#You already know people are going to be unhinged and thirsty

[just-the-jack-in-the-box-guy]

Oh boy. I think we know where this is gonna go…👀

[workingforthewidow]

What is up bitches and hoes. Ya girl is back. And by back I mean my cat brain was able to hyper fixate on something long enough to write for it. Also I’m in my ‘final girl’ ‘slasher fucker’ era. So be prepared for some fucked up shit. I am unhinged and hot for men that wear masks and kill people and people that just kill people in general. So onto the show. This is my first time writing and posting in forever so plz be nice lol

18+

Pairings: Otis Driftwood X Stockholm syndrome!reader (darling is in so deep there’s no coming back). Reader X platonic Firefly family.

She/her pronouns for reader. I tried to keep descriptions to a minimum, did mention pulling readers hair a lot but I mean i pull my husbands hair a lot and he has short hair so yeah.

Warnings: as stated reader is in deep for Otis like so much Stockholm syndrome going on. Slight smut. I think like 1 single use of Daddy in a power play way. Reference to non-con. This is Otis we are talking about so he can be a warning himself. But also OOC Otis. His mood swings will give you whiplash. Blood. Lots of blood. Killing people. Guns used in a sexual way. Knives. If there’s any major i missed please let me know! But yeah- don’t like it don’t read it.

Word count: 4,245

God i am so feral for this man.

Also a big THANK YOU and I LOVE YOU to the person who inspired me to write again go check out their work if you haven’t: @lovely-cryptid

Ugh i am so nervous to post this but imma do it! Link to part 2

She sometimes wondered if her family even knew she was missing or that she had even left. The whole reason she was out on that lonely road was her attempt to leave everything behind, everyone behind. So in a sense she did succeed in that but this was not what she had in mind when she pictured her freedom from her mother and her step-father. She had pictured herself in a big city with a cute little apartment with big windows that looked out over a park or maybe water. She’d have a good job but nothing too fancy. Working in a bookstore maybe or a flower shop. Something where she could be creative. But this wasn’t that magical place. Not even close.

Well you could say that she got to be creative in some sense. If you count being the muse and model for an insane blood thirsty ‘artist’ as creative. Sometimes he did let her pick out some of the smaller details of his work. Like how the hair was styled if it involved a human. But for the most part she was there for him to use when he needed to take out his anger and frustration. “Fucking my pretty little princess always cures the artist block” he would say as he pounded into her without a care for how she felt. All that matter was he got his dick wet. She didn’t mind thought. It kept him happy and she loved him when he was happy. He was kinder.

She could have never imagine this would be her life when she ran out of her mother’s house a year ago. A year, had it really been a year? Was it October already? She couldn’t be too sure. He rarely let her out of his, their, room unless it was to eat at the table as a family. The last time she was able to see a calendar was in August when he took her to the ‘museum’ to give Captain Spaulding the newest exhibit.

She had to beg on her knees for him to let her come along with him. That led to him agreeing with a stipulation of course, “Already on your knees princess might as put that mouth to work. Show me how badly you wanna go.” After giving into his demands she was able to leave the Firefly house and make the trip to see Spaulding. They only stayed a few minutes. Enough time for him to set up his ‘art’ and for her to see that the calendar read “August 17” but looking back what if that was wrong? It didn’t have the year on it, that calendar could have been from 5 years ago for all she knew.

At that point she figured she might as well ask him the date. She had been good the last few weeks. He had even told her that himself. He was being nicer only calling her a slut or a whore when he was fucking her in anger. But now he was calling her sweet things like ‘princess and sweetheart’ he had even called her baby once. But Baby heard him say that and hit the fan mad. Not that Baby didn’t like her. In all fairness her and Baby had become pretty good friends. She would even dare to say best friends. When he was being nice he would let Baby come to the room and talk to her. If he was being really nice and she had been really good for him, he would let her go to Baby’s room. That was the best. Baby would do her hair and makeup and dress her up in pretty outfits. He only let her wear her tiny jean shorts, which she was pretty sure he had cut shorter then when she bought them and a shirt that barely covered her breast. During the winter he had let her wear one of his flannel shirts over her outfit after Mama Firefly got onto him when the poor girl about froze to death. Texas winters could be as brutal as Texas summers if you were in the right place.

“Otis?” She called softly from her place on the bed but then cringed when she realized her mistake. He had been working on a new ‘project’ all morning his back to her and she couldn’t really see what was being created.

“Try again Princess. Get it right or I’ll have to punish you. And you’ve been so good for me for so long.” He didn’t even turn to look at her but she knew he was smirking to himself. He always found pleasure in the little roles he had created for them. But this was no game or play that came to end. This was her life.

“I’m sorry Daddy,” Otis was sure if he hadn’t had been listening for the response it would have been too soft for him to hear. He heard the bed squeak signaling she had moved. In the corner of his eye he could see her kneel next to him and soon felt her hand on his thigh. He looked down to see her staring up at him with her big innocent eyes. His innocent little pretty princess. His naive little sweetheart.

“Good girl, what do you want?” He ran his hand through her hair once before grabbing a fist full at the base of her skull forcing her to stay looking up at him.

“Um, I, I, um. Just was wondering, what’s the date?”

“Tuesday.” Was that all she wanted. Interrupted his work for that.

“No, like what is the date? Like what month is it and the day?”

He tightened his fist in her hair making her whine at the pain “Why the fuck does it matter? Have some place to be? A hot date waiting for you?”

With tears pricking at her eyes she tried to follow his hand to relieve the pressure on her head. “No, no. I only want to be here with you. No where else. With no one else.” She made her eyes wide again trying to get back on his good side with her innocent look. He loved that look.

He loosened his grip on her hair and scratched his chin as if he had to think long and hard about the date.

“It’s October 30. Now why the fuck does it matter? It ain’t your birthday seeing as Baby isn’t fucking around insisting on a party for her little best friend. So what’s so important about today huh?” He had bent down his nose brushing against hers lips barely brushing.

“It’s been a year. A year since you brought me home with you.” She smiled. He may be mean when he’s angry but she did fell at home with him. He did care for her. He did love her. At least that’s what she told herself.

“Didn’t think you’d be so much a little romantic princess. What you want some little anniversary dinner? Think I’m gonna buy you little presents? This is your present sweetheart. You ain’t dead.” He growled in her ear and moved away from her face. “Now get back on the bed and shut your fucking mouth. I’m almost done and if you interrupt again I’ll have Tiny take you down to the basement for the night.”

Her eyes went wide in terror. She hated the basement. Tiny wasn’t bad, they had become pretty good friends. But the basement was not fun. It was dark and cold and damp. Otis had made her stay in the basement when he first brought her to the house after picking her up off the side of road where her car had ‘broken down’ aka where RJ had shot her tires out. It took her a few days to calm down and stop the kicking and screaming. It had only taken a few whips with his belt and the threats of deaths for her to finally listen to him. But she realized once she was being good that he did just want what was best for her. She saw how many girls he brought in and killed. But he chose her. He saved her and kept her safe. Kept her warm and well fed. And as long as she was good for him he was good to her.

“Yes, sir.” She responded quickly as it was a toss up if he wanted her response at all or if that itself would get her to the basement. She crawled back up the bed and laid out on her stomach facing him so she could watch him work. He was painting today.

He turned briefly looking to see if she followed his demand. Which she had, as she always did- his perfect little princess. How lucky he was when he found her. He hadn’t planned originally on keeping her but she was different from the others. She screamed sure but there was something about her eyes. He could tell she was naive but also wouldn’t mind some blood. Her eyes screamed innocence but at the same time he could tell she had seen some of the horrors of this world. He would later learn that horror of hers was from her abusive parents. She didn’t tell him outright but her nightmares usually came along with sleep talking and he had pried a lot of her in her unconscious state.

“Good girl, princess.” He praised her before turning back to his work. She did as she was told and stayed silent for the next hour while he worked. Finally by midnight he was done and she had passed out waiting for him on the bed. He grabbed her hair again and pulled her up, her hands flying up to grab his wrist and looked up at him with now wide awake eyes. “All done princess. You want dinner?”

Oh right they didn’t eat dinner. Odd, Baby normally always came to collect them for dinner when Otis was working. She knew that he would get caught up in his work and forget to feed her little best friend.

She nodded as best she could with his grip on her hair. “Yes please.” She didn’t realize how hungry she was until the thought of dinner crossed her mind.

“Come on then hurry up. Put these on.” He ordered throwing her short skirt and shoes at her. Why was he making wear her shoes? The skirt she knew, even if it barely covered her it was enough to keep Hugo off her a bit. But the shoes? She wasn’t supposed to wear shoes in the house that was one of the rules. “Mama didn’t make enough dinner for us. Seems she forgot about us. Figured I’d be nice and take you somewhere. That’s what you wanted right? Some kinda anniversary dinner?”

“If that’s what you want. I just want to make you happy.” She said slipping on her shoes as ordered.

“Of course you do sweetheart. Come on lets go.” Otis grabbed her wrist and pulled her down the stairs and out to his truck. He threw her into the passenger seat before getting in the driver side. Once the truck was started the radio came on playing her favorite Frank Sinatra song.

She gasped and smiled wide. “I love this song.” She said without thinking before clasping her hand over her mouth. Another one of his rules- Don’t speak unless given permission. She looked up at him with her big eyes. “I’m sorry I was just excited and…”

Otis moved his hand to her thigh gripping the skin so hard she knew she’d have a handprint shaped mark in the morning. She stilled and waiting for his next move.

“Don’t have to apologize for that sweetheart. You’ve been a good girl. Maybe it’s time to change the rules a little, yeah?” He smiled at her with his wicked smile that would send shivers down anyone else’s spine and pulled her closer to him running his hand higher up her thigh. “You be a good girl while we’re out and when we get home. Tomorrow I’ll think about changing your rules.”

She took a breath. He was happy with her. So happy he was going to change her rules. Maybe she would be allowed to leave the room without him. Spend more time with Baby and Tiny. Or even Mama. She loved Mama. Mama was everything she wished her mother had been.

Finally Otis pulled the truck off to a 24 hour roadside dinner. There were only a couple cars, probably belonging to the workers, and a few long haul trucks. Otis got out and pulled her along with him. Once her feet hit the ground he wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her forehead, “Be good.” It was a simple command and a simple warning. “Be good” meant not only behave in general but also “don’t you dare tell anyone what happens at home.” He had only taken her out in public once, outside of her trips to Captain Spaulding’s, when he took her to buy her new outfits for her to wear for him. And by outfits of course that means bras that barely hold her tits and panties that barely covered anything. Along with a few short skirts and shorts. He didn’t like when Hugo eyed his woman. But oh how Otis loved to see his princess dressed up for him.

She reached up and kissed him on his cheek. She knew he loved it when she showed him affection. “Of course. Always a good girl for you.” She promised him.

They made it to the door and he was even kind enough to hold the door open for her. The waitress at the counter greeted them and told them to find a seat anywhere. He found them a booth far in the corner away from everyone else and pulled her down in his lap grabbing the menu. He let her trail her fingers over it reading each line and finally pointing out what she wanted. Of course, the sweetest thing on the menu. The waitress made her way over and smiled at them.

“Y’all need a minute or are you ready to order?”

Otis tightened his grip on her waist and she knew that meant stay quiet.

“Water, coffee, bacon and scrambled eggs, and the waffles.” He didn’t even look the waitress in the eye. “Chocolate chips on the waffles.”

She must have been really good if he was letting her have sweet treats.

The waitress nodded, writing down the order, before going to the kitchen.

They sat in silence. His hand drifting up and down her leg as they waited. A few minutes go by and the waitress reappears with a tray holding the drinks and food. “Here ya go darlings. Anything else?” Otis waves her off with a huff and she retreats back to the counter where a few truckers are sitting.

He takes a slice of bacon and chews it loudly in her ear before holding a piece to her mouth. “Eat up princess. I’ve been thinking about this whole anniversary non-sense and I think if I’m being so nice getting you this food then when we get home we will play one of our little games.”

She nodded happily, giggling and wiggling in his lap feel him grow harder under her. Playing games meant he was happy and in a good mood. She let him feed her until the plates were cleared. The waitress returned at that point slapping the bill on the table before turning on her heel walking away. She obviously did not enjoy being waved off earlier.

“Did you like it Princess? Wanna come back?” Was the game already starting? He didn’t normally ask her her preferences. “I didn’t like. I don’t think we’ll be back.”

“It was okay. Not as good as Mama’s cooking.” Mama made the best waffles.

Without a word and without looking at the bill Otis stood up and started walking her to the door.

“Sir you need to pay the bill! Excuse me!” The waitress yelled from behind the counter. Otis smirked down at his girl and chuckled darkly. He then whirled around and pull his gun from his waistband.

“I don’t have to do shit bitch.” He then grabbed her hand and threw her back in the truck speeding away towards home.

He was driving far past the speed limit, as fast as a bat out of hell. She looked up at him with her big eyes then down at the gun in-between them in the seat of the truck. He had never brought it out in front of her. He liked to use his knifes, belts, or even his hands on her. She couldn’t even name a time she had a gun this close outside of being on a police officers hip.

“Not gonna fucking bite you. What the little princess never seen a gun before?” He eyes burned on her. She shook her head. “Well then Princess, why don’t we start the game now?” He grabbed the gun and pressed it against against her temple. “Open those legs pretty girl.” She did as she was told and he moved the gun down her body until it was between her legs. “You fucking get off on this and cum without permission I will blow your brains out. Don’t care how much a pretty fuck you are. Understood?”

She let out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding, “Yes.”

He slid the barrel of the gun against her folds making her shiver against the cold metal. He kept it up at a steady pace for what felt like hours but he made sure to never reach right where she wanted him. She was looking straight ahead trying to find any landmarks showing they were close to home. Right as she was about to work up the nerve to ask him, he finally hit her sweet spot. She moaned and threw her head back.

“There we go princess. Don’t forget the rules.” He moved faster bringing her close to the edge and pulling away. Finally the light of the house came into view. He stopped the truck but continued playing with her for a few minutes before pulling the gun away from her core.

He looked it over before grabbing her chin, “Open wide sweetheart. You made my gun dirty, now you gotta suck it clean. Be a good girl.” Be a good girl. Yes she is a good girl for him. She opened her mouth sticking out her tongue letting him slide the barrel into her mouth. She began licking and sucking her juices off the shiny metal when she heard a click. She gulped and looked at him to see his wicked smile. “Good girls don’t have to worry if the safety is off. And you’re a good girl right?” She nodded and continued until he finally pulled away wiping her spit off on his shirt. He then got out of the truck pulling her along with him as always. “Good girl, now you have 2 minutes to get that pretty ass upstairs and ready in our room. Wear the white.” Oh he really wanted to play today. He only had her wear a white set if he intended to stain it red. “Timer’s already started Princess I’d hurry if I was you.” He slapped her hard on her ass kicking her into gear. She darted into the house trying to be careful not to knock anything over. She reached the threshold of their room when she heard him slam the front door shut meaning she had about 1 minute left. She ripped off her clothes and threw on the first white lace bra and panties she could find. Once she was dressed she dropped to her knees sitting back on her heels, hands in her lap, looking up and waiting.

Otis finally opened the bedroom door and smirked at the sight before him. She was so pretty like that. Ready and waiting to suck his cock. He walked up to her stripping his clothes as he walked holding his belt in his hands. “Ain’t you a sight for sore eyes? On the bed arms up.”

She followed his orders and laid down arms against the headboard. She knew the drill at this point. He looped the belt around her wrist securing her to the bed. He then tied a blindfold around her eyes. This game was her favorite. She didn’t know why but he always was happier after they played this game.

A drawer opened and she heard the clicks of metal against metal. She then felt an ice cold blade against her throat. “One sound. One single sound and I will gut you like a pig. Got it?” She nodded to the best of her ability. “Good girl now be quiet.” The knife moved across her body slowly. She had yet to feel skin break. He moved up and down her arms and her legs. Around her bellybutton and traced the insides of her thighs. Then the feeling was gone. And she heard the rustling sound of clothes being thrown on and the bedroom door slamming.

This wasn’t part of the game. He was suppose to cut her, carve his name on her and lick the blood. Slice her up with tiny cuts that would bead some bubbles of blood enough for him to paint her in but not enough to kill her or even truly hurt her. But he never left before it was over. He didn’t always stay long afterwards, aftercare is not in his vocabulary but he never left before they were done.

Had he decided he was done with her? Was he going to get RJ and Tiny so they could be ready to take her body when he was done with it? Questions and thoughts started whirling in her head. Fear creeping up on her. She was alone again. She was alone and going to die. Her life with the Firefly’s wasn’t perfect but it was hers and she was enjoying it.

Tears started to slip from her eyes wetting the blindfold that had been tied to her. Maybe he was going to leave her here to starve. Let her have a final meal and then starve her. Her tears soon turned to sobs and before she knew it her breathing was getting shaky. Everything was spinning even though she couldn't see anything. Her brain was spinning it felt like. Her body was shaking violently.

“The fuck is wrong with you girl?” His voice boomed into the room and he removed his belt from her hands pulling her into his lap before taking off the blindfold. He was being oddly kind, like he was worried about her.

She continued to shake and sob for a minute before finally calming down enough to look at him. “You, you, you left. You never leave until the game is finished. Left me alone again.”

He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Someone wondered up the property Princess. Had to make sure the cops weren’t showing up. Don’t need the pigs here when I have a pretty little runaway in my bed.” Then in a rare moment, a very rare moment that had only happened once when he was drunk but she counted it because it was the only time it happened; he kissed her. Like a real kiss from someone you love not a power play. “Ain’t nothing gonna happen to you Princess. I promise.”

She wiped her eyes and looked up at him like he was the center of her whole universe, “You won’t abandon me, right?” It was barely a whisper almost as if she was unsure if she could ask.

Otis brushed her hair out of her face and kissed her forehead, “You’re mine forever silly girl. I love you.”

Those three words. The three little words he knew would hook her right in again. He didn’t have to worry about anything as long as he dangled that little carrot in front of her face once every couple weeks. He wasn’t sure if he even meant it. In the beginning he knew he didn’t but now as time had gone on he wasn’t sure anymore. Maybe this pretty little princess from the other side of Texas was changing him.

“I love you too.” She sighed kissing his neck before snuggling into him. There would be no wicked game for a few hours. He would be kind. He would let her sleep next to him. Let her snuggle up on his chest while he played with her hair. Let her have a few hours where they played like they were a normal couple, just a man and his girl sleeping the night away.

But Otis Driftwood was anything but just a man. He was different and he knew it. But she was different too. Maybe she was meant to be here. Meant to be his girl forever. But that was a problem for another day. A day when he was 7 beers deep and didn't have to think too hard.

“Goodnight Princess you can sleep now. I ain't going anywhere. And when you wake up, I’ll let you go to Baby’s room.” He kissed her hair again and moved them down on the bed throwing the blanket over them.

[miabebe]

Hi,

Well, I saw your post about seventeen camp series and I'm just here to tell you that I have already read just the prologue and the character descriptions multiple times because of how excited I am. I'll start off with the fact that the last line of the prologue drove me absolutely crazy. I can't say my thoughts did not take a turn with that statement, and well, I can't wait to see what her actual duty will be. Another thing is her reaction to cheol's proposal for her to live in his house until she has her own, like girl, I totally understand, I would not know how to behave if I were in that situation either. Then again, jihoon knowing that she's thirsty,god, that is another situation that would make me draw a blank. As for who she should end up with, idk, right now, I can't tell but honestly I wouldn't mind whoever she ends up with(although, the unhinged part of me thinks she should just end up with all 13 them). As for the, ahem, ahem, the threesome, well, I love them all the same but god, I'm a sucker for the 95 liners, them being such menaces and together at that? Oh, that would make me feral, as if I'm not already, but yeah(I think they'd be so mean, from the prologue, I can tell they're insane and I, I'm gonna stop right there). I'm extremely curious as to how she'll contribute, how their relationship will continue, and the lawsuit, I cannot even speculate what it is. I want to see them fight, the training and damn, all the tension. Also, how deprived are all of them for them to react like that to her drinking water? That is also something I'm curious about, and well, just how insane they are(both irl and in the be-). I might go and say that this might become my favorite work of yours. If I had to root for specific members, I would say, the 95 liners, for obvious reasons. Overall, I'm just very excited for this one. Hope you have a happy start to this writing journey and enjoy yourself while writing it 😊.

Hi again! I'm happy to see you in my inbox once more <3

Ahhh multiple times? Thank youu, I'm glad at least someone is as excited for this as I am! And hmm all thirteen of them, interesting, only time will tell!

Ooh yes that last line of the prologue was to intentionally set up the idea for ot13 hehe but we've got lot of things to cover like you said her duty on camp, her relationship with each member, her own growth as a newly discovered demigod, the lawsuit especially - we've got lots of plot coming up cause I sadly cannot function without plot and do something pwp so there is loads to cover in the demi-verse

But ahhh the infamous 95 liners (although that would make it a foursome but who's to say I don't have 4 or more planned already) and since OC is starting off living with Cheol so I guess we'll see how that goes hehe and yes they are highly deprived - you'll know why when the chapters start droppinggg

Omggg it would make me the happiest if you love the Camp Seventeen series - the planning for this has been on for months and I'm sure with wonderful people like you looking forward to it, I'm gonna have the best time writing!

[therealms-number1angirl]

The Demon King Chapters 12-15

05/27/24

Chapter Twelve:

Admittedly, I've had chapter 12 bookmarked since i started reading. this was the point that changed everything. when i was in eight grade, telling myself, i'll read this last chapter and then go to bed-- but then ended up reading the rest of the book just in case raisa and han ended up meeting again lol i was so pissed when i had to wait two days to read the Exiled Queen.

Raisa is so funny, especially with the Amon thing! like, 'you want to tell your friends that i'm your sister, i'm going to kiss you in front of your friends!' She's so unhinged in the first book, i love it.

First meeting of the Grey Wolves, but it does make me wonder what's so wrong with the other two or three people in Amon's triple that he didn't ask them along to help 😭

This chapter was also the first time the infamous 'trader face' was named.

First off, it's actually 8 now. Second off, she's so thirsty, even now, and i love that for her.

Raisa and Han's first meeting is what we in the business refer to as a 'meet ugly' and it's perfect <3

Also, I always wonder what Averill is thinking in this scene? Like, yeah, his daughter getting kidnapped is bad, his daughter getting kidnapped by a former streetlord and accused murderer is WORSE, but he also has to have recognized the cuffs, and the last name Alister, right? Like, how is he not freaking out that his daughter is being taken by Waterlow's heir 😭

We are still talking about a pat down, right?

They just GET each other 😭

Chapter Thirteen:

Han getting jealous of Raisa's hypothetical marriage after knowing her for an hour, he is so unserious 😭

They're so cute! They were exactly what the other wanted AND needed (just maybe not at the exact right time)

FIRST CAT APPEARANCE!!!

I HATE HIM SO MUCH 😭 like, man, you just kidnapped her, have some decorum!

SHE KNOWS HIM SO WELL ALREADY 😖

I love them, your honor

Chapter Fourteen:

Raisa having to learn that being born into the line doesn't make a ruler, but she wants what is best for her people, and that is what separates her from Marianna <3

Just in case you thought that Raisa was in any way more serious than Han, btw

Raisa trying to send Han away, knowing he can't help her, and he's just regretting all of his life choices bc he's so worried for her but can't follow 😭

Adding this so that we can all cheer on our queen, Raisa ana'Marianna 👏

Chapter Fifteen:

Amon POV!

I know 😒

Everyone say "thank you, amon" for being the reason that han and raisa met <3

Han trying to cover up how worried he is about Raisa by getting under Amon's skin and making jokes 🤧

Okay, Amon can be funny too

If you had told me before i read these books that chemistry could be conveyed through the written word, i wouldn't have believed you-- CINDA WHAT KIND OF SORCERY DO YOU WIELD??? (these were the last words they spoke to each other in this book btw)

Raisa, always defending Hanson Alister 🥺

[majesticwren]

The Hanging Tree (Dean Ambrose | Jon Moxley x OFC)

Summary: Are you, are you comin' to the tree? Where they strung up a man, they say, who murdered three — She is on a path looking for war as her fate foretold. And he has war within him. Both, thirsty for vengeance, justice and blood.

Words: 10k. Trigger Warnings: Mention of Canon Violence, Mention of Fighting, Mention of Paganism, Mention of Past Trauma, Mention of PTSD, Toxic Working Out as a Coping Mechanism - please kids don't do this at home, Valkyrie is as unhinged as a broken door in this chapter, sorry, she isn't having a good time, Semi-Public Smut (?), Mention of Sex. Tags: my lovely @hirunoka and honorary mention to @literaryuppsala, thank you both for all the support 💕Let me know if you'd like to be added 🌻

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Chapter 4 - Dust to Dust.

Part I.

Valkyrie kicked open the men’s commune locker room, unconcerned and unbothered by the reaction people might have. Some didn’t even react, looking at her barging through their private space with cocky smiles and curious gazes. Others quickly covered themselves if they weren’t wearing clothes. Someone booed her. Someone else whistled, and, overall, everyone was just shocked by her arrival into the room without a single care in the world.

Only a few people were left anyways. The arena has been emptying for a while now and some of the athletes had already left to go back to their hotels. But she really couldn’t care regardless, she would have acted exactly in the same way even if she found herself in a room full of naked men.

Her sterile, detached gaze crossed the room specifically looking only for one man, everyone else who was there could have been part of the furniture and she would have given them the same level of attention.

"Where is he?" She wondered casually, approaching Roman. He was one of the men who quickly slid into some clothes as soon as they saw her, but again, it wasn't like she noticed there was anything wrong with her behaviour.

Thing is, she knew perfectly well that it wasn't socially acceptable. And she knew she could have been reprimanded. But again, it didn’t matter. It wasn't like it was as important as seeing Dean right that second.

She didn't just need to see him; it was vital that she saw him. It was as important as breathing. She was done having her bones so rattled by a simple man. And she was done waiting around, living every second being frustrated and uncertain. She was the one in control. And after their clash in the corridor before his match, she had decided that she wouldn't let him get away again.

She didn't even have the patience to wait for him to be done showering and changing. 

Roman cleared his voice, awkwardly looking around. "I don't think-"

"No," she shook a finger in front of his face, "I'm not asking your opinion. I'm asking you where Dean is."

Roman still fidgeted with his t-shirt as someone walked by, ass naked, "Hey, who misplaced the chick?" wondered the nameless guy Valkyrie didn't even care to look at. Roman, though, did and choked on his own breath. "You know you risk causing mayhem just by being here?"

"Why? It's not like I've never seen a naked man before." It was the most natural thing in the world, and yet, the way she shrugged it off still surprised Roman. It was as if she had just spoken gibberish to him.

"Yeah? Make sure to tell him that, so that he can fucking lose his temper because you decided to get in here and happened to see some naked men. Who he will reduce into a pulp. The poor bastards."

Valkyrie was already rolling her eyes at Roman’s dramatic words. It wasn't like he was wrong. She knew what Dean was capable of. She knew he didn't know patience. And he had been vocal about how easily his jealousy was woken. Gods, only thinking about that gave her a shiver.

And that specific reaction was the exact reason why none of it mattered.

She needed to see Dean because whereas every other man surrounding her was nothing more than that, with very little value to her interest, he was the magnetic pull she was gravitating around. Like the Moon around the Earth.

"Why don't you wait outside? I could send him to you," As Roman attempted to make her reconsider her ways, Valkyrie lifted her chin proudly, crossing her arms to her chest.

“And give him the chance to choose to avoid me?”

“He won’t do that.”

She simply shrugged. “Well then, might as well go to him.”

Roman rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "You are fucking mental, you know that!?" Even if he was shaking his head, a tiny smile still crossed his lips. The second he realised she didn’t intend to give him an answer, still standing there with her proud, determined look, a sigh left his chest. “You waited an entire week and now you can’t wait a minute?”

“Precisely, Roman. I waited too long already.”

“Truly made for each other,” now his smile grew. He didn’t mean those words with the slightest intention of being disrespectful. A sigh still left his chest, as he shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m doing this. Alright, he's in the steam room.”

Before she moved, Roman did grab her arm, sending her the quickest side eye, his lips still curled in a genuinely amused smile. “One second, sweetheart,” his eyes then crossed the room, “is Bryan out of the steam room yet?”

“Here.” Called a guy from the other side of the room. Her gaze crossed his only for a moment and a nod of recognition was exchanged. He was one of the men she had helped in the past, one of her first. And he was also the first one who had accepted to repay his debt without even a doubt, treating her right and with the respect, any man would get from the very beginning. She had always liked him. Men like him deserved to be blessed by her Gods.

As Daniel’s attention got caught, probably thinking she needed him, he approached them. Differently from Roman, he didn’t even bother to put clothes on, still only wearing a towel around his waist.

“Aren’t you a naughty one?” He wondered with an amused smile growing on his lips.

“Only when I try really hard.”

Daniel offered her a soft smile, completely different from the look he exchanged with Roman. “Is everything ok?”

“Yes, thanks, Dan. Just need to speak to Ambrose.”

Daniel nodded and then pointed just behind his shoulder. “He is still in there. He is in a major shit mood though. Took a hell of a beating out there. I wouldn't go too close.” He chuckled, looking up at Roman, almost as if he was taking it as a joke, ignoring Roman’s serious and opposite opinion.

Valkyrie wasn’t amused either. The serious beating Dean had taken in the ring that night and the fact that she had to stay back, fighting by her teeth against her need to go and protect him, was one of the reasons why she had no intention to wait for a second longer to see him.

Before any of them could say more, Valkyrie slipped away from Roman’s hold and approached the steam room, ignoring whatever both men were mumbling regarding her behaviour. Roman still tried to keep hold of her as Daniel just chuckled. She didn’t care. She had a goal and she was determined to do everything in her power to get there.

Entering the dark steam room, she was met by the heavy curtain of steam that filled the entire small space. The air was dense and hot and it quickly stuck to her skin. It was difficult to breathe or see, and it was uncomfortable, but she did not care.

Valkyrie stood by the door, her hands still on the handle, as her eyes slid across the room, to Dean’s figure. Apart from the towel around his waist, he was naked, and that was the first time since she stepped into the locker room – probably in her entire life, in all honesty – that such a thought had so much power to shake her.

In any other case, it was natural. Nothing to see that would have either shocked her or attracted her attention. But in Dean's case - only the thought was enough to drive her insane. And knowing he was flesh and bone, in front of her, basically one step away from being exposed completely, made her choke on her own breath and salivate like a wild beast.

“You shouldn’t be here.” His deep voice echoed through the empty room, right to her belly. It was everything he had to say on the matter though. His gaze had lazily moved on her, crossing her figure from head to toe, but he didn’t even try to prevent her from doing what she wanted.

“I don’t care.” She whispered softly, locking the door behind her.

Only silence came from Dean, as he just watched her move through the room. He didn’t try to reason. He didn’t try to object. Maybe he was too tired for it. And she surely hoped he was done arguing.

He sat with his back leaning against the wall. His hair was wet, pulled back in a way that only made her wish to slide her fingers through it. She observed the lean edges of his muscles, avidly studying his pink skin pearled by the steam. She didn’t even try to stop herself from thinking he looked delicious.

"Are you going to fight me on this?" She wondered, approaching him.

Dean hadn't lifted his attention from her for one second. It wasn't entirely mistrust, but it wasn't only curiosity either. He still shook his head in a no as his body language appeared welcoming.

"What would this be?" He wondered, genuinely puzzled.

Now that she was close enough, Valkyrie did exactly what she had been thinking to do since the very beginning. It was impossible, after all, for her to be in the same room with him and not feel the visceral need for physical contact.

She slid one of her hands on his shoulder, barely touching his skin with her fingertips. And yet, that was enough for him to react. Filling his lungs of steamy air, as if her touch had just woken him after a long slumber, Dean welcomed her between his arms, indulging her and helping her to sit in his lap holding her firmly by the hips.

A large smile appeared on her lips as she straddled him. Immediately giving in another thought, Valkyrie slid her hands through his hair, loving to see how he moulded under her touch, looking for contact.

"This is me telling you I'm done trying to stay away from you," her tone was low and gentle as she pushed herself closer to him, daring to kiss his forehead. Dean released a pleasureful sigh, letting her do as she pleased and relaxing under her touch. So, she was pushed to kiss him again, this time on the cheek.

"I need you," she began tracing her lips to his temple, and then to the side of his nose, "I want you."

His hold around her hips became tighter.

"You shouldn't." His tone was barely audible as a shiver crossed his figure. Despite his words, he didn't oppose her in any way. "I'd only hurt you."

She kept holding him tenderly. Their actions couldn't be further from their words. "Hurt me then." She whispered, kissing the tip of his nose.

The chuckle that rolled out of his chest surprised her. "I guess I am too tired to fight you, angel. Want it? I'll give it to you. But I warned you. Don't wanna hear it from no God when things will turn out sour."

"Ruin me, Dean Ambrose. I don't care."

He looked up at her. His gaze has never been as soft as it was then, as he cruised on her features.

He looked tired. But not physically. His body was as strong as ever. No, there was something inside his spirit that bent and cracked. He was done keeping her away.

Valkyrie moved her hands around his face, gently caressing his jaw, holding him like he was a precious, fragile thing. Her thumb crossed his lips.

"Can I kiss you?" She wondered looking down at him.

Dean looked at her completely carried away, hesitating only a second. "I should be the one asking." He mumbled, still not moving away from her hold. Still completely carried away by her gentle ways.

"What? Can I not be sweet with you?"

"Careful there. I'll get used to it. And then it will be your problem."

Valkyrie smiled. Making him lift his chin, she softly pressed her lips on his. "I want you to be my problem."

When she kissed him again, Dean was ready to catch her lips. His arms curled around her, as he wrapped her in a tight hug, pulling her towards him. His lips were so surprisingly soft and welcoming as he let her decide the pace. A soft, satisfied groan left his chest as soon as he had a taste of her tongue. She could barely think by then.

Tugging gently at his hair, she broke their kiss, catching her breath and trying her best to regain her mental faculties. “Will you come looking for me, later?”

“Oh, angel,” he whispered gently rubbing his nose against hers, before giving her another kiss, “yes.”

She felt so extremely lucky right there and then. She just got to see the soft, more vulnerable side of him, which was something she decided to consider so precious. He was dangerous and he was unstable, considered crazy by most, violent and chaotic by nature, and still able to lovingly hold her and to let her slide right through the cracks of his broken soul.

“My room number is five-five-three. I’ll be waiting for you.” She whispered close to his lips, unable to resist, giving in another kiss. She had to force herself to drag away from him before she could catch the chance of being too lost inside his arms to even think it possible to get away.

Part II.

“Right,” her manager whacking a fat folder full of pages on the table startled her back to focus, “you need to start listening to me, Val.”

She kept stuffing her bag with her stuff, as she packed. “Can we do this tomorrow, Sylvia?” A tired sigh left her chest.

“No. This can’t wait, sorry.”

Valkyrie looked back at the woman and then her eyes crossed the empty room as a hint of frustration started to slide under her skin.

She didn’t care about it. Any of it. The only thing she wanted to do was get out of there and meet with Dean to finish what they started. The hell she would have let him slip through her fingers again. And damned was every single second they spent apart.

She was still too deeply shaken by what had happened with Dean. Their kiss was on constant rewind in her mind and her senses were still filled with the memory of the man.  And the longer she was kept away from him, the worse the symptoms of her longing were becoming.

“Ok, out with it then. I don’t have all night.”

“Randy Orton is calling foul play on you.”

Valkyrie shrugged. “And? The match was last week. Why shall I care?”

“You should start giving a shit about how this gig works. Everything you do and who you chose to help impacts the audience and so your career here. Nothing stops at the end of a match-”

“Yeah, yeah, I remember the training. I know.” Valkyrie regretted the way she rudely dismissed her, knowing Sylvia had the best interest of their brand in mind and was only doing her job. At the same time, though, she was too tired to deal with any of that.

Sylvia sighed, doing her best to ignore Valkyrie’s behaviour. “He wants a rematch against you.”

Valkyrie cursed between gritted teeth. “Why? That motherfucker-”

“You even have to ask why?!”

“He had it coming. And I will only hand his ass back to him again.”

“Do not underestimate him. Randy Orton is a hothead. He is fucking dangerous and he has won the Championship multiple times. And you appear to have fallen right in the middle of the biggest, hottest feud in WWE in recent years.”

Valkyrie bit her tongue before replying anything. The look she shot her manager should have been enough. But instead of indulging her, Sylvia was just as pissed. She took a step forward, pointing a finger towards her. “You know that, right? You know that helping Dean Ambrose meant that shit hit the fan for you, don’t you? Tell me you’re not that stupid.”

“I didn’t have a choice.” She growled dangerously. Sylvia was pressing all her buttons and she surely didn’t have enough patience for that.

“Oh, but you did when you decided to be publicly seen hanging out with Reigns. Or when that silly squabble happened at breakfast? And don’t you think people are being blind in front of your behaviour? You are not hiding it as well as you think you are.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“If tonight you had just intervened to Seth Rollins’ aid and behaved-”

“I said I do not have a choice! I go where the Gods send me.” She squeezed her fists trying to calm her quickly raising temper, sedating it with the pain her nails digging into the skin of her palms gave her.

“But you did! You did have a choice. And you chose to publicly refuse to accept Rollins's gratitude and went against him as well. The audience loved it. Oh, how they adore feeding on this dramatic crap. But it doesn’t matter what the crowd thinks when that gets perceived as you so clearly picking a side. Right?”

Valkyrie bit her tongue so hard she could taste blood in her mouth. Though not even the pinch of that pain could distract her from her raising anger. Only, now, she wasn’t mad at Sylvia, but at herself. She had been so stupid. It was true that she hadn’t even tried to hide her interest in Dean. And surely, before then, she never thought she should have kept it a secret.

A shiver crossed her as she wondered what would have happened when the rumour of her barging through the men's locker room only to get to spend some time locked inside a steam room with Dean came out.

Stupid.

“Can you see my point?”

“What is your point, Sylvia?” Valkyrie sighed, rubbing a hand on her face.

She was so tired.

“They think you are involved with Dean Ambrose and that will be enough for their shit show to hit you. Orton, Kane, Triple H, Rollins. You will pay for everything Ambrose has done or is doing. Do you understand?”

Valkyrie shrugged. “I don’t care.”

“Of course, you don’t.”

“No, what I mean is that I am not afraid. Let them bring it.”

“Yeah? And what? You do not want to be on the wrong side of this dispute.”

“Fighting is what I do. That’s why I am here. That’s why people love me. If Orton wants to fight me let him fight me.”

“And what will happen when you’ll get jumped? These guys do not play safe or clean.”

“Well, from my perspective there’s not much we can throw at it, is there? I crossed Orton. He is now throwing a tantrum about it. I’ll give him more if he wants more.”

“You are ignoring the main problem.”

“What is the main problem.”

“Ambrose.”

“What about him?”

“He is not good for our brand. You can’t be associated with him. He is too dangerous and has fought with too many people. It would ruin you. Do you understand me?”

Valkyrie didn’t reply. She bit her tongue again, harder.

Sylvia sent her a sharp look, studying closely her reaction. “Why are you not denying your involvement with Ambrose?”

“Why shall I deny it?” She did her best to appear as innocent as she could, but it was as if Sylvia could read right into her.

As soon as she spoke, the other woman gasped, her eyes widened as she was crossed by realisation. Shock took over her. “Oh my God, Val. What did you do? You are already involved with the man, aren’t you?”

“I haven’t said that.”

“But it is the truth. I can see it now so clearly. God, this needs to be fixed. You need to fix it.” Sylvia trembled, looking around, genuinely panicking. “Dean Ambrose is bad. He is bad for business. But most importantly he is bad for you. You can’t-”

One second, she was trying her best to control herself, and the second later her anger spilt. Valkyrie punched the wall releasing a grunt, welcoming the pain that spread through her knuckles. The look she gave Sylvia was a clear warning that the punch wasn’t for the wall. “I’ve got a problem with you slandering him. Let’s begin from there. I am involved with the man. There. I’ve said it. So what? And I like hanging out with Roman Reigns, got a problem with that? Go tell him. And you keep saying our brand as if you have anything to do with it. This is my brand. My name. My legacy. I am the one who gets out there. I fight. I bring you money. So, with it, I’ll do what I want.”

To Sylvia's speechless reaction, Valkyrie dared to point at the door. “You are free to go if you do not agree.”

“This will be your undoing. I hope you know that.”

Valkyrie swore in old Norse, rolling her eyes to the ceiling. “Why?”

“Don’t you understand what I’ve just said? You’ll become a target.”

“And do you understand what I’m saying when I say I do not care? Let them bring it.”

Sylvia rolled her eyes, loudly grumbling. “You are so stupid-”

“Careful there.”

“It will be your funeral. They will get Bray Wyatt involved. You know that, right?”

Valkyrie choked into a forced silence as soon as she heard that name. Sylvia wasn’t at all wrong. It was a risk. The worse part of it all was that it was a risk she hadn’t thought about. And then the clutch of fear grasped her crushing her chest and making her feel suddenly so small and helpless. It took only a second for her to be thrown over the edge, spiralling into an abyss with no way out. She couldn’t scream. She couldn’t run. She couldn’t stop it.

And she had no time to catch her breath. She had to keep running, she had to keep fighting if she wanted to survive.

Sylvia shook her head, grabbed her folder and headed to the door. “And if you don’t want to think about yourself, then think about what will happen to your Dean Ambrose the moment Wyatt will find out he is dear to you.”

Part III.

She was burning through her pain, anger and fear, pushing all those feelings into her muscles. Her hands were clenched around the handle of the barbell, as she pushed, and pushed as if the pain of an exhausted, worn-out body could somehow cover up the magnitude of the storm going on inside of her.

She was drenched in sweat and so tired she thought she could have passed out. Though every time she thought she could stop, thinking that maybe she had enough, her emotions would overwhelm her. Tears always followed. Only to make her start all over again, trying to sink her despair into physical stress.

It was late and she had been hiding at the hotel gym since she came back from the arena. She didn’t have the heart to face Dean. She did not know what she could have said to him to effectively convince him without hurting him badly and she wasn’t ready to make that move. And still, after that, then what? Sleeping wasn’t an option and thinking to spend time tormented and awake in an empty room was unbearable. She knew she would have ended up going insane and breaking things. So, training was her only option. Self-destruction was still a pretty damn good way to unload anger.

She did her legs and lifted some weights. Then she spent some time punching a sack. Her hands were now bruised since she didn’t bother to wear gloves or protective bandages. And now she was laying on the training bench, lifting, checking her breathing, ignoring her pain as if nothing had happened.

She didn’t know how long she was going to last. But she surely wasn’t ready to retreat to her room yet.

Background music played loud in the room, echoing through the white walls, and she was extremely grateful to it and to the room's soundproof walls because she knew she couldn’t stand silence. Not that night. Not when everything seemed to collapse on itself. She wasn’t even listening to it, but it was noisy and that was good enough.

Until it wasn’t when the gym sound system was turned off abruptly.

She felt choked by the wave of silence that surrounded her. Her thoughts were suddenly as loud as ever. Anger quickly followed. She was ready to jump on her feet and fight whoever decided to invade her space, not caring much for the consequences.

“Been looking everywhere for you.”

Everyone but him.

Valkyrie released a small sigh, almost risking losing her breath and getting squeezed under the barbell because of the surprise. As soon as she recognised his voice, a wave of warmth surrounded her. Her stomach vibrated, and her muscles relaxed, as a soothing feeling cradled her. But that feeling was part of the problem.

Actually, that was the entire problem.

He was her weakness.

She thought she wouldn’t care about those things – nothing else mattered, but being between his arms. And yet, now there was something that mattered more. And it was that if she continued on that path, he would have gotten seriously hurt.

And she couldn’t allow it. She needed to protect him at all costs.

One thing was looking for allies. Another was being attached to one of them. Pawns weren’t sparable anymore when they became important for the game.

A lone existence. That was her fate. She wasn’t allowed to desire to have her life filled with something more. How dare she think, even for a second, that any of that could change? That she could do anything to stop her nightmares from taking over?

She didn’t have the courage to meet Dean’s gaze, but she knew he was looking at her. She kept her eyes pinned to the ceiling struggling now more than ever to breathe. She pushed the bar back into the safety pins with a groan. “Been here the whole time.”

“Are you ok?” He wondered moving closer, his tone immediately softer. It surprised her, she was expecting him to be confrontational and angry.

She couldn’t stand it. It made her feel so desperate to just get lost in him. And it broke her apart, ripping her chest into pieces, knowing that it could never happen. She wasn’t allowed. Her only option was to end it there and then. For his sake. For both of them.

She sat up, so well acquainted with ignoring the physical strain she had just put herself under that she barely felt her muscles ache. Nothing hurt her as much as knowing what she had to do.

The only way to push Dean away was to hurt him. She was the only one that could do it and knew that had to go straight for the throat, clean cut, if she had any hope to save him from what was going to come.

Valkyrie dropped her arms to her knees, keeping her head low. “Please leave.” She whispered weakly, barely able to breathe. Barely able to feel anything but the clutch around her chest and throat.

She knew what she needed to do. But she didn’t have enough strength to do it.

“I can’t do this now.” Her voice gave off the broken notes of her pain and she should have known that Dean wouldn’t have been deaf to it. Stopping her tears from crossing her face was impossible, but she still tried to hide them from him.

Instead of listening to her plea, he approached her. “Angel,” the second he realised she was crying, he was on her knees, right in front of her. His big hands cupped gently around her face, bringing her to look at him. And worst of all, she didn’t oppose him.

As he inspected her features, locking his eyes with hers, she fell into his blue irises.

She knew better. But she couldn’t fight him. Not now. Not when he was showing her such devotion.

“What happened? Did someone hurt you?” His expression switched from soft and concerned to angered and, as seriousness took over him, she knew he was ready to fight.

Oh, if only he could know.

Valkyrie dared to reach out, unable to resist the powerful magnetism that always pulled her towards him. She touched his face, at first only testing the edge of his jaw with her fingertips, before pushing her hand around his cheek. “You need to go,” she simply stated, trying to encourage him with a nod. “We can’t do this. Please.”

He pushed himself closer to her, caressing her features with such kindness that surprised her. And may the Gods damn her since she so easily moulded herself under his touch. “What are you talking about?”

“Just forget this thing between us ever happened-” the pain that choked her was almost unbearable, “it doesn’t mean anything after all. You’re free of your debt. I am releasing you of it. You don’t have to-”

He frowned as confusion took over him. “Tell me what happened. Now.”

“I am telling you what is happening.”

“You can’t decide that for me.”

“Dean, please. I am begging you.” Valkyrie gathered all her strength and slid her hands around his wrists. She held him a second, before pushing his hands away.

“And I am telling you to tell me what happened. What changed?”

“Dean-”

“You were throwing yourself at me a couple of hours ago,” the tiny smile he tried to pull, attempting to ease the situation as he tried to read into her, broke her heart in a million pieces, “what is it now?”

“I just can’t. Please, trust me.”

“Was it Seth?”

“No. It wasn’t Seth.”

He pouted, weighing her words, trying to read her expression. She could see he was calculating the risk of trusting her. And she damned herself for it, she could have lied. She could have broken his heart. It would have been such an easy excuse. Cruel, but easy.

“I care.” He suddenly said, “I care about you,” Dean grabbed her again, this time his hand slid through her hair, “is that what you want me to say? Ruin me, if you want."

The way he said that repeating the same words she used earlier, was solemn, like a promise made in front of the Gods.

"I don’t even know your name, angel. You fucked my life upside down-”

She quickly stopped him from saying anything more, gently pressing her fingers on his lips. “Please, don’t. I can’t take it.”

Every single word that slid out of his mouth was exactly what she so desperately wanted to hear. But there was no joy inside of her to welcome it. His words were only torture. Only condemning them both. And every emotion that burned through his wild, beautiful eyes was a new tear inside of her chest.

Dean didn’t seem much interested in being on the cusp of Hell. Instead, he challenged fate, ignoring her words. As he wrapped his free hand around the one she had in his mouth, he pressed her fingers against his own lips in a soft kiss.

The shiver that crossed her was so violent that it took her breath away.

Why did he have to be so attentive and sweet? Why now, when she had absolutely no strength to resist him? How was she supposed to get through a clean break with him, when the only thing she wanted was to find refuge in his arms?

He moved her hand from his lips and pushed himself even closer to her. At this point, his torso was between her knees. Again, she could have fought him, or she could have said something, but she didn’t. She let him handle her as if she had no will of her own.

Dean kissed her cheek ever so softly. “You don’t want me to leave.” He whispered so close to her.

It wasn’t a question. 

She leaned against him, inhaling deeply his scent. Her hands moved with a mind of their own over his arms and shoulders as she studied the edges of his muscles under her palms. “No, I don’t want you to.” She whispered, unable to fight any longer.

He was too close and too real.

The peace he brought to her soul was too soothing. Her world had stopped spinning. Her fear was quiet.

She had dropped her sword. She accepted her weakness. There was nothing else that could have been done. She had lost that battle and she was fine with it because thinking to stay away from him was more painful than anything else. Thinking to hurt him just to protect him was unbearable.

And she decided to be selfish.

Valkyrie looked him in the eye only for a moment, both hesitated a second as expectation raised between them. And then she gave in.

She kissed him.

Dean was more than ready to embrace her. His arms moved around her figure and pulled her down from the bench into his lap, caging her in a hug she had no intention to refuse. She was so ready to nest on his thighs, legs bent to his sides. Holding herself tight to his shoulders with one arm, she pushed her other hand between his hair grabbing it to the base of his skull, gently tugging at them.

He let a low growl escape his chest, it was a noise that resonated through her and wiped every thought out of her mind.

Valkyrie abruptly broke their kiss, pulling his hair and imposing herself on him. He let her. As soon as their lips separated, she looked down at him, diving into his glimmery, blue eyes. He looked so beautiful with his pale skin and reddened cheeks. His lips were puffier because of their kisses.

“You are making a mistake.” She whispered, still trying to clutch on some common sense.

The mocking smile that appeared on his lips, sweet and honest, showing his dimples, drove her insane. “Is that what you think this is? A mistake? I thought you liked making those.”

His voice was low and soft. Even his sarcasm was somehow sweeter. And it made her heart flutter.

She was too weak to be able to use words and lie right to his face. She knew what they were doing was a mistake, but, at the same time, she didn’t think it to be. Not entirely. Because she had wanted to be that close to him for far too long now. Finding herself at the moment, even after everything and well knowing all the consequences, was inebriating. And so right.

She shook her head. “I didn’t say that.”

“And what are you saying?”

“I’ve been trying to tell you. You should have left-”

“Oh, baby, if you think I’ll be going anywhere soon instead of being right here between your legs. Think again.”

A shiver crossed her. There was something in the confidence that poured out of him as he spoke. It was as if he mirrored her feelings and hadn’t wished for anything better himself.

“Dean,” she tried again, but before she could say anything, he pushed against her hold and shut her up with a kiss.

Valkyrie immediately melted between his arms, relaxing against his chest. She slid her arms around his shoulders, pushing a hand down his back only to feel the edge of his spine through the material of his t-shirt.

As their tongues crossed, this time, she was the one who released a small moan. That seemed to unleash something inside of him. There was something primal and hot in the way his grab around her became tighter.

Dean’s hands crossed her back, unconcerned by her sweaty skin, and wrapped around her waist, solidly holding her hips in his palms. His fingers were digging into her skin, filled with the soft edges of her curves. Without notice, he guided her to grind herself against him. Both released a moan.

She had never felt anything like it before. She knew desire. But she didn’t know what it meant to feel it like hunger. Like a painful ache to her core. She felt like she would have gone mad if she hadn’t found a way to satisfy her need right there and then. And he was the only one who could have helped. That only made her rub herself against him more.

One of Dean’s hands quickly followed her queue and grabbed her ass, giving her a strong squeeze, pushing her against himself in a way that made her core rub directly on the bulge in his jeans.

Another soft moan left her chest as a thick wave of pleasure crossed her.

It was unbelievable. She was already in shambles and they were only kissing.

This time, Dean’s lips weren’t as soft. His kiss was demanding and famished. And she was ready to match him because there was nothing else she desired more than being devoured by that man. She felt like she would have gone insane if she hadn’t given in to her desire. She had never wanted something as much as she wanted to be close to that man. It seemed ridiculous. It seemed like a joke. Like a mistake.

Gods, she desired him more than her own freedom.

That thought scared her and, at the same time, gave her new life altogether.

She broke their kiss again and, this time, she wrapped solidly a hand around his neck, making him listen to her. “I’ll give you tonight,” she whispered, trying to find some resolution, “tomorrow you’ll need to be gone.”

The way he was looking at her like she was something so precious. Like she was gold and he was a greedy dragon. “Be mine. Because I’m sure yours, angel.”

She nodded. It was as if they had just stipulated a promise. She would have thought about responsibilities, consequences and heartache the next day.

“Tell me what you need, baby girl.” He whispered on her skin, tracing her jawline with his lips all the way to her neck. 

“I need-” the kisses he started to place around her sensitive skin broke her train of thought, “I need you.”

“Tell me what you need me to do to you.” His deep voice vibrated through her skin, leaving her deeply shaken by a shiver crossing her back. “C’mon, don’t get all shy on me now.”

“I need you to fuck me,” she didn’t care about how explicit her words could be and he only seemed to like it.

He pulled away only enough to look her in the eye. “Do you need to have control, or do you need me to take care of you, baby girl?”

She was already nodding even before he stopped speaking. The pet’s name he decided to use for her was making her stomach curl in ways a simple word shouldn’t do. “I need you to make me forget everything else, can you do that for me, Dean?”

And he was ready to give her everything she had asked for.

Dean grabbed her hair and gave her a pull. Gentle enough not to be painful, but firm enough to have her lean her head and expose her neck completely to him. When he passed his tongue on her skin, from her collarbone to her ear, tasting her sweat in such a feral way. “God, you taste so good, angel.”

She jerked, trying her best to suffocate a moan, as she arched between his arms, giving him as much access as he needed.

"Do you intend to take me on this dirty floor, baby?" She wondered playfully, only because he didn't seem to have any intention whatsoever to let her go. Part of her was serious. She was so taken by the entire situation that she wouldn't have cared if he actually did decide to fuck her there and then.

He purred tracing a trail of kisses to her chin. "I'll fuck you whenever you want me to, angel." He looked up at her with utter devotion, "call me baby one more time and I'll do anything for you."

"You like that?" She wondered pecking at his lips. "Baby?"

He groaned, pulling her tighter into his lap. "I like it a lot." His head fell into her neck socket, as he assaulted her skin once more, this time, pushing himself all the way across her shoulder and chest, just under her collarbones.

Rolling her eyes to the ceiling, her gaze lazily crossed the black glass eye of a camera. She immediately froze. "Dean, there's a security camera."

"So?" The lack of fucks given by that man gave her a shiver. "I bet we could give them a show that they would remember for the rest of their life." Since he didn't even bother to stop nibbling on her chest, Valkyrie didn't know if he was joking or if he was serious.

She decided for him the moment his lips travelled too close to the helm of her sports top. Giving him a firm push, she escaped his hold, getting up.

"Or you could take me upstairs." She suggested, daring to smirk. The look he sent her from his kneeled position was sharp and determined. It was as if he had accepted a challenge, though she could only hope she understood the terms of it.

As soon as she turned to walk to the door, Dean grabbed her and pushed her against the wall, not letting her get away. Taking advantage of the camera blind spot.

She should have expected it, after all, she did challenge him. And maybe, part of her even wanted him to react that way. As if he was a famished wolf ready to attack his prey.

Dean suffocated anything she could start saying with a famished kiss. His hands were immediately all over her.

She welcomed him between her arms, wrapping them around his large shoulders. Unable to fight him off. His scent went to her brain and his ways just made her lose her mind.

"One word from you, and I'll stop, baby girl." He whispered close to her lips. His eyes crossed her face, as he left her space and time to object.

She didn't.

Valkyrie slid her fingers through his hair and leaned against the wall, in a submissive, encouraging pose. Gods, what was that man doing to her?

She would have let him do whatever he wanted to her.

It was as if she had spread fuel on fire. She recognised the exact moment Dean lost his mind and went completely feral.

"Such a good girl," he praised her with a kiss on the neck. As his voice spread through her skin, she replied with a small whimper, liking hearing him talking to her like that so much that she felt it deep inside her belly.

"Do you like being praised, angel?" He wondered, looking her in the eye as if he really wanted to see that same reaction again.

Valkyrie nodded. "By you? Yes." Batting her eyelashes, she slid her hands on his chest and pulled them down, across his abdomen, softly caressing him with her nails. On purpose, she pushed her fingertips to the edge of his jeans. And then moved back.

"Fuck-" he gasped, out of breath, leaning heavily against the wall, holding himself up with an arm.

Even though he appeared to like what she just did, he still grabbed her wrists in one hand and trapped them on top of her head, pinning her against the wall. Valkyrie gasped, surprised and excited, suddenly electrified by his move. His grip was soft but firm, and he pushed her arms high enough to bring her to stretch between him and the wall.

With his other hand, he held her steady by her hips. He dawned upon her, diving into another famished kiss. His demanding lips made her feel electric. Knowing how much he wanted her made her feel alive.

Dean pushed a leg between hers, encouraging her to spread her thighs for him with a nudge. She easily followed his queue, immediately rubbing herself against him, releasing a soft moan against his lips.

He traced the edge of her hip with his free hand and followed the outer side of her thigh. With a gentle nudge on her knee, he guided her to curl her leg around his hip, as he supported her with his own body. A moment later his hand was back on his hip, only so he could follow the helm of her gym trousers with his fingertips. His touch was so attentive it drove her insane, to the point she squirmed under him.

"Remember," he began breaking their kiss, looking down into her eyes but not looking for much more distance than that, "you can stop me any time, angel. Just say the word," he kissed her lips and chin, "but I'll reward you if you'll be a good girl for me."

She whimpered, answering him with a small nod.

Dean shook his head, forcing her to keep her focus on him. “Say it. Say you understand.”

“I understand.”

“Good girl.”

He then pushed his hand inside her trousers. His fingers easily found their way through her underwear right to her hot, drenched core.

“God, you’re so wet angel,” he groaned breathlessly, “is it all for me?”

She nodded, looking right into his eyes. She wasn’t shying away. On the contrary, she adored seeing him puff his chest with pure satisfaction, as his eye glimmered, still lit by the feral shade of his desire. And she wanted to remember it.

She wanted to remember it all.

“Fuck,” she gasped, trying to catch her breath, the moment Dean pushed his fingers through her wet folds. “This is so much better-” She had to force herself not to release a loud moan.

“Better than what, baby girl?” He wondered studying her features as pleasure bent them.

“Better than I imagined,” Valkyrie rolled her hips, rubbing herself on his hand, unable not to move, even when she was still pinned solidly by his hold, “when I touched myself.”

Dean choked on his own breath. “Did you touch yourself thinking about me?”

As she nodded, trying her best to keep quiet, Dean’s strength seemed to abandon him. “Oh, baby girl,” he released a groan, pressing his face against her neck, inhaling deeply her scent, “how many times?”

“Every night. I did it every night.”

“Darling,” he was in awe, and at the same time the look he sent her was guilty, “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to take care of you.”

“Take care of me now, baby.”

His spirit bent under her request. Not that he needed her to ask him twice.

Dean’s touch was demanding but not as rude as she would have expected him to be. No, he seemed to know how to handle a woman. She wondered how many lovers he had in his past, to be as skilled.

And then, as anger grew inside of her, she quickly realised it was a thought she better forget. That wasn’t the time to be possessive; he didn’t belong to her.

He quickly stole every single one of her thoughts, as the pleasure started to grow inside of her. Her muscles tensed up as she stretched against him, trying desperately to find release. When she couldn’t control herself anymore, he suffocated her moans with kisses.

“C’mon baby girl, give it to me.” He encouraged her as she came, unravelling against him. This time it was she who dug her face against his neck, suffocating her cries on his skin and T-shirt material. “Such a good girl,” he kept praising her, guiding her through the violent waves of her orgasm.

She couldn’t think clearly. Her mind was clouded by the fog her orgasm had left behind. Just then, as she collapsed on him, Dean finally let her go, releasing her from his hold, only to guide her arms around his shoulders, so she could have something to hold onto. He kissed her temple, genuinely grateful.

When she caught her breath and was finally able to regain her motor functions, she looked back at him, offering a tired, satisfied smile. “Remind me why you didn’t do this to me the first night we met.”

“Because I am a damn son of a bitch.”

She nodded, agreeing with him, they both smiled, acting so sweetly, like nothing else in the world was a concern.

Dean leaned in kissing her softly.

“Now,” she wondered crossing his jaw with a soft caress of her fingertips, “can you take me upstairs?”

He nodded, happy to oblige.

They sneaked out of the gym and moved quietly through the silent hotel corridors.

She expected to be stopped, knowing they had just acted indecently in a public space, but she also couldn't care less. Her chest was so filled with adrenaline that she felt like she could have eaten the world.

Like teenagers, they stole each other kisses on the elevator and on the way to her room. And it was nice. It made her feel all fuzzy and warm, her heart was lighter, free. It made her feel like they were only regular people.

Once they got to her room, Valkyrie stood back, leaning by the door, watching Dean move inside her space. He curiously looked around, studying every detail of her room, hungry to discover everything she could consider personal.

Not that there was much around to find regardless. She rarely unpacked her bags and didn't own anything personal because she knew that like she arrived, one day she would have left and didn't like the idea of leaving stuff behind. Or getting attached.

Though, now, as Dean peeked in the opened bag in the corner, Valkyrie realised how terribly wrong she had always been.

Her chest ached at the idea that, regardless of her best efforts, she still managed to get attached to something, after all.

She moved closer to him and slid a hand on his shoulders. Like a hint he could not refuse, Dean turned towards her. They moved like they were made for each other, naturally attracted to embrace one another.

As soon as he faced her, Valkyrie wrapped her hands around his face. “Last chance.” She hinted with a quick nod. Dean looked above her head, in the direction of the door. The grin that grew on his lips, making his dimple pop, was as amused as ever. It was as if he liked the idea of challenging whatever ill fate she was promising.

“Angel, I’m already elbow-deep into this.” He grabbed her chin, making her lift her face and bend as he looked right into her eyes. He wasn’t much taller than her but Gods, she liked being handled by him. “You could tell me that you intend to slit my throat right after we're done as mantises do. I’d still fuck you with everything I’ve got and I’d die a happy man.”

His words hit a spot deep inside of her. There was something twisted and yet so beautiful in the way he spoke. Both so wild and violent and as soft as a promise. But besides his determination and courage, she now wanted to know more. Much, much more. With that, she was officially done trying to push him away.

“How would you like to fuck me?” She wondered, still hanging in his hold. 

Dean smiled at her; his dimples distracted her for a second. There it was, the smile of a hungry wolf. “Let me show you, baby girl.”

Part IV.

She had never known pleasure before. Nothing like what Dean offered her that night.

He was as skilled a lover as he was a fierce warrior. Unafraid and demanding. He could be selfish at times, but never as much as he was generous. His sole purpose was to satisfy her. His only goal was her pleasure.

Never once he had been afraid to be vocal with her. And she had more than one hint to know it drove him insane when she asked him to satisfy her desire in specific ways. And he was always happy to oblige.

He was able to be both gentle and rough.

Gods, it made her lose her mind when he looked at her devotedly, holding her tenderly. Still now, only remembering the look he would give her any time he nested between her thighs, with her legs thrown over his shoulders, pleasuring her with his mouth, gave her a shiver. It was as if his entire world rotated around her. As if he wasn't able to worship anything else as he did with her. Not even his battles.

It was intoxicating.

But not as much as it did when his hands became heavier and his thrusts deeper. Nothing could compare to the feeling of knowing he wanted to leave marks over her, branding her as his with scratches, bite marks and hickeys. Nothing was as ravaging as knowing she pushed him over the edge of insanity, enough so I'd lose control, becoming an animal.

And his stamina was enviable.

He quite literally lasted all night. And they hadn't given in. Not even a moment. They hadn't stopped a minute to catch their breaths, they hadn't wasted any time at all. And she was ready to match his seemingly limitless hunger with equal endurance.

Though now, she was completely satisfied and barely able to keep her eyes open. Every muscle in her body was relaxed, but she suspected she would have struggled to move later.

But that wasn't entirely Dean's fault.

A peaceful smile crossed her lips as she abandoned herself into Dean's arms under the shower. Her back was pressed against his chest as he held her exhausted body. The water was warm and welcomed as he took care of her, washing her hair and skin.

He was so strong, handling her like she weighed nothing wasn't a problem.

"Good?" He wondered, kissing her temple.

She had barely the strength to nod, reclining her head on his shoulder.

Dean brushed a smile on her cheek. "I'm sorry. I didn't realise you were so tired."

"Don't be sorry," she whispered, running her hands over his arms that he had solidly wrapped around her, "I'm not sorry one bit."

"I bet you're not."

He turned off the shower and moved to get her a big towel to wrap her into, just so he could take her between his arms again. It was as if his own well-being wasn't important. Only hers.

Just after, making sure she could stand on her own, he then took a second to grab a towel for himself.

"Can you walk?" His voice was as soft as a lullaby.

Hearing it so close, so low and so intimately made her chest tremble. He was hers. All of him. Even if only for a bit. What they were sharing would have been something she carried with her forever.

"Angel?" As he called her back to reality, she didn't even realise she had drifted off.

"Sorry - uh, no." She simply said and not because it was true. Not entirely anyway. She felt like she could have walked on her own if she wanted, but why do that when Dean was more than ready to lift her between his arms?

He carried her back into the bedroom and to the bed, depositing her between the messy pillows and sheets. Just to follow her immediately back into bed.

She knew she should have told him to go. That was the moment she had tried to ignore. That was the sensible thing to do. And yet, snuggling against his chest, inside his welcoming arms, was way easier.

Dean kissed her forehead. "You have been so good to me, baby girl."

"I hope you're joking. When you give a woman the best sex of her life - especially someone like me, who's been around for a long time - you become the one who deserves a kiss on the forehead."

"Go on then." His chuckle gave her enough energy to push herself up, kissing him right between his pale eyebrows.

"There you go."

"Best sex of your life?" He wondered after a while with a cocky smile growing on his lips.

"Wouldn't have gone on as long as I did if it hadn't been so good. Freyr must have blessed you."

"Who's Frey?"

"Not Frey," she giggled, "Freyr." She made sure to let the name roll out of her mouth as clearly as she could.

"Ah- well, how's the guy?"

"He is my God of fertility and manhood."

"Shit. Thank you, angel, I'll take it as a compliment then."

"You should." She smiled proudly, pressing a kiss on his lips and then on his chin.

As she settled between his arms, silence fell between them as their intimacy grew.

There was no need for words and no space for timidity or pride, not after they spent the last few hours knowing each other’s bodies and respective sexual appetites. And especially knowing that it would have lasted only for a time and that time was quickly running out.

Valkyrie was trying her best not to notice how bright the sky outside her room window was becoming as sunrise approached. 

She tried to lock everything she had learned about him inside her memory, so as to keep it safe and warm, not accepting the idea of forgetting anything. Though the thought that she had only a few hours to know him for a lifetime was destructive and dangerous.

She wasn’t done. She would have never been done. If she had learned something from the few hours of bliss spent in his arms was that it wasn’t enough. And that deciding to cave, giving in to her desire to be as close to him as possible, had been the biggest mistake of her life.

It simply wasn’t fair.

Dean held her tight against his chest. A soft brush of his lips on her temple brought her back from her thoughts. “I’ve never asked you, what is your name?”

“My name?”

“Yeah.” His curiosity was soft and genuine and still hit her like a spear right through the heart.

Never, before that moment, she had thought something like her name was an important detail to share. With him or anyone else.

She had always been Valkyrie. At least, always since she had been trapped in that world by human hands. She was only known as Valkyrie as she fought. And she fought all the time.

Her name, like many things that came from before, was something she hadn’t thought about in a very, very long time. To the point it became a foggy memory, almost forgotten, unimportant. Like forgetting the flavour of your favourite dish from childhood or the smell of a particular place. It was like forgetting the name of someone else she used to know so well, someone who had to be left behind and now became only a reflection in a mirror.

“Eir.” She whispered, hesitating a moment before pushing out those words of a knowledge she didn’t even know she had left. Yet, knowing her name came back to her, as naturally as reciting a poem one once knew by heart.

“Eir,” Dean repeated after her, doing his best to imitate her accent letting the r at the end of her name roll on his tongue, “I like it.”

“Haven’t used it in a long time. Not sure I’m used to it anymore.”

“Would you mind if I used it?”

“No. You can use it,” she nodded looking up at him, “I do like it when you call me by pet names though.”

“Oh, that won’t change, angel, that won’t change.”

[leogichidaa]

Lucius trying to interfere in Hogwarts is truly a case of “heartbreaking: the worst person you know just made a good point.” He absolutely sucks, but he’s right that the administration of Hogwarts leaves a lot to be desired. Like, first year features them going to the Forbidden Forest for detention, when the Forbidden Forest is forbidden for safety reasons and also they’re looking for something murdering unicorns; they really decided a group of 11/12 year olds were the perfect people to go looking for some kind of killer, and one of the groups only had a dog as protection. Second year featured this thing going around attacking students and the last time this happened a student legitimately died; the school somehow does not get shut down after the first attack. Third year featured a believed murderer going around putting everyone in danger and also a bunch of soul-sucking creatures that already tried to eat the students; this is not regarded as a true problem for some weird reason and somehow nobody decides to just put the school on an extended break until Sirius was caught for student safety. Fourth year features a game being restarted that was previously cancelled for the death toll, an underage student is made to participate and nobody thinks to like check his memories or something to confirm that he didn’t play a role in being selected or to do anything about the fact that it’s looking like this poor kid’s life is in danger yet again; there’s also a guy wandering around posing as a teacher and using an Unforgivable Curse on students, and it is glossed over that nobody noticed that Moody was not actually Moody for almost a year even though Dumbledore claims to know Moody, so like, either Barry’s actions didn’t register as strange (and we need to question why they were willing to allow this man around students since he turned a student into a ferret as a punishment) or everyone just sucks at noticing things and nobody knows anyone. Also, a student is killed because of the game, and it’s essentially a case of “oh, that’s awful. Oh well, sucks for him.” Lucius is sadly, horribly right about how Hogwarts frankly sucks for student safety.

😂 You're right and you should say it.

Also, I do think it's an indictment on Moody as a person that a crazed DE who is thirsty af for Voldemort could pass himself off as Moody and no one thinks, "huh, that's unhinged, even for Moody". But it's also true that nobody is paying any fucking attention and security at Hogwarts is a joke.

[ask-the-badman]

“So sweet to me.” I smiled, acknowledging his compliment with a gentle graze to his arm. “After you hot stuff.” I couldn’t help the excitement I felt running from the top of my head down to my toes as Johnny led me through the house to the garage. His truck that’d we’d made a mess of only a day or two prior parked in the center.

He opened my door for me before quickly hopping into the driver seat, revving the truck to life as we slowly started up the driveway towards town. I could tell he was just as eager as I was, maybe a tad bit more since he hadn’t been out in awhile. “Sure am. A lil nervous but that’ll pass soon enough”, I paused. Glancing around at the new scenery, withered buildings and people scattered about. “Nah, never been. But I’m sure I’ll like it if ya wanna go.”

Johnny has much more experience than me and probably Sissy too. And considering that he doesn’t just go out with anyone it’s a pleasure to be able to see him mostly comfortable sharing his experiences and ‘favorite spots’ with me. Though my mind was aflutter and anxiety lurked in my gut I was more than ready to see the Bad Man come out. Just the thought of the blood thirsty side of him made my skin crawl with want. Carnivorous and unhinged, I’d only heard and never seen but was intrigued to say the least.

“So, before we get where we wanna go I wanted to ask how ya wanted to go about this, or if ya had any- Restrictions per se? I’ve got a lil somethin’ in mind, not gonna tell ya what. But dependin’ on your answer I may have ta think it through.”

"I'm sure ya will, I haven' been there in awhile. Y'know, can' stay too long at one place or 'nother, not without suspicion arisin'." Johnny murmured though was fairly certain Kat had already been drilled into by Sissy on the importance of moving around. Not getting comfortable with one place for too long. That's when mistakes happen and the local authorities get called in. Something that's nearly happened to him at least twice. Thankfully he was able to get away, hide out until the heat died down.

"Honestly, you've had yer first kill. If you've got yer own thing ya want ta try then do it, I wanna see how ya work. I trust you'll have it handled and if not, you kin always come ta me." He reassured, glancing over to Kat with a soft smile, "I know I seem eager, but patience is also key an' I don' mind waitin' ta get a turn. The night is young an' there'll be enough fresh blood ta spill fer the both'a us~"

He chuckled darkly as they continued down the road for another good twenty minutes before coming up to a place that was smack dab in the middle of nowhere. Nothing but a main highway leading to and from it with desert all around as he turned in and parked around the back by the dumpster. Certain that his pickup was out of sight before cutting the power and turning to Kat.

"So, what'cha feelin'? We kin either go in together or you kin go in first while I wait a few minutes ta come in after. Make it seem like we're flyin' solo." He offered, "Up to you. Hell, I kin go in first iffin ya want me ta lead."

[hollow-prey]

I can't decide which would be worse/deal more psychic damage to me if a J&D show existed and they included Errol: if more people started hating Errol/memeing on him because of the hypothetical show, or if more people started liking/crushing on/thirsting after him.

Character hate sucks and it already causes psychic damage on a normal day, but I've learned to more or less endure it and find little ways to avoid it whenever blacklist doesn't work. But then if a hypothetical show is released and a bunch of people are watching it and a bunch of new people decide to jump on the "Errol hate" bandwagon, it's probably going to be a lot harder to avoid and be a lot more miserable for me as a certified Errol lover

So then the ideal outcome is having more people like him, right? Incorrect. Because there's liking a character, and then there's being horny for a character. A lot of times these factors overlap, and I already know I would be a jealous, feral little gremlin if I had to suddenly witness a bunch of new people being thirsty for Errol.

Like I already struggle with jealousy and don't like sharing f/os with other self shippers (but I will never send hate to anyone), I can only imagine how unhinged and catty my brain would get seeing all these randos fawning over my fictional boyfriend. Just silently judging the posts that come across my dash like, the audacity of these imaginary hypothetical people. Homie I've been invested in these games since I was six and I've given Errol more love and attention and growth and character development in three years than the entire J.ak community has given him in twenty. none of you know and love him like I do. you wouldn't get it. get out of my swamp.

[tiz-chan]

It’s probably really late! I wanted to ask do you think Clive will regret not being about to protect Joshua and his kingdom?

Haha, yeah probably. Plus I go to bed early unless it's a weekend. 🥲 I have my queue posting for me between 7-10, so that's when you can tell I'm getting relaxed / ready for bed. 😴

omg why do you hurt me like this???

I would be absolutely shocked if he didn't feel that way. From what we can tell, primarily on the Awakening trailer, Clive is not only Joshua's big brother, but also his literal 'shield.'

I get the impression that Clive takes his duty pretty seriously, too. Not only as a (possibly) protective big brother, but because Clive might have an inferiority complex. I imagine he felt like a failure, being the first son and all, who let his parents down by not inheriting the Eikon.

Clive must have worked very hard to get where he did by the age of 15. He must have gotten sick of feeling like the 'failure' of the family, desperate to seek out something he could do and feel worthy through it. And not just for himself. I figure he might have been a bit eager to make his parents acknowledge / be proud of him, too??

15 year old Clive will be a good boy(TM). But even before everything goes to shit, I feel like he will still be quite complex. He might have a darker / uglier side to him, where he may or may not feel even just a prickle of envy towards Joshua for having inherited Phoenix when he couldn't.

Don't get me wrong though. I think feeling that way would only make Clive feel more frustrated - more so with himself, then anything. Hell, maybe he'd partially hate himself for it.

So imagine how it would feel to accomplish so much after feeling so inferior, only to have your entire life flipped upside down in a mere night.

Clive will be devastated.

20-something year old Clive will be broodier because of it. And we already know that he's thirsty for some vengeance, which is understandable. Anger is a common crutch for coping with grief. But that same anger could reflect back at him, too. I imagine he would replay what he could've done differently in his head again and again. Perhaps even blame himself for not being strong enough, regardless of whether there really was anything he could've done or not.

Not being able to protect the things that mattered is probably his biggest regret, for sure. Not only did he fail to become Phoenix's Dominant, but he failed as Joshua's shield and older brother, too. He failed his parents. Failed the entire kingdom, even.

Everything he ever accomplished amounted to nothing, and he only ever let other people down.

I'm hoping that 30-something year old Clive will be able to put those broken pieces back together, and sort of mature / find some peace despite all of the horror this game will most definitely put him through. But depending on how things go, I could also see him hit an unhinged, sort of rock-bottom before things get better, too.

Well, I mean, assuming things do get better...

[commaclear]

who even are the drama anons ?????

like this feels deeper then just anons being anons

qaa has been around for a while and wsda has to and do they just make stuff up about each other ?

theres so much lore and all from people who know nothing about eachother

and how did the new anon already get into it ?

i have so many questions comma please

what went wrong with them ? /lh

*flashback to last year*

I click the button to enable anonymous asks. "I can't wait to hear people's funny little headcanons about hi thirsty I'm dad." I say to myself. "Maybe I'll even get a death threat or two like old times."

*a few months later*

I click on edit appearance, so I can change my ask button to say 'torment me' instead of 'ask me anything'.

*present day*

There is a tag on my blog for 'my own personal soap opera'. There have been multiple marriages and divorces in my inbox. Quackity analysis anon has tried to cheat so many times that I've lost count. Polyamory is now on the table. My characters have been put into bread and cheese charts. It's quite possible that all my anons are going to end up in a polycule and then unionize against me.

My mouse hovers fearfully over my inbox as I see I have a new ask. What will it be this time? More btp dream au to hurt me? More romantic drama between the little grey people? Another unhinged essay?

I think back wistfully to the days of anonymous death threats and chain asks that will put a serial killer under your bed if you don't send the same ask to ten other people. Things were so simple back then...

"How did I get here?" I whisper to myself. "How has it come to this?"

[dreamii-yume]

Yume-sama which guys are the best at eatin' p*ssy?

Yume’s back! BABIES _:(´ཀ`」 ∠): Have something hornii because I’m sAltY~ (´；ω；`)

Ace seems to be oddly good at this for the whatever nasty reasons he has. I like to imagine that he’ll put on a face that looks like he’s about to fuck you up so bad just to get you on edge but is actually really careful and considerate when doing so. Of course, he won’t be honest with his feelings and when you slowly realized that he’s actually being gentle for your sake, that’s when he’ll attack tsun-tsun defense mechanism, i guess? His tongue will work extra hard to force another orgasm out of you. Add some insults in the middle of the whole session and boom, it’s a spicy Ace content right there!

I think we already established why Cater would be a master when it comes to eating out pussy, Darlings. See this post for more information but goddamn does our Heartslabyul senpai know what he’s doing. Maybe he’ll take a little pic after he’s done messing you up? Look at how soaked the sheets are~!

Yes. Daddy Trey would eat that pussy and enjoy it, similarly to how you would treat his sweets with an overwhelmingly amount of passion. He may have played that nice guy persona, but DON’T BE FOOLED, Darlings. He’s a fucking hornii monster on the inside and he’s hungry for that pussy, alright? He always had been, this man is just both blessed and cursed with extreme amounts of patience. He ain’t a nice senpai at all though, once he got you where he wants you, just don’t expect him to stop anytime soon.

Chenya. Yes, I’m adding him since we have two RSA students now and I want to give them love too. He’ll absolutely do it even there’s a lot of people around, right under a fucking clothed table for example. He’ll take advantage of his invisibility magic and spread your legs during an unbirthday party, the roughness of his tongue tingles your insides. You’ll try to keep your voice down, sure, but little did you know, it’s Chenya’s goal to have everyone’s eyes on you as he eats you out, destroying their hopes and dreams of ever trying it out on you. your Heartslabyul friends will be in utter chaos for sure, just be ready

The feeling of Leona’s textured tongue scraping against your clit is just aaaaahhh...You know those shivers of pleasures you get down your spine, you will FEEL that shit. Leona wouldn’t even have to seriously do anything, simple licks of his tongue is just doing the work for him. Still, it’s enough for electricity to go through your whole body and your head is pounds from the amount of orgasm he brought upon you. You’ll eventually find your hips moving on its own, wanting to feel more than his tongue.

With a lick of his lips, Ruggie is ready to indulge, thank you for the food~! If we’re talking about sexually hungry and thirsty twst bois here, than we cannot not talk about Ruggie-senpai here. Don’t underestimate him, he’s surprisingly good with using his mouth just as much as using his fingers, I mean what can he say? He grew up a glutton after all.

Now, if we’re conducting a contest on who can eat out Darling’s pussy better, how about we add a tag team in here!? No other pair has better teamwork than our beloved Leech Brothers! Their tongues are long and hugee (OwO) One can restrict your movements and even spread your folds for his brother to freely eat you out until you build up into such a nauseating orgasm. They can be each other’s emotional support too! If Floyd becomes a bit too unhinged, Jade can use his big bro powers and keep him in his best behavior. it’s not fun if you broke that early on in the game after all. This can happen the other way around too, by the way, albeit rarely. Just letting you Darlings know. geez, now i wonder how Darling is gonna cope up if both of them loses control...

Jamil is...yes, just, yes. Find yourself a man who’s both talented in getting you dicked down for the night and eat you out like it’s the best meal he ever had. He takes your feelings into consideration, he knows your sensitive parts even if you don’t tell him. He’s very observant of your reactions and learns very quick, he’ll find your special part no matter what.

Rook cares for The Art of Eating A Pussy™ He loves the way your face would contort in different emotions depending on the place his tongue is exploring inside your dripping cunt. He treats you like a sacred treasure, savoring your reactions like it would be the last time he’ll see them in which we all know it wouldn’t be He’ll take pictures to preserve the beauty in your emotions as he believes that no two expressions are the same, he comes for the love hidden deep inside. You don’t know how he does it but for some reason, orgasms done by Rook always feels so damn timeless, like euphoria coming to you all in one place.

And then we go to our old man, Lilia! dont call him that This man is aggressive, Darlings. You think those fangs are just for show? Wouldn’t say the same thing once you feel them digging on your flesh as he begins to suck that sensitive pussy, huh? When he feels like it, he can’t be stopped! Heck, he’ll fucking eat you out even during your p e r i o d, Baby. Just watch him do it, he’s dead serious! He’ll tease you a lot and dirty talk is just his thing, you know? With how seductive he stare at you from between your legs, your juices dripping down his jaw.

Haha, so here’s the story! Yume was gone for like a week to finish a sinfic! ( ＾∀＾) The good news is that she finished it! Yay~! ٩( ᐛ )و The bad news? Her laptop broke down suddenly, she doesn’t know why or what to do and now, she can’t proof-read and edit properly. (°▽°) (im anxious to post a fic that’s not proof-read, i refuse)

I’ll see if I can do anything about this, just bear with me, Darlings! Have little crumbs as of now! (＞人＜;)

...I’m lowkey having a mental breakdown due to this stupid laptop suddenly closing down on me. I mean, I have online class to take! (c" ತ,_ತ) The power button’s unresponsive and it’s not charging, I’m getting this checked out tomorrow (*´ー｀*)

(I’m posting on my phone again which means~! pretty colors~!!! ☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆ )

[fallingstarnovel]

Chapter Two

content warning: alcohol, binge drinking

That was how Evan ended up standing in front of a huge house in a part of the city that he had never visited before with an unopened bottle of vodka in his hand. It was getting dark out – midwinter was coming fast, turning the air frosty and driving everyone indoors. At least it would be warm inside the house.

Evan took a deep breath, forcing himself to relax. A puff of vapour clouded the air before him. 

This was fine. It was fine. It was a party. He was supposed to be here – he had been invited. There was no need to be anxious. It wasn't going to be like it was back then. 

He could hear loud music pumping from inside the house, and spilling from between the curtains of the house was dim purple light. 

God, who was he kidding. He couldn't do this. 

As Evan turned around to leave, someone opened the door from the inside. 

"Oh, shit, there's someone here. Sorry, were you waiting to be let in?"

Evan looked up at the tall student who just stumbled outside. "Um. Yeah. My friend is inside. She–" 

"Go ahead," the student said, holding the door open and gesturing to go inside. Evan nodded in thanks, before stumbling into the house. 

Immediately, he was surrounded by people. The house was crammed wall to wall with students in various stages of inebriation, all chattering away at the top of their lungs as the hypnotic electro music filled the space between them. Evan found a pile of coats in the hallway and dropped his on top. He hoped it wouldn't get lost or stolen before he left. 

"Excuse me," he said, edging his way past a group of girls in short dresses who gave him judgemental looks. "Sorry. Sorry, sorry–" 

He couldn't find Aliya anywhere. She wasn't in the living room or the kitchen. Evan poked his head behind every door, but all he kept finding were more guests crammed into unlikely places like sardines in a tin can. He recognised one or two from around campus, but some of these people seemed slightly too old to be students. Was this really a university party? Did these people all know each other? 

Evan saw someone who looked like they were slightly in charge, maybe, and tapped them on the shoulder. They turned around with an unfocused look, hair in messy tumble around their head. 

"What's up? Didn't Fae get you it? Oh, shit, where did you get the vodka?"

Evan blinked. This person sure was saying words at him. "What?"

The person squinted at him. "Didn't you just ask me for a kitchen towel?" 

"No, I just got here," Evan said. "But thanks. Um. I'm looking for Aliya, do you know where she is?"

That got him a blank look. "Who?"

"Aliya! Aliya, you know, she does Astro with me. Uh." The blank look still persisted on the person's face. "She came here with volleyball? No, wait, I mean, netball? I think?"

The person looked vaguely less blank. "Oh, wait, the netball bitches. I love those girls, they make me feel like I'm some kind of insect. My name's Rock by the way."

"Oh," said Evan, who didn't know why that was relevant. "That's a cool name. Like Dwayne Jo–"

"Not like Dwayne fucking Johnson," Rock replied with a scowl. "I hate that guy."

"Oh. Sorry."

Rock just nodded, before tapping a person on the shoulder seemingly at random. "Is Becca around?"

"In the garden," the girl replied, "probably? Unless she left."

They were both yelling at full volume. Evan winced. His ears were already ringing. 

Rock led him through sweaty crowds of people to the kitchen, and then out of a door into the garden. It wasn't much of a garden – more like a patch of concrete with a few bricks and weeds lying around, as if for decoration. There were more people out here, mostly smoking. Some of them looked like they were asleep. It was so cold out here – the girls were huddled up under big jackets that they had stolen from other people. 

Wait a minute. Evan was pretty sure that was his coat. How did it get stolen so fast?!

"Aliya?" Evan called. Some people looked up, their eyes glazed over. 

"Aliya bounced," someone said. 

Evan's heart sank. "What?" 

"Yeah, she dipped pretty quickly. Said she forgot about a deadline."

God damn it. Evan fought the urge to bang his head off the nearest wall. Why didn't she text him and say so? He could have escaped too! 

"Right, thanks. I, uh–"

"Bro, no, you're not leaving yet, are you?" Rock said, giving him a betrayed look. "You just got here!"

Evan shrugged, plastering on a polite smile. "I don't really know anyone here–"

"Yet," Rock said firmly. "You don't know anyone yet. You know what they say about strangers? They're just friends you haven't made yet. Come on, live a little." 

Personally, Evan thought Rock was slightly unhinged. He must have looked obviously uncomfortable, because Rock held out a hand and squeezed his shoulder. 

"You don't go to a lot of parties, huh? It's cool. You can chill with me. Give it half an hour and see how you feel, yeah?" 

Why was this person so eager to see a complete stranger join the party? Evan considered saying no and leaving anyway, but then again... 

Evan wasn't a coward. He would give it half an hour and see if he made any friends. And if not, he could always leave. 

"Sounds good," he said. 

Rock cheered. A bunch of other people in the garden cheered too, though Evan doubted they knew what they were cheering for. "Alright! We got another one! Come on, pal, let's get you a drink!' 

Half an hour later and after a couple of drinks, Evan somehow found himself watching Rock pour out a tray full of shots in the kitchen. 

Several people wandered over in interest, lured by the idea of free alcohol like they were cats who just heard the tin of tuna being opened. "Who's down?" Rock said. 

A few people came forward. Evan watched as a girl slung herself over Rock's shoulders with a bored expression. She had long, long straight black hair, like an oil slick that ran down her back, and she was either exceptionally tall or she was wearing huge platform boots. Maybe both. Evan thought it was both. "I will."

"Evan?" Rock said. "You want one? It's okay if you don't, I know shots are a little much..."

"I can do shots," Evan said without meaning to. Oh, shit. Was he trying to impress the hot goth girl? He kind of was. "Uh, if that's cool." 

Rock's smile widened. "If you're sure you can handle it. Are you a lightweight, Evan? Because if so, I'm not going to be the one cleaning up your puke afterwards."

Evan smiled. "Ah, I don't know. Maybe. I'll try to keep it inside."

"Attaboy, big guy! That's what I like to hear!"

Soon, everyone around him had a shot in their hand. Evan had no idea what the liquid was. He tried to sniff it, but then Rock was counting down, and everyone was lifting their shot glasses up and drinking. 

People winced and made appropriate noises as the burn hit. Rock blinked away his tears with a grin, before watching Evan drink with interest. 

Evan calmly put down the shot. After seeing everyone else's reaction, he quickly pretended to gasp. "Oh, wow, the burn, wow..." 

Rock's eyes flickered over the glass. It was empty. "Have you done that before?"

Evan shrugged, waving him away. "Once or twice."

Hot Goth Girl finally seemed to notice him. She stared him down, before slowly smiling at him, her black painted mouth in a closed-lip smirk. It was kind of terrifying. 

"Hey Rock," she said, keeping her eyes on Evan. "Who's this?"

"I'm Evan," said Evan, before holding out a sweaty hand. She stared at it, and he immediately dropped it. "Haha, what, I don't know why I did that. Nice to meet you."

"I've seen you around," she said. 

It sounded like an accusation. Evan wilted – before perking up. Wait, didn't this mean she remembered him? She had noticed him before! This was good, right? He nodded eagerly. "You recognise me? I'm sorry, I don't think I've seen you around, otherwise I would have remembered – I mean, you're very recognisable, haha, there's not a lot of people around here who dress so, like..."

He trailed off, feeling awkward. Hot Goth Girl glared at him. 

"Like what?"

Evan blinked. She was wearing black lipstick and huge eyeliner, like two bat wings painted on her face. Most people around here weren't so brave. 

"Um... so, um... alternatively."

Her eyes narrowed. Slowly, she grinned. "Where did you find this guy, Rock?"

"Aliya likes him," Rock laughed, before holding up the bottle. "Let's do round two," they hollered, and the night took a downward turn from there. 

Coming to this party was such a bad idea.

When Evan woke up in the morning, he was very confused. 

He had a vague memory of someone carrying him home. And holding someone's hand. And... 

He groaned with embarrassment and rolled over to bury his head in his pillow to try and suffocate himself. When that didn't work, he rolled onto his back and massaged his forehead. 

It felt like something had crawled into his mouth and died. He was so thirsty. But mostly he was mortified. 

Ah, that poor person! Evan probably rambled on about weird depressing personal problems! He became one of those maudlin drunks who just starts crying about stuff! The person who carried him here must have been totally sick of his shit. 

What an angel. Evan wished he could remember who they were. 

He looked around for his phone, his bleary eyes cracking open. Whoever they were, they left a full glass of water on the desk. Evan jumped at it, drinking the whole thing in seconds. 

It helped a little bit. But now he felt nauseous. 

This sucked. Why did he do this. 

Oh, shit, his phone and his wallet. Did he have them? He looked around in a panic. Were they in the jeans he wore? Where the fuck were his jeans?!

Slowly, he looked under his duvet and realised that he was still wearing them. Ah. Oops. 

At least the person didn't undress him while he was drunk or unconscious. That would have been uncomfortable. In fact, he seemed in exceptionally good condition, considering he got black out drunk at a strangers house.

Aaaa god why did he do that!!! Why didn’t he slow down and drink some water!! This was so embarrassing, he could have done anything last night!!

... oh jesus fuck, why did his eyes hurt so much? They were so sore! It was like someone shone a supercharged torch in his eyes or made him stare into the god damn sun!! What happened last night?!

In his pocket, he found his wallet and phone, much to his relief. Evan quickly scrolled through his messages to see if he had sent anything weird to anyone. 

Huh? Who the fuck were all these people he had added on Facebook? Why had he sent out so many friend requests?! He didn't recognise any of the names here at all!

He also saw a series of messages he sent to Aliya. 

> you. are the qorst friend ever 

> ┻┻︵ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ︵┻┻

i'm so sorry!! i'm really sorry!! oh i feel so bad, i thought i text you not to come anymore!! <

> ABANDONED me 

> discarded me like an EMPTY CRISP PALKCET

> packet

... evan are you perhaps a little drunk? <

> everyone is very friendky. They keep handing me shots. These are my new friends now 

> you're fired

no!!! 😭😭😭 <

don't fire me!!! i need someone to copy revision notes off!! <

> too late. now rock is my new fri be. Goodbye

> oh shit they’re doiign WEED in here

> Your missing otu on thrjelkc weeb

who's rock?? <

seriously though, be safe evan and have fun. if you need to call anyone, im up all night doing this assignment so just call me okay? x < 

Just as he finished reading the texts, his phone buzzed in his hand. He nearly dropped it in shock. There was an unread text in his inbox from an unrecognised number. 

How are you feeling? <

This was awkward. Clearly, this was a person Evan gave his number to last night. Unfortunately, he had no clue who they were, and now he felt too awkward to ask, since they clearly assumed he knew who it was. 

> haha a little hungover!! oops

Was that too many exclamation marks? This mystery person would think he was a psycho. 

The reply came soon. 

Make sure you drink plenty of water. And eat something salty. < 

Do you want me to bring anything? <

Seriously, who was this and why were they being so nice? Evan still felt a little awkward. 

> i will :) and no thank you but that's so kind! how are you feeling? 

I'm fine. I'm glad you're alright. <

...

This was too much to deal with. Evan decided not to answer. Hopefully, whoever this was would drop a clue at some point, or just leave him alone.

There weren't many people it could be. He had all his friends (haha, all his friends, as if he had more than three) saved as contacts. So this must be a stranger from the party. 

A memory flashed into his head of the messy haired host – what was their name, Tree? Root? Boulder? – saying something stupid about all strangers being friends he hadn't made yet. It was probably them. They seemed overly familiar, so this lined up. 

Ah, what the hell. This was a problem for future Evan. 

He rolled himself into the shower without vomiting even a little bit, which he considered a huge achievement that should be celebrated with pizza for breakfast.

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[applejongho]

a vampire's guide to blood dealing | bang chan

genre: humor, supernatural, adventure, dumbassery

pairing: vampire!chan and female vampire!reader named Mei (platonic)

description: Newly turned vampire Chan and old vampire Mei form a friendship through their shared hunger for blood, but can’t help but get into wildly bloody situations as their friendship blooms.

word count: 5.9k

warnings: mentions of blood, vampires, swearing, (a small amount of) violence

author's note: SURPRISE, I'M YOUR SECRET SANTA @meiiyue!! Did you guess me correctly when you had a hunch as to what my identity was at the beginning of the month? ;) You've made my month of December so much fun and I can't wait to start talking with you not behind my chanon pseudonym >:) anyways, chan and mei being dumbasses together, I had a HELLA fun time writing this and I hope you smile when reading <333

masterlist here!

SHE HAD KNOWN when the tea on his desk, next to the scattered medical papers and signatures that bound people to donating blood, was just a bit too red for any normal tea.

There was also the fact that the tea smelled like blood, but then again, everything smelled like blood at a blood drive. Being a vampire, Mei had to pinch herself every few minutes so she didn’t salivate all over the floor and reveal her bloodthirsty identity. She had no idea how the biology major that was running this drive, and also clearly a vampire by his red tea - Christopher “Chan” Bang - was holding himself together. Perhaps the tea was what kept him tethered to reality. But a vampire running a blood drive - that was the act of a being who had lost his mind.

Mei sat in Chan’s desk chair in his office - a white, cramped, doctor’s office that smelled like hand sanitizer - waiting for Chan to realize she was there. She had her feet propped up onto the table, black boots obscuring what seemed to look like calculus homework or chicken scratch. She couldn’t tell. So he studied here as well. Mei couldn’t help but laugh as she looked around his office: paintings of instruments that looked like they came straight out of a museum adorned the walls, a printer sat in the corner that looked like it would fall apart if it was asked to print one more paper, and a coffee pot with stains that would likely never come off. This was most certainly the living space of a tired and stressed college student - he had hidden his vampirism well. She doubted he even used the coffee pot anymore, Mei herself couldn’t bring herself to swallow anything except for blood.

She wondered how she hadn’t noticed the other vampire sooner. But now that she had found him, she was determined to befriend him and possibly help him; he couldn’t have been a vampire for too long. Mei shuffled her feet so they sat over some chemistry homework instead. She hoped she looked intimidating because it would have been embarrassing for a two-hundred-year-old vampire to not strike some sort of visceral and primal emotion into a baby vampire.

Like on cue, Chan entered the office with such frantic movements that she swore he would trip on himself. He had tousled black hair and a white lab coat snug on his shoulders that looked a little too perfect to be a real lab coat, like one a small kindergartener would wear on career day. He also carried a clipboard, and seemed to notice his franticness before he noticed Mei because he made eye contact with her but was much too delayed in his reaction to say anything until at least a few seconds later.

“Hello?” He said after a few seconds, staring at her. He looked like he was going to pass out with her feet on the table, or maybe he was just startled that someone was so confidently intruding on his space. Mei kicked her feet back onto the ground.

“Hello,” Mei said in greeting, then gestured to Chan’s cup of tea on his desk. “May I ask what kind of tea this is? It has such a wonderful taste. I couldn’t help but have a taste.”

He looked like he was going to pass out. “It’s a really, um, exotic flavor,” Chan said, placing his clipboard down on his desk. Mei glanced at it. It looked like a medical form. “You wouldn’t like it. Or, no, I’m really surprised you like it.” His voice had a clear accent - British? Mei was slightly surprised he wasn’t asking why she was in his office. He was probably too worried over the tea.

“Oh, it was bloody delicious, whatever it was,” Mei said. Chan looked like Mei had just found his illegal drug stash. “Okay, I’ll stop teasing. I’m a vampire. And I’m going to be terrified if you’re not also a vampire because it would be weird if you were a human drinking blood.”

Mei hadn’t realized Chan was on edge until his shoulders shrunk down a few inches and he gave a small smile. He was refreshing to see at ease - Mei was far too used to people being scared of her. “You are?” He asked in that hopeful fledgling tone that made her heart clench.

She nodded. “For two hundred years. I’m assuming it’s hardly been a month for you.”

She could tell he tried not to be phased by her age. It was routine for humans and young vampires to not be able to comprehend her age. “Three weeks, actually,” he laughed nervously. “I signed up to run this a few days before I got turned. I would have never accepted had I known...”

He trailed off, but Mei understood. “Baby vampires are usually more thirsty than adult vampires, and even I felt a little unhinged walking by all of the vials. I can’t imagine how you feel.”

Almost on cue, Chan reached for his tea cup and took a long, quenching drink. Mei watched him drink. He let out a breath after he finished, and his hair flopped in front of his eyes. “It’s painful,” he said simply. He let out a nervous laugh and scratched his head. “I was going to come in here for a break from the smell. But you’re here.” He stared at her for a moment, and Mei could see the gears turning in his brain. “Can you help me?”

It was such a vague question, but Mei nodded with certainty. Can you help me be a vampire? Can you help me not kill everyone in this blood drive, because I seriously might? “Let’s first give you a mask to wear. Like one of those disposable doctor masks?”

“I already thought of that, it doesn’t work,” Chan groaned, but Mei shook her head at him. 

“Do you have gum?” She asked. “Peppermint flavored?” He wordlessly gestured to the main drawer in the desk, confusion etched onto his face.

Mei pulled out the gum. “I know you don’t want to eat it, and you don’t need to.” She unwrapped a piece, but threw out the gum, holding out the wrapper for him. “Stick this into your mask. I don’t think it will mask the scent completely, but it will certainly be a distraction.” She raised her eyebrows at him and urged him to take the wrapper. He took it, looking at her with wariness stretched across his face.

“Really?” He asked, pulling a blue mask out of his lab coat. He grinned and slipped the mask on, sticking the wrapper in it.

“Absolutely,” Mei said, not absolute at all. She had thought of this out of the blue. He seemed to relax at her certainty.

“Thank you,” he said. Even with a mask on, Mei could tell he was smiling. It was a smile of gratitude, a smile of being seen. “It’s... it’s so relieving that there’s another vampire on campus. It’s nice to know you’re here. Even if you broke into my office and ominously waited for me in my office chair.”

“That’s what I’m here for, I suppose,” Mei laughed. “I would say that I’d help you with the blood drawing, but I’m a music major. I certainly don’t have any license to perform anything related to human health.”

“Can you help me pack up the vials after the blood drive is over?” Chan asked quickly. “It’s just me and two more people, and they’re assigned to clean up. I’d trust you to, you know, not tamper with them.” Mei noticed he avoided saying the word blood. He must have been fighting his thirst harder than what he was letting on.

“Yes, and take another sip of your tea,” Mei recommended. He did so, rather rushed. He wiped his mouth and pushed his mask back on when he was done and gave a cooky grin that she could see through his eyes.

"I have to get back to... the blood tests, but I suppose you can stay here." He stood, silent for a moment. "Feel free to do my chemistry homework if you're bored."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Mei said sweetly, causing Chan to give a snarky eye roll. Then, he exited the room to continue with the blood drive.

Nearly six months later and with another semester gone by, Chan and Mei had formed an unlikely, yet close friendship. Mei preferred to say they were blood-bound because between Mei's music theory classes and Chan's cellular biology homework, the two of them had no academic similarities. They had first hung out together in the library of the university, both always carrying opaque flasks of blood that felt like an inside joke between the two of them. They had upgraded to spending a few weekends together, and now they were practically inseparable. Chan knew all of Mei’s quirks, like how she had to practice guitar in the mornings and piano at night, or how she had to always be in the same practice room to get anything done. Mei knew Chan’s sense of humor, which was essentially knowing his entire personality - quick puns that could slip by as casual comments, or teasing that was prolonged and never-ending. He had gone an entire month speaking in a British accent when Mei had mistakenly called him British. There were certain phrases he had taken upon himself to abuse profusely.

“Bloody hell, I’m Australian!” He had told her, giving a teasing grin. “Aren’t you old enough to have traveled to other countries to know their certain accents?”

“I’ve been all over Europe,” Mei had corrected. “Mostly Spain, Portugal, and France, and not so much Britain. There are so many different dialects of English in Britain that I had just assumed that your accent was from there, so shut up.”

Chan had taken a sip of his blood tea and had given the evil look of a taunting younger brother. “Then I suppose your mind isn’t as sharp as you thought it was. It makes sense, considering you’ve been un-alive for more than two centuries.”

“I’m going to stake you,” Mei had said sweetly.

Another fond memory was when they had gone to a museum so Mei could narrate what actually had happened in history as they walked through exhibits. What they discovered instead was a love letter Mei had written to a female lover when she was a young vampire that had an entire exhibit to itself. And, as historians usually were, they had erased the gay undertones of the note. Chan had to stifle giggles as he read an excerpt from the exhibit’s description that very proudly declared the note full of heterosexuality, while Mei had to hold back on murdering every employee in the museum. Mysteriously, that was the last time they had ever gone to that museum.

Yet none of these experiences or moments could top the underground blood ring.

Mei and Chan, during the semester, stole small amounts of blood from the monthly blood drive a few biological science majors held, enough to keep them satisfied for at least until the next blood drive. But now the spring semester was ending, and unlike winter break, summer break was much longer and hotter. Neither of them loved going outside because, as vampires, too much time in the sun would make them thirstier and sometimes blister.

“So what should we do?” Chan asked, sitting with his legs crossed on Mei’s couch in her apartment. “You’ve been a vampire much longer than I’ve been one. What have you done in the summer?”

“Back when I got my last degree, cameras were really terrible and too weak to see me,” Mei said, squinting while reading something on her computer. Mei had gotten a creative writing degree back in the 80s in Spain, and a history degree in the 60s. She liked to point out frequently that she would have gotten many more degrees, but sexism prevented her for a long time. “Which had made it much easier to steal blood or drink from a sleeping person, regardless of the season. But cameras are much better nowadays, and while they still wouldn’t be able to see either of us that well, they would see things being moved around and possibly changes in shadow. And we don’t want that. Also, with you being a new vampire that’s not an expert at stealthily drinking blood from someone, we can’t just have you slinking around peoples’ houses at night.” She sighed and shut her computer, then gave Chan a look that made his spine dance.

“I have a few ideas, but none of them are that ethical or easy,” she said, grimacing. “Do you have any?”

Chan pursed his lips. “I could try hosting another blood drive?” Chan suggested, then discarded the thought. “Or we could go to the hospital I intern at and steal blood from there.” He said that calmly, normally, and Mei was a little shocked at how nonchalant he had become regarding blood acquisition. He used to cringe when Mei gave crazy stories of how she had taken blood from people.

“Hospitals should keep their blood, though,” Mei said, ignoring Chan’s surprised expression. “It’s one thing to take a few blood vials from healthy college students. It’s another to withhold a hospital’s stock that could potentially save someone’s life.” Chan wanted to mention that the blood collected from the university’s drives eventually made it to the hospital, but he didn’t want to create an ethical debate. They were already unethical as it was, being undead beings that drank blood.

“Okay,” he said, sighing. “So what are your ideas? Because those are mine.”

Mei gave a little smile, and Chan got nervous. “Mei, what are you thinking?”

“I was thinking of an illegal blood ring,” Mei said casually, then folded her arms over her chest and frowned at him when Chan gave an expression that was equivalent to her saying she had murdered someone. “I know your track record is perfect, but as a desperate vampire, I don’t know what else to tell you. Would you rather starve?” Chan opened his mouth to speak, but Mei held up a hand. “Hear me out.”

A million thoughts were running through his head, but Chan did as she said. She was right, he did have a perfect track record because it was imperative for someone that wanted to go into medicine that it was spotless. A blood ring was the perfect addition to his record if he wanted to throw away his degree and any chance of employment.

“There are more blood rings than you’d think, and a lot of them aren’t nearly as scary or dangerous as you might think,” Mei started. “Think of doctors that are fed up with blood donation regulations because certain people, such as gay people, can’t donate blood. Think of psychopaths that want to sell tainted or drugged blood to scrape a profit. Think of people without ID that need blood but can’t get it through lawful means. These are the types of people we’d encounter, and considering that we’re both strong and smart vampires, being friendly with them, stealing blood, and then jetting wouldn’t be hard. We’d only have to do it once,” she said as Chan’s expression darkened with doubt. “I don’t love the idea either, but I think it’s doable. Allow me to ask around, and I should be able to find a place for us to go and get our blood within a week.”

“And what about next summer?” Chan asked. “And the summer after?”

“By then, you’ll hopefully know how to take blood from humans in their sleep,” Mei said evenly. “I should have taught you earlier, but I didn’t. Please, Chan,” she said and gave a look. “Just go with me. I promise things will be fine. And if it doesn’t, we can just change our names and go to university somewhere else.”

“You’re insane,” Chan groaned. There was nothing smart about this plan. Chan could name several things that could go wrong off of the top of his head: the blood they could get would be so drugged that both of them would kill someone in their insanity, they could get caught or ratted out and lose their place in the university, or they could simply get killed by the blood dealers. But Chan begrudgingly agreed with Mei because it was the only plan they had. And blood, as delicious as it was, was slippery to deal with. This was simply one shady deed in a life that would last an eternity. He was too young to understand the small weight of this blood ring that would carry on his immortal life. He had to trust Mei.

“And besides,” Mei said, climbing off of her bed to grab a bag of blood from her fridge, “you can think of it as a heroic job. Maybe we can rat out the blood dealers to the cops, steal their blood, but then tell the police they destroyed it all in a hairy crossfire. You’re not the bad guy, Chan, nor a vigilante. You’re just a vampire that needs his needs met.”

So a little more than a week later, Chan found himself in the passenger seat of Mei’s Toyota, Mei driving like she was on her way to the grocery store to pick up some eggs. “Mei, I don’t know if we should do this,” Chan said, shifting nervously in his seat and rubbing his hands together.

Mei turned smoothly to a dirt road. The highway they had been on before had been smooth, so the new bumpy terrain made the two of them bounce around in the car. It just made Chan even more nervous - this was territory that wasn’t crossed often. “Chan,” Mei said in the same way a mother would soothe a child, “we’ll be fine. Like I said before, I wouldn’t be able to do this alone. You’re here for backup. I told the dealer you have a black belt and can make shit fly if things don’t go as planned.” 

“I don’t have a black belt,” Chan felt he had to point out.

“And they don’t need to know that,” Mei said calmly. She turned again. Somehow this road was even bumpier. Chan felt like he was going to throw up. “You’re here for looks and intimidation. And if things do go awry, you look strong enough to do damage.”

Chan groaned. It was night out, and Mei turned off her headlights. It wasn’t a problem because both of them could see fine during the night; it was so no one else could see them. “Just relax,” she continued, which made Chan even less relaxed. “Think of the blood.”

Thinking of blood did make him feel better, much to his relief. He sat dazed while Mei navigated through the dirt path, thinking of the result rather than the work he had to do to get there.

Mei parked the car in between some trees and the two of them got out. Mei adjusted her hoodie and sunglasses, which made Chan pull out his sunglasses as well. He felt like a fake criminal putting them on. They only did this in movies. “This way,” Mei said, her voice amplified because of the silence that hovered around them. Trees were everywhere and Chan had no idea how Mei had managed to maneuver the car into the forest. He hoped a quick escape wasn’t going to be needed.

Mei trudged through the forest, Chan following. She led him to an old shack that looked like it was one breeze away from toppling onto itself. Chan had to duck to not hit his head on the door frame. The inside smelled exactly how a dilapidated and abandoned shack should smell like - grimy, slimy, and dusty. Then, of course, there was the smell of blood. He knew Mei could smell it too by how she stood straighter, or perhaps that was to seem more intimidating, because Chan had just noticed a few more figures already in the shack.

“I presume you’re Em and Bert,” said a cool, feminine voice across from them. The blood dealer.

“Bert?” Chan growled, quiet enough so that only Mei could hear, but she only smiled.

“That’s us,” Mei said, her voice devoid of the humor and carefreeness it usually held.

Even in the shadows, Chan could see the other woman give a smile. Despite the hood and mask she wore, the blood dealer wasn’t too incredibly intimidating. Chan thought she was sitting at first, but she was just short. A small lock of curly and blonde hair stuck out from her hood, giving the illusion that she was a small child. He almost snickered, but he was nervous himself.

Then he paid attention to her bodyguards. Three bodyguards were surrounding her, all tall, dark, and intimidating. The one to her right looked like he had muscles that could clock him into next week, while the one to her left had eyes of steel that he could feel scanning him. The one in the middle, right behind her, had the veiniest hands he had ever seen. He imagined them choking Mei or himself and he shuddered. Like the girl, they all had hoods and masks to conceal their identity.

“And do you have the money?” The girl said, a lilt to her voice. Mei nodded and pulled out enough money in cash to pay for an entire semester of school. Chan was amazed at his self-control to not do a backflip in the middle of the shack. Where had she gotten so much? He decided he’d have to ask later, or never.

The girl’s expression didn’t change at the sight of the money. “Put it on the table,” she said, then waved a hand to a three-legged table that sat in the middle of the room. Mei placed the wad of cash onto the table, then swiftly stepped away from it like the table was going to suddenly grab her hand if she didn’t move fast enough. 

Chan was hit with a pang of anxiety. Why hadn’t Mei asked to see the blood first? The bodyguard to the girl’s left pocketed the money. They could be murdered right there, and Chan still had to study for his anatomy final. He glanced over to Mei, who appeared to be unfazed. He gave her a look that he hoped she interpreted as, “do you still have an ounce of sense rattling in that brain?”

He didn’t need her to answer, however, because the girl motioned her hand. The buff bodyguard to her right bent down and picked up a box - Chan’s heart sank - a small box. His vampire senses started screaming because now the scent of blood had a visual paired with it, but there wasn't even that much. At most, this box of full blood vials would last Mei and Chan a month, which was less time than the two of them had for summer. The bodyguard placed it onto the same table where Mei had placed her money. This time, Chan took the case of blood. It was heavier than he had suspected, but it was still so little.

“You promised more,” Mei said evenly, echoing Chan’s worries. “I brought the money you wanted. Where’s the rest?”

“This is all we have left,” the girl said smoothly, and Chan had read enough crime novels to know that was a twisted truth. Likely, someone else had outsold them. And based on the amount of money Mei had given, that was an accomplished feat.

But even so, Chan could smell more blood somewhere, much like a human could smell both cookies and brownies being baked in a kitchen. Was it the blood from the girl and her guards? He didn’t think so, because that wasn’t the case when he was surrounded by fellow university students.

He didn’t have to look at her to know that Mei had smelled as much. Mei’s mouth twitched.  “I see more right there,” she said, pointing vaguely towards the girl. The bodyguards stiffened.

“We have no more,” the girl repeated, her tone stricter than any of her bodyguards’ body language. Her eyes narrowed, and Chan caught the hue of them - blue. “Perhaps if you had offered more money, or if you were a bit more reputable, I would have-”

The girl was unable to finish her sentence, because Mei had darted forward, faster than any human could have ever moved. Before Chan realized what she was doing, Mei already had a hold on a second box, identical to the one he was holding. It must have been hiding somewhere, and for whatever reason Mei had managed to see it.

Chaos ensued. The girl screamed, Chan screamed too, and Mei had delivered a blow to the muscular bodyguard, sending him to the floor. He realized that he was supposed to act the part of the strong sidekick, but Chan’s rationality and legs had a different idea. He was not fit to fight. While Mei sized up another bodyguard, Chan took off running. He ran out of the shack, blood vials rattling violently in his hands. He realized too late that under no circumstances could he drop the box of blood - it would defeat the purpose of Mei’s inception.

To his chagrin, he realized one of the bodyguards, the one with veiny hands, had taken off running behind him, and Chan deliriously wondered if he was good at playing piano as he dove into the dark forest around the shack.

“Stop!” The bodyguard yelled as if Chan would obey. He ran further into the forest, grateful it was nighttime. He could see easily, and based on how the bodyguard faltered around the frequent trees, he didn’t have the same advantage. Chan slowed his running when he saw how far behind the bodyguard was and crouched by a particularly large tree, cradling the vials of blood like they were a newborn baby.

He heard the bodyguard come closer, but Chan had faith that he was hidden and quiet enough to not be noticed. “Shit!” The bodyguard swore when he must have been about ten feet away. Chan remained perfectly still, crouched low, not breathing. He was dimly aware of the spiraling and sharp pain coming from his toes because of the way he was sitting, and he decided to ignore it. Then, without warning, Chan lost his balance and toppled onto the forest floor, the vials crashing into each other and creating a cacophony of noise. It was Chan’s turn to swear.

The bodyguard was upon him within seconds. Chan had barely gathered himself and the blood, and was still struggling miserably on the forest ground, pain exploding from his toes. “Are you insane?” The bodyguard growled, his voice rough. Chan squirmed away from the bodyguard and barely missed the bodyguard’s lunge towards him. He couldn’t tell if he was trying to reach for his neck or the blood.

“Yeah,” Chan answered him, tripping into a standing position, but the guard was too close for him to make a run for it. The adrenaline racing through his system had adrenaline, and briefly he wondered how Mei was doing. Could she hold off two bodyguards and that girl on her own? He wasn’t doing well even with one. His knees began to shake, and for a moment he wished he had never become a vampire - he wouldn’t have ever been in this situation. He wouldn’t have been moments from death or capture.

“You must be truly desperate if you’re willing to steal from people like us,” the bodyguard snarled. “What were you gonna do with it all, resell it? Give it to authorities to rat us out?” He backed Chan into a tree. “Or fucking drink it?”

Chan’s eyes widened, and a lightbulb glowed in his mind with a ridiculous idea. For the past few months, Chan had adjusted to being a vampire, but he couldn’t help but often felt alienated even with Mei being a new addition in his life. He avoided drinking blood in front of a human and even broke out into a sweat when it was in a concealed and opaque container in fear of their terrified reaction. Now, Chan took this opportunity to turn the tables in his favor. He just hoped he wasn’t the greatest fool for doing it.

“It tastes like cranberry juice,” Chan said in a voice that was much too cheery for how unhinged he felt internally. Then, without warning, he uncorked one of the vials of blood and chugged it. He let it slosh around in his mouth as a red sea, he gurgled it, he let it run over his mouth and onto his chin, and he prayed to some god, a god that likely had damned him already, that this plan had an ounce of sense. At least the blood tasted good.

“What the fuck?” The bodyguard choked, which was precisely the reaction Chan had hoped for. Chan kicked out and slammed his leg into the bodyguard, causing him to sputter in surprise before falling to the ground. His head connected with a tree and the sound was sweetly sickening. Chan stood, staring at the man lying unconscious on the floor, staring at his hands, staring at the blood. He must have stood there for a few minutes in stunned silence, before being interrupted by screams and shouts coming from the old shack.

“Seungmin!” A masculine voice shouted, and Chan assumed the voice was referring to the knocked out man lying on the forest floor in front of him. Unfortunate for both of them. A few more screams, and then, “-in the building!”

He heard a crack, and the most horrible, loud sound of splitting wood, metal chafing, and tile cracking overcame all silence in the forest. Chan cringed as he ran back towards the shack, fearful of Mei’s safety.

He emerged from the forest, only to have Mei dart in front of him to seize his wrist. Her hair, done in a ponytail under her hood, had become exposed and frazzled, but otherwise she seemed fine. She was carrying the second box, that special box, under her arm, and Chan wanted to cry with relief. They were both okay, they had done what they had come to do. “Car!” She huffed, then took off running, still gripping Chan. He felt like a rag doll being yanked by his five-year-old owner as Mei dragged him towards their escape.

He threw himself into the car, Mei already driving before his butt hit the seat. He placed his box of blood at his feet and felt out-of-body as Mei drove like a demon out of hell out of the forest and onto the gravel road. Chan had never felt so happy to feel the motion sickness that came from the rough terrain. He glanced over to Mei, who had ripped off her sunglasses. She looked like she had just slain a dragon and was glowing with adrenaline. Chan was filled with the happiness of knowing her. How could he ever have gotten so lucky? He broke into a grin, then began crying with laughter.

“We did it!” He cried, and Mei joined in with him after a few moments. He could hear the tension, fear, and anticipation leave her body as she laughed - a joyful, boisterous, and relieving laugh that seemed to be perfectly in rhythm with the car bouncing on the gravel road.

“We did, didn’t we?” She choked out after her laughter subsided. “But God, Chan, you look like you were shot in the mouth. What happened?”

Chan suddenly remembered his silly vampire distraction, and he burst into laughter all over again. “I scared the daylights out of the bodyguard that chased me by chugging some of the blood,” he giggled. His head was going to fly off of his head in the next few seconds. “It was all I could think of to distract him.”

“Oh my God, Chan,” Mei laughed. “That’s brilliant.” Mei turned, and the car gave a few jolts as it tore into another dirt road. “I destroyed the shack. It was sort of an accident, but it was only a matter of time.”

“And how’d that happen?”

Mei chuckled. "Throwing a bodyguard enough times against a wall causes a lot of strain on the house. I think I crushed everyone in the shack. Oh!" Chan's mouth dropped open as Mei reached into the center pocket on her hoodie and pulled out the wad of cash that she had used to pay for the blood. “There’s this.” She threw it into his lap, and Chan jumped as it touched him.

"Mei!" Chan gasped, unsure whether to laugh or be terrified. "We literally stole from them, and now we cut them short of-"

"Yeah, and they cut us short too," Mei shrugged, having an ethical compass of a seesaw. "Their leader, the little girl, promised me a second box. I was essentially paying for two boxes and she only gave me one. It's only fair. Well, at least for us." Mei stared off into the distance as she drove. "And I bet you smelled the blood of the second box, too. Perhaps she thought she could undercut us. Either way, I hope all four of them are screwed either financially or physically. Honestly, I might have killed the ones in the shack. But now I can pay for my next semester and not die of thirst over the summer." 

She said all of this causally, and Chan didn’t feel like lecturing her. He had sins too, lying unconscious in the forest. Chan also decided not to ask where Mei had gotten her money. He didn't want to, because he knew she didn't have it before this. "I mean, they're blood dealers," he said instead. "I don't think they care about laws or rules. But still..."

"Still nothing, Chan," Mei laughed. "We did it. Can't we celebrate?"

"Ah, two vampire college students stealing blood from a shady group of people that we might have killed. Congratulations to us," Chan said in a mocking voice, but smiled. "We certainly did it. Let's never do it again."

"You can say that again," Mei agreed. Her mouth quirked upward, and she barely suppressed a giggle. "Honestly, I thought we were screwed the entire time," Mei said carefully. "I thought they'd have backup in the forest or around the shack. Me reaching for that second box - that was pure stupidity."

"But we got our blood," Chan said with a note of finality.

"We got our blood," Mei echoed. Against all odds, they had pulled off a plan only a college student could conjure. "If we can do this, finals will be easy."

"Are you sure about that?"

Chan and Mei bickered back and forth over if finals or stealing illegal blood from shady vandals was harder (finals won) until Mei got onto the highway. Homebound and their goal accomplished, the two vampires laughed all the way home. In the sky, the moon's white rays glowed on them, the foil of the sun that they had grown to love as creatures of the night.

[nutella-28m]

Last Lines

Rules: post the last 7 lines of your current WIP and tag 7 people to keep it going.

Tagged by the marvelous @justsomeoneunordinary 🤗, thank you so much. Took me a while to find the WIP but, here it is.

“Last chance, old man,” the assassin growled, fire iron dangerously close to Douglas’ throat.

“I already told you, I don’t know where it is!” Douglas cried, tears streaming down his cheeks.

The first touch of the burning iron on his skin was worse than anything Douglas had ever experienced. Forty years working underneath the world's most ruthless organization and nothing had prepared him for the way the metal rod penetrated his skin with a loud hiss, the smell of charred flesh swirling in his nostrils, and the pain that flared to life at his shoulder. The wail that tore through his throat was pitiful, lost in the loud clap of thunder brought by the raging storm, heard only by his assailant.

The grin that slowly spread across the assassin’s face was full of malicious intent, pearly white teeth gleaming in the firelight, predator-like eyes unblinking and calculating. Those deadly familiar charcoal eyes flashed a bright crimson before fading back to normal, cold dread settling in the pit of Douglas’ stomach, the pain fading somewhere in the back of his mind as he recalled a forgotten memory.

Vision suddenly blurred, Walter no longer found himself in his office, instead he was hard at work in a small containment cell, agonizing child strapped down on a metal table just a few feet away from his position, various needles sunken into overly abused skin, all connected by tubes to a machine that rested at his fingertips. In his periphery stood three guards, fingers poised over the trigger on their weapons, ready to fire at the first sign of threat. He could vaguely hear what the child was saying but his own words were crystal clear, like a bell ringing in the middle of a soundless night. Snide comments mixed with the bittersweet taste of insanity provoked a vile sensation to rumble in his stomach, twisting his intestines into knots.

Douglas sucked in a pained breath, lungs fighting for oxygen, head swimming in tempestuous waters. In his delirious state, the child of his memory replaced the assassin standing before him, lifeless eyes that resembled the darkness of an abyss ripping his soul to shreds as they’d once done years prior. No longer bound by chains, unhinged and thirsty for blood, stood his worst nightmare.

“Does it hurt?” The assassin taunted, twisting the fire stoker for emphasis.

Tagging: @kapteeniangie , @notdoingsohot , @quiet-at-dawn , @waterbending-warrior , @legend-of-the-fandoms and anyone else who’d like to participate (I honestly don’t even know who else to tag 😶)

[nctzendreamz]

Crazy, Rich, and They Hate Me :: Part Four

Jaehyun x Reader Ft. NCT

Angst, fluff

A/N: The picture used to describe your fashion has nothing to do with your race or body type! It is only meant to show what you have on. Y/N is YOU! You are beautiful and goregeous and amazing. <333333

First you found out your boyfriend was rich, and now, as you approached the large mansion that was complimented with thousands of different plants and flowers, you definitely knew Jasmine’s parents were rich as well.

You slowly approached the large double doors. It was such a simple object, but it was still the most beautiful door you had ever seen. The buzzing of the doorbell made it even more memorable.

“Who is it!” A sqeaky, but familiar voice spoke through the intercom.

“It’s Y/N.” You yelled, trying to hold back a giggle. You heard a couple of locks becoming unhinged, and felt your eyes pop out of your head when you saw your friend. “Oh my goodness.” You whispered, immediately running into her arms and squeezing the life out of her.

“You literally look exactly the same! How is that possible!” She screeched as the two of you jumped around in a circle.

“Me? You look even younger than you did when we first met.”

“Woah.” You said in reference to the all white scenery in her humble abode, complimented with spurts of blue and yellow. “This is...this is beautiful. You live here?”

“That’s what I said when I first came to move in. I thought I put in the wrong address.”

Two twin boys crept around the corner, catching your attention quickly. “Hi!” You said in a sweet tone.

“Hello.” They said in unison.

“Cousins.” She said with a bright smile on her face.

“Oh.” You cooed. “Words cannot describe how happy I am for you, Jas. Like this is literally your dream come true.”

“Thank you so much, Y/N. Now enough with the emotional buisness. Let’s eat!” She clapped, prompting you to follow her into the large kitchen where her large family sat. You could already tell which one was her mom. They looked like twins.

“Mrs. Kim.” You ran to her, bowing.

“You must be Y/N.” She smiled. “I’ve heard so much about you since we got our precious Jasmine back.”

“Yeah. Too much.” A long haired male choked.

“Shut up, Heechul.” Jasmine spat.

“Haven’t I already told you, you want no parts of me?”

“Excuse those two.” Her mother interrupted. “Heechul has no filter. Please sit.”

You sat down in the large chair, stomach growling at all the food that was infront of you. “Don’t mind if I do. Hi cutie!”

It was one of the twins from earlier. You just wanted to squeeze his cheeks. “I’m not cute. I’m handsome.” He said with his chest out.

Heechul sighed dramatically, putting the last piece of food he wanted on his plate “In a world where I live, I think you’re neither.”

“Shut up.” The other twin said.

“Yeah!”

“I will fill your room with every thing you’re terrified of.”

“Heechul will you please stop threatening the children!” Jasmine yelled.

“Will you get a job?”

You didn’t know what to do, and when everyone at the table began to laugh exactly the same, you were even more confused.

“Excuse them.” An older man said at the head of the table. Jasmine’s dad. Even in the early morning, his clothing was still luxurious. Silk pajamas complimented with what you assumed was his initials. “Please.” He motioned towards the food on the table. You put everything they had on your plate, and began to eat.

“This is so delicious.” You moaned out, taking a moment to truly appreciate the fine cuisine.

“Yeah whatever.” Heechul scoffed. “Let’s talk about why you’re here.” He smirked, “Looking for love? A one night stand to remember?”

“First and foremost, she’s not thirsty like you. Secondly, there are kids here, and lastly, Y/N has a boyfriend. That’s why she’s here.” Jasmine winked at you from across the table.

“Wait...you have a boyfriend? With that outfit?”

You couldn’t help but snort even though you were being roasted.

“I happen to like the casual look. It’s different.” Mrs. Kim said.

“Yes. His cousin is getting married this weekend and I was invited as his plus one.”

“He’s Korean?”

“Yup.” Your smile couldn’t be brighter thinking about Jaehyun. You knew if you looked at your phone you would find a text from him, telling you how much he missed you.

“What’s his name, by the way?” Jasmine questioned as she put some kimchi in her mouth.

“Jaehyun.” You said calmly.

Suddenly everyone in the room froze. Jasmine choked on her food, the twins dropped their forks, and Heechul looked as if he could pass out.

“Woah woah woah...Jaehyun who?”

“Jaehyun Jung...” you trailed off suspiciously, eyeing everyone closely.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Heechul gasped. “You’re dating Jung Jaehyun? Like top bachelor Jung Jaehyun?”

“Rich as fuck Jung Jaehyun? Like richer than anybody in South Korea?”

“We’re rich.” Her dad said, leaning across the table. “They’re richer.”

“He’s pretty.” The twins said in unison.

“Girl! His family literally built the Seoul we know today. They got old stacks! How did you meet him?”

“We met back in LA. I went to this festival that I didn’t want to go to, and I met him.”

Heechul looked more offended than you had ever seen someone. “Why are you so calm? You do realize that Johnny and Rose getting married is the equivalent of the Royal Wedding here, don’t you?”

“Really?” You couldn’t believe what you were hearing.

“Yes!” They all yelled together.

“Wait, does this mean that you’re going to the dinner tonight?” Jasmine whispered.

“Yeah. I finally get to meet his mom.” You sighed.

“Are you changing your clothes?”

“Wel I figured it was nothing wrong with this.” You picked at your clothing one by one.

“Uh uh girl.” Jasmine said, getting up from the table, Heechul right on her heels. “I will not let you fumble the bag like this. Get up.”

“What’s wrong with my outfit?”

“Everything.” Heechul said, grabbing your wrist and dragging you upstairs.

Two hours had passed filled with you being forced to try on different outfits. There had been so many that you liked, but according to Jas and Heechul, it wasn’t perfection.

“Family, I think we found the one!” He yelled, clapping his hands in excitement.

You couldn’t deny it. This outfit was absolutely a killer. You felt yourself getting hot just from looking at yourself.

“Woah.” The twins gasped.

“Isn’t it so her, but not bummy at the same time?” Jas squealed.

“I have to say guys, I’m thoroughly impressed.” You said, twirling around.

“I wish I could see the look on Jaehyun’s face when he sees you.” Heechul dragged. “Unfortunately I have a date to get ready for.”

“So you don’t want to ride with us? After all this hard work?” You fake pouted.

“Well since you’re begging...” he trailed off.

“To the Jung mansion we go!” Jas yelled.

.............................

“Did you put in the right address?”

“I think so.”

“I mean, it makes sense.” Heechul explained. “You can’t be the richest family in South Korea and then live on the main road. It’s not logical.”

“True.” You and Jas said in unison.

“Shit. Are those guards?”

“Don’t worry.” You said confidently, remembering what Jaehyun told you to say. When you pulled up, you rolled down your window. “Good evening, sir.”

“Who are you.”

“Rude.” Heechul said from the back seat.

“Y/N. Y/N L/N.”

“Boys we got a Y/N L/N here.” He said through his shoulder walkie talkie.

“Let her through.” The other man said.

“It’s your lucky day.” He smiled before signaling for the double j gate to be opened.

“Holy shit.” Jas breathed out as you drove around the long driveway.

You know you said Jas had the nicest house you had ever seen, but that was all in the trash now. This was the definition of a masterpiece. Everything about it screamed royalty. So many people were getting dropped off by their valets. You felt like you were in Hollywood. No, this was better than Hollywood.

“You’re actually dating a Jung. Like what the hell.”

“Yes I am.” You said in a scared tone. Suddenly all the pressure was trying to crush you. As you stepped out the car, a goregeous smile made you lose your breath. “Jae.” You whispered. In moments like these, it was like the only person who could hear him was you. He was in a velvet suit, complimented with a wrist watch you were for sure cost more than anything you had ever bought.

“Damn.” He came up to you, kissing you softly. “You look so damn good.”

You felt like a middle schooler as you couldn’t help but stutter. “Me? No..no...that’s you.” He kissed you again, and you could care less who was looking. You were on top of the world right now.

A loud horn interrupted your smooch, and also scared you to death.

“Sorry.” Jas said, leaning across the passengers seat. “Slipped.” She cleared her throat, and you knew what she wanted.

“Jaehyun this is my friend that I went to go see earlier. Jasmine. And her cousin Heechul is in the back.”

“We dressed her.” He said with a childish smile on his face.

“Oh really?” Jaehyun questioned. “Well I think it would be pretty rude of me to not invite two people with such great taste to the party.”

“Oh no.” Jas sang. “We should get home. You know... it’s dark and I can’t see.”

“You sure?” Jaehyun smirked, his dimples making an appearance.

“Well, you know I guess it wouldn’t hurt to stay a couple of minutes? You know?”

“Yes. Just a few minutes.”

“Stay as long as you like.”

The two of them laughed awkwardly, clearly starstruck.

“Let’s go in, shall we?” He opened his arms for you to wrap your own around, and you allowed him to lead you inside. You couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of Heechul and Jasmine going in the trunk to change out of their pajamas.

His house was the definition of a dream. You felt like you were dreaming.

“You really do look so beautiful, baby.” He whispered in your ear, kissing it softly.

“Are you trying to rile me up so soon?”

“Maybe.”

“Well well well.” A voice called out. A red haired boy was approaching you and your boyfriend. You didn’t know whether he was Lucas or Yuta, but you knew he was one of them because he was on complete model status right now.

“Yuta.” Jaehyun spoke. “Surprised you’re here on time.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m not always late.”

“Hi.” You smiled.

“Well hello, beautiful.” He grabbed both of your hands and kissed each one. “You must be the Y/N I’ve heard so much about.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you too.”

“Like?”

“That you’re a model.”

“Oh babygirl.” A deeper voice spoke. “We’re not just ‘a model’, we’re the models.”

“Never forget it.” Yuta added on, fist bumping his brother.

“Lucas.” He introduced himself.

“And on that note.” Jaehyun grabbed your hand, leading you away. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. They’re fun.” You said in a child like manner.

“You ready to meet my mom?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” You took a deep breath, allowing your boyfriend to open the kitchen door for you.

“You’re fired!” A slender woman yelled. “I asked you to do one simple thing, and you can’t even do it. Get out.”

“What? I did it perfectly!”

“Not perfect enough. Goodbye!” She snatched the bowl out of his hands, and started to finish making whatever was in it.

“Mother.” Jaehyun spoke softly.

She looked up, angry eyes softening at the sight of her son. “Oh Jaehyun. You look so handsome.” She quickly ran and hugged him, clearly not realizing you were in the room as well.

“This is my girlfriend, Y/N.” He said, grabbing your hand.

She took your hands from his, sqeezing them. “Oh...nice to meet you...Y/N.”

“Nice to meet you too! I’ve heard so many good things about you and I’ve been so excited to meet you.”

“I’m gonna let you two spend a little time together.” Jaehyun smiled, secretly sqeezing your behind affectionately before walking back to the party.

“So...how long have you been dating my son?” Her demeanor was much different now. She wasn’t evil, but you could tell she didn’t play about Jaehyun.

Your smile still dazzled. “Two years.”

“Really?” It wasn’t a question. More of a statement. “What do you do for a living?”

“I do hair. I’ve been working at a salon for almost theee years now.”

She moved back to her bowl, where she no longer felt the need to keep eye contact with you. “Is doing hair your passion?”

“100%. One day I want to open up my own salon, or maybe even do hair for celebrities. One step at a time though.” You laughed, she didn’t.

“How do expect to pay for that? You certainly don’t expect my son to, do you?”

“Absolutely not.” You answered quickly. “I actually didn’t know how rich you guys were until like yesterday.” Once again, she didn’t find your jokes amusing. Why was this so difficult? What were you saying wrong? “I would never ask him to pay for anything for me.”

“He paid for you to get here.”

“I had no idea.” You sighed in defeat.

“Hm.” Was all she said. You were about to try and ask about her, but someone came in. “Mrs. Jung, your husband would like to speak with you. He’s on the phone.”

She didn’t even excuse herself. She simply left. You needed a drink. Actually, you needed Jaehyun.

“How did it go?” He questioned as you approached him at the bar.

“She hates me.” You pouted, putting your face on his shoulder.

“No one can hate you. She was probably just irritated because of the guy she fired.” In reality, Jaehyun had no idea.

“That poor guy.”

“I warned you.” He kissed your forehead. “But don’t worry. She’ll warm up.”

You wanted to tell him about the fact that she seemed disgusted with your life choices, and also question why he wasn’t more surprised, but Johnny approached him before you could.

“I need help bringing in some drinks. Mind if I steal him?” He winked.

“Not at all.” You sighed. The minute Jaehyun was gone, you dumped your head on the bar.

“It’s frustrating isn’t it.” A voice spoke. When you turned around, you saw a face that you didn’t know could exist. He was unreal. “Trying to impress her only to have her shut you out.”

“Are you married to one of them?” You were hoping to make a friend who survived this, getting a chuckle out of the slim boy.

“She’s my aunt, but my parents are just like her. I could make a billion dollars and they still wouldn’t be satisfied because it wasn’t two.”

“That’s not cool.”

“What do you do for a living anyways? How much property do your parents have?”

“None.” You whispered embarrassingly. “I’m a hairstylist.”

“Even better.” He smiled, taking the last sip of his drink. “If it makes you happy, that’s all that matters. I think I’m the only one in this family that understands that.”

“Where there’s one, there can be many more.”

“True. Taeyong, by the way.”

“Y/N.”

“I know. We all do.”

“Great.” You sighed in defeat. “Just great.”

.....................

“So, how did it go.” Johnny questioned as they closed the truck that held the last of the alcohol.

“Bad. I think. I should’ve did more to protect her. When she told me, I didn’t really sound like I cared even though I do. My mom is just-”

“Scary as shit.” Johnny finished for him.

“Exactly.”

“Johnny, may I have a moment with my son?”

“Yes ma’am.” He said, looking more terrified that Jaehyun had ever seen him. He ran away quickly.

“Everything alright?”

“Yes. I just wanted to tell you that your dad doesn’t think he’ll be able to make it.” Her voice was filled with sorrow.

“Oh.” Jaehyun sounded just as defeated. “Is he okay?”

“Yeah. Just got scheduled for more meetings. You know how it goes.”

He didn��t respond, deciding to listen to the sounds of nature around him.

“So about this Y/N girl.”

“I love her.” Jaehyun said before she could say anything else.

“Right.” She sighed.

“Did you not like her?”

“I just want what’s best for you. I don’t want you to end up with someone who’s only with you because of your last name or your looks.”

“Mama.” He grabbed her hands in his. “You raised me to be able to see who was using me and who wasn’t. Y/N didn’t even know about us and our wealth for two years straight. She loves me for me. I promise. I wouldn’t have brought her to you if I thought otherwise.”

“You’re right.” She shook her head. “Sorry for being so paranoid.

“It’s okay.” He took his mother in his arms, holding her tightly. “Just know that she won’t hurt me. And that I have good taste.”

“You said the same thing about Yuna.”

“When I was barely a man. It’s different this time. I mean it.”

“I know.” She said. She didn’t mean it though. If she had anything to do with it, you wouldn’t be together by the end of this wedding.

[justalittlelitnerd]

Angry God by L.J. Shen

Man this book was a wild ride from start to finish. I knew from Pretty Reckless and Broken Knight that Vaughn had issues that were borderline sociopathic (all of the main characters in the previous books comment on his weird habits and lack of emotions) but nothing prepared me for his almost psychotic behavior. 

The book starts with the history of Vaughn and Lenora’s relationship which began on a family trip where he killed jellyfish and they bonded over a brownie. It then continued to them both attending a summer art program at Lenora’s father’s academy in London when they were preteens and Lenora witnesses Vaughn in a compromising position. A 13-year-old Vaughn breaks into Lenora’s room, darkly threatening her if she breathes a word of what she saw. 

Five years later, they haven’t seen each other since that night, Lenora’s mom has died, her father and sister have moved to the US to they very place where Vaughn attends high school, and prior to her senior year they convince her to join them. Neither of them are the same, both darker and damaged by their teenage years. Lenora swears she won’t let Vaughn rattle her even as he makes it his mission to make her life a living hell. Between stalking her, breaking into her house, making her stitch him up when he’s been low-key (I say low-key because it wasn’t fully intentional) stabbed, drawing the wrath of all the mean girls to her, and a million other things that are absolutely insane they keep getting drawn together by a sort of unhealthy possessiveness & obsession.

This book was by far my least favorite of the three and that was in part to the lack of a clear trigger warning. I knew based on the previous books that the family dynamics would be complex and the characters would have an unexpected darkness to them. But nothing prepared me for the violence, the public sex acts (though it was mentioned in the previous novels), the BLOOD PLAY (just really not my thing), and the graphic sexual assault/molestation. I had a feeling going into this book that something happened to Vaughn when he was younger to create his issues with sex and intimacy, but I was by no means expecting it to be graphicly depicted. Talking about the psychological effects of molestation is one thing (it still needs a trigger warning, but it’s important to discuss) but actually showing the acts is completely another. As soon as I realized what was happening I skimmed the retelling because it was just too hard to read and I couldn’t imagine how someone would feel if they had similar experiences. 

So basically approach this book with caution.     

Keep reading for my favorite quotes from this crazy novel.

Ars Longa, Vita Brevis. Art is long, life is short. The message was clear: the only way to immortality was through art. Mediocrity was profanity. It was a dog-eat-dog world, and we were leashed upon each other, hungry, desperate, and blindly idealistic.

We had the talent, the status, the money, and the opportunity. But if we were silver, Vaughn Spencer was gold. If we were good, he was brilliant. And when we shone? He gleamed with the force of a thousand suns, charring everything around him. It was like God had carved him differently, paid extra attention to detail while creating him. His cheekbones were sharper than scalpel blades, his eyes the palest shade of blue in nature, his hair the inkiest black. He was so white I could see the veins under his skin,  but his mouth was red as fresh blood���warm, alive, and deceiving.

Lenora didn’t strike me as a party girl. She had the strange gene, the one that made her stick out like a sore thumb wherever she went, even without the Maleficent wardrobe. I could tell because I had it, too. We were weeds, rising from the concrete, ruining the generic landscape of this yacht club town.

Watching her react to me was like feeling the first rays of sun after a long winter.

“Y’all gonna slow-dance to a Billy Joel song? If so, don’t forget to leave room for Jesus. And Moses. And Muhammad. And also Post Malone, because hey, he’s kind of a religion now, too.”

My heart accelerated to a dangerous speed, fireflies bursting forth as though escaping a Mason jar. Kissing him was like standing on the edge of a cliff. Nice view, but you knew it was deadly. Still, a stupid, irrational, dangerously alive part of you still wanted to hurl yourself down to meet your own demise. I felt his lips on more than just my lips. I felt them in my fingertips, all the way down to my toes. I felt them when my skin broke into goosebumps.

Heartbreak was a mystical, double-edged sword from where I was standing. And I had no desire to experience the full range of emotions in a car crash of feelings. Not ever going there.

“I don’t believe you, but I’ll still catch you,” he said. “I will always catch you, the fucking dumbass that I am.” “What do you mean?” “You soften me.” “Why?” “Because I don’t want to fucking kill you! You’re too fun to fuck with. Now Get. The. Hell. Down.”

There was nothing more beautiful than watching Vaughn Spencer let go.

I said nothing, not really in the mood to correct her and tell her I hadn’t asked whether she believed in ghosts or not because I knew the answer already. It was what made her presence bearable. When we were in a room together, all our ghosts were waiting on the other side of the door. I could hear them.

Strong words, but time, I found, had two opposite effects. Either it made the pain dull and evaporated the anger or it allowed you to stew in your fury, multiplying your rage.

"Don’t take this the wrong way, but you are a bit unhinged.” He said “a bit” for the sake of civility. Truth was, you couldn’t be a bit unhinged, just like you couldn’t be “a bit” dead. Being crazy demanded commitment, which I certainly showed.

He came to her room every night. Not that I was keeping tabs or anything. I was just in the neighborhood when it happened. And by in “the neighborhood,” I mean in her hallway, lurking. And by “in her hallway, lurking,” I mean clearly I needed professional help, an intervention, and a fucking life. I found myself standing behind a Louise Bourgeois statue for hours daily, waiting like some kind of a rabid Belieber.

I pushed the door open, hoping to find her working or reading or converting to a religion where she could only have sex with people named Vaughn Spencer.

I knew Vaughn was incapable of falling in love, but I wanted to steal pieces of him. His time. His talent. His words. His smiles. And yes, his virginity, too. I was a thief of everything Vaughn Spencer. 

“I am hell bound, and you are heaven sent. You’re the first girl I ever looked at and thought…I want to kiss her. I want to own her. I wanted you to look at me the way you look at your fantasy book—with a mixture of awe, anticipation, and warmth. I gave you a brownie, hoping you’d remember me sweetly, praying the sugar rush would spin a positive feel around that vacation. I remember how you looked at me when you saw me killing jellyfish. I never wanted you to look at me like that ever again.”

At nineteen, I no longer had a beating heart. I wore a death mask everywhere I went, and I was thirsty for revenge. For his blood. There was just one, tiny problem that did not occur to me beforehand. Namely, his niece, Lenora, who’d shoved a heart back into my chest. Now that it was beating again, I didn’t know what to do.

We were an unfinished business, personal and always walking the tightrope between love and hate. But we were always something, Len. We will always be something. You might move on and marry someone else, have his children and get your happily ever after, but you will never be completely done with me. And that’s the small chunk of mirth I allow myself. That’s my half of the brownie. That’s my one, perfect summer moment in the South of France, watching the face of the girl I will love forever for the very first time. Because, Lenora Astalis, this is love. It’s always been love. Love with many masquerade masks, twisted turns, and ugly truths. I don’t know where I’ll go from here, but I’ll be wishing you were there...It is worthy and beautiful, just like you. I wish I were strong enough not to do what I need to do. I wish I could get the girl. Because, Len, you are her. You are that girl. My safe place. My asymmetric happiness. My Edgar Allan Poe poem. You are my Smiths, and my favorite fantasy book, my brownie, and summer vacations in lush places. There will never be anyone else like you. And that’s exactly why you deserve someone better than me. Love, Vaughn

He just hung in the pregnant air, suspended by strings of cruel hope and tragic impossibility. Heartbreak had a taste, and it exploded in my mouth every time I tried to smile.

“You saw what I wanted you to see. I think I always had this idea that you should be my savior, but naturally, the stubborn ass that I am, I didn’t understand it. Now I do. I want you to save me today, and tomorrow, and in a month, and in a year, and in a decade. Save me. Give me your best and your worst and everything in between. I’ve always watched my dad loving my mom and thought he was stuck in a state of insanity. But he wasn’t. Turns out, love really can be that fucking intense.”