#One day i’ll serve them justice.. one day

[plutoons]

my artfight!!

Im still tryna sktech out oc refs n format stuff but i’m on there!! (Link under cut)

[cozage]

Would you write HCs for Sanji, Zoro and Ace (separate) with a dominant s/o who always manages to leave them all flustered and shy even if the s/o barely does a thing?

A/N: God Sanji was so painfully easy but the others were SO hard. I loved the challenge and I hope I served them justice. They got really dirty really fast- i hope that was okay 😭

Characters: gn reader x Sanji, Zoro, Ace

Cw: NSFW!!! Some kinkiness in this one. Flirting, edging, bondage (kind of), a little bit of humiliation

Word Count: 1.5k

Hey Minors- DNI with this post! I have so much more content for you to check out! If i find any minors interacting with this post, I’ll block you! (and then you won’t be able to read any of my work, so just skip this one!)

Flustered

Sanji

Quickest way to get him flustered? Corner him in the kitchen. Anything in the kitchen. Anything at all. This man gets flustered over anything and everything.

Your favorite thing to do is to come up behind him while he’s chopping up ingredients, peek over his shoulder, and ask if you can have some. If it’s a fruit or vegetable, you just reach over him and grab it off the cutting board, pop it in your mouth, give him a kiss on the cheek, and continue on your way. At first you didn’t even realize it made him flustered, but now that you know? Oh you do it all the time. Sometimes you even lean in on him and grind against him a little bit, just for extra fun. 

The first time it happened he almost fainted. He’s gotten better about it, but his knees still get weak every time you come up behind him like that and whisper in his ear. 

Another thing that absolutely flusters him is the way you eat fruit. Not just the obvious banana, but cherries, strawberries, oranges, everything. If you catch his eye while you’re snacking, you just hold his gaze and slowly nibble away at whatever is in his hand. You’ll swirl your tongue around it, pucker your lips out, anything you can think of in the moment. 

Most of the time he’s captivated by the way you sensually bite down on each morsel, excruciatingly slow, while you only watch him. When there are other people present though, his eyes nervously flit around the room, trying to make sure that nobody notices your seductive moves (not that you’d care even if you were caught)

Ohhh but your absolute favorite thing! to! DO!!! And damnnnn, does it get him worked!!!! Up!!!!! You love to see something weird or adventurous or just totally random and nudge Sanji to point it out to him. “Wanna try that in the bedroom?” you purr in his ear.

Sometimes it’s obvious, like handcuffs or food, but other times it’s less obvious, like candles or obscure clothing accessories. His eyes practically jump out of his skull every time you whisper those words to him. He ALWAYS nods enthusiastically, to which your response is always “Wanna go there now?”

This poor man is so in love with you he practically races back to the bedroom with you in his arms, eager to see what you’ll do to him next. 

Zoro

Zoro started out as the dom in your all's relationship until one very fateful, life changing day. 

You walk into his weight room, seeing him bench press an ungodly amount of weight. You saunter right over to him and straddle his stomach right in the middle of his bench press. 

“What are you doing, woman? Get off me!” Zoro pushes the barbell up with some difficulty and holds it in a locked position. “I’m trying to train!”

“You’re always training,” you pout. Your finger starts at his collar bone and traces down his chest until it reaches his belly warmer. “You never pay any attention to me.”

“Don’t be a brat! I’ll get to you when I’m done!” He struggles under you, trying to shake you off, but you squeeze your legs together to keep yourself on him. You sit back slightly, your weight now against his cock, and he gives you a baffled look, surprised at your boldness. 

“You just stay right there,” you murmur. You bend down to kiss the nape of his neck and begin working your way down his chest, mimicking the trail you just make with your finger. “I’ll take care of the rest.”

And you certainly do take care of the rest. Zoro stays in his locked position, the weight of the barbell trapping him in his current stance. After that, Zoro only ever wanted you to take the reins in the relationship.

Anytime you walk into his workout room after that, he drops whatever weight he’s currently holding. His arms hurt for DAYS after that first encounter, and he does not want to be trapped in that position again. Sometimes you just wink at him and relay the information you went to tell him, sometimes you tease him about it. On a rare occasion-the occasion he always hopes it will be-you’ll command him to pick whatever he dropped up again, and you’ll get to work on him. 

Sometimes you’ll just suck him off, sometimes you’ll do a quickie, sometimes you’ll sit on his face, but the most glorious moments are when you have him hold a stance while you slowly work on him. Edging him close and then stopping right before he cums, hearing him curse at you while you moan his name. Oh, those are your favorite moments. And they’re his too.

You guys made a code word for “I’m horny and want to fuck”, which is “I don’t know, Zoro, what do you think?” and GOD it is so hilarious to watch his face grow red in public when you seemingly ask him an innocent question. The crew always makes fun of him because they think it’s funny to watch him get worked up over having to be a part of a conversation, but you know better. 

Honestly even just the little things like winks or little kisses on the cheek as you pass him makes him unsettled. PDA in general makes him so awkward and tongue-tied, and you love watching him get flustered over the littlest of things. 

Ace

People always think that Ace is the dominant one in your relationship, but they just aren’t paying enough attention. And neither of you ever care to correct them. 

Sometimes you joke about it when people make jabs at your alls sex life. “Oh Ace, you want this rope for later?” some crewmate will jest. “He won’t need it, but I might,” you respond. Ace always goes beet red when you make lewd jokes like that, but everyone just laughs it off. 

This man will do anything you tell him to, without ever needing incentive to. Sometimes you like to put the promise of a reward in place, just to see how quickly he can get a task done. Little rewards like kisses are usually enough to get him moving, but sometimes you like to offer extra special rewards in the bedroom to see just how fast he’ll work.

You love to sneak up behind him and trace the outline of his back tattoo. The second he feels you, he tenses, but he quickly relaxes into your touch when he realizes it’s you. He’ll even lean his head back to see you, silently begging for a kiss from you. Of course you always give him what he needs. 

Sitting on his lap always gets him flustered too. He’ll just be sitting, casually talking to his friends, and you’ll just sit down on his lap, like it’s the most normal thing. If he’s eating, you’ll take a bite of whatever he’s having. When you’re feeling really devious, you’ll just straddle him and wrap your legs around his back and your arms around his neck, completely demanding his attention until he gives you a kiss. 

Oh and you also LOVE to take his hat from him. Just as you walk by him, you’ll take it off his head and swiftly place it on your own without saying a word. If he starts to protest, you just look back at him and wink, and that shuts him up real fast. 

He gets a little bratty occasionally, trying to act dominant in front of his friends. You’ll grab the tassel hanging from his hat and pull him down to your level. “What was that now?” You taunt him so only he can hear you, daring him to defy you now that he was eye level with you. He will instantly start stumbling over his words, embarrassed. You always give him a kiss on the lips and let him go off. As long as he knows who is in charge, that’s all that matters (and honestly, it kind of turns him on, you acting like that). 

In the bedroom, Ace loves letting you take control. He is such a pillow princess if you let him be. He’ll just lie back and watch you act on your own volition, letting you ride him all the way to both of your orgasms together.

Of course, he loves to love you. He’ll do literally anything you tell him to, and he loves to try new things and experiment with new ideas, and he’s always very vocal about how he feels about those ideas. He loves making you feel good and hearing you moan out for him, and he loves seeing all of your ideas and fantasies come into play by his motions.

[bisexualiteaa]

Mornings Like These

Cooper Howard x Fem Reader

CW: slightly NSFW, established relationship, mentions of sex, sexual daydream, OOC Cooper, Cooper in a frilly apron cooking, cursing, slight deviance from the canon, more domestic Cooper because 🥹❤️

AN: Had the most wonderful request to do something a little different than what I’m used to! I know it’s out of character for our cowboy ghoul but I just loved the concept. This is a continuation of my last work, so it is set in the same Fallout TV series and Fallout 4 tense. Breakfast is served my lovely Cooper simps, hope I did your ask justice @morrrrow !! Hope y’all enjoy!

“God damn this fuckin’ thing” spoke the ever recognizable southern twang of Cooper from the kitchen. You woke up to hearing a few pots and pans clank together as he removed them from the cabinet, and his not so quiet curses in frustration that he was a man who failed at being quiet. Outside of bounty hunting of course. You were still in bed, having just barely woken up as the sun poured in through the windows, making you rub the sleep from your eyes. You padded into the kitchen to see what all the noise was about, seeing him trying to work the stove that you both bought off of someone that was supposed to be repaired and in working order. “What a fuckin’ rip off” he said angrily as he threw the towel down on the floor that was resting on his shoulder, then leaned over the sink to breathe, doing his best to try to control his anger before he started breaking things. “Stove givin’ ya trouble, hun?” You asked, your voice carrying a sleepy rasp to it as a small playful smile stretched to your lips, making him look over at you. In that moment, it was as if all the anger inside of him had just melted away upon seeing you, clad in just a tank top and underwear, hair slightly messy from sleep. You were truly a sight to behold at all hours of the day in his eyes. “Shit, I’m sorry darlin’. I wanted t’ surprise you with breakfast but this damn thing won’t work. Shoulda known it was a fat load a shit when he said it was workin’” he replied, defeat and agitation still evident in his tone, making you walk closer to him and grab his hand. “Hey, it’s okay, Coop. I think it’s mighty sweet you wanted t’ do that. Can I take a look? Maybe a fresh set’a eyes can help?” You asked, watching as his shoulders dropped a little bit as the tension left him at your touch, a small smile reaching his thin, marred lips as he looked down at his girl. “Go ‘head” he replied, starting to follow you and what you were trying to do but you stopped him before he could do anything. “*You* have a seat and relax, I’ll take a look, ‘kay?” you said, your hands resting on his shoulders to make sure he listened to you, knowing well and good his stubbornness was his biggest attribute. He gave a grunt before giving in, recognizing that you just wanted him to relax after being all worked up. “I’ll take care of it, promise. I’m a big girl, but if I need anythin’ I’ll holler for ya” you said, smiling up at him sweetly once more as you rubbed his shoulders a little before kissing him softly. His hands rested on your hips for a moment as you kissed, and in that moment, everything felt at peace in the world. As you parted from the kiss, you turned and moved out of his way before coming to take a look at the new appliance. Well, maybe not *new* but new for post war standards. You took a look at the wiring, noticing that it looked pretty good for a shit box that survived a nuclear bomb or two. No rust, no corrosion, hell even the paint didn’t look half bad. Cooper knew he had to get it for you the moment your pretty eyes lit up with excitement upon seeing it, going on about how much you missed making homemade pies, casseroles, and bread. He knew you were one hell of a cook with the passion you put into making some iguana, or even your famous stew he’d grown to love that was made from just about anything you could get your hands on. He swore you put some kind of drugs in your food with the way he craved it all the time, he’d joke that you could put cyanide in it and still manage to make it taste delicious. And that was just over a fire, he could only imagine the creations you’d put out if given the right materials. Seeing you working a stove, in a house that was starting to get pretty settled into, would be one step closer to the dream of having a domestic life with you when the rest of the world had gone to shit. He wanted to see you happy, because when you were happy, everything was alright in the world in his book.

You opened the door to the stove, bent over and examining the inside for any reason as to why it wasn’t working. The broiler seemed good, all the coils were there, nothing was rusted or corroded so you weren’t quite sure what the issue was. Cooper however, was in a whole other world looking at you. Had he been the man he was before meeting you, he’d have had half the mind to fuck you right then and there while your body was half way in the oven. He gave a groan at his own daydream, watching you with your ass in the air, clad in just the panties you were wearing, making him shift in the small, dining room chair he was sitting on as his pants began to grown uncomfortably tight. You always had a way of getting to him, whether you meant to or not, that man stayed feral for you all hours of the day. He wondered if your moans would be muffled or amplified with your head stuck in the oven, how you’d squeeze him tight with the slight sensory depravation. What he really wanted was the memory to play in your mind each time you’d use it, for you to bend down and remember the way he used you in that same position as you’d slide a casserole in the oven. He was broken from his daydream when you called his name, finding that you were no longer in the kitchen but outside checking the power source. He stood up and walked towards the front door, leaning in the open doorway as you stood outside, looking to him with a relieved smile as you found the solution. “Was wonderin’ why it was so hot in there” you thought out loud, explaining that it was a problem with the power source, not the stove itself before flipping a few switches and connecting a few wires then hearing your electricity hum back to life. “‘s ‘cause you’re here” he joked flirtatiously, sending a wink and a smirk your way, making you giggle. “Wasn’t the stove, was the power. Radstorm must’ve knocked it out last night” you said as you both came back inside, plugging the stove back in and sure as shit, it turned on. You dusted your hands off, standing there proudly in front of your new, working oven. He was thoroughly impressed. “Well I’ll be damned, when’d you get so handy?” Cooper asked with a teasing grin, making you smile as he looped an arm around your waist proud that his little lady was able to fix the problem. “Since I had to start fixin’ things ‘fore you break ‘em” you teased, coming up to kiss his cheek as he swatted your ass affectionately in retaliation.

“Ya know, before you start cookin’ I have the perfect thing for you to wear” you said, slipping from his grasp for only a moment, making him raise a brow at you as you giggled and treaded into the closet of what you called your bedroom. You opened it, finding a frilly white apron you used to own back in the day when you would bake and cook everything by hand at home. You smiled as you grabbed it, knowing full and well you’d have hell to pay for this little stunt, but when has that ever stopped you before? So you snatched it up, leaving it folded before coming back into the kitchen and handing it to him. “A good cook needs a good apron, and I just know this one would look damn good on you” you said, handing it to him with the most mischievous glint in your eyes and grin stretched to your lips, leaving him to unfold it and look it over. Now this was where you were expecting to get in some serious shit. To hear a chide comment or a “never in a million years, sugar” but no, this man looked at you like you’d handed him a challenge, and he was going to take it in stride. So with a smirk, he set it aside and started to shake his duster off from his frame. “I’ll do ya one better there, little lady” he said, that look in his eyes told you he was up to no good and it had you curious. He started working his shirt off and you’d be damned if you weren’t enjoying the sight of him shirtless and just in his pants, the decorative buckle on his belt helping him maintain that rugged cowboy look. He noticed your stares, giving a dry chuckle. “Like whatchya see, sweetheart?” He asked, his voice dipping a little lower but he didn’t need you to say anything, he already knew the answer. “Always” you replied, a half lidded expression on your face as your tone dripped with something a little less pure. What you really hadn’t been expecting was when you saw him take his pants and briefs off before you, a slack jawed grin coming to your mouth as he tied the apron around his frame. Completely naked underneath. You gave a laugh as you watched him wear it with pride. “You sir, never fail to surprise me” you said, making him chuckle but you spotted the tent that started to poke at the apron where he was getting hard underneath. “Think you’re right, it’s a pretty good look” he said, turning to face away from you and you gave that same crude whistle he’d always give you when he liked something you wore or did, because you had an eye full of ass standing right in front of you. You walked up and stood behind him, wrapping your arms around his torso and laying kisses to his shoulder and back. “On second thought, who needs breakfast when you look this good? Hell, I think you pull it off better than I ever did” you said through a giggle, feeling him swat at your grabby hands the way you do when he gets handsy with you. “Can’t disturb a chef when he’s cookin’, sugar” he said coyly, making you chuckle as he started frying a few slices of Cram in the skillet. “Oh but you can disturb me when I’m doin’ laundry? I see how it is” You said playfully as you took a seat down at the dinner table you two found, it wasn’t much, but it was nice all things considered. Gave that homey touch that was missing from the house when you two first put together the settlement. You watched as he romped around the kitchen, going out of his way to put on a show for you and get you as worked up as you make him. “You are such a tease” you said, making him grin as he had his back turned to you, fully focused on making a good breakfast for the two of you to enjoy. “Welcome to my world, sweetheart” he said, making you laugh. You could certainly get used to this.

[mymoodwriting]

9.1k, traveling, solo vacation, heartache, comfort, stalking, manipulation, sight-seeing, dates, dizziness, losing consciousness, supernatural beings, plant manipulation, drugs, yandere themes (@starillusion13)

“Welcome to Proust House.”

You offered the three gentlemen a smile as you entered the house. It was big, and luxurious, the pictures on the internet did not do this place justice. You were so excited to be here, albeit a bit sad too.

“Is it just you?” One of the boys asked. “The reservation said it was for five?”

“Uh, yeah, yeah it was… but… things happened… so it’s just me, is that alright?”

“Of course, of course. Let me help you with your things.”

The boy took your suitcase, asking you to follow them to your room. As you walked the other two came along.

“I’m Doyoung, by the way.” The boy with your suitcase smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too. I’m y/n.”

“The other two are Jaehyun and Jungwoo. We are co-owners of this house.”

“It’s really lovely. I’m glad to be staying here.”

“And we are happy to have you. Alright, this will be your room. It is late so I presume you want to get some rest so we’ll leave you to it. Call us if you need anything.”

Doyoung assured you all your necessities were in the room, and that tomorrow he’d give you a proper tour of the house. You took your luggage from him and thanked him, all of them, wishing them a good night. Once you were alone in your room you could take it all in. This whole place was amazing and the room was no different. The sheets were soft and all the furniture looked well-cared for. You found you had a private bathroom, deciding to get ready for bed, but you still had some energy and weren’t all that sleepy. On the way in you had seen a pool area, and thought to go there. You didn’t plan for a midnight swim, but the soothing sounds of the water and staring up at the sky might help ease your mind.

“Will you be alright?”

“Huh?”

You had been sitting by the poolside when a voice suddenly startled you. It was Jaehyun, who quickly apologized for scaring you.

“I’m okay…”

“That’s good. I thought you’d be asleep by now, but perhaps you’re not tired.”

“Yeah, besides the night sky is beautiful.”

“It is. Although I’m wondering… will you really be alright?”

“What do you mean?”

“With us? Usually multiple people come to stay at Proust House, but it’s just you… will you be okay staying with the three of us here? There is no else at the moment.”

“It’s fine. That is if you’re okay with it, I understand you expected more house guests.”

“We’re alright, I just don’t want you feeling uncomfortable.”

“It’s kinda late for that.”

“Do you want to talk about it? I’m a good listener, and a stranger to you as well.” Jaehyun sat near you. “It might not be a bad idea to unburden yourself.”

“Perhaps, but it’s nothing new… I was supposed to come here with some friends and my… well I guess he’s my ex-boyfriend now.” You took a moment. “Last week I found out he was seeing one of my other friends who was meant to come on this trip too. I got upset and yelled and… no one took my side… so obviously… the trip kinda fell apart, but I didn’t want my vacation days to go to waste, and the reservation had already been made, so here I am.”

“How cruel. A wonderful woman like you should be cherished.”

You chuckled. “I guess I kept the wrong company.”

“Indeed. I’ll make sure to refund you for the others. You should have that money to spend on your vacation.”

“Ah, that would be nice.” A yawn escaped your lips. “I guess I’m finally tired.”

“I’ll escort you to your room.”

Jaehyun walked with you back to your room, wishing you a good night. Your earlier assumption was correct. The bed was very soft and cozy.

🖤

Come morning you woke to a gentle knock at your door. You heard a voice out in the hall letting you know breakfast would be served soon. Despite being sleepy you called out that you’d be down in a minute. You took a moment and then got up, looking around the room, feeling well rested. You went to the bathroom and freshen up, preparing for the day ahead and focusing on the good things. Right outside your door was the balcony to the courtyard, so as you stepped out of your room you were met with a whole new sight to enjoy. With the morning light you could see the house differently. 

It was so beautiful, and so full of life. You hadn’t noticed last night just how many plants were in the house, and how incredible it all looked. You didn’t know where the dining room was but you followed the smell of food, ultimately finding the right place. The boys all greeted you with smiles, happy to see you up. There was plenty of food on the table and they encouraged you to sit and eat. Before you could ask, Jungwoo confirmed that they had cooked it all, and kept in mind all of the allergies and dietary restrictions you noted when you first registered to stay at the house. You thanked them and ate, enjoying your meal.

“This is such a lovely home you have, what made you decide to open it up to outside guests?”

“Well, it was so beautiful we thought it best to share with others.” Doyoung commented. “I’m glad you’re already enjoying yourself.”

“Yeah. You also have a lot of plants. Sometimes it feels like I’m living in a garden.”

“That’s the other reason we invite others here.” Jungwoo mentioned. “The plants need more carbon monoxide and fertilizer.”

“What?”

“Jungwoo!” Jaehyun hit the other over the head. “Don’t make jokes like that.”

“What? I thought it was funny.” 

You did chuckle at the notion, seeing that these boys really cared for the plants in their home. After breakfast Doyoung showed you around the house, that way you could move around freely as you came and went. While getting familiar with everything you noticed a room full of flowers and other plants, curious about it.

“What do you guys do with your time? You must run some kind of business to have a place like this, or perhaps this is family wealth?”

“You have good senses. My friends and I run a business. We make perfumes.”

“Oh wow, that’s cool. I guess it also explains the variety of flowers you have here.”

“Exactly, but the flowers here are for us to enjoy. If you’re curious, I did ask Jaehyun to leave a box of our perfumes in your room, a complimentary gift.”

“What? Oh no, I don’t think I can accept that.”

“Please. It’s the least we can do to make sure you enjoy your stay.”

“Thank you.”

The tour ended when you made it back to your room, and you thanked Doyoung for his hospitality. Even if you were alone on this trip, there were still things you wanted to do, and the day was young. After getting dressed you noticed a box on your bed and opened it up, seeing three bottles of perfume inside. They each had their own label, and you decided to check them all. The scents were unique and quite lovely and you figured you should use them. So for that day you decided to try on Mood Street.

On your way out you let Jaehyun know you’d be back later, and he wished you well on your day. Then you were off. You had called a cab earlier, and were excited to venture out into the area. The sun was shining down on a happy day, and you knew what you wanted to do with your time. As you walked the streets you were greeted by many smiling faces. It seemed the people here were happy to see tourists enjoying their home, and were more than eager to recommend things you should do. Even though you were enjoying yourself, there were reminders all over of what had happened to you.

Couples were out walking together, smiling and laughing, sharing meals and making memories. You had been doing that too not so long ago, but everything had fallen apart now. Seeing all this soured your mood a bit, but then you were met with an unexpected surprise. Jungwoo had been walking down the street with flowers in hand and listening to music. When he noticed you he happily waved and approached, curious as to what kind of adventures you had been on so far. Yet he was quick to note the sadness in your eyes. You hadn’t told him directly about your current predicament, but Jaehyun had shared the information, wanting all three of them to make sure you enjoyed your time here.

“What’s wrong?”

“Huh? Nothing…”

“Hm.” Jungwoo looked around. “This is a beautiful place. Although it’s best to share these memories with someone else.”

“…”

“Come on, I know a great cafe around here.”

Before you could say anything more Jungwoo took your hand and pulled you along down the street. It was sudden, but you didn’t feel nervous or uneasy around him. He was a stranger to you, yet he felt familiar and safe. Jungwoo took you to this little place, greeting the older lady behind the counter.

“Could you hold these for a moment.”

Jungwoo handed you the flowers he had been holding, getting out his wallet and ordering, asking you what you wanted. You browsed the menu and picked something out.

“Is she your girlfriend?” The cashier asked. “She’s pretty.”

“Oh, no.” Jungwoo smiled. “She’s a guest at Proust House, but she is very pretty.”

You felt shy hearing Jungwoo’s words, trying to hide your face in the flowers. Once you got your drinks Jungwoo suggested sitting down and enjoying them. You picked a spot by the front window, able to look out at the streets and see life pass by.

“Can I ask, why did you buy flowers? You have a lot at home.”

“These flowers we don’t grow at home, and we wanted to use them for our next fragrance. There’s this lovely flower shop nearby that we go to and order with when we need some different types of flowers.”

“Ah, that’s pretty cool. How long have you been a perfumist?” 

“A couple years now.”

“So what made you take on this career?”

“I always loved how one can mix together things like flowers and herbs and so many other beautiful things to create such a wonderful scent. I honestly just started experimenting before I thought to make this into a full on business. The others had the same idea and now here we are.”

“That’s great. To take something you enjoy and make a career out of it, not to mention you share it with others.”

“Yeah. You’re wearing my perfume today.”

“Oh? Mood Street is yours?”

“Yup. What do you think?”

“I love it. The smell reminds me of my childhood.”

“Really?”

“Yup. It’ll certainly pick up my mood in the future.”

“I’m happy to hear that.”

After finishing your drink you went with Jungwoo as he showed you around to his favorite places. He certainly helped you put your worries aside and made you feel less lonely. Before you knew it the whole day had gone by and you had such a wonderful time. Jungwoo had driven out, so of course he took you back to the house. You were happy to be back, and the two others welcomed you. They had prepared dinner, and it smelled amazing. While you ate you told them of your adventures and the things you did with Jungwoo. They listened intently, really making you feel like you were with friends.

“I see you really enjoyed yourself today.”

“Yup. This place is as amazing as they say. I’m glad I came.”

“We’re happy to have you too.”

“I’m going to turn in for the night. Another busy day awaits me tomorrow. Thanks for dinner.”

“Have a good night.”

The sun was barely peeking over the horizon, filling the sky with the light of dusk. You took a moment to stare up at the beautiful sky, a soft smile on your face. The day really had been good despite the small bump. Even if things back home were complicated you were glad to be here, able to just focus on the present and be happy. You eventually returned to your room, getting ready for the night and getting cozy in bed. It didn’t take long for you to fall asleep, happily embracing the darkness.

🖤

The sound of birds chirping slowly pulled you from your slumber. Sunlight creeped into the room through the curtains, welcoming the new day. You didn’t need a wake up call this time, actually bumping into Doyoung as he was on his way to tell you breakfast was ready. He was pleasantly surprised to see you up and with a smile on your face. The two of you headed down to the dining room, seeing the others setting up the table.

“Good morning, did you sleep well?”

“Very much so. The bed here is super comfy.”

You didn’t eat too much in the morning as today’s plans involved trying all kinds of local cuisine and street food. You excitedly got ready for the day and then went over to the box of perfume you had. Yesterday you had tried Mood Street, so today you thought to try ?! since it would likely match your feelings that day. Another wonderful aroma filled the room, and you were good to head out. Once again you had called a cab to pick you up, heading to this brunch spot with raving reviews. Simply walking through the door made your stomach grumble despite a light breakfast. You picked out something new and something you were familiar with, wanting to make sure you still ate regardless of whether you liked the food or not.

After having your fill you went on a walk around the neighborhood, taking in how beautiful it was. There were so many plants around. Trees lined the sidewalk providing wonderful shade, and one could find different flowers on different streets. Not to mention many vines grew up and along the buildings, blooming flowers of their own and adding another level of beauty to the buildings. It honestly felt more like walking through a huge garden than some normal street. The aromas of the flora mixed with the foods around, it was divine simply to walk by. One could go on for hours and still enjoy themselves.

You stopped by a cafe for a drink, having it while you continued your walk and took pictures. You didn’t even realize it was past lunch until your stomach growled at you. It seemed you had really gotten lost in the scenery. You found a nice bench to stop at, looking through your phone to see where you’d be going for lunch. There were a few wonderful places nearby and once you had your choice down you were on your way. The place wasn’t as busy since it was past the lunch rush so you were seated and attended rather quickly. You ordered from their specials, excited to try everything you could stomach.

While you were in the middle of your meal you heard a big group of people come into the restaurant. They had a reservation and were apparently celebrating a couple’s engagement. Without meaning to you found yourself staring, realizing that was supposed to be you. Out with friends and celebrating the milestones in your lives. You finished up your meal and then headed out. The warm sun shining down on you picked up your mood a bit, and you went back to aimlessly walking the streets. 

As it got later in the evening you found an ice cream shop and stopped for a treat, staring out the window at the world passing by. It was good to be alone with yourself every once and a while. You don’t have to worry about another person and can just exist and be happy while doing things you enjoy. You zoned out for a moment and then snapped back to reality when there was a knock on the glass. You glanced over to see Jaehyun out on the street, waving at you before making his way into the shop. You were pleasantly surprised to see him, as was he.

“What are you doing here?”

“I was just around.” Jaehyun mentioned. “I saw you from across the street, but I wasn’t sure it was you until I got a closer look. How’s your day been?”

“It’s been good. I’ve walked around a lot and eaten just as much.”

“Sounds like a good day. Are you gonna head back to the house soon? Or will you be having dinner somewhere else?”

“I was planning on going to a restaurant for dinner but…”

“What?”

“I think I should just head back and eat with you guys.”

“Ah, you don’t want to be alone?”

“I… well I guess it looks weird eating alone when others aren’t…”

“Then I’ll join you.”

“Huh?”

“There’s a nice place I know around here, let’s go have dinner together.”

“I…”

“Just say yes, come on, I know you’ll love it.”

Before you could say anything more Jaehyun took your hand in his, leading you out of the little parlor and back onto the streets. The nice evening breeze brought a smile to your face, and after a moment you stared down at Jaehyun’s hand holding yours. His touch was so warm and inviting, you honestly didn’t want him to let go. The two of you went down a few blocks before coming to a stop. From outside you could see the restaurant had a cool atmosphere and soon enough you were inside.

“Table for two, please.”

“Jaehyun, so good to see you again. I see you have a date.”

“Oh, we’re not-”

“She’s pretty isn’t she?”

“Jaehyun.” You hissed in a giggle.

“What, it’s true.”

“If you could follow me, please.”

You were still trying to contain your smile, Jaehyun returning the sentiment and pulling you along. He pulled out your chair for you and then sat across from you. Once the waiter brought over the menus he began to tell you about the dishes and what was best in his opinion. When the food and drinks were decided Jaehyun asked about your day, wanting to hear about your adventures and see the pictures you had taken. You were happy to share and he was delighted to listen to you go on and on. After dinner Jaehyun suggested going on a little walk to help the food settle and bid farewell to the evening. You loved the idea and the two of you found a nice place to enjoy the sunset.

It had been a long adventurous day, and you were certainly tired. Jaehyun kept you close as you walked to the car, making sure you didn’t stumble and hurt yourself. You took a little nap on the drive back to the house, Jaehyun gently waking you and helping you to your room. He laid you down in bed, helping you out of your shoes and asking if you’d be alright. Your sleepy self assured him you were good, so he wished you a good night and left you to rest. You wanted to curl up and sleep but it was better if you got ready for bed. You took a breath and got up, properly unwinding and then getting under the covers. It had been another good day, and you happily welcomed sleep.

🖤

Since yesterday had been such a busy day you wound up sleeping in a bit, only waking when there was a knock at your door followed by footsteps. A nice aroma filled the room and you got up, squinting your eyes until your vision cleared up and you saw Doyoung with a tray of food. He set it down on the nightstand and went over to open up the blinds. Fresh air and warm sunlight filled the room, creating a wonderful atmosphere. You sat up and stretched, rubbing the sleep from your eyes as Doyoung set the tray on the bed.

“For our special guest, breakfast in bed.”

“It smells delicious. You didn’t have to do all this. I would have gotten up eventually.”

“Perhaps, but I don’t get to do this often. So, what’s your agenda for the day?”

“Hm, not so sure. Although since the weather looks so nice I think I’ll pay a visit to the local museums.”

“Really? Why don’t I accompany you.”

“That’s not necessary, I’m sure you’re busy.”

“Not today. Besides, I’d like to go with you. I can share some of the history behind certain pieces, like your personal guide.”

“That does sound fun.”

“Excellent. You finish up breakfast and let me know when you’re ready to go.”

“Alright.”

Doyoung left to let you eat in peace. You were quite excited for the day ahead, happy to know you wouldn’t be alone. After eating you got ready, trying out the last perfume bottle from the box, February to April. Once you were good to go you went down to look for Doyoung. He was out in the garden and happy to see you. He brought the car around, and then the two of you were on your way. He took care of everything so all you had to do was enjoy yourself. The two of you walked through the art gallery, sticking close to one another. Doyoung would point out certain pieces and tell you about them, giving you all the more reason to enjoy such a piece.

For lunch you merely went to the museum’s cafeteria, not wanting to leave just yet. There was still so much to see, and you wanted to get to as much as you could. The day itself was just wonderful with Doyoung. You’d share your thoughts, take pictures, and just appreciate the atmosphere. It felt like things could go on forever, but you knew it was getting late, and it would be time for dinner soon. Doyoung was on the same page as you but he had something else in mind.

“You know, it’s not that late. We could go to a nearby market and buy somethings for dinner.”

“You wanna cook?”

“I’d love to make dinner for you. I feel like a home cooked meal is the perfect way to end the day.”

“I’ve never been to a market before.”

“Then it’s settled, let’s go!”

Doyoung was very excited to take you somewhere, and you were also curious about shopping at a market. Even if it was later in the day the place still seemed to be busy with people. Doyoung had you hook your arm around his, not wanting to lose you in the crowds, and then you were off. He led the way, pointing out certain stalls and asking you if you were in the mood for anything in particular. You were more interested in seeing what he wanted to do.

“Doyoung, it’s so good to see you.”

An older woman at a stall called out to Doyoung and the two of you made your way over. She could see you were buying ingredients for dinner.

“It’s been a while. I was wondering what was keeping you away, but I see now you found yourself a pretty girl.”

“Ah, she is very pretty.” Doyoung teased you. “Although she’s just a guest at our house for now. I want to make her dinner tonight, so I brought her to the market.”

“That’s a good date idea.”

“Do you have any recommendations?”

You chatted with the woman for a while before buying some veggies and going on your way. Now that you thought about it, the boys from the house really seemed to know a lot of people in the area. Everywhere you went with them there was always someone new to greet, and everyone kept thinking you were their girlfriend. It made you shy, but also brought a smile to your face. After shopping you got some snacks and then headed home. You were excited to cook alongside Doyoung, following his instructions. Soon enough a rich aroma was filling the kitchen and you couldn’t wait to eat.

The other two peeked into the kitchen to see what was for dinner, surprised and happy to see you there. It made them all the more excited, saying they’d set the table so you could all eat as soon as you were done. You kept wanting to steal a bite here and there but Doyoung told you to be patient, lightly scolding you when he saw you trying to sneak some food. Once everything was finished you started moving pots over to the dining table, the other boys pouring drinks. Soon enough you were all seated and enjoying dinner together. You spoke of your day out in the museum and little trip to the market. Happily sharing your adventures once more.

After dinner you helped clean up the table and wash some dishes, feeling like this was a satisfying end to a good day. When you finished up with that you turned in for the night. You took a nice shower and then washed up before crawling under the sheets. You snuggled against your pillow, closing your eyes and easily drifting off into dreamland. You looked forward to what the next day would bring you.

🖤

You slowly woke from your slumber to the soft pitter-patter at your window. You didn’t know the time but your room seemed dark. You slowly got out of bed and went over to your window, pulling back the curtains and seeing that it was raining. Just to double check you stepped out of your room, being able to see the rain clearly as it fell onto the courtyard below. The scent in the air was calming, and you almost found yourself falling asleep standing up as the soft sounds of rain lulled you back to sleep.

“The forecast didn’t say anything about rain today.”

You opened your eyes to see Jungwoo walking over, a tray of food in hand. Today would be another good day for breakfast in bed.

“It’s nice though.”

“Do you plan on going out in this weather? I don’t think it’s gonna stop anytime soon.”

“No, no, I think today will just be a lazy day for me. Take a little break from all my adventures.”

“That’s for the best.”

“I’ll have breakfast and then go back to bed.”

“Sounds like a good plan. Here you go.”

“Thanks.”

“I’ll come pick up the dishes later so just leave them outside your room.”

“I will.”

“Let us know if you need anything. We won’t be going anywhere either.”

“Noted.”

Jungwoo let you get back into your room, heading off elsewhere. You had breakfast in bed, enjoying the food and staring out the window, enjoying the sounds of the rain. After eating you set the tray down outside your room and then got back into bed. With food in your belly and such relaxing sounds it was easy to fall asleep. You’d find yourself slipping in and out of consciousness, but you certainly didn’t want to get up just yet. You slept in until a little after one, still sleepy but feeling it was time to get up and do something.

It was still raining outside, but you didn’t mind. All the rain would be good for the plants out in the courtyard. It was past lunchtime so you were definitely a bit hungry. You didn’t want to bother any of the boys so you figured you’d be able to make yourself something. Although to your surprise it seems they were one step ahead. There was food in the kitchen that had been left for you. A note next to it let you know they had set it aside cause they didn’t want to wake you up to eat. You were grateful, reminding yourself to thank them later. You heated up the food and ate, making sure to clean up after yourself.

Since you had no intentions of going out you thought to explore the house. It was huge and despite being here for a few days you had only seen so little of it. You aimlessly wandered the halls, taking in all the beauty with the sounds of the rain as your background music. Art decorated the halls, and most doors were wide open, welcoming you in and really making it feel like you weren’t intruding on someone’s home. As you explored you came upon a peculiar sight, finding it rather amusing and giggling.

“Jaehyun?”

You walked past a room and then quickly did a double take. Jaehyun was sitting in a bathtub, fully clothed, while he stared out the window with a journal in hand. When he saw you he smiled, not at all embarrassed or nervous about his situation.

“Ah, you’re awake.”

“Yeah. What are you doing?”

“Just soaking in the tub. There are some flowers in here so it’s like a special type of bath.”

“And you take it fully clothed?”

“The world outside is soaked, I see no difference being the same.”

“Interesting take.”

“Why don’t you join me?”

“What?”

You weren’t entirely sure what Jaehyun was talking about, but he soon began to get out of the tub. He set his journal down and stepped onto the tile floor, getting water everywhere, but that was the least of his concern. He approached you and took your hand, leading you out into the hall. He was leaving a trail of water, but he didn’t care, and you couldn’t even ask what was going on. There was a smile on his face that brought one out of you too. Next thing you knew you were stepping outside into the courtyard, the rain coming down on you. In a matter of moments you were wet, soon completely soaked like him.

“Jaehyun!” You laughed.

“When was the last time you danced in the rain.”

Jaehyun pulled you close, wrapping an arm around your waist and spinning you around. The two of you swayed from side to side, going in circles as you danced. Things were a bit blurry, but you were enjoying yourself. It seemed like the plants around you were dancing too, and despite the rain you weren’t that cold. The moment was almost a bit surreal, like something out of a movie.

“You should stay with us.”

“What? I can’t hear you.”

“What are you doing!”

You heard a voice yell somewhere around you, and then Doyoung was pulling you away from Jaehyun. He quickly placed something over your head, shielding you from the rain.

“You’ll get sick out here, y/n.”

“It’s fine.” Jaehyun commented. “We were having fun.”

“I’m sure you were. Come on, y/n.”

Doyoung wasn’t gonna listen to the other, so he just started moving you out of the courtyard over to dryland. He led you to one of the bathrooms nearby, not commenting on the trail of water you were leaving behind. He wrapped you up in a towel, trying his best to dry you off. You found his actions very sweet.

“I’m alright, Doyoung. I didn’t mind being in the rain.”

“I know, but I don’t want you to get sick.”

“It’s fine if I…”

As you spoke it finally dawned on you why Doyoung was so worried about you. This wasn’t your house, and you were only here on vacation, getting sick is the last thing you should want.

“Sorry… I guess I forgot for a moment that I’m just your guest here. I shouldn’t burden you by falling ill, and getting sick could mean I miss my flight back home.”

“None of us have any problem with you staying. You could if you wanted to… and I wouldn’t mind babying you, but I don’t know if you’re alright with some strangers looking after you right now.”

“Ah, that’s true. Thank you for your consideration.”

“Of course. I’ll message Jungwoo so he can bring you a change of clothes.”

“Thanks. You should probably check on Jaehyun too.”

“He’s fine. Probably back in his tub.”

“He does that often?”

“Usually he’s naked, but I’m glad he took your presence into account.”

“I see.”

A moment later there was a knock and Jungwoo made his presence known. He set down some clothes for you and Doyoung stepped out to let you get changed. He said he’d make you some tea to warm up, so you should come by the kitchen once you were in some dry clothes. You thanked him again and then you were given some privacy. As you dried yourself off and changed you couldn’t help the smile on your face. Dancing in the rain had been wonderful, and not something you thought you’d do while on vacation.

Once you were all good you laid out your wet clothes in the empty tub and made your way to the kitchen. There you found Doyoung and Jungwoo. They were both glad to see you all dry and Doyoung poured you a cup of tea. The warmth of the cup certainly felt nice, and you gave it a moment before taking a sip. You really did need this, adding to the comfiness and happiness of the moment. Jungwoo asked if you had fun, and you nodded gleefully. You kinda felt like a child while you were out in the rain. Thinking back, you weren’t sure you had ever done that before.

“It was really fun.”

“Well, hopefully you don’t get sick.” Doyoung commented. “Our medicine cabinet is right here. If you need anything please just grab it, you don’t have to ask.”

“Thanks.”

“You know what you should do before you go.” Jungwoo mentioned. “You should come with me while I do deliveries.”

“Deliveries?”

“The people around here do buy our perfumes, so it’s fun to go around and deliver them.”

“Yeah, that does sound awesome. I’d love to go with you.”

“Cool. We don’t leave until after breakfast, but I can wait up if you want to sleep in.”

“I’ll try not to.”

After tea you decided to join the two in their theater room to watch some TV and wind down before dinner. You leaned against Doyoung’s shoulder at one point, lightly dozing off. Neither disturbed you and let you take a nap, enjoying the TV and watching you sleep. Doyoung gently moved your head over to Jungwoo, excusing himself to start dinner. Jungwoo was more than happy to keep you company until you woke up on your own or dinner was ready. It wound up being the latter.

You were a bit sad you didn’t get to help with dinner, but the boys assured you it was alright. You were technically their guest more than anything, so they should take care of you. Dinner was wonderful as always, and you were excited for your outing with Jungwoo, still, you had to sleep first. You had a little trouble with it but were ultimately able to fall asleep. Since you didn’t want to drag you set an alarm. You beat Doyoung from giving you your wake up call, and the two of you went down to the dining room together. After breakfast you got dressed and were soon out with Jungwoo.

“So we have a few stops to make, but they are all over the place.”

“I don’t mind being out all day with you.”

“That’s good to know. We can make some stops along the way if you see anything you’d like.”

“I’ll let you know.”

This was like your first day here, except you moved with purpose. You could still enjoy the scenery and get some street food, but you were always on the move. You saw that the boxes of perfume were just like the one you had been gifted. The design was simple, yet elegant. For the most part the boxes were left on people’s doorsteps after knocking. Jungwoo assured you the area was peaceful and no one would steal it. Besides delivering you did put up a few flyers, their own local way to advertise themselves and let people know about their latest products. It was a little old fashioned but nice.

The day went by rather fast, but you were happy every moment. By the time the sun was setting you returned back to the house. Jungwoo took you up to the rooftop garden, tending to his plants and where the two of you could enjoy the sunset. It was a wonderful day to end your day, that is until dinner came around. Doyoung told you that they had prepared a special dessert for you. A sort of traditional dish from the area that you had to try at least once while you were here. It was delicious, as expected, there was even this cute little edible flower. You cleaned up after dinner, telling the others you’d be heading to bed. They all wished you a good night.

Tomorrow was your last day before your flight home. It was a little sad that you had to return back to your old life, but you enjoyed your stay here. As you walked over to your room you stopped to notice the plants. It seemed the vines had grown a lot as they were now curled around the balcony. You stared out into the courtyard, definitely seeing more life in the plants after a delightful shower. As you made it to your room you suddenly felt a little dizzy. You grabbed the doorknob but didn’t have the strength to turn it.

You wound up collapsing to the floor. The world was spinning and you tried to call out for someone, but you didn’t have the strength. Black was starting to fill your vision and you felt some footsteps shake the ground. You couldn’t make out the face of whoever found you, but you were at least glad to know someone was there. You felt some hands on you, but then everything faded to black.

🖤

You felt sunlight on your face as you began to regain consciousness. You peeked one of your eyes open, seeing the glass door wide open, letting in the sun and a gentle breeze. It felt nice on your skin, but then you realized you weren’t in your room, and you weren’t alone. A groan beneath the covers next to you drew your attention, and then you saw Doyoung. You yelled, a bit startled, and nearly fell out of bed, but Doyoung managed to grab you. Even if you were awake, there was only a moment of clarity before you felt uneasy.

“Be careful, you still need to rest and get some sun.”

“What… what happened…”

“You just fainted for a bit, too much excitement I suppose.”

“Oh… then why…”

“I didn’t want to leave you alone after that. Sorry if this is strange.”

“I understand… thank you, and sorry for troubling you.”

“It’s no trouble at all. We just want to make sure you’re alright. I’ll go get you some breakfast, you stay in bed.”

“Okay.”

You closed your eyes and went back to resting, wanting to enjoy the sunlight. You drifted off for a moment before Doyoung returned, breakfast tray in hand. It was a light breakfast but satisfying nonetheless. Doyoung let you sleep some more, saying he’d come by to check on you later. You wound up sleeping until noon, waking up on your own and getting out of bed. You stepped out onto the balcony, basking in the warm light. There was something so nice about the day, and you did feel better than earlier. You stayed out there for a long while until Doyoung returned to check on you.

“I see you’re finally awake. How do you feel?”

“Better.”

“That’s good. It’s best if you stay home today, I need to keep an eye on you.”

“Hm…”

“I know your flight is tomorrow, so this is surely not how you wanted to spend your last day but I assure you it’ll be good.”

“I’ll keep you to that.”

Even if half the day was already gone there were still things to keep you busy with. You went with Doyoung to his work area. It was a room you hadn’t been to before. There were flowers and herbs and spices, and so much more all over the place. The table at the center had a bunch of equipment, and you could see certain liquids in some beakers.

“So you really just work from home.”

“Yup. We work our own hours and don’t have to worry about any sort of commute.”

“This looks amazing.”

“I do have some perfumes I need to work on, but since you’ll be with me today-”

“You want me to help?”

“Oh no, it’s alright. I thought perhaps you’d want to try and make your own perfume.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I can teach you the basics, and you have a lot of variety to work with.”

“That sounds awesome.”

Doyoung helped you set up in your own little station, talking to you about how to build a perfume. You were excited to try and he gave you some time to experiment. He worked quietly in his own area, and you’d occasionally sneak a glance at him. He looked so focused on his work, you could see he really liked what he did. A moment later the door opened and Jaehyun came in. He was clearly looking for Doyoung but stopped when he noticed you and smiled.

“Hello, how are you feeling?”

“Better.”

“You got plenty of sun?”

“Yeah.” You chuckled. “It’s a really sunny day.”

“That’s good. You been drinking plenty of water?”

“Uh, I had some earlier.”

“I’ll get you some then. I’ll be right back.”

“I’m really okay guys.”

“I know, but still.”

Jaehyun left as quickly as he came and you were rather amused. You were up and on your feet, not that sick anymore, but they seemed to be insistent on taking care of you. A moment later Jaehyun returned with some water for you and some snacks.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

Jaehyun stuck around and helped you with your perfume, letting Doyoung work in peace. He was very patient with you and gave his opinions on the scents you were choosing. You had figured out what you wanted to do, so he helped you set everything up. Now you just had to be patient.

“Will it be ready by the time I leave tomorrow?”

“It’s already that time?”

“Yeah, I have a flight in the afternoon, but I should be at the airport in the morning, just to be safe.”

“I see. Well don’t worry about that. Everything will work out.”

“Good.”

“Jungwoo went out to do some errands, but he’ll be back shortly, we should all go out tonight.”

“That’s not a good idea.” Doyoung mentioned. “It’s best that she stays home.”

“One night won’t kill her.”

“Let’s not test that. There will be plenty of times in the future to go out.”

“But tonight’s my last night…” You mumbled. “I’m sorry I got sick…”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant…” Doyoung sighed. “Fine, let’s go out tonight and celebrate.”

“Yes!”

Jaehyun took your hand and led you elsewhere in the house. If you were going out you’d need something nice to wear. You hadn’t really packed anything like that, but Jaehyun had the perfect solution. He took you to this room, almost like a walk-in closet, with lots of clothes, for both men and women.

“Wow… this is awesome.”

“This place is wonderful so we thought of having some fancier clothes for guests. You can choose whatever you like.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

You were excited by all the dresses around, eagerly taking them in and asking Jaehyun for his opinions. In the end you picked a dress of your favorite color, going off to get dressed and ready. A night out with friends, that’s all you had really wanted from this trip. It may not be with the people you originally had in mind, but you knew you’d have a wonderful time nonetheless. Once you were ready you waited out in the courtyard for a while, Jaehyun coming to collect you, dressed nicely as well. You met up with the other two, Jungwoo stepping out of the car to open the door for you. The car was perfect for four, and you sat in the back with Jaehyun, while Doyoung drove and Jungwoo sat in the front.

Soon enough you were on the road, Jungwoo and Jaehyun eagerly telling you about restaurants and things to do. They were talking as if today wasn’t your last night here, or with them, which you honestly didn’t mind. Even though you had only known them for a short while you felt like you had become close. You certainly wanted to return sometime in the future. Eventually you arrived at this fancy restaurant, being seated up on a balcony area where you could enjoy the skyline with your meal. They boys encouraged you to have whatever you wanted and not to worry about the prices. Not that the menu showed any.

Dinner was nice with the cool breeze and delicious food. Dessert was just as good, and to end the night you all decided to go for a drive. All the lights were beautiful, and you got to see the area in a whole new way. Just sitting there with your eyes closed and feeling the breeze was enough for you. Leaving you oblivious to the fond looks the boys gave you. As it got quiet you returned home, the boys taking you up to the rooftop to enjoy the moon and some drinks, nothing alcoholic since you were all winding down. It was so peaceful and relaxing, you found yourself dozing off, leaning against Jungwoo’s shoulder.

“We should probably put her to bed.” Doyoung mentioned. 

“Can she sleep with me?” Jungwoo asked.

“No. Let her sleep in her own bed tonight.”

Jaehyun volunteered to take you to your room, gently picking you up in his arms and taking you down. He politely undressed you so you could sleep well, tucking you into the sheets. He admired your sleeping form for a moment before placing a soft kiss on your head.

“Sweet dreams.”

🖤

“My flight!”

You jolted awake when you suddenly remembered what day it was. Your phone was on the nightstand, off, so your alarm hadn’t gone off. You were quickly out of bed and scrambling to get your things. The plan was to pack last night and take a nap before leaving, not actually sleeping. As you finished loading your suitcase you remembered your wet clothes from the other day that were likely still downstairs. You grabbed your things and made your way down, turning on your phone in the process. When you saw the time you felt a bit of relief, you could still make it with a few moments to spare.

Although as you were walking through the first floor you suddenly tripped over something and collapsed. You looked back to see what had knocked you down, only to find a vine curled around your leg. The sight was odd, but there were plants all over the house. You sighed, figuring you just weren’t paying attention and rushing. You sat up and reached down to remove the vine only to see it move and coil up further on your leg. Panic overtook you and you started yanking on it, only for the grip to get tighter. You screamed, trying to move away only for another vine to come from nowhere and grab your arm.

You began to struggle against the two, but more appeared, restraining you, and then you were being dragged somewhere. You continued to scream until a vine wrapped around your throat, forcing you to quiet down in order to breathe. Next thing you knew you were in the courtyard, countless vines wrapping around your limbs and pulling them all taut. The vine around your throat loosened up but one was quickly covering your mouth to keep you from making noise. You tried to think, to figure out what to do, but your options were very limited. Any little move you made just caused the vines to tighten their grip, and restrict you even more.

“Y/n?”

You looked over to see Doyoung rushing over to you. The vines quickly let you go and placed you on the ground. Soon enough you were in Doyoung’s arms, holding him close.

“It’s okay, you’re okay.”

“I… what just…”

“Sh, you don’t have to be scared, they just didn’t want you to sneak away.”

“… what?”

“It’s early, they were just worried. Come on, let’s get you back to bed.”

“No, no, I have to catch my flight.”

“You’re not leaving.”

“Huh?”

“You can’t leave. It’s already been decided.”

“What are you talking about?” You pushed Doyoung away. “My flight is today and-”

“I said you’re not leaving.”

You suddenly felt a vine wrap around your wrist, pulling you back and forcing you onto your back. In the blink of an eye you were restrained again, but it wasn’t as intense as before.

“Doyoung, help me!”

“If you have plans to leave, then I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

“What? Doyoung!”

Nothing made sense in the moment, but you were being consumed by panic once again. Something was very wrong here, something had likely been wrong for a while now, but you hadn’t noticed.

“Why would you want to leave? Our home is perfect for you.”

“I have my own home, my own life, to get back to! This-”

“Is where you belong. You can’t really leave now even if you wanted to.”

“What!?”

Doyoung moved closer to you, and the vines moved to restrain your arms behind your back, lifting you up to meet Doyoung’s gaze. You squirmed for a bit until a vine wrapped around your throat as a warning. Doyoung watched you for a moment, reaching to gently caress your cheek but you flinched.

“I said you don’t have to be scared. We’re not gonna hurt you.”

“Let me go!”

“I can’t do that.”

Doyoung revealed a knife, cutting his wrist and revealing something unexpected. Instead of blood gushing out this pink sticky substance spilled out. Even if nothing around you made sense, something was starting to dawn on you.

“… you… you’re not human… are you…?”

“I’m better.”

“… why… why-”

“And so are you.”

Your arm was suddenly yanked up closer to Doyoung. He gently grabbed it and pressed the knife against your wrist, creating a small cut. You watched as a similar pink liquid bloomed from your injury. A chill ran down your spine, making you feel so cold.

“… what… did you do to me…?”

“It was completely painless, and a success.”

“… when did you… was this always your plan!?”

“No, no, we were expecting you and your friends, but when you showed up alone, well, we just wanted to look after you. Although as you traveled around by yourself we knew you weren’t happy, so we did our best to cheer you up. You deserve better than to be abandoned by your friends, don’t you think?”

“But this-”

“Is a gift.”

“I don’t want it! Take it back!”

“I won’t be doing that. I can’t anyway.”

“Then why! You could have asked-”

“Would you have believed us? Would you have said yes? Darling, we all saw the truth. You weren’t in a good place right now to do what was best for yourself, so we took the initiative. Doesn’t it all sound so lovely? To stay here with us.”

“I… I… no, no, what you’re doing, what you did, is wrong! I won’t accept this!”

“Hm, that’s alright. Things are still changing so you might not fully understand right now. You should go back to sleep.”

Doyoung placed a soft kiss over your open wound, and you watched as it closed up. Then he took in a deep breath of your scent, a smile on his face.

“You always had a lovely scent, now it’s just magnificent.”

Next thing you knew flowers were blooming on the vines, their scent sweet and intoxicating, making the world around you blur. After a moment the vines released you and you fell into Doyoung’s embrace. For some reason he was so warm, and you snuggled up against him.

“Good girl, just another flower in my garden.”

“Doyoung? What are you doing up so early?”

Jungwoo walked into the courtyard as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. It took him a moment to register you in Doyoung’s arms. Although you could barely make out the voices around you.

“What’s going on? Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. Just up early and trying to leave.”

“Ah, right, her flight was today.”

“Not that she was going to take it.”

“Right. Are you going to take her back to your room?”

“I suppose, she shouldn’t be alone going forward. Why are you up though? It’s my turn to make breakfast.”

“The plants were bugging me to get up.”

“Me too.” Jaehyun yawned as he entered the courtyard. “They said y/n was escaping, but I see they handled it.”

“As if they’d let her leave.” Doyoung commented. “They liked her from the start.”

“Since you’re making breakfast I’ll take her to my room.”

“What?” Jungwoo questioned. “I was here first!”

“But I called dibs.”

“Ya, you both can take her and keep her company. I’ll bring breakfast to the room when I’m done.” 

“I like that.”

Jungwoo summoned a vine over, a flower blooming on it that he plucked. He knelt down in front of you, but you couldn’t really make out his blurry face. He softly pet your head before gently grabbing your chin and forcing your mouth open, placing the flower past your lips. A sweet taste hit your tongue, melting so fast and making you feel way more relaxed. You closed your eyes, already feeling like you were floating and drifting off into darkness. It wasn’t long before you were swallowed up by sleep.

“She’s so cute.” Jaehyun mentioned. “She’ll like it here.”

Jaehyun took you into his arms, Jungwoo happily following him. Doyoung watched them all go off, a pleasant smile on his face.

“My beautiful flowers.”

[seuonji]

night shift ★彡 xu minghao

xu minghao x yn ln

彡when yn’s juniors finds trouble with some fellow college mates, yn goes through mountains just to get them justice, even if it means needing to infiltrate and make friends with the most intimidating clique on campus.

masterlist

#5 better days when?! | #6 a bittersweet encounter! | #7 7th chance!

#work count 0.6k

you trudged into icey milk with slow steps, immediately catching minghao’s attention.

he stood at the front counter, eyeing your every step.

you decided to place on your kindest face to make a good impression. you walked to minghao and with a sincere smile, you introduced yourself, “hi, i’m yn ln, the new part timer!”

his eyes went back to the registry as he spoke, not even sparing you a smile, “yea i know who you are.”

“really? from where?” you tilted your head staying oblivious to the fact that you were literally the vice of your college. but you couldn’t lie, you took pride in having that title and you liked hearing it from other people.

“we have social studies together?” he faced you with furrowed brows. he spoke with a tone that sounded as if he was losing his patience with you.

you had no idea.

you had to hold yourself back from blurting a ‘we do?’ instead, you had to play pretend. “woah! right we do, i’m shocked you noticed me,” you laughed.

he suddenly muttered, “kinda hard to not notice you.”

“and what may you mean by that?” you squinted your eyes.

“well, you’re kinda loud in class. i think you should tone it down, you’re not setting a good example to the students around you, you know?”

no one, not even seungkwan has spoken to with such disgrace and disrespect.

you took a breathe in and stayed understanding to his opinion, “sorry, i’ll tone it down.”

after he relished in your astonished expression, he placed his hands in his pockets and rested on the counter, “well the manager should be in the back, they’ll give you your uniform then we’ll get started here.”

did this boy never learn how to smile? your mouth was still opened from shock even after you turned around to walk to the employees only room.

this was not going to be an easy shift.

-

you changed into the uniform and mentally prepared yourself before walking back out.

he stood there, still leaning on the counter. there was another worker tending to the customers and just by judgement, they looked kinder than minghao. you wondered why couldn’t you have the other employee as your mentor.

as you stood by your mentor, he placed down his phone and pointed to the machine beside him, “soft serve is the easiest to prep up so i’ll teach you that first.”

“isn’t it literally just you placing a cup or cone in the holder then the ice cream swirls on its own?“ you crossed your arms.

“right, but i don’t know, manager is kinda strict about the way the swirls look. i’ll demonstrate so that you can tell her later on i did teach you something,” he shrugged his shoulders.

he placed the cone underneath the machine and simultaneously swirled the cone to create the instagrammble ice cream effect.

he smiled proudly while he showed the finished product.

so he can smile, you thought.

suddenly, he placed it upside down over your head making you duck. he chucked at your bewildered expression as your eye twitched from his antics.

“my bad, was just showing you how firm the ice cream is, it won’t fall at all, i mean not unless it’s at its melting point.”

he had some wit to him and it was kinda entertaining.

“okay, you try,” he passed you a cone as he ate the one he just prepared.

you followed as he did, focusing on the ice cream but sometimes your eyes drifted to him to see his expression. he was deadpanned most of the time but gosh would some reassurance save you right now.

you finished it up and placed it infront of his face.

“does it look good?“ you widened your eyes.

he closed his eyes and nodded, “looks fine.”

you decided to pull the same trick as he did earlier. you turned the ice cream upside down then placed it over his head. it’s soft serve, it shouldn’t fall out right?

but it did.

and it fell all over minghao’s hair.

suddenly it’s as if you’ve seen light.

funfact: minghao asked to take early leave after the incident. to yn’s weird luck, they ended up getting trained by the nicer employee that day.

taglist: @weird-bookworm @kissesfrmwonwoo @haecien @amxlia-stars @addyanm @anemoiant @kokoiinuts @leewonkyeom @silver-liner @zzenkha @buffhoshi @woozixo @porridgesblog @ilovehimyourhonour @koala-wonderland @bangantokchy @limbomoon @som1ig

send an ask to be added to taglist! (replies are fine but i may not see them!!) — please check your visibility before asking to be added to taglist! if your account is hidden it won’t allow you to be tagged on posts!🤍

[nesiacha]

Saint Just's speech of November 13 analyzed in a few words by the famous lawyer Jacques Vergès

Jacques Vergès ( 1925-2013)

In a YouTube video, the famous lawyer Jacques Vergès is interviewed on an Algerian TV show. Vergès is well-known in Algeria because he was the lawyer for many members of the FLN (National Liberation Front) and, above all, fervently supported the cause of the Algerian revolutionaries. He not only defended them but also married one of the most famous Algerian revolutionaries, Djamila Bouhired. At the time, defending FLN members during the Algerian War was a huge risk. Lawyers could be assassinated by extremists, like Pierre Popie, who was killed by the OAS (Secret Army Organization), or Maître Ould Aoudia, who was allegedly assassinated by the French secret services, as claimed by Raymond Muelle (this is also mentioned in the video, among other things).

Where it becomes especially interesting for those of us passionate about the French Revolution (or experts, considering some Tumblr users ^^) is when, at one point in the video, Jacques Vergès is shown two images: one of Saint-Just and another of Louis XVI (specifically at 1:28:12). Vergès explains that Saint-Just’s speech to the Convention on November 13, 1792, is, in his view, an "indictment of rupture" (this holds significant meaning for Vergès, who excelled in defenses of rupture, having achieved the remarkable feat of never having a client executed, particularly in the highly rigged trials of colonial justice during the Algerian Revolution). This is rare, as prosecutors (or at least those leading the accusation at the time) typically invoked the law. Vergès then elaborates (I’ll quote him directly from here on): "In the king's trial, some argue that it was impossible to try Louis XVI because the monarch had immunity tied to his functions, while others argue that the moment Louis XVI betrayed that immunity, it no longer applied."

Vergès concludes by referencing Saint-Just’s speech: "One day, people will be astonished that in the 18th century, we were less advanced than in Caesar's time—there, the tyrant was slain in the Senate itself, with no other formality than twenty-three dagger blows, and no other law than Rome's freedom."

The video continues a bit further on the topic of Saint-Just. Vergès finishes by saying that Saint-Just serves as a fantastic example for youth, ending with the revolutionary’s quote: "I despise this dust that makes me up and that speaks to you; they may persecute it and kill this dust! But I defy anyone to take from me this independent life I have created for myself in the ages and in the heavens."

What truly intrigued me was the legal perspective of Vergès, a specialist in defenses of rupture, on Saint-Just’s speech—particularly the concept of the "indictment of rupture."

Here is the link to the video (but it is in French and there are no subtitles) as a reminder the part that interests us, that is to say the evocation of Saint-Just, is at 1:28:12

Here is the link to the video (but it's in French and there are no subtitles). Just as a reminder, the part that interests us—the mention of Saint-Just—is at 1:28:12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZsK9975YoA&ab_channel=allkhadra.

[jjkamochoso]

hii I love your choso stories!

if you haven’t done a story like this already and your requests are open, could you do something about dancing in the kitchen with choso for the first time? I imagine it to be full of giggles because they’re both nervous but in love ahh 🥹

and if you don’t want to, I totally understand! 💖

Hi oh my gosh thank youuuu!!! You’re so sweet🥺❤️🫶 this is such an adorable idea, I hope I do it justice with this! Enjoy :)

Half Curse, Half Human, Whole Lotta Dancing

Choso x gn!reader

Fluff

Warnings: none

Choso was running late.

He could’ve sworn he planned this better in his head but everything had gotten out of hand.

“Yuji! I need you on cooking duty! I have to shower!”

Choso had a great, lowkey date planned for you and him. He was making dinner, your favorite food you had mentioned on your previous date, but his timing had been off all day. He was tied up earlier helping take down a special grade curse, then all the grocery stores in the area were out of a specific ingredient needed in the dish he was making. When he finally got home to his apartment, it was hours later than he had given himself to start preparing. You were supposed to be over in 20 minutes and he was almost out of time.

“Yuji!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming! Geez.”

Yuji emerged from the other room, texting with one hand and grabbing the spatula from Choso’s hand with the other.

“I got this, Choso. You go… do whatever you need to do to stop freaking out.”

“Thank you!” the elder brother yelled, hurrying to get ready.

When he was all washed up and dressed, he checked the time. He had 2 minutes left before you were supposed to get there and he breathed a sigh of relief. He really liked you and didn’t want to make a fool of himself, especially so early on in your relationship.

“Food’s good to go. I’m hanging out with Fushiguro and Kugisaki until you’re done. So I might be sleeping over with them if you’re sleeping over with y/n,” Yuji said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Choso reached over to punch him, but Yuji was too fast and moved out of the way. Before anything else transpired, they heard a knock at the door.

“Y/n’s here and you need not to be,” Choso said, guiding Yuji to the door and opening it.

“Hey y/n!” Yuji greeted you, “I’d like to stay and talk but my mean older brother is kicking me out.” He extended his lower lip into a pout and you fake scoffed at Choso who was standing in the doorway.

“Big meanie Choso, huh? Don’t worry Yuji, I’ll talk to him for you. Knock some sense into the guy,” you said, ruffling Yuji’s hair.

“Both of you ganging up on me? I should’ve seen this coming,” he said, exasperated, as you and Yuji laughed. The younger brother bid you goodbye as you entered the apartment complex, giving Choso a big hug.

“Mmm! Something smells delicious in here!” you exclaimed, following your nose into the kitchen. Your date trailed behind you, timid about his attempts to woo you with your favorite food.

“I made your favorite,” he said, getting plates together, and your eyes widened in excitement.

“Choso! You shouldn’t have! Thank you so much, this means so much to me!” You gave him another big hug and even though he hadn’t ate yet, he felt full.

“Please, take a seat.” He pulled a chair out for you at the table. “I’ll serve you.”

When he set the plate in front of you, your mouth immediately watered. Tasting it was even better. Dinner was absolutely incredible and you two fell into easy conversation while eating. You spoke about what had happened since the last time you went out, how today was, and swapped funny anecdotes. When dinner was over and dessert was finished, it was time to do dishes.

“Since you cooked such a delicious meal and worked so hard, I’ll do the dishes,” you said, trying to take his plate, but he wouldn’t let you.

“Uh, no way. We’re on a date, it’s only right that I do it all for you. You deserve to rest,” Choso argued.

“You deserve to rest, too! You did all the hard work earlier. Besides, it sounds like today wiped you out. I’d like to help out in any way I can.”

You admired his selflessness and stubborn nature, but sometimes he did too much for other people and not enough for himself.

“Alright. We’ll both do them. I wash, you dry.”

“I wash, you dry, then we have a deal,” you countered. Choso could tell you weren’t backing down and he secretly appreciated your willingness to help him, even if it was something so insignificant as washing dishes. While he cleared the table, you put on some music to help make the chore go by faster. Rolling up your sleeves, you got straight to work. Pan after pan, fork after spoon, you scrubbed away, absentmindedly humming along to whatever song was playing and moving a bit to the beat. You didn’t notice Choso was staring you during all of this. You had put him in an almost trance-like state; he couldn’t get enough of you and the way you moved your body to the music. His heart was pounding in his chest as he thought about the kindness in your gesture of helping him clean up and he wished he could cook for you and wash dishes with you every day for the rest of his life. All of a sudden, he realized he was jealous of the way you, looking so effortlessly attractive and purely bewitching, were holding cutlery instead of him so he decided to do something about it.

“Dance with me,” Choso blurted out, startling you from your task at hand.

“What?” you asked incredulously. Choso was a man of few words, but the ones he chose to use, he spoke with such conviction and earnestness that no one in their right minds could turn him down. You especially, because in this moment, with soap bubbles flying around him and the kitchen light flickering ever so slightly, casting an ethereal glow over him, Choso had never looked more beautiful.

“Dance with me. Please?” His voice wavered on the second request but you had never been more sure of something in your life.

“I would love to.”

Choso took the soapy cutlery out of your hands to be dealt with later while you grabbed hold of both ends of the towel he had around his neck and pulled him in closer to you, smiles lighting up both of your faces. He placed his hands on your waist and you inadvertently jumped at the feeling of his still-wet skin, water slowly trickling down your sides.

“I’m sorry! I forgot to wipe them off,” he confessed sheepishly, pink tinging his cheeks while he anxiously used the dish towel that lay around his shoulders. You smirked deviously.

“I’m so getting you back for that!” In a flash, you reached behind him to scoop some leftover bubbles from the sink. The iridescent spheres now had a new home on the slope of his nose. All of a sudden, you both started giggling at the absurdity of it all as Choso took you back in his arms to sway to the music. He hadn’t had much experience dancing, much less with someone else, but thankfully, watching all those romantic comedies with Yuji had finally paid off as he had learned the basics of what to do. You were a mix of emotions as Choso gently indicated for you to do a little spin—nervousness, of course, was something you felt, but at the same time, you had never been more comfortable in your life. He had such a way of making butterflies appear in your stomach but an instant later it was like they were freed, flying far away and leaving no indication that they were ever there in the first place. As you spun back in and felt his gentle grip return to your body, you noticed that neither of you could help the big grins that wouldn’t fade from your faces.

“God, we’re so cheesy, aren’t we?” you laughed, “it’s like we’re in a movie or something.”

“If this was a movie, I’d give it a 5 star review on Letterboxd.”

You raised your eyebrow at him.

“You know about Letterboxd? You’ve been hanging out with Yuji too much.”

“You’re right, I have been. I’d like to spend more of my time with you, if you’ll have me.”

You broke his gaze, looking away shyly while exploding internally. Nervous Choso was adorable, sure, but this smooth version of him was certainly a force to be reckoned with. The upbeat tempo of the current song faded out and was replaced by a slow melody. Both of you tensed up, unsure of how the other was feeling.

“Do you… want to keep dancing? I know I do.” You hated how meek your voice sounded but you were so desperate to continue your romantic evening with Choso. Luckily for you, it seemed he had run out of suave comebacks— he was absolutely craving the chance to keep you so close to him so he nodded eagerly to your question.

“Y-yeah, I do too.”

You shuffled in closer to him as you two settled into a slow, steady rhythm. If your face felt warm, rest assured, his was BLAZING hot. Choso had dreamt of the moment he could slow dance with someone near and dear to his heart and now that it was finally here, he couldn’t wait to savor the experience. He wished he could bottle his memory of this dance, how radiant you looked, your e/c eyes filled with adoration as they found solace in his own deep brown eyes. If he died tomorrow, he’d die as the luckiest man in the world for having shared this dance with you. Your thoughts were mirroring his as well. There was nothing that could’ve made this night any better. Feeling Choso’s loving embrace, seeing him look upon you with such fondness— it was better than anything you had dreamt up all those nights thinking about him. As the song came to an end and the playlist was over, you two barely noticed, too enraptured in each other, love and yearning practically oozing out of you both. You noticed yourselves leaning in even closer, noses grazing and gazes never faltering until Choso’s eyes flickered to your lips and back up as yours did the same.

“May I kiss you?” he practically whispered, not wanting to ruin the tender moment.

“Please do,” you mumbled, equally as quiet, and Choso wasted no time placing his plush lips on yours. It took all of your strength and willpower not to have your knees buckle and melt into a puddle on the kitchen floor as he expertly slotted his mouth onto your own. Your hands moved into his hair, tugging slightly, but not ruining his perfectly placed buns, and he let out a content groan. In return, his hands found their way up your back as he held you tight, leaving a trail of goosebumps in his wake. When you eventually broke out of your loving embrace for air, you both felt flushed and out of breath, almost panting from your now swollen lips. Feeling giddy, you and Choso started giggling again, grateful to have shared such an intense yet gentle natured kiss. As you were catching your breath, you lifted your fingertips to softly trace Choso’s mark on his face, his eyes fluttering shut once more, relishing your touch.

“You’re so beautiful,” you muttered, really taking in all of his features as you admired him up close. He had surprisingly long eyelashes that rested on his pale skin. The dark circles around his eyes were prominent and ever so enticing. If you could only choose one thing to remember for the rest of your life, you think it would have to be what you’re experiencing right now because it truly felt like heaven on earth. It didn’t matter if you were in an apartment kitchen with layers of peeling paint around you or if you were in the Palace of Versailles—Choso was the most exquisite thing you could’ve ever laid your sight on.

“You stole my line,” he replied cheekily, a kind smile seemingly permanently etched into his features. You gave him a playful tap on the chest, rolling your eyes.

“Fine. I’ll be beautiful, you’ll be irresistible. Deal?”

“That hardly seems fair to you, darling, but it’ll do for now.” He shot you a wink and you could’ve sworn your heart stopped then and there.

“Dancing with you was fun, we should take a class for our next date! Maybe salsa?” he suggested.

The only salsa you were interested in was the one that goes on chips, but there was no way you could turn down his big puppy eyes. You just hoped he would buy sturdy shoes with a solid toe—you were going to be stepping on them a lot next time you hung out!

[bluelancess]

Untouchable | Elriel fic part 1/3

Summary: The inner circle is having one of their usual dinner parties, during which Azriel can't help but shoot death glares to Lucien across the table, Elain is the only one who manages to calm him down.

Tags: secret meetings, forbidden love, secret relationship

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Read on AO3.

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Chapter 1: This is falling in love in the cruelest way

The Townhouse was exceptionally quiet today, the only sound filling its empty walls came from Elain’s soft humming in the kitchen. It was a melody she had heard a couple of days back while strolling along Velaris’ farmer’s market. She thought it was sweet, sounded almost a little magical to her ears, she had stopped on her tracks to give her full attention to the street performers, marveling at the way their expert fingers played the instruments, and at how they could attract a large crowd after  only playing a single enchanting note. She was most definitely not doing the song justice, but humming helped her keep her mind away from dangerous black holes that always threatened to swallow her whole, the same way baking and gardening did. 

She was adamant on never letting her mind take her away again. 

Ever.

Elain put the final touches to the delicious meal she was cooking for dinner, and cleaned the palms of her hands on the front part of her light-blue apron. Roasted rosemary potatoes, grilled chicken with lemon zest, honey and mustard, various vegetables she had seasoned earlier; broccoli, peas, a tomato salad with basil and olive oil. 

Cooking kept her busy and occupied most of the time. And it filled her with joy to be able to be helpful in any way she could. Besides, today was one of the Inner Circle’s weekly dinner meeting. Rhysand made it almost mandatory, and considering everyone was busy doing their own thing nowadays, having an afternoon where they could catch up on everything else other than work-related subjects, was a refreshing change. 

Elain had dessert finishing baking in the oven, a blueberry crust pie she was going to  serve alongside some vanilla ice-cream and whipped cream, when Nuala and Cerridwen entered the kitchen, both walked as silently as a ghost would. It used to perturbe Elain at the beginning, them being so silent, but with time she had gotten used to their presence, their company. 

“The table is set,” Nuala said. “We can finish up here.” 

“Thank you,” Elain smiled at her, and slowly removed her apron. Cerridwen extended her hand towards her, so Elain could hand her the clothing item covered in flower. “Is Feyre still asleep?” 

Nuala nodded softly. “She and the babe, both.” 

Elain chewed on her lower lip, concealing the smile that had formed after picturing the image in her head. Feyre lying on her bed, Nyx resting on top on her chest, the tiny wings tucked in, his little chubby hands holding onto Feyre’s gown like he used to do when he slept in that position as if scared Feyre might put him in his crib as soon as he fell asleep. 

“I’ll go change,” Elain told them both, “then I can check up on them.” 

“We’ll clean up here.”

“Thank you.” 

With that, Elain exited the kitchen, and took slow, soft steps towards the stairs. She had already chosen the gown she would wear for dinner. A lavender satiny dress that hugged her curves in all the right places, with hug shoulders, long slit sleeves and a cirde skirt that reached a little under her ankles that flowed when she walked, making her her feel like a real-life fairytale princess. It was her favorite dress as of late. She hadn’t worn it for other people yet, she was waiting for an special occasion. 

This seemed like the right time. 

Considering Az would be here any minute. 

Just thinking about the Shadowsinger brought a wave of unbearable heat cursing through her, warming up her cheeks, her neck, her ears. She needed to learn to control herself, if she wanted whatever was going on between them to remain private. 

Any time she stopped to remember they way Az had looked that one night he came knocking on her window at three in the morning, her whole body shivered, the memory carefully stored in a special place in her heart. It had been the night everything shifted, everything changed, for her. For Azriel. 

No one knew about it. 

No one could. 

Elain had been awake twisting and turning on the sheets, as per usual since their moment at the Winter Solstice, that cursed night that some days, the bad days, she wanted to desperately forget. Forget the way he had touched her and made her light up with so much want, so much need… She had never felt so alive before. Only to end with him pushing her away, such a regretful look in his eyes, telling her that it had been a mistake. But then… there were the good days, those days were she thought about him and hoped, prayed to whatever had interest in hearing her pleas, to have a second chance. To ask him all the questions roaming her head. All the doubts eating at her. 

She never imagined he was feeling the same way. 

But then, as if he were almost as desperate as her, he’d come in the middle of the night, looking like he’d also had been tossing and turning, so many sleepless night catching up to him. She opened the window with her heart on her throat, and he whispered to her to come with him. Only for a moment. He begged with his eyes, a desperation that was so painfully palpable, Elain’s whole chest squeezed at the sight of it. 

Breathless, she took his hand that night. 

It was the first time he took her flying, just for the fun of it. They had made it a habit now. He would knock on her window, she would open it, and he would scoop her in his arms, kiss her brow and marvel at her laughs when he would take off, holding her close to him, showing her the sky. It was those moments, that made Elain feel like she was actually free. 

Elain opened the door to her bedroom, and froze at the threshold, her brown eyes going wide, her traitorous heart beating so fast it reverberated in her ears. 

Azriel brought his index fingers to his lips and it was pure luck she didn't scream when she saw him; sprawled on her bed, boots still on, his wings so big they barely fit the mattress. She licked her lower lip, feet glued to the floor. He looked at her like he wanted to eat her alive, and Elain’s cheeks warmed up. He chuckled, darkly, softly and motioned for her to come forward with his hand, she shook her head like she couldn't believe what he was doing. 

After taking a deep breath, Elain quickly looked over her shoulder before closing the door behind her. She didn’t have time to give a single step, before Azriel got to his feet, and closed the space between them in two exact and calculated steps. 

“You’re insane,” she breathed, lifting her head to look at him in the eyes, he was so tall, it never stoped amazing her, so tall, and so beautiful. Azriel hands went to her cheeks, holding her so gently as if he were scared to hurt her. 

“I missed you,” he simply replied, lifting a shoulder, one of his thumbs caressing her lower lip, his face getting nearer to hers, she could almost taste him. After a couple of weeks meeting in secret, delighting herself with his company, Elain had realized that Azriel liked to tease her. So much. He liked to take things so painfully slow, until she was barely breathing and begging him to touch her, to kiss her, to give her everything. “Just thinking about the fact that I have to sit on that dinner table, unable to touch you for hours, was driving me crazy.” 

Azriel left a phantom kiss on her right cheekbone, then moved to the bridge of her nose. Elain closed her eyes at the contact, savoring the feel of him. Her hands roaming him from his shoulders, down to the muscles of his chest. She loved the way his Illyrian leathers felt under her fingertips. She dreamed of the day she finally would have the opportunity to peel them off of him.

But she couldn’t. They couldn’t. 

Not yet. 

It was too risky, everyone would to know they had been together, their scents would mix, there would be no denying it. And although Azriel was usually cocky and confident when it came to the fact the he most definitely would win a blood duel against Lucien, she couldn't even fathom the idea of Az risking his life in that matter for her. Az kept distributing tiny kisses along her face, like he wanted to pain it all with his lips. It was certainly torture having to wait until they were finally free to fall into the lust consuming their bodies, their souls. But she was completely sure it’d be worth the wait. 

“So you decided to cheat and get a little taste before dinner?” She asked, and he hummed, as he kissed her eyelids, the tip of her nose, the right corner of her mouth. So soft, so gentle. 

“Hmm,” he muttered, “I was actually hoping you wanted to skip dinner altogether.” 

“Because that wouldn’t be suspicious.” He kissed the left corner of her mouth now, and a groan left Elain’s throat, Azriel ignored it and moved down to her jaw. “How long have you been here anyway?” 

“About half an hour,” he replied, voice low, no more than a rumble, but she heard it perfectly, felt it everywhere. He kissed right under her earlobe and Elain bit her lower lip hard, tying to conceal the moan escaping her. “You smell so good.” 

She melted against him the the words, reality crashing into her like a hard wave. Remembering where they were, who that house belonged to. 

“Rhys could get home any minute,” she breathed, he groaned at the name of another male leaving her mouth when he was licking up the column of her neck, her hands grasping his uniform as if she needed it to remain standing. Cauldron, he was killing her. 

“I don’t care,” Azriel replied, sucking gently at the sensitive, pale skin, his hands angling her head, exposing her neck just the way he wanted, the way he needed. “Maybe I should just leave a mark right here,” he whispered, and gently kissed right under her jaw. “Everyone can come to their own conclusions.”

“You wouldn’t.” She teased him, somehow, for some reason, the idea sparked something in her, something feral. She wanted him to claim her, to show everyone that she was his and he was hers. 

That they had chosen one another. 

Damn the consequences. 

 “Someday I will.” He told her, making it sound like a threat. He couldn’t hide the smile of surprise when she let out a breathy moan, as if she could just picture the idea in her head and loved it. 

Elain was about to just grab his beautiful face, get on her tippy toes, and steal a long kiss from his lips, when Azriel stepped away from her, so fast she almost lost her balance. A knock on the door had her spine straightening, her heart jumping. 

“El, are you there?” Feyre. It was her sister’s voice, still sleepy from the nap she had been taking with Nyx. 

She turned around, the door was behind her, she had been pressed against the wood by Azriel's solid body. She swallowed hard, running her fingers through her hair, her face, her neck, she could still feel Azriel lips on her skin, the wet strokes of his tongue, the little painless bites. She was definitely flushed. 

She looked over her shoulder, Azriel was nowhere to be seen, but in the corner of the room, right under the door that connected to her dressing room, a little shadow was peaking, sharp like a knife, as if getting ready to attack if she needed it to. 

“Elain?” Feyre knocked again, and Elain forced herself to take one, two long breaths before turning the knob and opening the door. 

“Sorry,” she told her sister. “I was about to change my clothes. They’re covered in food... you know, from cooking and all that.” 

Feyre yawned, her eyes were glassy and her cheeks rosy from sleep, Elain tried to block the view of the inside of her rooms, just to be sure. But Feyre ignored it, putting one of her hands on her sister’s shoulders and going inside, to lay face first on the bed. 

“Dinner smells so good,” Feyre murmured. “I’m so hungry the smell woke me up. Also, Nyx started to cry. He was hungry too.” 

“You had a good nap?” Elain asked, her voice sounded strange even to herself, but Feyre didn’t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. 

“Yes, I needed it.” After a beat, Feyre sat on the bed and looked at Elain, the relaxed look on her face from the last couple of seconds going away in a blink. “Actually, I came to talk to you about something.” 

Elain took a couple steps towards her sister, sitting beside her on the side of the bed. “What happened?”

“I just spoke with Rhys, mainly to asked him what time he was coming home for dinner, and he mentioned to me Lucien is in the city. He came because he has some reports he need to give Rhys, and …” Feyre grimaced, she looked worried, almost guilty. “I know it makes you uncomfortable, so I told him to not even think about bringing him tonight before asking you.” 

Elain couldn’t hear anything. Couldn’t breathe. 

She hated this. Hated that cursed mating bond so much. 

All she wanted was to be free of that male, but it was like he didn’t know when to give up. No matter how many hints she sent his way, or the fact that she made it her mission to stay as far away from him as possible. He wouldn’t budge. 

She couldn’t understand how he could continue to pursue her, knowing that it wouldn’t get him anywhere. Lucien couldn’t be so naive to believe she’d change her mind with a couple of expensive gifts and awkward dinner parties where he didn’t even make the effort to see her, understand her. 

But, even if she wanted to say no, this wasn’t her house. Not really. 

It was her sister’s, and her mate’s. She was living there because they were kind enough to let her. Because they cared about her, yes, but that didn’t mean that sometimes, she wished she could have something that was entirely hers. 

Just hers. 

“Lucien is your friend, I don’t want you to not invite him because of me,” the words tasted wrong on the mouth, and the shadows slowly started gathering in the corners of the room, like steam from a boiling pot. 

“Are you sure?” Feyre’s face changed, glowing, “You don’t have to talk to him if you don’t want to, I don’t want to ruin your night.” 

“You won’t. It’s fine.” She tried to give her sister a smile. The truth was, at this point, after everything Feyre had done for her and their family, Elain was willing to do, to endure, absolutely anything for her sister. It was the least she could do. 

No sacrifice seemed great enough. Not after everything Feyre had lost, suffered through for them. For her. 

She could be an adult and enjoy one evening with Lucien. Put on a smile, pretend everything was perfect and delicious, and she was happy. Because she was happy. More than ever. She just had to remind herself that once the dinner party was over, and the guests went home, she could return to her little room, and maybe, just maybe, Azriel would be waiting for her. 

And if he was, she’d ask him to take her flying. 

Feyre threw her arms around her sister and kissed her temple. 

“Everyone is getting here in fifteen minutes.” Feyre stood up from the bed and walked towards the door. “I’ll see you downstairs.” 

Elain closed the door as soon as her sister left, and rested her forehead on the cool wood. She felt the spymaster presence at her back, his eyes piercing, his shadows surrounding the four walls of her rooms like he wanted to keep her there, all to himself.

“Did you know he was on the city?” She asked softly, turning around to see him standing right outside her dressing room. 

Azriel shook his head. 

“Rhys ordered me to take care of other business today,” he replied, his voice lethal, scarred hands curling into tight balls, shoulders tense. She approached him, and softly put the pads on her fingers in his hands, willing them to relax, to open up for her and let her in, hold her. 

“It’ll be okay.” 

“I can’t stand it,” he groaned. “I can’t stand the way he looks at you. The smell—“ Azriel took her hands into his, closing his fingers around hers tight, the muscle on his jaw flexing. 

“It’s not easy for me either.” 

“Then let’s not go,” he looked at her like he wanted to whisk her away, show her everything, run and run until no one knew who they were. "Let's go somewhere else, just you and me."

“Az…” His name sounded so charged coming from her lips, like a prayer, a promise, the sweetest of secrets, something she only said when it was the two of them, alone. “We can’t.” 

He let out a long sigh, and rested his chin on top of her head. 

“Don’t ask me to be nice, then,” he said.

“I wasn’t going to.” 

“Good.” 

————————————

this is going to be a 3 part little one shot so enjoy <3

[coalswriting]

murder and rescue ii - natalie scatorccio

summary – ghostface makes a return with a bit of help (approx. 1.6k words) >> part i <<

tw; murder, mentions of sexual assault, slight homophobia/fetishization of lesbians, natalie, reader, and misty are evil in a Fucked Up Way

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

finding out that natalie scatorccio was ghostface was not something that existed on your yearly bingo. you hadn’t talked much about it since the night at the party, and some twisted part of you didn’t seem to mind that she was a murderer. in fact, you found it energising, exciting, intriguing. these, you decided one day as you listened to music and stared at your bedroom ceiling, were not the words you should have been using to describe your girlfriend. maybe you were as messed up as she was.

natalie had killed a few more times since the party. there was a guy that misty was having trouble with. he had felt her up in the middle of a lab and he didn’t stop even when she pushed his hand away. she couldn’t tell anybody because he was the son of a well-respected teacher. misty wasn’t his first, nor last victim. she found out who ghostface was (seriously, the girl was basically a detective), and instead of handing the information to the police, she actually asked nat to take care of him. this is how misty, natalie and you became a trio; your house was the hideout, natalie was the killer, and misty was the medic and brains.  

every time nat would show up outside your window at an obscure time, you always unlocked the door for her, let her run a hot bath, and hid her outfit. then, the two of you would passionately make out and love each other until dawn; the thrill was sickeningly addicting. this system had worked for a few kills, but eventually natalie stopped. justice was served, and you assumed that the predators of wiskayok high had ceased their ways. that was until two months later.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

natalie pushed you into a bathroom cubicle, pinning you against the wall. you moaned as her lips attached themselves to your neck, kissing you down to your shoulder of which she pulled the hem of your shirt to reveal. “nat,” you breathed heavily, warmth pooling into your stomach. your girlfriend smirked, bringing her mouth to your ear.

“shut up,” she whispered huskily before nibbling your lobe. your hands clasped themselves onto her hips as you pulled her closer. suddenly, a hand covered your mouth as natalie went stiff. you heard three or four voices enter the bathroom and then the unzipping of (presumably) a makeup bag.

“what is it that you wanted to tell us, allie?” one of the girls said, “you’ve been looking nervous all day.”

“well”, you heard allie’s voice, “you know patrick johnson?”, followed by a few ‘mhhmms’, “he forced himself on my sister at a party a few nights ago. i couldn’t go and protect her, i was sick. she’s been closed off ever since and she won’t tell me exactly what he did. i’m so worried…”

natalie’s eyebrows rose in curiosity as the both of you listened. you heard the girls reassure allie before one of them piqued up, “he’s really evil, i’m sorry. he did the same to tamara too… nobody believed her so she dropped out to avoid him. she was so lovely too.”

after consoling allie for a few minutes, all the girls went back to their classes. natalie finally took her hand off your mouth and whispered to you, “we need to get that bastard.”

you only nodded in return.

“i’ll tell misty to meet at yours tonight and we can plan it?”

“yeah,” you murmured, “looks like ghostface is back.”

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

the three of you stalked your prey over the period of a few weeks. you found his phone number and took note of his patterns: he always arrived at school ten minutes before assembly and used his locker first, after third period, he always went the bathroom, and he walked a friend home every day. most nights, he was home alone because his mother worked the night shift. his lights were off by 11pm most nights, and he almost always forgot to lock the back door.

it was 3am on a tuesday when you rang his phone. with the help of misty, you had installed a voice changer into your own device, and he answered after the third ring, voice sleepy and tired.

“uhhh, hello?”

you smiled as you spoke, “is this patrick johnson?”

you heard a shuffling on his side before he finally answered, “who is this?”

you watched from the bushes as natalie slipped her way towards his garden, hugging the wall. she was donning the ghostface costume, knife hidden under a fold of fabric. “you need to tell me, are you patrick johnson? this is serious.”

“fuck off”, is all he said before he hung up his phone. your eyes darkened as you rang again, and he picked up faster this time.

“seriously, who is this? don’t mess with me.”

“patrick,” you said, voice barely a whisper, “have you seen any horror movies?”

“uh, yeah, a few. why?”

you ignored his question, continuing with yours, “do you know what motives the killers normally have?”

“they’re normally insane, like you,” he growled, and you heard him hang the phone up again.

so, you rang again.

“fuck off, leave me alone. i’ll come and kill you,” he threatened, seething from anger.

“you’re right,” you said, darkly, “they normally are insane. but they can have motives too. have you heard of ghostface?”

when patrick didn’t reply, you continued to talk, “ghostface only kills people that deserve it.”

his voice was shaky as he cut you off before you could talk more, “is this ghostface?! i didn’t do anything!”

“i’m not ghostface”, you said simply, “but you did, patrick. you hurt a lot of young girls, didn’t you?”

“wait, listen to me! they never said no! leave me alone-“

“i didn’t finish,” you growled, shutting him up, “as i was saying; i’m not ghostface, but look behind you.”

you heard shuffling again, and then a muffled scream through the phone alongside the sound of the device being dropped. there was an audible struggle as he pleaded for his life. your smile grew wider. the tussle appeared to last about three minutes until everything fell eerily quiet. then, you heard someone pick up the phone, and the voice of your girlfriend rung out, quiet and still, “come in.”

you sauntered in through the back door, entering his kitchen. the phone he had used to call you was left discarded, a few feet away from the counter. you stomped on it, breaking it to pieces before turning to your girlfriend. she stood over the body, breathing heavily. stepping over the corpse of patrick johnson, you ripped the mask off ghostface, watching as her hair cascaded down her shoulders like it had the first time she revealed herself to you. she looked like a goddess, basked in an omnipotent light. you felt your heart flutter, watching blood drip down her lips.

“he got me good”, she said, smiling at you. she then looked down at the deceased, an animalistic grin painting her features. her eyes were wide; not with fear but with fascination – the adrenaline of the hunt was taking her over, as if she wasn’t herself.  

snapping her out of her admiration, you wiped her bloody nose with your thumb before you brought your lips to hers. the kiss was passionate, and you could taste the metallic taste on her mouth, though that didn’t deter you. her hands trailed down your body before resting on your hips and before you could escalate the kiss, you heard the jingle of keys coming from the front door. you pulled away from your girlfriend as she put the mask back on and you pulled your hood over your head. taking the knife out of the corpse, she ran out the back door she had come in from, you following her. nobody saw you.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

you closed the suitcase that contained natalies now clean costume, sliding it under your bed. she met your gaze as you entered the bathroom, slipping into the bathtub with her. natalie pulled you into her chest, brushing your hair with her hands as you both relaxed in the hot water. you hummed relaxingly, before looking up at her.

“i love you”, you confessed. though this was not the first time natalie had heard you say this, her heart still began to beat a little harder than before and you chuckled, “i can feel your heart!”

“shut up,” she gave you a playful slap on the thigh before sighing gently, “love ya too.”

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

the next morning came faster than you had expected, and as you, natalie, and misty sat in your assembly, an announcement came through the speakers.

patrick johnson was dead; a suspected murder.

misty, natalie, and yourself gave each other fake confused looks as you peered around the classroom, a small hint of amusement in your faces. everybody burst into chatter and discussion, theorising who killed patrick. not many seemed to be particularly sad, moreso than they were curious. misty continued to doodle in her copy whereas natalie shrugged her shoulders at you.

“people seemed to be kind of hopeful”, you stated later, as you walked natalie home, hands interlocked.

“yeah, it was weird. i thought people would be at least a little sad that he died but i guess he wasn’t too popular with anybody from the beginning. he really did deserve it”, your girlfriend said, a small smirk on her face.

a car drove past you full of football players. they stopped on the road a few feet ahead and began catcalling you.

“why don’t you two make out? let us see some girl on girl action!”, someone yelled out. the boys erupted into laughter before continuing to drive on.  

you groaned, disgusted.

natalie squeezed your hand a little tighter, a reassuring glint in her eyes. “hey, hey, it’s okay. ghostface will get them,” she whispered deviously.

you looked ahead, watching the car drive off. maybe ghostface would get them; maybe he was back for good – or at least until you’d all get caught.

[ohisms]

↪     𝑺𝑳𝑬𝑬𝑷𝒀 𝑯𝑶𝑳𝑳𝑶𝑾 .    (  a  series  of  sentence  starters  from  the  1999  film   “  sleepy hollow  ” .  adjust  phrasing  as  necessary . )  

help ,  here  —  lend a hand .

just a moment ,  if i may  —

i stand up for sense  &  justice .

do make certain you meet with success .

such a day for such a sad farewell .

this is such a silly game .

be a sport  &  stop complaining !

play along ,  you must .

forgive me ,  i didn’t know .

we haven’t heard your name yet ,  friend .

you need some manners .

if we could speak alone ?

how much have your superiors bothered to tell you ?

you are horribly old - fashioned ,  aren’t you ?

feel free to form your own opinion ,  though it appears you already have .

it seems i’ve made matters worse .

i’ll leave you to your business .

excuse me  ...  i should apologize .

is it me ,  or are you this nervous around all women ?

do be a dear  &  tell me all about it .

sounds like an extraordinary place to live a life .

there is no such thing as magic .

to call a person superstitious is to imply they fear magic .

poets have silly notions .

you do believe me now ,  don’t you ?

you need less big words ,  &  more common sense .

what the hell are you doing ?

i am not here for revenge .  i am here to bring justice .

i manage fine alone .

i deserve to help you .  don’t you see how much this means ?

what are you spying on ?

i beg you ,  no more ,  please .

i will not allow it .  i will not !

why was i not told of this ?

you should step outside .

sorry for disturbing you .  i thought a forgotten candle was burning .

having trouble sleeping ?

i have something to show you ,  if you have a moment .

these scars .  how did you get them ?

oh ,  you are hopeless .

i have a gift for you .  true magic which even you will not be able to deny .

are you saying i should be frightened ?

what will it take for you to realize this is no laughing matter ?

don’t be afraid  ...  don’t be afraid .

you promised justice .  people have put their trust in you .

why would you do such a thing ?

leave me .  you are not welcome here .

allow me some time .

the things i said to you before  ...  i was wrong to say them .

every word you spoke had truth in it .

if you want me to go ,  i will .  do you want me to leave ?

i no longer know what i think or what i feel .

why are you so afraid ?  is there truly such harm in uncertainty ?

i should be going  ...  good day to you .

i’m one of the few people who likes you .

i apologize if i worried you .

my god  ...  what has happened ?

yes ,  i did notice that ,  thank you .

i am a bad habit .  there’s nothing for it .

don’t let him get you .

lay still ,  [ name ] .  do not move .

i’m drawing bad blood from the wound .

you were half - drowned when they found you .

i serve a fine purpose alive .

midnight seems an appropriate time .

hide in my room  &  bolt the door til i return .

i was getting worried .

do you have anything to clean it with ?

i know you saw me .

i know you followed me last night .

i appreciate your concern .

you are so upset now  ...  &  yet ,  you seemed in such good spirits last night .

why have i not seen your face for so long ?

i have been reading your journal .

what would you have me believe ?

if you think i am behind this ,  say it .

call me a liar ,  then ,  &  a  murderer .

what is stopping you ?  what has happened to your ability to transcend sentimentality ?

don’t dare stand looking as if you still care for me ,  after all that you have said .

if i were to confess ,  would that ease your suffering ?  would that make it easier for you to hate me ?

the next person to lay hands on me will have a bullet .

you do not know all that has happened .

why  ...  why are you like this ?

to hell with this place  &  all the people here .

won’t you change your mind ?  what can i say to convince you ?

take me with you .  there’s nothing left for me here .

forgive me .  i failed you .

you  ...  you’re alive .

no one will believe your lies .

i am not going to kill you .  not me  ...

you cannot kill what is already dead .

[rosemaryblossoms]

Monster Call of Duty Men with a dread ducky demon reader

Author’s Note: characters may be out of character, Dread Ducky is one of my favorite characters in dark deception and I’m also getting into call of duty so I made this, cod monster types are based off of the designs of @bluegiragi , I hope you enjoy it. I also might make a gold watcher and doom ducky one, hell I might make a murder monkey one. I apologize if I get some stuff wrong about call of duty. Let me know if you want more.

You were a Dread Ducky, a demon who was made of flesh and robotics, wearing your traffic cone hat and doing the dance of your people with pride, not afraid to bust some ass either if they say otherwise. Just like your mama who was a Doom Ducky demon, you wanted to join the military and wallop those asses in battle and have justice served. When you first got there, you already felt eyes on you by others soldiers. Some were curious stares and some were “what the hell is that” stares but you pushed them away because there was no way you were going to let them ruin your day. Price had read your files and he was both impressed in your skills and is interested in you, he was the first one to welcome you to the team when you got there. Price always gives a listening ear even if you can’t really speak and you mostly communicate through quacks and movement. Your silly duck dance manages to make him crack a smile. In battle, the dragon hybrid man is impressed by your strength and moves, especially when you open your mouth real wide only to reveal another head coming out with a swift movement to bite and drag your opponent back to your mouth like a cuckoo clock. In the background of the battle field fighting and watching you kick ass like “that’s my boy/girl/Ducky”.

Ghost was suspicious of you when he first met you, he observes you from a far, when he finally opens up to you more he will tell the most cheesy dad jokes. “Hey what do you call a bear that has no teeth?”. . . . . “A gummy bear” (sorry I had too, my bad 😂💀) “what did the duck say to the bar tender?”. . . . . “Put it on my bill.” (Ok fine I’ll stop)

He enjoys just sitting down with you, there’s a smile behind his mask when you do your ducky dance, he doesn’t know why but he manages to crack a smile and let out a snort when you do it. He also can’t help but to crack a smile behind his mask when you make quacks to say “hey ghost how are you doing?” And “what up Lt.” as for Soap, he loves you, Johnny loves you, from your traffic cone hat to your ducky dance and to your cute little waddles when you walk or run. He was always curious about your monster type and he finds you both cool and adorable. He hypes you up when you ducky dance, he will also make an attempt to try to do your ducky dance as well with a funky beat in the background. It always blows a circuit in his mind when you sit down because it looks like your legs completely disappeared without a trace. He also asks if he can ride you (Ayo? Not like that, he means like a piggy or more like ducky back ride) Gaz like soap, loves you, he also hypes up your sweet dance moves. he might attempt on trying to do your ducky dance. He runs around with you on free time. He in enjoys roof top talks with you and goofing off with you.

You and Alejandro get along, you two are dance buddies, you two joke around and laugh a lot. You love helping Rudy, Soap, and Gaz play pranks then act a fool when you are questioned by it.

In the end they love you, you are their chaotic ball of sunshine.

[sungbeam]

BIRD HUNT — five

nonidol!choi line x f!reader

gotham city is a gutter running rampant with the ill, corrupt, and the insane. at times, justice and vengeance must be served by one's own hand... no matter the lengths one must go to do so.

▷ genre, au, etc. bat family au, dc comics inspired, dark, vigilantes au, slow burn, ceo/billionaire au, cat woman!reader, murder mystery au, action, suspense, angst, slow burn-ish?, love square??; choi line inspired by dick grayson (csb), jason todd (cyj), and tim drake (cbg), including bruce wayne for choi minho and damian wayne for nishimura riki, inspired by 2022's The Batman

▷ chapter warnings. swearing, mentions of death/suicide/murder, mentions of weaponry, depictions of violence, mentions of corruption, feelings of guilt

▷ word count. 4.0k // taglist. open

« prev · m.list · next »

a/n: i... did Not finish chapter 8 or fix chapter 7, but we ball

FILE_05 : fall where they may

gotham city.

[The funeral ; ten days since your mother was murdered.]

The guilt had been eating away at his heart, chipping away at the bones of his ribcage to expose the most important organ in his body. The ancient Egyptians had once believed that the heart was the seat of the mind; a person did not make decisions purely based on logic, but on what their heart urged them to. And that had been exactly Beomgyu’s downfall as he smiled a little too wide, laughed a little too loud, enjoyed the twinkle in your eyes just a little too much. When that emotion filled his lungs like a gas, he could see nothing but the blurred tunnel focusing solely on you. On what you and him used to be. 

“You’ve done well for yourself then,” he said, his cheeks aching from the grin on his face. His stomach and his chest felt tight from the mixture of hard laughter and ice cream and this terribly well-tailored suit. 

Your expression subdued at the thought of work, and for a moment, Beomgyu’s heart stuttered, fearing he had said the wrong thing. It was strange—he never had to be scared of saying the wrong thing, but for some reason—no, wait. Of course, he wanted this to work. You were someone very important to him. 

You cleared your throat. “I guess I have.” You paused, reconsidering your words. “Well, I’ll probably need to find new employment unless Mrs. Lee has something for me to do, but—”

“Come work for us,” he blurted. It had just… slipped out of him. But there was this thrill racing through his veins and he was not about to regret his words. Your eyes widened just slightly, and he reiterated, “I’m serious, y’know. If you need a job, you’re probably more than qualified for the positions we have open at the enterprise.” 

His knee began to bounce under the table, and the ice cream parlor was suddenly too quiet, too small, as he awaited your reply. 

You licked your lips in thought. He couldn’t read you; why couldn’t he read you? “Beomgyu, did you know that I applied and interviewed for a position at Choi Enterprise?”

Yes. He tilted his head to the side, feigning innocence. “Oh, really?” Tell me what happened, so I know whose ass to kick. 

There was that noticeable narrowing of your eyes and he wondered if you knew that he knew. You were smart, so he wouldn’t be surprised if you figured it out. “Yeah… Soobin didn’t tell you?”

What. 

He blinked, breathed. “Soobin? No, he didn’t tell me jack shit—”

“He was on the interview panel,” you said to him as you idly began stirring your spoon around your paper cup. There were only the remnants of a raspberry sorbet at the bottom. His eyes flickered over your bruised finger tips. When he had asked about it earlier, you had made up some excuse of "being mad at the world." He couldn't exactly call you out on it; he'd once thrown a physical fit and gotten a firm scolding from his dad. “Well, I think he was more just sitting in, but I don’t blame him for anything. He couldn’t have had that much say in who would be hired or not anyway.”

Oh, Beomgyu was going to murder Choi Soobin. 

Beomgyu coughed. “Yeah no. Definitely not.” Totally not because he was one of the heirs to the company or anything. Soobin couldn’t have been older than nineteen or twenty, but like Beomgyu himself, he had been trained from an early age to carry out the duties of a company executive. “And after that you interviewed with Lee Sungjae?” 

You nodded. “Somebody recommended me to his people, and I was hooked up with an interview. They must have passed along my resume or something.”

Now that sounded like something Beomgyu’s older brother would do. But why hadn’t Soobin overridden the interview panel’s verdict? Beomgyu trusted that they made a good decision, but could they not have referred you to a different open position or department in the company? There were plenty of positions to go around. Why recommend you to Lee Sungjae’s office? 

"I'm sure there was a reason for—"

"Gyu—" you cut in with a slight smile on your face, and your eyes were alight again like earlier with something like silent laughter, "—I'm not mad about it. I don't hold a grudge against you or your family or Choi Enterprise."

Beomgyu opened his mouth, then reconsidered. He wanted to tell you, god, he really wanted to. He wanted to tell you it was going to be okay. He wanted to take care of you like you and your mother had done for him those years ago. He'd felt loved and warm and… his chest ached. Dear god, his chest hurt so bad. 

He finally said, "I'm just glad you're okay." Even after I smashed your face into the floor and you knocked your head into my face and sprayed my mouth with pepper spray. 

You smiled then, the corners of which were soft and assuring. "I'm glad you're okay, too."

A grin bloomed on his face then like the spring that Gotham never saw. Flowers and shit. Gotham had all of the allergies, but somehow no flowers. That stuff came from just outside the city limits, but Beomgyu hadn’t minded spending all that gas to find those calla lilies for your mother. 

Beomgyu wondered if you'd like to come by the manor for dinner. It had to be time for supper by now; he didn't like the idea of you being alone in that apartment, even with all the cats—

The shrill sound of his ringtone sliced through the comfortable atmosphere, and Beomgyu swiftly pressed the phone to his ear with a groan after catching a glimpse of the caller ID. You lifted an eyebrow at him curiously at the sound of his generic ringtone—it used to be this one, very loud Green Day song. 

"What?" He bit out.

A chuckle met his ears, followed by Soobin's separate grunt, "You've had your fun, Beom. There's been another murder."

Beomgyu exhaled roughly and dragged a hand through his hair. He caught your eyes then glanced away. "Where?"

When Soobin said the name into the speaker, Beomgyu let out another haggard exhale. He cursed under his breath, hand coming up to his face to massage the pressure points between his eyes. “You’ve gotta be shitting me.”

The call did not last long after that, with Beomgyu promising his older brother that he would be there in fifteen minutes. He needed to take you home, after all. When he tucked his phone away, you were already giving him that smile of understanding, as if you had listened into the entire conversation through just his facial expressions and reactions. He hated that you knew that he had to go—he hated that he actually had to go, most of all. 

“Duty calls,” you said first. “Is it work?”

He lifted a shoulder in a lazy shrug, the corner of his lips curling upward in a sheepish sort of smile. “Yeah, you can say that. Hey, but I can totally give you a ride home. My brothers can wait.”

You laughed as the two of you stood together to throw away your trash and head out. 

It was a good thing that Beomgyu had the sense to stay in the shadows beneath the bridge as he brought his shiny, black BMW to a stop. The sidewalk outside the entrance to the Iceberg Lounge was beginning to fill up with clubbers dressed in their finest and skimpiest cocktail dresses and button-up shirts. Some of them laughed with their heads tilted to the poisoned Gotham night sky while others let their big mouths run wild to the pretty face hanging off their arm. Maybe you shouldn’t have had Beomgyu drop you off here, but you needed to see your father about something, and you hadn’t the energy to go from one end of the city to the other twice. 

Beomgyu’s jaw was set as he surveyed the outside of the club. “Yn, I know I shouldn’t ask…”

“I just have business to wrap up,” you told him while gathering your things at your feet. “My mom had a… connection here.”

“I don’t think you should go alone.”

“And who’s gonna accompany me?” When you glanced over at Beomgyu, he was already staring back at you with that steely gaze. It was defiant, telling you what you already knew—he would definitely drop whatever work thing had come up to accompany you through the Iceberg Lounge. “You have business to attend to, and I’ll be fine. I’ve been in a couple times anyway and the guys at the front know me.”

His eyebrow shot up. “They know you? That really doesn’t make me feel better.” 

It was so odd, you realized as you took in the full view of Beomgyu’s crisp black suit and his gold Rolex and his characteristically chiseled “Choi” features side by side with the outside of the Iceberg Lounge. The silver-blue neon sign cast an almost ethereal glow across his face, like an angel. But angels didn’t exist in Gotham, at least, not the good ones. You wondered if what your father had told you about the Chois were true. 

The corner of your lips quirked upward. “I’ll be fine, Beomgyu. You have my number now, so you can even text me later and I’ll confirm that I’m completely fine.” You pushed your car door open and welcomed the icy Gotham night across your skin. 

Beomgyu leaned across the car’s center console, the shadows now dancing over the pretty shapes of his face. “You better answer then.”

“Promise.” You grabbed the top rim of the door, primed to close it. “Now you should probably get out of here before somebody recognizes you.”

A flash of admission in his eyes. “Hey, listen. You wanna hang out—you just let me know. Like any time, okay? I—” he pursed his lips then nodded, “—yeah, I missed you a lot, Yn. I missed this.” 

Whatever this is, you wanted to say. Because… well, what was this? You didn’t know why your heart stuttered at the idea of texting him and hanging out with him again. Maybe it was the little teenage girl inside of you banging on the bars of her cage, begging to be let out at the taste of what used to be. That was what this had been—just a taste. 

You could only bob your head. “Get home safe.”

“You, too.” 

You slammed the door to the car and, without so much as a glance backward, you made your way across the street and into the neon light of the Iceberg Lounge. But seconds before you slipped into the raging nightclub, you peered over your shoulder to watch the BMW pull out from the shadows beneath the bridge and slowly begin to drive away. 

Less than five minutes later, you were seated in the living room of your father’s apartment, wondering how thick the floors and windows were if you could not even feel the bass from the floors below. It was a marvel; how much force would it take to break? If you ever had to break in, some way other than the door, then how could you do so?

Tonight, your father nursed a little, white and blue teacup with some kind of dark brew swirling in its innards. There was some kind of piano ballad playing in the background and a bookmarked novel sat in your father’s lap. 

“Where did you even get the idea that the Chois were backing the vigilantes anyway?” You asked him as one of his assistants emerged from a secret doorway in the bookshelves to hand you an unopened bottle of water. It was one of those brand named bottles claiming to be bottled straight from the blood of Fiji—or something of that sort. Water was water, but why weren’t you surprised that he owned this kind of luxury? “I don’t really see how or why. Thanks,” the latter statement being directed to the assistant, who promptly disappeared once his purpose had been served. 

Your father took a sip of his beverage. “Yn, dear, everyone in this city has an allegiance to someone to remain alive, whether they know it or not.” He considered the dark surface of the tea as if he could read the tea leaves lying at the bottom of the cup like corpses. “They do not answer to me, so they must answer to someone else.”

“Couldn’t you just—I dunno—look into their finances?” As soon as you said it, you backtracked, “No. Wait, don’t do that.”

He chuckled and the sound always sounded so oddly hollow. “Ah, still attached, are we? I seem to have noticed that you did not take your usual form of transportation tonight.”

“So you were spying on me?”

“I was merely looking out the window,” he replied while feigning an innocent look on his face. “But back to what we were discussing: you probably already know that men with money don’t like getting their hands soiled.”

You cracked the water bottle open. “So they flick their money in certain directions to make people get their hands dirty for them. That’s just common sense.” After you had taken a generous gulp of your water, you continued, “But you haven’t even the faintest piece of solid evidence that the Choi family is allied—or at least—employing these vigilantes, do you?”

Something flashed across your father’s face, and you realized that the warm and fuzzy feeling in your chest was satisfaction. Oh god, it purred and circled in your chest until it settled there upon your sternum. It felt good to see your father stumped for once. (And frankly, the fact that you knew something he didn't also gave you that fuzzy, feline feeling. No, you had not cared to divulge that Choi Yeonjun was most likely the Red Hood. Something told you it was a secret you would do well to keep.)

At the dawn of your sly satisfaction, your father steered the conversation elsewhere. “Speaking of evidence, I have another lead.”

Immediately, that warm, fuzzy feeling was smothered and your posture straightened. “What is it?”

“But you have to do something for me.” Of course, because what was a lead without you doing another favor for him? You didn’t even prompt him. “The Commissioner of police—you know him? This Kim Namjoon character.”

You nodded. You knew of him, and you had even spoken with him, but he had seemed like a nice man. Then again, there weren’t a lot of nice people here. “He’s your lead?”

He scoffed into his tea cup. “No. That man is irritatingly difficult to persuade—”

“You mean ‘to corrupt.'”

He flicked a hand in dismissal. “Yes, yes, to corrupt. Either way, information will not come from him, so I need you to take it yourself.”

Your eyes shuttered as the statement processed in your head. “I will not kill for you, I hope you know that. I am here for my mother.”

His harsh gaze cut across to you and you suddenly felt so small beneath his stare again. Where had that satisfaction from before gone? You missed the comfortable weight in your chest, but now, all you felt was the thick viscosity of blood choking you from the inside out. “This is for your mother, Yn. If you want something, you have to take it. That is something your mother and I disagreed on, and look where that got her.”

The room descended into silence. 

Your heart thundered in your chest, your ears. It threatened to leap out and rip your so-called father to shreds. “Go fuck yourself. And you say you loved her?” You hissed. You ripped yourself out of the armchair, turning on the balls of your feet to get the Hell out of this place. 

“I did not want you to kill anyone, Yn.” 

His voice didn’t stop you as you continued down the corridor. Maybe this would be good. You could totally do this on your own, right? Wrong. And this awareness had you still listening to his words. 

“All you must do is sneak into the commissioner’s office and steal the report from your mother’s case.”

Your feet stopped moving. “And why can’t you just get one of your goons to do it?”

The sigh that fell from his lips sounded tired, but you sensed the exasperation lacing it. “My man on the inside is close to being found out. Plus, I know that you are capable of getting in and out without being caught. You’re more competent than all of my men.”

You abhorred how your pride swelled at the comment. It was hardly a compliment, but here you were, turning back around. Who were you trying to fool? You couldn’t do this on your own. “Fine. What am I getting again?”

Your father leaned forward to set his now empty teacup on the table. “The file must have a record of the casing from the bullet she was murdered with—the one that was found at the scene. From there, we can track down the make and model, who owned the weapon, and such. A lead, as I said.”

You had only been stationed outside the window of the commissioner’s office for seventeen minutes, but the guilt and pity was raging for this poor man. Commissioner Kim Namjoon had seemed like a nice enough man—a professional enough man—when you had spoken with him that day at the Lees’ home in the suburbs. As your father had said, he was one of the few irritatingly stubborn people in this town who refused to be corrupted by anyone. This one was a good egg in a bad nest. You suspected that he actually sought justice and had a good moral compass, and you also guessed that was the reason why there was a massive stack of paperwork on his desk. The man had been hunched over his desk for the entire time you had been stationed outside waiting for him to leave his office. 

“Take a damn break, man,” you muttered lowly to yourself, but also secretly hoping he would hear you and move his ass. If not for you, then for the sake of his own hair because you were certain he was this close to uprooting all of his hair follicles. 

It seemed the dark angel looming over your shoulder would grant your wish, and Commissioner Kim’s coffee cup had run dry. He rubbed his palms down his face, then stood to stretch his back and grab the emptied mug to head out of his office to get a fresh cup from the pot. 

You saw your opportunity and took it. Swiftly, you maneuvered your lock picks into the window lock, then lifted the pane up and open. You didn’t have a lot of time, but your father had assured you that his alleged “man on the inside” would find a way to distract the commissioner should he finally leave his damned office. You couldn’t really rely on that, so you scrambled over to the wall of file cabinets as quietly as possible and began to shuffle through them. 

Because the responding officers on the night of your mother’s murder had classified the crime as a simple suicide, you could probably guess that the officers in question probably got it thrown in a closed case file. You really wished you had been given more head’s up about this, or even a file number, because while the commissioner’s filing system was awfully organized, each file was categorized and labeled with a set of numbers and letters that did not help your timing. 

Why hadn’t your father’s “man on the inside” let you know which cabinet it was in, at least? (Right, they had given you some dumb explanation like “he works in robbery, not homicide." Well, your mother’s death wasn’t even a homicide, so it shouldn’t matter much—? God, you fucking hated this.)

Your heart hammered against your ribcage as you picked up the sound of nearing voices and footsteps. 

Clock’s ticking, Yn. Come on, let’s find this thing and get the Hell out of here. 

Sweat began to dampen the fabric of your mask, and you could feel your fingers begin to shake. The voices had faded along with the footsteps, but you still could not find the file—

The door to the office crashed open, the handle slamming against the wall as the words “FREEZE!” erupted. 

Guns were pulled—the barrels of the Commissioner’s and an officer’s in your face, and the barrel of yours… you couldn’t—you simply could not decide who to shoot. And maybe it was that hesitation that spelled out your fate. 

Or it was the commissioner’s order for the officer to unmask you. 

Fear filled your veins like a drug, and that drug pumped action into your limbs, forcing you to do something. They needed you alive, damn it; at least, that was what you told yourself in some weak attempt to assure yourself as you slowly lowered yourself and your gun toward the ground. 

Your mind raced—the officer—the officer looked so familiar. Why did he look familiar to you?

Do it. Do it NOW. 

You flung yourself at the officer’s twig-like legs, arms wrapping around his knees to send him folding and doubling over, body crashing through the doorway. The commissioner’s shouts were loud, but for some reason, he wasn’t shooting you like you thought he would—or did you know he wouldn’t shoot if you didn’t first? The gun in your hand became a hammer as you smashed it across the officer’s face, your knee landing oh-so-sweetly in between his legs.

You got in his face; you knew why he looked so familiar now. “You cunt,” you sneered in his face. This was your father’s “man on the inside,” the assistant from earlier. 

Blood spilled from the gash you had dealt to his face. He bared his teeth. “Doing my job, bitch.” And with a bout of strength, he flipped the two of you over and made a grab for your mask. 

Panicpanicpanic—

You were ripped out from under the two-timing son of a bitch, the both of you heaving for breath as you were forced apart. 

The commissioner’s voice came from just behind you, and the realization that he was the one restraining you had you cursing inwardly. This couldn’t get any worse, could it? “Young, go get cleaned up, and for God’s sake, calm yourself, man.” He then addressed everyone else to scram, before hauling your arms behind you. You heard the telltale click of the handcuffs, your coffin lid closing into place. 

Namjoon nudged you in the direction of a hallway just to your right. “Come on,” he said, his tone tired. “I won’t unmask you out here unless you don’t cooperate.”

But he was still going to unmask you, right? Nonetheless, you cooperated, and let him walk you down the hallway into one of the interrogation rooms. When you had settled in the cold, steel chair, with your hands cuffed to the bar on the table, the commissioner settled in the seat across from you. 

“Would you like to call anyone before we begin?”

You shook your head. You didn’t even know your father’s new phone number, and he had never deigned to give you an outside way to contact him. There was this bitter twist of shame in your gut and the question of why you felt so ashamed to be caught loitered in your head. Was it because your father said you were supposed to be competent enough? 

He raised an eyebrow at you, incredulous. “You sure, kid?”

Your fingers curled into a fist, then unfurled. “I don’t have anyone to call,” you forced out.

You saw the pity in his eyes—hated it. He was standing up now, walking around the table to stand next to you. It was like slow motion. The mirror across from you gave you a front row seat to your own unveiling, as Commissioner Kim grabbed one ear of the cat mask and ripped the entire thing off your face.

a/n: listen... it's not as pathetic as it looks... okay maybe it is

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[briar-rolfes-research-oubliette]

your writing is phenomenal. i write a little bit, but i think one of the biggest struggles i have is with pacing and structuring for anything longer than a couple thousand words. gonna hit you with a ton of questions, no pressure to answer all of them: how do you structure your longer-form writing? what considerations do you keep in mind as you do? are you more of a pantser or do you start with a solid outline and story beats first? what is your 'process' - and how do you approach editing as well?

Okay, I’m ready! Took me a bit.

Thank you, first of all! This is humbling, since in industry terms I’m a debut author. (Or not even. My book isn’t even out yet. It takes ages to make a graphic novel if you have to hold down a day job at true same time. Fingers crossed 2026?) And, since structure has been the hardest thing for me to learn, it’s rewarding to know that it’s paying off!

I’m in the middle of a few planning-stage projects right now, so I’ve been asking these questions myself. Because each story is different (in length, in genre, in terms of what I want it to achieve, and also, because I’m a cartoonist as well as a writer, also in format!) I have to reinvent at least part of the wheel with each project. I’ve learned some constants, though. I’ll try to outline some of them, and rather than just tell you what I do I’ll try to explain what purpose it serves when I do it.

I do think starting small and working up is the right way of learning, because that’s what worked for me, a chronic not-finisher. I sat down and said “okay, what is the shortest thing I can make that I am guaranteed to finish?” and once I had finished that, said “okay, what’s the next longest thing?” and worked my way up. It’s easier to structure a zine than a graphic novel, it’s easier to structure a short story than something with multiple chapters, etc etc… but this isn’t because a longer story has more structure in it so much as that each structural element has to work harder.

HOWEVER, I don’t look at structure until I know what I’m building my structure on. This was the missing piece in my structure learning! So, the things I have in mind when I’m starting a new project are:

What is my genre?

What are my themes?

What is my tone?

Genre is where I get the payoff that I’m working towards. Why do people pick up this kind of story? What’s the most basic appeal of it? I try to keep this as simple as I can, eg:

In romance, the couple have to get together by the end.

In sci-fi, a new discovery poses a new question, which is then resolved

In mystery, the detective has to figure out who committed the crime so that they don’t do it again.

In erotica, the protagonist is liberated from a social norm by a new sexual encounter

In horror, an outside force threatens irrevocable change to everyone who encounters it.

This narrative payoff is (in my opinion) the bumpers on the bowling lane of fiction. If you read a romance where they never got together, an erotica where nobody fucked, a detective story where justice wasn’t done, a horror story where it was no biggie and everyone just walked it off… you’d feel ripped off, right? You’ll see that I’m not saying “in horror there is always a jumpscare” or “in a mystery there is always a red herring,” because I never actually notice if those were missing. Many stories are worse because the author has said to themself “a story like this always has this element.” RIP to all those minor characters who die in fantasy novels during the fight scene at the end of the second act just because Boromir did.

Sticking the landing on that genre promise is what makes a story “feel” complete, and the success of the buildup to that promise is what makes a story feel satisfying in that worth-a-reread way. The overall genre payoff helps me keep my eye on the prize as I’m writing. If I get writer’s block, 99% of the time it’s because I’ve written something that conflicts with it. That’s helpful to keep in mind for editing (awkward scenes/characters/sentences etc are usually also conflicting with the payoff, or at least not helping me get there) and is also helpful to know when I’m doing back of mind narrative debugging while zoning out over the dishes. If I have a character and I want them to end up at that final point in a way that feels natural, what do I have to do to them to make it happen? If they feel stagnant, what beliefs do they have to have at the start that will jar against that end point?

(I believe the Literary phrase for the narrative payoff is the climax, or the catharsis. Catharsis is usually the concept used for horror or for tragedies. But I’m a cartoonist, so it’s easier for me to think of everything as setup for the final payoff of the punchline.)

Also—and this is more my individual philosophy rather than actual advice, but: delivering the payoff matters because it develops my readers’ trust. I’m not owed anyone’s time or attention. In a big world full of competing demands, it’s important to me that my readers know that I appreciate them choosing my work over putting the recycling bin out. And the great thing about reader trust is: it stacks. Trust means a reader is willing to go a bit further out of their comfort zone with me. When someone says “I don’t usually read stories like this, but I gave this a shot because you wrote it,” that’s what I’m talking about. I’m a trans writer who tells silly jokes and tackles weird topics, so I really do appreciate the readers who invest time and attention in me. They’re my 30 sickos, you know, from the tweet?

Anyway. If genre tells me where I’m landing the plane, theme tells me what the jet fuel is. The reason a particular concept is making me insane, aka, my motivation to tell the story at all, is my theme. It’s the question I’m trying to answer. It doesn’t have to be pithy or well articulated—I just have to know the general gist of it. It might just be “it pisses me off when authors do X, so I am going to prove it’s not actually hard to write Y.” What matters is that it’s something I won’t become bored of. My graphic novel, which has been the longest and most involved project of my life, hasn’t bored me once. That’s pretty spectacular seeing as I have ADHD out my ears! I’ve been frustrated, tired, had bad wrists and general creative ennui at points, but “can you have a happy ending if your family doesn’t accept you?” Is a question that hasn’t run out of juice, even though I’ve been answering it for six years now. The theme is often the most powerful if it’s something you don’t know the answer to. When we were talking about whether or not to tackle the marriage equality debate in Australia in my book, my agent told me “you’ll know it’s a good story if writing about it feels like pressing on a bruise.” I think this is what keeps your themes honest. It stops them being preachy and stops them from becoming The Moral Of The Story.

Terry Pratchett said that the first draft is him telling the story to himself, and the subsequent drafts are him figuring out how to tell it to other people. That’s been very helpful to me. Each successive edit will make the themes clearer until I can say “oh, so this is what the story is about.” What I said before about longer stories doing more with each structural element is because of this. Longer stories tend to accrue more themes, usually one per subplot and/or per character relationship. Shorter stories usually address just one. Themes are handy to think about here because if a story looks like it might get too bloated (“no way I can explore this AND this AND this and still stay under 20k words”) you can cut em out and address them somewhere else.

The themes in your fiction are the bit that makes it uniquely yours, like fingerprints in a clay pot. They stop the structure feeling formulaic and make it feel personal. A thousand authors could (and do) write the same premise over and over again, but in their hands each story means something different. If you’ve ever read a story that rings hollow even though it hits all the same notes as other stories you like, I’d say that it’s by an author who hasn’t figured out what interests them in the story they’re telling. Like… there’s a reason Twilight was successful and its many copycats were not. It’s because Meyer had this theme of insane repressed Mormon horniness running through her work, and everyone else just said “ah, so readers like boys who are barely restraining their murder instinct.” No! The murder instinct was juicy because it was thematically complex.

Genre and theme give me an idea of what the tone is, aka what mood I am building. I guess if genre is my destination and theme is my fuel, then tone is my plane. It’s about how the journey feels. Taking a first class flight from A to B is different from taking the same trip in a crop duster. The people on each plane will observe different things throughout the journey. The same events could happen on both flights, but a reader will feel way more anxious about the crop duster encountering turbulence.

Outside my increasingly elaborate metaphor, this is questions like… Is this setting fun and friendly? Are the characters mistrustful of each other? Is the world fundamentally evil? Can anyone die? Am I using colloquial language? Are swears allowed? How hard should the protagonist’s failures hit them, and how sharp should the consequences for their actions be? Is it realistic, or a bit surreal? Is my narrator (or narrative perspective if I’m in second or third person) sincere? Cynical? Trustworthy? Biased? Can they crack jokes?

Once I have an idea of these things, structure usually slots in pretty easily. As I’m in the thinking stage, if I have an idea for a scene (or a joke, more often than not) that I want to include, I’ll put it in a dot point list. Later on, I will look at these dot points and the structure and say “what goes where?” or “what needs to happen before this thing I want to include to make it make sense?”

Short things I use a three act structure, aka Beginning Middle End, where “middle” is whatever events need to happen to shift my character from their opening position to their concluding one. For longer things, I just whack on a seven act structure for whatever genre I’m working in. I often come back to Jami Gold’s romance structure because I write romances a lot, but also because it’s the only structure I’ve ever really seen that maps internal character arcs along with external events—one of the things I found absolutely the hardest to get my head around when I was structuring my graphic novel. If it’s a genre I know less about, I’ll find a structure that specifies examples for the pinch points, because those are ones I usually have trouble brainstorming. The mystery outline I used for my Disco Elysium fanfiction gave me the suggestions that a suspect should escape, which got me out of a huge block.

So: before I write, I’ve thought very hard about genre and tone and theme, and how my characters need to get from their starting positions to one where if bondage doesn’t happen the story will feel narratively incomplete. I’ve pondered my place in the world, I have developed beef with a handful of authors who I’ve decided have Done It Wrong, and I have image searched “mystery structure seven act”. I have probably gone on four or five research sprees where I learn a bunch about medieval demonology and insect genitalia and radio antennae or whatever.

(I should say a lot of that is just what do for fun anyway. I do think writers tend to forget that we do this because it’s fun. If you’re not having fun doing this stuff, then your reader is probably not having fun either. It’s important to figure out what is fun to you and to find a way to make your process mostly the fun stuff.)

Materially, what I have is a maybe a couple of test scenes I’ve written while working out character dynamics and refining my idea of tone, and a list of dot points that reads like:

Wrap up the subplot with that other guy

Heart to heart

Protagonist gets a boner

Exposition about early printing press

Fight scene (to show they care about each other)

Phone call from side character 12

MIDPOINT: Guy goes missing (or is killed with weapon from earlier? Suspected killed, but actually just escaped?)

JOKE

Bring back printing press thing

Bondage obviously

Catch the bad guy

Resolution (come back to this).

The trap for structure for me for YEARS has been assuming that I should be able to sit down and write out the perfect plan. “I’ll be able to write well so long as I know exactly what I’m doing every step of the way.” But… most of the fun of writing for me is figuring out how to address those missing plot elements as I go. I don’t think I’ve ever said this, but I never intended for my Disco Elysium fanfic to end with an explosion. I figured it out once I wrote the interview scene with Felicity, and then I said “okay, so that’s the resolution. Now, what do I need to do to blow this building up?“

The groundwork I’ve laid is helpful because I know what I can’t compromise on. As I’m heading towards my payoff and hitting these beats along the way, I have the wriggle room for flashes of discovery where I go “wait, fuck, you know what’d be cool as?”

Editing is where I get to make sure that everything lines up without contradictions. I’m very irresponsible; I don’t have the patience to wait until the story is finished before I start editing it, so I often go back and make tweaks on a sentence level. This is often how I get myself out of writer’s block. “What did I say back here, and why does it make me feel like I can’t get to the next point on my structure?”

I also tend to write on my phone in notes app documents or in Scrivener, so I can actually make use of the dead times in my day. I pick up my phone all the time to keep my hands busy, but I rarely sit down at a computer without something more important coming up. Only once the document gets long enough to be unwieldy, or once it’s actually finished, will I sit down with the text on a bigger screen. This really helps me stop myself getting overwhelmed by the idea of The Blank Page, too. I can’t see how much I’ve written or look at much text at a time when I’m writing on my phone.

Other favourite structural things, which I add on in successive edits:

Bookending! For when you have a scene displaying the relationship between your protagonist and a secondary character at the start, then bring ‘em back together at the end to show how things have changed. My graphic novel has something like two… wait no now I’m counting it’s more like four bookend scenes, whoops. I guess I really like these! They’re good for when someone reads your draft and says “I don’t know why this character showed up, they didn’t seem that important.” If the character really IS important, they need to come back. This is handy for me specifically because I love big world with lots of secondary characters.

Callbacks: jokes strike again! But you can use this to achieve other moods. In my Silent Hill fic the words “Empty, bleeding, and different in every way” get used first to describe the town, and then again at the end to describe the protagonist. It’s unsettling both times, but the second time I feel as though it is a little bit reassuring, too. Maybe sometimes it’s good to be reinvented.

Foreshadowing: Lay the breadcrumbs! Make that one character stare at the table in the scene where everyone is speculating on the identity of the traitor, draw our attention to the ceramic statue on the mantelpiece. I love to use the rule of three for this, often describing the significant thing last—or to describe two significant things and diffuse any audience suspicion with a joke as the third thing 😈🙏

Well, this has been a very long post! I wonder what my rules for writing are. UM. I know I have them. I’m nothing if not wildly opinionated!

1. Don’t hang out with writers who think that they’re better than their readers. Storytelling is about sharing humanity, not transcending it. Writing is not a divine gift. There is no muse! Not only hang out with people who do not write, but hang out with people who do not read. It keeps you humble.

2. Don’t break format just for the helluvit, but—if you have an idea about how to pull something off and say, scandalised, “oh my god, but is that allowed?” you have to do it.

3. If you’re having fun, your reader is having fun. If you’re bored, your reader is EXTRA bored. So… don’t write the boring bits. If you don’t know what to say in the scene where the character gets the bus between two locations, just cut it and start the next scene with “When she got off the bus.” Christopher Paolini is an example of someone who has never learned this. On one hand he has a lot more money than I do, but on the other hand, I’ve had a lot more gay sex.

4. Hot take: bad books are just as educational as good ones. I love a formulaic or poorly told story because they give me a chance to engage my structure brain. I like to figure out what went wrong and how. It’s never cinema sins bullshit like “WOW! GAPING PLOT HOLE!!!” but more like “weird, the tone of the climax is jarring compared to the rest of the story” or “well that’s the obligatory breakup at the end of the second act, but why did it happen?” I’ve also learned a whole lot about how to write sex scenes by reading ones that made me say “well, certainly not like that.”

5. Learn to recognise ways you make your own writing noncommittal. “He felt,” “she realised,” “they discovered,” “she thought.” Almost, very, really, nearly. These are all things I do way too much. Don’t say he felt it was, say it was.

☀️🌱☀️

Lastly: If you’re hitting a brick wall, if you’re blocked, if writing isn’t fun… stop.

Read something outside your genre. Dig up weeds in the garden. Watch a friend play a game that is too scary for you. Put a weird doll in the corner of your bathroom, go look through second hand shops for cheap treasures, get an outlandish food on your grocery run. Have a nice chat with a guy who is eighty something, make faces at a baby when mum isn’t looking. Learn to tie a useful knot. Badly paint some furniture. Sit out under the stars with a cuppa, listen to the night sounds, enjoy the feeling of being small. What I’m saying is, you should actively distract yourself with the interesting parts of Being Alive. Whatever feels like a waste of time is worth your time. Internet does NOT count! Do not watch a video, do not read a post! Do things that engage your senses. Do things where you use your hands. Make yourself laugh! Be clumsy, be silly, be messy on purpose. Writing is never more important than being alive, and your brain is never more important than your body. You need to fall in love with being alive. You need to be in the world. One day the gears will click into place and you’ll need to start writing again, furiously, like there’s a fire lit inside of you—but you can’t rush it. You need to take the time to be an animal, and animals play.

Here is a photo of Flea, who is a sixteen year old cat. She has no teeth. Here she is having a great time rolling around in the sun.

Sometimes my zine friends and I joke about things that are zines. Can my tomato plants be a zine? Poets joke about what is a poem. Is my cat rolling on the lawn a poem? Well, in that line of thinking… being an animal isn’t not a kind of writing. You’re making a mark on the world either way.

[caliburn-not-calculator]

1, 21, and 26 for the writer asks :3

1: What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year? How did it turn out and would you do it again?

Well, in terms of new… There’s probably a few things, but the biggest and most obvious that comes to mind is my attempts at writing smut for the first time lol. It’s… fine? It’s a process to say the least, love hate relationship there. I’ll probably do it again but not with any regularity.

Just an occasional treat to throw to the heathens /aff /silly

21: Share your favorite piece of dialogue

Oh wow this is… hard to pick. I used to hate dialogue but now I love it, there’s quite a few exchanges I’m really proud of but if I have to pick one…

This is from a wip that may or may not ever happen, and I am going to drop this whole exchange cause I think it hits best with the whole context. 4.5 with the VR-LA and Maxim break up but… messier (Added the initials for clarity)

V: And how would you propose I change? What would you propose I do instead?"

M: Forget, leave it, move on with your life and away from... this— this goal that has already seen your family broken and hurt. What worth is there is continuing to chase it?

V: ... I did forget Maxim. Didn't work. Have some tack and do not ask me to do so again.

M: I am sorry, but the point stands—

V: What point? That I should have left my family to rot? Left them to die? Allowed my captain's death to be in vain? What good, what justice, would that have served? You say evil will always balance out what good we do, well then, shouldn't our good also balance the evil done to us? Should your universal order not work in my favour to?

M: I... VR-LA you could no know they were even alive. It could have been suicide.

V: I had faith.

M: Faith is for fools, do not make yourself one.

V: Faith gives us hope. Don't you dare tell me my hope is a mistake, I have fought too hard and lost too much in the fight to regain it, for it to be insulted by you.

26: If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year?

Uh… oh, oh no my memory isn’t good enough for this… probably any time I finished and posted something, like, the hit of happy fuzzies I get is wonderful. And any time when I wake up to a couple of comments on some this is always such a nice start to a day like seriously <3

I can’t think of a singular moment tho… just, generally yay :D

[idontplaytrack]

✧ Miracle

AJ Campos x fem! reader

Warnings: angst, injury, violence, hospital setting, coarse language, biphobia/homophobia, criminal investigation

“We’ll be just fine, mi vida.”

Stepping inside the freezing cold hospital room, AJ could control her tears. Seeing you lifeless and hurt right before her eyes, she couldn’t handle it. As hard as she’s tried to keep it together, finally seeing you did it for her. It broke her. Gabi waited outside, watching her sister closely.

AJ sat down in the plastic chair by your hospital bed, “I know you’re hurting right now and you need to rest, baby. But please don’t leave me. Rest all you want, but don’t leave me. I need you with me, baby. You can’t leave me just like that, y/n. Please. I need you.”

“Due to the fall, she’s obviously concussed. On top of that, a fractured arm and fractured ribs, lacerated liver, puncture wounds to the chest.”

AJ’s knees nearly gave way if it weren’t for Gabi standing right behind. “So what does that mean?”

“There is significant swelling in her brain, so we put her in a medically induced coma to help with the pain she could feel. We will keep a close eye on her and monitor the swelling. Once it improves, we’ll slowly take her out of it. Her other injuries aren’t as much of a concern.”

“I was told that the police wanted to talk to us? What is that about?” Gabi asks.

“y/n’s fall and injuries were caused by a group of teens. She didn’t fall on her own.” The doctor explained, “They’re on their way here and will let you know more about the situation. They wanted to talk to you guys to gather more information, to see if there’s anything that could help them with the investigation.”

“I should’ve just headed out with you, y/n. I’m so sorry.”

Gabi was then joined by two detectives. Covington and Rogers. They approached her and introduced themselves while AJ was still talking to you. “Special Victims?” Gabi squinted, “Is this a hate crime? Oh my God.”

“Based on video evidence, yes, unfortunately that seems to be the case. Your friend was hurt because she had been taunted by those kids because of her sexuality.”

“There was video? No one stepped in to help her?” Gabi was disgusted.

“We have identified the kids. So we’re gonna show you pictures of them and we need you to tell us if you do recognise any of them.”

Gabi was then shown the photos. To her surprise, she recognises one of them. “Wait go back— this girl. She lives across the street from me and AJ.”

“Which one? What’s her name? Where does she go to school?”

“Molly Hammond. She goes to Miller Junior High. I don’t recognise the other two people.”

“What school are you and your sister in?”

“Me, y/n and AJ are all seniors and Miller High.” Gabi confirms, “Please let justice be served, detective.”

“Gabi, we take this very seriously. We’ll do the best we can. We need to talk to your sister too, so is it okay if we step inside? Or would you want to get her out here?”

“Of course, I’ll— I’ll get her out.” Gabi stood up, knocked and walked in. “AJ, the detectives are here to talk to you.”

She looks at Gabi, then stood up, then back at you before she finally walked towards the door.

“So we’ve talked to your parents, and they told us you guys were here. We’ve shown the pictures of the people who hurt y/n to Gabi and now we’re gonna show them to you— see if you recognise anyone.”

“That’s Molly. She goes to Miller Junior High, leaves across the street from us.” AJ pointed out.

“Has she ever said anything to you or y/n? That made you guys uncomfortable in any way.”

“There was a park on Molly’s street. At the end of that street. So we passed by her house and she was in her front yard, on a swing. Me and y/n were holding hands. She yelled, “‘Eww, that’s disgusting.’ She does that, we didn’t say anything back because it’s just not worth it spend our time on someone who’s just there to hate. One day, few months ago, I told her, ‘stop saying that, it’s not something you should be saying’. It’s not like we’re heavy on the PDA- we hold hands, occasionally there’s pecks on the lips, on the cheek, the forehead. We’re careful, because we know there are people like that who are out to hurt us.”

“Has she ever physically inflicted harm on either of you before this?”

“No.” AJ shook her head. “It was always just comments when we walked by her and her friends. We always just didn’t give them any attention because that’s what they want. We’re happy, we were secure. In fact, I was going to propose to her tomorrow night— five years since our first date.”

————

“What do you want for dinner?”

“I dunno. Nothing.” AJ sighs, shutting the front door and then just going upstairs to her room.

“Mom and Dad are out, but that doesn’t mean you can just get away with not eating anything.”

AJ stares at Gabi, stopping in her tracks. “Fine. Just cook whatever, order anything you want. I’ll have some of it.”

“She’s in good hands.”

“You don’t know that.” AJ snapped.

Gabi bit back a sigh, carrying on with her task of ordering their dinner. “I’m sorry.”

Gabi shook her head, “I get it, it’s okay. You’re going through a hard time right now, you’re sad, you’re angry. And rightfully so— but take care of yourself. She’d want that. You need to be healthy when she wakes up. I don’t you to collapse too. Have dinner, get some sleep. You need to rest. It’s been a very long day, AJ.”

“I hear you.” AJ nods, “I will. Just— will you sit with me till I fall asleep?”

“Of course I will.”

Dinner was a painfully silent affair, while Gabi cleared up everything and tidied up the house, AJ lazed around in the living area trying to stay off her phone. It didn’t take long for AJ to decide that it was time to get upstairs, and ready for bed. She had nothing better to do anyway. While she was brushing her teeth, Gabi enters the room. “You don’t have to do it.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Gabi assured. “We used to do this all the time anyway. You’d always climb into my bed and snuggle because you had a bad dream.”

AJ cracked a smile, “Yeah.”

After brushing her teeth and washing up, AJ changes into pyjamas and climbed into bed. Gabi follows suit. “We’ve barely spent a day apart and I miss her already, it’s crazy.” AJ admits.

“I do too, she lives here after all.”

“Her parents didn’t even come see her at the hospital. I saw the visitors’ log— their names weren’t in it.”

“She has us, she knows that. She’s so loved, AJ.”

“Not enough, apparently. A kid did this to her, pushed her at a fucking pool. The detectives showed me the video onlookers took.”

“Why would they show you the video?”

“I asked to see it. I wanted to see if I could see or hear anyone I knew.” AJ shrugs, laying down in her bed. Gabi stayed seated up for a bit while they both chatted.

Gabi looks at her, curious. “I only recognised Molly. The other two were probably her clique.”

“They’ll get them.” Gabi nodded, “I’m sure of it.”

“I really hope so. She’s been through enough— I should’ve been there.”

“AJ, no one expects anything like this to happen. She wouldn’t be blaming you. Stop doing this to yourself, please. Close your eyes and sleep. I’m gonna be right here.”

AJ was exhausted, but she couldn’t sleep. Her mind was racing. She couldn’t wipe the look of the girls’ faces from her mind, it made her sick. “AJ, deep breaths.” Gabi reminded.

After….awhile, AJ succumbed to the exhaustion and dozed off. That was when Gabi allowed herself to sleep as well. Gabi gets woken up by a phone call at about seven in the morning.

“Yeah, hi.”

“y/n’s awake. The swelling somehow lessened significantly overnight. It’s almost miraculous.”

“That is such good news, thank you.”

“We still can’t contact her parents, but she will be allowed to have visitors— two at a time, once the doctors fully clear her for it. But she’s recovering very well, Ms. Campos.”

————

“The lacerated liver isn’t too severe so a surgery wasn’t done. But you have to be careful when you move.”

You nodded, “Who’s come by to see me?”

“Your girlfriend and her sister. I’m sorry but we couldn’t contact your parents.”

“That’s— fine, they kicked me out a year ago. Don’t try again.” You revealed.

“You do have a concussion so you have to really take it easy, you’ll still experience headaches and nausea, light and sound sensitivity as you get better. But you will still be in the hospital in the meantime, so we will be right here if you need anything. The puncture wounds…”

“Were caused by a pin I had on my shirt.” You told them, “I assume police are waiting to talk to me? When are they coming?”

“That’s up to you, and how you’re feeling, y/n.” The doctor tells you.

“Now’s good. I remember everything, how they look like, what they said. Just a little jumbled. So before I lose my focus and forget…I think you should call them.”

“As long as you’re sure.” The doctor gives you a kind smile, “I’ll give them a call as soon as I’m done checking you over.”

“Thanks.” You say quietly.

“I’ve given your girlfriend’s sister, Gabi, a call before I came in here, so you can expect them to come by today.”

Your face lit up at the mention of AJ’s name. The doctor was happy that you had such a reaction. “Before I get on with my rounds, what symptoms are you having?”

“My head hurts, so does my chest. My arm? Not so much.”

“We can give you some pain medication if you need it, alright? Just let us know.”

“Can I have some now?”

“Certainly. I’ll get the nurse to come in afterwards to give you a dose. We’ll also try and keep the room a bit darker for you so it’s more comfortable. You can also eat some foods that are easy on the stomach now, so if you’d like something, I can get that arranged for you too.”

“Maybe just some juice for now. My stomach’s a little…unsettled.”

“Of course, darling.” The doctor nodded in understanding, “You rest up, I’ll go get you whatever you want and need. When the detectives get here, they’ll knock, okay?”

“Yep. Thanks, Dr. Higgins.”

As she leaves you alone, you closed your eyes again to rest, waking up again when you heard knocks on your door. “Sorry to disturb your rest, y/n. I’m Detective Rogers, this is my partner Detective Covington. We’re from the SVU and we wanted to ask you some questions.”

“Oh, I was expecting you. Come in.”

“The girls have been identified but we do need you to ID them too, as corroboration.”

“I know all three.” You nodded, they hand you a file. Opening it, you look at the photos: screenshots from videos, they seem like. “Molly Hammond. She was there with two of her friends. Madison Doyle and Vania Todd. All of them go to Miller Junior High— they come over to the high school every other day just to say shit about me and AJ. But mostly me, because AJ’s the most popular girl’s sister.”

“Thank you.” Rogers nodded, taking back the file, “Could you walk as through what happened?”

“Well I woke up and decided I wanted to go for a swim so I told my girlfriend where I was going— to the pool near her house. And I went, alone. She was going to come with me but she was not feeling too well. Just gotten her period and her cramps are usually pretty bad, so I asked her to just sleep in. I don’t spend a long time at the pool anyway.” You started to explain, “Everything went fine. I spent about half an hour there before the three girls showed up. I didn’t think anything of it because it’s a public pool and they were in swimwear, so— an attack wouldn’t be the first thing to cross my mind, you know?”

They nod, listening attentively and jotting down notes. You continue, “But then they saw me, and they started laughing, talking, I heard those names they use to call me. They swim over and started to splash water at me— right in my face. I was uncomfortable, so swam away. They followed me. So, I got out of the pool and they also got out of the pool. it was wet okay, so I was being careful. And then there was, ‘Go ahead, Maddie, push her. She’s disgusting, she likes all the girls.’ It all happened to quick for me to process what they’d said and get away. I saw Maddie standing there by my clothes— she took out one of the pins I had on my t-shirt, came over to me and poked the pin on my chest. Madison and Vania were laughing, I hear the pin drop to the floor and what happened was I got up the steps of the pool completely— I’ve left the water. These kids waited till I was at a distance and pushed me back so I lost my balance and slipped. They all took turns shoving me like I was some kind of toy. I pushed past them a little, but Madison? She came right and me, pushed me down with both hands. She looked right at me, smirking. I just remember my head felt like it was going to explode…it was the worse pain I’ve ever felt. They were laughing, going ‘yes!’, I hear high-fives…then I blacked out. That’s the last thing i remember before I woke up here.”

After that, the detectives pretty much had all they needed. So they thanked you and left. But almost immediately after, AJ showed up in the halls, rushing into the room after locking eyes with you. Gabi was close behind. Shit, you hit your head so fucking hard and yet you could remember everything? What a miracle.

AJ hugs you first and foremost. But she was being very cautious— they have definitely told her what happened to you injury-wise. You didn’t even know how you got that lacerated liver, but hey. At least you didn’t need surgery for it.

“I’m not gonna leave you, I promised. We made a promise remember? What am I if I just gave up like that?”

AJ sniffles, chuckling slightly. Pulling away, she presses a kiss to your cheek. “Babe, they put you in a coma because your TBI was that bad.” AJ breathes out shakily, “You waking up the next day because they see that the swelling has basically disappeared is a fucking miracle,”

“Thank you, universe.” You said while squeezing her hand, “The doctor said I’ll just be here a few days before I get to go home.”

“That’s so good, baby.” She cups your cheek, still crying. Then you see Gabi waiting by the door, through the little clear panel.

“I remembered everything. I told the police whatever I could remember.”

AJ nodded, “I was so scared I’d lose you, y/n.”

“Never gonna be able to get rid of me, I’m afraid.” You cracked a smile, “Don’t cry. I’m alright. I’ll get even better with time.”

————

Almost a week later, you were discharged and on your way home with AJ and her parents. Gabi had a track meet, so she wasn’t around. She’d only be back that night. You still had to rely on them for most of what you needed and wanted to do, but they took good care of you and not once did they make you feel bad. You’d spent about another week home from school and during that time, the same detectives you met at the hospital showed up. They sat you down with AJ’s parents, “We have good news. All three of her attackers pleaded guilty. They’ll be living under probationary terms for three years and it all goes on their records permanently. For Madison, she will be in juvie for three months, thereafter her three years begin. They are not allowed to come anywhere near you and your girlfriend because a restraining order has been placed. These kids, they’re 12 both of them, one of them 13. At such a young age, they showed no remorse for what they did. Truly cold-blooded. When we talked to them, it was clear that they had no regret. It wasn’t hard for the judge to see how terrifying they are.”

“Thank you,” You looked at the detectives, “So much for your help,”

“It’s our job, honey.” Rogers smiled and gave you a hug, “Take good care of yourself. You’ll be okay.”

“Thank you, detectives.” AJ and her parents said.

“The best thank you would be to see you continue thriving.” They say and stood up, AJ’s parents led them to the door.

With one last smile, they leave. The door shuts. A huge weight lifts of your shoulders and theirs, you could breathe easier now knowing that they got what they deserved. “What do you say we order your favourite for dinner tonight and celebrate, mija?” Her mom asks you.

“Oh.” You blinked profusely, grabbing a tissue from the coffee table, “Yeah, sure. That- that’d be nice.” AJ quickly realised you were about to cry and just held you in her arms, rubbing your back. Her mom presses a kiss to the top of your head then left you and AJ alone to finish watching the movie you had to paise because the detectives came by.

“We’ll be just fine, mi vida.”

“We’ll be spectacular.” You chuckled at the end, letting a tear slip, “The good guys will always get the last laugh:”

“Oh, always.” AJ agrees, holding you tighter. “I love you.”

That night, Gabi returns, bringing along your good friends Stacy and Dylan. They were aware of what had happened but they were just so very happy to see you. “Girl, I have missed you so damn much. Oh I’m so glad you’re alright.”

“I’m thriving, honey. Not gonna let three little girls get in the way of my life.”

“That’s my girl.” Stacy smooches your cheek.

“A literal miracle.” Dylan sighs, “Your recovery and the fact that Miller High placed first!”

“What?!” You and AJ shrieked, “Oh, my God. You guys…that’s incredible. I’m sorry we weren’t there,”

“You guys were there in spirit, we know you guys would’ve been cheering us on.” Dylan corrected, “It’s the thought that counts, my friends.”

“Okay, kids! Eat up before the food gets cold.” AJ and Gabi’s Dad urged.

“But first, a toast— to miracles.” Their mom raised her glass.

“To miracles.”

🏷️ Tag list:

@ashecampos @auliisflower @cheesysoup-arlo @frogs00 @reneeswif3 @ludoesartnstuffs @pda128

💭A/N: Wasn’t sure if I wanted to share this fic, but I did spend a good 10+ hours writing it so I figured why not

[usernameforaboredcat]

Wasn’t Fated To Succeed

{Spy Ace X Marine Reader}

(I thought of this idea from a manga side story where Ace breaks into a Marine headquarters and fucks around n thought “hey, I can make sum angst with this shit🤷🏻‍♀️” so tehe like look at him!!

He’s such a silly goofy guy I love this mf so much!! Anyway-

Warnings⚠️: Angst, very sad angst, smut, p in v, virginity loss, use of nicknames "princess" "sweetheart" "good girl" ect, fingering, groping, very very slow burn, like this might take a while to read, death, daddy isn’t the best lol

It didn’t take long for him to notice her.

Who?

That young woman maybe a year or two younger than him, sitting at the large table, leaning comfortably in her chair with her arms and legs crossed with an annoyed and tired scowl on her face. Whist on his infiltration mission, Ace got dragged into a Marine meeting. He was more in the back, hiding himself to stay unnoticed while listening in.

Something about her was trying to telling him something he couldn’t hear, and he was trying desperately to make out what it was. To be fair he had been listening to everything, making as many mental notes as possible.

“What about that Straw Hat kid?!”. His ears perked up. “That punk has caused enough trouble as is!”. A loud disgusted “uhg” echoes through the room, drawing all eyes to that girl. She’s wearing a white low cut sailor dress with a beautiful pink flower in her hair. “Is there something you’d like to say?”. She gets asked, the man talking in an angry tone. “First of all I don’t quite appreciate that tone of yours when talking to me”. She starts, her eyes like daggers.

Ace felt a shiver run down his spine, her cold tone freezing the temperature of the whole room. “And second I don’t think that child should be a problem of ours”. She leans forward in her seat, propping her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her laces together fingers. “He is a child, gentlemen. Us marines should be adult enough to not get too affected by him”. She finishes. “But miss! Haven’t you heard all the trouble he’s started! Lougetown! Alabasta! Water 7!?”. A man yells.

The girl rolls her eyes dramatically at his words. “Please, I quite frankly think we have much higher risks and problems than him! And even if we did follow through with his antics and arrest him, what exactly do we do? There’s no laws regarding child pirates so what? Do we execute a child? Just like how if a grown ass man committed theft we just give him a smack on the ass like a child who stole a cookie from grandmas kitchen?”. She questions.

The room goes silent, no one knowing how to respond or even daring to respond. Something switched in Aces mind, something that felt weird and funny and new. Seeing such a ice cold girl with a burning fire of true justice set his heart ablaze. She wasn’t wrong, there aren’t any laws about punishment for pirates under the age of 18. He couldn’t help but let out a quiet chuckle.

The girl stands up from her seat, resting her hand on her hip. “Now, personally I think we have more important things to deal with at the moment! Send a team out on a patrol of the city and see if there are actual problems we should take care of, report them back to me by the end of the day”. She explains as she starts to make her way to the door. “And if I find out that there’s been an incident that hasn’t been reported to me I’ll make sure to serve you at the next hot pot in the hot pot”. She threatens, then exits the room.

The room bursts into whispers and murmurs. The room started to clear out, the meeting ending basic after the girl had left. As Ace starts to make his way out, he hears whispers about her. “I don’t get why she’s here”. “Bitch really think she’s the boss of us”. “Hey! Don’t say that!”. “Why? Scared her daddy will kill you?”. “Yes!”. So her dad has a lot of power in the Marines then. Interesting.

The room had emptied, the halls slowly emptying with people heading off to their jobs. With not real job, Ace scrambles down the hall and walks into a random room. He sighs as he closes the door, the click of a sword being unsheathed makes him freeze. ‘Oh fuck’. He slowly turns around, seeing the girl from before standing behind her desk holding her swords handle in her dominant hand ready to pull out. “You’re not supposed to be in here”. She tells him. “Why are you here? And what’s your rank?”. She asks him.

He straightens up and chuckles nervously, scratching the back of his neck. “I just wanted to say that what you said back there was cool! A real sense of justice, I’ve never seen something like that from a marine”. He admits to her. “I see”. She mutters. She clicks her sword back into place and makes her way over to the little kitchen in the office, opening a cupboard. “Care for a coffee?”. She asks without looking at him. “No thanks, not a fan of bitter stuff”. He answers.

She nods. “Very well”. She only takes out one mug. “Tell me, are you new to the marines? With your wording ‘I’ve never seen something like that from a marine’ implies that you haven’t seen a lot of marines talk or any meetings”. She explains as she puts coffee grounds and sugar in her mug. “Yep! I haven’t been here too long!”. He answers. Technically he’s not wrong. “Tell me then, how are you finding the marines?”. She asks. “Definitely not annoying and sick of people telling me what to do”. He explains in a chuckle.

She lets out a small chuckle as she fills her mug with milk. “I can’t imagine having to listen to marine would be easy for someone like you”. She states as she stirs the milk. “Especially for someone like you, Fire Fist Ace”. She adds. Aces eyes widen, but he gets back his cool demeanour and tilts his marine cap up as if it’s his classic hat, his finger alit. “Guess it was only a matter of time before someone figured me out”. He chuckles.

She lets out a chuckle again, walking over to the kettle. “It only took me a second. Unlike my colleagues I’m good with faces. As soon as you walked in I was able to recognise your face”. She explains as she fills up the kettle with water and set it on the stove. “However I do not wish to report you or arrest you”. She adds. She tries to turn the stove on, but it’s refuses to turn on.

She lets out an annoyed sigh, turning back to the pirate. “Mind giving me a hand?”. She asks, her voice in a more softer tone. “Uh…sure!”. He agrees happily, walking over to her. He places his hand on the kettle and sets his hand on fire, the kettle slowly starting to boil. “So…how come you’re not gonna report or arrest me?”. He asks her. “Because I hate the marines”. She blatantly states.

The kettle quickly starts to whistle causing Ace to move his hand away, the girl grabbing the kettle by the handle and filling up her mug. “I’ve always hated the marines”. She walks towards her desk, taking a seat. She gestures him to take a seat in the chair across from her, which he does. “Ever since a young age we’re all taught the black and white of marines good and pirates bad, however those with a brain can tell you that it’s mixed. I’m only young but I’ve seen good pirates and bad marines”. She explains.

She leans back in her seat and takes a sip of her drink. “For example…That Straw Hat Luffy”. Aces eyes widened. “I had been keeping an eye of what’s been happening in Alabasta for a few months now but because of our affiliations with Sir Crocodile the marines never did a thing. I felt terrible, for the king, Princess Vivi, and their people! I honestly thought that Sir Crocodile was going to distort that poor country, until I heard that Straw Hat arrived and was able to take care of it. I’m honestly surprised someone just a year younger than me was able to take him down, colour me impressed”. She explains.

Ace let’s out a chuckle as he leans back in his chair, arms propped behind his head. “That’s my little brother for ya! He’s full of surprises!”. He laughs loudly. “You’re joking! You and Straw Hat are brothers?!”. She yells out in shock, almost dropping her cup. “Nope, Luffy’s my baby brother”. He confirms. “Hm, you learn something new everyday I guess”. She mutters. “So if you hate marines so much, why become one?”. Ace asks her. “Because like hell I’d let the corrupted marines stay in power and continue to ruin the world government. I’m just waiting for the day the head admirals kick the bucket and I’ll take over! With them gone, I’ll finally be able to fix this twisted government up”. She explains to him.

“Now it’s my turn to ask a question”. She sets her coffee mug down on the table, crossing her legs and setting her hands down on her knee. “Why are you here?”. She asks. “Simple! I’m here to gather information, is there anything else to it?”. He responds. “Well if that’s the case”. She takes a key out her pocket, opening a filing draw at her desk. She grabs a note pad and a pen, sliding it over to Ace. “What would you like to know?”. She asks him with a growing smirk, Ace smirking and chuckling in response as he takes the note pad. “Whatever you know”.

~

Ace had been around the marine base for over a week now, working as a small team with a very powerful woman in the marine world. (Y/n). That’s the name she told him, he trusts that it’s her real name and not a name she’s giving him just to play with him. They where a team of people from two worlds. Ace had thought she would have outed him by now, but instead she’d always vouch for him if he was ever in trouble and let him sleep in her office. In his eyes she’s truely an amazing person.

~

The room was quiet, the faint light of a candle lighting up the desk enough for the woman to work. She lets out a sigh as she finishes reading the last of the reports, crossing her arms and laying them on the desk to use them as a pillow. The door to her office opens without a knock, she knows who it is. “Hey hey! There’s my favourite marine!”. She giggles to herself and she looks up, seeing Ace closing the door behind himself. “Evening Ace, how was your day?”. She ask him in a soft tired tone. “Ah ya know! Pretty good! Almost got my ass beat today but I in fact was the one who did the beating!”. He says proudly as he walks over and takes a seat across from her.

“I wouldn’t recommend drawing too much attention to yourself”. She says as she look up at him. “I’ll be fine! I have you!”. He responds. She smiles to herself, tilting her head. “I can only do so much you know, have you forgotten the kind of number that’s on your head?”. She tells him, then letting out a yawn. “Hm? You okay?”. He asks her. “Yes yes, just tired from work is all”. She explains. “You want me to leave and let you rest?”. He asks her, concern in his voice. “No no no, it’s good that you’re here. It’s better when you’re here, I feel like I don’t have a stick up my ass”. She explains to him, laying her head back down.

“Aawww, you chill out around me! Aren’t you cuuuuuute”. He coos at her, heat rising to his face. “I mean you’re not a marine, I don’t have to try to impress you”. She admits in a soft tone, looking back up at Ace for him to see her reddening cheeks. “I wish you never have to leave”. She adds, smiling up at him. “It has been fun, but if I stay here any longer it might start to cause you trouble”. He adds to her statement.

“Hey, how about tonight we drink? To a better future!”. He suggests to her. She hums, smiling at the idea. “That sounds quite nice, I approve”. She agrees. “Actually-“. She gets up from her chair, walking over to the fridge and taking out a bottle of fancy expensive alcohol. “I’ve had this since my 18th birthday and I thought now would be a good time to use it”. She explains, grabbing two glass cups. “Wow! Pulling out that good stuff! Very nice very nice”. He responds, his hand on his chin as he rubs it.

“Only the best…for me!”. (Y/n) says happily as she grabs glasses, shrugging. She walks back over to her desk, popping open the bottle and pouring the liquid into the glasses. She takes a seat, the two taking a glass each. “Well, even with this funny predicament…I’ve enjoyed our time together”. (Y/n) admits, swirling the drink then taking a sip. “Why not come with me?”. Ace suddenly asks. (Y/n) looks at him wide eyed. “What?”. She asks simply. “Leave the marines, come join the White Beard Pirates with me! The old man would love ya, take ya in as if you where his own daughter”. He explains to her.

She continues to look at him in shock, then turning to look away from him. “Ace I-… I can’t just leave the marines! It’s all I know, it’s what I’ve grown up with. Besides, if I left the marines to become a pirate my father would for sure kill me”. She explains, the thought of death sending a shiver down her spine. “By the way, who is your father?”. He asks. “He’s a…an Admiral”. She answers, refusing to look at him. “Damn! No wonder everyone is so shit scared of you!”. Ace yelps, almost spitting out his drink.

“Hey! Don’t spit that out! It’s expensive!”. (Y/n) snapped at him. “You never told me that your dad was a fucking Admiral!”. He snaps back. (Y/n) scoffs and rolls her eyes. “It doesn’t matter anyway. You wouldn’t know what it’s like to have a father like that, especially a father that kills the innocent despite being a “man of justice”, yeah justice my ass”. She mutters, chugging the rest of the drink. “I’m guessing you don’t know my father then”. Ace chuckles. “Hey, I have a lot of people to do background checks on and to keep track of!”. She defends. Ace let’s out another chuckle, chugging down the rest of his drink. “Ever heard of Gol. D. Roger?”. He asks. “Okay now you’re fucking with me! No way your father is the King of Pirates like 20 years ago!”. She snaps. “Yeah…”. He mutters out. (Y/n) leans over and refills both of their glasses up.

“So tell me lil Roger Jr. What do you think about him?”. She asks, taking a sip of her refilled drink. “I don’t really care, I don’t see him as my father anyway! White Beard is my father and always will be”. He answers. (Y/n) smiles softly as she looks at the older man. “That’s cute”. She admits. “What about you? What do you think about your old man?”. He then asks her. “Ah. I don’t know, he treats me like his own personal army toy. He raised me to be a marine and I never really got to have a life. No friends, no other family, no hobbies, no nothing to me! I never wanted to be a marine or even a pirate, I’d rather just be a normal girl”. She goes on. She sees Ace looking at her with a soft smile, causing her to take another sip of her drink to hide her plush.

“I didn’t mean to go on”. She apologises. “No no no, it’s fine”. Ace reassures her. “I just…never really had the chance to talk to anyone like that”. She hums. “Oh Ace, you have no idea how badly I wish I could go with you. Travel the world, find who I am as a person, meet people of all different…well…everything!”. She rants. “But…I’m stuck here”. She chugs her drink again, quick to fill it up again. “Come on kid, you’re drinking a little too much”. Ace states, getting up from his chair and walks over to take her drink from her. “I’m not a kid! Don’t you dare call me that!”. She snaps, quickly chugging the drink before it can be taken away.

“Maybe we should get you to bed”. Ace says, taking the glass from her and placing it on her desk. “I’m fine, okay? I don’t need you to baby me like everyone else!”. She snaps, looking up at him. He chuckles down at her, amused by her cranky face. He reaches and grabs her chin with his thumb and pointer finger. Without thinking, he leans down and presses his lips against hers. Regret immediately flows through him, but it instantly vanishes when he feels her hands on his cheeks to pull him closer.

He could taste the alcohol on her lips, tasting it more when she opens her mouth to let him slide his tongue in. He pulls away from her, looking down at her to see her big pleading begging eyes and kiss puffy lips. “For a marine you’re absolutely beautiful”. He whispers just loud enough for her to hear. “For a pirate you’re incredibly handsome”. She whispers back loudly. This time, she leans up and kisses him. She pulls him closer by wrapping her arms around his neck, Ace leaning over and easily picking her up to wrap her legs around his waist.

He sits down in her chair, letting the younger girl sit on his lap. She pulls away from Ace, the two panting of the lack of air. Fire, want, and need builds up in their bodies, (Y/n) slowly starting to grind herself over Aces growing length. He chuckles at her neediness, rubbing her hips up and down. “Never in my life would I ever think I’d see a marine be so needy for a pirate”. He chuckles as his hands travel to her thighs and going over her dress.

He uses one hand to move her panties aside and the other running a finger through her wet folds. “Ah! Ace~”. She moans out, grinding against his hand. “Jeez you’re so wet already, it makes me want to take you here and now”. He teases. “Then why don’t you?”. She asks in a giggle, running her hand down his chest to his hardened bulge and rubbing it through his pants. Ace hisses at her actions, causing (Y/n) to giggle as she leans in close to his ear. “Although I’d rather be the one to take you~”. She whispers into his ear, then kissing his ear lobe.

“God!”. Ace let’s out in a loud groan. He grabs her chin again with his spare hand and grabs her chin, pulling her in closer. (Y/n) moans into the kiss, letting out a cry of pleasure as she feels him slide two finger inside her warm wet entrance. She pulls away and whimpers at the new slightly painful feeling, her legs shaking as he slowly drags his fingers in and out. “I just realized…you’re a virgin”. Ace states. “Oh shut up”. She gasps, slamming her lips back on his. Ace picks up the speed of his fingers, using his thumb to rub against her clit.

He pulls away from the kiss, moving his hand from her chin to the low cut neck of her dress. He smirks as he pulls the dress neck down, her boobs sliding out from the motion. He’d be lying to himself if he didn’t at least wanna cop one feel of her tits while here. He aggressively grabs her breast and squeezes it, pulling and pinching on the nipple. “A-! Aaaaaace~ please!”. She cries out, needing something more. “Pleeeeease let me feel you inside me!”. She begs. Ace smirks as he lets out a single chuckle, pulling his hands away from her as he goes down to his pants. With ease his undoes his belt buckle, belt and zipper, easily being able to hop with her on top for him to slide his pants and boxers down to his ankles.

(Y/n) feels a shiver go down her spine as she looks down at his erection. He’s so long and thick, probably the first time in her life she’s ever felt intimated. “What’s the matter? Scared?”. Ace chuckles, grabbing the base of his cock. “Quiet!”. She snaps. She puts her hands on his shoulders to use to keep herself stable. She lifts herself up and hovers over his cock, feeling his hot leaking tip against her entrance. “Take it slow princess~”. Ace coos her, his hands back on her hips and rubbing them to comfort her.

She sinks down on his cock, feeling his tip slide inside her aching hole. The aching feeling of need grows stronger and stronger, craving him to fill her up. Without thinking she sinks her whole body onto his cock, his tip slamming painful against her cervix. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”. She cries, feeling as if electricity shock through her body. “Sssshhhhhhit! Ah fuck me! Shit you’re tight”. Ace pants out as he squeezes his eyes shut, feeling his cock getting squeezed so tight inside her he could explode inside her already.

He opens his eyes but his vision isn’t the clearest, light headed from the feeling of her insides. He looks at the girl on his lap, seeing her still trying to catch her breath as tears run down her cheeks, a painful grip against his shoulders. He slowly starts to rock her hips, sliding her up and down on his length. Her cries turn onto moans, starting to move her hips on her own. “That’s it, good girl~”. Ace praises, rubbing circles on her hips over her dress.

(Y/n) picks up speed, smoothly bouncing up and down on the pirates cock. Ace happily leans back in the chair, his limit approaching fast at the feeling of her right pussy sucking him in and trying to milk his cock of every single drop of his cum. More. More. He grips her hips tight, getting a tight hold on her and pulling her up and down on him, using her as a toy. A very pretty, very off limits, very hey she’s literally your enemy, toy.

He can’t help but start thrusting his hips up into her as he slams her down, the two meeting half way as Ace oh so desperately tries to chase his fast growing high. He needs to cum. Specifically he needs to cum in this marines perfect tight pussy. A now strong believer in the idea of if he cums in her it’ll make all his dreams come true. Without warning and a hard slam he releases deep inside her, his hot seed filling up her insides. (Y/n) shutters at the feeling of his warmth.

She pants as she tries to get off of him, but Ace slams her back down, drawing a whimper from her when she whimpers. “I don’t think so”. He pants out. He moves his hands under her thighs, swiftly picking her up and laying her on her desk. Ace smirks as he looks down at the marine, seeing her breasts raise up and down with each breath, her pussy still stuffed with his cock as cum starts to leak out the sides. He reaches over and grabs the forgotten bottle of liquor, taking a massive chug of it till the last little remaining drops are gone.

He leans down with each of his hand on either side of her head, her hips trying to move to chase the aching need of release she still hadn’t gotten. “We’ll be here all night until morning, hope you like the shitty coffee they have here cuz you’ll need it”. He tells her as he slowly grabs her ankles and pushes them up to her chest. “A-Ace~”. She whimpers, feeling him so deep inside her he might just be inside her womb. “You’re in for a looooooong night sweetheart~”.

~

The wind was cold, giving a gentle touch every time to touched her face. There’re no clouds in the sky, just a blue ocean above and in front of her. The sound of ringing and feet pattering rush over to the young lady’s sitting spot, some marine in a much lower rank than her running towards her with a transponder snail. “Miss! Your father is calling!”. The man calls. She reaches out and answers it. “Hello father”. She greets him. “Hello (Y/n)”. He responds with his bored gruffed voice. “What is the pleasure I have for you to call me out of the blue?”. She asks. “I wanted to check in that you’ve arrived to the base safely”. He answers. “I’d prefer you’d be here but you made the mistake that lead not to”. He adds. Ah yes, a mistake. A living, growing “mistake”. She runs her free hand over her stomach, only a few month’s pregnant by this point. “I’m sure everything would go smoothly without me, besides I’m not really in the mood to see something like an execution”. She informs him. “Yes, I’m sure”. He agrees. “How long now?”. She asks. “8 hours until that Fire Fist is dead”. He answers.

(Y/n)s grip tightened, her hands shaking. “Mr Akainu! We have to go!”. A voice is heard in the background of the call. “These idiots need me, I’ll be leaving”. And without a goodbye, he hangs up. (Y/n) ends the call on her end, shooing away the marine. She takes a deep breath as she closes her eyes, feeling the soft breeze on her face. She starts to hum a random tune as she rubs her stomach, hot tears falling down her cheeks. “I’m sorry, little one. I’m afraid your father won’t get to meet you”. She mutters under her breath. “Oh Ace, I’m sorry that this happened…I hope…I hope somehow that brother of yours saves you so I can see you again…and…and you to meet our little one…”.

~

The winds where fast, the breeze smelling like sea salt as music rode along the winds. “CAPTAIN!”. The crew pause their antics, looking towards the navigator. “MARINES APPROACHING!”. He yells. The Captain shoots to the head of the ship, sitting on the lions head. “Do we attack?”. The cyborg asks, getting ready to ready for an attack. “THEYRE WAVING A WHITE FLAG!”. The sniper informs them. “What do we do captain?”. The swordsman asks. Their captain looks at the oncoming ship, laughing. “This could be fun!”. He laughs.

The ship slowly gets closer, the two ships setting down their anchors. The pirates watch as the marines look over their ship to look at them. A young woman walks up to the side, a high ranking woman. Without a second thought she jumps down, easily landing on the ship. The woman is wrapped in a long white cloak, maintaining eye contact with their captain. “You’re Straw Hat Luffy, correct?”. She asks him. “Yeah? So what?”. He asks her. “There’s something I’d like to discuss, is there somewhere more private for us to talk?”. She asks. “Don’t worry, if you’re questioning my intentions your crew mates are free to join which I think you’d rather”. She adds. “Yeah sure, we can talk in the kitchen”. He answers.

He leads her to the kitchen and dining room of the ship, the crew following behind them. “So, what’s up?”. Luffy asks, taking a seat at his spot at the head of the table. “If I remember correctly your older brother was Fire Fist Ace, yes?”. She asks. Luffy shivers, looking at her with murder in his eyes. Why would a marine come to him asking about his brother NOW?! “Yeah, what about it?”. He asks. The woman smiles softly as she takes off her coat hanging around her shoulders, setting it on the table to reveal a sleeping toddler in her arms. A little girl, long black hair with freckles. She looks like… “I know Ace never got the chance to meet her, but I thought her uncle should at least know she exists”. The woman explains.

Luffy looks down at the girl wide eyes, his eyes softening as he looks at her. “Wh-what?”. He stutters out. “WHAT?!?!”. The other crew members yell out, causing the baby to stir and begin to wake up. She looks up at her mum, who sweetly looks at her. “Mama?”. She asks. The woman giggles as she points Luffy to her, the little girl turning to look at him with wide eyes. “Rouge, this is your uncle! You know that stretchy guy that grandpa yells about? Say hi”. She tells the little one. “Hi”. The little girl greets, giving a little wave. “Would you like to hold her?”. (Y/n) asks Luffy. He doesn’t answer, just taking the girl from her arms and holding her close to himself. The other crew members crowd around their captain, looking down at the girl with aws and coos.

“Aawww she’s so adorable!”.

“She’s so pretty!”.

“She sure does look a lot like her daddy”.

“Wow! You’re an uncle!

“Uncle Luffy!!”

(Y/n) takes a seat at the table as the Straw Hats coos and laugh at her daughter. “How old is she?”. Robin asks the mother. “She’s two”. She answers. “She’s so adorable! You and Ace really made the cutest baby I’ve ever seen”. Nami compliments, taking a seat next to the mother. “Thank you! A day doesn’t go by that she doesn’t remind me of her father”. She thanks. “Honestly with how much she looks like her dad I’m surprised there hasn’t been anything in the news about it”. Nami points out. “No one’s figured it out yet, which I’m hoping never happens. If anyone asks about her father I tell them it was a random I had a drunk hook up with at a hotel so I don’t know what he looks like”. She explains. “Hey Marine Lady”. Luffy calls, the mother turning to him. “Yes?”. She responds. “What’s your name?”. He asks. “It’s (Y/n)”. She answers. “And hers?”. He asks, referring to the girl in his arms. “I named her Rouge, after Aces mother”. She answers.

“Luffy, I have a request”. She then starts. “Yeah?”. He responds. “If something happens to me, weather I die in war or I get executed for birthing Aces child, no matter what if anything happens to me…please take care of her. Either she’ll get raised to be a marine soldier like I was or killed as well, I want her to live free and I know you and your friends will teach her the right things. I know you’d be an amazing uncle and teacher for her”. She explains to him. He smiles brightly and nods. “Of course!”. He says happily. His expression changes into a more serious one, but still with a smile.

“If anything happens, I’ll make sure to protect and save her! I won’t make the same mistake again!”.