#also the grey spot is where I realized I had messed up and had to fix it and the editor I was using didn't have an eraser haha

[kirincult]

I also solved it because I love a 'doku

IM SO FUCKING HAPPY !!!!!!

[amara-scott]

Paired for trouble.

Pairing: Mattheo Riddle x Reader

Summary: When you are partnered with Mattheo for a Care of Magical Creatures assignment, you're convinced the universe is punishing you. He’s smug, reckless, and so infuriatingly attractive it makes you want to scream. But when your bickering gets you lost in the Forbidden Forest, survival takes precedence—until you realize you're not just fighting magical creatures, but the growing spark between you.

“You’re glaring again, Ravenclaw,” he says as you tried to swat a stubborn bug off your shoulder. “I’m imagining how to hex you,” you replied sweetly.

The chuckle followed made your glare all the more sharply. The forest adventure turned into an odd hunt for the right path quite quickly, you would have never thought to get lost here- not to mention with Mattheo Riddle. Infuriating is the most fitting word you would use to describe that boy.

"Did your Ravenclaw witts already figured out how to navigate us out?" His playful tone was laced with a tint of seriousness and you rolled your eyes, still walking ahead and not looking back, "Me? What about you? Aren't you the one who wanted to leave the path in the first place? Go find it again."

He didn't reply, the groan forming in your throat had no time coming out as you heard rustling from behind you. Stopping dead in your tracks you felt your heart hammering, turning slowly.

Your clammy hand grasping the wand you held in your hand the hole time, only tighter this time. Eyes wide open to not miss a single thing.

"Riddle!" He wasn't behind you, nor anywhere near you. No reply. Just dead silence. A few droplets hit your head, wetting your crown of hair, "Shit.." you curse, briefly glancing up and noticing the thick grey clouds closing in above you.

Another twig snaps, your eyes back on the bushes in front of you, "M- Mattheo?"

Nothing.

A few ravens made you almost shriek as they left their spots in a tree nearby, croaking to announce their departure. You suck in air, almost stumbling back.

"Boo!"

Hands wrap around your upper arms from behind, your body cringing and eyes squeezed shut. Then he laughs. That laugh. That boy!

In one swift motion you spin around, holding your wand against his neck and gritting your teeth, "having fun?" He still grins while tilting his head up slightly, your wand pushing deeper into his skin.

"Lots of it. You should try it sometime." He steps back, cutting you off as you open your mouth, ready to fling curses left and right.

"Come on now, I think I found a path." You don't believe your eyes as he casually walks off, as if nothing happened. Scaring you half to death, in the forbidden forest. And to imagine you almost– almost– were worried for him a minute ago. Almost.

—

The path turned out to really be one. Surprisingly so. Which you were glad about but also annoyed by. He wouldn't let you live it down that he was the one who found the path and brought you back to school.

Shaking your head you notice the light slowly fading through the crowns of the trees, the leaves rustling with the wind as more rain came down. Luckily you knew the Impervius Charm. Usually that's seventh year stuff but you always had a knack for Charms, Profesor Flitwick praising you almost every lesson. Much to the annoyance of the boy who was walking merely a few feet before you now. In pure silence for the last couple minutes.

"Great path you found. When will we be back? It's getting cold. And dark."

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious, sunshine. Be grateful I even found a path in the first place, without me–"

"–without you, I wouldn't even be in this mess!" He throws his head back dramatically, slowing to a stop, and turns to me.

"Do you ever shut up?" Your jaw almost drops at his remark, teasing another grin from him, apparently happy with your reaction.

"Excuse you, it was your fault we ended up–" His eyes left yours and drifted over your shoulder, to the side. He then takes off, running away, "hey! Where are you going?" You yelled and turned, looking after him. A light flickering in the distance. With your eyes squinted, you follow him quickly, not wanting to stand alone any second longer.

"Mattheo, wait!" Your muddy boots carry you through the mushy leaves, your robe now wet from the branches swiping across the fabric as you push through to not loose him in the forest.

"Matt-" You stop dead in your tracks as you almost collide with his back, placing your hands on his shoulders to stop the impact.

"Thought you couldn't stand me." Even in the dim light shining from the lamp ahead you saw the huge smirk and stretched out bruise across his lips. You huff and step back, thankful for the lack of sunlight.

"No witty comeback? Have I finally caught you off guard?" You shive his shoulder and step past him, an abandoned, crumbling hut coming into view, the lamp light flickering and dancing on the wooden panels.

"I guess we'll need to find shelter here before it really starts pouring."

With a gulp you glance at Mattheo, his posture also hesitant as you look back at the hut.

—

"Don’t get comfortable. This is just a pit stop."

Mattheo settles into a dusty corner with an exaggerated sigh, "I’m already comfortable. You? You look like you’re ready to murder me in my sleep."

You glance around and pick up a quilt, tossing it at his head. "If I wanted to murder you, Riddle, you wouldn’t have made it to the hut." He grinned then, as he pulled the blanket off his face, "So you’re saying I should be flattered? I think you just admitted you like me."

"The night is not over yet." He laughed at your attempt of a threat and you sigh, rolling your eyes and grabbing another blanket you found, no pillows, but at least some blankets. Mattheo got to work on a small fire in the fire place, Cracking the legs off a chair, you can't help watching him, flexing his muscles, his robe long discarded, claiming he's "way too warm". Boys.

"You know- for someone who claims to hate me, you stare an odd much." You've been caught red handed, diverting your eyes before his find yours and gulp, pulling the blanket a bit higher.

"Rubbish." You mumbled, his stare just as intense as he throws the last leg and back of the chair into the fire.

"Whatever you say. Don't come crawling to me in the middle of the night though, I'm not a hugger."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Riddle."

"Sure, night, sunshine."

"Night."

The cracking of the fire soothed you, the surrounding rest– not so much. Knowing you were in the forbidden forest, a storm brewing outside and the windows creaking with every gust of wind– not a good feeling. You couldn't believe he wasn't affected at least a bit by everything. He was just better at masking it. Right?

After running your mind through every terrible and possible outcome of the night, you finally grew tired enough to close your eyes for more than a few seconds.

—

"CRACK!"

You almost jolt up form the ground, the sound came from outside. You shuffle around, your tired eyes searching for your wand and as you grab it, you try to make out Mattheo across the room. He fell asleep sitting by the wall, leaving you the floor before the fire place. His shivering form still fast asleep. Great. What if there's an Acromantula outside? Or a- werewolf? Gosh, you couldn't think of that now, you needed to wake Mattheo.

"Hey." You whispered, trying to be as loud as you possibly could. But he didn't even flinch. Groaning internally you glanced up at the window, nothing seemed to be there. So you carefully crawled across the floor, the wood now cold, the fire place out long ago.

As you reach his form you lift a hand, debating wether to shake him or gently tap him- but what if this was an emergency? You resorted to tapping his shoulder. A bit more forcefully. "Mattheo–"

Your whisper was interrupted as he jolts awake, grabbing your wrist and pinning you to the floor in one fluid motion. You shriek and look up at him as he hovers above you, hand still tightly holding onto your wrist and his wand in the other.

"Are you crazy?" He mumbles, his voice tense and eyes now finally fully awake. His stare mimicked mine as he kept hovering above me.

"Sorry– could you–" I gulp and the heat rushing to my face was luckily masked by the darkness engulfing the room. Only a streak of moonlight casting a line of light across Mattheo's face.

"Yeah–" He shuffles back, finally letting go of my wrist and sitting back in his spot, a deep sigh leaving his lips. I carefully peel myself off the ground and sit across from him. His eyes avoiding mine.

"I– I heard a noise outside–" You whisper but stop, seeing the amusement on his face, brown eyes twinkling with enjoyment, "what are you smirking at, huh?" You fold your arms, growing even more irritated with him than usually.

"You come to me for comfort because you heard– a noise?"

The wind howled like a wounded creature, shrieking through the skeletal branches of the Forbidden Forest. Rain lashed against the wooden walls of the abandoned hunting lodge, the roof groaning under the force of the storm. The fire in the corner had long since died, leaving the space cloaked in cold shadows.

You wrapped your arms around yourself, suppressing a shiver as you glared at Mattheo Riddle, who sat against the far wall, watching you with an expression that teetered between amusement and curiosity. His dark curls were still damp from the rain, stray strands falling over his forehead, and the flickering candlelight cast sharp angles across his face, highlighting the ever-present smirk that played at his lips.

“You’re taking this awfully well,” you muttered, shifting uncomfortably on the splintered wooden floor. “Most people would be a little more concerned about being stranded in the middle of the Forbidden Forest overnight.”

Mattheo stretched out his legs, his boot knocking against yours as if he had all the time in the world. “Concerned? No. Annoyed? Maybe. Though I have to admit, the company makes up for it.”

You scoffed. “Oh, how lucky I must feel.”

He chuckled, low and warm, but you could hear the edge in it—the glint of something unreadable behind his casual demeanor. “You really should learn to take a compliment, sunshine.”

You ignored him, shifting your focus to the warped wooden door. It rattled against the wind, the latch barely holding, and for a moment, you swore you heard something outside—something heavier than rain. You tensed, gripping the edge of your cloak, your breath catching in your throat.

Mattheo noticed. Of course he did. “Relax. Whatever’s out there won’t get in.”

You shot him a sharp look. “You sound very sure of that.”

His smirk widened, but there was something behind it this time—something unsettlingly genuine. “I am.”

Another gust of wind slammed against the door, followed by a deep, dragging sound just beyond the threshold. Your stomach twisted, fingers clenching involuntarily. You weren’t easily scared, but there was something about being surrounded by absolute darkness, with no wandlight and no way back until morning, that made your heart hammer a little too fast.

You hated that Mattheo could probably hear it.

“You’re scared,” he murmured, voice softer now, like he was enjoying the realization.

You lifted your chin. “No, I’m being rational.”

“Rational,” he repeated, as if testing the word. “Rational is knowing that the moment I opened my eyes, you were already curled into me like a frightened little thing.”

Your face burned. “I was waking you up.”

His grin was slow and dangerous, his head tilting just slightly. “Right. Of course you were.”

Before you could snap at him, another sound echoed from the woods—a crunching of twigs, a breath of movement so faint you might have imagined it. But Mattheo stiffened, barely perceptibly, and you knew he’d heard it too.

You didn’t speak. Neither did he. The moment stretched, thick with unspoken tension. Outside, the wind howled again, but beneath it, something else lurked—something that made the hairs on your arms stand on end.

Mattheo moved first. Slowly, deliberately, he reached for his wand, his expression hardening into something unfamiliar. Something dangerous.

Your pulse thrummed. “You said nothing could get in.”

“I said whatever’s out there wouldn’t.” His voice was quiet, controlled, but you could hear the shift—the edge of something real behind the usual arrogance. “There’s a difference.”

Your throat tightened. The temperature in the hut felt colder somehow, the air thicker.

He glanced at you then, and for the first time since you’d met him, there was no teasing in his eyes. Just something sharp. Something calculating.

“Stay behind me,” he said.

And for once, you didn’t argue.

The door groaned on its hinges, and then, with a deafening crack, it flew open. Rain lashed inside, drenching the floorboards as the hulking silhouette of a figure loomed in the doorway.

“Blimey—there yeh are!” Hagrid’s voice boomed through the storm, his massive frame barely squeezing through the entrance. “I been lookin’ all over fer yeh two! What in Merlin’s name d’yeh think yeh’re doin’ out ‘ere?”

Relief flooded through you so quickly your knees nearly buckled. Mattheo exhaled sharply, slipping his wand back into his robes with a muttered curse.

“Got half the staff in a right state, yeh have,” Hagrid continued, shaking his shaggy head as he stomped further inside, dripping rainwater everywhere. “Professor McGonagall’s ready ter skin yeh alive, an’ I dun even wanna think what Snape’s got planned fer detention.”

You swallowed, exchanging a glance with Mattheo. He was still smirking—of course he was—but there was something in his eyes that told you he wasn’t as unaffected as he pretended to be.

“C’mon then,” Hagrid grunted, ushering you both toward the door. “Let’s get yeh back before McGonagall hexes me fer not findin’ yeh sooner.”

The trek back to the castle was a blur of rain and muttered complaints from Hagrid about “reckless students” and “runnin’ off into the forest like a pair o’ mad hippogriffs.” But despite the cold, despite the exhaustion settling into your bones, you couldn’t shake the lingering tension between you and Mattheo—the awareness of something unspoken that still crackled in the air like static.

By the time the towering silhouette of Hogwarts came into view, golden windows glowing through the downpour, you were drenched and shivering, but oddly… you didn’t entirely mind.

The moment you stepped inside the warmth of the castle, voices exploded around you but all you could focus on was the imposing figure of Professor McGonagall at the top of the stairs, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"Miss YLN, Mr. Riddle," she said crisply. "If you ever decide to take a midnight stroll into the Forbidden Forest again, do let me know so I can personally prepare the hospital wing for your arrival."

Mattheo let out a quiet chuckle beside you. "Missed you too, Professor."

Her sharp glare was enough to silence even him. But a tinge of relieve shimmered in her eyes as well.

You sighed. This was going to be a long night.

Because somehow, someway, you knew this night wasn’t something you—or Mattheo—would be forgetting anytime soon.

Harry Potter Masterlist Link

[flame-shadow]

A breakdown of my quirrel!nosk comic from last year (original post here) since I like doing breakdowns and talking about my process, and I know at least some people like reading those things. :)

First of all, a little background. I made that comic in an evening with just a pencil, a black marker, two grey markers, and a yellow-orange marker. (All markers had a thick tip and a thin tip, and all were water-based markers, so they don't blend like alcohol markers, but they can still be layered to affect the values) I had a text post from @g0at0ad saved in my drafts that said "gotta say. massive missed opportunity to not have nosk mimic quirrel to lure the knight into its lair." and finally, I had an idea for how to illustrate the reveal and felt I had a decent idea for the nosk's design.

I wanted to follow the same encounter order as the game provides, and by happy coincidence, I realized that the route from first sighting to nosk den includes the hot spring, so it made perfect sense for that location and the real Quirrel to appear in the comic.

Ghost spots a Quirrel-like figure in the darkness in the first panel, and then as the path continues and drops into the hot spring, there's (real) Quirrel, so clearly that's who Ghost saw a minute ago. Yay, friend! And since Quirrel explores around, it's not strange that Ghost would spot him again in an area not so far away, though it's odd how he got ahead of them. Perhaps a different tunnel? And it seems like Quirrel wants to lead the way to something, so Ghost follows, until- That's not Quirrel.

In addition to the potential of a reader already knowing the game's locations and recognizing the path to the nosk's den, there are other visual clues that subtly communicate that something might not be right. I made it so every panel but the hot spring one has black silhouettes encroaching on the space within.

The third panel is the mildest one being encroached upon because Ghost doesn't yet feel like something is off (still reassured from seeing Quirrel in the safe hot spring) but the trap is coming together. The existence of the spider web in the corner is a nod to the trap because it's a common visual symbol for being trapped.

Also note how both the first and third panels have some safety via straight panel edges. Contrasted with the fourth and fifth panels which have no straight edges as Ghost cannot escape and there is no safety.

Another subtle reinforcement of danger vs safety is how the use of black is very limited in the hot spring panel. It's a brighter room mechanically, yes, but it's also a Safe Room. The only black is Ghost's void parts and a thin outline around Quirrel (and also a bit of shading on his arm that I did out of habit before remembering that I wasn't going to use black to shade him here, oops!)

And, note that in the only panel with Real Quirrel, he isn't framed against a darker shape in the background.

Okay, and finally, I will share a bit about the nosk reveal panel and its design...

This pose and angle are dramatic and all, but they're The Worst for showcasing the actual design of the nosk! Just a complete mistake on my part that I did my best to roll with, since I didn't realize until too late how I'd messed myself up.

Which happens! I don't always get it right, and especially when I'm working traditionally, there's a point where I can't go back, so I just have to make do with what I gave myself. :) I don't hate what I have here, but I have been dissatisfied with it ever since I drew the lineart.

A thought I have had since then was that maybe I should've drawn it larger, to be more threatening? Maybe a different pose to show off the side-body frills? I explored a couple ideas below, but honestly, I think the whole panel would have to be reworked to get it right.

Making sure that the background frames the nosk effectively would be one of the main things I'd redo, but I'm getting tired and don't feel like drawing more, so I'll just leave it at the nosk replacement sketches.

And since I don't think I did a good job with displaying the nosk's design effectively, I quickly sketched some of the features to maybe show them off a bit better.

I like the gimmick of the nosk turning its head, so I pretty much always maintain that with my nosk designs. This one is no exception. Quirrel's head and face become the cranium and upper jaw while Monomon's mask becomes the lower jaw - the extra length causes an underbite. I've always been a fan of when people add a veil hanging from Monomon's mask while Quirrel is wearing it, so that's where the frills come from. ("Why didn't you include the veil in your Quirrel drawings, then?" I hear you ask. And honestly..... I don't know! That could've been an oversight or it could've been deliberate and I just don't remember my justification. That happens sometimes XD)

Anyway uhhh yeah! I think that's it. I like making comics. I like thinking about nosk. Tadaa~

[atinystraynstay]

Sincerity Is Scary - Kim Mingyu

Synopsis: Everyone on campus knew Mingyu. He was the guy who all the girls wanted to get one night with, the guy all the guys wanted to be, and everything you wanted. Mingyu and you became friends after a class assignment. It's safe to say though, you have fallen for him when he seems to be interested in other girls. Or at least you think that. "What about you? What are you afraid of?" "Loving you."

Pairing: Frat boy! Kim Mingyu x fem reader

Genre: Angst! A little bit of fluff at the end. Non-idol, friends to lovers. College crush! Mingyu for sure

Warnings: PG-13 - Slight swearing, alcohol consumption, sexual activity mentioned

Word Count: 6.1k

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

It was a crisp late November evening. Campus was alive again after students had traveled home for the holidays. Now, it was crunch time on final assignments, final exams, and trying to keep sane at the end of the term.

You were patiently waiting for your study partner to arrive. You had gotten an iced Americano, gearing up to deep dive into your psychology assignment. It was a final project analyzing fear - how it affects people, what exactly it is, and how it could be conquered. Your pink backpack was resting on the chair across from you. A signal to everyone that you were expecting someone, and that the chair was taken. Campus always got overcrowded when people realized they needed to get their shit together.

You tapped on your phone screen to look at the time. 2:33pm. Where was he?

You glanced at the door to find any signal of your partner. Somehow, you guys have worked together at least on one project every term since sophomore year. While he wasn't always the most motivated academically, working with him was a joy on your end. But that might be because of the view of the guy - Kim Mingyu.

Mingyu was the guy that all the girls desired. It helped that he was well-known on campus as his fraternity always threw the best parties. He was someone who was also willing to help out those around you. For instance, he always made sure all the girls at his parties got home safely by either having a pledge walk them or ordering an Uber for them personally. He also cleaned up any mess he spotted or even just offered a gentle smile to someone who crossed his path. They see an attractive guy and then get to know the guy with a heart of gold who wants the best for himself and his friends. They got to know my friend.

Now, I wouldn't say Mingyu and I were best friends. We did have our own separate social circles with very drastically different ideas of a fun Friday night. However, he was someone I could trust. Not just when it comes to making sure an assignment gets done, but he is someone I can turn to when I need a place to vent. He was a safe space from judgment or ridicule.

The doorbell rang, indicating someone was making their presence known in the coffee shop. You peeked up to see Mingyu. His eyes were scanning the cafe, looking for you. He was wearing a grey hoodie, black sweatpants, and a navy blue beanie on his head. It wasn't too cold in November when you didn't want to be outside, but it was cold enough that you could feel the air nipping at any exposed skin. One strap of his black backpack hung over his shoulder. He looked like a model for Abercrombie & Fitch.

His eyes soon found yours and you watch his smile grow. Did I mention that this man has the personality of a golden retriever?

Eyes from other patrons followed as he maneuvered through the sea of tables and chairs. His eyes never leaving yours though. He was determined to get to you one way or another.

"Y/n!" "Mingyu! How was Thanksgiving dinner with Hansol and Joshua?"

He plopped himself in the seat across from you. He let out a puff of air, probably now feeling the contrast of the heat from inside the cafe compared to the crisp air outside. His backpack made a soft thud, landing assumedly by his feet. His right hand reached up to take down the beanie, shoving it into the front pouch of his hoodie.

"It was actually pretty good. Wonwoo made sure Hansol stayed out of the kitchen, so Joshua and I could cook." He let out an infectious laughter that made me weak in the knees. Fuck, I'm down bad for him. "Wish you could have made it though!"

And try not to drool over you in front of all your friends? Pretend I don't have feelings for you? Yeah, no thanks.

"I'm sorry! My folks said I needed to come home, trying to savor every family get-together before applying for jobs and being big scary adults." "Yeah, I get what you mean. The guys have become like family to me. Who really knows where all 13 of us are going to end up once we all graduate." "No plans to keep the fraternity life going after graduation?" I teased. He laughed at my joke, quickly shaking his head. "No, I plan to step back completely after I graduate. Think it would be too sad if I was one of the graduated guys who just stuck around the fraternity house. Or the one that has to keep drinking and constantly talking about 'the good old days.' No, I think I'm ready to be taken a bit more seriously." I couldn't help but smile wider at the thought of the man Mingyu was going to be. Of course, he was already a stellar guy. He was the guy I wanted so desperately to take home to my parents, to present him as my one and only. College was just the beginning for him. Kim Mingyu was destined for amazing things, to do amazing things for this world. I just hoped I could become a part of it.

"So, you ready to get started on this project?" I asked. "Why can't we just sit here and chat? Why is it that we have to get started on the project? It's not due for another three weeks." "Because, I know how you are, Mingyu. You'll throw ragers the next couple of weeks as a final hooray before everyone leaves for a month and then you'll forget about the project until the very last minute which makes us both stressed! If we at least brainstorm and decide what we are going to do, it means less work in the long-run." "And more time for you to come by one of my parties?" I sighed in defeat. Mingyu knew I wasn't the type of person who liked to go out to parties. I liked going to the dive bars with my friends. There was nothing appealing to me about sweaty bodies pushed up against one another in a basement. You couldn't even hear people with how loud the bass was! However, Mingyu has been trying to get me to go to a party since we met. And he's been using that this being our senior year as a perfect way to guilt trip me into going. "And I'll come by one of your parties," I promised. "What about the one tonight?" "Already having one tonight?" "What! It's a great way to welcome everyone back," he laughed. "Seriously. If we are able to decide how we are going to do the project, then you have to come by tonight." "Ok, ok. I'll come by tonight if we both do the work." "Deal!"

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

After an hour of intensive research, you and Mingyu decided on an approach for your project. You were going to interview people on campus to see if there was a common fear among college students. You had some guesses, but you were hoping to find a way to bust those fears that plague most college students.

"I think this might be our best project yet, y/n! I don't know what you think of these types of things. You're so creative."

Don't blush, y/n. Don't give yourself away.

I smiled politely in return, a laugh bubbling out of my throat. "I just like creating work for you to do. You know I'm the type to take allllll the credit for every assignment," I teased.

"Oh right. Because you know the moment I do things a certain way then you'll just jump in and try to do the project all by yourself." "Hey! That was sophomore year y/n! I think I've gotten a lot better since then when it comes to group projects," I pouted. "You have. Trust me, darling. There's a reason why I always come back to you," he winked.

Oh, there he goes again. Mingyu the Flirt. I was going to slip one of these days, let him and all of campus probably know my secret if he keeps it up. And the worst part was that it wasn't just an act. His was just naturally flirty.

Both of us were beginning to pack up our backpacks. Our laptops had slid into our backpacks before they zipped up in unison. It was getting close to 5pm, and if I was expected to be at Mingyu's tonight, I had to get home and get ready. Not that I was banking one tonight being the night things finally work out for us, but I didn't want to seem like a slob.

"So, you coming tonight, Ms. Anti-Fraternity?"

I sighed and nodded. "Yes, Mr. President, I will be there."

He smiled wide before swinging an arm around me. Oh god dammit. The universe was testing me. "That's the spirit, angel!" He began leading the two of us out of the cafe, side by side and pulled into his side. I was trying my best not to look like a deer caught in headlights by his gesture. I'm surprised my legs haven't given out at all from the series of events that are unfolding right now. Sure, Mingyu and I were close, but he's never been this bold with me. What is he up to?

I could feel eyes on us as we made our way out of the coffee shop. Some girls were whispering to one another, glancing towards us. Other guys looked at Mingyu with shock. I wanted the ground to swallow me whole to prevent me from embarrassing not only me, but also him. Keeping his arm around me, he used his free hand to push the glass door open.

"You're too kind," I said playfully. I offered a gentle smile as I detached myself from Mingyu so I could step over the threshold. I glanced behind me to see if Mingyu was following but froze when I saw he didn't. He was still standing by the door, leaving it open. Instead of just holding it open from someone coming in, I caught him at the start of a conversation. He was talking to Jennie.

Now, Jennie and I didn't have any beef. She was in our psychology class, so we ran into her often. She never joined our study sessions, thank goodness, because she often preferred to study with her sorority sisters. However, she knew Mingyu outside of class as she was always trying to set up mixers and pre-games for football season with his fraternity. Jennie had sensed that Mingyu and I were close, so oftentimes, she would approach me asking if he was still single. She was trying to gather her intel before making a move.

"Excited for the party tonight, Mingyu! Want me to come over early to help set up?" She took a step closer to him. Her hip brushed against his which caused his eyes to widen. His grip slipped from the door as he was holding the edge, closing the door on me. "Oh, I didn't really think of that. I was just going to get Seungkwan and Dino to help me, maybe some of the pledges." That was the last thing I heard before the door fully closed. I was now on the outside looking in. Time froze as I watched her take another step forward. She blocked his view of me. Her hand gently reached up to rest on his bicep, squeezing it. She wore a playful smile while Mingyu smiled, or at least tried to. I would like to think that I knew him well enough to tell his genuine smile apart from his fake one. All I could see was him nodding before she began leaning in.

Okay, that's my cue. I quickly spun on my heels to walk in the direction of my apartment.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

"Are you sure the dress isn't too short?" I mumbled.

I was walking to the frat with my roommate. She insisted that I shouldn't go alone. Not sure if it was because of my retelling of the events that transpired outside of the coffee shop or the fact she wanted a good laugh at me attending my first frat party.

After seeing Jennie with Mingyu, I ranted to my roommate about everything. I was frustrated with the circumstances where the two of us would never work out. We are two separate people who make awesome friends. I didn't want to jeopardize that. It was also partially due to the fact I could not bring myself forward to confess to Mingyu how I was feeling.

Her solution was simple - dress to kill. "If you can't say how you feel about him, make him realize what he's missing out on. You gotta go out there and steal his attention."

The look that could kill was a rather short red dress. It was a sparkly red which would be able to be noticed even in the dimmest of spots in the hell I was about to enter. A frat basement was somewhere I thought I'd never end up, but here we are. It hugged my curves perfectly and had sleeves that were cuffed at the elbow by an elastic band. I wore a pair of beat-up sneakers, so I could be comfortable for the evening. This wasn't a formal event. This was about making Mingyu notice me.

"To be honest, I think it could be shorter. But you're not trying to sleep with him, just get him to notice you, right? It's enough to let his imagination run wild," she smirked.

I rolled my eyes at her antics yet kept a light smile on my lips. It was a good idea. I just felt so out of my element, so I was trying my hardest to warm up to the idea before stepping foot into the party. I wanted to come across as confident as ever, to catch his attention, and to make him realize that maybe I have a chance compared to the other girls he's been with or at least seen around campus with.

After 10 minutes walking, we arrived at the frat house. There were a few people loitering around outside. Most girls were wearing ripped jeans or very short black skirts. There were a few fraternity brothers gathered up at the front, a few I recognized - Joshua, Wonwoo, and Seungcheol. They were looking across the groups gathered outside of their residence, probably trying to see how they could minimize the appearance to avoid cops showing up. Yet, Wonwoo was looking directly at me with a smug girl. He was probably the closest with Mingyu so I knew him the best.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" He called out to us. Some people on the sidewalk and the two guys beside him looked our way. I groaned internally at Wonwoo's commotion before approaching the entrance of the party.

"How the hell did Mingyu convince you to come, doll?" "I lost a bet to the devil." "Well, you can go ahead inside. I'm sure Mingyu is keeping an eye out for you." "Oh come on, he probably sensed her already out here. He was basically buzzing off the walls when he was telling me we would be graced with y/n's presence tonight," Seungcheol laughed. "Be careful, y/n. I heard he likes to bite," Joshua teased.

I bit the inside of my cheek to prevent myself from blushing hard. It's not like I haven't fantasized about him like that before.

The three guys grinned at me, stepping out of the way to let me and my roommate through. Instantly, we were greeted by groups of people all drinking, mingling, and dancing. You could hear the bass from downstairs through the floor, as we were on the main floor.

My roommate pushed me through towards the kitchen. I looked at her puzzled, thinking the initial plan was to find Mingyu. "You need a drink to loosen up first, babes. Trust me. You look terrified right now, not sexy." I just nodded as we were found ourself in a somewhat crowded kitchen. Yet, there was a pathway to the collection of alcohol on display - tequila, gin, vodka, rum with a plethora of mixers. Definitely Mingyu's idea to have more mixers than alcohol, so everyone could drink to their comfort level.

We were by the kitchen island, almost in our own little world. The groups around us were quickly grabbing their refills before either moving away to a different part of the house or to the main event in the basement. Before I could even process anything, a shot glass was placed in front of me, seeing my roommate looked at me with a wicked grin. "Choose your poison, y/n."

My eyes scanned the liquor before reaching towards the tequila. My hands were about to grasp the handle but I took a quick surveillance. Where could it be? "Looking for these, princess?"

I glanced over my shoulder to see the man of the hour, Mingyu. In one hand, he was holding a container or salt, and in his other hand was a lime. Speak of the devil. He was wearing a black shirt and black pants. A gold chain was around his neck. I would love to just grab that chain and tug his lips close to mine. Okay, I do need a drink. ASAP.

"How did you know?" "Feel like I know you pretty well, but still wasn't sure if you were going to show up tonight. I figured I would still prep just in case. Welcome to my kingdom," he teased.

He crossed the room to be where were. For a moment, I could have sworn his eyes traveled my body. First at the dress before looking up and down my torso and legs. I had spun to face him more directly. It was then I could have sworn his eyes were on my chest before he made eye contact with me. He set the salt and lime to my right, in between my roommate and I. His other hand rested on the countertop to my other side, somewhat caging me.

"You're just full of surprises. First, disappearing on me at the coffee shop, but now actually showing up to my party? And now wanting to do tequila shots?" "Just scratching the surface," I smirked.

My roommate shared glances between Mingyu and I. But before I could introduce her to him, she stepped back completely. My eyes widened slightly but she wore that same smirk from before. "I think I'm gonna let you two catch up. I'm going to go talk to that one guy outside," she announced. I couldn't even argue with her to stay before she headed out of the kitchen.

"And then there were two," Mingyu announced. Seeing as my roommate had wondered off for her own adventure, Mingyu placed his hand fully beside the salt and tequila. I was fully in the lion's den now.

I mustered up the courage to look him in the eyes. It was then I noticed that the entire kitchen had cleared out. When did that happen? Did people just leave seeing Mingyu walk in? The thought of him having that type of authority made me weak in the knees.

"Wonwoo wasn't lying when he said you looked absolutely breathtaking tonight, baby," he murmured.

His hand to my right moved to rest on my side. His fingers slowly trailing up and down my side, teasing the waters. His touch was light, almost not there. It was enough though for electricity to shoot through my body, making me hyperaware this was reality and not some fantasy.

"You talking about me to others now?"

He leaned forward, enough so he just had to bow his head down to be at my ear. "You're all I talk about. You don't even know," he whispered. His lips brushed against the shell of my ear, enough to cause goosebumps to form and shivers to run down my spin. If it wasn't for the countertop pressing into my back gently, my knees would have given out.

"Come on, I have something better than just doing shots all night," Mingyu said. He reached down to grab onto my head, lacing his fingers with mine. His touch was warm and soft, sending shockwaves through my nervous system. I didn't get a chance to question him where we were going before he led me out of the kitchen. He just turned back towards me and gave me a wink. Oh god.

We made our journey through the frat house towards the split staircase. One that went down to the basement and another that went upstairs, assumedly where the guys slept. People who saw Mingyu turned to try to strike up a conversation but stopped when they saw me by his side. Some girls were throwing daggers in my directions with their harsh gaze. Jennie being one of them before she turned her back to talk to her sorority sisters. How the tables have turned. I expected that Mingyu was going to take me to the basement, but was met with surprise when we started ascending up the staircase. A few of Mingyu's brothers started whistling and howling at the sight of Mingyu with someone.

From in front of me, I heard Mingyu sigh and watched as he shook his head. "I'm sorry about them. Just ignore them. They wished they were getting some action tonight, but I think we both know the only date they'll have is with the toilet when they drink too much."

I laughed at Mingyu's joke. "No worries about it. I guess they are just showing support for their friend?" "Yeah, I guess so. I just don't want you to lump me in with them."

What was that supposed to mean? I never viewed Mingyu at the typical frat guy. I didn't hear stories about him just sleeping after a party and dumping a girl the next day. Sure, he has been linked with a few people, but he didn't seem like the type to do one-night stands. He wasn't the guy who made jungle juice with unknown liquors that could get you fucked up fast. He was meticulous in what was distributed to his party, often hoping people bring their own alcohol so they know what they re consuming. Or at least that's what he told me.

Mingyu soon led me to his bedroom. He walked in through the doorway, but I found myself froze. Was my perception of Mingyu wrong this whole time? Were we just going to fuck? Did I mean that little to him that he was willing to throw our friendship away.

He must've felt the slight tug of his hand due to me stopping my movement. He turned his head back, trying to assess what was wrong. I stood by the doorway, trying to pull my head gently out of his grip.

"Gyu, I don't think this is a good idea. We're friends. Us sleeping together-" "You think I brought you up here to just have sex? Doll, I'm hurt," he gasped. I watched as he playfully placed his hand over his heart. "You think I'm that much of a horny bastard?"

I quickly shook my head before rushing into his room, stopping short of where he stood. "Gyu, please. That's not what I meant at all. I just didn't know why else you'd bring me up here when the party is downstairs? Isn't that why frat guys bring girls upstairs? To fuck?"

He smirked seeing how flustered I got. My cover was slowly unraveling, my motive of having him chase after me being flipped where I was starting to chase after him. "Y/n, you've seen too many movies," he laughed. "Besides, I'd never do anything to jeopardize losing you."

I could feel my cheeks becoming hotter. I hoped at least that was being concealed under the darkness of his bedroom. He stepped back and headed towards his bedroom window. "Do you trust me?" He asked. I nodded my head slowly, trying not to come across as too eager. Any sort of dignity that I could preserve at the moment is of upmost importance.

"Good." Mingyu flipped the lock at the top of his window. He pushed it open all the way until there was a soft thud of the window hitting the top of the window sill. He stepped out onto the roof with ease. He then turned back towards me, a hand reached out to me.

"The things I do for you, Gyu, I swear," I huffed. I took his hand, my other hand trying the best to keep my dress from flying up.

"Watch your head, gorgeous," he called out. This time, his tone was gentle and soft. It was a stark contrast being outside where you could barely hear the music from inside the house. I stepped over the window sill carefully, one foot down before the other following. I was somewhat hunched over to avoid hitting my head. Mingyu took it upon himself to use his free hand to hover over my head in case I did end up standing up too soon.

Once I was over the window and onto the roof, I stood up straight. My eyes widened from the view. "Oh wow," I breathed out. You could see all of campus from up here! You could see the tall oak trees that lined up around campus. You could see the various academic buildings and the college town beside us.

What really took my attention was noticing that there was a blanket sprawled out on the rooftop. Luckily, the rooftop was leveled and next to the fire escape, so there was no worry of slipping or anything. The blanket was added for comfort. I also noticed that there was a bottle of my favorite white wine Moscato chilling in a bucket. There were also string lights that decorated the ledge of the rooftop. It was it's on oasis.

"Come on, angel." He squeezed my hand gently before guiding me towards the blanket. I followed him gently to the blanket where I took my seat, my legs tucking underneath me. Mingyu joined me on the right side, sitting rather close. "Wait, hold on."

He popped up from the spot on the rooftop before heading towards inside. I frowned a bit when he left me alone, but turned my attention to the scenery outside. The warmth from inside the house still radiated throughout my body, so the crisp air of the November evening didn't bother me as much. My eyes ran along with the stars, trying to see what constellations I could make out. It was peaceful out here.

I jumped a bit when I felt something brush against my legs. I looked down to see a leather jacket, but relaxed when I noticed it was Mingyu dropping his jacket over me. I tilted my head back to see him looking down at me, a fond smile on my lips. Yet, there was something in his eyes. Maybe it was the glow of the lights outside making them sparkle more than usual or something on his mind? Either way, he was breathtaking. "Quite the gentleman, Gyu," I teased. "Thank you though." "You know I'd do anything for you. That's also why I set this up for you, for us, really. I know large crowds like the one happening inside aren't your thing, so I wanted to make sure you were comfortable being here." "So you don't do this for every girl?"

Mingyu snorted a bit, chuckling lightly under his breath. He pulled out two red solo cups, handing one to me while keeping the other by him. "No, y/n. Only the best reserved for you."

Carefully, Mingyu twisted off the cap of the wine bottle. He first poured the wine into my red solo cup. I couldn't help but giggle at the notion of drinking wine out of a red solo cup, something that typically holds cheap beer or mixed drinks.

"So that's why I'm getting a red solo cup? To really get the experience of being at a frat party?" "Hey, it's the best I could do," I laughed. "You really trust me with anything breakable?" "No, you're right. If it was a wine glass, you would've dropped it by now," I laughed, taking a sip of the wine. "I told you I'd do anything for you."

I kept my wide smile hidden once from Mingyu when I took a sip of the wine. He was quite the charmer. I placed the Moscato down behind me, by the corner of the blanket to avoid spilling. Mingyu did the same as we both seemed to gaze out at the world around us. It's crazy to think that in a short few months, we'll be saying goodbye to this place. This place has become my favorite place filled with my favorite people.

"So, y/n. What happened early? Why did you just leave the coffee shop?" Mingyu asked suddenly.

My eyes widened at the question. "Oh, you noticed?" I asked softly. My head dropped to look at my lap. "I thought you were busy talking to Jennie. I didn't want to interrupt."

"If anything, she interrupted us," he sighed. He then reached for his cup and took another sip. "Is that what you're afraid of? Being rude?"

I shook my head, picking my head up slightly. No, if only you knew what I was afraid of.

"I'll tell you what I'm afraid of. I'm afraid of being alone. I love my life as it is right now, but I'm afraid of the uncertainty that comes with the next chapter," he confessed. He was leaning back on his hands now. His gaze shifting from the view of campus below to me. "I'm comfortable knowing I get to see my friends, get to see you. What am I supposed to do next?"

I frowned hearing his concern. "Gyu, whatever you do next, you're going to do great. I know it's scary about moving away from what you are familiar with. What I can say though is that knowing you, seeing you grow over the past two years, has been remarkable." My hand reached over to rest on his knee comfortingly, giving it a light squeeze. I looked at him directly in the eyes, hoping he could sense my sincerity in my words. "You're a great guy, Gyu. Don't doubt your capabilities. You can do anything you put your mind to."

His gazed looked down towards where my hand was on his. I followed suit. Oh no, did I make him uncomfortable? I was about to retreat my hand from him, but he quickly grasped it gently. "Thank you," he whispered. He lifted my hand to kiss the back of it before letting it rest in his lap. His grip on my hand was loose, in case I wanted to slip my hand away. I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

"What about you? What are you afraid of?"

I took a deep breath. Mingyu just poured his heart out to me. I would be a hypocrite if I didn't say something, especially when I told him to put his brave face on and be determined to get what he wants. I deserve to at least try, right? Or I could end up regretting it for the rest of my life? That's at least what people warn about.

His gaze on me was soft. He was patient as he waited for me to muster up my truth.

"Loving you," I confessed. "Loving me? You're afraid of that? Why?" "Gyu, let's look at what you did for me tonight alone. You went through the trouble of setting up basically a separate event just for me. This is the shit they write about in romance novels. It just doesn't happen to girls like me!" "Wait, let's back up first. Do you like me, y/n?"

Oh god, oh god. Why did I open my mouth and say something? Maybe I could spin it off that I'm afraid of commitment in general? What if I spun it that I was trying to get over an ex and I was shocked by Mingyu's kind gesture? That he already treats me better than any ex? I mean, there is some truth to that. Mingyu was better than any ex I've had.

"Y/n?"

My mind was trying to wrap around some sort of lie I could tell to save myself. Before I could finalize my lie, I felt a hand on my face. Very slowly and gently, I realized Mingyu put his hand on my face. He was turning it towards me. I also noticed that he had moved closer to me now. He was sitting up tall, his face hovering over mine. He tilted my head up so I had to look at him in the eyes.

"Y/n, do you like me?" "I might have the smallest, tiniest crush on you," I whispered. "How do you think that we could conquer that fear?"

I raised an eyebrow, about to pull back from here. He was really thinking about our final assignment right now? "Because you took the first step in confessing your feelings for me. And you said you were afraid of loving me. It seems seeing if I have the same feelings for you is the best way to conquer that fear." "Well? Do you?" "Baby girl, I've had feelings since our first group project together."

His forehead gently rested against mine. He could probably hear my rapid heartbeat at this point. "Why do you think I've always picked you as my group partner?" "Because I'm smart and can get stuff done?" I laughed, trying to ease my nerves. He chuckled at that joke. "Well, yes, because you are smart. You're also very kind, insightful, determined, and gorgeous. You are the girl that I've been trying to get to come to my party so I could finally make a move in the element I feel most comfortable in. If anything, I'm afraid of you." "Afraid of me? Mingyu, you're 6'2." How can you be afraid of someone who is barely 5'5"?" "Because you are too perfect to me. I know what people think of me. They see the frat president who sleeps with people. When they see you, they see the girl who is going to move mountains when she graduates. They will wonder why you settled for a guy like me?"

That's it. I was not going to allow him to slander himself. Feeling bold enough, I moved Mingyu's jacket off of my legs. I set it beside me before gently climbing into his lap. One hand rested on his shoulder to stabilize me as I got comfortable. My other hand moved to rest on his cheek, now being the one turning his attention towards me.

Mingyu wrapped his arms around me. He pulled me in close, tightening his arms so I wouldn't fall backwards by mistake. My heart picked up as I felt my breathing become a bit shaky. Was this actually happening? "If you saw what I see, you would see that you are everything that I want. That's why I'm afraid of loving you because you seem too good to be real," I confessed. "Well let me help you overcome your fear by proving to you this is reality."

Mingyu leaned in slightly. He stopped himself short, where his lips were brushing against mine. He looked up into my eyes to see if I felt comfortable. My heart melted at the simple act of checking for consent. See. He was one in a million.

Taking it upon myself, my lips pressed against his fully. I could feel his smile against my lips as he tilted his head ever so slightly. Just enough for our lips to be pressed together perfectly, causing the kiss to move smoothly as our lips were catching one another's. His lips were just as smooth. He tasted like wine mixed with a bit of mint chapstick. Butterflies erupted in my stomach. This was actually happening. My one hand slid from his shoulder to rest on the back of his head.

He was the one who slowly broke the kiss. I pouted playfully, as it ended far too soon for my liking. He chuckled lightly before pecking my lips.

"Don't worry, darling. There will be more kisses." "That wasn't so scary after all," I confessed. "I'll help you conquer any fear of yours if you let me."

[dsireland86]

The Things We Could Never Change Chapter 1 (revised)

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Sophie:

Life was a whirlwind. So much had happened to me and so much had changed. I’d said goodbye to a life that was abusive and toxic, giving up everything I’d known to be true for years. I never realized just how bad it all really was until Noah came into my life, knocking down everything around me like bowling pins. I’d begun to realize that once I’d accepted the things I could never change and change the things I could, I'd be happier and able to finally take that long deep breath I'd always long for. After allowing myself time to heal and adapt to this new life, I found life to be enjoyable again. I was happy. Really happy.

Surrounding myself with people who weren’t toxic was the first step to my recovery, so my therapist said. So I did. Taking Noah up on his offer months ago, I moved in with him and the guys, temporarily, until I could get my life in order. It was a little weird at first, but I adjusted quickly. Noah would sometimes sneak into my room, crawling into bed with me, just so that he could hold me close to him. He said he couldn't understand it, but he just felt better holding me. It was sweet. No one had ever said anything like that to me before. And even though I never said it at that time, Noah knew I felt the same. 

The guys quickly became my friends, then pretty soon like family. Their sweetness and acceptance of me into their world was refreshing, something I didn't know I needed until it happened, and it really helped me move past all the trauma and bad memories. I began to trust and rely on them for support and strength especially during the really hard times when bouts of my anxiety would rear up. Sometimes they were a little too intense, leading me into a depression that would linger for a few days. It worried the guys, Noah and Folio especially, and they’d try to help. Noah wanted to make it all better and make it make sense somehow, but I told him it wasn’t possible. None of it would ever be all better or make sense, that it was just the way it was; how I was, but he never seemed to fully understand, and it became aggravating. The therapy and medicine didn't cure me, it just helped me manage it which was as good as it would ever get. We’d argue about it but in the end it just simply came down to the fact that we were both very broken people who were trying to fix each other instead of just accepting. So, we promised each other that we'd work on it; together. But that didn’t stop the frustration or the feelings I’d bottle up inside until my therapy sessions. Jolly would sometimes intervene and break up the argument, while Nicholas became Noah’s reasoning, and Folio, well he became my reasoning, but also a lot more. I didn’t notice it at first, but gradually over time, I became aware of it, I never said anything about it, never thought about addressing it or putting Nick in an awkward spot. He was too sweet, too kind to me to do that to. I just let it be, and took the friendship and the flirting as it came, knowing he’d never cross the line if I didn’t want him to. But, after some time, Noah became aware of it, too and that’s when things between me and him started to get more serious. 

Almost everything that Noah and I did, we did together. We became connected at the hip, as Jolly called it. It just was much better having someone to enjoy life with, now that I was freely able to do it how I wanted to. Our favorite things were Ramen restaurants and Anime marathons where he'd always give me one of his hoodies to wear (that smelled just like him) because I was always cold. I'd curl up into him because he was much bigger than me and occasionally I'd fall asleep, always waking up in my bed. Noah and I loved being together and eventually I wasn't afraid to tell him he'd become my person. But I was shocked when he told me I was his, too. And that was that. We were together. Things between me and Folio began to shift, feelings eventually settling into place and lines drawn. He said he wasn’t at all surprised about what Noah had admitted to me, knowing how he felt from the very beginning when I first met all of them. Nick seemed cool with it, played the part of the supporting friend well, but I knew how he really felt and it was obvious each time Noah and I would fight or he’d say or do something that made me upset. Folio became protective of me which seemed to only piss Noah off more, yet making him come to his senses faster. He began to apologize quicker or even catch himself before the argument could get too out of hand. I’d joke by saying how jealousy looked good on him which led down to tickling matches and make out sessions. But the words he said months ago would echo in my head from time to time, making me wonder if he was actually serious. “I’ll fight him, and I’ll win.”

Six Months Later

Sophie:

I could feel his tall, dominant presence behind me before his long arms slipped around my waist, pulling me close to him. I was sitting at the breakfast bar, working on some write ups for work when the weight of his body against me came out of nowhere making me smile instantly. Noah rested his chin on the top of my head watching my fingers type. “You need a break.” “I already took one.” “Well, you need another one.” “I have a deadline,” I smiled, knowing what he was trying to do. “So do I.” “Oh, do you?” “Mmm-hmm.” “And what deadline does Mr.Davis have that requires my assistance,” I smirked, looking over my shoulder just a little. Without speaking, Noah took my right hand, gently pulled it behind my back, and placed it on his crotch, wrapping his big hand around mine and closing it tightly around his semi-hard length that twitched beneath my hand. I inhaled deeply, my arousal soaking the center of my panties immediately. Noah and I hadn’t had physical sex yet, due to the sexual history with my ex, but that didn’t stop all the other things that came along with needing sexual fulfillment. They were the things that Perry and I never did unless it was all forced. With Noah, none of it was ever forced and he willingly gave more than received. Noah’s hands traveled up under my shirt in search of the soft flesh they were looking for, completely distracting me from the work task laid out before me that I no longer cared one bit about. I wanted what he was giving; pleasure. Pure, erotic pleasure.

My skin was burning, my heart was racing, and my sex was aching to feel Noah’s hands all over my body so when they found my breast, grasping them like he owned them, the uncontrollable moan that escaped me made him groan softly in my ear.

"You feel like fucking heaven under my fingertips, Princess," Noah whispered in my ear, peppering my face and neck with kisses as he began to massage my breasts. 

"And you smell so fucking good. I want to eat every part of you," lightly dragging his tongue over my skin and nipping every inch that his lips came in contact with. “I know something you can eat,” I hinted, feeling the deep low growl vibrate against my back as he nuzzled my neck.

“Oh I know you do, and it's delicious, too,” he smiled. I whimpered at the feeling of my panties getting wetter. Noah’s weight lifted off of me as his hands found the hem of my shirt and pulled it up, removing it entirely. His hands immediately went to my breasts, pulling up my sports bra just enough to message the pebble flesh beneath it. I bucked my hips when his fingers pinched my nipples, making me bite down on my bottom lip too hard. I made a sudden, sharp sound accompanied by a hiss.

"Shit, are you okay?" he asked, leaning over and meeting my cheek with his. I was laughing through the pain as he began to massage my breasts again. The pain seemed to no longer exist."Yeah, I just bit my lip too hard.” 

Noah clicked his tongue.

“If you want something to bite, baby, I've got something you might like,” he said darkly. 

“Oh my god, you’re impossible,” I whispered, throwing my hand behind his head and pushing his face closer to mine. Noah smiled and kissed the tip of my nose before touching my lips with his fingertips, sliding them down my throat, and landing on the soft mound of my breast again, giving it a soft squeeze. His pupils dilated and jaw clenched from watching the way I responded to his touch. It made him bite his own lip. 

He continued making his way down until his fingers slipped beneath the waistband of my sweats. I parted my legs just enough to give him more access to the place we both wanted him to go and felt the light hum of approval vibrate off his chest when his fingers found the spot. My body turned, looking for the friction I ached for from the warmth of his hand. Noah kept kissing my jaw, my cheek, and then coming back to my lips while his seductive whispers made me tremble, purely aroused. My body burned for him, ached with a need that I wanted only him to fill. I whimpered, clamping my hands down to the edge of the counter when his fingers grazed over my wet middle. “Shh, got you, baby,�� Noah assured, pulling me closer. It sent shivers down my spine. “I wanna feel how wet you are for me," finally rubbing my sex with his fingers pushing hard against it and making the muscles in my thighs tighten around his hand. I softly cried out, stimulated already from the feeling. Noah wasn't showing any remorse or hesitation in letting me know what he wanted, and I could tell by the urgent way his fingers grabbed at the flesh between my thighs, gripping and stroking, that something was weighing heavily on his mind. He was seeking the need to be wanted, I thought, the assurance that I wanted him and everything that came with him, no matter how great or terrible it might be. 

"Are you okay," I asked softly, placing my hand over his that was buried between my legs and locking my fingers around the other one draped across my chest. His cheek rested against the side of my head and the pressure of his clenched jaw told me he was overthinking again. 

"How do you do that? How do you know when I'm not alright?” he asked in a tight voice. I was a little shaken at the shift in tone. “I just do,” was all I could say. A few silent seconds passed, and Noah took a deep breath. I wasn’t prepared for what he said next. “I don’t want to lose you, Sophie.” His voice was stable now, confident like his mind was made up. I squeezed his hands, hugging him tighter.” “You’re not going to lose me, Noah,” knowing in time, if he wanted to, he’d tell me what he meant by what he said.” 

I reached behind me and brought my hands to his neck, sliding them up the sides, behind the back of his head, and through his freshly cut hair, tugging him down a little more so I could have access to his lips. Noah's quiet moans were my weakness. They had become my validation that I was good at making him happy and satisfied, and as I slid my tongue into his mouth and tasted the faint flavor of mint, they got a little louder. "I like the taste of your lips," I mumbled in between kisses and felt his lips curl up into what I knew to be his precious smile. His body tightened around me, his hand between my thighs squeezing my sex some more and making me squirm."Noah, please...," I begged. The coiling tension between us was too much and I was losing my will to fight him with every move he made on my body. 

"You know I hate it when you tease me like this.”

"If you hate it so much, then why are you moaning for me?" he cooed, stroking my neck with his fingers, before wrapping them lightly around it, squeezing. "Shit, Noah, please," I swallowed hard, despite the grip he had on my throat. My nerves were on fire and I was quickly losing all composure. Noah, once again, had me aching for my climax. "Please, what baby? What do you want from me?" releasing the chokehold on my neck. He already knew what I wanted; he always did.

"You want me to make you cum,” he teased. The hand he still had between my legs, began to rub my sex again, stroking the very spot he knew would have me begging for his mercy. 

"Say it, princess, tell me what you want me to do." Noah's plea sounded just as desperate as mine. I was panting, completely ruined and vulnerable in Noah's hands, and he knew exactly what he was doing. 

"Please, make me cum, Noah, fuck please," I whined, tightening my grip around his neck. He huffed a small laugh and hugged me tighter. "What, like this, is this what you want," sliding one long finger deep between the crevices of folds and pushing into me.

 I softly cried out, dropping my hands from around his neck and wrapping them around his legs, digging my nails into the tender flesh of his thighs, as his fingers pumped in and out of the center of my pleasure. Noah drew in a short breath through his teeth, wrapping his other hand around my throat. "Your nails fucking hurt,” he nervously chuckled, before slamming his wet, pouty lips into mine. Our tongues met, starving for the taste of one another's. Soft, breathless moans escaped me repeatedly as Noah continued pleasuring me. The heat between us just from this was so magnetic, I couldn’t even imagine what physical sex with him was like. Taking my hand, he placed it on his hard cock encouraging me to grip and squeeze. 

"That's where your hand stays until I make you cum. If you remove it, I stop," sliding another finger inside me and using his thumb to make the magic circles he knew would have me cuming on his fingers in a matter of seconds. I completely collapsed into him, throwing my head back against his chest. His fingers slid in and out of me, thrusting so far up he hit my cervix, making me cry out in the most satisfying way possible. He curled and twisted his fingers, stretching my walls as if preparing me for the moment he would slip his cock inside me. 

"Shit, Sophie, I can feel you, God you're so fucking wet for me," he panted, throwing his hand to my neck again, but squeezing hard this time. My oxygen was suppressed and as Noah continued plunging his two long fingers in and out of me, my vision began to grow hazy, but I never removed my hand. I grabbed what I could and pressed him tighter in my hand slightly moving his length around. Noah's moans hit me right in my soaking wet core as he finally eased his grip around my throat. 

"I know. Please don't stop Noah, I’m so close, I'm almost there, baby" I cried breathlessly, rolling my hips to make him go deeper. "I love making you feel this way, Sophie. I love knowing I'm the only one who gets to watch you fuck my fingers like this and come undone." My cries were closer together and I knew I was just about there. "And when you're ready, I’m going to work your walls open, thrusting my cock inside the tight folds of your broken mind and penetrating the sweet softness that is you, until I release all my love deep inside you. I'll fuck every part of that fucked up piece of shit out of your mind Sophie."

Crying out Noah's name savagely, I found his lips and attacked them like a ravaged animal as tears slid down my cheeks, my climax almost reaching its end. "Cum on me, Princess, so I can taste you off my fingers.” That was all the encouragement I needed. With one more hard thrust onto his fingers, my orgasm hit me so hard that nothing but a string of curses came out of my mouth. "Motherfucker," Noah breathed and bit my earlobe, pulling it between his lips and then letting his lips fall to my cheek and then my neck. "You look so beautiful when you cum." He squeezed me tighter as his breath caught in his throat. I was utterly wrecked and my legs were shaking so much, noticing once Noah slid his fingers out of me. His eyes darkened the second his finger entered his mouth and his tongue touched the saltiness of my juices. "I love the way you taste, baby," smiling against my face, "so sweet and all mine." I grinned shyly, still not used to his praise when it came to sexual intercourse. Perry never gave me praise. After dressing myself, I turned around to fully face Noah just in time to see the remaining traces of darkness caused by our arousal fade. His hair was disheveled and his lips were swollen and pink, making the butterflies in my stomach flutter. I sighed with a smile. I reached over and pulled him in between my thighs, unnerved by the mess covering the front of his shorts. "See what you fucking do to me?" I held Noah’s face between my hands and kissed him, casually slipping my tongue into his mouth and pressing it to mine. The feeling of him kissing me back always made me weak in the knees and was something I would forever love. I ran my hands through his hair and locked them behind his neck, hearing Noah sigh heavily. “I fucking love it when you do that,” he moaned, lowering his head to my shoulder. I grinned. “What, this?” running my hands through his hair, again raking my nails against his scalp. “Yup. That,” he said immediately, making me chuckle.

Noah raised his head and looked at me as if he was trying to memorize every part. Suddenly, I found myself very self-conscious. “So beautiful,” I heard him whisper. I shook my head and looked away, refusing to meet his eyes. “Hey, look at me,” he insisted, slipping his finger under my chin and turning it to face him. “You are,” he assured me. His sweet smile made his eyes dance, and I wanted so much to believe him, but was struggling with it and covered my face in my hands. Noah pulled them away, and brought them to his chest instead, holding them there tightly. “Don't you dare cover your face, especially not from me,” he scolded, gently. “You've spent too much of your life hiding that beautiful face because of…” but he didn’t finish his thought. I stared at him, patiently waiting for him to finish.. “Yeah, well, you know,” he finally said, seeming a bit irritated with his thoughts, but I knew what he was thinking about. Noah bushed the loose hair out of my face, forcing a smile. He was fighting hard against something, most likely the same thing that was bothering him earlier. I touched his cheek to remind him I was there, sliding it down his cheek. Whatever was going on with him, I knew he’d tell me, but in the meantime, I had to do something to prove to him that if he was to give me everything, I had to do the same. "I'm ready Noah, I'm ready for you to have all of me.” The expression that crossed Noah’s face was priceless. “Sophie, are you sure? Don't you think,” “I have been thinking, Noah! That's all I've been doing! I want you. I need you, now.” The truth just flowed out of my mouth, fear no longer controlling me. I stared up at him. “I’m through with waiting.” “Are you sure?” he whispered, coming closer to my lips. I took a breath and whispered, “Yes.” Like magnets, our lips came together, willing and eager. I pulled Noah into me causing him to have to straddle my lap as his hands tangled around my face and then my hair. I really did want all of him. His secrets, his pains, his joys, absolutely all the things that made him Noah. My hands traveled to his ass hearing a low grumble the moment I touched him and tugged on my shorts. “Fuck, Sophie,” he breathed, almost falling into me.  “Noah, I want you,” I whined. Desire took over me, causing me to pull part of his shorts down and running my hand over his skin. “Sophie, baby,” he mumbled against my lips. He fell to his knees and cupped my face, kissing me hungrily. “You own me, baby. You fucking own me; body and soul,” he confessed, almost crying. “And everyone is going to know it.” I looked at him, shocked. “Noah, are you sure?” “I’m sure. I’ve never been more sure about anything before in my life.” I threw herself into his arms, clinging tightly to him. “Noah, let's go upstairs, please,” I begged him. If this was going to happen I didn’t want it to be out in the open.

Thankfully, Noah pulled me to my feet, leading me towards the stairs, when his phone rang, scaring the crap out of both of us. “Motherfucker,” he groaned, taking it from his pocket to see who it was. “Fucking Matt.” He silenced the phone, sliding it back into his ignored pocket. “He can wait,” Noah said, kissing me so intensely it took my breath away. Without warning, he picked me up and headed towards the staircase only to have his phone go off again. “Seriously,” he yelled, frustrated now. The look Naoh was giving me was one of desperation. I sighed. “Just answer it, and go clean yourself up,” I laughed, pointing at his shorts with his excitement stain from earlier. “No,” he shook his head, “I'm just going to ignore it again.” He took me by the hand, but I pulled away. “Don't. He's just going to keep calling or worse show up. Just answer it. We'll have time for us later.” I kissed him, laying a hand softly on his arm. Walking back towards the kitchen, I chuckled, listening to Noah already tearing into Matt. I stopped to look over at that stool, smiling when realizing I was never going to forget what happened on it. It was a relic in our relationship now. My eyes teared up, thinking about how far I’d come since last year. I never thought I’d escape Perry and his evil clutches of hate and abuse towards me, but I did, and it was only because of Noah that I did. I owed him my life. Wiping away the tears that had escaped my eyes, Noah’s voice came from behind me, startling me so much that I jumped. “Holy shit, you freaking scared me!” I exclaimed, turning around to face him and clutching my chest. “Were you crying?” The concern in his voice was endearing, but the look on his face made me feel like an earthquake had hit my heart. “Noah, what’s wrong?” “Why were you crying?” ignoring my question. His tone shifted quickly, no longer concerned, but questioning. “It was happy tears, I promise, Noah, what’s wrong? And don’t you say nothing. I know you well enough to know when something isn’t right.”

Noah squeezed his eyes closed while pinching the bridge of his nose. Taking a deep breath, he moved his hand to his forehead and left it there. For a moment it seemed like the weight of the entire world was sitting on his shoulders. “Remember when I said I don’t want to lose you?” he asked, meeting my gaze. His eyes were glistening with tears. It made me a little anxious. “Yeah, I do,” I answered, taking a few steps towards Noah. I waited before reaching over and touching his arm, in hopes of comforting him because he seemed a little different somehow, almost as if he was afraid. He was trembling, no longer looking at me, and his breathing was hard. I knew these signs well. Noah was panicking. “Hey, Noah, tell me what’s wrong?” I asked gently, taking his hand in mine and holding it tightly. I wanted him to know I wasn’t going anywhere. “I ah,” he began, his voice a little shaky, “I need to tell you about Sarah.” My muscles tightened at the sound of another woman’s name falling from Noah’s lips. “Okay, sure,” swallowing hard. “Tell me about Sarah,” I said, calmly. Noah raised his head, huffing a laugh as he ran a hand down his face. “This is just so unfuckingbelieveable. This shouldn’t be happening! She told me she’d be gone from my life forever!” Noah ran his hands through his hair, scrunching it in his fists. “Wow, okay baby, take a breath with me,” I encouraged, caressing his back. He was bent over with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. “It’s okay, whatever it is, it’s going to be okay.” “You don’t know that. You don’t know Sarah and what she did to me,” Noah snapped. My thoughts were scattered as I tried my best to divert him from going into the darkness. In the whole year I’d known him, seeing Noah in a panic wasn’t normal and it was breaking my heart to see him so vulnerable. “You’re right, I don’t, so what don’t you tell me?” “She was my fiance. We were going to get married shortly before the release of the third album.” Noah returned to his full height, wiping his face. Noah. Engaged? Married? Holy shit. I placed one hand on my hip and the other over my mouth. “Oh. Wow! What happened?” Noah opened his mouth, but hesitated. “I can’t, I’m not ready,” he stressed, shaking his head. I nodded. “I’m sorry, Sophie. I don’t know, I have no idea,," "Noah, stop. Why are you apologizing?” “Because this shouldn’t be happening!” “Okay, I get that, but so what that it is. We’ll get through it; together.” Noah looked at me odd, brows folding together. “Together? Are you sure?” “Mmm-hmm, I’m sure.” “But, but, why, I mean, I haven’t even told you the whole story about Sarah and what happened between us. What if I do and you decide you don’t want to be with me.”

I stared at the floor for some time, agreeing in my head with the truth of Noah's words but what he wasn’t seeing was the other side of it all;  my side and what I already knew. After everything that he’d seen me go through, he stayed with me, promising to never give up and walk away. I was determined to do the same thing, because, if I was going to be completely honest with myself, I was falling in love with Noah, if I hadn’t already. “Okay, look,” I started, taking a deep breath. “You’re right, I don’t know the whole story, but I don’t need to know. Whatever happened in the past is the past, Noah and it’s not going to change anything. The man you are now is obviously not the guy you were then with her, and that’s it. That’s all the reason I need.” Noah shook his head, clearly baffled. He couldn’t meet my eyes again and his voice was quiet, carefully choosing his words. “I don’t know if we’re capable of what you’re saying, Sophie. I mean this could get messy; the emotions, the drama, I don’t want to bring you into anything that you’ll regret coming into.”  “Hey,” I said, taking his hands in mine and squeezing. “Look at me.” He did and for a moment I forgot what I was going to say. Noah’s dark chocolate eyes were taking in every inch of me with a look of wonder. Blinking a few times, he pulled me closer and the steady beat of his heartbeat was a lullaby. “I got addicted to you, Noah,” I said softly, my voice shaking, “attracted to you in ways I can’t explain. And I care about you and appreciate you more than you will ever know, and honestly, I can’t think of anyone other than you. You’re the first and last thing on my mind each and every day. You're it. You're my person and I don't care how much drama and shit there is. If this woman hurt you, broke you in ways you couldn't come back from, then she's in for a real treat when she sees me. Girls like her only come back around for one reason only, but she's never going to get what she wants because you're mine now, not hers.” The back of Noah’s hand came down against my cheek so tenderly, followed by his fingertips. They traced the curves of my face as if trying to memorize it. “Sophie…” his raw voice wrapped around my heart like vines. “I don’t deserve you.” “Yes you do; more than anyone.” Noah grinned, tracing my lips with the pad of his thumb. “The day I met you was the luckiest day of my life. You’re the brightest part of my world, and I feel like you’ll always be.” 

I stood on my tip toes and kissed him, wrapping my hands around his face. “Then you be the guide and I'll be the light, and together just like we did with my ex, we'll get through it.” Noah kissed me again then wrapped his arms around me. With his face buried in my neck, he said the words I wasn't prepared to hear. “I love you, Sophie. I fucking love you so much.”

[ghostpajamas]

DUUUUUUUUUUDE your alcohol marker works r SO sick i saw that sequence of process pics u had and my mind was just Blown . can you elaborate more on ur process ?!?!? /nf

hello ! thank you for your kind words. i apologize for taking a while to answer this. the process of coloring the drawing i did as an example was rocky, and ive been busy with school.

i'll preface this by saying that i have a few posts with process pictures on twitter (i treat it as a wip dump when i remember to post). heres one of the few where the pics are all together, but my media tab has a fair amount scattered around.

this is going to be long, so i'm putting the 'read more' here.

step 0 : sketch. i start with blue erasable pencil, lighten it, and do my lineart with a mechanical pencil.

step 1 : base color. half frivolously chosen as a neutral color to set it off from the white of the paper, half "whats the color of the light / the lightest color being reflected by the material its cast on"

im going to stop numbering the steps. i immediately went too dark with the hair and failed to consider the strength of the light in the setting / how reflective hair is. also i colored the basic color of the eyes and the rough shadow under the jaw. dont get attached to any of this.

broke out the "ph. martin's bleed proof white paint" my mom gave me a jar of years ago. it does well enough at bringing back light, but the texture youre left with is not ideal. lightly shaded the face skin with a similar color. i also blocked in the rough color for the suit jacket and tie here. the marker doesnt have to be evenly applied because you'll be going back over in enough layers that it'll even out.

i wish i stopped here.

things start to go off the rails. painted over his eyes because "why did i give him double eyelids" tried to paint over just the eyelids. didnt go well. scorched earth. reshaded the hair, deepened shading on the face and neck, started on the shirt, and applied a cursory pass of shadow on the jacket. the light angle does not remain consistent with this.

redrew the eyes. the angle feels uncanny. i wish he was still looking at his phone but the paint is not taking ink well and i doubt another layer would make it better. at some point i applied rough shadow to the hands. dont worry about the inconsistent lighting.

darkened the eyes so they were less creepy. didnt work. i assume the ink bled (alcohol ink soaks into paper, but since this is now on top of white paint, it just sits on top and pools out), so i embellished with posca marker to cover it up.

realized that with the length of the shadow the brow ridge was casting, the hair should cast a shadow too. light source starting to be established.

im really sorry. i didnt realize there was such a drastic jump between this one and the prior photo. basically, i started defining edges and areas of deepest shadow. fine edge definition was done with the cheapest ballpoint pen i own. dark marker blends fairly well, but only put it where you WANT it to be that dark, and blend outward from there to darken surrounding areas. many, many layers of grey and light blue, brown and darker brown for the jacket. now that i had a vague idea of the light source, i just had to place the shadows and follow the folds. hitting the points of shadow with brown (base color but darker + warm tinge to suit base color) and blue (reflected light).

this also wouldve been a fine stopping point.

used posca to outline the edge of the face + sharpen edges. added more pupil-spots. messed up the mouth some more. whatever. calling it done here because the jacket looks good and the face is freaking me out.

overall, i treat alcohol marker like watercolor. a big wash of color, rough base colors. roughly block in shadows, gradually add washes of deeper shadow. define edges. etc.

its harder to blend colors directly than with watercolor but thats nothing more layering cant fix. and then white paint if layering doesnt work. and then more layering.

[justsigma-bsd]

Memories Of Red, Staining The Mind

Yet another memory/nightmare short story. Also very much my first attempt in describing a scene in the way I did.

No idea what possessed me to write this, but I did manage it in one day.

TW: Human Traffickers, Violence, Death, Blood

He was shoved into the interrogation room roughly. There was a metallic taste in his mouth from where he'd been biting his lip, but he paid it no mind. His attention stuck on the grey tarp in front of him, in front of the chair that was always in the room. 

The air, too, had an odd metallic smell to it now that he thought about it. Almost like the rusty bars of his cell, or the chain connecting his shackles. 

"We want to try our hands at a little experiment today, Exchanger" 

His face twitched slightly at the nickname, but he kept his gaze forward and on the tarp. Refusing to acknowledge the name he was being called yet again. 

It wasn't like it was the only name they called him, but this one especially reminded him that his ability of exchanging information was the only reason he was still here... and that he didn't even have a name to begin with. 

Slowly, his eyes wandered over the tarp. His stomach did a weird flip when he noticed the rough shape of what it was covering. But... no. He was being too hasty. It couldn't be a person, right? 

Heavy hands landed on his shoulders, yet not as heavy as the shackles digging into his skin. "I'm sure you'll do your best, no?" the voice was uncomfortably close to his ear, and he offered a quick, jerky nod. Almost immediately the simple weight on his shoulders changed from simply heavy to an ever so slightly painful grip. 

"Yes Sir" he found himself saying, before the man could reprimand him. The grip relaxed, but he didn't dare to let himself feel relived. Not yet. The hands vanished, and his 'boss' strolled past him. There was an odd shine in his eyes when he grabbed the tarp. 

When it was pulled away, his assumption was confirmed. It was indeed a person. One of his fellow prisoners, if he remembered correctly. He couldn't remember her name, though... and he couldn't help but think that she'd seen better days. 

Her skin was unusually pale, safe for the bruises of which he surely had perfect matches. There were large spots of crimson soaking her off-white clothes and once blond hair, and it made his stomach turn. Slowly, his gaze wandered to her face. He found her eyes wide open, staring off into nothingness. 

"She's..." he trailed off, sick to his stomach. He wanted to throw up, but he doubted he could. He hadn't eaten since his latest mess-up a few days ago, after all. "Dead" 'boss' hummed in confirmation, but he didn't seem all too concerned of that. 

Dead. 

She was dead. 

Void of life. 

He knew of death, as a concept. It was entirely different, jarring, to actually see someone who's life had left their eyes. 

He'd barely spoken to her before they'd put him into the cell on his own, but he could perfectly remember her voice, her optimism. Could still remember how she'd promised they'd all get out of this place together, one day. That hadn't been long into his stay, and he hadn't even fully understood why they'd want to get out. 

Ever since unlocking his ability, he understood perfectly. 

His chest ached when he realized that she'd never leave this place and would never spread her optimism again, although he couldn't explain why. 

He felt the urge to ask "What happened to her? Why did you kill her?", but a single glance up to his 'boss' left him snapping his mouth shut with a sharp click. Right. No speaking out of turn. He'd already done so once, which was bad enough. 

He knew better than speaking without being prompted. 

He should be better than this. 

Something hard, perhaps the muzzle of a gun, dug into his back and he fought down a wince, stumbling closer to the body. "Come here, sit" 'boss' sounded unusually excited, and he felt his stomach flip yet again. He didn't want to sit, but orders were orders. 

"Your skill allows you to read and take information, isn't that right?" 

The question felt useless. They both knew the answer, after all. Still, he murmured a soft "Yes Sir" and stared down at the ground. It was the only place where he could look without having to stare at who once was a fellow prisoner. 

"I want you to try and read Seven's information" 

That wasn't her name. Seven wasn't her name, it was just a number. The same number painted on the back of her shirt, if he were to turn her over. It wasn't her name, nor her identity. He wanted to say that, wanted to shout it at his 'boss'. She was dead, couldn't at least death free her of being nothing but a prisoner? 

But he refrained from lashing out, instead dug his nails into his knees. It would do more harm than good to say anything, he knew that much. 

His gaze wandered to his hands, and he felt sick just at the thought of doing this. What if it didn't work? Would it be counted as yet another failure on his part? But even worse... what if it did work? Would this become part of a new routine? 

No. No he wouldn't let them. Even if it did work, he wouldn't tell them. Not this time. 

"Which information do you need, Sir?" he murmured, and hovered his hand over a stiff, pale one. For a few long seconds he thought that he wouldn't receive a response. Then: "It's only an experiment. Take whatever you want" 

He frowned slightly, unsure. Not daring to touch the lifeless hand just yet. Because what even was he supposed to choose? He hadn't known her, not really. Idly, he wondered if it even mattered what he chose. It either wouldn't work, or he'd never tell. 

I want to know what Death feels like.  

The thought was sudden, morbid. He felt ill just thinking of it, but at the same time... he couldn't help but wonder. He knew pain, he knew hunger, he knew thirst and he knew exhaustion. All of those could lead to death, he knew that very well. 

It was one of the things made clear to him on the regular. His life could end any time they wished, any time they deemed him too useless. 

He didn't want to die, but part of him was curious what it felt like. What it had felt like for Seven. 

His hand touched down, the question hammering in his head, and he stared at the wall. Refusing to look at Seven. 

Perhaps that was why, at first, he didn't notice a different after the information washed over him like a wave. It wasn't much information, not enough to knock him off his feet, that's for sure. Or so he thought. 

'Boss' circled past him, and he felt confusion creep through his mind. Only slowly did he realize that he was sitting tied to a chair, and his heart sank when he realized his horrible, horrible mistake. There was a very strong difference between wanting to know and wanting to experience. 

He wasn't a silent watcher on the sidelines in this memory, who'd watch someone die. 

No, he was watching with a front row seat, from Seven's eyes. 

He hissed in pain when a hand roughly yanked his head up his hair, but it wasn't his own voice, nor of his own volition. "Seven, Seven, Seven... I thought you knew better than to try shit like that" 'boss' tutted, his expression impassive, "you know that your little stunt would end in this, didn't you?" 

He wanted to ask what she did to deserve death, but instead his mouth opened and the voice was yet again not his own when he spoke, lips pulling into a smile that he doubted to have ever had on his own face: "'Course I knew the consequences. Was worth it, though" 

"Perhaps you think so, but I'd say keeping you around was quite the pointless endeavor" 

There was a flash of silver, and he felt his heart sink. Or perhaps he felt Seven's sink. He couldn't tell where his own consciousness started and where it faded into Seven's memory. 

And then there was a sharp, sudden pain. A pain that left him feeling sick. Left him wanting to curl up. To pass out. Seven glanced down even as he mentally begged her not to, and he wished he could just simply close his eyes. There was a knife, piercing right through his ribs. And it hurt. Every single breath hurt. 

He - or rather Seven - coughed and the metallic taste in his mouth left him wanting to throw up. Something dropped down from Seven's mouth. A small splatter of red on white clothes. Then another and another. 

Seven coughed and hacked, blood steadily bubbling and dripping from of her mouth and he felt her getting weaker, felt the way she was slowly choking, drowning, on her own blood. 

Her death was violent, and it was painful. So, so painful. He doubted he'd ever forget. He doubted he'd ever be able to banish the pain and feeling from the depths of his mind. It was an experience he'd forever keep. 

It left him even more terrified of his own fate. He didn't want to die. Especially not like this.

The second he was expelled from the memory, he scrambled back, away from the body, only to turn and land on his hands and knees. One hand firmly pressed against the spot where Seven had been stabbed. Dry heaving and shaking as a sob tore itself from his throat. 

That was Death, and it was terrifying. 

A hand grabbed him by his hair, but he was too out of it to properly react until a harsh slap connected with his face. Stunned he froze, breath still fast, panicked and shaky, but his eyes found those of his 'boss'. 

There was no need for lying. 

His reaction was answer enough. 

Sigma shot upright with a strangled gasp, a scream stuck in his throat that he just barely managed to suppress, his chest heaving. His eyes were wide and he flinched when he felt something wet on his cheek, running down and gathering on his chin. He reached up a shaking hand and wiped over his face. 

Under the faint moonlight he couldn't spot anything dark on the tips of his fingers, and there was no smell of iron or rust tainting the air. 

Tears. Just tears. No blood, just tears. 

He hated that memory. He hated knowing what dying in such a manner, to such an injury, felt like. He hated that he had even been capable of experiencing it. 

Perhaps he hated his ability, too. 

Another tear rolled down his face and he scooted back on his bed until his back hit the wall, drew his legs up and against his chest. His blanket half-tangled around him. 

Sigma still felt sick. He always did, after that particular memory. It was one of the worst ones he had. Even now, after three years. He barely stifled a sob, his eyes burning. 

He rarely let himself cry, but in the dead of night, behind closed doors where nobody would find out? 

Well, nobody needed to know. 

The answer to his question was simple: Agony. 

[have-a-omo-time]

I had an omorashi dream last night that I wanted to share.

So, it started off like my nightmares (because I've been having a spike on those recently), but I found someone in the dream who.. Very clearly needed to go.

I'm talking squirming around, bending at the hip, crossing their legs- They needed to go. And I started chatting them up, because they were also really pretty and I'm a sucker for pretty people.

We talk for a bit, and their squirming has not let up at all. It only gets worse. So badly, they have to go, they leak into their pants (light grey leggings, I think) and keep talking with me. I'm flustered at this point, but keep talking, until the go still. They stop squirming, their legs aren't crossed but tightly pressed together, and it took me a moment to realize:

They're absolutely flooding their pants.

And oh my God, that was a pretty sight. They apologized to me, still wetting, and I think I cupped their cheek and told them it was okay.

After that, the dream shifted and morphed (because, ya know, dreams do that), and I'm in a dress. It's a long dress down to my ankles, black, with a corset bodice, and I'm wearing pants underneath (they felt like leggings).

And oh the gods above, I needed to pee. Trying to act fine while my bladder complained was amazing. I rubbed my abdomen area as well and could feel the bulge of my bladder through the dress. And I had to stand at a nice event and act as thought I wasn't bursting for a piss.

And I did, for the most part.

I leaked, majorly. One of those leaks where it feels like you'll never stop kind of leaks. Down the inside of my thighs and past my knees, but I stopped it before I could make a mess.

And because this was a dream, it stayed warm.

Another, smaller leak made the spot expand, but I still held back as much as I could.

The event dismissed and I bolted out of the door, squirming and shifting and crossing my legs- Fuck, I needed to find a bathroom right then and there.

Instead of that, however, I looked around and got looped into helping with something, and never got my relief.

I was even offered drinks in the dream that I took, still bursting, and never went to find a bathroom in the dream.

Forever, that version of dream me is bursting for the greatest piss of his life, that he'll never be able to get until I have that dream again.

[clonemando]

Mace Has a Tooka

(was feeling the love for Master Windu in the Chili's tonight and this fic just typed itself. Enjoy!)

Her name was Regal and it suited her as she sat primly on the arm of Mace's beat up old couch observing her domain with a calm disdain. Mace had been working on flimsy work so the pads still littered the table and several cushions of said couch and also the floor and Mace knew she hated messes. It was clear to him even without a Jedi's ability to connect to animals that she was judging him for leaving the mess so long.

"You don't get to judge me when you don't help with any of the chores." He said with a huff but started stacking the completed forms in a pile. She daintily licked one of her little claws and rubbed it over one of her brown speckled ear cones without looking at him.

"I should have told Depa to leave you in the trash." He grumbled and earned a deserved side eye from the creature for the comment.

Regal had been brought to his quarters when Depa was just a padawan and had found skinny matted tooka crawling through the garbage and had dragged it back to beg Mace to help it. She had promised that once the tooka was cleaned up and healthy she'd find it a home. He should have sensed the trap as it was laid.

He did realize his mistake the night he heard Depa talking to the creature and addressing it by name but by then it was too late. Thankfully Regal had a compatible personality to the Master of the Order. She preferred to share quiet company and a tidily kept space- despite or perhaps because of her previous life outside. She suffered no fools in her home and had once driven Qui-Gon Jinn up into a tree hissing and spitting at the man when he had barged into Mace's quarters during a bad migraine episode unknowingly. Mace appreciated her passion in either caring over him or annoying Jinn.

He had worried when she had disappeared from his quarters after the start of the Clone Wars thinking maybe she had finally come of an age for her species that he needed to accept she had gone to join the force in private to spare him pain.

Instead, Ponds had found her somehow in Mace's quarters on their ship with three kittens suckling at her stomach. Lightning had taken no time at all in sharing holos their new mascot and the kits to the entire GAR.

Depa had eagerly taken a little silver kit saying it was a sign from the force it belonged with Grey.

Plo had pretended to deliberate several days before agreeing to take the burgundy and silver spotted one but there were quickly posts of it cuddled with Wolffe both napping under Plo's cloak.

The last kit was white and red in a pattern that looked just slightly too close to the Coruscant Guard's armor that he couldn't help but enlist Hound's help in sneaking it into Fox's office.

Mace shouldn't have been surprised when Regal's offspring had apparently taken one look at Palpatine and went nuts tripping the Chancellor down a flight of stairs where, according to the unified accounts of the Guard, his lightsaber activated and he was unfortunately impaled upon it.

Mace didn't ask any further questions and accepted it despite the fact he had more than 18 stab wounds when the Jedi examined the corpse.

Running a hand over the soft fur, he took a moment to smile softly. Then he yelped as she bit his hand and flicked her ears toward the datapads he had gotten distracted from cleaning.

Yes, Regal lived up to her name.

[alterrune]

CHAPTER 3, ACT 9: THE ABYSS' CRECENDO

(We're currently located outside the estate of Mariana Meret. Our plan is to---)

INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!

(...wait, what the fuck?! We were spotted already?! How is that...?)

Oh shit. Didn't know there were pressure plates around these parts.

GODDAMNIT, ALTER!!! NO!

...

(Alter gives us a glance, as if to say "You know what to do", but is hit with the Greek Flames immediately. He looks like he got torched...)

Well, that wasn't very nice. Luckily, heat doesn't bother me all too much.

(...but it only seemed to power him up more. Not only does he show up in his beast form with a a puff of red smoke, but candy-red energy crackles around him as his beast form grows a pair of red demonic wings and he flies around the base, using the power of the Alter Rune itself to alter the surrounding area to our advantage.)

Yo, Vi! Wanna join me in causing as much chaos as possible? Yeah? You know what to do, then!

(Violet turns into her beast form in a puff of purple smoke. Alter then uses some of his power to envelop her in an aura of purple energy, causing her to sprout her own pair of angel-like plant wings, being covered in purple leaves by the end of it all. Since the manor is surrounded by shrubbery, she uses her Poison Ivy-like abilities to ensnare any enemies that are unfortunate enough to be near any of the hedges.)

(When all is said and done, the two completely obliterate all of the enemies' defenses. Thanks to Alter's abilities, Vi was able to use Leadhead to destroy them. After decimating the defenses, the two go back to normal.)

HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, COLORSTREAK BATTALION!

(It's Jerry! He has Mariana in a headlock with a gun up to her head.)

Hand over everything you fucking have or I swear to god I will SHOOT this woman!

(Suddenly, a sniper rifle shot rings out and a bullet lands right at Jerry's feet, causing him to drop Mariana in shock.)

That's enough, Jericho. Violet?

(Violet uses one last beast form power to ensnare Jerry in the shrubbery.)

Earl? What are you doing here?

Jerry, also known by his full name, Jericho Grey, is my brother, as you probably know, Kyle. And I may not be able to convince you to rejoin my cause, Jerry, but I can interrogate you.

(Jerry tries to struggle out of the mess of vines, leaves and branches he's trapped in, but to no avail. Earl leans into Jerry's face, intimidating him all the while.)

WHERE. IS. TERENCE. SUAVE.

(Jerry seems to be reluctant to answer.)

SPILL IT, YOU WORTHLESS, WORK-AVOIDING, HALF-WIT BROTHER OF MINE!

I-I don't know!

OF COURSE YOU KNOW! TELL ME RIGHT NOW OR-

HE DIDN'T TAKE ME WITH HIM THIS TIME, EARL! IF I WANTED TO TELL YOU RIGHT NOW, I WOULD!

(Earl suddenly stops cold.)

He...he didn't take you this time? And you SWEAR you are telling me the truth?

Yes. He is.

(Mariana suddenly speaks up, startling all of us.)

Terence left your lazy brother behind, saying that his plan to end all of you had finally come to fruition, and that he didn't need him anymore. At least, that's what I thought I heard. I could be wrong, the gunshots were pretty loud and there was a persistent ringing while they were talking.

That's not what he said to me, Mariana. He said he didn't want to lose me. I was an incredibly faithful aide, but keeping me around was a risk.

I assume that meant he had to ditch him because he knew Earl was on his way.

Fucking hell. Jericho, I always knew you liked to Tom Sawyer your way through things, but this is a new low, even for you.

Please, Earl! You have to help---

(Earl suddenly shoots Jerry square in the face.)

I'm done helping you, you deadbeat brother of mine.

(Alter, using the last bit of his beast powers, revives Jerry, which Earl initially tries to stop, but decides to let it happen after realizing Alter may actually be onto something.)

...OH GOD! Did I just...die?

Yes. Thank you for letting me finally shoot you right in your aggravatingly smug face, Jericho. Now, you're coming with us to the GEOGRAM base. You'll be in a holding cell until you genuinely learn your lessons and can pull your weight for once.

(Earl dives around his brother, cuffs him, and hauls him over his back, dropping him off in the back seat of his vehicle. After he drives off with Jerry in tow, Mariana quickly runs up to us.)

Thank you. You saved me. If you ever need me to help you guys out, just give me a call.

(She hands us each a card with her personal number, with "Call me if you need me." written above the number.)

I have so many questions.

One, what the hell was that with the beast forms?

Well, if I had to guess, our beast forms got "supercharged", for lack of a better term, meaning that, alongside powering up our abilites to the umpteenth degree, we also apparently gain wings that match our beast forms. I don't think that kind of thing will happen all the time, though. Most likely that was a once-per-operation event.

Okay. Question two, why did you rush onward like that, Alter? Our original plan was to sneak in and do things quietly. Did you just rush in because it's Terence?

No, actually, though I don't blame you for thinking that was my reasoning. It was actually because I felt a weird energy coming from those Greek Flames. It almost felt like I could use them to power my Beast Form up even further, and looks like I was right.

Alright. Third and final question...

(I wave to Mariana Meret, who is currently trying to fix the manor's garden up.)

Yo, Mariana! You up for a round of ice cream at the GEOGRAM base?

Sure! I'd love to go for a round of ice cream with you guys!

(The 5 of us, alongside Mariana Meret, head back to the van. Violet then begins driving all of us back to the base, with Mariana completely safe and sound.)

CHAPTER 3, ACT 9 COMPLETE!

Achievement Unlocked: A Cup Of Earl Grey

BEGINNING EPILOGUE...

(Terence is in a secluded location, his ultimate plan almost ready. However, his cellphone suddenly rings. Begrudingly, and after making sure his head isn't above any low ceilings, he picks it up and answers.)

I swear, if this is you CSB blokes again---

Terence, it's me. Earl got me. I'm being transfered into a holding cell. Did you ever plan on betraying me? Just out of curiousity.

(sigh) Admitedly, yes. BUT! I actually changed my mind during this whole adventure. You've actually proven to be useful to me. You may not have pulled your weight when it came to working for GEOGRAM, but you sure as hell pulled your weight when it came to working for me. You're a good kid, Jerry, and I never should have thought to betray you in the first place. Sad it had to end this way, eh? We had a damn good run.

Glad to know I changed your mind on the betrayal plan, sir...actually, it's not "sir" anymore, is it? Regardless, thank you for everything, Terence. You've been a great boss.

And you've been a damn good assistant, Jericho. Thanks for everything.

Thank you for the same, Terence. Goodbye.

(click, beep beep beep)

(Terence suddenly throws his phone across the room. It doesn't break, but the screen gets a huge crack formed on it.)

GODDAMNIT, YOU COWARDLY SCRUTINIZING BULLDOGS! AS IF IT WASN'T ENOUGH TO HUMILATE ME, NOW YOU'VE TAKEN AWAY THE ONE MAN I CONSIDERED AN ACTUAL GOOD ALLY?!

(Terence slams his hand on his workbench where he is drafting up his ultimate plan so hard that he actually makes a large crack across the entire surface of the workbench.)

You just made me ten times ready to kick your feckin' arse. An angry Brit is a feral Brit, and now I'm not feckin' angry anymore. I'm LIVID.

You are going to die as slowly and as agonizingly as feckin' possible...

...AND I'LL FECKIN' MAKE SURE OF THAT MYSELF!!!

END OF EPILOGUE

[dreaminmetaphors]

Baggage 'n' Stuff

Don't mess with people's stuff. I got reckless one day long ago, showing off some sweet moves, & I accidentally jump-kicked a friend's dream catcher. A thousand one nightmares came screaming out, & I got caught in the rip current. Hey! A couple of those had been mine, probably from sleep-overs. Strange how you never really know if there's magic in the world until you break a spell. We were magic. Did you ever know that? It felt like you were already looking elsewhere in the moment it broke, so maybe you didn't see. You don't have to be Simone Biles executing a wolf turn to know: balance is important. Rare is the romance where your desire for one another is matched just so, and nobody falls off. For the next few months, I carried hopes for our reunion in the bags under my eyes. People asked if I was packing for a long vacation. Then took my vacant-stare reply as a Yes. I waited so patiently, watching the end credits roll, expecting the teaser for a sequel that never came. I missed you more than a 7-year-old boy misses the toilet. Time is its own special magic. Less the bully who punches you in the face, more the annoying little brother flicking your arm: "Does that hurt? Does that hurt? Does that hurt? Does that hurt? Does that hurt?" I used to pluck each grey hair, tape it in a notebook with the date & name of whoever gave it to me, but it felt weird to be practicing my autograph, page after page. One day I remembered to think about her & realized I hadn't been talking to her in my head, also that she'd slipped from second-person to third. You ever see someone who's irreverent enough to "swear to God" when they're obviously lying but, in doing so, discover that they actually do believe more than they realized & get real nervous? That's the tremulous surprise I had in realizing: Y'know, I could be happy with someone else I maybe haven't met yet. Months later, I flew to a wedding on an island. Normally, I'd have taken along what little of her I had left, but the good times were more than I could stuff into my carry-ons, and... have you seen what they charge for even the first bag you check? Maybe with elite status I could have brought 'er along, but I'm just me, so I left her behind, Discovering that with any break-up, both of you have to do the dumping eventually. It's just a question of who goes first, and then a long wait to see when the other catches up. I guess it always took me too long to catch up to where she'd already been, until that day I didn't. Walking along the shore might have reminded me of thinking of her (On an island, you can go round & round.) But instead I stopped and picked up another nightmare that washed up just ahead of me. It was one of those teeth-falling-out ones that I've heard about but never had. I gave it to a nearby fisherman who skewered it on a hook and fed it to a fish who became his dinner. I guess we all find bad ideas tempting sometimes. It's easy to get hooked on one. The secret is letting 'em go, which is tricky because they're hard to spot until they break ya for a spell. If only there were a dream catcher for bad ideas. Hey, maybe that's what humans are. And that's why we all have so much baggage. Just in case that's true, I strongly recommend: a little kindness when dealing with others. You never know what people are carrying around unless you start going through it yourself. And I think it's better if you just... don't mess with people's stuff.

[kalevalakryze]

Back In The Warzone

Fandom: Star Wars – All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV) Pairing: Bo-Katan Kryze/The Armorer, Minor Bo-Katan Kryze/Ursa Wren Warnings: Injury, Blood, Violence, Ahsoka Episode 4, PTSD, Trauma, Hallucinations, Hurt/Comfort Notes: For @whumptober 2023 Day 1. It’s short, and I couldn’t not add fluff, because they deserve it Prompt: Swooning | "How Many Fingers Am I Holding Up?" Word Count: 1,550 AO3 Link: Here!

There was a loud, insufferable ringing in her ears, were comms being jammed? Thermal charges rumbled the ground around her, only further disorienting her as she tried to regain her bearings. Where am I? She staggered, knees hitting the dirt below, hands flying out to catch herself as she tried to peer through the dust coating her visor.

An armored shin swung back, knocking into her helmeted head. The world spun on its axis as she collapsed into the dirt. Where was Ursa? Did Ursa get out? The sound of metal smashing into plastoid and cracking bone under its weight was lost on the woman as she stared at the dirt beside her head.

There was blood coating the small pebbles, moistening the soil with ichor. It was beautiful, in a way. Would the ground reclaim her too? Part of her hoped so, the stinging ache in her body wished for release, and wished to sink into the ground at the feet of soldiers as they fell. If I died here, would my ancestors still be proud of me?

“Lady Kryze!” A smooth timber called through the ringing. There were hands on her arms, trying to pull the beskar plated woman from the ground, though she clawed at the dirt that was dented in the impression of her body, the earth trying to swallow her up.

Her feet touched the ground, muscles remembering how to work just enough to keep her standing, and barely enough to keep her from going back down. She swayed dangerously again, though the golden helmeted savior reached to hold onto her. “Gotal’ad?”

The Armorer cursed, far too quiet for Bo-Katan to hear over the echoes of blasterfire and explosions. “goran’alor,”

The Armorer was grabbing onto Bo-Katan’s arm and pulling her somewhere; part of her wanted to panic, to break the hold the goran had on her arm and run. Where was Ursa? Was Tristan okay? Was Alrich safe?

“Clan Wren,” She stammered as she was pulled behind cover at last. There were less bodies here, dead ones, at least. The colors of their armor blurred and all she could make out were splotches of blue; part of her also realized that she must have been knocked around too hard, although the rest of her was more focused on throwing her body into panic mode without the sight of gold and grey armor. “Where’s Ursa?”

The Armorer looked between Bo-Katan, still swaying on the spot, and the hand she’d sent to her hip, where the darksaber may have been. “Koska, send a call to Lady Wren. If she cannot get here, have her call,” She instructed, attention pulling back to Bo-Katan.

They should have known better than to use explosives to blow away the crystal on the surface, they should have known better than to follow it with with heavy laser cutters that sparked, and they should have known better to secure the falling debris to avoid this mess.

The paint on top of Bo-Katan’s helmet was scratched from the first crystal that hit her, the back of her helmet was scratched from the second, and her abdominal plate was scratched from the third that caught her along the side and sent her to the ground. There was no fighting, and the danger passed once the Mandalorians were pulled away from their positions.

Their cover had been one of the newer constructed buildings, the insides were empty, save for Koska and Axe drafting the Armory.

“Lady Kryze, how many fingers am I holding up?” The Armorer questioned, raising seven fingers between both hands, just in front of the Mand’alor’s face.

Bo-Katan had flinched back at the blurred shape in her face, she couldn’t see the separations of The Armorer’s fingers in the glove and took her hands as a threat.

Before her blaster could be pulled from the holster, The Armorer was advancing; Her arms wrapped around Bo-Katan, letting the blue painted warrior twist simply so she could pin her front against her back, sending a silent thanks to the makers that the woman had forwent the jetpack.

The Armorer was careful as she pressed Bo-Katan’s front into the wood and stone of the wall, pinning her in place to give her the room she needed to take both blasters as the redhead tried to free herself. “Lady Kryze, the Countess of Clan Wren will need you to be calm,” She tried to reason while trying to avoid the variety of close quarters weaponry at the woman’s disposal.

Thankfully, they managed to find Clan Wren on world, since their hospitals reopened and her physical therapist had taken the job on planet to help with the plethora of Mandalorians who needed help.

Ursa’s cane tapped along the dirt as Tristan and Koska hurried behind her. “Bo,” Ursa called, bringing the woman to stop trying to stab The Armorer, her helmet scraped across the wall, leaving a streak of blue paint as she turned her attention over.

Ursa limped over to Bo-Katan, offering a nod to The Armorer for her to back off. “Bo-Katan, I’m going to remove your helmet,” She warned, reaching to grab the lip of the metal, waiting for the shorter woman to nod her acceptance.

There was blood streaking down the side of her face from the inside of her helmet catching against skin, following the same path as the scar she received long ago, if not a few inches off. Yellow-green eyes were cloudy and unfocused, red-rimmed and brimming with tears, Bo-Katan managed to find a basic point to focus on, the kar’ta against Ursa’s chest, though her eyes did flicker with each blurred sway Ursa’s body made.

The helmet was handed off to The Armorer, who peeked at the inside to check the damage and how much blood was staining the inside of the visor.

Ursa placed her hands on each side of Bo-Katan’s face, frowning as she turned the Mand’alor’s head side to side. “She’ll need a medic for sure, though that won’t be wise if she’s reliving...” The night of a thousand tears plagued many of their people who had been alive for it. In the forms of nightmares or obsessive habits born from the fighting, or in some, in visual and auditory hallucinations that would put them back in the fight… And if Bo-Katan started to ask for Korkie, she wasn’t sure if she could make her relive that pain again.

Bo’s hand reached to grab Ursa’s wrist. “Your family?”

“We’re all okay, Lady Kryze, but you need a medic,” She moved to pull away, but Bo wouldn’t drop her hand. “Bo, the battle is won, we’re all safe,”

Tristan moved next, his hand settling against Bo-Katan’s shining pauldron. “You made sure we were all right, now let us make sure you are, too,”

She couldn’t use Ursa for stability, not with the older woman’s blown knee, so when Bo looked away and nodded his agreement, the young man moved to wrap an arm around the Mand’alor.

The little entourage must have looked ridiculous, with the planets leader still bleary eyed and trying to process the city around her, blood dried painting her face, two members of Clan Wren closed in on either side of her, with The Armorer and Koska trailing behind. Still, no one gave them a second glance. “Sabine?”

“She’s alright, she got your call, I’m sure she can make the visit soon, or she will call you,” Ursa promised idly, hoping that her daughter wasn’t too busy with the Jetti training to make an extra call.

▬▬ι═══════>

She wasn’t sure how or when she made it home and in bed, but it was comfortable. The bed creaked beside her, prompting her eyes to open. 

A candle was lit on the opposite side of the room, and she could hear the soft sound of a heavy book being placed on the metal nightstand. “Bo?” Her voice without the filter was always a pleasant surprise. 

“Hmm?” Bo shifted to roll over, eyes squeezing shut in immediate regret. Her hand raised to press against the center of pain between her eyes as she pushed her head under the pillows. 

The bed creaked again as The Armorer moved. “Open,” The tips of her bare fingers brushed Bo-Katan’s lips until they parted to allow the pain relief tablets to drop onto her tongue. With some help sitting up (and some very angry joints that popped their distaste of movement), The Armorer held the glass of water to the Mand”alor’s lips until she drank enough to swallow the tablets. 

“How are you feeling?”

“I lost a lot of time on this one,” Bo-Katan admitted, defeated as she closed the small space between them to rest her head on The Armorer’s shoulder. 

“I know… We’ll get through each one though,” 

“What are you reading?” Bo switched the topic as The Armorer grabbed her book again.

“Documented Armor Practices Across The Outer Rim,” Bo-Katan reached across The Armorer for her reading glasses, perching them onto her nose before settling in. 

“Okay, I’m ready,” 

The Armorer chuckled warmly before her arm wrapped around her Riduur to pull her closer, turning the page as they read in silence together only when Bo noted that she had finished the pages.

Translations: “Gotal’ad?” - "Maker?" “goran’alor,” - blacksmith commander/leader kar’ta - beskar heart

[joeyloganho]

Villains and Lovers

Red Mantle x me!!!

Warnings: quite a bit of cussing, slight? suggestive? At the end? Kind of? not really but just in case i'll put it here. also age difference. (I'm in my mid 20s and he's in his 70s ok? OK)

Thunder boomed outside of the small house. Trees swayed in the wind, and rain fell sideways along the rooftops. Victor could almost get to sleep, but the noise was too much for him. He hated storms. They truly were the bane of his existence. If he could possibly fight them instead of the so-called heroes that he fought on a daily basis, he would. He found it all so stupid, really. Why was he putting himself through all this? There was no point. Maybe it was time for mean old Luciferius to throw in the towel. 

A loud crash at the front door startled Victor. “Shit!” He could hear from the living room. He got out of bed, ready to shoot dark flames at the intruder. They chose the wrong house to break into, that was for sure. Don’t they know not to mess with supervillains? 

“Who the FUCK is there?” Victor yelled, the flames sparking from his fingertips. He spotted a field operative for The Guild standing there. 

“Your door was locked.” The Stranger said with a sorry grin. 

“Yeah, I fuckin know it was! Now can you get the fuck out before i kill you? I’m not in the Guild.” Victor said to the Stranger. He pulled a black envelope from his pocket. 

“But I have this for you.” He said. “Directly from Sovereign himself.” 

Victor grabbed the envelope from the Stranger. “Get out.” He said. 

“But…are you gonna come to the event?” He asked. 

“What are you talking about?” Victor sighed. 

“Well that’s an invite…” He smiled. Victor rolled his eyes, opening the fancy envelope addressed to Luciferius in gold lettering. Pulling out the invite, it read something along the lines of a get together for The Guild’s members blah blah. A celebration of something or other. Victor didn’t really pay attention, but he did notice the handwritten note inside.

“Please do come to the event. We could always use such talent and excellence such as yourself in our presence. You are, after all, one of the best villains out there. Do consider. -Sovereign” 

“Handwritten begging from Sovereign?” Victor laughed. “Sure. I’ll come.” 

“I’ll let him know. Thanks, Luci.” The Stranger smiled, getting ready to leave. 

“Don’t ever call me that again.” Victor grabbed the man, flames in his eyes. 

“OH…sorry. Heh.” The Stranger apologized awkwardly before slipping out the door. Victor went to slam it shut. He realized the door had been completely damaged from that bastard coming in. He sighed loudly. 

“Great.” 

~

Victor, dressed in a deep, dark purple suit with white details, walked into the hall where the event was being held. Villains of all kinds mingled with each other. Victor felt out of place. Sure, he was a villain himself, but…he never interacted with others. He never collaborated with these people. He was a lone wolf. Hell he didn’t even know half these people’s names. He figured he could make his way over, get a drink or something, and then leave. He didn’t have to stay too long. 

As he made his way over to the bar, he sat at an empty seat next to a tall, skinnier man. He wasn’t really paying much attention to him. The man wore black and had white hair but that was about all he noticed. He could hear the man talking to someone, but he didn’t see who it was. 

“Double shot of Jack.” Victor told the bartender. 

“Double?!” The man beside him exclaimed. “My kind of man.” 

“Hmm?” Victor hummed, looking over at him. He was older, no wonder the grey hair. He was still handsome tho. Really handsome actually, Victor thought. Damn. The older man smiled at him. 

“Red Mantle. Mind if i join you?” He asked. 

“Luciferius…Not at all.” He smiled back. Red Mantle ordered a double shot of Jack as well. 

“OH so you’re NOT gonna introduce ME? I see how it is.” Victor heard a voice nearby. 

“Shut up, will you? I don’t need you interrupting me at all times! I’m having a lovely conversation with this nice young man.” Red Mantle snapped. His body turned slightly, revealing a second head of a bald man. 

“Hi! I’m Dragoon. Hope you don’t mind me.” Dragoon smiled. 

Victor shrugged. “I’ve seen weirder.” He said, lifting the shot glass up to Red Mantle. They clinked their glasses and took the shots. 

Victor and Mantle sat in silence for a moment before Mantle started talking. 

“So, I’ve heard of you.” He said. 

“Have you?” Victor questioned, eyebrow raised in curiosity. Mantle nodded with a smirk. 

“I just didn’t realize how handsome you’d be.” He grinned. Dragoon groaned loudly. 

“You are WAY too old for him, Mantle. Come ON! There’s no way he’s interested in YOU!” He told him. Victor shook his head. 

“Actually. I think he’s the perfect age. I like em older.” Victor laughed. Mantle blushed slightly, turning to look at the floor. 

“Oh well then don’t lose momentum now big boy.” Dragoon laughed. Mantle sneered at Dragoon before turning to Victor once more. 

“Would you like to maybe, walk around or something? These chairs aren’t comfortable.” He asked. 

“Sure. You dance, Manny?” Victor smiled. Mantle felt himself really blushing at the nickname. 

“I do.” He said with a grin. “I used to be all the rage back in my day.” 

“Never had a dancin tune to your name, liar.” Dragoon laughed. Victor didn’t quite get what they were saying but took Mantle’s hand and walked with him to the dancefloor. 

A few villains danced together, some by themselves, but then a slow song came on as the two (three?) were approaching the dancefloor. Mantle held Victor’s waist and Dragoon’s hand took hold of Victor’s hand. Victor’s head rested on Mantle’s shoulder, and the older villain felt his heart skip. He was so happy. No one wanted his attention. He was some old guy, with another head. He wasn’t hot, or so he thought. Maybe being an old man with two heads could work out. 

When the song ended, the two pulled away from each other slightly, still holding each other. Victor smiled at him as the song turned into a more upbeat, dance type song. “I hate this song.” Victor laughed. 

“So do I.” Mantle grinned. Dragoon frowned. 

“I like it.” He said. The two ignored him, walking off the dancefloor towards the door. “Where are we going?” 

“Outside.” Mantle said. 

“Are we going to smoke? I need a cigarette.” Dragoon said. 

“Do you think we could maybe, talk more? I like you…” Mantle said to Victor, who nodded enthusiastically. 

“Of course. Does an old man such as yourself have a cell phone? I’ll call you sometime.” Victor teased, but was completely serious. Mantle nodded and they exchanged numbers. 

“Sometimes Dragoon uses the phone.” He told him. Victor nodded. “Are you leaving?” 

“I was going to but…You can come with? If you want?” Victor asked, giving him a small kiss on the lips. Mantle smiled into the kiss and blushed, nodding as they pulled away. 

“Sure…” He said to him, taking his hand as they walked away from the party. Maybe Victor could stay a villain a bit longer, if it meant he’d get to hang out with cuties like Red Mantle.

[edgeofsilverpineforest]

Cont. from Below (Post #5)

Sparrows

Feather Five was indeed having a rough day. Landing on that branch had punctured his side. He’d used the patch kit and had scattered the powder that should have taken care of all his blood. Hell, it had burned the skin around his wound to close it. He’d deal with the piece of wood inside him once they were done with the mission. 

Hearing the message on the comms, he had his head on a swivel. Two Worgen were climbing towards his location. They must have been faster than the rest and not under the Dreadfang cloud. He wasn’t too worried. His specialty was better served on the sea, but up in a tree was no different than fighting on the yards of masts. “A’oy boys,” Feather five whispered while they each clawed along the tree’s broad trunk. Their growls dripped menacingly. Feather Five rolled two balls in one hand and then gave a two-finger salute with the other.

Worgen Front Line

It suddenly felt like thousands of bugs crawled beneath the surface of her skin, scratching their tiny claws to break free. All the while, it was as if hands were gripped around her throat. What was this?! It was unbearable, and breathing became difficult. Carol clawed at her neck and dug into her flesh, not someone’s hands. ‘What was going on?’ Fear and panic overrode her logic, sending her into a bloodlust frenzy. Suddenly, a hit came out of nowhere, broadsiding and launching her into the air. Another Worgen, hands clawing at his ears and roaring uncontrollably, had blindly run straight into her. The burning increased tenfold when Carol hit the ground, landing in the underbrush that had caught on fire. The flames ignited her fur, which soon caused her fury to transform into screams. 

Haywood looked around him, blinking hard as his vision became blurry. He shook his head as ringing started in his ears. Tingling itched across his flesh, and his muscles began to twitch. He gripped his battleaxe tightly while his friends and kin broke ranks, turning into a dismantled mess around him. Hearing Carol’s painful screams alarmed the makeshift leader. The mighty Worgen twisted around, searching for his right hand, only to stumble his footing. He shook his head again, trying to shake off whatever this shit was. ‘Pull it together. They’re counting on you.’ His ears suddenly filled with a flickering roar of fire overhead. Tilting his head back, even with his blurry vision, Haywood’s widening eyes could see the massive treetop headed straight for him.

Theo

“You think you’re clever, elf.”

Theo slowly blinked and gently turned his chin across his left shoulder. The urge to smirk was there with back still perched against a tree and on the Shadow plane. He knew better than to respond and give his immediate position away. 

“I’ve smelled your kind before.” 

It was a lie. However, Theo wondered if the muffled voice on the Azeroth plane realized he was a plane walker. 

“All of you will die tonight. The odds are stacked against you. But you know that walking into these woods, didn’t you?”

There was so much wrong with those statements that Theo almost laughed. Cautiously and gradually, he inched his way to the edge of the tree to glimpse around it. He needed to see who was fishing because they had no clue who had dropped into their backyard. Theo also needed to know what type of magic they used, not willing to jeopardize himself needlessly. Plenty was within his arsenal, but he needed to know which tool to use.

“Before the dawn shows her face, I will personally ensure you suffer… elf.”

A flicker of color showed itself among the shades of grey and fluttering chaos. Theo spotted the figure, and he instantly held still. He didn’t even dare breathe. The Worgen wasn’t the tallest, but it was definitely a tank and beast. The cool blue and black flames emanating from the mutt reeked death knight. It glanced around casually, walking among the fallen enflamed branches without worry. Where it stepped, ice formed. Theo narrowed his eyes and returned behind the tree when the death knight faced away from him. Having served on both sides of the line in the Lich King’s attempt at world domination, he suspected this was one of Arugal’s. ‘Fuck me.’ If he was right, this death knight could pull him out of the Shadow plane every time.

<<to be continued>>

[casspurrjoybell-30]

Bonding with the Enemy - Chapter 8

*Warning Adult Content*

The Alpha Job

Halfway through breakfast it occurred to Darren that Liam may not actually suspect him of murder.

The fact that he was letting Darren stay at his home as a guest showed that he didn't even consider him a threat.

On the other hand, Jasper definitely had it out for him.

Begrudgingly, Jasper had no choice but to drag Darren with him to work thanks to their predicament.

The rogue followed Jasper out front where his grey Nissan Sentra was.

It was a rather simple car in his opinion.

For some reason, he expected Jasper to drive a red Corvette or something.

"You getting in?" Jasper hissed from the drivers side.

Darren tried to think of something snarky to say but nothing came to mind, so he silently got in the car and slammed the door as hard as he could.

"You did that on purpose," the Alpha glared.

"Look at you, pointing out the obvious like a big boy," Darren snapped back sarcastically.

"Don't test me."

"Why? Are you just as bad at tests as you are at shutting the fuck up?"

He could tell the man was struggling to reel in his temper now.

Turning his attention to the road, Jasper hit the gas harder than necessary and peeled out of the driveway.

For the next five hours, Darren got his first glimpse at what an Alpha's duties were.

He tagged along as Jasper checked in on the elderly, interviewed new pack applicants, followed up on neighborhood complaints and checked in with the Chief of Police to see if there were any developments around town.

Unfortunately Darren was forced to sit in the car most of the time, so he didn't learn anything useful.

After a while he picked up on the complete one eighty turn in Jasper's personality.

He was like a completely different person when dealing with fellow pack members.

Instead of being a prick or stuck up or grumpy, he was all smiles and jokes.

It annoyed Darren to see how much people enjoyed being around him.

If only they knew what kind of asshole he really was.

Eventually they made it to their last stop for the day. 

It was one of the more remote cabins tucked a little ways into the woods.

There was a long winding dirt trail that led up from the road, with a broken mailbox and plenty of trees blocking their view of the building from where they parked.

Jasper's hands grasped the steering wheel.

He looked up towards the cabin, then back at Darren.

"I need you to stay in the car."

"Again?" Darren squawked.

"Do you know how cramped my legs are?"

"Too bad," Jasper said, stepping out of the car.

"This is a special situation and I don't need you messing anything up."

Darren glanced at the driver side seat and considered smearing mud on it while the guy was gone.

A wicked smile crossed his face as he nodded.

"Sure."

Jasper glared at him suspiciously but didn't say a word as he walked towards the cabin.

Soon he disappeared from view.

Darren immediately scanned the ground for puddles outside, then spotted a woman standing in the middle of the road.

She was pale, with dark circles around her eyes and tattered clothes.

As he watched, she silently stared in the direction of the cabin with tears streaming down her face.

He instantly knew it was a ghost, mostly because of the transparent body, but also because of the cuts on her wrists.

As he watched her hover in place, she slowly turned her head in his direction.

Darren realized this was the first ghost he had encountered since the hunter last night.

Since Jasper was busy, he might as well make himself useful and see if this spirit knew anything about the kids.

So he got out of the car and made his way towards her.

The ghost seemed surprised as he locked eyes on her and even more surprised when he stopped and greeted her.

"Hey. Sorry, I know this is probably weird for you but I was wondering..."

"Help him," she interrupted him mid sentence.

"Huh?" Darren asked, perplexed.

"Who? Jasper?"

"Help him," she repeated desperately before breaking down crying.

Immediately overwhelmed and unsure how to calm a crying ghost, he knelt beside her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy there. Start at the beginning and tell me what's wrong?"

It took a few moments for the girl to calm down.

When she did, she looked up at the rogue and began explaining her situation.

What she had to say was unsettling.

Up at the cabin, Jasper was standing on the porch speaking with an innocent looking woman with wavy black hair and huge baby doll eyes.

She had on a yellow dress with a black polka dotted bowtie.

Definitely not something you'd wear out in the woods.

"I wouldn't know much about that Sally," Jasper smiled down at her.

As Darren approached, he noticed that his smile seemed a bit forced.

The girl fluttered her eyelashes at him.

"That's too bad. I love talking about that kind of stuff. Chuck here can attest to that. We could spend hours deep in conversation, isn't that right?"

She glanced back and drew Darren's eyes to a scrawny man with short brown hair and a bony face.

He looked like he hadn't eaten well in a while and was dressed in a plaid shirt and jeans.

"T-t-that's r-r-right. She just loves t-t-to talk. Just chat, chat, chat."

The guy gestured with his hands awkwardly.

Jasper looked concerned as he examined the state that Chuck was in.

"Are you doing alright Chuck? Do you want me to take you to a doctor?"

Chucks eyes immediately flew to Sally but he quickly turned back to Jasper and laughed.

"Oh n-n-nonsense. It's just a c-c-cold."

"That's right. It's just a cold," Sally parroted.

"No need to deal with some overpriced doctor."

"You sure you don't want to go?" Jasper asked more earnestly.

Chuck just shook his head and subconsciously hid behind the woman.

Sally patted his arm.

"Chuck doesn't like going outside, remember? He has agoraphobia. People, noises, crowds... he can't stand it."

"Are you absolutely sure?" Jasper pushed.

"I'm s-sure." Chuck answered immediately.

"I w-want t-t-to stay h-here."

Disappointed, Jasper gave up with a sigh.

"Alright, just let me know if you need anything. I'll be back."

"Will do."

Sally smiled widely as she began to shut the door.

It was at this point Darren flew forward and stuck his foot in the way, successfully stopping her.

"Chuck. How have you been?" he greeted the man cheerfully, shocking all three people around him.

The ghost girl suddenly appeared beside Darren and began whispering into his ear.

Darren made sure to repeat her words.

"You remember me, right? From Ms. Ayudame's class? You remember Ayudame, right?"

He stared meaningfully at the man, hoping he'd pick up the hint.

"What do you think..." Jasper was cut off by a slap to his chest as Darren kept his eyes on the man.

Chuck stared wide eyed at him before Sally intervened.

"Excuse me, but who are you?"

"I'm Darren, Chuck's old classmate," he briefly replied to the woman before returning his focus to the brunette beside her.

"You remember when we were younger and we used to sneak out of our houses to joy ride my dads old grey Nissan Sentra down by the road?"

"I don't think he wants to talk," Sally tried closing the door again but Darren's foot was still in the way.

"Yeah, well you know, I was in town and thought I'd ask about those old baseball cards. It's been years since we last saw each other and I remembered that you wanted me to confirm if that Babe Ruth of yours was the real deal."

"What is he talking about?" she says, turning to Chuck with a huff.

Chucks' eyes flit between the two before he stuttered out.

"M-m-my b-b-base-b-ball card c-c-collection..."

"Sweetheart, I know about your collection but exactly WHEN did you two talk about it?" she barely masked the anger in her voice.

"About five years ago," Darren lied.

"If he still has it and it turns out to be the real deal, it could be worth over seven hundred thousand dollars."

That caught the woman's attention and she turned with an eyebrow raised.

"Come again?"

"Here, look."

Darren felt his heart leap now that he had Sally's attention.

Praying with all his might that what the ghost told him was true, he googled the value of a Babe Ruth card and showed it.

Her eyes widened with greed.

"Sweetheart, do you really have one of these?" she spoke sweetly to the scrawny man who was nervously wringing his hands.

"Y-y-yes," he stuttered out, playing along with Darren's story.

"B-b-but we d-d-don't know if it's r-r-real."

"I can help with that," Darren chirped.

"I work for an appraisal company and can get it certified. With a certificate, it's value will actually increase. I can even help you sell it if you want?" he addressed the woman now, hoping the promise of money would distract her.

She seemed extremely interested as she patted Chucks shoulder fondly.

"Why don't you go grab that card while we talk?"

Chuck nodded jerkily before scurrying further into the house.

The woman then blocked the doorway, making it clear that this conversation was to take place on the porch.

"So how does this work exactly?" she asked.

Darren then proceeded to tell the biggest bullshit story of his life, which included becoming an entrepreneur and making millions appraising valuable cards and how he loaned money to the Alpha.

Jasper scoffed but Darren just started talking louder to drown him out.

She took in every word of it until the ghost whispered into Darren's ear again.

Suddenly he pulled out his phone and feigned shock.

"Oh shit. Look what time it is. I'm sorry but maybe I can come back some other time? We really need to go for that other appointment and it's a rather important one."

He backed up, grabbing the Alpha by the shoulder and practically dragging the confused man away.

"Wait, how will I contact you?" the woman asked desperately, glancing back into the house and wondering why Chuck was taking so long.

Darren quickly gave her a fake phone number as he continued his escape.

As soon as they were out of sight of the cabin, Jasper jerked out of Darren's grasp.

"What the fuck was that bullshit about? Do you have any idea what you did?"

The legality of the situation wasn't lost on Darren.

Just by watching Jasper's desperate attempts to convince Chuck to come with him, Darren understood that the Alpha knew what was going on.

The ghost girl had informed him that Sally convinced Chuck not to trust anyone and without Chuck's cooperation, even Liam couldn't do anything to help him.

Darren didn't say anything and instead walked around to the other side of the car with Jasper hot on his heels.

"You okay?" the rogue asked.

Jasper shot a glare at him.

"Of course I'm..."

"Yes," came a quiet voice from the back seat.

The Alpha's eyes widened as he noticed Chuck laying flat on the back seat, completely out of sight and hugging a go-pro to his chest.

The man was shaking terribly.

Luckily the window was down so his voice wasn't muffled.

"D-d-o you really know my s-sister?" Chuck asked, turning his head up at Darren.

"Kind of," Darren replied.

"She said you were collecting evidence of what Sally was doing to you. She also told me the escape plan you guys came up with before Sally forced you to move away."

The ghost had explained that their plan was called 'Mrs. Ayudame'. Ayudame' was Spanish for 'Help Me', so it seemed fitting to use it as a code word.

"She w-w-wouldn't let me h-have a phone. She used to b-b-break down c-crying, saying I was ch-ch-cheating on her if I t-texted or called anyone. She d-didn't trust me to b-be alone and no one b-but my sister b-b-believed me when she s-started hitting me."

The small man's eyes swelled with tears.

"She wouldn't even l-l-let me leave the house. If I tried to l-l-leave, she would threaten to k-k-kill herself. I d-d-don't want her t-t-to do that b-but... b-but I c-c-can't do this anymore. I s-s-still wanted t-to leave but I d-didn't know anybody h-h-here or where I'd go if I left, s-s-so I s-stayed..."

Darren sucked in a breath as he glanced towards the ghost of Chuck's sister.

He didn't have the heart to tell him that the only person who ever believed him was now dead.

"It'll be alright. We'll take care of you," he promised instead.

Chuck went quiet, then nodded as he curled up into a tight ball and began to weep.

[my3rzs]

could i have a xavier thorpe request with an established relationship and the reader gets injured by the hyde or during the fight with crackstone? Thank you im just a sucker for angst.

KEEP YOU SAFE | x.t x fem!reader

summary: after getting a fight with xavier, you get injured

notice: she/her pronouns, swearing, reader gets hurt, overprotective xavier? bianca and xavier were never together, bianca is not a bully in here (i think thats all)

pairing: xavier thorpe x reader

a/n: i spent maybe 5 mins brainstorming abt the summary :’), but reblogs would help and im literally too embarrassed to read this so i could proofread it but enjoy lol, but check the hashtag #xavizgirl so you can see all my works there ahaha

you and xavier had a fight last week and you haven’t talked to him ever since because he was jealous of a guy he saw you walking to class with,

though it was really stupid, you have to admit you did miss him a lot, you missed his stupid face, how he peppered you with kisses, how he handed you paintings of yourself or one of your favorite things you told him about, cuddling with him almost every night, you just miss him in general.

“hey, do you wanna hang out today? maybe go shopping?” bianca asks

you were too busy staring at a picture with xavier and you in it,

“huh?” you asked cluelessly as you heard muffled noises from her mouth

“let me guess, xavier? you’ve been ranting about the fight between you two for about a week, ya know?” the siren stated

“he’s just so stupid, he didn’t even let me finish what i was trying to say after he pulled me off the fucking guy!” you explained

“well, maybe you should just try confronting the boy. who knows you two just need to talk?” she answers

“well maybe i could do that, but what am i gonna say to him? it’s gonna be so awkward” you whined

“just explain how you’ve been feeling about the fight, how you barely know the guy, and stuff, but it has to be sincere and it has to come from your heart” she advised

“i’ll try my best, thank you bianca, i really owe you for this one okay?” you gave her a smile

“goodluck, y/n!” she gave you a thumbs up

-

you pulled out your phone go text xavier,,

y/n: hey can we talk?

xay: uh sure? why?

y/n: can we plz just talk

xay: ok, when and where

y/n: like rn, and maybe our spot in the woods

xay: ok be there rn

you hearted his message and put your cellphone into your pocket, you were walking in the forest so that you could meed up with xavier and make things right until a large, hairy, grey, big eyes, bloodshot monster stumbled you over, it looked like a beast or some sort of creature. it trapped you and before you knew it, it’s claw’s scratched your skin through your clothes twice and you were a literal bleeding mess. you tried to run as fast as you could and tried to grab your phone so that you could call an ambulance or xavier but realized you have dropped it while running, and that was all you remembered.

xavier was still waiting for you and he was starting to get impatient and think he was getting pranked, he has texted you nonstop and sent you calls but it kept going to voicemail, eventually.. he gave up and tried to go back to nevemore but he saw your unconscious body and you were bleeding.

“y/n? what the fuck!” he screamed as he saw you

“everything’s gonna be fine, everything’s gonna be fine” he said running to your body panicking and immediately called the ambulance

once they have arrived they took you into the truck, while xavier was so awfully worried and kept blaming himself while pacing, bianca and ajax walked up to him and asked what happened,

“it’s y/n.. she got fucking attacked!” the artist cursed

“hey, it’s gonna be alright, okay? the nurses and doctors are gonna make sure she’s gonna make it” ajax calms him down

“and besides, we can also visit her. dont worry, we’re all here for you xavier” the siren added

it has been 3 weeks and you still haven’t woken up, xavier was so stressed, his lips are so dry, he looked like he hasn’t eaten in about a week, and he has very dark eye bags, it was the weekend and he decided to go visit you.

he opened the door and saw that you still haven’t woken up, he sighed and put one of his letters on the table.

“i miss you” he muttered while grabbing your cold hands

“it’s all my fault” the blonde boy sighs

you opened your eyes slowly and saw him tearing up a bit, “xavi..?” you say

“y/n! you’re awake!” he looked up and saw that you were awake so he quickly wiped his tears with his sleeve.

“were you crying, xavi?” you asked and tried to sit up and but felt a pain in your stomach and hissed in pain,,

“fuck!” you cried

“hey, hey, hey, the doctors say your stomach is still not okay, so they don’t recommend sitting for now, yeah? but they say it will heal a bit fast, so you’re gonna be okay, alright?” he dodged your question

“xavi.. you’re ignoring my question” you gave him a frown

“i’m not crying, silly. and even if i was it wouldn’t matter, we need to focus on you right now, bubs” he points to you

“and i kinda want to apologize, for you know.. being jealous and overprotective, i’m the reason you got here..” he says

“don’t blame yourself, i should’ve waited for the next day” you chucked reaching out for his hand

he held your hand and kissed your forehead, “i won’t let anything happen to you, i promise i’m gonna keep you safe, okay?” he assured

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

i didnt know how to end this and got lazy ahahaha