#also i haven't found anything like this in book of hours *yet*

[aeolianasio]

reads like warning text in cultist simulator/book of hours that i would simply ignore

[venusbby]

characters/pairings: itoshi sae x reader

warnings: fluff. the reader is an avid reader lmao so funny. sort of clingy sae? annoyed sae? just sae. maybe ooc too but idrc.

note: self indulgent because i've been reading this one book nonstop for the past week and can't think of anything else. wondered how sae would act with a reader who likes to read a lot like me lol this is lowkey bad forgive me sorry for typos

🌊 summary: sae starts to get annoyed because you won't stop reading your book. (and also because you won't give him your attention, but that's a secret— that isn't as well kept as he thinks it is.)

"y/n," sae muttered. he watched you with a glare, noticing how you had heard him clearly yet still ignored him, continuing to smile to yourself with your bottom lip between your teeth. he rolled his eyes, trying again, this time resting his hand on your thigh. his fingers impatiently tapping against the soft skin.

"y/n."

no response. you even giggled as you read the lines in that book you had been attached to all day long. that little 600 page romance book that entertained you so much more than he could— what the hell was it even about?

sae knew you loved books. you visited the library nearby almost every week, and he couldn't even decide if it was because the lady there was so nice to you or because you wanted to get away from him. there was no way he was that boring, right?

it was always sae who accepted all your amazon packages for the books that hadn't yet arrived in the library— and although the sight of your excited smile when he told you it was finally here was something, he never understood the hype at all.

why would he, when his sport was his all-time focus? books weren't ever as exciting to him as they were to you. so as long as you got any and every book you wanted (he made sure of that) he was alright.

but right now, sae had this urge to hide all your books from you.

especially this one.

because it stole you from him.

sae was annoyed. and he was even more annoyed that he started to think about hiding your books away from you like a madman, because it's fucking embarrassing that he's going borderline insane just because you haven't talked or even looked at him for the past two hours. and he's been in bed next to you this whole time.

he cursed under his breath and subtly thrashed around under the covers like a child who didn't get the toy he wanted. he shifted closer to you in the midst of his little quiet tantrum. "y/n. look at me."

"yeah?"

when you finally looked at him, it was as if he'd found oxygen.

and he hated it even more. why was he like this for you?

but then you went back to that book.

that stupid fucking book. again.

sae was going to cry.

fuck no, he wasn't. he won't. not ever. that's lame. so lame.

whatever. if you liked your book that much, maybe he should find something else to do too, he decided.

he turned around with his back to you and shut his eyes.

and then he heard another sigh. a dreamy one, at that.

"alright, enough. give me that." he jumped up from his sleeping position, grabbing the book from your hands. he didn't even know how to properly hold a book, but he didn't find it in himself to care as he shut it close, a breath of relief escaping from his mouth just as you started to whine.

"sae, no," you struggled, trying to get the book back, but you knew better than to fight against your boyfriend who was glaring at you like that with his lips pressed in a sad, thin line. his hair was still a little damp from the shower he took while you were just into the first 60 pages of the book. he swept his hair back, setting the book beside him, where you couldn't reach— atleast not without getting through him.

"i was almost done," you said slowly, trying your best to explain now that you were out of that world. "i promise, just gimme it now 'n i'll finish the first part in just 20 minutes."

sae scoffed. "fucking no."

he stared at the book placed near his side, literally judging it by its cover. "what's in this that has you giggling so much? some dude?"

you gasped, dramatically. "okay, he is not some dude. he is my husband."

"oi," sae groaned, things still not getting better for him even after that book had been closed and put away from you. "i'm sleeping next to you shirtless, and you've been giggling with your book husband?"

"you're always shirtless, though."

"that doesn't fucking matter." he retorted, huffing and looking to the side, chin up. you pursed your lips, placing a soft hand on his back, and leaning closer to leave a kiss on his shoulder. he always smelled so nice. he shook you off.

"baby, my sweet sae, if you wanted me to stop reading, you could have just said so." you smiled, watching him run another hand through his hair, his fingers pulling on his roots this time.

"first of all, i don't want your attention." he said blankly, finally looking at you. "and second, you ignored me when i said your name. guess you were too busy with your husband."

you laughed quietly, incredibly amused. about an hour ago, you were actually expecting sae to go back to sleep after showering— but for some reason, you were glad he didn't. this new side of him was so adorable that you never wanted it to end.

you sighed, lying back down, urging him to do the same. he listened as you explained, with you on your side facing him. "you know, i love this book a lot."

"i can see that."

so snarky. you resisted the urge to kiss his slightly puffed out cheek.

"it's really romantic. it's about the relationship of this newly married couple, how it develops day by day, and it's so cute. the main guy— my 'husband', is so good to the main character."

sae raised an eyebrow lazily, still opting to look at the ceiling and didn't respond. you weren't going to gain his attention this easily after that.

you went on. "and this guy reminds me of you. like, you guys are similar to an unhealthy extent. and the reason i was so invested in it was because there was a particular scene where things got a little hot."

"so?" he asked, still not convinced.

your cheeks were reddened from embarrassment. "so, whenever he said or did something, i thought of you. and that is why i was giggling."

sae turned to look at you. his eyes looked much more focused on your lips. he had forgotten how much he missed the feeling of kissing you. again, feeling another annoying pang in his heart because seriously, it had just been two hours. he had to stop acting like you'd been away for days.

"so basically you were having sex with 'book me' in your mind."

"oh god, no!"

"that's exactly it."

"you're so wrong."

"shut up, i'm right."

you groaned, covering your face with your palms and closing your eyes. you felt sae's arm slowly trailing around your stomach, him shifting closer until you could feel his breath fanning against your neck. you giggled out of nervousness and embarrassment, both. "that was not what was happening, okay?"

his lips twitched slightly at your state. "you know i'm way better than him."

"...are you, though?" you peeked one eye open, dragging out your words, guilty. fictional men were just different—

"ah, do you need proof?" he said, a smug look on his face as he began hovering over you. your laugh echoed through the room as you smacked his chest playfully, your arms going around his neck to pull him down on top of you.

"i don't need proof, thank you very much." you said softly with another laugh, letting sae rest his head on your chest. "but i wanna make it up to you for ignoring you. im sorry, my sae. i'll be better. you were just really cute."

"don't do it again," he said, staring up at you from his comfortable position. "or else you might have to go back to your 'husband'."

"i won't really mind— wait, baby, don't go! i was joking!"

taglist: @hyomagiri @yoimyas @beanxiv @hqfeatbetty @shuvvloverrr 🤞🤪

[theamberfist]

Despite Everything | Vox + Reader + Alastor

Familial! Alastor is reader's dad, Vox is the dad that stepped up

Description: Tension is still high now that Alastor and Vox are fighting over you; can you and your father(s) come to an understanding despite all that has happened?

(Notes: CW Alastor, angst) (gender neutral reader) (Reader Alastor's kid from life) (Could be biological or adopted) (Teen Reader)

❀ This is part 2 of Hell's Second Greatest Dad! ❀

❀ This one will have a song! It's a rewrite of More than Anything, but with Alastor and reader instead of Lucifer and Charlie ❀

Words: 3,180

You weren't sure how long you'd been asleep for, but you woke up completely disoriented and tangled in your blankets. Since you had light-blocking curtains on your windows, you couldn't even tell what time it was as you sat up, rubbed your eyes, and looked around. A now-empty box of tissues rested on your bedside table, and one glance at your full trash can told you that was probably where they'd all gone.

Your eyes still stung like you'd been crying recently too, but at the moment, you couldn't remember what had caused you to do so. Finally untangling yourself from the blankets entrapping you, you rolled over and grabbed your phone. There were several missed calls and texts from Vox, which startled you. had you done something to upset or worry him? You were too sleepy to recall right now. 

Your most recent message, though, was a text from Velvette promising she would keep your dads from killing each other until you were ready to come out of your room. 

Wait, dads? Plural?

Now it all came crashing back to you. How you'd been about to go book shopping with Vox, how your father had shown up, how they'd fought over you, and how you'd eventually had enough; storming off to your room to cry until you fell asleep. 

You weren't sure you ever wanted to leave this room now that you recalled the full extent of what had happened, but you also knew Vox would never allow you to rot away over this. 

With a sigh, you pushed yourself out of bed and went into the bathroom that was connected to your room to clean yourself up. When you'd checked the time, you'd found that there was only an hour before your reader's segment was scheduled, meaning you had to pull yourself together anyway. Another text came from Velvette now, saying Valentino was coming up to check on you since you hadn't answered her all day. Great. 

After washing your face and changing your clothes, you exited the bathroom. The second you opened your bedroom door, you were met with the sight of Valentino, holding a fist up as if he'd been about to knock. He retracted his hand now, a smile spreading across his face. 

"There you are, little one!" He exclaimed, stepping out of the way as you closed the door to your room behind you. "I brought tissues." He held up a box of tissues, but it did little to comfort you.

"Thanks, Val." You sighed, running a hand through your hair. You'd never been particularly close with the moth sinner, even after living in the V's tower for the last seven years. With his line of work and reputation, you tended to stay clear of him, and Vox had never pushed you to do otherwise. In fact, you suspected he was secretly glad for it after he'd become so protective of you over time. 

"Where are Vox and my dad?" You asked, though, calling Alastor your dad felt like a bit of a stretch at this point. He was closer to an estranged relative you hadn't seen in years than anything. 

"Velvette has them waiting downstairs." Valentino replied with a shrug, letting out a puff from his cigarette. Nevermind that he wasn't supposed to smoke on this floor. 

"And they haven't killed each other yet? That's impressive." You said with a sigh, heading for the elevator now, rather than putting the confrontation off any longer. 

"She has a way with these things." Val shrugged, stepping into the space with you. You suspected Velvette's 'way' came from lots of practice she'd gotten handling his and Vox's disagreements, but you didn't bring that up. Instead, you awkwardly and nervously waited for the elevator to reach your desired floor, rocking back and forth on your feet. What would happen when you arrived? Would Vox and Alastor start fighting again? You were sure Velvette would get between them if they did, but it wouldn't make things any easier for you in the long run.

They were going to want you to choose.

The doors opened now and you took a deep breath before stepping out. "Good luck~" Valentino sang before pressing the button to close them behind you. No going back now.

You turned, seeing a familiar lounge area to your right. After all, this was the floor where your studio was located, so you'd been here plenty of times before. You never used this area, though; reserving it for whoever might need to wait outside as you did your segment. 

There were two couches set up so that they made a sort of 'L' shape. Alastor sat on the one that faced in your direction; his legs crossed and a teacup in his hand as if he had not a care in the world. Music faintly played from his microphone, which rested against the couch next to him. Meanwhile, Vox sat hunched over on the other couch, as far away from the Radio Demon as possible as he attempted to avoid contact with him. 

And finally, Velvette was in a chair facing them both like a teacher supervising detention. She had her phone in hand but looked up when she heard you approaching. 

"There you are," she exclaimed, setting her phone down. Vox shot up from his seat and Alastor's teacup disappeared into thin air as he calmly stood too. You could tell they both wanted to come over to you but Velvette shot them a warning look. You weren't sure how she'd managed to get both Vox and Alastor to listen to her like this, but you were grateful for it. 

"Hey..." You said awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Vox was the first to reply. 

"How are you feeling, kid?" He asked, seeming genuinely concerned. You shrugged. 

"I don't know." It was all you could say, "But it's almost time for my segment, isn't it?" At this, the tech demon stiffened. 

"You don't have to do it today, you know." He told you, "We could just rerun an old one; no one would mind." You could tell Alastor preferred the idea too, considering he likely didn't approve of you being on TV in the first place, but you shook your head. 

"I think it would be good for me." You admitted, "Help me calm down." Vox nodded at that. 

"Alright." He sighed, "but if you're not feeling up for it, we can cancel any time. Just signal me." You nodded, feeling a small smile appear on your face. 

"Okay." 

"In that case, would you mind if I tag along?" Alastor asked, looking to you and no one else for permission, "I'd love to see what my little one has been up lately." You tensed.

Technically, the reader segment wasn't all that different from what you'd done before. When you both were alive, he would sometimes have you on his radio show in the evenings, where you would do exactly that; read your favorite books to the listeners at home. Everyone thought it was adorable, even if your features weren't very consistent at the time.

After you'd both ended up in hell, that had continued. You and Alastor were always close; after all, he'd been the only family you had for most of your life and afterlife. So when he kept up his radio show, you kept appearing on it to read your stories as a way of bonding more with your father. Plus, you could tell he reveled in the confusion your appearances brought; one moment he would be broadcasting the screams of those he tortured for all to hear, and then the next his child would be reading bedtime stories. It kept everyone on their toes, just the way he liked it. 

You weren't sure how Alastor would react to finding out you'd continued that same tradition on TV; the very thing he hated. Though, considering who your father was, he likely already knew. He had a way of finding out things like that. 

"I guess that's okay..." You decided after a moment, making Alastor's smile widen even more, "We have a lot of lost time to catch up on, anyway." The comment was meant to make him feel guilty but it seemed to bounce right off him instead.

"I couldn't agree more, darling!" He exclaimed, "Then, lead the way! I'd love to see your studio." You couldn't help feeling a little more nervous now but motioned for him to follow you towards the door anyway. Vox, however, wasn't giving up just yet. 

"I'll come too." He decided, crossing his arms over his chest. "In case we need to cancel the segment suddenly." He knew you weren't going to back out at the last minute like that but it didn't matter; the excuse gave him a reason to follow both you and Alastor to your recording studio.

There you gave the Radio Demon a brief tour before taking your place on the plush pink couch and letting Vox's makeup team give you a final check-over.

Another couch was brought in for Vox and Alastor to sit on as they watched you record your segment; each of them sitting as far away from the other on the thing as they possibly could. Finally, the cameraman cued you in, and you bit back your nervousness as you began reading; picking up where you'd left off in the book. 

The whole time you did your segment, you were extremely aware of the two extra pairs of eyes watching you. Vox, while still being extremely cautious of Alastor and glancing at him every so often, practically beamed with pride as he listened to you read. Alastor's eye kept twitching, likely in annoyance that you'd replaced yet another thing you used to do with him with Vox, but his smile still had genuine elements to it as he watched you.

Finally, you finished off the reader segment and the cameraman signaled to you that you were good to go. Once again feeling tired from the segment, but not as much so as you'd been the night before, you wrapped the lilac blanket around yourself and went over to where Vox and Alastor were sitting.

"Well done as always, kid." Vox grinned, patting your head. The Radio Demon's eyes narrowed at the sight and he cleared his throat.

"Yes, it was a wonderful performance, indeed." He added, "Though, I must admit a show of such format may have been better over radio." He'd considered corrupting the footage so Vox wouldn't be able to use it, but since this seemed to mean so much to you for whatever reason, decided to inconvenience him some other way later. 

You couldn't argue with the comment. After all, the idea had initially started in a radio format. You could, however, try again to make him feel guilty for leaving you.

"Yeah, well, I didn't really have access to a radio broadcast for the last seven years," you replied, "So Vox offered to give me a TV show instead." The tech demon beamed as Alastor came close to a scowl, or what would have been a scowl, if not for his permanent smile. 

There was nothing but silence after that. If not for the shuffling of your cameraman packing things up, you could have heard a pin drop. Feeling uncomfortable, you tugged the purple blanket more tightly around your shoulders. You knew the three of you needed to talk about things, but you still weren't sure where you even stood in the situation to be able to do so. 

"Are you tired?" Vox finally asked, "You can go up to your room and sleep if you want. We can always go shopping another day."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Alastor cut in, standing from the couch now, "They're still my child, so there's no need for them to live here anymore." He wrapped an arm around your shoulders, "I appreciate you looking out for them in my absence, but now that I've returned, there's no need for you to be involved in their life any longer." Something seemed to snap in Vox at that and he shot up.

"Oh, no you don't!" He exclaimed, walking over and pointing a finger at the Radio Demon, "You're not taking them. You may have been their father, but you've been gone seven years. You have no claim to them anymore." 

You were afraid to speak up, unsure of what you would say. You didn't even know what you wanted anymore. 

"You've no more right to them than I do," Alastor shot back, glaring at Vox through his smile, "Who are you to tell me where I can or cannot take my child? Even if you think you've adopted them, I see no legal documents to prove it."

"Am I even your child anymore?" You asked suddenly, before you could stop yourself. Both overlords froze as you pushed Alastor's hand off your shoulders and took a step back. 

"Of course, my dear." Your father replied, taking a step towards you, only for you to back away more, "Nothing so fleeting as time could ever change that." Something in you told you he really believed that, and that was the worst part.

"Can't it?" You asked, feeling tears begin to well up in your eyes. You weren't ready to have this conversation, even after so long. "I thought you'd abandoned me. I thought you didn't want me anymore." Before he could reply, you turned and started walking away, pushing open the door to your studio as you wiped at your eyes. Alastor, however, went after you. 

You paused when he called out your name; already halfway to the elevator. "You didn't know that when I left you on your own, I made a deal I wouldn't condone." You were frozen in shock. Alastor make a deal? "And in the end, I had to leave you all alone," this time you didn't flinch as he came forward, placing a hand on your head, "Now you're the only thing worth fighting for." 

Your mouth went dry. For years, all you'd wanted was to know your dad really did care, but somehow, it didn't bring you as much comfort as you'd expected. 

"Despite everything," he went on, taking one of your hands from under the blanket you still had pulled around you, "Despite everything, I want to be there for you despite everything!" 

"But you didn't even tell me where you'd gone," You said softly.

"If I could have, I would," Alastor replied, "It was the only way to keep you out of it." You frowned, pulling your hand out of his. 

"Papa," you began, feeling a bit of comfort from the reassuring nod Vox gave you behind him, "When I was young, I always thought you stood so tall." You looked down, recalling the days when he'd let you sit on his lap as a child while he recorded his radio broadcasts, "It made me feel so small," you went on, "But you assured me that I was worth it all." You could recall countless nights in life when your father had made that very promise, but it felt as if it meant nothing now. 

"You said you would never leave me," you recalled, "That we were family." A tear slid down your face but you pushed it away, "And yet you left with no warning!" Vox placed a hand on your shoulder, which only seemed to make Alastor more irritated, but he listened as you went on. "So in the end, when I thought I had lost you," you took a deep breath, "They showed me I could have a family once more!" 

Vox smiled softly at you, encouraging you to go on. "Despite everything," you sang, echoing Alastor, "Despite everything, I wish I could believe you despite everything!" 

You turned to walk away, ready to be escorted by the tech demon, only for Alastor to speak up once again. "I've never forgot you all this time."

"Neither could I," you replied, not liking what he was insinuating, "How ever would I?"

"Seems I'll have to make up for this crime," he decided, finally giving up on trying to explain what he'd done. Nothing would ever excuse his leaving you; he knew that. 

"It'll take a while," you admitted, though a tiny grin tugged at your lips that didn't go unnoticed by the Radio Demon.

"I've missed that smile!" He said, taking your hands. You just wanted to feel like a family again; the way you had before his disappearance. And though it would take time, that might be able to come true if he could prove he'd never leave again. 

"All that I'm hopin' now that my eyes are open," The two of your chorused, "Is that we can start again; not be pulled apart again!" 

Vox wasn't sure who'd given you both the lyrics to this impromptu song and not told him, but even he had to admit the scene in front of him was quite sweet as he watched you and Alastor finally hug.

"Cause in the end, you are part of who I am!" You both sang.

"I'll be there for you even if he must too!" Alastor told you, pointing microphone towards Vox with only a slightly disgusted expression on his face. 

"Though, this is overdue," you added before letting your dad join back in.

"Despite everything!" He waved his cane, changing the lighting of the room so that it felt warmer.

"Despite everything!" You repeated, now watching as some of the furniture shifted so that it resembled the living room of your house when you were alive. it seemed Alastor was already adding a personal touch to this place if he was going to be around more because of you.

"Despite everything!"

"Despite everything!" You sang, "You're meant to be my father, despite everything!" You glanced at Vox, who only nodded at you with both pride and pain in his eyes. 

"Despite everything..." Both you and Alastor finished as you hugged him again, wishing he'd never disappeared in the first place but so glad he'd returned anyway. 

Finally, you pulled away from the embrace and looked up at the Radio Demon. "Alright," you said, "...We can try to fix things, but it's going to take time." You glanced back at the tech demon, who quickly came over to support you. "And for now, I want to keep staying here with the V's. While you were gone, Vox was the only father figure I had." 

Alastor's eye twitched at that but he slowly nodded, ignoring the look of victory his old friend was wearing. "I suppose I can agree to that." He decided at last, "Though, I hope eventually there will come a day when you only need the one father." He was referring to himself, making Vox's eyes narrow. 

"And I hope one day I won't have to be afraid of you leaving out of nowhere." You replied carefully before sighing, "But it's a start."

Right, Alastor nodded, a start. It would hardly be enough for him in the long run, but for now, he supposed he could tolerate the tech demon's presence around you. 

……….

Tags for those who requested them: @avitute

[alltoolewis]

Timeless- Mason Mount

I'm finally off for the summer & finally back writing! This one is super special and is inspired by timeless by Taylor swift, if you haven't heard the vault track please listen to it while reading this! This has to be one of my favourite things I have ever wrote... Hope you all enjoy & I can't wait to write more! Hope this apologies for my absence Love you guys x

P.S I will not comment on him leaving to united btw... as Liverpool fan I am devasted 😒

Summary- When you and Mason are cleaning your nan's attic you discover a book of your grandparents love story... helping Mason think of the perfect anniversary present for you...

Words- 2.6k

"Mase please.." you squealed as he wrapped his arms around you from behind, taking you by surprise as you continued to search through the old dusty boxes "This really needs doing and I never would of agreed to let you help if I knew you'd be messing around like this!" You didn't realise that agreeing to clean you nan's old attic would result in your clingy boyfriend of almost 5 years joining you. What was suppose to be a solo task, turned into a duo one the minute his brown eyes grew wide at your claim that you were leaving him for a couple of hours alone.

"I didn't know showing my beautiful girlfriend of 5 years love was classed as messing around..." he pouted, loosening his grip of you but of course not fully as his arm still hovered your waist. "It's not 5 years yet loser" You smirked, throwing something you believed was an old sock that was hiding in the box at him "We're still 3 weeks of that title!"  You still couldn't believe that it had already been that long. It felt like just yesterday that he caught your attention in the dimmed lightened room, his laugh being the loudest noise as the speakers blaring out the music you had always hated silenced, allowing you to hear what has since been your favourite sound. Since that night you had been by each others side, through the ups and downs, the spot next to him was always yours and vice versa... there was no Mason without (y/n) and he prayed there'd never have to be!

Silence filled the room once more, however the smiles never faded as you sorted through all your nans precious things. Growing up you never thought of your nan as a hoarder, her house was also tidy barely anything on display except the odd pictures of core memories but little did she know that she kept the purest things locked up here. From her old ballet shoes to her old school books, her old prom dress to a rock she found on her secret dates with your late grandfather... she kept everything.

"What's this?" Mason asked curiously, lifting up a book covered in dust and cobwebs. Being nosy of his new finding, you quickly went to where he was sitting next to him on the old fragile footstool, floor creaking as you did so. Your eyes hovered over the brown book in his hands, that it was safe to say that  time has took its toll on. Crouching down in front of him, your hand swept across the front cover, tears immediately filling your eyes as you read the words...

'THE STORY OF ANNIE & JOHN'

The words were followed by a photo of them together, smiles brighter than the stars as the look of love was written in there eyes. You had already heard the story of your grandparents many times from your nan... but seeing it in hidden pictures made your whole world freeze.

Noticing the sudden emotion in your face, Mason sighed "You okay, darling?" wiping away the fallen tears as they fell down your cheek, letting his hand hover there as a guard. Nodding, you gulped "Yeah... yeah I'm good.." Smiling he patted his knee, silencing telling you to come over which of course you obeyed. 

Now the book was on your knee as Mase held you tightly on his lap, head leaning over your shoulder as he traced comforting shapes on your arm. "Are you going to have a look honey?" He could see your clear hesitation to open it, as your hands strummed over the outskirts of the pages. Apart of you wanted to open the book, see the love of your grandparents everybody talked so dearly about, the love that was always compared to yours and Masons, however the other part of you couldn't help but think you were invading the privacy... you knew there story like the back of your hand. A secret romance that was forbidden by there families, your grandmother being in a privileged family who had a tradition to pick other privileged people for there children to fall in love with. While your grandad was the son of the maid, 2 years older than her but fell head over the heels the second he caught eyes with in his word 'a princess' They hidden what they had for years, scared that there families would tear them apart... but faith took its role and 12 years later they were happily married as a runaway couple, ready to start there new lives together.

As your mind wondered away, you felt his hand lace over yours, squeezing it tightly "It's okay (y/nn)? She would want you to see this??" You knew he was right... she'd be screaming for you to open it if she was there. Listening to him, you squeezed his hand back before opening it up. 

The pages looked just as battered as the front cover, but the love was still clear as rain. The book had different chapters, just like a fairy tale. It began with there first year, where your pop's mum first got the job and he was allowed to be involved in the staff picture where your grandmother stood just 5 people away. 

"I didn't know your grandad was in the war.." Mason whispered, scared to ruin the moment as you were flicking through there years together. It was there 7th year 'together'... the year your dad got drafted to fight in the war. "He didn't want to go" You mumbled back, hand touching the envelopes your nan had clearly stuck in the book "He wanted to stay with her although no one knew about them... he wrote her love letters, signed them off as Dave so no one knew it was from him"

"Didn't she call him Dave all the time..." Mason chuckled, squeezing your hip gently. He only had a few years with your nan, while with your pops he only had 1 short one & for the longest time he was convinced he was called 'Dave' "Yep!" You giggled back "Even after all those years together she still called him it. It was there secret code word..."

For the next couple of hours you flipped through the rest of the book, pausing to read the letters, see the small details of the grainy images. From there wedding to the birth of your mum, from the day they ran away together to the day your grandad came back to find your nan had been set up to marry someone else... it had all be recorded in the book.

Your heart broke when you flipped to the last filled page in the book, your grandads order of service leaflet from his funeral. Your heart broke even more when it came clear that your nan had placed it in by herself... ending there story together...

Noticing the tears falling faster down your face, Mason closed the book placing it gently down as he wrapped his arms tighter than ever around you, allowing you to sob in his chest. He didn't say much as you cried, just rubbed your back and whispered a few words of comfort, knowing what you needed most was time to absorb what you just saw.

Once you calmed down, you lifted your head back up to look at his warm brown eyes, his hand instantly going to your cheek "They we're amazing (y/n).." He smiled, causing you to mirror it back "They would been so happy you got to witness it through there eyes..."

"They were timeless..." You breathed out, looking down to the book on the floor that was bound to come home with the two of you.

"Just like we will be.."

Your head shot up to look at him with blood shot eyes "You think?"

"Oh I know we will!" He smiled, causing you to cuddle deeper into him "I hope so Mase..."

---------------

3 weeks later.....

"Mase stop!" You laughed as he picked you as you went to put the key in your new shared home in manchester  "Please stop we need to get in before it rains... stop messing around!"

"I didn't know showing my girlfriend of 5 years of affection was classed as messing around..." He sulked as your laugh continued to echo around the house, taking the heels that had killed your feet all night "and before you start I can call you that now!!"

"I know..." You smiled, turning around to wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss, one of many that day "and I couldn't be prouder to now say it.." Mason returned the kiss as he muttered I love you, which of course you mumbled back. Somehow you two ended up in your bedroom, his jacket through on the floor as the zipper on your dress began to be pulled down.

Just as it was about to get even more heated, he pulled back causing you to sigh dramatically. "Don't be dramatic lovie, we have all night to do that.." He laughed, dragging you to the end of the bed "But first I want to give you your final present of the night.."

"but mase you've already given me loads today.." You groaned, hating how much he had already spoiled you today. Giving you far to many presents, making you bed in breakfast and then taking you to the fanciest restaurant in Manchester. You honestly didn't know how he'd make the day even better before he pulled out a box placing it gently on your knee... "Now this one is kind of for the both of us..." He smiled wrapping his arm around you "But I think you'll appreciate it.."

Carefully, you untied the little red bow on the box lifting the box up with the expectation of finding more personalised jewellery. However your heart dropped to the floor as you saw something you'd never thought you'd see...

A book... Similar to the one of your grandparents but instead of there names it read...

'THE STORY OF (Y/N) & MASON'

And just like the other one, a picture displayed below it. One of you and him at the champions league final, your smiles brighter than stars and the same look of love they had.

"Oh my god M-Mase..." You speechlessly gasped, covering your mouth as tears escaped your eyes "I c-can't believe it.."

His eyes mirrored yours with tears as he placed his hand on top of yours "Open it darling.." He whispered, voice full of love "Don't be scared to read this one... it's ours only"

Listening to him like always, you opened the book, smile immediately spreading across your face as you flipped through to see the many filled pages of your story so far.  The first day you met at that party, the first selfie you took together, your first chelsea game, the day you moved together... every memory shared together was captured in perfect unison to the orginal.

"I didn't even know this exsisted!" You laughed messily, as you looked at the picture of you drunkenly asleep on Mason's lap at his Chelsea leaving party. You couldn't remember much of that day, other than you drunk the night away in hope that it took the sting away from living the beloved club and city... 

"Ben took..." Mason smirked "He sent it me the next day along with the video of you doing my celebration on top of the table..."  "Please say that's a joke.." You muttered as you hid your head in embarrassment, hoping that he  was lying..

"Nope!" He chuckled "I'll show you that later darling, first you have to finish this book!"

So you did. There wasn't much after that, other than his first day at united and your new home in Manchester... little did you know there was one final page to your story you were yet to experience...

"What's this?" You questioned as you flipped the page to see a brown envelope stuck to the page, similar to love letters your grandad use to write. Unable to say much, Mason whispered "Open it and see..."

With shaking hands you pulled out letter which was folded in half, his scruffy handwriting evident. You shot him one last look, nervousness written all over his face as you began to read the love letter addressed to only you....

My dear (y/n),

I've never been good at doing speeches or expressing how I feel, but with you by my side I feel as though I can do anything, so here I am... Ever since I saw you my whole world changed for the better. You fixed the hole in my life like a puzzle piece and ever since then I knew I'd never want to lose you.

The other week when I held you in your nan's attic made me think of if we met in another life, would be the same as we are right now... and the truth is sweetheart we would of have! Even if we met on a crowded street in the 40's or if I was sent to war and you were forced to marry another man... my head would of still turned for you just like it did at that party...

you still would have been mine, I'd of make sure of it!

I'm going to love you for the rest of our lives, till we have grey hair, mini mounts running around the place, a cardboard box stored of memories we made, we'll have it all! 

Our story starts now Angel... 

we're going to be timeless...

look forward...

Mase x

Tears poured down your face as you followed the letters instructions, showing him down on one knee, a small box with the most gorgeous diamond ring displayed in it, one that coincidently resembled the one your nan had...

"Mase..."

"(y/n)... will you please make me the happies man alive & spend the rest of your life with me??"

Unable to speak you nodded your head, falling to your knees as you wrapped your arms around him. "I love you so much.." You sobbed into his neck.

"I love you so much more..." He cried back, pulling back from you for a brief second to slip the gorgeous ring on your finger "This is your nans ring" He smiled "I asked your parents if it was okay if I gave it you... I want us to be a timeless classic like your grandparents, I want to fill that book up with you till the day we are torn apart by fate..."

Once more you were speechless as his arm wrapped around you, your head lay on his chest listening to the heart which had loved you for 5 years... there was no (y/n) without Mason and you prayed every minute of the day that you'd be the couple your grandparents were. A love so strong it could be seen from miles away, a love everyone dreamed of but only a rare few could experience... one that even time couldn't forget... Your going to be... 

TIMELESS

[nctnanajaemin]

my brother's bestfriend pairing: lee jeno x na!sister reader chapter seven  word count:1.2k warnings: pregnancy

it's been a couple of days since the talk with jaemin. you got a job at the local coffee shop and transferred to a college closer to home.

you have today off and planned on spending it relaxing and doing nothing, but jaemin seems to have other plans.

he takes one look at you curled up on the couch with a blanket wrapped around you and a book in your lap and shakes his head. "you have the whole day off and you're just going to spend it on the couch?"

you shrug, not even looking up from your book. "yeah."

he walks over and flops down on the couch, snatching the book out of your hands and putting it on the coffee table so it's out of reach. "is jeno coming over today?"

you nod. "after he gets off work."

jaemin hums in response, leaning his head back against the couch and staring at the ceiling. "i need to talk to him."

you're surprised that he's actually talking about speaking to jeno. "i'm glad that you finally want to talk to him, but please be nice about it."

"i will. don't worry."

-

the hours pass slowly. you spend the afternoon half dreading and half anticipating the inevitable conversation between jaemin and jeno.

you hear the door open and walk out of the kitchen as jeno shuts the door.

"hey."

"hey, how was work?" you ask as he pulls you into a hug.

"surprisingly, not that bad. you seem tense, everything okay?"

"yeah, i'm fine." you reply, looking up at him.

he moves his hands from your hips to cup your face, studying your expression. "you sure? you seem like something's on your mind."

you let out a heavy sigh. "jae wants to talk to you."

"okay, it'll be fine. is he in his room?" he asks, letting go of your face.

"no, he's in the living room."

"alright, i'll go talk to him." he says, giving you a reassuring smile before making his way to the living room.

you stay in the entryway, wanting to give the two of them space to talk but also secretly hoping to hear as much as you can.

"hey, man," jeno starts. "y/n said you wanted to talk to me?"

jaemin nods, locking his phone and dropping it into his lap. "yeah, i do," he replies, and motions for jeno to sit down.

jeno sits down and jaemin takes a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. "i've had a lot of time to think about everything that happened. the way i reacted… it wasn't right. i let my emotions get the best of me, and i'm really sorry for that."

"i understand, jaemin. i get why you were upset. it was a lot to take in all at once."

jaemin shakes his head. "but that's no excuse."

it's quiet for a couple seconds before jaemin speaks again. "i have a question and i know you two aren't together, but what are your intentions with her? like, how serious are you about her?"

jeno stiffens, not expecting the question to be brought up so soon in the conversation. "i'm serious about her. honestly, probably more than i've been about anything or anyone in my entire life, dude. i love her."

"you love her?" jaemin asks, his voice betraying a hint of disbelief. he's known jeno for years and has never once heard him say he loved a girl.

"yes. i love her."

jaemin shakes his head. "never did i think i would ever hear you say you loved a girl."

"yeah, neither did i. but she's different. she's… everything."

"you sound like a love-sick puppy, dude." jaemin teases.

jeno rolls his eyes. "shut up, it's called being in love but you wouldn't know."

"pfft, whatever." jaemin mutters, his tone still mocking. "if you love her, why haven't you asked her out yet?"

jeno's expression falters. "i just haven't found the right time yet."

"the right time? jeno, come on. you guys have been seeing each other off and on for five years now."

"i know, i know. but things have been so complicated lately. with her transferring schools, starting a job, and everything with the baby… i don't want to add more pressure."

"you think asking her to be your girlfriend would be adding more pressure? dude, she's carrying your child. she deserves some kind of stability."

jeno fidgets nervously with his fingers. "i know she does. but i can't shake the feeling that if i ask her to be my girlfriend now, it'll seem like i'm only doing it because she's pregnant."

"do you honestly think she would see it like that?"

"i don't know. we talked before we found out she was pregnant, and we both confessed our feelings for each other but like a dumbass i fucked it up."

"how'd you fuck it up?"

"i freaked out and ghosted her for a month. i never loved a girl before, and i was in shock."

jaemin snorts. "you're such an idiot. plan a little date night, ask her out and if it makes you feel better reassure her that you are asking her out because you genuinely love her and not because you got her pregnant."

"you're right. i need to stop making stupid excuses and just man up and ask her." jeno sighs, running a hand through his hair. "but what if she says no?"

"she's not going to say no, jeno. she loves you just as much as you love her, if not more. just go talk to her. and hey," he adds, a bit more serious, "whatever happens, i'm here for both of you."

jeno stands up and glances towards the entryway, expecting to see you eavesdropping but you quickly make your way into the kitchen before he can see you. "thanks man."

he walks into the kitchen a couple seconds later and you look over at him. "everything okay?"

"yeah, everything's fine," he reassures you. "do you want to go for a drive? get out of the house for a bit?"

you nod and follow him outside to his car.

the drive starts in comfortable silence, but after a few minutes you decide to break it. "where are we going?"

"just a little place i go to when i want to escape for a little bit. you'll like it," he says with a small smile.

after about twenty minutes, jeno parks in front of a lake. the two of you get out and he takes your hand, leading you to one of the benches.

"i used to come here a lot when i needed to think," jeno says, glancing over at you. "it always helped me clear my mind."

"it's beautiful," you reply, taking a seat on the bench.

"yeah, it is. i figured it would be a good place for us to talk." he sits down next to you. "i know things have been really complicated lately, with everything going on. but there's something that i need to tell you."

you nod and he takes a deep breath before speaking again.

"i love you. more than i've ever loved anyone in my life. and i know i've made mistakes, and that things aren't exactly ideal right now, but i want to be with you, officially. not because of the baby, but because you're everything to me."

"i want that too," you tell him, your voice steady despite the tears threatening to escape.

"so, will you be my girlfriend?" he asks, a small smile playing on his lips.

"yes, jeno. i will."

chapter six |  chapter eight 

---------

taglist:

@nosungluv @icesscoups @sunghoonsgfreal @camosh @vltevgrdn @minkyuncutie @neobowlingshoez @luvjoongz @llallisa653 @shqqna @dojaejunging @nanaleehyuck @zolpidream @ch3rrych3s @gusgus0517 @1800-love-me @itsblueberry @cherryxvalentine @luvlyjaemin

[auroreliis]

Introduction!!!

Hiii :D I'm Aurora, but most people call me Rorii!! I use she/her pronouns!!!

First of all, I recommend staying away from my page if you're under 16. Perhaps not all of my posts include 18+ topics, but some do and I really, REALLY don't want anyone under 16 interracting with my content (I'm also quitte iffy about people under 18 viewing my content, but I suppose I can't really stop you if you think that you can handle it...).

I need to clarify that English is not my mother tongue, so please forgive any errors :')

I mainly use this blog to share my thoughts and ideas!!! BUT I am veryyyy insistent on making sure that my posts are correct (okayyyy I may not always succeed, but still), so I might take a bit longer to post simply because I'm making sure that everything makes sense ;D

Other times, I will be offline for weeks at a time, because I have no inspiration :'(

That being said, I try my best, but my schedule is all over the place...sorry <3

Some more info about me!! My favourite band ever are Arctic Monkeys <3 Also, I am a bit of a yapper, so hopefully I will be forgiven if I ever go on and on about something <3 Also also, purple and red are my favourite colours!!!

I easily hyperfixate on things (and I bet you can't guess what it is now...)

I often play video games when I am free and my favourite ones EVER are Little Nightmares and Hitman!! Though Fields of Mistria and Stardew Valley might as well be on the list too.

When I am not playing video games, then I am watching hour-long video essays <3

I often read books before going to bed, mostly classics, but not exclusively <3

Oh also! Sleeping is my favourite way to pass time :)

My Ask-Box is always open!!! (And I swear, I try my best to answer everything :')...)

If you did send an ask and haven't recieved a reply yet, it's likely because I have not enough inspiration to make a good post about your ask. However, as soon as inspiration strikes me, I will write and write and write!!!

Frequently asked Questions!!!!

Q: What fandoms do you write for? A: Any fandom that I am currently interested in, so feel free to request and recommend me various media that you would like to see from me...however, DC has had a lot of power over me lately...

Q: Is there any topic you won't write about? A: A few come to mind, like extreme kinks and fetishes (age play, scat/pee/vomit play, non-con, etc.). However, if it is anything super niche or specific, feel free to ask me!

Q: Do you have any side blogs or other socials? A: For now, I have no side blogs, however, I have a secret AO3 account!! Let me know if you think you've found it ;D

Masterlist!!!

Yes, I finally have a masterlist. I've tried to compile EVERYTHING on here and will try to update regularly:

Masterlist

That would be all for now :)

Thanks for reading this <3

[tearsonmarz]

Scarian Flirting and Fishing pt. 2

(I know I said I wasn’t going to be adding onto the one-shot-- but that was before Grian’s latest episode came out, so here we are. Don’t hold your breath for another part. Also, I decided that it wasn’t going to be a modern setting, but I’m also too lazy to make either of these historically accurate. I wrote these for fun, they weren’t meant to be anything too thought out. Here's part one if you haven't read it yet. I was also too tired to edit it, but I need it out of my docs because it'll consume my thought otherwise.)

“So, why do you want this book so badly?” Scar was curious since he hadn’t seen Grian before. He had never imagined what would stem from a simple encounter with the sandy haired man.

He’d been following Grian for about a month now. They’d go to nearby streams, scrounge around for the book, spend hours getting excited only to be disappointed once again.

After the first two days, Scar bought a fishing rod to help out. But Grian had insisted that he wanted to be the one to find it, nevertheless Scar fished because it bothered Grian.

“I need it for something important that I’m working on. You know you can leave whenever you want.”

“Still trying to get rid of me, don’t you get tired of it?”

“Don’t you get tired of following me?” He shot Scar a look that only caused him to burst out laughing.

“You just aren’t going to give up.”

“I should be the one saying that.”

Why was he staying this long? There was no reason for him to continue bothering Grian. It’s simply something that had integrated into his daily routine. Every day without fail they would link up, take a walk down to the river and start fishing. They’d eat together, talk together, and enjoy each other’s company. It mainly consisted of Scar ranting to his hearts content, while Grian pretended not to listen. Every now again Grian would forget and chime into the conversation to Scar’s surprise.

Through it all they continued to hang around each other. The other’s presence because comforting and routine. Though Grian would never admit it, he was happy that Scar stuck around. Even if he wasn’t ecstatic about Scar in the beginning, each fishing trip felt a little more fulfilling even without a mending book. He hadn’t wanted to spend this month any other way.

“I don’t think this is the spot.” He dejectedly spoke as he reeled in another fish.

“Are you sure? It’s barely been an hour.”

“No, I’m not sure, but I’m just so sick of getting nothing every single day. It’s so infuriating.” A sigh left his lips as he tossed it onto the pile and put down his fishing rod.

“Why don’t we just take a break. Let’s head into town to eat for a change.”

“Yeah, maybe you’re right. Finish up while I start packing up our stuff.”

‘Our.’ Just that simple word stuck in Scar’s head, enough to distract him from the pulling on his line. Snapping out of it, he reeled in is line. Much to his dismay it was a book. He walked over to his pile, but before he could inspect it, Grian called out to him.

“Ready to get going yet?”

He hid the book in the pile of items he had acquired pretending to sift through it. “Yeah, just let me finish putting everything away and I’ll be good to go.”

“Oh… Alright, I’ll just wait for you then.” Without another word Grian started towards the fishery.

Scar brought the book back out. It had a royal purple coloured cover decorated with golden trim, and an ominous aura to it. Besides, he already knew it was what Grian was looking for. Just in case, he was going to allow it to dry. Once he had gathered himself, he made his way to where Grian was.

“What are you in the mood for?”

“Anything as long as it’s delicious and filling.” Grian sulked as they strolled.

Scar just smiled, leading the way to the nearby tavern. They grabbed something quick to eat, not paying much mind to the time. Scar’s priority was to cheer Grian up after all. Well, that was before he had found what they had been searching for. It felt like it was looming over his head. He knew he had to tell Grian eventually.

“So, G. What are you going to do when you do find that book?” That question earned a coughing fit from Grian. “Oh, sorry I didn’t mean to startle you. Here-” He passed Grian his handkerchief, urging him to drink water as he tried to calm down.

“Why… Why do you ask?” Grian replied in between coughs. He cleared his throat, quietly thanking Scar and beckoning him to continue.

“Well, I just got to thinking. We’ve been fishing for a month, and it has to come to an end. I was just wondering what would happen to us when it does… End I mean.”

“Oh. I hadn’t really thought about what we would do. I guess, we’d probably go our separate ways.”

They sat there in silence for a moment. Wondering what the other was thinking. The thought of this coming to end was bittersweet and heartbreaking. Scar didn’t want it to end, but he’d be lying if the thought didn’t cross his mind. What was he to do after this? What was his life lie before hanging around Grian? That thought has only caused him more grief.

Scar never stayed in one place for very long. There was never anything keeping him tied to a single area. He was free to do as he pleased without a care in the world. For the first time, he had something to look forward to. Casual conversation, playful pranks, and a type of warmth he hadn’t experienced before. He liked the sense of security he began to associate with Grian. His home.

The thought of something changing, or Grian leaving him was devastating. And the fear began to set in. If he were to show Grian what he had found there was a large possibility that he’d leave him. He couldn’t take that chance. Maybe, if he held onto it for a little longer, he could find another reason for Grian to stay. Just maybe.

[themultifandomgal]

Matt- Not Long To Wait

"Aren't you meant to be resting? Strict orders from Natalie?" Cruz asks as he and Matt help me to sit down

"I am. I'm going to sit here while Matt does his paperwork"

"You sure you'll be ok?" Matt asks scared to leave me

"Yes I'll be fine. I'm in a room full of firemen and two paramedics, I'll be fine"

"If your sure" Matt places a kiss on the top of my head "if anything's wrong you tell someone to get me"

"Yeah yeah off you go" Matt walks off towards his office. Gabby comes to sit opposite me smiling

"Do you feel ready?" She asks

"Yes and no. I'm ready not to be pregnant and worry so much, but I'm also freaking out because Matt hasn't even built the crib yet. We've got it but it's not built"

"Hey YN Cindy has been going through some old baby things if you want them? You and Matt can come over and take a look. Have what you want"

"Thanks Herrmann" a cup of hot tea is then placed in front of me by Sylvie "you guys need to stop fussing. Your worse than Matt and Kelly at home. You knew I haven't washed the dishes once since I found out I was pregnant" I laugh shaking my head

"Damn Matts setting up all of us to fail" Cruz yells from the couch. I then wince feeling the baby kick me in the ribs

"Woah woah you ok?"

"Yes I'm fine stop panicking" I tell Chris "you've had plenty of kids to know that babies like to kick their mothers and break their ribs"

"You'll miss it when baby arrives"

"Do you know what your having?" Gabby asks

"No we want to be surprised. We don't care if baby is a girl or boy. Just want them to be healthy" I rub my stomach feeling the baby move

"Do you want anything to eat?"

"Yeah. You got chicken nuggets and ice cream?" I ask for my craved food

"Yeah, but please tell me your not going to dip the nuggets into the ice cream"

"Errr" I then just smile at Cruz who shakes his head "well I'd say you could go and get me a McDonald's and I'll have their chicken nugget meal"

"Just so you can dip the fries in the shake or ice cream" I give Cruz a pout. He sighs "fine I'll go and make you some chicken nuggets"

"Thank you"

After a few hours Matt is finished everything he needs to do we get in his car and head home

"Baby hasn't stopped kicking me today" I groan feeling uncomfortable. Matt places his free hand on my stomach

"Hey little one. Can you stop wriggling and kicking so much. I think your making mommy feel uncomfortable and sore" for whatever reason, Matt talking to the baby and touching my bump help settle the little one down

"Thank you" I sigh leaning my head on the window of the car

"Don't go to sleep on me. We're only 2 minutes away from home"

"I'm just resting my eyes"

"Famous last words" I hear Matt mutter

"I'm not going to be able to fall asleep in 2 minutes am I? It takes me forever to sleep"

"I can't wait for little one to be born"

"Me either"

We finally arrive home. Matt helps me out of the car and down onto the couch. Matt sits next to me while I stuck on the TV I curl up under a blanket with Matts arms around me and my head on his shoulder

"You need to build the crib" i mutter feeling my eyes struggling to stay open

"I will, tomorrow I promise"

"I don't think we have long left" I tell him"

"We're not booked in for another 3 weeks"

"Baby will be here before then. I can feel it"

"Ok whatever you say" and with that I can't stay awake any longer. I fall asleep on the couch feeling so loved and warm. Now we're at the homestretch, I can't wait to have this baby.

[partyanimal167]

Stubborn as a Bull- Doflamingo x F!Reader

I have so many ideas for Doffy. It's crazy I haven't really written anything about him in almost a year. (I want to explore my dilfs more this year lol) I also want more chef/restaurant related fics because I have no concept of work-life balance and will indulge in my career-related fantasies. This will be a quickie

cw: modern au(?), fem reader, stubborn reader, rich af Doflamingo, mdni

You had never met a many so annoying yet tempting as the one before you. However, your stubbornness was a strength, so you knew you could play that game.

You had received an array of gifts and praises for your culinary feats. You had awards, interviews, glowing reviews in multiple restaurants. You were sent wines, knives, and books.

You stayed humble as you knew some celebs and politicians on a first-name basis since they were regulars and knew that the attention could bring both good and bad.

You had expected your ego to come and slap you in the face. All people tried to lure you in and trap you. It'd be a normal descent from success.

Instead, after service that you thought was normal, one Doflamingo Donquixote was asking for your number offering a job in the private sector as well as inviting you on a date. You graciously declined. You thought that'd be it.

It was not.

Because even though there was a three month wait list for your restaurant, you went out to a nearly-deserted dining room where only Doflamingo sat glancing at the menu and sipping the priciest wine.

"I thought that work had been your excuse. I can take you somewhere far from this, and you won't have to worry about the finances of your business." He was a mad man. A rich one, your business partner corrected, but you ignored him again.

Doflamingo bought the restaurant out for a week, and when you stopped going to the dining room after day three, he was shocked at where he found you.

You were all smiles and rainbows serving the less-fortunate at a local soup kitchen. You laughed when you saw the filthy rich man decked out in suits and jewelry standing in the less than stellar facilities. When you were done, he asked you why you were there instead of resting at home or something. "I live to feed people." was all you said.

Doflamingo stopped buying out the restaurant, but still floated in and around before and after business hours. You ignored him while you directed your cooks and tested recipes. Doflamingo admired the structure silently and wondered how far you would have ended up if you were in the corporate world. The skills were definitely transferrable.

You nearly lost it when the man bumped into your china--shattering it again--and brushed it off with a check. You knew replacements would be there by morning, but that wasn't the point. "Stop being so wasteful." So to get him out of your space, you let him take you out. You could hold up against fancy meals and shopping sprees.

You were not expecting an intimate setting in one of his homes where he cooked you his mother's favorite meal--the only thing he could make. You knew about the man's harshness, how he ran businesses. And while the food was delicious, you would never admit it.

"Too much salt." was all you said even after you cleaned your plate. You were stubborn to say things like him, but if he noticed that you stopped by his place to cook and gave him basic lessons, then he never said anything either.

You just ended up with a rich man ready for your call--a partner--but he wouldn't exactly say his feelings either.

Guess he was stubborn too.

~~~

Cheesy, yes but I will indulge! I was thinking about how chef people cook to feed others because we definitely don't get a luxurious paycheck from it. I wondered how Doffy would go about that difficultness.

I will write him more! Thanks for stopping by!

[sachirobabe]

Chapter 15

Gojo Satoru x reader

Wc: 3643

Curseless au

Summary: Amidst the zombie apocalypse, your courage shines as you not only saves lives but capture the heart of Gojo Satoru. Together with his first-year students, you all embark on a perilous journey, not only for survival but in a quest for a cure that adds a poignant layer to the unfolding romance.

<— Previous | Masterlist | Next —>

Taglist: @spindyl

You've never been happier than right now. You spent every waking second with this man, not that that's out of the ordinary, only now is you're sure of his feelings towards you. And it makes it that much better.

Nobody even batted an eye at the enhanced affection, Satoru had been like this since almost the beginning with you. If anything, it took away their suffering from seeing the painfully obvious crush he had on you.

It's been quiet around the base, nothing abnormal has happened, and with each passing day it made you worry just a little more.

But now that another month has passed, you're starting to let your guard down a little and work with Shoko on potential ways to counter the zombie apocalypse.

You wonder what happens if you're able to get a cure, how would humanity come back together? Would you live off the base forever? Was there any plans that you guys didn't know about?

Your mind spirals sometimes, and each time it does, Satoru never fails to comfort you and bring you back to the present. He doesn't want you to stress about the future and the what ifs. He knows you'll all be able to work through it.

Satoru frowns as he sees you in the lab again, it was getting late and he knows you haven't eaten in hours. "I just watered the plants again." He says and his voice startles you a little.

The book you're nose deep in is temporarily forgotten, "Thanks." You smile and stretch in your seat.

"Let's take a break, yeah?" Satoru stands behind your chair and wraps his arms around you from behind. "Even smart pretty girls need to eat."

You smile at his words, "I'm almost finished." You say and resume reading the last couple of pages.

"Microbiology?" Satoru reads the title of the book. "Sounds boring. I think dinner with me would be a lot more interesting." He tries to convince you.

You chuckle, "Depends. Where are we going for dinner?" You play along.

He hums thinking before answering, "I heard that little place down the hall is real good. They're serving soup and crackers, a real fine meal."

Your laugh is everything to him, he loves making you smile. "I think it definitely sounds more fun than my boring old book, huh?"

"Oh, absolutely." He nods, his hair tickling your face. "Cmon, let's go eat."

You sigh, "I guess you're right." You say and stand up from your seat and face him.

He grins and wraps his hands around your waist. "Good." He leans down and is centimeters away from your lips. Before you're able to whine about what he's doing, his lips are already on yours. Softly kissing you.

This is how it's been for a month with him. Shared kisses and heated make outs, but neither of you were able to go further yet. You wanted nothing more than to, though, it just hasn't been very good timing.

Sometimes you'd be on watch, other times it was him, his students also seemed to know the perfect time to bother you guys when things were getting heated. Don't even get him started on Nanami, that man was the biggest cock block of all, Satoru is convinced he has a sixth sense.

He finally pulls away reluctantly, "Let's go eat, sweetheart." He holds your hand as he brings you to the table.

You softly gasp as you see the table, there was some kind of sheet laid over the table. Two candles were lit—where he found them? You have no idea. He made a nice candlelit dinner for the two of you, you think you could cry at the gesture.

"Satoru, this is so cute. Thank you." You giggle happily. "You did this all yourself?"

He nods, "Yeah, for you." He smiles warmly. "You've been working hard all day."

"Why don't I get a special reward for my hard work, too?" Shoko teases as she walks by, seeing the cute table made.

"Go ask Nanami, not me." Satoru glares at her and he turns his attention to you again. "Do you like it?"

"Like it? I love it." You smile widely, "Thank you so much." You wrap your arms around him and give him a nice long hug. Everything was so romantic, he pulled your chair for you, made sure you were comfortable, and he swooned you the rest of the night.

You couldn't help but wonder if the world was different if you would've had the opportunity of meeting him. You're finally relaxing and taking a much needed shower after being cooped up in the lab all day.

Shoko and you have been working hard at making plans, and it's going great, only thing is that you'll need to start applying those plans to learn more. Which means getting blood samples from infected and not infected. You obviously know which one is harder.

You let the water cascade down your body as you get lost in thought about how you're going to do this without costing anyone or injuring somebody. It was going to be extremely risky.

Nanami and Satoru wouldn't be very happy, it was an insane idea, but without it, you and Shoko can't proceed. You think Satoru would be the easier one to convince, but you'd be getting those blood samples no matter what.

"Sweetheart, did you die in there?" Satoru's knock on the door brings you back to reality, you're suddenly aware that the water has turned cold now.

You quickly shut it off and shiver, "No, I'm okay." You say, "Just finished." You step out and dry yourself, putting on your clothes for bed.

"Hurry. I miss you." He says and you already know he's pressed up against the door.

You chuckle lightly and clean up a little before opening the door. He stumbled forward a little, but was able to catch himself this time. "Hi." He smiled widely, but it immediately fades, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." You lie and put your towel in the small laundry bin.

Satoru shakes his head, "I can tell you're thinking about something." He says and brings you over to the bed, "Talk to me." His fingers tuck a piece of your hair behind your ear.

You sigh softly, "With all the research Shoko and I are doing, you know what we'll have to do eventually, right?"

He nods, "You're referring to the blood samples, right?"

You can see in his face he already knows what's bothering you about it, "I just don't know how we're going to do it."

"I've talked to Nanami about it already, so if that's what's worrying your pretty little head you can stop now." He softly smiles. "He agrees that we'll need them and we'll get them."

You let out a breath of relief, "That's what I was most worried about."

"We'll get them, sweetheart. I promise." He presses his lips to your forehead in hopes to comfort you.

You nod softly, "Thank you."

"Don't worry, princess." He whispers and lays on the bed, he pats the spot next to him and you cuddle up to him. Your sweet smile made his heart do flips in his chest. "There we go." He hums and wraps his arms around you tightly.

"What even happens after all this?" You say a little helpless. The thought plaguing your mind.

"Hey—hey, we're not doing this. No worrying, okay? We'll figure it out. Just like we always do." Satoru kisses your neck affectionately. You're quiet as you lay there, still thinking. "Look at me, sweetheart."

You gently turn to face him and look into his gorgeous blue eyes. "We will figure it out. I propose you." He holds your chin with his fingers, softly moving them to caress your cheek. "Let's take it one step at a time, yeah?" His eyes frantically search yours for anything sighs of panic.

You close your eyes and take a few deep breaths, effectively calming yourself down. "Thank you."

"No need to thank me, sweetheart." Satoru shakes his head, "I'll always be here for you. Always." He softly kisses your forehead. "You're not alone in this."

"I know." You nod softly, "I have you and everyone else to rely on." Your small smile creeping onto your face, making Satoru's heart rate go down.

"That's my girl." He grins, "Hi, beautiful." You shyly look away and he forces your head forward to look at him again. "You still wanna talk about how you're feeling?" He asks quietly and brings you into his bare chest, his fingers playing with your hair.

"I just want to lay here with you...and hold you." You voice softly and Satoru's heart swells at you only wanting him.

"Okay." He quietly says. His hands going from your hair, to your arms; drawing small shapes that you recognize as hearts after he draws it for the 10th time, the gesture making you smile. He's been good at getting you to do that.

You feel your eyes grow heavy with sleep, finding it harder and harder to keep them open. His rise and fall of his breathing, along with the combination of his heart beating slowly and his soft humming, it's no surprise when you're out like a light.

"I'm so happy with you." He says quietly, when you don't respond he frowns a little and looks down at you, his frown was replaced with a softer one as he looked down at the sight of you. "Your brain was working overtime." He chuckles lightly and kisses your forehead, he fell asleep not too long after.

The next morning you're eating breakfast with Shoko, leaving Satoru as he was still sleeping. "In these next few days I wanted try and get the blood samples." Shoko says.

You stop eating and slowly nod. "We'll need to make a plan, one with the least amount of damage."

She nods in agreement, "Ideally, we'd need about 20 to 30 samples." Your eyes widen, there was no way you'd be able to manage getting that many in one go.

"That's too big of a risk, I already know Nanami and Satoru will freak." You say, already imagining how that conversation would go.

"But I think as long as we get 5-10, we can manage with small samples and make assumptions, then we can work our way up." Shoko sighs.

"Even 5-10 sounds rough." Your worry is evident in your tone. You watch as Nanami comes down the steps, he can see he's interrupting an important conversation.

"Perfect." Shoko smiles at Nanami and waves for him to sit down with the two of you, "Y/n actually had a question for you."

You look at her in betrayal, she avoids your eyes as Nanami takes a seat. "Everything alright, Y/n?" He asks.

"Uh..yeah! Actually—what Shoko meant, was we have a question." You rephrase and Shoko looks at you in betrayal.

Her eyes silently say, 'If I ask he'll definitely say no.' As she glared at you.

"Are you two..well?" Nanami asks very confused, looking between the two of you.

"No." Shoko says

"Yes." You say at the same time as her.

You both look at each other. Nanami chuckles lightly, "Go ahead. Ask away." The two of you take a deep breath before explaining the situation.

He listens attentively, asking questions and voicing his concerns often to get on the same page. "We need Satoru awake and the others so we can prepare a plan." Nanami says. "I'm sure none of us are excited for this part of the research."

"Yeah." You sigh, "This is definitely the hardest part."

A few hours pass and a plan was devised that would cause the least amount of damage and keep everyone safe. The plan was recited multiple times per day leading up to the actual event.

You grew more nervous each day, hoping that nothing horrible would happen while trying to get these samples.

Some nights you weren't able to sleep properly, waking up in cold sweats from nightmares that felt way too real. You pant heavily as you sit up again, holding your heart and working on trying to calm your heart rate down.

Satoru stirs awake, "Sweetheart, what's wrong? Was it another nightmare?"

You breathe heavily and simply nod, not able to find your voice at the moment. He settles himself behind you, rubbing small circles on your back. "Everything's okay." He repeats, "Breathe with me, baby."

You squeeze your eyes shut, working on calming your anxiety. You breathe along with Satoru, along with listening to his soft reassurances. Slowly, you stopped shaking from fear.

Soft tufts of air hit your neck, cooling you down. Satoru blows lightly on you, knowing you'd be able to focus on the sensation instead of feeding into your anxiety.

A few more minutes go by and you feel your body crash from the intense sensation, your eyes hurt from trying to keep yourself awake.

Satoru silently wraps his arms around you, noticing the subtle changes to your body language. "You're okay." He whispers. "It's just you and I."

"Thank you." You fall back into his chest, your breathing finally going back to normal. "I wouldn't have been able to do this without you." You quietly say.

Satoru gently shakes his head behind you, "No, sweetheart. Don't say that. You're the bravest girl I know." He kisses your temple, resting his head in the crook of your neck. "You make all of us brave."

"That nightmare was awful." Your voice breaks, tears welling up in your eyes.

"Oh, no, sweetheart. Please don't cry, it's okay. We're okay." Satoru holds you impossibly closer to his body. He hears your soft cries and forces you to sit facing him so he could see your face.

Tears slowly stream down your face, Satoru's strong arms pulled you closer to him, he rubbed your back slowly, whispering sweet nothings and reassurances in your ear.

He pulls away slowly, wiping your tears. "Please don't cry, you're breaking my heart." His eyes worriedly look into yours. "Do you want to talk about it? I'm all ears, baby."

You shake your head, "It's been the same every night." Satoru's eyes soften at your broken voice, he doesn't think he can handle you being so upset, it's killing him.

"We will all be okay tomorrow." Satoru firmly says, "Nobody will get hurt. I promise."

"But—"

"Nope. Not doing that." Satoru says and holds your face gently, "Breathe with me, sweetheart. Don't think about it anymore." You follow the slow rise and fall of his chest.

After a few deep breaths, you're feeling normal again. Satoru continues to hold you, making sure you're comfortable. "Better now?" He whispers in your ear affectionately.

You nod, "Thank you."

"Don't thank me, sweetheart. I'll always be here for you." He says softly, laying the two of you back down on the bed. He looks around the room, trying to find something to distract you with and make you smile.

"Look," He says and your eyes train on his finger, he was pointing to the moon; it was full and shining brightly. "Doesn't the moon look beautiful?"

"Yeah." You smile, "It does." His eyes went from looking at the moon, to being trained onto you. "We should invest in some curtains, it's too bright." You say and turn to face him.

His hand instinctively goes to your hair to play with a strand, he simply nodded his head. You feel your faces get closer, and soon enough his soft lips meet yours in a slow, tender kiss.

He can feel his heart beating quickly against his chest, his feelings growing more and more each day for you. 'This is the best.' He thinks, his lips gently moving against yours, he reluctantly pulls away. If it were up to him, he'd be kissing you every second of the day; he can never get enough.

"Hi." He whispers and smiles.

"Hi." You chuckle and say back, mirroring his smile.

"Think you're up for a few more hours of sleep before our big mission?" He asks quietly, kissing your forehead tenderly and bringing you closer to his chest.

You nod against him, his hand held the back of your head comfortingly.

"I won't fall asleep." He gently says, "I want you to feel safe. I'll be here for you in case anything happens."

"Thank you." You mumble sleepily, not having enough strength to tell him to also get some rest. He'd be having one of the hardest jobs tomorrow.

You softly close your eyes and fall back asleep, this time though, you dream about Satoru. A world without this horrible apocalypse, a normal life. He taught at his school and excitedly came back home to you, doing the most mundane things seemed to be the most exciting with him. Everything with Satoru was exciting.

Satoru gently wakes you up, knowing it was still early, but a job needed to get done. "Sweetheart." He mumbles, kissing your face softly, trying to get you to wake up.

Your eyes flutter open and you quickly shut them, the light being too much. "Is it time?" You ask.

He hums, "It's time, baby. Everything will be okay." Satoru caresses your face.

Your anxiousness had faded for the most part, Satoru did a good job at calming you down. You sit up and stretch and got ready in silence, mostly preparing yourself and running the plan over and over in your head.

Satoru pressed a firm kiss on your forehead and silently left. Knowing you were in the zone and he needed to help Nanami set up the trap for the zombies.

You slipped on your hazmat suit and other protective gear, then walking off to find Shoko, she was also wearing her suit and gear, she gave you a small smile as you both nodded at each other.

"I have all the equipment in here." She held up a bag and handed you a smaller one.

"This is for extracting, right?" You ask and peek inside, she hums, confirming your question.

"The others are ready." She says and pats your shoulder as she walks out. You follow behind her and meet up with the rest of the group, your nerves settled a little more after seeing Satoru.

You frown, noticing Panda and Inumaki aren't present, but before you could ask, Satoru answered. "They're in the control room. We need someone to open and close it."

"And walkie us." Nanami says and zips up his hazmat suit, "Ready?" He asks the group and he gets a series of nods.

There were zombies walking by, some in groups, and some by themselves. There was a small group scavenging, hovered over something dead and eating its flesh.

You hold back a gag and Satoru walkies Panda to open the gate, he grabs the zombies attention, successfully luring one into the field and the gate closes. A heavy net is thrown by Megumi and Itadori, Nobara and Maki hold their guns firmly in case of anything.

The zombie falls down and begins to screech and make all sorts of noises that leave your ears ringing. Nanami and Satoru use heavy chains to bind the zombies limbs and anchor them to fixed points in the ground, ensuring it wouldn't break free or cause any damage.

"All set." Nanami says.

You used a long hand syringe to extract the blood, it quickly fills up and you withdraw the syringe and hand it to Shoko and she places it in a sterile container. You got two more samples off of the one zombie and after you're done, Satoru shoots the zombie.

"We'll take care of the bodies later." Satoru says and once he confirms the zombie is completely dead, he and Nanami undo the bindings.

Shoko labeled the containers and kept them organized, not wanting to mix the samples up. This was repeated with four more zombies, you were able to extract three tubes from each.

As you finished up with the last one, you look to the gate and see that you've all gained some more attention. There was a group of zombies weakly banging on the gate, but every time they did, they got electrocuted.

"I think this one's our last." You say and pull the syringe out.

"Agreed." Satoru says. "We're all done." He walkies Panda and Inumaki. Satoru and Nanami took care of the bodies and everyone else made their way back inside.

Clean up was a crucial task, you all were careful and diligent. Making sure nothing suspicious touched you directly. As you finished up your shower, you felt an immense amount of relief.

Your eyes felt heavy, in need of sleep despite it still being fairly early in the afternoon. You opened the door and Satoru smiled as he saw you, his wet hair sticking to his forehead.

"See? Told you everything would be okay." Satoru smiles and opens his arms up for you to cuddle him. You almost collapse on him, feeling extremely fatigued. "Woah." He chuckles.

"I'm very tired." You mumble.

"I see that, sweetheart." He presses a soft kiss to your forehead, twirling a piece of your hair with his finger. "It's too early for a nap." He frowns lightly.

“I think I exhausted myself leading up to today.” You say, your voice laced with tiredness.

He hums and holds you close to his body, he notices your eyes were shut and your breathing began to slow down, he smiles at the sight. “I guess I’ll let you take a quick nap, I’ll wake you in an hour.”

You nod against his chest and let yourself relax in his embrace, the constant worries of ‘what ifs’ leaving your mind now that the extraction was over.

[ambersgems]

Bonded - Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: Soulmate AU where you can feel your soulmate's emotions. When you meet, usually their name appears on your wrist.

A/N: This is my first written piece on here, so any feedback is appreciated/welcomed! It was kind of rushed so not my best work lol. I'm not sure if I want a second part to this or not, so let me know if you'd like to see a continuation. I also would love requests for anything Dean, Chris Evans characters, or Sebastian Stan characters! It can be blurbs, drabbles, or longer! Oh, also I imagine Dean being around 28/29 here while reader is approaching 25.

Word Count: 1.4K

Something was wrong. You knew as soon as your eyes flew open that you weren’t going back to bed anytime soon. Your hand was placed on your chest, heart beating increasingly faster as you laid in the dark. You tried to think back. Were you having a bad dream? No. This must be him. It happened more frequently than you’d like. You’d wake up in the middle of the night, heart pounding and palms sweating. Each time you could feel it, the danger. He was in danger. You just knew it. 

You wondered what he did for a living that would cause him to land himself in such terrifying situations so often. Was he in the military? Maybe he was an adrenaline junky or a storm chaser? Whatever it was, you found yourself silently praying that he survived whatever was causing his fight or flight response to trigger once again.

Swinging your legs off the side of the bed, your feet hit the cool hardwood floors and cause you to shiver. You take a deep breath, forcing yourself to stand and get out of bed to wander into the kitchen. You weren’t exactly sure if he felt your emotions too or not. How could you know if you haven't met him yet? There were times like now that you hoped desperately that he could. Maybe, just maybe, he could feel you trying to calm him in whatever capacity that you could. Sometimes that meant making chamomile tea and reading a book to try and lower his stress response or sometimes it meant a hot shower to relax the intense muscles you felt in your body from him. 

There were other times, however, that you hoped he really couldn’t feel your emotions the way you could feel his. He seemed to already have enough on his plate, with the intense nights and at times what could only be described as heartache. You didn’t know what he was going through, but you knew you didn’t want to add your baggage to it. 

So, when you cried at work the other day, you dried your eyes as quickly as possible, not wanting to burden him if he felt the same heaviness in his chest as you did. It was the same situation at home, though. You tried your hardest not to give into the depths of your lonely despair. After all, most of your friends had already found their soulmate, but yours seemed to be nowhere to be found. There were times that the only way to drown out the hurt was to just stay disconnected. When you weren’t actively trying to calm your mystery man, you tried your best to ignore him. 

You didn’t want to get your hopes up. There were plenty of people in this world who never met their soulmate, and they were left to live a life without them. You’d actually witnessed your friend’s first interaction with her soulmate. 

When you two were back at college, she was a barista at your local coffee shop, while you were a research assistant for one of your professors. You kept completely different hours, which is why on that particular day, you decided to hang out with her in the coffee shop to spend some more time with her, even if you were just studying at one of the tables. She had been anxious all morning, and you knew it wasn’t her emotions that she was feeling. She was a naturally confident person, never second guessing herself, but that morning she was a frenzied mess. She even told you herself that it felt like it was her soulmate and not her own emotions. 

After she had wiped down the tables for the billionth time that morning, a gangly and somewhat dorky guy came rushing into the shop. You could practically feel the anxiety buzzing from him as soon as he came in, pushing his dark framed glasses up his nose and clumsily slipping on the newly mopped floors. There was a loud smack, and the next thing you knew you watched as your friend reached her hand out to help the guy sit up. What really took your attention was the groaning that came from both parties. You watched them both wince in pain, looking down as they watched each other's names etch into the other’s wrist at the same time. It was like the world clicked into place for them both at that very moment. 

It turned out, Luke was a law school student, cramming for a very important exam that morning. His naturally anxious personality was quite the opposite of your friend’s, but they seemed to work together in harmony. 

Fast forward and they were still the picture perfect couple. He doted on her more than any man you’d ever seen, and she was head over heels for her nerdy guy. It was sweet, but you hated to admit how hard it was to be around them. You were happy for them both, but it stung to know that you were getting closer to the Age of Choice than you wanted to be. In a mere 8 months you’d be free to make a decision you never wanted to make.

Age 25 meant you were at what was called the “Age of Choice.” You could choose whether or not you wanted to marry your soulmate. If you hadn’t met them by 25, you had the right to choose someone else. You didn’t have to wait any longer to marry someone else, and somehow that hurt worse than not having met your soulmate. What if he had already reached the Age of Choice and he had already decided on someone else? The thought gripped your chest harder than you would like to admit. 

All of these thoughts ran through your mind as you made your tea in the kitchen, reliving your friend’s soulmate encounter and your fear for the future. You ran on autopilot as you thought about all of these things, finally making your way to the couch to perform your calm down ritual for your soulmate. It took all of about 90 minutes to feel like you had completely settled his nerves. By the time you had realized he had calmed down, you had fallen asleep on the couch.

This time your eyes flew open for a different reason. The loud blaring of your alarm was unwelcomed by your lack of sleep as you wandered back to your bed to turn it off. It was times like this you were glad you had a studio apartment. 

The morning seemed to get away from you. This time it was your turn to be the anxious party. You really couldn’t afford to be late to work this morning. Your boss had scheduled a very important meeting 15 minutes after the workday began and a day filled with projects that need to be completed “ASAP” as your boss would like to say. 

As soon as you entered the office, the atmosphere was different than any other day. You could feel it. Everyone seemed to be stiff and uncomfortable. You didn’t understand until two men turned around at the front desk. 

“You must be Miss Y/L/N?” the tallest one asks as your brows furrow. You didn’t recognize either of the two men, but you studied them as quickly as you could. 

“That’s me. Can I ask who you are?” you questioned, trying to be polite, but not wanting to deal with anything else this morning that you didn’t have to.

“I’m agent Smith and this is agent Jones, we are here to ask you a few questions about your boss,” the shorter of the two answered, reaching out and grabbing your hand.

You hiss and your eyes burn with tears as you look into his green ones, shock filling your body as you yank your hand away from his. Looking down, you see the name “Dean” etching itself into your wrist. Your hands shake as you look up at the tall man, confusion covering your face when you don’t see your name on his wrist. 

He groans, hand gripping his chest. He pulls at the buttons, looking down and seeing your name written right over his heart and underneath another strange looking tattoo. Your mouth falls open as your eyes widen, swallowing thickly. 

“Well, sweetheart, looks like we’re not only soulmates, we’re bonded. And we need to have a conversation,” you hear ‘Dean’ say gruffly, a smirk dancing on his lips.

Tagged by request:

@imaginedreamwrite

[sparks-olivarpente]

Byler reunion fics list

Here is a list of "Will and Mike haven't talked for months/years and now find their way back to each other" fics I've read and loved! If you know of other such fics or have written one, please reblog and add them :) Thanks to the writers <3

are there still beautiful things? by @aceoflanterns will attends an open mic poetry night at a local cafe, invitation courtesy of one max mayfield. this turns out the unexpected effect of seeing one mike wheeler again… and maybe also sparking a conversation long overdue.

see me (i'm waiting for the right time) by agustplz (shout_out_lou) It's been ten months since the last time Mike and Will last spoke. Mike shows up at his dorm in Chicago, determined to fix things for good.

the gaps and the silence by @parkitaco (delusionaltogether) "Oh my God, I had such a crush on you back then," Mike says, laughing a little, and sounds so easy with it that it takes Will a couple of seconds to process. or, will and mike reunite 5 years after their friendship ends

bury me in metamorphoses by @hiscleric It’s been seven years since Will Byers vanished from Hawkins for the second time; seven years since he picked up his life, moved across the globe, and finally settled. OR: Running away and the reunion of a lifetime.

anything, anything by inblue It isn’t before Will is inside Mike’s two-bedroom apartment for the first time that Mike realizes a part of him had expected the world to implode as soon as he stepped past the threshold, as if Will’s presence in Mike’s apartment would trigger some sort of ancient curse or something. Or: Five years after the Byers family leaves Hawkins, Mike and Will rediscover each other within a small apartment in New York.

things lost, buried, and found again by iwannabeyourpoetry It’s December 1993 when, in the wake of Lonnie Byers’ untimely death, Will finds himself returning to Hawkins for the first time in years—a morose husk of the person he once was.

Lost Without You by Julia_Skysong After graduating, both Mike and Will struggled to adjust to life after the Upside Down. It didn't help they had already drifted apart. But now, 8 years later, Mike finally reached out again, and the 2 struggle to rebuild their friendship while also hiding their romantic feelings for each other.

The Crossover by @futureboy-ao3 (nbfutureboy) Will Byers, a comic book author and illustrator at the very beginning of his career, initially turns down the invitation to Hawkins ‘HorrorCon’. But after hearing that a certain musician has gone missing - and despite the fact that Mike and Will haven’t spoken since their high school graduation - he can’t seem to shake the feeling something’s seriously wrong. With embeded sounds and songs! :D

More Than a Metaphor by Nikocat Will Byers returns home from college for the first time for Christmas break and he's a bundle of nerves. He's reckoned with some deep truths while away at school, finally coming to accept that he's gay. While he can be open and honest in his new city of New York, Hawkins is an entirely different story. Or Will Byers comes out to the people he loves and gets more than he bargained for.

Reunion by Nymphadoragreenleaf Will comes back after two years away and Mike can't wait to spend the summer with him! But there's someone with him… bonus: Mike being secretly good at cooking &lt;3

The Cemetery Dance by oceanfruit Will doesn't like his memory. He calls it his inflammable wood-- No matter how long it sits out and dries, a fire can never quite catch. Even with the challenges, he tries to forget, hoping one day he'd become unrecognizable. Yet there are things, people, that exist with him in a ghost-like manner. or, Will works in a restaurant, his memories wont let him alone and he can't stand the flickering light. When someone from his past walks in… AU full of mystery!

Path of the Paladin by olliecoddle "A paladin who has broken a vow typically seeks absolution from a cleric… " or, a few hours after delivering his father’s eulogy, Mike Wheeler punched his former best friend squarely in the face.

Can This Be a Real Thing (Can It?) by Pseudologia They’d graduated and Will had disappeared — not just to Mike, to everyone. It’s not like it was mean-spirited. He needed to leave Hawkins in the rearview, to figure out who he was without the ghosts of monsters at his heels (…) Except, well, now Mike is sitting here, at a gay bar…

Fool Me Once by @queerxqueen It took nearly three years of growing apart, but Will Byers has finally gotten used to life without Mike Wheeler. He has El, he has Max, he has his art, and, as of two days ago, he has a full ride to art school in Chicago, so things are good. Right? So when Mike climbs through his window one night and stumbles back into his life, Will’s not prepared for the resurgence of old feelings…

I Wanna Be Anything You've Lost by @edelweiss-coffee (scout_thewise) Will left his hometown after graduation, determined to get to know himself in New York City. It's 1992, he has a great job as a florist at The Secret Garden, and life is beautiful and fulfilling. He wouldn't change a thing… -or- Someone familiar has been hired at the coffee shop below his loft, and Will's avoidance tactics are taking a rough blow.

meet me at memory lane by @smoosnoom Still, it’s fine. It’s all fine. He’s allowed a bad day or two. It’s fine. “Will?” What’s not fine, however, is when he finds Mike Wheeler on his front porch step. or, It's senior year, and, after three years of silence, Mike and Will find their way back to each other.

Shrike by StepfordSnarker It's the late '80s, and Will is coping with the loneliness of having left the Party behind (…) It's the early '90s, and Mike is coming to understand that there are some people worth losing your false sense of self for. But now that Mike and Will have parted ways, this realization may have come too late.

Stepping On the Last Train by @suzieburself After everything they've been through, it is Mike who rips off the final band-aid of their friendship. Years pass of Will pretending like he never thinks about Mike at all. Years pass of him forging his own life and finally letting go. But when a young boy shows up at Will's apartment, it becomes clear that he'll never fully be done with Mike Wheeler.

I’m a Wreck (Without You Here) by @talkingtothelights Mike has been living 2,200 miles away from his family and hometown for the past fourteen years. He rarely visits, but when he receives heartbreaking news, he’s forced to return home for a funeral. It’s in this unfortunate chapter of life that Mike must come to terms with the consequences of abruptly running away from home and perhaps reconnect with the one person he’s tried his damnedest to forget about.

[webco-dawnn]

Karasuno Third Years Hcs !!

These are some hcs about how I think the Karasuno third years would react to you being tired/overworked. this is just part one so there will be more parts with more teams and more years in the next few days!! but I hope you enjoy these hcs :) (also this post includes hcs with: Daichi Sawamura, Sugawara Koushi, Kiyoko Shimizu, & Asahi Azumane)

Daichi Sawamura

He walks into the gym, ready to set up for the early morning practice they had. He expected to find the gym quiet and dark like it usually is when he first gets there, but then he sees you, spiking a ball against the wall over and over again. just you. by yourself. at 6 in the morning, practicing.

Concern fills his eyes as he stares at you, eyebrows furrowed. You haven't seem to have noticed him yet through the sounds of the ball smacking against the wall repeatedly.

When he walks over, he asks you how long you've been here practicing. you come up with some excuse, saying you've only been here for about thirty minutes, but from the eye bags, Daichi could tell you were lying through your teeth.

he sighed and brought you over to one of the benches near the side of the gym, sitting you down and sitting down next to you. he hands you a bottle full of cold water, watching you gulp it down before insisting that you need to take better care of yourself. he tells you that you're working just as hard, if not harder, than everyone else on the team, and by spending more time in the gym won't do anything other than burn you out.

after his fatherly-like rant, he offers to take you home. when you tell him he'd be late for practice if he did, he said it didn't mind as long as it meant you were safe at home and resting.

Sugawara Koushi

The setter was staying over at your house for the night, as it was Friday, after all. he'd probably be staying for the whole weekend like usual. Ever since you two got together, he's basically been attached to your side.

He sat on your bed, scrolling on his phone while you worked on some group project on your floor. Originally, he had tried to tell you that it was the weekend and you shouldn't have to worry about this project, but you just replied back saying it was fine and that you were almost done anyway.

You had to paint a picture that went along with this group project of studying around the world. the group had to pick a country and do a little bit of research on it as well as draw a picture of a landmark there.

But after about an hour in, Sugawara started to notice that, not only were you painting, but while you were finishing for the paint to dry to add more layers on top, you were typing up a paper on your laptop. Concerned, he decided to ask about it.

And you had no other choice but to explain to him that you were basically doing this group project alone.. none of your other group members had done anything to contribute to the project whatsoever, so you were also typing up the paper of information.

Sugawara frowned and got down from your bed, closing your laptop and placing it on your desk. then he carefully picked up your painting supplies and also put it on your desk, alongside with your painting.

Then he got you a cup of water and reassured you that you didn't have to do all this by yourself. he'd help you tell your teacher that nobody was helping you if you needed him too. he rubbed your back softly before placing a gentle kiss on your temple.

Kiyoko Shimizu

You had recently joined an after school club, mostly just to please your parents/guardian, but also because you enjoyed the main activity in this club. Writing. You had found a passion for writing at a young age and carried that passion with you all the way to high school. Now, here you are, in the club room by yourself. The club's meeting ended about an hour ago, but you insisted on staying afterwards to continue working on your project which was writing the draft for your book.

You had been staying after meetings more and more often, overworking yourself to the bone. Thankfully, though, nobody noticed. Even if the people in the club started to get suspicious of you, you always insisted that you were fine, making up an excuse that you liked to stay longer because your parents/guardian worked late and weren't home by the time the club ended.

One person didn't fall for your tricks, though. Kiyoko. She was currently your girlfriedn and didn't fall for this trick.

When you exited the club room to use the bathroom for a quick minute, you spotted Kiyoko, who just so happened to be walking near you. She froze as she saw you, looking you up, head to toe, before letting out a soft sigh. She knew you were overworking yourself.

She approached you and pulled you into a warm hug, pressing a kiss to your cheek and telling you, "You should stop doing this. You're tired." The two of you stayed like that for a minute. Afterwards, she walked you home and talked to you.

Asahi Azumane

Due to your parents/guardian losing their job, you decided to step in and get one yourself. It was only a part-time job after school so you didn't earn too much money, but it was still money, right?

But, soon that part-time job turned into basically a full-time job. You picking up other people's shifts if they couldn't make it, purposely working overtime to get more money to support your family. It was hard and you were struggling. Though you tried to put up a happy facade, smiling through your exhaustion and continued to keep the smile on your face even if you felt lots of pain, both mentally and physically. Working these long hours put a lot of strain on your body.

You worked at a gas station, sitting behind the counter and tiredly scanning people's items and having to deal with angry customers. Though, you spot one familiar face as he approaches you with a few items in hand. Asahi.

Asahi's expression turned surprised, eyes widening slightly. "Oh, you work here?" he asked, as he set down his items on the counter. You responded with just a sheepish smile and a nod. "Yep. Been working here for a bit now." Asahi caught onto the tired tone in your voice.

As he took a closer look at you, he noticed the eye bags underneath your eyes, the way your eyes were dull instead of the light that filled them. He frowned. "Hey, it's kinda late, isn't it? How long have you been working today?"

As if on autopilot, you respond, "six hours." You didn't even realize your mistake until after you looked up at Asahi to see his expression, which was now twisted into more of a surprised and kind of horrified look.

"hey, i'll drive you home. don't worry," Asahi said, picking up his bags of items after they had been scanned by you. A soft smile made its way onto Asahi's lips. "Try not to overwork yourself in the future, okay?"

[adolin]

Any fiction recommendations? I’ve repeatedly read Locked Tomb, natch. I’d love something similarly brainwork inducing but maybe a touch lighter. Also not fantasy or sci fi…I need something to listen to while I do a ton of chores, and those can be hard (for me) because the unfamiliar proper nouns get confusing. :/

anon!! I'm terrible at reccing anything based on “if you liked TLT” because TLT is like five different genres in a trench coat, but I TRIED (⭐) Here are some brainworm-y recs that aren't sff — where by brainworm-y I mean that they stayed with me for a while after I finished them, but aren't overly confusing. (most of them are books, but available on audio)

Podcasts: a tumblr pal recced me the deviser based on me liking the eldritch elements of tlt; it's short and horror-y, and I really enjoyed it.

I haven't checked out the new TMA yet but I see many TLT peeps who are enjoying it (or S1 of the original The Magnus Archives could be a good entry point if you haven't ever listened to it)

TV: Unfortunately I hardly ever watch live action stuff BUT if you haven't seen either IWTV (the series not the film) or Yellowjackets, I do rec those! There's a lot of overlap between these fans and TLT fandom on my dash. His Dark Materials also goes hard and you might enjoy it (dysfunctional characters! worldbuilding! religious weirdness!) but it has more sff elements than other stuff I've recced. Oddball out of nowhere but The Great is a fun show if you enjoy the meme moments of TLT + people being gleefully horrible + having feelings despite your best intentions

Animanga: Utena (!!!!!) also Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, which occupies a very similar space to TLT in my brain

Books!

✧ I went through my “women unhinged” goodreads shelf and found some books that are avaliable in audio format, and might appeal. These are wildly varied in scope and ngl the criterion was just “at least one person (besides myself) who enjoyed tlt also this book” and the similarities stop there. It's all vibes baby! Still, I tried

my heart is a chainsaw by stephen graham jones (horror, slasher), bunny by mona awad (horror, wildly unhinged), the witching hour by anne rice (horror, gothic)

matrix by lauren groff (historical, lesbian nuns), anything by sarah waters (historical fiction + lesbians), rebecca by daphne du maurier (historical, gothic)

the plot by jean hanff korelitz (litfic, thriller), sadie by courtney summers (thriller, coming of age). anything by gillian flynn (thrillers with terrible women).

✧ I really enjoy Tana French thrillers for the strong sense of place, great prose, and the complete emotional turmoil of her character-centric narratives. If anything sounds up your alley, I enjoyed the witch's elm + dublin murder squad series. They're murder mystery procedural but the messy characters really elevate the novels. Available in audiobook also

✧ American Elsewhere, technically scifi but set in New Mexico. Somehow, cosmic horrors who have taken over a quaint little town and worse! They are enforcing HETERONORMATIVITY upon it! They also have tentacles. The main character rocks

✧ Sundial by Catriona Ward: insane, gripping psychological horror. A mother and her unsettling daughter take a trip to the isolate desert ranch where the main chracter grew up. Surrounded by unsettling science experiments

✧ A Touch of Jen by Beth Morgan: when the parasocial relationship is so strong, it accidentally summons a hellmonster from another dimension

✧ SFF adjacent, sorry, but set in the real world (historical, tho) — Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge, a middle grade novel with fairytale elements that gave me more brainworms than any kids book ought to, mostly because I LOVED the main character. She occupies a very similar place in my brain as Gideon does. This is actually the only book on the list that I'm not sure is available in audio format, but if you get a chance and it's up your alley, I'd check it out

I hope there's at least ONE thing you'll like in here! lmk (also. lmk if you don't have access to a way to borrow audiobooks but would like to)

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

Galileo Galilei Main Story

Translations may not always capture the exact nuances or tone of the original text. Not proofread.

Galileo brought me to the university's research lab. It was a place I had visited once before, back when I had just met him.

Galileo: "I have a lecture now. You'll have to stay here until it's over."

Mitsuki: "Okay. Um, why did you bring me here?"

Galileo: "Because I can't just leave you alone."

From his tone, it seemed like he wanted to ensure I wouldn't wander off on my own in their hideout.

(But just waiting around doesn't seem right.)

(And to truly understand this person...)

Mitsuki: "Galileo, is there anything I can do to help?"

Galileo: "Help?"

Mitsuki: "I think to get to know you, I need to get closer first."

Galileo: "I see."

He seemed to understand my intention, but...

Galileo: "There's nothing you can do."

Galileo: "Also, don't even think about contacting Professor Ayscough just because we're in the same building."

Mitsuki: "I won't do anything like that. I haven't forgotten about the conditions."

After I responded, he turned away, ending the conversation.

Galileo: "I'm leaving now. Feel free to do whatever you want in this room."

With those parting words, he left and closed the door.

Left alone, I breathed out to ease the tension.

(He's right, I probably can't assist a university professor.)

(But at this rate, understanding him seems like a daunting task.)

Looking around the lab, I noticed there wasn't a speck of dust in the room, and the bookshelves were neat and tidy.

He seemed to be a very meticulous person.

(Come to think of it, they say you can tell a lot about a person by looking at their bookshelf.)

Recalling that one's interests, hobbies, and thoughts are reflected in the books they read, I scanned the spines of the books on the shelf.

(There are mostly astronomy and academic books. Hmm?)

Amidst the well-worn academic books, my eyes suddenly fell on a particular book.

For some reason, that one old book was placed on the outside of the bookend.

(I wonder what book this is. Um, 'Concerning the Two'...)

(No good. The cover is so worn out that I can't read the title or the author.)

I flipped through the pages and found that I could read the contents.

(If he's holding onto this beat-up book, it's gotta be one he really loves.)

(Since he said I could do as I please in this room...)

I sat on a chair and opened the book once again.

After flipping through the pages for a few hours, I raised my head at the sound of the bell and looked out the window to find the sky had turned red.

(It's already this late. I got so absorbed in the book.)

At that moment, Galileo returned.

Mitsuki: "Ah, welcome back."

Galileo: "That's..."

His widened eyes focused on what I had in my hands.

Mitsuki: "Sorry for reading this without permission."

Mitsuki: "Somehow, this book caught my eye. I haven't finished reading it yet, so can I borrow it?"

Galileo: "........."

(Galileo?)

He furrowed his eyebrows in silence, wearing a somewhat bitter expression.

Mitsuki: "Was this book important?"

(Maybe he had a sentimental attachment to it. I shouldn't have read it without permission.)

Galileo: "No. I told you to do as you please."

Galileo: "You're free to pick any book you want."

Mitsuki: "Then, I'll borrow it. Thank you."

I thanked him, but he was not looking at me anymore.

(His expression just now looked angry or maybe sad.)

(Is this book something special to him?)

I looked down at the book in my hand and gently stroked the faded cover.

Later, when we returned to the hideout, he led me to that door.

Mitsuki: "Galileo, why are we here?"

Galileo: "You asked earlier if there was anything you could help with."

Galileo: "You straightforwardly asked it to get to know me better."

Mitsuki: "I did ask, indeed."

Galileo: "Then, in light of your willingness to face the truth, I will assign you a role."

Mitsuki: "Huh?"

Galileo: "But beyond this door."

He opened the door, revealing the misty space.

Mitsuki: "The door doesn't open for another month once it's been opened."

Galileo: "There's no need to wait with this door. It has been modified to remove that restriction."

(So it can be opened anytime?)

As he stepped through the door, instantly, the mist cleared, revealing the familiar hallway.

Mitsuki: "It's the same as before. Why does the hallway appear when you pass through?"

Galileo: "You ask too many questions."

Mitsuki: "I'm sorry, but it's just so mysterious."

Galileo: "Well, never mind. I'll tell you as a warning."

He let out a sigh and touched the harness belt hanging from his shoulder to his waist.

Galileo: "This harness belt stabilizes the anomalies in space."

Galileo: "In other words, if you were to pass through alone, you'd just get swallowed by the distorted space."

Even when he spoke it in a piercing manner, I was simply surprised.

(He not only created a door that allows time travel but also managed to resolve spatial anomalies.)

(This person is really a "genius," after all.)

If his ideas and research were to spread, surely he could change the world, just like Galileo Galilei did in his time.

Galileo: "If we proceed together from here, you'll catch a glimpse of my purpose."

Galileo: "In exchange, I'll need you to fulfill a role. It's what you yourself wished for."

(His purpose...)

He said he would put an end to this world.

If I follow him, I might end up aiding his destructive purpose.

Galileo: "Even if you come along, there's no guarantee you'll get the information you desire."

Galileo: "However, if you're prepared to seek the truth, I'll take you with me."

Almost indifferently, he glanced at me.

(To understand him, I might have to cooperate with his purpose.)

I want to stop him, but doing that would be the opposite.

(But perhaps this is a chance.)

(If I act alongside him, maybe I can stop him.)

(Also...)

With determination, I tightly clenched my fists.

Mitsuki: "I'll go."

Mitsuki: "When I decided to come here, I decided to confirm your truth with my own eyes."

Galileo: "........"

As if assessing my resolve, he gazed at me.

Eventually, his gaze shifted toward the end of the hallway.

Galileo: "Then, let's go."

We walked down the seemingly endless hallway, ensuring not to lose sight of him.

After a while, we arrived at a quiet grassland on a windless night.

(I don't know where we are. What are we supposed to do here?)

As I pondered, I suddenly looked up at the sky.

Mitsuki: "The moon..."

Above us hung a round moon stained in a blood-like red hue.

Galileo: "It's a lunar eclipse."

Galileo: "The Earth comes between the sun and the moon, blocking the sun's light. The phenomenon of the red moon is primarily due to the scattering of sunlight by the Earth's atmosphere."

Mitsuki: "I see."

(I understand the explanation, but it's still a little scary.)

Even though it's an astronomical phenomenon, the red moon against the pitch-black sky feels ominous and oppressive.

Galileo: "Haah..."

At that moment, I heard a heavy sigh. I glanced beside me and saw Galileo wearing a troubled expression.

Mitsuki: "Galileo, are you okay? You look pale, and you suddenly seem..."

Galileo: "Don't touch me."

Upon hearing those words, my hand, which I had instinctively extended, stopped abruptly.

Seeing him lower his gaze as if enduring something, I recalled what Drake had mentioned about the dhampir's constitution.

(Right. I think their bloodlust intensifies during a full moon.)

Mitsuki: "Could it be bloodlust?"

Galileo: "........"

He sighed and opened his eyes, his trembling purple eyes reflecting me.

Then he quickly averted them.

Galileo: "No, I'm suppressing the bloodlust with Blanc. What's affecting me now is the miasma."

(Miasma?)

I frowned at the unfamiliar term.

Galileo: "My condition doesn't matter. What matters is..."

He handed me a pen and rolled-up paper.

Upon unfolding it, I found it was a map.

Galileo: "We're currently here. Mark the direction I indicate from here."

Mitsuki: "Understood."

He took a deep breath, as if to release some pain, and glanced at the compass he had taken out.

Galileo: "Mark 220 degrees southwest from here."

Mitsuki: "Got it. Is there something in that direction?"

Galileo: "It's what I'm looking for."

(So, it means I have to find out for myself.)

I looked in the direction he indicated, but all I could see were mountains and the night sky.

Without understanding the significance of this action, I marked the map as instructed.

Galileo: "Let's move."

He said this as he started walking, still appearing to be in pain.

(Is he really okay? Galileo...)

Although I thought about saying something, remembering his earlier rejection, I swallowed my words.

We crossed the hallway once more and marked the map at another location.

Once again, the red moon shone overhead.

Galileo: "Ugh... Hah..."

Upon returning to the hideout, Galileo leaned against the closed door, exhaling deeply.

Mitsuki: "I'll help you back to your room."

Galileo: "It's fine. I'll recover in a while."

Mitsuki: "But I can't just leave you like this!"

I tried to offer support out of concern, but he pushed me away.

Galileo: "I told you. I'm not here to make friends."

Mitsuki: "........" 

Galileo: "Don't forget your purpose." 

Galileo: "That's it for today. Rest in your room." 

I watched him leave, unable to say anything more.

That night... 

I sat on the bed, reflecting on today's events.

(I found this book in his office today.)

It was the old, unreadable book I borrowed from him.

His expression directed at this book still haunts me.

(And then we went together on the night of the lunar eclipse.)

He gave me a role, but inside, I was afraid to do it.

(All I did was mark the map, but...)

I looked back but still couldn't understand what that was all about.

It's probably connected to his purpose.

(He was using the compass to check directions, like he was searching for stars.)

(Is he looking for something?)

(But why go through such pain?)

------------Flashback-----------

Galileo: "No, I suppressed the bloodlust with Blanc. What's affecting me now is the miasma."

---------Flashback Ends--------

I remembered his distressed state, and worry flooded over me again.

(I hope he's okay.)

(What is miasma, though? It didn't affect me physically, but...)

(Could it be something that only affects vampires and dhampirs?)

As I tried to organize my thoughts, more mysteries arose, making me sigh.

(There are too many things I don't understand. I need some water to clear my head.)

It was past midnight, and the living room was silent.

After drinking some water and preparing to return to my room, a figure passed through the darkness.

My shoulders tensed momentarily, but then I saw a faint glint of silvery-white hair.

(Was that Galileo just now?)

Previous Part ╎ Masterlist ╎ Premium Story

[kissorkill16]

We Met Again: A Hello Neighbor Fanfic

By JJ

Summary: 2 friends meet again after years of separation.

21 year old Trinity Bales was sitting down at a table at Starbucks, reading a book, eating her chocolate chip cookie and waiting on her coffee.

About half an hour later, a man in an apron came to her, holding her latte.

"Here's your drink. I'll bring you the bill when you're finished.", he said. "Also, it's a company policy to ask customers to remember to throw away your trash."

Trinity looked up, "Thank you, sir."

She was about to take her coffee, but then she took a closer look at the man that served her drink.

He looked different, but almost familiar.

"Nicky?", she whispered.

The man stilled in surprise, but then he took a closer look at the woman.

"Trinity?!", he almost shouted.

Trinity stood up, and she had such a strong urge to just hug the pale man, or shake him.

It's been years since they've last seen each other. Nicky moved away from Raven Brooks when he was 13, and Trinity was left with the rest of the squad to investigate other mysteries of this messed up town.

"Oh my God, I haven't seen you in so long!", said Nicky. "Also, not to be rude, but I go by Nick now. Nicky was a childish boy.", he pointed to his name tag. "See?"

Trinity put her hands on her hips and tilted her head to the side, "Okay then, Nick. How have you been?"

"I've been okay. Just trying to get by in life like every other human being. I work here during the day and I work at a liquor store by night.", Nick let out a dry laugh. "Sometimes I get free drinks."

Trinity took Nicky's hand and held it in hers. "Do you want to come back to my place after work?"

Nick felt a wave of emotions as Trinity held her hand. It reminded him of the time where she and her friends saved him from the basement of Mr. Peterson's house. Her warm hands on his, covering them like a warm blanket.

"My shift ends at 3:00."

Trinity came back an hour later, ready to pick her friend up. Nick walked over to her car and got in once he saw her wave.

Trinity took Nick to a nice, freshly painted house in Newtown. Nick found it to be beautiful, compared to his old, boarded up, rotting house.

"Wow, Trinity. You really treated yourself.", he said.

"Thanks, Nick."

They got out of the car, and Trinity unlocked the door, and they walked in. They were greeted by a nice, warm feeling of air.

"Woah, sure is toasty in here.", said Nick.

"Yeah.", said Trinity.

They took off their shoes, went to the living room and sat down on the couch. It was silent for a moment before Trinity spoke up.

"Where'd you move to after Raven Brooks?", she asked.

"I don't know, some place in New York. I think it was either Brooklyn or Queens or some shit. Either way, it was New York.", replied Nick. "My parents were able to find a good therapist that wasn't a total creep, or part of a secret cult."

Trinity hummed.

"What about you? Raven Brooks been treating you right?"

"Somewhat.", said Trinity. "Things slowly got rocky in Raven Brooks. We haven't seen anything or heard anything yet, but I still have a weird feeling that there's still something lurking about in this messed up town."

"Trinity, there's always something lurking about in this messed up town."

"I know."

Another moment of silence.

"How's the rest of the gang? You and Enzo together yet?"

Trinity shook her head. "Me and Enzo didn't really work out. He loves me, but I only like him as a friend, so I broke up with him. He's still pretty salty about it, but we're on good terms."

"Damn, that sucks.", said Nick. "I haven't really had much interest in anyone. I've been more focused on work and not having nightmares."

Trinity looked at her friend in worry, "Speaking of which, how've you been...coping with it lately?"

Nicky didn't answer, at least not until he coughed, and a little bit of smoke came out.

"Yeah, I developed a little bit of unhealthy habits before therapy. I'm already paying for that, groceries, and bills, so I don't really have much left over for rehab."

Trinity grew more worried. "You started smoking to cope with your trauma?", she asked. "Nick, that's not healthy."

"It's not just smoking, sometimes it's drinking.", said Nick. As if that made it any better. "And that's only part of the reason why I started."

Trinity crossed her arms. "What's the other reason?", she asked.

Nick sat in silence for a minute, before he flopped into the couch, looking at Trinity. "Because I missed you."

Trinity couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her friend who was a social pariah since the day she met him, the boy who got kidnapped by her crazy neighbor, turned to smoking and drinking to cope with the thoughts of her. "You missed me?"

"It was kinda hard for me not to.", he said. "You were the only one who believed in me, the only one who didn't think I was crazy. When I moved away, all I could think about was you. I know it sounds weird, but it's the truth."

Trinity felt her face grow red.

"But I think I might've had feelings for you before I moved away. I didn't want to say anything since I knew Enzo had a massive crush on you. But every time you hold my hand, I feel all warm and fuzzy inside.", he said.

Trinity smiled, her face growing more red.

"I missed you too, Nicky. You're one of the best people I've ever met.", she said.

Nick smiled at her, but wasn't prepared for what she did next.

Trinity pounced on the man, and shoved her mouth onto his, but quickly pulled away once she tasted him.

"EWW! You taste disgusting.", she said.

"Well, yeah. What did you expect?", Nick sassed at her.

"I'll pay for your rehab and get you some help.", said Trinity. "But first..."

She continued to devour the man, and Nick didn't even mind one bit that this happened.

Boy, was he happy to be back.