It is barely exposing more skin, as her dress only falls a little. You want to see more, but in that moment, the song is over.

You are barely able to hold yourself back, wanting to just rip the dress off her, but Xiaoting leans over, taking your phone. A second later, a new song plays. She whispers in your ear while her hand unbuttons your shirt.

"Thousands of people listen to our songs. But only you will hear my voice when I scream your name."

You think you heard the song before, but you are to engaged in the woman on your lap to really listen. Peppering the white skin on her neck with kisses, you make it hard for her to undo the last buttons. You feel her shudder a little as your hands squeeze her ass cheeks.

"More."

She sighs as you begin to mark her perfect skin. You don't know if she needs to appear in public soon or if she just doesn't care. Either way, you start to leave hickeys on Xiaoting's neck. You keep kneading her butt at the same time as she lets out a moan.

By the time the brunette finally reaches the button of your pants, you have already given her three large purple marks.

"You like me marking you?"

You whisper into her ear.

"Yes. I love it. I want everyone to see what a slut I am."

You kiss her right shoulder.

"What are you going to say when your members ask you?"

As she unzips your pants, you take the strap of her dress between your teeth, pulling it down her arm. Your hands still busy playing with her ass.

"I'm going to tell them the truth. That I'm a dirty whore for you."

Xiaoting sighs, as you bite her earlobe softly.

You didn't expect such lewd words to fall out of her mouth. But you can't say you hate it.

When the brunette finally freed your cock, she begins to stroke you. You take her dress into your mouth, right above her chest and pull it down, since your hands are still squeezing her ass cheeks. Once you expose her small tits, you dive in, kissing all of the skin that is in front of you.

Her slim fingers move along the length of your shaft in a slow rhythm. When you start to take one of her nipples into your mouth, her strokes become faster.

"Oh, yes."

Xiaoting sighs in pleasure as you make her feel better than she expected.

"How are you so good at this?"

You don't answer, still busy with sucking on her nipples.

Once you have covered both of them in spit, you lean back, enjoying the handjob you are getting. You see the lust in the brunette's eyes, as she feels your cock becoming as hard as possible.

"I need this inside of me."

She leans forward and gives you a kiss, as if she is trying to convince you to fuck her.

"Please. It has been so long."

You glance at the huge windows and pick her up in an instant. Her smile shows her excitement, as you carry her towards the window.

Pressing her against the cold surface, you capture her lips with yours once more. Xiaoting shivers as she feels the coldness of the glass against her naked back. The way you are holding her, turns her on even more as she hovers over your cock. The brunette imagines herself being dropped lower by you, getting impaled on your cock. She feels a small streak of her juices trickle down her thigh.

Once you have had enough of her lips for the time being, you put her down again. Still pressing her against the window, you whisper into her ear.

"Suck my cock."

Without hesitation Xiaoting drops onto her knees, taking your cock into her small hand. But then she turns around for a second, making sure no one is watching.

"Don't you want someone to see us?"

The brunette looks up at you, while you caress her cheek.

"Don't you want to show them how good you suck my dick?"

"Yes."

The word is almost a whisper, as Xiaoting trembles lightly, thinking someone might be watching. Your hand moves from her cheek to the back of her head. And while the two of you keep eye contact, you slowly push her onto your cock. Her lips part with ease, as she takes you inside, wrapping themselves around you tightly. Xiaoting's wet mouth feels like heaven, as you push into her further. The warmth around your cock almost makes you moan, as you make her take half of you inside.

When you let go of her head, Xiaoting retreats, until only your tip is in her mouth. Her tongue swirls around it, making you feel even better. You relish the feeling of her mouth, as she takes you inside of her again. This time, she takes a little more of you into her mouth, before retreating again. She repeats it again and again, making you finally let out a deep moan.

You feel her tongue glide underneath your shaft, as she takes you inside her mouth once more. Now deep enough, you feel yourself reaching her throat. Xiaoting looks up at you, as if she is asking for permission.

"Just take it, slut."

She hums on your cock in satisfaction, before finally taking you down her throat.

You have to look away, unable to watch as her throat tightens around you. The heat in your body starts to build and you don't want it to be over yet. You try to distract yourself by looking out the window. There are a couple of buildings, which are just as high as the hotel and you are sure, someone would be able to see what's going on in your room.

The thought of someone watching makes you want to take Xiaoting right here. Right here in front of everyone.

You hear her gag slightly, as she now takes all of your cock into her mouth. Her muscles tighten around you, trying to squeeze the life out of you. She feels incredibly tight like this.

"Xiaoting."

You are barely able to say her name.

"Get up if you wanna get fucked."

Her eyes widen in happiness, as she slowly gets off your cock. Once you have left the warmth of her mouth completely, she stands up. The two of you nose to nose.

Reaching downwards, you slip your hand beneath her dress. You are surprised by the lack of underwear, as you touch her labia. Xiaoting's breath hitches, as you feel her wetness.

"No underwear?"

"Just for you."

You chuckle, as you slip one finger inside of her. She leans against the glass, sighing in pleasure. Moving your finger, you watch her reactions.

"Please."

The brunette bucks her hips automatically in your direction.

"Fuck me. Show everyone what a slut I am."

You take a step forward, pressing her against the cold glass again. Her nipples are pressed against your lower chest, as you line yourself up with her pussy.

You kiss her deeply, as you enter her. Xiaoting moans into the kiss as she feels herself getting filled. It takes a while for her to adjust to your length, but after a couple of moments, you are finally to the hilt inside of her.

Retreating, you move your hips, before you push into her again.

"Fuck. So big."

The brunette moans, as you slowly start to fuck her. Your strokes are deep and slow. While you pound her into the glass, you kiss the skin on her neck again. The hickeys you left earlier are still marking her porcelain skin and you decide to add one more.

Xiaoting's hands move to the back of your head as she is trying to push you deeper.

"Faster please."

You don't respond, wanting to hear her beg. The brunette tightens her muscles around you, trying to make you go faster.

"Please."

Her needy whine is music to your ears.

"Make me your slut. Fuck me faster."

You leave her neck and you see the disappointment in her eyes, as you move out of her. But Xiaoting has no time to complain, as you spin her around, pressing her body against the glass again. When you enter her this time, you feel like she is even tighter than before.

"Yes. Show everyone who I am."

You take her hips as you thrust into her.

"And who are you?"

"I'm your little slut. I'm a slut for your cock."

You go faster, rewarding her for her right answer. Xiaoting moans into the glass, as her forehead rests against it. She feels her nipples touch the cold surface, making them stiff. Your hard grip on her hips makes her hiss in pain, as you can't hold yourself back any longer.

You think you might be going overboard, as you see the light red marks on her flesh, but Xiaoting only moans louder.

"Bruise my hips! Do want you want with my body! Just make me cum!"

Her panting becomes heavier, as you drill her into the window. While you thrust into her you pull her towards you, making you penetrate her even deeper. After a while her forehead starts to hit the glass repeatedly. The banging starts to mix with the sound of flesh hitting flesh. Your hips meeting hers.

Although it somewhat turns you on hearing her head getting shoved against the window, you don't want to hurt her too much.

One of your hands leaves her hips and makes Xiaoting turn her head, so now her cheek is pressed against the glass. You see a red spot on her forehead and a smile on her face.

As you start to fuck her as fast as you can, you can see her mouth hanging open. Xiaoting is unable to form words anymore. Her mind goes blank at the pounding she is getting. She starts to drool on the glass, unable to control her body.

You already expected her to cum sooner or later, but she hit you without warning still. A low moan, almost animal like escapes her throat, as she cums on your cock. Her pussy squeezes you as much as she can. She is unable to move any other part of her body, being trapped between you and the glass. Her cunt contracts around you in a wild rhythm, as she rides out her high.

You have to stop yourself from moving, as you feel yourself getting closer. Not wanting to finish yet, you wait for Xiaoting to calm down.

Once she has regained control over her own body, you regretfully leave her warm cunt. You hear her whine, but you just pick her up. Carrying her to the bed bridal style, you look down on her face.

It does seem like there is gonna be a small mark on her forehead. The sweat on her face is making some of her hair stick to her skin. She looks up at you with half lid eyes.

"Let's see how good of a cumdump you are."

A smile forms on her lips, before you let her fall on the bed. Thinking you want to take her from behind, Xiaoting gets on all fours and starts to crawl to the middle of the bed.

You have something else in mind. You grab her by her ankle and pull her towards you. Her arms, still weak from the pounding she just took, are unable to support her weight. She falls face first into the sheets. She pretends to struggle at your grip, but you force her to the edge of the bed.

"You are not going anywhere until you have my cum running down those beautiful thighs of yours."

You roll her over and examine her body.

Her face is flushed red with arousal. Her nipples are still hard from the cold glass. The pink dress is hanging loosely around her waist, exposing her tight snatch. Her folds are dripping with her juices, making her skin glisten in the hotel room light. Her long creamy legs are now hanging over the edge of the bed. Her heels sparkling.

"What are you waiting for? Put that cock where it belongs."

You take her ankles and put them together, before putting them on your left shoulder. When you enter her this time, Xiaoting feels incredibly tight. You groan at her wetness and you see her arch her back, as she is getting stuffed again.

"Fuck."

The brunette lets out a squeal, as you start to pound her again. You feel even bigger inside of her now. She doesn't know if it's because she came or the position of her legs. Either way she feels completely full, as you take her higher and higher.

While one of your hands is holding her ankles together, the other is holding her thighs. Her closed legs add more to that incredible tightness.

You feel a familiar feeling raising, as you see her body like this. Xiaoting takes your cock with pleasure as you continue to fuck her to her next orgasm.

You know you are close yourself. Wanting to get as much pleasure from Xiaoting's pussy as possible, you move her feet off your shoulder. You push them towards her, exposing her tight snatch to you. Luckily Xiaoting is incredibly flexible. Probably due to her dancing. You push her feet towards her head, until she is able to hold them herself. Her heels are right next to her face as you grab her hips.

Her body lying like this is a beautiful sight to witness, as you pound her faster.

The position of her legs make her even tighter. You were convinced that it was impossible. But here you are. You are almost unable to fuck her properly. She has become this tight.

It feels like the grip of her pussy on your cock is crazy strong.

"I'm gonna cum!"

You move your hand to her clit, rubbing it, as you see her facial expressions.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Xiaoting looses control once more. She almost lets go off her feet.

"(Y/n)!"

She trembles and whines underneath you, while you keep rubbing her pearl.

"Stop! Please!"

You hear her lustfilled voice. Her tone betraying her words.

She cums again a second later.

"(Y/n)!"

This time it hits her hard. Her pussy contracts wildly around you, before you are pushed out of her. Her juices splash everywhere, as she starts to squirt. Your hand. Her midriff and her dress. The sheets. The carpet. Everything gets drenched.

"No more."

Xiaoting begs for her life, but you don't listen. You keep rubbing her clit making her cum for a third time in a row.

Her juices gush out of her like hydrant, as she covers everything with her cum.

You see that you would break her if you keep going. Moving your hand away from her clit, you grab her hips once more. They are now slick and you have to hold her tighter so you don't let go of them.

Pushing inside of her, you see Xiaoting's eyes roll to the back of her head. Wordless moans and groans escape her mouth. It's visible how hard she is trying to keep her legs in position, not wanting them to snap back towards you like a bow.

Although she is still as tight as before, her wetness now makes it a little easier to slide in and out of her. The sight of Xiaoting cumming like this brought you to the edge as well. You hold on as long as you can, wanting to remember the feeling of her tight pussy forever.

Her limb body is getting rocked back and forth by your thrusts. Her eyes are now staring up at the ceiling. They have lost all focus. It seems like you literally fucked her brains out.

When you are unable to control yourself any longer, you burry yourself as deep in Xiaoting's pussy as possible.

You hear a weak moan escape her half opened mouth, as your cum fills her cunt. Rope after rope paints her inner walls, until you have given her everything you have.

Unable to gather any sort of strength, you fall next to Xiaoting onto the bed. You feel her move a little, resting her head on your chest, before you drift off to sleep.

[oro-e-diamanti]

8 PWEASE - female reader is on vacation with Dami and friends and the power goes out which is all fun and games when she is with everyone downstairs but when they all go to their own rooms to sleep she panics and can’t sleep and ends up knocking on on Damiano’s bedroom door with tears running down her face and says that she is afraid of the dark and he invites her in and distracts her from it being dark with some smutty-ness and perhaps a blindfold (“now it doesn’t matter if we can turn the lights on or not because I’m not letting you see anyway”)

Perhaps she turns to Damiano because he had noticed her being anxious about the power being out earlier and asked if she was okay then and she tried to play it cool but now she can’t and she needs him to comfort her and protect her

YOU ARE THE BEST🤘🏼

Thank you so much for the request!! I hope you enjoy it 💕

"I might be afraid of the dark."

Damiano + fluff / smut

The first crack of thunder catches you by surprise. You hadn’t been aware of any thunderstorms in the forecast – and you usually kept track – and yet, when lightning illuminates the room for a split second, there is no doubt about one being much too close to the house for your liking. The laughter of the group around you briefly makes room for “oooh”s and “aaah”s but that remains the extent of their reaction.

You’re a little more unsettled. You hide it quite well, you think, until you catch Damiano’s eye. His face displays worry, a question, but even when you smile at him and he smiles back but you can tell he’s not convinced. You’re glad he’s not saying anything, as another round of drinks is passed around and someone starts a game of beer pong. A rowdy night in with your friends. A bit of alcohol, some silly games, catching up, it’s all you need.

Until the lights go out. There’s silence for about half a second before everyone starts talking all at once. You’re barely able to make out anything at all as the fear creeps up in you. Someone lights a candle, several phones are being held up to shine some light, but the unsettling feeling stays in your chest. Someone – you can’t quite make out who – jumps out behind a sofa to scare everyone. It only seems to work on you, but you try to keep your composure. Yet, once again, Damiano’s eyes are on you.

“Guys, come on, it’s no fun in the dark, let’s go to bed, we’ve still got one more night tomorrow, yeah?”

There’s a few mumbles but in the end, everyone agrees. You think you’re quite happy to retire to your room, lucky enough to snatch up one of the single ones before everyone else had arrived. But now you’re in your pyjamas, under the covers in your bed, distant thunder rumbling, and all you can focus on is the fact that it’s dark. Too dark. Not a single tiny light, no other houses or street lamps illuminating the outside, not even a little red dot on one of the various electronics in the room. Nothing.

You try, you really do. But the darkness seems too obvious, even when you close your eyes, and you can’t stop thinking about it. So, with soft footsteps and your phone in your hand to shine the way, you leave your room. It’s Damiano’s door you find yourself knocking on. He opens up much quicker than expected.

“I might be afraid of the dark,” you confess immediately. For a moment, you’re almost glad you can’t really see him or anything else, you don’t want to know which facial expression accompanies your statement. You’re embarrassed enough as it is.

You flinch at his touch. You hadn’t seen it coming, both because of the darkness and because you’d averted your gaze. But as soon as you realise what is happening, you move into him and against him, letting him engulf you in his arms and pull you into his room, door falling shut behind you. He manouvers you into the bed and only when the moonlight coming from his window hits your face does he see the tears spilling from you eyes. He wipes them away with care before pulling you into his chest.

You can barely see his face, the light from the distant moon hitting him just enough to know that he’s looking back at you. Neither breaks the eye contact. You’re so focused on trying to make out the nuances of his iris that you’re only fleetingly aware of his hand moving upwards, tracing along your side, and you almost want to dare him to brush against your chest. Your own hand is on his face, thumb stroking along his cheek, and it’s you who makes the move.

The atmosphere in the room changes in an instant. There’s a connection between the two of you that doesn’t need words as your mouths meet. With his arm tightly wrapped around you, as if frantically afraid of letting go, he gives you the utmost feeling of safety. And when his tongue touches yours, he’s giving you quite a different feeling altogether on top of it too.

You don’t notice you’ve closed your eyes, getting lost in the sensation of his hands and his mouth on you, until you open them again just to be reminded that it’s dark, worryingly dark, so dark you can barely make out Damiano at all, as a cloud pushes in front of the moon and robs you off your last bit of light.

Damiano notices you struggling immediately. He only hesitates for a moment, then his shirt is off his body, but instead of expectig you to react to the new show of skin, he pulls you into a sitting position and wraps the fabric around your head.

“There. Now it doesn’t matter if the lights are out or not because I’m not letting you see anyway.”

The terror you felt only moments before almost immediately transforms into heightened anticipation. Everything happens all at once, so quickly you can barely wrap your head around it, and at the same time, every second lingers, letting you fall deeper and deeper into everything that is being done to you. You let him take the lead, let him undress you, kiss you, touch you, mouth on your breasts, hands spreading your thighs. You’re a mess of sighs and moans, and every single time your head threatens to remind you of your fears, he instinctively surprises you, a flick against your nipple, his tongue on your clit, a movement a little rougher than expected. When he’s on top of you, between your legs, and asks for your consent, you can’t do anything but shout out an enthusiastic yes that you’re sure travels through the house more than intended.

Damiano pushes into you carefully, slowly, but as soon as he realises you’re comfortable and on the verge of begging for more, he increases his speed. Your hands are clawing at him, nails digging into his back, and it feels like all of your senses are impossibly heightened by a lack of vision. And, somehow, it makes everything better. His body on yours and his breathing, intermittently interrupted by deep groans, cause you to come undone much sooner than expected. Your legs wrap around his waist as you moan loudly through your orgasm, clenching around him tightly, and he follows before you’ve fully come down.

You barely register him moving off you, softly cleaning you off, removing the blindfold, but your eyes stay closed as your breathing still rattles in your chest. When you finally open your eyelids again, you immediately notice. The light coming from the house next door. The little red dot on the tv screen on the wall. The low hum of electricity. You turn to Damiano, his face relaxed and smug.

“How long has the light been on again?”

“Since about two minutes after I blindfolded you,” he grins, quickly pressing a reassuring kiss to your lips. “But isn’t it much more fun to stay in the dark sometimes?”

[rumyarabella]

The sound of heels echoed through the empty room as the woman paced back and forth. Her world was meticulously organized, as controlled as her cold, calculating mind demanded. The coat, the keys, the phone, the folders—everything in its place, exactly where it should be. Routine was her refuge, her only certainty in a chaotic world.

The television was on, but muted, a silent presence in the corner of the room. The news flashed across the screen, but Courtney, as usual, paid it no mind. She hated noise, hated interruptions, and the damn device was only there as a substitute for an alarm clock that had broken weeks ago and hadn’t been replaced. Nothing new disturbed her, nothing unexpected.

She glanced at her watch, her movements precise like a machine. Six o’clock sharp. Not a minute more, not a minute less. She left the house without noticing the headline announcing the disappearance of several hikers.

A few minutes later, Courtney was in her usual café, opening one of her folders and reading diligently. The scent of coffee hung in the air as she read. Outside, the rain tapped against the windows, but she had come prepared. Another benefit of her meticulous planning: she always brought an umbrella when the TV forecasted bad weather.

As she waited for her drink, she overheard two young people at the next table chatting at a noticeably loud volume.

"Have you seen the newspaper?" one of them asked, waving a sensationalist front page. "There’s a story about a group of hikers who disappeared in the mountains."

"Yeah, I saw it. It’s tragic. I don’t know how so many people can get lost on a single hike—the media’s been flooded with it for days."

Courtney thought it was just another piece of news that would pass by in her life. After all, who had time to follow every sad story in the press? If it didn’t involve a case, it wasn’t worth her attention.

"Then you don’t know yet! They just confirmed that on that hike were—MS. REYES?"

The young people jumped slightly in surprise, apparently too absorbed in their conversation. She simply gathered her things and went to pick up her drink.

Miles away, in a small neighborhood store, around 2 p.m. that same day, the sky remained gray and the air damp as Duncan, wearing his worn leather jacket, stepped inside. The overhead lights flickered with an irritating hum as he made his way to the refrigerator to grab a beer. The murmur of shoppers filled the air, blending with the strong smell of fish.

As Duncan picked out a brand of beer, he overheard fragments of a conversation between two older women standing in line at the checkout.

"Have you heard about the hike?" one asked, her tone filled with concern.

"Yeah, they say they’ve found bodies, but they’re not sure who they are."

Duncan barely paid attention. He had heard similar stories before—people lost in some remote corner, victims of fate or their own stupidity. There was no room in his life to worry about those poor souls. He didn’t know their names, nor did he intend to learn them.

Later that same day, as night fell, DJ was at the gym, sweat dripping from his brow as he pushed his limits during his workout. Over the gym’s loudspeakers, the radio broadcasted a news bulletin about the same tragedy.

"Recent reports indicate that the search for the missing hikers continues without success. Authorities have identified several of the missing, but are still working to confirm if any of them match the bodies found this morning," the announcer said, his voice grave and professional.

DJ paused his arm reps to reach into his pocket and quickly pull out his phone. He needed to change the song and get back to work. He briefly removed an earbud to let the coach know he’d be taking a bit longer in that section.

And this is the first part of chapter 1

[darkangel1791]

GLOBAL RETAIL // JUNE 4, 2024

Queer influencers are feeling the Pride marketing squeeze

By Allison Smith

https://www.modernretail.co/marketing/queer-influencers-are-feeling-the-pride-marketing-squeeze/

For many queer influencers like Alysse Dalessandro, Pride is the biggest month of the year for brand sponsorships. Throughout the month of June, Dalessandro — a plus-size fashion and lifestyle blogger — posts videos on TikTok or Instagram featuring sponsored products that cater to her LGBTQ+ followers. 

In 2022 alone, Dalessandro worked with 35 different brands, and one-third of her annual income came from Pride sponsorships. 

But this year, those figures are looking a lot smaller, and Dalessandro says it’s because brands’ appetites for Pride marketing have weakened amid widespread pressure from anti-LGBTQ+ conservatives. 

“This year’s Pride will just be a regular month,” said Dalessandro in an interview. “Whereas I used to make one-third of my yearly income, I would say I’ll make one-twelfth of my income this year.”

The pullback comes just after Target announced earlier this month that it would be scaling back its Pride Month offerings. The retailer said its Pride products would only be available in about half of its nearly 2,000 stores in the U.S. and online, and it would no longer sell LGBTQIA-themed merchandise for children.

Protests against brands with Pride Month products and marketing campaigns reached a fever pitch last year. Target reported “gut-wrenching” attacks of violence in its stores against employees, prompting the retailer to pull some of its LGBTQIA-themed merchandise. Target’s earnings took a hit, which the retailer partially attributed to the controversy.

Meanwhile, Anheuser-Busch’s Bud Light faced boycotts last year after the brand worked with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney for a marketing promotion. The boycott was so severe that sales plunged, and Bud Light was dethroned as America’s best-selling beer by Mexican lager Modelo Especial.

While some say the protests have cast a pall across corporate America that is still being felt this Pride Month, others say brands are continuing to celebrate Pride with merchandise and promotions – but it’s being done more quietly and in moderation now. 

A majority of corporate executives and Fortune 500 leaders reported to Gravity Research that they are not planning changes to their Pride strategy for 2024. Thirteen percent were unsure, and only 9% said they were definitely planning changes.

Indeed, grocery store giant — and Target’s biggest rival — Walmart has plunged ahead with its LGBTQIA-themed merchandise for Pride this year. 

Still, Dalessandro isn’t alone in reporting a slowdown.

Matt Skallerud, president of Pink Media, expects more brands will sit on the sidelines this Pride as companies try to navigate an increasingly fraught socio-political landscape. 

“Typically, we have several Pride projects in the works that we would have had ready for a June 1 launch. But this year, there’s nothing. Zero,” said Skallerud. “When I talk to others in the industry, whether they’re smaller LGBT media companies or other marketing firms, they say they’re all suffering the same thing.”

In the U.K., a similar chilling effect is also being felt, according to Chris Dunne, co-CEO at Outvertising, a non-profit that helps marketers connect with LGBTQ+ audiences. 

Although Pride Month is officially underway as of June 1, “you’d be excused for not knowing that by walking the streets or walking through the mall, or any of the touch points where you usually see retail support for Pride,” said Dunne. “It’s suspiciously quiet, and I think all the indicators are that it will be a quieter Pride month from a commercial and brand point of view.”

Yet, total marketing budgets in the U.K. reached their highest levels in almost a decade in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to a report. In the U.S., ad spend is similarly resilient. Three major ad forecasters have predicted improved U.S. media spend totals for 2024, Digiday previously reported. Retail is especially robust, with a 9% uptick in spend expected, according to IPG’s Magna unit. 

Brands, however, risk missing out on crucial dollars if these healthy budgets aren’t directed toward LGBTQ+ communities. Queer-identifying Americans represent $1.4 trillion in U.S. spending power, according to investment advisor LGBT Capital. 

“With one in five Gen Z identifying as LGBTQ, companies are really recognizing that it’s more important to have a relationship with this consumer segment than to perhaps respond to a vocal percentage of the population that’s actually quite small,” said Matt Tumminello, founder and president of Target 10, an agency that specialize in LGBTQ+ consumers. 

Moreover, many consumers support a swath of LGBTQ+ issues. For example, an Outvertising report found that 60% of queer-identifying people and 41% of non-LGBTQ+ people in the U.K. believe that brands should express their views on political and social issues. Meanwhile, 74% of Americans are neutral or positively impacted by knowing a company offers Pride merchandise, according to GLAAD, which advocates for positive portrayal of LGBTQ+ people in media and culture.

Despite this, marketers’ investment in the LGBTQ+ community is minuscule at only 2.5% of all advertising spend, according to ANA’s Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing.

“We know that there’s a fringe minority that is very loud, so brands’ messaging and tone has been modified because marketers don’t want to get caught in the middle,” said Carlos Santiago, co-founder of ANA AIMM. 

According to Meghan Bartley, senior director of agencies, brand and engagement at GLAAD, brands aren’t pulling back so much as they’re retooling how they engage with the LGBTQ+ community. 

“Brands are reconsidering how they show up for our community. That may look like a change to a Pride campaign rather than the complete removal of a Pride campaign,” said Bartley. For example, she said brands are increasingly looking at how to invest in queer-identifying communities all year round as opposed to just Pride month. That can translate to fewer rainbow logos on LinkedIn, to appear less opportunistic, and investing more in LGBTQ+ causes rather than merchandising, she said. 

Bartley cited iHeartMedia and Procter & Gamble’s fifth-annual “Can’t Cancel Pride,” an event celebrating the LGBTQ+ community, as an example of how brands are supporting the community in ways other than merchandising.

When Target said it would be selling less Pride merchandise this year, the retailer touted its year-round investments in the LGBTQ+ community, including donations to organizations such as Human Rights Campaign and Family Equality. Target also said it would participate in local Pride events across the nation and that it would continue to spotlight LGBTQ-owned brands throughout the year.

“There are some brands that are doing the work behind the scenes because they’re aware of a growing backlash,” said Outvertising’s Dunne. “But I don’t think that’s the majority. I think that’s the slim minority.”

Bob Witeck, a consultant who helps companies such as Walmart develop their LGBTQ-friendly policies, also hasn’t seen a pullback from his clients. In fact, he said some were doubling down on Pride Month in light of last year’s backlash. 

“In all of my conversations with the clients I work with, they have not shrunk at all,” said Witeck. “In fact, the conversations internally are more like, ‘We feel a deeper need to amplify what we say.’”

[contentment-of-cats]

We were bitching about hot and dry.

So, now we in SoCal are on track to receive the first tropical storm warning in history. Yes, in history, because the last time this happened the NWS did not yet exist.

Here's the deal.

Meet Hilary, she's currently southwest of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico as a Category 4 hurricane.The red track is her projected course - and yep, she's heading right for Los Angeles.

*prays to dear baby jeebus for a direct hit on any properties owned by Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Peter Thiel, and assorted studio heads while also praying for it to rain money into the actors' and writers' strike funds*

My boss picked the wrong weekend for a romantic Catalina Island getaway for his 25th anniversary. Then again, he's from Florida. He's probably going to sit out on the balcony drinking beer, taking bong rips, and hollering at the store, "THAT ALL YOU GOT?"

Anyway, we might look screwed, but honestly... we are. Just not completely screwed. See that down there? That's water temperatures.

Hurricanes need to get their feet into warm water to be powerful, which is why Hilary is a hurricane now. In contrast, once you get off the tip of Baja, you get into colder waters the hurricanes don't like. Cold slows them down, so that's the only thing saving us from a hurricane our infrastructure is not designed to handle. We have had some 'bomb cyclone' storms - cold and wet with up to 75 MPH winds. Lots of damage, but the lights stayed on. We have Santa Ana winds, and what most people call a windstorm we call November. Still, winds are forecast between 40 and 60 MPH.

Lets go to the scary part - rainfall and flooding.

From Sunday night, my area is looking for between 3 and 6 inches of rainfall. We normally do not get that much in a year. The strongest storm I can remember dumped an inch and a half over 24 hours. This is a minimum doubling of that amount. Some areas could see as much as 10 inches.

According to my local forecast, the rain will start about 6:00AM on Sunday and ending on Monday afternoon. The heaviest rain and winds will tale place Sunday evening.

I ought to be okay. I'm on the 2nd floor, so no flooding, and the building has a new roof.

Here we go!

[acemapleeh]

The Fog of the North End of the World

Summary: Alfred and Matthew were supposed to go out on a pleasant kayak ride off the coast of Vancouver Island. When the fog rolls in, a reminder is placed on where they stand between humanity and the supernatural. This was written as my contribution to the Together in Unity: HWS NA Brothers Zine. Characters: America, Canada Word Count: 1988 Warnings: Some Disturbing Imagery Read on ao3

 Mid-June 1993, Cadboro Bay, British Columbia, Canada

“I thought you checked the weather reports before we came out here.”

“And I did.”

“And you didn’t think it was important to tell me fog was in the forecast?”

“I didn’t think it would be this bad!”

Matt groaned and the only reason Alfred could see his brother throw his head back, face buried in his hands, was because their kayaks were pressed together, some rope keeping Matthew from drifting away. The fog had rolled in quick, thick as cotton, and completely blanketed the harbor. They were in Matt’s waters and his deck compass said they were facing west, but the harbor was full of other vessels much larger than them. Going back to shore in these conditions would be a long, tedious task even with six flares and proper navigation tools.

Alfred yawned and stretched his arms back. “You know Mattie, I’m starting to believe this so-called ‘Caddy’ doesn’t exist, or if it does, it’s long swum out to sea by now anyway.”

“Well, it won’t be the first time we’ve come out here for nothing,” said Matthew agreeably. “There were just so many reports recently. A baby was released in the San Juan Islands not that long ago and I’m thinking that’s what people are spotting up here.”

“Since when did you care about this kind of stuff? You sound like the old man,” he snarked. Then, as if reciting from a script, he continued. “There have been a number of sightings of an unknown creature off the shores of Vancouver Island, large bones spotted on the beaches, a few alarming and terrifying photographs have been submitted to us- enticing the like of cryptozoologists across the country.”

Matt had always been able to see the creatures lurking past the thin veil of the supernatural. It hardly affected his day-to-day life, not nearly giving them the same time of day as Arthur would. Alfred had all but blocked that ability since he was still unbreeched. “Why do I get the feeling you’re not taking any of this seriously?”

“Do you really want me to answer that?”

Matt let out another groan and began untying the rope between them. “We should start heading back, it’ll be dark on top of this fog if we don’t get moving,” Matt proposed, pushing himself in the direction of home. “I’m sorry for wasting your time, Al. I was sure we would find something.”

“No biggie. Dunno why you even bothered inviting me to help you.” Alfred rolled his eyes. “I don’t know what you ever expect to find out here other than trees bro.”

“I don’t know, just, didn’t want to be out here alone I guess.”

“Remember the last time you asked for my help trying to track Bigfoot?”

“Yes, all you did was bring a case of beer up and make unseemly ape noises and nearly got yourself shot by a hunter.”

The two paddled on, chattering quietly together, Alfred eager to get off the water and get back to Matt’s place in Victoria. Some mist had settled in fully, dampening his hair and chilling the back of his neck. Their thermoses had gone cold and empty by now; a bowl of clam chowder and hot coffee felt like the only things in the world that could warm him up.

Along the mild waters, they traversed and as more time passed, Alfred became increasingly aware that they hadn’t come across a single boat or even other kayakers. They hadn’t even spotted the glimmering lights of the harbor.

He was about to ask Matt what the deal was when something began to take shape in the fog.

A pine forest loomed above the water though Alfred’s eyes struggled to focus on the trees, a part of him believed that it was something other than the fog that prevented him from seeing what was before him. Waves lapped gently and invitingly on the shore and in the distance, there was the eerie and haunting call of a loon.

Matthew was mouthing something to himself and repeatedly tapped his compass. There was no way they could be in the Haro Straight, which was east of where they were supposed to be going, and none of the islands in that direction looked like this.

“Hey… Matt? Where are we exactly?”

Matthew didn’t answer but gave Alfred that strange, tilted owl-like expression that said he should know exactly where they were, before shoving himself toward the shore.

Alfred stared at the paddle in his hands for a moment before putting the end of it in the water and pushed back, moving forward just behind his brother.

Something in his throat prevented him from calling out Matt’s name.

Instead.

A quiet breath of cold air through chapped lips.

The water seemingly guided his kayak to shore by some unseen, subtle force.

They pulled up on the beach in silence, the pebbles crunching under their kayaks and the summer water bit like frost at Alfred’s ankles.

As they stepped ashore, there was a shadow in the fog, a shape with edges out of focus and fuzzy.

Something foreboding and wrong.

He could feel his father’s hand on his shoulder pulling him away, begging him to return to the sea.

Frozen in his spot, Alfred held his breath but Matthew was no longer beside him.

Turning back, he saw the fog coming in, beginning to swallow the pebbly beach and driftwood that stretched a mile long.

The fog felt thicker than before, curling and reaching, and the forms of drowned spirits took shape.

A chill from his youth tenderly caressed his cheek and Alfred bolted to the tree line.

It was instantly dark but somehow, a trail was found.

A park trail.

The wooden sign was labeled in a language he didn’t understand.

The trees creaked and groaned.

There was no wind.

Alfred looked down to his feet as he walked forward along the winding path, acutely aware that something was watching him.

Squashed Saskatoon berries lay scattered like fallen soldiers of the Great War.

He quickened his pace, only briefly eyeing the oddities that attempted to enter his field of vision.

The only one he focused on and approached was one that was this tall and lanky thing with eyes that sometimes seemed too sunken in and large for its face.

“Matthew. Hey man, talk to me. What the hell is-”

But there was that look in Matthew's eyes, the one that told Alfred he was meant to be somewhere very far away. The look that said that he was Canada above Matthew and that he, alone, was this land. A land inhabited by creatures more ancient than they could fathom that Alfred could only just barely make out in the reflection of his brother's glasses.

A look that said that they were more like them.

A feeling that crept inside them all but one that Matthew was more than accepting of letting take over.

Matt’s desperate need of a haircut curls spilled over the collar of his brightly colored windbreaker that, somehow, looked wrong on him and he must have felt the same.

Matthew’s jacket fell softly onto the leaves at his feet; his backpack was already there.

He quickly snagged Matt's hand before it could reach for anything else.

Even he couldn't always brush off the feeling the trees of Cascadia gave him. It was a blurry portion of their borders even with the six-meter divide between their forests. The further up North he went, the deeper into Canada he got until it was impossible to tell the difference. In the dense fog and even denser foliage, it was all too easy to lose yourself.

Pine needles fell like rain but the source of the shaking trees was still unknown.

But what concerned Alfred most was as he watched them fall, they never quite hit the floor. They were falling onto something, creating a shape in between a pair of burnt trees.

He tried to let his eyes glaze over it, to wait until it was on its way.

The shape of a bear began to take form.

Alfred was about ready to shove Matt back and pull out one of the flares from his pack when his brother tightened his hold, pulling Alfred back a step and telling him to stay quiet.

A scream stuck in his throat when he felt wet tentacles grab hold of his neck and there was a sudden weight on his shoulder. Matt kept his grip steady and soon the feeling was gone.

Alfred closed his eyes, willing whatever place Matthew had led them to was nothing more than a joke or bad dream. He was still in bed, they hadn’t gone out on their trip yet, he was waiting for the delicious smell of his brother’s pancakes and peameal bacon to rouse him from bed to start the day.

Something breathed on his arm.

Alfred jerked his hand from Matt’s hold and turned to face him, glaring. “Okay Mattie, this is all super funny. Har har, good one. You got me. Let’s bounce already, yeah? I’ve had more than enough spooks. It’s not even October man.” He took a step away and rubbed his eyes, hoping his normally unseen world would return.

“Alfred, I’m sorry I-”

“Eat my shorts dickweed! I’m going home!”

The worn path was found once more and along with it, the smell of a cooking fire lead him away from the sorry excuse for a joke Matt had set up.

Seeing that humble cabin built with red cedar bark was such a reliving site that Alfred hardly paid any mind to the blood-red smoke puffing steadily out of the chimney. Two women paused in their daily chores as he approached, the closer one smiling at Alfred from ear to ear. “Are you lost young man?” she called sweetly; her clothes matched the home behind her.

He was about to go into the details of how his brother got them both lost when the second woman stepped out from behind the sheet that had been hung to dry.

Her face was all bone and skulls were attached to her belt.

Alfred found his scream just as Matthew appeared at his side, yanking on his arm, encouraging him to run.

“Come and devour them,” the inviting woman commanded.

“Eat, eat, eat,” Alfred could hear being called from snapping mouths, leaves crunching in step with their own in chase.

Matthew wouldn’t let him turn to face whatever the source was.

His ears picked up the fluttering of massive bird wings and the cries of a starving raven, Matt’s encouraging voice only just loud enough to be heard above them.

Branches cut their cheeks as they ran from the trees, soon they were skittering on the pebbled beach, fumbling back inside their kayaks.

Alfred eyed Matt carefully as the fog swallowed them up once more, fearing the feral part of him that lurked just under the surface- even if this particular trip had only been an elaborate joke.

The forests of the North were made of death, regardless, the smell of decay was hidden in the rain and pine.

Even when they’re miles away, back into a new and modern stretch of water, forest, and fog, the lure of the unknown never truly faded.

“We’re not so different from them Alfred,” Matt said quietly as they tied their kayaks to the roof of his car. “I know you try and forget that.”

Alfred secured the knot tightly, the rope burning his palm. “And you remember it a little too often.”

He wouldn’t admit to the depths of his fears.

It wasn’t just the creatures that haunted humanity that unnerved his very core.

It was the fact that Matthew was right.

He caught his reflection in the side mirror.

His eyes really were too blue to be human.

No wonder he had been tried as a witch.

[snaillamp]

Lantern Man

Enjar lifted the surfboard from the water, wading back into shore. He had spent the afternoon catching waves on the beach nearby, enjoying the summer warmth, if you could even call it that. He shivered, his thick wetsuit still not shielding him entirely from the cold bite of the ocean.

Looking up at the cloudless afternoon, he admired the deep cobalt blue of the sky. Wrapping a blanket around his shoulders, he flicked his hair out of his face before hiking the short trail back up to the car. Strapping his board up, he jumped in the driver’s seat, turning on the engine and reversing out onto the small trail leading home. Turning up the heater, he blasted warm air on his face.

The wind picked up as he drove, buffeting the car. It howled around him as he grinned, it was amazing how fast the weather could turn up here, he would never be quite used to it. As he parked beside the lighthouse, he grabbed the radio, the object he always took everywhere with him, before unpacking everything from his day.

He finally made it back inside, hurrying to his bathroom for a hot shower. The wind, despite being a warm summer breeze before had turned into a cooler, stronger gale.

~~

When he finished his shower, he shrugged on a jacket and walked to the small desk in his bedroom. It was huddled away in the corner, most people wouldn’t even notice it, but on top lay a computer and a small monitor, kept company by a few nick nacks: sea glass, cool rocks, some feathers, just fun things collected by all keepers over the years.

Enjar slid into the stiff chair and logged on, staring at the computer screen. He checked the maps and weather forecast, clear night, no need to turn the light on yet. It looked like it would be quite windy tomorrow though. He checked coast guard reports, before sighing and clicking off.

He was happy, on one hand nights like this were nice. He didn’t often get time to be lazy, but on the other hand, he didn't like being lazy either. Standing from the chair, he yawned, deciding to go outside. The wind had died down enough that he could sit outside with a drink and enjoy the peaceful evening.

Walking to his fridge he grabbed a ginger beer, cracking it open and taking a long sip. The cool, refreshing liquid bubbled on his tongue as he savoured the slight burn of the ginger. Reaching into his pantry, he grabbed a bag of potato chips, a treat he only afforded himself on relaxing nights like this. Grabbing a chair, he dragged it outside and sat a way aways form the cliff edge. Watching the sun set on the horizon, he smiled, remembering the stories the former keeper, and his mentor, Johaan would tell him.

The short man, who looked like Santa if he had taken up residence in a lighthouse, patted his gut, leaning back with a chuckle. His red cheeks, flushed from the already large amount of whiskey he consumed would crease as he smiled, regaling stories of shipwrecks and myths.

Enjar’s favourite had been the story of the Lantern Man.

“You know, boy, there’s a reason you don’t run along these cliffs here, see.” The fat, stubby finger of the lighthouse keeper would trace along the cliff edge. “You see, there was a man, once. He was an old keeper, like ourselves, years and years ago. Over 100, but no one knows completely for sure. The story goes that he was always rushing around, too brave for his own good.”

Johaan took another large swig of whiskey, coughed a little and continued. “People always told him, ‘Boy! You mustn’t run along the cliffs. Take your time of the cliffs will take you!’ and he would laugh in their faces, saying that he had work to do and that he would be careful.

One day a freak storm washed over the area, largest that had happened in living memory. The waves were so tall they could reach the balcony of the tower.” The man would scoffed into his glass, pouring another serving of booze. “I call bull on that part, aye?”

Enjar nodded, grinning at the absurdity of the claim. The cliffs were quite high, and he had only seen large waves reach high enough to barely brush half of the ancient stone. “Course, the keeper didn’t listen, or there’d be no story!” Johaan cackled loudly, before continuing.

“Well that night, the wind was blowing hard, and he was coming home from the tavern in his big leather coat. This was before them motor cars and shit so he would just grab his big storm lantern and walk along the cliff edge to find his way home. Course, that was dangerous, but he didn’t care none.” He would sip his booze thoughtfully, going distant.

“Anyway, story goes he was running along home, when he slipped and tumbled from the cliff, plunging into the sea and rocks below. Some say the waves actually grabbed him straight off the edge! Anyway, he was swallowed up by the ocean, never to be seen again.

Years later, the new keeper was in a rush one foggy night, presumably in a similar situation to the first one. He was running along the cliff line when he saw a light glimmering in the distance.”

The old keeper glanced at Enjar, leaning back in his chair and listening intently, and grinned a toothy grin.

“The man kept running along the cliff line, ’n the light was getting closer an closer, yeah? He swears he hears the creaking of a rusty storm lantern as he nears it. When he finally reached the spot he thought it was, he looks up and it’s gone. The wind is howling and he’s looking for this light, before he feels a hand grab his shoulder and rip him from the cliff edge.”

Enjar’s eyes would widen, as he smiled at the ghost story. “Well the poor young keeper practically jumps out of his skin when he looks at the cold, wet, grey hand gripping his shoulder. He glances around to see the face of a drowned man staring at him, holding the storm lantern aloft, before the figure turns around and disappears into the mist...

Since then, people have sworn on their life that they seen a man, walking along the cliffs, holding a lantern aloft. Some say its the keeper, walking along with his light to protect others from the same fate, others say he’s there as punishment, forced to walk along the cliff edge, taking his time but never making it home.”

They sat in solemn silence for a second before the man would cackle. “Nah, I think it’s bullshit, mostly it anyway. But I won’t say it ain’t all real. All stories are based in a little bit of truth, aye, Enjar?”

Enjar nodded, ruminating on the point made by the old man until one day he couldn’t resist any longer.

“Have you ever seen him? The Lantern Man?”

Johaan, always the easy, laidback man, suddenly went very still. Turning slowly, he nodded, holding up a finger. “Once... I was walking along the edge, looking for yacht that had reportedly run aground one the rocks. It was misty and cold, and in the wind I swore I could hear the creak of a lantern.

I brushed it off, assuming it was my imagination... Then in front of me I see a light, small, yellow and shrouded in mist. When I get closer, I see something, the outline of a figure pointing down the ways, silent as anything, before it turned and walked into the dark.

Turned out where it had been pointing was the direction of the yacht. The people down there swore they saw a light on the cliff edge, watching it wander along before tumbling off the cliff. Coast guard and I looked the next morning couldn’t find anything… I don’t believe the whole story, but I believe every story has a bit of truth. They exist for a reason, hmm?”

The old an shuffled, his voice growing stern as he waggled the finger at Enjar. “And you’d be in good mind to heed the warning. Ain’t nothing on them cliffs worth your life, aye?” Enjar nodded, slightly alarmed at the sudden shift in tone. The keeper nodded at him and had continued his day like nothing happened. Enajr had always kept an eye out after that… Just in case.

He shivered, realising that the sun was pretty much set and the cold wind was picking up again. Going back inside, he glanced along the cliff line for a second, before shutting the door and getting ready for dinner.

~~

Enjar had just tucked himself into bed, getting comfy when he heard the radio chatter to life in the next room. Groaning in annoyance, he got out of bed and shuffled across the cabin to the small radio perched beside the front door. “Tower 4 do you copy? This is Base, Tower 4, do you copy?”

“Tower 4 receiving. What’s up?” Enjar spoke, sleepily mumbling as he rubbed his eyes. He stifled a yawn.

“Yeah, do you see that flare? Should be west of you.”

Enjar frowned, grabbing the radio and some binoculars before shuffling outside. In the dark, he could see a red flame drifting slowly towards the sea.

“Yeah, I see it.” He replied, lifting the binoculars to his eyes. There wasn’t much he could see in the dark.

“Want me to check it out?”

“Not right now, Tower 4. But, uh, just stick around, we may need your help if we send out a rescue party. You know the fastest route to get there?"

“Yeah, follow the cliff from the lighthouse, shouldn't take more than an hour from where you are.”

“Copy, Tower 4. Base over and out.”

Enjar was feeling a little more awake now, the adrenaline starting to kick in. He traced the illuminated trail of smoke to the side of the cliff, frowning. He knew there were lots of climbers around these parts in summer, the cliff faces were perfect for it, but at this time of night? The person must be nuts. “Well, that makes the flare make sense.” He muttered, going back inside.

He began to prepare, changing into his climbing gear and loading the car with his rope. He too enjoyed climbing, even if he spent most of his time dangling from the tower, doing maintenance on it instead of the cliff faces. His radio crackled to life.

“Base to Tower 4? Do you copy?”

“Tower 4 receiving.”

“Yeah, we’re gonna need to to check out Klintro Point. Just got a PLB signal. Can you get there?”

“Klintro? Yeah, that shouldn’t take me long. I’ll be over in 10 minutes. Tower 4 out.”

“Be careful, Enjar. Base over and out.”

~~

As he drove over the rocky trails, Enjar glanced towards the cliffs. The flare had faded, but he knew where he was going. Rounding the corner, he spied an SUV, parked between the trees. Screeching to a halt, Enjar jumped from his car, examining the abandoned vehicle.

It was dark and empty, doors locked. Looking inside he couldn’t see anything, his eyes unable to make anything out in the dark.

“Hello?” He called out as the wind blew harder. “Do you need help?” He called into wind, but it snatched his words and carried them away. Grabbing a torch from his kit, he scanned the surrounding area, catching a faint trail in the corner of his eye.

Following it a little way, he finally came across a boulder jutting out of the ground a few metres from the abdanodned SUV. Wrapped firmly around it was rope, pulled taught. Following it along to the cliff edge, being careful not to fall, Enjar peeked over and spotted a man, dangling from the ropes. “Hey!” He called down to him, his voice breaking with strain.

The man below him looked up, yelling back. “Down here! Help!” Enjar squinted down in to the dark, trying to get a good view. “What’s wrong?!”

“I’m tangled in my ropes! My shoulder… my arm… I think they’re broken!”

“Hold tight! Help is coming!” Enjar moved from the edge, the wind buffeting his body as he staggered against it. As he opened the door of his car, it was ripped from his hand, flying open. Jumping in, he grabbed the door with both hands and grunted as he pulled it shut.

When it finally did shut he was shivering, the cold wind chilling him to his bones. With shaking hands he grabbed the radio from his belt and spoke into it.

“Tower 4 to Base, do you read me?”A tense moment of silence, with the exception of the howling wind filled the air, thick with tension.

“Base to Tower 4. We read you. What's the situation?”

“I’m at the site, there’s a climber, his arm is broken and he can’t climb up. He’s tangled in his ropes… I can try and get down to get him free.”

“Negative Tower 4, we can’t ask you to put yourself at risk like that. Wait for backup and monitor the situa-”

A scream ripped through the air, cutting through even the wind. Enjar jumped from the car running towards the cliff as he saw the backup rope go taught. The first rope had snapped completely.

“The rope is snapping, I have to go down!” Enjar yelled into the radio.

“Tower 4 it’s too dangerous!”

“Screw this.” Enjar whispered as he hooked the radio into his belt, rushing to his supplies and slipping on his harness and a headlamp. He grabbed a length of rope, before running to cliff, looking for an anchor point anywhere. Spotting a large tree a little way back, he tied the rope around it, making sure it was secure. The wind had died down a little, but it was still strong, being exposed on the cliff like that was going to be dangerous.

Attaching himself to his line, he walked to the edge of the cliff. “Base to Tower 4, respond.”

Enjar grabbed the radio, holding it in his shivering hands. He wasn’t in warm clothes and the weather was only getting worse again.

“Tower 4, I hear you loud and clear.”

The voice of the manager at Base cut through the wind. “Enjar, listen to me. Don’t risk your life for this. Wait for help.” At the same time, the man screamed again, the rope jerking as he dropped a little.

“His rope is giving out, I’m not going to sit around and watch him die!” Enjar growled into the radio, reattaching it to his belt. “Enjar please…”

Ignoring the pleas of the manager he muted the radio, then slid down the smooth, wind swept cliff to the man. He was pale, shaking. Enajr glanced around at the ropes, looking at the mess i were in. The man’s forearm was caught in a tangle of rope that had been pulled tight. It was pale, no blood getting through and it was bent at a strange angle, hanging from his shoulder in a strange way.

“Hey, I’m Enjar. Hold till for me okay?” Enjar yelled into the screaming wind. The man looked up at him with teary eyes, “Andre”. He looked terrified. “Cut me free, please! I’ve been here for hours! I don’t want to die!” He cried wriggling in the rope. “Okay, Andre, hold still!” Enjar reached for the good arm, grabbing it and pulling the man close, hooking him up to his own rig. “If I cut you free, you’ll die anyway! Hold still!” He pulled the shaking man against his body.

Enjar watched the man’s eyes go wide. “Wait, why won’t you cut me out?!” He screamed into Enjar’s ear, hurting his ear drum. “Crush syndrome.” Examining the tangle, he pursed his lips. This was going to be hard. If he carried the man up, the ropes might loosen and then… The man wriggled against him, the carabiner brushing against a belt. Enjar looked down at Andre's waist. “Hey. I need your belt!” Andre looked at him strangely. “Why?” Enjar grimaced before looking at him, slightly frustrated. “Tourniquet!”

Andre leaned back a little as Enjar fiddled with the clasp of his belt, pulling it free. He reached up and wrapped it tightly around Andre’s arm pulling it as tight as he could. “Ow, ow stop!” Andre screamed, but Enjar kept pulling until it was secure. Fastening the belt as best he could he checked it, it seemed to be tight enough. Looking to Andre he nodded.

“I’ve got you! Hold tight.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small pocket knife. Trust his stupid head to bring a knife but not a first aid kit. He reached to the tangle of rope and began sawing at it. Andre began to scream and kick again.

“Stop moving, your ropes will give!” Enjar yelled as his tried to calm Andre, who looked at him in fear. The wind died down for a second. “Am I gonna die, Enjar?” Enjar shook his head, resuming sawing at the rope. “I won’t let that happen.”

As the wind picked up again, the ropes came free and Andre’s arm dropped heavily against his side. It has hanging from the shoulder joint at a strange angle. Andre screamed in pain as Enjar checked the belt. It was still tight. At that moment, Andre’s backup rope snapped, causing him to jerk downwards, before Enjar’s hand caught him. Andre screamed again.

“Andre, look at me!” Enjar pulled him close to his face. “You’re attached to me, you can’t fall. I have to climb up but I can’t do that unless you stay still okay? Conserve your strength.”

The wind masked a crumbling sound, only heard at the last second by both men. The rock that Andre had used as an anchor point tilted and cracked, breaking from the cliff and tumbling towards them. Enjar and Andre both jumped sideways, their feet pushing off the cliff face as they swung clear of the falling rock. But what they couldn’t dodge was the quickly approaching cliff as they swung back towards it... fast. The thought flashed through his mind the second before he hit the wall. ‘Shit, no helmet.’

Enjar felt his right shoulder smash against the stone, before the weight of Andre followed, throwing him into the wall even more.

His head cracked against the stone and everything went black.

~~

When he awoke, the world was spinning and his head was pounding. Warm blood was pouring down his face. Enjar groaned, wiping it with his arm before looking over his shoulder. Andre seemed to have passed out. “Shit. Andre!” He called out to the man, the sound of his voice hurting his head. Shaking the limp man, he checked the tourniquet, it seems to be working, but Andre was ice cold. Probably hypothermic. Shaking him, Enjar couldn’t seem to make him wake up.

Checking himself over, Enjar was relieved to feel the headlamp still on his face. It hadn’t occurred to him that it was the reason he could still see until he felt it with his hand. The wind was less strong, but still whipping around them, chilling him to the bone. With a shiver, he glanced down to the bottom of the cliff, noticing the jagged rocks and swirling ocean below. “And it was such a nice summer afternoon.” He mumbled, looking up again.

They weren’t too far from the top, Enjar could probably carry them to the top. That was when he saw the rope sag and begin to fray. “Shit.” The wind had been swinging them against the sharp rocks… His rope was being sliced to bits by the sharp rocks above.

Desperately grabbing at the smooth cliff face, Enjar’s fingers found purchase on a small rut. He gripped it, pulling himself up and feeling for something else to grab. Working his way up the cliff, he grew nearer and nearer to the top, but as the rope seemed to be getting weaker and weaker, he was too. His hurt shoulder was screaming in pain with every movement.

They were so close to the top and Enjar felt his muscles burn as he reached up for another grip. His arms felt like jelly as they shook, trying to grip onto something. His fingers curled around a small knob and he pulled up again, feeling the muscles under his arms strain. His legs burned as he barely managed to push up.

“Just a few more to go…” He gasped, reaching for another grip. The wind buffeted them as Andre suddenly jerked awake. He immediately began to thrash in panic as he tried to figure out where he was. “Hey!” Enjar barked, causing him to look up. “You’re okay, I’m climbing up, just stay still.” Andre shook. ‘Best not tell him about our… predicament…’ Enjar thought as he grunted, pulling himself up the wall again. After a few seconds, he looked up, panting. They were so, so close. Glancing at the rope, he grimaced. They could make it. They had to…

Enjar’s fingers closed around the top of the cliff as his feet searched for anything to push off of. He had grabbed the rock with his bad arm, his shoulder aching as the rocks sliced at his skin with every movement. He tried, couldn’tfind the strength to pull himself and Andre up. Eyeing the tantalisingly slowly fraying rope, he grunted in pain.

He tried to push against the wall but his feet slipped, the sudden movement causing the rope to finally break, the excess length dropping into the dark below them. Somehow, with all the adrenaline coursing through his veins, Enjar managed to get a grip on a rock, holding them up as the rope gave out. He cried out in pain as Andre went stiff with fear, before murmuring into the wind, something Enjar could barely hear. “It snapped didn’t it. We’re going to die…”

“Not if I have anything to do with it!” Enjar grunted, barely able to speak and grip onto the rock, his shoulder shaking as it threatened to break too. His other hand managed reach up and grip the grass as they hung from the edge, his fingers slowly slipping from the rock. His shoulder ached as it threatened to tear from the weight it was holding.

Enjar’s eyes grew wide as something cold and wet slid around his wrists, giving him a slight tug. With a sudden surge of energy, he kicked and managed to pull himself up a little. His fingers brushed the rope that was still attached to the tree and he grasped it tight, wrapping it around his hand and pulling himself up. He crawled forwards, hoisting Andre over the edge, before he dragged them both on his hands and knees away from the edge of the cliff.

Panting, Enjar collapsed into the dirt lay there for a second, before he pushed himself up onto his weak, shaking knees. He unclipped himself from his harness before he staggered over to his car to grab the first aid kit. Returning to Andre, who was still splayed on the ground and breathing heavily, Enjar wrapped an actual tourniquet around Andre's arm, pulling it tight before removing the belt. As he undid it, he bit his lip, the belt had come a little loose in the climb.

Andre gasped in pain as he sat up, looking at his arm. He compared it to his undamaged one and then began to cry. “Will I loose it?” He asked through sobs as the wind picked up again. Enjar shook his head, “I don’t know…” He stopped suddenly as Andre wrapped his good arm around Enjar’s body, sobbing into his shoulder. “Th-th-ank you…” He babbled as Enjar grimaced, tensing up. His shoulder hurt so much, now the adrenaline was no longer able to mask it.

Securing Andre’s arm in a sling, Enjar packed up the first aid kit and took it back to his car. He could barely stand at this point, his energy and strength all but drained. As he closed the car door, he felt strange, like something was watching him. Turning around, he looked into the darkness, listening to the howling wind. He could have sworn he heard a slight, rusted squeak. Looking around, he spotted nothing. “Must be the adrenaline…” He mumbled, staggering back to Andre and sinking to his knees. He felt his eyes sliding shut as he fainted on the cold, wet grass.

~~

A blinding light broke into his mind as he was shaken awake. Maria, a coast guard was shining her light directly in his face. “He’s awake!” She called out, looking over to someone else. The clearing was engulfed in the lights of coast guard vehicles, people milling around them. Groaning as he sat up, he shielded his eyes, only for Maria to grab the arm he was using and wrap it over her shoulders and help him stand.

A white hot pain ripped through him.

“AH! Stop!” He cried out, collapsing to the ground. Maria frowned. She gently pulled him up by his other arm and guided him to a flashing van, sitting him in the seat as another coastguard checked him over. “What happened to you two? That guy was completely mangled and you...” Maria asked, looking at him in concern.

“I managed to get us both up before my rope snapped…” Enjar whispered through heaving breaths, as let his head fall back against the car seat. A coast guard came over and prodded his shoulder, causing him to wince. “I don’t like that. You need an X-ray.” He mumbled to Enjar, who tensed up. “Come on, I know what you’re like. I’m driving you in.”

The guard slid a sling around Enajar’s arm and clicked the seatbelt in before he could find the energy to protest. The door slammed shut as he lay back against the seat, feeling drained. Maria sat in the back with him and kept patching him up on the drive in, checking his head would before cleaning it with a damp wad of gauze. During the drive , Enjar felt his eyes begin to slide shut and before long, he was slumped against Maria’s shoulder, fast asleep. He awoke to a sharp jolt and the sound of the car’s breaks screeching as they were thrown forward.

“Shit. Idiot!” The driver yelled as Enjar and Maria glanced out the windscreen. The wind howled as they both leaned forward, looking puzzled at what was in front of them.

Inches from the hood of the car, a man in a thick, soaked, leather coat stood, holding an old fashioned storm lantern aloft. His skin was a washed out grey, and he almost glowed in the reflection of the headlights. His long, dripping beard didn’t seem to blow in the howling wind as his piercing eyes stared at the occupants of the vehicle for a moment, before he nodded once and walked off into the dark.

“Damn hunters walking around at night in black. What, does he want to get hit?” The driver complained. "Weird, it hasn't rained, why was he so wet?" Maria mumbled as they drove off.

Enjar glanced around and watched the light bobbing in the distance, before it seemed to stop, near where the cliff edge would be and blink out… he knew why…

That was no hunter.

~masterlist~

[museaway]

First Sentence Game

I was tagged by @ursae-minoris-world. tysm!!! <3

How it works: Post the first sentence from your ten latest fics. If you haven't published ten fics, share as many first lines as you do have! Then tag some friends.

The forecast called for rain, a storm blowing in from the south, but it wouldn’t hit until later. [upcoming]

“Do you hear moaning?” Nagisa mumbled against Kaede’s chest where he had laid his head some time ago. [x]

It had been a grueling day lying on his stomach in the heat teaching first-timers how to brush the dirt out of the new skeleton, but once they’d gotten back to the site with full stomachs and the promise of funding, Billy grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge in Alan’s trailer. [x]

Haru went to sleep the day Rin won a silver medal. [x]

Once upon a time, in a landlocked desert kingdom in the western part of Klein Continent, there lived a young prince: the only child of the reigning Sun Lord. [x]

The nightmare again. [x]

The planet had evolved in the time he’d been away—dozens of lifetimes by the inhabitants’ reckoning, a dalliance for a traveler as ancient as he—so much that Ra scarcely recognized it, ignorant of this towering godless city of metal and glass, the columned building that housed his gate (a mistake to reopen, mere hours later his body was already depleted), the strange languages, though they had been easy enough to understand; he had been wandering since his arrival, cataloging the species’ advancements, and as the sky shifted from black to blue to orange, he’d been drawn by a rich scent into the shop where a young human with light hair blinked at him from behind clear lenses, awaiting an answer. [x]

The saying goes that just before you die, you’re shown your entire life like a flash, like a movie. [x]

Dress for a holiday party, the invitation said. [x]

Every year on the anniversary, he kneels in front of the photograph until his feet are numb. [x]

--

Tagging (with absolutely no pressure) @ahria-lethe, @dragon-of-timeless-blue, @ellenembee, @hyuge, @nenufair, @rcmclachlan, and anyone else who likes these kinds of things

[ruvviks]

idk what emojis have or havent been sent anymore so if there are any you REEAAALLLYY wanna answer for either of your guys here is your opportunity hehe [:

oc asks!

🎮 VIDEO GAME CONTROLLER — what are three of your oc's favorite hobbies?

heavenly likes keeping a journal! he writes in it a lot and also keeps several notebooks full of vampire encounters and any new information he can gather on them. he enjoys making list and gathering data and this is a very nice and organized way of keeping his brain busy in quieter moments. he also likes to code in his free time, building websites and online games and stuff! also enjoys drawing a lot but he sucks ass at it but he doesn't care, he's still having fun with it

🩸 DROP OF BLOOD — what is your oc's blood type?

heavenly's blood type is AB- :^) it's a rare blood type in the united states which makes his blood very attractive to a lot of vamps which is kind of a bummer for them since heavenly is one of the best vampire hunters in the united states. but also he likes getting his blood sucked so if the vampires would just ask him nicely instead of attacking him they would have a much better shot at getting a taste of that

💤 SLEEPING SIGN — is your oc a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper? how are their sleeping habits?

heavenly is a pretty light sleeper but can very easily fall right back asleep when he's been woken up by something. he tends to sleep throughout most of the morning, wakes up for some lunch/dinner type meal, goes back to bed to take a nap and then spends most of the night up and moving either on a job or running errands and such. sometimes a job will take him into the early morning hours and then he tends to stay up to get some breakfast, and then he will sleep from late morning to early evening instead

🚫 PROHIBITED — does your oc drink/smoke? do they do it regularly, or is it more on occasion or for special events?

heavenly drinks a lot more than he probably should but doesn't smoke because it makes him nauseous. he doesn't like beer or wine so he never touches any of that but he likes cocktails a lot :^) or a good old cola and rum or some other mixed drink. he rarely drinks strong liquors straight from the bottle but if he had to pick something it would be vodka to give his brain a reset

🍝 SPAGHETTI — what is/are your oc's favorite food(s)?

heavenly loves a good stir fry or some really good pasta. adds entirely too much cheese and garlic on almost everything he eats. absolutely addicted to garlic bread. would probably put hot sauce on most things as well and also loves tossing pineapple through meals. he's got interesting eating habits but it's essentially all his comfort foods mixed into one and it fucks severely every single time

🤒 FACE WITH THERMOMETER — does your oc get sick easily?

heavenly gets sick pretty regularly but usually nothing more than a common cold and he gets over it pretty fast as well. it's mostly due to him being outside a lot especially at night and he's not always properly dressed for the occasion because he never checks the weather forecast

💍 RING — does your oc have any piercings? do they want any (more) piercings?

isaac has an earring in his left ear! he rarely wears it anymore but will occasionally put it in again for special occasions :^) he hasn't actively thought about getting more piercings but if he would think about it he would spin around the idea of getting his nipples pierced for entirely too long. baby girl you are a priest

🩹 ADHESIVE BANDAGE — does your oc have any physical and/or mental disabilities?

isaac has asthma, recurring sciatica in his right leg, and autism. he had hoped being a vampire would fix the first two problems but it has not :/ he's got medication for his asthma but never sees a doctor for the sciatica because it goes away on its own most of the time anyway. the autism is undiagnosed and i don't think he would be aware of it himself either but it's there alright trust me

🐶 DOG FACE — does your oc have any pets?

isaac does not have a pet right now but i'm planning on giving him a cat during the story events :^) cats usually don't mix well with vampires but this is a very brave little kitty who will not leave isaac alone so he has no choice but to adopt it

💙 BLUE HEART — does your oc have any cool/special powers and/or abilities? how are they with magic, if it exists in their world?

i still don't have a name for isaac's bloodline but his bloodline has a couple of traits that make it unique. for starters, they're the most dangerous bloodline when feral because of their speed and how many victims they leave behind. their eyes go white entirely when they're feral which has something to do with their eyes adjusting to their surroundings so they can target victims easier. while they cannot transform into a bat or any other animal for that matter, they ARE capable of flight and also possess slight telekinetic powers :^)

[joomma]

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