#Sand Bags For Construction

[haikyu-mp4]

This devastating event struck me this morning and I wish Aone the construction worker was there to help me.

Making your way home from the grocery store, tote bag on one shoulder and the other hand holding a pack of eggs, you hummed under your breath while your phone swung from your wrist by its strap. There was lots of construction work going on in your street lately, so you kept your eyes on the streets while weaving your way back.

It’s a homemade phone strap, designed by your humble self to perfectly encapsulate who you are in every coloured bead and designated charm. However, you quickly regret not tucking your phone into your pocket instead when the cord snaps, audible only by your little gasp as you stop to watch the beads scattered all over the pavement.

First, you found the bigger ones, the charms that were very visible in the grey sand covering everything because of the construction work.

You’re pouting as you tuck everything you can find into your palm when a hand reaches forward with a couple of beads as well. Looking up abruptly, you blink at a light-haired construction worker wearing the tiniest smile, but take the beads from him nonetheless.

“Thank you!” you say, looking over the ones you had in your hand while he went back to looking for more. He looked cute like this, rolled up to be closer to the ground and letting his hands trace along the gravel looking for little beads.

The two of you silently kept looking until you had gathered most of them, finally standing up and stretching your legs. You smiled kindly when the man looked curiously at your hand holding the ones you found as if asking if those were all.

Looking over the pile again, you hummed. “I’m missing one flower, like this one.” Showing him, he seemed to nod and pulled out a smudged notepad and a pencil that seemed like it was sharpened with a rough knife.

“Write your number. I will let you know if I find it.”

Your eyes sparkled as you looked at your hero, accepting the offer and scribbling down your number, adding your name and a little heart.

“You’re my hero, thank you so much.”

“Just Aone.”

And if you come back later with two bentos to ask if he wanted to have lunch after he texted you saying he found some more for you, what of it?

masterlist

[hyqcinthss]

Sandy Saturdays

pairing: rafe cameron x reader

warnings: none:)

words: 540

a/n: my own day at the beach today inspired this! thought it’d be a cute first post.

the beach wasn’t very busy, the weekday keeping away crowds. you were splayed on your towel, enjoying the sun soaking into your skin. rafe lounged next to you, reading a book you had told him to try. the ambience of the beach was like a dream, waves crashing and the occasional seagull. beachy air filled your nostrils, the day already perfect.

you loved calm beach days, and wanted to have more with rafe. although he wouldn’t admit to it, he liked just enjoying the silence with each other. after a good amount of tanning, your skin was starting to sweat. you leaned up on your eyebrows, taking a minute to smile at the sight of rafe, book in his hands.

“you look cute.” the smile turned into a smirk, watching his scowl as he glanced up.

“don’t ruin it.” he narrowed his eyes, shamelessly looking down at your revealing bikini bottoms.

“can we go swim? its hot.” you batted your eyelashes, wanting to soak in the salty water. he nodded, grabbing his bookmark. you followed, standing with a stretch.

both of you walked to the water, letting the waves lap at your darkened skin. you got past the tide, the forming waves letting you float along. it was a warm silence for a bit, until you latched onto him from behind with a giggle.

he laughed with you, pretending to drop you backwards. with a squeal, you let go so he couldn’t actually do it.

“don’t wanna go under?” rafe joked, turning and grabbing your waist. shaking your head, you wrapped your arms around your waist.

it was a couple minutes of relishing in the contact, warm hands a contrast to the chilly water. soon you had both had enough, walking back to the shore. a small, white shell had caught your eye. you picked it up, showing rafe with a smile.

“look!” it was like a little cowrie shell, striking you with an idea. “wait, try to find more.” you looked down, scanning the sand.

after rafes help, you came up with 4 that weren’t broken. you had an idea, packing them in a bag for when you went home.

after a few more hours, you two had packed up and made your way back to tannyhill. showering beside, you finally pulled out the shells you had collected, a few smaller ones with the cowries as well.

rafe put on a movie, the two of you cuddled on the couch as you began to make a bracelet. the shells were neatly strung into yarn, eventually tied together to create a beachy bracelet. you were very proud, a huge smile plastered on your face as you showed rafe.

he kissed your temple, not being able to hold back a gentle smile at your excitement. “it looks great, baby.” he pulled you closer, encouraging your head to rest on his shoulder.

the movie continued, your eyes drifting to your wrist and admiring your creation every now and then. you felt your eyes become heavy, the long day at the beach easily exhausting you. you felt one more head kiss from rafe, a whispered “i love you,” making you return the same words. eyes fluttering shut, you fell asleep in rafes arms.

a/n: i hope this wasn’t terrible!! i’m getting back into writing, so any constructive criticism is encouraged!<3

[skelebellie]

affections towards reader

nb!reader x meryl, vash, wolfwood, and knives

NSFW headcannons involved, minors do not interact.

(nsfw is in red, if you’d like to skip it)

this is my first time writing smut lol. if you’ve got any constructive criticism please let me know.

———————————

meryl

meryl loves physical touch. she will constantly hold your hand in public, and if your not walking then she will sit close enough to have your legs touching. if your comfortable enough then she will make the excuse of “needing to save money” in order to share a bed with you. it intentions are never sexual, just in the loving nature that she feels most safe wrapped in your arms.

she loves to offer her thighs for those short naps. she knows she isn’t the most well endowed but you knock out moments within laying down.

meryl also likes to show her love though acts of service. she might take over some of your work to lessen the burden on you. maybe she might clean your clothes after a rough day through a sandstorm, making sure to part out all the sand prior.

she’s the opposite in bed. she’s an absolute pillow princess, her back arched as her thighs pressed against your head as you eat her out for hours. your just trying to show your appreciation for her, you know?

being in bed with her is something sacred to her. its a moment of absolute intimacy and she wants to spend every part of it clawing and grasping your body, each shock of pleasure causes her to pine at you. you never leave the bed without a scatter of marks and hickies.

vash

this man is the biggest trinket collector in the entire world, and you are not safe from him. if he sees something that reminds you of him, its his. you have an endless collection of keychains gathering on your bag. “but it was so cute!! just like you!!!” its so hard to resist when hes giving you puppy dog eyes.

if he notices a hole in your gear or clothes, you’ll come back from a day of odd jobs to find something new on your bed, neatly folded and a small note laid on top of it. “i saw you needed new gear. dont pay me back :) “. if its something you have an emotional attachment too, he will wait for the perfect moment to snatch it from you. you will receive it back with an added patch, the color being practically identical. even if it means late nights and expensive prices, he will do anything to get it back to its original shape.

no one is safe from his nuzzling. if your really nervous or scared, he will rub his head against your head (or any available body part). when he pulls back his hair is messy and tussled in every direction. you think its a plant thing.

in bed vash is a man who dominates the “act of service” category. his whole goal while having sex is making you feel good, your pleasure is his and every moan you makes brings him closer and closer to orgasm. if hes having a rough day all he wants is to eat you out/suck you off for hours on end. if he had to spend the rest of life with his head between your thighs than he would willingly do so.

of course, mans is a switch. some days he craves your control, riding him as you hold his wrists together, preventing him from touching you. in times like this he doesn’t have to worry about the outside world, only how tight you are and your moans. on the flip side, he wants to pound you so hard you forget about whatever troubles may come. he wants to be the only thing you can focus on, you teary eyes unable to pull apart from his face as his hands roam your body, unable to separate himself from you for just a moment.

since hes so clingy, hes an enjoyer of cock warming. he feels amazing connected to you, and he loves to monitor you face to see how much more the both of you can take.

wolfwood

words of affirmation got this man redder than the two suns above gun smoke. and in turn, he loves to support you verbally. “you did great out there”, “we couldn’t have done it without you”, “your my everything”. on top of that, if you feel insecure or anxious about yourself be ready to hear wolfwood list off the 1000 reasons why he loves every part of you. don’t feel like your inconveniencing him, he would willingly tell the entire planet if you let him.

wolfwood loves physical touch, especially your body. his touch is much more intimate, but not necessarily sexual. he will spend car rides with you in his lap or his arm wrapped around your waist, him pulling you into his side. if you let him wander he will start kneading your love handles or the fat of your stomach. you cant go anywhere without this man giving a surprise ass grab. your his personal stress ball.

if you’ve got a muscular or skinny body, hes tracing patterns into your skin or letting his nails glide against you, sometimes causing you to giggle.

he also loves to hear you rant about things than interest you. he would spend hours listening to you rant about some new invention or fixation. it warms his heart to see you so fascinated with something. that glimmer of excitement in your eyes gets his heart pumping.

speaking of physical touch, wolfwood is a man dedicated to the act, especially in bed. he will keep edging himself over and over again because he just doesn’t want it to end. he doesn’t mind you cumming, in fact the more fucked out you look, eyes rolled in pleasure, the more he just wants to make the moment last. he will go a tantalizingly slow pace until your vocal enough to beg him for more.

wolfwood likes a bush. i said what i said.

fave position is you on your side, it gives him enough support to grab at you whenever he wants. when he cums hes got a death grip on you. your the only thinking grounding him from the amount of pleasure you give him.

knives (million knives/nai)

whether or not this emotionally constipated man realizes it, hes got a love language.

he craves quality time, whether that comes from a need to have you near him 24/7 in order to protect you, or that his mind races every time you leave, is none of his concern. he just feels more at peace with you by his side, or at most, with you in his line of sight.

he discovered he really likes bathing with you, its a moment of non-sexual intimacy he looks forward too. he take pride in cleaning every part of you to make sure you are his “perfect partner”, using only the highest quality in JuLai on your skin. the first time it happened he just kind of walked in on you, eyes affixed to your body as you missed a spot. “your not doing it right”, he muttered before stripping and getting in with you. he can always tell where to massage your body if you’ve got a particularly sore muscle.

he always wants you sitting in his meetings with conrad. even when conrad was initially against it. he wants you to see the paradise hes working for, how far hes willing to go for you to live in a perfect world molded just for you and his brotheren.

sex though? oh hes a physical man through and through. as much as he tries to be gentle with you and your human body, he cant help but fold you over in order to get a view of your pleasure ridden face. his thumb resting in your mouth so the only thing your full of is him.

its only natural for you to be under him, as much as he tries to involve you as an equal at work, he knows the perfect place for you is under him and worshipping the love he gives you. and the best time for that is sex.

hes got an obsession with cumming in you. having a part of him inside you makes you so much closer to him, much better than all the other lowly humans. he will keep cumming inside of you until you simply can’t hold anymore. it gets him hard knowing how much your filled of him, both physically and emotionally.

[theyjustadmitthathuh]

So, I would say that most women, whether feminist or not, have a story they could share of a time that a man was explicitly sexist to them.

Instead of that, let’s share our experiences with the sex data gap/gender data gap. As hard as it can be to recognize sexism when it tells you what it is to your face, it can be that much harder to recognize it when it’s never been considered.

So radfems! Let’s talk about times that life would have been bearable, more fair, or even just easier if women had been considered in the decision making process.

I’ll start! I work in construction and everything is set to male standards. Even the caddies I use to move paint are sized to be comfortable for a male hand, which leaves my hand more sore at the end of the day. But also sand bags and paint buckets and tile boxes are all weighted to be comfortable for the average man to lift, so I end my day with more of a strain than my male counterparts who do the same amount of work. The only reason it’s like this is because there are no women in the room when these decisions are made.

Now you share your story!!

[guns-and-brimstone]

[ - All in a days work - ]

Guss had been working hard for Prince Stolas for three days now. Contruction had already begun to fortify the outside of the palace by this 'Doomsday Delux' company that the sinner had recomended to them. They seemed to be some kind of contruction company that was started by ex military and survivalists. They apparently specialized in fortification work. The Fort Knox treatment was the full package of what they could provide.

While construction was far from done. It was Pretty clear what the end result would look like. Barbed wire across all fences, Sand bag cover around the frontyard and backyard of the palace in case a firefight was to break out. checkpoints at every entrence, and even guard towers with spotlight for the night shifts.

New cameras had also been installed in all the blind spots near the entrences. And the already existing cameras were soon to be upgraded with a night vision mode. They still had not recived everything that was purchased by overlord Carmilla Carmine. But shipments of requested weaponry and equipment were coming in every day. So everything they needed would soon be here all in good time.

||

Guss had also been training the staff, as was requested from him. However, He treated them more like soldiers. Not security staff. He had them run exercises and drills on a daily basis. And taught them how to properly use and tend to their new weaponry and gear. If he keep going like this, Prince Stolas might just soon have a squad of hellhound super soldiers at his full disposal.

||

When he was not overseeing contruction or training the staff. Guss was doing exactly what he promised the Prince that he Would do. Guarding him and Via. Always staying close to them. Making sure he was the first line of defence should something happen.

Octavia found the sinner to be… a little creepy. To put it politely. He was always there in the background. Heavily armed and watching over them like a statue. To top it all off, His chosen uniform was unsettling to say the least.

Guss wore a heavily enforced flak jacket. That protected him from small arms fire. Which had two ammo belts going across his torso like an X. He also wore a helmet that had a pentagram mark burned in to it. Along with the words 'Fuck peace'

But most unsettling of all. Was the infernal gas mask the sinner wore to cover up his face while on duty. It gave him a very robotic and unnatural voice while he wore it.

||

Today, Octavia was sitting at breakfast eating her favorite cereal. She had actually woken up early to join Stolas for breakfast. Which means she was either in a good mood today. Or she was planning to head out.

Guss was of course Standing in the same room as the two royals. On guard with his assault rifle, As always. From time to time Via would glance up at the sinner with an annoyed expression on her face. She didn’t enjoy having someone watching over her at all times. It felt weird to her.

”Dad… You know i can take care of myself right?…” She huffed suddently. looking over at Stolas as she did so.

@stolas-arsgoetia-rp

[petrichor-idyllic]

I would looove a part 2 for "warmth in cold places", the ending was so cute and I wanna see more of their relationship now that they're both in safe haven and have more time to get to know each other, and what they're feeling.

I have been wanting to do a part 2 for a while, so I guess this is my opportunity lol.

This is not gonna be nearly as long as the first part, though, don't worry.

WARMTH IN COLD PLACES PT. 2

MASTERLIST | MINHO MASTERLIST

PART 1 | PART 2

SUMMARY: Fem!Reader x Minho. Continuation of Part 1, in which the reader and Minho must navigate their complicated relationship in their new-found safety.

WARNINGS: Inappropriate language, some suggestive themes and dumb teenagers, spice purely because the content is more suggestive, but really nothing explicit.

SIX MONTHS LATER

Yours and Minho's friendship has definitely become an interesting staple of the Safe Haven.

A Right Arm member pretending to be a WCKD ally, who fell for the torture victim you were secretly trying to protect. And the feeling was mutual.

Except, with the troubles you've both faced and the mental and physical scars you've endured, you've decided to just see what happens- and everyone in the Safe Haven is invested.

Of course, the pair of you have remained close. You spend hours talking and can often be found eating together or avoiding work to have a chat. You surprisingly have a lot in common- similar wants and ideals and feelings about topics. It isn't uncommon for you to be caught sending sarcastic glances or eye rolls to each other when someone says something you don't agree with.

Though, everyone seems to know what's happening- and they want to know what happens next.

The remaining Gladers from Minho's side, and the girls from Group B. And you have Vince and the other Right Arm members breathing down your neck.

I guess you've all been living in a state or perpetual dread for the past couple of years, which has led to complete boredom now that the initial relief has passed. Just because you and Vince have your hands full, does not mean everyone else does.

Minho is coming into himself more. Finding his footing and slowly processing the grief he's been plagued with.

You, however, are his favourite distraction.

You've maintained a friendship, as you'd both agreed- but Minho would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy watching you do your job.

Back in the Glade, the boys would often talk about the type of woman they wanted. A lot of them held up old and sexist ideals of wanting a caretaker and a traditional 'mother' type. Obviously, a few boys scoffed at this, Alby and Frypan amongst this crowd.

But when Minho said he wanted someone powerful, the boys were a little taken aback. He wanted a girl that could best him if she wanted to- someone that could keep up with him. He enjoys friendly competition and debates, so it's a mystery why anyone was shocked.

But, they get it now.

Gally, Thomas and Frypan are starting to understand why Minho likes you. You seem to always know what you're doing, you help out wherever you can and, most importantly, Minho is yet to beat you in a fight, physical or otherwise.

"You have an audience again," Vince comments as your fists slam into the punching bag strung up in a small training area of the Safe Heaven you constructed.

You decided to start training some of the people you've saved along your journey. You might be safe here, but it's better to be prepared if anything bad happens.

"Don't I always?" You're wearing a sports bra and some baggy trousers you found. Flexible and easier to fight in. Vince is obviously referring to the small collection of Group A boys that watch you at all times. They're mainly teasing Minho as he stares at you- but some of your friends like to joke they all have a crush on you.

"What's going on with that, anyway?"

"With what?"

"You know what," Vince casually leans on the support beam holding up the bag of sand. He raises his eyebrow as you falter slightly, having to correct your stance from your slight misstep.

"Didn't know you were so interested in my love life."

"Your love life would have to actually exist for me to be interested in it."

You kick the bag at full force, making it swing back and hit the support, causing Vince to stumble. "I'll take that as my answer."

"How many times do I have to tell you?" You pinch your brow. "Minho and I have decided to be friends, for now- see what happens. We've got too much shit going on to worry about that."

"It's been six months-"

"It doesn't-!" You snaps, taking a moment and sucking in a deep breath whilst lowering your hands back to your sides. "It doesn't matter. Grief isn't linear, V, okay? It could take him years to get over what he's been through. He knows where to find me when he's ready."

"But what about you?"

"What about me?"

He hesitates, sighing. "I just mean... you've done a hell of a lot, kid- none of it for yourself. You've got the patience of a Saint," he chuckles. "I just want you to be happy. I know we ain't blood, but you're my kid, kid. I made this life here for you; I don't want to watch you wait to be happy anymore."

You don't know what to say to this, not that Vince gives you much of a chance as he rubs your shoulder, walking past and going on with his day. You sigh, dropping your head as your hands come to your hair.

You had agreed to wait for Minho, but being friends with him without boundaries is proving difficult. In WCKD HQ, your objective was clear and the stressful situation stopped the tension between you from being too thick. But now, the only reason you guys aren't actually together is because, well, it just wouldn't be smart.

You're complicated people that have gone through complicated things. Until you've dealt with your own shit, trying to be more than friends could be more dangerous than beneficial. Even if Vince doesn't see that.

"What was that about?" You look up as Minho stands a couple of feet away from you, standing casually with his hands in his pockets.

You shake your head. "Nothing important. Aren't you meant to be helping Gally out with building new huts?"

"Yeah, but being a Builder wasn't ever my thing."

You walk over to him, letting him join you at your side as you both silently decide to make your way to the kitchen area.

"Yeah, well, there's not much need for Runners around here, I'm afraid."

"Eh, I'm sure I could find some reason to run." He playfully nudges you and you roll your eyes.

"Yeah? Like what?"

"I could always chase you- see how fast you are?" He grins and you scoff, shaking your head as you reach the barren kitchen. It's too early for dinner yet, thought Frypan and the other cooks should definitely have started preparing by now. They must be having an easy day.

"That's not gonna happen."

"Why not?" He leans on the counter as you slip behind it, raiding the cupboard for something to eat whilst Minho also gets you both glasses of water from the cooler. "You're clearly fighting fit."

"Yeah," you slam a bag of bread on the counter, preparing to make yourself a sandwich, "but that doesn't mean I regularly practice marathons. You only wanna run with me because it'd be the only thing you beat me at."

He feigns offence before putting the two glasses down. "I could beat you at plenty of things."

"You're full of shit."

"I could!" You put your butter knife down, looking directly at him and tilting your head.

His smile becomes more genuine as you make eye contact. It's like something melts behind his eyes and you suddenly feel very observed under his gaze. So, you go back to what you were doing. "What?"

"I didn't say anything."

"You were staring."

"Am I not allowed to stare now? I can't help it."

You glare at him and he puts his arms up to show mercy. "I'm just sayin'." He takes a sip from his drink.

There's an awkward pause. It's sometimes uncomfortable being friends with someone you have feelings for, who also openly has feelings for you- but neither of you are doing anything about it.

Though, it's better to know where he stands. Vince is right about that. You clear your throat.

"How are you... how are you feeling with... yanno?"

Minho tenses.

"I mean, better, I guess? I'm getting better, I mean. Klunk still sucks, but I'm getting there." He pauses, hesitating as he thinks of his next words. "I thought you were willing to wait for me?" His tone is lighthearted, but there's clear insecurity underneath.

"I am," you sigh, "that's not changed- sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine," he smiles, "you wanna know where I stand, I get it. Ain't nothin' wrong with that. I just need some more time, okay?"

You nod. "'Course. Take all the time you need."

"What are you shanks doing in my kitchen?"

You snort. "Last time I checked Fry, it's my kitchen."

Frypan repeats you in a mocking tone, making you laugh, playfully punching him in the shoulder as he slips behind you.

"Go on, take your klunky sandwich and scram! Shoo!" You chuckle, grabbing your food and leaving.

"I should find Vince," you tell Minho as he fully turns to listen better, "he's still tryna work out building plans and he's gonna end up punting Gally if he makes one more dickish comment."

And with that, you leave him be to go find your father figure.

"I thought you said you were ready, dude?"

Minho hesitates before turning to face his long-time friend, as Frypan casually leans on the counter top. "'Cause that ain't look like a lovey-dovey couple to me."

"Please," he scoffs, "like 175 is that typa person."

Your old Guard number has become somewhat of a nickname/inside joke. Even if you're not quite a fan.

Frypan pulls his lips into a thin line, glaring at his friend. "Dude, you told us like a week ago that you're ready and want to... take the next step. With her. So, what are you waiting for?"

Minho groans, dramatically flopping forward onto the counter top. "I don't know. I just- I don't wanna shuck it up, man."

"What? It's not like she's gonna reject you."

Unbeknownst to you, Minho has been thinking he's ready for a while now. He feels better around you- it feels right. But he's scared. Scared that your relationship might ruin things between you and this friendship that you have might get ruined with it. He loves you- even if that is just as a friend.

"I know, I know," he sighs. "She's just... she just means a lot to me. It's shucked up 'cause she literally helped hold me captive a-and I liked her back then. I don't know, I don't think I've got rid of the weird feeling that it's wrong. My stupid little crush on a WCKD Guard still makes me feel weird."

"Right," Frypan pulls his lips into a thin line. He's not quite sure what to say here. "But... it's not wrong, really, is it?"

"The shuck you talking about?"

"I mean, she was doing her job. And her job was to protect you, even if you didn't know it. You liked her 'cause she wasn't like the other Guards, because she wasn't one of them. You might not have known it, but there's nothing wrong with being attracted to the only person there that was nice to you. She risked her life for you; we all did. Thomas and Newt put on the same uniform to do their job, and that hasn't changed how you think about them, has it? Just 'cause you knew them before doesn't change that they were tryna do the same thing, even if you didn't realise it."

Minho blinks, standing up straight and putting his hands in his pockets. That's definitely an interesting perspective.

Frypan is right.

Minho is ready to take the next step with you, and what you did for a good cause doesn't matter. Even if he did think you were a bad person he gained feeling for at the time- he knows it's not true now.

So, it doesn't really matter.

He's accepted now that there are things he's never going to get over. But, he's been healing on his own and he's had enough of that. It's hard, but having someone by his side to help isn't a bad thing. He's well enough to know he'll been find being involved with someone.

He doesn't need to wait anymore.

Minho awkwardly thanks Frypan and then spends the majority of the evening waiting for you. Which goes about as well as you'd expect when you spend all your time trying to rule a small civilisation.

"Yo, Vince," he finds the leader talking to other members of the Right Arm later that day. Night has started to fall and the dark oranges of the sky is all that's left to illuminate the beach. "You seen (Y/N)? I gotta talk to her."

Vince looks him up and down, trying to repress a smirk. "She's in the meeting room. Got sick of mine and Gally's shit and kicked us out so she can figure out the building plan on her own."

"Right, thanks."

You stand in the meeting room, leaning over the table as papers scatter around you. You fiddle with the pen in your hand, twisting it around your fingers when the door opens.

"I swear I told you to piss off, Vince."

"I don't think you should be talking to your boss like that." You immediately recognise Minho's voice, looking over your shoulder at him. "Good thing he's not here to hear it, eh?"

You roll your eyes, going back to your work. "You know you're not meant to be in here without permission."

"Vince gave me permission," a beat passes, "kinda." You snort.

"Permission to harass me?" He walks over, observing what you're doing from over your shoulder. You can feel his breath on the back of your neck, and your body immediately tenses.

"More like distract you," he mumbles more to himself than you.

"Well," you clear your throat, "can't you distract me later instead?"

The question comes out as suggestive, which was not your intention and your face drops for a second as you look at him. "I mean, I didn't mean-"

"I can definitely distract you later, if that's what you want?" You turn to fully face him. His crooked smirk making butterflies form in your stomach.

"Don't start," he snorts at your stern tone but doesn't step back. "That's your decision, really." You mutter the last part.

"That's actually what I wanna talk to you about," you furrow your brows, half-sitting on the table behind you as he takes your hands into his. "I uh, I think I'm ready, yanno, to be with you."

You blink, stunned. He avoids your gaze whilst you look directly at him. "What?" Your voice comes across as too sharp, causing him to look up at you. "Sorry, I just meant when I asked you earlier, you said you weren't ready."

"Yeah, I know," he sighs, "but I spoke to Fry after you left, and he kinda talked some sense into me. I want to be with you. I'm still healing, but I'm getting better and I'm over all the klunk that happened between us in the Last City. I'm ready to be with you. I want to be with you."

You stand there, blankly, as he anxiously fiddles with your fingers. It's rare to see Minho so unsure of himself. It's actually kind of cute.

"You're really ready for a relationship?" You move your hand from his and up to his cheek. His eyes flutter for a second before he glances at your lips.

He nods, shuffling closer as your hand slips behind the back of his head, brushing the short hairs on his neck. "Are you?"

You smile softly, heart jumping out of your chest as it's now your turn to nod. You pull your lips between your teeth, eyes fixated on his lips.

He scoffs. "Shuck it." Leaning in, your noses brush for a second before you make the final move, connecting your lips.

Considering you're both inexperienced teenagers, the kiss is slightly awkward at first. Breaking away, he becomes more domineering, pushing you back and making you fully sit on the table behind you before standing in between your legs.

He kisses you again, this time you find your rhythm better. The past half a year of feelings coming to the surface as he hums into your mouth. You occasionally part, laboured breathing filling the room as you claw at his shirt.

"I love you," he breaks the kiss, mumbling into your mouth and your eyes widen. Instead of answering, you kiss him again, showing instead of telling.

The make out session is starting to turn into some heavy petting fairly quickly, until there's a knock at the door.

"Minho," Gally's voice rings from the other side, "I saw you go in there and I ain't coming' in if you guys are screwin'- but I need my shuckin' building plans."

Minho glares at the door like he's going to set Gally on fire through it if he tries hard enough. It makes you chuckle. He steps back, giving you space to jump off the table as you turn to try and organise some of the papers.

"So, I guess this makes you my girlfriend, huh?" His hands come to your waist from behind, as he kisses your cheek.

"Yeah, guess it does."

He beams, buzzing internally. "I've got a shuckin' girlfriend."

You laugh at him. "Yes, yes you do."

I definitely had a different plan for part 2 when I wrote the first one, but I've written so much Minho content since I simply cannot remember it. So, you're getting this instead- I hope it's adequate enough lmao.

It's not as long as the first, mainly because there isn't as much plot to cover but also because the first part took me literal days to write and I have far too many requests to do that again lol.

Anyway, regardless of all that, I hope you enjoyed :))

[sexsylexi]

Beach day ⛱️🧡

Wally West x reader

It was a perfect summer day, the kind that beckoned everyone to the beach. The sun was bright, the sky was clear, and a gentle breeze carried the salty scent of the ocean. You had been looking forward to this beach day with your best friend, Wally West, for weeks. Wally had arrived early to set up a spot for the two of you.

"Hey! Over here!" Wally called out, waving energetically as you approached. He had already laid out a couple of beach towels, a cooler filled with snacks, and a beach umbrella for shade.

You smiled, waving back. "I see you didn't waste any time getting things ready."

"Of course not! You know me, always in a rush," Wally replied with a grin. "But today, I'm taking it slow. It's all about relaxing and having fun."

You set your bag down and took in the scene. The beach was buzzing with activity—families building sandcastles, kids playing in the surf, and groups of friends tossing frisbees and volleyballs.

"Want to go for a swim?" you suggested, already peeling off your t-shirt to reveal your swimsuit underneath.

Wally's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Race you to the water!"

Before you could respond, he took off in a blur of red and yellow. Laughing, you sprinted after him, knowing you couldn't match his speed but enjoying the chase nonetheless. By the time you reached the water, Wally was already waist-deep, splashing around and beckoning you to join him.

"You know, you really need to give me a head start," you teased as you waded in.

Wally chuckled. "Next time, I promise."

The two of you spent the next hour swimming, diving, and catching waves. Wally's boundless energy was contagious, and you found yourself laughing more than you had in ages. After a while, you both returned to the shore, collapsing onto your towels.

"I needed this," you said, sighing contentedly. "It's nice to just hang out without worrying about school or missions."

Wally nodded, his usual hyperactive demeanor mellowed by the sun and sea. "Yeah, it's good to take a break sometimes. Plus, it's fun hanging out with you."

You felt a warm blush creep up your cheeks. "Thanks, Wally. I feel the same way."

A comfortable silence settled between you as you both relaxed under the shade of the umbrella. After a while, Wally reached into the cooler and pulled out a couple of sodas.

"Thirsty?" he asked, offering you one.

"Definitely," you replied, accepting the drink. You both took a sip, savoring the cool, refreshing taste.

"So," Wally said, breaking the silence, "what do you want to do next? More swimming? A walk along the beach? Or maybe... sandcastle building?"

You raised an eyebrow. "Sandcastles? Really?"

Wally grinned. "Hey, don't knock it till you try it. I make a mean sandcastle."

Laughing, you agreed. "Alright, let's see what you've got, West."

The two of you spent the next half an hour constructing an elaborate sandcastle, complete with towers, walls, and a moat. Wally's speed came in handy, gathering buckets of wet sand and shells for decoration in record time. By the end, you both stood back to admire your handiwork.

"Not bad," you said, impressed. "Not bad at all."

Wally beamed. "Told you I was good."

As the afternoon wore on, the beach began to empty out, but neither of you were in any hurry to leave. You watched the sun slowly dip toward the horizon, casting a golden glow over the water.

"Thanks for today, Wally," you said softly. "I had a great time."

Wally looked at you, his expression sincere. "Me too. We should do this more often."

You nodded, already looking forward to your next beach day with Wally. As the sun set and the sky turned shades of pink and orange, you felt a sense of contentment, knowing you had a best friend like Wally by your side.

[russellsppttemplates]

Mick,Mama,Rora,Seb and baby Harriet going on vacation together

"Do you guys want to go to the beach or the pool, guys?", Mick asked the kids as soon as the two younger ones woke up from their naps, "can we go to the beach, papa?", Harriet said, earning a nod from Sebastian and making Aurora break into an enthusiastic run to the balcony, "I'll get the buckets!", your oldest said, "the beach it is then!", you smiled, packing the beach bag and backpack accordingly.

When you found a spot, Mick helped you unpack all the towells and swimming gear, immediately calling the kids so you could both make sure they were protected from the sun, "but you rubbed it in the morning, and when we were at lunch", Sebastian whined, "I know, buddy, but you still need it, okay? You need to be safe on the sun", Mick explained patiently, rubbing his cheeks before he helped you with Harriet since Aurora was only needed help with her back since she couldn't reach it.

"Can we go swimming?", Aurora asked, "mama is going for a swim, you can join her", Mick pointed, making sure her gear was properly put on, "are you going to build sandcastles?", Sebastian asked, weighing his options, "yes, me and Harriet are going to build some, do you want to help us?", he asked as the little boy nodded, sitting near his sister.

In the water, you and Aurora enjoyed the small waves to float around, "do you like being on holiday, mama?", she asked, "I do, schatz. I love being at home, and my work, but being here is nice, too. We get to have our own routine and do things slowly, calmly", you explained, seeing her unsure expression, "even when we wake up early and sometimes don't do exactly as you say?", she blushed, "of course, Rora. It's like that at home too, isn't it?", you smirked, "I know, but you also want to relax and we are always running around. I told Seb to slow down this morning but he says he's super fast, so he has to go super fast", she pointed out, earning a chuckle from you. "It's still relaxing, you know? We can do things we want just the five of us, we don't have a hard schedule to stick to, and even if Seb runs around a lot, and you're always onto the next activity and Harriet needs her naps and cuddles, it's still relaxing. Do you like being on holiday?", you wondered, thinking she was old enough to grasp the concept and wondering if she didn't enjoy it, "I really like it, too. We are all together, we play all the time and we can have cuddles any time of the day", she smiled, "and I don't see Sebastian and Harriet as much because I'm in another school, so it's nice because here I'm with them all the time", she admitted, making you smile.

By the sun umbrellas, Sebastian's tongue poked out of his mouth as Harriet urged him to perfect the castle, "Seb, that's not the right recipe", she mumbled, "That's why it's crooked". "Should we take it down?", he asked, his efforts not going a long way as the construction started falling, "what if you put more sand?", Mick suggested, grabbing a small shell and adding sand to the wetter parts of the castle, "see? It's going to be larger, but this way you make sure the base is good enough!", he smiled proudly.

"Oh, mama is coming back with Rora!", Harriet said, "her swimsuit is very pretty today", she added, "you're right, but mama always looks beautiful, doesn't she?", Mick tested, seeing his kids agree, "yes! But I told her first because she put it on when you were asleep!", Sebastian forwarded to this sister, seeing her pout, "I was asleep with my eyes closed, I couldn't see", she reasoned. "We all saw that mama is looking beautiful, no need to argue about that", Mick suggested, wanting to calm the waters. "What are we not arguing about?", Aurora asked, grabbing her towell and wrapping it around herself, "we were saying that mama's swimsuit is pretty", Harriet explained.

"Thanks guys!", you said, sitting next to Mick as you wrapped a towell around your shoulders, "do you want some snacks? Harriet, Seb, careful with your sandy hands", you checked over, seeing Rora offer her towell for them to clean their hands before she also grabbed some snacks from the bags.

When all three kids seemed happy munching on the food and drinks, you and Mick laid down on the double sun lounger, "it's true, you know", Mick added, "you look very very beautiful in this swimsuit", he complimented, kissing the side of your head, "says the man in a pair of small shorts that have been driving me insane", you said back, kissing his naked chest ans sighing, "I love these days", Mick said, "I was just discussing that worh Rora", you smiled, "we are all very in sync with eachother".

"Papa!", Harriet said, "I set my biscuit in the sand so I could drink and we've moved it around and we can't find it now", your youngest said, bringing you back to reality, "it's okay, you can have some of mine", Sebastian offered as Aurora looked for the biscuit still, "it's not much help that the biscuit is the same colour as the sand, is it?", she huffed, "I'm sorry, Harriet, I thought we'd find it, but it seems like a lost cause", she apoligised.

(Thank you for submitting an ask 🤍)

[brightdarkness-2013]

The Fourth Chapter of My Idea From 3am

Summary:Blaster and Jazz debate Prowl.

“That’s- He’s amazing. But… what happened to him?”

“I have no clue. He just showed up one day bleeding and what not. So are ya going to feed him today?” I asked as our mer friend took cover around the rocks like he had with me, the sand rising to make the water look even more murky around him.

“Yes.” He answered immediately.

We waited as Blaster held the fish in the water. The mer didn’t so much as twitch.

“I don’t think he trusts me like he does you.”

“Hm… I have an idea.”

I grinned and dug into my bag as I cast a glance at the mer.

“A… bag of m&ms?”

“Yep. This is your key to friendship right here.”

“You gave him Candy?”

“Of course not. He went snooping through my bag when I wasn’t lookin’ and well now he likes chocolate. He hasn’t gotten sick yet so what’s the harm of a little more?”

“If you say so, but if he gets sick or something I’m calling the MWPA and blaming you.”

“That’s fair. Now feed him.” I shook the bag, making sure our mer friend could see it.

Tearing the bag we approached the water. The colors swirled when his hand hit the water. At the sight his ear fins twitched.

“Come on it’s fine. I told ya plenty about Blaster and now he’s giving ya chocolate when I said no. Ya should love him.”

Ever so slowly he slipped out from his cover in the rocks. He stayed close to the sandy floor as we waited. Blaster was holding his breath as I grinned down at him. His sapphire eyes darted between the two of us. Then he slowly rose up. Blaster slanted his hand so the candy slipped and drifted down to the waiting mer who eagerly ate the treat.

“He Does like chocolate.”

“I told ya. We’re gonna have to be careful about carrying candy from now on. Can’t have him snatching it.” I answered as I gave my friend another palmful.

“No kidding… So how exactly have you kept this a secret all this time?”

“Well I haven’t really kept it a secret. I just haven’t said anything about it.”

“Ok how has no one seen him and called the MWPA?”

“He has a little home he showed me that he goes to during the day. I’ve been feeding him there, but I figured I’d break his trust if I took ya there. I didn’t want him to start shunning me or something. So you’re starting where I started and he’ll show ya when he trusts ya. Then we can go back to that.” I shrugged as my friend held the yellowtail sashimi in the water for the mer.

Unfortunately an entire bag of m&ms wasn’t enough to gain his trust. He waited until we left before he moved. This process continued for many more days and one kitkat. We’d sit and talk as the mer watched us from the safety of the water. We debated on various things from the calls he made at night to what was going to open up where that construction site was on the east side of town. Then after breakfast a couple of weeks later he started to leave. I jumped up.

“Yes! Come on, Blaster! Lets go!”

I was off with Blaster at my heels. Our mer friend glanced at us and I swear he rolled his eyes when we stumbled when we jump off the pier and onto the sand.

“There it is.” I pointed out to the hole in the cliffside. “We need to crawl through that to get in, but there’s an underwater path he gets through.”

When we got in our mer friend was waiting for us on his little perch. His gaze neutral as per usual. Well except when I angered him or when he was eating chocolate. Blaster was looking around the small cove with a grin.

“This is neat. It’s a clever little spot.”

“And now ya know. This is his temporary home. Where I feed him and talk his ear off And where he stole my m&ms. He digs through my bag every chance he gets I swear.”

“Well quit carrying things in it that you don’t want him to get a hold of.”

I just frowned at my friend. We sat on the edge. My friend was examining the mer more carefully now that he could see him clearly.

“Jazz, he didn’t get those from another animal. I’ve seen plenty of bites and wounds on animals when I go out with Gaven and That right there on his cheek is from a blade.”

“So ya think someone did this to him on purpose?” I asked, giving my fish friend another look over.

“Looks like it. Either that or his pod alpha or leader or whatever decided to attack some people over territory and the others followed.”

“And… do you think that they’re… ya know... “

“It’s a possibility. If they haven’t come to get him yet it’s likely they’re dead.” Blaster chewed on his lip as he watched the mer.

“So he’s out there calling for them every night and… aw shit. What happens to mers whose either pod has died?”

I felt a pang in my chest for the mer in front of us. He was hurt and alone and still hoping that they were still out there and searching for him. No doubt he had been terrified to find he was alone and unable to hunt. I probably nearly gave him a heart attack when I started poking at him. Well at least now he has us.

“I assume they’d die.”

“Great…”

So after all of this he’d go out and die?

“I mean they herd prey with the help of their pod and certain mer types are very territorial and attack outsiders.”

“GREAT. What happens if he decides to leave when he’s healed? Should we call the MWPA then? I really don’t want to just do that to him.”

“I don’t know. I guess we’ll just have to see how things go for now. Maybe his pod is out there and are just as hurt as he is. That’s all we can hope for, for now.”

I sighed and lowered my head into my hands. We just watched the mer as he had been doing with us. Then I whistled a verse from ‘I Will Follow You Into The Dark’ and the mer perked up, his head turning to the side like a confused dog as he gained a matching expression. Blaster chuckled as I continued with it and the mer watched me with obvious confusion as he twisted his head from one side to the other.

“You do realize that for all you know you’re just saying random words in his ‘language’ right? You’re just sitting there going Wall! Current! Pufferfish for alpha! Seaweed! And he’s over there thinking you’re an idiot.”

At that we started laughing.

Next

First

Masterpost

[pennpenn]

FremiMay Day 8- Fatui

I took some inspo from Collei's background for this one!

Fatui Experiment Fremi!

It was mainly so I could practice drawing a different pose that I wasn't used to. You guys get a bit of line work just for a treat.

This probably comes from an au where he is sent off to Dottore before Arlecchino became knave. He gets long hair because I said so.

More details about the experiment au below because it has mild spoilers to the Fontaine archon quest

Tomorrow's prompt is 'kitty'!

The experiments being conducted would be related on how to get Fontaine-born people to resist the primordial sea water.

Dottore's plans are to see how much a person can take and what puts them on the brink of dissolving. He also wants to study dissolving and why it happens. Yet, Dottore isn't actually aware of the Fontaine people being Oceanids.

Freminet happened to be the experiment where he found the perfect point of: becomes water but doesn't dissolve. He is completely unable to control his powers and mental state. Just like Manga Collei he just kinda... Gets possessed? He becomes more Oceanid than human, the voices of his Oceanid brothers and sisters scream to him. Freminet loses the ability to act on his own and has a period of time where he just rampages.

His body has a blue tint to it, but can retain some color. Such as his hair still being blonde.

His Oceanid can escape his body but it causes his body to melt into a puddle. The tail of the Oceanid cannot leave the puddle. When the Oceanid returns to the puddle it takes a bit for his humanoid body to return.

Freminet also likely has issues with sensations. He can't necessarily feel pain due to his body being water, but he also can't necessarily die by being stabbed. Because his body is water.

Talking about his body being water, let's talk about elemental reactions:

Having cryo be used on him is probably the closest he'll ever get to the sensation of death. His body and mind are frozen, it's as if his time has completely stopped.

He cannot feel the force of geo. If you were to crush him with a geo construct he would end up reforming in a few days. If you were to trap his body within a geo construct his mind would still work. He can't necessarily die without more primordial seawater turning him into a full Oceanid at this point, so he would just have to wait patiently until he is freed.

Freminet typically avoids dendro because it zaps his energy. It becomes harder for him to fight his Oceanid urges and he loses control easier. He does, however, move slower when dendro is being used on him.

Electro makes him jittery! He violently shakes when he is imbued with electro unless he is touching something to transfer the charge. If the electro pulse is too strong then he will become immobile.

Pyro is probably the closest Freminet will get to actually feeling 'hurt'. His body literally boils if it gets too hot. If he gets too much heat then his body will be unable to keep its form and he may melt. So if you are bringing him to the Sumeru desert make sure you bring a bucket! Otherwise you may have to shovel some wet sand in your bag and wait for him to reform later.(He luckily does not evaporate)

Anemo doesn't necessarily do anything special to Freminet. If he is hit with a strong burst of wind that would shred his body apart he typically reforms quite quickly. (When he is a puddle it takes a lot longer to reform than if he just has to rebuild some water to get a neck or arm again)

Hydro doesn't necessarily effect him. He kinda works like a hydro slime. But on the note of water, liquids that aren't room temperature may risk him experiencing discomfort.(Like if you were to try to microwave a mug of cold water, sometimes half of the water is warm and half of the water is cold. It's uncomfortable to drink. He gets that feeling when drinking things other than his current temperature)

Not me coming up with an entire universe and lore for a simple art prompt.

I could go more into a ramble on if he escapes then his own personal Amber(as she is Collei's hero) would be Chongyun. Cuz I think that would be cute.

Anyways kudos to you if you actually read everything. If you want me to make this into a full fledged au lemme know in my ask box or in the comments. If you wanna be goofy then if you read this far put 🪼 in the comments. I like jellyfish.

[emmetverse]

Yeah, Threes felt bad. They'd been walking in silence since they'd woken up, save for Rex occasionally trying to break it. It seemed like he hated the quiet just as much as Roach, but was a bit less... Obvious about it.

"Wow, Spark was right," He laughed awkwardly at one point. "You really can smell it as you get closer, huh."

".. Yeah," Threes answered.

Rex coughed.

Great.

Threes rolled his shoulders, bouncing a little in his step to psyche himself up. This was fine. This was fine. He's got this. Why wouldn't he 'got this'?

He hurried a few steps to catch up, feeling the slope beneath him. They must be close.

"Hey, Roach, uh.."

"I hate that name."

The cyborg swallowed awkwardly. "I just.. I wanted to apologise-"

Roach stopped dead in his tracks.

"Uh.." Threes stopped with him. "I was really tired, I said some things-"

"Shh."

He blinked. "... I'm... I'm trying to say-"

"Shh!" Roach grabbed him, latching his hand over Threes' mouth. He gasped, partially at the force and partially at the sudden smell of flesh. And then he fell still.

Was that... Something moving?

Roach ever so slowly let go. He stepped forwards like a cat stalking prey, one hand on the dune as the incline steepened, and the other slowly drawing a knife out of his back pocket. His footsteps were silent. The sand hardly shifted as he moved his way up.

He peeked over the top.

Sand flew up in dark clouds. He heard a yelp as something - someone - grabbed him, tackling him down the other side. 

Threes abandoned the bag, sprinting up the incline and drawing his own blade. A splash sounded as he broke the summit. His feet skidded in the loose sand, but he gained his balance as he saw the fight below. A machete mere inches from Roach's neck, his hand wrapped around the blade in an attempt to push it away. It was the same person as before. His construction vest entirely darkened by blood far older than any of them had been there, his shirt torn, his boots tattered.

The momentum of the hill gave Threes the speed he needed to tackle him off, throwing the two of them further into the shallows.

He shoved the cyborg off, spluttering in the salt water, shaking it out of his eyes like a dog. He didn't even wait to catch his own breath. The two of them tumbled backwards into the water.

"What the heck do you want?!"

The man snarled, shoving Threes' head below the water for just a moment before he managed to push his way back up.

"Tell me where he is!"

"What? Spark?" Threes slashed through the air and barely missed. "Again?! What the hell is your obsession, you goddang madman!"

"I'm the one trying to get us out of here!" He lunged, deflected by the metal arm. "I've told you what it told me." He slashed. "I know our way out." And again. "It's not my fault you forgot!"

Threes didn't bother to respond. He aimed, and he threw a punch, aiming the blade straight for the shoulder-

Blood trickled out of the wound, coating Threes' hand and staining Roach's shirt.

"... What? I-" The blade sheathed itself back into his arm. "I-.."

Roach's hand pressed against his shoulder, trying to stem the blood flow. He was quiet as he turned, looking behind him to the stranger.

"Interesting," the man murmured, taking a small step back.

"What did it tell you?"

"Oh." He grinned. "I see."

Rex raised his hand from a small distance away. "Hi. Sorry to interrupt. Does anyone want to tell me what the heck is going on?!"

"Shut up, emo boy," the stranger growled. "I'm still not above killing all three of you."

"Heh, like you could."

Roach cut them off. "What did it tell you?" He repeated, stepping closer.

... Threes didn't remember what happened next. All he remembered was seeing Roach's face shift. Was feeling some kind of anxiety rise into his throat like acid reflux.

And now it was just the two of them.

He turned to look at Rex. By the look on his face, he didn't remember either. Either that, or it was the blood loss. Oh, oh god-

[maybeitsalivescribbles]

Prompt from @unboundprompts: "The door never led to the same place twice."

Nothing is ever really lost

(Tw: quick mention of death, illness and war)

The door never leads to the same place twice.

You don’t know where it comes from. It’s just there.

Sometimes, it materializes out of thin air in your room, and won’t go until you open it.

The first time, when you were much younger, it was made of white porcelain and just big enough to let you pass. You were scared of course, but curiosity got the better of you, and you went to the other side.

You have a clear memory of that day. What a happy travel this time! It'd led you to a quiet beach, at dawn. You’d taken out your shoes and let the sea go to your ankles, watching the sun rise, listening to the waves, and oh how you’d missed that sound. When people had started coming in, notably a couple wearing weird clothes and short haircuts, you’d come towards them, your naked feet running on the sand, and told them excitedly where you were coming from. They'd smiled, thinking you were a charming little liar, but they’d invited you under their beach umbrella. You’d spent the day talking, eating sandwiches full of fish paste, and exchanging stories. You didn’t speak the same language, but somehow you understood each other. At the end of the day, you'd waved goodbye to them, and you'd come home.

The door had disappeared right after, gently fading into nothing, but it'd come back.

You’re okay with that.

You are used to it by now. Eventually, it turns up again, and when you’re ready, you go through.

It never looks the same way. The porcelain from the first time has become wood or metal, and sometimes it’s made of things even stranger, that you can barely describe. Either way, it’s always warm to the touch. It brings you into strange little villages where you see cottages with roofs and beds made of straw. You visit towns full of half-timbered buildings, built on hills, nested on a plain or around a large river. Sometimes you see huge megalopolis with shining bridges and steel blue skyscrapers.

At first, you just wandered through. Since you can’t control the destination though, and you’re pretty sure you can never go back in the same place, you’re now prepared. Each time you step in, you bring a bag full of notebooks and boxes and a camera picture. You interview each inhabitant who wants to. They’re not deep questions: what tools they use to make their food, what they like to do, how hard their work is, how they feel about their families, and so on. You collect meaningless trinkets, pocket change, leaves, and seeds. You take pictures of everything. The constructions, the people, the food on their table, the bugs sleeping on plants, the night sky – everything.

Strangely, you’re never scared. You’d never dare to be so bold in your original world. The deep feeling that this is not your world keeps you strong. No matter how many times you’ve crossed the threshold, it never feels quite real. It's like a dream, and you've left your fears behind. You can do whatever you want, talk and behave however you want, and nobody can punish you for that. You’ve discovered that if you call it during your travel, the door comes in front of you. Home is always close and no one can follow you there. People have tried, but the knob refuses to work for anyone else but you. You’re safe.

When you’re back, you organize your findings in your shelves. Your room begins to look like a crow’s nest, full of shiny things.

You’re okay with that.

However, not all travels are pleasant. Sometimes, villages are full of starving people with eyes too big and too shiny. You meet young men and women whose bodies are full of spots, their limbs smelling like rotten flesh already. Children about to be hanged for stealing apples. Soldiers killing inhabitants in summer clothes. And sometimes, there are only ruins, where all you can hear is crying.

The first time, you thought you were in hell. The door was huge and ebony that day. You don’t want to remember what you saw behind, but you do. Someone died in your arms that time. Once you were back, running away and sobbing, you’ve thrown yourself into your bed and did not touch the door for months. It waited and you hated it. You hated everything in the world, including yourself. Your eyes were closed tight not to see anything.

You can’t keep the memories out of your brain, though. You can’t help but feel guilty. It’s not like you could bring anyone with you, but still. There must be something you can do. After some time, you prepare another bag. This one is full of things you’ve already collected. The next time you meet another devastated city, you clench your teeth and go through. You share seeds to grow food. You leave behind machines plans that were used to heal or to help build houses again.

When you're done, you tell stories. You’re full of them now. The families and their kids who don’t know about tomorrow hear about the people you’ve met, their hopes and their desires. You tell about the shining skyscrapers and the bugs, the way the sun shone on the hills and the roofs of cities, how warm and light was the breeze the day you saw the ocean, and so many things you forgot.

And then, when there’s nothing left to share, you go home. The door will bring you far, far away next time, because the only thing you know for sure is that it never leads to the same place twice.

Of course, if you asked the people from the other worlds, they would tell you another story. They’d say that the door only leads to one place, where a witch lives. They’d tell you about how she walks the earth through time and space. Some pretend she’s a bringer of apocalypse, always there in troubled times, taunting poor souls, speaking of blessings they couldn’t get. Some pretend it’s a beneficent fairy, always there with little helps and little comforts.

It doesn’t matter much to you. You know that all your life, there will be the door.

And you’re okay with that.

*

Back to Fantasy Masterlist

[webslinger-holland]

The Emperor of Magic | Part 5

Summary: Now trapped inside their worst nightmares, the crows need to find a way out in order to stop the emperor. Thankfully, Kaz is always one step ahead and figures out a solution.

Warning: +18 Warning, verbally and mentally abusive parent, deceased relatives, blood, gore, many mentions of death, working in the menagerie, choking, attempted murder and suicide

Pairing: Kaz Brekker x Fem!Reader

Type: Series

Word Count: 6.8k

Author’s Note: This is the end of the series! I really hoped you enjoyed reading this because I have had this story concept in my drafts for a long time. Let me know your thoughts and have a great week!!!

Series Masterlist

The emperor of magic stood in the center of six fallen bodies. She could feel a single bead of sweat rolling down the side of her temple, uncertain if it was from the blazing hot heat waves or if it was from mental strain. Her eyes remained shut as she struggled to keep the six crows under the veil of darkness.

Normally, it wasn’t hard to get inside someone’s head and drive them towards the point of insanity. But this time was different. She needed to take all six crows down, which was no easy task at hand. It didn’t help that they were all incredibly clever and intelligent; they weren't just dumb witted folk. This made the mental battle all the more challenging for her. 

Despite this, the emperor was determined to succeed. She needed to keep them unconscious, forcing them captive within their worst memories and nightmares. With great struggle, the emperor managed to break the chains that bound her. She also was able to get loose from the customized straight jacket that had failed to hinder her powerless. She threw those to the side. 

Afterwards, the emperor pulled the bag off her head. She discarded it by tossing into the heap of sand. She removed the final eye covering and ear pieces strapped around her head. She was now finally met with the blinding rays of the sun for the first time in nearly three years. 

Wylan’s Nightmare:

As soon as his eyes changed black, Wylan’s body succumbed to a dream-like or comatose state. When he managed to regain consciousness, his eyes began to flutter open and he could see a completely different atmosphere. He quickly sat up upon realizing where he was. 

The mansion was known to be one of the most beautifully constructed and decorated house in all of Ketterdam. It belonged to the a well-respected member of the Merchant Council which just so happened to be Jan Van Eck himself. 

Naturally, Wylan recognized the house that he had spent his early childhood years in. It all came flooding back into his memory; the marble floors sparkled as they must have been polished to perfection and the high wooden beams that stretched across the ceiling held brilliant chandeliers. The furniture was the most expensive thing on the market at the time. The mansion couldn’t be anything less than perfect.

Now looking down, Wylan saw that he was dressed in one of his old beige suits which now explained why his collar felt so tight around his neck. He went ahead and loosened it immediately. He also realized that his wild hair was tamed and combed down like it always had been when he was a young boy.

In the short distance, Wylan heard a voice talking in the other room. He carefully rose to his feet and made it way over to the door that was slightly cracked open. Peering through the crack, Wylan’s eyes fell on the man he once called ‘father.’ And his breath caught in the back of his throat. 

“You stupid, stupid boy.” Jan Van Eck said with a shake of his head. 

That familiar pang of guilt shot straight to his heart; he had gotten too squinted with those words in his childhood. His father always shaming him, calling him stupid or worthless. He clutched the frame around the door, squeezing his eyes shut to keep the tears at bay.

“You’re a disgrace!” 

All of the sudden, Jan Van Eck slammed his hands down and discarded everything that lay on the desk which included books, pens, and papers of the sort. The burst of fury only caused Wylan to flinch something terrible; something else that he still hadn’t grown accustomed to.

“Can’t read, can’t write.” Jan Van Eck scoffed to himself. He gritted his teeth together. “You’re absolutely worthless!”

Without thinking, Wylan burst through the slightly open door in a rage of fury. For once in his life, he was going to tell it straight to his father and he wasn’t going to let him push him around anymore. His fists were clenched at his sides and his jaw was locked. 

Upon hearing the door slamming against the wall, Jan Van Eck turned to face his disgrace of a so-called son. He narrowed his eyes at his approaching figure, not expecting much from him anyways.

“You...” Wylan began, but he struggled to find his voice as it was laced with red hot anger. He pointed a finger at him accusingly. “You do not know me,” Wylan claimed with tears pricking the corners of his eyes.

“I know you’ll never evolve,” Van Eck spat. “Spent years trying to change you, trying to shape you.”

“I don’t need to be changed!” Wylan yelled back. His face turned beat red in his fit of rage. 

“You weren’t enough,” Van Eck said with a shake of the head. “You could have been so much, but you're worthless.”

“We never were the same person,” Wylan seethed. He jammed a finger directly into the man’s chest. “I am not you and I was never going to live up to your name.”

“It doesn’t matter now,” Van Eck’s lips shifted into a sinister smile. “Because I’ll still always be there to haunt your nightmares.”

Very slowly, Wylan took a step backwards in his place upon coming to the realization that he wouldn’t be able to get rid of the image of his father in his mind. It will always haunt him and he can’t change that. He suddenly became aware of the situation; that he was living his worst nightmare. And his worst nightmare was being stuck with Jan Van Eck.

Backing away, Wylan wanted nothing more than to leave. He hurried out of the room, charging upstairs to escape to the place where his old bedroom was. He closed the door behind him, twisting the lock in its place. He moved away from the door then. But he didn’t know of the dark figure that stood behind him, watching his every move.

Back in reality, the emperor was left standing and staring directly at Wylan’s limp body in the sand. She studied him carefully. She caught a glimpse of a small tear escaping the corner of his eye and rolling down his cheek.

Jesper’s Memory

When Jesper finally awoke from his unconscious state, he too was most surprised with his surroundings. He shifted into a sitting position, rubbing the back of his neck as if he had a kink in it. He came to realize that he wasn’t in Ketterdam and he wasn't in Ravka either. It almost looked like...

Upon further inspection, Jesper found himself in the middle of a field. He rose to his feet slowly. His long trench coat danced in the breeze. His heart sank in his chest. The memories of his childhood came flooding back into his mind.

These fields were all too familiar to him. Amid the wheat, amid the soft golden ears, moved the unseen wind. The wheels of straw rested on their earthen bed, soaking in the brilliant sunshine. Under the sky that is made all the more pretty for the scattered clouds, the white puffs that radiate white light. It was a simple scene. 

His softened gaze fell on the small little house in the short distance. It looked like something from an old photograph; a deep memory that he had almost forgotten. His feet began to carry him to the house. The dark figure followed after him without his knowledge.

Coming to the house, Jesper lifted a hand to pull the colorful blanket away from the doorway. He stepped into the entrance. His hand fell to his side and his heart had never felt more heavy.

It was a small house in the sense that it was all one room. The ground was made of fresh orange dirt and the walls had been lifted by his father at one time. A small stove sat in the corner. And there was a little wooden table for eating. Two beds lay on either side of the room. One of them had an occupant. 

“Mama?” Jesper asked just as horrified as the moment he had found her years ago.

His mother always wore the most magnificent colors that made her complexion glow. Her favorite color was yellow in which she was dressed in. She wore these orange and yellow heavy beads around her neck. And her hands rested on her chest. She must have been asleep.

“Mama,” Jesper called again. He felt the tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. He approached her bedside, dropping to his knees to be at her side.“Mama, wake up. I’m here,” Jesper pleaded.

He took her hand in his own, bringing it up to his lips to press a firm kiss to it. He failed to keep his tears at bay, feeling them now cascading down the sides of his face. He shook her hand gently as if half expecting her to wake up and rid him of this horrid nightmare. 

“Mama. Wake up. I need you,” Jesper cried. The dark figure stood looming over him as he was forced to once again grieve the loss of his mother.

Leaving the memory, the emperor of magic shifted her gaze away in order to face her next victim. The heartrender lay motionless in the sand with a hand near the side of her face. She looked so peaceful in the moment, but she knew she was already experiencing the worst thing she could imagine. 

Nina’s Nightmare:

The Little Palace had been home for so many years. All the Grisha were sent to live at the palace after they had been tested for powers at a young age. Depending on which order one was classified into, they would be dressed in the appropriate color coordination.

Every room was created by the most beautiful and delicate hand. The hallway floors were made from the finest marble, sparkling in the early morning hours. Grand oil paintings hung on the craved marble walls. The quartz pillars upheld the vast ceilings in the grand staircase. 

For some reason, Nina found herself walking through those hallways she used to call home. She felt a little disoriented because, with every turn, the palace just seemed so empty. She’d peek into rooms and poke around a corridor, but still, nobody was in sight.

She called out for others. “Zoya? Alina? Where is everyone?”

When Nina finally approached her old bedroom, she saw that the door was already cracked open and a blood stain painted the once golden knob. She pushed the door open gently, cautiously stepping into the old room. Her breath caught in her throat.

Because what Nina saw was something she hoped she would never have to see. All of the Grisha she had once known and who she had grown up with were laid lifelessly on the floor. Their colored uniforms were burnt, torn, destroyed, and soaked in blood. She couldn’t tell if it was their blood or soemone else’s.

Glancing past the bodies, Nina named every single face she saw. Her heart never felt so heavy and burdened. She choked back a sob because even though she had left the little palace long ago, she still called it home. The Grisha were her people; nothing would ever change that. But now, they all lay dead in front of her. 

At one point, Nina’s eyes settled on the still body of her old friend Zoya. She rushed to be at her side, dropping to her knees. Her hands went to hover over her heart with every intention of helping her. But Zoya’s hand came up to clasp her wrist to stop her. Her pained eyes shifted to face the heartrender beside her.

“Y-You,” Zoya grunted through her teeth. She felt blood seeping past her lips. “Y-Y..You left us,” Zoya claimed.

“I-I didn’t want to,” Nina said with a swift shake of the head. “I never wanted to leave you behind.”

“But you did,” Zoya pointed out. “You abandoned us. And for what? A Fjerdan who only murders your people.”

“H-He’s not like that,” Nina insisted. She felt tears streaming down her cheeks. “No, Matthias would never hurt me.”

“It’s because of his people that we are left scarce,” Zoya said. “They came in the night. They slaughtered us.”

This comment made the heartrender glance around once more to see the familiar faces that surrounded her. She saw the red blood that painted so many faces. She felt only one heartbeat in the room besides her own.

“I didn’t know,” Nina claimed.

“No,” Zoya shook her head. “No, you knew. You’ve always known that they hunt people like us. That they kill people like us. You’ve known, but you chose to ignore it.”

“I-I’m so sorry, Zoya.”

“And now, you will have to live with the fact that you got us killed. You let them in and made us vulnerable,” Zoya claimed. “Y-You are the reason the Grisha will be extinct,” Zoya finished.

All of the sudden, Zoya began choking on her own blood. It spilled out of her mouth in waves. Though Nina tried to help her, it was already too late. Her body became relaxed after the coughing came to a halt. Her eyes were glassed over in a haze. And her breathing came to a final halt. 

All at once, Nina felt an overwhelming amount of shame and guilt in her heart. She dropped her head down, feeling the tears streaming out of her eyes at a fast rate. She raised a shaky hand to cover her mouth in hopes of muffling her sobs. She squeezed her eyes shut, struggling to regain composure. 

The dark figure that stood behind her took one final glance around the room. It took a single step backwards before choosing to return back to reality. Her eyes fixed on the person laying beside the heartrender.

Matthias’s Nightmare:

For some reason, Matthias thought he was dreaming again. He only thought this because he always saw her in his dreams. His dreams were quite often unsatisfying since he never really knew what he wanted. There were times that he dreamed of finally killing the heartrender that tormented him and then there were times he dreamed about how her lips felt when he kissed her. She was always a mystery to him, which made him realize that he didn’t know what he wanted. 

Now Matthias didn’t know where he was or where he was going. He had a feeling that he must have been within Fjerdan territory since there was a blizzard waging around him. He could barely see in front of him from all the snow and wind blasting in his face. 

For a moment, Matthias shifted his focus to his footing. He watched himself lift each foot in front of the other, trudging forward through the heaps of snow. That’s when he saw red. 

The dark figure had been following him this whole time. She watched carefully for his reaction. The splotch of red in the snow must have been blood. He followed the trail of blood until his eyes fell on a body laying in the snow a couple feet ahead of him. His heart sank.

“Nina!” Matthias called out. 

He hurried to her side, basically collapsing beside her in the snow. He was able to pull her body to lay on her backside before taking a look at her wounds. His hands hovered over her lifeless body, unsure of what to do in the moment.

Her face was so pale; her lips were already blue from the cold. Her eyes remained shut since they had been closed long ago. Her hair was frozen from the blood that leaked from her head. In fact, Nina’s body was covered with various wounds. She must have bled out from them.

His eyes fell on a particular wound near the junction of her neck. It honestly looked like some creature had taken a large bite out of her neck, which ultimately caused her to bleed to death. But those bite marks looked all too familiar. 

When Matthias lifted his head, there was a grand grey wolf standing in the short distance. It stood calmly as the wind brushed past it’s striking grey and black fur. However, the wolf’s mouth was dripping with the blood of its victim. It was in that moment that Matthias realized wolves might not have been as tame as his people once believed. 

“You did this?” Matthias said in utter disbelief. He stared at the wolf blankly. “W-Why? She didn’t do anything. She didn’t deserve to die like this.”

Slowly, Matthias looked back down to the beautifully calm woman in his arms. He held her tightly in fear of letting her go forever. He lowered his head to press it against her own. He rocked back and forth with his love in his arms, crying quietly to himself. 

“She was all I had left. She was the only one to love me for who I was,” Matthias sobbed. “She loved me even though she wasn’t supposed to,” Matthias whispered.

All Matthias could do was press a soft kiss to the center of her forehead. He stared off into the distance for he was unable to look at the wolf the same again. He cried for what felt like hours on end and he refused to leave her side. 

Inej’s Memory:

The Menagerie was most commonly known as the House of Exotics. This was mainly because the menagerie advertised the exotic beauties of foreign women. They always dressed as specific animals that came from their country or region.

The House of Exotics was almost always filled to the brim with men looking for a good time. They often smoked which filled the house with a thick cloud. There was always heavy liquor seeping from their lips, which made their breath smell awful and their discernment rather thin. The men were able to do whatever they pleased as long as they paid the right price.

During Inej’s time at the Menagerie, she had never felt so low and empty in her life. Now she stood there once again. She wore her old clothes which painted her out to look like a lynx. Her soft brown skin reflexed wonderfully against the brilliant purple silks that hugged her body.

With each step, Inej heard the little bells that wrapped around her ankles. She maneuvered her way through the heavy crowd, passing by drunks and other girls dressed to impress. She didn’t think to question how she got back there or the fact that she was just relieving her worst memory.

When she was there, she felt numb to the rest of the world. And she entirely was  right then and there.

For the moment, Inej was leading this half drunk man upstairs to the private rooms. He had already paid her for her time spent with him. She felt the kruge jingling in her pocket. She brought him to one of the rooms, letting him inside before closing the door behind them.

It didn’t take more than five minutes for the man to emerge from the private room, still in the process of buckling his pants back together. He closed the door with a satisfied smirk on his face before heading back downstairs to the bar for another round. 

Back in the room, Inej lay on the soft bed in a heap of sheets. Her beautiful purple silks had been discarded on the floor. She stare blankly at the ceiling, feeling entirely numb. She felt a single tear seep out of the corner of her eye.

Her core was filled with a sense of shame. Her legs felt weak as if she already knew she’d have trouble walking. Even her shoulder ached slightly since he had bitten down during their time together. She pulled the sheets to cover her bare body, shivering at the memory engraved into her mind.

For a second, Inej closed her eyes as if to wish she could just disappear into the next life. She hated being there. She hated the things she was forced to undergo. She just wanted to be free. Why couldn’t she be free?

The dark figure that stood by the window was looking directly at the saddened woman laying in bed. She even went to turn away from the scene, because it was too much, even for the emperor herself.

Back in reality, the emperor was truly struggling to keep all six of the crows under their own spell. She only needed to hold off for a little longer because they’d eventually discover that they’ll be stuck. They won’t be able to escape those nightmares. That is, not unless...

Kaz’s Nightmare:

When the black clouds came to settle around him, Kaz Brekker was able to get a sense of his surroundings. He had come face to face with his greatest demon.  The familiar eyes of his dear deceased brother were staring right back at him.

Very slowly, Kaz found himself rising to his feet with the help of his cane. He stared at his brother blankly as if he wasn’t at all surprised to see him after all this time. He observed him ever so carefully because one wrong step could be the end for him.

“Hello Kaz,” Jordie said. His lips curved into a mischievous smile. 

When Kaz didn’t say anything or do anything in particular, Jordie furrowed his eyebrows in slight confusion. He took a single step forward. He raised his hands in defeat.

“What? No hello for your long lost brother?” Jordie questioned.

“I know you are not real,” Kaz claimed. He still wore a blank stare on his face.

“Oh, aren't you the clever one?” Jordie almost mocked him. “Even if you think this isn’t real, you're trapped here with me until your brain starts to rot. You’ll never find the way out,” Jordie laughed.

Kaz’s lips twitched into a wicked smile. “Won’t I?”

Just then, Jordie’s face fell blank. He looked at his younger brother with a hint of confusion behind his eyes. He shifted nervously from one foot to the other. “Whatever do you mean?” Jordie laughed cautiously.

“You made one vital mistake,” Kaz claimed. 

Though this time, Kaz wasn’t speaking to the image of his brother. More so, to the dark figure that stood behind him. In a slow manner, Kaz had turned around to face the emperor of magic herself who had been watching the conversation all along. Out of all the crows, Kaz had been the only one clever enough to notice her presence. She was slightly impressed.

“What mistake did I make?” The emperor of magic spoke through slightly gritted teeth. She clenched her fists at her sides to contain her anger because she hated being outsmarted by others. 

“You discovered all our names,” Kaz began. He tipped his head to the side. “Through the same memory,” Kaz added.

Now the emperor tried her hardest to keep a straight face, but he could already see the small sense of panic hiding behind her eyes. She shifted from one foot to another in a nervous manner. She held his gaze strictly.

“Which means, all of these nightmares are connected in some way or another.” Kaz noted. He went to look at some of his surroundings, not necessarily recognizing where he was at the moment. “I wonder if they can hear me,” Kaz said mostly to himself.

“Who?” The emperor asked curiously.

“The other crows,” Kaz seethed through his teeth. He lifted his head to look towards the sky once more. “Jesper, Inej, Nina--” Kaz called for his crows loudly.

“You can’t get out,” the emperor said rather hastily. He directed his attention back to her.

Despite this, Jesper heard the message through his own memory. He raised his head and looked into the distance. All of the other crows were able to hear their boss too. Though it sounded more like a distance echo than anything else. They listened carefully to the conversation that followed.

“You're trapped here. You’ll never figure out how to get out,” the emperor claimed. She breathed a nervous laugh to cover up her slight fear.

“You underestimate me,” Kaz spoke. “Another mistake.”

Just then, Kaz took a single stride forward in his place. In a way, it was almost like he was taunting her or challenging her with knowledge of his own. Because if anyone knew something, it was that Kaz Brekker was always one step ahead of the game. He knew this was going to happen all along.

“Let me ask you something: when do you wake up from a dream?” Kaz questioned. He now stood directly in front of her, staring down at her through hooded eyes. “It’s always right before something terrible happens,” Kaz stated plainly.

The emperor couldn’t have predicted his next move. He immediately seized her throat with his glove clothed hand. She breathed a small gasp of shock as his digits began tightening around her neck. She clawed at his hand, desperate for some form of release.

“Sometimes, you get shot at. Sometimes, there is an accident. And sometimes, you fall.” Kaz recalled some of the dreams he once had and the ways he managed to wake up from them. “But you always wake up,” Kaz said while tightening his grip.

“And my guess is that if you die in this dream, you wake up. Is that right?” Kaz wondered. When the emperor said nothing, Kaz went to tighten his grip again. She winced at the contact. “Is that right?” Kaz repeated himself.

“Y-Ye-s-s,” the emperor struggled. “Y-You’ll w-wa-wake u-up.”

In the meantime, the other crows heard the entire conversation between the two of them in the distance. They finally understood what was happening and what they needed to do in order to get out of their nightmares. There was only one solution to waking up.

Without hesitation, Wylan found his old stash of chemicals in the floorboards of his bedroom. He riffled through various glass vials, searching for two in particular. He raised the two glass vials in his hands, seeing the bright colored liquid that they contained. If mixed together, those chemicals would create a deadly explosion. He popped the corks off them.

In the other dream, Jesper had been slow to rise to his feet. He looked down at the body of his deceased mother, still feeling the tears coming out of his eyes. He reluctantly pulled one of his shiny pearly guns out of his holster at his side. He cautiously raised the gun to the side of his head, squeezing his eyes shut in preparation for what was to come. 

Now Nina was still sitting amongst the bodies of her dearest friends. She contemplated things for a moment, basking in the reality of the situation. She raised her hands in a particular manner, focusing all of her attention on the speed of her own heartbeat. 

Meanwhile, Matthias discovered that he was moving towards the wolf that stared directly at him. He forced himself to place one foot in front of the other. He heard the wolf growling in a threatening manner. He knelt into the snow as if ready to accept his fate. He closed his eyes just as the wolf lunged for his throat.

In the menagerie, Inej had climbed to the rooftop of the institution. She peered over the edge, looking to see several stories below her. She climbed onto the ledge, keeping her arms out at her sides for balance. She put one step forward before falling to her death.

Back in his own nightmare, Kaz carried the emperor’s face a little closer to his own. He studied her carefully as if searching for any sense of faulty. He narrowed his eyes at her. He kept his grip firm, despite her desperately grabbing at the lapels of his trench coat. She was begging for release.

“B-Bu--t I’ll be l-long gone by then,” the emperor claimed. Her lips curved upwards into a smile. “Y-You’ll ne-never catch u-up to me.”

“You’re bluffing,” Kaz called it. Her smile fell. “You haven’t left yet. You’re keeping us under as long as you can. And once we are lost, then you’ll make your escape.”

And indeed he did call it.

“Y-You have n-no idea what y-your up a-against,” the emperor struggled to speak. She was quick to send a firm gab into his stomach, which caused him to release his grip on her neck. She ran past him as quickly as she could. 

With the nightmares being connected, the emperor was able to open a portal into one of the first nightmares. She jumped through the portal, taking a brief moment to look at the scene in front of her. It was the old mansion.

But the once pristine bedroom was now covered in a thick layer of blackened ash and dust. The soft brown floorboard had been burnt, laced with an unknown chemical burning through the wood itself. The velvet curtains had caught on fire. And the wallpaper had been destroyed beyond repair. Amongst the destroyed scene was the small lifeless body of the demolitions expert. 

“No,” the emperor whispered to herself. “He’s gone already.”

Which only meant that Wylan was awake in reality. In haste, the emperor went to open another portal into the next nightmare with every intention of stopping the next crow from waking up. All she was able to find was a limp body laying on the ground. The sharpshooter still held one of his guns in his hand, but a bullet had already entered his skull. He lay there as the blood spilled from the headshot.

The panic began to take over. The emperor dream hopped to the next one through the access of another portal. Amongst the bodies of deceased Grisha was the familiar heartrender. She lay peacefully amongst her own people, having chosen to slow and stop her own heart.

Now the emperor was growing agitated and frustrated. She went to open another portal which led her to the ice cold lands. She squinted through the blizzard storm only to find a wolf feasting on the body of a unmoving druskelle. The wolf raised its head and bared its now blood stained teeth.

Finally, the emperor forced herself to run as fast as she could through the final portal. She hurried to the edge of the building, being quick to peer over the edge. She spotted a motionless body nearly six stories below the building. She had jumped. 

The emperor of magic had failed to keep them at bay. They all managed to escape their worst nightmares, which meant that they were all awake and ready to take her on in the real world. She needed to get out of this dream.

“You’ve lost. Admit it,” a familiar voice said from behind her.

When the emperor turned around in her place, Kaz Brekker was looking directly at her. He wore an infamous smirk on his face. He had followed her through every single portal, dream hopping right behind her. This also meant that he had seen each of his crows dead which couldn’t have been easy. 

“They are back in reality by now. Getting ready to put a stop to you,” Kaz stated as a matter of fact.

“What about you? You can’t leave unless you die,” the emperor took notice. 

“That was never part of the plan,” Kaz claimed. Her face fell. “The plan was to keep you under as long as possible because that is the only way you can be stopped from the outside. You can’t fight me in here and them out there at the same time,” Kaz explained.

Back in the desert, the five crows came to surround the emperor who stood in the center of them. The others turned to face the heartrender amongst them, giving her the signal through the form of a single nod. She raised her hands in a particular motion, slowing the heart rate of the emperor of magic.

In the dream sequence, the emperor grunted at the feeling of her heart being squeezed and slowed down. She clutched at her chest in attempts to stop what she felt. She lifted her head to look directly at the man himself. Realizing that she had been bested, the emperor was quick to turn around in her place and charge towards the edge of the building.

Without hesitation, Kaz followed directly behind her with every intention of stopping her from jumping over the side and waking up from this nightmare. Just as the emperor leaped from the ledge, Kaz grasped onto the emperor’s forearm to stop her.

From the mere pull of gravity, the emperor’s body slammed against the brick wall of the institution. He had been pulled down slightly, but he was still able to keep a firm grasp on her while hanging over the side of the ledge. She fought against his tight grip, trying to get loose so she could fall. 

“I won’t let you,” Kaz grunted. He struggled to maintain his hold on her, but he shook his head at her careless behavior. “I can’t let you hurt them.”

“Then you’ll just have to come with me,” the emperor told him. She pushed off the brick wall with both of her feet. She used all of her strength to pull him over the edge of the building. 

Together, both bodies began to plummet to the ground from the force of gravity. The two of them stared at one another, sensing that familiar feeling of falling to the ground with no control whatsoever. Just as the two of them would hit the ground, their bodies jolted awake back in reality. And the real challenge began.

It was rather odd. It was almost like the heartrender was holding the heart with her own two hands, forcing the heart rate to slow down. Just as Nina thought the heartbeat would come to a final halt, it was like she felt two hands envelope her own from within the chest. 

Those invisible hands holding her own began to pry her fingers off of the heart itself. She eventually realized she didn’t have a grasp on the heart anymore; that it was probably back to its normal self in terms of heart rate. The feeling of those hands covering her own began to close in.

In a split second, Nina let out a terrible scream of pain as her hands got crushed by the ones that kept hers captive. The emperor of magic kept her hands clenched into tight fists as she broke every bone in the heartrender’s hands. 

Naturally, Nina ended up dropping to her knees on the ground. She clutched her hands close to her chest for some form of comfort, but she wasn’t able to stop she blood from spewing from the joints in her fingers or the bones from poking out of the back of her hands. She never felt so much pain in her life.

“Nina,” Matthias called out to her. 

Though part of him wanted to rush to her side, a bigger part of him wanted nothing more than to stop the emperor once and for all. With a mighty war yell, Matthias charged towards the emperor of magic who kept her back to him. He raised his two fists above his head and brought them barreling down.

But at the last second, the emperor spun around on the heels of her feet to surprise him. She drew her own fist back and sent it directly into the center of his chest. With the force of her magic, Matthias was forced backwards in his place. His body dragged across the desert sands as he felt the wind truly knocked out of his chest. His chest burned painfully.

Now the emperor went to face the other three crows standing amongst her. With Jesper drawing his two guns out of his holsters and Inej wielding her precious knives, Kaz waited to signal them to attack her with his cane. She went to take a step towards them, but was stopped when something hit the side of her head.

A bright pink powder escaped from the small glass vial that hit the side of her head. The powder sparkled in the bright sunbeams that beat down on them. She didn’t even realize that she managed to breathe the powder in, but it began to greatly affect her senses. She turned towards the small person who had through that at her. 

In the short distance, Wylan went to grab another vial from his pouch. He hoped to hit her with something to make her sense weaken so it might be easier to take her down. Just as Wylan pulled the vial out, he felt an invisible hand wrap around the expanse of his neck. He was dragged forward by an unforeseen force until his neck made contact with the emperor’s cupped hand. 

Without warning, Wylan’s body was slammed to the ground by the emperor. She went to straddle his chest, keeping him pinned to the ground. He grasped at the hands wrapped around his neck, desperately trying to loosen her grip on him. He gasped her air. He felt the life being squeezed out of him.

Before Wylan lost the oxygen in his chest, a gunshot rang through the air. The bullet managed to lodge itself directly into the emperor’s shoulder, which caused her to release her grasp on the boy’s neck. She slumped backwards in her place, reaching up to grasp the wound on her shoulder. 

The emperor scurried to stand to her feet with every intention of finishing off these crows. Her vision began to blur and her head felt dizzy. Despite this, the emperor managed to raise her hands to put up a fight. 

The three crows worked in a synchronous harmony, taking timed turns to throw different strikes. Now Inej was the first one to step forward with her knives drawn at her sides. She took a couple swipes which the emperor managed to dodge barely. Then Jesper fired a couple rounds from his pearly guns. He manipulated the bullets to fly exactly where he wanted, but the emperor waved her hands to direct the bullets elsewhere. Finally, Kaz went to step up. He raised his cane and swung with all his might. He struck her once or twice, but it wasn’t enough to take her down.

Suddenly, the emperor felt a large arm wrap around her backside which put her into a tight headlock. Her knees were knocked out from behind, forcing her to drop to her knees. Behind her, Matthias tried to maintain a tight grip on the smaller body. He grunted upon feeling her fight against him.

Slowly, Kaz went to approach her. He raised his cane in the air, bringing it towards her face. He stared her down carefully.

“Admit it,” Kaz repeated himself. “You’ve lost. We’ve bested you.”

The emperor choked upon feeling the grip tighten around her neck. “B-But I haven’t lost,” the emperor claimed.

“We’ll kill you,” Jesper explained. He came to stand beside his boss. He raised his guns to point directly at her head. “No hesitation,” Jesper stated firmly.

“And it will be slow,” Inej added. She pressed the edge of her knife against the emperor's check, swiping it away to leave a sharp mark. “And painful,” Inej said. 

“You can kill me,” the emperor of magic told them. Her voice grew heavier as if the demon inside her was speaking. “But it will be your mistake because I always come back.”

Before the emperor could say another word, Kaz raised his golden cane above his head and brought it barreling down into her skull. The body ended up collapsing to the ground from the mere force of the swing. He continued to beat in her skull until there was nothing left, but a pool of blood and brain. The blood painted his face in a gruesome manner.

“Kaz!” Inej called out. She had hoped to bring him back to reality. He finally stopped beating the body to death. “It’s done,” Inej claimed.

The crows had gone through so much within the past few days. They had schemed their way back into the court and somehow managed to escape. They ended up having to relive their worst memories and became temporarily trapped in their own nightmares. They needed to escape those nightmares in the form of killing themselves. And they had to defeat the emperor after taking some heavy hits from her. Despite all this, they managed to survive, just like they always did.

But for some reason, Kaz just had a feeling that she’d be back just like she said. 

THAT IS THE END OF THE SERIES! PLEASE TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS! SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO POST.

TAGLIST:

@d34drapunzel @adorawritesalot @vixythepixie @theghostofshadows @lonelywitchv2 @arcadialine @zeeader @cleverzonkwombatsludge @shara-ne @iloveinej @ireallydontcareanymorebrooo @mystic-mara @missymisha @tremendoushearttaco​ @home-of-disaster​ @gh0stgirl333​ @harrydimples @marina468 @phoenix666stuff @grippleback-galaxy​ @mariar31 @theghostofshadows​ 

[arlertdarling]

❥ DAY BY THE BEACH — armin arlert x gn!reader, modern au, fluff, established relationship, they are so in love it's disgusting /ref /lh very self-indulgent and i got carried away lol enjoy!

yellow kisses press into your skin, gentle yet firm, as you lay beneath the silken sky. the warmth of the sun is pleasant, teetering on the edge of almost too hot but never quite passing it. with your eyes shut, you’re able to appreciate your other senses: the crisp coastal breeze that occasionally sweeps by and soothes your heated skin, the smell of seasalt and damp sand that you can just barely make out from under the hat on your face, the distant sound of whispering waves and giggling gulls accompanying the music in one of your ears, the lingering flavours of the ice cream you had earlier, still sweet on your tongue. your fingers drum on your stomach and your head moves ever so slightly to the beat of whatever song is playing; you’re so in the moment that you almost startle when the shade on your eyes is replaced with blinding brightness.

you make a noise of complaint, reluctantly opening your eyes and plucking out your earphone. you shield your eyes from the sun as you twist your head to look at armin, laying on his side next to you. he’s staring at you, impatient and unimpressed, with one hand propping up his head and the other holding your sun hat.

you give him a hopeful, cheeky smile. “five more minutes?”

armin’s expression remains the same. “you’ve been saying that for the last fifteen,” he says, sitting up and dropping your hat onto your face.

as he stands up, you scoff and take the hat off. “well, time is only a construct, you know,” you say, sitting up and placing the hat on properly. “maybe your fifteen minutes are my five minutes.”

“pfft.” armin offers a hand out to you. “come on. walks on the beach were made for this kind of weather.”

“so was sunbathing,” you sass, even as you’re taking his hand and rising to your feet. the shifted weight makes the pliant sand mould to the shape of your feet. armin’s hand moves to your elbow, helping you balance as you slide your feet into your sandals. once you’ve put on both, he steps aside to roll up the beach towel while you collect your scattered belongings and throw them into your bag. you’re about to lift it over your shoulder when a hand from behind you takes it instead. you turn to armin in confusion to find him carefully sliding the towel in and hooking the bag strap over his shoulder. the both of you exchange soft but eager smiles before sauntering down to the shore.

the sea is divine in the low sun, glittering like flames and moving like a dance between lovers. curling waves turn into froth and it’s almost hypnotic in the way it dissipates, only to come back again seconds later. the cool water skims across your bare feet, the sandals dangling from your fingers long forgotten. your other hand is comfortably clasped in armin’s, swinging back and forth leisurely. occasionally, you stop to pick up a pretty shell or rock, tossing it into your bag before resuming your walk.

“wanna go in the water?” armin suggests. until now, the melodies of the sea have been the only sound between you, but armin’s voice is like the sound of the sea itself, familiar and refreshing and gentle to your ear.

“where would we put our stuff?” you ask.

“uhh...” he takes a look around. “well, there’s hardly anyone here, so it should be fine to leave it nearby,” he says with a subtle smile. “you know, somewhere just out of reach of the tide.”

you hum in thought. “i don’t know,” you say sheepishly.

typically, armin would be cautious too, but he’s feeling adventurous, whether it be because of the freeing touch of the sun or maybe all this time spent with you has got his heart soaring a little too high. either way, he’s tugging on your hand encouragingly, like an excited puppy. when he’s met with resistance — you don’t require any more convincing really, you just like it when armin gets like this and want to tease him — he lets go, grabs your sandals and hat, then jogs away.

you fondly watch armin put everything down before pulling his t-shirt over his head by the collar, so quickly and eagerly that it gets caught on his limbs a few times and makes you chuckle into your hand. as soon as the t-shirt is in the bag, armin is running back to you. his daffodil locks ruffle in the breeze and his teeth look like pearls in the twinkling light. you’re mesmerised, only able to think about how perfect he is like this; grinning with the sun in his hair and a childish bounce in his step.

once he finally reaches you, armin is slightly out of breath. “come on, let’s go,” he says. that grin is still on his face, but it’s much brighter up close; cuter now that you can see the freckles on his nose and the shy dimple in his left cheek.

“race you there,” is all you say before you’re sprinting across the wet sand. armin is after you in seconds and the adrenaline of being chased has you feeling like a giddy teenager. you glance over your shoulder, heart thrumming in your chest. he’s closer than you expected, so you speed up and push harder through the resistance of the deepening water. you stop once you’re waist-deep and turn around to check on armin again, only for him to crash into you, pulling you both into the water.

you’re only under for a moment before you’re back out again, gasping and pushing your hair out of your face. “armin!” you scold, though you’re smiling so wide it loses its effect.

armin’s head is thrown back with laughter so you splash some water at him; some finds its way into his mouth, causing him to sputter and making it your turn to laugh. from there, it devolves into a splash match, neither of you letting up, both of you too greedy for victory. your fingers are pruney, your mouth tastes of salt and your eyes are stinging; normally you would be complaining, but you really can’t when you’re with him.

after sending another scatter of water at armin, his blond head suddenly disappears under the water. you still your movements, tense as you watch the surface. “armin?” you call out, unsure if you should be worried or if he’s just playing a trick.

as his name starts to leave your lips again, you feel something wrap around your thighs and lift you out of the water. a yelp leaps from your lungs and your hands desperately find purchase on armin’s shoulders. below you, armin’s smile is toothy with mischief, his hair is clinging to his forehead and his eyes are shimmering in the pink twilight like nothing you’ve ever seen before; you’re so entranced you forget to scold him for startling you again.

gently, armin lowers you back into the water, but his arms stay touching your skin, crawling up to your waist. your arms do the same, hands gliding to the back of his neck, where you nudge him forward and catch his lips in your own. it’s long and tender and wet with saltwater.

“i love you,” armin whispers as you part.

“i love you too,” you murmur back, thumbing away the hair that’s stuck near his eyes. in your peripheral, you notice armin staring at you, and the heat in your cheeks is immediate. when you shift your gaze back to his, it’s like his eyes are sparkling.

“you’re so pretty,” he mumbles dreamily.

your warm cheeks only grow warmer and in flustered frustration, or perhaps out of cute aggression, you squish armin’s cheeks between your hands. “shut up, you adorable idiot.” and then you’re leaning in for another kiss.

after sunset, armin takes you back to his place on his moped, your arms around his waist and your cheek pressed against his back as he drives you down the scenic route. once there, you decide to take turns to shower, and armin lets you go first. now, you’re waiting for him to finish, lying across his bed and scrolling on your phone. every so often, you nuzzle your face into his pillow, addicted to the smell: fresh linen, vanilla and seasalt, and something strong and masculine that’s all his own.

armin ambles through the door, a towel around his neck and drops of water dripping from his hair. he adorns a baggy satin button-up, open to reveal the pale plains of his torso, and some simple shorts; you can’t help but admire him.

“c’mere,” you say, swinging your legs over the edge of the bed and beckoning him over. he immediately obeys, making you smile. you place a kiss on his belly and the muscles twitch under your touch. when you lean back and look at him, his cheeks are flushed. “you’re so cute,” you coo before patting the space between your legs. “sit. i’ll dry your hair off for you.”

without a word of complaint, armin sits down on the floor between your legs. you reach down and lift the towel over his head. you start off by gently squeezing the residual water out before beginning to rub and massage his hair.

“today was so much fun,” armin says, his smile evident in his voice.

you hum and smile as well. “we should do it more often.”

“really?” armin tilts his head to look up at you, only for you to tut at him.

he pouts, so you peck the crown of his head. “yes, really.”

he seems happy enough at that, leaning back and letting you spend the next few minutes drying off his hair. afterwards, the two of you get ready for bed. you settle in armin’s arms, surrounded by his smell and warming your hands against the skin under his shirt.

“i love you,” armin says into your hair, voice quiet and low, like the ocean at night.

“you’ve already said that today,” you mumble against his chest.

his smile is lazy but beaming as it always is. “i can say it more than once, can’t i?”

“mm-mm.” you shake your head. “saying it more than once makes you a sap.”

armin sighs. “well, i like being a sap then,” he says, holding you closer and kissing your temple. you can only hum, too drowsy to formulate a response. armin’s hand traces patterns into the bump of your hip, and the delicate movement, along with the steady heartbeat in his chest, pull you the rest of the way into the embrace of sleep.

[guabiju-marciana]

When you unintentionally become someone's hero - Part 3 - Cove Holden x Reader

(Y/N) kneels down beside their construction and starts looking in the big bag for the necessary tools to mount the tents.

“I'll do it, you can... I dunno, gather some wood or something.”

“Oh, I kinda wanted to help with it, though”

She gives him the most unimpressed and pointed look she can manage. “Nope, not happening, we're not bats, Cove.”

“Oh my god that was ONE time!”

“One time too many.”

He pouts cutely.

She pauses for a moment in her rummaging, looking at him with an apologetic smile. “How even did you manage to secure it upside down like that?”

“You've been dying to ask me that, huh?” He grumbles, gaze directed to the side and feet kicking at the little sand castle.

“It's been haunting me all these years, I feel like I've aged faster because of it, it's a horrible thing really, this burning curiosity.” He giggles, and she knows the callback to his nonexistent camping skills has been forgiven. “It's like they say, curiosity aged the cat!”

“I'm pretty sure it's killed.”

“Is that a threat, Cove Holden?”

“N-no! It's the saying!” He sputters, horrified, head wiping back to look at her so fast he gives himself whiplash, “Gah!”

(Y/N) laughs openly at the disturbed way he gapes at her, and cups her hand around his sore neck to give him a massage.

“Mhmm, you're banned from my room for the next week, just in case you're planning on whisking me away into the ocean's depths in the middle of the night”

Cove groans as she raises her eyebrow at him in a secret challenge. He tilts his head to give her better access to his neck. “It's not like I could force you into that situation anyway, you'd kick my ass!”

“True, but who's to say you're not secretly a siren waiting to enchant me with your singing”

“…you'd have to be desperate to fall for my terrible singing.”

“Oh, don't be like that. I'm sure there's some algae out there that would disagree.”

“You're mean. You're a mean friend.”

“Rather mean than dishonest!”

He rolls his eyes, stepping away from her hand and grumbling under his breath.

She sighs and looks down at the camping gear by their feet.

“It would also be dishonest to say you can't help out with the big stuff. You have to learn eventually.”

She grabs the nearest hook and presents it to him.

“Well, go on, then.”

Cove's pout turns upside-down, and he jumps forward, yanking the tool out of her hands and crouching down to begin assembling their tent.

(Y/N) watches closely over the task, worried he could hurt himself, but with her expert tutoring and a lot of bickering he eventually finishes, and they stand before a very much NOT at a queer angle camping site.

She sighs heavily as he beams proudly back at her.

“Yes, yes, you're such a big boy now, Cove, I knew you'd get there someday.”

Her hand slaps his back in an affectionate push, and the boy stumbles.

She startles when he starts falling and by pure reflex she manages to stabilize him through a hug around his waist.

He gasps loudly, choking on his own saliva. She can feel his skin warming up in a furious blush under her hands, so she slowly takes them off him, but she doesn't step back, keeping close to the boy while holding in her breath.

“Uh… Sorry. You okay?”

“…”

His face disappears behind his hands, and she can hear a long string of gibberish in a high-pitched tone escape between his fingers.

“Uh, Cove? What's wrong, did I hurt you??” There's a lilt of panic to her voice, not wanting to touch him in case that was the trigger, she fumbles with her hand, wringing them nervously.

“… You did it again.”

“What did I do exactly?”

His eyes peek from behind flushed fingertips.

“You grabbed me (Y/N)!! You KNOW, like a gorilla!”

“Hey now, I didn't even use that much strength. And why are you complaining about that? You said so yourself how much you admire strong peopl-” She blinks, “…oh.”

“Cove…” An evil grin stretches her lips. “Did my strong arms over your dainty waist give you feeelings?”

The embarrassed groan that he lets out is music to her ears.

“You pervert!! I'm telling Cliff his boy is a menace!”

She turns to run in the direction of their home, and she can only hear him squeal behind her and give chase.

“(Y/N) don't you dare! Stooop!”

She's cackling loudly and completely breathless by the time the young boy's father opens the door and looks down at her curiously. His son's voice in the distance screeching for him to close the door in her face only makes him slightly worried.

“(Y/N)! Wasn't expecting you two back so soon, I hope everything's okay?”

“Oh, older Holden, you have no idea!~”