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lifenodaijobu · 4 years ago

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Just a little list of my soft Draco obsession

For @vemodalensx

Theres a few here but I’ve left some out since the list was getting a bit long. I might make another list with more.

The list separated between cute Draco and vulnerable Draco just so you can choose whether or not you want a bit of sadness with your softness ^3^

Oh and ofc it goes without saying that the whole list is Bottom Draco hehe

Cute Soft Draco

Flower Crowns (2.4k words)

It started with a single flower 🥀 Draco makes flower crowns for Harry and that is how the whole school finds out about them. A happy dose of Harry with flowers in his hair, and a smitten Draco.

Dreaming of you (21k words)

Harry has nightmares, he wishes for a night when he can sleep without nightmares. What happens when he starts dreaming of Draco Malfoy? Draco left the wizarding world after the war, he's a librarian and lives peacefully in muggle London, what happens when Harry fucking Potter shows up at his work place?

Honey (

Harry is sick of Draco's oh-so-adorable endearments.

The Care and Management of Volatile Veelas

Harry adopts a Veela. He really didn’t mean to.

Quidditch Wife (Part 2)

Theres no real summary for this except for It's got all my favourite guilty pleasures, like protective!Harry and vulnerable!Draco, with a side of jealous!Harry and SportyQuidditch!Harry (and I think the top!Harry rather goes without saying).

All our pieces....fall right into places series

The first story: Draco had had a crush for a while and now that he had Harry in his bed...He was everything that Draco needed.

Trick or Treat

Harry had no idea that he was such a fetishist - a fact which he discovers on Halloween.

Pretty

Harry finds a pair of stockings in the back of their dresser.

The Sweater

After being forced to room together in 8th year, Draco and Harry become friends and decide to continue their living arrangements post Hogwarts. The only problem is, Draco can't seem to stop stealing Harry's clothes.

1095 Roses for a life time

Being woken up by the lips of your boyfriend is always a nice surprise, especially on the morning of yours third anniversary of dating, which leads to hot and passionate morning activity. But all this is just to indulge in themselves, Harry's surprise includes roses and a promise for a lifetime. Will they be the right choice?

Get your kinks out

Harry plays seeker for the Magpies, and he discovers that one of his teammates secretly wears lace panties. What begins as a sexual relationship becomes increasingly complicated by Harry’s fame, Draco’s family, and Harry’s ambivalent feelings about dominating Draco.

Can’t say no

Draco really has the worst friends. When they put a spell on him that he has to say no to everything Harry says.....things don't turn out well.

That time when Harry proposes and gets turned down because of his horrible friends.

What Draco wants

Out of anything a petty fight with Harry Potter could have led to, Draco Malfoy least expected it to end with him bent over a table, questioning his relationship and feelings for Potter, and having the best sex of his life.

Criminal

Things were going just fine for Draco Malfoy. He successfully conned and counted cards across Europe and America, amassing a small fortune, along with a lengthy rap sheet. That was until he made the grave mistake of returning to England for a high stakes card game and got himself caught – by Harry Potter no less. Now, Draco is stuck in England under Auror Potter’s guard with no friends, no distractions, and no escape. How the hell will he pass the time? And since when did Potter get so bloody fit?

Things Change

Harry and Draco's friends notice something different about them when they fight. See what they find out when they walk down an empty hallway.

Whats a little veritasium between two sworn enemies?

Draco Malfoy has a nasty habit of always coming across such bad luck no matter where circumstance presents itself and unfortunately that doesn't seem to change when his bloody nemesis Harry Potter over hears him talking about Veritaserum potions in the hallways past curfew. ( It was Pansy fault really)

Harry wants to know what the Slytherin boy is up to, especially with how nervous Malfoy is, but is that ALL Harry wants to know?

Mr Right Now - side note: Cedric/Draco

What do you do when you're feeling down about your ex? Make him jealous! Story features Cedric Diggory and Draco Malfoy trying to win back their loves, but somehow end up falling into each other's arms

For the love a kitten

With Voldemort Dead, life is not easy for Harry as Old friends become enemies and old enemies become friend. With the return of three Slytherins, Harry life is turned upside down.

How to prepare for a wedding night

I have a neighbour. He is stuck in a loveless relationship and an arranged marriage. He has zero experience in bed. He needs my help so that his love life won't suck for the next few decades. He needs a sex teacher. Oh... and the neighbour happens to be Draco freaking Malfoy. And I might be a little tiny bit in love with the git...

Draco's Scent

In which Harry can't be around Draco for long without the boy's stupid smell messing with his mind, and he really, really hates that.

Turn The Heat Up

Wonky Cooling Charms result in interesting revelations

Flirt

Draco and Hermione make a devastating duo at the Ministry as the respective Department Heads of Wizarding Culture Preservation and Muggle Relations. When Harry Potter gets involved in their latest joint project, Draco can’t seem to stop himself from constantly flirting with him even when it doesn’t seem to affect the golden boy at all. He’s wrong. Harry is most definitely affected. Includes Slytherin shenanigans, Draco sucking at quidditch, and Harry trying not to be charmed. Draco POV.

Angsty/Vulnerable Soft Draco

The Draco Malfoy incident - side note: I cried big time

Draco Malfoy is best friends with a Hufflepuff. A HUFFLEPUFF! He's also partnered with a redhead git, trying to hide from an obsessive green-eyed saviour and has become overly fond with sunrises. It's exhausting. Can't a man plan an assassination in peace around here?

I’m not in your dreams

Draco has dreamt with Harry's voice since he was fourteen, so there's no doubt for him about who his soulmate is. Now, in their Eighth Year, Harry has finally dreamt with his soulmate's voice too. The problem is that Draco was born mute.

Yours for the taking

Draco was raised to be the perfect Omega, but there are things even he cannot endure. When he discovers just what Tom Riddle's plans for him are once he's claimed him he is confronted with an impossible decision. Only one thing remains clear: he will never be able to go back home.

Luckily, Harry Potter is there to save the day

Rough on you - side note: Dark Harry. This is more vulnerable Draco than soft Draco so please read the tags before you start the story :) I was unsure whether I wanted to add this here but hey-ho

"I'm the only one that can give you want you really want." Harry spun Draco around and held his arms at his side and he pressed against his back, whispering against his throat. "That can force you, that can humiliate you… that can hurt you, and you want it. You want me."

Harry is having a bad day. Draco just cannot learn to keep his mouth shut. Neither of them would have predicted it would lead to this.

But who guards the dragon?

This is an expansion of my one-shot, It'll be Okay. You don't have to read it first, it will be in the story. Requested. DMHP Sub/Dom relationship. Slash. Don't like, don't read. Harry thinks a few thinks through, then comes into his creature inheritance. He finds out that he is the dominant mate to one Draco Malfoy. But things are never easy for the boy who lived

Taken For Granted

Having pined for Harry for long enough, Draco decided that it was time to give up and move on. What happens when Harry realizes too late what he's lost?

Mourning

Harry returns to school to complete his NEWTs. There he finds a much changed Draco Malfoy and surprisingly subdued Professor Snape.

In your arms, rests my world

Harry presses his mouth to Malfoy's forehead; he wants to tell him that he’ll never leave, that he wouldn’t dream of it.

“You make me feel safe, Potter” Malfoy whispers. “You keep me safe.”

Inside your mind

Goyle's taken it upon himself to act as Malfoy's personal, one-man guard and Harry can't help but feel like it's only making the bullying worse.

"I'll Protect You," and you can seal that with an Unbreakable Vow

His friends may tease but Harry doesn't feel bad for keeping a close eye on the Slytherin boy of one Draco Malfoy, after all someone has to do it. So when Harry secretly follows the pure-blood boy out past the courtyard, there's nothing strange or unusual about it; nor is it wrong.

Unfortunately the same can not be said for the scenario Harry accidentally stumbles upon as he can't help but stare in horror. It's not just wrong. It's absolutely despicable and Harry, well, Harry just has to do something about it.

A Big Black Sky

Draco shifts his head as he turns to look at Scorpius, his cheek touching the pillow. "Did you know that…" He pauses, his throat convulsing, and it sounds audible in the silence, besides Michael's steady, even breathing from the other bedroom.

Scorpius is staring back at him, in wait of something new to learn, a beautiful and intelligent child. He has Draco's mind. He has Draco's eyes and nose and mouth and hair. He is his. All his. All he has of Michael are his wild curls and the green of his eyes, and sometimes he looks into them and imagines that they aren't Michael's, but someone else's.

Draco leans his head closer, biting the quiver out of his lips before he breathes a laden and shuddering exhale, and he whispers, "You are my star in a big black sky."

Song To Say Goodbye

Draco should have remembered that life doesn’t always turn out the way you want it to. Somewhere along the way he forgot to always be careful and was left with nothing. It was hard enough getting himself together the first time, can he do it again?

Small spoiler for Song to Say Goodbye below

Its not Drarry Endgame: he ends up with a OMC cuz Harrys a big dickhead

#soft draco #cute draco #vulnerable draco #draco malfoy #harry potter #bottom draco #drarry #fic rec #drarry fic rec

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onyourzeus · 4 years ago

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• in the mood for love | pjh

ykcyj ➝ arskyh

title: in the mood for love pairing: park jaehyung (jae of day6) & you genre: FLUFF words: 2.6k

author’s note: requested by this anon asking for a valentine’s day headcanon for our #1 twitch streamer, jae. i’ve never done headcanons before, so i kind of spun this in both ways: how i think he’d spend a special day with his s/o, and turn it into a fic(ish?) ngl these are fun to do

any requests? check my pinned post if i’m accepting any at the moment, thanks!

jae wouldn’t be the biggest fan of valentine’s day

as in, having one specific day assigned throughout the whole year

for you to hail gifts and love notes and roses and chocolates to the one person you love

yeah, he’d definitely be the “complaining” type, that is to say

before he met you

your relationship stands in the middle of being frenemies and actually romantically involved

there is never a day that jae corrects you on some weird unheard of factoid

(in which case he gets it wrong 95% of the time)

nor can you get away from his ridiculous antics that just tip you over the edge slightly

like, putting your favorite snack on the highest shelf he knows you can’t reach

or bombarding you with memes through texts while he’s in the bathroom

forcing you to play phasmaphobia, promising he won’t lock you in the room with the ghost

and proceeds to do exactly that plus runs away without you

where’s the team effort in that?

anyway, that’s basically the gist of your life having him as your boyfriend

so for valentine’s day, you know it would either just be

a chill day at his apartment, maybe play games that would resort to turning into a fiery competition

or watch the latest release of your favorite animes while he talks over every two minutes about a theory he developed prior

OR… hmm, well, you’re not really sure

this would be the first valentine’s you’d spend with him; and you’re very much aware for his

lack of fondness for the holiday

the days leading up to it, the only thing you’d hear from him is complaints upon complaints of this capitalistic expenditure that should be abolished

you know he jests, but you feel a little saddened

you spent so much time making a scrapbook for the memories you both shared in the few months you’ve been together

it’s not a lot, you rarely do intricate craftwork like this, but you were feeling sentimental

there’s polaroids of him streaming on twitch with you sneakily taking the picture from the side

a polaroid of the two of you at your apartment eating take out while drinking a little alc

even a picture of yourself which he took when you were knocked out on the couch, waiting for him to finish band practice

for an added touch, you wrote down cute (or snarky, it depends on how he views it) comments on each polaroid, just to make it more personalized

the nervousness hits you, what if he thinks this is all too much? too clingy? he didn’t ask for this, that’s for sure

but it was made with the labor of love, and it just so happens that the 14th was the day you started dating him… yeah, maybe you can make that as an excuse instead

usually, the both for you don’t really celebrate ~*~monthsaries~*~ and that’s okay

he’s busy with work and you have other duties to attend to as well— but one special gift shouldn’t be the cause of a problem, right?

on the day of ~*~love~*~, jae had some meetings at the company bldg. and so you ask if there’s a time during the night you guys can hang out

he doesn’t respond until a few hours later, and the whole time your heart sank deeper and deeper into the pit of your stomach

you just have to accept him for who he is, you sigh, or maybe he’s just caught up with band stuff, which is usually the case— and you’re never not 100% supportive

he texts you that you can come over at his apartment, and for a little your excitement bounces back

“sorry for the late reply, the boys were here for a lil” he adds, and you’re confused— did that mean they’re still hanging out at his place? oh

you try not to think of it too much, having expectations beyond reality is what breaks a lot of relationships

and you have to remind yourself: jae isn’t like that, and you like jae for jae

you still bring the scrapbook with you, and ought to leave it under his bed or something so he finds a surprise later on (considering the possibility that you’re accompanied by 4 of his best friends during your 6 month anniversary and valentine’s day)

you arrive at his doorstep, anxiety soaring out of your chest for some reason. with the spare key he had entrusted you with, you open the door

it’s dark

way too dark

is this a prank? is he trying to conflate halloween with valentine’s day

“jae i swear to god if—”

and the lights turn on, but it’s not his house lights. they’re fairy lights. all strewn across the hall (where did he get that?)

little heart cut outs of different shades of red and pink seem to be taped all over the walls

you hear soft piano music humming from his speakers in the living room

but there is no jae in sight

“jae, what…” you’re at a loss for words

he pops out of his bedroom, trying hard not to grin so widely at you

“you called?” he says in the most annoying, teasing voice in which you can’t help but laugh-cry at

“wait wait wait this wasn’t the reaction i was going for” he says in panic, walking towards you and the sight of him just makes you cry a little harder

he’s wearing a tux inside his own house, and he’s holding a rose that’s bound to be crushed the moment he comes over to hug you

“wait, no the rose,” you say in between sniffles, taking it from his grasp and settling it on the coffee table

jae pauses, looks at you in a daze

you’re pouting, and you want to admire his outfit but also punch his silly face but he’s smiling at you and you’re embarrassed

“are you sad?” he asks a matter of factly, arms still spread open waiting for your approval for him to embrace you

“if you don’t hug me in the next three second i will be—”

“i would be the worst person to ever exist in the world to do that to you,” he says in your ear, and you soon feel yourself melting into his embrace

he’s so warm

and so tall

and so confusing you kind of just want to poke him where it hurts

but you indulge in the comfort of his presence

until you realize that you’re wrinkling his precious suit

“ok hol up” you interrupt the adorable moment, and jae seems to look confused

“wha”

“what’s all this?” you finally get the courage to ask, dried up tears on your cheeks yet a hopeful spark igniting in your chest

“well, i uh,” this is ultimate Jae Trying to Find Excuses with Futile Attempts To Do So 101

“did you really have a meeting today?” no answer

“did the boys help you with all this?” your head turns to look at all the cheesy decorations in the room

still no answer

just jae avoiding your suspicious stare, even whistling comically

“jae!” your nervousness from a while ago comes out as relief, and bubbling laughter as you playfully shake him for an answer “i thought valentine’s suck and we’re too good for that”

“you’re never too good for anything, well. except for me, you’re too good for me,” he finally lets up, wiping whats left of the moist tears on your face with a soft caress. his voice was soft, too, and it’s a refreshing and wanted feeling to hear him speak to you this way

“i know i can be a jerk about those kinds of things but… after meeting you, i think you deserve just the best,” he continues, finding your hand and holding onto it tight. “this isn’t even half of it”

“there’s more?” you quip, already satisfied with the cutesy re-decor of his apartment, but once he leads you to the island counter you see two plates filled with dinner food, and wine glasses ready to be poured with what seems to be red wine on the side

the vase in the middle was empty, and so you accept the rose that jae had picked up from the table, and carefully place it in its new home

“i’m… impressed. you did this?” you say

“if i said yes would you believe me”

“never,” you reply, knowing that younghyun probably had a little helping hand in here too

“well there you go, you know me better than myself already,” jae winks, and something flutters within you that causes your head to feel so light and just. focus on jae

pulling out the chair, he signals for you sit down with a royal gesture “before you, milady”

you’re laughing now, smiling from ear to ear at how ridiculous jae sounds but at the same time the two of you are having so much fun

you fall back into normal conversations with more banter than regular small talk; it’s so easy to be yourself with him

you keep admiring the suit he’s wearing, even his hair is slicked back with gel to cast the perfect valentine’s day look. you compliment him in between bites, and then mutter under your breath that you should have worn something just as elegant

“this wasn’t my idea,” he defends, and you’re sure one of the boys dared him to do it

“still, i don’t look the part as your date,” you half-joke, but your tone sounded sadder than you anticipated

“this,” jae says, looking at you and only you. for a moment you can’t find your breath

“you. this is you. and that’s who i love”

you’re smitten. that’s it pack up your bags this is it

“jae maybe ease up on the red wine?”

“shutup youknowyouloveit”

finally, you finish up the meal and you’re full

of food and love

he tells you to just chill by the couch as he gets something from his room, and you wonder what else he has up his sleeve

you’re grateful for bringing the polaroid camera with you to commemorate something so rare

but as you’re trying to take it out of your bag, you see the scrapbook (it’s hard to miss) and pull that out instead

should you give it to him now? or later?

while you contemplate on this, flipping the pages of the book jae has sprung up behind you

“hey i was looking for that picture of you all sleepy and drooling”

“JAE WHAT THE HELL”

you jump from surprise, almost flailing the scrapbook in the process as you see jae laughing his ass off from behind

you notice he has his guitar with him now (???)

“did you do this for me?” he sits next to you, setting the guitar on the side as you begrudgingly give him your gift. all of a sudden the unknown fear creeps up again and you hide your face in your hands

you hear him turn the page, a quiet pause, maybe a chuckle or two, and rinse repeat

“are you done????”

“no give me about ten hours”

“WHAT”

“i’m kidding, dude, this is amazing”

give it to jae to call you dude while in a relationship with you

but that’s when you know he’s genuine with his words

“i wasn’t expecting anything like this at all. this is so so so good, i love it. a lot,” he keeps complimenting you and it’s so hard to look at him when you’re red in the face and heart beating a mile a minute

“it’s nothing… i thought it’d feel too much since we haven’t been together long,” you confess, finally giving into seeing what jae looks like

he pout

he attac you with a flick on the forehead

and a pat on top of your head

“i don’t see it that way,” he says, sincerely. then he brings his guitar on his lap, and prepares his form as if he’s… about to sing something

the music from the speakers was soft enough to not disrupt his singing and guitar skills

you are one if not the biggest fan of jae and his band

and also, of eaJ

so you are very well aware of every song he’s put out there even winning five times in a self-induced contest as to who knows the lyrics better: the actual band member or the significant other

but what he’s singing for you right now

what those fingers plucking romantic melodies on the guitar strings

you haven’t heard of it before

and yet your heart feels so connected, so in awe of the way jae passionately sings in front of you

the man is shy okay, he’s a genius in his craft but when it comes to doing it in front of you he clamps up like a toddler on his first day alone in school

but right now, you don’t see any of that. you see jae singing words of happiness, admiration, love

for you

and he might not be meeting your eyes right now, it’s okay, cause you’re crying again anyway

you don’t want him to stop

you close your eyes and feel his words embed themselves in your mind

you want to keep this memory close to you, even if you can’t take a picture

it’ll ruin how special this moment is, really

it was short, sweet, but you’re not complaining

he finishes with a soft strum, and then finally sees your face in tears again

“i’m a bad boyfriend aren’t i,” he whines and he is met with the forceful (hint: soft) punches on his chest

“you’re literally the best bf ever wtf are u on about”

face wet, cheeks red, neck feeling warm from the wine

you’re a mess it’s as if you got dumped on valentine’s instead of serenaded by the love of your life

“why do you look like you got broken up on valentine’s instead of being—”

“yes jae i know”

“did you like it though? it’s unfinished but, i figured i wanted you to be the first to hear it”

“since...well.. it’s a song about you”

:( he wipes the tears with his thumb, and you steal a quick kiss on his lips

“i love it, and i love you so much u dork”

“i take it back you’ll never hear the finished version of this song”

“HEY”

(spoiler alert: he now keeps bugging you for more supportive comments and suggestions on the song)

(another spoiler alert: the night ended up the way you guys love spending time together: basking in each other’s company)

only this time, there’s poorly cut out hearts all over the walls

and there’s jae drunkenly mistaking lyrics of his song for another

and you singing along off-tune

happy valentine’s you two :)

#day6 imagines #day6 scenarios #day6 au #park jaehyung imagines #park jaehyung scenarios #day6 x reader #jae x reader #day6 fic #by:jiae #dot series

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florenceandthemachine · 4 years ago

Note

sleeping in the same room with buck is proving to be extremely annoying to eddie because at 2am, they'll be trying to sleep and buck will randomly start singing this is halloween from the damn nightmare before christmas and it's the middle of fucking june, and the only way eddie can get him to stop is to kiss him (for the first time)

“Wait, what do you mean you’ve never seen Toy Story?”

Eddie’s voice is in a weird balance of shock and accusatory, the tone making Buck squirm a little on the couch. Chris had all but conned (well, not really, Buck was just a sucker who didn’t know how to say no) Buck and Eddie into a movie night to start off what was affectionately being called ‘birthday week’.

After all, it wasn’t every day that your kid turned ten. Double digits were a big deal—Buck may not know the Toy Story, but even he knows that.

“I don’t know, no? We weren’t really a Disney family growing up.”

“How is that possible?? You’re basically a Disney prince!”

Eddie has that look on his face, the one he gets whenever Buck tells him something that he thought was normal about his childhood—it’s a combination of sad, and desperate, and a little angry, though Buck can’t figure out why—but he has figured out that defending his childhood doesn’t usually go as well as he hoped.

(“I had food and shelter. What more could I ask for?” Buck asks, one particularly exasperating night, after Eddie gives him that look again. Eddie’s response is so soft, Buck almost misses the “So much more.”)

So they watch Toy Story. It’s not a bad movie, at least. It’s... nicely made. He definitely doesn’t feel his entire body tighten up as the toys strap themselves to a rocket and race after a moving truck. And in no way does he breathe a sigh of relief when they fall through the sunroof.

The movie was nice, but the bet part of the evening is, by far, Chris falling asleep against his arm. It didn’t register immediately—he just put his arm around Chris instinctively to keep him comfortable—but as the credits roll, Buck can’t help but smile as he looks down. Somewhere in between gently pulling Chris’ glasses off and scooping the little man into his arms, he catches Eddie’s gaze, and he actually feels his breath catch in his throat.

Because the look on Eddie’s face fills Buck with want. Buck’s seen it before—the soft, dreamy look that Eddie gets more often than not when Buck and Chris interact with one another—but lately, he’s been noticing it more and more, when Chris is nowhere around, at work, on calls, when they’re just hanging out, and it’s dangerous enough that Buck catches himself seeking it out.

Which is a terrible idea, really, one that would only end poorly for him.

Buck clears his throat to break the spell, nodding to the crutches that Chris left by the couch as Eddie jumps up. “Wanna grab those, and we can get little man to bed?”

Eddie doesn’t know when Chris and Buck fell so in synch with one another, but it lifted a weight on his heart that he didn’t even know was there, knowing that even though Chris didn’t trust easily, he could still trust those that deserved it. He followed Buck’s lead as they got to his room, and had to literally grab onto the doorframe to steady himself as Buck tucked Chris in and kissed his forehead.

Wishing Buck a goodnight was never easy, but somehow that night was harder than it had ever been. Eddie wanted to reach out, to tell him to wait, to stay, but all he could do was swallow and smile and wave when Buck pulled out of the driveway.

Unfortunately, fires did not wait for birthday weeks, and Eddie and Buck were both stuck on an overnight shift a few days later. The beginning of the shift had started out easily enough—back to back calls could keep anyone busy—but Buck felt himself lagging as the night wore on.

Around three AM, Eddie swooped in and saved him, as he had a knack of doing. Pulling Buck into the media room, he all but dragged him over to the couch, picking a DVD off of the shelf and putting it in as he claimed his space next to Buck. As soon as the Disney castle became clear in the opening credits, Buck snorted, turning toward Eddie as he rose his brow.

“Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. Chris said Disney would be good for you. If I don’t at least try to fill this apparently horrendous gap in your life, I’m not sure he’ll ever speak to me again.” Eddie said defensively, raising his hands in surrender as Buck laughed. It was always nice to know that Eddie was a full grown man who was so totally bent to the whims of his son.

More dads could be like that, Buck thought.

He had to admit, though, he definitely didn’t expect what was coming next. While Toy Story had been emotional, the Lion King was kind of a fucking wreck, hitting him with sucker punches left and right in the first half hour of the movie.

“What the fuck.” Buck actually found himself whispering as the dust cleared, only to be confronted with Mufasa’s whole fucking corpse, because apparently that passed for okay in a G rated kids movie in the 90′s. “Eddie, what the actual fuck!” he said again as Simba entered the scene, not entirely proud of how his voice cracked.

Eddie must have heard it too, because the movie was immediately paused, Eddie giving him a concerned once-over before he had to actually hide a smile, the bastard. “Eddie, it’s not funny! This is fucked up! How is this a kids movie!” Buck hissed, reaching out to shove Eddie’s shoulder. Eddie did laugh at that, even if it was a quiet one, and Buck found himself smiling in spite of himself.

“You want me to continue the movie, or do you need a break?” Eddie teased, but Buck could see it for what it was, an easy out. Waving his hand as he wiped at his cheeks, he sunk deeper into the couch, watching as the scene continued. He didn’t realize how close he had been to Eddie until the other male spoke, voice low in the darkness. “You know, whenever something like this gets to Christopher, he usually lets me hold his hand... just a thought.”

Buck almost laughed at the absurdity of the offer until he turned and faced Eddie head on, the words dying in his throat as he saw just how... soft Eddie looked. The trace of teasing was long since gone, the only proof that he had spoken were the way his lips were slightly parted, and Buck felt color rise in his cheeks once again as he shrugged.

“Well... I suppose that would be alright. If you do it for Chris, anyway.” he murmured, letting himself move a little closer to Eddie, their shoulders and arms flush against the soft fabric of the cushion beneath them. He felt a shiver dance along his spine as Eddie gently brushed his thumb over Buck’s wrist, never breaking eye contact, and Buck could feel himself drawn in, moving in closer, until—

—until he jumped about a foot in the air as the siren went off, awake and more high-strung than ever as Eddie doubled over laughing.

(The call was a false alarm—and as annoying as that was, when they got back to the firehouse and finished the movie, Eddie didn’t let go of him until they were off the clock that morning. So, Buck reasoned, it wasn’t all bad.)

Chris had all but begged to have a sleepover the night before his birthday, and who was Buck to say no?

Granted, he thought that Chris would be inviting his friends over, like, friends from school, and not just Buck, but... that was fine by him.

(Eddie was a gracious host, at least—he seemed to realize how weird Chris’ request was, and he had given Buck about ten outs at work before Buck had easily shut him up. They had been... flirting? For lack of a better word, for the past few days, and Buck wasn’t afraid to use that to his advantage.

“Eddie, are you telling me you don’t want me to come over and stay the night?” he asked, a grin spreading on his face as Eddie blushed, he actually blushed, and just like that, Buck knew he won that conversation.)

He figured he may as well move up the ranks in Chris’ friend group, so he showed up with pizza and soda, depositing his winnings onto the kitchen counter before joining his Diaz boys on the couch. “Alright, nearly birthday boy, what’s the movie pick for tonight?” he said with a grin, the juxtaposition of Chris’ answering smile and Eddie’s near grimace catching him for a loop.

“Nightmare Before Christmas!” Chris almost shouted, as Eddie let out a sigh. “It’s his favorite movie.” he explained, making sure that Chris was looking forward before mouthing “I hate it.” Buck only barely managed to catch his laugh as he sat beside the pair, pizza at the ready.

The movie wasn’t bad, honestly, but even then Buck could absolutely understand how Eddie suffered through the movie whenever Chris demanded. The kid was absolutely entrapped in the entire movie, from skeleton to Santa Claus (”Sandy Claws”, Chris corrected, and Eddie actually groaned).

One good thing, though, was that the movie was short.

The bad thing about the movie was that meant Chris could ask to watch it again, and neither Buck nor Eddie could find it in their heart to say no.

The other bad thing—the worst thing, even—was that no matter how hard Buck tried, even as Chris was tucked in and read to, he could not get some of the fucking songs out of his head. He didn’t know the words. Hell, he barely knew the tune. But that didn’t stop him from humming as he and Eddie got ready for bed.

They were no strangers to sharing a bed—when you were on a twenty four hour shift, you slept where you could, and if that meant sharing a bed, it meant sharing a bed. At the very least, Eddie didn’t have a twin sized bunk. Buck also wasn't a stranger to death threats, which Eddie was full of the longer that Buck hummed.

“Buck, please.” Eddie groaned, one hand reaching over to smack Buck on the chest. “You’re cute and all, and I love how much you’re enjoying your Disney binge and I love that you’re having a good time but if you don’t shut up right now and get some sleep I will actually kill you.”

Needless to say, it works, though probably not for the reasons Eddie intended. Buck can almost feel Eddie drifting off again beside him when he clears his throat—ignoring Eddie’s groan—as he says “You think I’m cute, huh?”

Buck actually felt Eddie freeze for a minute before he rolled over, and the smug grin on Bucks’ face only grew as he came face to face with a scowling Eddie.

“Yeah, I do. You got a problem with that?”

Buck’s smirk softened into an outright beaming grin, only encouraged as Eddie started to smile back at him. He brought his hand up to Eddie’s hip as they both moved closer together—Buck let his eyes close as he tugged Eddie chest to chest—and then they were kissing.

It was soft, and it was sweet, and it was perfect.

The best part, though was the blush that was painted across Eddie’s cheeks when Buck opened his eyes. He brought his hand up from Eddie’s hip to his cheek, stroking it with his thumb. Eddie was cute as fuck, and that was undeniable, but... Buck couldn’t help himself.

He brought Eddie back into another kiss, painfully—unpleasantly—aware that a kiss was about as far as they would be able to go tonight, with an impatient Chris in the next room.

That might have been part of the reason that Buck decided to open his mouth—the other reason was probably because he was a child at heart, and nothing would ever change that.

“You’re blushing, you’re blushing! I can’t believe my eyes.”

Eddie actually beamed for a moment, before realization clicked on his face, and he shoved Buck away, groaning as he covered his face with his hands.

“Buck, oh my GOD.”

#buddie #evan buckley #eddie diaz #buddiefic #911 #christopher diaz #nightmare before christmas #crackfic #flospeaks #floanswers #mutually assured devotion

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cyberaxolotl · 3 years ago

Text

Tricks Over Treats

two versions woo hee

and then the writing piece to go along with it

“An Alternate Desire”

For an all popular DJ, he had a lot more to know about him than what was known to the public, some of which stayed shrouded in mystery to even his boyfriend and closest friends. One of the things he did make very clear to anyone who saw him around that time of year was that he was a HUGE fan of Halloween. Spooky jack-o-lanterns, sweets, costumes, he still thoroughly enjoyed it, even as an adult. He loved remixing classic Halloween tunes to add a more techno vibe to them, and that wasn’t going to change any time soon. And finally, he loved the scares; he was willing to be a bit sick around that time of year with his jokes, as anything scary was widely accepted and usually expected.

Especially not now, when there’s a Halloween party for all the musicians in Rhythm Heaven to attend, as well as any plus 1’s they might wish to have with them. Hosted by the rap men (obviously) and having as many different types of music as you could think of playing one after the other in the main hall, it was going to be a great party to have a good laugh. And for everyone to see any friends they had made since the Battle Of The Bands.

DJ Yellow, of course, had Blue with him. While his boyfriend wasn’t the biggest fan of that scary time of year, he still enjoyed talking to some of the others and seeing them all happy.

“I need to put my costume on in the car, but I’ll be inside in just a moment!” DJ Yellow said, nudging his partner while they were in the entrance hall.

“…Why didn’t you just put it on while we were at the apartment?” Blue asked, turning around. His costume itself was rather plain, he was just dressed as a vampire with a little bit of fake blood on his chin, but he was perfectly happy with that. It was one of the few times of year when he’d go out with his dreadlocks down, too.

“Cause! I wanted it to be a surprise for you too!” Deej gave a quick finger gun, before slipping out the door. His boyfriend sighed, feeling only mildly inconvenienced that he’d need to be alone at a party for a few minutes, and moreover very anxious. He never was one for direct social interaction.

As he walked into the main hall, he was immediately addressed. “Heeey, Blue!” A happy sounding, higher pitched voice called out to him, and he immediately knew who it was. “Where’s Yellow?” B.B. Rocker asked him, standing shorter than him and only around his chest height.

“Yellow’s in the car putting his costume on. Chances are, he just forgot to put it on at home.” He replied, looking down at his friend. They wore a costume that was… on the stranger side, but not out of character for them. It was an orange-white tabby cat suit with a denim dress put on over it, a pair of matching cat ears sitting in their ginger hair. They looked rather cute, if Blue’s bisexual ass could say so himself.

“Ah, so did J.J. He’s getting changed in the bathroom.” They turned away, looking down another hallway in the back of that room.

Blue sighed. “Oh boy…”

“What?”

“J.J.’s here, Yellow’s gonna be here soon. Chances are sometime in the night that is not going to end well.” He folded his arms, glancing away. There were certainly a lot of people there, like MC Adore and her love posse all in matching costumes, the Pop Singer Yui in a cutesy zombie outfit, and apparently even the rap women had managed to slip in, as Rosebud and Sapphie were happily talking to a trio of ghosts. What stood out to him, though, was the fact that the rap men were nowhere to be seen. If they were hosting that gig, they should’ve either been in the entrance hall greeting people, or in the main hall talking.

“Oh, you’re right. Guess we’ll just have to hope they don’t directly cross paths and say something shitty to each other, huh?” B.B. sighed as well, holding the back of their neck.

“You know it’s more likely for J.J. to say something shitty than for Yellow to. Yellow’s not an asshole, he’s just a…” Blue went quiet as he lost his words.

“…A snarky asshole?”

“That.” He motioned in confirmation to them. He looked back over at the rap women, noticing that the Big Rock Finish ghosts were leaving. “I’m gonna go ask the rap women where their brothers are, if Yellow comes in, tell him I’ll be right back.”

“Alrighty!” With that, he walked away, leaving B.B. by the entrance.

As he got closer to the snack table, he was able to tell what Rosebud and Sapphie were wearing as costumes. They were matching, as expected from the two of them, and had gone for a western theme. Rosebud was dressed as a saloon dancer, a crimson skirt falling to the back of her ankles and a corset tied around her waist. It also seemed that she had taken the opportunity to wear something only a bit more revealing than her usual outfits. Sapphie was dressed as a cowgirl, hiding her eyes in the shadow of a ten gallon hat, and wearing open bottom pants. The two certainly matched, but had their own ways of doing it, the mutual color palette between their costumes tying it together.

“Excuse me, girls?” He asked, and the two turned over to face him.

“Oh, hi Blue.” Sapphie humbly waved at him, smiling. “Do you need something?”

“I don’t, but I want to ask- where are your brothers?” The two ladies' expressions tensed.

“Jasper and Goldie? Uh…” Rosebud’s eyebrows furrowed. “…I don’t know, actually. Sapphire?” She looked up at her girlfriend.

The taller woman shrugged. “I haven’t seen either of them since they left the recording studio, but they’re probably somewhere around here. Sorry, Blue.”

“Hm.” Blue looked skeptical, glancing behind him. “Alright then. I need to go back to B.B., you two have fun.” He turned around, his dreadlocks nearly whipping him in the face.

“Bye-bye!” Rosebud said as he walked away.

When he got back over to his rock student friend, they looked confused. “Is something wrong, B.B?” He asked, and they turned to him.

“No, no, nothing. Just… JJ is taking an awful long while to put his costume on. He went in just before you arrived.” They put a hand behind their head, “We’re supposed to be a cat and a dog, so he might be struggling with the suit or something.”

“Now that you mention it, if Yellow is taking this long to put it on, then he really should’ve put it on at the apartment-“

As if on cue, the door opened, and DJ Yellow slid in overdramatically. Since nobody noticed him except BB and Blue, he got up in one quick motion, turning over to them. “Hey guys!” He said happily, walking over. His costume was made of… really dark colors, something completely out of character for him. It was all black with a dark red cape that made his neck completely covered, looking completely out of place while paired with his unaltered hair and headphones. For reasons neither of them could decipher, he also carried a lit jack-o-lantern.

“Hey Yellow..?” BB raised an eyebrow, giving a short wave.

“…” Blue spent several seconds trying to decipher what his lover was wearing, before sighing. “Yellow, what are you supposed to be?”

The DJ walked over and leaned against his taller counterpart’s arm as though he was trying to lean against his shoulder but was just too short to do so. “A surprise.”

“That’s what you said when you were putting ON the costume.” The sarcastic remark made Yellow chuckle.

“Yes, but what I’m gonna do in this costume is also a surprise.”

“Just tell us what the costume is, Deej!” The rockstar leaned in, and mysterious refusal after cryptic refusal soon descended into laughter and casual conversation. It was rare for Yellow to oblige to interact with BB, but Blue was glad that they could get along on a night like that.

But… he still couldn’t downplay it.

Something was wrong.

Or off.

Yellow didn’t sound like himself, nor did his mouth follow his words. His mouth had a delay compared to his words, as though his head and his voice box were working as two separate parts rather than as the same body. His voice sounded less like his smug and casual self was talking and more like some kind of modulation, as though a robot with his voice was reading from a script and trying to sound like a person.

Blue chalked it up to one of two things. One idea was that the tragedy striking Heaven World had hailed itself down to Earth World and struck the man right before him- they were called Alternates, and they took the places of people, making themselves look completely like them- except they had the ability to do things that were biologically impossible, like rip their head off and live, or be engulfed in flames and come out without a scar. Both of those things were examples that Heaven World had given out across the entire land, as they were things they had tried to do to kill Alternates. So far, though, the only way discovered to kill an Alternate was to stab it in the third eye, which appeared somewhere on the body and was usually a spot like the arm, neck, or leg.

What Alternates did with people was unknown, but all that was figured out was the disappearances of many, many real people, and the replacement and spreading of fake versions.

DJ Yellow was either an alternate… or pulling a sick joke and pretending to be one. It wasn’t far fetched to expect him to pull a downright awful joke like that at a Halloween party, so Blue shrugged it off like nothing, knowing that he was probably the only one at that party who paid attention to news from Heaven World. Considering that the DJ hadn’t started acting weird like that until they HAD reached the party, it seemed more logical than just immediately assuming the person before him was fake.

A few hours passed. Music played, fatty and sweet food was eaten, and musicians and their plus 1’s spoke to one another. Only a few minutes after their conversation had happened, the rap men entered the main hall from the back, dressed in matching costumes that looked like zombies. It depended on the person whether or not watching them question how the fuck their sisters had gotten in was entertaining or not, but the girls weren’t kicked out either way.

Everything seemed to be pulling together finely, until…

JJ and Yellow hadn’t seen each other at all that night, until at one point, the DJ was asked to get an alcoholic drink from the kitchen. The alcohol wasn’t out freely at the snack tables, just to make sure nobody accidentally drank liquor or beer over dyed punch, so people would usually ask their partner to get a drink for them from the back.

JJ was returning from the back hall just as Yellow was descending down it, and it seemed the rockstar couldn’t resist a small remark. “And what are you supposed to be?” He said as the two were about to cross paths.

DJ Yellow stopped in his place, a cocky smirk on his face. “The headless horseman, obviously.” He held up the jack-o-lantern, holding it in front of his head.

“You have a head, DJ.” The other musician glared, raising an eyebrow.

There was a sudden tension in the air as the two realized they were alone in that hallway, and the door to the main hall was completely shut. “You think so?” Yellow turned his head and raised an eyebrow. Before JJ could even say anything-

He thrust the jack-o-lantern backwards.

It slammed into his head and he fell backwards, the lit candle squishing against his face and setting his hair on fire, hot wax falling onto his skin. JJ was stunned silent as he watched DJ Yellow’s body stand up without his head, leaving the smoldering wax and flesh on the floor. “Isn’t this a funny costume, JJ?” All of the remnants of his original voice were replaced by the whispering, fake voice of an alternate person.

“Wh- wha- what the fuck-?!” The rockstar couldn’t scream, he could only let out hushed curses. What he saw didn’t feel real in the slightest. As the other man stood up, he could see that the place where his head and his neck had separated held no arteries or bones, but only one bloodshot yellow eye. Blood leaked down his neck as his head smoldered in flames, melting as though it in itself was made of wax.

DJ Yellow stood back up. He turned around and picked up the pile of wax, human flesh, and pumpkin flesh, shaping it back together with his hands. “The look on your face- I don’t think I’ve ever been more entertained!” He laughed, “You’d never believe how long I’ve been waiting to pull that trick. I love being in the body of someone who finds jokes funny!” With that, he put his head back on his neck, tying his cape carefully so that the blood of his neck was veiled.

He walked right up to the rockstar’s face, leaning close.

“Be lucky this isn’t Heaven World.”

so yeah there’s your “yellow becomes a fucking cryptid” writing piece lmao

#rhythm heaven #dj school #rhythm tengoku #dj yellow #rap men #rap women #the rockers #horror writing #gore tw #tw gore #tw dark content #edners 2021 month of macabre art #chances are this is stuffed with typos i don’t proofread lmao

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thesvenqueen · 4 years ago

Text

Sleepy Hollow

Rating: M (for some gore-ish stuff, it is sleepy hollow after all)

Pair: Kristanna

Words: 8,728

Note: Was blessed to be able to write a Halloween theme fic for the Kristanna Zine Calendar this year. The best and greatest holiday there is let’s be honest, so decided to be a bit spooky with it as it should be. So, here we be with this and also, major shout out to @punkpoemprose for putting it together & thank you @feistypaants for reading through this monster and just being a good friend :D Really had fun writing this so I hope you all enjoy reading it as well :)

The town of Sleepy Hollow, Kristoff decided, was like a small ink blot on a map: noticeable to those who paid mind but one most deemed was not big enough to worry over. It was a grungy village, barely a town even with it’s small population. He was sure that in Spring it was a cute town, one filled with flowers blooming and blue skies but not now.

Now, the town of Sleepy Hollow was masked in grey. A dark, gloomy air seems to have set in over the village. Which given the circumstances, fit the bill.

Kristoff wasn’t at all excited when they’d offered, more like forced, him to come to the small town to investigate a mystery. One that had plagued it’s inhabitants for well over a few weeks now.

Strange deaths, specifically beheadings, were plaguing it’s residents. Creating an air of fear that sent most villagers scrambling to their homes or wherever they were heading even during the day as Kristoff had witnessed earlier.

Three people had died thus far, according to the reports, all as gruesome as you’d think. There were no relations, as far as George Westergaard could tell. He was the leader of the town, newly established as his father had been one of the victims just days earlier. Even he, who knew everyone and everything that went on within the village, could not distinguish the truth of the events.

The towns folk had convinced themselves that it was a curse, a story as old as the town itself that had come to haunt them.

It was said, according to Mr. Westergaard, that a soldier long ago from the American Revolution who had been killed had now risen again to find his now missing head.

Stories such as these used to fascinate Kristoff, now however it just made him roll his eyes. The idea of an apparition rising from the grave, come to torture the town in search of his “missing head” seemed absolutely ridiculous. Surely it was a towns member out for revenge of some sort or conducting a dark plan with a grand result.

It was Kristoff’s job as a constable to establish the truth behind the mysterious deaths. It was a paycheck sure, but he had a feeling they’d put the job on him as no one else would take it.

A large man, they most likely thought he’d be able to handle himself fairly well here. No fear of their dear constable not returning. However, he had a hunch that his fellow coworkers would not mind if he never returned. They didn’t hate him per say, more hated his methods. Kristoff fought for truth, for justice while many of his other fellow constables rather work for the pay and nothing more.

It was infuriating at times, to be ignored, to be silenced, to have your conclusions and evidence completely looked over in favor of some ridiculous theory that would garner more money. Kristoff hated it, and them, but he swore himself to a duty, to protect and save those he could. So he did, begrudgingly, till he could find the path that was destined for him.

As his mother used to say, they all were destined to go down a path, it was up to them to discover it.

For now, it seemed, that path was leading him to this god forsaken town.

---

She was the last thing he expected to find here. He’d been told there was only one inn, a small place along the outskirts.

Judging by the building itself, and the rest of the town, he expected an old maid who’d be hesitant to give him a room. Kristoff had prepared himself to argue with the woman as he traveled through the forest, noticing the slight unease he felt as he journeyed.

It was as though eyes were on him, watching him as he traveled on Sven towards the inn.

Still, Kristoff tried to focus on the task at hand and not the oddness in the air. He ruffled his hair as he made his way to the door, adjusting his jacket as he knocked. It only took a few moments before someone appeared.

“Yes?”

Kristoff blinked, staring at the woman who’d answered the door. She was no maid, oh no. She was young, near his age he surmised, with the bluest eyes he’d ever seen. “Um..” he stammered, shaking his head to gather his thoughts, “I’m here for boarding?”

“Oh!” the woman called, opening the door as she smiled at him. “You must be the constable everyones been talking about, please do come in!”

Kristoff followed her, still taken aback at her beauty. He didn’t expect to find someone so stunning, so completely opposite of Sleepy Hollow.

Anna Rendell, as he’d soon discover, was co-owner of the boarding house. She and her sister owned it, taking over after the tragic death of their parents years before.

She was a bright, vibrant light, a complete contrast to the town she called home. It showed even in her clothes as she was sure to wear vibrant colors, a flower in a field of weeds.

Anna smiled constantly, laughed at nearly everything and talked whenever someone would listen. Which, now with his arrival, became Kristoff more often than not.

She’d question him on his work, on his previous cases, what he’d learned or what even the city life was like. Whenever he’d go out to investigate or question someone, Anna would always be up waiting with a cup of tea and questions prepared.

It was surprising, to Kristoff at least, to see someone so interested in the work he did. She’d ask questions that even himself didn’t think to consider, pointing out certain observations that Kristoff had not seen.

He wouldn’t lie in saying it was beneficial, to talk his thoughts aloud, but he couldn’t help but feel a hint of suspicion.

“It sounds lovely.” She said dreamely one gloomy afternoon, both stuck indoors as a heavy rain moved through. “I dream of going to the city.”

“Really?” For some reason, the idea of that surprised Kristoff.

“Oh yes.” Anna said, putting down her tea, her red hair falling into her face just so and gods did Kristoff wish he could push it back himself. “My sister does not know but, I envy city life. Though this town will always be home I…” She looked around the room then, seeming to take it all in, “I hate it here. Too many bad and horrid memories that I wish to get away from. Especially now.”

Kristoff nodded at her, understanding as he took another sip of his tea.

“Though I doubt Hans will want to move there...he doesn’t love the idea of the city as much as me it seems.”

Ah, the wedge and thorn in Kristoff’s side.

Hans Westergaard. The youngest of the largest family in town, and the most powerful, next to Anna and her sister. The Westergaards had a tight grip on the village, owning several small shops and being in a position of power for many years. Seeing as they had thirteen siblings, including Hans, they had more than enough family to hold the town within their grasp.

Anna’s father & grandfather also held leadership roles, though not nearly as strong, but they seemed to have been well liked by all. A far contrast to that of the Westergaard family who were more respected out of fear.

Naturally, the two powerful families would come together in marriage to keep hold of their influence in town. After meeting Hans, however, he was surprised that Anna would fall for such a man.

He was, in short, a snob. There was not an event, dinner nor conversation that Hans found something he did not like, making sure to comment on the fact itself. He seemed to destane the town and every resident, except for Anna. Though, there were a few times Kristoff wondered if that was even remotely true.

Hans was everything Anna wasn’t. As Anna would speak with the residence with grace and kindness, being sure to treat all those around her the same as anyone else, Hans would be sure to put everyone down with his words and piercing eyes.

It seemed more and more as Kristoff spent time with them both that the marriage was simply one out of convenience, and not out of love.

They were the same age, seemingly the only ones to be so except for Anna’s sister who Anna claimed was not the marrying type.

Kristoff had only seen her sister a few times, moving around the house to assist in cleaning and managing, but she kept to herself most days.

Didn’t matter to Kristoff much, he’d rather spend more time with Anna if he could anyways.

“You think he may change his mind?”

Anna hummed, frowning towards the fire, “Highly doubtful. His family is here, along with their business. He claims he’ll have a hand in the business someday so he doesn’t want to go too far if that was the case.”

Pity, Kristoff thought, following her gaze into the fire, he’d take her to the city, anywhere she asked in a heartbeat.

But he wouldn’t tell her that.

---

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Giving Sven carrots.”

“I think you mean, spoiling him.”

That earned him an eye roll. “I’m merely showing him some love and appreciation, that’s all.”

“Are you saying I don’t do that?”

Sven brayed and to add to injury, nodded his head as though to say yes. Anna threw her head back in laughter, the sound making Kristoff’s heart race.

A sound he hoped to hear again and again if he could.

“Traitor.” He murmured to Sven, earning him another bout of giggles.

---

Another murder, another death and one that Kristoff is taken aback by.

It’s another Westergaard, a middle brother named Brom.

This wasn’t in a field or within the forest while he was traveling, but instead in his own home.

It’s a gruesome scene, one that even gives Kristoff pause. The horseman, or whomever it was, left no one behind.

Brom’s wife was also taken, lying near her husband within their home.

The mortician places a cloth over his mouth, eyes wide as he steps into the scene. “Good God.” He mutters.

Kristoff watches the man, how his hands shake as he slowly makes his way to the victims. He watches everyone, from George to even the curious villagers outside. He must be keen to everyone’s reactions, to their emotions, to it all.

It only takes one slip up to give it all away.

A surprising note was the appearance of Mr. Westergaard. He was the burgomaster of the town now sure, and though it was his duty, Kristoff found it interesting and almost perplexing that the man was able to step foot into where his brother had died.

Still, the man stood beside Kristoff, jaw clenched and Kristoff took note of the paleness on his face.

It was duty, then, that brought him into the door. Nothing more.

The mortician, to his credit, looks over the bodies dutifully. He takes his notes, jots down what he sees and information he gathers from the tools in his kit and then stands a few moments later.

“Well?” Mr. Westergaard spoke, eyes never leaving from his brother’s body. His voice shook just ever so.

“Same as the others, sir.” The mortician said, wiping his brow with his handkerchief. “Clean, smooth cut by a sharp instrument. Most likely an ax as the witnesses claim.”

The man nodded, still staring at the victims that lay on the floor.

“Anything at all unusual?” Kristoff asked.

“No sir.” the mortician said, taking his leave before another question could be asked.

Kristoff took inventory of the room, scanning over everything within. Dinner was on the table, now cold but set as though they were ready to eat.

The one thing that seemed out of a place was a glass. It was a spare, an extra, as the two full plates of food had their own already filled. This one was on its own, away from the others and empty.

Though as Kristoff peered inside, he saw remnants of what he presumed to be wine.

“Was your brother expecting anyone?”

“I don’t…” Kristoff looked back to the man, George’s head bowed and shaking, “I don’t know, to be honest with you.”

Kristoff nodded, asking his next question gently, “Anything suspicious or odd happen at all lately? Anyone angry with him or...?”

Mr. Westergaard shook his head, “No sir I...everything seemed perfectly fine. He was friendly to all as far as I was aware. Never heard a complaint about him…”

Kristoff stayed quiet then, thinking over his thoughts.

Whomever came to his home last night, they came under the guise as a friend and left as anything but.

---

It was later than Kristoff intended to stay up, the fire merely a few crackling embers now.

His brain was going a mile a minute, exhaustion nor sleep overcoming him and so, after lying in bed he made his way downstairs to the living room.

He’d been attempting to read a book, the name escaping him and really, he couldn’t focus on the words along the pages.

Rubbing his hands across his face, Kristoff groaned in frustration.

“Kristoff?”

Startled, he jumped slightly, turning to find Anna standing in the doorway. Her hair was down, a thick blanket wrapped around her that was so large it engulfed her.

“Anna?” He asked, confusion in his voice. “It’s late, why are you up?”

“I could ask the same of you.”

Fair.

“Can’t sleep, too much going on.”

“Oh,” She said, looking down to the floor, “I suppose you’d want quiet then to go through your thoughts, I can--”

“No, it’s ok. Truly.”

She smiled at him, a soft, sweet smile that Kristoff came to favor. “Thank you.”

He watched her move to the love seat, sitting down and tucking her feet beneath herself and the blanket. She wrapped the thick blanket tighter, her eyes to the fire, and after a moment, Kristoff asked, “What’s keeping you up so late?”

Anna bit her lip, a telling sign that Kristoff learned meant she was nervous, “Nightmares.”

“Oh.”

“Childish, I know…” Anna said with a huff.

“No, nothing wrong with having a nightmare.” Kristoff said, “Well, obviously having a nightmare is not the most ideal, but it’s not childish.”

Anna looked to him, the small smile returning. “Thank you.”

“If you don’t mind...what was it about?” Anna looked away once more, causing Kristoff to sputter to recover, “I mean...if you want, you don’t have to but sometimes, I know for me, it helped to talk about them...get it out of your system so it’s not stuck in your head anymore.”

Anna sighed, looking over to him again, “Promise you won’t laugh?”

“Would never.”

Anna chuckled then, seeming to enjoy his teasing. When she stopped, she spoke again, “It was the horseman.”

“Understandable.”

“I know...I know he’s not real, he can’t be but…”

“Dreams have a funny way of making you think otherwise.”

“Yes, that they do.”

Kristoff watched her, saw the worry and fear behind her eyes and he felt a pull, a tug to open himself up. To talk.

“When I was little, I used to have nightmares all the time.” Not able to face her, he looked to the fire, staring intently into the burning embers as he felt her eyes on him. “My mother, bless her, she would tell me tales from her homeland. Some were fun, spritely adventures but others didn’t bode as well with me.” He paused, the old memories of his mother tucking him in, holding him close as she murmured the tales to him as she fell asleep coming to mind. “I had nightmares about fairies for weeks.”

“Wait, what?” Kristoff looked over, a smirk forming on his face at the view of Anna smiling wide, a giggle in her voice, “You had nightmares about fairies?”

“Hey, to be fair, I was barely 10.”

“They’re harmless.”

“I know that now, but I was terrified of them back then.” Kristoff chuckled at the thought, “Used to fear being led astray by them.”

“Or wake up with knotted hair.”

That made them both laugh. They stayed up a while more, talking more of old fairy tales they’ve been told, what they’d feared when they were kids, what bits of mischief they got up to.

Apparently, and not surprisingly, Anna had gotten into quite a lot.

Somehow, they’d both dozed off, Kristoff awakening to the embers of the fire nearly gone. Anna was fast asleep on the love seat, curled up and wrapped tight within her blanket.

He nearly left her there, seeing how comfortable she was, but something told him it wasn’t right. So gently, cautiously, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to her room.

He didn’t miss the small hum she made as he held her, nor the way she seemed to bury her head against his chest.

---

The inn was just over the hill, the familiar end of the path just coming into view.

“Faster Sven.”

The horse grunted, winding through the trees as he made his way up and up.

Kristoff should have known not to stay within town into the night, knew the risk of the killer turning his gaze toward him. He knew the chances and yet he still dismissed them.

Now, clutching his side as he felt warm blood pooling into his hand, he hated himself for dismissing the idea so easily.

They’d been surprised. Traveling slowly through the forest, taking their time as to allow Kristoff to think over the events of the day when he’d emerged.

Kristoff had felt the hair on the back of his neck raise, catching his attention before he saw the man and horse behind him.

It was a black horse, completely engulfed and nearly camouflaged in the night if not for the shine of the moon. But the horse was not what gave him pause, what made him pull back the reins.

The rider on top of the horse was cloaked in black from head to toe, if the rider had a head. Where a head was supposed to be, there was nothing. The collar of the cloak surrounded nothing but air.

Kristoff had simply furrowed his brows at the figure, confused but also hyper aware of just how far he had left to return to the inn.

The rider acted quickly, the pain hitting Kristoff before he realized the man, or whatever he was, had even thrown something.

He’d clutched his side, realizing he’d been deeply grazed by what he could only assume was a thrown knife.

“Sven, GO!”

The chase had started, both galloping through the forest. He could hear the galloping hooves even now still close behind him, noting the sound of knives whizzing past didn’t come anymore.

He’s out of weapons. Kristoff realized, looking back to see that the idea was only partially true. Instead, the rider now held a large, iron ax, seeming to gleem in the light of the moon.

No way the rider would risk throwing it, but if he got close enough…

They were at the top of the hill now, the inn just below them and Kristoff leaned forward as far as he could to try to get more speed.

He was lightheaded now, the feel of the reigns no longer recognizable in his hands as they began to go numb, but he tried to hold on till he reached the inn.

As they made it to the bottom of the hill, he realized he didn’t hear hooves behind him anymore. He glanced back, just able to make out the image of the horse and rider stopped at the top.

Odd, Kristoff thought, why not follow?

Another bout of searing pain came over him, causing Kristoff to clench his eyes closed as they came up to the front of the Inn.

Kristoff all but fell out of the saddle, stumbling to his feet as he heard a door open somewhere in the distance as he leaned against Sven for support. He managed a step, looking up to see a familiar head of red hair running to him, a muffled voice of concern and calling what he thought was his name, as his legs gave out from under him and he collapsed onto the ground.

---

Anna simply stared at him, eyes wide with shock at the tale he told of the night before.

He’d awoken to find himself in his bed, his side aching. More surprisingly, he was shirtless, shoes removed, and the wound was now clean & stitched up.

He’d gone to sit up, grunting as he did and he heard his bedroom door open to reveal Anna coming in with a tray in hand.

She’d managed, with her sister’s help, to get him into his room. They’d addressed his wound, removing his shirt in the process to get a better view and to be able to clean & stitch it.

He’d slept all day, Anna at his side as she’d wiped his brow, cleaned his wound, gave him water while he laid unconscious.

She’d explained everything as she handed over a warm cup of tea, a toast with jam as well for good measure that Kristoff ate greedily.

As he ate, Anna had checked his side, looking over to be sure it was healing as best it could and he prayed she’d missed the dark blush that came when she touched his chest without hesitation.

It was then Anna had asked for an explanation, to what had brought him injured and nearly dead on his feet in the middle of the night.

Story now finished, Anna turned her now pale face to the flames, eyes still wide.

“So...is he real?”

Kristoff sighed at that, rubbing his hand over his face, “No, he isn’t real.”

Anna whipped her head back at him, now confused, “But you saw him yourself? The headless horseman nearly killed you just a night ago.”

“He may have appeared headless Anna, but he was no apparition. He was real, he was human. It was a disguise.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“What apparition or ghost do you know of that can throw solid objects?”

“This is different though, he could manage it I’m sure.”

“Anna…”

Anna bit her lip then, clenching her hands as she looked at him in worry, “I just...I don’t want to accept the fact that someone in our town is killing us, killing innocent people.” She looked down then, shoulders slumping as she did, “It means one of our own is a trader, a murderer and...that’s honestly a more terrifying thought than an ax wielding ghost.”

“I know,” Kristoff said gently, trying to ease her worry. “I’ve seen what some men will do for their own gain, how they’ll risk everything for ridiculous splendors.”

Anna looked at him then, a sad look on her face, “I can only imagine all you’ve seen, especially in the city.”

“The city is not as kind as you think, unfortunately.”

She bit her lip once more, and Kristoff wanted so much to lean forward and rub his thumb across it, to will her to stop. “It’s just...whoever this is, they have no care for what they do.”

“How do you mean?”

“I mean...they have complete disregard to those they’re hurting, to those they’re taking away. They killed Han’s father, the burgomaster of the village of all things. It destroyed Han’s, he didn’t leave his home for days after that. Then the pastor, the farm boy too, now Brom and god’s even his wife couldn’t escape their ax and now you I...”

He stood then, coming over as tears began to silently fall down her cheeks. Kristoff knelt in front of her, gently taking hold of her hands as she took a shaky breath.

“I fear the worst for us all. Who they could go after next and what if...what if it’s us?”

“No harm will come to you Anna, or your sister.”

Anna looked down at him, “How can you say such a thing with such confidence?”

“Because I won’t let them.” He said, stroking his thumb across the back of her hand, losing himself in her blue eyes, “Anna, I will not let anyone lay a hand on you, I swear it.”

She smiled then, one that made Kristoff’s heart soar at the site.

There was a moment, a feeling that filled the room that Kristoff was sure Anna noticed as well as her smile fell as she licked her lips lightly. He watched her as she did, looking back to find her eyes intently on him, her cheeks red with what Kristoff could only assume was a blush.

He decided to take a chance then, feeling a pull to lean forward slightly in hopes that maybe she’d follow.

She did, following his lead as she leaned down towards him, her eyes leaving his as she looked down at his lips.

A door slammed open then from below, making them both jump and Kristoff move to stand.

Immediately, Kristoff missed the feel of her hands in his.

The moment was lost, the air thick with awkwardness as footsteps echoed below them.

“Anna?”

Anna stood, confusion on her face as Hans' voice called after her from below. “I should…”

“Yes.”

Krisotff kept his head bowed, avoiding her gaze as she hesitated for a moment, but just a moment before she headed out the room and down the stairs.

He dressed quickly then, berating himself for even trying, for even thinking he should try.

She was engaged for fuck sakes. If they’d been caught she’d been ruined, casted away and he’d be to blame.

Idiot, he thought as he made his way down the stairs. How could you be so selfish?

“Hans, that’s kind of you but I’m fine, really.”

“I just wanted to be sure.”

“That’s very sweet of you,” Anna said as Kristoff came to the final step, their voices carrying as he made his way to the living room. “But it’s you I’m worried about. Brom just died, are you sure you’re alright? I expected for you to be grieving with the rest of your family.”

The couple came into view then as Kristoff came to the doorway. They stood in the middle of the room, Hans’ arms wrapped loosely around Anna’s waist.

Kristoff clenched his jaw at the site, wishing it was him who was holding her instead.

Stop it.

Hans looked over at him, causing Anna to turn as well.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Kristoff said with a solemn nodd, trying to sound as respectable as possible.

Hans glared at him, Kristoff not missing how his grip tightened around Anna. “I appreciate the kind words, but I wish they were not needed.”

“It takes time to solve these things, I’m trying my best.”

“Maybe your best is not enough.”

“Hans.” Anna said, whipping around to look up at him, “He is doing all he can.”

“That may be so,” Hans said, releasing his hold on Anna and taking a few steps towards Kristoff. Never before had Kristoff been so thankful to be as tall as he was, as now he was able to look down on the snooty man before him. “But will it be enough?”

“I can assure you, it will be.”

Hans hummed, casting his eyes down and Kristoff did not miss where his eyes had landed before he looked back to him “That remains to be seen.”

---

Kristoff fully expected Anna to avoid him, to leave him be after the mishap in his room the day before. It had been a mistake, at least that’s what he told himself to ignore the sadness that lingered from his failed attempt.

Instead, Kristoff was surprised to find her acting as though everything was just fine.

He eyed Anna during breakfast the next morning, watching as she hummed over the eggs, asked what his plans were for the day in case she needed to prepare for anything. He wanted to apologize for his boldness, for nearly ruining her good name by a selfish move.

Her smile though, the way she moved around with such happiness, completely carefree of all that was going on, kept him from speaking.

He answered her questions with a smile, chuckled at her antics but it did nothing to heal the twinge of pain in his heart.

---

It was midday Sunday, one that had been surprisingly sunny.

Anna had decided to take advantage of the fact and had convinced Kristoff to come along to the town to walk through the market. They’d decided to walk to the town, to take in the moment of fresh air and sunshine.

“It won’t be anything like the city but, it’s nice all the same.” She said, her arm looped through his as they came up to the edge of town.

He looked at her, seeing the broad smile on her face, taking advantage of the moment to squeeze her hand lightly. “I’m sure it’ll be great.”

It was. Though not near the vast expanse of venues and goods the city would have, the village did well having everyone gather near the town square. They sold what they had: fruits, bread, sweet pastries, meat, fish. It was a wide variety for such a small population, impressive even.

Kristoff had been able to see more townspeople than he had the weeks staying here. They were all smiling for once; no one hurrying to their homes, to escape the roads in case they ran into the supposed horseman. They greeted him warmly, chatted about the day, the weather, the food or things they were selling.

Anna seemed to be exactly in her element, asking them all about their families. How their jobs were doing, if their sick relative was doing better, if they ever did get the pup like they said they were. Each family had a new subject, one that only Anna seemed to recall.

Seemed the sun had brought some light to the town, a change within them that nearly reflected the light Anna held every day.

Then it happened.

A scream echoed through the village, coming to the square that made everyone freeze.

Kristoff looked around, having the advantage to see over everyone and spotted the woman. She was desperately trying to scurry away, crawling on the ground away from behind the shop off in the distance.

Instinct kicked in and he darted towards the woman, realizing as he came closer to her that he’d seen her earlier before but he couldn’t place a name.

He came to her, kneeling down in front of her as she shook, mouth still agape in pure horror. “Madam,” Kristoff said, trying to pull her eyes to him and away from whatever it was she saw, “Madam, miss, please you need to calm down.”

Kristoff reached to touch her shoulders, but the woman flinched away, not even looking to him to see who he was.

“Eliza?”

Kristoff turned, seeing Anna standing above them now. “You know her?”

She nodded as she knelt, “She’s the school teacher.” Anna grabbed his arm, pushing it down. “Let me, go see what’s happened.”

It was then he heard more people coming, a gasp and cry from behind them. Kristoff looked to Anna, wanting to be sure before he left her. She smiled at him, reassuringly, and then he stood.

He turned to see a small crowd already forming, some turning their heads just so and showing the same look of horror that was on Eliza’s face.

“Step aside.” He called, pushing through the crowd. No one seemed to move, nor breath for that matter. There was a recognizable air of fear surrounding them, one that made Kristoff prepare himself for what was before him.

The scene made Kristoff freeze.

It was another body.

A headless body.

The murderer had struck once more, but not in the dark of the night. No, they did it when everyone had become comfortable, had been off enjoying a beautiful day and seeming to forget the deaths that had recently plagued them.

The man was well dressed, and Kristoff knew immediately that he had to be a Westergaard.

He remembered someone mentioning, either today in the market or during his time here, that one of the brothers was seeing the school teacher. In fact, they were set to marry within the coming months.

“My gods, no, Rupert!”

Kristoff looked over, seeing George standing beside him, completely pale as he had been days before. “Your brother?”

George nodded, tears forming in the man's eyes. “I just spoke to him...just moments before but…”

“But?”

George glared at the body, then looked over to Kristoff. “He had to meet with someone, said they wanted to speak with him about something.”

Kristoff knew the look in the man’s eyes all too well, saw the anger and recognition burning within them. It wouldn’t take much for the anger to turn to pure rage, and that could make a man do horrid things. He couldn’t let that happen, couldn’t let an innocent man turn into a monster.

Kristoff moved, coming over to him wrapping his arm around his shoulders to appear as though he was comforting the man. In reality, Kristoff held George tightly, keeping him in place and not running off to commit another crime.

“George.” Kristoff whispered, seeing the man clench his jaw, “George, listen to me, who was it that he was meeting? You have to tell me.”

“Why?” He said, turning to look at him, “Why must I tell you?” and not kill him myself.

“You’re a good man George.” Kristoff said, hoping desperately his words would hit something, anything to calm the raging man in his arms. “You kill them, then I’ll have to arrest you and take you away. Think of your wife, your children.” That struck a nerve, the right one as Kristoff felt the man slowly begin to stop resisting. “Let me do the justice, let me handle them.”

A moment past till George finally nodded in agreement, looking back to his fallen brother.

“Who was he meeting with George?” Kristoff asked, already knowing the answer.

“Hans.”

Kristoff nodded, releasing the man as he turned to make his way back through the crowd and to find Hans. He felt George behind him, following him as he pushed through.

The mortician came up to them, huffing and puffing, asking for an explanation. George took the initiative, beginning to explain the death along with who was behind all this.

Kristoff’s eyes narrowed, looking around them realizing that someone was not here.

Eliza was now standing, a few other ladies around her, comforting her as best they could as she sobbed openly to them.

But Anna was not with them.

“Oi,” Kristoff called, catching one of the ladies attention. “Where is Anna?”

“Miss Rendel?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, she was helping Eliza but said she had to go, mentioning something about finding her fiancè.”

Fuck.

“Did you see which way she was heading?”

“Believe to his residents to inform him, poor dear--”

Kristoff heard nothing more as he took off running.

---

In hindsight, he should have asked exactly where Hans’ home was. Better yet, paid attention to when Anna most likely mentioned it’s whereabouts before.

He wanted to run back, ask the woman where exactly the home was but he didn’t have time.

In the beginning, Hans had been a suspect merely because of his last name. Kristoff considered the idea of a blood feud, anger that sat within the children and they disguised their deed by killing the pastor and the farm boy.

But, Hans made mistakes.

It hadn’t been announced openly, Kristoff only learning about it from George during a late dinner at his residence, that Brum was to take over managing the shops. It was a work in progress, one that required extensive paperwork as technically, it was supposed to go to George. Though seeing as George had his hands full enough now being the new leader of the village, he passed it on to Brum.

No one outside the family, spare for Kristoff and the family lawyer, knew of the exchange. When he died along with his wife, Kristoff knew immediately it was a family member behind the attacks.

The pastor and farm boy had been merely a decoy, one to try to throw suspicions away from a family killing and to scare the residence, perhaps to try to push his brothers out of town to spare the bit of blood on his hands. The spreading of the story of the tale of the horseman only helped push the narrative and fear, while also helping keep the true identity of the killer from reaching the surface. Two brothers and their families were already preparing to depart after the death of Brum, three moving right after the death of their father.

George hadn’t been surprised, mentioning how his brothers never really did like it here.

“Most of them dreamed of a new life elsewhere, to create and have their own hold somewhere that wasn’t passed down.”

Kristoff couldn’t blame them. Creating their own life with no assistance was something more to be proud of than helpings given on a silver platter.

With that, there were only six brothers left to manage.

Something Kristoff was sure Hans would easily go through as he saw today.

Killing another brother, in broad daylight, was an act of desperation. Hans was getting impatient, wanting his hand deep within the town fortune now.

Rupert being the oldest left was most likely to be given control of the shops now, and again, Hans made a mistake taking him out so quickly.

Kristoff had known immediately upon realizing who it was that laid dead behind the shop that it was Hans, but he needed complete confirmation from George before he could do anything.

Thankfully, he did.

Now though, now he was on the clock.

He should have never left Anna alone, the possibility of her becoming a victim herself was always probable though highly unlikely in Kristoff’s mind.

Mostly because with Anna, Hans would be greatly more powerful with her on his arm. Killing her, before the marriage, would lead to him getting nothing from her. It was far more beneficial to marry her, to keep her close until the marriage was made official.

Therefore, Anna had been safe, for now at least.

It took Kristoff longer than he’d like to see a home that he recognized as Hans. He moved towards the front of the home but stopped, knowing he couldn’t enter through the front or it would give him away, potentially putting Anna in more danger than she already was.

So quickly, he ran to the back of the home, jumping over the small fence.

Coming to the back door, Kristoff pressed his ear gently to the wood. He could make out two voices, one he could recognize anywhere.

Anna was here, but more importantly still alive.

For now at least.

Kristoff grabbed hold of the door handle, slowly turning it so as to not make a sound. The Gods seemed to be looking over him as he was able to open and push the door open with barely a squeak.

It was then he heard the voices more clearly.

“--lie to me Hans.”

“I’m not lying Anna dear, I don’t know what you mean.”

“I know it was you!”

That made Kristoff freeze, the house becoming deathly still at Anna’s accusations. He held his breath, standing still in the doorway.

“Anna.”

“You spoke of coming into a fortune, of getting your own when we met. You talked so eagerly about how you were going to come into the business, especially after your father died. I wasn’t suspicious then, but I should’ve been.”

“Anna, I’d be very careful--”

“Laura had told me about the deal, about the shops going to Brum.” That was technically a lie, Kristoff having been the one to mention the new deal coming into play to her during one late night discussion. Though Anna had gone to talk to Laura to get more information about it, as Kristoff had only heard mention of it and not the full details, returning that day with the biggest smile Kristoff had ever seen on her face at the notion she’d helped him with his case. “They were delighted, thrilled but she strictly told me to tell no one. That no one in town knew, except for the family.”

“Dearest--”

“When they died, I knew. I knew then but I dismissed it, not wanting to think you could ever sink so low as to kill your own family, your own brother, your father.”

“You knew nothing of my father.” The change in Hans’ tone made Kristoff pause, his eyes widening in surprise at the venom that came with his words. “He was a proud, selfish git, caring for no one but himself.”

“That’s not true, he cared for you deeply--”

“I was the thirteenth son, he didn’t give a shit about me.”

“Yes he did!”

“He left me nothing!”

“That’s a lie!”

Hans laughed then, “A few thousands pounds? What the fuck am I to do with it in this town? I didn’t want his money, I wanted the town. He practically gave me nothing.”

“You wanted the power.”

“Yes, sweet dearest. I wanted the town in my grasp and mine alone. I wanted the town to look to me as their leader, as their keeper of it all. The money meant nothing without a bit of power at play.”

“And Brum threw a wrench in the whole thing.”

Kristoff heard Hans groan, footsteps moving a few paces in a room at the front of the home, just a couple of yards in front of Kristoff.

“Not just Brum, George with his generous self gave it away. Gave the shops, the family business away like it was nothing. To Brum of all people. I was the one that helped stock those shelves since I was a child, I was the one that ran them when the others didn’t want to, and yet I get no say in anything. I get nothing.”

“Why didn’t you just talk to them?”

Hans barked a laugh, “Talking is useless, you learn that quickly in a large family.”

Kristoff placed his hand to his waist, finding his revolver sitting in his holster. The room was now feet away, so he kept himself pressed tightly against the wall to avoid being seen.

“So I came up with a plan, deciding if Father wasn’t going to give me what I wanted, then I’d do it myself. I didn’t have the time nor the patience to wait for him to die, so I sped it up a bit.”

Footsteps moved across the floor, Hans' voice seeming to be just behind the wall Kristoff was pressed against. He needed to look inside, to spy where Anna was but he needed to be sure Hans was not looking to him.

“Of course I knew suspicions would immediately turn to the family, to the many sons he had. So, to save face, I took the pastor as well. Poor man was on the way out anyways.”

Hans’ seemed to move across the room, but still it wasn’t safe enough.

“The farm boy hadn’t been in the initial plans but the fools in this town still talked of one of us killing Father. I heard someone mention the tale of the horseman and I knew, I knew I had to run with this new idea. So, I found some old clothes and played the part, he just happened to be at the right place at the right time.”

Kristoff took a slow breath, deciding he had to take his chance now. He peeked around, careful to not lean too far.

Anna was against the far wall, pain and furry on her face. She stood tall, her eyes firmly on Hans who stood to Kristoff’s left, his back to him.

“Then George broke the news about Brum, and I was livid.” Something broke then, a glass figure smashing to the ground. Anna shrieked, jumping back slightly at the show of anger. “The idiot just gave him everything, all of it like it was so easy to do. And oh, did Brum love it. He loved every bit of it the fucking brute.” He said through grit teeth, “I couldn’t let him have it. Not the one chance I could have at power till I was able to go for burgomaster.”

“I knew you went to see them that night.” Anna said through tears, Hans laughing once more at her.

“Oh yes, I did. The wine was lovely, the food bland as always.”

“I knew then,” Anna said through a shaky voice, though Kristoff watched as she stood tall in front of such a maniacal monster. “I knew but I ignored it, I didn’t want to believe it until today.”

“Ah, poor Rupert, another one that’d gotten in the way.”

“Eliza had told me, today in the market. Said she had big news to tell me, something she and Rupert were so excited for. That she was waiting for him to return from meeting with you to tell me.”

“The blabbermouth.” It was then, Hans being out of view with his back turned that Kristoff stuck his head out. Anna spotted him immediately, their eyes meeting for just a moment before he ducked back behind the doorway. He couldn’t move yet, couldn’t act as he needed to hear Hans’ confession, but letting Anna know he was here was enough. “Guess she’ll be next.”

“There won’t be a next,” Anna said firmly, raising her chin at him, “I won’t let you lay another hand on someone. When Kristoff finds out…”

“Kristoff won’t know.” Hans said, venom dripping with his words now. He turned, Kristoff moving back before he could be seen. “The idiot is too engulfed with the idea of a potential horseman apparition to even be looking at me. I made sure of that.” There were footsteps towards the wall Kristoff was behind, the sound of a drawer opening, something heavy being pulled from inside. “If only my aim had been better that night.”

“He knows where I am Hans, he knows I’m with you.”

“No matter, he still won’t hear a word from you.” Kristoff risked another peak and didn’t need to see anything more than the ax in Hans’ hand to move. “Shame really, I was quite looking forward to our wedding.”

Taking a step into the doorway, Kristoff fired before Hans had even so much as raised the ax. Anna ducked, Hans crying in pain as the bullet struck him and fell to the floor.

It was silent then, the smell of gunpowder filling the room along with a soft ringing echoing within the home.

Hans didn’t move, didn’t make a sound.

Kristoff kept his gun to him, moving hastily to kick the ax from his hands. He knelt beside him, seeing a pool of blood beginning to form underneath Hans. Still not convinced, he pressed his fingers to his neck.

Hans Westergaard was dead.

---

Kristoff had tried to extend his days in Sleepy Hollow for as long as he could manage, unable to bring himself to leave so soon after the events that took place.

Anna had cried in his arms after he’d saved her, tears he assumed were of sadness and anger.

He’d find out, later, over tea back at the inn with her once again tucked deep within her blanket that she’d tell the truth.

“I wasn’t sad, not for him at least.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was...well, I was angry more than anything. Angry that such a horrible person could do such a thing, with no care, and it being him. That I had trusted someone like him.”

“He fooled everyone, not just you.”

“I know but...it was infuriating all the same to have fallen for it all. To be blinded to him.”

“You weren’t though, you knew. You’d known for a long time.”

“If I’d acted sooner though…”

“We couldn’t have.” He’d assured her, grabbing her hand, “It was too soon and we didn’t have enough to prove it.”

“I know I just...I feel like such a fool.”

“You are no fool Anna Rendel. You solved this case just as much as I did. You’re the smartest, bravest person I know. Better than any constable that’s for sure.”

Anna laughed then, “Now you’re just trying to make me smile.”

“I’m not.” Kristoff said, the seriousness in his tone ceasing her giggles. “You truly are the brightest person I’ve ever met.”

That had made her smile, though it fell soon after.

“I just wish I could stop crying. He doesn’t deserve these tears.”

“Nothing wrong with crying.” Kristoff said, encouraging her, “You’re not crying for him, but for everyone else. You’ve been through a lot, we all have. You have to let it out somehow.”

She’d smiled at him once more, but the tears followed soon after, falling fast and hard. Kristoff held her close, holding her against his chest until the last tear fell.

---

It was now or never.

Kristoff was finished packing, the last of his things gone and stowed away in his luggage.

This was it, the final day and he had to ask, had to know.

Finding Anna was easy enough, she was humming along in the kitchen, the sound catching his ears and bringing a smile to Kristoff’s face.

She must of heard him coming down the stairs, for as he entered the kitchen she spoke:

“If you’re willing to wait, I have lunch nearly ready. That way you won’t be hungry when you travel.”

“Oh um,” Kristoff was caught by surprise, seeing Anna look over her shoulder at him from where she stood at the counter. “Thank you I think that I--”

“Oh! And I put a bag of carrots with your things as well, for Sven. Don’t want him getting hungry either.”

She was avoiding, dodging his words and Kristoff had a sneaking suspicion of why.

She doesn’t want you to say goodbye.

The notion made his heart flutter.

“Anna.”

“I hope you will come visit, at least once? The town is quiet lovely when there is not some murderous wealthy, snobby, piece of--”

“Anna.”

“Either way, I know it must be a journey so I understand if you don’t want to--”

“Anna, come with me.”

Anna stopped then, standing completely still and Kristoff realized he’d let the words slip out before he could even fully get her attention.

Idiot.

Slowly, she turned to face him, looking to him with surprise. “What?”

Kristoff coughed, looking anywhere but her before taking a breath, gathering his courage and walking to her. He grabbed her hands, looking at them and seeing how small, how perfectly they fit in his palm.

“Come with me.” He whispered, unable to look at her just yet. “Come with me, if you want to of course, to the city. I...I have never known my path, my true direction but now...Anna,” He looked up then, looking into her wide, blue eyes. “My path, my direction is you.”

There was an audible silence, both calming and nerve wracking all at once.

It was broken by the sound of Anna giggling, a sound that reminded Kristoff of soft bells.

Then, her hands went to either side of his face and pulled him down to her, her lips finding his.

He blinked, fully taken by surprise by the bold move, then followed her lead and kissed her back, overwhelmed by all that was Anna. He held her tightly, letting his hand slip up to the base of her scalp, holding her head in his hands.

He could feel her smiling against his lips, humming at the feeling.

When they finally pulled back, her hands now gripping his shirt, she smiled up at him, the blush on her cheeks bringing out her freckles in the most beautiful way.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

#kristanna #kristoff #anna #kristanna zine calendar #jessica writes #sleepy hollow

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thefandomsinhalor · 4 years ago

Text

Title: Let Your Heart Be Light

Author: thefandomsinhalor

Fandom: Supernatural

Pairing: Castiel/ Dean Winchester

Summary:

On Christmas Eve, five-year-old Dean meets a boy of the same age, named Castiel. With every passing year, their friendship blossoms, and soon, Dean knows that he is drawn to his friend more deeply he’d like to admit.

The question is: will he do something about it before it’s too late?

Read on AO3

(I will update throughout the month)

Read Chapter One below :)

Chapter One: Thursday, December 24th, 1998

“Dean, honey, what do we say?”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome! Ho-ho-ho!”

The man pretending to be Santa Claus amicably bopped Dean’s head before walking away to the next couple of children standing by, awaiting their present.

Yes, Dean Winchester, despite being five-year-old, wasn’t fooled by this imposter. He knew this man couldn’t possibly be the real one.

It was quite simple, really. It was late afternoon, he hadn’t climbed down the chimney, nor had he any cookie or milk laid out for him.

And then, there was the gift in question.

Dean didn’t want to seem ungrateful, as he knew his mother wouldn’t like it, but he had been very specific in his letter to Santa.

And there was no way this flat, though large, box contained the very intricate race track set he had begged for.

But that was fine. As he had concluded, this man wasn’t Santa. He was just pretending. Like the one at the mall. Or the one near the video store.

No. The real Santa was yet to come.

“Don’t you want to know what you got?” his father asked him.

Glancing around him, Dean realized that nearly every child had already torn open the wrappings and were enjoying their Christmas surprises. Fire trucks. Coloring books. Dolls and soldier toys. Even Sammy, sitting on his mother’s lap, was hugging a cute teddy bear.

Feeling the stare of both his parents on him, Dean began tearing off the metallic blue and silver wrapping, which had snowflakes of various shapes on it, and was left staring at his present, puzzled once he had opened the box.

He had no idea what he was looking at. It was a thin layer of material, of a bright yellow color, with adorable bees depicted on it, stretched across a wooden frame, and a string attached to it.

“Oooh, that’s nice,” said Mary gleefully.

Noticing his confused state, John asked him, “Do you know what this is, Dean?”

Frowning, he shook his head at his father.

“It’s a kite,” he said kindly. “You make it fly.”

Dean lowered his eyes to look at his present again.

“Like in Mary Poppins,” said Mary. “You remember?”

He nodded.

“Next time we go to the park,” said John, “we’ll try it. Or even when we visit Uncle Bobby. He certainly has the open fields around his house for it.”

A grown-up, one of many present swarming around in the house, then called out to Dean’s parents. It was a nice lady named Tamara who smiled at Dean and wished him Merry Christmas.

“Isaac is somewhere in the parlor talking with Rufus and Bill Harvelle. They were asking for you, John,” she said to Dean’s father.

“Bill?” said Mary. “Did he and Ellen bring little Joanna with them?”

“That’s what he said. I was just on my way to find them.”

Keeping Sam in her arms, Mary stood up from her seat, scanning the room for her friend.

“I’ll go check on Isaac and the others, and then I’ll catch up with you to see Ellen and the baby,” said John, smiling at his wife’s eagerness to see the newborn. He then turned to his son. “Do you want to say hello with me, Dean? Or would you prefer going with Mom, Sammy and Tamara?”

Dean shrugged. Talking to grown-ups wasn’t exactly what he considered a thrilling activity. Of course, there were exceptions.

Due to his lack of enthusiasm, however, his mother then suggested, “How about you stay here with the other children?”

Another questionable prospect, thought Dean.

Most of the kids in the living room, laughing and playing with their new toys, seemed much older than he was.

And more importantly, he didn’t really know any of them.

The celebration, which Dean and his family were taking part in that day, had been hosted by Mr. Donatello Redfield, one of Dean’s neighbors.

Except for when John had raked his lawn in the fall, a task dutifully assisted by Dean—though he had mainly played in the pile of dead leaves while his father had done most of the work—Dean hadn’t had much interaction with Mr. Redfield.

He remembered that he had been very generous at Halloween when he and Sam had stopped by his house. Mr. Redfield had given them enormous delicious candy bars. And Dean also recalled him letting him taste his spicy chicken wings on the Fourth of July, in the previous summer.

But nothing much beyond that, and especially during Christmastime. For reasons unknown to Dean, Mr. Redfield didn’t make a fuss of the holidays. He typically travelled somewhere exotic and returned home in the new year with a sunburn on his nose.

This year, however, had been different. For health-related reasons, or so Dean had heard, Mr. Redfield had been recommended to pause his travels, and given his holiday habits, many of his concerned neighbors feared he would feel lonely and had wanted to keep him company.

So, due to numerous dotting neighbors, friends and colleagues showing up at his doorstep throughout the months of November and December, Mr. Redfield had decided to host a Christmas family-friendly party on Christmas Eve to thank everyone.

His first ever.

The crowd was merry. Laughter and cheers from children and adults alike filled the entire house.

But despite the jolly vibe in the air and the numerous children present, Dean hadn’t been too keen on exploring on his own.

When he told his parents why that was, his mother said, “That’s a good thing, sweetie. It means you can make a new friend. Okay?”

Assessing his mild hesitation, after he had glanced apprehensively at the other children, she pointed out that he had nothing to worry about and that if he was shy, he could start by joining another of their neighbors. For example, Mrs. Missouri, a kind and generous woman, was comfortably sitting in a rocking chair, telling a story to a few children gathering around her, and listening with attention and with wide eyes, near the fireplace.

Suddenly determined to prove that he was not shy, Dean shook his head and said, “I’ll go play with the others, first.”

Even if he really wanted to say hello to Missouri as well.

“Alright, buddy. Do you want me to hold this for you while you do that?” said his father, pointing at his kite, but Dean expressed that he wanted to keep it with him.

And without further ado, young Dean turned on his heels and joined the group of children, searching for a new friend.

He was briefly tempted to approach a joyous girl with a blond ponytail and a sheriff’s hat that was too big for her. She was laughing with her friend who had a very strange haircut. His hair was very short in the front, but really long in the back. They were playing Connect Four, which Dean enjoyed playing.

He changed his mind, however, when a bunch of older children swooped by, running around, taking a lot of space.

Feeling somewhat intimidated by them, Dean briefly glimpsed back to the spot where his parents and his brother had been a moment ago.

But they were no longer present, as he knew they wouldn’t be.

He swallowed hard and decided to go near the large window across the room to avoid the bigger kids. He kneeled next to the Christmas tree, taking in the overwhelming scent of pine and cinnamon, and observed the room from this new angle, holding on tightly to his kite.

Everyone else seemed to know each other and blissfully occupied themselves with their toys.

Which made sense, thought Dean, as their toys could be enjoyed in their current environment.

Unlike Dean’s.

“Hello.”

Dean looked up.

A boy his age and height, with bright blue eyes and thick, wavy dark hair, was suddenly standing right in front of him. He was wearing a green knitted sweater with an angel on it and his socks were different colors.

“Hi.”

“Do you want one?” the boy asked politely.

He was holding a square box against him with one hand.

And then, Dean’s eyes fell on what the boy was presenting him with his other hand.

Star-shaped sugar cookies.

“For me?”

The boy nodded.

After Dean accepted his generous offer, the boy sat next to him and they both ate their treats next to each other.

“What did you get?” he asked Dean, nodding at what he was holding.

Pursing his lips, Dean showed him his kite. Expecting the boy to be as disappointed as he was, he was then stunned to see the boy’s eyes widen.

“You’re so lucky,” he told him.

“You think so?”

“I like bees,” he said, after nodding. “And kites are fun.”

“I’ve never had one before.” Eyeing the box that the boy had rested next to him, he said, “What’s yours?”

And the boy slid himself closer to Dean to show him.

Right next to him.

They delicately opened the box together.

And to Dean’s delight, the boy retrieved a giant rainbow slinky.

“Whoa! That’s so cool. Can we play with it?”

“You like it?”

His eyes glued to it in adoration, Dean nodded.

“Do you want it?”

Young Dean blinked. “What?”

“We can exchange, if you want.”

“Really?”

And moments later, both boys were content with their new presents. Dean certainly believed that he had gotten the better end of that deal. At that thought, a mild pit grew in his stomach, not unlike when he sometimes lied to his mother about brushing his teeth.

Feeling uneasy that he had perhaps taken advantage of his new friend’s generosity, he asked him, “Are you sure you don’t want the slinky? It’s really fun and the colours are nice. It was yours first. I—if you changed your mind, it’s okay.”

But the adorable boy in question did not mind. In fact, he informed Dean that the main reason why he was so keen on having the kite was because his brother had one of his own. So now, he would be able to accompany him to the park without having to constantly ask him to share.

Reassured—not to mention, very glad to know he could keep his rainbow slinky—Dean said, “I have a brother too. He’s younger than me.”

“I have more than one brother. I have three. They’re all older than me.” The boy hadn’t said it with as much enthusiasm as Dean had. His brief morose expression disappeared though, and a warm grin spread on his face when his eyes met Dean’s.

His bright blue eyes staring back at him.

“What’s your name? I’m—” started saying the other boy, but he was cut off by an impeccably dressed teenager, who had stopped right in front of them.

“Castiel, there you are. Come, now. We have to go.”

Dean’s new friend shook his head vehemently at the teen. “No. I want—I just made a friend. Can I stay a little longer? Please?”

“Aunt Naomi said we have to leave now or we’ll be late.”

“Michael, please? I’ll—”

“She asked me to find you. I found you, now come on.”

“Michael,” hissed a woman. “It’s time to go—Gabe, stop! You’re making me dizzy.”

A child with sandy hair, not much older than Dean and Castiel, was running relentlessly around her, chortling and unspent.

“Castiel, say goodbye.” And his brother presented him his hand, signalling to him that he had to leave immediately.

He turned facing Dean and said softly, “Goodbye.” And added, waving at him, “Thank you for the kite. I love it.”

“Bye.” And Dean thanked him as well.

He watched his new friend walk away towards his family members, a large group, mostly consisting of older kids and adults, and disappeared through the crowd.

Feeling lonely once more, Dean was suddenly sad when he realized that he never had the chance to tell him his name.

He comforted himself, however, that he had caught the boy’s name and was eager to tell his parents of his new friend and the very first Christmas present he had ever received from a friend.

And that was the day Dean had met his best friend Castiel Novak. His best friend of many years to come. And one day, perhaps, something more.

Read on AO3

(where I will update throughout the rest of the month)

#Destiel fanfic #spnpetra #destiel fluff #spn fic #SPN xmas #kid fic #growing up #my fanfic #spn fandom #spn fam #spn family

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simonxriley · 4 years ago

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Fall Family Fun

Pairing: Alexsandr “Tachanka” Senaviev x Skylar “Phoenix” Jackson

Summary: Tachanka, Skylar, the kids and some of the family go out to an orchard for some much needed fall family bonding time.

Words: 4,501

Russian: Kotyonok = kitten. Moya sladost’ = My sweetness. Da = yes. Printessa = Princess

Ao3

The air was crisp, the weather was perfect and Skylar was looking forward to this much needed family trip to Treworgy Family Orchards. It was only an eighteen minute drive from Bangor and she was looking forward to seeing the twins explore the orchard and pick out pumpkins since they were now almost two and much more alert and less scared than they were last year. Last year's pumpkin picking was a mix of fun and a disaster. ��

“Did you really go here every year?”

Skylar looked into the rearview mirror seeing Grace sitting in the middle between her younger siblings. “I did, it was a family tradition even before I was born.”

“Cool. Are there any animals?”

“Yes there is.” She laughed. “There’s also a corn maze, and you can pick your own fruits and veggies along with cutting your own flowers.”

“Can we do that? Are we going to do that?”

“Absolutely, I’ll see if anyone can take the twins for a bit so we can pick the flowers in peace.”

“Yay!”

Skylar chuckled and glanced over at Alex who was driving, giving him a small smile. This was their first Halloween back in Maine since the twins were born, last year work was too hectic to find time to fly out so this year they decided to take a few weeks off and spend some time with her family and for her parents to spend more time with their grandkids. And she knows her sisters’ would love to spend time with their nieces and nephews.

Both of them were actually happy with how well the twins were doing in the car, surprisingly not getting restless and instead looking out the window at the colorful trees passing by. Maybe it was a good idea to have Grace sit in the middle, so the twins couldn’t try to fight one another sitting side by side. They never really fought until you placed them next to each other in their carseats. Neither Skylar nor Alex understood why.

It also just felt nice to be back in Maine for a little bit, seeing her family again and catching up, as much as she loved living in England and making a home with Alex she still missed Bangor from time to time.

Another ten minutes passed by and they finally made it to the orchard. Skylar got out of the car and stretched, hearing her shoulders crack in the process then went to go get Konstantin out of his carseat while Alex got Marianna out of hers.

“There’s my handsome lil man.” Konstantin smiled and leaned forward so she could pick him up. “Are you ready to pick a pumpkin?”

He nodded his head and she placed him on her hip as she shut the door, walking over to the other side of the car where Alex and the other two kids were. Just in time to see her parents pull into the parking lot, followed by her sisters Chloe and her husband Jack, unfortunately her other sister Valary and her husband Evan couldn’t make it due to work, but she’ll see them tomorrow. They all waved over at them, minus the twins who were too busy giving each other funny faces and laughing.

“Hi mom and dad!” She walked over to their car, followed by Grace, Alex and Marianna. “It’s nice to be doing this again. It seems like forever ago.”

“It has, the last time you were here you were sixteen and now look at you, married and have a family of your own.” said her dad “And oh Grace I have a present for you!”

“Really?”

Grace walked over to where Carl was on the other side of the car so Skylar nor Alex could see what he was giving her.

“Hi Sarah, it’s nice to see you again!”

“It’s nice to see you again too Alex.” She went in for a hug and couldn’t help but smile. “My how the kids have grown.”

“I know, the last few years have flown by.”

Alex handed Marianna over to Sarah with a smile. Skylar loved watching her parents be grandparents and how much love they gave the kids. She never thought she would have children first, expecting at least Chloe to have one before she did, but the universe had other plans for her and she’s grateful for that.

“Oh my God, look how big they’ve gotten.” said Chloe as she walked over to them, her husband Jack trailing close behind. “Okay you were right, Marianna is a spitting image of her dad.”

“Da, she is!”

Chloe scoffed and went to hug Skylar. “I missed you, I’m glad you could get some time off.”

“I am too, it was much needed anyways.”

Konstantin was looking up at his aunt with his stuffed bunny in his hands, not being too sure of who she was. Skylar looked down to see him in a daze and laughed. “That’s your aunt Konstantin. I know, it’s been a while since you’ve seen her.”

Chloe held out her hands to see if he wanted her to hold him, when he turned away from her, clinging more to his mom she let her hands drop to the side. “It’s okay, I’ll let him warm up to me first.”

“It shouldn’t take long, he is the more shy of the two but he does warm up to people quite quickly.”

“Mom, look what grandpa got me.” Grace jogged over to the other side of the car showing her the brand new skateboard she has. It was the ATM Galaxy Wing one that she’s been dying for since she broke her other one a few months ago. “I love it!”

Skylar and Alex were planning on taking Grace to the nearby sporting goods store for her to buy it but work always got in the way. That she hated, she knew work could potentially get in the way, that was something she was expecting. She wasn’t expecting to be called or for Alex to be called for work almost every time there was a mission. Rainbow is filled with plenty of other operators, why couldn’t Six call them? She was just happy that her dad bought the skateboard for her.

“I knew you would love it! Since Alex and I couldn’t take you ourselves to buy it due to work, we thought we’d surprise you here.” She gave Grace a smile, glancing down at the skateboarding deck that fit her personality well. “At least you’ll have some time to use it before winter gets here.”

“Seriously? Thank you!” She went to hug Skylar, a smile spreading across her face, then she went to go hug Alex and thanked him as well. “Can we put the wheels on when we get home?”

“Of course! Now why don’t you put it in the car and we go pick some pumpkins?”

xXx

All nine of them were walking through the pumpkin patch looking for the perfect pumpkin. Grace was with her aunt and uncle talking about her skateboarding mishaps that happened over the summer and the twins were with their grandparents not too far up ahead. Skylar and Alex were slowly strolling behind everyone hand-in-hand, taking in the view of the family being together.

“I’m glad we took the time to come out here, the kids seem happy.”

“I am too, and your parents deserve to see them anyways.”

She looked up at him with a small smile, the sun shining perfectly behind him in the pumpkin patch. “Yes they do.” she chuckled. “It’s nice to come back here anyways, brings back a lot of memories.”

“What kind of memories, kotyonok?”

Skylar let go of his hand to link their arms together, pulling herself a tad closer to him. In the distance she could see Grace and Chloe laughing and the twins climbing on a big pumpkin, it made her smile.

“Running down this same pumpkin patch, climbing on the biggest one I could find, like what our children are doing right now. Picking flowers with my mom, apples with my dad. This place holds a lot of good memories.”

Alex chuckled, a smile spreading across his face. “It’s cute picturing a little kotyonok running down these pumpkin patches.”

“I’m sure there’s pictures.” she laughs. “As much as I love the old memories, I’m more excited for the new ones moya sladost’!”

“As am I, kotyonok!”

They walked over to where her parents and the twins were, just watching them in silence as they climbed on a pretty massive pumpkin. Skylar was only waiting for them to ask to bring it home with them, in their limited speaking voices. For nearing two years old they could talk in short sentences, but they did always find a way to make what they wanted understandable. Even if it was by pointing.

“Mama, cunkin!”

“Yeah it is a pumpkin. A big one.”

“Like me.” Marianna gave a big smile and began climbing on it again, making everyone laugh.

“No printsessa, I think the pumpkin is a bit bigger than you.”

“No papa, I bigger.”

Alex laughed at the mad look on Marianna’s face and her arms crossed against her chest. “Okay, da printessa you are bigger than the pumpkin.”

Her demeanor changed and she let her arms fall to her side. “Da, I am.”

Skylar chuckled, turning to him. “Please don’t make her upset, I don’t need her throwing a tantrum.”

“Sorry kotyonok, she’s just so cute when she’s mad.”

“No argument there. It’s a good thing she can’t stay mad long.”

Alex wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, a small chuckle coming from his lips. “That’s true. I’m positive she forgets a few moments later, such an easy life being a toddler.”

“Oh yeah, they get to be carried, they have nap time. No responsibilities, just fun.”

Skylar watched the twins in silence, they were both joined at the hip and never left each other’s side. It’s been that way since the day they were born, they couldn’t even keep them in different cribs because one or both would cry if they were separated. Now their cribs are side by side in their shared room, and when either her or Alex goes to get them in the morning they are always in the same crib together. She would be lying if she didn’t say she loved it.

This was one of the things she was looking forward to once she had kids, doing all the family traditions she did as a kid with hers. And knowing the more the kids grow the more stuff they’ll be able to do in the future.

“I found a pumpkin.”

Skylar and Alex turned towards Grace who was holding a medium sized pumpkin that looked quite perfect. No bumps or bruises, she has a keen eye for things like that.

“That’s a nice looking one.”

“I think so too Alex, I’m going to carve a scary face into it or maybe a cat. I don’t know yet.” She placed the pumpkin into the wheelbarrow nearby and sighed. “Chloe and Jack wanted to know if they could take the twins for ice cream?”

“Yeah I’m fine with that.” She looked up at Alex to see what he thought, and all he did was nod in agreement. “I think it’ll be good for them to spend some time with their aunt and uncle.”

Not a moment later Chloe and Jack came over to them with their pumpkins, placing them into the wheelbarrow. Chloe walked over to Skylar’s side, linking their arms together.

“Grace said you wanted to take the twins for ice cream?”

“If that’s alright with you guys? We could take them for some ice cream while you, Alex and Grace go pick out some flowers.”

“I’m fine with it. Alex?”

“Same. I’m sure they’ll enjoy it.”

“Oh yeah, they do love ice cream. Chocolate is their favorite.”

Chloe let go of Skylar’s arm, watching the twins play around the pumpkins. After all that her little sister has gone through she was abundantly happy that she found happiness and a man that truly loves her. Skylar deserved every single ounce of happiness she could get, and she has a beautiful family to show for it.

“I’m proud of you!”

“Huh?” She looked up at her sister, slightly confused. “Why are you proud of me?”

“That you’re a good mother and a good person! Grace wouldn’t have this life right now if you didn’t adopt her. You took her in because you didn’t want to see her go into the foster care system, knowing you and Alex could give her a good and loving home. The twins are sweet and caring, well behaved most of the time. That tells a lot Skylar. After everything you’ve been through, I’m happy about the woman you’ve become!”

Skylar wiped a few tears from her eyes and laughed. “Thanks Chloe, but don’t make me cry.”

“Da, please don’t make my kotyonok cry. I do agree with your sister, I’m proud of the woman you’ve become after the horrors we dealt with. Not that I wasn’t proud of you beforehand, it just shows how strong you are.”

“Okay both of you, I don’t want to cry.” She chuckled as she wiped more tears from her eyes. “Thank you though, both of you!”

They both chuckled and squashed Skylar in a hug, making her laugh. “I love you guys!”

“We love you too!” said Chloe.

They both let her go and she felt quite happy and content, more so than she was when she got there. She just felt happy.

“Hey Grace, do you want to go pick some flowers?”

“Yes please.”

Skylar nodded and turned her head back to Chloe. “The twins are all yours.”

xXx

After they got their vases and clippers they went out into the field of flowers. There were sunflowers, amaranthus, cosmos, bachelor buttons, snapdragons, zinnias, and even eucalyptus and wheat. Skylar already knew what she was going to make. A few sunflowers in the middle with a bunch of cosmos and bachelor buttons surrounding them.

“Are you sure you want to get some flowers, kotyonok? You’re not that good at taking care of plants.”

She gasped. “I may not be good at taking care of plants, but they’re pretty. What do you have against flowers Alexsandr?”

“Nothing.” he laughed. “You’re the one that gets sad when they die.”

“God you’re such a married couple.” said Grace from nearby.

Skylar and Alex looked at each other, both of their mouths going into a thin line. She chuckled and walked over to where Grace was. “That’s because we are a married couple, Grace. You know that.”

“Really? I never knew.” she laughed. “It never crossed my mind that the ring on your left hand was a wedding ring.”

Skylar laughed and shook her head. “Sometimes I think you’re too sarcastic for your own good.”

“I know!”

She chuckled, a smile spreading across her face. “I’ll be in the sunflowers.”

“Okay.”

Skylar walked over to the sunflowers with Alex trailing behind her. He wasn’t much for flower picking but he’ll take anything to spend time with her.

She looked through the sunflowers, trying to spot the perfect one. “When do you want to carve the pumpkins?”

“Whenever you want.”

“I was thinking about tomorrow.” She clipped one of the sunflowers and placed it in the vase. “Grace will want to play around with her skateboard and the pumpkins will last a bit longer.”

“That seems good. The twins will forget about their pumpkins once they’re out of sight anyways.”

“Oh yeah.” She chuckled, clipping another flower. “They’ll forget about the pumpkins but they won’t forget about the chocolate we keep hidden on top of the cupboards after they’ve had enough.”

“That’s because it’s chocolate, kotyonok. Every kid loves chocolate.”

“That’s very true.”

She went back to picking her flowers, moving from the sunflowers over to the bachelor buttons. She loved how pretty they looked, the lighter purple mixed with the darker purple, wishing she could plant some back home. The next were the cosmos. They were a light pink flower with a yellow middle, she used to find them when riding her horse Midnight through her aunt's farm. She always thought they were pretty and would pick some on the way back.

“Oooh those are pretty. I’m done.” said Grace

Skylar glanced over at her as she placed the last two cosmos into the vase, finishing her bouquet. “Thank you! And so are yours, I see you even added a bit of greenery.”

Grace made a beautiful bouquet of most of the flowers, on the rim were a bunch of equalyptus, and filled in the middle was a bunch of snapdragon’s, amaranthus and zinnias. With a touch of bachelor buttons and cosmos for more color.

“Thanks! Yeah I thought the greenery would look nice with it.”

“It does!”

“Kotyonok, can I use those clippers for a second?”

“Yeah.”

She handed him the clippers and they both watched him walk away for a moment, back towards where the bachelor buttons were. He looked over them for a moment until he clipped one, jogging back to them and placed the flower in Skylar’s top knot she was wearing.

She chuckled and smiled up at him, even though she knows it won’t stay in her hair much longer once Marianna sees it. “Thank you, moya sladost’!”

“You’re welcome, kotyonok!”

They began to make their way back to the café where the rest of the family was, Grace occasionally sniffing her flowers with a proud smile on her face. For Skylar she was just happy to have the family together and make memories.

As they walked to the café they could see the twins by the window, eating their ice cream. They walked up, placing the flowers on the table and sat down with a sigh.

Marianna pointed at her mama, ice cream covering her face. “Flower.”

“It is a flower, your papa put it there.”

“Why?”

Skylar shrugged her shoulders and looked over at Alex. “That’s a good question, why did you put a flower in my hair?”

“I just wanted to!”

“Fair point.” she laughs. “Are you guys hungry?”

“I’m starving.” said Grace

“Me too.” She glanced over to her family, seeing that they’ve already eaten. “We’ll be back.”

All three of them got up and headed towards the line of other people trying to get their food. As they stood in line, reading the menu up on the board Skylar glanced over at the pizza’s hoping they had what she wanted on display since she didn’t want to buy a whole pizza just yet.

“Apple bacon barbeque, have you had that? It sounds interesting.” asked Grace

“That’s what I’m getting, it sounds odd but it’s good.” She looked up at Alex who was still looking at the menu. “What are you getting moya sladost’?”

“Probably pepperoni, unless there’s a meat one available?” He glanced over to where the pizza display was. “Okay there is one, I’m getting that.”

The line was pretty long and moving at a snail's pace, that didn’t bother them. It was lunch time after all and walking around a big orchard can make anyone hungry.

After looking at the menu some more Grace turned around to face them. “I know what I’m getting, plain cheese. I can’t wait until I can break in that new skateboard.”

Alex chuckled, a small smile spreading across his face. “I’m sure you are milaya, now try not to break this one.”

“I will. And hey it wasn’t my fault I broke the first one, I wasn’t the one to run over my own skateboard.”

He went quiet for a moment, looking down at the floor, it made both of them laugh. The whole incident was an accident, Konstantin was playing with it in the front yard and decided to push it right at the moment Alex drove into the driveway, running right over it. It did freak him out for a moment until he realized what he ran over.

“Technically it was Konstantin, but he’s a baby and didn’t know better.” said Skylar “To him he was just playing. However, someone should have been watching the road a bit better.”

“Da, kotyonok. To be fair I didn’t see it go in front of the car.”

“I’m aware, you were busy waving at Marianna.”

They finally got to the front and ordered their food, returning to the table with the rest of the family. The twins were still eating away at their ice cream, with some of their own pieces of pizza nearby.

Skylar took a bite of hers, satisfying her growling stomach. “I’m surprised you got them to eat before giving them the ice cream. What’d you bribe them with?”

She chuckled when she saw the blank stairs looking back at her. She knows her children and knows that if there’s ice cream in play they’ll need a lot of bribing to make them eat their normal food beforehand.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about Sky, we would never do such a thing.”

“Sure Chloe.” She chuckled. “I know my kids, it takes us a few bribes just for them to eat before dessert is served.”

“She bribed them with buying them a new toy.” said Evan

“Ah.”

Chloe gave Evan a glaring stair, making everyone chuckle. It wouldn’t be the first time Alex had to bribe them with a new toy to make them do something or eat something. For the most part all they have to do is tell them they have to eat their food before they can have dessert, sometimes it might be a toy if it’s important.

“Thanks Evan.”

“Hey it’s alright, wouldn’t be the first time we had to bribe them with a toy. However it was for that one appointment to make sure Konstantin wasn’t deaf and he wasn’t having it. Mostly we just tell them they have to eat their food or they don’t get dessert.”

“You never mentioned that, Sky.” said Sarah.

“There wasn’t much to mention.” She took a bit of her pizza, speaking a moment later. “We all know he’s a bit shyer than his sister and doesn’t talk that much. His doctor thought he might be deaf and wanted to run a few tests.”

Skylar glanced over at Konstantin eating a piece of his pizza, ignoring everything around him at the table. They all knew he could hear because he would look over if someone dropped something or if his name was mentioned. All because he was a little bit underdeveloped than his sister.

“All of that was a load of crap, he could hear us whenever we said his name or he looked over when something was dropped. No matter how much we told them they still wanted to do the tests.” said Alex

She reached over to grab his hand, giving it a small squeeze. “At least the tests weren’t bad, he just needed to sit in a room and look over at the speaker that made a sound. Being alone was the thing that made him cry and freak out. After talking with the doctor I could go in there with him.”

“What did you get him?”

“A horse he could ride in the house.”

She grabbed her phone from the table, searching through her videos until she found what she was looking for, then handed it to her mom. The video shows Konstantin on his horse, powered by him to make it move. The feet of the horse instead of hooves were wheels, making for a fun activity. It was also easy for him to navigate and use even for his young age.

“Awe that’s so cute!” said Chloe

“If only they had them when you were a child.” said her mom as she handed back the phone. “You would’ve loved that.”

“I’m sure I would have!”

xXx

A few hours passed and they were now home, with a few hours of daylight to spare so Grace could break in her new skateboard. And while Grace placed the wheels on the new skateboarding deck in the living room, Skylar was in the kitchen putting the apples that they picked into the fruit bowl, minus a few she was going to use to make some apple pie.

She was happy the day went well, the twins never had a tantrum and they got to spend some much needed time with the family.

A tug on her pant leg forced her to look down, seeing Marianna standing beside her. “Apple?”

“You want an apple?”

Marianna nodded her head and let go of her pant leg.

“Okay, I’ll get you an apple.”

Marianna ran back into the living room while she grabbed an apple and a knife. From her peripheral she could see Alex walk into the kitchen and over to her, leaning against the counter. She looked up, giving him a soft smile that he mirrored.

“I think today went rather well.”

“I do too, kotyonok.”

She began to cut the apple, placing it on a plate. “I was thinking we should go costume shopping tomorrow for the kids, it’s already pretty close to Halloween and they need costumes.”

“Okay, what were you thinking for the twins?”

He grabbed the plate with the apples on it for Marianna, waiting for Skylar to throw away the pit and place the knife in the sink before heading back into the living room with everyone else.

“I’m not sure yet. Do you have any ideas?”

“Ideas for what?”

“What costume the twins should wear for Halloween.”

Grace placed the screwdriver on the coffee table, finally done with putting the wheels on her skateboard. “Since Konstantin has the horse he should dress up as a cowboy, maybe Woody from Toy Story?”

Skylar sat down on the couch next to her with a sigh. “That is a good idea. Konstantin do you want to be Woody for Halloween?”

He looked up from the car he was playing with and nodded his head. Toy Story was one of his favorite movies, it would only be right for him to dress up as Woody.

“Well we figured out one, what about the other?”

They all went quiet for a moment, thinking up what to dress Marianna as. She was a bit more tricky on picking out a costume for, being much more picky on what she likes. One moment she can like something, and another she hates it. But the one thing she’ll always like are butterflies.

“What about a butterfly, kotyonok?”

“Oh, good idea moya sladost’. She does love butterflies.”

The rest of the night was followed by watching Grace break in her skateboard, followed by watching a few horror movies with some popcorn after the twins went to bed. All in all it was a good day!

#otp: the tachanka and his kotyonok #oc skylar jackson #alexsandr senaviev #tachanka #rainbow six siege #r6s #y'all better reblog this asdfghjkl

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magicalthoughtsendinterriblefics · 4 years ago

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Cinderelly - Request

Requested by anon: do you think you could do a fic where draco malfoy meets a girl in a class and he really likes her but then the next week he meets a boy in the same class and really likes him and he's really torn up between them but it turns out it is the same person but their genderfluid

bisexual!Draco x gender-fluid!reader where Draco meets them at a party as a boy and falls in love but meets them in the dining hall as a girl and falls in love and he is torn between them but it turns out to be the same gender-fluid person and it ends in some fluffy kissing maybe.

Word count: 1,868

Warnings: None.

A/N: As you may know, I am not genderfluid nor do I know any genderfluid person (like in real life), so this one was hard. I tried to investigate as much as I could but I can’t promise that it will be just right. So I’d be very thankful if you could give me some feedback about this cuz all I want is for everyone here to feel included and I want to do it right. With that being said:

Enjoy!

Bells were tolling, marking the end of the first period and thus the start of the second period. The students changed classrooms quickly, chatting as fast and loud as possible before they had to be quiet again.

Draco walked with his head down. Not wanting to talk to anyone, he tried his best to look unavailable. He had gotten into a fight with his friends; they expected things from that he just wasn’t comfortable with and so he was alone.

His second period class was Potions. His head teacher, Professor Snape, was well aware of the situation between Draco, Crabbe and Goyle and so he announced he’d be assigning the seats for the class.

Everyone but Draco complained. He knew Professor Snape did it for him and was silently thankful for that.

Professor Snape started pairing people who “had the same level and understanding in Magic”, so Draco figured he would be paired up with Hermione Granger. He was okay with the idea, he actually admired her and maybe that was his chance to let her know… Since he wasn’t hanging with his usual friends, maybe, just maybe, he could change a bit.

However, Miss Granger got paired up with a girl from Ravenclaw. Harry Potter got paired up with some girl from Hufflepuff, and the Weasley boy got paired up with the kid that makes everything explode.

Who would he be paired up with?

“(Y/N) (Y/L/N)” Professor Snape called, “your partner will be Draco Malfoy.”

Draco looked back at the person Professor Snape had called. It was a very nice looking girl from (Y/HH).

The girl approached shyly at first, but once she put her books on the table she started gaining confidence.

Draco couldn’t help but to be amused with how agile she was with potions. She solved problems like once blows dust from an old book, and prepared potions as if they were tea. She was skilled to say the least, but she was also nice.

Draco thought for a second that she’d hate on him. It would’ve been justified since he was usually a narcissistic brat, that one rich kid no one stands, and he genuinely didn’t talk to anyone but his friends and often to Potter and his friends (but that was just to be mean). Why was she nice?

They finished the first potion rather quickly. Not even Granger and her partner did so by the time they were done, so they had a couple minutes to chat.

“I like your hair,” Draco said. He knew how to make people like him; he just figured he’d never need such skills before.

“Thanks,” she replied with a sincere smile.

“I feel like it’s… different,” he continued, “I feel like anyone could pull it off but not really.” The girl tilted her cute face to a side, not knowing if it was a compliment or not, “do you think I could pull it off?”

She laughed and shook her head.

“You might be right, that kind of hairstyle is only for cool people.”

“You think I’m cool?” She asked.

“I think you’re different and, from where I stand, that’s the equivalent of being cool.”

She blushed slightly and thanked him with a whisper.

“I think you’re cool when you are not with your bully friends.”

“I don’t think I’ll be around them much often then,” Draco stated and they giggled. “No, but really, I think you’re very nice.”

“You’re very straightforward, Mr Malfoy.” She stepped back a little.

“Mr Malfoy is my father, and though he will hear about this,” he joked, “I actually would like it very much if you just called me Draco.”

“Okay… I’m (Y/N)” she stretched her hand and Draco shook it with his.

The instructions for the second potion were given almost right after that, and they finished it quickly between laughs and a nice chat. The third one was a bit harder, so Draco, who was absolutely focused, didn’t have the opportunity to continue talking to her.

When the bell rang once again, she was gone without a trace. Lost among hordes of talkative children.

He wanted to find her, she was nice and a good person to begin with. He could show how much of a good guy he was if given the chance and she had given it to him. But how could he find her?

The school was too big, the hallways were too loud, and though he knew her name he was too shy and proud to just go around asking everyone for her. No, he didn’t want to seem desperate.

“Are you coming?” a kid from the Slytherin quidditch team asked. Draco was sitting alone at the common room.

“Where?”

“To the Halloween party,” the kid replied as if it were obvious.

“Oh, yes, I just need to get dressed,” Draco replied. The party was the perfect place to find the girl, or at least to try and find her because he wasn’t sure she’d be there.

He got dressed all in black and went upstairs.

The stairs, the Entrance, and the Great Hall were all filled with people. Kids from all years and houses along with the teacher and Hogwarts’s ghosts chatted excitedly as traditional music played on the background.

The tables were fully served with tons of different options, from snacks to main dishes, and floating pumpkins ornamented the ceiling. It was truly a magnificent view.

Draco had always liked the castle. He thought of it as an architectural masterpiece that was wasted as a school when it might as well be a museum of magic. Of course, he was partly thankful it was that school because he could live in the castle. But nonetheless, he felt like such beauty could be used in a better way.

The minutes passed and the nice girl from Potions call was nowhere to be seen.

“You lost something?” A soft voice called.

Draco’s heart rushed as he looked behind his back, only to find a tiny boy with a red costume.

“What are you dressed up as?” Draco inquired.

The boy looked down to his outfit and shrugged. “It’s supposed to be a dragon, but I really can’t see it.”

Draco nodded and looked to the sides, in search of the girl.

“What are you dressed up as?” The boy asked him.

“A wizard,” Draco replied and the boy scoffed.

“Wow” the boy said in a sarcastic tone, “you are so cool, oh my God.”

Draco chuckled and finally focused his attention on the boy.

“I didn’t have a costume,” he explained. “And I did lose something.”

“Maybe I can help you find it.”

“I lost a girl. Her name is (Y/N),” Draco told him, “do you know her?”

“I do,” the boy said, “we’re close, actually.”

“Where is she?”

“She’s not coming,” the boy said. “So I guess you’re stuck with me now.”

Draco frowned, not entirely understanding that jump of logic. But hey, he was trying new things after all so he agreed.

The night went by rather quickly by the boy’s side. He was charming, chill, and so funny. It was no wonder to Draco that the boy and (Y/N) could be close friends, as a matter of fact, they could’ve been twins and Draco would’ve believed it. They were too similar, even physically.

“I think you’re a cool kid, Draco Malfoy,” the boy said.

“You too,” Draco replied. They were at the bridge that led to the boat house, far away from the actual party.

“You know?” The boy said, “I am quite impulsive sometimes and…” Suddenly, the boy pecked Draco’s lips.

At first, Draco was shocked. He didn’t expect a kiss from that boy but, once that first shock passed, he couldn’t help but to melt in his lips.

He felt like he was somehow cheating on the girl, but also not really. It felt right, it felt like they belonged together.

They kissed and kissed for what felt like an eternal instant and then the boy pulled away.

“I hope you liked it,” he said.

“I did,” Draco replied and tried to kiss him again but the boy stepped back.

“I hope you can learn to like me as I am,” he continued. Draco tilted his head, not entirely understanding what he meant.

The midnight bell tolled.

“Better get going,” the boy said.

“Why?” Draco asked.

“Cinderella’s spell will break.”

Draco shrugged, not understanding what he meant by that, as the boy ran back to his dorm.

A whole week passed and Draco hadn’t seen either the boy or the girl. He was confused to say the least, and quite frankly he was sad and alone again.

Crabbe and Goyle seemed to be better off without him, so he didn’t even bother in trying to make peace with them. Instead, he decided to embrace his solitude.

He would spend every afternoon hidden near the Black Lake. He’d sit under a tree and read whatever he had available, and just get lost in the calm sounds of nature.

The last day of the week, while he was dozing off to the sound of birds, he heard branches breaking. He wasn’t going to pay much attention to that. Lots of kids went out to that side of the forest to play with their friends, they couldn’t be much bother.

He closed his eyes again and got lost in the memory of those eyes, both the boy and the girl had amazing (Y/E/C) eyes, and their smile was so big and warm, and their voices were soft, and their hair… They had almost the same hairstyle.

Draco opened his eyes again, only to find those same eyes staring at him.

“Hi,” they said.

“Hi,” Draco greeted, his own eyes were wide.

“Long time no see,” they joked and Draco nodded.

“So… this is me,” they said. “I know it might be weird… I don’t know if you’re into… Or if I’m being pushy, or…”

“No,” Draco stated. “Not at all… Pushy, I mean. You’re not pushy.”

They smiled.

“So you finally understood who I am?”

Draco smiled back at them and smiled warmly.

“Do you think you can handle it?”

“I think I don’t have to handle anything because it’s not really an issue to handle,” Draco said and their smile widened so much all of their teeth were visible, and their cheeks blushed and they just radiated joy that was so contagious even Draco started blushing.

“I just wished you had told me from the beginning,” Draco mumbled after a couple minutes.

“What’s the fun in that?” They giggled.

Draco giggled too and looked down shyly. He had never felt this way before. He could never be vulnerable, or nice, or sweet with any other friend so he wasn’t sure how to proceed.

“This is the part where you kiss me,” they said, dragging Draco out of his mind.

“What?”

“This is the part where you kiss me.”

“Oh damn, you’re right.”

And so, Draco touched her face softly, and gently pulled her closer to his lips. Yes, those were the lips he had kissed before and they were probably the lips he’d be kissing for a long time after.

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digitalworldbound · 5 years ago

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“D..did you just make that noise?” For Sora/Jyou

Number 20: “D-Did you just make that noise?”

Characters: Sora/Jyou. This takes place sometime during the Tri timeline. I tried to add some references to other pairings you like, so if you squint, I hope you can see them. I absolutely loved the idea of all of the Chosen in their little Halloween costumes, and had to stop myself around 1500 words because I was getting way too excited. Also, I apologize for the abrupt ending!

Send me a prompt if you’d like!

In retrospect, maybe encouraging her rambunctious group of friends to go to a haunted house on Halloween may not have been the best idea she’s ever had, but Takenouchi Sora refused to admit defeat. The past week had been stressful, filled with exams, sports tournaments, and holiday festivities. The group was due for some relaxation.

As Sora watched Daisuke and Iori competitively inhale their second yakitori, she felt more like a mother hen tending to her chicks than a high schooler. “Hey, guys!” she called, attempting to gather the attention of at least two of their collective braincells. Any response she might have received would have been lost in the throngs of people that crowded the waterfront. Festival tents lined the shore, the smells of fried food and pumpkin spice wafted through the air.

Each second of silence only added to her annoyance. She had worked endlessly for days to plan this get together, and it seemed that no one was taking it seriously. “Did you need something, Sora-san?” A small squeak escaped her throat as her body whipped around in surprise. The skirt of her devil costume swayed around her hips as she tried to regain control of her breathing.

“Oh, it’s you, Jyou-senpai.” She managed, heart pounding in her chest. A Bakemon costume (hand crafted by Mimi) hung off his thin frame, casting grueling shadows across his cheekbones. The sight reminded her of their first encounter with the ghost-like creatures, all wrapped up and ready for a sacrifice.

Instead of responding, the gentleman in question smiled a toothless grin. The soft glow of the fairy lights illuminated dark blue eyes as they scanned the crowd for his friends. “You know, everyone looks like they’re having fun.”

From their position on the outskirts of the festival grounds, Sora could make out Mimi’s hair as the girl mercilessly teased Koushiro. Her cat costume left little to the imagination, and Koushiro’s pink cheeks contrasted against his blue wizard robes.

Sora’s tension eased when her eyes landed on a blonde vampire and his mummified friend chatting amiably next to a noodle cart, toothy grins gleaming under the lights. It always soothed her worries when those two boys managed to get along. Their siblings, ever the rowdy pair, competed head-to-head in a heated battle for dominance: dart throwing. At stake? A month supply of strawberry ice cream for the girl in the Wizardmon-inspired ensemble and a kiss on the cheek for a smaller, blonder vampire. Sora laughed lightly as Takeru’s last swing wedged itself in the bullseye and Hikari’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Even if it wasn’t Miyako’s slightly off-key voice that filtered through the karaoke speakers, she would have been easy enough to find in her full Sailor Moon cosplay. Ken had managed to slip away and join Iori and Daisuke in their quest to consume any meat that was wedged onto a stick. They looked darling, Sora decided, dressed as Alvin, Simon, and Theodore.

“I guess. I just wanted everyone to go to the haunted house together. What’s the point of planning this get together if we all aren’t, you know, getting together?” Punctuating question with a sigh, her shoulders slumped forward. “But,” she continued, “they all look happy enough, so it’s okay.”

Jyou opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it. Sora’s hands fiddled with the plastic horns nestled in her hair. Her eyes flicked towards her navy-haired friend as he cleared his throat nervously. “Well, just because they won’t go doesn’t mean we can’t.”

Her rejection died in her throat when her eyes settled on his hidden smile and flushed cheeks. “Jyou-senpai, you don’t have to sacrifice your night to entertain me. I’ll be fine. Besides, I think Koushiro-san might spontaneously combust if Mimi-chan tries to feed him again.”

In an uncharacteristic act of boldness, his slender fingers wrapped themselves around her wrist. “C’mon,” he said, turning his neck to meet her eyes, “You need to live a little.” Sora allowed him to tug her down the boardwalk and towards the old courthouse. If the twisted, bloody smiles of the clowns weren’t enough to double the young girl’s heart rate, the shrill, primal screams spilling out into the October air were.

If the twitch of Jyou’s hand on her wrist was any indication, he was becoming apprehensive as well. His smile never wavered, nor did his grip on her. Before Sora could decide whether or not to kindly remove his fingers, the pair were shoved in a group of Love Live! Idols and various farm animals. “Welcome to the House of Terror!” gritted the clown from before, his pungent odor testing the limits of the young girl’s gag reflex. His mouth opened once more, but whatever advice he was about to give them was drowned out by the screeching of the entrance erupting wildly on its hinges.

“Right this way, my pretties.” an old woman crooned from the building, voice reminiscent of branches scratching against a window. Sora shivered, but allowed Jyou and some stranger dressed as a rooster to push her along.

Her tension eased once the group left the corrupt clown outside. The hallway they entered was eerie, a black light illuminating the fabric of Jyou’s costume. One of the school idols screamed as an arm reached out from behind a blood-splattered curtain to caress her. Sora pressed herself closer to her companion. Wordlessly, his fingers reached down to grab her own, giving her palm what Sora assumed was supposed to be a reassuring squeeze. If his hands hadn’t of been so sweaty, she might have been comforted.

The black sheets opened into a large room filled to the brim with children. Dismembered baby dolls littered the ground, limbs hanging from the rafters above. The Chosen of Love smoothed down her pleated skirt, eyes avoiding the creature in the corner. A young girl, no older that thirteen, sat alone on the far side of the room. Dressed in a simple white gown, the child chanting something, but her voice was so low and haunting that Sora couldn’t make it out. Water dripped from her dark hair, and her lips were painted sea-sickening blue.

A couple dressed as cows made a run for the door on the other end of the room, utters quaking in fear. Their hooves slipped on a severed baby arm, and their spots went flying. Jyou tensed, the crunch he heard after the fall not boding well with his first-aid training. Sora looked around helplessly as the pair of utters still hadn’t gotten back up. ‘Oh, gods.’ she thought, stomach anxiously twisting itself into knots.

The group’s guide had suddenly disappeared.

“D-Did you just make that noise?” Jyou whispered into her ear. For a second, the red-haired girl had to convince herself that the shiver she felt was a result from the chilly atmosphere, and not the fact that his lips had been that close to her skin.

In all honesty, her heart had been pounding too loudly for her to hear much of anything, but with one look at the soulless girl in the corner, she turned towards Jyou. “No, but let’s get out of here!”

Jumping over the up-turned cows and various idols, the pair ran towards the rickety door. Apparently, the staff on the other side had no idea they were expecting the next group of people to terrorize, as the bloody nurses and doctors still engaged in an intense lip lock.

“G- Gomen'nasai.” Jyou stuttered, a flush reaching his hair line. His little devil companion felt as uncomfortable as he looked. “Um,” the polyester doctor called out, “this room is occupied.” Sora made haste to drag her and Jyou away from the hormonal teenagers before he could give them The Talk. He attempted the same thing with the younger kids a few months prior, and nearly cried when they were the ones to correct him.

Red light filtered through the hazy hospital room, but Sora recognized an exit when she saw one. “This way, Jyou-senpai!” she yelled, tugging his arm behind her.

The pair burst into the warm October night, panting and sweating. It took several minutes for the pair to catch their breaths and ever longer to notice their mischievous friends staring at them.

Takeru’s laughter startled Sora, her hand flying up as if to hold her heart in her chest. As her orange eyes rose to meet mahogany, she found herself temporarily blinded by the flash of a camera. “Hmm,” Hikari mused, “this one may be cute enough to develop.”

“That’s not the only thing that’s developing.” the younger, annoying, traitorous vampire giggled out. His basketball reflexes proved useful as he dodged an attack from the little devil, pulling an amused Wizardmon behind him. “See you love birds later!” he called out cheekily, admiring his own pun.

“Get back here, you guys!”

Jyou laughed quietly beside her, the hood of his costume bunching around his shoulders. “Ah, just let them have their fun. Besides, I’m pretty sure that sound I heard was the growl of your stomach.”

Fingers still intertwined; Sora allowed her senpai to tug her towards the tents of food. On the way down, her eye caught Mimi’s. In a strange way, the well-placed wink and sly smile on her friend’s face seemed to be a cue of sorts., and Sora tightened her grip on Jyou’s hand.

“Hey, Jyou-san, how do you feel about splitting some ujikintoki?”

#sora takenouchi #jyou kido #digimon adventure

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enamoured-x · 5 years ago

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@steph-oliveira requested prompts 8, 13, &23 from the Halloween Prompt List

Thank you for the ask! Hope you like it and sorry about the long ass wait!

Halloween Prompt List can be found here, send me an ask!

Sonny Carisi x Reader

Word count: 1,838

8. “If you’re scared you can hold my hand.” 13. “Did you hear that?” 23. “Kiss me, I’m scared?”

Dating Sonny was always exciting, not just because of his loud and energetic personality but he was never one to half ass anything, whether it be with expressing his feelings or taking you out on dates. It was a breath of fresh air after having ex’s in the past who stuck with the same old boring routine.

Just like always, Sonny had wanted to take you out but his idea of a night out was more like a few nights out. He was able to take the weekend off and made sure to tell you in advance so you could put in for time off as well. He had rented a cabin for a weekend in Massachusetts, a much needed weekend getaway in the woods with Sonny was exactly what the doctor ordered. The drive was a little over four hours but neither of you minded as you munched on candy and junk food from gas stations and sang along to the radio. You arrived pretty early in the morning and got groceries for the weekend stay, Sonny was looking forward to cooking for you like always.

The itinerary was touch and go but Sonny wanted to hike after you settled in, seeing as the hike would be short and you would see the sunset at the top of the mountain, you figured it was the perfect idea and you could come back and start on dinner. It was chilly but nothing too bad, you were both in jackets and boots and Sonny even wore a beanie that you thought was cute as hell. You guys were eager to explore and as you walked further and further along the trail by the cabin you didn’t realize that you were slowly following a different path that was not a path at all. You didn’t realize until an hour later that you weren’t getting to the lookout view that was promised in the cabins trail guide.

“We’re lost, Sonny.” You huff as you look around and don’t recognize anything. It’s also not like Sonny rented a cabin that had neighbors either, he wanted it to be secluded and it honestly sounded like a good idea at the time.

“Come on, we’re probably almost there. Maybe it’s just taking us a bit longer.”

“Maybe we should head back, it’s getting dark. Not that we know where back is…” You were a little frustrated, a little scared too, neither you nor Sonny knew these woods and there was nothing nearby to use as a reference. It was also getting dark and you’ve seen enough slasher films to know that the couple who wanders off away from the cabin were always the first to go. It didn’t help that it was October so the only movies you had been watching lately were halloween related, all of them with at least a cabin, a couple, and a really stupid idea to go exploring when it’s dark. Check, check, and check.

“Let’s just walk ahead a little more. We could be close.” Sonny shrugs. His lack of worry eased your mind a little, maybe you were overreacting. Sonny was resourceful and he had a good memory, he’d be able to get you guys back.

Thirty minutes later, you had decided to turn back around because you were one hundred percent sure you guys were lost. It was dark now and the lookout was definitely nowhere in sight.

“You didn’t even think to bring a flashlight?” You groan as Sonny takes out his phone for light, you did the same as well.

“Why does that responsibility fall on me?” He asks. You roll your eyes even though he can’t see you. You were annoyed to say the least and even more terrified now as you knew animals were probably lurking around. The light from your phone was barely showing the path a few feet ahead of you and there was also no service to help navigate, which you already expected before you even checked your phone. Classic horror movie theme.

Suddenly you hear a twig snapping and you thought you could faintly hear whispers, although the rational part of you told you it was just the wind.

“Did you hear that?” You whisper to Sonny as you grab his arm to stop him from walking any further.

“What? No.” He shines the light around you guys to see if you could see anything but there was nothing nearby.

“You’re just imagining things. We’re fine.” He was probably trying to convince himself more than you because his voice didn’t sound as confident as it was earlier.

“Sonny…” You grip his arm tighter as you hear another twig snap. Your heart was racing now and your palms were sweating.

“If you’re scared you can hold my hand. Come on, Doll, I won't let anything happen to you.” You grab his hand and then cling to his side as you both continue walking.

“This was a stupid idea, Sonny. We don’t know where we are.” He squeezes your hand at your words. You were exhausted and still scared at what might be watching you two as you try to navigate back to the cabin.

“Complaining about it isn’t going to help.” He states and you can’t help but get annoyed.

“Pretending you’re not freaking out right now isn’t going to help either. You know we’re screwed. This is all your fault.” You still hold on tight to him as you make your way across stumps and rocks. Despite being upset with him for particularly no reason, you weren’t going to let that get in the way of your comfort.

“So you get mean when you’re scared, duly noted.” Sonny whispers under his breath but you both know you were meant to hear it.

“Am I supposed to be enjoying this? Am I supposed to swoon over you offering me your hand? How could I ever be scared when I have such a big strong man to keep me safe?”

“Seriously?” Sonny asks, annoyance clear in his tone.

“Kiss me, I’m scared.” You say dramatically while shaking his arm, “was that what you wanted? Wanted to play the tough guy so I would go all heart eyes for it like we aren’t in this situation because of you?” The blame fell on both of you for not being more alert and for not being as prepared as you can be but you were starving and tired, you needed someone to blame.

“I’ll kiss you if it shuts you up.” He says. You try to hide your smile into his shoulder as you don’t say anything.

“Look, I have the compass app on my phone, so far we’re going the right way.” He adds and shows you the compass pulled up on his phone and you see that you’re heading in the right direction.

“That means nothing if we don’t make it there.” You mutter and he stops walking. You flash your light around thinking he saw something but you don’t see anything. You then look up at him and he’s looking down at you with confusion and what seems to be amusement.

“What do you think is gonna happen?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe Jason hacking us to bits?” You involuntarily shiver as you imagine the masked killer. Sonny laughs.

“I don’t know if anyone has told you this but he ain’t real, Doll.” You both continue walking.

“Okay but bears are. And I’m pretty sure there’s a few around here just waiting for the right moment to strike.” Your mind was running with all the possibilities of things that could harm you.

“I’ll get you back safe and sound. The bears can find another meal and Meyers can find someone else to prey on.” This time you stop walking and Sonny stops to look at you.

“Meyers?”

“Yeah, the Jason guy you were just talking about.” He explains. You can’t help but scoff and let go of him.

“Sonny, do you not know your slashers?”

“Yeah?”

“Who is the guy with the chainsaw?” You question him, arms crossed. Your fear suddenly going away as you realized Sonny might not know his horror films.

“Texas chainsaw.” He states like it was the obvious thing. Despite not wanting to make a lot of noise because of animals you can’t help but let out a deep laugh.

“Oh my fuck, Dominick. The Texas chainsaw massacre is the name of the movie, the killer is leatherface.” You try to contain your laughs by putting your hand over your mouth.

“I knew that! That’s what I meant!” He gets flustered and it only makes you laugh harder.

“You also just said Jason’s last name is Meyers.” You snort.

“Isn’t it? Wait, no, obviously that’s Michael Meyers.” He corrects himself. You grab his hand again and continue walking not wanting to waste more time.

“What movie has the iconic line, Do you like scary movies?”

“What is this? Trivia?” He huffs.

“Answer the question.”

“I don’t know. The Michael movies?” You couldn't keep the amusement off your face as you realized Sonny had no clue what you were talking about.

“No. First off, Michael Meyer’s is in the Halloween movies, secondly, the line is from Scream with the timeless Drew Barry Moore.”

“How am I suppose ta know all this?” He asks exasperated with your questioning, accent coming out thick.

“I cannot believe this, Sonny. This is basic knowledge, everyone knows this stuff!”

“I was never allowed to watch those movies growing up! By the time I was older, I didn’t really care to.” He defends himself as he shrugs.

“We’re watching as many as we can fit into this weekend.” You decided.

“Weren’t you just complaining about how scared you were and now you want to watch movies that are undeniably going to have you paranoid the rest of the trip?” He questions.

“I’m scared because we’re in the woods at night. But showing you some classic slasher films while snuggled in bed sounds like a good time.” He kissed your temple at your words as you continue making your way back to the cabin. Throughout your walk you were explaining to Sonny the general themes for each film and which ones were your favorite. It made the trip back go by quicker and weirdly enough took your mind off the fact that you were lost in the woods, it was a good distraction.

After an hour of walking you had finally made it back to the cabin, you were both relieved when it came into view.

Seeing as it was so late, Sonny made you both sandwiches and you got out the chips and beer.

You were happy when Sonny finally set the food down on the coffee table in the living room, you quickly put on Netflix and opted to introduce him to Halloween first seeing as it was one of your favorites.

“Is this the one where he shows up in their dreams?”

You had a long weekend ahead of you.

#sonny carisi #sonny carisi x reader #sonny carisi imagine #Sonny Carisi x You #Dominick Carisi #law and order svu #svu #halloween prompts

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sj-thefan · 5 years ago

Text

Perfect Reality (Billy Hargrove x reader)

Hi again, I wrote a little something, hope you enjoy. I tagged some people at the end but feel free to ignore it because I don’t know if you want to read it. Also, check out my other stories on Wattpad here.

Billy Hargrove x reader (Stranger Things)

Warning: Season 3 spoilers, mentions of abuse, scars/injuries and trauma, language, unplanned pregnancy, angst.

Masterlist

Friendships are strong and powerful relationships. Finding a person who can share all your secrets, relate to the same situations, and react similarly to one's self is a truly magnificent occurrence.

Of course, like any relationship, not all friendships are beneficial. Some people bounce their negative feelings off each other causing bad situations to become worse.

Neil Hargrove and Randy Moore were classic examples of a bad friendship. They had been friends for several years, both born and raised on the sandy beaches of California. When Neil got married, Randy was his best man. They were the godfathers of each other's kids. When Randy's girlfriend left him with their daughter, Neil supported him and taught him some of his own unorthodox coping skills. They had been together for so long they didn't remember a time without each other.

Their children formed a similar bond, although, theirs was a friendship of support. Y/n Moore never got to know her mother and often felt like it was her fault. Billy Hargrove was always there to remind her it was out of her control and that they could share his mom. They spent days on the beach laughing, surfing and playing under the watchful eye of Billy's mother. Billy would get upset when his mother and father fought, so Y/n always left her window open if he needed an escape.

When Billy's mother left him and his father, both friendships changed. Billy tried so hard not to blame himself, but his mother was gone, and he had done nothing. It didn't help that Neil blamed him and he was reminded of that with a good slap nearly every night.

Neil and Randy would go out nearly every night to drink and forget about their lost women. Of course, coming home to children that looked like them just brought all those alcohol repressed feelings to the surface. It was those times when they couldn't escape, that they relied on their coping mechanisms.

The bruises got harder to hide as they got older. Billy and Y/n couldn't tell anyone without fear of getting something worse than a bruise. One night, Y/n had come home late which led to a nasty fight and ended with a long scar down her arm. Nights when they couldn't stand being in the same building as their fathers, they would sneak out and go to the other's window. Countless nights were spent consoling each other in quiet as to not awake their fathers.

Some nights, they would both sneak out and go to the beach. They would splash and play like they did when they were younger. It was a night spent on the beach that they had their first kiss. They were fifteen and Neil had recently met a woman named Susan. Whenever he was around Susan, he held back a lot of his true personality. Billy was a great stress reliever at the end of the night.

They sat on a blanket facing each other, Billy wincing as Y/n dabbed at his quickly bruising eye. The beach was quiet that night, other than the small waves crashing against the shore, nothing could be heard.

"Do you ever think of running away?" Y/n asked. They had talked about it when Billy's mom first left, but they were too young then with no money and no way to get some. Now they older. Y/n was sure they could make it if they stayed together.

Billy paused, looking into Y/n's eyes as she continued to take care of him. Her eyes always sparkled on clear nights, sometimes he swore he could see the stars in them. "Sometimes," Billy confessed. "But when we're older and can get our own jobs and change our names without needing an adult." He reached his own hand up to cover hers which had paused when he started talking. "When we can do everything ourselves, then we can leave. Hide away somewhere they'll never find us."

She smiled, her mind drifting to thoughts about a life with Billy. Just him and her. No pain, no more scars or bruises, they could be happy. They didn't need much. Just a small house, or even an apartment, far away from the world, maybe near an ocean or even a lake. The sound of the water always calmed them both.

She looked back up to find that Billy's gaze hadn't left her face. He was staring at her lips. When he noticed her looking, he blushed.

She couldn't help it. Her eyes flicked down to his lips before returning to his eyes with a smile. Her hand quickly dropped from his face but as soon as it had, Billy reached up to cup her face and pull her forward into a breathtaking kiss.

It was magical, for both teens. It was their first kiss. Sure, Billy's mom had kissed them both on the forehead, but that was nothing compared to what had just happened. When they both pulled back, neither could stop the large smiles that spread across their faces nor could they help the butterflies that filled them with excitement.

Unfortunately, life can't always be filled with sunshine and rainbows.

When Neil decided to propose to Susan, Y/n ended up in the hospital. Randy was upset about the possibility of losing his best friend and after a night of drinking alone, breaking his daughter's arm was easy. She hadn't done anything except being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Billy was ready to murder Randy when he found out, but Y/n talked him out of it. She was used to being his punching bag – they both were – tonight she had just taken a harder beating.

Billy was introduced to Susan's daughter, Maxine. She was sweet and kind, but also tough and could sass her way through any conversation. In other circumstances, Billy may have liked the kid, but with Billy receiving a beating after every mistake she made, Billy couldn't help but hate her. Y/n didn't know the girl, but anyone who caused Billy to get hurt was immediately disliked.

Before the wedding, Neil and Susan decided to move to a new place. Susan's ex caused too many problems in California and Neil didn't have enough happy memories to stay.

Y/n was heartbroken. The only person who ever made her feel like life was worth living, would soon be on the other side of the country. Billy was just as upset. They both didn't want to think of what would happen when they left. Randy had done terrible things at the mere mention of losing his best friend. What would happen to Y/n when it really did happen?

So, she convinced Randy to follow the Hargroves.

Over their seventeen years of living, Y/n and Billy had picked up a few skills of manipulation. Giving people the attention they needed, often allowed them to get whatever they needed. Teachers, for example, always seemed to crumble with a wink and a few flirty comments. When people are uncertain, hints and reverse psychology was always successful.

Randy was easy to convince. Once the idea was put in his head, everything else seemed to fall into place. A few comments about "going out with Neil" more often in the new town and the thought that a place like Indiana would be easier to hide the bruises – without constant sun, sweaters and pants would fit in more – and the Moores were packing their things.

Hawkins, Indiana was not a nice place to live. It smelled, there was nothing to do, and it always seemed as if something was wrong.

It was quite easy to find a place in Hawkins. The school was small and in desperate need of leadership. The other teens were either envious or falling at their feet or, on most occasions, both. Billy and Y/n went to every party. By Halloween, they were known as the King and Queen of Hawkins. It didn't take much, a few party tricks here and there, smooth-talking the teachers, and succeeding at a few extracurriculars was all it took.

Tommy and Carol were easy puppets. They told Y/n and Billy everything in hopes of gaining even a tiny bit of favour. They followed them around like dogs on a leash. They were annoying to Y/n, but Billy thought they were funny, so they kept them around.

Billy was quick to dislike Steve Harrington, especially after he overheard Y/n and Carol talking about how he was cute but too focused on his hair to be good at anything else. Billy found himself quickly besting Steve at everything. Basketball, partying, even small things like driving faster. The sight of him, made Billy think irrationally and on more than one occasion, Y/n found herself calming him down when he snuck into her bed at night.

Despite ruling Hawkins teenage population, Billy and Y/n did not like living in Hawkins. Maxine had found friends and every time she was late, or Billy didn't know where she was, Billy was beaten. Every time Neil was unavailable for a drink at the only bar in town, Y/n became a punching bag for Randy. Nothing they did ever seemed right in their fathers' eyes. Living without support from the people who are supposed to be there for you no matter what was nearly impossible. Many times, Y/n confessed she didn't think she would have survived without Billy.

But summer had finally come. No more school, for ever if they wanted. No more worrying about Max. They had seemed to come to an arrangement where she was more careful, and Billy was less rude. When she met Y/n, she actually seemed to like her. Billy and Y/n were adults now, free to live on their own.

If only they could afford it. So, they got jobs, Billy at the pool as a lifeguard, and Y/n at Danny's, a local restaurant. Billy's job was easy money. He enjoyed yelling at kids and watching the mom's attempt to catch his attention with skimpy bathing suits and expensive hairdos. Of course, he encouraged it, a wink here, a comment there, and the moms went crazy. They brought their kids every day which meant more money for the pool and, in turn, Billy. On the other hand, Y/n hated her job. People could be rude and demanding. Fortunately, the old men were great tippers, especially when she flirted with them and unbuttoned her top a little more than necessary.

Of course, life wouldn't let them escape their troubles that easy. It always had to get complicated just when things were looking better.

Y/n sat on the double bed in the Motel 6. She had been a lot more emotional lately and seemed to get irritated with everyone. Not even Billy was exempt.

Just the other night, she had snapped at him. She had snuck into his room with a fresh bruise forming under her eye. Randy had found her stash of tips she had been hiding under her bed. He was angry. Y/n's money went to support the family. Of course, that also meant funding his drinking habits.

Luckily, Y/n had two stashes with equal amounts. She was scared Randy might go through her stuff. Still, he had found her stash and taken the money and in Y/n's mind that meant she had lost half her savings. She put them a step back in their attempts to break free from their parents. She needed Billy, but he wasn't there.

She fell asleep to his scent surrounding her.

Billy stumbled through his window later, successfully waking her. He was drunk, far more than he usually was. He barely noticed she was there.

"Billy?"

He snapped his head up. He had pulled off his shirt and shoes and was in the middle of kicking his shoes off when he heard her.

"Baby?" He squinted through the dark, smiling when he recognized her. "I sure am glad to see you. I have had a boner all night. Thought I'd have to take care of it myself but now-"

"Billy!" she interrupted. He laid down on the bed, facing her.

"Yes, doll?" He still wore a dopey smile and his eyes were somewhat glazed despite the serious tone in Y/n's voice.

"I needed you tonight." She tried to get him to focus.

"I need you too, baby." He gestured to his crotch.

She rolled her eyes, growing angry at the drunk before her. "Billy, look at me, I mean really look, and tell me that you can't see what's wrong."

He squinted at her. "Wait. Something's wrong?"

She huffed angrily. "Yes." She stood up from the bed. "I came home to find Randy had gone through my room while I was at work. He found one of my stashes. He took it." She had started pacing as she ranted. "Of course, he freaked at me, and next thing I know, I'm on the floor, a growing pain on my eye. I rush out of the house to come here and my car doesn't start. Literally, everything was going wrong. I walked here, in the rain mind you, 'cause God knows this town can't give me one day with nice weather, and you are not here. No, you're out getting drunk. What makes it all worse, is that I found out some news today that I need to tell-" She had turned her glare to focus on her boyfriend. "Are you asleep?"

She almost burst into tears when he didn't respond. "Billy?" she harshly shook him awake.

"Wha- What the hell was that for?"

"I can't believe you." She turned and climbed out of his window.

She had phoned the next day to apologize but Billy hadn't been awake. Y/n left a message with Max. She had rented a room at the motel - Billy would know which one, they had been there before - and wanted to talk to Billy. Max promised she would relay the message.

It was nearing 8 o'clock and Y/n was getting worried. She knew he worked until 6 so she had expected him to arrive around 7, but as each minute passed, she grew more and more worried that she had lost him.

They had fought before, the fight the other night hadn't even been that bad. It was unlikely he remembered it. But Y/n's emotions were out of wack. Everything that went wrong seemed to wreck her life.

She glanced to the clock again.

7:53.

Her eyes fell on the phone. She could call his house, but it was unlikely he would be the one to pick up. They didn't call each other at night, it was too likely that the other's father would be home, and that would just turn into another argument.

She fiddled with her hands, eyes flitting from the little stick sitting on the bed with her and the bag she brought with her.

7:54.

She never cried. Never. She and Billy had made a promise to never cry about the people who didn't want them, long ago. They wouldn't cry over parents that left nor would they cry over the parents that stayed but hated them. She didn't want to break the promise. Not now.

She hugged her stomach and she rocked a bit, trying to calm her nerves. Billy and she had made a life. It may have been an accident but she was pregnant. The proof lay on the bed beside her.

7:56.

Her mother hadn't wanted her. She understood to a certain extent. Leaving because she was being abused was something Y/n dreamed of almost daily, but she would never condemn another to take her place. That was exactly what her mother had done. Y/n was the replacement punching bag.

7:57.

Y/n shook as a tear escaped her eye at the thought that Billy didn't want her. She had no doubt that Max had passed on the message, Y/n had sounded quite serious when she talked to her and Max hadn't ever lied to her before. Billy had to have chosen not to come.

7:58.

"No," Y/n spoke to herself. "I will not cry over you, Billy. I will not cry for someone who doesn't want me." She dried her face and looked down at her stomach, pressing her hands against it. "If he doesn't come, he doesn't want us. And that's okay, baby. It's okay. I'm here. I want you and I'll never let a day pass without making sure you know that."

She laid down resting her head against the pillow.

8:00.

"We'll be okay."

Things started getting very weird after that night.

Y/n didn't see Billy for nearly four days. On July 2nd, Max showed up on her doorstep with a girl called El. They asked if she had seen Billy. Y/n scoffed telling them that Billy missed their date and hadn't contacted her since.

They had frowned, running off without another word.

She didn't know what to think.

Then Max returned, two nights later, on the Fourth of July, begging for help with Billy. Y/n almost wanted to say no. But then Max started talking about a Mind Flayer and Billy getting controlled by it. Y/n was so confused, she let herself get pulled away.

They ended up at the Starcourt Mall. Y/n was told to find Billy and remind him of who he really was.

She found him hovering over the girl called El. She moved towards him slowly, the giant monster made her a bit hesitant, but Billy looked so pained and scared that she had to go to him.

"Billy!" she called over the deafening noise. "Billy, please stop."

He turned, his eyes meeting hers. He stood and made his way over to her. He raised his arm, and Y/n though he was going to cup her cheek.

But he didn't.

Instead, Y/n was met with a firm hand gripping her throat.

"Billy," she choked out.

He made no move to stop.

"Please. Don't do this."

"Billy!" Max yelled, causing the man to shift his gaze and loosen his grip slightly. "Stop!"

El, who barely had any strength left, propped herself up to try and help. Her friends were terrified of Billy and she knew she could help.

"Seven feet," she recalled the memory she saw in Billy's head. "You told her the wave was seven feet." Billy paused, his arm loosening enough strength to set Y/n down. His eyes turned to El, but he kept his hand around Y/n's neck. "You ran to her, on the beach. There were seagulls. She wore a hat with a blue ribbon. A long dress with a blue and red flower. Yell- yellow sandals, covered in sand. Y/n was there." Billy turned back to Y/n. "She sat in the sand cheering. They were pretty."

Y/n reached up, cupping his cheek. His eyes filled with tears as his hand left her throat.

"And you-" El continued "-you were happy."

"We can be happy again, Billy." He wiped away the tears that fell from Y/n's eyes. "I need you," she confessed. "We both do."

His eyes crinkled in confusion, so Y/n took his hand, the one that had just been around her throat, and placed it on her stomach.

"Let's go back to California. We'll be happy again."

Billy smiled pulling her close and breathing in her intoxicating scent which he had missed so dearly. He whispered apologies into her hair as she rubbed circles into his back.

The moment was broken when El let out an ear-piercing scream. They jumped, turning to see the giant monster getting closer to her.

Billy jumped into action, pushing away the monster that was threatening the people who cared about him enough to help him.

The monster screeched, angry that his pawn had turned against him. Arm-like appendages sprouted from its mouth, plunging into Billy's body.

Y/n screamed as the monster aimed for his heart.

Then it stopped.

The monster stepped back, screeching in pain before it collapsed.

Y/n ran to Billy who lay almost motionless.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

She brushed his damp hair out of his face. "It wasn't your fault." She smiled down at him. "It's all going to be okay."

Max joined them, falling to her knees beside Y/n. "Hey, Maxine."

She smiled, letting a few tears fall as she ignored the use of her full name. "Billy, you're okay?"

"I'm tougher than I look." He turned back to Y/n. "What about you? Were you serious?" He placed his hand on her stomach.

Y/n nodded, more tears falling. "You're going to be a dad, Billy."

Billy smiled happily as he watched Max gush about becoming an aunt. Sure, he was more nervous than when he confessed his feelings for Y/n, but she was happy, and he loved her more than anything. They had been through so many terrible things, a baby wouldn't be much different. He knew that he could never hurt Y/n, and, with this child being a part of her, he would never hurt it.

Then his eyes fell on the bruises forming on her neck. His hand reached up to gently run his fingers across it. He had done that. He had broken his promise.

"Stop," Y/n whispered, grabbing his hand and entwining her fingers with his. "It wasn't your fault." She placed a soft kiss on his lips.

It wasn't long till medical personal were rushing in and Billy was carried out of the mall.

1 Year Later

Y/n bounced the little baby on her lap as they watched the waves roll. Billy was out in the ocean with Max, teaching her how to surf.

California was beautiful, even better than they remembered. Although that could just be because they had left their fathers behind. They had moved back as soon as Billy was released from the hospital. The drive had been long but knowing they were free made it all worth it.

Money was tight, but they both made sacrifices. Billy's car had been broken and a smashed during his time under the control of the Mind Flayer. They sold it to a junkyard for $150. They got a small one-bedroom apartment. They would need something bigger when their child was older, but it was all they could afford, at the moment.

Y/n got a job at a bar. It wasn't great, there was a lot of drunk men, but she was used to drunk losers. After her father, the drunk men she encountered were easily handled. Plus, she got great tips, and the old man who owned the place, Terrance, was very nice. It wasn't too far away from their apartment, so it was a perfectly fine job.

Billy got a job with Miller Construction. He enjoyed it more than he admitted. The people he worked with were really funny and he was good at his job. Often times, the guys would go to a bar after work. Billy managed to convince them to go to The Red Lady, the bar Y/n worked at, so he could chat with her and the guys. He never drank anywhere near enough to get drunk, none of them did, but he always stayed until Y/n's shift was over so they could walk home together.

Terrance was very good with letting Y/n have time off for Doctors appointments. Unfortunately, Billy wasn't so lucky. He didn't want to miss a single one, especially after he missed the first, but his boss couldn't always spare the time. On days he couldn't get off, he would take an unofficial extended lunch with his coworkers covering for him.

He loved seeing his little child on the screen, even before it looked like a baby. He would see the image appear, and tears would spring to his eyes as the doctor pointed to the different parts of the child. He, Billy Hargrove, a boy who had been told he was worthless and would amount to nothing, had created a life with the woman he loved more than anything.

The day Y/n gave birth was possibly the most stressful day of their lives. The baby was early by nearly a week causing them to be just a bit unprepared. Billy had never driven so fast in his life, his girlfriend's screams making his foot turn to lead.

After only five hours in the hospital, Elizabeth Marina Hargrove was born. She was beautiful with Billy's bright blue eyes that didn't stop looking around. She was quiet too, hardy crying once she was put in her mother's arms. Y/n felt overwhelmed with love when she watched Billy gaze down at his daughter snuggled in his arms.

Max was extremely happy for them too. They called her as soon as they got home. Once she got over the initial excitement, Y/n and Billy asked her to tell the others, especially El. They had chosen the name Elizabeth because El had been the one to save Billy. El was the reason they had made it to California, and she deserved to be recognized for that. They ended the call with Max promising to come to visit them in the summer.

Which was exactly what she did.

Y/n and Billy had invited Max to stay for a few weeks. In addition to meeting Ellie, Y/n and Billy had wanted Max to be present at their wedding. The only reason they had held off for so long was for her. Y/n wanted her to be present. She had brought Y/n to help Billy, and they had grown quite close over the year, talking on the phone whenever Y/n had a day off. She was kept updated on everything with the baby and kept Y/n updated on events in Hawkins as well, even though she didn't care too much about the shitty town.

Y/n glanced at the ring on her finger. It didn't have a big shiny diamond on it, but it was beautiful. Ellie loved it too, taking every chance to play with it on her mother's hand.

Ellie yawned, turning around to snuggle into her mother's arms and closing her eyes. Billy and Max came to sit with Y/n, grabbing some of the strawberries they had brought along with them.

They chatted for a bit as the sun set, before packing up and walking home. Y/n had been right.

They were happy, happier than they had ever been before. Everything was perfect. Their perfect reality.

I still haven’t gotten many reactions from my writing so I thought I would tag some people again. Feel free to ignore.

@theonewiththefanfics

@multi-fandom-fanfiction

#billy hargove x reader #billy hargrove #stranger things #stranger things 3 #x reader #pregnant!reader #stranger things spoilers #perfect reality #fanfiction #Sj writes

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japanessie · 6 years ago

Note

Hi Shelly! Hope you're doing well! Thank you so much for this blog, it is so very appreciated because as I discovered MFS through OOR, I was nearly discouraged from the band by all thr comments and the lies. Thank god I decided to learn more and came across your blog. Now I wanted to ask you about yout thoughts about yesterday's Coldrain show in Paris, specifically about what Masato said when he was asked about a collaboration with My First Story. And he was like noooo, if it's One Ok Rock yes.

Hello 😊

Thank you for writing to me and thank you so much for reading. Always happy to hear from a fellow fan 🤗

【If something has never been said or discussed with the other party, isn’t it wise to just answer “No"?】

Honestly, I don’t see anything weird or sinister with Masato’s answer. He was being professional. At the very least, a collab already happened between OOR and Coldrain. They probably talked about more future possibility during their hanging out time together. Masato could only answer on behalf of Coldrain that they’re not doing anything with MFS and he also was not in the position to answer on behalf of MFS either. Hence, “No" is the right answer here, isn’t it?

−−−−−−−−−−−−−−

Now let’s see things from Masato’s point of view and not our angle as ordinary fans. Artists do collabs mainly for TWO reasons. One is the fun factor and the other is for what it can bring to the table (either creatively or even business benefit).

1. The “fun factor" ~ Coldrain and OOR are peers and real life buddies

The two bands started not too far apart and were in the same scene before OOR became exponentially bigger. They are “brothers". The “When I get married you’re my best man, bro,“ and “Bro, you’re in town? Let’s go have a drink!” kind of friendship. They meet up when they can and hang out. Did you see Masato celebrating Taka’s birthday in Hong Kong 😁?

For two groups of people to work together voluntarily, isn’t it imperative that they should also be able to gel together well?

Though they are also friends with MFS, they don’t really have that kind of friendship with each other as bandmen. Hiro in particular, besides being Taka’s lil bro, was more like a mere fanboy of Coldrain in the early days. Certainly not a peer because Hiro was just a rookie bandboy at the time.

OOR’s Skyfall certainly falls into the “fun" category. They did it as friends. The main songwriter was Mah from SiM. They put it together with John Feldman whom OOR was working with at the time. Roping in Ken (Crossfaith) and Masato, it was obvious they did it for the sheer enjoyment as J-Rock peers and real life buddies 😊.

Between OOR and MFS, it’s a no brainer that Coldrain would pick OOR. They already have the working chemistry with OOR. They’re closer and they know each other better which are important factors if you want to work together.

2. Would it bring something to the table musically?

There’s a reason why artists tend to collab with those as far outside their genres or styles as they can. You want to create something new. You want to bounce ideas from each other which you probably wouldn’t think of within your own group. You want that freshness but most of all, the challenge. So you can learn or at least appreciate each other.

Coldrain fans might remember the time when Alexandros invited Masato to feature in one of their songs?

youtube

Now THIS is a good creative collab 😍! Both sides stepped out of their comfort zones and ended up producing something you wouldn’t normally get from each of them.

Honestly, I can’t envision a Coldrain/MFS fusion to even give us anything new musically 🤔. The most it can achieve is them looking cute together 😂.

3. It’s pretty pointless from a business angle

You do collab to expose yourself to the other party’s fanbase. Coldrain and MFS pretty much share the same crowds. In other words, the OOR crowds 😑. Their fanbase won’t expand that way. MFS knew this and had already stepped away from touring with similar artists since 2016. The closest MFS got to “revisiting" those crowds was when they invited The BONEZ. I think that’s more because The BONEZ bassist T$UYO$HI, formerly of Pay Money To My Pain, also works professionally alongside MFS’ Sho and Nob as sessionist musicians.

Just from this factor alone, the Coldrain x MFS collab is already unlikely. What’s the point of Coldrain doing that with MFS when they already got the same exposure and even more impact with OOR?

4. Coldrain & MFS’ paths don’t really cross

Where and how 🤔?

Coldrain has already been in and out of Japan for years doing overseas tours and performing alongside non-Japanese artists, even before OOR did. MFS, on the other hand, insists on not touring overseas till after doing Tokyo Dome in 2021. At most they do one-off shows like Taiwan and China.

How about Japan? Well, MFS also is not focusing on bands from the OOR crowds like Coldrain to tour with nowadays. Apart from the occasional music festivals, Coldrain & MFS actually walk on two different roads.

5. A collab with MFS at this point will make Coldrain look like an “opportunist"

Masato and Taka are “bros". Yes, they had worked together. Yes, Coldrain had been invited to be on OOR Tour too. Now imagine if they suddenly announce working with MFS. It will look like they’re trying to cash in on the Moriuchi brothers’ popularity. Yikes! 🙊

Back in 2013 or 2014, it might not look bad at all but this is 2019 and MFS already surpassed Coldrain in terms of sales and marketability. Coldrain tagging along with MFS after working closely with OOR will only imprint an image of an opportunist.

“Oh, so you are doing both brothers, huh?“

6. Japanese artists sometimes refer to “touring together” as collab

This is something I’ve been observing quite some time. It seems like the word “collab" isn’t limited to working on a song together to them. Forget doing a song, there is not even any indication nor inclination of Coldrain getting invited to be on MFS Tour and neither is MFS getting invited to be on Coldrain Tour. No. They are each focused on their own marketing strategy to strengthen their fanbase.

−−−−−−−−−−−−−−

There is no bad blood, don’t worry

I know some people like to talk garbage about “so-and-so-hating-so-and-so" and whatnot. In case someone tries to do so, please feast your eyes on these photos.

An old photo of Hiro with his natural black hair and Coldrain bassist RxYxO 😊.

Hiro fanboying at the back …. LOL. Told ya he’s a Coldrain fan 😉

If you can find any video of Coldrain’s performance at Japan Jam Beach 2015, you will see that Hiro actually stayed throughout Coldrain’s set 😊. How cute!

Also, I’m positive that Coldrain got invited to do VAMPS Halloween Party 2017 after HYDE opened the door to MFS before that in 2015. Indirectly, MFS does make a good impact on the highly respected senior JRocker which have benefitted bands like Coldrain too 😍. Rottengraffity was invited in 2017 too. Nowadays, HYDE has also worked with Pablo (Pay Money To My Pain) and is regularly seen catching up with OOR here and there 😊

So, there. It’s all good! See? 😉

Oh my God *gasp* 🙊, I ended up answering this long …. as usual LOL 😂

#reply #my first story #coldrain #one ok rock #maifasu #マイファス

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cruzrogue · 5 years ago

Text

Into the Future PartII

#Fictober19 @fictober-event

————————————————————————

for fanfiction:

Prompt number: 4 “I know you didn’t ask for this.”

Fandom (AU if applicable): #arrow fanfiction #olicity

John Constantine and Felicity Smoak

Rating:G

Warnings/Tags: Weird scifi convo.

—

Title: Into the Future PartII

Summary: This take is with John Constantine/Felicity Smoak. It was supposed to be more serious but I lost some work when it didn’t save properly so going back to redo it. I got this… More silly weird conversation between the two but I think it is fitting because demons, out of this word books, and scifi should be a little strange.

Playing with her red pen as an English guy whom seems to be a few good years on her is trying to explain something. He is kind of cute and she’d probably have a thing for him if he wasn’t so into chain smoking. His take on her is that she’s connected to Death. That would be freaky and all if she didn’t read up on it. Some of those old dusty books are like comic-books the volumes are huge and the stories are reverted over and over. No true set timeline. For a beginner like her it makes for a whopper of a headache.

“I know you didn’t ask for this.”

“What gave you that idea?”

“Darling, you haven’t been paying attention to a word I’m saying.”

“Yea, call me darling again you’ll feel my boot where the sun doesn’t shine.”

He rolls his eyes at her. She’s already a something in the realm as a pain in the ass. “It is just like the powers that be that always throw responsibility to those who don’t want it.”

“Oh is there a story there?” Felicity has enjoyed his story telling and figuring he has one now she tilts her head as she looks at him. He shakes his head in response.

“I got to keep my eye on you. You’re a temptress.”

“A what now? Did I not tell you I’m unavailable and married to some dude I’m looking to meet!”

“You’ve never actually met him.”

“Well technically no but I also met his future self. I’m his soon-to-be wife.”

That makes John cackle. His journey with this girl has been a riot. She’s using her summer vacation to go across the world with him and tackle some demonic possessions. “So what makes you think 2007 holds a beginning? That is a huge step in all this?”

Felicity shrugs but grabs a book that holds three charm like illustrations and she pats the book. “This book is like a living diary. Not so much mine or Oliver’s but it shows things we both have lived through.”

“That video you showed me of him peeing on a cop. Is it in there?”

“That’s the important thing you take away from this? What is it with men and their ding dongs?” She sees he’s about to answer. Her hand shots up stopping him before he begins and she lets out, “Rhetorical question. I really am too scared to find out.”

“I heard your assumptions and I think you may be onto something but don’t you think your forgetting something?”

Felicity takes a breath as she knows John Constantine the man she met a few weeks ago and basically begged him to allow her to hang with him. It was her access to the book shop that got him to take her serious. He’s about to tell her again about the cost of magic. His story about his once best friend and that man’s family. The ultimate price of saving a family broke them all apart.

Is she ready to pay the price? She doesn’t know what the cost is because she’s never really had it to begin with. To her at this point in her life she doesn’t know love. Doesn’t know what having a child with a future lover represents so she’ll forsake all that if it means the dire future she wants to stop happens. She just has no idea what it is and if it is worth the sacrifice.

“I can’t forget something if you keep reminding me of it.”

“I think your too young and have no concept of what you’re getting yourself into.”

“I think you keep trying to derail me of my ambitions. I know you know something that you’re keeping to yourself and it annoys me that I know that you know.”

“I guess that’s a paradox you’ll never solve.”

Her eyes narrow. “Why do you have to be difficult?”

“Why do you need to find rays of sunshine on a cloudy day?”

“That makes no sense!”

“Nor does this conversation and yet we are in it.”

“But we are still going after this demon you have your sights on?”

“Of course. You’ve read up on him?”

“What? I need to doodle a picture of that thing?”

“No. I just need you to be conscience and super aware that not all things seem as they are.”

“If I didn’t like solving mysteries I’d hightail it out of here.”

“Felicity!”

“Yea, yea I get it. Not everything is as it seems. I’m not a blonde.”

John gives her a look. “There is nothing wrong with blonds. You’d be cute as one if I may say so? Instead of this edgy girl you’d be this cutesy doll.”

“Pfft!”

“What you disagree? No, I’m hurt. You don’t like me?”

“I like you fine enough. It’s just you’re like a Halloween party trick on a scorching summer day.”

“Hell is a very hot place.”

“I’m losing brain cells in this conversation.”

“Fine. What have you figured out about this one we are going up against?”

“I like to say the basics. Offers a to good deal to pass up the sucker takes it and bam! They have given away their precious commodity of a soul.”

“And?”

“Well this one was done for love so it’ll be messy.”

“Love. Fragile as it is beautiful.”

“If you say so. Never been in love so can’t say.”

“Yes, you’ve mentioned it a few times. Are you going to be one of those?”

“Huh? One of what?”

“Those who fall head over heals but deny it is happening?”

“That sounds counterproductive. I hope not. When I fall in love and it may be a when not an if question because, like I stated I met my husband.”

John just gives her a ‘can you give that a rest’ look.

“No seriously, I don’t know. Okay. I’m turning eighteen soon and haven’t even met someone I like.”

“And the boy… you marry, has had more than a share of…”

“Yea, don’t remind me of how casual he is as an STD poster boy.”

“Okay then, Let’s just go over the procedure that I’ll like you to handle.”

They spend a few minutes going over what to expect and then they head out to the hot spot. Felicity tagging along learning to decipher things so it makes the journey of reading the books easier. Soon she’ll be having to come back to Boston for a new school year at M.I.T. until then her business of learning and appreciating the new prospects of the world that has come knocking at her doorstep. Well more like laid onto her palm by a brass key by entering a bookshop last fall.

on A03

#fictober19 #felicity smoak #olicity fanfic #john constantine

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justoneday-namjoonii · 6 years ago

Text

Don’t Breathe | 2.0

»Genre: Hitman!au || Stalker!au ||

»Warnings: kidnapping, stalking, obsession, themes of potential Stockholm syndrome, mono-phobia, mature elements, manhandling, breakdowns, yandere (? i think ), he thinks it’s cute when she cries, eventually they fall in love, Disclaimer: I do not condone nor suggest stalking/kidnapping or anything of that nature, this is pure fiction ok, kidnappers and stalkers DON’T love you.

»Summary: He doesn’t get shaky hands, he never forgets his gloves and he never leaves a trail. He was told to get rid of everyone who witnessed the conversation between a gang lord and a politician, they were picked off, one by one. He found out a month ago, he missed one. A young writer who attended the event where the exchange took place. He has to kill her. Can he do it?

A/n: so I’ve had this in my drafts for a few weeks, it was just a random idea that came to me p.s this is kind off all over the place♥

✤ pt.1 - pt.2 - pt.2.5 - pt.3.0 - pt. 3.5 - pt. 4.0 - pt.4.5

A/n: Halloween vers♥ I changed a few things boos. It’s shorter but that means I can get the parts out faster~ enjoy

It’s a beautiful day—the air is cool, the sun is shining and you’re one step closer to getting this article finalized. You’ve been working on it for maybe 3 weeks now and Suzy wants it within the week. It’s not every day that you’re a witness to a controversial press conference. You remember the day you entered the conference room, notebook in hand and pencil skirt tight on your hips.

You were there with your publishers' sister-news-station reporter and cameraman. You sat in one of the fold-up chairs and listened to what the politicians were saying. About halfway through, things were getting heated between the politician and the reporters questioning. One of the reporters brought up bribery and governmental email scandal. That was news to everyone in the room. It went silent for a moment.

She repeated herself. “I heard from one of my sources, that you were involved in and bribery and the tampering of classified emails from Blake Harvard. Any comment?”

“Who is your source for this information?” He retorts.

“I don’t reveal my sources, but are you evading the question?”

That’s when everyone started bombarding him with questions and his counselor ushered him off of the stage. Moments like this make you respect reporters and people in your line of work. The group you were with went following in the crowd going out into the lobby where they could be the first to air what just went down in there.

“Keep up rookie.” You struggled to get through the crowd with your lanyard swinging against your chest as you shadowed the reporter you accompanied.

“I left my folder!” Despite your heels being on, you quickly ran back inside the conference room and snatched your folder up. As you made your way to catch up with the others, you heard a rather harsh conversation going from behind the stage. Whoever it was probably assumed everyone had gone chasing after the crowd.

‘We can’t let it get out. Blake has a secured spot for us and we’re not about to let it go to waste. If the people get a hold of this we’re done for. Period.’

That was all you heard before you went on your way.

That was months ago and ever since then, the meeting had haunted you. For a while, you brushed the idea aside that you witnessing anything from that day would jeopardize your safety. You’re a writer for the crime and culinary column who gets occasionally promoted to other little jobs—you’re harmless.

But when news got out that attendees were slowly going missing and some were even found dead, you were met with frightening reality. With every word you type on your computer, the thought resonates louder in your mind. You were a witness to something you were supposed to see, you could be next.

6:12 PM

It’s Thursday.

You always work an hour later on Thursdays.

He’s been monitoring your life for a good month now, your patterns and domestic habits were engraved in his mind. There’s not much that he doesn’t know about you. On Monday, you have a hard time getting up. You hit snooze for your 5:30 alarm twice until it’s around 6:45. That’s the day you mobile order your coffee and leave the house by 7:15 in a rush. Tuesday is quite similar but that day you opt for organic fruit juice rather than coffee. You get home early on Wednesday because you work out in the living room that day to some random video on Youtube. On Thursday, like today, you load up on the coffee. You leave the house with one cup and come back with another form of the cafe nearby. Thursday is his favorite day.

When you get home, you toss excess clothes to a random corner and drop on the couch. Moments after that, you get on the phone with a friend and end the conversation saying you have to get the makeup off of your face. Before you take off the makeup, you take off your clothes and throw and a robe. He watches as you use 3 to 4 wipes for your entire face, just trying to get as much as you can off before you start your face treatment. When you finish, you get up close to the mirror and touch small parts of your face, you inspect to see if you missed anything. You look pretty when you do that. The attention you pay to yourself in the absence of someone's company is nothing short of infatuating. When you leave the mirror, the shower turns on and you close the door. Often you wear a rotation of similar pajamas, underwear, and socks. Sometimes you forget the socks and just slip on some slides.

When you’d be gone for a few hours, he’d crawl through the window and plunder through your things, just to see if you had weapons and for his curiosity. As he did all of this, he found a connection to your home, it was so simple yet you seemed to love it. Taking this from you seemed cruel. For the first time in a while, he felt a tinge of guilt for being the man responsible for ending it.

Ever since you were assigned to him as a missed target, he’s been formulating a plan to get rid of you. But in the process of monitoring your life for weeks, he’s approached a problem. Like most assignments, he’d find the persons whereabouts, watch them for a good week or so and proceed with the necessary action. But you’re disposal is taking longer than expected. No basic procedure seems right for you. Every time you turn off your lights and go to sleep, he has a chance to sneak through the window and do what has to be done. He has a list longer than he should of people willing to buy targets that need to be taken care of. Based on what Minho says, going with one of the names on that list would be equivalent to death for the faint of heart.

So what does he do with you? You possess crucial information that his client does not want you to have. He’s been paid and now the organization is getting impatient with the waiting game. There’s a reason they put Taehyung up to this assignment. He’s quick, sneaky, doesn’t leave a trail and the disposal is more often than not, clean. For him to be taking this long is raising suspicion in his boss and his client.

He stares down at the photo in his hand, the very first picture he took of Y/fn. I have to get rid of you. He’s done it dozens of times but this time he can’t seem to find the right moment. There are also strict rules that he has to follow. Number one: don’t come in contact with the target. That’s guaranteed screw up. Number two: keep your observation time at a minimum, if not, you’re at risk for developing an obsession with the target. And number 3, one of the most important rules of all; under no circumstances should you form a bond of any kind with the target. The contract he signed to secure his job stated just that, ‘A target is a target. If you accept, you get the job done, no exceptions.’

He had made interaction with you by mistake. One day, you were walking to the train station and you bumped into him. When his eyes met yours, it was like time stopped. Your eyes were full of life, you smiled at him and sweat began to build at his brow—and he never gets nervous, never. He’ll never forget what you said to him.

* *

You had made him drop his camera, but it didn’t break so he had told you it was okay.

“I’m so sorry. Here,” You reached into your pocket, “it’s a coupon for coffee, do you like coffee?” He nodded. “They’re coffee is great. I got that coupon for making my 50th visit. Take it, it’s a gift.”

And he took the coupon with a thank before you went on your way. That day, he decided on one thing—he didn’t want to kill you. He couldn’t.

* *

He hears the buzz of his cell phone and immediately brings it to his ear.

“Hello?”

Come to my office, we need to talk.

The person on the other end hung up and he sighed, he knows what this conversation is gonna be about. He got up from his comfy spot on his couch, got in the car and sped to get to where he had to be. When he got to the building, the front desk lady let him go up. HIs thoughts weren’t scattered, he wasn’t nervous, he just wanted to get this over with.

“So,” Choi sipped his coffee, “she’s still alive.” His words are cutting, obvious frustration in his tone.

Taehyung nods in confirmation. “Yes, sir.”

“This is not like you Kim, I can normally trust that you’ll do what’s necessary. It’s been a month and that article cannot be published. I’ve told already that your job is on the line, you’ve been paid now it’s time for you to do the job.”

“I know, I’ve just run into a few hiccups. It won’t be published. I’m taking care of it, I just need a little more time-”

“We don’t have any more time.” He massages his temples. “The client doesn’t want the article published and I told him if anyone could get rid of this person, it was you. Do I need to assign her to someone else who can get the job done?-”

“No.” That left his lips a little faster than he intended. “I’ll get it done.”

“I want it done in the next 24-hours. I’m counting on you Taehyung, don’t let me down.”

Taehyung grins.

“Consider it done.”

9:07 PM

“Finally!”

You squeal in the silence of your shared office space, the article is finished. You formatted and set it to be published tomorrow morning, you couldn’t be more relieved. It’s been the most daunting task but you stuck with it until it was the way you wanted it to be. In a hurry to get home, you save the physical and digital copy and put them in your bag for safekeeping. You were just happy Suzy approved it for publishing. It’ll be the first front-page story with your name on it, it that’s just now sinking in.

When arriving at your humble abode, you do what you do every night, but this time you go straight for the shower.

And unbeknownst to you, he’s sitting quietly in your coat closet, just listening to you plunder around your home. When he saw your car pull into the driveway, he retreated for the closet in hopes of hiding his presence. You rarely go into the coat closet, he knows that much.

Fly me to the moon. You were humming that song in the shower. His eyes fluttered shut at the melodic tune, he always found your serenades from he shower calming – peaceful even. In a way, he would be disappointed if you suddenly stopped. Only now does he realize the significance that habit of yours had on his reason for sticking around outside of your window. The shower turned off, that meant you were about to get dressed. He peeked through the crack and saw you brushing your teeth.

It’s just a matter of time now.

The bottle of water you put on your nightstand that you drink every night had a little surprise in it. He had poured a drug in it to make sure you were knocked out hard. When you went to your bedroom, the lights went off in about 5 minutes and he timed it from there.

He gave it an hour or so of him just standing in the closet, waiting for the right time.

11:03 PM

It’s time.

He stepped out of the closet, the dark of night didn’t make it difficult for him to navigate towards your room. Piano. You had soft piano covers playing from your cell phone on the nightstand. He approaches your bedside, and he lightly grazes your face—she’s soft, just like he imagined. He pulls the cover back, exposing you to the cool air of the room, but you don’t move a muscle.

There’s no waking you up now.

He scoops you up, your body shifting in response to the movement. He stands still to ensure that you’re still asleep, gazing upon your furrowed brows until they smooth out. That little movement made him smile, he hadn’t been this close to you, to feel you in his arms made this a lot more real.

All within the time span of 15 minutes, he puts you in the back seat of his car, grabs a few of your necessities, your work bag, and he leaves the scene. When he gets in the driver's seat, he discards the gloves and peeks back at you. You had no idea that your life was about to get flipped upside down.a

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angelioangeles · 5 years ago

Photo

So, I started the day with my community walk, I went around our barangay’s area and the started taking snapshots of the surrounding areas. It was quite the hot day actually, but then again if there’s a will, then there’s a way. First off, I went to one of the nearest local learning private institution in our area namely CASECHOM School a.k.a. Catholic Servants of Christ Commission School. It was actually my first school in nursery, but I only spent a year there as a nursery student and then I transferred to another school as I grow up.

The entrance to the local cooperative store in our community. Welcome !

Me standing at the table watching them as they unwrap everything they bought from the marketplace.

After going to my first school, I went to our local cooperative store together with my aunt which is seen in almost all other photos with me, and then we conversed a little with our friends there at the store while they are arranging the early market haul for the store ( inventory ), I was busy looking around and then I eventually took some snapshots of them in the work area and then we left them to do their job there.

A small bakery and sari-sari store located just beside the chapel of our barangay.

The commerce in our barangay is actually good if I do say so myself, there are lots of sellers, and esteemed tricycle drivers that produced fine college graduates in our community. The totality of the population in our area actually relies heavily on the good commerce for their living; especially the tricycle drivers in our community.

People nowadays only know how to either build mounds of trash, have them collected by the garbage men or either have them burned in their backyards. They don’t seem to know the environmental impacts that it may actually bring the planet if they continue to do such things for countless more years to come.

What should be done is to awaken every single individual to the truth of this world which is that there will no longer be a world if all of us keeps on doing such things that may drastically affect not just the community but ultimately the world itself. But what better way can we even thing of doing when the people themselves who preach are also the ones who do such kinds of things to the environment?

A photo I took in the morning that shows how dangerously close this compost is to some wirings; the compost is about to actually be burned.

Just look at that jollibee sunbathing while a green halloween pumpkin settles in the shade with some other plastic toy, never to be used to play again.

My former Senior High School teachers also building a Christmas Tree with ft. my aunt. >-<

A picture of my juniors from Sulivan National High School building a Christmas Tree from plastic bottles. ;-)

Nevertheless, we shouldn’t give up on those ideals for we are the only ones who can make our environment and even ourselves prosper. Because the end justifies the means; let us all make a stand on the idea that the world will prosper more if we will be idiots no more. We should really practice proper segregation and recycle materials more often as seen in this picture above which they are about to build a christmas tree.

After some time, proper segregation has finally been present in the school itself, I was actually so proud when I saw that there was actually something like this when I came back and it’s actually a very good improvement.

Our house is pretty old but it gets by and it’s been very sturdy in my 19 years of existence.

After we’ve walked in the community, me and my aunt decided to go home first and then take a few snapshots before we head to the barangay hall for some interview.

A photo of me, my aunt and our esteemed and ever loving Barangay Secretary, Ms. Ma. Belinda D.C. Palad. She was actually the one who greeted us before we had the interview because she is actually a friend and we really like her so much and she is also very strict in days when she’s educating students in the community. But at the end of the day she is a kind person with nothing but kindness and success for the community in mind.

These photos are actually showing the wires or metal wires used as fencing, but they are indeed dangerous because lots of people walk the roadside and may actually trip and fall in these fences and injure themselves.

After gracefully walking around our barangay, I also noticed the fact that there are multiple areas in the community which needs to be addressed quickly as they could cause harm to our surroundings. These areas are especially hazardous as it may or may already have injured or caused harm to the citizens of the community; however, the individuals around the community are already aware of this fact and they never really care until they themselves feel the consequences of their actions. Note that these areas are actually located near the area of living for certain individuals and establishments that is actually considered as a market by individuals that rely on them.

Moving on, not all areas in the community itself are hazardous, there are also those places which are certainly an eye candy for most people including me. These places may offer relief to people during unexpected times and actually plays a major part in the lives of almost every individual in the community. The first establishment to be mentioned is Sulivan National High School or simply SNHS is a seasoned school that withstood many calamities over the years and is also the school which I graduated Senior High School from.

Another place that actually helps people is the rice fields in our town, with roughly some hundred meters wide in certain areas, it is a prime spot for people to evacuate from when an earthquake strikes as there are no falling trees or anything that may potentially injure the evacuating people of the community.

The newly painted Sulivan Chapel, it’s so bright during a sunny day.

A beautiful reminder that we shouldn’t forget the Ten Commandments.

Lastly, is the Sulivan Chapel which is also an established piece of history and landmark in our community which like SNHS is also very old but very sturdy; it is a place of worship and devotion with some very good memories to be remembered for the whole community.

They’re just so adoooorablee oh my goooooshhh !!!!! ( Please forgive me for using those words .... THEY’RE JUST SO CUUUTE !!!!!!! )

As the people in the community differ from each other, it is apparent that every individual’s household includes not just every family member, but also some of our furry, feathery and fluffy friends namely dogs, chickens, pigeons and pigs including many more. I for one love my beautiful pigeons because they are actually a very big part of my childhood back when my mom was still around, so that’s that. All I can really say is that I just love them so much to the point where I’ll gladly put them on my bed to cuddle with me after they take a bath and yes, pigeons do take baths, and that’s a fact and I love their look when they do so.

Wow, I just noticed that we’re actually wearing Red, Blue, and Yellow .... what a cute coincidence. >-< Mr. Antonio B. Puno (Red) - Mr. Marty v. Dela Cruz (Blue) and me Dion Angeles (Yellow).

Now for the main part or the highlight of this blog, I’ve had the chance to talk to our barangay or community’s BDRRMC ( Barangay Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council ) and BADAC ( Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council ) Focal Person namely Mr. Antonio B. Puno or simply Mr. Puno as we locals call him together with our friend and co-chair regarding the matter Mr. Marty V. Dela Cruz which is also an active member of the barangay council as a Counselor, Communication and Budget officer in charge of managing and allocating some of the barangay’s budget for BDRRMC and BADAC.

Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council Organizational Chart.

Barangay Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Organizational Chart.

Our talk was actually fruitful and it may raise a few eyebrows at some point because of some disappointments in the barangay, but all’s well that ends well. Now, addressing the fact about the Barangay’s Hazard identification, Mr. Marty was the first one to talk after I asked what calamities may actually affect our community saying that we aren’t near the ocean, nor are we near volcanoes, so basically the only thing that may actually pose a threat to our barangay is the occasional typhoons cyclones, earthquakes and fires; he also stated that ever since last year 2018, there hasn’t really been any case of fire in our community, the only issues that has been met by the community is said to only be the occasional typhoons which blew some things here and there, but hasn’t really destroyed citizen properties and livelihood in the community.

Barangay spot and risk map which indicates the level of hazard an area may encounter during calamities, the lighter the color the less the affected areas and the darker the color the more the area is affected.

After asking another question as to what kind of hazards or dangers approached the community and actually devastated the areas in which we live in it’s Mr. Puno’s turn and then he said that in the totality of the years in which we’ve actually been living in Sulivan, there is only the massive typhoons and the rising flood water that actually caused harm to the properties of the people in the community and the neighboring areas; it is also apparent in the community that there are actually no properties which are built using light materials to the point where even a magnitude 5 earthquake did nothing in our community, also to add is the fact that the houses in our area are built separately and with a very wide margin from each other as our community is actually spacious that it was actually mentioned that when a fire should actually occur, then there’s actually only the affected house or area in which the fire would spread and nothing more will be extinguished by the flames; another thing that was mentioned by Mr. Marty during our discussion is the fact that since the year 2001, there has been only 1 case of fire in the community with no fatalities.

On the other hand on the topic concerning the awareness or alert on which the community relies on when a certain calamity or danger may approach they both said that the BDRRMC is in direct contact with the DRRM or the NDRRMO which in turn provides advance information regarding the approaching calamities or danger in the community or the region itself, it is also mentioned that the only major cause for alarm may actually be the destruction of the Angat dam that can actually cause a massive flood in the community or in our community itself, the advanced update of the information in the barangay actually saved the community actually helped the people evade the harmful effects of the calamity or danger. Another thing is the fact that the renovation of the waterways and the drainages around our community which is a very big advancement for the community as it reduced the harmful possibilities of flooding and some other dangers that may arise from the said cause.

On the other hand, should moments like these arise then the community is ready and one of the best possible places which is assured by the municipality that can withstand the effects of the calamity is the school or Sulivan National High School which will not only serve as an institution for learning, but also a place for comfort and security in times of hardiness.

Another thing is the pinpointing or the speculation of the most affected areas around the community in times of or during calamities, it is said by Mr. Marty and Mr. Puno that the low lying areas in the community such as that near the waterways located in the vicinity are the prime locations for hazards or danger around the community itself. Now for the issue as to how or what hinders the community’s advancements, Mr. Puno’s response was the fact that the main issue to be addressed which is almost as vulgar as it may be is the fact that drugs are involved; drugs are actually one of the main problems of the community as they may entirely affect the community itself and with the help of his other organization BADAC, they are taking into action and helping those who are in need of assistance including the rehabilitation of certain individuals which are affected by drugs and so on; Mr. Marty also mentioned the domino effect of the drugs in the community which may potentially lead to a certain family’s poverty because of the influence of drugs and what makes it more of a headache is that the community members are actually tight-lipped about the matter of drugs because some of their family members are actually involved and that makes it worse for the community and the officers in-charge of the issue itself and mind you, that being a drug free community is not an easy task for officials because it is a threat to the peace and order of the community itself.

Mr. Marty also mentioned that in another 15 to 20 years or so, then our interview would actually be totally different in terms of the scope of our population in the barangay. Now, for the community’s readiness and awareness, it is actually similar to our NSTP orientation in terms of the trainings which includes basic life support that includes first aid and the BRS or the ( Barangay Rescue Service ).

A service and emergency vehicle is also present in the barangay hall which is readily available in the barangay which is open for use for every individual in the community.

While all has been said and done, the key factor which contributes greatly to the success of the barangay’s ordinances and regulations is the teamwork that is present in the community and its officials.

Please do note that the individuals whom I interviewed are actually camera shy even though it doesn’t look that way, but then again I was able to have someone assist me with the opportunity to take a photo.

Thank You and Peace out !

#community #development

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