#Now i find myself running for Tyler

[mishoarts]

frozen au update !

( im lwkey going crazy)

I can't believe what y'all convinced me to LMAO

[writersdrug]

Training for Two

Chapter 7. Motivated, Sir!

Masterlist

Summary: You struggle to keep up with your freelance work - Soap has the wonderful idea of bringing you and Riley to base.

Warnings: cursing, yeah.

Sure enough, Simon had requested your services about three days after you’d run into him in the café.

He had sent you an email the Tuesday following your run in. It was the same as before – short and to the point. leaving thursday at 0900. riley will need her meds at 1300. i’ll be on base for a few days for trainig, won’t be far. call if you need anything.

You showed up no later than twelve-thirty, your backpack hanging off one shoulder and a fresh bag of peanut-butter-bacon cookies in your free hand. You cooed and smiled at Riley as she all but attacked you as you entered through the front door. She seemed to have grown to miss you, which had your heart swelling with pride. People pleaser and a puppy pleaser, it seems.

After a dose of her medicine and a much-needed walk through one of the nearby parks, you crashed on Simon’s couch to do some freelance work. With your feet kicked up onto the coffee table (politely, with your socks on and your shoes by the front door), you tapped and clicked away at your laptop, fiddling with the edge of your sweatshirt as you concentrated.

You may have bitten off more than you could chew, as much as you hated to admit it. Prancing your skill online – boosting social media posts that boasted about your expertise in logo design and marketing had brought in more customers than you anticipated. Recognition was exciting, and you had taken on four clients at once; something you were currently and mentally kicking yourself for. The burnout had settled in quickly after you finished the first portfolio of logo samples, and you wanted nothing more than to take a nap with Riley as your blanket.

You sighed, sinking further into the couch cushions and running your hands over your face. You were dangerously low on motivation.

A few moments later, you were holding your phone, listening to each ring as you chewed on the edge of your sleeve. A bad habit, one that your mother had tried to break you of in your teenage years, but you stubbornly kept to it.

Soon, the phone picked up with a click. “Hey, babe.”

“Hi Tyler…” you said with a relived exhale. “You busy?”

“Eh-“ he grunted; you heard the sound of tinkering in the background, and the voice of the secretary at his main office. “I’ve got a moment. Everything alright?”

You sighed. “Yeah… nothing’s wrong, I’m just stuck.”

“How so?”

“Well” – you sat upright, crossing your feet under you and putting your laptop to the side – “I’ve finished the one project, and now I-“

“Which project?” Tyler interjected. You heard beeping, followed by one of his coworkers asking for a wire stripper.

“The logo design for that new attorney’s office off of main and thirty-fourth.”

“Oh! Yeah yeah, I remember.”

You cleared your throat. “Yeah, I finished that one. I have three other projects now, and one is due by the-“

“Three?! I thought you just had the one!”

A sigh escaped your lips. “I did, and then more clients flooded in, I just got ahead of myself-“

“Sweetheart- here, Max, hold this for a second- you got too much on your plate. You’ve already been house-sitting for that one guy, Sam-“

“-Simon.”

“Right, yeah. But, doll, maybe you need a break. Can you tell him that you need him to find someone else for now?”

You faltered. “You’re saying quit the house-sitting gig?”

“Not quit, I know Riley likes you – but maybe just have him get another guy to finish the week.”

“I can’t do that!” you said, a bit taken aback that Tyler of all people, Mr. Work-Till-You-Drop himself, would suggest that you let go of a project. “He can’t exactly find a different sitter right now, he’s not going to be home.”

“Alright, alright- what about dropping one of the logo gigs?”

“That would look bad for my business.”

“Well, babe-“ you heard someone call for him in the background of the call. “-give me a sec, Ron, it’s important- I don’t know what to tell you. You bit off more than you can chew, it sounds like.”

Your heart dropped into your stomach; why am I bothering him? He’s working, and this isn’t something he can exactly help with. “Yeah- I’m sorry. I’m just- I dunno. I need something to motivate me.”

“Don’t be sorry, sweetheart.” Tyler sighed; you could hear the pinch in his brow. “I’m not trying to be short with you, I… eh, I guess this wasn’t the best time, hmm? Tell you what: when Sam comes back-“

“Simon.” You said with a chuckle.

“Shit, sorry- when Simon gets back, and you’re back home, let’s have a day in, yeah? You pick a movie, I’ll get the takeaway, and have a look at your portfolio. Sound good?”

You smiled, the knot in your stomach easing up a bit. “Yeah, sounds like paradise.”

“Good.” Tyler said, and you could hear the smile in his tone. “I’ll make sure it is. Let your mind rest a bit, alright? And give Riley a kiss for me.”

“What, I don’t get one?”

“Yours are automatic!”

“Leavin’ me for a dog, are you?”

“I wouldn’t leave you for Aphrodite.”

You smiled. “I love you. But go back to work! I don’t want Ron to hate me.”

Tyler chuckled, the sound sending butterflies fluttering in your stomach. “Alright. Love you too.”

You ended the call, tossing the phone onto the cushion next to you. Why did I call him? He was at work – I knew that. He doesn’t even know anything about design. I could have texted him – or I could have just left him alone. Why would I even bother him with this? How could he have helped?

You groaned, closing your laptop and moving it to the coffee table. Looking across the room, you saw that Riley was no longer in her bed, her blanket partially spilling onto the floor next to it. She whined; you turned your head to find her sitting at the door. She met your gaze, licking her lips and tapping her feet anxiously on the floor.

“Do you need to go out?”

She whined again, impatient.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” you huffed, standing on your feet and stretching your limbs. She trotted over to you with a groan, then back to the door.

You followed her there, slipping on your shoes. You reached into the closet and grabbed her leash, leaning down to clip it onto her collar. She grunted and jerked her head back, taking a few steps away from you.

Confusion settled on your face. “C’mon girl, don’tcha want to go for a walk?”

She let out a few voofs, raising a paw and stomping it indignantly. You tried again, reaching out with the clip of the leash, but she darted away once more. She stood by the closet and barked shrilly, still staring at you.

This lasted for a few more minutes; you’d stand there, taking every woo and wuff that she threw at you. After a few moments of the following silence, you’d take a step towards her, holding up the leash with a cocked brow, and she’d huff and turn in a circle.

“I’m sorry I don’t speak awoowoo.” You said in frustration, putting your hands on your hips. “spreek je Nederlands?”

She huffed dramatically, lying down and resting her nose on her front paws. You sighed yourself and headed back towards the couch – she yipped, whining at you through her nose.

“What?” you asked, throwing your hands up. “I don’t know what you want!”

She barked back at you. Helpful.

You groaned. This wasn’t getting you anywhere. You went back to the couch and grabbed your phone, flopping stomach-first onto the cushions. Riley trotted over to your side and whined, sitting politely on the rug.

With a few clicks, Simon’s contact appeared on your phone; well, it was Riley’s face, her snout taking up most of the camera and her ears tucked back against her head as she had sniffed the lens in the moment. You chewed your lip. It’s not an emergency… but maybe he forgot to tell me about part of her routine? She hadn’t acted this upset the last time you were here… and she had certainly never indicated no when you got ready to take her outside.

You pressed the call button, putting your phone on speaker. Not half a ring had passed before Simon answered.

“Wha’s wrong? ‘S Riley ok?”

“N- hi, Simon – yeah, Riley’s ok. She-“

“Are you ok?”

You chuckled. “Yes, I’m fine. This isn’t an emergency.”

You heard him sigh, and quickly tried to deescalate the situation. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you-“

“Don’t apologize,” he said, “ya did nothin’ wrong. I know you wouldn’t call if it wasn’t important.”

You laughed again. “Well, I don’t really know if it is or isn’t – I’m trying to take Riley out for a stroll, and she won’t go,”

“No?”

“No. I try to put her leash on and she runs away. She’s yapping at me though, like she’s got something to say.” You looked at her, reaching a finger to boop her nose.

You heard the faint sound of gunshots in the background of the call. You had half a mind to ask if he was in battle- war- whatever they called it- at the moment, until you remembered that he said he was training this week. “Ya sure she needs t’ go out?”

“She’s acting like she does.” You said, rolling onto your side.

He grunted. “Pain flarin’ up?”

“She’s not limping.”

“Biscuit?”

“She’s had her first daily.”

He sighed. “Beats me. I’d think she was-“

“Oi! LT!”

You listened closely, suddenly drawn to the commotion beyond the speaker. “Simon?”

“One sec, luv-“ he said quickly. “I’m busy, Soap-“

“Cap needs ye back oan th’ feld. One o’ the Jimmies hud o’ nice fall.”

“Fuckin’ wot?”

“One o’ the rookies collapsed.” Soap was now closer to the phone; close enough that you could hear he was out of breath. “Cap wants ye out there.”

“Tell him I’m busy.”

“Tell ‘im yer feckin’ self, ye dry piece o’ shite-“

Riley suddenly barked, making you jolt. She stood with her paws on the edge of the couch and staring at the phone.

“Awe, tha’ mah girl?” Soap said from the other line. “Mah Bonnie, yea? She miss me?”

“’M on the fuckin’ phone, Johnny.”

“Ah know, I’m talkin’ to the pup.”

You thought for a moment, as Simon and Soap bickered in the background. Maybe, Riley misses Simon’s coworkers? She used to work with them… judging on her reaction – panting and ears perked up as she listened to the conversation – you’d guess you were right.

“Hey, uh… Simon?”

‘- hm?” Simon halted his bickering with Soap at the sound of your voice.

“Does she maybe want to see your- team? Or Soap, at the very least?”

“Aye, she does.” Soap chimed in, making Riley whine. “Ya hear tha’? She misses ‘er ol’ uncle Johnny.”

“Bugger off, mate.” Simon grumbled.

You suddenly felt like you made a mistake even voicing your thoughts. “Sorry if it’s not a good idea, I just heard how she reacted to Soap’s voice, and, y’know – how she used to work with you all…” you chuckled at yourself. “Now that I think about it, I probably couldn’t even get on base, could I?”

“It would-“

“None o’ that keech!” Soap said, cutting off Simon for the umpteenth time. “Ghost, ye can tell the gate guards you’ll be expectin’ er. Or cap, he’ll vouch for ‘er. Want tae see my girl.”

You felt a bout of excitement roll through your veins. “I think that would be great! And I’d get to meet you all finally. I should know who Simon travels the world with, right?”

There was a moment of silence over the phone, save for the distant gunfire and the cadence of orders being called out. You wondered if you had said something wrong; ‘travel the world…’ it’s deployment, not a vacation. Why did I say that?

“Don’t see why not.” Simon finally said, and you sighed quietly.

“You sure?” you confirmed.

“It’s jus’ what the pup needs.” Soap said. “Probably misses ‘er other friends, too-“

“Jus’ head towards the naval base, n’ I’ll send you the address to the gate.” Simon said with a huff. “Tell them you’re here for Ghost.”

“Ghost…” you repeated.

“’S my callsign. Oh, and, uh- put ‘er harness on. She wears that to base, probably why she won’t take jus’ the leash.”

You smiled, heart fluttering a bit at the information. “Great! I’ll see you soon!”

“Drive safe.”

You bit your lip as the call ended, that warmth still bubbling within your chest. A thousand, fleeting questions circled within your head as you rolled onto your side, clutching your phone to your chest. Does he call everyone luv? What gave him the callsign “Ghost”? I wonder what his team is like… I wonder what Johnny- Soap?- is like. I wonder if they’re all as attractive as-

Riley barked; you yelped, body tensing as you were torn from your thoughts. She pawed at you, still standing on her two hind legs and yowling lowly in your direction.

“Alright, alright- let’s go!” you rolled off the couch, equally as excited as she was. She happily obliged to sit next to you when you grabbed the harness from the closet, slipping it over her head and latching the leash to its back. She then eagerly trotted to the door, tapping her feet anxiously and whining.

You stuffed your feet into your shoes (you hoped that a sweatshirt, leggings, and rain boots would be appropriate for bringing your client’s dog on a military base). You stepped out into the overcast day, locking Simon’s door behind you and shoving the key into your bra; excitement boiled underneath your veins as the two of you headed over to your car, right as your phone buzzed with Simon’s text.

Simon watched as your contact photo faded from the screen. His eyes hardened as he turned to Johnny – the bloke had a cheeky grin on his face, staring right back at his lieutenant. Simon wanted to grab him by his mohawk and swing him into the wall like a discus.

“Wha’?” Soap said innocently, shoulders shrugging with irreproachability. “I miss ‘er.”

“Ya don’t have nothin’ to miss, you wanker.” Simon snarled, stuffing his phone into his back pocket. “You’ve never met ‘er.”

“The dog, ya git.” Soap sighed. His eyes narrowed in amused suspicion. “Yer awfully protective o’ the lass, don’t ye think?”

Oh, Simon could have launched the Scot into next week. He knew what he was doing, the bastard. He knew Johnny was either going to try and pair you with himself, sweep you off your feet and charm you with his stupid blue eyes and bright smile – or, he was going to pitch you with his lieutenant. Simon didn’t like not knowing how to prepare himself: to either cockblock you and Johnny, or to refuse any advances Johnny made to him on your behalf.

Soap huffed, not intimidated in the slightest by Ghost’s dissociative, angry stare. “Calm doon, LT.” he said, shoving his shoulder with two, sturdy fingers. “She’s got a lad, aye? I jus’ want tae see Riley. I’ll leave your precious house-sitter alone.” He held a hand up and crossed a finger over his chest. “Scout’s honor.”

“You were never in Boy Scouts.” Ghost grumbled.

“Does it make a difference?” Soap said with a quirked eyebrow.

Simon sighed, leaving Soap on the training field to find Price. He had to let him know you’d be coming to base, or you’d be stopped at the gate and turned away – or worse, dragged off by the military police. It would be a surefire way of keeping you away from Soap, but it was also rather unhospitable. Riley wouldn’t be too impressed, either.

Still, Johnny had a point. Why was he fretting? You weren’t his.

“Jus’ keep an eye on the recruits. Be back in a moment.” He said over his shoulder.

“Aye, LT.” Soap responded: Simon could hear the grin on his face.

Smug bastard.

Next ->

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[athenamikaelson]

Klaus Mikaelson x Soulmate!Reader x Elijah Mikaelson Pt. 11

Word Count- 3.8k

Warnings- Mentions of Suicide(Damon trying to die because of his wolf bite), swearing, death, blood, gun/gun-shot wounds, smaller chapter but big things happening cliffhanger ending

“Yes, Elena. Once again, I’m fine. I have to go run an errand and then I’ll see you guys at the square. OK? Toodles!”

I quickly hung up my phone, just in case Elena decided to ask what errand I was running. How the hell am I supposed to tell her I’m going to try to talk a dying Damon Salvatore off the ledge?

It’s been two days since Demon dropped the bomb that he was dying and then disappeared. He hasn’t answered my calls and whenever I ask Stefan about him he says “I’m working on it.” Not well enough, clearly, because the Bunny Eater called me 30 minutes ago telling me Damon just tried lighting himself on fire and he needs my help talking him down. I’m not sure why I’m the one he called for this since I’ve heard Damon on more than one occasion say he’d rather die than listen to me speak. 

Damon and Stefan have made me keep quiet about this, so no one else but us three knows. Which is why I fibbed a bit on my phone call with Elena. I’m not entirely on board with keeping this a secret. What do the Salvatores think is going to happen when the werewolf bite kills Damon? Just tell everyone Damon went upstate to a farm, just like what parents tell their children when their turtles or dogs die.

Although Damon and I have had our differences, I can admit the thought of him dying doesn’t sit well with me. Especially since he got bit trying to stop the ritual. Even though it didn’t stop it, it did save Tyler and Caroline. Who I guess was replaced by that bitch Jules and some random vampire Klaus had in his back pocket. 

I take a deep breath as I exit my car and walk up to the front door of the Salvatore house. I don’t bother knocking since everyone kind of just lets themselves in when it comes to this place. I’m about to call out for Stefan but within a moment he’s flashed in front of me. 

“Oh good lord,” I clutch my chest in surprise. At this Stefan’s eyes widen and he reaches out to me.

“I’m sorry, Y/n! Is it your heart again? Do you need anything? Here take some of my blood,” Stefan frantically says.

I put both of my hands up and shake them, “Stefan calm down dude, okay? I’m good, you just scared me. I’ve got to start getting you vamps little bells to wear around your necks.”

Stefan slightly laughs but I can still see the weariness in his eyes.

“Really Stefana, I’m good.”

Stefan sighs and nods, “Sorry, I just…with everything going on I’m just…,” Stefan rubs his hand over his face and now I can clearly see the exhaustion and sadness on it. 

I take a step closer and wrap my arms around him in a hug, “It’ll be ok, we’ll figure it out, alright?”

Stefan doesn’t say anything but I feel him nod as he wraps his arms around me tighter as if me hugging him is the only thing keeping him grounded. And after seeing his older brother trying to light himself on fire, it might just be. 

After another moment Stefan releases me and smiles at me but it doesn't reach up all the way. 

“He’s down here,” He says and I follow him down to where Elijah was when he was daggered. 

At the thought of the Original my heart sinks. It’s been three days since I’ve seen or heard from him. Each time I hear my phone ring a small part of me expects it to be him with his stupid posh accent telling me he’s sorry for ghosting me, but every time I answer it’s never him. I’ve tried to distract myself with hanging out with the girls, or Theo, and even the occasional phone call with Jenna who talks to me a lot now about the supernatural since we both learned about it recently. Bonnie and I have also been going through her deceased Gram’s grimoires and things to see if we can find anything on why my chest bled and then magically healed itself, but nothing comes up.  It’s disheartening but Bonnie says she won’t stop searching until she’s found the reason. Our time together has made me realize just how good of a friend Bonnie is. She’s loyal and kind and she’d fight for her friends until her dying breath. Which is sadly something she has already done once. I really like hanging out with her and her teaching me more about her world. I may not understand much about witches but it’s nice to see how excited she gets when she talks about it. 

“Are you going to be good down here by yourself,” Stefan leans down to whisper to me.

“What,” I question now realizing he’s been talking this entire time. 

“I have to go to the square to go speak to Elena but after I’ll be back. Just whatever he says, don’t let him out. Ric should be here soon too. He can take your place when he gets here.”

I do a soldier’s salute and he rolls his eyes as he walks back upstairs. Leaving me and Grumpy down here by ourselves. The door that separates us is big and wooden with a small window that has three metal bars. I look through and frown when I see Damon scrunched up, sitting on the far side of the room. 

“Are you going to eat me if I come in?”

“Drinking your blood would be a fate worse than death,” Damon’s scratchy voice speaks up after a moment. 

I roll my eyes as I unlock the door and push it open, I quickly make my way inside and close it. I lean against the door and cross my arms as I look at the dying vampire in front of me. 

“Stefan really thought you of all people would be the one to talk me off the ledge,” Damon grunts out as he puts his head up to look at me. 

“That’s exactly what I said. I told him you’d be more likely to do it again after hearing me speak,” I laugh out.

Damon’s upper lip twitches for a moment and he lets out a strangled laugh, “You’re not wrong. 

We’re both quiet for a moment before Damon speaks up again, “I’m going to die.”

I take a deep breath and sit down against the door mirroring Damon, “At the moment, yes you are.”

Damon raises an eyebrow at me, “So you’re not going to fill me with fairy tales about some special cure and that by tomorrow I’ll be fresh as a daisy?”

I shrug my shoulders, “Is that what you want me to do?”

Damon stares at me for a moment and then shakes his head, “No, I don’t.”

“Alright then. Works for me. You know, Stefan called me to try to talk you down because he thinks what you did was crazy. But… I understand why you did it.”

This captures Damon’s attention as he stares questioningly at me, “You do?”

I nod as I play with a loose thread on my shirt, “Ya. You’re scared. And in pain. You think this is the only way out, but it isn’t. And I’m not saying that because of some magical cure. I’m saying that because you still have time left to say your goodbyes and to be with those who actually care about you. Even though you’re an actual hellspawn. I know that this is scary, you’ve been alive for over a century and now you’re facing mortality for the first time in years. I would be scared too.”

Damon’s jaw clenches and for a moment I think he’s mad but when I see him turn his head to stare at the wall next to him I realize he’s trying to hide his emotions. 

“Damon you can stare at that wall all you’d like but I meant what I said.”

At the sound of footsteps, I stand up. 

“Ric’s here. Try not to be such an ass to him. You’re kind of like his only friend,” When he doesn’t make any noise about my joke I frown and start to unlatch the door, “I’m glad I met you, Damon. I don’t tell a lot of people that, but it’s true. Thanks for bringing out a fire in me I didn’t know I had.”

Damon says nothing and I quickly wipe a stray tear from my face as I open the door.

“I’m glad I met you too, Y/N. Even though you’re a pain in the ass,” I turn and make eye contact with Damon, and even though the room is dark, I swear I can see small tears building in his blue eyes, “I don’t believe in next lives or whatever…but if they somehow exist, I wouldn’t mind meeting you again in that one, Pukey.”

I let out a small sob as I run over to the seated man and throw my arms over him. He lets out a grunt of surprise and after a moment he wraps his arms around me and I can feel the dampness from his tears on my shirt.

“If you tell anyone about this I’ll kill you,” He tries to threaten but his voice comes out strained so it doesn’t hold much punch.

“Ya whatever, Demon.”

—

It’s night by the time I get to the square for whatever movie night the town’s having. Elena asked me to come earlier since she says everyone needs a break from all the chaos that has happened. I’m not excited to see how she’s going to react to the news about Damon. But for now, I’m grabbing my fluffy blanket and walking towards my friends and watching this stupid movie.

Jenna, Jeremy, Bonnie, and Caroline all sit together talking as I walk up behind them. 

“Hey guys,” I say and they all spin around to look at me. Bonnie and Jenna both send me warm smiles and waves, Caroline hops up and guides me over to the group talking my ear off already, and Jeremy tries to send me a smile but that dude looks like he would rather be anywhere else. 

“What errand took you so long,” Caroline questions.

“Oh, Theo just needed some help bringing back his football gear and stuff. I guess the coach has been bothering him to get it back for weeks since the season ended,” I say which isn’t a total lie since I did do that after leaving the Salvatores.

“How is Theo,” Jeremy asks. 

Ever since the funeral Jeremy and Theo have been gaming together. When I asked Theo about it,  he said he was doing it out of pity and that someone as cool as him wouldn’t hang out with an emo like Jeremy. But after passing by Theo’s room and hearing him and Jeremy laugh and make fun of each other over call, I don’t think Theo is really doing this out of pity anymore. After moving here and with everything that has happened with our parents it’s been hard for Theo to make friends. Even though he says otherwise. I know he has people to hang out with at school, but it’s all brainless jocks who probably don’t even care to know my brother’s favorite color. He needs a good friend like Jeremy in his life. 

“Theo’s good. Even though he was pissy this morning because he says you cheated last night,” I admit to him as I sit down next to Jenna and Caroline. 

Jeremy shoots me a look of disbelief, “I did not cheat! That jerk! He’s the one who cheated,” Jeremy lifts up his phone and starts angrily texting someone. A someone, who I’m guessing is my brother.

I look around noticing the absence of my best friend, “Where’s Elena?”

They all look at each other wearily before Bonnie grabs my hand, “You might want to prepare yourself for this.”

I look at her confused for a moment and whisper, “Is this about the Damon thing?”

“You knew?!’’

“What?”

“Excuse me?”

“Bro!”

They all yell out and I raise my hands in surrender, “Hey! Stefana and Demon made me keep quiet. They didn’t want to stress anyone else out more.”

“How long have you known,” Caroline asks me and I grimace, “Like… since John’s funeral.”

“Y/N!”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! It just wasn’t my place to say.”

They think about this for a moment before nodding.

“Elena went to go talk to Damon and Stefan is off trying to find a cure,” Bonnie says.

“Let’s hope he finds one in time.”

We all quiet down after a moment and go back to watching the movie, but 5 minutes later I feel a tap on my right shoulder.

I shoot Jenna a questioning look as she leans down to whisper to me, “Anything from Elijah?”

I just send her a small shake of my head and she returns it with a comforting smile and a squeeze to my shoulder, “His loss then.”

Over the past few days of Jenna and I talking about the supernatural, we’ve also been chatting about other things like school and relationships. It took me a while to open up but after I did I brought up Elijah. Talking to Jenna about Elijah, and everything that’s happened with him has actually made me feel somewhat better. Jenna’s been more of a mother figure to me these past three days than my own mother has in almost 18 years. 

Out of the corner of my eye, Jeremy quickly stands up, capturing all of our attention. 

He hangs up the phone and turns back to us with a nervous look, “Damon escaped and Elena wasn’t there yet so Ric thinks he’s coming here to see her. Ric says the bite is making him hallucinate so he’s not himself right now.”

“Fantastic,” I mutter to myself and Jenna slightly elbows me and shoots me a disapproving look. 

“If Damon is off the rails, there is nothing you can do to stop him. Let us take care of it,” Bonnie gestures towards herself, and Caroline and I want to groan at this. It’s really starting to piss me off how the supernaturals keep pushing us humans away every time we want to help. Just because we don’t have super strength or heal within a split second doesn’t mean we’re useless.  

“You keep doing this! You left me behind before, and guess what, Elena was still killed,” Jeremy exclaims to his girlfriend, “I’m going to find my sister. You go ahead and try to stop me. Y/N, Jenna, you with me?” 

Jenna instantly nods and I shoot a look at Bonnie and Caroline before walking towards Jeremy, “Let’s go.”

—

“There he is!” 

I follow behind Jeremy as we see a wounded Damon staring off into space. Jenna left a while ago to go find Ric, leaving Little Gilbert and I to try to find Elena. “Damon,” Jeremy tries catching the attention of the delusional vamp and I watch with caution. 

“Where’s Elena? I need to see Elena now,” He frantically says and I send him a smile as Jeremy walks closer to him.

“Hey, let’s get you out of here first, alright,” Jeremy grabs Damon, who instantly falls into his arms. I go to the vampire’s other side and grab his arms trying to help Jeremy with the deadweight. 

After a bunch of odd stares and murmurs from passersby, we finally get Damon through the crowd and into the empty Grill.

Jeremy drops Damon off at a table and goes to tell Ric where we are. I’m still holding onto Damon's arm as I watch Jere, but turn around when I feel Damon do the same. And I freeze.

“Y/n, move I don’t want to hurt you,” Sheriff Forbes stands in front of us holding her gun and pointing at Damon. 

I go to try to reason to her but Damon flashes away, spooking Liz and all I hear is the sound of a gun and a piercing in my left arm. 

“Oh god,” Liz looks at me for a moment in shock but when she looks behind me her features go straight to fear. 

A strangled sob escapes my mouth as I watch Jeremy fall to the floor, his once-grey shirt turning red, as blood spills from his chest. 

“What the hell did you do,” I scream at Liz as I run over to Jeremy with tears in my eyes.

 I strip off my sweatshirt and place it over his bleeding chest.

“Come on Jeremy, you’re going to be alright,” I sob, “You’re going to be alright Jere,”

Another sob comes from my mouth as Jeremy’s shaking hand grabs mine for comfort. 

“I know this hurts but I have to keep pressure on it, okay. You’re going to be just fine.”

I can hear Liz call for paramedics as she tries to move my hands so she can hold down the sweatshirt.

“Don’t you dare,” I snarl at her and she sits back.

“Jeremy…Hey! Jere,” I shake my head as he closes his eyes. 

Bonnie and Caroline rush up to us and Caroline gently sets me back so she can try to help Jeremy. I sit there with silent sobs as I watch Bonnie tell Caroline that Jeremy’s ring won't bring him back since the sheriff is human. 

Caroline bites into her wrist and places it onto Jeremy’s mouth, “Go on, Jeremy. Drink.”

“What are you doing,” The sheriff questions her daughter even though she is not the one who should be speaking at all right now. 

“I’m helping him.”

I sit there with tears in my eyes as Jeremy doesn’t wake up and I know it’s because he’s dead. The others must realize this too because they all sit back with sobs of their own. The sound of a door opening captures my attention and I look up to see Ric and Jenna staring over at us.

“Bonnie what’s wrong,” Ric asks as he and Jenna run over to us. As soon as they see Jeremy though they halt. Jenna instantly falls to her knees crying and I crawl over to her ignoring the shooting pain in my arm. I grab her into my arms and she instantly latches to me and sobs into my shoulder. 

“I know what I need to do,” Bonnie says aloud as she stands, “I need you to grab him. T-Take him with us.”

“No, no, no, no. You can’t move him. This is a crime scene,” Liz tries denying which has me wanting to smack her. Jeremy’s dead all because of a prejudice she has.

“Mom, just let them go,” Caroline tells her mother and Liz stands up so Ric can grab Jeremy’s body.

“Okay. Alright, come here, buddy. I got you,” Ric says and I hug Jenna tighter.

—-

Bonnie sits in front of us chanting over Jeremy’s body. Candles around us burn hotter as Bonnie shakes her head, “No.”

“What? What is it,” Ric asks.

“They’re angry at me for coming back here. They don’t wanna help.”

I shake my head in denial.

  “Well, they have to.”

Bonnie looks at Jeremy with tears in her eyes, “They said there’ll be consequences.”

“Well, he’s just a kid. Tell’em to shut up.”

Bonnie continues chanting and the witch house starts to shake.

“Emily! I know you’re there. Please help me. I love him.”

Jenna, Ric, and I watch in silent horror as everything stops and Jeremy is still lifeless. Bonnie cries holding him and Jenna crawls over to her dead nephew. 

I look down at Jeremy and let out a sob of relief as I see him flutter his eyes open. 

I sigh deeply as I watch Jenna and Bonnie hug Jeremy. 

“Y/N?”

I turn to Ric who is staring at my arm, I watch as he slowly lifts his fingers and touches my shirt. I fight the urge to groan in annoyance as I look at the fresh blood on his fingers. 

“Anyone want to take me to the hospital?”

—

“OK, so it appears you’ve lost quite a bit of blood,” The doctor tells me as he tapes gauze over the gunshot wound on my shoulder. I have a gunshot wound. I was shot. What the hell?! Somehow the bullet that killed Jeremy went right through the upper part of my shoulder. 

Ric and Jenna had dropped me off about an hour ago. They insisted on staying, but I told them my mother would be here soon and they should get back to Jeremy. 

“We’re going to have to give you some blood. Do you happen to know what you’re blood type is? It appears that on your medical records, your mother and father’s blood types are listed but yours isn’t.”

I shake my head, “I’ve never had to get blood drawn before so I don’t know.” 

The doctor nods, “That’s fine. We would give you the universal donor blood but for some reason, we’ve had a shortage in blood lately,” I nod along as if I don’t know exactly why that is, “But we’ll take some of your blood and do a test then find out what your type is.”

I nod and thank him.

“We called your mother but it seems she can’t get out of work and your father didn’t answer. Is there anyone else you’d like to call to be with you?”

My heart hurts as I think about how both my parents couldn’t bother to come to see their own daughter in the hospital, “Um...no thank you. I’m alright.”

The doctor sends me a smile, but he looks almost as hurt about my parents not being here as I am. Tell me about it man. I watch silently as he takes a vial of my blood, tells me he’ll have my results soon, and then leaves. 

Great who the hell is going to drive me home?

—

I’m awoken by a small shake to my uninjured shoulder. I squint my eyes to see the doctor from before looking down at me wearily. 

At this, I try to sit up but waves of pain stop me.

“Don’t move sweetheart it’ll just rip open your stitches,” The doctor gently pushes me back down. But the look on his face makes me nervous.

“Is everything ok,” I question. 

The doctor is silent before he shows me a blood bag, “I was able to find a match for you, but… your blood type is Type B,” His tone and words confuse me. Wouldn’t he be relieved he was able to find me blood?

“I don’t understand,” I shake my head in confusion.

“I don’t know if I should be telling you this without a parent present. I could be fired,” He says to himself as if he’s fighting some internal battle. 

“Please… what are you talking about?”

The doctor places a hand on my shoulder and frowns at me, “Your mother’s blood type is Type A, and your father’s is Type O,” At the confusion still clearly on my face he sighs, “Genetically those two blood types combinations can only produce Type A and O children. So…”

My entire world seems to come down crashing on top of me as he finishes his sentence.

“You can’t be related, biologically, to your father.”

[allthingsfangirl101]

Unlikely Hero – Tyler Owens

Tyler's POV

The second I saw her, I put on my annoyed face. Y/N and I have constantly crossed paths. While I chase tornados, Y/N chases to collect weather data. The first time I met her we almost ran into each other. Literally.

Our truck was racing to follow a tornado. Y/N's van was following it for data collection. After our almost accident, we both pulled over and got into a bit of a screaming match. We weren't fully screaming at each other: just bitter insults and sarcastic comebacks.

Because of our argument, we both missed the tornado. When we drove away, I kept thinking about how fiery Y/N was. There was a brief moment where all I wanted to do was put her fieriness to good use.

Over the years, we've run into each other constantly. My group, her group, and my fans think we hate each other. That's not completely true. I find myself watching her van go, hoping that they are safe. After a storm, I often searched for her to make sure she made it out.

"Well well well," she scoffed. I smirked as she folded her arms over her chest. "If it isn't the famous YouTube Storm Chaser. He only does it for the fame."

"And here's Miss Weather Expert who thinks she can do this through her little numbers," I shot back. "She'd leave a town behind, only focused on her data. And people call me selfish."

"Which means you're going to be stealing my statistics in your little videos and making it seem like you're the genius," she said without hesitation. She patted me on the shoulder as she walked away. I couldn't help but watch her head up to her motel room, wishing I was going with her.

"You ever going to get past this back and forth and just ask the girl out?" Boone teased me. I sent him a glare before pretending to get something out of the truck. I didn't want him to see how much I wish I had the guts to actually ask Y/N out.

I was torn away from my regret and self-loathing when all of our phones started going off. I grabbed it and saw the Tornado Warning. Just then, I heard Y/N's door open. I watched as she ran down the stairs and jogged to her van all while giving her team instructions.

My breath got caught in my throat when Y/N stopped and made eye contact with me. She sent me a small smile.

"Stay safe, Chaser," she said gently.

"You too, Numbers."

* * * * *

The storm passed and we started heading toward the nearest safety base. The town was destroyed. The tornado ripped right through it. As we drove through the streets, we kept our eyes on the rubble, looking for any sign of survivors.

My stomach flipped as soon as my eyes landed on Y/N's team's van on its side. I slammed on the brakes and threw the truck into park. I ignored my team as I hopped out and ran toward the van. I looked through the window but nothing. I started scanning the area, looking for any sign of Y/N.

"Tyler!" Boone yelled as he chased after me. "We gotta get these kits to the. . . Holy shit. Isn't that Y/N's van?"

"Yeah," I said, my heart in my throat. "We gotta find her."

I left him and started searching the area for any sign of Y/N. The longer it took to find her, the more frantic the search became. Suddenly, I finally caught a glimpse of someone under a piece of metal.

"Y/N!" I yelled as I ran over to her. I ran over and instantly started trying to lift it.

"Boone! I need some help over here!"

He ran to my side and helped me lift it. Some of the others ran over and helped us hold the piece of metal. Once they had a good hold on it, I let it go and started to get Y/N out. I gently and slowly pulled Y/N out from under the metal, trying desperately hard not to worsen her injuries.

I got her far enough away from the metal and pulled her into my arms. I scanned her body, instantly seeing scratches, blood, and bruises covering her body. I reached forward and carefully moved some hair out of her face.

Boone appeared at my side and looked at Y/N over my shoulder. "Is she. . ."

"I don't know," I cut him off. "We need to get her to the hospital. Now."

I stood up, carefully with her in my arms. I had Boone drive as I sat in the back with Y/N's head resting on my lap. I kept running my fingers through her hair as Boone drove quickly toward the nearest hospital.

When we pulled up to the hospital, nurses came rushing out. I didn't want to hand her over so I carried her out of the truck. They started to take her from me but I stopped.

"Tyler," Boone said gently. "They can help her."

I finally let them take her but followed close behind. Boone held me back as they took her past the waiting room. He patted my shoulder and led me over to some chairs. I nervously bounced my knee, unable to sit still.

We were in the emergency room for hours before a doctor came to talk to us.

"How is she?" I asked as I stood up.

"We stopped some internal bleeding and made sure her broken ribs didn't puncture her lung," the doctor nodded.

"So, she's going to be okay, right?" Boone asked.

"I want her to stay here for a couple of days so we can keep an eye on her," the doctor nodded, "but she should make a full recovery."

"Can I see her?"

"She's still coming out of the anesthesia, but you can wait in her room."

* * * * *

I stayed by her bedside, waiting eagerly for her to wake up. Every time she moved, I flinched. Whenever a nurse came to check her vitals, I kept a close eye on her, wanting nothing more than to see her eyes scowling at me.

I was wide awake for hours. I wanted to be awake when she finally woke up. Not as soon as I would've liked, I heard her let out a small whimper. I held my breath, waiting for her to wake up.

"Y/N," I whispered, her name getting caught in my throat.

"Tyler?" Her voice was so soft it killed me. "What are you. . . What happened?"

"The storm hit your van," I gently tried to explain. "You were thrown from it. I found you."

"Wait," she cut me off. "You found me?"

"Yeah," I said, unable to look away from her eyes. "We were heading back to the school to drop off some meals, but I saw your van."

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"For what?" I asked, scooting closer to her.

"You're late to drop off those meals."

I shook my head and laughed. "I know," I teased her. "Never thought I'd abandon the needy for my archenemy. But I couldn't ignore the fact that I can hold this over your head for years."

"Such a gentlemen," she scoffed.

My teasing smirk dropped. Unable to hide it any longer, I gently grabbed her face and pressed my lips to hers. She let out a small moan as she started to kiss me back. As our lips moved in sync, my mind went to what it looked like when I found her. The image of her stuck and unconscious made me break the kiss.

"Don't do that to me again," I whispered as I leaned my forehead against hers. "Please don't let me think I'm going to lose you. I couldn't bear it."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "We were just trying to get to the school down the street. I was trying to stop being selfish and help the people. Like you guys do."

My heart sank when her voice broke. "I never should have called you selfish," I said gently. "I always thought our little back-and-forth was fun and flirty. I didn't mean to go too far."

"You didn't," she tried to soothe as she grabbed my hands. "I always hoped your snappy comments were you secretly trying to tell me you liked me."

"They were," I said quickly. "They absolutely were."

Y/N smiled when I leaned in and kissed her again. She broke the kiss with her signature playful smirk. "As much as I love our back and forth, can we maybe be a little nicer to each other now that we're. . ."

"Together?"

"Are we?" She asked, her voice dropping. I leaned in and gently kissed her.

"I'd like to be, Numbers," I whispered. She let out a soft giggle.

"Me too, Chaser."

[come-on-darling-honey]

colourblind [paul lahote x reader]

AN:// this pushes all of the wolves and new moon plot to summer.

summary: based on this post of how the shift Paul and the others experience would give them physical attributes akin to a wolf, which is being colourblind. Which Paul finds himself in, until of course, he sees you for the first time in months on the first day of summer.

warnings- mature language and themes. one suggestive scene. 18+ word count 10k.

“La Push baby! Its LaPush!”

“Do you have to say that every time we go to LaPush?” I asked, staring at the back of Mike and Eric’s heads in the van. They were singing and screaming into the warm air as we drove down to First Beach.

“He said that to me when I first came to LaPush,” Bella added, meekly. I laughed, lightly pushing against her. She was wearing a white blouse and tan shorts, opposing my dark shorts and tight blue shirt, Angela had gotten me it when she went to the Grand Canyon with her family. It read “visit the Grand Canyon today!” on the back, so ugly I loved it.

“He’s been saying it since we were five and our parents would carpool us in the summer.” I whispered to Bella; we were both laughing at the terrifying attempt from Mike to sing ‘Wanna Be’ by Spice Girls. Butchering the lines didn’t matter to Mike, it was summer. First day of it. Bella was finally out of the pit she had found herself in.

I’d spent almost every Friday and Saturday night of the past seven months sleeping over at the Swan house, waiting for Bella to come through. At first it was scary, the screaming and the vacancy of her mind, but she’s better now. At least I hope she is, Charlie thinks so, but I’m worried she’s becoming dependent on our friend Jacob. Coming to First Beach did mean a far chance we could run into Jacob, but it also means she’s surrounded by other people, and as annoying as Mikes singing is, I can tell she’s enjoying it.

“Are you okay?” I heard Bella say, we’d parked, and the boys were getting their surfing gear on. I hadn’t even noticed; Bella was wide eyed like a little deer and grasping onto my shoulder. “Is it to do with Paul?”

“No,” I laughed uncomfortably shaking her off as I got out of the seat into the back, taking of my clothes to reveal my favourite bikini underneath. “Not even thinking about him.” Which was true, to an extent. I had been thinking about Paul Lahote all morning and all last night and the day before, and every day since three weeks ago but that wasn’t in this moment. So technically… not a lie!

She watched me in clear disbelief but didn’t push it. She knew some rumours about Paul from Jacob, not kind ones but as the days go on, I’m starting to believe them myself. Hall monitors on steroids. “What book are you bringing?” Bella asked, changing the subject.

“The Metamorphosis by Kafka, are you rereading Austen again?” I said, searching through my bag for suncream. The only way id gotten Bella to agree to coming today was to promise I’d stay by her side all day and we can just read on the beach. Which worked out well for me, I always hated getting changed after leaving the ocean, everything stuck to you; clothes, sand, everything. She nodded and sheepishly pulled Persuasion out of her bag. Bella grabbed the towels we were going to lay on as I surveyed the beach for the best spot, there were a lot more people than usual but it’s what I expected. The remote spot in the south corner seemed perfect. Setting down camp, I heard laughter and colliding footsteps coming towards us, Mike, Eric and now Tyler ran to our spot, and all jumped over one another to lay on the sand. Not a single cloud in the sky, not that the boys noticed, too busy apologising to Bella for covering her towel with sand. Laughing it off quietly she shook the towel and threw all the sand on the boys. She stopped laughing as she looked over my shoulder. Standing up I saw, Sam Uley talking with Jared, Paul and Embry? But Embry was huge and at least half a foot taller than when I last saw him. They began kicking a ball around until Paul suddenly turned in my direction. Swivelling quickly, I stared into the sea. Sitting down on my towel that I was apparently sharing with Jess, I looked over at Bella. Giving me a comforting smile, she nodded towards our books that sat in the bag at the foot of her towel.

A few hours had passed when Jacob and Quil had made their way over to us, Jess, Angela, and the boys had all decided to go on an impromptu adventure leaving Bella and I in peace, that is until Quil collapsed on my towel and Jacob calmly sat next to Bella.

“See how normal Jake is?” I asked kicking Quil with my foot, “Be more like Jake.” They all laughed as the fiend on my towel rolled over.

“Figured you needed protecting.” He said, puffing his chest put lightly with a boyish smile.

“From what?” Bella laughed.

“Lahote’s been staring at you for a while,” Jacob said staring at me. Turning around I saw Paul from a distance, I could barely make out his face but saw that he definitely wasn’t happy.

“Well thank you gentlemen, but we can handle ourselves.” I said, laughing when Quil got hit with a rouge baseball.

We spoke for a while, making jokes at each other’s expense and avoiding the subject of Embry completely. Bella and I had come to an unspoken agreement that if they wanted to talk about it, they would. I looked around the beach and saw a stall on the pavement beyond the pavilion, an old lady selling handmade jewellery. I told Bella, Jake, and Quil that I was going to see what she was selling and grabbed my purse from my bag. Making my way over across the hot sand I regretted not grabbing a shirt from Quil or Jake or even making a detour to the van, so many people were looking at me, even if they were wearing the same thing, I felt so exposed.

“Hello dear, having a good day?” The lady asked as I finally reached her stand. We spoke about the weather and then about her creations, one with a beautiful orange crystal in the middle had caught my eye. “Citrine, they bring positivity and happiness” she winked once she caught where I was looking. I grabbed my purse but before I could hand over the $5 someone else passed it to her. Following the tan hand, I saw Paul; he was looking at the lady and explained he’d buy it for me. She smiled and accepted the money, handing him the necklace over. Paul looked at the necklace in his hand and squinted, looking oddly heartbroken.

“I can buy it myself.” I said as he walked a few steps out of earshot of the old lady. He still hadn’t actually looked me in the eye yet. It was infuriating. “You know its super fucking rude of you to ignore me for weeks, replace me with new friends, act like I don’t exist and then pretend like nothings happened.” He tensed at this; I kept going. “And now you won’t even look me in the eye!” I laughed, his large shoulders straightened, God when did he get so big.

As he turned around something shifted, I’m not sure what but it was definitely something. He stared at me wide eyed, speechless and I saw tension fall from him. But I had no patience for him.

“Are you going to give me the necklace or should I just go and buy one for myself.” This seemed to snap him out of it, he passed me the necklace and kept looking at me. Not staring anymore, more of a gaze. Not voyeuristic as the other gazes from men on the beach but an intimate one, one I wanted to avoid. His eyes are a stunning brown, I think to my painting at home, I’d made him sit for hours, waiting for the result when I’d spent twenty minutes alone painting half an eye, he waited.

Tearing myself away from him I look down at the necklace, it was beautiful. I had to not owe him this. I took the $5 out of my purse and pressed it to his chest. He finally caught on and gently pushed my hand away.

“Take it.” I demanded.

“It’s a gift.” He whispered, the way he used to.

“Please take it.” I begged lightly; I couldn’t owe him for this.

“What is going on?” A harsh voice interrupted us. Quil had stood in front of my right shoulder, not hiding me completely but being a clear attempt to shield me. He didn’t know any of the details of what happened between Paul and I, but honestly, I didn’t either. He just knew how broken I was, crying to him when Bella, Jake, and Embry weren’t around. Knowing I couldn’t handle their silent looks.

“None of your fucking business, Ateara.” Paul snapped, his body tightening. Quil pushed him, suddenly Jared was holding Paul back and Sam had appeared in front of us. He had whispered something to Paul that I couldn’t catch but it looked more like a demand. One I wasn’t entirely sure was in Quil and I’s favour or not.

Jacob had arrived by this point, staring at Embry in disbelief who had told Quil to ‘back off’, Embry was normally so sweet and quiet. The way he was acting as he was influenced by the others was a clear sign to the mentality that I didn’t want anything to do with. Paul had caught my eye from over Sam’s shoulder, a pleading sense to him. I looked away, staring at Quil’s back. I couldn’t do this, get caught up in whatever teenage boy bullshit was going on. I was 18, Paul 19, Quil 17. I had no fucking interest. Ignoring the yells of my name I walked back to Bella who had watched the whole affair in bewilderment. I walked back to Bella in more confidence then when I had left, I couldn’t explain it, but I knew the people looking know, weren’t looking at me and if they were it, was a good thing. Sitting on the towel I thanked Bella for staying with the stuff and picked up my book. Not before placing the Citrine necklace in my bag. She watched me as I lied back down but I couldn’t care, knowing I’d have to tell her every detail later anyway. Jess practically ran to us, monopolising my towel once again and demanding to know what she had seen from across the beach.

“I mean not only was he completely eye-fucking you but who were all his friends?!” She practically screamed, I hit her shoulder lightly with my book for ‘eye-fucking’ as Bella blushed, but explained who the boys were.

“Oh, they’re coming over!” Jess said, elated with the drama unfolding right in front of her. My legs slid over Jess so she wouldn’t leave and who ever was coming wouldn’t stay, which thankfully she understood as she grabbed my legs lightly with a comforting rub.

“Can you believe the nerve of Embry?” I heard Jake yell as he was approaching us, Bella’s cheeks were as pink as Jess’ bikini. Jess’ jaw dropped as she ate up Quil and Jake’s physique, I watched her over my book, smirking as she stared at the long haired boys.

Quil called my name, and I looked up, with my head laid down I saw him as a giant, which made me laugh.

“What the fuck was he saying to you.” Quil demanded, staring at me.

“It’s over, don’t worry about it.” I said calmly.

“Don’t worry? He’s a fucked-up dude! Literally almost exploded on me, again!” he gave Jess context, that Paul had almost ‘attacked’ Quil in a convenience store a few weeks ago. She looked down at me in surprise. I still read my book.

“As hot as he is,” Jess said with Quil and Jake protesting as she ignored them, “no boy is worth it if he has anger like that.” She said with the older sister tone she normally used on her younger siblings. Quil and Jake agreed with her, but Bella stayed silent, I looked at her from the corner of my eye and saw her staring at the pavilion.

“Honestly, if you go back to him, I can’t be your fucking friend.” I caught Quil saying. I stood up so quick I dropped my book on the towel, loosing the page. Where did this come from? Bella, Jake and even Jess went quiet. Quil had snapped, he never snapped at me.

“First of all, that would be my decision, second, I wasn’t ‘with’ him in the first place and thirdly you don’t get to be so fucking rude to me.” I snapped, pointing a finger at his chest.

“He’s a bad fucking person and you know it.” His eyes stared into mine, harsh and true.

“You don’t know him how I know him.” I defended Paul, for some unknown reason. I didn’t even fully believe myself I was just so hurt with how Quil was acting everything was blurring out of anger.

“After everything he did, you’re defending him!” Quil yelled, desperation in his eyes, he was looking at me as if I was crazy, which I was beginning to feel.

“You don’t fucking care about me.” I yelled back. Storming away, grabbing only my bag and purse, leaving my book and towel. All but Quil yelled after me.

Opening the van, Mike was sat in the back struggling to get the sand of his feet. “Pass me my clothes.” I said, I couldn’t hear myself due to the anger raising and blurring everything, but I could tell I was being rude, Mike’s smile dropped into a worried expression as he gave me my clothes. I dressed in silence as he asked me if someone did something, like the protective older brother he always acted like. I shook my head, unable to fathom words that weren’t a string of swears. Did Quil really think that lowly of me? Did he think he could just give me an ultimatum like that, and I’d accept it? Fuck this and fuck him.

I told Mike I was going home and as he asked if I wanted a lift, I slammed the door of the van shut too hard and made my way to the back streets of first beach. I knew if I got to the centre of LaPush that I could find the bus stops I used to use when I’d hang out with Paul. Lead hit me over the head when I thought about him. I suddenly had an urge to sit by his side unlike the recent weeks where id sworn him off and cried and cried.

A truck pulled up beside me, old and worn I recognised it as Sam Uley’s. I looked over to see him sat in the driver’s seat looking at me.

“I’ll give you a ride.” He said, in a way I felt oddly comforted by as I got in. Normally, I would’ve told him to fuck off, but I felt way too emotional to walk the twenty minute walk to the centre of town. We sat in silence for ten minuets after I’d told him my address. I wanted to ask him about Paul, even about Emily and Leah but it didn’t feel right. This would be the fifth time I’d been near him let alone speak to him, so it just felt wrong. But he must’ve been thinking the same thing.

“It’s not Paul’s fault.”

“What?” I asked, looking at him. He was staring intensely into the road, it was weird, it felt like Sam was effortlessly the comforting older brother figure Mike had tried to be. Yet he seemed guilty like he’d made a mistake, not know but before.  

“I told him to stay away from you, it was my fault. He had no choice.” I decided to listen, to make sense of what he was saying. “There’s somethings you need to know, do you remember Emily?” I nodded, unable to speak in fear he’d stop speaking. “I’ll write her address down for you, visit any time and she’ll help you.” How cryptic could one person be.

“Why did Paul listen to you?” I questioned, staring at him. His dark brown hair was swooped back so he could see the road.

“He had no choice, you’ll understand.”

“I don’t understand anything.” He laughed.

“You will.” He pulled over and stopped driving, we’d reached my house. He pulled a notebook from the glove compartment. “Here’s her address and my number if you need a ride.”

“I can get Bella to drive me.”

“No, Bella can’t know about this, it doesn’t involve her. I’m sorry but you must trust me.”

“I tell Bella everything.” I said, taking the sheet of paper from him.

“But does she tell you everything?” he asked, his tone wasn’t accusatory like Quil’s had been, no, Sam asked me like he was genuinely worried about me. He was right, I knew Bella wasn’t telling me something. I couldn’t ask, hoping she’d finally tell me.

“I guess this means don’t tell Jake or… Quil.” He nodded, I got out of the truck, thanking him for the ride.

“You hike a lot, right?” It was my turn to nod. “Take a break for a while, with all those attacks it really isn’t safe.” I agreed, sadly, and went inside, after thanking him again for the ride. “Ever need a lift, just let me know, I’ll sort one out for you.”

I was glad it was summer break. All my free time had been spent on art: painting, sketching, and avoiding literally everything else. I’d been missing all of Bella’s calls and thankfully when she came over to my house I was working. Sam had been giving me lifts to work since I normally did a small hike there. I worked on the other side of Forks at a plant shop and nowhere near Bella. Whatever she was hiding from me had been eating away at me for a while. Summer break had also given me an escape from running into Jess, I loved her, but I had literally no answers for her. And the theories I had were so bat-shit crazy I had feeling no one would believe them.

Quil had called seventeen times. I couldn’t call him back, still angry at the way he spoke to me. Maybe he was right about Paul, but a small voice in the back of my head I’d nicknamed ‘stupid consciousness’ told me I should give Paul a fair chance and listen to Sam. Maybe it was some crazy mastermind ploy to pull down my defences, but id started to befriend Sam, and Emily as she’d joined him a few times to take me to work. I couldn’t figure out why they’d decided to help me out suddenly, but I decided to just go with it, I felt safer, loved and they never brought up Paul.

8:30am on a Tuesday morning I sat in the garden waiting for Sam. My headphones blasting Noah Kahan’s new album. It was chiller then it would be for this time of year, so a loose fleece hung around my body. We had another month of beautiful sun until the constant hood of clouds and rain returned to Forks. I had started worrying this morning that Sam driving me to and from work was an inconvenience, I hadn’t been insecure about this before, but it was daunting on me now. What if I was just pushing him out of his way and annoying him? Annoying Emily? I felt suddenly sick. But the truck in front of me pulled me out of the haze. Sam’s brotherly grin made me smile, my older brother was away at college, and I missed him. He opened my door form his side and I got in, the fear of inconvenience looming over me. Taking off my headphones I heard the soft folk music playing form the old truck. It was a twenty-minute drive to my work; we made nice conversation till Sam said something that struck me.

“Come to Ems tonight, I’ll finally explain it to you.” Weeks had passed since Sam initially asked me, it was clear I didn’t want to ask, so he’d decided to tell me. I nodded, silently looking out the window. Five minutes till we got there.

“Will he be there?”

“Yes.” He was short, sweet, and blunt. I knew I couldn’t hide from this, so I decided to ask what had been looming over me all morning.

“Why do you drive me? You work on the res; this is completely out of your way.” I still held my gaze out of the window. But I heard him grin as he told me.

“Well, I like your company, I always wanted a baby sister,” I scoffed at ‘baby’ which he caught and laughed, “plus it really is not safe if you walk to work, you walk through the bush, it isn’t safe.” His tone was serious at the end. I knew he was telling the truth. When we arrived, he looked over at me, smiling he passed me a brown bag. Holding back a laugh he told me “Em’s worried you aren’t eating enough”.

“She does know I’m an adult right?” I laughed, taking the bag.

“Well do you have any lunch today?” the silence from me made him laugh as I clearly did not, infact, have lunch. I threw a piece of card from the car door at him as I mumbled in protest.

“Pick me up at four?” I asked, putting the brown bag in my own. He nodded, as he drove away, I realised how long today was going to be.

I was right. So annoyingly, right. The day dragged, it felt that five hours had passed when in fact it was only two and I couldn’t even go for my lunch yet. If one more old lady asked me to point her in the direction of the roses, I was going to lose my mind. Not only was it weird that roses were extremely popular among old ladies but that they couldn’t see that the roses were at the front of the store, they were the first things you saw as you walked in.

At 1:25pm I heard a familiar gruff voice echo in the small shop. Charlie Swan. I was praying he was talking to a friend, or that there had been a horrible crime and the shop was under investigation. But as I heard a small, feminine voice I knew I wouldn’t have such luck. Of course, when I was working Chief Swan would decide to finally re-do his front garden. My lunch break was in five minutes if I could just hide here then my 60-year-old co-worker Henry would serve them. Henry was a true one, he’d help me in my hour of need. I hid behind the seeds, staring at Iris in its many forms as I heard Bella ask Henry if I was working too, I wasn’t sure if Henry and I had some super cool intuition or if he had genuinely forgotten I was working as he told her I wasn’t today. As I snuck away for my lunch break, I internally praised Henry for being the best co-worker that has ever lived.

Checking my phone, I noticed a missed call from Sam and a text.

“Can’t pick you up, Em is going to, she’ll be using her truck- its blue same make as Bella’s. Will be there when you arrive. Sorry.”

As weird as that was, I was just thankful I had a ride, I didn’t trust Henry behind the wheel.

The afternoon had passed quicker than the morning, the lunch Emily had made me was embarrassingly good and oddly comforting. As I finished my shift I gave Henry a fist bump, he laughed the way old people do, as a reflex showing that they’ve been laughing all their life. Emily’s blue truck pulled up; it had a better paint job then Sam’s but I had a feeling Sam worked on her truck more than his own.

“How was your day?” Em gleamed as I got into the car.

“Dull but the lunch was amazing, thank you.” I laughed as she grinned like a fool.

“I knew you’d like it! Paul told me you were vegetarian, and I’ve been dying to pull out those veggie cookbooks! The boys always avoid vegetables, it’s ridiculous!” she laughed as I wound the window down, warm air sifting through. My fleece cocooned in my bag form this morning, abandoned in the heat. I smiled, feeling warm at the casual mentioning of Paul. I’d assumed Sam’s business was something to do with work and that it wasn’t my business but at Em’s odd avoidance of it, something felt different.

I’d told her about Henry and Bella, talking more about Henry then Bella, Em laughed so hard she coughed. Pulling up to her house, I was shocked. It was beautiful. When we got out, I stared at the cabin, two stories and covered in flowers and plants. Wooden furniture, big windows, and open doors. It was beautiful. Em pulled me in, it was even more perfect inside. Bright colours and paintings everywhere. Sitting at a round, wooden table Em beckoned me to join her.

“Your home is… wow just amazing,” I was still looking at everything, the open kitchen and dining room was so homely and comforting. She smiled and grabbed my hand.

Emily was one of the most beautiful people I had ever seen. The scar on her face to her arm didn’t change that. She was even more beautiful; she wore it proudly. When she smiled part of the scar creased at her eye. Her long black hair hung over her shoulders, bangs perfectly trimmed. My hair was almost as long as hers, but she had a few inches on me.

“How are you feeling?” her caring tone standing through.

“Nervous, I have no idea what is about to happen.”

She nodded, squeezing my hand. “I’ll be here the whole time, if you don’t want to be here at any moment just say and we’ll go, no questions asked.” She must’ve noticed the apprehension in my face. “Nothings going to hurt you, Sam and Paul have made sure of that.” I trusted her, more than I trusted the people I grew up with. I knew for certain there was something going on, that involved Paul and Sam, probably Jared and Embry too. Whatever it was I hoped it didn’t involve Quil and Jake too.

Voices came through the door behind us that led out to Emily’s extensive garden. Sam and Paul came in. Both shirtless and only wearing shorts. Which was weird but I guess they felt the heat more than Emily and I, Emily was wearing a stunning white sundress and I white pants and black shirt, my apron from work stuffed in my bag along side the fleece.

Paul looked at me, he looked horrible, dark bags under his eyes, and it looked as if he had to hold himself back from me. Not in a threatening way, not the relief in his eyes told me this was good, that I was safe. Sam rubbed my shoulder as he passed me to get to Emily. As they hugged and kissed, I saw Paul still watching me, turning back to him I saw the weight in his eyes.

“Are you joining us?” I asked him, an olive branch being thrown in his direction.

He took a moment to process what I asked then silently nodded and sat a chair away from me, which did hurt. But I ignored it and looked to Sam and Emily who had both sat back down. Emily’s hand was once again in mine, Paul looked with an odd… jealousy? Till his eyes trailed up my arm to my neck, where the necklace laid. I’d worn it every day since the beach that I didn’t even think about it anymore.

“So,” Sam started, “there are some things we have to tell you, but I think it’ll be easier if we show you then explain.” Emily’s head snapped to him as Pauls hung in shame. He smiled at her reassuringly and guided us all to the garden where Jared and Embry were talking. They both greeted me with a relaxed voice I was deeply confused as to what was going to happen.

Sam and Paul stood slightly in front of me, Emily’s grip tightened as she held onto my arm. Without warning Jared had… disappeared? And there was a wolf in his place. I looked in frozen shock to Embry who was grinning ear to ear and then his body contorted itself into another oversized wolf. Both started chasing each other and I couldn’t find it in myself to be scared. Instead, I found it hilarious, two boys had just turned into great big wolves, and I was worried about my friend not liking me anymore! All my problems felt so small as I watched them both. Emily pinched me, whipping my head to her in pain I asked her what’s wrong.

“What is wrong? What is wrong! They just shifted into wolves and you’re acting like it’s the most normal thing in the world!” She yelled, trying to grasp anything from me.

“Let’s go inside.” Sam said, leaving Embry and Jared to playfight in the garden. Emily dragged me in, I couldn’t stop watching them. Enamoured by how small it made my problems feel. Everything had been feeling so all-consuming as I experienced every little emotion, it was awesome to feel so insignificant.

“How familiar are you with the tribe’s history?” Sam asked, trying to read me as we sat back in Emily’s kitchen. I finally turned away from the wolves in the garden to face him.

It all hit me, everything Paul had told me growing up and Quil had been telling me before the beach. About the vampires, about the three bloodlines that became protectors. Quil was in that bloodline. So was Jake. Fuck.

“I know a fair bit.” I said. The next ten minutes were spent by Sam monologuing everything they knew so far but I could tell he was leaving something out. Something I knew that I knew. Paul or Quil must have mentioned it. After he had finished, I sat processing, knowing there was something else. The leaches. Was it just the one Sam had mentioned. Oh god. I dropped the glass of water I was holding, Paul caught it.

“The Cullen’s.” I breathed, looking at Sam and Paul in horror.

“You caught that quicker than I thought you would,” Sam laughed, “the treaty doesn’t allow us to tell people what they are.”

“I sat next to them in classes… Bella dated one!” silence. “She knew?” I was bewildered. She knew that Edward Cullen was an ancient old man murderer and dated him? What is wrong with her. I can’t judge her completely, as gross and weirdly necrophiliac as that is, I didn’t know her story. I’m glad Sam warned me that she wasn’t telling me everything.

“Does she know about you guys?” Sam shook his head.

“Only the people in this room, Jared and Embry and the tribe’s elders know. Its safer that way.” I nodded. Embry was 17. He must’ve been so scared.

Suddenly it hit me how cruel I’ve been to Paul; Sam had explained the gag order he’d put on Paul. Thinking about him, I knew there was something else, but I couldn’t help but just feel horrible for how I acted. The way I spoke about him to Quil, not meaning a single word but loving how good it made me feel. Without looking at him I let go of Emily’s hand and held his. He squeezed in and I could practically feel the smile radiating of him. I knew I shouldn’t feel too bad for how I acted; I didn’t know. But I wish I did. Sam explained lightly how his transformation was, how painful and terrified he was. I didn’t want to imagine a similar story leaving Paul’s mouth.

“I’m thankful you told me but why exactly are you telling me?” I asked, Paul stiffened, my thumb absent and idly ran circles around the back of hand as I stared at Sam. He shifted uneasily under my gaze. Which felt wrong, Sam was never uncomfortable. What was he avoiding? What am I forgetting?

A ring ran through the silent kitchen, and I dropped Paul’s hand to look at my phone. Jakes name read across the screen, which was weird. Jake never called me. He texted me when he was picking me up to come hang out and that was it. It’d been radio silence on both ends since I had that argument with Quil.

“Erm, I’m gonna get this.” I went outside to Emily’s front porch rather than the open garden.

“Jake?” I asked to the empty phone line.

“Hello?” He panted; his breaths disjointed.

“Jake what’s wrong?”

“I don’t know, something-” he was cut of by a pained groan. “Somethings wrong.” He sounded like a child, one who couldn’t understand the pain of a broken arm or where a relative had gone and why they wouldn’t come back.

“Jake? Is Quil there?”

“No, I just got back from the movies with Bella.” He screamed again. Then began pleading with me. I didn’t know what to do. Suddenly two wolves ran past me into the Woodline, I turned back to see Sam telling Paul and Emily something as he shifted into the clearly biggest wolf.

“Listen to me okay. Deep breaths Jake, help is coming. You just gotta keep calm. Please, okay?” I asked, figuring out what was going on. Jake was shifting. I was panicking and felt like crying at his screams of pain.

“How are you feeling?” a pained yell was all I got in reply, Emily came to the porch behind me and put a hand to my back, ‘keep going’ she mouthed.

“Focus on- Bella! Think of her okay. Bella she’s going to be an anchor for you. Think about her okay. What shirt was she wearing today?” I asked keeping my voice as calm and steady as I could.

“She was wearing-” another scream through gritted teeth.

“Focus.”

“a green jacket, and a white blouse.” I heard crashing through the call, Sam’s voice, more screaming. I hung up the phone. This was too much. Too soon. Emily’s hand ran up and down my back, I was breathing heavily. I only found out about this an hour ago, how was this happening to Jake? Bella had once called him “earthbound sun” and now all I was hearing was his screams of pain playing on repeat.

“Everything will be okay.” She whispered, taking me upstairs into a bedroom. The walls were wooden, and the large bed was plush, and it smelt of lavender when I sat on it. Emily leant in front of me, both my hands in hers as we breathed together, she must’ve gone threw this a few times now. I couldn’t even pinpoint why I was so worried. The idea of Jake or any of them making a mistake and Paul getting hurt was eating me up. As my eyes fell into Emily’s and my breathing matched hers, I remembered the last bit of the story Paul told me years ago.

We were 15, sat cross legged on his lawn. I was making daisy chains as he told the legends to me. He blushed as he mentioned imprinting. The two souls who were destined to meet brought together by fate. How the shifter devotes themselves to their imprint even at the cost of themselves. At the time we both couldn’t comprehend the power of it, we thought it was ludicrous. And it was, a complete lack of agency. But in a selfish way, it was fantastical. My breathing was normal, and Emily sat next to me.

“Did Paul… did he imprint on me?” I asked quietly, scared if I said it any louder id be ridiculed. Emily didn’t say anything, she just squeezed my hands gently.

“Why don’t you stay here tonight? I have some spare pyjamas; I can wash your uniform for tomorrow.” She asked, eyes searching my own. Nodding I waited as she left the room. She told me to start getting changed as she left, stripping down to my underwear I became oddly aware of how insane this was, but I trusted Emily. And I knew now, I was safe. She came in holding a brown tank top and white shorts, they were so soft as I put them on. I was still dazed as the panic left my system; every movement was a cloud in my mind.

“Would you like to join me?” she asked, as I lifted my head up in confusion she continued “I’m going to watch a film, we can watch it together, if you’d like.”

“I’d like that.” I replied, Emily put my clothes in the wash with some of her own and we got comfy on the sofa, I’d learnt the room with the lavender smelling bed was a guest room, and I was welcome to stay over whenever. Emily’s room was just down the hall. Her Gran had left her this house and she spent two years renovating it. She always made sure anyone was welcome here. I texted my parents to let them know I wouldn’t be home tonight, they told me to stay safe and call them if something is wrong. I was an adult, and I knew they liked knowing I was okay.

“Paul stays over most nights,” she said, braiding my hair, “but he sleeps on the couch. I can’t get him to take a room.” I was laying half on her chest half on her the sofa. I felt like a child. It was the most comforting experience of my life. We watched 2005 Pride and Prejudice. Laughing and swooning the whole time. We cried at the love in the film, the hand moments making us kick our feet, giggling. It was relaxing, to be with a friend. One that wasn’t hiding anything. I guess I would be the friend that was hiding something now to all my friends, to Jess, Bella, and Angela. But I couldn’t dwell on that. I told Emily about how I was feeling with Bella, and she told me about Leah, my stomach dropped when she told me Sam gave her that scar.

“I couldn’t be angry at him, what happened to him, to all the boys, it takes away their agency in emotional moments. I forgive him.” She told me, watching the film. Like this was second nature. Merely an afterthought. I knew I was safe here but was that just hysterics? Was I in danger and too naive to notice? No. Sam and Paul care for me. But Sam loves Emily? No. I reassure myself as I fall into a drowsy slumber as Emily ran her fingers through my hair. Sam can control it, so can Paul and Jared and Embry and Jake will be able to.

Warm arms lifted me, I felt the soft plush of the bed beneath me. I wanted to grab onto to the body holding me, my eyes wouldn’t open but I tried. A light chuckle sifted through the air as I finally let go.

A pink sunrise fell over me. I was drenched in the colours. Walking through the house I saw Paul, asleep on the sofa. The pink and purple began to fall onto him, he shifted awake as I made my way to the kitchen.

“Did I wake you?” I froze, looking at him through sleep festered eyes. He shook his head, smiling. We made coffee and cereal in silence, I the coffee and Paul the cereal. As we ate, I asked about Jake.

“He’s better now, the first shift is always the worst. What you did on the phone really helped.”

“All I did was keep him talking till you guys got there,” I said, finishing my cereal.

“He mentioned you called Bella an anchor, that helps more than you know.” He was looking at me intently. Suddenly I remembered my conversation with Emily last night.

“Paul…” Emily and Sam walked in, laughing with each other. I didn’t want to ask Paul with others around. He seemed brighter though, maybe he’d finally had a full night of sleep. Sleep, id fallen asleep with Emily on the couch and woken up in bed. Looking back at Paul, he was already watching me, waiting. “Did you take me to bed last night? You could’ve just woken me.” I laughed, trying to play off my feelings.

Sam laughed, sitting down with a coffee, “You were both sound asleep when we got back, no use waking you.” Emily looked at me, asking if id said anything, lightly shaking my head I pulled myself away from the conversation as they updated Emily on Jacob. From the window I saw the orange sun dance across the green summer leaves, sway through the crisp morning grass. The sun had risen by now, but the early morning was still prevalent in its colourful glory.

Sam called my name, pulling me out of my thoughts. “When do you start work?”

“9am,” I lied. Well, it wasn’t an actual lie, but I had decided I wasn’t going to go to work today, Henry had been telling me I need to take advantage of the paid sick days we get, so today I will. I need to process what the hell just happened. Alone. As much as I want to be here, I don’t know how much more I can handle. Sam had told us he hadn’t expected Jake to shift so soon and Quil’s grandfather has noticed he has a fever. It’s happening too fast and is still don’t really know why I am involved. Expect I do, which makes it so much worse. I would get dropped of at work, and then catch a bus to First Beach, which yes was counter intuitive, but it felt wrong to tell the people who immediately accepted me I didn’t want to be around them right now. I’d tell them id get a ride home from Henry and just walk back home. No, I shouldn’t walk. I promised Sam I wouldn’t walk. I’ll get the bus home or ask Bella as awkward as it might be.

Paul eyed me, brow furrowing. Sam and Emily didn’t notice but I couldn’t help feeling like Paul could read my mind. It feels weird being known so well. I sat with them for an hour or so before going to get a shower and then get dressed, Emily had layed my clothes on my bed while I was in the shower, and I suddenly felt insanely sick at the thought of lying to her.

Wandering back into the kitchen I saw Paul wearing worker pants that were just wow. I looked away before he caught my gaze. My heart beating in my throat.

“Where are you working?” I asked, he was looking for a job before all of this.

“Sam’s construction, he let Jared and I join after we shifted, he runs the business you know?” he said looking at my clothes. Wide legged white pants and black shirt, I was holding my apron, the ugly thing.

“Actually, Sam’s gone in early, so can I drive you to work?”

I nod, grabbing my bag and kissing Emily’s cheek goodbye as she started working on a wooden chair. Emily sold wooden furniture, I made sure to make note of that since my parents were looking at getting a new kitchen done. As we left, I noticed Sam had taken Emily’s truck and left his own for Paul. Fuckers had planned this.

“you’re a horrible liar, you know.” Paul said as we drove away from Emily’s. Is he psychic? “Sam told me you normally finish early on Wednesday’s, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Me too. I finish at 12, i'll pick you up and explain everything.” I decided to play dumb.

“I thought you explained everything?” his laugh echoed in the car.

“We both know you’re too smart to think that.” The conversation ended, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Not the same feeling as when Sam drove me, this was new.

“You can meet Henry when you pick me up.” I added, laughing at the thought.

“Who?” Paul said, the familiar jealousy peaking in his voice.

“Oh, he’s a real catch, total ladies’ man. I have a conspiracy that we’re psychically linked.” I said nonchalantly, absolutely doing it on purpose.

“That’s cool.” He said, sharply. These three hours were gonna go smoothly.

And they did. I was so excited for Paul to come pick me up I was practically jumping the whole three-hour shift. Henry had been side eyeing me all day, possibly worried I was on drugs or something.

“So, Paul’s going to pick me up and I’d like for you to meet him.” I told Henry as we stocked the shelves, or as I stocked them, and he micromanaged me.

“Eh okay.” He grumbled, I smiled, excited.

As 12 came I was practically glued to the window. Seeing Sam’s truck pull up my chest had a weight lifted off that I didn’t know was there. Pauls stocky figure walked up to the front door, and I beckoned him over to where I stood.

“Where’s this Henry then?” he asked, trying to seem calm.

“This way!” he must’ve been taken back by my excitement as he gasped slightly as I dragged him to the back of the store. “Henry! This is Paul.”

I watched as Pauls deflated face turned quickly into annoyance and relief as he saw Henry, who looked him up and down, grumbled and asked him if he could pick up some boxes for him. Paul agreed, but it didn’t feel like he had much choice in the matter. After ten minutes of Paul moving boxes around for Henry, I finally got him away, saying goodbye we left the store.

“You minx.” He laughed, opening my door for me.

Laughing I asked him what he was talking about.

“All morning. All morning! I spent worrying some hot bachelor called Henry had stolen your heart! Jared was getting annoyed at how pissy I was acting!” he whined, driving to LaPush.

We made it to first beach without Paul ripping my head off from annoyance. I tried not to dwell too hard on his blatant admission to his jealousy. But it made my head spin.

But he went silent as we walked to the rocks on the southside of the beach. Whatever he was about to tell me was very serious, and I was ready to hear. As we sat down, he looked at the necklace I was wearing, the citrine he bought me.

“You know when I bought you that necklace, I had no idea how beautiful it was.” He said, slowly looking up into my eyes.

“What do you mean? The lady handed it to you, I saw you look down at it.” I asked, searching his eyes for whatever he was trying to tell me.

“What do you remember about imprinting?” he asked, his hand lightly holding onto mine, the other splayed against the rocks. He took me off guard which must be visible on my face as he laughed at my expression.

“I remember you telling me about the imprint who saved the tribe from the vampires by sacrificing herself.” It was a harrowing tale, one that even as children Paul and I treaded on lightly.

“Uh huh, anything else?” he probed.

“I know how the elders described the imprint to feel.” At his silence I continued “that the universe centres around them,” I was whispering to him now, “that it is a love of the souls, bonded and combined.” He nodded.

“Anything else?”

“Paul why are you asking me this?” dread filled me, what if he had imprinted on someone else, I would respect it and understand but telling me like this had to be some form of torture. Deep down I knew that wasn’t the case.

“I imprinted on you.” My head whirled. Everything else became singular as I looked at Paul Lahote who became a multitude. “I was scared I’d imprint on someone else, and it’d be me loosing my agency in life you know,” I did, it was what I was worried about. “But I imprinted on you, at the beach. And I’ve always been in love with you. When we were kids and you would always climb the highest tree, never scared if you fell. When we’d braid each other’s hair. It’s always been you, even the fates agree.” The wind was knocked out of his lungs as I practically jumped onto him. My arms around his neck, his around my waist.

I pulled away. Remembering how this conversation started. “What did you mean, when you said you didn’t know how beautiful the necklace was?”

“That’s the other thing, turns out when we shift for the first time, we go colourblind.”

“What?”

“Wolves, they are naturally colourblind, Sam thinks that’s why we lose it, Jared and I used to think it was just another way the fates could steal life from us.” I listened intently. “That was until Sam imprinted on Emily. He said it was the most overwhelming experience of his life, not only because of the horrible family drama but because it was the first time in months, he had seen colour. We realised then that the only way we could see truly again was when we imprinted. You have to understand how terrifying it was after we’d first shifted, I thought I was dying” He took a deep, steadying breath. “After I first shifted you sent me a picture, do you remember?”

“Not really.” I admitted.

“It was of that cloud with the colours on it.” I nodded, remembering. It was a pileus cloud I’d seen in my back garden; he pulled out his phone. Scrolling sheepishly past the texts from him asking to talk to me and then texts from me, begging for an answer. He landed on a picture I sent, on the pileus cloud, they have colours sitting on them, rainbows laying on the soft clouds of the sky. Had I been taking my sight for granted? Spending my whole life gazing while he had it stolen from him?

“I cried for hours when you sent me this, I couldn’t see it, Sam had told me to cut off all contact with you and all I needed was you to- I don’t know- explain the colours to me since I couldn’t see them.” He breathed heavily; I could see the anger weighing on his shoulders once more. I didn’t interrupt him, just placed a hand on his thigh as an attempt to soothe. He smiled gently at this, still looking at the cloud. “It was two days after I’d shifted for the first time, and I was always so overwhelmed. I kept snapping and shifting in a fit of rage.”

As he waited for a response from me, I finally formed a semi-coherent sentence.

“I would’ve done the same. I can’t imagine how it- losing that- I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. If it’s anyone’s fault it’s those bloodsuckers.” He laughed. Smiling at me. We spoke for what felt like hours, it probably was but I didn’t mind. “I’m sorry to unload all of this onto you. I didn’t want to drag you into it, but you have to realise you call the shots, all you.”

“Is this why Sam didn’t pick me up yesterday?” I asked, remembering the hasty text Sam had sent me yesterday afternoon.

“Yeah,” he blushed, “I got angry at him, and he spent the whole day trying to convince me.”

“Couldn’t he just demand it?” the authority Sam had over the boys couldn’t be questioned, but it was a natural thing to him I felt it too.

“Yeah, but I know that he wanted me to make the choice, you’re my imprint after all.” He smiled, putting a hair behind my ear.

The sun had begun to set when Paul and I stopped talking, we’d spoke for hours. Catching up on each other’s lives, I told him about my fight with Quil and how I was feeling about Bella, and he listened. He told me about his dad, who’d decided to go work down south for a few months, leaving Paul the house to himself. That even though he gets the entire one-story building to himself he prefers to stay at Emily’s, he’d always hated being alone. He watched the sun set and I watched him. How it reflected on his clear skin, how his short hair was growing back. He’d explained that they’d all cut their hair after their first shift as to now only be practical but because they were grieving, grieving themselves. Paul was growing his hair again, determined to have a piece of himself back again, the hair length only mattered on the first few shifts. No one was sure why.

Going back to Sam’s truck I hold onto Paul’s hand, pulling him to a stop halfway across the beach. Getting closer to him I felt the warmth radiate from him, he couldn’t help but become the sun. The confused look on his face amused me, as I pulled him in and kissed him. His hand let go of mine as he wove his arms around my waist. My hands going to his back and his hair. He didn’t drive back to Emily’s. We spent the night in his house, the blue walls of his bedroom were known better than my own. Making out on his bed I sat on his lap, pulling his shirt of and then my own he grinned up at me.

“You’re so beautiful.” I didn’t say anything as I unhooked my bra, his jaw dropped slightly, and I blushed. He pulled his own jeans off and then switched our positions, so I was on my back as he took my white trousers of, discarding them somewhere in the room. I felt his lips on mine again which stopped me from staring at his well-defined chest, my hands felt him completely. I reached into his boxers as he whined slightly into my mouth at my slow and teasing actions.

“Don’t play with me.” He whispered into my ears as he ripped his boxers off, slowly taking my underwear off. As I felt him align himself, I looked into his eyes, seeing nothing but love.

Three weeks had passed since I found out about Paul’s imprint. Summer had begun to spread itself thinly and form into fall. I’d spoken to Quil, but he could tell I was hiding something. Especially since Jake had abandoned him without word and so did I. I knew he wanted to be apart of whatever was going on, but we all hoped he would never have to know, never feel the pain they all went through.

I spent most nights at Emily’s and some at Pauls but few and few at home. I wasn’t sure why my parents trusted my choices so much, but I figured they trusted Paul and I’d been a well-behaved teen. They did, however, begin to question why Bella Swan was constantly coming over asking for me. I couldn’t tell her. I still wasn’t over her not telling me anything. But Jake had ghosted her, just after I did. After the Cullen did. She had other friends, but it felt like a really shitty thing to do, I knew if I saw her, I’d just tell her everything. Even if she wouldn’t do the same for me.

I was at Emily’s when Embry, Jared, and Bella Swan herself came into the kitchen. She looked at me in shock and I gestured to the seat beside me, she shook her head. As Emily and I were informed on how Bella found herself in this predicament I laughed at the thought of Jake and Paul fighting, it didn’t surprise me. But I was shocked at Bella slapping him, she defended herself explaining she was angry and didn’t know we’d made up at this point. She didn’t know much. Jared told her that the pack was faster and better than the leaches, Bella seemed to feel more comfortable.

Sam, Jake, and Paul came into the house, Bella seemed to stow herself away in the corner. Her face went bright red after Paul apologised to her and kissed me, Sam complimented how well she took seeing two men turn into wolves in front of her and she laughed it off.

“How are you feeling?” Paul asked as I climbed into bed beside him.

“Tired, Bella gave me a hard time about me ignoring her, she’s right I guess.” Facing him in bed I tried to savour how the moon bounced off him. How he seemed to glow in the blue moonlight. He disagreed, but I knew Paul was biased he’d never really trusted Bella.

“What about Quil have you made up your mind on what you’re going to do?” He asked, kissing my nose as he pulled me to his chest.

“I’m going to go to his house tomorrow. I can’t tell him anything, but I need him to know I’m still his friend and I still love him. He’s one of my closest friends, his love is tough but its true you know?”

“I know.”

“How are you feeling?”

“everything’s getting calmer, but the red leech is still circling, these hikers need to learn to stay on the trail for their own sake.” He laughed; it wasn’t a happy laugh but an exhausted one. “Plus, Quil really might shift soon, I’m not sure how I feel about you going to see him in person.”

“I’ll be okay.”

“Doesn’t make me worry any less.” He was holding me so close, our legs intertwined.

“He knows me better than anyone, which is scary but I won’t talk to him about the fight it doesn’t matter to me anymore. I can’t not have him in my life, it feels so good to be known so well. And not in the way you know me,” I clarified, “he knows me in a way that is tried and true, its not as intimate as how you know me, Quil challenges me, I challenge him. I can’t stand ignoring him.”

Paul nodded, he understood. He just hoped he didn’t shift in front of me.

“I love you.” He whispered into my hair.

“I love you more.” I whispered back, falling into a perfect sleep.

“Are you happy being with Paul?” Quil asked, grey hoodie swamping his tall figure.

“Yes.” I replied, arms crossed over my chest.

“I’m not surprised.” He sighed. Then, crossing the front room he looked out of his front window. “You really hurt me, you know.”

“I know.”

“And you can’t even tell me why!”

“I’m sorry.”

“You, Embry and Jake can’t tell me a single thing!” he yelled, still not looking at me. I had prepared for this, for him to hate me. I just didn’t expect it to feel so horrible.

“I’m sorry, Quil, I really am.” He looked at me, eyes desperate.

“I’ve missed you.” He whispered. Tears in my eyes I ran to him, colliding with his chest we both cried on each other. “Remember we’re not keeping score, no arguments-”

“No winners.” I finished; we didn’t keep score.

As he pulled away, we both wiped at the tears streaming down our faces.

“Lahote? Really?” he laughed; I punched him in the arm. “Ow! Okay, okay.”

For now, everything was okay. I could handle okay.

pauls pinterest board

an:// i hoped you all loved reading this as much as i loved writing it! you can see why its taken me so long to actually write this :') Tumblr always gets rid of my paragraph spacing it kills me:( the word doc for this fic is 19 pages long! this is the longest fic i've written, im very proud of it!! requests are open, take care of yourself. i love you- em x

@ribbons-in-your-hair @notperfect-justme @thebestrouge [you guys asked me to tag you if i wrote anything about this headcannon! i hope you enjoy it!]

[whoops-all-jennas]

Past Lives pt. 11

Wednesday x witch!reader

"I've got this strangest feeling."

"This isn't our first time around."

Summary: You were kidnapped and Wednesday tries to rescue you.

Warnings: Descriptions of blood, cuts, and pain

The door to Weems' office slams open, revealing Bianca and Xavier. Weems looks at them with concern.

"Y/n's gone." Bianca says. "But, Xavier says he might know where she went."

Weems immediately stands, her concern turning to anxiety as she notices the light cast by the pale moon illuminating the room shifting to a dark ominous red.

Weems turns to her balcony, met with the blood moon hanging over the school.

"Don't bother." Weems states, turning back to her desk. She holds the button next to a microphone, before speaking into the intercom. "All students and faculty, evacuate the school and meet at the busses. This is not a drill."

She releases the button, glaring at Xavier and Bianca before heading towards the door. Xavier and Bianca look at each other with concern before following her.

Enid sits up, alarmed at Weems message. She rushes around the empty dorm to find anything you or Wednesday might want her to grab. When she rushes to your side of the room, she notices your silver hairs littered around.

The hairs are crawling like worms, all slithering towards the direction of the moon in the window.

It suddenly clicks in her head, what your white hair meant. Enid runs to Wednesday's side of the dorm, quickly finding the novel she's been working on. She skims the last few passages, finding Wednesday describing resurrection and the blood moon required for it.

Next to Wednesday's novel, Enid finds the drawing that Rowan gave to her. All the events of tonight connecting.

She finds the door, fighting through the crowd of students to a different exit of the school.

Enid runs after she gets through the crowd, before finding her way into the dark forest. Her path illuminated by your blood moon.

Tyler's car stops in front of Crackstone's Crypt, the engine cuts off as we exit the vehicle. I go to enter before looking back at Tyler.

"I'll stay out here and keep watch." He says. I silently acknowledge him before descending the stairs into the crypt.

At the bottom I find Ms. Thornhill and you placing jars containing the body parts of the victims on runic symbols. Your hair is that silvery white that I'm still not accustomed to. You walk with a limp, blood trickling down your arms and legs.

My priority of you blinds me of the fact that Ms. Thornhill and you are setting up the ritual to revive Joseph Crackstone.

"Y/n!" I find myself running towards you, interrupted by Ms. Thornhill putting herself between the two of us.

"Not so fast, Wednesday." Thornhill holds a knife that's already stained with your blood towards me.

I suddenly visualize Ms Thornhill as the one who tied you down in the corrupted vision. As if a final puzzle piece finally slide into place.

After you place the final jar, you face towards me, revealing a white haze clouding over your eyes.

I put my hands up, taking a few steps back.

Thornhill quickly grabs you, holding the knife near your throat. "Try anything, and Y/n's dead. Understand?"

I find myself lost in your clouded gaze for a moment before looking at Thornhill. "What'd you do to her?"

A mischievous smile creeps up onto Thornhill's face. "Just took some notes from the book you left for me, the book of curses that Y/n was too weak to cast from."

Thornhill releases her grasp from you, knife still to your throat. She pulls out a pair of handcuffs, putting them in your obedient hands. "Y/n, be a good puppet and restrain Wednesday for me."

Thornhill moves the knife from your throat to the nape of your neck, following you as you approach.

I hold my hands out in front of me, powerless in this situation. You click the handcuffs gently over my wrists, your blood streaks down your arms, dripping onto my hands.

"Now take ten steps back." Ms. Thornhill demands, you follow her orders without hesitation or emotion.

"If Wednesday attempts to hurt me, I demand that you defend me. Understand?" You nod to Thornhill's order before she lowers the knife.

Thornhill looks past me to the exit. "And don't even think about trying to escape, I got Tyler outside waiting for you to make a move."

Thornhill takes a few steps towards me ominously.

"You know, we have roots that go all the way back to Joseph Crackstone." Thornhill takes the opportunity to begin to monologue.

"So you come from a line of psychotic killers too." I say flatly, my restrained hands resting in front of me.

Thornhill's expression is suddenly fueled with anger. "Joseph Crackstone was a visionary, dedicated to protecting normies from outcasts until his life was cut short by your ancestor, Goody Addams."

The blood from the wounds on your arms and legs are starting to puddle underneath you as you stand idly.

"And then, to add insult to injury, they stole his land to build that abomination of a school. But, throughout the centuries, my family has remained committed to Crackstone's mission. My brother died serving that cause. I decided to take a different approach. The supernatural."

"So you're resurrecting Joseph Crackstone?" I say, confused by her plan, relying on one person.

"The one man who nearly succeeded in eradicating the outcasts." Thornhill moves to the casket, picking up the book of shadows.

"It wasn't enough for Goody to kill Crackstone. She had to curse his soul too."

I find myself silent for a second. "What does this have to do with me?"

"My dear Wednesday, you are the key. Your arrival at Nevermore set the chubby wheels of my plans in motion. Goody sealed Crackstone in his sarcophagus with a blood lock. Only one of her direct descendants can open it. A living descendant on the night of a blood moon."

Thornhill glances at you, meeting my idle gaze soon after. "That's where Y/n comes in. It was a miracle that the only witch to attend our school this year just happened to be afflicted with the curse of the moon. Originally a ritual done to connect witches with the stars, turned into one for the intention of resurrection. Poor souls, only born to bleed for others."

"Y/n's more than a bag of blood." I say, defensively. Thornhill smirks at my response, satisfied with her decision to take you hostage.

"You're right, she's a pawn in my game. Defenseless, just like you." Thornhill turns to you. "Y/n, be a doll and unlock the blood lock."

You take wobbly steps towards me due to the injuries and blood loss, pulling your wand out. You forcefully grab my hand, dragging me towards the casket.

I grab her wrist, resisting. "Y/n stop!" I shout. I notice Thornhill's smile becoming sinister before opening the book of shadows, flipping through the pages.

We're now merely inches away from the casket, she takes the wand to my hand. "Sectum Sempra."

You quickly guide your wand across the palm of my hand, blood instantly trickling out of the fresh cut.

You force my hand onto the the circular icon on the front of the casket. I release a cry of pain as it cauterizes the cut on my hand, the symbol burning an ominous red.

You let go, taking a step back as your order was completed. I try to pry my hand off the casket, stuck to the symbol, until it finally releases me. I find the floor as I fall backwards from my built up momentum.

Thornhill puts the book of shadows on the casket before grabbing the chains of my restraints, dragging me towards the pillar, my back against it.

She finds her way back to the book, picking it up and taking a few steps back. She begins to recite the incantation as I find my pocket knife in my shoe.

The jars illuminate a pale blue, the runic symbols beneath them glowing an ominous orange as I stick the pocket knife into the keyhole of the cuffs.

The sound of thunder fills the room, the flashes of lightning contrasting the red cast by the moon.

Electricity links between the jars, all connecting to the casket before a dark fog emanates from the lid.

The fog fills the room, fading to reveal Joseph Crackstone above his own casket.

Thornhill takes a step towards him. "I am of your blood. I have summoned you to rid the world of outcasts once and for all."

Crackstone holds out his hand, soon met with Thornhill's eager one. Her lips meet his decrepit hand. "My vengeance will be swift and true."

"As will mine." I stand, the cuffs clinking as they hit the ground.

He holds his staff towards me, the end glowing an ominous green. I find myself stuck in place, a magical force covering my body. "Goody Addams. You haunt me still. You will suffer the same fate you bequeathed me."

He pulls out a dagger, stepping closer.

"Wait!"

Thornhill shouts. Crackstone turns his head to her, seeing you past her. "I know how to make this vengeance sweeter." She says with a sinister smile.

"Y/n!" Thornhill grabs a knife, placing it in your hands. "Stab and kill Wednesday Addams."

The knife trembles for a moment, your body resisting the order.

Thornhill notices your willpower resisting, pulling out her wand. She points it at you, determination in her eyes. "Crucio!"

You release a loud cry of pain as your body seizes as if electricity was coursing through your body. You drop the knife as you fall to the ground in pain.

You continue to squirm on the ground as Thornhill keeps the wand on you, releasing a constant scream of agony.

I watch in horror at the suffering you're going through, thinking of a thousand different ways to make Thornhill suffer a worse fate. Her shouting the incantation replaying over and over in my head.

Thornhill pants after releasing the curse, pulling Goody's wand away. Your body rests only for a moment before forcing itself to stand, picking up the knife.

I'm still stuck in place as Crackstone's magic is still in effect. You slowly limp towards me, sadness managing to find your face past the curse you were under.

"Elsie Y/l/n. What a symbolic way to end Goody's life." Crackstone says with a crooked smile.

My heart rate is now uncontrollable as you stand in front of me for a moment, your body hesitating.

In a sudden motion you stab me in the abdomen, releasing the knife after the full impact. I fall back on to the pillar, sliding down the wall as I cough up blood.

I look up to find your cloudy white eyes looking down upon me.

I open my eyes to find myself in a dark endless void. I pull out my wand, followed by a pale light emitting from the end of it.

I see my reflection on the dark floor. My hair in it's white, true form. I take a step forward to find ripples beneath my feet, as if I was walking on water.

"Hello?" I shout, replied with the echo of my own voice. The air is chilly, yet comforting as I take a few more steps forwards to find a silhouette of a woman in front of me, her long white hair flowing with elegance.

She turns around, looking at the ground before meeting my gaze. I instantly recognize her face as mine.

She holds out her hand, a red line tangled around her fingers. The line crawls out of the center of her hand, revealing a glowing red string.

I hold out my hand instinctively. A similar string crawling from the depth of my palm.

The woman's face finds a heartfelt smile as the strings slithers through the air, before tying together.

"The spell I cast on that dreadful night was stronger than I imagined." Her soft voice reaches my ears as the string starts to expand from the knot in the center out to our side. "It didn't connect just Goody and my soul, but every version of us."

A knot is found in the air at the end of the string, splitting off into two. The strings start to tangle themselves around the silhouette of two different hands, soon embedding themselves into their skin, revealing their true appearance.

The color appears on the woman next to me, wearing a black robe with yellow accents and glasses that perfectly frame what I found to be my face.

Across from her appeared Wednesday, wearing the same black robe but with green accents. A symbol with a snake imprinted on the robe.

The glowing string continues past them, finding another knot in the air splitting in two again. The string finds two others hand. I am unable to make out my appearance past the version of me with glasses, but I can see that Wednesday looks very different. Her hair is a dark brown instead of her raven black, she's wearing a color other than black, and her style of clothing is very different.

I look back in front of me to find the girl with long white hair to be replaced with Wednesday, my Wednesday.

My eyes soften after seeing her, her eyes looking at me longingly as I get lost in them. Her lips begin to move, but her voice is muted as I start to feel more and more separated from this realm.

"Y/n..."

"Y/n..."

"Y/n!"

I release a gasp as it feels as if a veil was lifted from my eyes. I fall to my knees as the pain of several cuts and wounds settle in.

I look in front of me to find Wednesday with a knife stabbed through her abdomen.

"No, no, no!" I instinctively hover my hands over her wound, blood trickling out of the many cuts on my limbs.

"Just thought I'd be generous enough to let you watch Wednesday bleed out in front of you." Thornhill says while putting away her wand.

"Ciao." She says fluttering her fingers in a wave as she ascends the stairs with Joseph Crackstone out of the crypt.

"Wednesday I- I just saw so much." I begin to ramble about what I saw, suddenly cutting myself off as she bleeds in front of me.

Even as she nears death, she still gives me that soft gentle look she gives no one else. How much she cares about me written in her eyes when it's herself she should be worried about.

I find myself lost in her eyes, something taking control over my thoughts, visualizing the red string from before. I look down at my hands, finding the string slithering from inside both of them.

I instinctively feel my hands grab Wednesday's, closing my eyes. Even though I'm aware I'm in Crackstone's Crypt, it feels as if I'm in the meeting house. My long white hair tangled on the chains, restrained to the floor. Goody's fingers interlocked with mine.

I feel the string emerge from my hands, injecting itself into Wednesday. The string glows from under her skin as it navigates through her body to her lower abdomen.

The knife slowly elevates itself out of her wound, clinking as it hits the floor.

The glowing string emerges near her wound before entering near it again. It slowly repeats this, stitching her wound closed before fading away, her skin fully healed.

I feel the string split up inside my body, spreading out between my arms and legs. I feel them stitch my wounds painlessly.

I see Goody going to hide, feeling the heat of the flames encumber me until I open my eyes.

Suddenly the heat is gone, finding myself back at Crackstone's Crypt.

"Goody, you're okay!" I instinctively call out to Wednesday in the moment, throwing my weakened body onto her in an embrace.

I feel Wednesday's tears for the first time as she holds me, her hands trembling with fear. "I thought I lost you again." It feels as if someone else is speaking for her.

I find myself draw my head back to see her glossy eyes. "We need to stop Thornhill." I say, trying to reorganize our thoughts.

I try to stand, instantly falling again due to my lack of blood.

"Y/n!" Wednesday calls, catching me before I hit the ground before gently lowering me. "Don't worry, I will finish this."

She starts to walk towards the exit, leaving me on the ground. "I'll be back for you. I promise."

She continues her steps towards the exit. It feels as if something is missing, something I need to do.

"Goody, wait!" I call out instinctively. "I mean, Wednesday."

Her footsteps stop, looking back to me with her soft eyes.

"I need to do something first, in case anything goes wrong." I say longingly. Wednesday's footsteps come back as she approaches back to me, before kneeling beside me.

I find my face flush with heat at my thoughts. "Can- can I kiss you?"

She admires my face for a moment, glancing at my lips before nodding. She gently grabs my face with her right hand, staining my face with blood.

She closes the distance between us, her cold yet comforting lips finding mine. As the kiss deepens, I feel my eyes get glossy. A tear breaks through the threshold of my closed eyes, landing onto Wednesday's bloodied hand.

The tear wasn't mine.

Wednesday releases her lips from mine. I see she also has fresh tears before she wipes them away. She stands, turning to face the exit again. "I will be back for you, Elsie."

I watch as she walks away, a new found confidence in her step.

I exit Crackstone's Crypt, the feeling of your lips lingering on mine. The red light that used to be cast now illuminating its usual pale blue.

The crunching of the leaves fill the woods as I rush through the forest, soon interrupted by Tyler revealing himself behind a tree. "Laurel said you were dead."

"I'm feeling much better now." I said sarcastically.

Tyler begins to step closer intimidatingly. "You're like a cockroach."

"Please, flattery will get you nowhere."

Tyler grabs the collar of my shirt, trying to be intimidating. "This will not end well for you." I say, threateningly.

Tyler's eyes start to bulge unnaturally, his clothes tearing as he shifts into the monster.

He dashes forward, lifting me into the air before pushing me into the broken stump of a dead tree. He raises his right claw, about to slash me until what looks like a giant wolf tackles him.

The sound of both of them tumbling through the leaves fills the woods before the wolf throws Tyler into a tree.

I pry myself off the stump, looking towards the wolf. The wolf turns towards me, their colored hair glistening in the moonlight.

"Enid?" I ask, feeling a combination of curiosity and excitement.

The Hyde stands behind Enid, the shadows cast by the trees giving him an intimidating aura.

"Enid!" I shout before Tyler slaps her away with the back of his hand.

Enid lands on all fours, growling after making eye contact with Tyler. They both start sprinting towards each other to attack.

"I need to get back to school!" I start to run, before suddenly stopping. I turn back to look at Enid. "Check on Y/n at Crackstone Crypt after you deal with this!"

I turn again, navigating through the trees before reaching Nevermore Academy.

I run into the school, confused by the lack of panic and students. As I make my way up stairs, I hear growling through the wall towards the quad. I hasten my steps, finding a sword on a pedestal that I've walked past a million times before.

I quickly walk onto the balcony, looking over the quad that's filled with fire and smoke. My eyes find Crackstone fighting what appears to be the Hyde, but something looks different about it.

It looks as if it was drawn.

Crackstone blasts a magic projectile from his staff, the Hyde turning to dust at the impact. Soon after, another one appears through the door.

"Xavier." I mutter to myself, descending the staircase.

I hear a deafening silence as I enter the quad, graphite dust filling the air before hitting the ground. I watch on, waiting for another one to appear, but found no such luck.

I take a few steps into the grass, the flames around me reflecting off the sword. "Howdy, pilgrim."

Crackstone quickly turns around, shock on his face. "How canst thy heart still beat? What demon sorcery is this?"

"Stay away from her!" I turn to find Xavier with a fully drawn bow and arrow, pointed past me towards Crackstone.

He let's go of the bowstring, the arrow flying through the air.

As it rapidly approaches Crackstone, he holds out his hand, the arrow stopping in the air in front of him. He turns his fingers slowly, the arrow following the motion until it faces back towards Xavier. Suddenly, the arrow is flying back.

I instinctively stepped in front of the arrow, losing my breath at the impact. I recognize a lack of pain as the arrow hits the ground.

"No!" Xavier shouts, running towards me.

I feel a chain slip from around my neck, Goody's protection talisman falling to the ground, bouncing at the impact.

Xavier suddenly stops in place, a few steps away from me. "Wednesday?"

I turn towards him as I catch my breath. "I'll be fine."

I look down at the necklace resting in the grass, a part of the silver caving in.

"Goody's talisman." Crackstone states. "Foiling my mission yet again."

I bend over, picking up the necklace by the chain before wrapping it around my bare hand.

Suddenly, we hear students exclaim in fear as they watch from the end of the quad.

"Get them out of here." I demand, gripping the talisman tightly.

Xavier looks at me for a moment before running to the group of students, guiding them out of the quad.

Crackstone and I stand before each other, waiting for someone to make the first move.

I rush towards him, swinging my blade horizontally towards his chest. He blocks it with the end of the staff before attempting to hit me with it.

I evade his attack, making distance with a backhand spring.

He goes for an overhead swing, a spark emitting from it as it hits the ground. I take the opportunity to take another swing. He quickly raises his staff, blocking my attack yet again.

I find my arm moves past the staff, the blade breaking at the impact.

I take a step back, startled by how weak the sword was. He holds his staff towards me, suddenly feeling an immense magical energy push me into a broken table.

I have trouble finding air, as he holds his staff against me. He takes a few steps towards me, a crooked smile on his face. "I will send you back to hell."

The tip of the staff shifts from green to red, mere centimeters from my chest as he channels more arcane power.

Suddenly, a fragment of the broken blade stabs through his chest, causing him to release his hold on me.

After the blade is withdrawn, he turns to find Bianca. He motions his arm across her, sending her flying across the quad.

I slide down the broken table, grabbing another fragment of the blade with my hand that's wrapped with the chain of Goody's Talisman.

I stand before Crackstone as he turns towards me. It feels as if I lose control of where to aim, as if something else is guiding me to strike him in the heart.

He releases a groaning sound past the sizzling in his chest. I take my other hand to the blade, twisting it in his heart.

He takes a few steps back, the sound of a fire crackling from within chest. His chest begins to cave inwards, revealing a flame within, eating him from the inside out. The smoke escapes his final breath as explodes in a final wave of fire, dropping his ring onto the grass.

Bianca and I share eye contact, before I hear a footstep behind me.

I turn, my eyes filled with fear as Thornhill approaches, pointing Goody's wand at me. Stopping just before the grass.

"You brought a gun to a sword fight." I remark, hiding my fear. "It's probably the first smart decision you've made today."

"I might not get to kill all the outcasts, but at least I'll get to kill you, Wednesday."

She draws he wand back, preparing to cast a spell. Her face is full of malice before she utters the incantation.

"Avada-"

"Expelliarmus!"

Goody's wand flys out of Thornhill's grasp, landing on the grass. The wand rolling towards my feet.

Thornhill and I look to where the noise came from to find you. Your left arm is wrapped around Enid's shoulder, your wand still pointing at Thornhill's frame as your lips smile in relief. You stumble for a moment before regaining your footing.

I pick up the wand from the ground, pointing it at Thornhill. She scoffs. "Please Wednesday, you don't know anything about magic." She isn't scared by your presence, knowing your inability to kill and your weakened state.

I stare in Thornhill's eyes with a stoic face, my mind flashing to when she performed the torture curse on you. The incantation repeats itself in my mind, the memory forever vivid in my head.

My face contorts to an expression of anger before Thornhill reaches behind her, drawing out a pistol.

"Crucio!" I shout, the emotions from reliving the memory fill my voice.

She instantly screams in agony as she drops the pistol onto the ground. It looks as if an electric current is coursing through her veins as she draws her hands over her chest.

She falls over as I take a few steps closer, her body seizing on the ground under the curse.

"I think that's enough Wednesday." I faintly recognize Enid's voice past the trance I find myself in.

Thornhill continues to writh in agony, squirming on the floor as I approach ever closer.

"Wednesday!" The sound of your voice instantly clears my mind, cancelling the curse.

My expression returns to its normal stoic appearance as I lower my wand. I watch as Thornhill begins to sob on the floor.

"Stupefy!" I hear you shout another incantation, a red projectile finding a way onto Thornhill. Her sobs instantly stop as she goes unconscious, rolling at the impact of your spell.

I look towards you and Enid with a heartfelt expression as I start to approach.

You manage to break to Enid's grasp, attempting to run towards me with glossy eyes, before falling.

I hasten my next few steps as I catch you in my arms, hearing your quiet sobs as I hold you in my chest. Your hands grab me tightly, nails scratching at the fabric of my uniform.

You break away from my chest to look into my eyes, raw emotion written on you as you grab my face with both hands. "I was so scared that I was going to lose you again."

"I- I don't know what I would do without you." You say, breaking eye contact as tears stream down your face.

You drive your head into my chest as you throw your arms over my shoulders, your tears soaking into my dirty uniform.

I hold you tightly in the embrace, caressing your hair comfortingly. I feel the same emotions, hoping that my relief and love is felt through my arms, unable to find the words you found so easily.

I find myself in what use to be Wednesday, Enid, and I's shared dorm. The dorm feels empty without all their belongings littered around.

The school is going on break for the rest of the semester due to the incident and Principal Weems is letting me stay on campus. It's not like there's anywhere else for me to go.

I walk towards my side of the dorm, approaching the window. I step out onto the balcony, staring at the cars and students below me.

I hear the sound of the door opening behind me to find Wednesday standing at the entrance of the dorm, looking around before noticing me on the balcony.

Her stoic steps fill the dorm as she walks to the other side, meeting me on the balcony.

"Hey, Wednesday." I say, looking at her with a bittersweet smile. I look down to notice a box wrapped in black wrapping paper. "Is that for me?"

She nods, holding it out towards me.

I take the box gently out of her hands, looking into her eyes for a moment before unwrapping the present.

"With your birthday gift to me, you said don't take it romantically." She begins to say as I open the box, revealing a necklace with a vial of blood attached to it. Underneath the necklace is a folded piece of paper.

"That is a vial of my blood, the same gift you have given me." She says, looking into my eyes longingly. "There is one difference."

I look up from the gift towards her eyes. "I do mean this as a romantic gesture, An undying symbol of my feelings towards you, feeling that I have trouble expressing."

I put the necklace around my neck, putting the hook around the chain before grabbing the letter.

Wednesday puts her hand over mine, stopping me. "I want you to read this letter whenever you miss me. It's going to be rough not seeing you for the rest of the semester, but we'll make it through."

I close the lid of the box. "Like we always do."

Wednesday and I look longingly into each other's eyes for a few seconds that feel so long, yet not long enough. Sharing our emotions and feelings through the windows to our soul.

"Wednesday!" We both hear faintly beneath us to find Pugsley waving in the quad.

Wednesday looks down to the side. "I suppose it's time for me to leave."

I look at her for another moment, admiring all her features. "Maybe I can try to visit sometime."

Wednesday meets my eyes again, taking a step forward.

For the first time, Wednesday is the one initiating the our embrace, her arms holding me needily. I wrap my arms around her with the same emotion.

"I'm going to miss you Wednesday." I say, sinking my head into her shoulder.

Wednesday tightens her embrace, as if to say 'I'll miss you too.'

"It won't be too long till we meet again, hopefully next time we can talk and hangout like normal people instead of solving a murder case." I say with a smile.

Wednesday loosens her grip, taking a step back. "Where's the fun in that?" She says with a sly smile, heading towards the circular window.

"Goodbye Y/n." She says, before leaving the balcony.

"Goodbye Wednesday." I say with a bittersweet smile, already missing her presence.

I turn to the balcony, after a few minutes I see Wednesday's family hearse go past the gate of the school.

I glance at the box containing the rest of Wednesday's gift. I life the lid of the present again, opening the letter found inside.

Dear Y/n,

Knowing you, you're likely reading this immediately after I left.

I noticed you discovered the same truth I have. Our souls are perpetually tied together by an unbreakable string. This string will forever bind us, guiding us to each other even if death attempts to due us part.

Do you recall on Outreach Day when I had a vision? I may not have told you everything I saw. In that vision I was met with Goody and Elsie, two names you know by now.

I witnessed the moment our souls permanently become interconnected, moments before Elsie's death. Before she perished, she performed a spell with a string with Goody. It's strange how a measly string can be so strong.

To be honest, I was anxious that if I told you what I saw it'd scare you away. How naive of me. I can't believe how you changed me. I use to be so independent and pleasantly lonely until you came along. I never thought I'd be the type of person willing to sacrifice the world for someone else, someone who I managed to find so much importance in.

I know you don't have the same introverted traits I do, but I hope you'd do the same for me.

Xavier gave me a phone today. He so boldly left his number inside as well. Now if I may be so bold, I leave my new phone number with this letter.

May our paths connect once again soon,

Wednesday Addams.

A smile creeps up onto my face, pulling out my phone to add the number to my contacts.

I stare over the balcony, holding the necklace in my hand with thoughts of Wednesday. I watch the hearse just before it escapes my view.

"Don't wake me, I'm not dreamin'."

"Don't wake me, I'm not dreamin'."

Past Lives Masterlist

a/n: thank you to everyone who read and stuck through my first long fic. A majority of the new main plot points in this were ideas I've had brewing for months, but felt I was too unskilled to write. I hope all the ideas connected together well :))

(the last two lines are just lyrics from the song that inspired this fic, they don't mean anything)

taglist

@oishiiiz @jessiemariano21494

[h-ngm-nssluttt]

Have Yourself A Merry Owen's Christmas

When Tyler finally decides to make this a Christmas to remember by finally admitting to his childhood best friend that she's the love of his life

Every year when storm season is pretty much over for the year I find myself full of excitement to head back home. Christmas in Arkansas is like no other. My folks run the Christmas Tree Farm and I help out while I'm home for a few weeks. The Christmas Tree Farm was my favorite place to be growing up. My best friend Y/N and i would spend hours playing hide and seek in the rows and rows of trees in the summer. Every Christmas season in highschool she would work the register while I cut and loaded trees. The perks of having your best friend live right next door, you could do literally everything together. If she wasn’t at our house i was at hers. We were constantly getting into trouble together and always going on adventures.

The true blessing of having your best friend live right next door to you is that eventually she becomes the love of your life. Now you would think that i would have jumped at the opportunity to make her my girl. The overly confident and cocky Tyler Owens would have swept her off her feet… but it was the opposite.. As much as I wanted to make her mine, I can't risk losing her if she doesn’t feel the same way. My life is full of adventure and living life by the seat of my pants not knowing what’s going to happen each and every day but she is the one and only constant thing in my life. 

I turned down the gravel path that leads to my family's farm and Y/N’s place. I make a split decision and turn right at the fork in the road as I head down the driveway as I see the all too familiar farm house come into view. I park my truck as I make my way to the front door. The porch creaked as I opened the screen door and racked my knuckles against the wooden door. The faint sound of Y/N’s voice came from the other side letting me know to come in.

I open the door and the all too familiar smell of apple pie and vanilla and caramel fill my nose. The applepie being one of the candles she always burns but the vanilla and caramel the unmistakable smell of Y/N. 

I kick my boots off at the door and make my way to the living room as my eyes take in the sight before me. Boxes all over the floor, decorations and ornaments everywhere. My eyes shift to the tree in front of the living room window noting that it’s a bigger tree than you would normally have and then I see you sitting aside of it with your back turned towards me as you sit there tangled in Christmas lights.

“Wow.. i see you went bigger this year” I make my way around the various boxes on the floor as i stand next to you as i look down at you smiling

“Ty! I didn’t know you were home”

I let out a small chuckle as I reach down and take a tangled string of lights into my hand

“Yeah.. I just got home. Sorry I didn't give you a heads up.. But i could hear you struggling from the driveway”

Y/N let out a laugh as she stood up and looked at me and rolled her eyes playfully

“Sure you did… it had nothing to do with wanting to see your best friend at all”

“Well of course it has to do with wanting to see my best friend. I just didn’t think you were gonna struggle THAT badly with these lights”

I watch as you glance around the mess covering the living room and let out a sigh

“It’s just been different… I’m used to having my moms help. I didn’t realize how hard it was to get everything set up by myself. I honestly thought about putting it all back. Only reason i even have a tree is because your mom made your dad bring me one”

My mom had mentioned that she made my dad bring you a tree. She knew you were trying to avoid the holidays. She had convinced you to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas day with us at the house instead of going to work to pick up extra shifts like you had planned to. I knew the holidays were going to be difficult for you this year and that’s honestly the main reason I made sure to come home a little early this year. I take another look at everything scattered about

“I know Y/n… It’s the first holiday without her, I can't imagine how much harder it makes things like this. But I’m here now and I'll help you as best as I can. My mom said she was going to stop over here soon to help as well. Something about bringing cookies and stuff” 

you look up at me and give me a small smile “Well the more the merrier… and we both know i can never turn down your moms cookies so…”

I let out a laugh as a comfortable silence fell between the two of us as we finished untangling all of the lights. 

“Alright.. That should do it… now for the fun part hanging them up…Come on get up here”

I smiled as I squatted down so you could get onto my shoulders. I knew better than to do the lights because you would be picky. A laugh falls from your lips as you get onto my shoulders as I stand up as my hands hold onto your legs as you begin to put the lights on the top of the tree. The music in the background was the only sound filling the room besides the rustling of the tree limbs as the lights were placed onto them. I found myself swaying to the music, mostly on purpose to tease you as you attempted to put the lights on

“TY! You gotta stand still” 

I tilted my head up as i looked as you as you looked down at me and let out a laugh

“But it’s not as fun when I have to stand still” you laughed as I continued to shift from side to side even more as you worked on the lights.

“My lights are going to be crooked”

“Oh they’ll be fine… A little crookedness adds some character”

“My tree will have a touch of the Tyler Owens effect huh?”

I smile as i give your legs a slight squeeze 

“Exactly” 

I watch as you tuck a few more of the lights into the top of the tree as you looks it over

“Okay.. i think the lights are done”

I smile and carefully lower you to the floor as I stand next to you as I admire the tree. 

“You were right, the lights are a little crooked, but they look pretty good. I’d say the tyler owens effect helped with the lights than anything else”

My comment was met with a playful elbow to my ribs as you let out a laugh.

“Yeah yeah.. Now start hanging some ornaments Cowboy”

I smile as I grab the closest box of ornaments as i let the blush on my cheeks subside before looking back at the tree

“Yes Ma'am”

A comfortable silence fell between the two of us as the Christmas music played softly as we hung the ornaments on the tree. I couldn’t help but glance over at Y/N as she would tilt her head and decide if an ornament would look good in that spot on the tree or as she would faintly hum along to the song playing. The second i saw you stand on your tiptoes to try and reach the top of the tree i immediately stepped behind you as i placed my one hand on your hip as my chest rested against your back and my other hand took the ornament from your outstretched hand and placed in at the top of the tree. A smile crosses my face as I feel your head lean back against my chest as I fight to keep my heart rate normal.

“See this is why i keep you around”

I let out a laugh as i gently pull away from you 

“Oh so you only keep me around for my height.. Very shallow Y/N.. Very Shallow”

your laugh filled the room as you tossed an ornament as me teasingly as i managed to catch it

“Hey every short girl needs a tall best friend”

I roll my eyes playfully as i hang the ornament onto the tree

“I guess you’re right. Who else would hang these for you”

I couldn’t help but find myself looking at you again as you went back to the tree. The way your eyes shined from the lights on the tree, the way your hair was framing your face. I quickly shook myself out of it as I continued to decorate the tree.

After finishing the tree and decorating the rest of the living room, my mom had kept to her word and dropped off some cookies for you. We found ourselves on the couch, beers in hand as we sat there in silence as we admired the tree.

“I think we did a pretty good job”

I smiled as i felt your head lean against my shoulder as i wrap my arm around your shoulder pulling you a little closer as i looked down at you and in that moment i realized i couldn’t deny it anymore.. I was falling in love with you… and badly… 

“I think you’re right.. This tree looks perfect”

“Thank you.. For today… i think if you wouldn’t have stopped by i wouldn't have put anything up”

I snapped back to reality after zoning out for a few moments when I heard you thanking me.

“Of course… i would have felt like a horrible best friend if i didn't come to check on you  on your first christmas without your mom”

‘And on my first christmas realizing i’m completely in love with you’

“I don’t know what i’d do without you Ty”

I rubbed your arm subconsciously as I pulled you a little closer. God do I love having you this close.

“You’d probably still be tying yourself up in christmas lights”

Your laughter filled the room again 

“Hmmm you’re probably right”

I let out a laugh as I looked down at you. The longer we sat here I really couldn’t take it any longer. You were so close… and fuck im so in love with you.. I gently pulled you onto my lap as my arms wrapped around your waist as i looked into your eyes and take in your shocked expression as i mumble under my breath

“God I'm gonna regret this…”

“Regret what?”

I look into your eyes once more before I speak quietly

“This..”

Before I lean in and close the distance between us as I bring my lips to yours as I kiss you passionately. I notice that your breath catches in surprise before a sigh leaves your lips as your hands rest on the sides of my neck sending a shiver down my spine and the feeling of your hands on me. A small quiet moan leaves my lips as you kiss me back as I tighten my grip on your hips. God, I had been dreaming of this happening for god only knows how long. I gently push you onto your back on the couch as our lips continue their passionate dance together. 

I felt your hands tangle in the hair at the of my neck drawing another quiet moan from me as I started to kiss down your jaw to your neck as I slid my hand under the hem of your shirt as my hand gently caressed the skin on your hips.

“Mmmm Ty…. Baby….” 

A shiver goes down my spine as I hear you call me ‘baby’ for the first time and it took everything in me to just not completely lose it right here on the couch. My hands roaming your skin under your shirt as I nip at the sensitive skin on your neck making your breathing increase making me impossibly hard. My voice betrays me and comes out in a whimper against your neck

“I need you…”

The sound of your shaky breath reaches my ears as your fingers run down the buttons on my flannel

“I need you too”

God hearing you say you needed me too was about to send me into a spiral. I lean back for a moment to look at you, a moment of clarity in my lust filled hazy mind as i bring one of my hands up to caress your cheek

“Are you sure…? I need to know you want this”

“I want this…. I want this Ty…”

Any restraint I had after hearing you say that was completely gone. I quickly removed my Flannel and tossed it onto the floor as my eyes roam over your body taking in every inch of you as i started to slowly remove your shirt as i leaned down and placed soft kisses to your now exposed chest

“God you’re so beautiful… I need you so badly… i love you so much”

I could feel your heart pounding in your chest as i placed another soft kiss to your exposed chest as your shaky voice speaks up

“I… I love you too”

I slowly lifted my head up to look down at you as I took a second to process the fact that you were saying the words I had been wanting to hear for so long it made me feel weak inside. I smiled down at you as if you had hung the stars in the sky as i run my thumb along your jaw

“Do you want to take this to the bedroom?”

I smile as I see you gently nod your head yes as you look up at me with those beautiful blue eyes that I love so much. I wrap my arms under you and pick you up holding you against my chest as I carry you up the stairs and to your bedroom. Once we reach your room i gently lay you down on the bed as i lean over you, my hands on either side of your head

“You don’t know how badly i’ve wanted this… how many times i've dreamt about being with you like this..”

“Well i hope it’s better than the dreams Ty..”

I let out a low chuckle as i slowly start to kiss down your chest and my hands go back to roaming your sides and hips reveling in the feeling of your bare skin under my hands as i speak against your skin gently as i take one of your bra straps between my teeth and slowly pull it down

“Oh it’s going to be so much better”

I can feel your breathing get faster as your chest and cheeks turn red

“Mmm i’d be lying if i said i haven't dreamed of this either”

I gently finish pushing your bra straps down your arms pulling the piece of lacy fabric off of you and tossing it across the room. My eyes roam over your now bare chest below me as i speak in a soft voice

“I know i already said it but god, you are beautiful Y/N… and i really want to make love to you”

“I really want you to as well”

I slowly let my hand trail down your body as I reach down and unbutton your jeans and quickly remove them and toss them to the side as I work on removing my jeans as well. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. I’ve never wanted anything more than i want you” 

“Me too Ty..”

I look down at you and take a moment to admire you taking in how beautiful you look under me

“You are absolutely gorgeous… and i am so unbelievably in love with you, darling”

“And I'm so unbelievably in love with you too.. Have been for years”

I smile as my hands caress your sides and hips like they are worshipping your body as I lean down and kiss you again as my hands gently pull your legs around my hips as I press myself against you. I pull back from the kiss and rest my forehead against yours as my voice comes out soft 

“Are you ready darling?”

I feel your hands wrap around my bare shoulders as you look into my eyes

“Ready”

I smile as I carefully position myself at your entrance. I swear when i looked down at you in this moment my heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest

“I love you..” “I love you too Ty”

I smiled at your words as I gently pushed myself into you and immediately a soft moan escaped my lips as I kept my eyes on you. I honestly felt like I could cry at this moment. I love you so much and having you right here, under me like this was something I never thought I would get to experience. My forehead rests against yours as my hips set a slow and steady rhythm my voice shaky

“God Y/N…”

You reach your hand up and lace our fingers together on the bed as i watch your eyes flutter closed and the moans leaving your lips as my cock fills you up

“Oh god baby.. You feel so good” 

I moan as my hips continue their steady pace as my head tips back as the pleasure courses through my body. The sound of your moans driving me crazy as you mumble out a few words as your eyes flutter closed

“Mmm so good”

The way you were holding on to me and the sounds you were making were driving me closer and closer to the edge as I picked up my pace and pulled your leg tighter against me needing to feel more of you. I unlace our hands as i bring my hand down and pull your chin back so i could look at you, needing to see you in this moment

“Look at me darling… i want to see your face”

The look in your eyes and the breathless moans falling from your lips were borderline pornographic and I needed to hear more. Your voice sounding shaky as you speak out between moans

“Mmmm i love you i love you i love you”

I smiled the second your eyes connected with mine as I felt a new wave of emotions rush through me. I leaned down and kissed you as i continued to move my hips against you, the way you were looking at me and the words that fell from your lips were pushing me closer and closer to the edge

“I love you so much… I've never felt like this before… i”

I was cut off by a moan that I couldn't hold back. Between the way I felt for you and the fact that it was you that I was doing this with was completely overwhelming me. I picked up my pace slightly the need to be close to you and make you feel good becoming stronger 

“Darling… Sweetheart… I-i’m going to-”

“Mmmm I’m gonna cum Ty…”

I thrust my hips harder into yours as those words left your lips as i kept my eyes on yours as my breathing becomes heavy and shaky

“Cum for me darling.. I want to see how beautiful you look when you do”

Your grip on my shoulder tightens as I feel your legs begin to shake as they wrap around my waist tighter as your orgasm washes over you. Moan after moan leaving your lips as your head tips back against the mattress and your body arches off the bed. Between your sounds and the way you looked as you came around my cock was too much for me. I thrust my hips once more  as i began to cum as a moan left my lips as i ride out my high 

“God… oh god…you’re so beautiful… I love you so much…”

I watched as your chest rose and fell quickly as your cheeks flush as the pleasure washes over the two of us. Once we both came down i slowly collapse onto the bed next to you as i gently wrap my arms around you and rest my head against your chest as i tried to catch my breath and listened to the sound of your heartbeat as my voice comes out mumbled

“That.. was perfect…”

I sigh in content as I feel your fingers run through my hair in a soothing motion as my body begins to relax. Your soft voice filling the room

“Stay the night?”

I close my eyes as i lean into your touch, the feeling of you running your hand through my hair putting me into and even more blissed out state as i mumbled against your skin as i place a few gently kisses to your chest

“I wasn’t planning on leaving”

A comfortable silence fell between us as your movements continued 

“Ty..” 

I gently caressed your hip with my hand as i mumbled against your skin sleepily

“Hmmm?”

“What does this mean for us now?”

I lift my head up slightly, resting my chin against your chest as I look at you. My smile softened as i gently reached my hand up to caress your cheek as i spoke quietly

“It means I'm yours, Darlin. I’ve been yours for a long, long time. I love you”

“I love you too… and I've been yours for a long time too whether you knew it or not.. It’s always been you Ty..”

I smiled as I heard you say that you have been mine for a while. I push myself up so I can properly hover over you as I look down at you lovingly.

“My turn to ask a question”

“Okay”

I smile as my eyes roam over your face as i gently tuck a piece of hair behind your ear

“Now that we know how we feel, and we both know that this is what we want… will you be my girlfriend?”

“I’d love to finally be your girlfriend Ty..”

I smile widely as i lean down and place a soft kiss to your lips before gently placing kisses all over your face as i spoke between kisses

“I love you…i love you.. I love you”

My heart skipped a beat as I heard you let out a giggle as I planted kisses all over your face as you mumbled out that you loved me too. I planted one final kiss to your lips before I laid down onto my back and pulled you over so you were laying on my chest as I held onto you not wanting to let go for a single second. Your head on my chest, your legs tangled with mine had me feeling like I was in a dream. I smiled once more before kissing the top of your head and pulling the blanket up over the two of us as we both drifted off to sleep in eachothers arms. 

I felt the warmth of the sun shining through the curtains as I slowly opened my eyes, taking a second to orient myself as I realized where I was and when I did my mind instantly went back to the memory’s of the night before. I looked down at you still sleeping against my chest as a smile crossed my face. I honestly think this is the happiest I have ever been. Getting to wake up next to the woman that I have been in love with for so long was a great feeling. I gently ran my hand up and down your side to gently try and wake you up. I smile as you tilt your head on my shoulder as you look up at me and give me a tired smile. I ran my fingers through your hair as I tucked a few loose strands behind your ear.

“Good Morning beautiful”

“Mmm Morning Handsome”

I let out a soft chuckle as I continued to run my fingers gently through your hair as your eyes flutter closed again. 

“I can get used to waking up next to you”

“Me too.. I think that’s the best i’ve ever slept”

I smile as i gently pull you closer to me as i mumble into your hair

“I know this is gonna sound cheesy, but last night.. With you, was the best night of my life”

“Me too Ty” 

Hearing you say last night was the best night of your life as well sent a new wave of happiness and reassurance through me. I placed a gentle kiss to your temple as i return my hand to your side as i gently ran my fingers up and down your skin

“Darlin, can I ask you something?

“Of course”

I look down at you admiring how you looked snuggled up against me as you shimmied yourself even closer to me

“Where do you think we will go from here? I mean, we’re officially together, we know how we feel.. But I was wondering.. Where you saw us in 5,10 years, Like… I'm sure it’s still too early to talk about that stuff, but I can't help wanting to plan forever with you.. I’ve waited too long for this.. For you..”

“Well if you were asking 15 year old me… id be hoping we’d be getting married, buying a house and having babies”

I let out a laugh as you said that finding it kind of adorable that you had dreamed of this with me when you were 15.

“Oh yeah?”

I moved around so i was hovering above you as i looked down at you with nothing but pure love in my eyes

“And what about the you now? What does she want?”

I smile as you look up at me and gently brush some of my hair back from my forehead as you bring your hand down to rest on my cheek as you look at me like i hung the moon in the sky

“I want the same things as a 15 year old me… the house.. Getting married.. The babies.. Maybe throw in a dog or two in there..” 

I practically melted on the spot. Hearing that you still wanted all of those things with me filled me with both happiness and nervousness

“A house, a wedding, babies and some dogs huh? That’s a pretty big list darlin.. Anything else missy?”

“Nothing else.. Just as long as I have you… ohhhh and maybe a few horses though.. That would be kinda nice too”

My smile grew the more you listed off

“Oh of course, a couple horses, how could I forget… you think we’ll fit all that in one place?”

You look up at me with a smile on your face as your response to my questions comes out confidently

“Well why don’t we just live here? The house is mine now, and it’s got plenty of farm land to go with it… plus it’s right down the road from your parents”

“Live here? In this house? We could actually have room for the horses, the dogs…”

I pause for a second as i look down at you

“And the babies….”

“And the babies”

I smile as I gently press my forehead against yours as the idea of raising a family together with you in the same house I've known for so long makes me happier than I thought it would.

“I think I could get used to that, spending my life with you, building a family in this house that we’ve known forever.. It almost seems perfect”

“Any life with you would be perfect Ty..”

I close the gap between us as i kiss you lightly on the lips as i whisper against them

“Then it’s settled. Our plans for the future, for the rest of our lives… House with horses, and puppies, a wedding babies… and love, lots and lots of love”

“Lots of love”

I lean down and gently place a kiss to your neck as i speak between each kiss

“DO i get to pick the number of those babies, or are you going to be in charge of that?”

“Mmm that depends… how many are we talking about”

I chuckle against your skin at your questions as i move my lips as i nip at your skin leaving a small mark as i speak back

“Hmmm, does 3 sound good to you?”

“Mmmm how about 4”

I let out a groan against your skin, liking your idea of 4 better than 3 and the fact that you were willing to have that many kids with me… my kids…

“4 sounds wonderful darling”

I gently kiss down your neck as i nip at the sensitive spot as your hands gently tangled into my hair

“Mmm but no babies until i get a ring and your last name first” 

I hummed against your skin as my hands started to wander across your body as they moved lower as i whispered against your neck

“You’re right. And i plan to put a ring on your finger as soon as i can, i want to make you mine for real, but…”

I begin to slowly kiss down your chest as a small moan falls from your lips

“...that doesn’t mean we can’t practice making those babies….” 

______________________________________________________________

I hope ya'll enjoyed this... I am slowly trying to get back into writing. SOrry if it's not the best but i'm trying!

[centrally-unplanned]

I think Tyler Cowen is kinda officially washed at this point. He still has many good individual takes, by no means a broken thinker. But there is just too much hype and meme stuff now, too much useless crud to churn through.

Obviously AI and the Trump Culture stuff is the biggest part. He was not a man who would positively link to ludicrous Trumpian shillcoin stuff by grifters in the past, but he does that now on the regular, with positive framings. AI is very impressive, but he links every progress report breathlessly, often with framings that are at odds with the actual text of the document. And again with a credulity towards people whose literal job is hyping their product he would not have previously had.

I have never once clicked on a link of his where he says "o1 pro comments" as he does so often now and learned anything - it is, incredibly reliably, either straight wrong with hallucinated facts, providing vague "list of possible ideas" with no actionable conclusion, or just 90% copying the wikipedia page for the topic. I started clicking the links intentionally, btw, to test this idea! I tracked 10 results, 0/10 that I thought added knowledge worth the cost. Not useless, 6/10 I thought were "slightly better than googling", but that is not results that match the tone.

Previously you could tell that he was essentially "compromised", like on crypto he has a bunch of investments there and so he essentially is boosting the product. Which, that is life, you just kinda ignored it. But he was on a series of podcast recently, like he had a blitz - and each one was incredibly mid. All simple, high-level answers to questions, never taking a thread and running with it, not even really engaging in conversation. And I know that he can do that, still? But he needs the inspiration, and now it is hard for him to find when previously it was always on call. (Tellingly, it comes out with his friends, old grooves reactivating)

So I don't think it is just shilling. Part of it is that he too emotional, he let the Culture War tiger out. He obviously just really hates the Dems at this point and very openly blogs partisanly when previously he made a point of goring both oxes. And the other part, sad to say, is that I think age might be hitting him a tad early. Honestly one's 60's aren't even rare for this, it is the default assumption that you stop pushing and settle into your rut at that point. Happens to us all, happening to him now.

Anyway, sort of an official notice my brain sent to myself that I am officially downgrading him on the reliability metric. He was absolutely in my Top 5 Bloggers for econ/policy for a long time; but all things come to an end.

[dramaticallytotal]

The Rise of Team E-Scope Headcanons: Part Four

Idea Post Part One Last Part

• Paris challenge was one that Noah vehemently hated. Not only because he was made to go through the stupid lasers but also because stupid Justin and sneaky Alejandro kept trying to partner up with him to find their statue pieces and he kept having to remind them it was a team challenge. The attention caused an uptick in Heather's dislike for Noah, but he thought it was because they had been close to beating The Amazons, not because she was jealous of him.

______

New format for headcanons for this AU and maybe others! You may have noticed that I have a need or want for things to be organized, and the way the headcanons are now has kind of gotten to me. XD. They're not bad, but they are all over the place, so I think I'm going to do episode by episode headcanons so they are easier to follow! Let me know which format you like better!

Anywho, onward to the rest of the headcanons!

____________

Walk Like An Egyptian Pt 1 & 2:

• Noah, of course, already knew about the singing part of their contracts and told Izzy and Eva. Chris let him know so he could help convince Eva to stay for the new season. It took a lot of convincing from him and Izzy, but thankfully, Eva agreed to sing.

• Again, Ezekiel has a deal with Chris/ the network to go "feral," so him being thrown out of the plane was planned. As was his stowing-away in the cargo hold till they got to Egypt.

• This season will have reward challenges, elimination challenges, and double elimination challenges since it is a bigger cast and supposed to be the bigger and better season. Chris, of course, chooses when a challenge is a reward, elimination, or double elimination. Sometimes, it's purely strategic views wise, and others he rolls a dice.

• Those who go over the pyramid: Alejandro, Bridgette, Lindsay, Tyler, Courtney, Gwen, Duncan, Katie, Sadie, Trent

• Those who go "under": Noah, Izzy, Owen, Eva, Leshawna, Harold, DJ, Cody, Sierra, Heather, Justin, Ezekiel

• If you think Eva would go over the pyramid, you're absolutely right, but only if she was by herself on the season. She would also go over if it was just Team E-Scope that got on the show. She would carry them the whole way up and down kinda like Alejandro did with Lindsay and Bridgette. But because Owen is there, she knew Noah and Izzy would go through the pyramid, and she didn't want to leave them, so she went with her friends. UwU she a ride or die friend.

• They do get separated, she stuck by mummy Izzy, and they somehow lost Noah and Owen.

• Noah and Owen do run out screaming, and when the others tease him about running away from Zeke, he just dead pans, "You guys know the peanut gallery had to watch the show right? Gwen ended up facing an actual escaped convict in season one. A convict who was a serial killer. I'm not taking my chances."

• Everyone is so nonchalant in how they agree, and a couple even laughed about that incident except Alejandro, who on the inside was terrified by how casual they were about it and even more how they laughed like it was a fond memory. He regrets all his decisions. UwU

• When they're weaving the boats, Heather makes fun of Noah for actually trying because she thinks he regrets getting out so early in season one by not being a team player. Everyone is surprised at his reaction. He laughs.

"Honey, you're not as smart as I thought, which mind you wasn't much, if you didn't figure out that I got myself thrown off."

"WHAT!?" From everyone except Team E-Scope + Owen. Alejandro's was more confused than outraged like the others.

"What do you mean what? Do you really think I was going to stay in that rinky dink run-down camp when we were promised a resort? Yeah, no."

"But...but..."

"I mean, sure, I missed out on the money, but think of it this way. I got to stay in a five-star, fully catered, fully equipped resort for the whole competition, and you got to be humiliated on international television. Looooved your work in 'I Triple Dog Dare You', by the way."

Did Alejandro feel his heart skip a beat at the little smirk Noah had at the end? Not that anyone can prove and not that he could understand the reason why. Perhaps he was just excited to know there was someone at least a little funny on his team.

"And before you start yapping like the chihuahua you are, I was already punished for being thrown off on purpose by the producers. Why do you think I was Chris's assistant?"

"Because you love me?" Chris said out of nowhere.

"Ha."

• That's how everyone found out Noah was made to be Chris's assistant. Which is true! For at least the rest of season one, but he was so efficient that Chris asked him to continue and Noah actually liked the work despite the chaos and agreed.

• Ezekiel is voted out like planned, but Chris is still upset that Duncan quit. It threw off the numbers and the uniform look of the teams!!

• Back on the plane, Justin immediately gets started on flirting with Noah because he finds his anger so entertaining. In this au, Noah and Cody joke about being ex boyfriends like in my other au, so Cody jumps in.

"Flirting with another in front of me? Noah how could you! The wound is still fresh."

"Good to know you're still obsessed with me. It's been like what? Two years since our summer camp romance? I'm flattered."

Justin is irritated that his entertainment was cut short, but the way the two joked with each other was somehow so wholesome it had the whole cast amused. That is until they heard a loud thud and saw Eva on top of Sierra.

• Eva tackled Sierra because the girl had been ready to lunge at Noah. Or well, it looked like it to Eva. The bubbly stalker's face in that moment had honestly scared her, and she worried for her friend.

• After that, the Amazon's awkwardly went to first class for the night while the rest went on about their own business, but they all were thinking about Sierra and her reaction to Noah and Cody play flirting. Noah was disturbed and not that he would admit, but also a little terrified.

• That night, Izzy made Noah sleep between her and Owen just in case Stalkerlicious came out for some odd idea of revenge. Little did they know, but Eva didn't get a lot of sleep because she was watching the door from her spot on the sofa closest to it for that same reason. She wouldn't let anyone hurt her little brother.

• They did get to stay in Egypt for about two days once they landed the plane closer to a city. It was nice. They got to stay in a hotel, and Eva got to hang around her friends without it seeming suspicious or like they were in an alliance.

• It's during this time that Noah and Izzy see how Alejandro's flirting was getting to Harold and saw the way this seemed to please the charming boy. Izzy is the one who guessed Harold and Leshawna were Alejandro's first targets. But over the two days, Harold had been getting on Noah's last nerve with how the dude always tried to correct something Noah said or debate the validity of whatever Noah said. Noah knows he's right each time because he legit can't forget information he takes in, so it just irritated him that Harold thought he knew more than him.

• It's not in an arrogant way, Noah is legit a genius with an eidetic memory. It's not that he thinks he's right. He knows he's right. The way Harold had been confronting him had him feeling overwhelmed and more than a little frustrated.

• Izzy is so ride or die she's prepared to throw Harold off the plane herself once they are told it's time to fly again, but Noah just got this look on his face before he smiled maniacally and Izzy knew he had a plan. Thankfully, he did, and over the days they were flying, Noah and Izzy made sure to talk up the cultural insensitivity of Chris and the show in Egypt. What with the costume and the way he didn't even learn about the culture.

• I do see Chris as Birdie coded from Glass Onion, so he genuinely doesn't see what he's doing as wrong or incorrect.

• Noah and Izzy were hoping Harold would be so annoying that he would get Chris so mad he sabotaged the team by giving them a disadvantage, or he annoyed his team so much they sent him home.

• No one knows they planned this. Not even the viewers because they don't apologize and confess in the confessional like in future eliminations. It looks like it was all Alejandro's fault, which looks great for them as they view his as competition/the enemy.

• They know because, look, Noah can put two and two together and a guy who was going to be on a show called Total Drama: Dirtbags has got to he bad news but also because he's the one who cast him in the show in the first place. He knows what he's capable of. But also because he's attracted to him, and he almost always found the bad guys in movies/shows to be really attractive.

Next

[strangererotica]

RUN, RABBIT, RUN

EXPLICIT CONTENT | MINORS DNI

John Tyler x Reader • DEAD DOVE DO NOT EAT • Lots of degrading language used for Reader • graphic violent and sexual content • Reader has a CNC kink • kidnapping, assault, victim blaming, piss, oral & anal sex

This story has the potential to be very triggering for those who have experienced sexual assault. Proceed with caution.

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

Your lips. That’s what John focuses on, what his eyes are continually pulled back to. He could be staring at your eyes, the way they keep looking down bashfully. Or better still, he could be watching your tits, the ample cleavage you’ve put on full display for every man who chooses to open your video. Men like him. Men like John Tyler…

Although to be fair, the other men watching you are probably not at all like John. At least, he hopes they’re not. For the sake of you and other women, the less John Tyler’s there are in the world, the better.

Your video continues playing on the computer screen before him. “So, there’s this fantasy I’ve had for a long time,” you confess in the video. “It’s not something I’m necessarily proud of...” John hears hesitation in your voice, but the sparkle in your eyes tells him your excitement eclipses any shame that may surround it. “…But it is part of me, a part of myself I’ve denied for a long time.”

John swallows a lump in his throat, reminded of the part of himself he denies. A dangerous part, which if expressed, would undo all the work he’s put into becoming a better man, becoming whole. Becoming well.

He’s pulled from his self reflection by your words: “-to put his hands on me, like he owns me…to give me no say in what happens next…” John’s watched your video three times already, and this is his favorite part of your confession: “I want to be a victim.” You lean closer in the video, your eyes flirting with the camera and by extension, with John himself. “I want you to stalk me…I want you to wait for the perfect opportunity to grab me and when you see it, take it…take ME.” Your cheeks heat slightly at your admission, and John finds it intriguing. He’s intrigued by the fact that you blush while asking to be violated, that despite the raunchy words leaving your mouth, you retain enough innocence to be affected by them. John’s darker impulse wants to shatter that innocence, to crush it into pieces and piss all over each one.

It’s because of women like you, he thinks, that a man like him will never be free. Cocktease. Whore. He despises women like you, the ones who lead men on, who provoke them, who tempt them…women who claim to want the very thing he was punished for. John served time, lost his reputation, for forcing himself onto women and here you are, begging to be a victim.

He shakes his head in disgust at you, but John’s also disgusted with himself. Not because of his past-he’s reconciled that-but because now, in the present, in spite of all the progress he’s made to not be this kind of man…he knows he still is. In moments of weakness, he frequents seedy online forums like this one, scrolling through post after post of women seeking anonymous sex. In the past, John’s used it as a test of his willpower, as a way to strengthen his character. Resisting temptation, and all that.

But when he saw your ad, it unlocked something suppressed in John, something dangerous. He’d never seen another woman asking to be stalked, to be hunted, so desperate for it that she would literally beg anonymous men on the internet to assault her. Such a whore, John thinks, as he stares down your image onscreen, loathing you. Wanting you. Feeling his cock stiffen in his lap as he imagines all the disgusting ways he’d violate you, if you accepted his offer.

It’s a long shot, and John knows it. Since posting your video two hours ago, you’ve probably been bombarded with offers from other men vying for a chance to fuck a pretty woman like you. But John knows that unlike all the other men undoubtedly pursuing you, only he can truly give you what you want, the fulfillment of your fantasy. He makes sure to sell himself well in his message to you, to try and stand out from the crowd. It’s a message that would terrify you, if only you knew the man behind the username: “My hands won’t pin you down forever, but you’ll feel the imprint of my skin on yours long after I’ve bruised it. You’ll remember the taste of me, feel me leaking out of you long after I’ve discarded you like the slut you are. Give me the opportunity, and I’ll not only make your fantasy real, I’ll leave it marked into your skin, dripping out of your holes, smeared between your thighs… And every sound you make, every whimper, every scream? I’ll take them with me like trophies. You might have posted this video thinking no one qualified would respond but I can promise you, if there was ever a man capable of making your fantasy a reality, it’s ME.”

John presses SEND and his heart is in his throat. What the hell has he done? This could ruin everything, all the progress he’s made thrown away in one moment of weakness. He’s just about to close the laptop and pretend he never sent the message, to try and forget the way your perfect lips looked uttering those dangerous words, or how pretty they’d look stretched around his cock. John almost succeeds in the fight against his impulses, until a notification sound trills up from his laptop. A new message has appeared.

His whole body tenses as he faces his screen like it’s a battlefield (in a sense, it is). But when John opens your message and scans its contents, the tension in his body relaxes. You’ve given him the one thing his other victims couldn’t: consent. John is back in his element because once again, he gets to play predator. He gets to ruin you like the dumb bitch he knows you are for ever posting that ad in the first place. Because only the most broken, oblivious whore would be stupid enough to put herself out there as prey knowing men like him exist…

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The ‘rules,’ attached in your message are simple, not that John plans on abiding by any of them. He drives to the hotel you’ve requested, a hotel that he could never afford to stay at. John parks his car in the back of the lot and enters the hotel, making his way to the bar as your message requested. He’s grateful to see that the bar is fairly crowded. He’ll blend in better this way, just another face, just another guy sitting back and enjoying, presumably, a few drinks after a long day of work. But in reality, John’s work has just begun. Business and pleasure blend seamlessly for him as he orders a drink and takes a precursory look at his surroundings. John’s looking for you.

His eyes sweep the entrance of the bar, waiting for the face of the woman he’s about to risk everything for to appear. He chose to wear a suit, hoping to perpetuate the facade of a businessman innocently unwinding after a day of work. But the plans John has are anything but innocent. The plans he’s dreamed up for you are beyond violent and he’s never come as hard as he has imagining all the ways he’ll put his plans for you into action.

As if walking off his screen and into real life, there you are. You’re wearing more clothing than you did in the video, a nice, practical sundress that hides far more of your tits than the lingerie John previously saw you in. The expression on your face is calm, betraying the thunder of your heartbeat inside your chest. You’re nervous, and more than that, you’re amazed…amazed that after years of wanting to do this, you finally are. You’re here to meet a man whose identity you can only guess at, knowing his intentions for you will be sinister. You glance around the room, surveying the several men seated inside the bar. One of these men is going to, for all intents and purposes, kidnap and assault you. The only hard limits you gave, your only rules, were: keep the game fun (no actual harm that would leave you in too much pain) and no anal. Apart from that, your anonymous ‘assailant,’ has free rein to take you any way he wants.

You aren’t aware that he sees you, or that his body is already responding to the sick ideas he has planned for you. John finishes his second drink and glances over at you again, very briefly, not wanting to reveal himself too soon. He’s enjoying this game of chase, of being the one in total control of where the situation leads. He could walk right out of here if he wanted to and leave you hanging, let you feel the embarrassment and shame of ever wanting such an experience in the first place. John has that power, and part of him, the part that has changed, wants him to leave, is screaming at him to pluck his ass from the bar and RUN before he does something incredibly, fatally stupid.

But he doesn’t leave, doesn’t even flinch when you take a seat beside him at the bar. You order a drink for yourself and as you reach to accept it, John notices the small tattoo on your inner wrist.

“What’s the story there?” he asks. His voice is unusual, somehow lilting yet simultaneously monotone. You notice his voice first because your head is turned away from him when he speaks, eyes on the doorway, wondering if your stranger is about to enter the bar. When you turn to face John, his eyes stand out immediately. Big, warm and round, like the eyes of a puppy, you think. He nods toward your hand holding the drink, and you realize he’s referring to your tattoo. “The story?” you ask, and he flashes a handsome, slightly toothy grin. “Your tattoo,” John replies. He reaches for your wrist and turns it in his hand, examining you.

The action takes you by surprise, but the strength with which he holds you, his gentle yet commanding grip, is disarming. John releases you, bringing his hand to his chest, his eyes wide and apologetic. “I’m so, so sorry,” he says, his voice maintaining its slightly robotic cadence. “Forgive me, for the touching, I mean.” He smiles, and it’s a smile you can’t help but be charmed by. “I’ve been told I sometimes invade people’s personal space accidentally and, well, it’s a behavioral flaw I intend to correct.” Your eyebrows lift in surprise, his barrage of words unexpected.

“It’s alright,” you respond, offering your hand this time. “I’m (Y/N). And you are?”

“John,” he replies amiably, accepting your hand in a shake. “It’s just-your tattoo. I’ve never been brave enough to get one myself, but-.” He chuckles slightly. “-I hear there’s a story behind every tattoo, so I wondered.” John tips the glass in his hand toward your wrist. “Why a rabbit?”

You glance down at the thin black lines forming the shape of a small rabbit on your wrist. “Uh…I don’t know,” you reply, a bit embarrassed. “To be honest, I kind of got it on a whim. There really wasn’t much thought involved. I was…” You pause a moment, unsure why you feel particularly compelled to share. “…with my ex that night. We were really, really drunk and well-.” You shrug, taking a sip from your glass. “-This little rabbit just ended up tattooed on my wrist.”

John nods, his expression shifting to a look of contemplation. “But, that still doesn’t explain,” he insists politely. “Why the rabbit…specifically?”

You aren’t sure where he’s going with this, or why your mysterious stranger hasn’t approached you yet. “I guess,” you tell John. “I felt small in that relationship…Weak. Maybe I felt like a rabbit was an accurate representation of me, at the time?” John seems to appreciate your answer, mulling it over. Then it suddenly dawns on you: the man meeting you here today is probably watching you and John right now. Maybe it’s throwing him off, seeing you with another man. Maybe he’s getting cold feet. You realize that you need to create space between you and John, to prevent scaring off the man you’re actually there to meet.

“I’m sorry,” you tell him, trying to remain friendly. “But I-.”

“-Oh of course!” John interrupts. “You must be meeting someone. A beautiful woman like you wouldn’t just show up to drink alone at a bar, now would she?” He smiles down at his drink, almost bashfully. “Although,” John adds, leaning slightly closer. “You aren’t drinking alone anymore, are you?” He cocks his head coyly, an unnerving darkness coloring his otherwise friendly eyes. “You’re drinking with me.” It isn’t as much an observation as it is a command. You swallow back a lump of anxiety in your throat, apprehension prickling along your spine. Something is not…right about this John guy. You just don’t know what it is yet.

“I’m really sorry,” you repeat. “I am meeting someone.” You rise up from your seat, grabbing your purse to leave. “He should be here any minute-.”

John locks his hand around your wrist and subtly-oh so subtly-tugs you back into your seat without drawing the attention of anyone else. His lips are at your ear before you can even process what’s happening. “Stay, little rabbit,” John whispers harshly. “Stay.”

Adrenaline floods your system, your heart rate soaring. His fingernails dig into your wrist, creating marks. The space between you grows slightly as John draws back, but only a little. He’s got your wrist pinned against his thigh and from an outsider’s perspective, it looks like you’ve got your hand resting on the thigh of someone you know, maybe even love. His next words are a breathy, seductive drone beside your ear. “You never asked,” he whispers, his lips grazing the shell of your ear. He slides your palm across his lap, closing your hand around his erection.

“Asked…what?” you breathe, and his cock throbs against your palm. John draws back so you can see his face again and while his friendly smile remains, the darkness in his eyes has only grown more intense. “What animal do I think represents me?” John asks. He squeezes your hand tighter around his erection, stroking himself into you. Your reaction is palpable, the moist patch in your panties growing slick as John pulses against your touch.

“What-what animal?” you ask, and his lips tick into a grin. “What animal are you, John?”

You watch his smile evaporate, the tension between you building like a dam ready to break. “A wolf, (Y/N),” John replies, his grip around your wrist tightening. “I’m a wolf.”

He removes his wallet and places some money on the bar to pay both your tabs, his hold on you staying fast. “We’ll be leaving through the front,” he tells you. “I’m parked outside. Don’t do anything stupid, or I’ll make sure you regret it.” John’s words send an excited current through you, even though part of you wonders if you should be worried. You don’t know this man and while that’s obviously part of the game, his intensity is already more potent than you’d expected from this encounter. If he’s this demanding, this threatening, when you’re in public, how is he going to handle you in private? You’re wondering if you bit off more than you can chew, if this whole idea may have been a mistake.

John guides you with him to the exit, holding you close to his side. His gait is quicker than yours, his legs much longer. You have to double your steps to keep up. He walks you through the hotel’s entrance and you’re immediately hit with the glare of the sunset. You lift your hand to shield your eyes, and John misinterprets it as a defensive gesture. He reaches across you and grabs your wrist, pinning it against your chest. “That’s not going to work,” John murmurs flatly, leading you to his car. It’s parked in a secluded spot away from most of the other vehicles in the lot. There’s no one else around, which makes it perfect for what he’s about to do.

He suddenly takes you by the shoulders and thrusts you against the passengers side door. “If I gave you a chance to run right now,” John’s mouth is open against your ear, the heat of his breath making you shiver. “Would you take it?” The car door is cold against your chest and stomach as John’s body flattens you across it. He bites down on your earlobe, your body twisting involuntarily against him in pain. “Would you?” he asks again, his voice sharp, impatient. He shoves you forward with a jolt of his hips into yours. “N-no,” you pant against the cold steel of the car door. John laces his fingers through your hair, almost tenderly, bringing your strands to his nose and inhaling your scent. “That’s a good girl,” he says softly, pressing a kiss to your hair before releasing you. He reaches around you and opens the passenger side door, guiding you inside. It’s an unfamiliar sight for John these days, a woman seated in his car…willingly, at least. Of her own free will. He pushes the door closed and rounds the car to the driver’s side.

The interior of John’s car is spotless. It smells like some kind of cleaning product and spearmint gum. The only sign of ‘life,’ in the car you can see is a gas station coffee sitting in the cupholder and a string of prayer beads hanging from the rearview mirror. “Do you practice Buddhism?” you ask John as he slides into the car beside you. He ignores your question, reaching over your lap and opening the glovebox. What he removes from it makes you shudder.

“One wrist on top of the other,” he tells you, holding a cable tie in his hand. John’s scaring you…and even though your instinct tells you you’re in danger, you choose to ignore it. This is all part of the game, right? You haven’t actually been hurt. He wasn’t lying when he said he’d be good at this. John’s just giving you what you asked for…the full experience of being taken. Of being owned. You cross your wrists together on your lap. John slips the band under and around you so quickly, so effortlessly, it’s obvious he’s done this many time before. You’re not sure which alarms you more, the fact that he can restrain a woman so easily, or the fact that it’s making you wet. You wince as John tugs the cable tie as far as it will go, squeezing your wrists together uncomfortably tight.

A few minutes of silence pass between you as John pulls onto the main road. You sit there watching him, the sharp lines of his jaw tensed, his eyes narrowed (almost angry) at the road. The car becomes so quiet, you can hear John breathing beside you, deep ragged breaths drawn in and out through his nose, his lips set in a tight line.

“…So,” you offer, attempting to break the awkward silence. “Are you Buddhist-?”

“-SHUT UP,” John snaps, and you flinch in your seat. Red bands are forming around your wrists where John bound you. It’s really starting to hurt, and one of the rules you gave John in your message was to not cause you too much pain. “This kind of hurts,” you tell him quietly. He keeps his eyes on the road, slowly shaking his head. You accept you’re not going to get a response from him, but the longer he drives, you’re beginning to genuinely worry what his plans are for you.

“Where are you taking me, John?” you ask, but still, he ignores you. When he approaches the Interstate, every alarm bell inside you is activated. Fight or flight kicks in and you reach for the door handle with your bound hands, trying it several times in a row, panicked. It won’t budge. You look over at John frantically, searching his cold eyes for some kind of reassurance. There’s none to find. He pulls onto the highway and you start to cry, banging your fists against the door, the window, and then him.

John puts a stop to that immediately, closing one hand around your wrists and pinning them against his crotch. His eyes never leave the road, the dead stare he maintains as emotionless and void as his voice. “If you can’t stop being difficult,” John says. “I’ll have to make you.” His words don’t deter you in the slightest. You crash your knees against the inside of John’s car, flailing your hair, hoping to cause some kind of scene that at least one person might see on the highway beside you. John finally looks at you, his lips parted in the exertion of holding your wrists against him as you thrash. “So fucking be it,” he curses, glancing quickly around him to make sure no eyes are on you. With frightening ease, the back of his hand meets the edge of your jaw, silencing you.

John glances between the road and your slumped figure in the passengers seat, till he’s sure you’re unconscious. A thin line of blood trickles from between your lips and down your jaw. If John didn’t have to focus on the road right now, he’d lean over and lick it up. He exhales deeply, satisfied that the rest of the ride will be a quiet one. With your bound wrists still pressed against his crotch, John lazily grinds against them, edging himself. It’s been a long time since he hit a woman. It’s been a long time since he’s felt this kind of peace. He pulls off at an exit thirty minutes later, listening to your soft breathing as you sleep in the seat beside him.

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You wake up laying on your back in a dark room. As your surroundings slowly come into focus, the pain does as well. You try to reach for your jaw to soothe it, but your hands are restrained behind you to a headboard. An old mattress creaks under your weight, and suddenly, everything that happened-JOHN-comes rushing back. You kick your legs but don’t get far, realizing they’re bound to the posts end of the bed frame. The same rope that binds your ankles is also around your wrists. It hurts. You’re terrified. You feel sick. The rest of the room is concealed in darkness. Your current universe begins and ends in the space of the bed frame. A door opens and closes from somewhere in the darkness. John’s silhouette materializes in the inky path of your vision. He’s fully clothed. At this point, you realize you’re naked.

“Sleep well?” he asks. The sound of his voice makes you tremble. He’s still using that same flat yet friendly cadence. “Where am I?” you ask. Your throat is dry. It hurts. The implications of this make you want to scream, but you couldn’t if you tried. Did he…?

John kneels over you on the bed, straddling your waist. He’s still wearing the slacks from his suit, but the jacket and tie are gone. His lean muscles are visible through the white t-shirt covering them. Under other circumstances, he’s exactly the kind of man you’d want to fuck you. He’s exactly your type. And then you remember, this is what you wanted…or some version of it. The level John’s taken this is well beyond what your rules allowed, but…the throbbing ache between your legs is undeniably present. You need to be touched.

Your eyes glaze over John slowly, over his thick dark hair, his jet eyes wide with lust. His chest is rising and falling rapidly, yet he maintains an aura of calm. Your eyes trace down his stomach and linger at his crotch. His fly is partially undone, the outline of his erection visible through the fabric. John leans forward, slowly, grinning at your response…hanging on every halted breath, drinking in the look of fear that ticks up and up and up inside your wide eyes. He rests his forehead against the curve of your breasts and then presses his ear to your thundering heartbeat. A contended little hum leaves John’s lips as he listens, his eyes closing to savor your fear. His lips part between your breasts and he licks a wide stripe up your neck, groaning at the salty tang of your sweat. “You taste scared,” he murmurs. “I like that.”

You twist underneath him, but it’s no use. You’re not going anywhere. “Why-,” John chuckles. “-Why do you all do that? Pretend you don’t want it?” He grips your chin in his hand, forcing you to look at him, slipping his index finger between your lips. There’s pressure against your tongue as he pushes it downward, parting your lips in the process. A line of saliva drops from his mouth into yours and he closes your lips, commanding you to “swallow,” it. His hand closes around your throat so he can feel your muscles contract as you obey.

“Good girl,” John tells you. “I know you like this, (Y/N). I know because you all do, even when you pretend to hate it…when you pretend to hate me…” There’s pressure between your thighs as he shoves a hand abruptly between them, cupping your cunt, massaging your juices between his fingers. Your wetness is audible…it’s humiliating. “You always tell on yourselves,” he laughs, before drawing back his hand and spanking your exposed cunt.

“I’m sorry,” you whimper, and John leans closer to hear.

“Sorry for what?”

A tear spills down your bruising cheek. “M’sorry I ever made the video,” you cry, and he pouts down at you.

“No you’re not,” John says. He wedges his knee between your legs, nudging your clit. You suck in a sharp breath; the stimulation feels better than you want to admit. You can still taste his spit on your tongue, the flavor of spearmint gum he must have chewed recently. The rope around your wrists digs into the marks already made by the cable tie, stinging every time you try to wriggle away from John’s knee. He keeps it in place, making sure to point out the wet patch you’re leaving on his slacks.

His hands are everywhere, palming your breasts and stomach, kneading the mounds of your hips. He’s leaving marks and as much as it hurts, the pain of his hands on you is pulling you closer to the edge. He tugs his shirt over his head and takes the time to fold it, then places it under your ass on the mattress. “You’re going to make a mess,” he tells you, like it’s a promise. Sinking between your thighs, John’s face hovers just above your clit. He nuzzles his nose between your folds, spreading them gently. Soft, wet sounds accompany his deep breathing against your slit. John’s tongue extends to flick at your clit, making your whole body jerk. He grins conceitedly into your pussy before flattening his whole tongue against you, pulling an ugly moan from your lips as he tastes you.

Looking down between your legs, your eyes meet his, dark and hungry. His nose rests in the soft bed of pubic hair framing your cunt while his tongue laps you up like dessert. John isn’t doing this for you; it’s selfish, just like every other thing he plans to take from you. He needs to feel you come around his tongue, because it’s what he wants. Your pleasure is irrelevant, although from the way you’re writhing and bucking on the mattress, he’s certain you’re enjoying yourself too. He’ll never get you to admit it with words, but your body’s confessing everything.

You grind against John’s nose as he licks you, his tongue pressing between your lips to taste your walls. He licks inside you in slow, deep strokes, tasting each contour and curve of your pussy. When you come, it’s brutal, an orgasm made all the more intense by the restriction of your hands and feet. There’s so much power coursing through you as you come and your body needs to move, to release the tension boiling over inside you in waves. Forced against the bed by the rope, you have no choice but to take the full hit of the grenade imploding inside you. It’s overwhelming and beautiful, a moment that in any other context, with any other man, might be the most romantic, sensual experience of your life. But the face you’re coming on, the man whose shirt you’re soaking through under your ass, is not the right man. John’s tongue might be a force all its own, but it still belongs to HIM.

You shudder as the high of your orgasm fades, the last of its aftershocks rippling through your legs. John climbs up your body and he’s covered in your cum, dripping down his neck and settling in the dark hair covering his chest. His cock is exposed, having sprung free while he was licking you. He straddles your shoulders, dragging his leaking tip across your lips like a gloss. “You look so pretty,” he murmurs, almost tenderly. But the way he shoves himself between your lips, the way he takes your throat, is anything but tender. He’s rough, violent, testing how long he can hold his cock down your throat without suffocating you…watching your eyes go red and watery, your lashes fluttering as your eyes roll upward into unconsciousness. Just as you fade to black, John’s hand brings you back with one strike, then two, then three. It’s a dangerous dance with death and he’s the choreographer, bringing you to the edge time and time again. He comes down your throat and your gag reflex doesn’t even activate; just like you, John’s broken it. After he finishes, he lifts from his knees to his feet and stands over you on the bed. Holding his dick at the base, John empties a warm stream of piss aimed directly onto your pussy. His cock twitches as he holds it, the sight of his piss trickling down your labia already getting him hard again. He guides his stream upward, letting his piss land on your tits and mouth. You sputter and spit it away and John just laughs at you, enjoying your torment beneath him. “What is it, (Y/N)?” he asks, his voice too friendly, too cordial considering he just pissed all over you. “Do you need to come again? Will that make it all better?”

He kneels over your waist and presses two fingers to your clit, rubbing in a rapid, frenetic pace. The sound of your cum and John’s piss slathered under his hand is absolutely sinful, so disgusting that it’s about to make you come. You squeeze your eyes shut, trying to ward off the orgasm, not wanting to give this bastard the satisfaction of watching you come again for him…but you do. You come so hard you lose consciousness for a good five seconds, longer than you did when he was using his cock to smother you. Lurched back as always by John’s hand against your cheek, your eyes open to see him loosening the restraints around your wrists.

His cock is hard again and pointing forward, bobbing beside your face as he undoes the rope binding your wrists to the headboard. Your hands fall weak and pliant against the bed; you groan at the pain of your aching muscles and the stinging marks ground into your wrists. John moves to untie your ankle restraints, loosening the rope and letting it fall to the floor as your legs go limp on the mattress. He studies you a moment, this pathetic creature who offered herself up to be covered in bruises and piss, and fuck he despises you. He despises you so much that he leans over the bed and flips you onto your stomach, priming your ass for him to take. Your body is drained of any and all resistance; you couldn’t fight back now even if you wanted to.

John spits on his hand and pumps his cock a few times, lining himself up with your entrance. He presses his tip against your tight, puckering hole, testing its resistance. “No wonder you said ‘no anal,” he mutters over your back. “You’re tight as shit back here, aren’t you?” He spanks your ass so hard, fresh tears spring to your eyes, a throaty grunt punched out from between your lips. Drool smears the bed where your cheek is pressed against it, your eyes going wide as he breaches the barrier of your hole. “Never-I’ve never-,” you begin, but your words die in a hard cough as your throat is ravaged past the point of speaking. “What were you gonna say?” John teases, before ruthlessly spanking your ass again. “You’ve never taken it up the ass before? A whore like you? I find that very hard to believe.”

He doesn’t give you anymore time to prepare, shoving his hips forward, impaling you. A shriek rips past your lips and you bury it in the mattress, not wanting him to know how much it hurts. You knot the sheet into your fists as John makes a fist in your hair, tugging your face from the bed, from its hiding place. He fucks into you painfully without remorse, butchering your insides in his assault. The skin around your asshole tears and bleeds, your muscles stretched beyond their capacity to hold something as big as John. He sees the blood covering his dick as he draws his hips back, and slides his finger along his shaft to collect some. While he continues to thrust into you, John uses your blood to paint a little sad face on your back, at the base of your spine.

You drift away again, your mind completely severed from your body by this point. John uses your ass to completion, emptying a second load of cum into you. After he finishes, he releases your limp body and lets it land on the bed with a thud. He rifles through his pants pocket and removes a pack of cigarettes, popping one between his lips. He lays on the bed beside you, watching you sleep while he enjoys his cigarette. He shouldn’t wait much longer to drop you back off at the hotel. You’re asleep now, which makes it the ideal time to deliver you back where his day with you started.

John puts out his cigarette and while you continue to sleep, he slips your sundress back onto your body and smooths down the sweaty strands of your hair he left in a mess. He lifts you into his arms and takes you out to his car, placing you in the passenger seat, then begins the drive across the interstate and back to the hotel.

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

Morning sunlight wakes you. You’re slumped over in the drivers seat of your car. Alive. Alone. There’s no more John.

Everything hurts. Your body is screaming curses at you, for ever creating that fucking video and inviting that psycho John into your life, and into your body. The rage you feel for yourself can’t touch the rage you feel for him, and rightly so. You just spent the night with a monster, and your body wears the proof of it. Bruises cover your cheeks and extend down your neck. You’re afraid to see the rest of you…unsure you can bear to see the full result of what he’s done to you.

You shift slightly in the seat and immediately regret it. Your skin is on fire, but nothing compares to the sting you feel in your wrist. You assume it’s from the rope John tied you up with but when you look, there’s more than just the red ring caused by your restraints. Bite marks…the indentation of teeth, circle the rabbit tattoo on your wrist like a cage. The bite is deep…permanent. Like a tattoo given to you by John, to always remind you of how the wolf conquered the rabbit. How it will always be caged, from now on.

You gingerly touch the wound but it’s too fresh, too deep, blood seeping out gently around the well-defined marks of John’s teeth. And just when you feel hopeless, completely given up to sorrow and regret, a new emotion takes over. You get ANGRY. Angry that even when you said no, he kept going. Angry that when he saw you suffer, he enjoyed it. Angry that you never had the chance to make him hurt the way he made you hurt.

This anger sustains you. It feeds you. It urges your ravaged, aching muscles to move, your fingers to turn your key in the ignition. Anger guides your path all the way to the police station, drags you into the building on screaming limbs and up to the front desk, which you nearly collapse against. But you make it there. And you can barely speak, but you do. You’re going to make him pay. You’re going to make sure he suffers for what he did to you.

Your whole body is shaking, your voice a strangled mess of syllables but you make damned sure the words are said and heard loud and clear: “I need to report an assault.”

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

@endofradio @tenderhoof

[theshepherdshound]

How is Katabasis game going? It's been a little while and it has me so intrigued.

brain got sad cause i missed my deadline (which is fine and likely for the best for cooking), my breathing got all fucky from allergies, and then Work Is Busy At The Moment. i think i need to like soundboard untangling it in my brain- feels like a lemon all squeezed out rn

there's also a jam i signed up for soon so i might sloppily prototype it? i got pretty far on making a genuine pitch so it might be worth it, the theme's already been announced which is "the more you have, the worse it gets" which feels malleable enough to work with. i have had a few chats with folks about it, but without it being at the point in which i can elevator pitch it it's kind of hard. should probably workshop it cause like it's not the most palatable pitch to just be like "okay imagine with me a timeloop where two monstrous queer metaphors circle the drain of personhood against the concept of entropy, chaos, and death- no i swear this has market potential" (it does, i have the numbers backing me lololol)

i also got WAY into thinking about queer narratives within queernormative worlds so my brain is steeped in that rn; i'm reading through Beyond Personhood: An Essay in Trans Philosophy by Talia Mae Bettcher (it's v good so far!) and The Queer Art of Failure by Jack Halberstam after flipping through Bo Ruberg's Video Games Have Always Been Queer and The Queer Games Avente-Garde. i then downloaded a bunch of stuff because sometimes that's how it is; i was reading through crazy tubby girl/mad fat transman which is a thesis by Tyler Allen Selsor which has also been v interesting. i keep trying to get into Mad studies but play theory sucks me back in. turns out if your hyper fixation is How Do SituationsTM Work it tends to be something you read about WHO KNEW

i'm like 4k words in? but now many new thoughts or at least should be kind of cited thoughts, phenomological writing always feels kind of self-indulgent so i dunno- folks might find it interesting but i dunno where i will put it. i'll be going through and playing a whole bunch of games and reading paper submissions for qgcon soon so i am trying to prep my brain for that, good to try and put myself in a headspace in which i can be like ah yes the things

which all to say- stalled a bit but still being microwaved up in my brain soup

i also need to figure out like... how it plays? 2D/3D, i feel like it would be fun to run around so thinking about how that looks

[0cta9on]

Unlikely Duet - 4

length: +7k words

Genre: Fluff

NewJeans Minji x Male Reader (OC)

(Author's Note: Kinda went crazy with this one, don't know if it's a good crazy or a bad crazy yet. Also, TW: Blood and violence.)

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

Yuno’s POV

The English teacher, Mr. Fillips, was droning on about Shakespeare or some other dead writer, but my mind was too preoccupied to pay attention. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking about earlier this morning.

______________________________________________________________

I randomly awoke in the dead of night, finding myself with my arm wrapped around Minji’s waist. Panic surged through me as I attempted to disentangle myself, but she suddenly tightened her grip, anchoring us together. Sweat beaded on my forehead as the warmth from her body was becoming unbearable.

“Minji?” I whispered. “You awake?” I waited for what felt like an eternity, but silence was the only response I received. Any efforts to remove my arm from her grasp proved futile as it only strengthened with each attempt. I had fought members of the school’s wrestling team before, but all of them paled in comparison to sleeping Minji’s anaconda-like grip on my arm. I silently cursed my predicament, praying to whatever god out there that Minji never found out about this.

She began to quietly murmur in her sleep. Most of it was incomprehensible, but I managed to make out some of it: “Yuno… stay with me… please…”

My face turned warm as she uttered words I probably wasn’t supposed to hear. I tried one last time to free myself, but my body gave out from exhaustion and I surrendered myself to my unfortunate fate. My heart was beating too hard for me to fall asleep, so I had no choice but to lay there in silence, Minji’s sleeping body pressed against mine. I couldn’t help but stare at the peaceful expression on her face, illuminated by the moonlight peeking through the window. Her soft lips curved slightly into a grin and the faint scent of roses emanated from her silky black hair. Even when she was wearing a simple oversized tee shirt, she still somehow managed to look so…

“Mr. Lin!”

I jumped in my seat as I was forcefully torn from my daydreams. Mr. Fillips loomed beside me, a disapproving glare in his eyes. The entire class watched, looks of confusion and fear etched into their faces as they anticipated my reaction. In the corner of my eye, I notice Tyler McGraw and his band of goons snickering to themselves.

“That’s the third time I’ve asked you to read the passage, Mr. Lin. Are you paying attention now?” he asks in a stern tone. 

“Y-yeah, I am. Sorry.” I awkwardly clear my throat, trying my best to focus on the class while images of Minji flash through my mind.

______________________________________________________________

“A-are you alright, Yuno?”

I turn to see Winter appear next to me as I make my way towards the cafeteria for lunch. Truthfully, all three of my classes were incredibly difficult to focus on. No matter what, I couldn’t get Minji out of my head and I didn’t know why.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I lied. 

“Are you sure? You seem distracted. Is this about what happened yesterday?”

I panicked for a moment before realizing that she was talking about the attack and not the “sleepover” incident. My train of thought is interrupted as Yujin spots us from the end of the hall and waves.

“Hey, you guys!” He exclaims, causing a scene. Yujin runs up to us with a goofy smile on his face, attracting looks of disdain as he bumps into upperclassmen in the process. “What are y’all talking about?”

I quickly go through the lunch line and grab my food, the two of them in tow like baby ducks following their mother. My body shivers at the unpleasant thought, only for it to be swiftly replaced by Minji yet again. I faceplant into my usual lunch table and groan, my own mind becoming my worst enemy.

“S-some drunk creep attacked the student council president last night and Yuno jumped in to save her. I think he’s a little shaken up over it,” Winter explains. I was too busy suffering in mental anguish to correct her.

“Wow, Super Yuno swoops in to save the day again!” Yujin beamed.

I snapped my head up and glared at him. “Don’t. Call me that. Please,” I muttered before lowering my head back onto the table. 

“Okay, we can workshop the name a little, but…” Yujin rummages through his backpack and pulls out a notebook. He flips through the pages before revealing a pencil drawing of me wearing a Superman-esque outfit. “What do you think about the suit? Pretty sick, right?”

“Oh w-wow, that’s really well drawn, Yujin,” Winter compliments. I nodded in agreement, both impressed and slightly repulsed by the lifelike drawing of me in a cape and tighty whities. “D-did you really draw that?

“Yup, spent all night on it. Here,” Yujin says, ripping the drawing out of his notebook and handing it to me. “Consider it a token of my appreciation for saving my life.”

I reluctantly accept the drawing, placing it into my backpack. “Thanks. It’s… nice.” 

“So, what exactly happened yesterday? Tell me everything and don’t spare a single detail.” Yujin gazes at the two of us expectantly, an excited glint in his eyes.

“W-well,” Winter begins. “I was working the night shift at the convenience store and-”

“You work at the convenience store? So cool,” Yujin interrupts. Winter giggles at his innocent reaction before continuing the story.

“Y-Yuno came in and bought some things, but he forgot his change, so I followed him outside and saw him protecting the student council president from a drunk man.”

“Who’s the student council president?” Yujin asked.

“Minji Kim,” I mumble in response, staring blankly at my tray of food. “And I didn’t do anything; it was Winter who pepper sprayed him.”

She shakes her head in disagreement. “Y-you stepped in front of Minji. I just happened to be there.”

Yujin was too busy excitedly jotting something down to listen to her protest, mumbling to himself about “pepper superpowers”. Before I knew it, the end-of-lunch bell rang without me taking a single bite of food, my appetite lost from my mind being plagued with visions of Minji. I toss out the contents of my tray and leave for my next class.

“See you guys later!” Yujin says before running through the crowd of students trying to exit the cafeteria.

Winter waves at him as he leaves. “B-bye, Yujin,” she called out to him, but her quiet voice was drowned out by the surrounding chatter. “Bye, Yuno.”

I give her a nod as I take my leave. A sudden shiver runs down my spine as I sense a familiar set of cat eyes glaring at me from the edges of my vision but the presence disappears as soon as I turn to look at it.

______________________________________________________________

Minji’s POV

The calm silence of the library usually offered me solace, but I couldn’t help but feel helpless as I stared at my phone, the source of my distress. My parents hadn’t texted me since this morning, yet the suspense of waiting for their next message crushed me like a bug underneath a heavy boot.

“Minj, are you alright, girl?” Hanni asks me, her expression filled with concern. She accompanied me to the library while I worked on prom preparations, but it was impossible to work under these conditions.

“I’m fine,” I lied unconvincingly. Despite knowing for the past week that my parents would be flying in today, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread. They were hardly ever home due to constantly having to go on business trips, but when they were home, my mental health went down the drain. Even the thought of having to be face-to-face with them made me dizzy.

Hanni gently rubs my shoulder in an attempt to comfort me. “I can go home with you if you want. Your parents looooooove me,” she jokes.

My lips curl into a faint grin. “I don’t know if ‘love’ is the word I would use,” I shoot back, prompting her to playfully punch me in the arm. “Anyways, I think I’ll be okay. I’ll have to face them alone eventually.”

“It’s your funeral. The offer is always on the table if you need it, Minj.” Hanni flashes me a reassuring smile, momentarily easing my nerves. 

“Thanks, Hanni.” I return her smile with one of my own before looking back at the pile of work I need to do for prom. Picking a prom theme, finding a venue within the school’s budget, setting up events for the week leading up to prom - each responsibility felt like a massive weight on my shoulders. It was already super stressful with the entire senior class depending on me to host a successful prom, I didn’t need my home life to add to that stress.

Hanni shakes me from my thoughts. “Girl, you’re making that face again.”

“What face?” I ask, my head tilted in confusion.

“That face you make when you're stressed and stuff. Like, you scrunch up your eyebrows and your face gets all serious,” she explains while making the expression. I opened my mouth to protest, only to realize that, indeed, my eyebrows were scrunched. 

My attention is diverted to the library entrance as Yuno walks through the doors. Hanni laughs at me as I instinctively hide my face with a stack of papers. The memories of accidentally spending the entire night in his arms flood my mind, and a warm blush creeps onto my face.

“Oooooh, are you all nervous with your little boyfriend around?” she teases, her words making me squirm.

“He’s not my- Shut up, Hanni!” I retort, my face growing warmer with each passing second. Yuno briefly exchanges words with the librarian before turning around, our eyes locking inadvertently. His cheeks tint with a faint pink and his eyes grow slightly wider, almost as if he’s surprised to see me. Hanni, sensing an opportunity for mischief, beckons him over.

“W-what are you doing, Hanni!?” I panic, smacking her arm. She chuckles, undeterred, as Yuno makes his way towards our table. I bury my face in my hands, wanting to disappear from this moment.

“Heyyyyyy, Yunooooo,” she calls out, earning a shush from the librarian which she promptly ignores. “What are you doing around here?” Her signature impish grin is etched onto her face, a sign that she’s up to no good.

“Just need to print something out.” Despite his gruff tone, his eyes shift nervously back and forth. I had never seen him look so anxious before.

“That’s coollllll. Minji’s here too, you got anything to say to her?” Hanni gestures toward me, and I offer a shy smile, trying my best to act composed despite the unmistakable blush on my face.

Yuno stutters for a moment before managing, “U-um… Hi.” He nods awkwardly before hastily retreating behind a bookshelf, tripping slightly on the shelf’s edge. A chuckle escapes my lips as he disappears from view.

“That’s the guy that everyone’s so afraid of? The one that beat up Bryce?” Hanni asks, her eyebrow raised in disbelief. “He looks like he wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

I shook my head, a flashback of my first encounter with Yuno in the detention room vividly playing in my mind. His face had been marked with fresh cuts from his fight with Bryce just moments before. At first, I thought he was just another brute who liked causing trouble, but the past few days with him have proved me wrong.

“I mean, he did beat up Bryce, but he had his reasons. I don’t necessarily agree with him getting into a fight, but he’s not a bad guy. Maybe people should try to get to know him better instead of just assuming he’s just another delinquent. He’s kind, and thoughtful, and he has a good heart, a-and…” I felt the heat rise to my cheeks, realizing I had been unintentionally rambling about Yuno. Hanni stared at me in awe, the corners of her lips curling upward.

“OMG, Minj… You have a crush on him!!” she squeals. Panicking, I clamped my hand over her mouth. 

“N-no I do not! Can you please shut up, Hanni!?” I struggled to silence her as her whole body shook with laughter.

“You totally do, Minji!! Just look at yo-”

“SHHHH!!!! Ladies, this is a library!” Both of us freeze as the librarian glares at us with contempt.

“S-sorry…” I mutter before gathering up all my papers. Ignoring the sounds of Hanni giggling behind me, I quickly exited the library, eager to escape the embarrassment. My mind, already burdened with student council responsibilities and the impending meeting with parents, is suddenly occupied with a third weight - Yuno. Images of him fill my thoughts as I think about what Hanni said.

“I-I don’t have a crush on him. I can’t. My parents would never approve… I-I mean, he’s nice and all, and he did help me a lot yesterday. B-but we’re just friends… I guess? Friends can cuddle after a traumatic experience, right?? Omg, Minji, you are doomed…”

The stress that had gripped me earlier increased tenfold as I made my way towards my next class, uncertainty plaguing my mind with each step.

______________________________________________________________

Yuno’s POV

As the school’s printer whirs to life, I mentally facepalm myself for acting like an idiot in front of Minji. It didn’t help that I tripped on the shelf like a moron. 

“Hey, Yuno!” A voice from behind calls out to me while I wait for my papers. I turn and see Minji’s friend - Hanni, I think it was? - approaching me with a phone in her hand. “Minji forgot her phone on the table before she left, do you think you could give it to her later?” She punctuates her question with a mischievous smile. 

“Why can’t you do it? You’re her friend,” I ask, questioning her intentions. 

“Because, I have, uhh… stuff to do.” My skepticism only grew as she flashed me another offputting smile that made it obvious she was up to something. Before I could decline, she shoved the phone into my hands and skipped away without another word. Regretfully, I placed the phone into my pocket and grabbed my papers from the printer, leaving the library with more questions than I entered.

Walking through the halls back to class, I hear a commotion coming from the boys’ bathroom. I try to ignore it and keep walking, but something in my gut stops me from moving on. I push open the door, and the voices from within become much clearer.

“You little shit.” *THUD* “Not so tough without your little friend, huh?” *THUD*

I round the corner and my heart instantly drops. Yujin’s normally cheerful face was painted with cuts and bruises, blood dripping from his mouth and nose like a leaky faucet. His limp body was being held up by one of the football players while Tyler took free shots at him. 

“Get the fuck out of here before I-” Tyler turns around, noticing my presence. His eyes go wide with fear, but he keeps up his tough guy act, scoffing at me. “What the fuck do you want, Yuno?”

My heart pounds in my chest with anger. It’s taking every fiber of my being to stop me from smashing his skull against the porcelain sink. “Let him go. Please.”

Tyler laughs defiantly in my face. His friend, on the other hand, loosens his grip on Yujin, dropping him to the floor. 

“What the fuck are you doing!?” Tyler yells, glaring at his friend. “Pick him back up, you idiot!”

He looks back and forth between me and Tyler, his hands fluttering nervously. “S-sorry, Ty, b-but I’d rather live,” he stutters before running out of the bathroom. 

I pushed past Tyler and kneeled beside Yujin, examining his condition. His chest rose with shaky breaths while his droopy eyelids glanced up at me. A faint grin appears on his face.

“H-hey… S-super Y-Yuno… C-coming to the rescue…” He mutters, wheezing with every word. Enraged, I stand up and turn towards Tyler, dropping my backpack on the ground. His tough guy act completely melts away, revealing a terrified boy underneath.

“M-my dad w-will sue y-you if y-'' His words hang in the air, cut short as my hand clamps onto the back of his head. With a swift, forceful motion, I slam his face onto the tiles of the bathroom walls, the sickening sound of bones breaking echoes between the walls. 

A guttural wail escapes Tyler’s lips, muffled by his hands clutching his broken nose. Thick, crimson liquid seeps through his fingers, coating his hands and face. The metallic scent of blood permeates through the air, a scent that I’m all too familiar with. I shove my foot into the side of his ribs, the impact punctuated by the wrath filling my veins. Tyler crumples to the ground, writhing in pain. The sound of my heart thundered in my ears, drowning out the world around me. Hovering over Tyler, I draw back my elbow, ready to deliver the final blow. With all my power, I drive my elbow into his already battered face. The impact sends a shockwave throughout his body, knocking him out cold.

I stand over his unconscious body, the acrid taste of adrenaline lingering on my tongue, and slowly unclench my fists. I swallowed hard, attempting to steady my breathing while the ringing in my ears faded away. The anger I once felt is now replaced with a slight guilt as my mind travels back to Minji, her unapproving expression from my fight with Bryce echoing in my mind. I shake my head and turn my attention back to Yujin.

Kneeling beside him, I carefully sit him up against the wall. “Can you stand?” I ask, my throat feeling dry from the sight of his battered-up form. Yujin tries to stand up on his own but groans in pain from the slightest movements. 

I turn around, offering him my back. “Get on. I’ll carry you to the nurse.” Carefully, he wraps his arms around my neck while I carry him in a piggyback. Grabbing my bag, I step over Tyler’s unconscious form right as a freshman boy enters the bathroom. A look of shock paints his face as he scans the blood on the wall and the body on the floor. His body shivers in fear as I loom over him, his legs frozen in place, preventing him from escaping.

I try my best to look less threatening and give him what I hope is a reassuring smile. “He slipped and fell. I’m sure he’ll be fine.” I pat his shoulder and exit the bathroom, Yujin resting on my back.

______________________________________________________________

My already sullied faith in the education system manages to go even lower as I find the nurse’s office completely empty, with no nurse in sight. I sign in frustration, opting to find help off campus instead of waiting for someone who might never come.

As I round the corner on my way to the exit, I inadvertently bump into a girl, jostling the glasses from her face. “Oh, I’m so sorry about that,” she apologizes, hastily retrieving her glasses from the ground. “Are you alr-” She freezes as she secures her glasses, undoubtedly shocked at the sight of Yujin’s unconscious body. “What did you do to him!?” she exclaims, hurriedly checking on Yujin.

Confused, I took a defensive step back, shielding Yujin from her. “I didn’t do this. It was Tyler McGraw.”

“As if I would believe someone like you. Why didn’t you take him to the nurse!?” She slaps my arm in exasperation. I scoff, slowly becoming more and more irritated.

“The nurse wasn’t there, so unless you’re a doctor or something, get out of my way, or else he might die,” I snapped, glaring at her. Her irate look melts into one of sympathy, a look I’m not used to receiving. 

I clear my throat, attempting to ease the tension. “S-sorry,” I stutter awkwardly. “I just need help. Please.” 

She studies my expression for a moment before sighing, relenting to the urgency of the situation. “There’s a first aid kit in the student council room. Follow me, it’s closer.” I followed her silently, wondering why her face looked so familiar. 

The student council room exuded an air of organized chaos, with papers sprawled out all over the table in the center of the room. The floor was littered with various colored paper scraps, a by-product from the posters advertising prom that line the hallways. A whiteboard on the far end of the room was covered with notes, important due dates, and random drawings. On the opposite side of the room, a well-worn green couch sat, its fading color a testament to years of use by both former and current student council members.

The student council girl grabbed a first aid kit from a cabinet while I gently lay Yujin down on the couch. His chest slowly rises and falls with each shaky breath. 

“Th-thank… Thank you… Y-Yuno…” he wheezes in a strained voice. Yujin reaches out with a trembling hand, finding mine in a weak grasp. An unfamiliar tenderness wells up within me as I squeeze his hand reassuringly. The girl sits beside Yujin and begins delicately cleaning the dried blood from Yujin’s face. She meticulously applies antiseptic to his cuts, the clinical scent stinging my nose.

As she worked, her eyes briefly flickered toward me. “So,” she starts, her tone measured. “What happened to him?”

A heavy sigh escapes my lips as I relive the past hour in my head. “Tyler and one of the other guys on the football team were beating him up in the bathroom, so I stepped in and…” My words trail off as I catch the unmistakable glare she’s directing at me. I gulp, suddenly feeling sheepish in front of her. Shaking her head, she diverts her attention back to aiding Yujin.

“I don’t know what Minji sees in you,” she mutters under her breath. My ears burn at the mention of Minji, and then it hits me - this girl is one of her friends I saw two days ago (Danielle, I think). Despite not talking to her at the time, I remember the distinct icy stare she gave me that day.

“H-how is Minji?” I stutter awkwardly. I didn’t get a chance to talk to her this morning after the incident last night, except in the library where I… My body shivers at the embarrassing memory.

Danielle abruptly stands up, staring daggers at me from behind her frames. Despite being much shorter, I suddenly felt like an insignificant bug as she loomed over me. “I don’t know what you're planning here, but you better stay away from Minji. She has enough going on already and she doesn’t need a troublemaker like you to add to that,” she snapped, fire in her eyes. We stood there in tense silence for what felt like years before she went back to tending Yujin’s wounds. 

I open my mouth to argue, but stop, considering her words. What was I planning with Minji? We’re not exactly friends, but we’re not strangers either. I mean, I slept over at her house. Hell, we slept in the same bed together. What could she even gain from being close to me? My head begins to ache as I get more and more confused.

Danielle gets up from the couch, breaking me from my thoughts. “I did all I could with the first aid kit. I think it’s best to alert his parents,” she states.

Yujin, with the very little energy he has left, shakes his head. “N-no… Don’t… D-don’t tell… m-my parents…” he grunts. 

Danielle frowns. “Why not?”

“I-I live w-with… M-my grandma… D-don’t… Worry her… P-please…” A single tear rolls down from his swollen eye. Danielle holds his hand reassuringly, her expression full of sympathy.

“Okay. I won’t,” she assures before turning to me, her expression hardening instantly. “He can rest here for the rest of the day. I’ll let his teachers know to excuse him from their classes. You, on the other hand, need to go back to class. I’ll watch over him.”

I nod, surrendering Yujin to her care. Despite her intense distrust toward me, I acknowledge that she can do a better job of taking care of him than I ever could. Grabbing my bag, I leave the student council room, stealing one last glance at Yujin. He grins and gives me a small wave right as I close the door.

A splotch of red stains my sleeve, a symbol of the violence I committed. Feeling disgusted at my lack of self control, I roll it up to hide the part of me others are scared of.

______________________________________________________________

The bell rings, signaling the end of the school day. I quickly grab my things and make my way towards the student council room, the crowd parting as I walk by. Upon barging in, I find the room empty aside from a folded-up note on the couch with my name on it. Curious, I unfolded it and it read:

Hey Yuno, thanks for saving me again. I owe you one, big time! Danielle said her mom is a nurse and she offered to check me out for free so I don’t burden my grandma with any hospital bills. Her mom is giving me a ride home from school early, but I didn’t want to leave without saying anything, so I’m writing this note to you. Danielle and I talked a lot after you left and she’s really nice! I tried to convince her that you’re a cool guy, but she still seems skeptical. Don’t worry though, I’ll change her mind eventually :) Anyway, my hand is starting to hurt now, so I’ll end the note here. See ya tomorrow! - Yujin

I smirk to myself and fold the note, placing it in my pocket. As I place the note inside, I feel something strange and smooth, and I suddenly remember - Minji’s phone. With everything that went on with Yujin, I completely forgot to return her phone. Rushing out of the building, I scan the courtyard, looking for Minji, but she’s nowhere in sight. I flinch at a tap on my shoulder and turn to see two more of Minji’s friends - the tall one and the one that looks like a cat.

“Hello!” the taller one greets with a bright smile. “Your Minji’s friend, right? Haerin told me to get your attention. I’m Hyein by the way, it’s nice to meet you again!” She sticks out her hand, which I clumsily shake. The shorter girl, Haerin, steps in front of her and stares at me with an odd, unreadable expression that sends a shiver down my spine.

“You are looking for Minji,” she states matter-of-factly.

I stagger backward, taken aback by her accuracy. “How did y- never mind. Do you know where she is?”

“She went home early,” Hyein says. “Her parents are flying from their business trip today, so she rushed home to go see them.”

I nod and turn to leave before Haerin stops me. “What’s your relationship with Minji?” she interrogates.

“We’re uhh…” I hesitate, uncertain about my answer. Shaking my head, I decide to change the subject. “Minji left her phone in the library. I’m just trying to return it.”

Haerin’s eyes narrow, studying my expression for a moment. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end as her feline eyes stare into my soul. Minji’s friends always find a way to make me feel uncomfortable.

Hyein steps in, smacking Haerin on the shoulder. “We’ll let you go on then. Tell Minji we said hi!” She tugs Haerin away, nodding apologetically. It looks like she’s the only normal out of Minji’s friends.

As I walk along the familiar path towards her house, the once serene blue sky suddenly fills with gray clouds, reminding me of my first meeting with Ms. Student Council President. If I had just left the detention room instead of offering to walk her home, would fate still have pushed us together? Would she have gotten hurt last night if I hadn’t bumped into her by chance? In the grand scheme of things, what does meeting Minji Kim mean? Droplets of rain start to fall as I ponder these questions, the weight of uncertainty bearing down on me like the rain clouds above. The thread of my life has changed directions after meeting Minji, now woven with hers, for better or for worse. 

Before I knew it, I found myself in front of her house, an unfamiliar and expensive-looking car in her driveway that must belong to her parents. I gawk at it for a moment, wondering how loaded her family is, before knocking on the front door. 

The door swings open, revealing a tall and impeccably groomed man, donning a perfectly tailored suit that I’ve only seen in movies. His eyes, sharp and calculating, seem to dissect me with every glance. “Hello there, can I help you?” he greets, his deep voice as polished as his appearance.

I gulp, my confidence dwindling in the face of his stature. Everything about him reminds me of a world of privilege and opulence that I could never hope to be a part of. “U-uh, hi, I-I’m Yumo- I mean Yuno,” I stammer, my throat suddenly becoming dry.

He raises an eyebrow in concern. “Okay… Can I help you, Yuno?”

I shake my head, mentally facepalming. “R-right, sorry, uh Minji forgot her phone in the library, I’m just here to return it.” I take the phone out of my pocket and show it to him, my hand trembling slightly, betraying my nerves.

He squints, scrutinizing my expression with an intensity that could rival Medusa’s. A woman - Minji’s mother - glides into view from behind him, adorned in fabrics that are equally as elegant and intimidating as Mr. Kim’s. 

“Who’s at the door, honey?” she asks him, her voice exuding authority and lavishness. I suddenly felt self-conscious in front of the pair, crossing my arms to cover my shabby-looking school uniform.

“He’s a classmate of Minji’s. He says he’s returning her phone which she forgot in the library,” Mr. Kim says, his eyes still nitpicking my every move. 

“A friend of Minji’s, how wonderful!” Ms. Kim exclaims. “Come in dear, let’s have a little chat.” She gave me a warm welcoming smile, yet lingering underneath the surface, there was a subtle glint of concealed intentions that sent a shiver up my spine.

“U-um, okay…” I reluctantly accepted, fearing the consequences if I declined. Ms. Kim ushered me inside her home, unaware that this was the third time I’d been here in a row. At this point, I’ve seen more of Minji’s house than I have my own.

“Minji dear, your friend is here,” Ms. Kim calls out. 

“Is it Hanni? I told her she didn’t have to-” Minji rounds the corner, and our eyes lock in a moment suspended in time. She’s dressed in an elegant white blouse that amplifies the innocence of her natural beauty, paired with a simple black skirt that accentuates the grace in her every movement. Minji exuded a completely different aura compared to when she’s wearing her school uniform or the oversized T-shirts she wears as pajamas. It was almost as if she was a different person entirely.

“Y-Yuno! What are you doing here?” She asks, a hint of anxiety in her voice.

I snap out of my trance and hand her the phone. “You forgot your phone in the library. Hanni asked me to hand it to you.”

“Oh my god, thank you so much! I’ve been looking everywhere for it!” Her face lights up in a grateful smile that makes my heart skip a beat. My cheeks flare up with warmth and the corners of my lips instinctively curl upwards, which I try to hide with my hands.

“Yeah no problem, I should probably get going now-” As I turn to leave, Ms. Kim places a hand on my shoulder, stopping me

“Yuno dear, why don’t you stay for some tea? Sanghoon and I would love to get to know another one of Minji’s friends.” Despite her cheery tone, there was something in her voice that let me know she wasn’t just asking - she was commanding. I reluctantly comply, taking a seat on the couch.

“Minji, come help me in the kitchen,” Ms. Kim commands, pulling Minji with her. Minji gives me a sympathetic look before she disappears, leaving me alone with her father. Mr. Kim sits on a reclining chair, leaning forward as he stares me down. I fought guys that were triple my size before, yet none of them intimidated me as much as he did.

“So,” he begins, his expression unreadable. I gulp as I await the inevitable onslaught of questions. “What are your grades like, Yumo?

“U-uh, it’s Yuno. Sir,” I stammer. He grins at me with amusement, like a predator playing with his food.

“My apologies, Yuno.” Mr. Kim leans back in his chair, a sign that he doesn’t view me as a threat. Even with his relaxed demeanor, I couldn’t let my guard down.

“R-right, u-uh my grades are alright.” I clasp my hands together in an attempt to hide my trembling. He raises an eyebrow at my answer, unconvinced. My gut is telling me that I said something wrong.

“What are your goals for the future?” He continues.

“I-I’m not really sure yet. Still thinking about it,” I lie. Up until recently, I’d always assume I would die young from getting mixed in with the wrong crowd, so I never even humored the thought of actually having a future.

“That’s normal for kids your age,” Mr. Kim says, nodding in understanding. “You might wanna hurry up though; it’s best to get a headstart on college.”

I breathe a sigh of relief, his genuine advice easing my nerves a bit. However, I could still feel alarms going off in my head, the tension in the room at dangerously high levels. Something was hiding underneath their kind facade that made the hair on the back of my head stand up on end.

“I’m sure you were expecting me to ask you this, but what is your relationship with my daughter?” He folds his arms, expectantly awaiting my answer. 

I open my mouth to respond, but nothing comes out. The answer to the question has evaded me the entire day, my mind clouded with uncertainty like the rain clouds outside. It would have been easier for me to lie and make up an answer, but my gut was stopping me. I needed an answer, right here and right now.

I take a deep breath to clear my mind, hoping the answer will come to me at the last second. “Minji and I are-”

“The tea is ready!” Minji swoops in, briskly placing a tray of mugs on the coffee table. “Actually, I forgot to tell you this, but Yuno and I are working on a project for science class.” My eyes widen with confusion, but before I can react, Minji grabs me by the sleeve and pulls me up the stairs. “We’ll be in my room if you need us!” she announces. I catch a glimpse of her parents’ bewildered look right before we turn the corner. She pushes me into her room, shutting the door behind her. 

The walls of her bedroom were covered in posters of various singers and groups with odd names, like “Red Velvet” and “Twice”. Various stuffed animals were neatly arranged on top of her bed, a testament to her meticulous nature as student council president. A desk sat in front of the window, its surface covered with random stickers, polaroids with her friends, and sticky notes containing due dates and reminders. I would’ve been impressed with how cozy the room was, if it weren’t for the fact that I was inside MINJI’S BEDROOM, alone with MINJI.

A thousand- No, a million questions fill my head as I glance at Minji, who’s begun pacing nervously around the room. “U-uh, Minji?”

“I’M SORRY, I PANICKED!” She covers her mouth almost immediately after her outburst, offering an apologetic look. Taking a breath, she sits on her bed, fiddling with her fingers. “I’m sorry about my parents, they can be a bit much, even for me. Especially my dad. I’m sure he means well, but he has a tendency to push his ideologies onto others. I suppose he is a businessman after all.” Minji grabs a stuffed bear toy, holding it for comfort. I bite my lip in an attempt to stifle a grin at how… “cute” she looked.

“It’s cool, I didn’t even notice,” I lied, feeling the sudden urge to look impressive in front of her. Instead of looking impressed, however, she giggles in my face.

“No offense, Yuno, but I could hear you stuttering from the kitchen.” My entire face burns red from her words. I pretend to inspect one of her posters in an attempt to hide my embarrassed expression. 

“Sooo… Why did you tell them we had a science project together?” I ask, changing the subject. “I’m not even taking a science class this year.”

Minji sighs, squeezing her bear toy. “My parents are always hypercritical of my friends, they have been since I was born. If they find even a single flaw, they’ll tell me I can’t be friends with them anymore. Hanni is the exception, of course, they couldn’t get rid of her no matter how hard they tried,” she explains, chuckling at her own joke. “I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable, so I lied to get you out of there.”

There’s that word again - “Friend”. This whole time, I had been thinking about whether or not I thought of Minji as a friend. But… Did Minji see me as a friend? The thought was unfathomable, but I needed to know the answer.

“Minji,” I say, getting her attention. She looks up at me expectantly, her dark brown eyes making my heart flutter. “A-are we… friends?” I avert my gaze, awaiting the rejection. To my surprise, the rejection never comes.

“Of course we are! It would be weird if we weren’t friends after everything we’ve been through,” she states.

My body suddenly felt lighter, as if a thousand-pound weight had lifted off of my shoulders. The question that has been stuck in my mind all day finally had an answer. My lips instinctively curl into a smile, the first one I’ve had in a long while.

Minji giggles at my reaction. “I’ve never seen you smile before, Yuno. You should smile more, it’s nice,” she compliments. The room falls silent as a warm, pink hue graces both of our faces. Minji covers her face with the bear toy while I turn towards the wall, hiding the goofy smile that continues to grow on my face. I had been called a plethora of things under the sun - son of a bitch, motherfucker, and piece of shit, to name a few. Never in the last four years of my existence has anyone complimented my smile. 

A strange and unfamiliar feeling bubbles in my chest. It wasn’t fear, anxiety, or anger; It was happiness. Minji Kim had given me a compliment, and it made me happy. I can’t help but wonder if I had knocked one of my own screws loose during my altercation with Tyler.

Minji looks up from her bear, her face still as pink as cotton candy. However, her face instantly darkens with concern as she tosses her bear on the bed and grabs my arm.

“Yuno, is that… blood?” she asks, inspecting my sleeve. Unknowingly, my sleeve had unfurled, revealing the crimson stain. The joy from Minji’s compliment sours into guilt as her worried eyes meet mine. “A-are you alright? Did you get hurt or something?”

My throat grows dry as I search for an answer, my mind devolving into chaos. The thought of her disappointed face if I told her the truth sent a pang through my chest, a pain more acute than any punch I’ve ever received. Frozen in place, I stood helpless as the weight of my actions slowly crushed me.

A knock at the door jolts me from my thoughts, and Minji’s mother peeks her head in, breaking the uneasy silence. “Hey you two, just wanted to know how the project is going. You left so abruptly that the tea got cold.”

Minji swiftly steps forward, shielding my blood-stained sleeve from her mother’s view. “Sorry about that, mom. The project is going well, we’re just brainstorming some ideas right now,” she says, her composure unbreaking.

“Alright then. Yuno dear, will you be joining us for dinner?”

I clear my throat, attempting to keep up a normal facade. “S-sorry Ms. Kim, but I should probably get going. My dad is waiting for me at home,” I lied. Truthfully, I have no idea where my dad is, but that didn’t matter at the moment. I roll up my sleeve and walk past her, beelining it towards the front door, only to be greeted with a curtain of pouring rain. To add insult to injury, a bolt of lightning rings out from the sky.

Ms. Kim places a hand on my shoulder from behind, and as I glance back, I catch a subtle tinge in her eyes that sends a shiver down my spine. She hid it well behind her warm smile, but I could tell there was something off about her.

“Oh no, looks like it’s raining,” she says, feigning concern. It was almost as if she somehow made it rain to keep me trapped here. “Why don’t you stay here until the rain dies down? It’ll give us a chance to get to know you better.”

I gulp as she shuts the door, prying me from my chance at freedom. The ominous feeling in the air intensifies as I reluctantly agree to stay, unsure of the web I’m becoming entangled in. Minji’s worried expression mirrors my own as I’m pulled towards the kitchen, the front door fading from view.

[miscfandomwrites]

A/N: This was supposed to say "Bad day" but whoops. I'm tired. anywho, this seriesis inspired by some other authors with their own 'Sunshine series' yet my main take was wanting a main character who is a housewife ish and is fed up with their shit. They're all scared of this rabbit shifter because she's put up with them for this long. There's a whole backstory and lore and such if you want me to get into it, but for now here's 'Bay day' lol

Pairing: (Shifterverse) 141 + Keegan + Konig x Rabbit Shifter! Reader

Warnings: Lots of language, mentions of bodily harm.

Words: 1.3k

Tagging: @tyler-t0t

~

Nothing seemed to be going right. 

First, it was a downpour all day, meaning I couldn’t even drive to the farmer’s market since they had announced that they were going to be closed for the weekend since the weather was so severe. 

It also meant that I had to rush outside to the garden in my new, clean, white sundress, getting mud all over it as I hustled the chickens and ducks back into the coop, and ran around gathering all the tomatoes I could find before they split from the excess rain, some of them already splitting as I gathered them into my dress, staining it red and coating it with tomato seeds.

They boys were all on base today, yet weren’t coming home anytime soon both due to the weather and due to the paperwork they were getting held up with from their last couple missions. 

And today was a Sunday, meant to be a relaxing, self-care, pampering day for me, yet here I am, running around like I lost my head. 

I had just started to dry my hair with a kitchen towel before I remembered that there were sheets hanging outside on the line to dry - one of the perks of living with a team I guess, is that even with an industrial washer and dryer, it still didn’t cut the amount of laundry this house went through during the week. 

“Oh for fuck’s sake!” I yelled as I ran back outside, skipping putting on the rainboots and just decided to go barefoot, easily hopping the small gate that kept the animals on the fenced side of the yard. My ears twitched as the rain hit them, and I flattened them against my head as I muttered curses to myself as I tore the sheets off the drying rack and ran back inside, about to toss them into the dryer before I realized my dress had covered them in mud. 

I opened the washer, expecting it to be empty, yet was greeted with the sight and smell of Soap’s mildew-y clothes that have definitely been sitting in the washer for the last two days, unswitched. 

“Motherfucker.”  I hissed as I dropped the sheets on the floor and grabbed a laundry pod and some scent beads, throwing them into the washer and starting his clothes on a hot, heavy washer since half of it was his workout gear. 

I shook my head as I felt some of the water starting to reach my inner ears, causing them to twitch and me to wince and I quickly grabbed a spare cloth and quickly cleaned them out, hating the feeling of water in them. 

I could faintly hear my phone buzzing from upstairs, and I jogged up there only to be greeting with Price’s contact, wanting a voice call.

I answered as I opened the dishwasher, realizing I forgot to start it before I went to bed last night, the pod door still closed tight. 

“Hey love, looks like we might be running even later tonight, there’s a new recruit….” He started as I held the phone between my shoulder and head and tried to start the dishwasher again. 

“What time should I have dinner on the table then?” I interrupted him as he was telling me about how they were going to be training not just one but several new recruits, causing them to be home around eight pm at the earliest. 

“Oh, uh, probably around nine or ten then?” He questioned. 

I just shut my eyes and sighed for a moment, before nodding. 

“I’ll get some stew in the crockpot then, today’s not going too great so I doubt I’ll be up that late.” 

“That’s alright dove, we can just pick up food on the way over.” I heard Ghost’s voice, causing me to pause for a moment. 

“Am I on speaker?” I asked softly. 

“Yeah, we jus’ got out of a meetin’ “ Soap replied. Sounds like everyone was there. 

“I’m implementing a new rule: Set a fucking timer on your phones for your laundry. Next batch that grows mildew in the washer will go into the burnpit.” 

A hushed silence answered me, before I heard a smack! and Soap yelling out. 

That was definitely Gaz. He’s the only one who actually takes care of his laundry on time. 

The washer beeping from downstairs gathered my attention, and I said my round of ‘be safe’ and ‘don’t kill the newbies’ before I hung up and tossed my phone on the couch, only for it to slide off and land on the wooden floor, landing screen-first. 

“Oh that definitely fucking broke.” I sighed, padding over to it and picking it up, wincing as I saw shards of glass left behind on the ground. 

A slew of expletives left me that would’ve left Soap blushing, and I set it face-up on the coffee table and headed downstairs, switching over laundry and starting half of the sheets in the washer before heading back upstairs, and cleaned up the mess my phone made. 

It was around three at this point, so I gathered some thawed meat out of the fridge and some vegetables and went to work putting together and stew for the boys that could be left cooking for the next several hours. Halfway through chopping up the carrots, the dryer buzzed, scaring me enough that I accidentally sliced into my finger instead, causing me to yelp and immediately hold it to myself, using my dress as a pressure dressing as I rushing into the bathroom and yanked out the medkit from under the sink. Only to find it fucking empty. 

I hissed at finding this, heading back into the hallway and pulling open the doors and finding the spare medkit things, disinfecting and wrapping up my fingers. (Turns out I nicked two, not just one.) 

I didn’t bother putting away the items since I knew I needed to refill the medkit anyways, leaving the bloody wrappers and roll of gauze on top of the box.

I headed downstairs, switching laundry again, and set up the drying lines we had in the laundry room for the sheets, carefully setting them up, not noticing spots of blood getting on the edges from my fingers. 

After switching laundry I headed back upstairs, my phone buzzing with an incoming call from Soap, which I didn’t even bother touching as I was not about to get shards of glass into my fingers. 

I finished making dinner, setting it up in the crockpot on medium heat, and didn’t bother cleaning up the kitchen as I collapsed on the couch, about ready to cry my eyes out. 

Instead, I fell asleep, my body exhausted, and about jumped out of my skin when I heard the door open and several voices. 

About thirty minutes had passed, leaving me groggy as shit, blinking sleep out of my eyes as they shuffled inside, dropping off bags of something on the counters as Price made his way to me. 

“I know we’re a little early but-holy fuck, what happened?” He started, causing everyone to immediately stop and head my way, causing me to be crowded by everyone. I could barely keep the tears out of my eyes, explaining that today was just horrible. 

“C’mon, let’s get you out of that dress and into something warm, bun.” Gaz spoke softly to me and Price starting giving instructions to the rest of the boys: Konig and his crew were to take care of the animals and check the perimeter, Ghost was to help with laundry, Soap was on dish duty, Price was going to finish up with putting away the groceries which I later learned were from them going to the farmer’s market ass-early in the morning before the sky opened up to make sure I got what I needed for the week. Keegan took it upon himself to restock the medkit, and helped rebandage my hand as I sat on my bed, Gaz sitting behind me, softly brushing my tangled mess of hair. 

This. This is what a pack was like.

[xetlynn]

Twilight- The Switch of Daylight: Chapter Ten, Steam

(Alice x Reader x Jasper)

[Nine] [Ten] [Eleven]

I sat with Mike, Angela, Jessica and Eric like usual. Listening to them rant about the illness going around.

I then look up to see Bella carrying her tray of food to her normal table but then looks at us. I smile, encouraging her to do it. She takes a deep breath and joins us. I watch as the others take note but continue talking.

"I'll kill Tyler if he gave me his flu." Jessica threatens. "It's going around. My sister was so sick she couldn't come on our hike this weekend... so she didn't see it." Angela frowns, they were talking about a large animal. "Ang, maybe you should keep that to yourself." He whispers to her.

"We saw something Eric." Angela argues with him. "I believe you." He assures her. "No he doesn't. He's just trying to get lucky." Jessica calls him out.

"Is that an option?" Eric asks in a hopeful tone. "It was jet black and huge; on all fours it was still taller than a person. A bear maybe." She explains what it is and I stiffen up.

That's definitely one of the Quileute boys...

"Or Big Foot." Jessica interjects. "Or an alien. Lucky you didn't get probed." Mike jokes. "We saw it." Angela whispers and my face softens, I believe her but I can't be the one to speak up. "You're not the only one." Bella says, everyone then stares at her, shocked that she actually spoke up. "My dad's been getting reports at the sheriff's station. A couple hikers went missing. People are scared." She explains, everyone's now sitting a little straighter due to what she said. "I did hear some guy talking about it at the store." Mike admits. "Last time you clowns doubt my girlfriend." Eric puts his arm around Angela, now they all continue to another conversation.

Angela moths a thanks to Bella. Sharing a smile before they both join in. Bella rejoining the group again.

"You look scared." Jacob tells Bella, I stand there with my arms crossed. "I'm not." She's lying, she's now on one of their completed motorcycles, Jacob stands next to her, holding the bike up.

Now on the La Push forest clearing, a dirt road, Jacob runs through the instructions. "Brake?" She taps it. "Clutch?" She squeezes it. "Right. Gas?" She then grips it, he smiles up at her. "You ready?" She nods, he then grins, kick starting the bike. "Slowly release the clutch."

She does as told, the bike moves forward an inch. Jacob nervously steps back and she moves another inch forward. I notice her turning to find something. Her hand slipping off the clutch and the bike bucks and falls on top of her. Jacob and I quickly lift it off of her. "You okay? Bruises, breaks?" He questions her and I stare down at her. "I'm going again."  She tells us. "I'm not sure that's a good-" She's already up and hopping back on the bike. "Guess we're going again. Now what are you going to do with the clutch?" He asks her.

"Release it. Slowly." He nods, kick-starting the bike again. She releases the clutch and moves forward. Slowly at first.

Now she keeps going, a tiny bit faster. I notice as she is looking around and then the curve up ahead gets closer to her. "I don't- How do I turn!?" She yells to us. I drop my arms and I want to run to her but it would give myself away to Jacob. "Bank it! Bank- hit the brake!" He shouts. "Hit the break, Bella!" I scream. Both of us running to her. I try to match my pace with his, She reaches the turn, not banking and goes straight.

Flying right into a wall of trees. As she lies on the ground dazed, we hurry to her. "What are you training for the X-games?" He questions her. My nostril flares as I can already smell her blood. "I want to go again." She says. "Forget it. I'm revoking your motorcycle privileges. Man, look at your head." He tells her, I back away from the sight. Holding my nose. Normally blood doesn't affect me, but it's been a while since I've been hunting.

"God, I'm sorry." Bella shrinks as Jacob pulls his shirt off to wipe the blood. "You're apologizing for bleeding?" He questions her. "It uh bothers name." She points to me as I then pretend to gag at the sight.

Knowing it's really just making my mouth water like feigning animal. "[Name] you alright?" He asks me and I just put my thumb up. "I uh, I'm gonna go over there." I look away from them , hurrying away.

I go into the woods, far away from them. I can hear them talking but I know that they won't be able to hear me.

Shit, why haven't I gone hunting in so long. I feel the pain of smelling her blood. My nose stinging as my mouth waters tensely. I cover my mouth to muffle the sound of my groans.

I then see a deer walking, my body starting to shake as I try to control myself. I squeeze my eyes. Looking back to the entry of the forest. They can't see me. I'm going to have to not be messy with this. I then surprise attack the deer.

Wiping the blood off of my face, I cover the deer with leaves, cleaning myself off as well.

"[Name]!?" Jacob calls after me. I curse mentally. Checking myself one more time and I walk over to him.

"I'm right here." I laugh. "Sorry, blood really freaks me out. I had to throw up." I lie to him, walking up to him. His facial expression shows confusion. "You never had that problem when we were kids. You were the one who practically played doctor when one of us got hurt." He remembers and I bite my bottom lip thinking of what to say.

"Yeah, then in Arizona a kid broke his leg, bone out and all. I've gotten sick at the sight of blood ever since." I pick up a quick lie, he seems suspicious but shrugs it off, both of us leaving the area.

Charlie and I are watching a game, well more Charlie than I am. I'm more focused on Bella doing homework, she's on edge. Jacob hasn't respond to texts or calls after they went out to the movies together with Mike. She wanted me to go too since it was going to be awkward for her, knowing both boys like her. I refused though, not wanting to be caught up in that mess. She told me Jake wasn't feeling good at the end of the night, feeling extremely warm.

She's been trying to call him, she had the flu too so she wanted to make sure he's alright too.

As the next few days passed I heard her try to call him over and over again. Now we're in the kitchen, she left yet another message. Charlie comes into the room.

"Harry and I will be back by three." His sentence stops when he sees her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "It's mono, Bells." He softly reminds her. "He's too sick to even call?" She exclaims. "You just gotta wait it out. You know, I don't have to go fishing..." He says, even though he desperately wants to go. "No, go. I have [Name]. I'll just call Jessica or something." She forces a smile. "Good but you two stay here or at Jess's. No hikes or anything. We're issuing a warning about those bears." Charlie sternly tells us.

But of course Bella and I don't listen, After we watched Charlie and Harry leave we went to the woods. Bella tries to navigate her way to the meadow with a map and a compass. "You know I could just get the top of a tree and probably find it easily right?" I remind her, she just hums in response. I just let out a sigh, continuing to follow behind her. I know it's a wolf that everyone's seeing but I want Bella to feel a little safer so I can along.

After a while I see Bella notice the clearing ahead, hurrying towards it. Once she goes into the opening she seems hopeful. Like something... someone will be there waiting for her. She told me about the sun that would be out but instead it's cold, gloomy and cloudy. Bella sinks to her knees, I frown at the sight.

Before she can even cry, we hear a rustling noise. We turn towards it, I move my body to cover hers. Another noise coming from a different area of the woods. Then we turn to another noise and Laurent is a few yards away. My body stays in front of Bella.

"Laurent?" She questions.

"Bella. [Name]." He acknowledges my existence as well. "I must admit, I didn't expect to find you two here." He admits to us. "We live here. But you- I thought you were in Alaska with Carlisle's friend." She brings up.

"Tanya, I was. It was kind of him to arrange, given my association with James and Victoria. The enemy." He smiles to himself. "You tried to help us." Bella disagrees with the last part. Laurent begins to stroll in a slow arc around us. Bella grips onto the sleeve of my jacket. Every movement he makes I follow. "I went to visit the Cullen, but their house is empty. I'm surprised they left you two behind. As you were some sort of pet and you... you turned." He grins. "Congratulations." I roll my eyes in response. I begin to feel Bella's fear. "Um... something like that." She tells him.

"Do the Cullen visit often." He looks between the both of us. "Absolutely. All the time." Bella lies. Good call. "I'll tell them you stopped by." She's trying to soothe her body. I begin to focus on my energy while also on him. Any step closer and I'll tear his head off. "Will they be able to reach you in Alaska?" She questions.

"I don't think so. Tanya's vegetarian family was pleasant enough. But the dietary restrictions were difficult- living on nothing but animals." He then looks at me, smirking.

"Something you've been finding difficult lately, hm?" He whispers, only audible to me. I give him a look. I haven't tried human at all. What is he talking about?

"Tell me Bella. Do you ever fell compelled to cheat?" She tries to step back while also holding me but I keep my stance. "But that's not why I left. I came back here as a favor to Victoria." She

"You're still friends."

"More or less. She asked me to get the lay of the land with the Cullen. Because, well... I'm afraid Victoria is quite put out with you." He informs her. "That's too back." She responds. My eyes glare him down, he's not focused on me. He doesn't know my ability. "Yes. She feels it's only fair to kill Edward's mate, given he killed hers. Eye for an eye, mate for mate." He tells her, Bella's heart quickens each word he speaks.

"Edward will know who did it. He'll come after both of you." She knows to not bring up my ability. "I don't think he will. After all, how much could you mean to him if he left you here unprotected?" He then glances at me again, he thinks I'm not a threat. "Victoria sent me here for information. She won't be happy about my killing you." He hums. "No, Laurent..."

"No, no, no. Don't be upset. I'm doing you a kindness. Victoria plans on killing you both slowly. Painfully, whereas I'll make it very quick." I'm apart of it now too?

"And you smell so mouth watering." Laurent inhales my sisters scent which grosses me out. He then shoves me out of the way, taking Bella into his arms.

Shit.

I hear her whisper something. I stand up, then look over to see a black wolf. It's Sam. He skulks out of the darkness of the woods. Letting out a disturbingly deep growl, his sharp teeth gleaming. I smile at the sight of the others coming out. I go over to Sam. Laurent goes to bolt across the meadow. I use my ability to slow him down, weaken him.

"What is-" He stares back at me, noticing it's my doing. The wolves then spring out, seemingly towards Bella but then leap above her. It's impossible for Laurent to fight back as my ability weakened him into an almost human state.

"Run, Bella." I push her towards the way we came in. "What about you?" She panics. "They're good. It's okay." I tell her. She then runs like she was told.

Once she's out of sight I run to the mess they've made of Laurent. His limbs all over the place. Sam and who I think is Jacob come up to me. I smile.

"Good timing." I pet who I think is Jacob. "I'm sorry you turned." I sadly look at him. He whines a bit, backing away from my hand. Sam makes a low grumbling noise.

"I'll make the fire and then meet you guys at the rez." I tell the five wolves. Sam huffs. Paul comes up, purposely bumping into me, whipping me with his tail. "Hey, get going now." I order them.

Sam does a quiet howl, they make their way away from the scene and I pick up Laurents limbs, putting them in a pile.

After putting out the fire I rush back to my house. Charlie is already angrily storming out the door. "I'm going to the station, you want to come?" He asks. "No thanks, I'm gonna go to the Rez." I tell him, he comes over and gives me a quick side hug and kiss on the forehead before getting in his car. Bella comes out.

"Can you come with me to get Jacob?" She asks, storming towards her truck. "Uh-" "I'm going either way." She opens the truck door. I let out a groan, she's already taking off so I look around and then jump onto the back of the truck bed. She looks in the back and I irritably wave, she tries to hide her smile as she continues to drive. I stay sat in the back.

Feeling rain droplets start to fall on me. Lifting my hands I feel the rain. Then notice my hands steam, I begin to panic. Going to yell to Bella but then it stops and I close my mouth. What is happening? I feel my chest begin to pound and the steam emits once again off my body.

Stop stop stop stop.

Bella's truck goes to a halt and I stand up from the truck bed. The steam stops again. The rain only getting harsher.

Bella and I head to the door, she knocks. No one answers. Then a second time and finally Billy is at the door. "Hi, Billy. I know Jacob's sick but-" "He's out with friends." He cuts her off. She seems taken aback. "Oh." "I'll let him know you came by." He begins to close the door but Bella stops him. "Wait- he's got mono, right? That's what you told my dad." She interrogates him. "You should go home, Bella." Then he finally closes the door.

Bella storms down the stairs, getting into her truck and slamming the door behind her, obviously pissed. She begins to start the truck but then stops, tossing the keys aside. I slowly walk down myself, instead of going towards the truck I go to where I can hear five boys rough housing in the woods.

I speed off to where I hear them, peeking out from a tree as they don't even notice me.

"You know for wolves. It was pretty easy for me to sneak up on you." I fold my arms in front of my chest, they all jolt, getting into an attack position but once they realize it's me they calm down.

"Jake you're hurting my sister." I point a finger in his face. "I don't have a-" "Ah," I cut him off. "I didn't ask for excuses. We all have choices." I then look over to Sam who doesn't look me in the eye. "He really doesn't have a choice." Paul speaks up and I laugh. "He does, everyone does. You guys just choose the dumb ones!" I throw my hands up in the air.

"Well here's a choice you have, you're a bloodsucker who has the choice to be something better." Jacob throws in my face and my eyes widen. "Excuse me?" I step closer to him, Sam places a hand on his chest, pushing him back. "Jacob that's not-" "You told him!?" I glare at Sam.

"I can't control it, wolves read each others minds. I don't get to hide anything." Sam defends himself, I close my eyes tightly, now angered. "Jacob apologize to my sister or so help me." I spit in his face, shoving him against a tree before I walk away. I hear Sam jog after me, the boys looking after Jacob.

"[Name], I swear I didn't mean for anyone to know." He tells me and I just ignore him. "[Name], I'm sorry." He's practically pleading and a part of me wanted to stop to listen to him. That child in me who had the biggest crush on Sam Uley wanted to stop. But the other part, the person I am today, refuses to even look him in the eye after the betrayal he committed for his own selfish reasons.

I then see Jacob at Bella's truck, her climbing out. "You cut your hair." She announces. "Go away." Jacob turns away and bite the inside of my mouth. She grabs onto his arm. "What happened to you?" She asks him and he turns back as the others wait for him, out of earshot.

"I can help." She lowers her voice. His face is stern, shaking his head. "Sam got to you. What did he do?" Bella questions, obviously concerned for her friend. "Sam's trying to help me, don't blame him." He retracts. "Then who?"

"How about those filthy, reeking bloodsuckers you love? The Cullens... your sister." He says, he obviously didn't realize I was there, if my heart was working it would be broken by the fact that he just said that. "I... don't know what you're-" "You know exactly what I'm talking about." His body was shaking with anger.

"The Cullens are long gone. How are they to blame? And [Name] is still her how could you say that..." Her face falls. "They started all this by existing. Goddamn leeches-" "Jacob." Sam gives him and look and Jacob takes a breath, then he finally notices I'm there, rolling his eyes before going back to talking to Bella.

"I can't be friends with you anymore." He tells her. "Jake, I know I hurt you, I should have been more up-front but I needed you, I still do. I don't know what that means yet, but if you give me time-" "Stop. Don't it's not you." His humanity is still there, Sam is making him do this.

"It's not you it's me? God." Bella shakes her head. "It's true. I'm not good." He tries to find the right words. "You're wrong-" "It's doesn't matter. This is over." He tells her.

'"I can't take losing my best friend too." Bella's voice breaks.

"You already have-" "don't say that- you promised!" She tries to remind him, it was an effortless fight though.

"Go home, Bella. Don't come back." He runs away, joining the group to leave Bella standing in the rain.

I helped Bella into her truck and it felt like that day all over again. Only this time I was filled with a rage I've never felt before.

And when we got home I knew there was something wrong with me as Bella said the only words I never wanted to hear again. "[Name], you're really hot. Like burning." She mutters to me, backing away from my body. "I think you're hallucinating." I wave it off, lying to her is my best option right now. Charlie comes out and helps her inside. I sit in the truck, nervous about the steam with the rain again, it would prove that I'm heating up instead of being cold.

I can't turn. I can't.

I curl up in the truck seat, wanting to cry.

Masterlist

A&J M.L.

I guess I’m posting a lot right now. lol might post another tonight🧍🤷‍♀️ What are your theories for future chapters🤪🤭

Taglist: if you want to be added lmk

@stevenandmarcslove

@steh-lar-uh-nuhs

@kisekihany

@aureliacorvina

@l3ejm

[howdyousleepatnight]

Out of hell (part 1)

Pairing : Josh Dun x Fem!Reader - Tyler Joseph x Fem!Reader Warning : Swearing, dystopia and oppressive government

Word count : 462

Summary : As a result of your helpfulnes within the city, you’ve been asked to go and retrieve something that had been left by Banditos outside of Dema following their escape. You were supposed to return after one day. You were supposed to…

(Be kind please, I’m new to Tumblr writing + English’s not my first langage :,) Enjoy!!)

I run. I run as fast as I can. Why do I run, you might ask? I'm running because I've only got one day to complete the task I've been given: find a bag left outside of Dema by some Banditos when they escaped. Of course, it's no ordinary bag, otherwise it'd be silly to let a banal Dema resident as me go out like that. No. The bag contains potential information about a camp where rebels may have taken refuge, and given the intentions of Dema's top leaders, it could be the occasion to find them and take them back to the prison they thought they could leave so easily…

So I run, hoping in the back of my mind that I can save time to find a way to escape, without anyone suspecting a thing. I'm very efficient and serviable in the Dema community, so how could they suspect anything? 

Anyway, let's focus on finding this bag first : I'm sure it could be helpful once I’ll be facing the unknown, all by myself. 

The sound of my walkie-talkie seeking connection startled me. As I answer the call a few seconds later, an unfamiliar voice spoke to me.

"Hello Y/N. Hope you're not too tired already, because you still seem to be far away from your goal : anyway, here's the exact location of the bag. » The person didn’t seem to be friendly just by the way they talked.

I wrote down the information on my notebook. “Okay, you got it all?”, asks me the voice in a firm tone as if the person was asking me this just out of politeness.

"Yes, thank you, it should be alright. If anything happens, I will contact you." 

"No, don’t call back. If anything happens, please activate the alarm signal on your tracker. No one will be able to come and help you in case of an incident, but we will send a replacement and finish the mission for you." The voice tells me in a cold tone. Ah. Thank you for reassuring me, I absolutely do not shit myself right now. « Oh okay… » I said, becoming aware of the situation they put me in. « Bye then. Good luck. » and right after that, she hung up. Bitch. Nevermind, why would I shit myself thinking about something that won’t happen ? Why would even something happen to me? There isn’t much outside of Dema, the majority of the land out there is lost and lifeless. 

I sigh to myself and began to walk. From now on, I’ll focus on my surroundings and find the bag as soon as possible. I don’t want to go back to this shitty place. ever. 

[jellyfishsthings]

My lips. Your lips. Apocalypse.

Warnings: angst, smut

part 1, navigation

A whole eternity seems to pass instead of mere hours, until he wakes up. He looks all around him, bleary-eyed. His eyes land on me and the gun I am holding and naturally he panics trying to move to cover himself up only to notice that his hands are tied to the bed.

"You know." He says it as a statement and not as a question. I simply nod, unable to frame my thoughts. "Are you going to turn me in?" He asks in a scared voice.

Thing is that Hydes are manipulative and completely controlled by their urges and yet… all I see is Tyler. My Tyler. So I nod negative. "Will you let me go? What are you going to do to me?"

"I don't know." I whisper." I have been sitting here for over three hours trying to find a solution but I am still empty-handed."

I hear the front door shut loudly and after that.

"Tyler, what did I say about taking out the trash."

I quickly unlock his handcuffs and quickly get out of the window running at full speed into the forest, until my lungs give out. Supporting myself in a tree bark as I take deep breaths. That's when I feel a hard chest press me to the tree, gluing my front and turning my head to the side. My breaths are uneven and panicky, yet I still pick up his scent, coffee with a smidge of his cologne.

"How-"

"I run fast. Now I want you to stay still and listen. Can you do that for me?" He whispers in my ear, as his breath fans my upper neck. I try to push backwards and free myself. That's when I feel something hard pressing in my backside and my cheeks flame. He presses me harder and I whine in protest." What did I just say huh? Do you see what you are doing to me?" My frantic beating heart seems to be trying to escape my ribcage.

A part of me rebels at that, Tyler wants me. But the more sensible part of me is scared out of his mind because as I let my mind slip into his, turning my eyes into a deep midnight blue, I see everything Ms Thornhill and everything she has done to him. So I make a fast decision in a slip of a second.

As I turn my head towards him as much as possible and mutter " Do something about it then."

He manhandles me, spinning me so to face him. Attacking my lips and tearing apart my shirt, exposing my bra-covered chest. His head dips down sucking mouthfuls of my neck and my chest and then somehow locating my nipples, wetting the thin material of my bra to pinpoint them and then sucking them, creating an amazing friction. My eyes well up as he slowly draws my bra straps down my arms, and attacks my nipples once again, paying them a special tribute, sucking licking and lightly biting them, being encouraged by my breathy moans.

I grab the hem of his t-shirt and feel up his strongly defined pecs, his midriff and then the v between his hips. Eager to see the rest of him. He chuckles and unbuttons my pants, letting them drop to my feet. He waits until I step out of them and grabs my thighs, easily lifting me up as my legs wrap around his waist. He lowers his pants and boxers and grabs my panties by the waistline. He draws them up slightly until they are snug against my entrance and then in one quick motion he tears them to shreds.

He grabs the head of his cock, running his finger over his tip and guides it towards my center. He looks me dead in the eyes and enters me in one swift motion. My tears finally spring free as I gasp at the feeling of him. I am filled to the brim, and despite the pain it feels amazing. He quickly starts moving, snapping his hips fast and hard. The force of his movements is so much that my back is moving up and down the tree bark, and it surely leaves red marks in its wake.

My hands latch to his shoulders, keeping him impossibly close, and he grabs handfuls of my ass, using it as leverage to bounce my on his cock. My moans are loud and borderline pornographic as he hits all the right spots. Before I know it my stomach contracts and my pussy tightens around him, resulting in the curses that fly out of his mouth. I am so close, and he knows it. I am ready to let go as I feel a sharp pain in my ass cheek.

"You cum when I say so. Understand princess?" He punctuates the question with a couple of spanks and I squeal in delight as my back arches and my tits land in the front of his face. He takes full advantage of that, wrapping his lips around one of my nipples once more.

"Tyler please." I sob. His answering chuckles are muffled by my breast. His thrusts soon after turn sloppy and lose their rhythm.

"Let go for me" he whispered into my skin and that is exactly what I do. I see stars under my eyelids. And pant as his forehead rests against my own. I slowly regain my senses and most importantly my composure, as I open my eyes and find his loving stare and giddy smile. I feel my heart tore open as tears run down my face and collect in my chin. His expression turns into a confused one as he sees my tears and asks. "What's wrong princess?"

"I am sorry Tyler. I love you." I say as my eyes turn once again midnight blue. I slowly collect his memories, those that include Thornhill, those that include me and turn them into ash. I make him forget and instead plant the idea of the High-strung academy, the one that accepts mythical creatures as students, the one he will be safe. His body slowly sags against mine as he loses his sense while his brain rebuts. My feet fall to the ground, they are weak but they still hold up my weight. I dressed us up and I let him rest against the tree. That beautiful mahogany tree.

My torn shirt does little to protect me from the cold weather, but I pay no attention to it. I walk fast, with a purpose as I find my phone in my pocket and I dial a number. I hear it ring a couple of times before I hear an answer.

"Hello this is the Jerico police department. What is your emergency?"

"I found a boy in the woods please. Come quickly."

"Alright ma'am tell me exactly were you -"

I cut the line short and hide behind some bushes.

He is still visible from here. The police cars soon arrive and find him. Their Sheriff's son, he is safe. That's what matters. I wait until they disappear, only then do I allow myself to break in tears. Only then do I realize that I lost him forever.

words: 1.078