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cheerycherrycandy-resurrected · 7 months

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Ghoulette Appreciation Week 7

Also, a little Valentine's Day fic! 💕

back on schedule, babyyy

Week 7: “Can’t you see how much I love you”/love confessions & makeovers/dressing up

The annual Valentine's Day costume ball is coming up at the Abbey, and Aurora can't wait to attend in matching costumes with Mist. One small issue: she has to ask her first.

Rating: T Content: Fluff, Mistrora being cute and in love, allusions to sexual themes Words: 2002

This one got out of hand quite quickly! Happy Valentine's Day if you celebrate! 💕

Read below or on AO3!

At the Abbey, the annual Valentine’s Day costume ball was coming up. Because what said “Satan-worshipping-church” like a debauched disco on a Saint’s memorial day? At these parties, the ghouls and humans intermingled freely, and nights often ended in more than just intermingling. For the ghouls, it was also a night of freedom from their masks, all the more appreciated by the newer ghouls with their oppressive helmets.

Aurora couldn’t wait. This was her first Valentine’s costume ball topside, and if it was anything like the other parties she had been to topside, it would be a blast. From the minute it was announced, she had been thinking of what her costume should be. Halloween had been incredible, everyone dressed some kind of spooky or sexy, or both. Aurora had matched costumes with the other touring ghoulettes Cirrus and Cumulus, going as The Plastics from Mean Girls.

Aurora wasn’t sure if she wanted to continue her chick-flick move theme for this party. She wasn’t even sure what she wanted to go as. What she did know, is that she wanted to coordinate with her girlfriend, Mist. Was that even the correct word, Aurora wondered to herself? They weren’t mated yet, but they were… something. The humans had more words than they could possibly need for these situations, Aurora could surely borrow some.

There was one slight issue with this plan, however. Mist famously did not attend costume parties at the Abbey. Aurora figured her best chance at going with Mist was to come up with a costume concept the older ghoulette couldn’t resist.

This was going to be a challenge: Aurora’s aesthetic and media preferences didn’t exactly align with Mist’s. While she would happily go as anything pink, princess-y, or otherwise hyperfeminine with a 2000s movie influence, Mist was quite the opposite. She was more into dark colours, androgenous styles and fantasy novels. Aurora was sure there had to be some crossover to explore though.

Putting aside her initial dream of matching Barbie: The Princess and the Pauper costumes, she tried to think closer to what Mist would choose. Certainly nothing involving a dress or a skirt, she knew the thought of wearing them made Mist’s skin crawl. What about a knight? Heroic, Big Sword, rescue the Princess from a big tower? Aurora wasn’t the sort of Princess that would need rescuing though.

“What about dragons?” she mused aloud to Sunshine one evening, watching the multi ghoulette crouched on the floor sewing sequins onto a pair of intricate butterfly wings.

“I think Swiss and Phantom are doing dragons…” Sunshine hummed, almost cross-eyed with concentration, “something about dragon and dragon rider.”

Aurora rolled her eyes and mimed gagging, as Sunshine looked up from her work to snicker at her reaction.

“Yeah, you might want to steer clear of them all night. Swiss gets a bit carried away on Valentine’s.”

Aurora flopped backwards onto Sunshine’s bed with a huff, “What are you going as? Maybe I can convince Mist to do a ghoulette group costume?”

Sunshine proudly held her wings aloft, “I’m a butterfly, and Mountain’s going as a caterpillar! He’s still got about fifty pom-pom feet to sew to his outfit before the party.”

“They look amazing Sunny!” Aurora looked on with envy. At this rate she was going to end up going as a lonely cat without a date.

“Why don’t you just ask Mist to go to the party with you, Rory? She might have an idea for your costumes.”

“Maybe…” Aurora rolled onto her front to face Sunshine properly, “How should I ask her?”

Sunshine sighed, setting her wings to the side and moving to sit next to Aurora. In times like these she really felt like a big sister to the newest ghoulette.

“The same way you asked her to be your girlfriend, petal. But maybe with less references to movies she hasn’t seen.” Sunshine tossed an arm around Aurora’s shoulders as best she could in their awkward position on the edge of the bed, “Besides, there’s no way she’d say no, Mist is so head over heels for you that Satan Himself could see it from the pit!”

Aurora hoped she was right.

Later that day, Aurora steeled herself to ask Mist to go to the Valentine’s ball together. She found Mist where she often was when she didn’t have duties, sat reading on the stone bench next to a small, secluded pond. Mist looked up when she heard footsteps approaching, and seeing her wide smile as Aurora approached made her heart stutter in her chest.

“Hi Moonflower, I thought I’d find you here.” Aurora sat down next to Mist, the pair instinctually shuffling as close together as possible, pressed to each other like magnets; shoulder to hip to ankle.

“Hello Sweet Thing, come to keep me company?” Mist set her book down to snake an arm around Aurora’s waist and press a kiss to the corner of her lips, seeking permission to deepen the kiss. Aurora giggles against her lips, happily losing herself in Mist’s embrace.

When they eventually broke apart for air, Aurora remembered why she had some come find Mist in the first place.

“So…” she started, trying her best to sound casual, “are you going to the Valentine’s ball?”

“Why do you ask?” smirked Mist, “are you inviting me?”

Aurora forgot what she was going to say, not expecting Mist to see straight through to what she was asking so quickly. She was flustered, stuttering out some sounds that could possibly have been interpreted as a “yes”. No one else could manage that quite like Mist.

“So, what are you going as then?” asked Mist, reaching out to play with a piece of hair behind Aurora’s ear.

“I’m not sure yet, I was hoping you might have an idea actually. I want us to go as something we both like.”

“I’ll be happy in anything, as long as you’re there.” Mist cooed in her ear, “I’d turn up with nothing but my unglamoured fins, if that was what you wanted.” Her cool and delicate fingers traced over Aurora’s neck, where gills would be if she had any, and Aurora gave in to the carnal distraction of Mist’s smooth tongue and fingertips. The costume party didn’t seem so important anymore.

Stuck polishing the wooden pews in the chapel the next day, Aurora thought more on Mist’s comment. Unglamoured fins. Creatures of the Sea. She started formulating a story in her head. She could still be a princess, but how about a mermaid princess, with the alluring voice of a siren. Mist often called her my sweet siren after all. Mist could be a beautiful pirate queen trying to pillage the mermaid’s lands, but ending up beguiled by her song convinced to go adventuring upon the high seas together.

Mist would hopefully like the costume too, a blouse loose enough around her gills, not an overly “girly” costume, but still badass. Rory lost herself in her daydream, fleshing out her perfect Halloween costume idea and backstory, until she realised that she has been polishing the same armrest for ten minutes.

This idea seemed perfect for them; dressing for a story no one but them knew. They’d tried to keep their relationship a secret for so long, even though they later learned that they hadn’t been in the least bit subtle, and their respective packs had seen through them near instantly.

She dropped by Mist’s pack dorm on the way back to her own quarters, to suggest her idea. If she’d been surprised by Mist’s enthusiasm to accompany her to the ball, she was even more astounded by her interest in the costume. Mist had all but begged to make her own, and to keep them a surprise from each other until the night of the party.

For the rest of the week leading up to the party, she spent her spare evenings in Sunshine’s room, joining her on the floor to sew sequins onto her own costume. Sunshine was predictably now making Mountain’s costume for him, attaching fist-sized pom-poms to a green zip-up hoodie. She had asked Cirrus and Cumulus if they wanted to join their crafting sessions, but they had claimed their own costumes, the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch, were already finished.

Little did Aurora know, that Mist had already enlisted the air ghoulettes to help her with her own costume, showing her how to stitch frills and ruffles to the cuffs of a blouse, and embellish the rest of her outfit in a way befitting of a pirate queen.

The evening of the Valentine’s day ball finally arrived, and Aurora was buzzing with anticipation as she waited for Mist to knock on the dormitory door. She had insisted on coming by before the party to collect Aurora. Eventually, there were three sharp raps on the door, and Aurora had to force herself to count to ten before she threw it open.

"Ahoy! I be here t’ collect me Princess!” Mist grinned widely, flourishing a plastic cutlass bedazzled with crystals. Aurora looked at her outfit in wonder; Mist looked ferociously beautiful. The delicate linen fabric of her blouse rippled in the breeze from the hallway, showing off the numerous gold swirls stitched along the frilly cuffs. The cut of her tight leather pants was enough to make Aurora’s mouth water, her long legs emphasized by the tall boots she was wearing, also decorated with rhinestones and gold. But nothing quite compared to the costume jewellery she was practically dripping in; body chains, hooped earrings, hammered metal arm cuffs. She looked every inch the terrifying pirate queen she was meant to be.

“Mist…” Aurora whispered, in awe, “you look incredible!” Mist broke character to blush at the praise, full of compliments of her own for Aurora’s sparkling bodice and mermaid “tail”.

Their tender moment in the doorway was interrupted by the boisterous entrance of a sparsely-clothed dragon and his equally underdressed rider, off to join the other ghouls that were pre-gaming in the kitchen.

“Woah Mist, you look awesome!” hollered Swiss, clearly already in the party spirit. Mist straightened her spine, and glared mock-haughtily at the multi-ghoul,

“'Tis yer Royal ‘ighness Cap'n Mist t' ye, ye rum-soaked scalawag!” she leered at him with a dangerous grin. Swiss looked like he was torn between being terrified and turned on, but was saved from having to justify either reaction by Phantom dragging him away to the kitchen. When the door closed behind them, leaving both ghoulettes alone in the entrance hall of the dorm again, they collapsed into each other’s arms in peals of laughter.

“His face Mist! You’ve given the poor guy a pirate crisis!” Aurora managed to catch her breath just enough to talk between fits of giggles.

“It’s not him I feel sorry for, think about Phantom!” they both promptly dissolved into laughter again. “Poor Bug…” mused Aurora, as she dragged Mist by the hand to her room, before they had to leave for the party proper in the Abbey’s main hall.

“You really do look amazing, Waterlily.” Aurora smiled at her as her bedroom door swung closed behind them.

“So do you, my Songbird, you’re always the most beautiful thing in every room, but tonight you look exquisite.”

Aurora pulled her onto the bed and into a kiss. They had time for a brief distraction while the other ghouls drained their liquor supplies.

“I can’t believe you went to all this effort!” pulling away, Aurora ran her hand down Mist’s arm to admire the little details of her outfit. “I didn’t even think you would want to go at all!”

“Can you still not see it?” asked Mist, raising Aurora’s chin with the tip of one long finger, “This is for you. Everything is always for you. I’d do anything just for one more smile from your beautiful lips.” She brushed across them, soft and gently parted, with her thumb. “Can’t you see how much I love you?”

#ghoulette appreciation weeks 2024 #ghoulette appreciation weeks #the band ghost #ghost #nameless ghouls #nameless ghoulettes #ghoulette appreciation #fluff #mist ghoulette #aurora ghoulette #mistrora #mist x aurora #ghost fanfiction #ghost band #ghost bc #em writes #ghost valentines day

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merrybloomwrites · 1 year

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You Can Start a Family (Chapter 7)

Summary:

Reader joins Mitch and Sarah for Love on Tour! First stop, Slane.

Previous Chapters: One ; Two ; Three ; Four ; Five ; Six

TW for this chapter: Smut

AN: My original plan for this chapter was to cover the entire time reader joins them for Love on Tour (aka Slane, Wembley, Cardiff, Belguim) but I once again got carried away. It's the longest chapter yet but only covers Ireland haha

Hope you enjoy!

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Mitch and Sarah love touring, but it doesn’t mean they don’t miss you. They have what they consider the best job in the world, but they’re still counting down the days until they see you again.

They love getting to do video calls, taking you on walks through the countries they’re in. They get excited each time you send an audio message because you want to tell them more information than you have the patience to text.

On more than one occasion, they’ve called or FaceTimed after a show, both too wound up to sleep right away. In the past they would just burn off that extra energy together in bed, but now they want you to be involved as well. Because of the time difference you’re normally just finishing dinner when this happens, and you’ve learned to keep your phone well charged even at the end of the day for situations like this. You love watching them together, listening to them tell you what to do with your hands, what they would do to you if you were all together. You wish you could be with them, pleasing them, but you admit this is better than nothing.

On a more innocent note, Mitch and Sarah absolutely love the adorable videos of you and Ryan that Tammy sends. There are videos of you both running around the yard, swimming in the pool, and tending to the garden. Their favorite is sent to them one evening shortly before a show. It’s of you and Ryan listening to Satellite and dancing. You’re both spinning around and then you begin to do the Satellite Stomps as dramatically as possible, sending Ryan into a fit of belly laughs so contagious that you fall over laughing as well.

Sarah’s the first to see the video and walks over to share it with Mitch. She hands him the phone and they watch together multiple times, huge smiles on both of their faces.

“That’s your new friend Y/N, right?” Harry asks. They both quickly turn, surprised to see they aren’t alone in their corner of the band dressing room.

“Yea, that’s her,” Sarah answers, handing over the phone to Harry who presses play on the video. He also breaks into a huge grin. He always loves to see people of all ages enjoying his music, and it’s easy to tell that you and Ryan are having an absolute blast listening to it.

“She’s cute,” he says. Mitch and Sarah both softly agree, eyes back on the video of you. Harry watches them, curious about their reactions. There’s a certain look on their faces, one that takes him a minute to place but when he does, he’s more confused. It was a look of love and adoration that Mitch and Sarah always reserved for one another.

Before he can ask about that he’s pulled away to finish getting ready for the show.

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After nearly 5 weeks apart, it’s finally time for you to take your first international flight to join them on tour.

You’re finishing up at work, ready to stop home, grab your bags, and head to the airport. As you leave, you thank Ryan’s mom again for agreeing to take care of your cats while you’re gone.

Meanwhile Mitch and Sarah are equal parts excited and nervous for the following day. They cannot wait to reunite with you, but it’s also Mitch’s first solo show and that comes with a lot of nerves. Sure, they’ve been touring forever, but this is different. It’s Mitch’s own music, his vibe very different from Harry’s, and he’s not sure what the fans will think. Not to mention it’s one of the largest crowds they’ve ever played for.

Once you get to your gate at the airport you call them, knowing that it’s around the time they’ll be getting into bed. One thing you’re excited about is being in the same time zone, tired of doing mental math every time you want to talk to them.

“Hi love!” Sarah says as she picks up. “Are you at the airport?”

“Yup! Just got to my gate. Wanted to check in before it got too late over there.”

“Well, you caught us at the perfect time then,” she replies. “I was just reading a little in bed, waiting for Mitch to join me.”

“How’s he doing?”

“Oh, he’s a bit nervous about tomorrow, I think he’s excited though. Harry’s been teaching him a lot of tricks to help with the nerves, so I think that has him feeling more confident.”

“That’s good! Do you think I’ll see you guys before he goes on?”

“You should. Mitch and I have to head over to the venue pretty early but everyone else isn't leaving until later in the day. You’ll be given all the details when you get to the hotel tomorrow, but I think the plan is for you to ride over with Elin and Ariza.”

“Oh, cool! I’m so excited! This is going to be amazing, and I cannot wait to see you both.”

“We can’t wait either. Oh, here’s Mitch, I’ll let you two talk a bit.”

There’s a pause on the other line before you hear Mitch’s soft voice. “Hey, babe,” he says.

“Hi, how are you feeling?”

“Good. I mean, nervous, but in a good way I think. It’s like, adrenaline maybe? Honestly, I’m just trying to focus on the fact that we’ll get to see you in a few hours.”

You melt a little at his words, and you can’t help but smile knowing that you’re going to see them so soon. It’s been hard going so long without them, and comments like this let you know you’re not the only one who’s been struggling with the separation.

You talk to Mitch and Sarah for a little longer, sharing stories to relax them so they can fall asleep and be ready for the following day. Once you hear that they’ve switched to their sleepy voices you wish them goodnight and hang up.

You’re too excited to read your book so you take a walk through the terminal while waiting to board. You’re unfortunately no less riled up on the plane, trying to sleep but managing only an hour or two.

Next thing you know, you’re landing in Ireland, finally in a country other than the United States for the first time in your life. You’re tired, and a tad anxious about all the unknown around you, but still thrumming with energy knowing that you’ll see Mitch and Sarah in just a couple hours.

You find the car that will take you to the hotel and the 30-minute drive passes quickly as you watch the scenery out the window. You arrive at the hotel, check in, and a minute later a young woman walks up to you asking, “Are you Y/N?”

“Yes, I am,” you reply.

“Perfect, you’re right on time! I’m Becca, one of the assistants for the tour.” You shake her hand, and she continues, “I have you leaving in 1 hour with Elin, Ariza, and Pauli to head over to the venue. Will you be ready then? If not, I could place you in a van leaving a bit later.”

“I will absolutely be ready in 1 hour,” you say with a smile. Sure, you’re tired and grimy from flying, but you don’t want to delay your reunion another minute.

“Wonderful, we’ll be meeting in the lounge on the 3rd floor.”

“Thank you so much!”

You head up to your room to shower and get ready. You’re glad your outfit hadn’t wrinkled in your bag, so that’s one less thing to worry about. You get dressed, put on your makeup, and style your hair. There are only a few minutes before you need to meet up with everyone, so you grab your bag and head over.

The past day has already been such a whirlwind, and it isn’t until you’re outside the door to the lounge that you remember how many new people you’ll be meeting that day. Not just new people, but musicians you’ve been admiring for months, some for years.

The nerves hit you as soon as you walk into the room and see Elin, Ariza, and Pauli sitting on the couches. They immediately look at you as you walk in, and you feel like the outsider walking into a Saloon in an Old Western movie.

The feeling only lasts for a second before all three of them break out into smiles and get up to introduce themselves. They’re all absolutely lovely and the drive over to Slane Castle is filled with wonderful conversation. You let Pauli know how much you love their new song Saucy, that you’d listened to it at least a dozen times since it was released the previous day.

In no time at all the van is pulling into the venue. You’re amazed at the size of it, at the beauty of the castle. For a moment you think of your grandfather, whose family had come from Ireland, and suddenly feel a moment of connection to him. You know he would’ve absolutely loved to see this place, even been excited just to know you were able to go there.

You’re broken from your reverie by the others getting out of the van, and you follow them to backstage area that’s been set up. Thoughts of your family are chased out by one single thought: Mitch and Sarah are here.

You try to be patient. After all you don’t actually know where they are or where to go, but it’s taking everything in you not to start running through the halls to find them. You continue to follow the other band members, assuming they’re heading to the band dressing room, and you’ll find Mitch and Sarah there, but you get stopped by another member of the crew.

There’s a moment where you’re scared that he’s going to question who you are and if you’re allowed there, but he just says, “You’re Mitch and Sarah’s friend? They have a Y/N on their list set to arrive at this time. Is that you?”

“Yes, I’m Y/N,” you say, amazed by the level of professionalism and coordination that goes into the tour.

“I’ll show you to their dressing room.”

You smile and nod, following him further down the hallway.

“They’re finishing soundcheck, but you can wait in there for them.”

“Great, thank you so much!” As soon as you finish your sentence he’s gone, onto his next task of this incredibly busy day.

It’s chillier than you expected it to be, and you look over to see Mitch’s bag in the corner. There are a couple sweatshirts inside, and you grab one to put on, hoping he won’t mind.

You sit on the couch that’s in the room, resting your eyes while waiting for them. It’s only a bit longer before you hear the door opening. You don’t even have time to get up before you have a lap full of Sarah. Her limbs wrap around you and your arms go around her waist, holding her as close as possible. She tucks her face into your neck, and you feel Mitch sit on the couch next to you both. He leans in, pressing kisses to the side of your head.

You look up at him with a smile before he checks the door is closed and firmly slots his lips against yours. It’s passionate, but quick. As soon as you break apart, Sarah pulls you in for a similar kiss of her own.

You blink at both of them, partially dazed by the intensity of the greeting you received, partially unable to believe that you’re really here with them. It’s been 5 weeks since you’ve seen them, and tears well up in your eyes at the overwhelming relief of being held by them.

“You’re here,” Sarah whispers as though she can’t believe it.

“I’m here,” you reply just as quietly. She moves off of your lap and Mitch pulls you onto his. You’re sitting sideways so your legs lay over Sarah’s, and Mitch’s arms hold you tight. You hold Sarah’s hand in yours, and just sit quietly.

No one knows how long you all sit in silence, simply enjoying being together again, but you’re interrupted by Mitch’s phone ringing. He’s only on the call a moment before hanging up with a polite “thank you”.

“There’s food set out for lunch,” he informs you both.

You and Sarah nod to acknowledge this but make no move to get up until your stomach starts to growl.

“Let’s get you something to eat,” Mitch says, and you finally force yourself off of his lap. They walk over to the door, and you take a deep breath before following.

“Are you alright, love?” Sarah asks.

“Yea, just nervous about meeting everyone else.”

“Well, you’ve got us, and you’ve already met half the band. How were they this morning?”

“Very welcoming. Pauli ended up in our van too, so we talked a lot about their new music.”

“See? Nothing to be nervous about.” She places her hand lightly on your back knowing that the touch along with her words would help ease your anxiety. You’re still slightly overwhelmed walking into the room where lunch was set up but find quickly that there’s no need to be worried.

You meet the rest of the band and enjoy some delicious food. After a little while Mitch gets up saying that he needs to start getting ready. Sarah stands as well, and you look at them, unsure if you’re supposed to follow. Mitch tilts his head slightly and you understand that he wants you to go with them.

It’s while you’re walking back to the dressing room that you meet Harry Styles in person for the first time. You’re grateful for the few times you’ve spoken on the phone or FaceTime because you’re able to keep calm and not fangirl at all. He walks with you all back to the room, wanting to talk with Mitch before his first solo set.

While the boys are talking, you sit with Sarah and watch her do her hair and makeup. She asks about your flight and what you think of the Irish scenery so far; all the small talk you avoided before lunch.

After a couple minutes Harry stands, saying, “Alright well I’ll let you guys finish getting ready. Y/N, would you like me to help you find someone to show you where to watch from?”

Before you can answer Mitch replies, “Actually Pete’s supposed to come back in a little bit to show her.”

“Oh, okay. Sounds good then. Y/N it was lovely officially meeting you. I hope you enjoy the show.”

You smile and wave as he walks away, all of you unaware of how closely he was observing your trio. Harry knew Mitch likes his time away from everyone, and assumed he would want no one other than Sarah before getting on stage, but here he is insisting this new friend stays. Harry also noticed how comfortable you and Sarah were while she was getting ready, small touches shared between you. He figures it could just be friendly, you helping her make sure her hair is exactly in place, but for some reason it seemed more intimate than that. Add on the fact that you’re definitely wearing one of Mitch’s sweatshirts and Harry finds himself once again curious about your relationship with the couple.

After Harry’s gone, they quickly finish with their prep and get dressed. There are a few minutes left before they need to get their in-ears and head to the stage.

You watch as Mitch crosses to the door, locking it. He first walks over to Sarah, pulling her in for a deep, searing kiss. It’s short, but passionate. He turns to you and does the same. It’s a kiss with so much emotion that it fills your whole body with warmth.

As he goes to pull away you quietly tell him how wonderful he’s going to do, how proud you are of him. He tucks his face into your neck, seeing comfort from your words and touch. He starts nodding and you know that he’s listening, absorbing what you’re saying and gaining a burst of confidence.

He steps back and then there are once again lips against yours. This time they’re Sarah’s and they press gently against yours in a series of soft, chaste kisses. You give her a similar pep talk and then she pulls away.

Everyone takes a collective deep breath and Mitch unlocks the door. You make sure your hair is okay and you and Sarah check each other’s lipstick.

A minute later there’s a knock on the door, and the same guy from before, that you’ve now learned is Pete, stands on the other side. You give Mitch and Sarah each a quick friendly hug and follow him out to join the audience.

Once you walk outside, you’re met with an insane sight that takes your breath away. A sea of thousands of people full of excited energy. You’ve already been given a Johnny’s Place wristband and will mix in with the crowd there when Harry goes on, but you’re led to a spot close to the stage for Mitch’s set. You also have a special badge that will allow you backstage again throughout the day.

You’re looking around at the crowd when you start to hear loud cheering. You quickly turn back to the stage to see them walking out. Mitch’s face isn’t giving away much of what he’s feeling, but you know him well enough to see a slight bit of nerves. He grabs the first guitar he needs and scans the crowd. In no time at all his eyes meet yours, and you smile. His lips twitch ever so slightly and while he doesn’t smile back you see him visibly relax.

You love every second of watching him and Sarah. They do an amazing job and Mitch’s voice feels like home to you. The second he walks off stage you start to move. Earlier in the day they had asked you to meet them back in their dressing room after the set, and that is exactly where you are headed.

The door is open, so you walk in to wait for them. It’s a few minutes later when they swiftly enter the room. Sarah closes and locks the door as Mitch runs over to you, picking you up and spinning you around before placing you back in front of him and crushing his lips to yours. You gasp and feel his tongue pressing against yours.

The kiss is over as quickly as it began, knowing you all will only have a minute or two of privacy before people come looking to congratulate Mitch.

You press your forehead against his, whispering, “You did amazing. I am so, so proud of you.” A huge smiles spreads across his face, and Sarah comes over to wrap an arm around each of you for a moment. You both turn to kiss her, then take another minute to bask in this wonderful moment together before breaking apart and opening the door.

It doesn’t take long for others to start filing in and out. You hang in the back, proudly watching as Mitch receives all the well-deserved praise.

After a while it quiets down, people heading back outside to watch the other opening acts. You peek out and watch a little bit of Annie Mac and Inhaler, but mostly want to stay close to Mitch and Sarah as much as you can.

Pete comes back partway through Wet Leg’s set to escort you to your spot for the show. You mix into the Jonny’s Place crowd and find a spot towards the side about halfway back. It may not be front and center, but you can tell you’ll be able to see Mitch and Sarah fairly well, plus you’re right next to the catwalk you know Sarah will walk down for Matilda.

You enjoy the rest of Wet Leg’s performance and spend the break watching the fans around you, feeling every bit as excited as them, until finally you’re all singing the end of Bohemian Rhapsody. The crowd is buzzing with energy and the cheering increases as the band takes the stage and the intro starts.

You’ve already made eye contact with both Mitch and Sarah, and you have a good feeling people are going to share the clip of the slight smile Mitch gives when he sees you.

Harry makes his entrance and you’re screaming with everyone else, before singing along to Daydreaming. After the first few songs Harry takes a moment to shout out the openers and you cheer especially loudly for Mitch.

You continue to enjoy the show, watching Mitch with laser focus during She, continually amazed by his skill and talent. As soon as the song ends you expect to see Sarah walk to join Harry, Madi, and Elin at the B stage but then Harry says, “We haven’t played this one in a little while so bear with me,” and you, along with everyone else, start to freak out about what song they’re going to do.

The first notes to Little Freak start to play and everyone screams before starting to sing too early, and you laugh remembering the same thing happened at the show you attended months ago. While everyone has turned around to watch Harry, you keep your eyes on the main stage, loving the calmness Mitch and Sarah exude as they play this slower, more gentle song.

After it’s over Sarah walks past, glancing at you quickly with a smirk. Mitch starts the into to Matilda and you take in the moment around you. The setting sun makes for a beautiful background, and you can’t help but be enamored by Sarah. Her gentle sway, her hands clasped behind her back, and her voice coming through as a perfect harmony to the others.

You’ve listened to this song plenty of times before, even heard it live, but it’s hitting differently now. The words “you can start a family” bring tears to your eyes as you realize that’s what you’ve done in the past months with Mitch and Sarah. They’ve accepted you fully into their relationship, and you’ve joined their family.

By the end of the song, you’re smiling and crying. Sarah gives you a genuinely warm smile as she walks back to the main stage, and you know that she understands just what you’re feeling at that moment.

It takes a minute for you to compose yourself but once Harry gets to the Satellite Stomps you’ve wiped away your tears and are focused back on Sarah; you can watch the stomps at another show.

You continue to have the time of your life, singing and dancing along to the music. Hearing Fine Line live is as magical as you thought it would be and you feel like you could continue to live in that moment forever. Harry gives a wonderful performance, and the instrumental at the end is perfection.

They take their short break before coming back and doing the last 4 songs of the night. You scream as you hear Sarah hit the drumsticks and Mitch starts the iconic intro to Medicine. Once Kiwi begins you start looking everywhere at once, trying to watch every extremely talented member of this band during the final song of the night.

The next thing you know Harry’s doing his signature whale move and the show comes to an end. You quickly make your way through the crowd, showing your badge to get backstage again. After following voices, you turn a corner and see the band walking in front of you towards the dressing rooms.

“You guys better meet us back here to hang out while we wait!” Pauli shouts as Mitch and Sarah break off to the other room. You slide in the room behind the couple and close the door before pulling them in for a group hug.

“That was amazing! Thank you so much for bringing me here!”

“We’re so happy that you’re here with us, baby,” Mitch says, squeezing tighter as Sarah nods her head that’s resting on your neck.

After a minute you all break apart and they change out of their concert outfits.

“C’mon, we’d better join the others,” Sarah says and the three of you make your way back down the hall to where the rest of the band is hanging out.

“Welcome!” Ariza shouts. “Congrats everyone on another epic show! Sarah, Mitch, Y/N, drinks are over there. We’ve got some time to kill so might as well keep the party going!”

You all grab a drink and the next thing you know, you’re in the middle of a post-concert party with the love band. It’s nothing crazy, and you enjoy the opportunity to sit and chat with Madi, the newest band member. You learn she was also born in Connecticut but had moved to Pennsylvania very early and grew up there. You’re familiar with the area she was raised in, having visited there with your family on multiple occasions as a child and you two talk about places that you’ve both been.

After a little while Pauli and Yaffra join your group, and you find yourself listening to their conversation while not adding much. Suddenly the fatigue starts to hit, and you realize that aside from the short nap you had on the plane, you’d been up for nearly 36 hours straight. Your eyelids start to grow heavy as you lean against the arm of the couch. You’re fighting to keep your eyes open and look over to Sarah. She immediately notices how sleepy you are and comes over to sit next to you on the arm and rests a hand lightly on your shoulder.

She leans down and quietly says, “Shouldn’t be much longer and we’ll be heading out, okay love?” You nod, and she starts to run her fingers through your hair, which does nothing to help you stay awake but is incredibly comforting. You’re grateful that Sarah is known to be a rather affectionate person, and you relax into the touch knowing that no one is going to question how close you two are.

You’ve nearly fallen asleep with your head resting against her side when a crew member comes in to bring everyone to the vans. The crowds of fans have finally cleared the roads and almost all of the buses have left.

Once you get to the van you climb into the backseat followed by Sarah then Mitch. Elin and Ariza sit in the middle row, and you all start your journey.

The drive back to the hotel isn’t very long, but at this point you’re absolutely exhausted and it’s only a minute before you’re asleep with your head on Sarah’s shoulder. She wakes you when you arrive at the hotel and keeps a firm arm around your waist all the way back to your room, seeing that you’re barely awake.

You hand her your key, too tired to get it to work, and she walks into your room with you while Mitch goes next door. Luckily you have adjoining rooms, and he opens the connecting door on their side while Sarah does the same on your side, so they can sneak you into their room with no one seeing.

Sarah helps you get changed, brush your teeth, and remove your make up before leading you to their bed where Mitch is already laying down. You curl up to him and pass out immediately.

You wake up the next morning with a person on either side of you. It’s familiar but also foreign after sleeping alone for over a month. You tuck yourself further into the neck of the person you’re facing, and the feeling of scruff against your cheek informs you that it’s Mitch.

Sarah presses closer to you from behind and you feel her start to kiss your throat as Mitch’s hands travel up and down your body. You may have been too tired for anything the previous night, but now you feel well rested, completely alert, and you don’t want to waste another minute before finally reconnecting.

You lift your head up and without even opening your eyes you start to kiss Mitch’s neck, moving up to blindly search for his lips. Once you hit your target you let out a sigh at the feeling of sharing this intimate kiss with him.

It starts slow and lazy, tongues casually sliding against each other. After a couple of minutes, you break apart and you turn to Sarah. You throw a leg between hers and lay on top of her. She pulls you in and you’re lost in making out with her, grinding down to bring pleasure to both of you.

She starts lifting your shirt off and the three of you remove your pajamas, glad you all slept in the bare minimum of clothes the night before. You climb back on top of her before trailing kisses down her body. Once you reach her center you swipe your tongue across the intimate area, and the sounds you pull from her is music to your ears.

As you add a finger to the mix, you feel Mitch stand at the end of the bed. He pulls up your hips so he can line up himself behind you. His hard length slides through your folds and your eyes roll back in your head at that contact alone.

“Are you sure you want to go bare?” Mitch asks, referring to a conversation you all had had over the phone a few weeks ago. Right after they left for tour you had a doctor’s appointment and went on birth control and were excited to finally feel Mitch without a barrier.

“Yes, yes, please, I want to feel you,” you reply. Mitch doesn’t hesitate another moment and slides into you in one slow thrust. When you feel him bottom out, you’re overwhelmed and pull back from Sarah for a moment. You rest your head against her thigh and take a few deep breaths. She gently pets your hair as Mitch runs his hands along your back. The combination of sensual and sweet at the same time nearly short circuits your brain.

After a moment you regain your composure and bring your mouth back to Sarah’s core and start moving your fingers again. The room is filled with the sounds of everyone’s pleasure, and it feels so right that the three of you are finally able to reconnect in this way and bring everyone to this state of pure bliss.

You know when Sarah is getting close and focus on helping her cross that finish line. You slide your free hand along her torso, hoping to ease her down after her intense high.

You’re so focused on Sarah it takes a moment to realize that Mitch has stopped moving. He pulls out and you whine at the loss.

“I just want to see you,” Mitch says as he gently manhandles you onto your back then slides inside you again. It only takes another minute before you feel the familiar pressure building, and you come, your nails scratching along Mitch’s back at the overwhelming pleasure.

After another few sloppy thrusts, Mitch is finishing inside of you and you think that you could black out at the feeling of him coming without a condom. You pull him in for a sloppy kiss as you both come down. He stays inside of you for a few minutes, having figured out early on that the continued connection after sex is something you crave.

Finally he pulls out and as always, gets up to grab cloths to clean everyone. Before he can get back Sarah is on top of you, sliding one leg in between yours. She leans down to kiss you, and after a minute you feel her start to grind against your leg. You shift until her leg is against your core as well, and the two of you work up a rhythm.

Mitch watches as you both come again at the same time, your open mouth kisses turning into practically panting into each other’s mouth.

After you’ve both caught your breath, Mitch helps you both clean up. You whine as the cloth touches your now hypersensitive core and you hear him murmur apologies.

Once you and Sarah are clean Mitch lays down next to you both, wrapping his arms around you and pressing light kisses to your heads.

You almost fall back asleep when Mitch asks, “What do you think about being a typical tourist in Ireland for the afternoon?” Your eyes light up and you nod vigorously.

“I think that sounds perfect!”

The three of you get up and move into the shower together. You all eat room service while getting ready and shortly before you plan to leave there’s a knock on the door.

Mitch goes over to answer and a minute later walks back in with Harry following behind.

“Good morning girls,” Harry says.

“Hey Harry!” you reply.

“What are you guys up to today?” he asks.

“We’re gonna head into Dublin for a few hours. Y/N’s never been so we want to walk around and explore a bit,” Sarah answers.

“That sounds fun!” he answers, looking between the three of you.

“You’re welcome to join us if you’d like,” Mitch adds. He’s known Harry long enough to tell that he was hoping for an invitation, though he’s not entirely sure why. It’s rare that Harry chooses to head into big cities when he’s touring, knowing the high likelihood of being stopped by fans.

“I mean, if you all don’t mind, I’d love too,” he replies.

You all head out and enjoy a wonderful afternoon sightseeing. Harry does get stopped a handful of times, but the fans are all lovely and polite. The last activity of the day is the Guinness Storehouse for a tour and dinner; after all the plan was to be a typical tourist in Dublin.

Harry sits next to you on the ride home and spends the trip asking you questions about yourself. You enjoy the conversation, but there’s a voice in the back of your mind that cannot believe this is reality, that you're just casually talking to Harry Styles.

At the hotel Harry follows your trio up to your rooms, which you find curious since you know his room is on another floor. You all stand awkwardly in the hallway for a moment before Harry say, “Well, guess I should be heading back. It was lovely getting to know you more today, Y/N.” He leans in to give you a hug, which you don’t expect and you lift your arms somewhat ungracefully in return.

“Good-night everyone, see you all bright and early tomorrow,” he says as he waves and walks away.

You walk into your room while Mitch and Sarah walk into theirs. You immediately get changed into pajamas and do your bedtime routine. You walk back into the other room and sit on the bed, turning on the TV to wait while the others finish getting ready.

Mitch is the first to join you and the first words out of his mouth shock you. “I think Harry has a crush on you.”

While seconds ago you were verging on sleep, you’re suddenly wide awake. “What?” you ask, sitting up to stare at him, eyes practically bugging out of your head at what you view as an absurd statement. “Why in the world would you think that?”

“I’ve known Harry for years, I’ve seen how he is. He was definitely watching you today.”

“Okay, so say you’re right. What do I do if he tries to like, act on that crush? How do I turn him down without telling him about the three of us?”

At this point Sarah has joined the two of you on the bed and says, “What do you guys think about just telling him the truth?”

You turn to Mitch to get his response before sharing your own. “Well,” he starts. “I trust Harry. He’s my best friend. Honestly, I kind of want to tell him the truth soon no matter what. It feels weird keeping something this big from him.”

You nod as you listen to him, and pause for a moment before answering, “You know him best. If you trust him then I have no reason not to. I’m fine with him learning about us.”

Mitch grabs your hand and you both turn to Sarah who says, “I think we should tell him. Hopefully there’ll be a time this week we can all get together again and explain the story.”

Everyone feels a sense of happiness at the thought of finally letting someone in on the secret. The three of you have a wonderful relationship, but there’s something about someone on the outside knowing that makes it feel more real somehow.

You all cuddle under the covers, Mitch and Sarah wrapping their arms around you. It’s your favorite place to be, and you quickly fall asleep.

It’s an early morning the next day in order to get to the airport for the quick flight to London. You sit in the window seat with Sarah and Mitch next to you, and despite how early in the day it is you find yourself filled with excited energy. It’s only been a couple days since your trip away from home started and you’ve already had so much fun with your two favorite people. You cannot wait to see what the rest of the trip brings.

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AN: Thanks you so much for reading this chapter! I hope you're enjoying it and would love to know what everyone's thinking so far!

Taglist: @akkatz @pandeebearstyles @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite @theekyliepage @numafarawayglxy @booberry019-blog @hillzrry @ssareidbby @gem1712 @acesofspadess @houseofdilfs @shaquille-0atmeal-1 @kissitnhekitchen

#harry styles x reader #mitch rowland x reader #mitch rowland x sarah jones x reader #sarah jones x reader #mitch rowland x harry styles #sarah jones x mitch rowland x reader

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crescent-lockhart97 · 1 year

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Random First Class Trio + Zack Headcanons #3: Crack Version

Angeal:

His favorite workout song is "YMCA" by Village People.

He's definitely knocked out Wutai soldiers like this:

Somebody once mistook him as Zack's father due to similarities in their features. He didn't even try to correct them.

His sneeze is louder than the Krakatoa explosion.

Rickrolled everyone by singing "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley at a company gala while he was drunk. (Sephiroth and Genesis didn't speak to him for a month. 💀💀)

Makes terrible dad jokes that even Zack cannot stomach. (He's definitely done that "Hi, hungry! I'm dad!" shit with Zack. 😂😂)

Genesis:

He is a big Fergie fan and knows her songs by heart. He can also rap that part in "Fergalicious."

He did an iconic dance number to "Umbrella" with Andrea Rhodea at the Honeybee Inn like this:

He also likes Lady Gaga and blasts "Bad Romance" every time he and Sephiroth spar with each other.

He hates horror movies. He's the loudest out of the trio when watching them (he's either screaming at the characters or at the monsters/ghosts).

Aside from LOVELESS, he also quotes "Mean Girls" on the regular. (Guess who he quotes the most... 😉😉)

Totally has a blog for Shinra blinds just because (basically who's dating or fucking who, juicy stuff on important Shinra officials and staff, etc.). He once published a blind on Rufus defacing one of President Shinra's statues with a drawing of a dick. No matter how many times Shinra has gotten it shut down, Genesis somehow manages to keep on reviving it. Recently, Kunsel and some members of Red Leather have joined his team.

Sephiroth:

Can't stand spicy food. He avoids it as much as he can. Eating spicy foods will cause his eyes to water and his nose to redden like this:

(Genesis managed to snap an unfortunate photo of him dying from the spiciness of the curry and sent it to the Silver Elite fanclub with the caption, "IS THIS YOUR KING???" 🤭🤭)

Somehow, he has the most wins in UNO and Monopoly.

Catwoman is his favorite DC character; Black Cat is his favorite Marvel character. (Gee, I wonder why... 🤔🤔)

Whenever he goes outside, a horde of cats just mysteriously flock to him. Genesis and Angeal find it both amusing and creepy. (My aunt is actually like this. Wherever she goes, cats mysteriously gather around her, it's so freaky! 😭😭😭)

He can actually do the lazy eye trick, and loves to freak Genesis out with it.

He once dressed as Sadako/Samara Morgan from "The Ring" for the Halloween costume contest... and WON.

Zack:

Has sung "Jenny" by The Click Five using a shortened version of Genesis's name to annoy him. ("I'm standing still, Genny!" "Be quiet, you overgrown mutt!" "You got me on my knees, Genny!")

(This ends up with Genesis summoning Ifrit on Zack's ass 😂😂)

He and Kunsel quote Vines all the time, usually around any of the First Class Trio or Lazard just so they could revel in their confused faces.

Zack and Kunsel: *to Angeal* You are my daaaaad! You're my dad! Boogie woogie woogie!!!

Angeal:

Once, after getting drunk during the SOLDIER game night, he and the lower-class SOLDIERs thought it was a good idea to go sledding down the building stairs, so they brought mattresses from their dorms to use as makeshift sleds. Needless to say, the infirmary reached full capacity that night.

On April Fools' Day, he somehow managed to hijack Shinra's PA system and started playing "Careless Whisper" on full blast.

He's a massive Pokémon fanboy and knows the Pokémon Theme Song by heart. In fact, he has his contacts named after Pokémon: Angeal is Machamp, Sephiroth is Mewtwo, Genesis is Charizard, Tseng is Umbreon, Aerith is Jigglypuff, Cloud is Pikachu, etc.

Threw an apple at Hojo and left a shitload of Legos all over his lab for subjecting Sephiroth to a particularly painful physical test.

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averagewriter-inthedark · 2 years

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Fluff Headcanons 🥰| Everett Ross

Link to my Marvel Masterlist

Just some random fluffy headcanons for our favorite CIA agent being domestic;

Ross is a romantic, but likes to keep that side of him private and only reserved for you. His love language would be quality time or acts of service both giving and receiving.

Expect your lunch to be packed every morning with a cute note telling you to have a great day and that he loves you. Sometimes if he’s feeling cheeky they will be flirty but overall his notes are pg.

Everett knows how you like your coffee/tea/smoothie (whatever you really prefer). Not only has he taught himself how to perfect making it, but also orders it the correct way whenever he goes to a cafe to pick you one if you ask him too. “Perfect as always, my love.”

When getting dressed in the morning, Everett let’s you pick out his tie or full suit. Sometimes you do it the night before but if you forget then you’ll pick out one in a hurry. Thankfully it’s always matching and Everett will gaze lovingly at you while you fix his tie. “Stop starting at me like that.” “But you’re just so beautiful, darling.”

He makes it his mission to take you on a date at least every week or make it up with two in one week if he’s unable to. Work can get crazy and sometimes go overtime, but Ross will still try to get off at a reasonable hour to take you out. Sometimes it’s to dinner, or a movie, maybe even the beach if the weather. It’s always worth seeing your awe expression and being able to have a good time away from the chaos of everyday life.

Believe it or not, Everett is a concert goer. He loves music and it’s one of the reasons you two got together was your shared love of it. Being so close to D.C you guys get some big acts so expect Everett to randomly come up to you and say, “(insert artist/group) is playing next month. You in?” “Do you even have to ask, silver-fox?”

You guys own a dog and a cat. Adopting them both at the shelter together the animals are very close yet break out into sibling fights all the time. Your dog tends to lean toward Ev while the cat takes a liking to you. You two will go to sleep on the bed snuggled up, just the two of you, but wake up with your cat nestled on top of your pillow and your dog squeezed between you two with their head tucked in Ev’s bicep.

You guys love to watch shows together, and often reserve days off dedicated to binge watching them. You guys got through the entirety of Game of Thrones (screw season 8), the Sopranos, The Crown, Stranger Things (which Ev loved cause his childhood was in the 80s), and caught up on Abbott Elementary. Then if it’s a show where you have to sit down every weekend for a new episode—you guys are currently on Yellowstone Sunday’s—then you two will grab take out, wine, and blankets before snuggling up on the couch to tune in. “This season is gonna be insane with John as governor.” “Yeah, Market Equities is for sure gonna be pissed and start some shit.”

At the end of every year, you guys donate to shelters and the Salvation Army with canned goods, clothing you no longer wear, books & store bought necessities you accumulated for the donation. Ev will often call before hand to let them know you guys will be coming, and after so many years the workers have become your friends—they are so grateful for you two that they often wonder what makes you continue which you always say, “there’s so much evil and wrong doing we see every day, it feels good to do something right. There are people who need these things more than us.”

His phone contact name for you is “My world 🌎🤍” with a photo of you sticking your tongue out to the camera. The ringtone for when you call him is “Lover,” by Taylor Swift. For him, you put his name as “Pretty Boy ❤️‍🔥🧸” with his photo being a picture of him in a tux when y’all went to a banquet and he’s adjusting the cuff of his wrist. The song you chose to blast when he calls is, “Pour Some Sugar On Me,” by Def Leppard.

#everett ross headcanon #everett ross x reader #everett ross imagine #everett ross x yn #everett k. ross #everett ross #martin freeman #marvel #marvel imagine #captain marvel headcanon #marvel fanfiction

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emimayooo · 4 months

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Emi in Japan (2024) – June 7th to June 9th

(Link to previous entry.)

Hey guys,

I've had such a fun few days! Days full of good food, nature, and animals. I can't wait to tell you all about it.

But first, here are the highlights:

I posted a new galeheart fic! It's a fairy tale au I wrote for the galeheart first times event way back in late April, but I finally posted it. It has, predictably, ballooned into a multichap lol but I'm happy with the result :)

My mum and I discovered a local café that's only opened on the weekends. We loved it so much we went both days!

Goats, cats, and even more cats, oh my! Went to an agritourism farm and an open shelter cat rescue. Very fun. Very stinky.

Anyway! Onto the details:

June 7th

June 7th was pretty chill! My mum and I went shopping in the morning. I bought a very handy dandy bag where I can store my wallet, pocket wifi and phone in, that straps around my body. Super convenient for going out with just my necessities.

Here’s a photo of me and the bag, on another day! I just love it.

Afterwards, we went to a sushi train place. Each plate of sushi cost around 100 yen. How cheap is that?!

When we got home, I think we just napped lol. I dedicated my evening to writing, which went well! I was so nervous to post fic since it had been a while, but then I got such lovely comments! I’m glad I pushed through my doubt and just posted the damn thing :)

June 8th

In the morning, my mum and I went to this local cafe that only opens on the weekends. The walk over was so refreshing, with the weather being just perfect. We walked past farms, old Japanese houses, the river my mum nearly drowned in when she was four before my grandma pulled her to safety lol, and finally, we arrived at the cafe.

We took our seat on the porch. I’m so glad we did: we were right in front of the flower garden where we could watch the little butterflies and bees do their job. It was so relaxing. I must read here sometime.

Mum ordered the soup set, which came with veges and onigiri, as well as a cup of coffee. I had the waffle set with the ice cream and red bean. For my drink I had the best iced tea I’ve ever had in my life, oh my goodness it was so good! Apparently, this cafe specialises in herbal teas. I’ve got to try it some of these days, if even their iced tea was this good! Anyway, here are some pics of the cafe:

On our walk home, we passed the local agritourism farm and decided to go in. Since it was Saturday, there were so many tourists from Tokyo. It’s quite popular among families. It’s kinda like if you as the farmer of SDV were real lol because it’s SUCH a money-maker for our town here. And the rest of us are just NPCs lol🧍

While there, I fed a scary ass goat some carrots and had a grape-vanilla mixed ice cream.

And that concludes Saturday!

June 9th

Sunday (today) was such a blast too. In the morning, we took I-san (crazy old cat lady ((affectionate)) from older entries) to the cafe we went the day before. As ever, she talked our ears off and we learned a lot about the neighbours lmao. But also, she came all dressed up with her make up done, which was adorable🥰❤️. I’m so glad she enjoyed it.

When we dropped her off, she forced me to accept 5000 yen from her (50 AUD)😭😭😭!!! You might be like “emi you could’ve just said no” BUT YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!!! When old Asian grannies give you money you must accept it there’s no escaping their determination😭😭😭

Now I gotta think of a way to repay her, non-monetarily. I’m actually quite decent at drawing realistic portraits (especially old people for some reason lol) so maybe I’ll draw her or her late cat as a present. We shall see!

Also, we made plans for her to dress me in her kimono on Tuesday. I’m very excited!

After breakfast, we headed off to visit an open shelter/cat rescue. I’ve been here before and I was very excited to go again. There’s around 100 cats, spread across three floors (with sealed off balconies), and there are soooo many affectionate cats omg. So many will just flop onto your lap and chill there for like twenty minutes it’s great. I fell in love with so many cuties today…but none of them fell in love with me back lol they all wanted my mum instead aha😭💔

So yeah. There’s no pictures of me with the cats because they were all over my mum so I became designated photographer🤡

But in the end, I did get to pat many cutie kitties, so I still had an adorable time🥰❤️

For lunch, we ate at the neighbouring restaurant, that was cat-themed. I had the nyangherita pizza lol while my mum had a warabi-katsu set.

The pizza was disappointingly average, but my mum liked her food. So all around wins for her today😂 (though, a cat did pee on her bag, so…)

And that was my past few days! I can’t believe I’ve been here close to three weeks now. Time just flies, doesn’t it? Next Saturday, I’ll be off to Osaka. I’ll be sad to say goodbye to my grandpa’s hometown, but I’ll be back at the end of June anyway, before I return to Australia…where I’ll then reunite with my own cats, Apple Pie and Leon🥹💖

Thanks for reading my journal! See you next time.

With love,

Emi xoxo

#emi journals #emi.txt

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the-forests-blessing · 12 days

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Chapter 3

The next… afternoon comes much sooner than Lukas expected!

Our author snaps up into a sitting position, horror and disbelief spread across his features as he stares at the clock ticking on the opposite side of the room. It’s past noon! How on earth did he accidentally sleep in so late!? The blond throws himself out of bed and quickly begins to dress at a fast, albeit clumsy pace. Still drowsy from sleep, he doesn’t think much further ahead than getting his casual attire on. There isn’t a second to waste when there’s only so many hours left in the day! Dewey awakens in his spot on the bed during all the loud commotion, watching with wide emerald eyes as Lukas rushes to tug his pants on.

“Dewey! I screwed up!” Lukas kneels now, hurriedly tying the laces of his dress shoes. “I shouldn’t have stayed up so damn late reading those books. How could I be so careless?” Lukas huffs with frustration at himself. While he was totally invested in the ecological books he borrowed from the library yesterday, he also found himself restless with the yearning to go out and explore. Tossing and turning in bed, the insistent drive to finally begin his studies in the forest outside of BeaconTown kept him up later than he’d intended.

He races to his satchel on the table, gathers his notebooks by shoving them all in, then swings his bag over his shoulder and- oops forgot to get his coat on! Takes off the bag- gets his coat– okay there. Now he wraps the strap over his head and shoulder and- “Come on, Dewey!” Lukas calls from the door. Dewey stops mid-grooming session to spring into action. The ocelot bounces off the bed and sprints to the door like an excited puppy dog ready for his daily walk.

Down in the inn foyer, Lukas passes by the girl at the front desk. She perks up from her novel to address the disheveled male with a puzzled look. “Is there a back exit in this establishment by chance?” He asks breathlessly. “One that leads directly out to the grassy field behind the wall?”

“Y-you want to go out there? It’s awfully close to the forest.” She tells in a rather concerned tone. Lukas responds with a confirming nod. “I mean, there’s a fire escape in the back just down the first floor hallway. You can use that door, but it leads to the alley between our building and the wall.”

“And where’s the nearest exit to that?” Lukas asks. The girl opens her mouth to respond when suddenly Dewey hops up onto the front desk counter, delightfully surprising the woman.

“Aw! Kitty!” She reaches out, giving the ocelot a nice little head scratch. “Well I mean if you’re serious, there’s a hole in the wall from a creeper blast that’s been waiting to get patched up for months. The mobs have been spawning back there like crazy, so I advise you to be careful, not like that it’s anything compared to what’s in the forest, but still.”

“Okay thanks!” Lukas exclaims, scooping Dewey up with a squeak and quickly begins walking his way down the hall.

“W-wait!” She shouts, snapping her book shut. “Are you seriously going out there?” The front desk girl comes darting out from behind the counter to watch the man and his jungle cat rush down the hall.

“Yep! Have a good day!”

And just like that, the two turn down another hall and out of sight. The girl stands there, absolutely baffled by the lack of concern the man portrays for his or his ocelots’ safety. “Welp. Probably won’t be seeing him ever again,” she shrugs casually and returns to her spot behind the counter.

Outside, Lukas is blessed with the divine warmth of afternoon sunshine. He doesn’t waste his time basking in it, instead searching left and right between the exit door and the alleyway until he spots the blast hole gaping through the wall. The mossy stone wall in front of him looms tall, casting shade throughout the alleyway like a narrow river of shadow. On the left side is where the hole breaches through the protective barrier between town and field, something that could easily be patched up with dirt or cobblestone but, Lukas assumes, BeaconTowner’s probably don’t care at this point. “Come on, Dewey.” Lukas nods his head to follow and begins his approach to the opening.

He stops at the mouth of the opening, Dewey padding close behind. Looking down into the debris, he quietly admires the way the grass has already begun to grow between the rubble that remains from the creeper blast. Hopefully no one was harmed here , Lukas worries but decides not to dwell on the manner. He’s on a mission, and he’s already losing precious time! Casting his gaze down to Dewey, he watches his ocelot thrash his tail wildly with excitement. Lukas kneels, gives his ocelot’s bandana a quick tightening up and asks, “you ready?”

Dewey ready’s himself for a race, getting into position by hunching low and bending his legs for a mighty leap out into the grassy fields of freedom. Lukas stands, smirking. “A race? Sure!” I already know you’re going to beat me again. The blond braces himself, using one arm to clutch his bag close and the other to count his fingers down. “3… 2… 1… GO!”

Immediately Dewey bounces himself off the rubble and lands gracefully into the grass below. But he doesn’t stop there; the ocelot disappears into the tall grass as Lukas attempts to catch up, though he quickly loses sight of him. Lukas huffs out a soft laugh as he runs after his little jungle cat friend, catching sight of where the grass rustles, the sun flashing against the green stalks giving the novelist a clear idea of how far ahead Dewey is. Running through the field feels wonderful. The air is so clean, the smell of wet dirt and grass bathing his tongue and inciting a bright ray of optimism for the day.

The run to the tree line is about a minute and a half long. Long enough to make Lukas’ heart race with adrenaline as he finally approaches the end of the grassland. Eventually his pace begins to slow, coming to a jog and then a walk– then a dead stop. Lukas’ smile fades away, his eyes widening with surprise to the discovery of warning signs. They’re… everywhere. Plastered on trees and wooden stakes in the ground. “Danger! Do not enter!” “Authorized personnel only beyond this point” “Enter at your own risk” and… Lukas’ eyes land on a certain sign. Pinned to a tree, the sign reads, in all caps and red ink: “BEWARE: ADMIN”.

“Admin?” He wonders outloud. Lukas is familiar with this word, as it pertains to people with order of power in the redstone field. Typically Admin refers to someone who is in charge of redstone operations, and controls who and what goes where, and is typically the only person qualified to make changes. So this… Lukas narrows his gaze on the sign and without looking, rummages through his satchel and pulls out his dictionary. He quickly flips through it and confirms with himself of his own mental descriptions. He wonders what this warning could possibly mean.

A fern behind one of the tall evergreens rustles, causing Lukas to drop his gaze and watch in bated anticipation. As he’d expected, Dewey hops out of the fern and bounds to his side, sitting down in front of Lukas with a prideful chin raise at his successful race. Lukas chuckles, reaching into his bag to grab his ocelot a freeze dried minnow treat. “Good job, Dew. I don’t think anyone could beat you in a race.” He praises and tosses the minnow treat to his friend who swiftly catches it in his mouth without fail.

Lukas draws his attention back up to all the warning signs. “I guess we have another mystery on our hands, huh Dewey?” He says, glancing down at the ocelot who simply gives him a strange look. “Hah, sorry, hands and paws.” Lukas returns his dictionary back to his satchel and clasps the latch shut. “Well, these woods can’t be any more dangerous than the crimson forests of Norfair. I think we can handle ourselves, right buddy?”

Dewey tilts his head, looks away, tilts it back and looks at Lukas with an uncertain expression. Lukas just shrugs, “Well we didn’t come all this way to be stopped by some silly signs. Besides, remember what they’d say back at the ranger station? ‘The unknown always has a chance at leading you to discovery.’ …Jeez that's cheesy looking back on it now, but I mean, it’s still kinda true, right?” Lukas grins sheepishly, Dewey on the other hand is not amused. The ocelot just rolls his eyes and stands, turning to begin making his way into the forest. He stops at the mouth of the tree line, one paw off the ground as he looks back and waits for his owner to come along.

The moment Lukas steps into the forest, he feels a gentle breeze pass him, pushing its way into the forest from the outside world. He takes one look back at BeaconTown, his wandering gaze resting upon the massive tower looming in the sky, casting a great shadow over the town below, making it look so small… inferior to its mighty size. Lukas lingers for only a moment before turning back to the forest and, with one confident step, passes by the warning signs to turn back. His eyes narrow with set determination. The author begins walking in, following his ocelot as Dewey bounds ahead, hopping over fallen branches, twisting tree roots, and even the occasional tree cone.

“Watch out for the pinecones, Dewey.” Lukas warns his friend. “They can be found with sap attached to them, and you’ll absolutely hate getting sticky paws out here.” Lukas’ lips draw into a smile, humored by the acknowledging tail flick the ocelot offers him as he continues to venture ahead. He knows Dewey will keep a vigilant eye. For now, Lukas lifts his chin up with a smile, taking in the coniferous woodland surrounding him.

Just from the short time he’s already spent here, he can already name a few of the noble trees that keep this forest green all-year round. The pines here are the ones that bear pinecones, a small percentage of which produce the sap that Lukas warns his ocelot of. Although many cones lay out over the floors of this forest, each coniferous tree here, pine, spruce, fir, and tamarack, all produce their own unique cones in all their ovoid and globular shapes and sizes. Lukas stops his walk to lean down and pick a large cone off the forest bed, examining its scales thoroughly. He can see the seeds in the upper surface, igniting a fire of inspiration inside our explorative author. He sticks the cone in his satchel and continues forth, following his ocelot close behind.

As the two continue deeper into the woods, Lukas loses all thought revolving around the warning signs from earlier. Instead, he’s investing the most of his mental thought in the intrigue of the differing cones he’s come across and stuck in his bag for later investigation. He can’t help but notice how lacking of pathways this forest is. It’s a bit difficult to traverse on foot, making Lukas wish he’d fitted himself out in his adventure gear and travel boots, especially as the ground beneath his feet gets wetter. As expected, the rain from yesterday's downpour has thoroughly drenched the forest, feeding the trees and plants, as well as the wildlife that roam the roots and leaves of the floor, to the birds that fly from branch to branch above.

A tremulous twitter warning sounds above, drawing Lukas and Dewey’s attention to a frightened robin flitting away. Dewey thrashes his tail wildly at the idea of a hunt, to which Lukas quickly dismisses. “ No hunting, Dewey. I’m not going to let you kill another innocent critter just for you to not eat it again.” Dewey hunches low at the accusation, glaring back at his owner, annoyed. “Oh don’t give me that look. Maybe if you stopped playing with your food, then I’d let you hunt freely.” Dewey just shakes his head, lifts his nose up and turns away, leaving Lukas to linger in his spot, amused. “How can so much attitude be in one cat?” He mutters under his breath, but by the flick of Dewey’s black with white polka-dotted ear, he could tell the ocelot heard.

The two continue walking for longer than Lukas keeps track of. He can’t remember when he’d last looked back and realized they’d wandered away far enough to no longer see BeaconTown through the cracks between each of the individual evergreens. Even the bright blue skies have disappeared, replaced by endless trees and bushes. The sound of a loud, echoed knocking causes Lukas’ heart to leap with surprise. He looks around wildly, and when it repeats, he lifts his gaze up into the trees in the direction of the pecking. A woodpecker. In search of a meal, it focuses on drilling its sharp beak in poking holes into the trunk of one of the conifers. Lukas’ expression lifts positively, the blond snaking his hand back into his satchel to grab his notebook.

Dewey waits, impatiently kneading the ground whilst Lukas takes his sweet time making note of the bird. As time continues to draw on, the two are stopped every few minutes so Lukas can log in another finding. He’ll find an object of interest, whether it be plant or animal, make note of its appearance, saving it for later studies. He’ll be here for three months after all; he’s got plenty of time to explore and scour the forest for all it has to offer!

As they continue deeper, Lukas is finding himself climbing up more slopes, making a mental note of how deep in each incline is. The first one comes along about a half-hour into their adventure. He’d struggled a bit, wishing once again that he’d brought his adventure gear instead of his casual attire. If only he hadn’t slept in! His thoughts would have been far more reasonable with him. Instead he’d fallen into a rush to get out the door. Lukas sighs, staring down at the mud and dirt that clings to the soles of his feet.

No matter, a simple wash back at the inn will clean them right up. Lukas flicks his gaze over to Dewey, his ocelot currently sitting on a tree stump, grooming his own dirtied paws. Lukas’ eyes wander, following the fallen down tree that once stood as part of that stump. The massive log now lay defeated, resting upon another steep slope. The blond looks around, finding no other way to really get up any higher from this point other than to make use of the fallen tree itself. Determined, Lukas sets forth towards the massive log, splaying his palms out over its dampened bark and pressing inward. The structure is still stiff and sturdy. It will do doubt be able to support his weight. Lukas adjusts his bag to lay across his back and steps up onto the tree. One foot, then the second, he quickly finds his balance with ease.

“We’ll be doing a bit more climbing from this point, Dewey.” Lukas says from his elevated stance over the ocelot. Dewey stops grooming and looks at him, adjusting himself with his tail over his front paws and waiting patiently. Lukas turns and, with the experience he has, makes it across the log without slipping. It’s a slow process, but better safe than sorry. He hops off the tree and lands in the grass on top of the slope with a light ‘thump’, then looks back at Dewey. “Alright, your turn, buddy.”

Dewey leaps to the log with a light trill. He quickly runs up the dead tree, his long tail high in the air as he crosses and joins the author at the top.

“Nicely done.”

The two continue onward. Nearly an hour into their hike, Lukas has his nose deep in one of his empty maps. He uses this one as a landmarker, making note of unique spots in the forest to help guide him. One in particular was a very elegant mossy boulder, while the other was the dead tree that helped the two reach further into their destination. More hills and slopes come and go, thankfully nothing as grand and impassable as the previous one. It doesn’t take long for Lukas to lose himself in his thoughts, scribbling the length they’ve walked into his map in progress.

“Mrrrowl,” Dewey’s gravelly meow makes Lukas perk up from his work.

“Hm? What’s wrong?” Lukas finally looks up from his map sheet, his teal eyes widening with surprise at the dense layer of fog that lies before him. The forest around him has darkened since the last time he was keeping proper attention to his surroundings. He quickly looks down, rolling up his sleeve to check his dark, navy blue watch on his left wrist. Evening will be coming soon, Lukas realizes with a regretful twist in his gut. This is all because he slept in and wasted so much of his day. They’ve hardly breached the surface of what the forest holds! Lukas sighs, downcast at the idea of going back so–

Rustle rustle…

Lukas and Dewey both lift their heads up quickly to the sound of rustling in the tree branches overhead. Curiously, there’s nothing there. Lukas quirks a brow, then turns his head down and looks at Dewey. “Let’s keep going a bit further. I presume the fog indicates we’ve just entered a higher elevation.” Dewey looks worried at the sound of this but doesn’t argue with it. Instead of bounding ahead with confidence, he decides to linger back with Lukas, walking with him by his side.

The fog here, Lukas can’t help but notice, is nothing like he’s ever seen. It carries an eerie blue hue to it, one that makes Lukas wonder what kind of natural phenomena is the cause. Surely the green needle clusters on the trees don’t affect the light that passes through the branches and into the fog? Lukas can’t help but find unwavering interest, craving to understand. So he ventures further and further, and the more he walks, the more he begins to realize that not only does the fog carry a blue hue, but so do the plants as well. The conifers have darkened, their trunks a dark, strange blue and the bark stretching over them is more twisted and unnatural. The hanging branches above are their own dark, shadowy night skies above. Creators, even the ferns and grass have changed colors.

Another rustling sound makes the blond freeze and this time, spin on his feet to look up at the trees only to, once again, see nothing. The sound does not appear again and instead, leads Lukas to a skin pricking tension, realizing how silent the forest has become. There is no breeze or twitter of birds. There is only the crunch of dead pine needles and leaves beneath his feet, and the peculiar rustling that seems to be… following him.

Lukas narrows his gaze on the branches, hesitating as he attempts to catch any form of movement. Instead, a drop of rain landing on his nose nearly tears the soul right out of him. He flinches strongly, shaking his head as his heart begins to race wildly, anxiety clutching at his gut like a giant fist. Lukas turns his attention down to Dewey, his ocelot meeting his gaze with just as similar of a fearful expression as he has. “Y-y’know, it’s actually getting pretty late. Maybe we should head back?” Dewey nods quickly in agreement. “Okay, cool, cool. We’re on the same page then. Let’s get back before the rain comes again.”

Lukas quickly turns around and, for the first time in his life, stops with a stomach dropping realization. He looks around hurriedly, looking at all the trees and bushes, trying to remember which way they’d come from. Anxiety begins to make his hands shake, and another raindrop atop his head only makes the urgency to get his map out all the more dire. “O-okay, here,” he draws his finger down, wincing at his lack of progress. “Alright, this way,” Lukas nods his head towards the direction he believes in. “This is our way back, let’s go-OOooH!”

A horrifying drop.

Lukas shouts as the ground beneath his feet breaks, terror snapping his eyes wide open as he stares into the dark pit that gradually swallows him. It all happens so quickly. He plummets deep into a steep, muddy hole, making contact at the bottom with a painful “oof!” Lukas’ heart is racing and it takes him a moment to properly process what had just occurred, as well as the pain in his legs and butt from landing so obnoxiously unprepared. “Ugh..” A pale hand reaches up, rubbing at his forehead. Dazed and confused, he groans as he looks around this… this dirt hole. “W-what in the world?” Lukas grunts as he rises to his feet, seething at the pain that runs through his knees. “Ah.. ouch.”

“Mreeowl!”

Lukas looks up finally and, to his horror and dismay, finds himself several blocks deep in a hole. A manually dug hole. No way does a hole this narrow and deep form without human interference. Dewey’s little head pokes out from opening, the ocelot looking down at his owner with extreme worry. “Dewey! Are you okay?” Lukas shouts. Dewey meows again, then reaches his little speckled arm into the hole, clawing desperately at the air.

“You stay right there! I– I’ll look for a way out!” Lukas directs Dewey, the ocelot sitting back with his head low and ears flattened. The blond looks around the hole, searching for any roots or rocks to use as leverage to get himself out. It’s no use. The hole is dug through nothing but solid dirt. Even reaching out and clawing at the earth with his hands only makes the packed dirt crumble a few measly specks. Another droplet of rain draws his attention to look back up. The sky, or what most he could see of it through the fog, has darkened significantly. Like a shadow blanketing the landscape. Okay… Now is officially the time to panic.

“D-Dewey! I… I don’t think there’s a way out of this on my own!” Lukas shouts from the bottom of the hole. Dewey responds to his words with a worrisome chitter, standing and clawing at the air between himself and Lukas again. Lukas’ heart breaks at the ocelot’s futile rescue attempts. “Dewey, no, you’ll fall! Listen to me closely.” The author urges. “I need you to run back to town as fast as you–” more rain interrupts him, and this time it’s heavier droplets that send a chill of horror down the man's spine. Adrenaline kicks into high gear, anxiety clutching his heart and taking the air out of him. “Run to town and get help! F-from the guards or— or the hunter’s! Anyone!”

Dewey hisses at the very idea of leaving his friend behind. He shakes his head and scrunches his nose.

“Dewey, you have to!” He pleads. The rain begins to strengthen, now pattering the dirt at the base of the hole. Lukas looks down, and with a quick realization process, examines what it was that tricked him into thinking this was the forest floor. A dense blanket of leaves, weaved together perfectly to create an illusion of leaves on the ground. This… this is a pitfall trap. Whoever made this hole made it with the purpose of trapping some unknowing victim. Lukas’ brows knit and he snaps his head up, his mind immediately wandering back to the hunter’s Radar spoke of yesterday. Lukas glances up now, and to his dismay and relief, Dewey has disappeared. “Oh, Dew… Please be careful.” Lukas rests his back against the dirt, disbelief and anxiety forming a nasty ball of nausea in his belly. He… cannot believe this is happening. It was all so sudden.

The rain continues to fall…

Lukas stands in a puddle of slowly rising water. His teal eyes blurred as tremendous, body shuddering bouts of fear shake him to his core. His blond head thumps against the dirt wall behind him, his eyes rising up the wall, once again searching for a way out. He does another inventory check for the third time within a five minute timespan. He brought nothing but the clothes on his body and the books in his bag. He’d never expected to land himself in a trap of all things. The warning signs didn’t mention anything like this!

Authorized personnel only… Lukas recalls.

It must be those hunters. It’s the only plausible reason for traps in the woods where animals inhabit. But… Lukas looks up and down the hole, deeming it close to a seven block stretch at the very least. What kind of animals are they trapping that need a hole so deep? The most Lukas saw on the way out here was a field mouse scurrying around some tree roots, in search of seeds, as well as the numerous bird species he’s since logged for extensive research in the future…

Lukas hangs his head low, feeling so… so stupid. He went through all those years of training, traveling the world, exploring the Nether, all for it to end like this. Lukas closes his eyes, gritting his teeth and shoves his hands against his face. Stupid stupid stupid. His feet shift only slightly, causing the water at his feet to stir lightly. He peers down, genuinely disturbed by how quickly the water at the base of the hole is beginning to rise. His soaked shoes and socks are the least of his worries as of right now though. The rain is pouring, so sudden and out of nowhere! As time draws on… And with no sign of Dewey… Lukas’ need for panic strengthens tenfold. The water has risen a little past his ankles, and it’s only growing more steadily. Tears sprang to his eyes, fear that his life and everything he has worked up to could truly possibly end tonight.

In a last attempt at salvation, Lukas calls out, “Hello!?” He waits… watching the opening above. No go, there’s no one around to help him. He begins to shake horribly, fear entangling his heart like thorny vines. “P-please! Anyone!” He tries again, panting as he begins to rapidly lose his breath to anxiety. “Oh no… Oh no no no no…” The soaked blond crouches in a puddle of defeat. The rain pelts his head and back, drenching him of his sorrows. He clutches at his satchel, as it’s all that he has to hold onto as he waits for rescue to arrive or… “P-please–” he sobs into his bag.

In the midst of the rain plopping into the puddle at his feet, Lukas catches the sound of something else. It sounds… elegant. Like a chiming trill, completely inexplicable. Lukas opens his eyes, his brows knitting with confusion– until he looks up. What he sees absolutely stuns him to his core. He actually has to rub his eyes in disbelief to make sure he’s not just seeing things. A creature of fables and fairytales, one of which Lukas has been exploring all over the world for. It presents itself in a soft, blue glow. Its naturally illuminated, baby blue body is small, but too big for Dewey to consider to be a play-thing. It trills from the opening of the hole, looking down at an absolutely amazed Lukas. An allay!

The author hurriedly reaches for his notebook, getting his hand past his satchel's flap before he’s stopping himself. What am I doing!? I can’t just write about this now! I’ve got to get out of here! He gives himself a mental slap for his own idiocy, looking back up at the little allay that continues to stare curiously down at him.

“H-hi…” Lukas begins with a soft, friendly tone, unable to shake the tremble of excitement and fear out of his voice. “ Please… W-would you be able to help me out? I— I’m so scared to die in this hole, please , if there’s anything you can do to help me.” Lukas clasps his hands together, pleading with the little fairy. Its white eyes reflect the clouds of the Aether, blinking down at the human, captive in his hole. It chimes a sound so elegant, it snags the adventurer's heart instantly. The allay lifts itself from its perch and glides down into the hole with ease. It’s blue aura following it, lighting the dirt up in blue light until it comes face-to-face with a truly awestruck Lukas. “I can’t believe it,” he draws out without thinking, unable to take his eyes off the mystical creature of legend. “You’re absolutely beautiful… Radiant light itself.” His gentle voice is filled with wonder, looking upon the creatures he’s practically waited all his life to finally see.

To think it would be here in this muddy, seemingly inescapable hole of all places.

The allay laughs softly at Lukas’ compliment, a sound so kind and charming, like pulling the strings of a regal harp. Its solid white eyes shut happily, expressing what little joy it can with only eyes and no other facial features but that. Lukas watches the fluttery little creature ascend the shadowy hole, its blue light rising, then quickly vanishing, leaving Lukas to once again succumb to the darkness. Silence returns in the most haunting way imaginable. Lukas stares up at the hole, his eyes shining with emotion. Without the allay’s light, the hole has never felt darker. He’s never felt more alone. And he always feels alone.

If he is to truly die here, drowning pathetically in a pit of mud, then at least he got to meet an angel before succumbing to his harrowing fate.

He raises his head to face the clouds that pour mercilessly upon him, rendering him helpless and nauseated with the idea of dying in a muddy pitfall. There’s beauty in the sound of rain, though he finds no comfort in nature's song this time. The rain is deafening, and the dense fog is beginning to creep down the unstable muddy walls that surround him. It’s ghostly blue hue he realizes is truly haunting, as it is interesting. The dense gray clouds above mute the moon's light, his only source of comfort as he feels his fears further choking him up. Anxiously, and so horribly worried for his and his little companions safety, he must put all his faith in his beloved ocelot who’s just as unfamiliar with this tumultuous terrain as he is. Although with every anxious thought brings his spirit down lower than the dirt he’s stuck in.

Absolutely ridiculous he rushed out of his hotel room without even truly grabbing supplies. Not even a lantern... He can only shake his head at his own behavior, regretting staying up late now more than ever. He was simply so curious and inquisitive about this new, what he truly believes in beautiful biome. Despite where he is now... You know what they say about curiosity and cats? Lukas can only drop his gaze back down to the muddy, drowning roots in front of him. Please let nothing happen to Dewey.

He never thought himself one to feel helpless so quickly, to give in to defeat. As time draws on, the allay does not return. Stricken with desperation, he keeps shouting for help to no avail. Lukas leans his shoulder against the softened dirt wall, growing tired and colder by standing in the middle of the hole. For he cannot cry as much as one would think, he’s getting tired and his throat exhausted from shouting for help. He takes a deep breath, smelling nothing but earth and rain. Feeling soaked, sodden with mud. His hair emitting a stream of rain unto his crossed arms. Holding himself for warmth, he tries to focus on listening for Dewey. Even as hopeless as it seems, he knows his ocelot will do his best to return.

It’s then he hears the unsettling sound of a zombie's growl, there’s no denying the muffled groan that follows the sound. Lukas looks up, cringing and bracing himself at the idea of being sniffed out like a piece of prey. He sends a silent prayer to the stars and closes his eyes again, trying to imagine how close the mob is. There’s only one from what he can tell, so he steps away from the wall and stares upward toward the edge. The earth above him shakes without warning, what sounds like bushes being trampled by something… big. Very big. Lukas swallows, his fear running down his spine and making his body tremble. He gasped as the mob went flying over the hole, dying upon impact somewhere he couldn't see. He breathes out as he gradually becomes unsteady on his feet, anxiety gripping his heart relentlessly.

He hears the trees rustling, and branches breaking as it encroaches upon him. But before he can see anything, the forest falls unnaturally still, all noise ceasing and only leaving the downpour. Lukas falls silent and shivering, holding himself as he tries to keep some semblance of warmth. His heart flutters with confusion as the allay appears again. Illuminating his darkening horrors with its icy blue light. “It’s you! You came back!..” Lukas calls, still terrified, but thankful for its company. “Please don’t leave, I-I really..” Lukas’s heart drops as the allay turns tail and goes out of sight again, immediate hot tears pour down both his cheeks as he stands frozen. It’s nearly pitch black. He can’t even speak. He covers his face, and runs his hands down his flushed features. Frustration squeezing his heart he opens his mouth, “Come back! Please, I need help! I’m.. I’m getting really tired! I won’t hurt you..” Lukas tries, pleading with the creature he cannot see. He sees its blue light illuminate the branches of the trees above as it flies, Lukas’ eyes glittering with its beautiful, flickering light. It’s then a shadow overtakes the allay’s light, his stomach drops as his heart halts within his chest. A predatory glare is staring back at him. An aura in the air has him immobile, and under judgment. A massive unmoving shadow and its intimidating, yet gorgeous illuminated gaze looks down upon him from the shadows above. Everything around them is so dark, all he can see is its partial outline of a massive figure. Whatever this thing is, it seems to be what the allay brought.. “H..hi..” Lukas grunts as his entire body goes weightless. “Whoa!” Lukas struggles for only a second before he is lifted from the mud. He breathes audibly, staring into the eyes of the shadow that lifts him. He’s lifted higher than the hole, his stomach clenching with a new wave of uncertainty as he’s lowered to the ground yet.. Not quite allowed to touch it. The shadow stays beyond his perception. It's then he’s lifted to the entity's face. Its eyes locked onto Lukas’, glaring into the human's mystified gaze as if it bore straight into his soul. Goosebumps rise and Lukas feels his mouth go dry, staying silent.

Lukas is then pushed further away without warning, weightlessly tossed across the pitfall to safety. Lukas doesn’t hit the forest floor hard, landing in soft moss and dead leaves, but he does scramble to sit back up and onto his knees so he could see who pulled him from the pitfall.

But there’s nothing. Nothing but the horrible trap he thought would doom him to an early grave. The Allay and its magical trills are missing. The glaring shadow has vanished as well, its power having no residual, not on him and not on their surroundings. It’s then, and only then that he hears distant shouting.

Lukas is immobilized by the encounter he just faced. Even as the search party arrives, he’s unable to fully harness the ability to move, let alone speak. A soft, yet soaked presence suddenly presses onto him. Dewey presses his muzzle strongly against Lukas’ cheek, purring loudly with relief. A group of humans emerge from the shadows, carrying lanterns and flashy weapons as they enter the small clearing where the pitfall was set.

“Hey!” A man snarls the moment his piercing green eyes set upon Lukas’ muddy form. “What the hell do you think you’re doing out here? Did you not read the signs?” He leans down, getting in Lukas’ face, yet the blond offers no response. The man reels back, his eyes widened, searching the author and his surroundings before his glare lands on the triggered pitfall trap. “How did you get out of there?” He demands, turning aggressively fast back on the distraught blond. “Tell me!”

“Chill out, Aiden.” A gruff voice mutters from the small crowd of armed people. A burly man, built strong and tall, steps forward. Lukas flicks his eyes up to the man, though still incapable of speech as his mind and body attempt to process what just happened. “Step aside,” the man huffs, making the other shorter male, Aiden , back off slightly, but still lingering too close for Lukas’ comfort. The stranger offers out a large hand, Lukas taking a moment to consider it before lifting a shaky, cold palm to grasp onto his. The man helps him to stand, Lukas’ legs immediately threatening to give out beneath his exhausted weight. “Whoa there,” the stranger catches him, helping to keep him standing on his toes by keeping a firm set of hands on his sides.

“Jack.” Aiden speaks the name with rising frustration. “What are you waiting for? Question him!”

“I said cool it, Aiden.” Jack snaps back at the lesser male behind him. Aiden’s eyes widen, then narrow as he draws back to silence. Lukas looks at this Aiden person for only a second and can already tell this is one of the people he’s destined to avoid for the next three months. He doesn’t lend him his eyes for long, instead his tired teal gaze looks up to this Jack person, his eyes droopy, darkened from exhaustion. Jack ‘tuts’ his tongue, shaking his head and gives Lukas a firm pat on the back. “Let’s get yuh out of this rain, how ‘bout it?” Jack suggests, and Lukas could not agree faster. He nods quickly, but continues to keep his silence.

The walk back is extremely awkward to say the least. Lukas is in the presence of numerous strangers and, by the way Jack refuses to let go of his right shoulder, he feels like somewhat of a prisoner. Lukas glances back, washed with endless gratitude and relief to see Dewey pawing right behind him. His poor sweet ocelot is soaked from ears to toes. Lukas feels so horrible for putting him in this situation. How could he let this happen? With all of his survival training back with the rangers? Lukas cringes with embarrassment, cursing himself silently once again…

Although.. His mind continues to wander back to the allay and that… thing that saved him. Whatever it was, it lifted him from that deep, muddy pitfall without even doing so much as laying a single finger on him. Lukas felt nothing but this weird feeling of pressure encompassing all around his body as he’d floated up to the top of the hole, only to be then tossed off into a mossy bed beneath a passive pine. Lukas stares straight ahead, his vision shaking and blurring as he envisions that glowing set of eyes glaring back at him. Was it a mob? A person? He wonders. Lukas’ gaze descends to the forest floor, watching his own feet trudge clumsily along as the group continues to press towards the end of the coniferous biome.

“So, I’ve been meanin’ to ask you,'' Jack says, breaking the silence for Lukas and the rest of the group. “What’s your name?”

Lukas feels his skin prickle with goosebumps, aware of the glare piercing his muddy backside. He doesn’t want to respond. He’s too tired, and most definitely uncertain of sharing his personal information with these people, but he knows when he has no choice but to comply.

“Lukas,” he mutters under his breath.

“Lukas.” Jack repeats, emitting a thoughtful hum before continuing, “what brought you all the way out into these woods tonight, Lukas?”

Lukas closes his eyes, breathing in and holding his breath before sighing out heavily. “I’m an author. I’m doing ecological studies for a book I’m writing. That’s what brought me out here.” Jack chuckles softly in response, the sound causing Lukas to finally look up at the man fully. The brunette’s features are adorned by a well groomed beard. His left eye is foggy, resembling a crystal clear ice lake, while his right eye is dark brown like the dark trunks of the conifers that surround them.

“Is that all?” Jack asks with no concern in his deep, gravelly tone. “Well, I gotta ask you, kid.. How the heck did you make it out of that pitfall?” The burly man glances down at Lukas again, and this time, Lukas feels a change in the aura of the group. The moment Jack asks his question, Lukas can hear the adjustment of weapons from the armed men and women in the small group. Something seems… off. He can’t quite put the pieces of the puzzle all together at once, so he diverts away from his story, making one up.

“I climbed up,” he says in a shallow whisper.

Jack raises a scarred brow, narrowing his eyes up at the blond. “ Climbed up? With all that mud and–”

“Yeah, climbed up,” Lukas interrupts with a rising prickle of annoyance. “I used to be part of a ranger squad who specialized in ecological conservation a few years back. We’d get ourselves into trouble like this all the time. Just need to know what you’re doing and how to do it, and uh,” Lukas shrugs, “well, when your life is kinda at stake, you tend to put everything you got into it.” What Lukas says seems to have worked. Jack returns to silence, eyeing the blond with skepticism before confirming with a nod.

“You’re pretty tough for a scrawny guy. I respect it.”

“Gee thanks…”

The rest of the walk back to BeaconTown is completely silent. Once they reach the town’s gates and dip in past the guards, Jack dismisses his squad with a curt nod. One of the men leaves without a problem, a girl following close behind. This other man, the short haired brunette from earlier, lingers too long for Lukas’ comfort. Aiden stands behind Jack, his face set with an unmoving angry expression that the author truly cannot understand. He’s never seen this man in his life, yet he looks at Lukas in a way that makes his blood run cold. Lukas glares back at him only for a second before turning away, returning his attention to Jack, the apparent leader of the group.

“I said you’re dismissed Aiden.” Jack repeats, glancing over his shoulder. “Go.” Aiden merely scoffs, shaking his head and mumbling something intelligible. Lukas glares at him as he goes, walking off down Beacon’s mainstreet, eventually disappearing somewhere in the darkness.

“With all due respect, what’s his problem?” Lukas asks, unsure if he’s stepping out of line with the question.

Jack merely sighs, shaking his head. “It’s complicated.”

Lukas sulks where he stands, completely drained of all the energy he felt during the afternoon run under the sun to the tree line. Jack looks up at him sympathetically, offering him a pat on his muddy forearm.

“Glad this ocelot of yours found us. I was in the middle of my evening cup of tea when this little guy came sprinting into town. Saw us at the café and, heh, you would’a gotten a real kick out of it. His tail was as fluffed and pointy as the trees you lost yourself in.”

Lukas isn’t sure he can find the same humor in that as Jack can. Lukas looks down at Dewey with a very worried expression. He feels guilty for what he’d gotten his ocelot into. The fear he must have felt. Lukas hangs his head low with sorrow, truly apologetic for his actions, or lack thereof. “I’m so sorry for worrying you, Dewey. I promise it won’t ever happen again.” Lukas leans down, petting his precious friend atop his soaked head.

“I sure hope you don’t.” Jack says suddenly, grabbing Lukas’ attention once again. Jack’s voice has strengthened into something stern and serious. His expression too has darkened with an emotion Lukas can’t quite place. “You heed those warning signs next time. Do not enter those woods again. It’ll cost you nothin’ but trouble, y’hear me?”

Lukas opens his mouth to argue, but finds something restraining his heart, feeling as though he were restrained by chains pulling him back from what he wants to say. Instead, Lukas casts his gaze down and slowly nods, earning himself an approving hum from Jack.

“Good. That’s what I like to hear. You take care of yourself, Lukas. If you return to those woods, I won’t promise you’ll be making it back out.” Jack warns stiffly. After that, the man spares no more time with him, leaving Lukas to stand alone in the pouring right. Caked in mud and soaked from head to toe.

When he gets back to his room at the BeacInn, Lukas’ first instinct is to shower. He spends a long, long time under the hot stream of water, letting the warmth wash over and relieve his aching, tired muscles of all the stress and cold he’d undergone down in that mucky hole. Even with the harrowing embarrassment he was subjected to through that long trek back to BeaconTown, he can hardly pay any mind to it. His mind focuses all of its remaining energy back to the allay, but most of all, back to that massive shadowy entity that pulled him from the hole with what Lukas could only describe as magic itself.

When he leaves the bathroom, the rest of his hotel room is dark. Before he’d attended to his own shower, he had aided Dewey with a quick towel drying session, taking off his bandana to get that dirt splattered accessory cleaned too. Lukas shuts off the light, exiting the bathroom in his pajamas now. The only light he is granted is the dim natural light filtering in through the windows from the outside world. The rain has since softened, now nothing more than a late evening sprinkle. Lukas hesitates getting into bed, even as his body aches from his fall earlier. Instead, he approaches one of the windows again and looks out, gazing upon the tree line.

That creature. The one the allay brought to him. It saved him and… Lukas didn’t even have a chance to thank it.

Lukas’ eyes narrow on the trees and their shadows, already making up his mind. He can’t just avoid the forest because some strangers warned him not to. Especially not now. There’s something in there Lukas needs to understand, and he will do anything in his power to ensure he gets there.

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onlythebravest · 2 years

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recently read: january 2023 🪐

I did say I was going to try and make a list of what I’ve read each month. First month done! I decided not to include rereads (which I do a lot), because then the list would never end.

If you decide to check any of these fics out, make sure to show the author some love. Leave kudos, a comment and, if possible, reblog (or retweet) the fic post! and a big thank you to all these amazing authors! thank you for sharing your writing with us!

Little Taste by @wabadabadaba (G, 1.2k, domestic fluff, age regression) A morning with little Harry and caregiver Louis.

I loved As It Was and was so happy to see that the strawbaby universe had gotten another fic! I had missed those two.

yeah, he's a looker (but i really think it's guts that matter most) by @thedevilinmybrain (E, 40k, non-au, established, friendships) Five times Oli was asked to do something that was outside of his job description, and the one time he didn't have to be asked.

amazing characterization! Jennifer never fails with writing amazing characters, but this was just something else.

Can I Watch? by @larrysballetslippers (E, 4.9k, poly, established, smut, voyeurism) Harry never thought a horrible encounter would lead to some hot loving from his boyfriends.

Chicago by @hellolovers13 (G, 3.5k, exes to lovers, famous/non-famous) They hadn't seen each other in four years, why was Louis still writing songs about Harry?

London by @hellolovers13 (M, 2k, fluff, established, famous/non-famous) A lazy morning in bed. Finally home.

Bless You! by @neondiamond (G, 2k, kid, established, fluff) Harry and Louis’ young daughter, Ava, really enjoys when Harry says ‘bless you’ after she sneezes.

you can always expect amazing fluff from Jess, so you know you’re gonna leave the fic with a warm feeling in your chest

Tender Hearted by @polaroidlouis (E, 3.3k, established, mpreg, smut, service top L) It hadn’t taken long then for Harry to clue in the fact that Louis was enthralled with his newly bloomed breasts.

Just To See That Smile by @homosociallyyours (NR, 6.7k, uni au, fake relationship, pining) A fic where a hastily faked relationship and a lot of miscommunication almost ruins a perfectly good dance.

One for the Books by @neondiamond (M, 25k, advent fic, strangers, winter, fluff) Or the one where there’s a bookshop, a cat, OT5 friendship, a budding romance, and all the festive vibes.

Hike Up Your Skirt (And Show Your World To Me) by @twopoppies (E, 17k, CEO/employee, dom/sub, smut) Louis has a very hands on approach to training his new secretary. How else can he make sure Harry realizes his full potential?

I really enjoyed reading a character that isn’t really a good character and now I want more of these morally gray characters.

It's Thursday. Let's Get (un)Dressed. by @bananaheathen (E, 9k, genderfluid H, pining) When Louis is peer-pressured into downloading TikTok over the holidays, he fully expects to hate it. And he does hate it. All of it. Well... except for aspiring OOTD influencer, @ harrystyles.

edible stars by @forthetherapyy (E, 10k, uni, friends with benefits, dom/sub) They take a test and the results change things for Harry and Louis.

Fellowship of Eroda by @sadaveniren (E, 5.3k, enemies to lovers, dom/sub) aka Louis may have had a four night stand with Harry and now he's stuck in a DND campaign with him.

Fun Time Candles by @sadaveniren (T, 1k, kid fic) Harry makes candles shaped like dicks. Harry also has a five year old learning to read. These two things should never interact.

The animals play by @sadaveniren (M, 1.2k, kid fic, dom/sub) Harry and Louis play a game of cat and mouse.

I love this parenting while actively in the bdsm community series! all of them are amazing

Counterculture by @sadaveniren (E, 6k, a/b/o, pack dynamics, scenting) It all culminated to this: Harry in the middle of a crowded basement, music blasting from the live show on the far side, shirtless amongst alphas and omegas who all weren’t covering their scents. He took a deep breath of the heavy air and he felt alive.

(yes, I had a little sadaveniren marathon and I’m not sorry)

A Bright and Blazing Flame by @greenfeelings (E, 23k, a/b/o, established, famous/famous, all the good omegaverse stuff) Bonded, engaged, and moved in together — there’s nothing to daunt Louis and Harry’s happiness. Until the past catches up to them and everything comes crashing down when they least expect it.

I have so much good to say about this series and not enough words to express myself. it’s got everything you can want from an a/b/o fic, and more

Late for Flying Practice by @jaerie (E, 2.5k, elf/reindeer, smut) Louis is a hybrid reindeer gearing up for his first year as navigator for Santa. Harry is one of Santa's elves in the middle of his 99th season as head cookie designer. They've been having an affair for years. This time it doesn't exactly go well. Or does it?

Secrets, Santa? by @indiaalphawhiskey (E, 19k, boss/employee, christmas themed, awkward H, dirty talk) Right, okay, so Harry had confessed his deepest, darkest, dirtiest secrets to a stranger who turned out to be his boss. No big deal. This was probably just the beginning of Harry’s own hilariously heartwarming, wildly romantic Hallmark Christmas movie, come to life, right?… Right?

this was hilarious and found myself having to stop myself from laughing while reading it

Wanna play you like a game, boy (what's the thrill of the same toy?) by @thebreadvansstuff (E, 10k, boss/employee, dom/sub, humiliation) Louis is Harry's boss, and Harry has a humiliation kink.

He's Got the Money, Baby Honey by @larry-hiatus (E. 10k, dom/sub, financial domination) Finsub Harry forgets his dom’s weekly gift. Louis makes him pay for the mistake with a shopping spree.

I loved reading about this kink and way of domination that was completely new to me

On the naughty list tonight by @lunarheslwt (E, 6k, established, dom/sub, Christmas) Harry has a little bad habit- he peeks at gifts early because he is too impatient to wait to open them. Louis is determined to catch him this time, and show him that actions have consequences.

enough to make a girl blush by @disgruntledkittenface (E, 22k, a/b/o, girl direction, childhood friends, self discovery) When Louis moves from her small hometown to the city, she runs into her childhood friend Niall. Despite her surprise at learning that Niall presented as an alpha, she’s immediately drawn to her. As their relationship progresses and Louis settles into life in the city, she learns that love, sex and identity aren’t always as simple as she’d been taught growing up. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.

I loved learning about girl alphas in this! I know I’ve said it every time I talk about this fic, but I can’t help it. it was so fun learning about it

Unholy by @wicked-archer (E, 11k, religios kink, priest/demon, smut) When Harry Styles started acting different after his 26th birthday, Father Louis Tomlinson is the only one that may be able to save his soul. He has successfully performed exorcisms before. This should be easy. Until it isn't. Harry is more than he seems. The battle of wills test every bit of faith Louis has. And Harry? Well, he's just getting started.

positive feedback by @sun-lt (T, 4k, a/b/o, established, nesting) Louis pretends he isn’t insecure about his nest, Harry pretends he isn’t inconveniently horny, and they both see right through each other.

you know you’re gonna have a great time when you’ve get a notification about a new Essie fic, and this one was no different!

Control by @zourry-a (E, 1.7k, smut, public sex) "M'gonna finger you," he said softly. "Right here in front of everyone, like you want. Do you want it, Louis?"

I Built This Bed For Two (I Built This Bed For Me and You) by @yafookinlousah (E, 8.9k, exes to lovers, cuddling) Harry and Louis broke up after uni and haven't seen each other since—until they're roped into doing a Buzzfeed video together. Featuring awkward cuddling and a reunion that just needed a kick in the arse, gleefully provided by Niall.

One Touch Is Never Enough by @kingsofeverything (E, 3.8k, werewolves, funny) It’s been a rough year for Louis. First, he was turned into a werewolf, which hasn't been so bad, except that he didn't anticipate how it would affect his love life. Maybe it’d be easier to ignore if he wasn’t constantly bombarded by the sound of his two werewolf best friends getting it on in the next room. At least they were nice enough to give him a gift certificate for a massage.

I'm Sure It Happens To All Alphas by @jaerie (E, 3.7k, a/b/o, awkward sex) Louis has trouble popping a knot.

I said a little while ago that there aren’t enough fics where the sex isn’t perfect, and then I stumble upon this. I was so happy!

pink like the paradise found by @disgruntledkittenface (M, 18k, girl direction, uni, bartender L, coming out) Harry's friends take her out to the local lesbian bar to celebrate after she comes out. They joke about getting her laid, but the way the hot bartender is looking at her makes her think it might actually happen.

#28th appreciation #i'm so happy i actually managed to do this!#fic rec #trackinghome #trackinghappily #tracksintheam #hlcreators

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