#also it's just at the right height for me to hoist my legs up on the desk and put my laptop on my lap

[chiropteracupola]

back in my natural habitat [office and/or gamer chair]

[woso-dreamzzz]

Proud IX

Hardersson x Teen!Reader

Fridolina Rolfö x Teen!Reader

Summary: After the preseason against Barcelona

Someone is watching you.

It's nothing you can prove, of course. It's nothing you really care that much about either.

You've just managed to draw against Barcelona in a preseason friendly. Of course there would be someone watching. A lot of someones actually but you don't find yourself minding too much as you head over to your parents.

They're on the far side of the pitch, waving to the very few Spanish Bayern fans that have come out to watch the team play.

You wiggle your way between them and Magda's arm automatically comes to rest on your shoulder. She angles her face towards you slightly, a smile on her face as she presses a quick kiss to your hairline.

Pernille takes your hand on the other side and you smile at her, leaning your head against her shoulder.

It feels good to demonstrate your skills.

In front of your new teammates. In front of your new manager. In front of Barcelona, to make them worry when you're on the pitch, to show them they aren't as bulletproof as the fans think they are.

But, right now, all you can do is smile as your sign things for the very few Bayern fans that have come over to watch your team play for them.

"You did very well today," Pernille says to you, squeezing your hand softly.

"Enough for a lamb?"

"You know the rules," Pernille replies with practiced exasperation," You'll have to really impress. Show me you can really care for one."

You huff, putting on a bit of a show.

This is a practiced dance between you and Pernille, a more playful back and forth now that you've moved to Germany. Pernille pretends that she's more opposed to getting a sweet lamb than she actually is and you pretend to be more annoyed than you actually are that you're being refused.

"Oh come on, Pernille!" Magda says from your other side," I really think she's deserved it!"

Magda's also apart of all this teasing. She backs you up, insists that you've already proven yourself despite having never had a pet in your life. The extent of your animal caring abilities is filling up the bird feeder in the garden.

Of course, you've also got that little binder you made a few years ago with how to take care of lambs and sheep and when to sheer them and what to feed them and how you can make them happy.

Pernille had made you make it after she realised you were serious about raising a lamb for yourself.

You update it every so often, just to show her that this isn't something that you've forgotten about.

Arms close around your waist and you shriek as you're lifted into the air.

You can hear Pernille and Magda laugh as you're hoisted up and you flail your legs around when you're airborne for too long.

"Frido!" You shriek," Let me down!"

Frido shakes you, using her height difference against you before unceremoniously dumping you onto the ground.

You roll onto your back, panting with a smile as you look up at her. "That was mean."

"What has the world come to?" She asks no one in particular," That an aunt can't pick up and shake her little niece anymore?"

"I'm not little."

She grins down at you. "I remember you before your growth spurt," She says," You'll always be my little niece."

Frido offers you a hand.

You take it and pull her down.

She shrieks at the sudden force of your pull and falls onto the grass next to you.

You laugh, letting Pernille help you up and dust the dirt off your shirt.

Frido does the same with her own clothes, flicking a stray piece of grass at you that you bat away easily.

"Good game," She says, ruffling your hair," You had us on our toes."

"Just..." You glance behind you, feeling that same prickly feeling of eyes on your back," Just wanted to impress."

"Well, you certainly did that." Frido leans closer, like she's about to tell you a secret. "But I don't think it's just on who you wanted to watch you."

She jerks her chin over your shoulder and you follow her gaze.

Alexia Putellas is by the bench, talking and gesturing wildly over at you to the new Barcelona manager. You don't quite remember his name but you know what he looks like and even from this far of a distance away, you know he's looking straight at you.

"Best hope Bayern put a big price on her release clause," Frido says to your mothers and you feel Magda freeze behind you.

Her mouth dry, she speaks. "What?"

"Just saying," Frido laughs," A performance like that? In preseason? At a club she's just moved to? You and I both know she's a talent. Alexia doesn't really enjoy talents like that outside of Barcelona."

Magda pulls your back against her front, arms hanging over your shoulders. "They can't have her. She's a minor. They need our permission."

"She'll be eighteen soon," Frido reminds Magda.

"Still. They can't force her to come. I won't let them. I just got her back."

"We just got her back," Pernille corrects.

"Besides," You laugh," Momma won't even let me get a lamb yet. I don't think she'll be too happy sending me off to Spain."

Frido laughs, ruffling your hair again. "I think you'll find Barcelona can be quite persuasive when they need to be. How else do you think we got Ewa with us?"

"Dumb luck?"

Frido gasps dramatically. "You know what, young lady? Come here!"

She reaches for you and you duck out of the way, sprinting across the pitch out of her reach.

"You're getting old!" You shout over your shoulder, ducking and weaving through players and staff alike. "Aren't you meant to be a professional athlete?"

You jump over a crate of drinks as Frido trips over them.

You laugh, leaving her in the dirt as another hand reaches for your own.

"Aren't you tired?" Ingrid asks you," You've just played ninety minutes."

You know Ingrid quite well considering you've never played on a team with her.

Pernille and Frido have introduced you two a lot over the years. She's nice to see, someone who is not family but just as nice as them.

"I'm never too tired to humiliate Frido," You answer, turning to look back as Pernille helps Frido up while Magda howls with laughter.

Ingrid rolls her eyes fondly at you, brushing a few stray strands of hair out of your face.

"Have you met Esmee before? I can't remember."

Either way, Ingrid introduces you to Esmee, who seems nice enough, if a little shy. You can imagine you and her getting on once you're both settled with each other.

"Of course, you know Mapi a bit and this is Aitana. Aitana, this is y/n. She's Magda and Pernille's daughter, Frido's niece."

"Daughter?" The look Aitana wears on her face is one you're always used to when regarding your parentage.

"Adopted," You confirm with a nod. It's always better to explain now than have to deal with the awkward questions as people try to tread around the minefield that's your family situation.

She nods once before speaking. "Do you want to swap shirts?"

"Oh! Er..." You glance behind you where your family is (thankfully) keeping their distance. Still within earshot but not enough to invite themselves into the conversation.

Both of your mothers stick their thumbs up at you.

"Yeah...okay, then."

Like you thought, you and Esmee do get on. You reckon that you wearing a Barcelona shirt (Aitana's Barcelona shirt, you think in the back of your mind) must have settled her a bit. Familiar people with the one unfamiliar one wearing a very familiar colours.

She's nice and speaks well and you almost forget about the prickling feeling of someone watching you until that someone is right behind you.

The little circle you've found yourself in opens up and Alexia Putellas slides into the now empty spot next to you.

Magda moves to approach as well but Pernille holds her back by the back of the shirt.

"Pernille-"

"Let her deal with it," Pernille says," However she wants to do it. We can't coddle her for her whole life."

Magda pouts. "We can try."

"Magda," Pernille continues," She's much more capable than you like to think."

You hope that your eyes aren't as wide in shock as you think they are. it would be embarrassing for Alexia Putellas to remember that expression as the one you wore when you first met her.

"You had a good game," She says to you and you feel your throat go dry.

You force words out anyway. "Th-Thank you."

"A great game, actually," Alexia continues," You're very talented."

"Thank you."

You feel like a broken record, incapable of saying nothing but the same thing over and over again.

"How long have you got on your Bayern contract?"

"Two-Two years."

"Two years? Not three? Or four? For someone of your talent..."

"Oh, er, well, it's meant to finish the same time as my mothers' do."

"Harder and Eriksson's kid, aren't you?"

"And Frido's niece," Ingrid puts in and Alexia nods.

"I thought so. She's never had anything but compliments for you. You used to play for Arsenal as well, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"And you joined Sweden for their Euro qualifiers as well. It's nice to see that young talent is being fostered so well."

You laugh a little awkwardly. "Oh, well, I'm not really anything special."

The look Alexia gives you makes it clear she thinks differently. She doesn't refute your claim though, just purses her lips in thought.

"Barcelona has always been good at noticing young talent and putting our faith in them."

"Oh?"

She smiles at you. "Just something to think about. Have you got the same managers as your mothers?"

You nod. "Yeah, Morsa...Er...Magda and I have the same person."

"Excellent." She claps a hand down onto your shoulder. "You should probably warn them about something coming their way soon after that performance today. I hope to see you on the pitch again soon."

With that, Alexia Putellas walks away, right back down the tunnels and you're left hopelessly looking back at her.

You turn back to the little group around you, a group that your family has finally joined again.

"Sorry...What just happened?"

Frido laughs, a casual arm flung over your shoulder.

"That was Alexia speak for 'Barcelona will be trying to buy you from Bayern soon'."

Magda swears. "For fuck's sake!"

[withahappyrefrain]

YESS the “she can take it” SO HOT..like yeah Jake is being kinda dominate..fucking you..but Bob is just barking orders, pushing around, just being IN CHARGE like..owning the whole room, taking up space, just DOMINANT

"She's not made out of glass y'know," Bob chuckles, his shadow looming over you and Jake.

Jake lets out a frustrated grunt, greatly missing the days where Bob wouldn't talk to him unless he said something stupid.

Bob on the other hand, was getting immense joy from this hands on lesson you and he were providing Jake with.

When it came to sex, the Floyd's were not the first thing that came to Jake's mind. But after walking in on you two in the Hard Deck's bathroom, the pilot was intrigued.

He also realized that despite his years of experience, he still had a lot to learn.

The latest thrust from Jake pulls a whine from your lips. His cock feels great, but it's not quite reaching the spot that makes you see stars. At least, not yet.

You give the blonde an encouraging smile, "Bob's right. You can be rougher if you want."

Your husband leaned over, just three of his long fingers easily able to grasp your chin, forcing you to look up at him.

"Going by what he wants is exactly why our little friend is in this situation," Bob said through gritted teeth. Jake held back a comment on height upon recalling that Bob was in fact taller than him by several inches.

Vertical and horizontal.

"Now sweetie, tell Jake, what is it that you want?"

You looked into Jake's sea green eyes, "I want you to make me come. Without touching my clit."

Jake opened his mouth, ready to scoff at such a thing being possible. But then he recalled you and Bob in the bathroom, you sat on the counter while Bob thrust into you. He had made you come with just his cock, something Jake had yet to master.

"Can you.....help me?" Jake's voice was all but a whisper. You nodded, sending a knowing smile to Bob.

"Push her knees up to her chest, she'll feel your cock way better," Bob ordered.

"That's comfortable?" Jake asked.

Bob simply nodded, "She can take it. Plus it makes her feel dirty, which she loves. Isn't that right darlin'?"

Warmth flooded your face at Bob's nickname for you. Your husband tapped his long fingers against your mouth. Immediately, your lips parted, moaning upon feeling the digits on your tongue.

The sight makes Jake's cock twitch. Two weeks ago, he would have confidently said he was dominant in the bedroom.

Now?

He wasn't so sure. He still liked being in charge. But Bob was different. The quiet backseater had a way of commanding in the bedroom and Jake would be lying if he said he wasn't jealous.

A sharp slap against his thighs broke Jake out of his thoughts.

"Can you listen? Or do you need me to show you how she likes to be fucked? Again?"

Jake holds back a sarcastic comment. His ass is still healing from Bob's last punishment.

And he really needs to come.

So he hoists your legs up, pushing your knees to your chest. The new angle causes you to throw back your head now that you could feel Jake's cock even deeper.

"Fuck, r-right there!"

Bob smirks, "Told ya."

Jake mutters something indignant.

"What was that?" Bob's breath is hot on the shell of Jake's ear. The searing pain from his hair being pulled on went straight to his cock.

"Kiss his neck Bobby, he loves that," you giggled from underneath.

"If she's able to talk you're not fucking her hard enough. Go ahead Jake, fuck my wife."

Jake regretted every "baby on board" joke he had ever made.

[circus4apsycho8]

knife to meet you. | cole x reader | chapter ii

A/N: Hello??? An update for a series that took me less than six months to write???? Let's go!

So, we've got girl bonding this chapter as well as our first impromptu job with the ninja :) Also I think this story is going to be longer than 3 parts.

Anyways, please enjoy!

Masterlist for this Fic

Word Count: 8.6k

“Alright,” Cole says, offering his hand out to you. “May I?” 

You send him a questioning glance, but place your hand in his anyway. His palms are warm, knuckles sprinkled with callouses. Similar to but fainter than the dragons, you feel a weak energy thrumming underneath his skin.

He secures a grip around your hand, turning you towards the saddle. With his free hand, he jerks on a thick loop of leather hanging off of the side. “You can step on this little loop right here. Once you’re up, use the grips on the front to haul yourself up. Don’t worry about falling; I’ll be here to spot you. Use my shoulder if you need to.”

“Alright...” you mumble, glancing towards the loop he mentioned. Your free hand moves to latch onto one of the spare grips on the side, your grip on his hand tightening as you pull yourself onto the side of the dragon. Once you’re steady, you release his hand and locate the grips he’d mentioned. You hoist yourself over, muscles straining as you pull yourself up. Finally, you’re high enough to swing a leg around to mount the dragon.

“Woah,” you mumble, gasping when Rocky stirs underneath you. “Okay, I’m good...I think.” 

“I know, it’s a weird adjustment,” Cole sympathizes, skillfully mounting the dragon in one clean step. For a moment, you find your cheeks warming as he settles in front of you, closer than you’d expected.

He reaches for the reins in front of him, causing Rocky to stand at attention. Your hands immediately fall to the scales of the dragon, searching for somewhere to hold onto. 

“Okay. You’ll have to hold on to me. If the wind gets to be too much, then you’re welcome to use my back as a shield.” 

“Oh...alright,” you mumble, arms hesitating as you wonder how you should hold him. After a moment of debating, you awkwardly circle your arms around the middle of his torso, doing your best to avoid his healing wound. “Is this okay?” 

“Yeah, you’re fine,” he confirms, glancing over at the others. Everyone else seems to be ready to go; the ninjas all have their hoods flipped up. The dragons growl in anticipation, with Wisp being the most antsy. Upon checking the others, Cole raises his voice so the others can hear: “Alright, guys, let’s go!”

“Last one there is the worst ninja!” Jay yells just before Wisp darts into action, his wings flapping chilly gusts of wind in your direction. A shiver wracks your spine as your grip around Cole’s waist tightens.

Cole’s shoulders shake with a chuckle as the other two follow Jay, dragons roaring once they’re airborne.

“We’re going to take it slow,” Cole says. “Alright, Rocky. To the monastery.”

 Rocky’s wings start to flap, and true to Cole’s word, he starts elevating slowly. Suddenly feeling off-balance, you lean further into Cole without thinking about it. 

“Whoa!” you say, heart racing as the dragons ascend. The shop grows smaller with every beat of Rocky’s wings, and the crowd around the store stares up at the beasts with the same awe you had earlier. 

“You okay?” Cole calls back as the dragon starts cruising forward, gradually building up speed. You notice that the others are drifting far ahead, hollering at each other.  

“Yeah, just nervous. And a little unsteady,” you admit, looping your fingers together. You scoot up a little farther, finally feeling a little steadier even though you’re basically pressed against Cole. He doesn’t seem to mind, much to your relief. 

“We’ll take it slow until you feel more comfortable with it.” 

You peer over the edge of the dragon, stomach lurching at the height you’re at. The sight makes your grip on the ninja tighten. You elect not to look down anymore, instead peeking over Cole’s shoulder.

The skyline of Ninjago City is splayed before you, your heart stuttering at the view. The windows of the taller buildings seem to sparkle in the morning light, while your mind envisions what it might be like to live there someday. What would it be like waking up to such a view every morning?

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” comes Cole’s voice, eyes staring in the same direction. “I hope we can start taking missions there too one day.” 

Despite the longing to visit the city, Cole passes it and continues straight ahead. You feel a little bit steadier now, loosening your grip on Cole as you stare ahead. 

“Where do you take missions, then?” you wonder. 

“Well, we just got out of training, so we haven’t had much time to complete anything yet. We went on a quest to find the Golden Weapons, which took us all across Ninjago. We’ve had a few run-ins with Lord Garmadon’s skeleton army, but we haven’t seen much of them since we left the Underworld.” 

“Wait, wait, wait!” You shake your head, unable to believe what you’d just heard. “You went to the Underworld?!” 

Cole nods. “Yep. Turns out, dragons can ferry between realms. We had to go in order to find Sensei Wu; he vanished after helping Kai and Nya escape Garmadon.” 

You pause in order to process what you’ve been told. The Underworld. What did you get yourself into? 

The black ninja chuckles. “Yeah, I know. It’s unbelievable. But we made it through, somehow. And now we’ve just been taking jobs for petty criminals in the meantime.” 

“I see,” you say, spotting a group of mountains in the distance. Atop the tallest one is... 

“There’s the monastery,” Cole confirms. “We’re going to land at the back so we can let the dragons rest. Just wait for me to dismount first so I can help you down.” 

“Got it,” you acknowledge, spying a set of stairs cascading down from the door. Are they supposed to climb that many steps every time?! “Why’s it on the tallest mountain? Do you guys always climb all those stairs?” 

“We usually travel with our dragons, but sometimes, yeah. It’s a great rock-climbing mountain, though.” 

Great! First, ninjas throwing themselves in the face of danger for fun, and now a ninja who also enjoys rock climbing. You certainly have your work cut out for you. “Of course you rock climb. As if one dangerous hobby isn’t enough. Tell me that you at least use...I don’t know, a harness or something, right?” 

"Why would I do that?” 

“Because there’s not much I can do for you if you fall and your body splatters across the earth like a water balloon!” you retort.

“Stars, that’s graphic. But you make a convincing point. I’ll look into it.”

The conversation comes to a stop as he approaches the monastery, guiding Rocky towards a gated cavern embedded within the mountain. The ninja steer their dragons into the cave, jumping off one by one. 

Cole follows suit, allowing Rocky to land on the edge and carry you both into the shade underneath the cave. The sudden absence of sunlight beckons goosebumps from your skin. Rocky hobbles in next to the other dragons, letting Cole reattach the reins to the front of the saddle.

You withdraw your hands from his torso, watching as he swivels his right leg over, jumping off skillfully and leaving you shivering without his body heat. With his back turned to you, he stretches his arms out.

It’s all you can do to glance away, cheeks warming at the sight of his muscles. That sleeveless gi suits him a little too well. 

“Ugh...I’m gonna be sore tomorrow,” he mumbles, spinning back around. “Okay, ready?” 

“I guess...” You swing your right leg back over the dragon, noting how Rocky crouches to help close the height gap. Still, it’s a decent height to jump down from. 

“I got you,” Cole assures, holding his arm out. “Just brace yourself and go for it!” 

“Okay...” you take a deep breath before sliding off. Your legs suddenly feel numb, causing you to stumble when you hit the ground.

Cole manages to catch you before you go tumbling to the ground, thankfully. “Woah! You okay?” 

“Yeah, sorry...I came down faster than I thought,” you admit with a nervous chuckle. You brace yourself on his arms, the blush on your cheeks eroding the wind-stained numbness on your skin as you hold onto him to balance yourself. “Also, my legs are shaking.” 

He laughs, letting you hang onto him while you steady yourself. “I know how you feel. I used to be scared of dragons, and my first ride was, well...rough, to say the least. The adrenaline you get from your first ride takes everything out of you.”

“You were scared of dragons?” you wonder, willing your knees not to wobble and give out. Your heart continues to race, skin still stinging from the wind.

“Yeah, before we met these guys, I couldn’t stand them. I also just don’t like being in the air – unless I’m rock climbing. But clearly, I had a change of heart,” he mumbles, smiling softly at Rocky before shifting his attention to the items strapped to the dragon. “Alright, we’ll go ahead and get this unloaded for you.”

You watch as he and Kai start unbuckling the cords, frowning as they begin unloaded. You don’t think his cut will reopen, but you’d rather him hold off on heavy lifting for a few days. “Hey, don’t strain yourself with the lifting. I’m going to be pissed if I have to waste a dose of Mystake’s special solution on closing your wound again.”

Your comment makes the two laugh, their voices bouncing off of the cavern walls. Cole snickers, shaking his head as he turns back to you.

“You are so mean,” he says, frowning in mock offense and gesturing towards the pile of luggage. “This isn’t even heavy for me!”

Zane steps around Rocky with Sensei Wu, offering a polite smile to you. “We will ensure he does not strain his injury.”

“Come,” Sensei Wu says, gesturing for you to follow him. “I will have Nya show you around the monastery while the ninja unload and set the dragons up for the night. Please, follow me.”

The elderly man pivots, staff gently crunching on the dirt as he makes his way to a staircase carved in the mountain. When you step out of the cavern’s protective walls, the wind returns to your face, stinging your skin once more.

A breath dies in your throat when you see just how high up you are; the fact that there’s no railing on the sides of the mountain makes you queasy. Regardless, you follow Sensei Wu, making sure to stick as close to the mountain as you can.

”This monastery has been home to me ever since I was a boy,” Sensei Wu explains, voice cutting through the wind. “It’s been standing for thousands of years and has seen generations of elemental masters.”

“So much history…” you mutter, tracing the side of the mountain with your hand. How many people have walked this path before you?

Thankfully, the path veers to the left and away from the edge, vertigo fading from your body. Now, you’re positioned at the top of the mountain, just before the monastery doors.

What startles you most is just how quiet it is up here; there are no merchants advertising their products, no bikers running about, no customers running to and fro. All you can hear are the distant yells of the ninja and the wind blowing through the trees.

“It’s so quiet up here,” you note, watching as Wu uses the steel bar welded on the gate to knock.

The old man chuckles, standing back and leaning on his staff. “Yes, and for good reason. Though, I understand it must be an adjustment after being a village for some time.”

”Yeah, it’s definitely going to take some getting used to,” you note, turning around as the two of you wait. “But I don’t hate it. It’s a nice break.”

To the left of the entrance lies a small patch of forest, its leaf canopy rustling with the wind. The trees sway, offering you a view deeper within.

To your surprise, a woman stands amidst the overgrowth. She stares at you with a blank expression, unmoving as her dress fails to react to the breeze. Her dark hair is pinned up loosely, also seemingly too still for the weather. You frown, wondering if you should call out to her. Did Wu not see her? Why didn’t she greet him?

Metallic groaning snaps you out of your trance, making you spin towards the gate. The doors are swinging open, revealing a new girl.

Her dark hair is cut into a bob, framing a pair of eyes that remind you of Kai’s. The girl lights up when she sees Wu. Behind her is a courtyard that precedes the interior part of the monastery.

“Sensei, you’re back!” she cries, pushing the gates all the way open. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, Nya, everything is fine. The ninja are in the dragon keep, unloading. We’ll update you in just a moment.”

So this is Nya. You frown, eyes darting back to where the woman was, finding that she’s gone now.

Shivers erupt across your skin as Sensei continues talking with Nya. You shake it off, deciding to just ignore…whatever that was.

“We have a new addition to the team,” Sensei Wu says, catching your attention once again as he tells Nya your name. “She is our new medic. She was an apprentice of Mystake before she agreed to come work with us.”

Nya grins, breathing what sounds to be a sigh of relief as she waves at you. “A medic, huh? That’s a relief. Those idiots are gonna need one if they keep being as reckless as they have been. Regardless, it’s great to meet you! I’m really excited that I won’t be the only girl around here. The testosterone gets to be suffocating at points!”

Returning her friendly little wave, you grin. “It’s good to meet you too! And I’ve been around them long enough to know that I have my work cut out for me.”

”Would you please show her around?” Sensei Wu questions, shifting the staff between hands. “I need to take care of a few matters before the day ends.”

Nya nods, gesturing for you to follow her. “You got it, Sensei.”

“Thank you. The ninja should be up shortly with her belongings.” He glances at you for the next part. “Please, make yourself at home.”

You nod, smiling gratefully. “Thank you, Sensei.”

“I leave the rest to you, Nya,” Sensei says before making his way out of the gate.

You follow Nya through the clearing, listening as she tells you about the monastery. “Alright, so this is obviously the courtyard! There’s a little switch around here that reveals an obstacle course that we use for training…”

The courtyard is first. Nya shows you the obstacle course, noting that they mostly train in the courtyard. Next are the basic utility rooms - the kitchen, living room, et cetera. She shows you the ninja’s shared room, the bathrooms, and finally, her room.

“Last but not least, here’s my room. Though, I guess it’ll be our room now,” she muses, pushing the door open. You step inside, greeted by lovely red and blue themed decor with light accents of gold in places.

”Sorry that it’s kind of messy,” she mutters, kicking a piece of scrap metal to the side. “There’s not much space for us to tinker in. Sensei is still looking into getting me, Jay, and Zane a place for us to tinker, but we haven’t had much luck with that yet.”

You wave off her worry, instead curious about the contents of her room. “Don’t worry about it. You weren’t expecting anyone. But you build things?” you inquire, entering the space. A warm cinnamon scent drifts through the air, strong but not overpowering. One part of her room sports a desk with trinkets, mechanical bits, tools, and circuit boards scattered about.

She nods, passion glittering behind her amber eyes as she points towards the components on her desk. “Yeah! I like making new tech, whether they’re weapons, armor, robots…anything I can think of, really. Jay’s kind of the same, to be honest. Zane’s also handy with tools, so we’ve been collaborating on some blueprints lately. I hope we can get the time to work on some bigger projects soon,” she explains, pointing to a pile of blueprints stashed in the corner.

“That’s so cool,” you respond. “I don’t know anything about that stuff. It’s cool you guys can work on it together.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty fun,” she says, pausing in front of her bed. Her hands come to her hips as she surveys the area with a frown. “I guess we’ll have to figure out sleeping arrangements tonight. But we can deal with that later. Hopefully later on we can go shopping to find you some furniture. Then, we can change up the room format and split it evenly.”

You nod, wondering if she’s upset about having to share her already cramped space. “Yeah…um, I hope I’m not intruding or anything.”

Nya swivels to you with a grin. “Oh, no, not at all! Like I said, I’m really glad you’re here. We’re just going to have to do a little reorganizing. I can probably make an area outside for my stuff. But, please, don’t worry about that. You’re not intruding at all.”

You nod, knowing you’re probably just overthinking things. “Okay, I hope not. But that does remind me…does anyone else live here?”

”Nope, just the guys, me, and Sensei. And now you,” she answers.

Hm…no mention of that lady from earlier. Strange. You shake that thought off, about to ask her something else when the slamming of a distant door catches your attention.

“The guys are back,” she notes, tipping her head towards the door. “Come on, let’s go see what they’re up to.”

…

The first few days go by without a hitch; Nya sets up a spot for you in her room, the two of you agreeing to work on reorganizing over the next few weeks. That gives the two of you a good chunk of time to plan it out.

You check on Cole’s wound two more times, pleased with its progress. On day three of your stay with the ninja, you dryly advise him not to get stabbed again and officially “discharge” him from your care. For now, at least.

Other than that, work in terms of your job is slow. The ninja seem to be cutting back on training with the lack of missions. You’d hoped to watch them spar a bit more, but to no avail.

That is, except for Jay - you notice that he sneaks out to the courtyard at night sometimes to practice sparring by himself. You wonder if it has something to do with the night you met the ninja.

Your first five days end without a hitch. Over breakfast on the sixth and current day of your stay, Nya agrees with your initial observation about their lack of training: “Yeah, I think they’re kind of getting complacent. Jobs are dry right now, and they’re getting bored. So they’ve been turning to video games a lot.”

You frown over your beverage, tearing your gaze from the window. The small dining room in the monastery glows with morning light, wind rattling the ancient building. Still, quiet surrounds you. You’ve yet to grow used to it. “Didn’t they get a call this morning, though?”

“They did. There was a Lord Garmadon sighting,” she answers, shaking her head with a roll of her eyes. “They’re going to learn, one way or another. They’ve got to keep in top shape if they’re going to be heroes.”

Your fingers freeze in their tracks, wondering if what Nya says is true. “Lord Garmadon? He’s back?”

Nya shrugs, taking another sip of her coffee. “Honestly? I doubt it. A lot of these people jump to conclusions when they get spooked. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was something stupid. But, telling the guys that it was Lord Garmadon certainly got them off their asses in a pinch. You should have seen the way they tripped over themselves trying to get ready.”

You chuckle, liking her point. “Smart. Hopefully this will get them back into the groove.”

Nya rubs her forehead, sighing. “Stars, I hope so. They’re driving me insane. Anyways, what are you doing today?”

“Um…I haven’t actually thought that far. I guess I need to stay close in case they get hurt, though.”

“Want to come to the courtyard with me? I try to get my daily exercise in when they’re not using the equipment. I’m also determined to beat Kai’s record, even if it kills me!”

…

Nya wasn’t lying when she said she’d beat her brother’s record, even if it meant death.

No matter how many times she was knocked down, no matter how many times she finished above his time…she picked herself back up and tried again. The passion you’d seen in her eyes about her craft hardened into something fiery and stubborn when it came to competition.

Perhaps Kai isn’t the only one with a temper around here.

Even so, the first few times she stumbles, you can’t help but check on her. She shakes the cuts and bruises off without issue, promising to let you have a look at them later. It amazes you how well she brushes off the pain; some of her landings looked rough. In fact, you find her toughness inspirational, in a way.

Despite this, you had kindly declined joining her, instead electing to watch her from the stairs while brainstorming some potential recipes for new potions. You’d have to get some special ingredients, but it would be worth experimenting with new ingredients.

Not to mention that you’re itching to explore the area around your new home, curious to find what other places are nearby.

Thankfully, Nya seems to be on the same page as you. After she picks herself up from her latest fall, she takes a moment to stretch and catch her breath, groaning when she sees the timer again.

“I’m so close!” she groans, shaking her arms. “But I’m getting frustrated. And hungry. Tell you what…let me do one last round for my cooldown, then we’ll go grab lunch at Jamanakai Village. Does that sound okay?”

“Yeah, that’s fine!” you reply, shutting your notebook.

“Great. Shouldn’t take but a minute,” she says, returning to the rotating course with dummies on it.

As she’s running, voices emanate from the front of the courtyard. You turn, watching as the ninja pour in from the gate. To your relief, they look fine. No visible injuries, no grimaces or pained expressions. So that’s a good sign.

Instead, a renewed vigor emanates within the four as they approach the two of you. Cole catches your gaze, answering your unspoken question:

”We’re fine. It was a false alarm.”

Whew. “Okay, good. I’m glad.”

Upon hearing their voices, Nya gets distracted and tumbles to the ground yet again, grunting when she lands. Kai laughs at her while Jay pulls up his hood, hovering over her with a shy smile. “Hey, Nya. Closer to beating your brother’s speed record?”

“I’m getting there,” she mumbles with a grunt, thanking Jay softy when he helps her up. “So, just a false alarm?”

Kai steps up this time. “Yeah. Uh, but we’re gonna need the space. Sorry, sis. Wanna stay and watch me mop the floor with them?”

She rolls her eyes, coming to join your side. “No thanks. We’re heading to Jamanakai Village for a couple of hours. Knock yourselves out.”

“No stab wounds, please,” you encourage, offering the guys a thumbs-up.

Kai punches Cole in the shoulder with a wicked grin. “No promises, doc. We’re in it to win it today.”

“Well, whatever it is, I’m glad you guys are actually training again,” Nya responds. “Anyways, let’s get going.”

…

The walk to Jamanakai isn’t terribly long, if you take out the immense number of stairs you have to descend before that. Other than that, it’s not horrible. You’re just not looking forward to going back up.

Nya brings you to a cute, cozy local restaurant that isn’t too busy. The two of you talk about your respective interests for a little while, eventually shifting into how you met the ninja.

Lunch ends up being great, and she insists on paying for the meal as a way to celebrate your arrival. Once you’re done eating, the two of you end up looking around the market together, pointing out potential furniture you could get in the future or discussing ideas for splitting the room.

You’re also able to find a few ingredients. You buy them with the money you made while working at the shop, excited to try out your ideas. Satisfied with your haul, you tuck them away within a satchel secured by your waist.

A breeze flutters past the two of you, rustling your clothes. When it hits Nya’s dark hair, it tousles, but she doesn’t seem to mind. Instead, she swipes it out of her face with a small but content grin.

“It’s so good to get out,” Nya comments as the two of you approach a produce stand. “I think I was going a little stir-crazy at the monastery. It’ll be nice to have company now, when they’re off on missions or whatever.”

You’re about to ask her a follow up question when you hear someone screaming in the distance. Alarmed, you and Nya whip around to see what the commotion is about.

Nya scoffs, eyes narrowing as she scans the area. “What now?!”

From a nearby building, you spot a child pushing a cart filled with candy into the streets. His small figure is enveloped within a dark cloak as he snickers, yelling: “Take the candy! Take it all! Muahahaha!”

That in itself isn’t what’s threatening; it’s the uncannily large anthropomorphic snake people that follow the boy that make your heart skip a beat. More and more snakes emerge from the other side of the village.

Nya snatches your wrist, pulling both of you behind the produce stand. The spaces between the bins offer a view to what’s happening beyond, with you and Nya straining to see what’s going on.

“Serpentine?!” Nya whispers harshly, both of you watching as a larger snake appears, staring at one of the villagers. “How did they escape their tombs?”

The largest snake hisses at a small group of villagers. Its scales are dark blue, lined with yellow accents on their heads. His bright red eyes pierce the villagers’ collective gazes, and you find yourself having to glance away. Dizziness overcomes you as you shake yourself out of your trance.

What was that?

“They’re controlling the villagers,” Nya realizes as the villagers scatter, walking and groaning like zombies. “Wait…they’re coming close. Stay still!”

You and Nya press yourselves against the stand, trying to be as still and quiet as possible when two new voices emerge:

“This makes no sense, General. Raiding an entire town for sweets?!”

“You will do as I command, because I hold the staff!” the other one demands. Sure enough, in his grasp is a golden staff carved into the shape of a Serpentine. In the center rests a blue…gem? You’re not quite sure what it is.

Thankfully, the two pass the spot where you’re hiding with Nya, instead electing to terrorize some other poor villager.

“Dammit,” Nya mumbles. “They’re everywhere. There are too many to take on at once. We have to wait for the ninja to arrive.”

“Do you think they’ve been contacted yet?” you wonder, heart pounding as you hear people screaming nearby.

“I’m sure someone in the village managed to get word out. Come on, let’s see if there’s something we can do. Maybe we can get to higher ground for a better vantage point.”

She pauses, stepping out from beyond the cover of the produce stand. After a few seconds, she nods in your direction and darts out into the clearing.

You follow her, heart thumping as your legs burn and shake with adrenaline. The screaming grows quieter by the second, instead replaced with the eerie groans of the hypnotized villagers. Everywhere you look, people with blood red eyes are wandering.

“This way,” Nya directs, causing you to snap your head towards her. She points towards a ladder, gesturing for you to go first. “Go!”

You waste no time in ascending, muscles burning as you pull yourself up, hands starting to sweat when you manage to pull yourself over the roof. A grunt escapes you when you land less than ideally.

A concerning thunk from below catches your attention, making you peer over the edge. Your eyes widen when you realize Nya is now on the ground, a snake man looming above her.

“Nya!” you cry.

Your voice snatches the attention of her attacker, though. Like something primal overcomes her, you watch as something in Nya’s eyes snaps. She rolls onto her side, sweeping her leg out and knocking the Serpentine over.

The attack catches the attention of two other snakes, to your dismay. Nya yells as she launches a powerful front kick at one of them, driving her weight into the blow. He staggers back, clutching his abdomen as his friend advances on her.

“Look into my eyes,” it says, hissing. “I control you!”

Tearing your eyes from the scene, you spot a vase filled with dirt on the roof. You snatch it before hurling it down onto the Serpentine with a cry.

It smashes against the snake’s head, breaking the hypnotic stare. Ceramic chunks and dirt debris flutter to the ground as he clutches his head. Nya jerks herself back into the moment, scrambling to climb the ladder as the two snake men retreat in favor of the other villagers.

You help Nya onto the roof, struggling to catch your breath. “N-Nya!”

“I’m okay,” she breathes, sighing shakily. “Thanks for the assist back there.”

“What happened? One second you were below me…”

“...then one of them pulled me off the ladder,” she finishes, shaking her head. She swivels her head before beckoning you to follow her across the rooftop. “I’ve had worse. Come on, let’s see if we can help the villagers while we wait for the ninja. Do you have any thoughts on how to break their hypnosis?”

You trail off as she looks around, conflict etched onto both of your faces. Magic snake men that could hypnotize people were not included in your training.

“Well…it depends,” you say, glancing towards the chaos again. “I’m not really sure how those snakes are doing it. But if it’s some sort of chemical reaction, we could potentially reverse the effects if we had anti-venom. But I have no idea how we could get that. Maybe if I could get a sample of their blood, I could figure something out. That would take days, though.”

Nya trails off, contemplating your words as the two of you crouch down, out of view from below. “Anti-venom, you say? Hm…you know, when we were little, Kai and I had a babysitter that would tell us the story of the Serpentine. Or, at least the kid-friendly version. She mentioned that the snakes’ leader would bear a staff containing the anti-venom. The hero in the story did…something, with the staff. Something with water,” she frowns, wracking her memory with a frown. “And you heard those snakes, when we were hiding - the one with the long tail is the General. And he was carrying a staff.”

“A staff…and with water… ” a realization dawns on you as you trail off, remembering a potion that you made with Mystake years ago. “Wait, there’s a fountain in the village, right?”

“Yeah. It channels throughout the village-”

“We need to get that staff in the fountain,” you realize, eyes widening. “It’ll-”

The roar of a dragon interrupts you, snapping both of your attentions to the center of the village.

“The ninja!” Nya says, grabbing your wrist and pulling you into a run. “Come on, we have to regroup and tell them!”

You nod, stomach growing queasy when she releases you. She leaps across one of the rooftops, crossing the gap with ease. It’s not too long of a gap, but the fall would still be gnarly. Thankfully, the adrenaline in your system and fear for the villagers’ wellbeing does wonders in shoving your fear to the side. Your running start gives you enough momentum to jump, managing the landing to the other rooftop.

Unlike the previous one, this roof is not flat. The shingles curve upwards at a decorative angle, converging into a triangular shape. Your foot lands at an awkward angle, making you tumble to the side. You gasp, desperately clawing at shingles as you start sliding.

Nya catches your bicep, stopping your fall. You sigh in relief, accepting her help when she pulls you to your feet.

“The guys are over there, taking cover,” she says, maintaining her hold on you. “Here, come on. Just one more jump down. You’re doing fine. Just follow me down after I go, okay?” She guides your hand to the elevated portion of the roof, waiting until you’re balanced to let go.

“Got it,” you say, watching as she skillfully leaps to the ground. Okay, you’re pretty sure you can’t do all that. Maybe there’s another way down?

Once you’re steady again, you manage to look over the edge. Nya is there, now surrounded by the ninja. They’re all masked, glancing back towards the Serpentine nervously.

“I can’t do this, Nya!” you say, heart skipping a beat when a shingle chips off and clatters to the ground. “That’s too high of a jump for me!”

Cole steps forward, raising his arms and beckoning you down. “Just step off. We’ll catch you.”

“Oh, man…” you mumble, gearing yourself up. You should probably take advantage of the adrenaline while it’s still here. “Okay, here I go. Just gonna do it.”

Thankfully, you commit to the fall, breath catching in your throat as you sail through the air. True to his word, Cole is there to break your fall, catching you by your waist. He staggers a bit, but regains his balance fairly quickly.

A secret shudder flutters across your skin when you realize he’s holding you by your waist, his eyes cast in worry as he studies you. Exhaling, you brace yourself on his shoulders, hands sliding down as he lowers you. Cole’s hands move to your elbows as you balance yourself.

“Are you okay?” he questions, letting you hang onto him for a second.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Just too many adrenaline rushes for one week,” you mumble, finally feeling steady enough without his help. “Thank you.”

“You two are okay. Good,” Jay confirms, turning to Nya for an update.

“Barely. They’ve hypnotized everyone in town!” she says, rubbing a spot on her arm. You frown upon seeing the fresh bruise forming there, making a note to have a look at it later.

“Mind control. How is this possible?” Jay wonders as Kai peeks around the corner, ensuring that the coast is still clear for the moment.

“I think it’s some kind of chemical reaction. One that may or may not come from their eyes,” you chime in.

Nya nods in agreement, coming to stand next to you as she says: “When you hear them rattle their tails, don't look them in the eyes. That's how they get you.”

“We need to get that staff, the one that the biggest snake has,” you say. “We think it might hold the anti-venom. When you get it, stick it into the fountain. If we’re right, then the anti-venom and staff should react with the water to form a steam that will cure the villagers.”

“What if we’re wrong? We should go ahead and make a Plan B, just to be safe,” Nya points out.

“If that fails, try to cut one of the snakes and get a sample of their blood. I can probably make an anti-venom, but it’s going to take longer,” you instruct. “There’s a merchant selling glass jars nearby that you can use. Those should work if Plan A fails.”

“And if that fails, we have Plan Z,” Jay quips, eyes lighting up. “Which is way better, ‘cause it’s lemon scented.”

Nya shoots Jay a funny look as everyone else ignores him.

“I believe our plan is doable. But our weapons are unstable, and it will be difficult to retrieve the staff while dodging their attempts at hypnosis,” Zane says. “We must be careful.”

“Don’t overthink it,” Cole instructs. “Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do. Kai, Jay. You two draw the goons away. Once they’re gone, circle back discreetly if you can to help with the staff. Zane, I want you to deal with Lloyd. We might be able to…persuade him to call a retreat if we scare him into it. Nya and I will work on getting the staff. And as for you,” he turns to you, trailing off as he thinks. “Hang back and watch for anyone that might be injured once the fight is over.”

“Okay,” you agree, followed by everyone else’s voices confirming the plan.

“Good. Remember, no weapons. Spinjitzu should still be fine. I know that we’re rusty, guys, but we’ve got to get this done.”

Kai is the next to speak up, body jittery with the anticipation of a fight. “He’s right. Look, guys. Forget about the whole Green Ninja thing. Let's make Sensei proud, the four of us. We're a team!”

“Now you’re talking,” Cole replies. “Alright, guys. Let’s go!”

Nya hangs back momentarily as the guys spring into action on the roofs overhead. “Are you okay to stay behind?”

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me, just focus on getting that staff,” you reply, not wanting to interfere with their work. She nods, darting off to follow the ninja.

It takes Kai and Jay a few minutes to lead the majority of the snakes away. Which ends up working out well, since it gives you a second to catch your breath. Look at you, riding on dragons and jumping across rooftops. A humorless laugh escapes you when you wonder how much wackier your life will get if you choose to stay with the ninja.

Ah, but no time to think about that now. The fighting seems to have moved to another part of the village, so you take the opportunity to move towards it. Slowly but surely, you make your way towards the action.

Eventually, you stumble upon the cart that the little boy had been pushing. It’s tipped onto its front, seemingly caused by the frozen front wheels. Its saccharine contents have been spilled onto the streets, and the boy is behind it, desperately trying to get it unstuck.

Zane, who had been standing nearby, darts away to help the others, leaving you alone with the child. Your heart breaks a little when you hear him sniffle, finally managing to break the cart out of the ice. What’s a kid doing out with these snakes anyway?

The boy turns the cart in your direction, freezing when he locks eyes with you. You frown, wondering if the snakes have hurt him.

“Are you okay?” you ask quietly, crouching down to his level.

His green eyes widen, filling with conflict as he stares at you. You wonder if the snakes had roped him into their plan somehow, desperately hoping they haven’t hurt the boy. For a handful of moments, he’s completely frozen.

“Please, let me help you,” you encourage, hoping you’re not scaring him.

Just when you think you might be getting through to him, something dark clouds his eyes as he darts towards one of the bigger snakes, shouting out for the army to retreat.

“Wait!” you cry, watching as the child slips behind one of the buildings. You attempt to follow, gasping when the army of hypnotized villagers lines up to block off part of the village.

Breath hitching in your throat, you glance through the sea of red eyes. To your left, Jay and Zane are fighting off some of the few remaining snakes. Leaping across the rooftops are Kai and Nya, both trying to circumvent the army of hypnotized people.

This…is chaos. Why doesn’t anything feel real right now?

Your adrenaline sputters out, weakness flooding you as voices emanate from behind you. Dizzy, you spin to find Cole sailing down in the air, delivering two swift kicks to the snake general’s staff. It bounces out of his grip, clattering to the ground as Cole flips into a smooth landing.

“Go ahead. Give me a reason,” Cole remarks, stepping towards the fallen staff and swiping it off of the ground. The lead snake flees in response to Cole’s advance.

The second-in-command is not so easily scared off; he catches Cole’s stare, trying to hypnotize him.

“Cole!” you yell, grateful to see Nya darting up from behind him. She jumps, jamming her foot into the snake’s face. The blow snaps Cole of his trance, making him shake his head as he staggers, staff still in hand.

Nya steadies him before directing him to the fountain, where he props it up in the water. Thankfully, the anti-venom reacts with the water and starts steaming as you’d hoped. One by one, the villagers are cured and the red eyes recede, mindless groans replaced by cheering.

…

Even though no one got hurt majorly, you still insist on getting the ninja patched up.

Kai and Jay are fine, save for a few scratches, cuts, and bruises. Jay accepts a pack of ice for a hit he took on his shoulder, which Nya applies as the two rest in the living room. Her left ankle is propped up on another chair, wrapped up in gauze.

She’d sprained it after getting jerked off that ladder. You couldn’t even tell anything was wrong until you noticed the swelling when she sat down.

Zane emerged the best out of all them, with only one minor cut to show for the battle. Though, you’d noticed something odd with his blood - you couldn’t quite put your finger on it, but the color seemed off somehow. With his permission, you took a sample of his blood to examine later.

Finally, Cole enters the medical room, which isn’t much at the moment -  just a spare room in the monastery with a bed and your medical bag. You have a weird feeling you need to wait a few days to unpack it fully, so you’ve just been taking things out as you need them and repacking them. Mystake always did stress the importance of listening to your gut, after all, and you’re not one to doubt her wisdom. It hasn’t failed you so far.

Cole grunts as he lowers himself on the table, hissing in pain. Again, the top of his gi is torn in places. You can already see a little bit of blood staining the fabric.

You sigh, shaking your head. “I had a feeling you were going to be the one who got it the worst. What hurts the most?” you inquire, pulling on a pair of examination gloves.

Cole fumbles with the ties on his gi. “This cut right here…that asshole slashed me, then drew his katana back and rammed the hilt into my ribs.”

“Ouch…” you sympathize, observing his fingers. Something seems off about his motions. You notice how he misses the knot a few times. He gets it a few seconds later, though, unraveling the belt and pulling his top off.

Curse these biological hormones! You don’t think you’re ever going to get used to seeing his torso. He’s just the right amount of muscle. Your mind flashes back to the night where you’d accidentally left your hand on his sternum, the very tips of your fingers brushing against the side of his pec as you’d withdrawn.

Focus! Injured man! Job to do! Shut up, goblin brain.

Sure enough, when you focus past the gorgeous torso, you realize there’s a lengthy, diagonal cut in his skin.

“Yeah, that’s pretty gnarly,” you agree, immediately reaching for a clean cloth. Thankfully, it’s not terribly deep. What probably hurts more is that ugly, purple bruise underneath.

The two of you fall into a silence as you dab at the dried blood, hoping you’re not pressing too hard. Cole watches your hands as you work.

“Oh, um…I meant to tell you…” he trails off, expression conflicted momentarily. “You did really well, you know. That was your first time working with us in the field, and you handled yourself well. Didn’t panic, just acted.”

You chuckle, finally done with cleaning up the blood. “I’m glad I didn’t get in the way. I was scared, and my adrenaline kicked in initially, but when I faded, I just…it felt like nothing was real, you know? It was almost like I was going into shock or something.”

“The chaos gets to you when you’re not used to it,” he agrees, wincing as you apply an antiseptic to the cut. “There’s so much going on, and it’s difficult to keep up when you’re not trained for it. But you and Nya came up with a solution, and we got the job done.”

“If I was that overwhelmed just watching you guys fight, I can’t imagine what it’s like actually being in the action,” you say, pausing when he hisses at the dab of antiseptic. “I’m sorry, I know it stings, but we’ve got to get this sterilized. Can’t have it getting infected and creating more work for me.”

He chuckles, the two of you watching as the solution sizzles on the opened skin. When he looks up, you catch his stare, immediately frowning.

Cole’s eyes are their normal shade of green, but his sclera are tinged slightly red. You frown, free hand unconsciously coming to the side of his face. 

“Are you feeling okay?” you wonder, studying his eyes as he stares at you. First, his off hand coordination. Now, the bloodshot eyes…

“Yeah, why?” he questions as you return your stare to the task at hand.

“I don’t know yet. Did you hit your head at any point?”

“Not that I remember.”

“Do you feel like you might be getting sick?”

“No, I’m just tired. But other than that I feel fine.”

“Okay,” you say, unconvinced as you press your wrist against his forehead. No fever. Maybe you’d just have the others keep an eye on him throughout the night to see if any other symptoms arise. “Doesn’t feel like you have a fever. Just try to get some good sleep tonight, okay? You look a little peaked.”

“I do? Weird…I feel fine.”

“I believe you. Just make sure you rest tonight. I’m going to check on you in the morning to see if you develop any other symptoms. But for now, what else hurts?”

Cole has a few other cuts for you to sterilize and bandage along with a handful of new bruises. You prepare an ice pack for the bigger, uglier bruises.

You sigh, mind shifting back to that little boy you’d seen with the serpentine. The fact he’s out there alone with them bothers you. “Do you know who that little kid was, by the way? The boy with the cloak?”

“Hm? Oh, you mean Lloyd?”

“Lloyd,” you repeat, frowning. “So you know him?”

“Not officially, just that he’s Sensei Wu’s nephew. He used to go to Darkley’s, but he escaped somehow. He’s Lord Garmadon’s son.”

“Whoa, really? I never would have guessed,” you mumble, putting the finishing touches on his wound dressings. “I hope those snakes aren’t hurting him. He seemed scared.”

Cole groans in relief when he presses the ice pack against the bruise. “Scared? He’s the one who released them.”

Lloyd set the snakes free? “Wait, really?”

“He’s trying to be like his dad. The only thing is, Lloyd’s idea of evil is stealing candy and pulling pranks on people. He doesn’t understand what the snakes really want.”

Poor kid...you wonder if Wu would take him in if given the chance. That’s no way for a child to live. Those snakes are going to manipulate him the first chance they get.

“Do you think they’re hurting him?” Cole questions when you don’t answer.

“I don’t know…I just - there was something in his eyes. I think he’s scared, and it breaks my heart knowing he’s out there with them,” you sigh, shaking your head as you clean up the counter. Cole slips off from the bed, keeping the ice on his chest.

“Well, I’ll see if we can get him to Sensei, then. Makes me wonder if we should have been gentler with him when we dealt with him the first time.”

Satisfied with his answer, you smile in thanks before remembering Cole’s mystery ailment. “But, as far as you go, I want you to go to bed early. Sleep in if you need to. If you’re not up by the time training starts, I’ll let Sensei Wu know. And tell me if you start feeling sick, okay?”

“Will do. Anything else?”

“No. You’re free to go.”

…

“Stars, what a day!” Nya cries as she collapses on her bed.

You shut the door, chuckling at her as you set your journal down next to your temporary mattress. “Man, if this is what my first week with you guys looks like, I can’t even begin to imagine what else is going to happen!”

Silence overcomes the two of you as the black-haired girl rolls over to her stomach, hands drifting to her nightstand. Resting on top is a dagger, which she picks up and twirls around her fingers.

“Seems like they guys have found their fire again,” she mumbles, gaze absent as she watches her blade spin in her hand. “I’m glad.”

You study her downcast gaze for a moment, sensing her shift in mood. “Why don’t you join them? You’re clearly talented enough to fight with them. Why not?”

”I’m not technically a ninja. Not yet, anyway,” she answers, shrugging. “I mean, I train with them when I can, but since they’re out so much, it’s hard to find the time. It was getting boring as hell, just staying here while they were gone.” She shakes her head, sighing.

You struggle to process what she’s saying. “You mean…someone as talented as you…they just leave you behind?”

“Yeah, to watch over the monastery. But I can’t say I’m fond of being left out of the action.”

“But you don’t have to stay put,” you reply as you gather an armful of pajamas from one of your bags. “Can’t you help out in your own way? You don’t need anyone’s permission to do what you want to do. If you want to be out there, fighting crime and doing good, then you should damn well be doing that. Ninja or not.”

Nya doesn’t answer for a few moments, taking a moment to sort her thoughts. When she looks back at you, the blade is still in her hands.

“You’re right,” she says, sitting up. She uses her bed post as a support, bringing herself to a single foot.

“What are you doing?” you question as she hops to her desk.

“I have an idea. Do you mind if I stay up and sketch for a little while?”

Always happy to read fresh requests. Please read my guidelines before submitting.

Let me know what you think of this chapter :)))

[thesharkwhalewhoohooooo]

Red x fem! Oc

In which the daughter of the Mad Hatter and the daughter of the Queen of Hearts have been twisted friends for a while.

Red ran through the alleyway, all the way up to the castle walls, until she inevitably got trapped there.

Before the guards could fully close in on her, she got pulled up from a pair of arms around her waist.

"Hey princess Rose." Mary smiled at the princess, who smirked back at her as she wrapped an arm around her neck to stabilise herself a bit more.

"My dad's not gonna be happy with you." She warned as they approached the hatter's tower, Red merely rolling her eyes.

"Also, he has a surprise for you! How exhilarating is that!" Mary hoisted her up a bit more, so she wouldn't slip, before Red could respond.

"You what's the surprise?" Mary shrugged, smiling down at her.

"I don't spoil surprises! You'll love it!" She grinned as they finally arrived, she swung the rope she was holding onto a bit, and she let go so they fell through an opened window.

Mary landed with a smooth roll, standing up in the same motion, whilst Red rolled and stuck to the ground, leaning against her friend's legs.

"Hi dad."

"Hey Maddox." The hatter sighed at the princess and his daughter, both looking at him, one with a smile, the other with a mischievous smirk.

"You really ought to stop one day, she'll find out and not be happy! I cannot keep sending my daughter towards an impending doom!" Red rolled her eyes, getting hoisted up by Mary and let herself fall back onto a chair.

"I finished it..." hatter finally spoke up once his daughter had taken off her coat.

"Really?"

"Yes, the time machine." Red shot up and went towards him, trying to snatch it out of his grasp.

He pursed his lips and slipped it into his coat, shaking his head.

"No, going back in time can be harmful to those who remain still, I cannot give it to you until you've grown in time." Red frowned, looking over at Mary, who even though she was devoted to her, wouldn't betray her own father.

"Okay. Well, doesn't matter anyway, because I can't even get out of this rabbit hole."

-

"Her royal majesty, my queen, it appears that there is a letter, from Auradon." Mary spoke up from behind Red, her father rushing towards them with it.

"Majesty!" The queen of hearts waved her hand and the letter started, it kept everyone captivated, the first sight of anything Auradonian in almost two decades, what a momentous occasion.

"I won't go if Mary can't." Red stood her ground, the queen sending Mary a warning glare.

"Princess Red, I must remain here, I have duties in court-."

"As my personal maid, so yeah, you're coming with."

"- and i'd much prefer simply seeing you off, as the invite only is for you, and your mother seems to be delighted by this new opportunity." Red rolled her eyes, looking at her mother with a dead panned stare.

"She's coming with me or I'll just escape that wretched institution."  The queen sighed, waving everyone off.

"Either you go, or she gets her head chopped off."

"But what am I supposed to do without my personal maid, you don't suppose I'll have to get a new one!"

"You don't need a maid there."

"I do! How dare you try revoke my right as a princess."

-

Red won, and Mary got to go with her to Auradon prep, an institution for the good and the even better.

"Mary!" Red whisper yelled as soon as her mother stood up on the stage, Mary quickly moving to stand behind Red.

"The watch." Mary muttered as she passed her princess, who quickly grabbed it and held onto Mary's hand.

"Let's go." Red was about to start it when Cinderella's daughter tried to pull a sword on the queen, and Red rushed in to try and stop her from getting executed, Mary staying behind in an attempt not to get executed too.

When they disappeared, she felt relieved, but deep inside also saddened.

"Where did she go." The queen turned to Mary, who was not sure herself.

"I would not know my queen, I shall search the highest of lows and the lowest of heights in my pursuit of my princess." She kneeled down as she spoke, keeping her head low and eyes trained onto the ground as she waited for the Queen's response.

"Mh. Don't fret it, she'll return soon." She didn't dismiss Mary, of course she didn't, and of course Mary just had to have kneeled into a small shard of stone, her knee starting to bleed from the constant pressure and the shard.

"Cinderella's execution shall be now!"

-

Prince Charming glanced at the girl kneeling a bit behind the queen, and the small puddle of blood around her knee, as he was being restrained.

"Where is my wife! Where is Ella!" The queen laughed at him, gesturing at Mary, who quickly stood up, her knee wobbling a bit as she stood up straight and went to grab the cushion with the glass heels.

"My queen." She kneeled next to her, her bloody and wounded knee on the ground, and held up the red pillow.

"Here.... Is my Ella." Mary looked up slightly with an arched eyebrow.

"Your Ella?! She chose me! Over you and your monsterly-." The queen threw the heels at his face, they broke, and cut his face open.

He silently stared at the broken glass, limp in the soldier's hold.

"It appears that she chose you until the very end."

-

"I cannot believe that I had to leave Mary because of you!" Chloe scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"What? Couldn't leave your maid behind?" Red took a step closer to her, eyes narrowed.

"Don't disrespect her like that, at least I know I can trust her."

"Yeah cause she fears you, not the same." Red nearly launched at her and killed her right there, but Chloe tried to get the watch.

"You don't get to go back if you disrespect her."

"What?! What did she do that you're so freakishly-!" Red cut Chloe off, smirking proudly as she answered.

"She swore her full devotion to me, so, technically, she's mine, which means she'll do anything I say." Chloe took a step back, fearing she'll get stabbed by the gloating princess.

"I really don't care about how low that poor girl stepped, but honestly, isn't that a bit like an exhibitionist?" Red's hair seemed to flair up in anger, baring her teeth as she launched at the girl, pulling at her hair.

"Do not call my girl a whore! You fucking bitch!" Chloe was more shocked by her language than anything else.

"Let! Go! Of! Me!" She tried getting her off, eventually resorting to kicking her off.

She stood with her hands on her knees trying to get her breath back, Red standing perfectly straight and gesturing for her to get up and move along.

"C'mon, let's go inside."

-

"Mom!" Chloe nearly cried out as they saw the heels break into Charming's face, Red rolled her eyes, instead focusing on Mary, who was still kneeling in front of her mother.

There was a small puddle of blood where she previously stood, and there were glimpses of blood where she had now rested her knee.

She clenched her fist, but quickly snapped the looking glass closed when Bridget turned around.

"I don't have one like that... but if it's a banned book, it's in Merlin's office, but that's enchanted...." She pouted, a bit sad she couldn't get what the girls wanted for them.

"I have a date with Athene, so I really have to start getting ready, I hope you'll find it though!" Red nodded slowly, pulling Chloe along as she exited the room.

They bumped into Athene along the way, who was going up to Bridget's room.

"Athene." The girl hummed and looked up from Fred, her mouse familiar, to Red.

"We kept Bridget up a bit, she just started getting ready." Athene let out a small Oh, then smiled.

"That's perfectly fine, I'll go back to Olivia then, she'll probably like having that saddle off a bit longer." Red raised an eyebrow, abandoning Chloe's arm and stopping Athene from leaving.

"Olivia?"

"Oh, she's one of my familiars, she's a water dragon, and such a sweetheart, I was planning on introducing her to Bridget and going to the dragon stalls with her, because she's my nicest dragon, the other can get a bit... snappy, yeah, that's the word." She tilted her head when Red didn't answer, "would you like to meet her? She's beautiful, her scales are a bit darker than Chloe's hair."

Red smirked, quickly nodding before grabbing Chloe's arm again and once again dragging her along after Athene.

The young witch wasn't kidding when she said the dragon was sweet, because she quite literally had no idea what danger even was.

"I told you, she's way too kind, it takes more effort to keep her safe from people than to keep people safe from her." Chloe had finally snapped out of her stupor and was staring in amazement at how the dragon seemed to trap Red with her tail, keeping her there until she could grab her with her front legs-?-.

Chloe snorted out a giggle, Red grumbling about getting saliva on her jacket was way too funny.

"Hey! Poet! Bridget's ready for you!" Ella yelled out of a window somewhere, and Athene nearly dashed away.

"She's sweet... do you think they'll last longer than this?" Chloe turned to Red to ask, who had been set down.

"Mh. They'll last yeah, but she'll die when their daughter is like 10." The shock on the charming princess' face was way too much to comprehend.

"Yeah, my mom really lost it after that."

-

"Red! Princess!" Mary rushed up to her when she finally got back to the present, not wearing her usual dark green, but instead a sage green and off white colour combo.

"Hey... what's with the-?" She trialed off when her mom stood up, turning around, with a whole other dress, and starting to make... bubble hearts?

"Where were you, you are so late Rose." Chloe snorted at the nickname.

"Well i'm here now."

[thatone-brightstar]

The Bear & The Fox (Carmy Berzatto x Fem!Reader)

Chapter 10: Bared teeth and knuckles red

Words: 4.8 k

Summary: You finally decide to tell Carmy the truth.

a/n: Please read! Same as last time, don't wanna trigger anyone so, trigger warning: mention of suicide attempt in flashbacks. That is all.

Also, only three more chapters left and all I can say is thank you for enjoying this as much as I loved making it. I had never published anything I had written and you have all been so wonderfully nice that it really has boosted my confidence in writing.

Anywaaay, this one's gonna hurt so I apologize in advance and you can totally yell at me in the comments, but just a head's up I WILL CRY IF YOU DO.

Commenting is always appreciated!!

Your toes had grown red and numb as they dangled yards away from the freezing water. Soft sniffs ached in your chest and your grip on the metal grew unsteady with every gentle cry. The dots of the bright city lights blurred together in your watery eyes, but there was nothing but an unknown serenity lapping at your insides. Like the feeling you get from watching bio luminescent tides illuminate a dark beach with every sway. The night was still, only the light patter of a pair of footsteps that you confused with your heartbeat.

“You don’t want to do that.” A deep voice called from your far right and your body jerked towards the noise.

You scoffed at the tall man, too calm for someone who had stumbled into that uncommon situation. “I don’t even fuckin’ know you, dude.” You rolled your eyes and faced the water again.

“True..” He said, placing a cig between his lips and lighting the end. “but I do know that if you jump from this height, you’ll just end up crippled.”

“Well I don’t know how to swim, so I’ll probably just drown.” You answered with the same bitterness.

“Hardcore” He whispered, then slowly walked to rest his elbows a few feet away from you. 

The man took a long drag, the ember showering his strong features in an orange hue. Your eyes flickered from the burning tip to his face, only looking away when he turned towards you.

“You smoke?” He asked and you shrugged lightly. He pulled the beaten packet from inside his jean jacket with measured movements and slowly offered it to you. “How ‘bout one for the road, kid?”

You doubted for a second, then uncurled your frozen fingers from the bar and stretched out your arm to the man. In a flash, one of his hands gripped your wrist while the other circled your waist and hoisted you up and away from the edge. The world swiveled for a short second as you both fell safely against the snow covered path. You thrashed around in his grip, legs and arms swaying violently as a thousand screams were ripped from the deepest parts of your chest. But no matter your attempts, the man maintained a calm composure.

It was only when your screams died down to soft whimpers and your surroundings flashed with red and blue, that the numbness abandoned your body and you finally felt the cold seep through your clothes as you sat alone in the middle of the bridge. It was then that you heard his gentle words echo for hours in your head.

“You’ll thank me one day, kid. I promise.”

“Is it too much purple, Ms. F?” Kenny asked from his end of the small semi circle, pulling you away from the thick waves of your mind.

“Hmm? N-no no, that looks really good, Ken. Great job…” 

Your phone vibrated softly from one of the pockets of your apron, creasing your brow when Syd’s name flashed on the screen. A few indications were given to the kids before excusing yourself a few yards away to answer the call.

“Hey, everything ok-”

“I stabbed Richie.” Syd’s shaky voice interrupted.

“Y-You what?”

“And I walked out. I stabbed Richie and then walked out. I-In that order.”

You were silent for a few seconds, not knowing how to answer accordingly, because what does one say when someone’s confessed to stabbing someone, albeit a shitty someone, but still a someone. 

“H-how… did that happen?” You asked instead.

“Cause your stupid asshole boyfriend went bat shit crazy when I fucked up the to-go’s!” She began rambling about some software update in the system and how she had forgotten to block out the schedule, so by the time they were ready to open, they were already behind on hundreds of orders they hadn’t prepped for.

“Jesus, Syd! And you left them alone with that mess?!” You angrily whispered at your phone.

“You think I don’t know that?! I know I screwed up, okay? But when I tried to figure it out, Carmen got all up in my face and wouldn’t listen! He started fucking yelling at everyone and I was so pissed, and Richie- God Richie- h-he basically stepped into my knife. I know it wasn’t that bad, but I didn’t stay around to check.” She finished.

You heard her shallow breaths on the other end and waited for her to calm down. 

“D’you think I should go back?” She asked, when her voice had stopped shaking.

“Yes… but it’s too late now, it’ll probably piss him off more. Go home, sleep it off and try to solve it with a clear head in the morning.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” She heaved in a heavy sigh that ended with a groan. “You-erh- you gonna tell ‘em… today?”

“I mean, I want to do it less now but… what’s one more bad news to throw into the dumpster fire that is today, right?”

Syd snorted ironically into the mic, her shaky breathes had slowly started to regulate.

“Alright, well call me if you need anything.”

“Yeah, you too.”

You hung up and saved your phone back into your apron. The void in your chest happily feeding itself with the bad news, only growing stronger and wrapping its roots around your ribs. Checking the time made you realize there were still a couple hours left until your shift was up, but it didn’t feel nearly as long as you needed to grow a pair and tell Carmy. 

Usually, you were great at keeping secrets. It came with the territory of being the eldest daughter and having an overprotective single mother. There were so many midnight escapades where you’d go smoke weed with your friends at the park that you’d take to the grave. Or the insignificant containers of lipgloss you'd steal as a teen just for the thrill of it, that now lived untouched at the bottom of your drawer. You always joked that, apart from your family and closest friends, you didn’t really have a conscience to listen to, or anything that could make you feel guilty over most things. Which is why the void that had been living in your stomach for the past weeks felt foreign and uncomfortable with every passing day that you did nothing about it. 

You hadn’t been sleeping either. The moment you felt your body drift away, your mind was clouded by the mirage of tired baggy eyes and a large grizzly bear on the snow padded bridge. The thunderous growl always jerked you awake and with sore lungs and dew over your brow, you’d move from the restraining covers into the small sanctuary in the living room.  The tiredness displayed itself proudly over your face, sitting heavy in the bags it had nursed under your dull eyes, for everyone to see.

It was one of the reasons you had been avoiding Carmy for weeks. No amount of concealer would cover them up and you knew that the moment he spotted your slouched shoulders, he’d know something was wrong. He probably already did. The time between your texts had grown larger, always hiding behind a ‘sorry, been busy’ or ‘fell asleep’. All because you couldn’t bare to tell your boyfriend the truth. You knew you’d have to eventually, the longer it took, the worse his reaction would be once you decided to finally tell him.

‘Today.’ You mumbled to yourself while getting ready, ’I’m gonna do it today.’ But as the day grew older, so did the regret of having to follow through with your own self imposed promise.

**********

The blank canvas sitting expectant in front of you worked perfectly to help you dissociate since the moment you sat down. The blue paint you had been chipping from your nails was long gone, but the repetitive action continued, leaving small streaks of red stinging by the time you washed your hands to leave. You expected to at least have half an explanation by the time you made the short walk to the restaurant, however, your brain seemed to have forgotten any trace of the English dictionary in your vocabulary. Only the simplest words remained and that was not nearly enough to explain the strange situation you found yourself in. 

The lights inside The Beef glowed a menacing white and the silence was so intense, you could even hear the electricity flowing through the fluorescents.

“Yo! We’re closed!” Yelled Richie’s voice from the side room once he heard the bell by the glass door ding, then you saw him slowly move towards you, with a rather noticeable limp. “Short stack! Nice of you to show up after we got our asses beat.”

“Yeah, heard you got it stabbed too…”

He threw a middle finger in your direction and limped past the counter and to the empty back where everyone seemed to have fled after the rough day.

“Mind if I take a look?” You asked him, dropping your bag on one of the tables.

“What, you ain’t gonna take me to dinner first?” Despite the tiredness behind his voice, he still managed to be just as annoying.

You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms. “Chill, alright? My mom’s a nurse, she taught me a couple stuff.”

“ ‘M fine, Ebra already patched me up, so no need to go all fuckin’ Doogie Howser on me, okay?”

You didn’t have the energy to protest or to even make fun of his old ass reference, so you just raised your hands and mumbled an irritated ‘Fine, I don’t fucking care anyway’ and walked past him to the office.

You saw Carmy hunched over the piles of invoices scattered around his desk, arms tensely resting on the firm wood and wisps of smoke floating in the thin air. You could guess how bad the day had been by the multiple stains on his regularly white shirt and by the strained muscles locked sturdily under the material. You stood frozen by the door, a sudden wave of fear washing over you at the idea that there was no way that this would not end terribly.

You swallowed the dryness that had accumulated in your throat and reached up a shaky hand to knock at the door. His eyes were dark and intense when he turned to you and a heavy breath filled his lungs as he observed you up and down. 

“Hey…” He greeted with a nod, then turned back to the mess of papers.

“I’d -uh- I’d ask how your day’s been but…” You said, pushing yourself deeper in the room and shoving your hands in your back pockets.

Carmy nodded slowly, letting his forehead fall over yours when you reached his side and taking in another deep sigh. “Sydney tell you?”

“Briefly, but yeah…”

“Marcus walked out too.” He said dryly, pulling away and raking his hand through his matted hair.

“What happened?”

“I dunno. I thought everything was finally going better a-and then it’s one thing after the next and I just… I snapped.” He confessed.

Your brows screwed in confusion, “But you’re used to yelling in the kitchen-”

“Yes, but this was different. I don’t know what took over me. I-It was like my mouth and my brain had no filter and all the words just came spewing out. Like I wanted them to feel like shit, like I needed them to feel what I feel every-fuckin’-day here.” He threw himself on the office chair and rested his heated face on his hands.

“Did you mean it?” You asked after a few moments. “What you said to them, did you mean it?”

Carmy dragged his hands down to his mouth, tired eyes fixed on yours, then shook his head ‘no’ slowly.

“Then maybe you can tell them that… Once you’ve all cooled down, of course.”

He was silent, brows knitted together in contemplation. “Ye-yeah no, I know-I will.” He finally said, rubbing his thumb to the inside of his palm and staring at you again. “Hey, uh… C-can I ask you somethin’?” 

Fuck. You didn’t trust your voice to answer, so you just nodded, hands curling tightly around the edge of the desk that hit your back.

“Are we… good? Cause you kinda went all cold turkey on me…” He said with a humorless breath that made the knot in your throat double in size.

“I was kinda hopin’ you didn’t notice that…” You whispered and he slowly stood from his chair to reach out for your hand.

“‘Course I would notice.” He shrugged and took a step closer to you, tilting his head to see your eyes fixated on the file cabinet behind him. “Is everything alright?”

You swallowed hard, it felt like razor blades going down your throat as you tried to figure out what to say or how to start. His thumb grazed softly at your chin, pulling your face up and forcing your worried stare to meet his. Despite the generous bags that decorated his eyes, the look he gave you was swarmed with devotion. As if there were something more weighted behind it that his body couldn’t hold and it was filtering through the cracks. His stare made the guilt inside you grow even larger, roots now too deep to be pulled out. 

In a few seconds of selfishness, you pushed yourself off the desk and closed the little distance between your faces, carefully wrapping your lips around his. He answered back instantly, circling his hard arm around you and pulling you closer to him. You kissed him hard and you kissed him long, because the pessimist in you insisted that it’d be the last time you’d be able to after tonight. It was selfish, yes, but at least you would have a sweet trace of his lips to remember before everything went to shit. 

His grip on you tightened, teeth pulling at your bottom lip with contained insistence. He needed the kiss too. After weeks of not seeing you and the worry that he might have done something wrong to scare you away, having you back in his arms was a surprise ending he did not expect for a hellish day.

But you pulled away too quickly and the way your eyes had begun to water at the corners constricted his chest. He didn’t say anything, instead rubbed his calloused thumb in circles over your tender cheek.

“There’s something I need you to know,” You whispered with a soft sniff that pulled the threatening tears back down. “A-and I’m not sure how you’ll feel about… us, after.”

His frown deepened, pulling away only slightly but it felt like a crater had opened up between you.

“O-kay… What, d’you cheat on me or somethin’?” He joked lightly, trying to lighten the somber mood.

“No, no of course not!” Your answer was rushed. “It’s more complicated than that…”

You took his hand and led him to his chair, then sat cross-legged on one of the short file cabinets that faced him. With a few deep breaths and your heartbeat heavy in your throat, you began.

“Fuck, okay. So before I started working here, I used to work privately.”

“Rich folks in Lincoln, I remember.” He added.

“Yeah, e-except I didn’t really tell you the whole truth…” You gripped your hands together to stop the light trembling and took another hefty breath.

“I was fresh out of culinary school when I got the job. Joyce’s fiancé actually got it for me, one of his co workers had recently widowed and he needed help with the meals for him and his daughter. They’re lawyers, so the  pay was really good. My grandma was a bit sick at the time and we needed the money for her treatments. So I took the job.” Your breath seemed to thin out as the images formed in your head once again.

“Everything was fine for the first few months, y’know I just went in a couple days a week, meal prepped, left dinner then went home. I was the ghost that fed them.” You sneered, eyes fixed on your locked hands and only his bouncing thigh in your view. 

“Then uh, the guy -Isaac– started showing up earlier. He would.. ask about my day and how my grandma was doing while I made dinner for him and his six year old. He even drove me home sometimes, when it was too late or too rainy to take the train. There was a hail storm, around June last year, that closed off everything and I couldn’t go home so he let me stay in the spare room. We got to talking and…” Your eyes wandered over his face for a fraction of a second, but it was enough to see how his jaw had locked tight and he held an inexpressive façade.

“Long story short, he was nice and I was young and stupidly naive, so we started dating. Everything was good for a couple months until… Turns out his wife wasn’t really dead - just… abroad.”  

You finally had the courage to look up at him, slight surprise evident in his raised brows and he leaned back. then took one of his hands to rub around his mouth and chin.

“Shit…” He whispered.

“...Yeah. I, um, I was making dinner one night, some sort of celebration -I can’t really remember for what-, I wasn’t even supposed to be there, but I wanted to surprise him… and they just walked in, like nothing.” The image of your fingers began to blur together under the sheer coat of water covering your eyes. “Isaac told her I was just some girl he tried to help out, but that I became obsessed with him a-and that he had tried to fire me.”

The silence in the small room was deafening. Just your ragged breaths and his barely controlled ones.

“She slapped me. Called me a homewrecker and a whore. And threatened to call the cops on me if I didn’t leave immediately, so… I did.”

Carmy stayed silent, waiting for you to continue, but you needed to take a couple calming breaths before doing so. You hadn’t spoken about this with anyone outside your therapist and it was proving to be harder than you expected.

“He tried calling me weeks after. trying to apologize but I blocked his number and every other number he’s been using to call me since.”

Your shuddering breaths permeated in the small room, as you let him take in the information you had spilled all over the floor. Carmy’s eyes were on you, but looking through you, lost in thought. 

“Is that why you reacted that way when Richie lied about Sugar?” You nodded slowly and something seemed to finally click behind his eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me before?” His voice was hoarse and barely controlled.

“I dunno…” You confessed in a breath. “I guess I was scared. I didn’t want you to think the worst of me. I think I’ve just grown so used to dealing with everything on my own that I didn’t want to be a burden to you…”

Carmy stood from his chair and crouched down beside you, hands holding both sides of your face and eyes glazed.

“Look at me-” He whispered and you did. “Please don’t do that shit, okay? Don’t hide from me and close yourself off- I hate that shit. You’ll never be a burden to me, alright? Not now, not ever.”

The guilt in your chest pulled once more and you felt your ribs concave with the pressure and force, a new batch of tears flooded your eyes that distorted the painful image of his saddened face.

“Is that why you’ve been acting so weird lately?” He asked.

You shook your head and bit your bottom lip with force.

“A month after that, my grandma got worse and I couldn’t find another job in the area. She- his wife- told all her friends that I tried to take her husband -which was complete bullshit- so no one would hire me. I was really depressed and it felt like everything was falling apart. I-”

Your chest shook again at the feeling of his thumb rubbing circles on your skin. 

“Hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to-“

“No, I do.” You argued, sniffing hard. “I-I used to drive Joshua’s car before. I… guess it was my car back then. One night, they called from the hospital to let us know she had passed. -I don’t know what happened- I just got so overwhelmed that I took the keys and ran out the house. I didn’t even bother to take my shoes…” You stuttered, rubbing the sweat from your hands on your jeans. “So I-I was driving barefoot and in shock and it had just snowed so the roads were slippery a-and I’ve never been the best driver-.” You were rambling, too scared to reach the part of your story that really mattered to him.

“I don’t really remember much of that, just… the loud crash and how my vision spotted for a few seconds.” Your brows were furrowed deep in a scowl, eyes fixed on the tattoo on his left bicep but not really there. 

Carmy’s breath had caught in his throat as he hung on your every word.

“I c-crash… on one of the pillars of the state street bridge. But I wasn’t hurt, o-or at least I don’t remember feeling it. I just remember this… pain in my chest -like I had been stabbed- and the snow nipping at my feet when I got out the car.” You bit your tongue as you tried to continue. Like your body was stopping itself from speaking aloud. 

You cleared your throat from the salty taste of iron. “I um… I remember standing in the middle of the bridge. For what felt like hours. Then the idea just popped into my head and it seemed like the most logical thing…” You whispered. “Like it would silence all my thoughts so I just… Fuck, I-I… climbed over the railings and almost threw myself into the water.” You struggled to say, no longer holding back the fresh batch that spilled from your eyes.

“That night on the bridge…um-” You couldn’t think of the right words to use, if there even were any to deliver such shattering information. “There was a man…” His eyes caught on yours and something inside them understood where you were headed, because his hands loosened their grip by your sides.

You shut  your eyes hard, you couldn’t do it with his painful stare burning into you. 

“I-It was Mikey, Carmy… who pulled me from the ledge. Before I could jump.” 

Your cheeks felt cold as he pulled himself away. You opened your eyes to find his hardened gaze frozen on you and he shook his head slowly.

“W-what? No, no he-”

“I’m sorry Bear I-”

“You’re fuckin screwin’ with me, aren’t you?”

He stood to his full height and raked both his hands through his hair. You stayed seated, something about the situation made you feel like a scolded child.

“No! I swear I didn’t know it was him-” You rambled, unlocking yourself from your seated position and taking a step towards him.

“Bullshit!” He shouted, turning to you.

“It’s true!” You shouted back, your voice broke at the end from the force. “I found out from the pictures at your sister’s…”

His jaw was tense as he continued to shake his head. “No-no, that doesn’t make sense… Why would he save you then sho-” He stopped himself before the words even formed in his mouth.

“You think I would know?! It’s been eating me alive for weeks!”

His stare was hard and intense, it made you squirm under it for the longest minute, until he decided to speak.

“When?”

“January…” Your voice was barely a whisper.

“Did he… did he say somethin’ to you?” 

“I cant-”

“What did he say?” He asked again with bared teeth.

“He said ‘You don’t want to do that’.” You answered defeated.

“What else?”

“T-that’s it…”

“Bullshit! What else?!”

“I’m telling you the truth!” You snapped. Angry tears rolled down your cheeks, but he didn’t seem to care.

“So, what?!You came lookin’ for me cause you owe him some kinda favor?! Are you just tryna pay it forward or some shit!?”

You stared at him bewildered, your chest ached from the lack of air and your ribs seemed to crack with his every word.

“What the hell would make you think that?!” You sneered back.

“Or did he tell you to come lookin’ for me?! Didn’t trust his stupid little brother to survive out in the world alone?!”  His expression had grown somber towards you, the eyes you had grown to love now looked at you with nothing but uncontained rage. 

 “Carmy, I’ve been nothing but honest-”

“Oh that’s a load of crap and you know it!” Carmy mocked. “Were you planning on telling me? If it hadn’t been Mikey -if it was someone else who saw you that night- were you gonna tell me?”

Your eyes darted around the room, his gaze too intense to hold. You heard his kitchen shoes squeak as he took a step towards you and the dance felt all too familiar inside your mind.

He whispered your name, painful and slow. “Answer me, please.” He begged and you dragged your tear stained eyes to his bloodshot ones.

You shook your head slowly. He rubbed his hand over his mouth painfully hard and turned his back to you, sniffing loudly into the ceiling.

“Remember what you said to me, the first night you stayed over?” He asked, turning to you. “You said ‘you know I really care about you’ right? And you said that if whatever this was, was gonna work out, then we should  tell each other this kinda stuff, even the ugly. You said that, okay? You.” He took a second to breathe, turning away from you again and taking his hand in his hair. “A-and now you’re telling me all this shit that you had to tell me only cause my brother’s the one that stopped you from-” Carmy stopped himself with a sharp intake. 

“Go ahead.” You sneered. “Finish it.”

“Guess you were right. “ he said instead, Avoiding your eyes. “It only works out when we tell each other this kind of stuff.” You heard a crack deep inside your chest. “And we didn’t so…”

“Carmy, your not being fair-“ 

“No- you don’t get to say that, alright?!” He shouted, “Not when you ask me to be honest with you, but you can’t do the same with me!” Carmy took another step towards you and your reflexes made you take one back.

His shoulders fell slightly and his hardened eyes flickered around you for a few seconds before turning to the desk.

“I don’t have time for this crap…” He whispered with his attention heavy on the pile of unpaid accounts resting tauntingly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You asked, though the answer you already knew.

“It means-” He sighed shakily. “God, y’know I…” His mouth pressed into a thin line while he argued with himself over what he could admit.  “-I really fuckin’ love you.” Your brows raised in surprise and the words knocked out any trace of oxygen in your cells. “But I have too much on my back already to deal with this shit right now…”

You scanned the blurry floor, then the desk and even the ceiling, anything that could take your attention from the stabbing sensation that you knew too well in your chest. “Okay.” Is all you whispered.

“Everything’s shit and-”

“It’s fine.” You answered a bit more harshly than you intended. “I get it.”

You wrapped your arms around yourself, doing your best to hold in all the pieces together, then walked past his defeated frame - avoiding any sort of contact. Before turning the corner, you stopped yourself, knowing the simple words would eat you from the inside if you didn’t let them out..

“If it's worth anything… I love you too.” You whispered and the tenseness of his back proved he heard you. “Just so you know…”

Your legs numbly carried you to your bag, then out the front door and with the last ounce of energy in you, you dialed the one person you trusted the most.

He picked up at the second ring. “What do you want?”

“Joshua, I’m at the restaurant. Can you please pick me up?” You whispered between tears.

“Shit-” You heard shuffling, the sound of keys then the slam of a door. “Y-yeah, yeah sure. You okay?”

“No…”

“Fuck, okay. I’ll be there in ten.” Your brother answered in a rush. “And Fox?”

“Yeah?”

“...Don’t do anything stupid, okay?”

A humorless laugh fell from your throat. “Okay.” 

Chapter 11.

Taglist: @pearlstiare @teteminne, @beebslebobs, @harrysmatcha, @yum-yahgurt, @pussy-f41ry and that’s it lmao

[flowercrowncrip]

are you comfortable posting about hoist/hoist track? curious know how work+what look like. if not is okay!

Okay this ended up being quite long but here goes

Here’s what the hoist and track look like:

ID: a pink and white hoist running along a ceiling track with a black spreader bar hanging down. The spreader bar is a metal pole hanging from a strap in the middle. The bar is padded with black foam. At each end of the bar are three hooks. /end ID

The track is like a metal train track that goes from one end of the ceiling to the other.

The hoist runs along the track and has a spreader bar that is lifted up and down by some kind of winch system. I wear a sling that has loops which connect to the bar and allow me to be lifted up and down and moved from one position to another.

We position whatever I’m moving between (like my wheelchair or shower chair) under the track and this allows me to move between them in a way that is safe for me and my carer.

You can get fancier tracks which have and x and y axis which enable you to move to any point in the room. These are common in changing places toilets where it’s not possible to position everything (wheelchair, changing table and toilet) in a straight line under a single track. Unfortunately for me I don’t have one at home because they are even more expensive than this set up.

Here’s a picture of me being lifted (the sling is supposed to support my head a bit better than shows here but got a bit bunched up and we weren’t doing a proper transfer so left it):

ID: echo being lifted by the hoist. He is supported by a black hammock like sling which hangs from the spreader bar. /end ID

The whole thing is powered by a remote control with buttons for up down left and right. Some are only powered up and down and a carer moves the hoist along the track manually. Having it powered along the track means that when I’m able to (i.e. if I’m not wearing my splints and I’m having a good strength/ motor control day) I can control all the movement up, down and along. When I’m not able to use the controller my carer does everything for me.

You can also see one of my slings in this photo. The sling you use will be specific to each person based on your size, height, mobility and how much support you need. It looks quite simple, but there’s a lot more to it than it might seem.

Some slings support your entire body including your head while others just go under your legs and lower back if you have enough trunk control. Many slings, like mine here, come with different length loops which are colour coded and allow different seating positions (from sitting upright to laying right back). An OT should be able to tell you the sort of sling you need, how to fit it and which loops to use when.

In general it is often safer to use a sling which doesn’t stay under you while in your wheelchair but is instead removed at the end of each transfer and fitted at the beginning of the next one. This is because sitting in the extra fabric and lack of air flow can cause issues with pressure and skin breakdown.

For me this isn’t possible because I can’t safely lean forwards to allow the sling to be positioned behind me. Because of this I use an in situ sling (which you can see in the photo) This provides a lot of support and is made of special fabric that allows it to circulate air and reduce the risk of skin breakdowns while it stays under me in my wheelchair all day. This particular sling is also designed to safely allow for contractions and involuntary movements in a way I don’t understand but definitely works.

I also have a separate toileting sling which has an opening in the bottom to allow me to use the toilet while still having the support of the sling/ hoist.

If any of this wasn’t clear or anyone has any other questions feel free to ask and I’ll do my best to answer.

[slusheeduck]

85?

85. "You're not going to fall, I've got you." "Give me a boost." It took Falerin a moment to register what Astarion had said, and when he did, he merely gaped at him. "What?" Astarion nodded upward. "A boost. Help me get up so I can get the lock on the window. That's our easiest way of getting inside." Falerin's stare didn't abate for a solid minute, and he shook his head. "I'm not doing that. I can't do that. I've never..."

Astarion scoffed, rolling his eyes. "It's not hard, love. Just interlace your fingers, and I'll do the rest."

Fal frowned at that, then looked around. He sighed, interlacing his fingers and stooping down. "Fine. We should have brought Karlach."

"Probably, yes, but what a fun date night this is. And I always love when you're my partner in crime." Astarion set his foot in Falerin's waiting hand, then held his shoulder as he pushed up. "Well, shit."

"What?"

"You're too short."

"I'm too short? We're the same height, you ass!"

"Please, I have at least two inches on you. Let me down."

Falerin huffed, but carefully leaned down to Astarion could step down. The vampire clicked his tongue, hands on his hips as he looked up. Falerin crossed his arms.

"So...do we need to find another in?" he asked. Astarion squinted at the window.

"I don't think so. Get me up on your shoulders."

Falerin blinked. "No. I can't do that."

"You can. Here, we'll do the same as before. I'll hook my legs on your shoulders, and you can lean against the wall for support. Easy."

Falerin worked his jaw as he stared at Astarion, who looked utterly confident in what had to be one of his top five worst ideas during their adventure. Finally, he huffed.

"Gods, you're lucky you're pretty." He sent Astarion a flat look, then interlaced his fingers. "All right, go on."

Astarion once again stepped into his hand, but this time his other leg hoisted itself high to hook over Falerin's shoulder. Fal quickly reached up, grabbing Astarion's ass as he fumbled his second leg over Fal's other shoulder. With a lot of grunting, up Astarion went.

"Don't drop me," he hissed as they wobbled.

"I'm not! You're not going to fall, I've got you," Falerin assured. "Though you're heavier than you look. I've got a heart condition, remember."

"Not with that tadpole in your head you don't. Lean back."

Falerin did, and that seemed to work. Somehow. Astarion made a quiet, pleased little noise. "There, see? Perfect. Now just to get this open."

Fal sighed, rolling his eyes, and did his best to stand stable. His hands were practically glued to Astarion's ass, keeping him as steady as he could, and his eyeline was almost entirely consumed by his crotch. An idea struck him, suddenly, and he realized that he had a great opportunity for revenge. He looked up.

"Astarion, love, are we good to have sex again?'

"What?"

"I want to know if you're okay with it. You know, after the graveyard."

Astarion, working intently on the lock, huffed and rolled his eyes. "Do we need to discuss this now?"

"I just want to know."

Astarion let his head thunk against the windowsill before he answered. "Why yes, dearheart, rest assured that unless I say otherwise, every advance is welcome with enthusiastic consent," he replied, voice sing-song with how much sarcasm dripped from it. "There. Happy?"

"Very. Thank you, love." With that, Falerin chose violence, and he buried his face between Astarion's thighs.

Astarion wheezed in a breath, just barely managing to clamp his hand over his mouth without taking out an eye with his lockpick. Cloth armor, clearly, had been a mistake today; yes, it was great for movement, but it also meant he could feel every press of Falerin's lips and tongue as he mouthed against his cock through his trousers. He pulled his hand away from his mouth, intending to hiss out a "What the fuck are you doing?" down to him, but a particularly hard kiss to a particularly sensitive area sent his hand right back to his mouth.

Strictly speaking, it wasn't very good. It was awkward, and the fabric was too thick for anything really stimulating. But the whole experience: the precarious position, the location, the fact it was while Astarion was meant to focus...that was, admittedly, really doing it for him. And Falerin, bless him, would not stop until he either asked or came--or, possibly, when his jaw wore out. Whatever came (ha) first.

Astarion tried a few more times to work the lock, hands shaking and breath coming in ever-quickening pants. But as good as he was, there was no way he was going to actually be able to pick a difficult lock like this. He finally settled on resting an arm against the windowsill, face buried in it to quiet any potential noises, and awkwardly thrusting his hips as best he could against Falerin's mouth with the very little leverage. Luckily, he didn't have long to make a complete fool of himself--in just a few short minutes, he bit into his sleeve, fangs digging into the fabric, as he shuddered through his release. He breathed hard, unnecessarily, as his head swam.

Most impressively, through all of it, Falerin indeed had not let him fall.

But there was no lockpicking to be done. Not when Astarion's limbs were so loose and had laundry that very much needed doing now. He waited until he caught his breath, then carefully swung a leg off of Falerin's shoulder, somehow managing to catch himself as he dropped down beside him. He gave the warlock a flat look, especially in the face of Fal's shit-eating grin.

"That was...the stupidest thing I have ever done," he hissed out, still breathless. And Falerin, damn him, only smiled in return.

"Mm. Think out your plans next time, love," he said, leaning in to give him a kiss. "And maybe bring an accomplice who'll be a little less tempted by you." He yawned suddenly, stretching and walking out of the alleyway. "I'm exhausted! Let's head back to the Elfsong."

Astarion stared after him, then--walking with a tremendous grimace and awkward gait--followed after to hiss, "If we ever get married, I am divorcing you the minute it's official."

"As is your right. But in that case, I'm getting Gale in the divorce."

Ask meme

[the-down-upside-finch]

The Time I Broke My Foot By Jumping Into a Swimming Pool

{"Eleven Truths and a Lie" Series}

For the context behind these stories: [X]

I was ten years old, or maybe twelve. My mom says I was probably eleven. Maybe it's a good thing I don't really remember when it happened—that the memory itself is vague and distant. Having a low pain tolerance usually makes these sorts of things more vivid in my brain, but not this time. (I wonder why that is.) The local rec center had two swim teams. I was a devil ray, having earned my spot after showing that I was faster than the dolphins that I had initially been grouped with. I had strong lungs, so I didn't have to breathe as often. I was made for the water—or so they said.

Sometimes the meets were every weekend, sometimes they weren't. I always had to go because I'd made a commitment, and they wanted me doing breaststroke for the IM race. We weren't allowed to have cell phones with us anywhere near "the deck" (as my coach called it), since it would be a risk to have electronics anywhere near the water. And so I handed my phone to my parents and left to go warm up. The team had been to this pool before—and we all knew the water was much colder than we were used to. It was lucky that they had a separate pool for the swimmers to warm up in. This particular place also had bleachers up on a balcony, making it feel more official than having the spectators crowded around the outer perimeter of the pool. I guess that's why they always held the local "championship" meets at this particular pool—because there was enough room for the thirty-and-something teams that attended. Eventually, it was time for my first event of the day. Had it been anything other than backstroke, I might have been all right. But it was backstroke, and you don't start on the diving block for a backstroke race. You start in the water.

At the ref's signal, I jumped in the water along with the nine other swimmers that had made it to the finals. I had forgotten that we weren't in the deep end. Instead of plunging into the nine-foot-deep water that I had been expecting to be beneath me, my legs buckled as I hit the bottom of the three-foot-deep shallow end. An entire foot of my height was still above the water. It hurt, but that was expected. I didn't have time to think about anything other than grabbing the handles on the diving block and pressing my toes against the side of the pool so I could launch myself backwards with as much power as I possibly could.

The garbled voice of the ref blared through his megaphone. "Set." We all pulled ourselves into position. The signal—which was kind of like a mix between the honk of a clown car, an angry goose, and an airhorn, all being played through an old intercom speaker—was given, and we all dove back into the water, dolphin-kicking with our whole bodies until we surfaced. I was always underwater the longest. The coach said that's what makes you faster. The longer you can stay underwater, the farther ahead you'll be when you get to the surface. When you see the flags, you start counting. I was short in height, but my arms were long—and I reached the wall in four strokes. It was a short race, so I didn't have to worry about flipping over and turning around. I just had to touch the wall. As everyone does if they care about times or scores, the first thing I looked at was the board with my name listed on it.

Third place. I didn't have much time to celebrate. The meet was running behind schedule, so they made us get out of the pool as soon as we slapped the wall. I grabbed the edge of the diving block and hoisted myself out of the water, exactly the way I had done a thousand times before. The pain that shot through my entire body when I tried to put weight on my foot was enough to take me to the ground. I couldn't walk. I couldn't even stand. Managing to half-hobble, half-drag myself to the corner where my team had set up camp, I collapsed on the slick stone floor and clutched my duffle bag, trying not to cry. I still had three more races that day—but my foot had been fine in the water, so it would all be okay. Right?

My parents were in the bleachers up on the balcony, completely unaware that their daughter had done something so bad to her foot that she couldn't even put weight on it. I wondered if my dad had gotten my collapse on video, since he recorded all of my races. My phone was safely away from the water, tucked in my mom's purse—completely useless. I was ten—or maybe eleven or twelve—and I had come face-to-face with a decision that I didn't have the mental capacity for: either tough it out for the team, or see to the needs of my own well-being. I was sobbing as I started trying to flag down my parents. I was so far away from the balcony, on the complete other side of the massive pool, unable to get any closer. I couldn't yell for help—couldn't make a scene bigger than the one I was already making. I had never felt so helpless.

Eventually, someone noticed. In a blur, I was suddenly in my dad's arms, being carried as fast as he could safely run to the car in the parking lot while my mom carried my bag. They put a towel on the seat, set me on top of it, buckled me in, and then we were off. I cried the whole way to InstaCare. "Does it hurt when I do this?" asked the doctor (or whoever was seeing to me), lightly turning my foot to rotate my ankle. She asked that same question several more times, doing something different to my foot each time she asked. I answered yes more than I answered no. Broken, was the verdict—more of a fracture, really, but still broken. I just didn't need a cast. We already had a pair of crutches at home for some reason, so that saved us an investment. There was no need to decorate my foot in brightly-colored bandage wrap—which we also already had a ton of, leftover from that time I ran over my own toe with a heavy metal door at school.

On the bright side, I got to wear a super cool boot to school—meaning I was the one kid that was allowed to wear something that wasn't a closed-toe shoe. And now I can tell people that yes, I once broke my foot by jumping into a swimming pool. I just thought it was going to be deeper than it was.

Taglist (please let me know if you want to be added or taken off): @my-cursed-prince, @athenswrites

[thebibliophilevigilante]

Jason studied her movements as she laid it on thickly for Red Hood. He thought she was a flirt with him as Jason, but as expected, she was offering a little bit more to him as Red. He knew her full name…but didn’t know the real story behind it. It was rather charming.

Her legs brushed against his thighs, and he didn’t miss the connotation one bit. Then she leaned up and brushed her lips against where his mouth would be on his helmet, and he stopped breathing for a split second.

What was he doing? This was all wrong. He was supposed to be keeping his distance, withdrawing. Ending it. Yet there he was, in such close proximity, definitely not thinking with the right head.

She was on her hands and knees and had him cornered on the couch, teasing him, taunting him. She had been plaguing his mind, his thoughts, his libido. She was tormenting him…both as Hood and as himself.

And he had had enough.

Still, he didn't want to terrify her. He had only lucked out earlier from her not screaming by alerting her to his presence beforehand. One of his gloved hands wrapped around her ankle, squeezing tightly to convey a warning to her.

“Trust me, kitten, with my thoughts, I am anything but an angel,” he murmured, thumb tracing over her bone. “Even with that filthy mind of yours, though, you are. You are…far too good for Gotham, and certainly too good for me.”

He squeezed her ankle again before tugging on her legs, pulling her so her rear was pressed against his thighs. Teeth sunk into his lower lip as he bit back a groan, his inner self fighting the demons saying to just hoist her up and let her sit in his lap a bit. What would it hurt?

He swallowed thickly. It could hurt her a whole lot.

“The media paints me as bad because…I was bad. I am bad. I feel downright sinful even like this. You're…you're driving me crazy.”

He slid an arm under her legs, lifting them slightly so he could slide out and rise to his full height. He strode over to the balcony doors, sliding them closed and locking them before returning to the couch to kneel. His leather-covered index finger hooked under her chin, tilting her head up so he could really study her features. Her skin was flawless, radiant even. Her chocolate eyes were wide, slightly dilated, though he couldn't fully discern if it was from low lighting or lust. Her lips were curled in a slight smile, one he'd just love to kiss again and leave her panting for more…

No. Fuck. He couldn't. He would ruin her.

“Pretty angel,” he whispered, thumb ghosting over her lower lip. “Too good.”

With a heavy sigh, he rose again. He turned slightly, fingers clutching the white bag before he offered a nod of appreciation. “This should help with that ravenous feeling, thank you,” he grunted out gratefully, striding towards what he assumed as her front door. “Now, get all snuggled up…and have even more sweet dreams. Good night…Miss Claire.”

A deft hand fiddled with her deadbolt, ensuring the door would lock behind him so she didn't have to get up and he didn't worry she'd leave it unlocked for him to come back. He glanced around for the emergency stairwell, ducking in and down the stairs before anyone noticed him. Stealthily, he opened the door to the back alley and slipped into the Gotham night.

Near Madison’s apartment, he found another building with a fire escape that led to the roof. It was high, distanced from the lights and prying eyes below. A perfect spot to carry on a Wayne family tradition: brooding.

Frustrated, his boots scraped against the roof as he paced back and forth. He accused Dick of being a cockblock, but hell, he was practically cuckholding himself. This absolutely stunning woman wanted him, wanted Red Hood…more so the latter rather than the former. And there he was getting jealous of himself but also fighting multiple voices in his head screaming that getting close to her was a terrible idea.

But…she was everything. She was a ray of sun in the murky darkness, warmth in a city littered with chills. He wanted more, craved more. Yet, he didn't want to put her at risk.

He snarled in aggravation before stomping to the roof ledge, throwing his weight into dropping into a sitting position, cargo-covered legs dangling over. Even though he ate plenty at the manor, all the pacing and inner turmoil really did make him feel ravenous. Maybe he'd calm down if he ate something.

His hands came up to press the release buttons on his helmet and he peeled it away, setting it off to his right side. His left hand clutched the bag of take-out, pulling it into his lap. He was about to tear into it when he noticed a little slip of paper taped over the opening, assisting in sealing the bag. Gingerly, he tugged it free, unfolding it to read the contents,

“For my favorite superhero. Since you add the ‘cum-pow’ to my life. -Madison.”

She even drew a heart by her name.

A frustrated hand scraped over his face as he groaned before considering the situation. He mulled over the repercussions, his conversations with Dick, even his conversation with Bruce. He wasn't the same person he was fresh out of the pit, and he was being more critical with his thinking, trying to predict any outcomes and concoct contingency plans.

Maybe…maybe he was being too hard on himself…and he should chase what might make him happy.

Teal eyes flicked to the note, rereading it, a low chuckle coming from his throat before he folded it up and shoved it on one of his inner jacket pockets close to his chest.

“Fuck it.”

With that, he grabbed out his phone, immediately setting an alarm for 8 AM. Even if she said the cafe was a maybe, he was going to be damn sure he didn't miss Madison if she ended up going.

When it comes to getting intel, there are several ways to go about it. One could ask politely, or ask the right questions to eventually draw information from their target. There is intimidation, threatening your target and demanding the information in exchange for remaining unharmed. Then there is incognito surveillance, appearing inconspicuous and melding in with one’s environment just listening and watching.

The current session was the latter.

A raven-haired man with a blanched tuft in his bangs kept his teal eyes trained on the book in his massive, calloused right hand. His left swirled his take-away cup absentmindedly. He was reading words, but they weren’t registering in his brain. His focus was more concentrated on the conversations around him, and what information he could gather before his next patrol.

The first three rules of real estate are location, location, location. Burnley Brewhouse definitely had that, especially for Jason Todd. It was conveniently placed right on the very edge of Burnley, practically at the juncture of where Crime Alley and The Bowery neighborhoods started (which were all Jason’s domain). By day, the neighborhood was full of regular citizens, students and tourists. By night, the whole area was crawling with denizens of the dark wheeling and dealing for their own personal gain and vices while putting others at risk.

Jason brought his cup to his mouth for a sip, his eyes flicking to the counter where two men with heavier builds were waiting for their order. One had a rough 5 o’clock shadow, the other a scraggly, unkempt blond beard, both wearing holy jeans and beat-up leather jackets. He recalled seeing them once during a patrol a couple of weeks prior, skulking around by the Freight Yards. They were definitely up to no good then, and could offer him decent information in the present. The barista handed both of them a take-away cup, and his eyes quickly glanced down to his book again, his peripherals watching as they meandered around to sit at a table caddy-corner from his in the back corner of the shop.

“Terry was telling me about that new candy order he has coming in,” 5 O’Clock muttered lowly to his friend. “Said it should get here overnight, and we can distribute to the stores first thing in the morning.”

Scraggles ran his nails over his beard as he listened. “Loaded with sugar? Y’know these kids can’t get enough of their sugar.”

“He said it was everything needed from the inventory list. He said he has his pal Molly coming in to help with the shipment too.”

There was a small pause before, “How many donuts did he get and where from?”

“11 for the crew. I think he said they’re from Declan’s over on 14th Street.”

Jason had to refrain from rolling his eyes. Those two idiots were blatantly discussing a drug drop in broad daylight just as if they were talking about a regular candy store shipment.

He switched the book to his right hand as he snagged a napkin from the holder and a pen from the table. He scribbled a note to himself, writing the characters’ names from his book, followed by “PG 11, DL 14.” He knew his own shorthand; the character names were to keep up appearances. “PG 11” would remind him the drop was scheduled for 11, and “DL 14” would remind him the ship would be at Dock Bay 14.

His attention went back to his book as he brought the pen to his lips, teeth nibbling on the retractable plunge as he appeared deep in thought. He was about to tune back into 5 O’Clock and Scraggly’s conversation when the cafe’s entry bell rung.

His eyes flitted to the door to assess the entrant, and he froze. A young brunette with piercing dark eyes was glancing around, looking for a place to perch herself no doubt. She was breathtaking, and certainly unlike any other person he had seen come in to Burnley’s. As she turned to the counter, he couldn’t help the large grin that danced over his face. First he got lucky with the tip-off. Would he be lucky enough for that gorgeous girl to sit anywhere within his vicinity?

@rpwiththelilflower

[elysianslove]

the little things ; haikyuu boys

synopsis; the little things he does that show just how much he loves you

pairings; karasuno x reader, aoba johsai x reader, fukurodani x reader, nekoma x reader, shiratorizawa x reader

genre; fluff

warnings; will make u hate being single <3

karasuno ━━

sugawara koshi; whenever your hair gets caught in anything, he’s so gentle yet quick at fixing it. if your hair is long, and you pull a bag or a shirt and your hair gets tucked in, he’ll wordlessly pull it out. if your hair is short and a bracelet or zipper gets caught he just continues whatever he was doing (talking to someone else for e.g.) while helping you out. also always makes sure your hair isn’t bothering you; if you’re leaning over writing something, he’ll always tuck it behind your ear so lovingly ahhh

daichi sawamura; massages. he’s descended from heaven for this purpose only. his hands are rough and like hard on your muscles, but it’s so perfect. he’ll approach you when you’re in school sitting anywhere, from behind, and just knead his hands into your muscles for a few seconds. euphoric. or if you live together, he always greets you with back/shoulder/neck massages in the bathtub hvjkwkd.

nishinoya yuu; always makes you try his food. always. whether it’s with a group of people or just you two, he just goes “hey babe open ur mouth” with this face 😏 bc he’s cheeky, and just shoves a mouthful of food. spoiler alert, it’s always way too hot. but it’s just tradition at this point. he takes a bite of his food, decides if it’s worthy enough for your mouth or not, then just. yeah.

kageyama tobio; buys you a snack whenever he gets his milk. if you’re special special, he’ll buy you your own carton of milk. he goes up to the vending machine and automatically thinks of you when he sees your fave snack, and it’s like mindless at this point he just routinely does it. it still surprises you to this day, even when he’s so nonchalant about it.

tsukishima kei; kisses your forehead. tsukki is not too big on pda, and even privately he’s not very touchy feely either tbh. but just a simple peck on your forehead grounds you, and it’s a small reminder of the fact that despite his outward coldness, he really does love you. he rarely does it in front of others, but sometimes, he’ll indulge both you and him, and settle a small kiss on your temple just randomly.

asahi azumane; anime jesus always has a hair tie/clip carried around for you on his wrist/in his pockets. i mean he’s always needing them, he just stocks up when he starts dating you. somehow he’s always there when you’re frustrated with your hair all over the place what a savior. later on it evolves to him carrying around your scrunchie and yes the boys make fun yes he blushes but no he does not take it off.

tanaka ryunosuke; carries you on his back, or your things, when you’re too tired to walk. whether that be if you’re too tired because of your heels or you’re just lazy, he just loves helping you out what a respectful gentleman. honestly it just becomes that every time he sees you he like barricades over to you so quick and flips you onto his shoulder or spins you around. anyways. walking with tanaka means walking empty handed bc he will never let you carry anything. ( shifts pile of bags on one arm just to hold your hand ).

hinata shoyo; learns hairstyles to try on you. whether it be short hair or long hair, expect his youtube search history to look a lot like “how to make a french braid” or “cute hairstyles for short hair for your cute girlfriend”. he’s always so entranced by you and watches so carefully whenever you do anything on your hair, and he gets do excited whenever you let him try and he gets it right. also !!! a lot of the times you’ll sit between his legs and he’ll just softly card his fingers through your hair or lightly braid it.

yamaguchi tadashi; buys you flowers a lot. he doesn’t overdo it, just so it doesn’t lose its value and worth. but for example, mondays suck ass and he knows how much you hate them, so he always makes sure to either leave a single rose on your desk/in your locker or give it to you himself if he can. it’s so endearing and motivating honestly, and the constant reminder every once in a while is so cute. continues to do it even like 3 years in, which is so fkn sweet honestly.

nekoma ━━

kuroo tetsurō; plans the best dates. seriously. like not one moment spent with him is dull. i don’t think being with kuroo entails a high energy relationship, i just mean that even a walk in the park is fun with him. he also always knows when to plan a fancy dinner and when it’s just something casual. like he always puts in so much effort, gives 120%, for every date with you. is your favorite band/singer/artist in town? he’s got tickets. the weather is amazing? you’re going to the beach. you’re sleep deprived? nap dates. 10/10

kozume kenma; he teaches you how to play his games. the fact that he’s letting you touch the console in itself says enough, but whenever he buys a new one, and learns it thoroughly enough, he will always sit by you and teach you its ways. picture you sitting in his lap while he guides your hands <333 if you’re not a gamer, he’s actually v flattered by the fact you’re willing to sit through this w him. but if you are a gamer, expect daily competitions. oh and if you beat him? you’re dead to him :).

haiba lev; instead of reaching for things that you’re too short for to grab it himself, he just lifts you up lmfao. i mean w the way he teases yaku, i can imagine he’d be v teasing with you as well if you’re even an inch shorter than him. but fret not! it’s all in the name of love. he’s very loving though, and if he sees you struggling he’ll just wordlessly hoist you up from your waist or something. at first it’s terrifying, but later on it just makes you giggle cause he’s like so willing to do it and it’s effortless for him hehe.

yaku morisuke; always makes sure you’re taking care of yourself, but kinda aggressively? lmao anyways. like he’s always “babe have u eaten” and if u say no expect him to start yelling like “what do you mean no??? are you insane???” v dramatic but honestly <333 he’s always texting you after parting ways “did you get home safe” or on weekends where he cant meet you, he’s asking how it was, if you indulged yourself a bit, relaxed. it’s very sweet and he makes sure it’s not overbearing. he just wants his baby to be healthy and happy.

yamamoto taketora; walks on the side with the cars. it’s not a very noticeable thing, but you see it, and you recognize it. he makes sure he’s always walking where cars are speeding by, a hand on the small of your back guiding you away and to the other side of him. it’s the little notions of protectiveness like if he’s driving and stops suddenly, he’ll put a hand out to keep you from lurching forward, he pushes you gently out of the way before you bump into someone. things like that.

aoba johsai ━━

oikawa tōru; he doodles in your notebooks, or on your skin. if you have class with him, and sit next to him, he’ll always be doodling on your notebook like little hearts or stupid, cute things like your initials + his in a heart. or if you’re at a study date together, and you’re focused on your laptop screen, he’ll leave little encouraging messages on your notes for you to notice when you’re revising. sometimes you’ll be sitting with him at lunch or even if you’re out w him and a bunch of other people, and he happens to have a pen. expect a little smiley face on your inner wrist, or a heart plus his initials ( o.t. )

iwaizumi hajime; he helps you take off your make up/takes it off for you. if you’re too sleepy, he’ll just take the products he’s used to seeing you use and start following it step by step after he props you up next to the sink. while he stands between your thighs he just so gently starts rubbing at your skin and washing away the make up. if you’re already asleep, he’ll have to like google the steps oh my god im gonna cry hes so cute. if you don’t necessarily wear make up, then he’ll just help you do your nightly routine, or even your shower routine, like using a body scrub or a face mask or, bruh, even shaving lmfao.

hanamaki takahiro; saves everything you buy/send/make him. i mean everything. has literally over two thousand photos of you, all the polaroids or postcards are saved in a little box he has under his bed. anything you make him (unless it’s edible) he has. if you make him a small embroidery thing he will literally attach it to his sports bag or something. any chain you make him is automatically added to his keychain. that flower crown you made with him on one of your first dates? he still has it. the flowers are dead but the memory loves babyyyy

matsukawa issei; carries extra clothes of his for you to borrow. hey have i mentioned that mattsun is big? 😃 because he is 😃. meaning regardless of your size or height or whatever, his clothes will drown you <3 i see him as preferring more oversized or just loose shirts rather than tight ones, so yk. on you???? if y’all are just hanging out and you even think about being slightly cold — here have five options of mattsun’s clothes to choose from. he always makes sure they smell like him too. it’s self indulgent really, because he loves the way they look on you, and he loves that it leaves a trace of his scent on you. territorial? i think yes.

fukurodani ━━

bokuto kōtarō; always hugs you like it’s the last time he’ll see you. sometimes, even if he doesn’t know it, you need his hugs badly. y’all are gonna try and tell me bokuto doesn’t give the best fkn hugs??? yeah get outta here with that bs. he SO does. he either kneels down and wraps his arms around your waist, picks you up, and spins you around, like he hasn’t seen you in 3 years, or he’ll just wrap his arms around your neck and pull your head to his chest, cradling it, and just sighing like he won’t see you for the next 3 years. his hugs always make you feel so much better, even if you weren’t feeling down to begin with.  

akaashi keiji; plays with your hands and caresses them. it’s the delicate feel and gentleness of it all. akaashi’s generally an anxious person, leaving him very fidgety. but once you two get together, and he starts being comfortable with you, expect to find your hand always between the two of his, just fondling with him. he’ll trace random figurines on the back of your hand, or have his fingers ghost over your wrist and up to your fingertips. if his hands are especially shaky, expect him to just grab one of your yours and hold it tightly between the grasp of two of his. it conveys trust, and all you have to do is kiss his knuckles gently and he’s melting.

konoha akinori; he has your reminders app linked with his, and sneaks in small, motivating messages. every once in a while you’ll get a notification from the app that tells you to drink water or have a snack (or text konoha he’s bored and he misses you). also always sends you pictures to distract you from stress. like it could literally just be a picture of him smiling with a thumbs up and you’d just ,,, melt bc you love him so much.

shiratorizawa ━━

ushijima wakatoshi; he has so many plants that are named after you, or your nicknames, and he’s like so gentle with them too. like strokes their petals and speaks to them so softly, the same way he does with you. you’re honestly so curious how he hasn’t run out of names, but he’s just a genius like that. whenever you go over to his place, and he’s bought a new one, he’ll take your hand and guide you to where it’s growing and just be like “look it’s baby y/n” and you just 🥺🥺🥺

semi eita; he has a playlist on his phone, that’s constantly being updated, for you and him to listen to. the first time he showed it to you, you were stargazing and he took out his phone and headphones and was like “i made a playlist for you wanna list” and every part of your body lit up in flames im not joking. now, a lot of the times, you’re coming back home on a train, and your head is on his shoulder and you’re sharing headphones listening to the playlist. when either one of you is driving you’re blasting it (a lot of the playlist is the hsm soundtrack)

satori tendō; tendo reads people so well, and being in a relationship with him means he will read you so well. so a lot of the times, in social situations, he’ll recognize the signs of you wanting to leave, for example, or if someone’s bothering you, he’ll know exactly how to approach it too. this also entails having a lotta inside jokes hehe, and also just like. talking with your eyes. yk that thing. yeah. all you have to do is look at him a certain way, and he just knows exactly what you just said.

goshiki tsutomu; he buys the both of you this small plushie, and whenever you’re missing each other you just. squish it. and he squishes his. he would rather die than let anyone know this, but you’re not too keen on letting anyone know yourself tbh. it’s just this little thing you have, and it means a lot more to you than just this. when he first bought it he was like “look we have matching plushies” and you passed away on the spot ❤️

shirabu kenjirō; loves trying out new recipes with you. he’s not too big on cooking or baking, but there’s just something about doing it with you that really — hits the spot yk. nowadays, whenever he comes across a new recipe on social media that he thinks you’ll like he just automatically sends it to you like with no words no texts just the post and you’re like “OMG CAN WE DO THIS” and he’s like “why else would i send it. yes we can :)” hvskwkeke

end note;  thank you sm for the love on my last two posts!! i’m glad you guys enjoyed them sm. if you have any requests, they’re open and i’m happy to deliver, mwah!

[russilton]

Mark, no, we can be emotional about Lewis’ body language and the protectiveness together, if you want? 🥺👉🏻👈🏻

It's mostly the way he's built, obviously. His body. I mean, how is he even real.

I'm really living for their height difference, I honestly feel like we're not discussing it enough. I mean, shit, do you realise how perfectly Lewis’ head could lean against George’s shoulder when sitting next to each other. Just fitting. And do you realise how Lewis is so strong that he could easily pick George up despite George being that tall. Just like he loves to pick up Ange or Bono or anyone he is close with, because he gets tactile with the people he feels close to. God ~

So obviously it is his physical strenght in general, how broad and built he is, but that’s not all, Lewis, at the same time, is also so gentle? As a soul? He just radiates safety.

I also feel like some of the ~ vibe ~ is coming from how they usually dress. George often prefers his skinny fit with t-shirt and jeans. Which just highlights his slim frame. Lewis loves to wear oversized cothes and likes to be bundled up. It's the visual contrast, it adds to it all.

And another thing is that Lewis so often lets George stand in front of him, as if giving him precedency and keeping him in eyesight. Even though Lewis’ mind is clearly always running and can easily scatter it makes it look like some part of him is always ready to quickly (re-)focus on George.

Lots of feelings. 🤧

I can’t lie I don’t PERSONALLY talk about height difference much because it doesn’t do it for me. Something something I have body image and masculinity issues about my height, so I just don’t think about it lol, or discuss it.

SIZE difference I do like, which is weird I know…. But anyway, Lewis’ muscled bulk to George’s slim wiry frame? George is of course muscular in his own right but Lewis is so BROAD. George has to also be very light for the car (which is it’s own rabbit hole shaped issue I don’t wanna go into today) and it would make him so easy for Lewis to hoist up and move around…. All of George’s length is in those long legs, and lying down it’s all about muscle…. Lewis can really push him around. Not to mention Lewis’ big, strong musicians hands, to George’s long, clean, pretty ones.

I do think a lot about how Lewis often follows george. It’s odd, you expect the opposite from them a lot, and it still happens of course. But there’s something powerful in those moments Lewis shadows him. They walk and stand so differently sometimes, George is always moving at speed, he’s light, airy, he walks like a deer or a horse, designed to move quickly on reflex. Lewis moves like a lion, slower, bigger, dominating, calculating. When George walks ahead; it’s almost like he’s watching him, making sure he knows where George is while his mind wanders. George fits into every space he enters, but Lewis commands them, he is larger than life where George is more focused on what’s in a room. It’s an odd but very artistically fascinating thing to observe. No one expects the lion to fall in love with the stag, do they.

[tu-sugar-mami]

What if Alcina comforts you when you go through a break up:

"It's all right, dear. Let it all out..." She held you close to her chest while you sobbbed incontrolably. Your heart clenched at the memory of what happened earlier that day. Her strong arms were surrounding you, protecting you, shielding you against your demons. Her chin rested on the top of your head while her retracted claws scratched your scalp soothingly.

You regretted avoiding her all day. It wasn't your intention at first, but you just couldn't face her. Of course you couldn't run for long, and so you inevitably stumbled upon her in the hallway on your way to the library.

Alcina is a very observant person, you know that, she always notice even the smallest details, and your downcast gaze along with arrhythmic heartbeat were obviously not the exception. You tried to sweep everything under the rug, to hide your struggle and the way your heart clenched, but those piercing gorgeous golden eyes bore into your soul making it impossible to keep your walls up, and when you couldn't hold it in any longer and finally broke, when your tears and your pain finally saw light she didn't think it twice, she didn't hesitate. She held you, leaning down to your insignificant height to recieve you with open arms and an open heart.

"I did my best, Alci." You said, your hoarse voice reverberating into her throat and your tears wetting her neck. "I did my best and i wasn't enough..." Your arms circled her waist when she kneeled and brought you closer, sitting you on her lap like a crying child. She didn't even care to ruin her dress on the dirty floor.

"What happened? Who hurt you like this?" Her voice was gentle, and you didn't notice the hidden rage she held towards whoever hurt you like that.

"He dumped me. He said that—"You sniffled and your hands clutched her dress as if your life depended on it. "He said that i'm useless, just a nuisance he had to put up with all that time we were together..."

It was then when Alcina reliazed you were talking about your shitty boyfriend. The same man she felt jealous of, because he got to hold you whenever he wanted, he could cuddle with you at night every night, and above all he could kiss you as many times as he wanted while she could only fantasize about it in her dreams. God, Alcina hated that man, but seeing you happy made it impossible for her to get rid of him. And now she regretted not doing it. 'How dare that man make you cry like this?'

"Darling, here, look at me." She carefully but firmly guided your chin up, angling your head so you could look at her. The stern look on her face made her beauty even brighter. " That man does not deserve your tears." Her hand cupped your cheek, or well, half of your face, and her thumb stroked your cheek softly, soothingly, helping your sobbing subside. "That idiot will pay for telling you such things. He is a fool for letting you go, and you my lo– dear, deserve someone much better than that garbage man."

"I'm not hurt because he dumped me, Alcina." That got her attention, you almost never called her by her complete first name. "It hurts me that he's right." You wiped your tears with the back of your hand and stood up. Even kneeled Alcina was taller than you, and you couldn't hold her gaze. You turned your back to her, trying to hide the shame you felt. "It hurts me because if that insignificant bitch thinks that i'm worthless, then there's no way i'm enough for the one who i really love..."

Alcinas breath hitched. Those were news she was not aware of. Has there been someone else this whole time? But who could it be the one who stole you heart? You never mentioned anything, and to her it looked like you were happy as you were, but she clearly was reading you wrong. She felt a sting in her chest. How could she have let something like that slip past her? Had she known you were unhappy... well, she could have taken care of that.

"What do you mean... who you love?"

"It's nothing." You said too quickly to be unsuspiciouis. "I've said too much. Please, i want-- i want to be alone right now." You tried to walk away, but before you even gave a step a strong hand held onto your wrist.

"Please, tell me."

The way Alcina asked, breathless, almost a whisper, made you turn back and confront her begging expression.

"I can't. I don't want to lose you, i'll be damned if--" You sighed. "I'm not enough."

Alcina's eyes widened.

Those beautiful golden eyes always enthralled you. The first time you saw them in that god forsaken forest you thought the journey was worth it if you got to see that pretty color. But now, they just filled you with sadness and made your stomach churn with anxiety.

"Is... Is it me? Please, i need to know."

Your breath catched in your throat. You let out a whimper and the tears flowed again.

"I'm sorry... i have to go." With a hard tug you freed your wrist from her grip and made a run for the stairs without looking back to the desperate shouts of Alcina begging you to stay.

You were no longer in sight, and not even the echo of your hurried footsteps could be heard. You slipped off her hands just like a handful of sand would.

She had you for a moment, completing the other half of her damaged heart, and the next second you were running away from her only leaving her broken heart behind.

Alcina didn't even notice the tears flowing out of her own eyes, too distracted by the faint smell of your perfume that was slowly dissipating.

She had you for a second, bringing up a new world of possibilities, where her dreams would not longer be impossible, only for them to be shattered mercilessly.

Alcina could feel her lungs being constricted, as if something were crushing her on the inside. Her eyes stung. Her heart hammered in her chest.

She had you... and then she lost you.

She hadn't alowwed herself to love for many, many years. She had prived herself from feeling any form of affection and caring that were not for her daughters and yet, her walls crumbled in a matter of days when she met you. She denied at first, tried to push you away but you, insufferable little thing, charmed your way into her heart and when she least expected it she was swooning at the sight of you eating whole turkey voraciously.

Was it worth it? The pain in her chest, the dissapointment, the stress? Well, she already knew the answer.

Kneeled on the library hallway Alcina made a decision.

Alcina stood up in a blink and did what she had not done in a very long time. She ran. Ran and ran as fast as her legs could carry her, down the stairs where you had run too.

She hoped it wasn't too late, she wished she hadn't taken that long to act, and she yearned to have you back in her arms.

The high heels were slowing her down, and she didn't hesitate to take them off while she ran, stumbling a bit but keeping the pace. She didn't care if it was not proper of a lady to run barefoot around the castle, hoisting her dress up in an attempt to cover more ground, you were more important than any propriety.

It's a good thing to have really long legs when your'e chasing someone, and even though Alcina was very out of breath she managed to reach you just in time as you were opening the front door.

"Wait!" She yelled, and you snapped your neck back to face her. The sight made your heart flutter and screech in pain at the same time. Alcina had gotten rid of her shoes, a good part of the skirt of her dress was strongly clutched under her arm. Her make up was smudged and you could tell she was sweating, something you had never seen her do. Her hair was ruffled and her hat was gone.

"Alcina..."

You tried to run again but Alcina was already running down the stairs and you didn't go too far outside before she clashed with you, her front to your back, circling your body with her arms while you both fell to the snowy ground.

"Wait! Please, please wait." Her ragged breath felt hot against the nape of your neck. Your glossy eyes made it hard for you to see, but you could feel her lips on your skin. "Don't go. Don't leave me. I--" She swallowed before speaking again. "Oh god, dear, i love you. Don't you understand?"

You let out a short, shaky breath. Did she really tell you that? you wonder.

"You... what?"

"You heard me. I love you." Alcina held you tighter, impossibly closer to her, and in her arms the horrible cold from the outside didn't faze you. "I love you, i love you, i love you. I'll tell you as many times as you need. I love you, please stay with me."

"You mean it?" Your voice was shaky, your breath was ragged from all the running, and your heart matched Alcina's own. "You really mean it?" You turned in her embrace, enough to face her, and she held you face with her hand. it was an awkard position, but there was nowhere else you wanted to be.

"I mean it..." And as she was teached that actions speak better than words, she leaned in to kiss you, capturing your lips with her own. You turned completely and wasted no time before kissing her again. And again and again.

"I loved you first." You said, letting out a wet giggle, all that crying really did a number on you. You tenderly tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, your touch lingering for a bit. "And if you let me, i'll love you until the end."

"I would like nothing more..." And she kissed you again, hungrily this time and you of course kissed back. "Also, i'll kill your ex. Life is a luxury your little bitch of ex-partner doesn't deserve."

"Alci no!"

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

If you like my work, buy me a coffee?

https://ko-fi.com/lenchisus

[ppersonna]

ride or die - myg | m

we don't need money to feel good cause you're the ride or die, the rest of my life. don't need a party to feel high, we're like the modern version of bonnie and clyde , bonnie & clyde, yuqi

✹ summary- there’s nothing in the world you wouldn’t do for Min Yoongi.

✹ rating- explicit/18+/nsfw

✹ pairing- min yoongi x reader

✹ word count- 1.6k

✹ genre- hmm idk. maybe some angst, some smut, some action?, established relationship, criminal!au

✹ chapter warnings- sexual content, mentions of criminal acts/police, unprotected sex, oral sex (f receiving), mentions of death, guns, unhealthy obsession with each other lol

✹ a/n- hi loves! i wanted to challenge myself and write something a bit more prose-heavy than any sort of plot or semblance of plot. i hope you enjoy this random drabble that wouldnt leave my brain!!! thanks to @ladyartemesia @xjoonchildx @untaemedqueen and @nomseok​ for looking over it for me and helping me feel better about it LOLLL. i love u all ALSO PLS LISTEN TO THE SONG BONNIE AND CLYDE BY YUQI IT IS AMAZING AND WHERE I GOT ALL MY INSPO FOR THIS!!

 75 mph…

100 mph…

Yoongi’s hand grips tight on the inside of your thigh, fingers pressing into the supple flesh as his foot presses down the gas pedal. 

The engine roars, matching the screaming explosion you feel inside your chest. Your veins feel like they’re flowing with the same high-octane fuel that Yoongi’s injected to the engine of the 1969 matte black Camaro.

Yoongi.

There’s nothing in the world you wouldn’t do for Yoongi.

The engine screams to life again, tearing through the otherwise silent car. It won’t be quiet for long. You can hear the distant blaring of police sirens, the low-grade rumble of helicopter wings closing in.

Yoongi simply smirks when you glance at him, eyes focused on the road with one hand on the leather steering wheel and the other rubbing at the skin of your inner thigh.

The sirens sound closer, only streets away now. Yoongi acts as if it’s only you and him, as if there’s nowhere else he’d rather be than right here in this car with you beside him and the bag of prized jewels in the back.

You love him. You love him more than you’ve ever loved another, more than you’d ever convince yourself you’d love again. He’s all-consuming. Yoongi is the cosmos, the universe that holds you within his center.

You’d die for Yoongi.

You’d kill.

“Yoongi,” you breathe, unable to speak any further. You don’t need to. Yoongi knows what you’re saying. He grips your leg tighter and the smirk widens on his face, finally flickering his eyes over to your own. 

“I know,” he says. Because he does.

Yoongi gives no sign that he’s scared. He’s the picture of composure as he squeezes the car through narrow streets, tires squealing as he spins the wheel to slide into the next alley way and dodge the cops through yet another neighborhood. He doesn’t even bat an eye as he defends you inside the jobs, gun blazing as he ensures your safety without even a glance back. 

He gives no indication that anything can go wrong, as if his mind is already made up that everything will be okay and you’ll both get out, get away, without a scratch.

It’s different when he lays you down. He sets you on the cheap motel mattress with care, like a delicate doll, made of glass and ceramic, one wrong move away from breaking.

He presses his lips to every inch of your body, as if ensuring himself that you’re okay, that you’re here, that he got you out safely. He doesn’t speak, doesn’t want to break the reverent silence of the dingy bedroom that becomes his chapel when he has you in his arms.

Safe. 

You’re safe and Yoongi needs hours to remind himself of that, needs more than just kisses and touches. He pushes himself into you slowly, letting the tight heat of your core remind him just how alive you are. He opens you up like a prayer, spreading your legs and gasping for air as he recites the only invocation he knows, the only one he believes in.

“I love you.”

Sweaty and overheated, your hands grasp for any part of Yoongi you can--his arms, his vascular hands. You need more, need to feel him in more ways than you can count. Yoongi feels so good buried deep inside you, rocking his hips against your own and making your body scream with pent-up desire.

“I love you, Yoongi,” you nearly scream as he hits a spot within you that makes you forget about the whole world around you. “Only you.”

Yoongi doesn’t believe in a God, doesn’t believe in any higher power. But he thinks the closest to heaven is the way you cry his name for him, the way you keen for more as he spills himself inside you.

The duffel bag of dollar bills is heavy in your lap as you throw yourself into the Camaro, running from the high rise bank, and Yoongi slams on the gas pedal before you can even close the door.

“Shit!” Your hands grip at the duffel bag, trying to stay afloat in the speeding car. The door closes by itself after he careens down the highway and you let out a breath you hadn’t realized you were holding.

“God, that was so fucking good,” Yoongi grins, voice high with excitement and adreneline. “You did so fucking good, baby doll.”

The praise goes straight to your heart, straight to the muscle inside your chest that has Yoongi’s name stamped into each vein, each artery. He’s yours, he’s so wholly yours and you so wholly his, you think you can’t even breathe without him around.

You don’t watch where he drives, too focused on the curve of his cheeks, the way his black hair is pushed back messily. You don’t care where he takes you. All you need is him and the feel of his hand resting on your thigh, a spot made just for him.

Yoongi.

I’d die for you, Yoongi, don’t you know that?

Yoongi finally, blessedly, looks over at you once he’s settled himself onto a long stretch of highway outside of the city, no longer looking in the rearview mirror for the shining lights of the police, no longer zipping and weaving between other cars on the road.

The peace of the open road settles in your chest and you let go of the duffle bag, throwing it over your shoulder to sit in the backseat, in between the bag of jewels and the expensive artwork from the last heist.

You settle into the seat and he lets his fingers spread out, touching you as if grounding himself to you. 

“You’re my ride or die, baby,” he breathes after a moment of silence. You stare straight ahead, watching as the dark sunset ahead of you bursts in an explosion of colors.

“Forever, Yoongi.”

Yoongi could spend hours between your thighs. He doesn’t even make any attempts to remove himself from the taste of your slick cunt until you’ve climaxed twice from his tongue. He eats you like he’s parched, only able to sate his thirst by drinking directly from your core.

He holds your legs tight, reminding himself you’re here, you’re with him, you’re never leaving and he’s never letting you go. 

Your hands thread through his hair, gripping the silken raven locks as he digs his tongue into your channel yet again, lapping up the sweetness that spills from your orgasm, relishing in the rhythmic chanting of his name. He never wants to hear anything else drip from your lips, wants no other name but his own staining the pretty pout and echoing around the motel room.

You are his everything. His world. His universe. 

He finally pulls away, smiling up at you after your third consecutive orgasm wrought by his mouth, and kisses at the skin of your thighs--the same place he allows his hand to rest when he steers you away from the chaos of your burglaries.

“I love you more than anything in this world,” he breathes, pressing his soft kisses up your legs and swirling around your belly.

“More than money?” You ask, out of breath.

“More than money.”

“More than jewels?”

“More than anything any bank in the world combined could have in their stores,” he promises to every inch of your breasts, tongue lapping at the nipple. “More than any king could ever want.”

“Yoongi,” you sigh when he finally slides into you, completing you. You’re nothing without him, nothing without the feeling of him within you.

“Say it again,” he whispers against your ear as he thrusts into you gently, holding you tenderly in his arms.

“Yoongi.”

His head falls against your own, foreheads touching as he bores his eyes into yours. His. His, his, his. You’re his only, and his forever, and he never wants to live another moment, another day, another second, without you.

He claims you, seed spilling deep into your womb at the height of your shared climax. Your body welcomes him, clenches with desire and milks him to the last drop, desperate to keep him within you for as long as you can.

“It’s just you and me forever, baby,” he says after he’s cleaned you up and laid you down.

Suddenly, there’s sirens and the flashing red and blue lights outside the window.

“Come out! We have you surrounded.”

Yoongi helps you throw on clothes, whispering hurriedly as he stashes the guns he needs into his pocket and throws one to you. 

He throws a look at you as he knocks the glass out of the back window of the bathroom.

“You ready for another adventure, baby?”

The gun feels heavy in your hands, but solid. Comforting. The gun is your means of staying with Yoongi, never leaving his sight. You’d take down anything that stood in the way, eliminate any threat that posed a risk of taking him away.

He notes your silence and kisses you quick, before hoisting you up to climb out the window and make a run for the hidden Camaro in the alleyway.

He catches up to you, hand slipping into your own and tugging you to run faster, the Camaro coming into your sights like a sanctuary. You can hear the pounding footsteps of the police around the building, the splintering wood as they force themselves into the now-vacant motel room, still wet and hot from where you made love.

Yoongi grins as he slides into the car and fires the engine, pulling you in for a deep and passionate kiss, hands hovering over the steering wheel.

With a quirk of his lips, he places his hand back on it’s spot on your thigh.

“Ride or die, right, baby?”

[alluringjae]

it’s a royal order - jjh

⤑ summary: one of your royal campaigns became a success, and your bodyguard jaehyun was there to see it all happen. it’s only fair to celebrate, right?

⤑ pairing: jaehyun x female reader

⤑ word count: 2k

⤑ genre: fluff, suggestive (dirty talk, jaehyun got a daddy kink, superiority complex!!), implied smut | bodyguard!jaehyun, princess!reader, slight enemies to lovers!au, modern royal!au (where south korea remains under monarchial power)

⤑ warnings: mentions of alcohol, drugs, family problems and therapy, explicit language

⤑ playlist: lows by pink sweat$ | céline by gallant | i put a spell on you by iza | nasty by ariana grande | dance for you by beyonce | body by sinead harnett

⤑ author’s note: this is definitely less emotional than all i do is wait! i got this idea from a show i really enjoyed before it got cancelled named the royals. specifically, i really liked the story of eleanor and jasper, which is the whole princess x bodyguard dynamic. the pining and tension, ugh! if you know this show or not, it doesn’t matter. anyways, thank you for the 30+ followers and 200 notes on aidiw! enjoy!

i need holy water because of this piece.

⤑ credits to jeongjaehyuns for the gif above uwu

⤑  leave me some feedback, constructive criticism or hellos!

“On behalf of the royal family, I would like to extend my utmost support for the Anti-School Violence campaign for all students to have a safer and more meaningful learning environment.” You proudly announced to the board of officials alongside other influential individuals in Korean society.

Being the only princess in the current royal line may have its pressures, but holding a strong, direct impact for a brighter future for the people motivated you to take advantage of your platform for the better. As the image of pure innocence and revamped women empowerment, you aimed to accomplish all the things your mother wished she could before her untimely death alongside your personal aspirations.

Expressing genuine joy with the campaign, with a tinge of desire to annoy the old-fashioned and closeminded officials, your prying eyes were more enamored by a certain man in the back clapping by the ballroom doors. You can’t help but act flustered whenever he witnessed you in a state of success and satisfaction.

This man went by the name Jeong Jaehyun, your trusted bodyguard since you were in your early twenties. 3 years later, he still stuck by your side and helped you endure all the darkness as a royal.

Back then, you went through a rebellious phase that was ruining the image of your family. Clubbing almost every night, drugs, skipping school, you even managed to get all assigned bodyguards to quit! The media ate up all your tricks, turning them into scandals. That was the plan, of course. You desired your own freedom from all the royal obligations because you didn’t ask to be born into that lifestyle. To all of your peers who wished to be in your footsteps, you would’ve impulsively passed your title to them. There’s so much deception that lies behind the glitz and glam of it all.

This unexpected change in your former untainted attitude came to the point that your father, the king himself, stepped in and personally assigned one of his men to get you in check. He figured that appointing a guard nearest your age may lessen the tension and mend you back together.

In the start, you absolutely despised him. There was no way to fool him when you were up to no good. He easily found your alcohol and drug stash which he disposed of on the spot and stood by your bedroom door every night so you wouldn’t sneak out past curfew (which your father also strictly implemented).

One big turning point in your relationship was when he rushed you to the royal hospital when you drank a cocktail that went unnoticeably spiked. To think that this was a typical social gathering with other royals and officials, you’re a constant target to many. You didn’t wake up for a few days, and the entire time, Jaehyun willingly stood by your bedside and outside your hospital room.

Since that and more instances your father insisted you get involved in royal affairs, you softened up. As cliché as it was, the more time spent with him, the more you knew about him and vice versa. He was the one that got you to fully open up about your grief towards your late mother, encouraging you to seek help. Turns out you weren’t as different as you thought despite your differing ranks in society when he also had a void for a missing parent. In his case, it was his father, who ditched his family for his mistress. Silently, you helped each other recover from your traumas alongside therapy. From dreading his presence, you started treating him more casually. Your father’s tactic of assigning a bodyguard around your age admittedly worked.

Oh, how time flies.

This campaign was the last thing on your weekend agenda, so you had the entire late afternoon and evening to yourself. Bowing one last time to the audience, you stepped down from the platform and accepted the soft hand of your bodyguard, who quickly made his way to you despite the flashing cameras. It was something he got used to as it is part of the job.

Once he successfully ushered you out of the ballroom, his hand still held yours. Nothing new, except this event was quite public and you didn’t want anyone to get any wrong ideas. Strolling down one of the many hallways in the palace became a pastime for the both of you, where no one can catch you. It was a safe haven within the destructive life of the Park kingdom.

“You did phenomenal as I expected, your highness.” Jaehyun complimented, recalling your panic the night before as the stage fright hit strong when you were reciting your speech to him over and over again.

“We are in private, Jaehyun. Must you really use those formalities with me?” You taunted, bobbing your head sideways mockingly. With him could you felt like a normal young adult, and you wouldn’t have it any other way. Jaehyun loved being frisky with you, catching you get irked up. And he was up to do it again.

“Hmm last time we strolled these halls, Yuta caught us making out after a successful meeting with the Prime Minister.”

You gasped at his statement, conscious of whoever may be in the vicinity. But before you could refute, your hand that was interlocked with his were mightily slammed against the white wall. You lost your breath for a moment, his warm body closely on yours. His free hand freely roamed up and down your covered waist. His lips were dangerously near your neck, where you’re sensitive. Your hips naturally grinded against him to release the pent-up tension.

“Something tells me you want to do it again, princess?” Now he’s just using your title as a pet name, but you couldn’t complain. It just hits differently when the situation was set up like this.

“I deserve it, don’t I? Got a lot of those hell-driven officials on my side for this round.” You raised both your brows cockily, licking your lips.

“Hell yeah, you do.” Finally, he rids of the tension and plants open kisses on your bare neck. Your throaty moans were uncontrollable, and you could care less.

“My princess,”

Kiss.

“So intelligent,”

Kiss.

“So benevolent,”

Kiss.

“So helpful,”

Kiss.

“But,” He changed his pace and direction, swollen lips near your ear.

“But?” You question naïvely. He scoffed, smirking at your antics of playing dumb.

“But a total slut for her bodyguard.” He dominantly planted his lips against yours, one of his veiny hands gripping on your waist and the other by the arch of your butt. He was hungry, needy even. Due to your shared schedules, it’s been a constant struggle to have proper alone time from the snooping eyes of Korean society. After all, it wasn’t in the norm for a princess to fall deep for her bodyguard. Nor were you sure you would be accepted by anyone. Yuta, the bodyguard of your oldest brother, the crowned prince Jinyoung, finding the both of you at that time was a total shock but didn’t care either.

All that mattered was that your feelings towards each other are real and strong. Accepted or not, you had each other.

All this lust put you in a daze, wanting much more than another smooch fest in the hallway. Tugging on his belt, he squeezed your butt tightly. You emitted a moan, which allowed his tongue access. No way could you keep your hands to yourself, touching his upper body and the flexing of his abdominal muscles from his button-up. You felt his now hard member poking through.

Analyzing your area, you were on the other side of the palace. Farther to your bedroom where numerous rendezvouses were made, one kink you’ve considered in the past amplified your mind. Considering this area was also the king’s side, and he was abroad for royal affairs, this was your chance.

“I have an idea, my love. You up for it?” You rose a brow at your lover, challenging him. Not one to overpower this man in bed, but always suggesting a way on how to spice it up.

“And what exactly does your feral brain want to do with me, princess?” His finger lifted your chin so you meet eye to eye. You can just see the fire still burning, and oh how you were ready to intensify it.

“The main ballroom, where my father and late mother’s throne rest, are a few doors away.” Your fingers signal him to lower his stance as his tall height was difficult to reach. With a sneaky smirk,

“Let me ride you in the king’s throne, my love.” Your lips brushed over his and sucked his bottom lip, tugging him by his belt. He groaned, squeezing your butt. “It’s a royal order.”  

“Nasty, your highness. Insanely nasty, you are.” His hands hoisted your waist, boosting you up in his arms. You gasped with profanities, ravenously cut off by his lips again. His nails digging deep in your bare thighs, your legs naturally linked themselves around his torso while your arms passionately intertwined his broad neck.

In between kisses, he carried you to the said main ballroom. One of your wildest imaginations, just a second away. This room remained to be the only place without any guards stationed technological advancements or updated interior designs to preserve its traditional beauty. Dated as far as the 19th century, only special events were held and the highest of the high were allowed inside. Spacious, surrounded by gold linings majestic paintings of angels from above with a huge crystal chandelier right above the center. Right ahead, the original thrones that your ancestors, grandparents, and parents sat on when they were throned in its pure glory.

Pushing your lover on the king’s throne, the gold sun-like rays plastered behind the headrest, he cockily leaned back and manspread his legs for comfort. He rubbed his hands before patting his thigh, waiting for your submission. But you weren’t going to give in just yet.

Not when you prepared a mini-show just for him underneath your designer silk dress.

Jaehyun’s solemn eyes marveled over your gorgeous figure as you stripped down one strap after the other. Due to its silk fabric, it effortlessly dropped down to your figure to reveal a new set of black lace lingerie from your previous trip to Paris. Ages ago, Jaehyun unhesitatingly ripped your favorite ones during his birthday, so you decided to get a mature version of it. A version where your bra lifted your breasts more and undies hiked up to your waist to elongate your legs. Only for the eyes of yourself and the man in front of you, establishing that you were a powerful woman who can be absolutely anyone she can be. Princess, a normal young adult, or his slut, it’s up to you how you see yourself.

Jaehyun mumbled all the profanities he could think of at the moment. Looking like a divine angel when the sun from outside shuns behind you, his slacks tightening so much more than a while ago.

“All this for me?” He ogled shamelessly, undoing the buttons of his dress shirt and untying his necktie. “What did I do to deserve such regal treatment?”

You sneered at his comment, stepping out your dress in your heels and stationing right in front of his luring lap. “You’ve always been there for me, thick and thin. I think you deserve a reward, don’t you think?”

Lowering yourself to straddle him, his breath hissed when your damp core collided with his crotch. Distracted and caught in your trap, “I don’t think you answered my question, my love.”

Rather than a verbal response, he roughly pulled you back in for a kiss. His hands scattered to explore from your back down to your waist. Your hands messily ran through his hair, tugging on some when your body got too sensitive to his wild touches. The thrilling sounds of the two of you drowning in your fiery romance bounced throughout the ballroom, not minding if anyone passed by the hallways outside. It was a private room after all, and whatever happens here, stays here.

Rolling on his crotch while his lips trailed down to your collarbones, the quick snap of your bra wires echoed. The tight lift lessened as Jaehyun’s fingers dropped the straps, unveiling your bare chest covered in his marks.

“Enough playing, princess. Let daddy have some real fun with you.”

[avlillustrations]

Innocence

As a Halloween treat I thought I'd post an old fanfiction I wrote years ago. I totally forgot about it until someone liked it on deviantart.

It's a silly little Danny phantom/Tak and the power of juju crossover one-shot. I really like it though!

"My hair isn't food you know." Danny muttered, though he wasn't particularly bothered by the rhino chewing on the split ends. It was better than being harassed by the villagers. Ever since he defeated Vlad and saved the moon Juju, the villagers wanted him to do everything. It'd gotten so bad that he had to resort to hiding out in Dryrock Canyon just to get some alone time. It even made him long for the time he was just Clockwork's errand boy and everyone ignored him...

"Danny," and nobody looked for him when he made it clear he wanted to be left alone. "Danny, I know you're here. Clockwork wants to see you!"

Danny groaned, "ugh. On my way, Dash!"

"Danny!"

"I said I'm..."

"DANNY!" This time Dash's yelling was accompanied by a annoyingly loud chittering sound: Nerbils. Danny cursed under his breath and stood up from his hiding spot behind the summoning shrine. Dash was helpless against Nerbils, you'd think differently because of his size, but the little pests tend to attack in pacts of ten or more so...

Danny hoisted himself up the cliffs to the path of the sun temple. Dash was one cliff higher, with the dead magic Nubu plant. A swarm of at least seven Nerbils had him pinned to the dusty ground. "DANNY!" Dash squealed again. (Yes, big macho man Dash Baxter squealed. Though he would definitely deny it if he were confronted.)

Danny rolled his eyes. Dash really was pathetic. Danny grabbed the spirit rattle from his holster and began raffling though the juju talismans in his leg pouch until he found the one he was looking for: Conversion. One of his personal favorites. Who wouldn't want to turn a Nerbil into a chicken?

"Damn it, Danny. Get this flesh eating monstrosities off of me!"

"That's funny," Danny deadpanned. "I didn't know chickens were flesh eaters."

"Wha...?" Dash opened his eye and saw that indeed he was no longer being bitten and scratched to death by little bat-like monsters. Instead he had a bunch of chickens scratching on his chest and one was attempting to nest in his hair. "Shoo, shoo, stupid birds."

Danny snickered," I don't want to hear a word about this Danny." Dash growled as he stood up.

"I wasn't gonna say anything." Danny snickered again, a little louder this time.

"And no laughing either."

"Sorry, can't promise you that." Danny began laughing in earnest.

"Damn it Fenton, it's not funny!"

"It's always funny when you're involved, Dash."

Dash scoffed. "Yeah right, whatevAH! Nubu plant!"

Danny looked and sure enough, there was a Nubu plant, freshly sprouted. Although, something was...off. The plant wasn't hissing or snapping at them as the plant species was known to do whenever there was prey around. In fact it was quivering, as if it were afraid. It was also the smallest Nubu plant Danny had ever seen, even for a sprout. Usually, freshly sprouted Nubu plants were tall enough to reach his knee, adolescent Nubu plants were about waist height, and fully grown magical Nubu plants were exactly the same height as he was. This one though, it barely reached the midpoint of his calf.

"What are you Doing Fenton?"

"Shut up Dash."

Danny inspected the plant a bit closer. The nubu plants quivering was more noticeable now that he had gotten a better look and he could finally see why. It had no teeth! And out here in Dryrock Cayon, where there was no grass or weeds to camouflage the little thing, having no teeth was a death sentence.

"Seriously Danny, what are you doing?" Dash asked again, his voice wavering a little bit, but at least he wasn't freaking out anymore.

"I'm taking it back to amity with me."

"What?! You can't be serious Danny. You know how dangerous those things are."

"They're only dangerous from adolescence to adulthood." Danny replied sharply. "Sprouts like this one are just a nuisance." Danny would know, since he'd been bitten by them more times than he could count. The bites didn't even hurt that much. It just felt like walking through a field of thistles.

"Danny..."

"It'll be fine Dash. Look, it doesn't even have any teeth."

"If it doesn't have any teeth then why are you taking it?"

"I'm taking it because it doesn't have teeth." Danny snapped, "without teeth, it won't be able to catch prey or protect itself from predators."

"I don't think Clockwork will approve of you keeping that thing."

"Says you, Clockwork won't care." Danny had an idea. "In fact, I think he'll be happy to have a reliable source of Nubu flowers around."

"Huh?"

"I'm pretty sure if I take care of this little guy now, he'll be a little more docile when he reaches adulthood."

Dash was confused, "Which means?..."

"Which means when Clockwork needs a Nubu flower for a spell, he'll have a domesticated Nubu plant within reach and I won't have to hunt down a bunch of them just for a few flowers." Adult Nubu plants were rare enough now-a-days from people trying their best to kill the sprouts whenever they bloom. And whenever Clockwork needed one of the flowers Danny had to travel miles to find a feral one to kill and once they died they would no longer produce flowers. Which was why it was better to get the flower while it was still alive. The flowers grew back then.

"Yeah, sure. Just grab the stupid plant and let's get out of here. I hate Dryrock Canyon."

Danny nodded only half listening to Dash's complaining, while he focused on digging out the plant without tools and without severing its roots (Nubu plants could feel pain unlike other plant species). "So what d'ya say, little guy," Danny said to the no longer quivering plant. Do you want to come home with me?"

The plant purred.