#SO I'M?? SORRY IF HE DOESN'T SOUND A LOT LIKE PREVIOUS REPLIES?

[mythvoiced]

@theimpalpable | the GBEP

If Samuel could will a hole into existence every time he so desperately needs one to just swallow him whole and drag him to the centre of the Earth, a coffin designed perfectly for the kind of messes he's been creating all around this already doomed planet, he'd have turned said doomed planet into the oddest piece of Swiss Cheese ever come into existence.

Which is either a very funny thought or he's bordering on succumbing to the hysterics curling his lips into that odd smile he can't shake off his lips, no matter how inappropriate it feels to wear.

His hands are pressed into his face, eyes freed still and staring at nothing at all, his fingers buried into the beginnings of his hair, messing what is already pretty messy on its own.

This is a nightmare. He hardly has the mental capacity necessary to recognize the possible and very likely implications and ramifications of the creatures he set out into the world, the slow march of decay swaggering about along the bottom of the ocean; being sat directly next to the direct consequences of his actions isn't any easier to stomach as a result, in fact, he's pretty certain that his desiring this to be a dream is teetering dangerously close to him starting to convince himself it is a dream.

Which, of course, would be violently useful.

A psychotic break in the middle of a bar next to a guy who's life he's ruining.

He groans, hands moving to slide over his face, rub into his eyes until he sees stars and begs them to come down upon him like vengeful angels and strike him off the face of the planet. Maybe that would do it. Maybe his death would kill everything he's created along with him, kind of like... killing the sire of a vampire...

"The Sazerac, please," Samuel manages to interject pathetically, which he assumes is not the tone of voice bartenders prefer out of their clients in terms of who they decide to serve and who they'd rather see out of their establishment in the next few 'immediately please'. Samuel has never been refused service before, never thrown enough back to give any barkeep reason to, never crumbled in public in a way obvious enough that it leaves any impression.

But, then again, he's also never half-assed a plot outline and have it lead to meeting the guy said plot outline had forced into itself, perhaps in a weird attempt on the universe's part to fix what he can't, to finally be the author he should be.

Oh, great, an existential crisis on top of the 'supernatural' crisis.

Samuel looks up when the barkeep returns with a glass and doesn't even have the energy to pretend he's surprised when it turns out to be water. He sighs, curses his existence with the exhausted resignation of someone who's given up on trusting in self-curses, and grabs the glass.

He manages a wry smile, charming and handsome, that the stranger is, which is perhaps part of the reason he'd fit so fucking well into the kind of story Samuel had attempted to emulate. Clichés upon clichés, all he'd managed to scratch together, who doesn't love a good explorer story and a Nathan Drake to charm anyone who'd swoon at the easy smile and easy wit?

If anything, Samuel is slowly becoming self-deprecatingly surprised he hadn't realized the moment the stranger had turned his head his way, that this is who he'd been looking for.

He'd tried to find something new to add, something fresh to add to the genre, something to stand out with, and that's precisely while it's now half-deceased and half-abandoned somewhere in a pile of notes with stories just like it.

He hadn't come up with anything that would have made it worth reading above others just like it.

"No, I... I don't think you'll die," Samuel finds himself uttering back, an open-mouthed drag of his mouth to one side to put emphasis on the word 'die', all while he unconsciously peeks over the stranger's arm to watch his sketch unfold. Oh. He can draw, too, he muses, subconsciously adjusting the glasses he sees reflected on the paper.

Charming, handsome, creative, extroverted, makes easy conversations and commands a scenario without ever making Samuel feel like he's backed into a corner by a personality much louder than his own. A guy, friendly, but not overly so.

Samuel has no idea if the plot chose him because who wouldn't fancy a heartthrob protagonist like that - which is honestly just embarrassing to admit - or because if Samuel could pay money to have any of those qualities...

The usual. Is he hot or do I just really, really wish I were him?

Samuel takes a big sip of his water.

He's loosing his goddamn mind.

He's hoping he won't die. He had briefly considered... perhaps a good way to stand out would be to... just...

He slams his hand onto the stranger's arm, eyes blown wide in a frantic panic to fix something he can't fix and prevent something not even happening yet. "Can I have your number?"

He gives himself a few seconds of sirens blaring in his ears before he connects the dots of how he sounds and recoils, only to lurch forward again, an odd dissonance of pulling away, but not appearing... what? Exactly? Damn the bartender for refusing him that drink.

"Not- not like that, wait- uhm, I'm Samuel, hi, nice to meet you, do you think we could...? As in, I would like to help. I think I might be able to- I think you might need my help- this will sound ridiculous, do--?"

He closes his eyes, counts to ten, hates himself a little more, opens them again with an exhale.

"I think I'm partly or mostly to blame for your situation but the reason why I believe that will make me sound insane. But I... need you to believe me and I think... listen, can we talk somewhere else? Maybe...? Or... some other time? Or...?"

[meanbossart]

Ask Compilation: Blondes, feet, bowl-cut guardian lady.

He did not, they never had sex. But he was in love with her.

For sure. I think she struck him more like a teenager with the black hair and bangs, after the change (both visual and in attitude) she became a far more mature AND attractive person in his eyes.

PFFT, well, if you're saying they meet ALL of the criteria, I assume you mean both in looks and personality and hence be damn near his soulmate. DU drow could overlook weird feet (and a lot of other things, actually) if he were in love with the person in question. He would probably gently request they take better care of them, though.

Nothing special there, I'm afraid! He just has human-like skin - perhaps a little on the oily side but completely within the bounds of normality.

He runs a little hot, if that's anything. Oh! His hair is shockingly soft.

Correct! DU drow only (arguably) looks like a drow. He doesn't have their usual bone structure, height, or associated magical proclivities. He has some dark vision but its nowhere near as good as a drow's either.

I don't necessarily think all Bhaalspawn are the same way, but the Dark Urge IS quite different from the previous game's iterations. DU isn't simply Bhaal's child conceived with a partner, he's a piece of the god that supposedly slobbed off and grew legs and a face, pretty much. So yes, I do think that the Dark Urge at least is it's own unique thing.

The reason why he looks like a drow, is because he was placed in the Underdark upon creation. The metaphor I always use here is that if you place something infantile in a biome that is alien to it, it may try to adapt to it's environment to survive as it develops, to different degrees of success. This is why DU drow looks the way he does.

[MORE UNDER THE CUT]

You're welcome!

I've received a few snippets here that you can find through the #gift art tag! There is also the fic I'm in the process of writing called A Novel Experience on AO3.

It was just something I was compelled to do when I first drew him! The facial scars felt like they should lead into something else so I just made up a pattern on the spot, minus a tiny tweak here or there, it has stuck basically unchanged. All and any lore relating to the scars came later.

I get a lot of sweet messages but "thanks for your man's penis size" has to be one of my favorites. Thank you!

HELLO!

Thank you so much for the kind message! And that sounds like a fun dream, I love that your Tav got jealous of the attention ASTARION was receiving instead of mad that he had to share in the first place LOL

DU drow is desperately monogamous. He doesn't care what other people do with their lives but he's very much a "one and done" kind of person.

He would be willingly to participate in a threeway/have group sex with a partner, assuming the rules and regulations of said encounter were laid out clearly before or at least mutually understood between them. He would never want to see these people again after the fact though.

She does not, naturally I had no idea that this character was going to turn into anything when i made him, so I just... Made a lady. And since she was supposed to be a "guardian" I gave her a Joan of Arc type of look.

I've occasionally thought about changing this, but... Y'know, sometimes you don't need lore to be that in-depth, LOL.

The emperor gave everyone else a nondescript hottie he assumed they would trust, DU drow just got the same treatment. She's not even DU drow's type but definitely someone he would be compelled to take seriously yet not feel threatened by - so ultimately, her design does make sense.

---

That's all I have the energy for tonight folks, as always thank you for the many encouraging and sweet messages you send me, I'm sorry I can't reply to all of them! 😭

Have yourselves a great week!

[golden-cherry]

deal - cl16 (25/?)

Pairing: Charles Leclerc x Reader

Series Summary: Your whole life has gone to shit. Your boyfriend broke up with you, you just lost your job and the Monegasque, who suddenly stands in your doorway, claims that it’s his apartment.

Chapter Summary: Having lunch with friends always leads to sharing information. And girl, those friends don't hold back.

Warnings: 18+ (mentions of smut), fluff, Kika is the bestest friend on this planet, mentions of Carlos and his girlfriend (yes, I consider this a trigger)

Word Count: 3.3k

series masterlist

previous part

A/N: I just reached 2.6k followers and wow!! thank you so much!!! I love you! and this one is for you!!! feedback is appreciated.

Although it's only a few days until Christmas, the sun is shining so brightly that it's pleasantly warm as you and Kika leave the furniture store. As planned - but still with an uneasy feeling - you have left the almost overflowing shopping cart in front of the checkouts and while Charles pays for your "early Christmas present", you and your friend walk to the restaurant.

"I hope all this stuff fits in the car." Kika curls her mouth into a grin. "The mirror I wrote on the note - you know, the one they have to get from storage - is pretty big."

"I'd like to have your guts," you answer her. "Just picking out a huge mirror without knowing exactly whether it will fit anywhere in our apartment."

Kika grins and points to her brown eyes. "Eye measurement, baby. Those marbles are that big for a reason."

You have to stifle a laugh. "If you say so."

While the Portuguese woman plans where in your room she will place which decoration, your thoughts drift off. 

It bothers you a little that Charles wants to spend so much money on you. And for no good reason. "I want you to feel comfortable" was his explanation, which is of course very courteous and loving of him. But you could have bought the things with your own money. At least a small part of it. 

Would he expect a similarly expensive gift for Christmas now? If so, what could you get him? What do you give someone who already has everything? 

"Are you mad at me?" Kika interrupts your flow of thoughts and grabs your elbow. 

Confused, you turn to her. "What?"

"I - I don't know." When she stops, you're forced to stop too. "I didn't tell you that Charles is a famous Formula 1 driver. You - you confided in me about Raphael and I kept you in the dark about your roommate." 

You exhale. "Kika..."

"I wasn't a good friend and I'm sorry about that. Charles had asked us all not to tell because he wanted to protect you and enjoy the time with you when he was just Charles to you. Even if it wasn't fair to you. I can understand if you're angry with me and-"

"I'm not angry with you," you interrupt her and smile at her. "You're Charles' friend first and foremost and I can't blame him or you for keeping his secret. It doesn't affect our friendship in the slightest."

"Promise?" Her tone sounds a little more pleased than it did a few moments ago. 

You nod. "I promise."

She hooks back into you. "Thank goodness for that. I felt super bad because I couldn't tell you. But it wasn't my secret and it wasn't my place to tell you. And I'm really relieved that you see it the same way." She rests her head on your shoulder as you continue walking. 

"So you're a model, huh?" you ask her. 

She nods. "Yes. Well, I put a lot of effort into it and it's very tiring at times." Kika shrugs her shoulders. "But because of that - and Pierre, of course - I get to travel a lot and see great places. And I really appreciate that." She looks at you. "Now that you're unemployed -" You give her a dirty look. "Maybe you'd like to take my pictures sometime. And then I can post it on my Instagram and maybe other models will want to book you."

"You haven't seen any of my pictures yet," you reply with a laugh as she grabs your hand and jumps up and down. "Of course we can. We can try it out if you like."

Your friend looks around briefly before letting go of you and moving away from you. "How about now? I know you don't have your camera with you, but you can use my phone. The photos won't be as focused as with a real camera, but it should be enough to get you started." 

She hands you her cell phone before standing opposite you against the wall of the house. You watch her uncertainly as she fixes her hair. "Are you sure about this? What if the boys are already waiting for us?"

"Let them." She pulls her black jeans up a little so that they sit loosely on her hips. "It won't take long. And I trust you. So here we go."

While Kika turns, repositions herself and smiles at the camera, you take as many pictures as you can. In between, you adjust her purple cardigan so that it sits in the middle of her narrow shoulders, tell her how her feet should be positioned to emphasize the curves of her body and even tousle her hair once so that a few strands fall loosely into her forehead. 

When you look at the pictures after ten minutes and favor three of them, she looks curiously over your shoulder. "They look great. Really outfit of the day vibe." You hand the phone back to her. "I like this one. And this one. You've captured my butt well," she grins and puts the phone in her black handbag before hooking it back up to you. "And now let's go. I'm really hungry and I don't want to keep your tiramisu from you."

Oh well. 

Charles' words - "Then lie down on the bed, mon amour. I'd like to see how you look on it" - haunt your mind and the images that appear in your head don't make the situation any easier.  

For example, Charles kneeling between your legs and his gaze wandering hungrily over your body. How his hands rest on your thighs to open them a little wider so that he can lie comfortably on his stomach between them. How he slides his fingers under the hem of your panties to slowly pull them off your legs. And the way his mouth moves up from the soft skin of your thighs to where you want it to be. Need it to be. The way he opens his mouth and licks his tongue over his lips before closing the distance between you and - 

"Watch out. You start drooling." When you give Kika a confused look, she pokes you in the side. "I didn't know you could daydream about tiramisu."

"I wasn't even thinking about tiramisu," you defend yourself, but Kika doesn't believe a word you say. 

"Of course not." You could even hear her grin if you weren't looking at her. She lifts her hand and puts it to your cheek, playfully wiping the non-existent spit from the corner of your mouth. "I hate to repeat myself, but you're really not very good at lying."

You chew the inside of your cheek and look down at your sneakers. "Is it that obvious?"

"That you're totally into tiramisu? Hardly," she replies wryly, but puts her arm around your shoulder. "Let's be honest. A trained eye like mine can spot something like that, but if you're worried about the boys seeing it - you really don't need to worry. They wouldn't even recognize a dessert if you put it right in front of them."

"I just don't know what to do," you confess to her. 

Kika purses her lips. "Would you be ready for tiramisu after everything that's happened?"

A question you don't know the answer to. After Raphael's betrayal, you had actually sworn off men for a long time for fear that something similar would happen to you again. You tried to build a wall around your heart, but Charles has broken it down piece by piece and now there is only him. He has spread inside you, in your head and in your heart, and you are hungry for him - a feeling that you have never felt for Raphael before. A feeling that takes you by surprise and overruns you like an avalanche and you are helplessly at its mercy. 

"It's not the end of the world if you're ready for it," Kika assures you and her smile is genuine. "And when you're ready to give the tiramisu its real name, I'll be here if you want to talk about it."

You hug your friend tightly, causing her to let out a loud gasp. "Thank you, Kika. Really."

"You don't need to thank me. After all, I'm going to make full use of the mirror in your room soon and use you for your photography skills."

A few minutes later, you arrive at the small restaurant. As you enter through the glass door, you can already see the two men sitting at a table at the back. And Kika was right - apart from the four of you, the restaurant is deserted. 

"Where have you been?" asks Pierre as you join them. While Kika sits down opposite her boyfriend, you take the empty seat next to her. "We've been waiting for ages."

"We had to stop for a moment because I wanted to take photos," Kika explains and shows them both one of the pictures you took of her.

Pierre grimaces in amazement. "Very good photos. I hope you tag her in them too."

Playfully indignant, she puts her hand to her cleavage. "Of course! What makes you think I wouldn't do that? It might even land her more photo shoots with other models." She leans in your direction. "But as long as I remain your favorite model, everything's fine."

"You are and always will be my favorite model, Kika," you reply and briefly lean your cheek against the top of her head before she sits up straight again. 

While Kika and Pierre argue lovingly, you feel Charles pressing one of his legs against yours under the table. When you look at him, he smiles. "Everything okay?" he asks silently, tilting his head. 

You nod. "Everything's perfect." You press your leg against his as well.

The risotto you ordered doesn't taste too bad, even if it is a little more fancy than your typical meals. The boys talk about their sport and you try to understand everything, but when the conversation eventually turns to engines, you stop listening. 

You watch Charles as he talks energetically and passionately to his friend about his job, while the French mainly listens. He tries to explain things with his hands, waving them wildly in front of his face, and if you didn't know him, you'd think he was a bit out of his mind. But there is something twinkling in his eyes, a spark that shines brighter and brighter the longer he talks about Formula 1.

It makes him so attractive that you have to swallow. 

"How are Carlos and his girlfriend doing?" Kika interjects into the conversation. "I saw on Instagram the other day that they went on a trip together."

You look from Kika to Charles. "Who is Carlos?"

"My teammate at Ferrari. The other driver," he explains briefly with a smile before turning to Kika. "I've seen that too. Santorini or something, wasn't it? It was definitely nice, but let's see how long it lasts."

You have to ask again. " How long will it last? That doesn't sound like you have much faith in the relationship."

Kika, who has taken a sip of her water, puts her glass back on the table. "Unfortunately, this has nothing to do with faith," she explains and takes her cell phone out of her bag. She taps on it a little until she hands it to you. 

You see an Instagram page of a Becca, also a model, it seems. 27 years old, model at the Bijou Management agency. Her last post is actually from Santorini and alongside all the pictures of her lolling by the pool is one of her with a man. Carlossainz55 is tagged in the picture.

"When you're famous, it's harder to have a relationship," Pierre continues. "Not everyone is so lucky and falls in love with someone who is a good match for them. Sometimes rumors surface about people that aren't true, but still damage reputations. And to counteract this, some people go into relationships that put them in a good light."

You look around in confusion. "So it's a marketing strategy? So that people can sell themselves better?"

Charles nods. "These PR relationships are very conspicuous and usually easy to see through, but even then they distract from the actual rumor."

"And Carlos and Becca are in one of those PR relationships?" Your friends nod. "And what's the rumor that needs to be put to rest?"

Charles bites the inside of his cheek. "Carlos was with a young, super-nice woman for years. When they broke up, there was a rumor that he had a secret family and even a son. That this was the reason for the break-up. And that triggered a few conversations at Ferrari." He shrugs his shoulders. "And then they pulled Becca in for him."

You furrow your eyebrows. "Pulled her in? How do you find someone to willingly agree to a fake relationship like that?"

Kika catches your attention. "Some racing teams have a cooperation with certain modeling agencies for such cases. Which of course makes the whole thing even more conspicuous. But just think how much publicity the girlfriends get from it. It definitely doesn't hurt the modeling job."

"But you also have to understand that millions of euros are attached to a driver's reputation," Pierre explains. "Fans buy tickets to see their favorite driver. They buy merchandise like shirts, caps or whatever to show their loyalty. And loyalty is not exactly low. Ask Charles. One priest has his whole Instagram page dedicated to him."

As you look at your roommate, he can only nod. "That's true. Fans put their favorites on pedestals, praise them to the skies and would defend them to the bitter end. But a rumor that is so serious and has consequences like falling sales figures - anything is better than fans who refuse to support their favorites."

"And why do you think it won't be good for much longer?" Charles looks nervously around the room as if he doesn't know what to say, and his friends also avoid your gaze and your question. "Guys, I don't know these people. So, whatever you tell me - I can't do anything with the information anyway. Is there another woman?"

"It's not exactly another woman," Kika mumbles into her glass and all heads turn in her direction. "What is it? Like she's going to run to the nearest news agency and tell them that the Spanish Ferrari driver isn't exclusively into women."

You raise your hands placatingly. "In case it's not clear - of course I'll keep everything that's said around the table to myself. I'm not crazy and risking our friendship."

"I didn't expect anything else," Charles replies with a smile that could melt glaciers. "I couldn't bear it if we weren't friends anymore either." 

As you look at him and mindlessly lick your lips, you feel Kika's elbow gently on your arm. 

"What do you think? Do you fancy some tiramisu?" 

Your gaze lingers on Charles and when he presses his leg a little harder against yours, your breath hitches. "I'm craving it."

And indeed. The tiramisu isn't as good as the one at the restaurant where you met Kika and Pierre, but it comes close. You try to look away from Charles, but every time you look at him, his eyes are already on you. Something that makes you even more nervous than it should. 

When you get into the car a short time later, unnoticed, you glance briefly over the seats back into the trunk. "Where's the new bed?"

Charles straps himself in and has the seat belt fastened against his torso. "They'll deliver it between Christmas and New Year and set it up straight away. Then I won't have all the work and Pierre won't have to lug it around with me."

"For which I am very grateful," replies the Frenchman, steering the car through the streets of Monaco. "I don't even know how we're going to transport this mirror without breaking it. It was already barely possible to get it into the car."

"That sounds like a you-problem," grins Kika, looking at her boyfriend through the rear-view mirror. "You're the strong men. You'll find a solution while we get all the little things into the apartment. Right?"

The question is directed at you, but apart from a nod, she can't expect anything else in response. Charles's fingers are once again wrapped around your calf, his thumb gently stroking your warm skin and you can't think of anything else but the feeling of warmth that spreads through you from this small touch. 

It takes a good hour for both the mirror and the rest to get to the upstairs in your apartment. After Pierre involuntarily teaches you several swear words in French and Kika decorates your entire windowsill with fake plants, they quickly make a run for it, worried that you're both going to take even more advantage of them than you already have. 

"We've had a good day so far," you call out to Charles from the kitchen as you pour you both a glass of water each. You don't know where he is, but he will probably have heard you anyway. 

"Definitely," comes his voice from the living room. As you follow it, you see Charles sitting on the large couch, his head back and his eyes closed. Only now do you notice how thick his neck is. Is it from all the training for Formula 1?

"Here." You hold his glass of water out to him and he opens his eyes to accept it. As you sit down, he takes a sip. You watch his Adam's apple bounce as he swallows. 

"Thank you," he replies quietly and rests his arm on the back of the couch. A sign for you to lean against him, which you definitely don't refuse. 

As you snuggle into his side and breathe in his unmistakable scent, you feel tiredness overtake you. "But it was exhausting."

""Mh-mhh." 

"Thanks again. For my early Christmas present. Even though it wasn't necessary," you joke, but as rigid as Charles is sitting next to you, he doesn't seem to be in the mood for jokes. And as you follow his stare, the roses on the white piano come into your field of vision. The reason why you suggested the trip to the furniture store. And suddenly your tiredness is blown away. 

"Do you happen to know anyone who has something like a fire bowl or something?" you ask your flatmate. 

This question seems to break him out of his spell. His gaze wanders from the roses to you and he raises an eyebrow in confusion. "A fire bowl?" You nod. "Joris has a rooftop terrace and we've had bonfires there before in the summer." He licks his teeth once. "What do you need a fire bowl for? You're not thinking about sitting around a fire with sticks and marshmallows in winter, are you?"

"Not exactly," you reply and get up from the couch. As you look down at him, you hold out your hand. "Come on, mon joli. I have an idea."

[dragon-kazansky]

Heart of the Dreaming

Morpheus x Female Reader

Soulmate AU

You are the daughter of Rodrick Burgess. You find out about the "demon" in the basement and decide you want to see it. Things take an unexpected turn when your soulmate connection is made with the man you find down there. You are the one he has been waiting for, and you're being taken away from. Not for long. Dream will protect his soulmate.

{Masterlist}

{Previous Chapter} - {Next Chapter}

Chapter Four - Pocket full of sand

☆☆☆

You had been locked away in that house for so long that you had no idea just how much the world had changed. You had never really been to London before, but you were sure even then it had been much different to the London you are in today.

You turn around to see Dream composing himself. He looked a little... tired, dare you say. He looks at you silently.

"You alright?" You ask.

He nods and then turns around. It's dark out, not many people around. He would know Constantine when he saw her. She had his sand.

You stand a good few steps away from him, holding yourself. You didn't bring a coat. You didn't exactly have time to bring anything. You were in a city you couldn't navigate, and your only companion was a strange man who had told you you were his soulmate.

It was a lot to take in one night.

"Constantine."

You turn around to see Dream looking at a woman in a long coat. She doesn't exactly hang about. The conversation is short as she directs his attention to a raven that has landed on the bench behind you. You find yourself confused at its sudden appearance. It seemed to be watching Dream.

"I do not need a raven."

You look at Dream, confused. The man was talking to a bird. Of all the crazy things you've seen so far in regards to this man, this was the craziest.

"Lucienne said you'd say that," the raven spoke.

You stare at the bird with wide eyes. "It's talking?"

"Uh, I'm Matthew," the raven replies.

"It's talking!"

Dream stands beside you and looks down at the raven. He doesn't act like he heard what you were saying. His attention was fully on the bird. "I do not need a raven," he repeats.

"Respectively, sir, you do." Matthew caws.

"Go back to the Dreaming."

"Look, she's got away!" Matthew exclaims, looking behind Dream.

Morpheus turns and finds Constantine has completely vanished from sight. She's made sure to put distance between them.

Dream turns to you. "Fine. You stay here with him. Don't move."

"What?" You look at him with slight panic. He can see it in your eyes.

"Just wait for me."

Dream walks off, and you scoff in disbelief. This man, who is supposedly your soulmate, has the audacity to "rescue" you from your family home and then abandon you in an unfamiliar city? The universe could have chosen someone with more dignity at least to tie you with.

You sit on the bench with a huff. Matthew cocks his head to the side, looking at you intently. You turn and glare at him, causing him to take a few steps away from you along the back of the bench.

"So, uh..." He snaps his beak gently, making a clicking sound, "who are you?"

"No one important," you sigh.

"That can't be true. Wait, are you the woman Lucienne mentioned? She said he had gone off to rescue someone."

"Does everyone know about this?" You ask.

"No? Not that I know of."

"I'm sorry, but how are you talking? You're a bird!" You look at him.

"I don't know. I just... am. I wasn't always a bird, mind you. I was like you once."

"Like me?"

"A human." He cocks his head again.

"Oh... What happened?"

"I, uh... I died."

"Oh... I'm sorry." You frown.

"It's fine. This is my life now." He ruffles his feathers a little. "So, uh... Are you just gonna sit here?"

☆☆☆!!!!!!!

Morpheus finds Constantine within her nightmare. He'd standing there when she woke. She states at him for a good few moments and then speaks. "For fuck's sake." She sighs. "How did you find me?"

"You were dreaming. But it wasn't only a dream, was it? It's a memory. No wonder you do not sleep."

"Maybe I don't deserve to."

"Perhaps not." He says to Constantine. "But I could make it go away."

"Only if I help you find your sand."

"Though finding anything in this place may require more magic than even you can muster."

Joanna falls silent for a moment and then gets up. "I'll look in the office. Try not to clean up while I'm gone."

"I'm coming with you," he says. "You have a gift for disappearing."

"All right. But if the mess in here offends you, wait till you see my office."

The office was so much worse.

Constantine started going through her things, hoping the pouch would pop up somewhere and she could get this over with. She didn't particularly want him hanging around.

"Why do humans love objects so much?" Dream asks.

"They do come in handy sometimes." Constantine tells him. "You seem pretty attached to your sand."

"It's not just an object. It's a part of me."

"If that's true, how'd you happen to lose it?" She asks, looking at him.

"It was stolen by a magic user called Burgess."

"Wait, not Rodrick Burgess? The old demon king himself, eh? Everyone used to say he was a fake. Said he had the Devil locked up in his basement. How the fuck did you..."

She looks up.

"Shit." She walks over to him. "Were you down there? All this time?"

His lack of response was in itself an answer.

Morpheus plucks a set of photos from a box and looks down at them. They picture Constantine and another woman in them.

"Is this you?" He asks.

"Why? Do I look that different?"

"No. Happy."

A moment of silence passes.

"Shit." Constantine whispers. "I know where your sand is."

☆☆☆

Dream had gone all the way to Rachel's apartment. He had first gone to Constantine's, assuming she had the sand there, but it became rather complicated quickly.

Turns out the sand was at her exes. An ex she hadn't seen in quite some time. He was ready to go inside with her, but she told him to wait outside.

She needed to do this alone, apparently. However, he was reluctant to let her out of his sight. She had a tendency to disappear.

While he waited outside, he turned to see you walking around the corner.

"I told you to wait," he scolded. Though you wouldn't say you felt overly threatened by him.

"We got bored."

"We?"

In that moment, Matthew flew down and landed by your feet. Dream was far from pleased. "I told you to wait for me."

"If we're soulmates or whatever, shouldn't I help?" You ask, looking at him just as unimpressed.

"No."

You scoff softly. "You're hard work, you know that?"

Dream says nothing as he stares at you, hands in his pockets. It's Matthew who breaks the awkward atmosphere between you both. He really doesn't know what's going on, and there was very little time to ask about it.

"You know you can't trust her, right? You should really go in there."

Dream shifts his eyes away from you. Matthew had a point.

"Wait here."

This time he was wanting you both. You cross your arms and watch him go inside. You stand there for a moment before slumping down onto the ground.

"That bad, huh?"

"I've known him less than a day, kind of. Well, I've known of him a while. It's complicated. Soulmates or whatever. I don't care about some stupid divine bond." You sigh.

"So, it's legit? The soulmate thing, I mean."

You lower your wrist to his level and show him the scar. "I got this the day I first set eys on him. Sometimes, it burns. Though it hasn't for a bit. It's what binds me to him, I think."

"Hm. So, why do I sense so much anger toward him?" Matthew caws.

"He's insufferable. We have this weird bond, and he has the emotional capacity of a teaspoon. He rescued me less than an hour ago, and now we're off on some strange quest to get... sand?"

"Well, yeah. Lucienne told me about that. He's getting his tools back," Matthew says.

"His tools?"

"His sand, his helmet, and his ruby."

"I'm so lost."

"How do I put this? Lord Morpheus is the dream lord. He is king and creator of the Dreaming, his realm. His tools include a pouch of sand, a helmet, and a ruby. Without them, he doesn't have much of anything."

You listen to Matthew speak. "I see."

"It's important he gets them back."

"I've gathered that much. I just... I don't see why I have to be part of any of this. Fine, I'm not going to grow old and die, but do I have to stay with him?"

"I don't think he's going to just let you go," Matthew caws.

"Why not? He doesn't need me."

Matthew goes quiet.

Constantine leaves the apartment and walks off, looking not so perky anymore. Not long after, Dream comes out and follows the direction she went in slowly.

You rise from the ground and watch them. He hadn't even glanced your way. Matthew goes on ahead to join the two. You keep your distance, watching them talk.

Constantine says something to Matthew, and then she looks up at you. She stares at you for a while and then turns and walks away under her umbrella.

Dream looks at the pouch in his hand and then looks up at you. "You're still here."

"You told me to wait."

"You could have run," he says flatly.

You glance at Matthew, who looks up at you. What he said earlier flashes before your mind. Dream probably wouldn't really let you go. "Yeah, well... whatever."

Dream stares at you in heavy silence. You hate it. You hate the way he looks at you. You hate the way he doesn't say anything. You can't say you're all too fond of him either.

"Stop looking at me."

Dream turns his eyes back to the pouch. "Come here."

You sighed and walked over to him, standing where Constantine had been standing just moments before.

"So, where are we going next?" You ask.

"Hell."

"Hell? Like metaphorical Hell or... Hell Hell?" Matthew caws.

Dream stares at you silently, and you swallow nervously. "Hey, I didn't agree to... that!"

"My helm is in Hell."

"I don't care. Hell? That's crazy." You yell at him quietly.

He just stares. He slowly raises his pouch and opens his other hands. He gives you time enough to walk away, but you don't. You know what he's doing. He pours the sand into his waiting palm, and it flows around the three of you in a blanket.

There really was no going back now.

☆☆☆

@deniixlovezelda - @missdreamofendless - @kpopgirlbtssvt - @meganlpie - @thoughtsfromlayla - @ladyjbrekker

@mwaaaaaugh - @bluespecs14 - @intothesoul - @lady-violet - @navs-bhat - @krahk - @oldsoulmagic

@rubyrose2014 - @lorkai - @roxytheimmortal - @star-maker-rain-dancer - @intothesoul - @gemini-mama - @whotperlinda

@dreamingblueberries - @the-shadow-of-aurora - @novavida - @blackgirlmagicforever

@permanentlyexhaustedpigeon88 - @hopshusushi -

[jamiedc-they-them]

Good People (Platonic)

Summary: While in the Wasteland, running on nothing but fumes and even less hope, you meet someone. Someone who might just be the one thing you need in a place like this: a friend.

Note: This is shorter than my usual stuff (both in terms of words, probably, and also just in terms of content - more so a scene than anything else; maybe a series of short scenes showing Lucy's arc if you guys want and how her friendship with Y/N develops?) Let me know in an ask!

You were a survivor. You had been since the moment you were born, but you weren't sure how much longer that was going to last.

Your day hadn't started off good, you see. You were running out of water and had passed out earlier due to some kind of infection - no idea what it was or who/what it was from, you had come across a lot of beings and things in your travels - and some guy had thought you were dead and even pissed on you just in case. Was not refreshing, or nice.

You had fought him off, tackling him to the floor and punching him quite a few times. You didn't kill him, however. You just left him be after that.

An odd fellow with a briefcase who promise you everything you could ever want passed you by. He gave you something that gave you a boost. You had no caps, so the only piece of fluid you had left on you - your water container - was given to him in exchange for this item.

So, now you were even more screwed then before.

The man even seemed to somewhat pity you, but he still left.

You find an abandoned bus. It's been picked, recently or otherwise doesn't really matter, picked clean is picked clean. Or, well, as clean as you can get within the apocalypse.

"Hello?" a voice says. You spin around, reaching for a weapon you don't have as you lost it in the scuffle before, and so instead duck down - hitting your head on one of the seats.

You hear the person outside cringe.

"Sorry," she says, earnestly to your shock, "that sounded like it hurt."

"...It did," you find yourself saying in reply, but still keep your head done.

"Sorry," she says, again, "it's ok," she assures you, "I won't hurt you. I promise."

You peak your head up. The first thing you notice, is how clean she looks. She gives you a bright smile.

"Hi," she says, enthusiastically.

You just blink at her.

"It's ok," she assures again, "my weapon is away. I just - I just wanna talk. I'm a bit lost out here give, you know, everything is mainly just sand."

You guess that's fair. So, against your better judgment, you make your way to the stairs at the bus, and sit down. The woman sits down, letting out a sigh, glad to be able to rest for a moment.

She stretches. You adjust your neck. You must've slept funny.

"I'm Lucy," she says, holding out a hand to you.

"Y/N," you say, shaking her hand. Feels weird, being this open with someone.

"Y/N," she says, "that's a nice name. I never knew someone called Y/N before."

You're about to ask her why, when you see what she's wearing.

You whistle, or as best you can with a dry throat, it's croaky but the idea comes through, "you one of them Vault Dwellers?"

"I am," she says, and you're unsure if it's a proud statement or not, "but, I do also recognise my privilege for being one."

You hum, "how you finding up here?"

"Hot," she says, "we have air conditioning in the vaults. So, it's weird not being able to just turn down the temperature."

You chuckle. She smiles.

"Thank you for not trying to kill me."

You gesture to yourself, "don't exactly have anything to do that with, you know? Besides, you're not a bad person. I've met some bad people, you ain't one of them."

"Thank you. I knew there were good people out here."

You shrug, "I don't think I'm exactly 'good', but I've known worse."

"Well, I'm glad I've run into you. You're alot nicer than the previous man I met."

"Yeah, there'll be people like that..." you pause, then ask the question on your mind, "what brings you top side, Lucy?"

"Oh," there's a hint of hope, mixed with sadness in her eyes while she answers, "I'm looking for my dad. Some horrible woman called Moldaver took him. She steals dads."

You may internally find that last part funny, but you find yourself saying 'I'm sorry' to her about her plight. She thanks you once again.

"You're not crazy like that other man."

She's blunt, you'll give her that.

"I can be," you don't quite know why you're insulted by it.

She cocks her head to the side, "I'm good at reading people," you aren’t sure on that one, but you don't say anything, "and you're not like that previous man."

"What'd he do?"

"Drank most of my water. You ever met anyone like that?"

"Guy pissed on me this morning. Another stole my canteen."

"Oh..." Lucy says. You nod, expecting this to be the end of your conversion, but then she reaches behind herself for something. Instinct makes you freeze, but she just gives you a reassuring smile once again, and holds something out to you.

Her own canteen.

You look at her, doubt, confusion, and thanks all in your eyes at once.

"Take it," she insists, shaking it a little to tell you that there is still water inside it, "I mean it."

"But, that other man --"

"He's greedy. You aren't. And, judging by your lips, rough voice, inability to whistle, and slight grovel to your voice, and the way you hold yourself," perceptive too, "you need this more than I do."

"You sure?" she nods. Hesitantly, looking from her to the canteen as you reach out - her leaning forward to help you with your lack of energy due to dehydration and all - you grab it. It's not harsh, you don't rip it out of her grasp. Your actions are slow, deliberate.

You open it, and lift it up to your mouth, letting a few water droplets hit it.

You close it and give it back to her. But she pushes it to you again. This goes on a few more times.

"I meant what I said," she says, "take it."

You look around at the desert, "next water well won't be for a while."

She shrugs, "there's a town nearby. There should be some there. But, either way, you need this a lot more than I do."

You drink the rest of it. And, you feel ok. Not great, but better.

You cough a bit. Both due to whatever illness you have, and just from the water and how fast you drank it.

"That's a bad cough," she notes, taking the canteen back.

"Ah, it's nothing," you say, waving her off. Had worse infections.

You stand up, and she holds her hands out in case you fall. You put a hand up, telling her you're ok.

"Well," you say, "thank you for that, and the talk. Good people are few and far between. Best of luck --"

"Hey, wait!" she calls out as you start to walk away, "wait, please. Maybe - maybe you can help me."

"I ain't exactly much help given the lack of weapons, strength, and my illness."

She frowns, "well, once we find my dad, we can go back to my vault, we have doctors there who can help you and give you a good meal!"

She's preppy, but soon that softens in her eyes, "please...I can stop people from...urinating on you."

You snort at her disgust of the language. She has a lot to learn. Social ettiquite may exist in some places in the wasteland, but not everywhere.

"Well, when you put it like that..." you say, before smiling. She beams at you.

"Okey Dokey!" she exclaims.

"Okey Dokey!" you find yourself saying in kind, not mocking for once - you and your mouth had gotten you into trouble before, it was nice to not have some agenda with it this time. To let your guard down.

"Have you ever been to Filly before?" she asks you as you walk side by side. Though, she slows up a bit as you try and both get your strength back and keep your remaining bit.

"Once or twice when passing through," you say.

"Alrighty then," she says, glad to not be going in completely blind, "'this is going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.'" she says to you, clearly quoting something, based on her voice. You look at her confused.

"I'll show you the film when we're back at the vault," she says, before you continue on your way.

It's good to meet someone who didn't want to kill you on sight or extort you or something.

It was nice to not be alone anymore.

Lucy feels the same way. She has a sort of guide now. A friend.

An actual friend from the outside.

She's glad.

And, little did she know how right she'd be. It would be a friendship that would stand the test of time and everything in between.

Lucy had just met her best friend.

You had met yours.

Even if you both didn't know just how dark and dangerous the road ahead would get...

Part 2

[babymetaldoll]

Are you mine? - Chapter ten: "Hell and back"

Summary: The Reid family doesn't have time to deal with what just happened to Spencer, 'cause there is more trauma waiting for them and the rest of the team.    Word count: 4.490 Warnings: Criminal Minds trauma happening. Morgan gets hurt.  A/N: The hardest part about writing this whole book was the fact a bunch of bad things happened, to Spencer and the team. It really hurts to know it won't get easier soon... sorry. 

Series' Masterlist - Author's masterlist

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(Y/N)'s point of view

Looking back at that moment, I think I enjoyed my second pregnancy way more than I did the first one. I wasn't freaking out most of the time, I felt more secure. Spencer was, as always, my prince charming. He helped with every craving, did all the chores I couldn't do, helped with Raven, and prepared a nursery in the spare room in our apartment.

- "We should start considering moving to a bigger place."- I commented as I walked into the room and found Spencer painting the walls in the lovely baby blue we had picked.- "We are kind of crowded here, imagine how it will be when the baby arrives."

- "Did you know moving is one of the three most stressful events in life?"- my husband asked almost shocked I had suggested moving. - "Statistically, over 45% of people consider it the most stressful event in life."- Spencer continued painting as he talked to me. I ran my hands down his shoulders and kissed his cheek.

- "Clearly, those people do not have our jobs."- he chuckled at my reply and looked at me with a sweet smile.

- "Do you like how the nursery is coming along?"

- "Very much. You have a lot of skills, Spencer Walter Reid."

- "Yes, I do, Mrs. Reid."- he stood up, left the roller on the tray, and wrapped his arms around me. - "How are you feeling today?"

- "Like I'm baby Reid's yoga gym."- my answer made Spencer chuckle as he carefully placed a lock of hair that fell in my face behind my ear and kissed the top of my nose.

- "You are a lovely gym."

- "Thank you."- Spencer hummed in contentment as I held him close to my body and kissed his neck. - "But we should start considering getting a house."

- "I know."- he whispered, his words muffled against my body.- "But... I don't..."

- "You don't wanna leave 'cos there are too many memories here you don't wanna forget?"- I murmured and played with Spencer's hair as I felt him nodding.- "You know you have an eidetic memory. It's not like you are gonna forget anything so easily."

- "I know. But you know how I feel about change. It's... hard."- Spencer pouted as he looked at me, and his sweet eyes looked at me with love and a dash of fear.

- "Nothing's gonna change if we move from this apartment. Except maybe we won't be so crowded."- I teased him playfully and he chuckled.

- "I wanna give you everything you want. If you want to move to a house, I wanna do it for you. I wanna be able to give you the house of your dreams."- his words touched me and nearly brought tears to my eyes. I had to bite my lips as I stared at him in silence, nodding at his words.

- "The house of my dreams is any place I live with you and our babies."- my words brought a big smile to Spencer's lips and eyes. A smile that was interrupted by the sound of my cell phone.

- "Please don't tell me we have a case."- my husband murmured as I walked out of the room. Raven was watching a movie in the living room and coloring a book.

- "No, it's my mom. She and my Dad are coming for dinner. Hey mom!"

I wish I could tell you Spencer got better at dealing with changes. But he didn't. It has always been hard for him. There are things you can be prepared for to change, like our kids. We both know they are gonna grow up, move out and be independent. We know that and we have made peace with that thought. But there are things you never see coming. Things that hit you, like a blow on the face, and that make you reconsider everything you think you believe in.

And guess what? That's what happened next.

The following Wednesday we were at the office when Garcia announced we had a case. I was sitting at my desk going through some paperwork and eating the third orange of the day. I was going through a very citrus stage30 weeks into pregnancy. Oranges and lemons were my regular cravings.

Morgan looked nervous when he met us in the conference room. He walked in with Rossi, and Garcia started briefing us in no time. Twenty minutes later, I was calling my mom to tell her we were on our way to Los Angeles to catch another serial killer.

Morgan didn't only look nervous during the debriefing, he was anxious the entire time. During the flight, he was constantly checking on his phone, frowning. It wasn't until we were ready to go back home, later that very same night, that Rossi explained to me that Savannah had asked him "to talk". And knowing Morgan as well as I do know him, it was clear he was overthinking everything and anything that he might have done wrong to upset his girlfriend. That man was whipped. That was something I sweetly reminded him of every time he tried to make fun of my husband for loving me so much.

I was just talking with Spencer about that on our way to pick up Raven from my mother's when we got a call from Hotch. My stomach turned into a knot right away. We had just finished a case, that wasn't a good sign.

- "Morgan was taken."

And I was sadly right. It was something incredibly bad.

Spencer's point of view

Things I can't stop thinking about the day Morgan was taken. I drove us to the crime scene as fast as possible and none of us said a word the entire car trip. (Y/N) just landed her hand on my tight and kept it there, caressing me from time to time, as a way to reassure me she was there for me.

I also remember getting out of that car and nearly shoving the police force, desperate to see and know what had happened to my best friend. My wife held my arm and stopped me, as she did all the talking. I was too worried to be even polite. The entire time I felt I was reliving the day Prentiss was taken from us.

JJ got there a few minutes later and ended up talking with the cops as we checked our surroundings and Derek's car. There I found a packet I immediately took and turned to my wife.

- "Let's go back to the BAU."

Savannah was locked talking with Rossi when we got there. Hotch walked down the stairs and stared at us with a stern glance. It was obvious we were all still in the dark about what was happening and why.

- "What did you find?"- Hotch asked as he stood in front of us.

- "No sign of him. But they left this in his car at the parking lot."- I said as I handed it to him.

- "How is Savannah?"- (Y/N) asked, trying and failing to catch a glimpse of her in the office.

- "She is being brave."- Hotch whispered.

- "Poor thing, I'm sure she is going crazy."- my wife replied, mostly to herself and it wounded me to know she actually understood how Savannah was feeling. And I never wanted to put her under that pain again.

- "Could she tell you anything?"- JJ asked, which I knew was the right thing to ask 'cos we had a case to solve, but yet, it felt cold considering the circumstances.

- "She said she thought she heard three attackers and that Morgan sounded drugged before they cut off the call."- Hotch explained and we all nodded.

- "Then it's a coordinated, planned attack, most likely professional."- JJ pointed out the obvious and (Y/N) took the thoughts from my mind as she said.

- "We did just take down a network of online hitmen, but if this is blowback, why Morgan?"

- "We have to assume that we're all targeted."- Hotch's words felt like a stab. - "I've put protective details on each of our families, but I want Savannah to stay here."

(Y/N) gripped my arm as we heard those words. Just what we had always been scared of. Risking our daughter's well-being because of work.

- "It's just until we know what is going on."- Hotch assured us as I wrapped an arm around my wife, trying to calm her down. Something I knew was impossible to do under those circumstances.

- "I'm gonna call mom."- (Y/N) whispered and we nodded. Hotch asked me to ask Rossi to meet us in the conference room 'cause Penelope had some updates, so I knocked on his door and slowly showed in my head. Savannah was pacing inside the office, as scared and nervous as I expected to see her.

- "Garcia needs us."- I waited for Rossi to leave his office and walked in. Savannah was still standing in the middle of it, trying to put herself together.

- "I'm sorry."- I whispered as I looked at her.- "I swear we are going to find him and bring him back."- I added as her eyes watered up. I took a few steps closer and wrapped my arms around her, carefully. She reciprocated and sobbed on my shoulder for a few seconds.

- "Thank you."- I heard her whisper and I nodded silently.

- "Hey Sav."- (Y/N) said from the door.- "Can I get you anything?"- Savannah just shook her head and I walked to stand next to my wife.

- "Just get him back soon."

- "We are doing our best."- I answered immediately as I grabbed (Y/N)'s hand and we slowly started walking to the conference room.

How were we going to deal with Morgan's abduction? I had no idea. Not considering Hotch's words: all our families could be targeted. And I refused to think my job was jeopardizing Raven's safety.

- "This is the block Derek was taken from."- Garcia pointed at the screen. - "That blue dot is him. And then at 9:23, we lost him. So I checked all the other cell signals in the area. They're all legit, aside from one that I was only able to find thanks to some technology no one outside this room needs to know about."

- "What is that?"- I asked, trying to understand what Garcia was implying.

- "An encrypted signal most likely bouncing off a satellite."- Hotch explained simply.

- "I know we're thinking this would be tied to our Darknet investigation, but satellite encryption is much higher in technology than most online crimes."

- "That's true, but the hitmen are still our best lead. We need to exhaust that before we move on to other theories."- Hotch added immediately and then turned to my wife. - "JJ, you (Y/N), and Garcia will take an armed agent to Savannah's house and get her to pack a bag."

- "Yes, sir. Absolutely. But why me?"- Pen questioned, confused.

- "Because while she gathers her things, you are going to see if they were under surveillance."- (Y/N) explained immediately as Hotch nodded and added.

- "Whoever's behind this has been planning this for weeks, if not months. We have no time to catch up. Let's move."

(Y/N)'s point of view

As Penelope checked the local routers and did her computer magic and JJ talked with the neighbors, I helped Savannah pack a few things to take back to the BAU.

Ok, the concept of "helping" could have been a little too generous of me, I was too pregnant to stay on my feet for too long, but let's say I was with her as she packed, and gave her all my moral support.

- "Are you sure you should be working?"- Savannah asked as she grabbed some things from the bathroom.

- "We are not turning this to me. How are you doing with all this?"

- "I hate the fact I live with a profiler and I know things about these cases."- she whispered and shook her head as she opened another drawer and grabbed a sweater. - "I just need to put those thoughts aside and focus on Derek. He is coming back. He has to come back."

- "Of course he will. He is one fucking tough nut to crack. I'm sure he is kicking ass as we speak."- I tried to be as positive as possible, knowing the hell my friend was going through. And I guess that's exactly what she was thinking, 'cos she carefully sat on her bed, next to me, and sighed.

- "Who do you do it?"

- "Do what? Stay positive?"

- "No. How do you deal with Spencer facing all these... threats day after day?"

I sighed and held her hand. There was nothing I could say that could help her process everything she was going through. So I just told her my experience. My dark and painful experience.

- "Sav, like ten years ago, Spencer was abducted, tortured on camera, and drugged for over three days. And during that time, I was a monster. I couldn't think right, I didn't sleep, couldn't eat, and yelled at every single team member that came across my path. Trust me when I tell you I know exactly how you feel."- her eyes wide opened as she heard the short version of some of the darkest days of my life. - "There is nothing I can tell you that might help you deal with this except my promise: we won't give up until he is back. 'Cause he is our family, and we are not going to rest until we bring him home."

- "I'm... I'm pregnant."- Savannah whispered and broke into tears. I wrapped my arms around her and though I wanted to tell her congratulations, it felt like it was the wrong timing.

- "Hey, hey, this is great news. Morgan is going to be so excited when you tell him."

- "I just don't know if I'll be able to tell him."

- "Come on! Don't lose hope in us yet."- I cut her a smile as she wiped the tears off her face. - "You are gonna be an amazing mother, Sav."

- "Thank you, (Y/N)."- I cut her a short smile and ran a hand through my very big belly.

- "I'm glad I'm not gonna be alone in this, we can schedule playdates."- her eyes shone at the idea and it made me feel better to give her a little break from all the pain and angst she was going through.

- "Please don't tell anyone yet."

- "Of course not."

- "Guys?"- JJ's voice downstairs ended our little moment. Savannah grabbed her bag and I helped gather a few more things before we went downstairs.

- "Bags already"- I announced as I saw her standing in the lobby with another agent, who was escorting us.

- "Hey. So I just talked to your neighbors."- JJ announced - "They didn't see anything, and I didn't find anything forensic outside."

- "So, they weren't peeping at us through our windows? Thank God for that, I guess."- Savannah sort of joked as walked to Garcia and rested my hands on her shoulders.

- "That means you are our only hope, Pen."

- "I'm finishing my diagnostic now, munchkin and I think I have something."- Garcia turned to Savannah and asked - "Do you have a wireless router on your DVR?"- like it was the first thing you know about your house.

- "Uh, I think so?"

- "Ok. They used it as their back door. And then the encrypted phone call, this is the hacking version of that same thing, and..."- she made a short pause and gasped, shocked. Shit, that wasn't good.- "Oh, man, they were all up your business."

- "Was it the same unsubs?"

- "My money says yes, but what's weird is they used an intranet."

- "What is that?"- Sav asked, confused.

- "It's a private closed system. They use a portal to a public page."- Pen asked in the simplest way she could, and just like that, the CIA homepage appeared on the screen in front of us.

- "Will someone explain why the CIA would abduct Derek?"- Savannah questioned and none of us knew how to answer that just yet.

No one slept that night. Sav was in Rossi's office, pacing nonstop and drinking herbal tea. We took turns to keep her company, me, and Garcia. Spencer tried to push me into sleeping, but he knew none of us could have more than an hour of sleep under those circumstances. We were all worried sick. And it didn't get any better the following morning when we finally found out who had taken out friends.

Short version of the facts: a group of freelance mercenaries, who specialized in taking up jobs that involved abducting and torturing victims to extract sensitive information out of them, had taken Morgan. Why? They were hired by Chazz Montolo to target Derek, the one SSA he blamed for the death of his son, Giuseppe.

The fucking Dirty Dozen was still hunting our team. Even from beyond the grave.

Spencer's point of view

I could see the exhaustion on the team's faces as we sat across the table. It was around four in the morning, none of us had closed an eye. (Y/N) was sitting next to Rossi, and she kept caressing her belly as I stood by her side, resting my hands on her shoulders, trying to give her some comfort. I don't think I could promise her everything was going to be ok, 'cos at that point, and at that hour, it's always hard to stay positive.

Until Pen rushed in, holding her computer, and nearly yelling.

- "I may have a line on !! I just got notification from Fort Eustis!"- we all turned to her as she sat at the table, hyperventilating as she explained. - "That encrypted SAT phone, it became active again and we managed to pin down one side to here. It is a 20-mile radius in Virginia. The other side was to a contractor who didn't even bother not to use his own cell phone."

- "Arrogant. He thinks we can't find him."- Rossi pointed out as we all stared at the screen.

- "And he would be wrong."- Pen added as she kept typing as fast as possible. - "He being John Bradley, not S.A.S. as we had suspected. Bradley and Mr. Who Dares Wins tried to become S.A.S., but they couldn't cut it, not to mention people who are S.A.S. don't get tattoos saying S.A.S. because S.A.S. is covert. That is the point. But apparently, people who are dishonorably discharged from the British Royal Marines do get that tattoo."

- "Pen, breath."- (Y/N) caressed her arm as she cut her a short warm smile, doing her best to help Garcia process everything that was going on.

- "Thank you, munchkin..."- Garcia whispered.

- "Your last ping has him in Derek's direction. He's probably on his way to him now."- I said, my eyes glued to the screen. I could feel the anticipation, the need to end whoever was hurting my brother. We had to save him.

- "We've got helos on the roof standing by for immediate transport."- Hotch added as JJ asked.

- "Any way we can narrow down the search?"

- "Yes."- Garcia replied with satisfaction- "Their encryption algorithms are dust. If and when that SAT phone connects, I've got him."

Not even five seconds later, there was a beep, someone had picked up the phone.

- "Sir... it went live."- Garcia announced, with a shake of fear and hope in her voice.

I ran to the elevator and pushed the button. The team stepped in as I turned around and looked at my wife, standing next to Garcia. I ran back to her, cradled her face, and kissed her lips gently and quickly.

- "We'll bring him back, chipmunk. I swear."

- "Please be safe."- she replied, angst written all over her face, and I just nodded.

- "Hurry up, Reid"- JJ called from the elevator. I ran and pushed the button to close the door, locking eyes with my wife as I nodded at her one more time, sealing my promise. We were bringing Morgan back.

A helicopter took us to the location. During the entire ride, all I could think of were all the moments I had shared with Derek and who, despite all odds, he had become more than just my best friend, he was my brother. He teased me, took care of me, joked with me, and even tried to be my wingman a few times before I had the nerve to face my true feelings for a certain team member.

- "I just wanna tell her I love her. I need to tell her what I feel for her 'cos now I can see there might be a chance she loves me too!"- I was drunk, drinking whisky with Morgan at a random bar, finally openly facing my feelings for (Y/N). The scene didn't stop replaying in my head, 'cos it was a very important moment of my life he had been a crucial part of.

- "Might be a chance?"- Morgan frowned and shook his head- "Kid, that woman is head over feet in love with you. And she has been for years. I just can't believe you've wasted all these years!!"

Morgan had been there the entire time I had worked at the BAU. He had taught me how to kick doors (a skill very much needed as an SSA agent if you ask him), he taught me how to flirt, or at least he tried, and he supported me every single time I needed it. For Christ's Sake! He had taught me how to play baseball as soon as the doctor said me and (Y/N) were having a boy. He had tried once when he needed a player for an FBI match, but that last time I asked him for help 'cos I wanted to be able to share nice memories with my kids.

- "Ok, you see my hips? See my hips? You swing right through, nice and easy. All right, come on. You give it a try."- Morgan made it look like it was the easiest thing in the world, but hitting that ball with that base had to be the hardest task I had ever had to face.

- "I know you are trying to make it easy, but trust me, this is not gonna work."- I argued as I walked to the base to take position.

- "Hey, you asked for my help 'cos you wanted to teach your kids how to play baseball, so fucking learn to have fun, Reid."- he had a teasing smirk on his face, 'cos he knew no matter how much I argued, I wasn't going to quit. 'Cos it was something I wanted to do for my kids.

- "Believe it or not, most of my childhood sports memories aren't altogether pleasant."

- "Exactly, and you don't want your kids to go through the same, do you?"- I shook my head and took a deep breath.- "Good. Now grab the bat, get up there, and give it a try."

I followed his instructions and tried to imagine what playing with my kids would be like. I already enjoyed having Raven in my life, but now with a second baby, life was about to get even better, and louder. And Morgan wanted to help me make more special memories with them.

- "Get up there. You're gonna like this, kid. I promise."- he stared at me, a silly grin on his face. I could read it all over his features, how he was thinking about how far we had gotten together. So I smiled back at him and he nodded.

- "Here we go, Reid!"

- "Spence?"- JJ grabbed my hand and took me from my thoughts- "We are landing, are you ready?"

- "Yeah, let's bring Morgan back."

There was no way I was not gonna fight to bring him back to Savannah and the team.

The BAU and the SWAT team that was with us surrounded the entire cabin. I took the lead through the back door quietly and heard voices coming from the living room. I held my gun tight and tried to keep my head cold and in the moment. I couldn't miss. This was too important to overthink.

- "Wake!"- someone said as I walked slowly through the kitchen door and saw Morgan barely alive, bleeding on the floor. And he made eye contact with me for a moment, knowing I was there to save him.

- "Wake up. It's time to die."

- "Not yet."- Derek mumbled and before the murderer could hurt him, I pulled the trigger three times and ended him right there. Rossi and Hotch burst into the room and ordered medical assistance, as I rushed toward my friend and kneeled next to him. His right hand was stabbed against the table and he had lost a lot of blood. We all stayed by his side until medics came and took him to the ambulance. I couldn't leave his side as he mumbled incoherence, barely conscious.

- "What is it Morgan?"- I asked him and touched his arm carefully, just to let him know I was close.- "What is it?"

- "I'm scared, pop."- he replied and I froze. I was scared too. I didn't want to lose him.

The flight back to the BAU was quiet. I called (Y/N) before we took off and told her what had happened, making my best effort not to cry. She said she was driving Savannah to the hospital along with Garcia, and that she'd wait for me there.

- "Are you ok?"- JJ held my hands as I hung up the phone. I nodded as I kept staring at the space in front of me, lost in thoughts. The way they had treated Morgan, how they had clearly tortured him, it hurt. We had been fast enough to bring him back to his family on time, but only for a few minutes. What if he didn't make it? What if he had been hurt too badly?

- "Morgan is gonna be ok"- JJ said as she kept holding both my hands. I just nodded and didn't say a thing. She wrapped her arms around me tight as I did my best to keep myself together. I just wanted to be back with my wife and daughter and keep them safe forever.

Often, as you can see, I wonder why we didn't leave the BAU sooner. All the signs were there. Especially JJ's.

Next chapter

[bringbacktim]

Anal? No one's doing anal

I'm having a Jschlatt brainrot rn so expect more imagines than anyone wants , feel free to request anything

Synopsis: schlatt and y/n are putting together a desk , but it sounds inappropriate to Charlie outside the room , he gets worried like any friend would

Warnings:mentions of anal , hurt , sexual intercourse, innuendos, a whole lot of whacky stuff , not proofread or edited

Word count: 806 words

The only things that charlie could hear from the outside of the OTK office/filming room were things that would definitely give him nightmares and make him avoid Schlatt and Y/n for the foreseeable future

Who said I can't put this fucking thing in that hole " schlatt said practically shouting out of anger

"Me ! , for the hundredth time it shouldn't go there no matter how much you ask" his girlfriend answered

"Tell me that doesn't look like it'll fit in there"

"I am not turning around , I know I'm right . Now hurry up before Charlie or Ted get back"

Charlie was torn between making some loud noise and hoping they'd stop whatever they sound like they're doing or running away and never speaking to them again

He did neither out of pure terror and instead pulled out his phone to text Ted to see if this was some skit or some prank they were playing or whether they were actually doing that in the studio where they filmed

'Hey dude, do you know what Y/n and Shclatt are doing in the studio?' He texted simply not bothering to beat around the bush

'Anal by the sounds of it , but I have no clue, didn't want to know to be honest'

Charlie really didn't want the first bit to be true , especially since he was only there to hold one of the cameras while they filmed stuff . He was getting way more than he bargained for

'Gross , don't joke about that or it'll come true' he replied a grimace on his face

'They've been at it for a solid half hour , they should be done soon don't worry man'

'Don't worry man ? You clearly aren't hearing this' charlie scoffed at Ted's audacity

'I escaped with minimal trauma thankfully' he could feel Ted's smugness through the screen

'And you didn't think to take me with you?'

'Didn't know if they wanted you to film it'

'You're disgusting nivison' and with that he put his phone back in his pocket and tried to plan what he was going to do next

"I fucking told you that wouldn't fit, are you done trying yet ?"

"It's going to fit I don't care what you say you god damn bitch"  at that charlie knew he had to do something for the safety of his friends

So he did what anyone would do and knocked on the door rather harshly to make sure he was heard

"Yeah , uh kinda busy" He heard y/n say

"I know you guys are in love , but that's a recording room . Also are you okay ?"

"Yeah fine just pissed at this furniture" schlatt admitted

"Schlatt!" Y/n said scolding him

"Are you both decent? Can I come in?"

"Yeah why wouldn't we be" they both simultaneously spoke

The situation he opened the door to was definitely not what he was expecting, but in a good way

They were just trying to put a new coffee table together to replace the one Schlatt broke in the previous recording

"Oh thank god" Charlie said with a hand over his heart as he breathed a sigh of relief "we thought you were doing anal"

"Anal? No one's doing anal , I'm not allowed to anymore" that comment earned him a firm slap to the chest

"Please stop talking, for my sake" charlie begged

At that charlie showed them the texts him and Ted had sent and they put the pieces together

"Oh charlie I'm so sorry you heard that , we just wanted to surprise you with the new coffee table before the next video" y/n apologised to her friend as her boyfriend loudly laughed next to her

"That's so fucking funny man , how did we not realise" he said wiping a tear from his eye "you look so terrified man" he said still laughing and using Charlie's shoulder as a stabilizer

"Is that why ted left?" Y/n asked shocked that everyone thought they were doing such a thing "this is so embarrassing and it's all your fault" she said pointing at her boyfriend who broke the table in the first place

"You have to admit that it's kinda funny" he said turning to face his girlfriend as Charlie called Ted and told him he can come back

"Charlie has the worst luck when it comes to us" she said sympathy evident in her voice "remember when he walked in on us in Ted's bathroom at that party"

"Be thankful it was him and not Ted" this earned him a middle finger in his direction

"What a wacky day it's been" Ted said entering the room they all were in

"You haven't been here for half of it " charlie accused as they chatted about what to film next

[felixsramen]

Yours Truly

This is part 20 to my Skz poly fic.

Previous<<<< Next>>>>

Warnings: None

You have a feeling of who it is already. Seungmin and Minho look at you as you grab your phone. You see the caller id. 'Innie'. You wonder if you should pick up or not but before you know it your hand hits the accept button.

You bring the phone to your ear. "Y/N? Are you there? I'm so fucking sorry." He says and you wonder if you shouldn't have answered.

"Do you guys not like me?" Comes out of your mouth before you realize what you said. There's silence for a second and you wonder if he's going to answer.

"No. God no. Y/N we like you so much." I.N. says sounding guilty. "Hyunjin didn't mean what he said." You hear a door open over the phone and the sound of footsteps.

"Is that Y/N? Please let it be Y/N." You hear what sounds like Hyunjin say. "Yeah. It's Y/N." I.N. replies back.

"Hyunjin wants to talk to you. Do you want to talk to him?" I.N. asks you. You look over to Minho and Seungmin who don't say anything or give off that you should.

You take a deep breath to steady yourself. "Yeah." You say softly and you hear the phone move around.

"Hello?" Hyunjin says almost unsure that you'd answer. "Hey." You say back and you hear Hyunjin let out a sigh of relief when he hears your voice.

"Fuck I'm so sorry. I know sorry won't fix anything but I'm so sorry. You deserve to be pissed or upset. I don't hold it against you. You're not just anyone you are one of us. I don't even know why I said that." Hyunjin says rambling on. You look over to Minho and Seungmin but they give you a small smile.

You sigh as Hyunjin continues on. "Hyunjin." You say softly and that shuts him up. "I'm not going to say it's okay. It's not but we miss you guys. I know it hasn't been that long but we miss you guys a lot." You say softly and you hear Hyunjin let out a soft sigh.

"God we miss you guys too. We miss you guys so much." He says back. He lets out a sigh of his own.

"This isn't to guilt trip you guys or anything. You don't have to come home. The boys don't want you to come home if you guys aren't ready and neither do I but Chan locked himself in his studio. He hasn't been out since the day you all left. He only comes out to eat or go to the bathroom." Hyunjin tells you and you can't help but worry about him.

"Don't feel guilty about it. Don't come home because I told you guys. Come home because you want to. Your own free will." He says finishing and you look to the boys sitting beside you. Seungmin reaches out a hand and takes yours in his.

"Jisung hasn't been sleeping well either though. We're all in our heads about it because we feel so guilty. I wanted you guys to know that though. It's not the same without you guys. We all want you guys home of course we do but not if you guys aren't ready to be home." He says telling you.

You nod as if he can see you. "We'll talk about it and decide." You tell him and he lets out a relieved sigh.

"Take your time. We miss you guys as much as you miss us. The door is unlocked and ready whenever you guys are. You all are our worlds okay?" He says wanting to make sure you knew.

"Okay. I'll talk to the boys." You tell him. Seungmin squeezes your hand reassuring you.

"Okay. I hope you guys sleep well." He tells you. "You guys too." You say softly.

You hang up and let out a breath you had no idea you were holding. Seungmin looks at you and smiles softly at you while Minho reaches across and rubs your back.

"How do you feel?" Minho asks and you sigh softly. "Better." You say and Seungmin rests his head on your shoulder.

"Good." Minho says and you sigh once more. "Chan locked himself in the studio. Apparently doesn't come out much. Jisung isn't sleeping well either." You say and Minho nods.

"Are you ready to see them?" Minho asks. "I'm not sure yet." You say and Seungmin and Minho nod.

"Hyunjin said he didn't want us back if we don't want to come so that makes me feel better." You say and they nod.

Seungmin lifts his head from your shoulder. "Yeah. They don't ever try to make us feel bad for things we do. They haven't ever really tried guilt tripping us either about stuff." Seungmin says and this time you nod.

"Are you guys ready to see them?" You ask and Seungmin and Minho shrug. "I don't know. I miss them of course. I love them a lot too but what they said about you is hard for me to even think about." Seungmin says and Minho nods.

"They said a lot of stuff that I'm not sure if I were you that I could forgive. I'm just imagining if it was myself." Minho says and you nod at his words.

You sigh and squeeze Seungmins hand gently. "Is it bad I miss them though?" You say and they both shake their head.

"Of course not. You've gotten close to all of us. We also miss you when you're away. It's no different than that." Seungmin says softly and you nod.

You nod placing your own head on Seungmins shoulder. "Thank you." You say softly.

"Don't thank us. We haven't done anything special." He says and you shake your head. "Thank you guys for sticking up for me." You say softly.

"Always will." Minho says softly.

Taglist: @queenmea604 @lolareadsimagines @tinyworld18 @liv302 @jinniespuppy @stephy-nicole13 @freyaniobe @chansbabygirlsstuff @jkookiejiminlvr @hyuneyeon @sirenthalia @nagadiluc @tenshimara @leeknowleeknow @boi-bi-ahaha @shltsnglggles @jfkedldndkd @tinystarsthing @armystay89 @baby-fairy-yas @haileybugulug @freckleboilix @im-sinking-in-mud @thatoneperson1911 @lmaouwu @greysweaters-blog @katrodriguez99 @3rachasninja @amararosesblog @1alesakura @m4gg13-g @vampcharxter @noellllslut @berryberrytan @junebug032 @jeonginwvr @jeongchaos @emyferra08 @stvrfir3 @feybin @mauvemelon @worcesheshestershiresauce @realrintaro @katsukis1wife

[osamusriceballs]

The Accident - Part XVI

Atsumu x fem reader

Warnings: Stalking, kinda dry humping

Words: ~ 2,5 k

About: Y/n and Atsumu finally TALK. And more.

Part I II -> Next Part

A yawn escapes your lips as you slowly open your eyes to a dimly lit room. It's probably the middle of the day, judging by the way it looks outside. You surprisingly feel fully rested, with Atsumu still peacefully snoozing behind you, his arm loosely draped across your stomach. Your mind races back to the events of the previous night, causing your heart to skip a beat.

That woman.

Atsumu needs to do a lot of explaining to make up for that. If there is even a way to make up for that. You still don't know anything about her, but she for sure gives you the chills.

Maybe it was a mistake. To stay with him- even in the same bed, and to allow your heart to get that foolish hope again. But you're just human, and it seems like your heart isn't so easily convinced that he's not good for you.

You sigh and reach for your phone on the nightstand, noting how late it is—2 pm. Shocked by the time, you check your messages and spot surprisingly many from Osamu Miya and hesitantly tap on them.

Osamu: hope yer alright

Osamu: let me know when you’re home

Osamu: did ya fall asleep?

Osamu: thank you for your help. I owe ya. Call me if ya need anything. Stay safe.

Osamu: good morning. Grab that idiot and come over to Onigiri Miya when yer awake. Or come on your own when he messes up. Drinks are on the house for you.

Osamu: not for Tsumu tho. He can pay double

A smile plays on your lips as you respond quickly.

You: hey! Sorry for the late reply, I fell asleep. Atsumu‘s still sleeping. I‘ll talk to him and let you know if we‘re coming. Thank you for the offer! :)

Osamu: sure. see ya

You: see you :)

Your attention is diverted when Atsumu stirs, his arm now wrapping around your waist as he clumsily pulls you closer. He groans and nuzzles against your neck, a sound that sends a shiver down your spine. Is he aware that it's you he's holding? And does he even remember last night? You somehow doubt it.

"Y/n?" he mumbles after a moment, and your eyebrows shoot up, but you respond with a soft hum and nod.

"Yer—how?" he slowly questions, his face still heavy with sleep. You gently take his hand and remove it from your waist, scooting away enough to turn and face him. His eyes are tired, his expression soft while he fights to fully wake up. You just hope that he doesn't feel too horribly after all that drinking. His team will kill him for sure if he has practice today. You really hope that it's his day off.

"I brought you home. Remember that you had a few drinks at Onigiri Miya's?" you say, trying to sound neutral, though bitterness lingers in your tone. He stares at you blankly until embarrassment and guilt crease his features.

"Yeah, right. I'm—y/n, I'm sorry for that. Thank ya for bringin' me home. I'm just kinda... havin' a hard time." He closes his eyes for a short second and takes a deep breath. He suddenly looks so exhausted that it almost breaks your heart.

"Hard time with what? Work?"

He shakes his head, closing his eyes again, and a weariness settles over his face, despite the ample sleep you both received. "Work's fine. Great, actually. Gotta play with some real amazin' players. I even got to see Aran often again; that's fine. Just..." He opens his eyes, sadness evident. "Just?" you prompt, your heart skipping a beat at his gaze. You know that it has to do with you—you just don't know what exactly it is. And the urge to interrogate him is burning strong in your body.

"I never got the chance to talk to ya after that night," he admits. You nod, urging him to continue, to finally give you some answers. "I wanted to apologize. For kissin' ya. I made ya uncomfortable, ruined everything."

Your confusion is palpable—just what is wrong with him? He should tell you about that woman and not that! And that definitely didn't sound like he wanted to do it again, which feels like a stab to your heart and somehow angers you.

"Uhm... Atsumu, that was not quite what I expected. Like, sure, I've been thinking about that kiss and my feelings for you, but I was more taken aback when you blocked me and invited another girl over, literally the same night we had our kind-of-date."

His face drops after listening to you, confusion and worry etched on his features. "What are ya talkin' about? I never blocked ya, and I sure as heck didn't invite any other girl here. Hell, I don't even talk to women outside of work. Who should I bring here?"

"Brunette? Perfect smile and wearing one of your shirts? Could hardly miss her on my way down. Or when we met her yesterday. Do you have her over at your place every night?" you retort, ignoring his repulsed expression at your description of her. You could almost believe that he doesn't like her at the way he scrunches his nose.

"Her? Ya met her? Yesterday?"

You nod, narrowing your eyes as you recall her vicious features after that scene. But wow, you were definitely embarrassing. How you acted possessively towards Atsumu. Will she laugh about it with him as soon as they meet each other again?

His reaction surprises you, though; he suddenly reaches for you, pulling you a bit closer. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for gettin' ya involved in this. Are ya okay? She didn't do anything to ya, did she?" You stare at him, confused, and shake your head. His worry confuses you. Why bother after not talking to you for so long?

"Can't believe she dared to come here again. If ya ever see her again, you have to call the police. I have a restraining order against her." Your eyes widen surprised at his words and you frown.

"Restraining order? Is she... like a crazy ex?" Dread fills your stomach at the thought, and a suspicion arises within you.

He slowly shakes his head. "She's a very obsessed fan, to put it nicely. She's been stalking me for a while. Started innocently; I noticed that she came to Onigiri Miya every time I was there too. Then I noticed her when I went for walks every other day, always waitin' at the same spot for me and trying to talk to me. And then one day, I noticed that stuff from my apartment started to go missing. That was like two years ago. I contacted the police after I caught her breaking into my apartment, and she got arrested. Haven't seen her since then, but she started showing up since that one night with ya." He groans and you can see just how much stress this situation caused him. He looks so tired while talking about it, it almost breaks your heart.

"I don't know how she found me again," he continues. "She broke into my apartment, and I had video proof fortunately, so I could file a case, and I have a restraining order against her now. She can't show up again, or she'll land in jail. I also had to get a new phone and number; she did something with it. Tried calling ya with the new one, but ya never called back."

You listen to the story with watery eyes. That woman is actually a stalker?! And he had been suffering like that all the time? Tears well up, and you try to calm yourself. So he wasn't ignoring you on purpose. He actually tried to reach out, and you probably ignored his messages, and he felt miserable because he put you in that situation. Hell, someone broke into his apartment. This must have been horrible for him. You're just glad that she at least cannot legally come here again. Even though it doesn't seem to stop her. A part of you hopes that she'll show up again. The thought of her in jail does sound kind of appealing to you- and not just because you were kind of jealous before. She is danger, and you pray that she won't show up again. Maybe she'll stop now that she knows that he's taken- even though she does not seem to respect boundaries. Your thoughts are running, you don't even know what to say at this point. How could you be mad with him after this?

A ray of hope suddenly flashes before your eyes, and you feel your heart flutter. You know that it's selfish to think about your foolish feelings, to think about how much you like him and to wonder if he reciprocates these feelings. But this means that you might mean something to him. This means that he might like you just like you like him, if he has tried contacting you and kept his distance to protect you.

"So... uhm... you weren't ghosting me because of the kiss?" You feel so, so foolish for asking, but your heart longs for confirmation. You'll deal with the stalker after finally finding out about his feelings. After waiting for him for so long, you need to know.

"I didn't want to ghost ya at all, y/n. I really like ya." His eyes catch yours, and you feel butterflies in your stomach once again. He doesn't seem to mind that you changed the topic like that and you know that you look at him like a hopeful lost puppy. He still has that magical effect on you. Everything just feels so right with him, like you're just where you belong. He's so close; you could probably count his lashes, and you can see the flecks of different shades of brown in his eyes.

"I was actually... really sad because we parted like that. I didn't mean to give you the impression that something's wrong—I just thought you'd see this as a game, and nothing more. That I'm just an easy way to spend time for you. Nothing more." You feel so vulnerable when you say these words, but he quickly shakes his head, looking at you with hurt in his eyes.

"I'm sorry. Y/n, I'll make it up to ya, 'kay? Please. Let me make it right." You melt at his words, only managing to nod. "O-okay." This feels like a dream come true. You can't believe that you're making up with him like this- after carrying his drunk ass home and sleeping in his bed. But you just feel so good when you're with him, and for once you decide to be selfish and to take what you need.

He looks at you, clearly stunned. "Okay? Just like that? I was ready to get on my knees to beg for forgiveness and to buy some more diamonds for you." A soft laugh escapes your lips, and he seems to lighten up at your reaction too.

"Making up to me could definitely include some groveling. I wouldn't mind seeing you on your knees, actually. I don't remember you getting on your knees for me ever, even though we are married." You smile, feeling the tension leaving your body. Only he can make you feel like this.

"Oh?" He grins, and you suddenly feel giddy. "Let me refresh yer memories then." He jumps off the bed, lively and energetic suddenly, and you look at him stunned. "Come here." He pats the edge of the bed, and you slowly crawl there, probably not very elegant, but Atsumu still gazes at you like you're a princess that graced him with her presence. You sit up hesitantly, looking at Atsumu right in front of you, who smiles fondly and smoothly sinks down to one knee. He looks devilishly handsome with his disheveled hair, and you can't do anything else but stare at him. Is this a dream?

"Y/n Miya, I know I don't deserve it, but would ya give yer husband another chance? I promise to make ya happy and to never keep secrets like that from you ever again. I'll be whatever ya want me to be just to keep you happy." Your jaw drops at his words and you can't stop the butterflies in your stomach.

"Wow, uhm, that sounds pretty serious." You breathlessly laugh and he smiles with a sincere expression that makes you blush.

"I am. I kinda..." he sighs, running a hand through his hair, making it even messier and he looks even more attractive like this. "I kinda wanna go on dates with ya. Like real dating. Not just getting along because of the marriage thing."

You stare at him, not having expected this kind of answer. He's actually serious about this? And wants to go on dates with you?

"So uhm... what do ya say? Is that alright with you?" He looks bashful, and you finally manage to come up with a response, the one that your heart is longing for.

"I'd love to." The words come out softly, and you smile fondly at his reaction and the way he seems to light up. You don't even have time to realize what's happening- and then he suddenly raises just enough to be at eye level with you and then simply connects his lips with yours in a sweet kiss. You gasp, surprised, your hands coming up to his shirt to ground yourself, but melt into the feeling, allowing him to cup your cheeks and angle your face towards him to deepen the kiss.

This is not what you had expected at all, but feeling his lips against yours, his body pressing against yours—it's enough to make you feel hazy and giddy. You need more; you need to be closer to him. So you wrap your arms around him and pull him closer while leaning back until he's laying on top of you, urging him to stay close to you. He rests most of his weight on his arms, yet you still feel him on top of you, his body pressing gently against yours .

You open your lips, and he instantly uses the chance, softly licking against your lower lip before he slightly moves his tongue to meet yours. His hips press against yours, harder suddenly, and you can't help but wrap your legs around his waist and pull him down to you.

The position is intimate. Your most sensitive part pressing against his middle, and you suck in a sharp breath when you feel something growing in his pants the longer you keep kissing him. Your hands claw into his shirt when he carefully grinds against you—and you whimper against his lips needily, feeling heat rush through your body.

You both know this is where you should stop; you both have only solved your issues like five minutes ago, and some more things definitely need more clarification, but that's the least thing on your mind now. You- you want him.

And you breathe heavily when he pulls back, his lips wet from your combined saliva, looking unfairly hot with his dark widened pupils while he looks at you intensely.

...

TO BE CONTINUED

[hyuuukais]

.・゜-: ✧ :- FICTIONAL REALITY .・゜-: ✧ :-

pairing • bang chan x fem reader

synopsis • fiction or reality? y/n preferred the former, escaping into another world, escaping her problems. so what happens when reality takes that away from her; wiping her own story-in-progress off both her laptop and beloved usb? and what happens when she opens the door in the middle of a crisis to none other then the love interest of her novel... and he's holding her usb?

warnings • general, blood, y/n feeling guilty

MASTERLIST | PREVIOUS

CHAPTER TWENTY • EPILOGUE (3.2k)

"Hello? Is this Y/n? I got your note, aha. Cute. Maybe I'm calling a bit soon since you literally just left the shop, but I hope you get this. There's a festival going on tomorrow night for New Year's, would you be interested? Give me a shout if you are, which I really, really hope so. Talk soon?"

Twenty minutes later, you arrived home and discovered the message waiting for you. Your phone had been off vibrate, too anxious for any notifications, and you didn't think he'd call you so soon. Hand shaking with excitement, you let out a small squeal and right as you do, someone joins you on your sofa, yellow and plush.

"What's gotten into you?" Minho puts a mug of coffee down, coaster centimeters away from the photo of you both that sits in the middle of the table. "Did you finally do it?"

"Yes! And I missed his call-"

"You missed his call?"

"Shut up!" You groan, hiding your face with your hands and curling into yourself on the other side of the sofa. He gently moves your hands and you see the sad smile on his face.

"Call him back," he lets go of your hands. "Before he changes his mind."

For a moment, all you can do is stare at the man sitting across from you. "Are you happy?"

He blinks. "What?"

"Are you happy?" You repeat, but he still doesn't answer. "Here, with me? With this new life? Do you ever regret taking that letter seriously?"

"Never," Minho's reply is quick, almost cutting you off. "Y/n, I-" He takes a breath, looking away from you; you wait for him to face you again, wait for him to be ready. "I enjoy being with you, a lot. Too much. You make me comfortable."

"Why do you look so sad then?" You ask, voice soft. "Why do you make this sound like a bad thing?"

Minho looks at you in the eye, looks away, looks back. "Because you make me feel things, good things, and it scares me. It scares me so much, Y/n. The way you feel about Chan, is it scary?"

"Always," you whisper.

"Then you should understand what I'm saying."

"Min," you hold his hand, the other reaching up to cup his face. His eyes are shiny, but he blinks it away. "I'm sorry-"

"Don't apologize," he sighs and shrugs. "I'll get over you."

"Hey! Don't make it sound so easy..." He laughs and you feel more at ease watching his shoulders shake and his smile widen.

"Listen, I saw some things in that white room that made me realize a lot of stuff about myself that didn't relate back to you." He leans back on the sofa with a sigh. "I got a bit wrapped up in your disappearance that I kind of ended up disappearing myself, but now? I feel more myself than ever." Neither of you speak for a moment. "So, you gonna call him, or...?"

"Shit, right!" You get up to grab your phone from where it sits charging on a small table in the corner. "Um, I'm just gonna- I'm gonna take this in my room, okay?"

"Go for it," Minho smirks.

.

You nervously agreed to meet at the festival, waiting under the entrance banner for the man who unknowingly saved you, or at least, helped you save yourself. Looking down at your watch, you see he's five minutes late. No worries, it's only five minutes. But five turns into ten, fifteen, and you're about to give up and leave when a hand is waved in front of your face.

"Sorry I'm late," Chan gives you a guilty smile. "This event caused more traffic at the café than we're used to, so it was hard closing on time."

"You're open New Year's?"

"New Year's Eve, yes. New Year's Day, no. We can spend tomorrow lounging around since it'll be a late night-" he catches himself, shutting his mouth tightly for a moment. "I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I?"

"Just a bit," you chuckle, then slowly add, "But... I like the sound of that."

"Great!" He nearly shouts but clears his throat to calm down, a huge grin painting his face. You see his dimples pop out and can't help but place a hand over his cheek, thumbing the dip softly. A blush creeps up his neck, warming his face in the cold winter air.

Thick snowflakes come down in waves, covering your hair and getting in your eyelashes. You challenge Chan to see who can catch more in their mouth, but it's hard to keep track as they melt with contact. You're so focused on the snowfall that you don't realize how close you are to each other, backs bumping and causing you to fall to the side of the pathway you were on and into a small snowbank. Chan is quick to apologize, stretching a hand out for you to grab, which you do, but instead of standing up with his help you drag him down next to you. Strangers give you looks as he falls down, snow puffing up as his body hits the pile, but you don't care, you're laughing and having fun.

"You're so beautiful," Chan says, voice loud enough for only you to hear and he gives you a soft smile. "Where have you been all my life?"

"Oh, don't do that," you jokingly cringe away, trying to hold back a laugh.

"What? Do what?" He asks seriously, sitting up on an elbow in the snow, watching you avoid his eye contact because if you look at him, you'll lose it. "Y/n! Do what? Express my love for you-"

You both freeze.

"Oh my god." Now he's the one cringing, face covered by his hands but you can still see a sliver of skin turning bright red underneath. "Pretend I didn't say that? It's just- it feels like I've already known you for so long and we've had what, three interactions?"

He looks at you and you finally sit up, feeling the snow soaking through the backs of your pants. Taking his hands in yours, you remove them from his face. Embarrassment is painted across his features, but you just smile at him because little does he know. It hurts a bit to think that he'll never know how he saved you, as cheesy as it sounds. The ways in which he helped you and gave you the courage you needed to acknowledge your past and look back with resilience instead of away in fear, tearing yourself apart without even realizing it.

"What if I said I feel the same way?" You say carefully, and the grip Chan has on your hands tightens. "Like... you've been with me the whole time, through it all."

"I-" In the background, you can hear people starting to chant down to midnight and you both stand up, brushing the snow off yourselves. "Um, I guess we should join them?"

...5

"I like it over here." There's no one around to disturb you.

...4

"It is a little more... private." He grins.

...3

"This is a pretty good way to start the new year if you ask me."

...2

Wrapping your arms around his neck, his own find your waist.

...1!

Fireworks go off as your lips connect and all the comfort and love Chan has ever shown you comes crashing down on you, almost overwhelming. You think of the first time you met, the confusion and eventual acceptance. You think of the night in the storm, the night with Minho and Jeongin-

Jeongin.

Before you can think, you pull away, thoughts plagued by images of the boy dying in your arms playing over and over again. You don't notice the way your breathing picks up or the tightness in your throat and chest until it's too late, eyes stinging and skin tingling.

"Y/n? Did- did I do something wrong?" Chan is looking you over, worry etched in his face.

"Not you- I'm sorry. I can't even explain-" But when you lock eyes, something in him breaks, you can see the dam burst in his eyes.

He gasps, a hand coming up and tangling in his hair as he steps back from you, eyebrows furrowed in what looks like pain. Dark red liquid drips from his nose and you're quick to be by his side again, cradling his face in your hands.

"Chan?" Your panic is becoming overwhelming. "Talk to me."

"I..." His face relaxes and he wipes his nose. "I remember."

"Remember what?"

"Everything."

.

Something about the kiss, the connection, brought his memories back and he hasn't stopped looking at you in awe since you got back to your apartment. You settled in to make sure Chan was alright, and he was, now cuddling on the sofa and trying to make sense of it all.

"I don't think I'll ever fully understand," you sigh.

"Me either," Chan strokes your hair. "And Minho, he's...?"

His voice trails off in uncertainty and you look up at him. "He's okay."

"Good, good." He breathes in, breathes out. "But Jeongin didn't make it?"

"No," you whisper, guilt holding your heart hostage. "No, he didn't."

He's holding you close and wiping the new tears, his own threatening to fall. All that goes through your head is he was just a kid, he didn't deserve that, he was just a kid. A clawing at your window breaks you out of the beginning of the spiral, sitting up with your hands caging Chan in. At your window is an orange blob pawing at the screen. You get up and walk over, opening the window to discover a kitten sitting right outside. Above its right eye is a rough patch of skin, scar tissue erasing the fur, and the tip of its tail is missing. When you pry the screen off, the kitten jumps inside your apartment.

"Hey- wait!" You spin around to see the kitten rubbing against Chan's leg, purring up a storm. "I didn't say you could come in."

You kneel down and stick a hand out. The kitten pauses what it's doing, hesitantly sniffing your outstretched hand before nudging its nose against you. You can't help but smile at the small creature, a sense of familiarity washing over you. This is the same cat you used to feed in the woods, how did it find you here?

"Guess we have a cat now?" Chan leans down and pats its backside.

"We?" You question, glancing up at him.

His face reddens. "You, sorry. I guess you have a cat now. I don't know why I said we-"

"We have a cat now," you sigh happily. "I like the sound of that better." Looking down at the cat, now uninterested in you both and snuggling up under your coffee table, you tilt your head. "Now, what should we name you?"

After a moment of thinking, Chan clears his throat. "I have an idea, but you can say no."

"What is it?"

"Jeongin?" You focus your attention on Chan, whose eyes won't leave the kitten. "Ayen for short. In memory."

Your heart aches at the suggestion and you look back to the cat under the table resting peacefully and your breath catches. Ayen.

"It's perfect."

-

Not a day went by where Chan didn't remind you that you were loved, whether it was a note left behind or a piece of tiramisu in the fridge with your name on it. You tried hard to reciprocate the loving actions, giving him massages after long work days or sending him off with a goodbye kiss. One day you'd broken down when he wasn't home, thinking you'll never be able to show him love like he shows you no matter how desperately you want to. He came home early that day and took you into his arms, holding you until your sobbing quieted.

"What's wrong, baby?" He whispered into your hair, hand rubbing soothing circles on your back. "Bad day?"

You expressed to him how you felt and he pulled away. The first thing you noticed was the look on his face, his eyes glassy with unshed tears. Ever since then he's made it his mission to let you know he feels just as loved as you, if not more.

Ayen has proved to be quite the troublemaker, and you're sure at this point that the boy's soul lives in the little creature. Minho visited you days after Ayen showed up, feigning anger that you hadn't told him you even planned on getting a cat when he lets you see Soonie, Doongie, and Dori for free. Eventually, he gave up the act and told you all kinds of tips and tricks for taking care of a cat, helping you with your first trip to the vet, and picking out the best cat tree for a little guy like him. Your apartment was starting to look like yours again with all the trinkets you'd started to collect and the cat toys tossed about. Living alone has never felt so good.

Bringing you to present day, sitting on your couch with a movie you've seen a million times on in the background and your laptop keeping your legs warm. Ayen rubs against your calves, ditching you when you absentmindedly reach down to pet him. The document in front of you is almost finished, the ending being the last thing to be done giving you deja vu. For the past few months, you've been working a new passion project, not one of escapism, but of hope and survival. One could almost call your writing obsessive, but you made sure to take breaks and still keep a social life with both Minho and Chan to keep you busy. You don't know what happened to Yeji and Hyunjin, but you hope they're doing well. Part of you is convinced they were created to look after you, and now that you're doing well by yourself, they're off to help another soul. You've befriended Lily through Chan and even started talking to some of Minho's friends again, getting close to Felix and Changbin.

"Still working?" Chan enters the home, slipping his shoes off and dropping his bag to the ground.

You hum in response, not taking your eyes off the document as you type and retype the same line different ways, unable to figure out the end to the boy's journey.

"Stuck on the end," you sigh when he gently takes your laptop away.

"You'll get it when it comes to you," Chan says, content you didn't try to take the device back. "Now, c'mere."

He pulls you into his chest, laying down on the couch and kissing the top of your head. You can't help but giggle, looking up at him with pure adoration on your face.

"Tell me about your day," you say, closing your eyes.

"Not much to say."

"I don't care, I like to hear you talk," you mumble. "Tell me anyway."

Laughing, he starts off with the walk to work, making sure to give every detail no matter how mundane. His voice starts to fade as he gets to lunch and you begin slipping into a state of sleep.

-

The boy sits across from you in what looks like an attic, the bed too small for him. His legs are crossed and he has a smile on his face as you recognize him. It's been a while since you've dreamed of Jeongin, but you suppose he senses you're in a creative rut.

"Long time, no see." Jeongin joins you on the floor. "This is gonna be the last time, actually."

"The last time?" You ask.

"Yeah, I-" he sucks in a breath. "I found them."

"You did?" You nearly shriek, grabbing Jeongin by the shoulders. "Oh my god! Oh my god, what are you still doing here?"

"Stop that!" But he's laughing as he shoves your hands off, eyes turning into crescents at your antics. "I wanted to say goodbye, didn't want to leave you wondering where I went, but you already have a piece of me with you always."

Ayen. "True. I'm really happy for you Jeongin."

"You're so mushy," he complains, but you know he doesn't really mind. "Also, stop stressing about the ending to your story. It'll happen when it happens."

"Shut up," you groan. "You and Chan should have spent more time together, really. Enough about me, when are you leaving?"

"Now, actually." Jeongin stands and helps you up, nodding toward the door. "They're out there. Once I leave, you'll probably wake up since this place won't exist anymore."

Staring at the door, a surge of emotion crashes through you and you throw your arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "I'm gonna miss you."

"Think of it this way," he hugs you just as tightly. "I'll be living the life I was meant to and although we won't know each other anymore, I know you'll always be a piece of me too."

"Get out of here before you make me cry." You shove him away lightly, wiping your eyes before the tears can fall.

You watch as his hand slides over the doorknob, holding it for a moment before opening the door. Warm light seeps into the bedroom, hot on your skin; it feels like home. Once your eyes adjust, you can see two people in the distance with their arms beckoning Jeongin over. He smiles wide, taking that first step through with confidence, and suddenly he's not the boy you knew. A smaller boy, you're guessing around eight years old, bounds over to the figures and is wrapped up in their loving arms. With one last look at you, they take one of his hands each and begin to walk away, the door shutting slowly the further they get.

-

You know how to end your story when you wake up.

There's a wet patch on Chan's sweater where your face was and you know you were crying, but he's fast asleep. You're careful when you get off him, taking your laptop with you to your bedroom and opening the document labeled "Open Me! - WIP". You still weren't sure about the title, starting to furiously type before the motivation left you. It's far from perfect, but you feel that's fitting as you save it one last time, preparing to send it out for editing and feedback as you notice the orange rays of a rising sun peaking through your curtains.

"Oh, fuck," you laugh, looking at the time. "At least I'll sleep well tonight."

There's a knock on the door and Chan is walking in, a look of disapproval on his face when he notices your laptop. With a dramatized sigh, he drops down next to you, burying his face into your side as you set it aside.

"Baby, I figured out the ending," you say, barely containing your excitement.

Unlike you, he doesn't hold back, pushing himself back up and making a noise of elation.

"What? That's amazing!" He tugs you into him; another way of showing how much he loves you is never not touching you. "We need to celebrate. What about that place a few streets down you like? We can invite your other friends too and-"

You cut him off with a kiss, his lips melting into yours. When you pull away, he's not even mad at what you did. There's no feeling of anxiety with him.

"How about we stay in?" You suggest. "Just the two of us."

"That's all I need," he agrees, pressing another kiss to your forehead. "You. Only you."

●

notes • the end 🥹 thank you to everyone who read, i hope you enjoyed 💙

taglist • @yongbbokkie @chaeryred @tenebrisirae @toplinelix @chansdoll @amaranth-writing @3rachachoo @linosjureumi @thebrownemo @tfshouldidohere @channie-143 @frogieeheart @kangaracharacha @skzswife @hopefulrascalstatesmantoad @palindrome969 @laylasbunbunny @bloomingstay

TAGLIST CLOSED ^^^blue means i can't tag you

[starrywooyo]

treasure: Six

synopsis: when y/n gets whooshed into an alternate universe, an adventure: one with pirates and monsters and much, much more

pairing: ot8! pirate ateez x fem! reader

genre: pirate au!!

!!warnings(per chapter)!! - [bellow cut!] no warnings i can think of- plz lmk if there is

notes: omg- guess who's backkkkk with an update!! I'm so sorry it's taken this long to get this chapter out.. i also split this chapter into 2 since i felt its a bit much to read with it being so long.. or do you guys not mind really long parts/chapters?? maybe i also done it to keep you guys in suspense too 😏😏

word count: 4.3k

taglist: (if you want removed or added to the list please lmk)

@toxic-babexe , @sunnyhokyu , @cambriel , @lelaleleb

if if missed anyone again just let me know! i also don't know where my tag list is so please let me know if you wanted added and are not on here

series masterlist | main masterlist

previous chapter | next chapter

previously:

hongjoong stands, placing his hands in the table, slightly leaning forward. 

“I have some news I want to share” he says 

your breath gets stuck in your throat. He doesn't know, does he??

“i have progress of our voyage for the Cromer.” he adds

everyone now gives him their full attention. 

“thanks to sedna here, we have our heading. it'll be a long, dangerous journey but I know we as a team, a crew. can manage it!! we will get the cromer before they do”

You don't know how long, it’s most likely been days that have passed. All you can see from the horizon is the ocean and then more ocean.. Water as far as the eye can see. 

Crew are starting to feel as though this mission is lost, that you were all lost on the sea, some starting to get bored out of their minds.  

You sigh 

“What’s wrong?” a voice asks 

You close your book over 

“Are we ever going to reach wherever it is we’re trying to get to yeosang?” you ask

He bookmarks his own book and lets out a small laugh.

“I’d tell you to be patient but I feel we’re all getting a bit restless these days, we’ll get there all in good time y/n.. Now let's continue reading shall we?” he replies and then proceeds to open his book to continue reading.

Deciding to do the same you reopen your own book and continue reading. 

…

You toss and turn in your bed, unable to get some sleep. You still can't help the thoughts that pass through your mind. Tossing off the covers you pull your boots on and make your way through the ship. 

It's mostly quiet as you walk down the corridor, the only thing to be heard being the waves crashing outside the ship and the slight creak of the wooden floorboards, the rest of the crew getting some kip while they can. 

Walking up the stairs you slightly shiver from the nip from the cold air, rubbing your arms you take no notice of your surroundings and make your way to your spot you like to rest on at the front of the bow. 

Leaning on the wood, you look out into the dark, there's not much visibility bar the light coming from the little lantern hanging down but when you look up, you’re in awe. The stars are out and shining bright. They look so… pretty. You wish you had a camera so you could capture this moment

Still gazing at the stars above you don't catch the sound of someone walking up behind you

“D’you like stargazing?” 

You flinch turning to the voice

He laughs slightly “sorry didn't mean to scare ya” he says leaning beside you 

You finally take in your surroundings you notice hongjoong is at the wheel and that's pretty much everyone who’s still awake

You turn back to him, he’s just looking at you intently

He gestures to the stars with his head and asks again.

“D’you like stargazing. y/n?” he asks.

“I do.. Do you like the stars, Yunho?” you ask him. 

He smiles

“I do, being a lookout i get to see ‘em pretty much every night, i know a lot of the constellations too but what ‘re you doing awake at this time.. Can’t sleep??” he asks 

You shake your head

He looks away for a second, then walks away a little bit and hold out his hand for you to take.

“Follow me”

You take ahold of his hand and he and he begins to lead you up the stairs past hongjoong at the helm to where the mizzen mast stands. 

“Ladies first” he gestures to the rope ladder 

And you climb up till you get to the barrel-like section at the top and yunho climbs in after you.

“It’s easier to see the stars from up here” he says and blows the candle out from the little lantern that's hung up in the mast so that he or wooyoung can have a little light when they need it. And then he sits beside you on the ground and tucks his legs up to his chest just like you.

Looking up you can see all the pretty twinkling lights and you’re in awe of them all.

A light tap on your shoulder brings you back to the man sitting beside you, and you listen and watch intently as he points out various stars and constellations and explains some of them to you

��

You shiver slightly rubbing your arms as a chill wind blows through you in the mast.

“Hmm cold?” yunho asks, tilting his head to the side a little.

You nod “ a little bit.. Yeah”

He shuffles about a bit in the space and opens the basket sitting in the corner, and pulls out a worn out greyish blue blanket 

“ ‘ere “ he wraps the blanket around you and you pull it tighter around yourself

“it does get pretty chilly up here so there's a blanket in every basket for the three masts just in case you need that information” he laughs a bit and he sits back into his spot beside you on the ground and he wraps one of his arms around you pulling you closer to his side

“See that one ‘ere.. thats pleiades its-” he stops seeing you are now fast asleep he breathes out a laugh and then pulls you closer to his chest and then proceeds to fall asleep not long after you

… 

You’re drawn out of your slumber from people talking in hushed tones, one of which you know to be yunho but the other you can't tell, still being in a haze..  The other person leaves.

“Yunho..” you voice out.

He hums 

“What's the prettiest star youve seen?” you ask randomly still in your sleepy haze while wrapping your arms around his waist snuggling into him

“Hmm well… it's not actually a star but the aurora’s the most beautiful thing i've seen in my life time”

You smile and shut your eyes again resting your head on his chest

“I'd like to see that too” you say as you slowly drift off

Yunho rubs your back as you do

“I'll take you to see it.. Don't worry”  

…

Your eyes flicker open and you stretch bones clicking in the process. Scanning your surroundings you see you’re still up in the mast with yunho still wrapped up in his arms as you shuffle around he stirs in his sleep, hands coming up to rub the sleep from his eyes.

“Hmm good morning” he says, his voice still laced with sleep.

You reply to him and the both of you begin to make your way to the kitchen to get something to eat before everyone else.

You grab a bread roll as does yunho as well as an apple that yunho reluctantly lets you cut up yourself with your history of knives.

“Thank you.. By the way” you say as you begin to nibble on your food “for last night.. I had a good sleep thanks to you, yunho” you smile.

“Don’t worry about it, m’glad you could get some rest” 

You both sit and continue to eat your food in the peaceful silence quite content.. Until it wasn't- more of the crew came piling in to grab their own breakfast before getting to work and it's then that yunho leaves you to go do his own chores around the ship again. And you go and join yeosang again.

…

“So where is it exactly we’re going yeo??” you ask him

“Well we’re going here to this docking town to restock supplies then we’ll head east or ‘tis where captain says we need to go” he explains pointing places out to you on the map “not to worry though, we’re almost there i'd assume we’d be arriving to the dock at any minute” 

And he was right, you were in fact pulling up to the dock but not 20 minutes later.

Most of the crew started flowing out the ship, stretching. Their feet finally on firm solid ground. Standing on the dock you watch in silence as members of the crew converse with the workers on the dock, seonghwa wagering with the man how many pieces of gold would grant the amount of time the ship could stay docked 

In the distance you see hongjoong talking with sedna about what.. You don't know but it looks to be a serious conversation. The conversation stops and he seems to make his way back over to you all and he speaks. 

“I want everyone to stock up on supplies they may need and rations for the ship as for seonghwa, mingi, jongho, yunho, wooyoung and san you all come with me.. y/n you stay with yeosang” he says then he claps his hands together.

“Okay. everyone get to work” he says and he and his little team head off. 

…

And so you walk through the streets of the town with yeosang carrying some of the things he buys to help him carry them back. You’re bored out of your mind, it’s been a good few hours since hongjoong and the crew left to god knows where. And you wont lie, you’re curious so… you pester yeosang about it. To which he replies something about a mini mission for the actual mission..just boring stuff 

“Hey y/n.. I'm gonna nip into this last shop real quick. Can you wait out here for a second?” yeosang asks you, you nod watching him through the window of the store after he enters.

Bored you end up zoning out looking in the opposite direction, lost in your own thoughts.

Something catches your attention, as you stare your features contort in confusion

What.. is.. that..!? 

You must've been staring for a long time as you’re brought out from your trance from yeosang calling you

“y/n… you good?” he asks, looking worried.

You hum 

“Hmm.. yeah.. I thought I saw..” you look back, the thing is no longer there “nothing.. nevermind ..” 

And then the both of you head back to the ship. 

…

The others didn't get back to the ship until a long while after you, some covered in cuts and other bruises.. Just what was the ‘mission’

San ushers those with cuts to his study to clean the wounds up the rest follow hongjoong to his cabin and you’re left in the dark.. Not included. So you just help the other crew carry the stock onto the ship

…

With the ship now stocked and ready for the vast journey on the water you can finally start the main voyage.

The main 8 currently gathered in the captains cabin, map sprawled out on the table as hongjoong points to the locations on the map and explains in detail the route to be taken for this quest.

 They all end up piling out of the foom after a few hours

You sit in your cabin seemingly lost in deep thought

“A penny for yer thoughts y/n.. What's got yer mind so busy” there's a knock from the doorframe.

Being drawn from your thoughts your head snaps to the doorway.

Hongjoong leans on the frame, sleeves of his white button shirt rolled up and his jacket discarded, being held in his hands.

You frown.. Thinking about it some more

“It’s nothing” you brush it off

He sighs 

“May i?” he asks, gesturing to your room, you nod and he enters placing his jacket on your bed and taking a seat next to you.

“It cant be nothin if its got you frowning like that.. Did somethin happen??” he asks slight worry on his face

“No.. nothing happened per say.. I just.. I don't know.. I saw something but i don't know if my brain was playing tricks on me” 

“Whatd ye see? Maybe I can help if I know what it was?” he pries some more..

You turn to face him

“I thought i.. When you and the others went on that little mission.. When i was shopping with yeosang.. i .. i thought i saw you.. Only it wasn't you?? I don't know.. you had different clothes on and.. All black and a black hat too” you laugh “i’m going crazy right?” you ask him

Only a sinking feeling comes to your chest as you see his face, its pale as if the colours been drained out

“y/n.” he begins “if you see that person again or someone similar. I need you to tell me or one of the others.. Can you do that for me?” he asks

You nod.

He shakes his head “no. i need you to say you’ll do it. Promise me you will”

You tilt your head in confusion

“I will” you say

“Good” he starts to grab his jacket and stands to leave the room

“But hongjoong,who or what was that?” you ask

“You don’t need to know that right now” and with that he leaves the room.  

…

The ship comes to a stop with a sudden jerk, an island in the close distance.

Hongjoong stands giving commands as the crew rushes about the ship preparing to leave the ship and get to the piece of land on the longboats. 

Chucking equipment onto the small boats crew piling in and getting lowered to the ocean.

Most of you make it to land, some crew having to stay back and watch the ship.

This is it. The main island.. Whatever it is you're searching for. It's here.. Somewhere.

Making camp on the beach tents get set up in all different sizes as well as some crates as makeshift tables, a fire being planned to get set up in the middle of camp.

“Yunho, wooyoung go scout the surroundings and make sure its safe” hongjoong orders. And the two do as told with woo whining a tad.

“And y/n, mingi, jongho come with me.. Lets split up and get some firewood for that fire later”

And the four of you make your way up the sandy dunes to the entrance of the woods. And slowly you all creep in.

You walk a good few minutes in far enough in that there's branches and leaves 

“Just take as much as you can carry, we won't be camped on the beach long, take just enough to keep the fire going overnight and to cook a dinner” hongjoong says and begins to pick up the sticks on the ground and the other three of you follow suit.

..

With arms now filled with branches and dry leaves for kindling you make your way back to camp on the beach and dump the wood on the ground where the fire will be set up. And seonghwa comes along and gets started on the fire and you watch him intently; he starts by taking stones from the beach to which you help and places them in a circle for the boundary of the fire, then taking the twigs and branches you all collected and places them neatly in the stone circle, lastly he takes the dried leaves and skaters them throughout the logs.

He pulls from his pocket a rock of flint and holds it securely on one of the big stones surrounding the unlit fire close to some of the kindling and he whips out a small steel dagger. He pauses- 

And briefly looks up to you.

“You good?” he asks 

You let out a hum

“It's just, you’ve been watching me for a while.. Is it really that interesting?” he asks

You nod

“Hmm! I always used to watch my da- i mean i just think its cool to watch” you tell him

He kind of looks at you with your first choice of words but he decides to not comment on it. And just nods along.

“Y’wanna try then?” he taps the sand beside him

You slightly laugh

“I don't know if i can do it but i'll certainly give it a shot” and you get on your knees beside him.

Seonghwa briefly shows you how to hold the flint and the angle to strike the dagger against it, once you're sure you’ve got the hang of it, you take the items from him and strike the blade against the rock.. Nothing happens the first few times but then all of a sudden a few sparks fly off and land on the leaves slightly letting some smoke travel in the air. Seonghwa gets closer to the leaves and gently blows on them and at last the fire is going!! It works its way through the other twigs and leaves until finally a big blazing fire lights up the camp. 

“Why don't you go see what the others are doing and if they need any help while I get started on dinner” seonghwa tells you. And with a nod of your head you're off through the camp. 

Walking around the camp you find jongho sitting cleaning out his gun, all the pieces laid out..

You sit in front of him and he looks up from cleaning and gives you an awkward smile

“y/n… hi” he says 

“Hi Jongho” 

The awkward smile still there he doesn't pay you any mind and goes back to cleaning

Damn this is awkward..

“So.. jongho..” you begin-

“Look y/n. With all due respect just leave me alone”  he sort of snaps as he puts the cleaned gun back together “im not interested” he gets up and walks away.

Oh… 

Disappointed you sit and look out to the waves.. The sun is starting to set, it hangs low in the sky

Someone takes the place of jongho..

“y/n?” they speak

“Captain.” you reply.

Hongjoong sits across from you.

“I.. um.. I have somethin’ for you.. Will you come with me a minute..?” he asks, his eyes darting everywhere bar into your own.. His cheeks slightly flushed

You let out a small yeah and get up to follow him, he leads you towards his tent and holds open the fabric for you to enter. Which you do.

Hongjoong enters after you and you take a look around the large tent.

There's a make-shift table to the right with a chair and to the left his bed, some clothes folded on top with his hat neatly placed against them and a rucksack laying on the floor at the foot of the bed and some oil lanterns hang in random spots

“y/n.. Come in. don’t just stand there..” he says now standing at the table so you walk closer to the table.

He clears his throat and places a medium-ish flat box on the table in front of you.

“I.. haha um.. It might be weird but.. I got you this.. I know you were lookin at one a while back..” as he rambles on you peel the lid of the box off and your eyes go wide

“A-and you don't have to like it. I know it's not the same one you saw.. And its probably weird that i bought you it-” he continues 

“I love it” you whisper out

“That's okay.. Wait- you do?” he asks 

You nod and take it out of the box. Inside was a pretty black lace up corset with little white and red flowers embroidered on going up the left side with green vines and on the right side in the same red as the flowers which looks to be an ‘A’ in a red circle. 

Hongjoong watches as you look at the corset with pure happiness in your eyes and a smile goes onto his own face

You look to him

“This is probably one of the nicest gifts anyone has given me..thank you. Hongjoong.” 

“Of course, I'm just glad you like it.. Now. let's go get something to eat shall we?” and you both go out to join everyone else around the fire to eat.

…

The next day you all wake up bright and early ready to make your journey into the dense forest. Getting ready, you pack your little bag first and change into your clothes: trousers and a nice white flowy shirt.. The corset catches your eye in the corner so you decide to put it on. undoing the laces you slip it over your torso and go to pull the laces shut.. Only you realise something. You can't do it by yourself.

You make your way to the entrance of your tent and slightly poke your head out..

You see hongjoong giving out orders and overseeing them as most people are packing up their things and tents, majority of the crew are busy though someone catches you sticking your head out, with a cheeky grin on his face he saunters over towards your tent, you quickly pull your head back in and hold the opening shut

“y/n~~ are you ready?? We’re about to head off” he says..

“i - nearly, i'm just getting ready but i-” you weigh up all the options in your mind. Cursing at yourself you pop your head back out again and look at the blonde who's still smiling, his arms crossed over his chest.

You bite your lip slightly “wooyoung” you sigh out “can you come in here and help me?” you ask

He frowns slightly and tilts his head

“Help? Hmm sure, but with what?” he asks

You pop back in the tent

Wooyoung follows in after you, brushing a hand through his blonde hair and when he finally looks at you he sucks in a breath.

“Y-you need help lacing that up..” he asks a faint yet prominent blush creeps its way onto his cheeks

You nod slowly.. “if .. you wouldn't mind” you add.

He quickly shakes his head.

“I don't mind” he says and he walks over to you. 

You turn around for him and he takes hold of the laces with shaky hands

“Let me know if it's too tight.. Okay..? i don't wanna hurt you” he says and begins to fix the strings before pulling on them. You feel yourself being sucked in oh god you don’t know how those women in towns do this, He pulls them tight a few times before he's asking you if it's okay you tell him it's fine before he’s pulling some more more and then he ties the bow in the back. His hands rest on your waist for a moment.

“There” he whispers out.

“Thank you” 

He smiles though you can't see it.

Turning around you grab your bag to head out. It's wooyoung's turn to look over you, he bites his lower lip looking away slightly before looking back to you.

“You look good.. It suits you, pretty” he says and you both leave the tent. He helps you pack the rest of your things and roll your tent up and attach it to your bag.

Walking over to the rest of the group by the forest entrance, the fact you're wearing his corset doesn't go unnoticed by hongjoong. A blush of his own coating his cheeks as well. He clears his throat and continues his ‘speech’ and not long after you're all off into the forest..

…

hongjoong leads the line from the front, map and compass in his hands. You don't know how long you walked for.. All you know is this island is bigger than it seems to be and all you've been seeing is trees, trees and even more trees. And you’re losing daylight again.. Wherever it is that map leads.. We’re not getting there as quickly as hongjoong hoped we would. 

You come to a small clearing in the woods.. Still covered with trees but space enough to make a small camp for your team of 15.. 

Hongjoong stops turning to face everyone.

“We’ll camp here for now” he sighs out shaking his head frustrated. He seems to have a silent conversation with seonghwa before he's speaking again “Mingi.. Jongho you both take night watch.” he says to the two men before he begins to walk off seonghwa close behind him.. Yeosang too before he adds

“We don’t know what or who lurks in this forest..” 

… 

The camp set up everyone seems to get settled seemingly staying in their own tents exception of jongho and mingi who pace around a makeshift border of what you call ‘camp’

Sitting watching the flames of the fire at the side of the camp.. It's quiet.. Peaceful. 

“y/n..” yunho stands in front of you with a smile on his face. He outstretches his hand for you to take.

“Come with me.” he says and you look at him suspiciously. 

He sighs out.. “Just come on.. Or we’ll miss it” he grabs your hand and begins to pull you away. Away from camp.. Down the path. You walk hand in hand with yunho for around 10 to 20 minutes. Until you come to another opening. This time a cliff opening. He lets go of your hand and goes and sits on the edge of the cliff sighing dejectedly

“Missed it.. It was right there my star.. I'm sorry” he says to you.

You sit next to him

“What was it?” You ask 

“The lights..” he sighs

You smile

“Thank you for coming to get me because you saw them.. Don’t worry though Yun.. the stars are still very pretty to watch” you tell him. He nods still upset that he failed to get you on time.. You sit in silence for a few moments and then he turns to you.

“I'll be back quickly star.. I'll go get a blanket and my telescope and we can watch them better” he says to you and you agree and he gets up and walks back in the direction you both came from.

You sit yourself in the quiet and peaceful for a bit looking up at the stars.. Occasionally looking at the darkness of the ocean below from your viewpoint.  

You hear the crunching of the ground in the distance

“Sorry I kept you y/n.. I’m back” he says and sits beside you again.

[greenlightbulbonawire]

Misfits (yeah like the Arcane song)

XLIX.

______________________________________________________________

Summary: From the dark musty cell of Stillwater all the way to the very base of Firelights, but where to from there? Guess you'll just have to let fate lead you.

Author's note: I'm back with more content!! I know left you on kind of a cliffhanger and than this chapter's probably gonna be dissapointing for a lot of you, but then again, this is supposed to be slow burn (I never wrote a fanfiction b4 so if it doesn't feel like slow burn, I'm sorry ToT) Anyways, also my apologies for not posting last week, I ran out of pre-written chapters and didn't feel like writing, BUT, I did get my motivation back so here we are!! enjoy the chapter and have an amazing day<3

previous chapter: Fourty eighth chapter

next chapter: Fiftieth chapter

Masterlist

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“What do you mean he told you?” Your somewhat horrified and mildly perturbed expression resting on your face as Scars words set into your mind. “Well, to be perfectly candid, he didn’t need to tell me, since Ekko’s like the only person you hang out with, besides the kids, and I really doubt that you’d feel the need to ask about something you’re feeling towards children.” “Okay, first of all, I do not only hang out with Ekko and the kids! I have a lot of friends here!” You furrowed your brows and folded your arms in front of your chest, faking being insulted and scrunching your face. “Uh huh, okay, and second of all?” “I haven't figured that one out yet.” Scar chuckled quietly at your statement and shook his head, the smile still lingering on the man's lips. “Look, I know you probably made your choice carefully…” He started to say as you murmured “No not really” under your breath but stayed listening to his sentence. “But honestly, I’m not the best person for this talk, I have my kids and all, but I think you’d find more help in someone closer to your age.” “I thought you were close to my age though.” The man gave you a confused look and tilted his head slightly. “[Reader] you do realize that I’m about ten years older than you, do you?” “YOUR WHAT”

… “Or maybe it’d be best just to talk with Ekko you know?” “Yeah, but how do I do that? What would I even ask him?” The girl who helped you in the kitchen that one time, and who you learned was called Lyra became your second victim. “Uh I guess you could just get him slightly drunk and then ask whatever or just start talking with him, Ekko always tends to spill his guts when he's drunk or high from my personal experience.” You nodded in acknowledgement and thought back to the one night when the council blew up, and you and Ekko had your little drinking session on his balcony. “I mean, there was this one time when we were both drunk, and he told me I was pretty or something.” “What are we even talking about here then?? I really, genuinely doubt he’s not into you.” Lyra said and rolled her eyes and you could literally feel the blood rushing to turn your cheeks red.

“Look, I don’t know you all that well and shit, but I never thought that you’d be a coward.” “I’M NOT A COWARD” “Yeah? GO TALK TO HIM THEN DUDE.” You sighed and let out a little whiny sound. “He’s busy repairing my hoverboard right now, I’m not gonna bother him.” “You broke it again?” Lyra chuckled and shook her head, fixing her eyes back onto the dinner in making, skillfully cutting up some root vegetables, as the sound of a knife hitting the cutting board repetitively accompanied their words. “Ehh you know, shit happens.” You replied and rolled your eyes lightheartedly, not that Lyra could see it anyway. “Not so sure about that, it’s more like you’re just really careless, or you’ve made it your own personal goal to ruin your board as much as possible.” The girl teased you back and scraped the cut up vegetable into a pot of boiling water with some other stuff getting cooked in it already.

You had to admit, even if this girl was brutally honest sometimes and could be more of an acquired taste, she was good company, especially if she was cooking. With her in the kitchen, the whole atmosphere of the room felt so comfortable. The smell of the food being cooked mixed with the light banter coming from Lyra and yellow sunlight seeping into the room could even challenge the evening chats with Ekko on that billboard on Faes street. “Hey no fair, I swear I’m not doing it on purpose.” “How about you take some responsibility finally and own up to your actions huh?” Even if you didn’t want to, you had to admit they were right. “Whatever, don't worry your pretty head about it, come here and help me. I’m in a good mood and feel like actually teaching you stuff.” “Oh really? So you’ve finally taken a liking to me?”

“Don’t… Don’t make me change my mind.” Lyra threatened, but deep down you knew she would hold true to her word. So without much of a second thought you pushed yourself off of the ground and joined them at her side. And after a few minutes you were filled with new information regarding what spices go well together, how much to stir when cooking different foods, and man did you regret not having something to write all of this down into. You had to hand it to her, they knew a lot about food. The sunlight started to slowly disappear and the food looked and smelled better and better with each passing minute. You couldn't wait to eat it. The Undercity isn’t exactly known for its cuisine, and the resources down here are somewhat scarce too, but this girl was a magician when it came to cooking. Now you finally understood why they spend most of her time in the kitchen.

[dairyminki]

elle congrats on 300!!

i'm thinkin about cooler weather at the moment; could i give you autumn with mingi for a prompt? tysm and congrats again!! <33

✨️part of my 300 milestone event 🪄

title: pumpkin spice and everything nice

pairing: song mingi x gn!reader

genre: slice of life, coffeeshop au

warning/s: none

wc: 888

a/n: hello orion!! ♡ tysm for requesting ahhhh i rlly enjoyed writing this one esp the descriptions. i hope this one is to your liking tho ><

* reblogs and feedbacks are highly appreciated!

—

The sky is quite gloomy as you saunter through the wet asphalt road. A mix of yellow, orange, red, and brown leaves are scattered all over, the previous downpour having them glued to the pavement.

You got quite lucky that the rain stopped when you got out of work, or else you've been stranded at your workplace with nothing but the smell of leather and the sight of your almost robotic-like coworkers surrounding you.

It's a good thing you're out of that hellhole now, and approaching a quaint coffee shop, instead.

The bell by the door jingles as you push it open, the warm and nutty aroma of coffee and sweet caramel welcomes you, beckoning you towards the counter where the barista stood donning a brown apron over his head, his hair, a striking yellow and orange ombre.

The shop was bare, and you're betting, with all of the pennies currently in your pocket, that it had been this way since earlier today and the barista himself wasn't expecting any customers anymore to suddenly pop up.

You, being that unexpected customer, offer him a small smile as you proceed towards the counter.

"Hi! May I please have one pumpkin spice latte?" You state after carefully reading through their menu.

"Anything else?"

"No, that would be all, actually."

The barista merely nods in reply, and as he starts punching buttons on the register, you can't help but stare at him. Now that you think about it, his overall fit including his hair color actually resembles the colors of autumn. A giggle slips out of your mouth all of a sudden, making the barista give you a look.

Fortunately, he doesn't comment on it and just simply hands you the receipt, saying that he'll have your drink ready in a few. And so, you went to pick your seat by the shop's glass windows.

The sky is looking a lot gloomier than before, you take note. Although, not long after you've sat down, the rain came.

The sound of the barista's movements and the whirring of the blender and espresso machine accompanies your view of the falling rain and the dropping leaves from one tree branch to another.

The scene of the colorful leaves gradually forming a carpet on the road seemingly occupied you to a great extent that it took you a while to notice someone clearing their throat.

"Uhm, excuse me?" The barista, who was now standing by your table, says, finally earning your attention.

"I've been trying to get your attention for a few minutes now but you seemed to be engrossed with whatever's outside," He says while he puts your pumpkin spice latte on the table. Embarrassed, you mutter an apology.

"Thanks. It looks pretty, by the way," You tell him with a smile after admiring the aesthetically pleasing drink in front of you.

"Thank you, please enjoy," The barista says, mirroring your smile and then off he goes back to the counter.

—

"Hi, I don't want to bother you but-"

"Oh my god, have I overstayed?" You panic, glancing at your wristwatch and finding out it's already been over an hour since you've sat down in this coffee shop, your drink perfectly empty. "I can leave now, I'm sorry. You probably have to close up already, right?"

It's not like you didn't plan to leave after finishing your drink. It's just that the rain is still pouring hard, you didn't get to bring your umbrella with you, and your house is quite far from here. You're not sure if you're ready to go out and battle it out with the ongoing wetness outside.

"Oh, no, no! I can't let you leave in this weather," The barista had the same panic lacing his voice and he's quick enough to make you take your seat once again.

"And, uh, I actually came here to ask if you'd fancy a few slices of this apple galette…" The barista rubs at his nape, giving you a sheepish smile.

For a minute you look taken aback, and just when you were about to say something, he speaks yet again, exclaiming, "This is on the house, by the way!"

"Wow, that's so…sweet of you."

"Nothing biggie, really. Just figured you'd want something to accompany you since your drink's already finished and I don't think this rain's about to stop any sooner, so," He shrugs, placing the galette in front of you. An aromatic mixture of cinnamon and baked apples wafts through the air, and it awfully smells like home, fall, and everything warm.

"What's your name?" You ask just when the barista makes an attempt to retreat into his spot at the counter.

"My name is Mingi," He answers, pausing for a little bit before he asks you the same question, quite politely.

"I'm Y/N, and if you don't mind, would you like to accompany me, Mingi? We could share these pastries while we talk or something," You say, already standing up to pull up a chair for him, because you're not one who takes no for an answer.

"Well," Mingi drags out the word while he looks down at his feet, one foot lightly tapping against the floor. "Alright, I guess there's no harm in doing that." He gives in finally, taking the additional chair from you.

"Good choice."

[karmathenightowl]

TAZ STEEPLECHASE EP 41 SPOILERS and Possibly What Ifs Discussion

Damn, okay there's a lot to unpack here

So my "Montrose Pretty is Devon Denton" theory is incorrect

BUT with the reveal of Montrose being Eggard Denton (Kenchall's dad), not only does everything click based on information brought to us in previous episodes but it also paints a rather heartbreaking implication of his role in the Denton family and Steeplechase as a whole.

Now it all makes sense that Montrose is a Denton for his knowledge about theme park attractions. From the lore of Ephemera (even his excitement and passion for it) to the existence of Jungle Island. There's also the moment he says "Sorry, Carmine" during the finale of the Gallspire heist when dressed up as Jessie the Infinite Spectre Fairy.

Now here's where things get very interesting.

I don't know if I'd call this entire next section a theory but mostly samples of What Ifs I have in my head. Hear me out:

Let's start with Kenchall. Back in Ep. 17 when he requests Poppy's Angels to steal the Gallspire, he notes that:

"If he (Eggard) had been born— if he had muscled his way up there, I’d be running the company right now. But instead, Carmine’s stupid monarchy passes from first born to first born. So, now next in line after Evelyn is her shithead son, Devon.

Then there's his brief conversation with Orwell and upon being asked what his childhood was like, Montrose responds:

"It was...quite lonely."

Then the theme from The Future is You plays in the background.

In the now debunked theory I made a while ago about Montrose being Devon Denton, someone replied the possibility of Eggard having a rough childhood because of living under Evelyn's shadow due to the fact that she was the next successor of Steeplechase. This neglect is what probably prompted Eggard to run away from home, probably fake his death since Kenchall stated that Eggard died "10 ish years ago" and start a whole new life as Montrose Pretty.

But despite that, it seems like he still yearns for that familial connection, bonding he never got with his real family. So why not try to make some connections with a new family, i.e the family from The Future is You.

There's also Episode 40, in which Montrose faces Carmine with his mask off.

Carmine says "I have to ask…do I know you?" and lights from inside the rocket point at Montrose.

Montrose replies with "Hello Carmine. I have decided to wear my true face for this special occasion."

I'm intrigued with how Episode 42 will play out with Carmine's realization of Eggard, if there will be any at all.

I want to cut back to Kenchall for a bit and preface this theory with a smaller one that may be a FAR stretch but I can explain.

We know Kenchall is far from being a good person. What if he had high expectations from Eggard, wanting the role of future park successor next in line so badly even though he knows that his father can't obtain that and pass that on to his son.

But also, what if Kenchall didn't care.

This is going to sound nuts, but if this is true, I see Kenchall as sort of a Veruca Salt type of person. This idea of Kenchall probably being a spoiled brat and having a father wanting what's best for his son and loving him despite this. Being in the Denton family known for their theme parks and innovative talents within the Dentonic Corporation, seems likely that Kenchall would be the sort of pampered kid that could get whatever he wanted. But all that doesn't matter. He clearly wants to take over the park, as stated in episode 17. Justin stated that Kenchall was seen as the black sheep of the family, but what if that was a lie? What if Kenchall made that up so others could see him as an outcast of the family when in actuality it was his father who was the real outcast.

What if Kenchall has a one sided resentment towards Eggard for something that wasn't even in his control i.e becoming successor to Steeplechase due to him being born mere minutes after Evelyn.

Then we come to today's episode at the end, with Montrose (now with his mask off) going to Kenchall at his APC. He says, "Its been ten years. We have a lot to catch up on."

Kenchall doesn't recognize him, saying "I don't know you."

Montrose retorts that he does, and says this:

"I have a lot of explaining to do, but I know you of all people will understand the great lengths I have gone to try and cease control of this park, this corporation, that I missed out on by mere minutes. I need the time to explain this to you Kenchall. Do you understand?"

In raising him, what if it made Eggard heartbroken to see Kenchall unhappy. In wanting to please him, Eggard decides to find his own way in obtaining control of the park to pass down to his son. And the implication that Montrose/Eggard has done all of these heist jobs for the possibility of pleasing his son makes this sound very sad in the grand scheme of things. He even risked his life multiple times, from eating a pin, to having his hand be fused with two elephant tusks.

But from what Kenchall has done to him, Beef, Emerich, and countless others, this perception may change. Maybe Eggard wants control of the park but doesn't want his biological son involved in it. I mean, he did adopt Todzilla after all...

[silverynight]

By blood

<---Previous

Part XVI

A couple months pass like that; Tanjirou stays in the butterfly estate for days, spends time with his hashira and then goes to Akaza's house in the woods to be with him too.

He goes with a different Pillar each time, all of them except for Shinazugawa and Iguro; they're the ones who are prone to irritation and are more likely to start a fight with Akaza.

Then, one day, as Tanjirou walks in the house with Himejima right behind him, Akaza stands right in front of them with a tired expression on his face.

"I'm starving."

Tanjirou scolds himself for not recognizing the signs before; he's been so worried trying to get the Pillars and Akaza to get along, he hasn't thought about Akaza's needs for a while.

He hasn't fed him in a long time, he should've guessed. It's what started the whole thing in the first place.

Himejima tenses behind him, but Tanjirou takes his hand to calm him down.

"I'll take off my shirt so you can bite my shoulder."

Akaza nods; he usually insists on biting Tanjirou's neck or thighs and the fact that he doesn't say anything makes the human think that perhaps he's actually too hungry to protest or he doesn't want to start an argument with Himejima.

Either way, Tanjirou gets rid of the upper part of his uniform quickly.

"Let's go to our room."

"Stay here," Himejima cuts in then, surprising Tanjirou. "I'm fine with it."

Akaza narrows his eyes and is about to say something, but Tanjirou shakes his head at him. He can tell the stone hashira is making an effort and perhaps this means that Tanjirou's dream of having everyone living together as a family is actually possible.

Tanjirou takes Himejima's hand again while Akaza gets closer and reverently kisses Tanjirou's skin before sinking his teeth in his shoulder.

As usual, there's always a little bit of pain and Tanjirou winces at first, prompting Himejima to intertwine their fingers together.

Then it comes the wave of pleasure, but Tanjirou bites his bottom lip in order to stop the embarrassing sound that usually escapes from his mouth.

Akaza is actually quick; he doesn't take more than what he needs and then starts cleaning the wound and patching Tanjirou up like he usually does.

"Thank you," he whispers before giving Tanjirou a kiss on the lips.

This time Tanjirou stays two days with Akaza, much to the upper moon's delight. The demon already has human food and a couple of things to make decent tea so they don't have to go to the village.

"How did you get this?" Tanjirou can't help but ask, already worried about the people getting robbed.

Akaza looks a little bit hurt at that and Tanjirou immediately regrets saying it.

"I'm sorry, but–"

"It's alright," the upper moon cuts him off, taking one of Tanjirou's hands to kiss it. "Regular humans can't tell I'm a demon so I did a few things for them in exchange for this."

Tanjirou smiles immediately and gives Akaza another kiss on the lips, the upper moon looks really happy about it.

At the end of their visit, after Tanjirou says goodbye, Himejima stays there for a couple of seconds before he says:

"You're really trying to change for him." It's not a question and he doesn't seem to be waiting for an answer, but Akaza replies anyway:

"Yes. I want to be better for him."

Himejima nods before taking Tanjirou in his arms and walking away with him. He gives Tanjirou a couple of kisses on the forehead on their way back, but doesn't make another comment about Akaza again.

***

Tanjirou finds out later that the Pillars have a long meeting due to Himejima's request. They stay hours in a room and the redhead gets slightly nervous at that.

Somehow he has the feeling that it's about Akaza. What else could it be? He thinks about asking them directly as soon as they're done, but then Tanjirou shakes his head and tells himself he's overreacting.

As Pillars, all of them have a lot of responsibilities, there could be a lot of things they need to discuss that have nothing to do with upper moon three, Tanjirou is just nervous for no reason.

However, after a while Kanroji walks in his room.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, darling, but would you come with me? We all need to tell you something."

"Of course," Tanjirou nods and he's ready to follow her, but the love hashira picks him up and carries him all the way to the headquarters.

She sits Tanjirou on the floor, gives him a kiss on the forehead and returns to the Pillars' side in front of him.

They all are kneeling, but they don't smell like they're upset; Tanjirou can sense a very sweet scent coming from them. In fact, they all have soft looks on their faces as they stare at him.

Tanjirou blushes under that kind of attention.

"Akaza really loves you," Tomioka starts, startling Tanjirou a bit because he hadn't expected those to be his first words. "We have noticed it over the past weeks and even though it's difficult for us to share you with someone like him, we have determined that his love is completely sincere and he'd do anything for you, which is something we appreciate."

Tanjirou nods, still not sure where this is going; they already agreed to let him stay in the butterfly estate if he wanted.

"I have noticed how much you love the house he prepared for you," Himejima continues, surprising Tanjirou. "We have been discussing the possibility of moving in, all of us, if he agrees to it. That way he can see you as much as he wants."

Tanjirou doesn't notice immediately, but he's grinning from ear to ear. His dream of having them living together like a family could come true if Akaza wants.

Suddenly, Shinazugawa leans closer to cup Tanjirou's left cheek and wipe a tear off with his thumb. There's a fond expression on his face.

"We would've suggested this a while ago if we had a clue it'd make you this happy," he smirks.

Then Tanjirou realizes that he and Iguro are also on board with the idea, despite how much they both hate demons and how hard it has been for them to accept Akaza into their lives.

They're doing this for Tanjirou.

More tears escape from his eyes and before the wind hashira can ask what's going, Tanjirou jumps into his arms and gives him a lot of kisses all over the face.

He then gives the others a lot of kisses as well, because he loves them all.

Akaza may not agree to their idea, but now Tanjirou knows how much his hashira love him; he doesn't want to be separated from them ever again.

***

Next--->

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[hoesaria]

IV. Exposed?!

You put your phone down and start packing as quickly as humanly possible.

“Why are you in such a rush? They'll be seats empty even if we arrive late to the cafe” Alhaitham sighs next to you. You wanted to smack the apathetic expression he had on his face off.

Containing yourself you reply, “Well, it wouldn't hurt to start early and end our session early. Now pack your bag quickly before I go ahead without you”

Just as you were about to drag Alhaitham out of class you heard a sly voice call out to you.

“I was hoping to catch you before you left class my dear [Name]"

You turn to look at your literary professor Yae Miko, who also happened to me Scaramouche's step mother.

"Miss Yae, its good to see you haha" You awkwardly say, "Did you want to talk about something?"

The pink haired woman eyes you and Alhaitham who still had the same apathetic expression on his face. If you hadn't blinked, you would have seen a little smirk on her face that had vanished as soon as it came.

"I'm sure you know Kunikuzushi, and you never gave me a proper answer about dating him. So what do you say?" She said, a smile on her face that anyone would have described as gentle, but you thought it was the stuff of nightmares.

Panic stricken you blurted out the first excuse that came up in your mind, "I already have a boyfriend! Actually right after I posted that he came up to me and asked me out haha"

"Oh?" replied, her eyebrows raised but a smile still playing on her lips. "Who is it?"

You racked your brain for anyone that would be the perfect example and remembered the man besides you, he could help you out for a few seconds right?

"Its Alhaitham!" You said as you dragged him in the front, intertwining both your hands together. You silently side eyed him with a pleading look. Sighing, he let go of your hand and you felt your heart drop, yeah you were about to lose your professors trust and your extra credit for the next 2 years, but then he wrapped his arm around your shoulder.

"I didn't want it to be public lest it creates trouble for my dear Y/N" Alhaitham said. You thanked all the archons above, you would drop to your feet and pray but there was still an audience in the class.

"Oh that's wonderful! I'm sure your aunt will be thrilled to know" Professor Yae exclaimed and you felt Alhaitham stiffen up at the mention of his Aunt. Did you just create family troubles for him? "Well I'll leave you two love birds alone then, I can see you were planning on going somewhere together haha, have fun~"

After you leave the class and are far away from prying ears you drop to the nearest campus bench you can find.

"Did I perform well?" Alhaitham said, dropping down next to you. Both of you hadn't said a word after leaving the class.

"I'm really sorry about that, I'll make it up to you, I swear!" You explained. "But what was that about your Aunt? Are you going to get into trouble for dating?"

Alhaitham chuckled, "No it's nothing like that. My Aunt is just very interested in my personal life, she'll be adamant on meeting you if it gets out, which it probably will because her and the professor are friends."

"How do you feel about fake dating? I can meet your aunt and get her off your back for a while, and you can help till this thing with Miss yae blows over" you say out loud.

"Hmm, sounds like a deal I suppose"

╰┈➤ ❝[A/N] ~ Scara doesn't seem to be on the bandwagon oops- ~ Alhaithams aunt, i wonder who it is hehe ~Do you guys think I should open up asks for like headcannons and stuff? i like writing a lot but idk

Taglist (the ones i cant tag are crossed out)

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