#and I do want to draw them more but I have to survive my next con first | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

nsharks · 3 months ago

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bleeding blue | apocalypse au

part thirty-three —other parts

pairing: Simon “Ghost” Riley x fem!reader words: 4.5k tags: death. blood and gore. zombies of course. AFAB reader. single dad ghost. enemies to lovers. harm to a child. summary: After losing your companions, you run into a skull-masked man and his daughter. They are your last hope for survival. a/n: clearly I am bad at estimating how long this story will take lol

Alexandre is not as susceptible to pain.

The guard outside his home didn’t register his death, not with Ghost as a shadow at his back. One wrench to his neck, and Kyle plucked the key off his corpse, gently opening the planked door. As the three of them swept the inside, you and Ari hoisted the body in. A sudden crash of breaking glass and the sounds of a struggle made it clear—they got Alexandre. He must have woken up.

But restrained to a dining chair by chains from the slaughterhouse, all he offers up is a bloody tooth on the floor—nothing about Blue or the weapons.

"Brûlez en enfer, pécheurs!"

Ghost snarls and tears a fistful of hair from his scalp. Alexandre only spits more blood, teeth clenched.

"He's wasting our time," you mutter, dread curling in your chest. A glance at the window—the sky could turn deep purple any second. You touch Ghost's elbow. "We should just look for—"

"He'll talk."

Ghost draws the knife. He drives his knuckles into Alexandre’s mouth, smothering the scream as the blade severs his pinky. Blood spills over raw bone. Finally, he writhes—eyes rolling back, knees violently shaking.

"Tell us where everything is, or these go next," Ghost snaps, holding up his middle and ring fingers.

He pulls his fist from his mouth. Alexandre sputters, lips twitching from the pain. Under his breath, he groans, "Sal... Mon enfant."

"What is he saying?" Kyle presses.

Ghost positions the knife at the next digit. "Speak up. English."

Alexandre's eyes threaten to close. He whispers something quieter—

"Salome?" you speak up.

His eyes snap open at the name.

You lower beside Ghost, leaning closer, your eyes darting over his swollen face. "Salome. Your 'enfant.' The child is yours, isn’t it?" A flicker of rage flares in his nostrils, and you quietly press on, "You must be worried about her. She was tending to us, you know. Don’t you want to know if she lives? It'd be a shame if she doesn’t. She was so excited for the baby, especially after losing the first one in the winter. I’m guessing that one was yours, too." You let the words hang, then wet your lips, feigning consideration. "The thing is, it’s been a long night. My memory’s hazy. Can’t recall if I slit her throat or not, but I do remember her begging me to spare her—for the child’s sake."

At this, he jolts. "Tu fais chier—"

Ghost covers his mouth.

You keep your voice smooth. "Maybe if you tell us where the girl and the weapons are, I’ll remember. Otherwise, he’ll kill you, and you’ll die not knowing."

The silence breaks as Ghost drives the knife into the base of his finger. Alexandre grits out, "The girl... I don’t know where my mother kept her. But if sunrise is near... She could be at the chapel now, to prepare."

The one you saw? "How many chapels are there here?" you ask.

"Only one for... offerings."

You glance at Ghost and whisper, "If we can find the road, I could get us back to it."

He nods, not looking away from Alexandre. "The guns," he says. "Where are they?"

"I can... show you."

"You're not showing us shit. Tell us exactly where to find them."

Alexandre holds his gaze. "I could tell you wrong, yes? Waste your time. Or I can show you, and you can kill me if they’re not there."

"Don’t let him play games, Simon," Price calls from behind.

Ghost exhales roughly.

Alexandre looks at you. "But you must tell me of Salome first."

"She's alive," you tell him. "But if you don’t show us where the guns are, it’s not just you who will die."

The chains bite into his wrists as Ghost yanks him up by his soiled lapel. A pistol pressed to his temple, Alexandre stumbles forward, his feet dragging over the corpse at the door before leading you outside. The moonlight feels sharper, casting shadows over the pitted ground as you step carefully beside him, scanning the area. No more alarms yet. But when the guards change shifts, that won’t last.

No one speaks as he leads you around the pasture and barn, toward the back, where the silhouette of a small shed takes shape in the darkness. As you near, a three-tuned call cuts through the air, beckoning Alexandre's gaze to the sky, a soft murmur escaping his lips: "La tourterelle chante pour toi."

"Shut up."

Ghost strikes the back of his head with the gun to silence him.

You stop in front of the shed. It is only just bigger than the one you used to sleep in.

"Is this it?"

"Yes," Alexandre nods. "Inside."

Kyle is the one to kick open the door. As expected, the smell of rusty metal hits your nose as you take in the clutter of rakes, shovels, and scythes. There is a wheelbarrow against the wall with nothing inside but residual soil. No weapons in sight.

Ghost cocks the pistol. "You're fucking around with your kid's life—"

"Under the floor," Alexandre flinches, then juts his chin at the planks of wood, "The extra guns, ammo. It is under there."

Ghost shoves the gun into Kyle’s hand. Without hesitation, Kyle takes over, keeping it steady as Ghost drops to his knees, running his fingers over the floorboards. A sharp knock—hollow. He drives his knife between the slats and pries them open.

The unmistakable glint of metal catches your eye. Rifles. Green and gold cartridges, too. Ghost inhales sharply, tearing up more of the floor. Price moves in, yanking out boxes, sorting through the ammo they need to load up. You linger by the door, glancing back over your shoulder. The guns are yours. Now, you'll need to find the chapel. Maybe Blue isn’t there yet. Maybe you can get there first.

Lost in thought, you almost miss it—that softly cooing dove, the kind you used to wake up to in England. Again, Alexandre mutters in French beside you where Kyle quiets him with a shove at his shoulder. Then you detect a shift in the air—no, you squint and realize it is movement in the grass by the barn.

Alexandre suddenly shouts, "La tourterelle chante pour toi!"

The echo of his words is followed by the crack of a pistol. Kyle’s shot strikes his head, and his body crumples at your feet.

You whip around, panic flaring in your chest as you look at Ghost. "Someone was there. He said something to warn them. They're going to wake up the others!"

Ghost's glare snaps towards Kyle. "The gunshot probably already did."

Kyle releases a growl. "Fuck, I didn't think—"

"Take this," Price interrupts, throwing a loaded rifle at Kyle.

For you, Nereida, and Ari, a small handgun.

But by the time your finger seeks out the trigger, you hear a myriad of voices shout from the barn.

Blue sits at a small table. Across from her is that old woman, eating silently. Only the sound of metal on ceramic, and gentle chewing, fills the dining room. Blue's teeth mechanically grind a tart, red berry into pulp, then let it slide down her throat, her eyes never leaving the white plate. On the faintly reflective surface, a years-old memory blurs into focus.

She sits in the back of her dad’s truck, her small hands folded in her lap. The air is thick with the smell of cigarette smoke. Her eyes are fixed on the passing buildings and people, the streets beginning to feel unfamiliar. Then, her dad mutters something low under his breath, the tires screeching as he sharply veers into a petrol station.

He unbuckles and slams the front door, moving quickly around the truck to help her out. "Come on, kid," he says quietly, lifting her up gently before setting her on the ground. Her hand slips instinctively into his.

"Don’t look at anyone," he mutters as he tugs her toward the small food mart.

"Why, daddy?" she whispers up at him.

"Because I said so."

"Why are we here?"

"I need to get something."

"What for?"

The silence stretches between them, and a cold knot of fear tightens in her stomach. He doesn’t answer, and she can’t remember how they got here. She had been in her bedroom, where her mother had told her to stay. There was shouting through the door before it flung open, then her father grabbed her, and suddenly, her mom’s voice faded behind them.

Her father guides her through the aisles, pulling items off shelves. She tries not to look at the old man nearby, her eyes fixed on the hem of his jacket, her fingers nervously tugging at it.

"Why isn’t my mum coming with us?" she asks.

He doesn't answer. They move to the cash register, and after he pays, they head back to the truck. Her eyes sting. She rips her hand from his and shakes her head, her voice breaking.

"I want to go back, daddy."

"You're not going back."

"I want to!"

He kneels in front of her, gripping her chin as her tears spill. A woman filling her car glances over, and he lowers his voice so only she can hear. "I know you're scared, but listen to me, Amelia. Remember that game we play? The one where the bad guys are after us, and we have to get away from them?"

She nods weakly, tears streaking down her face.

"What do we call each other when we play that game, baby?"

"Blue and Ghost," she answers, her voice small.

"Right. We’re playing it again, okay? But this time, it’s not a game. Right now, you’re Blue, and I’m Ghost. You listen to everything I say so I can keep you safe. Do you understand, Blue?"

She struggles to breathe.

"Tell me, do you understand?"

"Daddy, I—"

"No. Not daddy. Ghost."

"Ghost... please, I want to go home."

His voice repeats her new name, over and over, as he shakes her chin, and she cries harder. She looks over at the woman filling her car as she fades into something strange—milky eyes and grey skin—and when Blue looks back to her father, he’s gone. All that remains is the white plate, stained with red raspberry juice.

"Blue."

Blue lifts her gaze, her eyes locking on the old woman across from her. The woman's leathery skin shifts to grey in the pale moonlight streaming through the window. She chews a berry slowly, takes a sip of milk, then speaks. "Tell me. Why do you call yourself this?"

She struggles to pull her voice to the present, looking back at the plate and quietly answering after a moment, "It is... it is the name I've used to survive."

"You are a strong girl, that much is clear," Maman compliments idly. "But sometimes, God does not want us to fight. There is strength in acceptance."

When breakfast is finished, Eloise brushes her hair until it’s buttery soft down her back. Then, they leave. Blue smells the dew on the grass, her toes curling in her shoes to endure the pain of keeping up with them. No matter how lightly she spreads her weight, the wounds split wider, blood silently squishing beneath her soles. Any blood she left behind would be invisible in the dark, but Ghost always noticed things she never could. She picks at her fingernails as they reach a road, which reminds her of when they were walking through, seeing a few abandoned cars left at the sides.

They walk for some time until she smells the Greys. The rot is pungent in the brisk air. Then, she hears the low hum of hymns coming from a small building—a church. She only knows this because of a deep memory with the old woman she called grandmother who used to take her to one. The stained glass glows faintly with dim golden light inside. They approach the large door, and Blue stands outside it, her knees trembling, but her shoulders managing to stay upright.

Maman glances down at her, hand resting on the door. "In God's presence, Amelia, there is no need to survive anymore. You will accept his punishment—and his forgiveness. Tell me, do you understand?"

Blue grits her teeth.

The voice edges softer. "Do you understand, Amelia?"

"I understand."

Behind her, Eloise takes hold of her wrists and ties them together with what feels like prickly twine.

The door creaks open under Maman’s push, revealing rows of pews and cold stone walls. Blue swallows hard, tasting her own heartbeat in her throat as she takes in everything she can before stepping inside. The narrow aisle spills out into an altar, where the same two Greys they muzzled the other day are chained to the floor, their snarls and moans adding a discordant layer to the throaty hymns echoing from the right side of the church. There, the veiled women sit, their heads bowed. On the left, the men. A bony hand presses at her back, urging her forward. Through the fog of fear, she counts them: just three men, plus Pierre—the one from before—standing beside the leashed Greys.

The lingering scent of old blood mixes with the fresh, sharp tang of melting candlewax. Her footsteps are small, barely making a sound against the stone, and the pain seems to fade into nothingness, until she misteps around a scurrying rat. A sharp pang burns through her foot, forcing her teeth to grind. Tears well in her eyes, but she doesn’t let a single one fall, her focus locked on her surroundings. The flickering candles on the altar, the glint of Maman's knife as she unsheathes it, the flicker of hunger in the endless moans—each step draws her closer to the Greys.

When she finally stops, she stands between them, the chains and muzzles the only thing keeping their mouths from finding her flesh.

As Maman begins to murmur in French, a fleeting thought crosses her mind: Can her mother see her now, dressed in a beautiful gown, having grown into her features, even though the shape of her face still carries the strength of her father's? Can she see the fear she can no longer contain, spilling into violent breaths that tear through her chest?

"Venez vous nourrir de sa chair pure, et en retour, bénissez-nous avec plus de nourriture pour l'hiver et des bébés en bonne santé pour vos nouveaux peuples."

Beneath Maman's words, Blue hears something. A distant, piercing sound that reminds her of a gunshot.

Dad?

She glances at the door, then at the faces around her, but no one else seems to have heard it.

A cold hand snatches her arm, the unwounded one, and Blue whimpers. Then she is turned around to face the pews.

"Une coupure pour les faire festoyer!"

The knife draws a matching cut, the release of blood making the Greys jerk within their restraints.

A man stands and unlocks one Grey's chains, while Pierre handles the other. The screech of metal cuts through the air, and with a shout, the creatures are freed. Blue’s heart slams in her chest. Maman's low, cruel laugh reaches Blue's ears just as she drops to the ground and scrambles backward, bumping into the altar and making it rattle. She screams when rotten hands clamp around her ankles—instinct taking over. She wriggles free of her blood-soaked shoes and kicks them as far as possible toward the people in front of her.

The shoes hit the ground with a quiet squelch, and the Greys snap toward them, momentarily confused by their scent of blood. A veiled woman screams, her dress now stained with a red footprint, and the other women scramble for the door as the Greys hurl through the aisle. In that fleeting moment of distraction, Blue pushes herself up, hands shaking as she clutches the twine binding her wrists. She holds it over the candle, praying the small flame will burn through it.

"Come on, come on."

Just before the twine can snap, a hand yanks at her shoulder to spin her around.

"Stupid girl!"

Blue growls like a cornered animal and spits into Maman’s eyes. Sneering, Maman slashes the knife across Blue’s cheek, sending fresh blood down to her lips. The Greys, no longer distracted, screech as they again zero in on the scent of her bleeding wounds.

Through the pain, Blue strains with all her strength, forcing her wrists apart until the charred twine snaps, freeing her hands. Maman grabs her by the dress, but Blue blindly reaches for the only thing within reach—the candle—and jams the burning wick into the old woman's face.

"Fuck you!"

It is enough to make her writhe in pain, giving Blue the opening to snatch the knife from her hand. With a wrecked cry, she stabs the old woman’s throat, then kicks her in the stomach just as the Greys reach them. Maman’s mouth lets out a final gurgling, blood-soaked cry, and Blue watches, panting hard, as the Greys grab her and tear their teeth into her torn neck.

"Maman!"

Pierre shouts, rushing over.

Blue bolts away from them, her soaked feet nearly slipping. She shoves a screaming woman out of her way near the door and bursts outside into the breaking dawn. That's when she hears more gunshots, clearer in the open air, and spots a distant plume of smoke. Without hesitation, she runs in that direction.

The first round of gunfire kicks up dirt at your heels before you can even react. Ghost yanks you into a sprint, pulling you away from the shed. Men pour through the barn’s back door, giving chase. Somewhere in the chaos, you hear Price’s voice barking orders, his gunfire answering theirs—but there’s no time to look over your shoulder. Ghost grips your elbow and drags you behind an old tractor, shoving you into cover as bullets whizz through the air.

The others tumble beside you, Price forcing Nereida's head low behind the large tire.

"There’s nowhere else to take cover," Kyle curses. He and Ghost peek over the tractor, firing off shots, but the sound of pounding boots grows closer. There are too many of them, and not enough time to stop their advance.

You swallow hard, heart pounding, and risk a quick glance around the tractor’s hood. The haystacks are right there, and you remember how dry they felt around your ankles when you covered the corpses. You grab Ghost by the wrist and pull your mouth to his ear so he can hear you.

"The hay is flammable—can you light it somehow?"

His jaw sets in understanding when your words register. He closes an eye and redirects his aim, instead firing rapidly at the base of one of the stacks. Stray sparks leap into the air, and for a moment, your stomach sinks when nothing happens. Then, the straw catches—one spark, then another, and the flames grow fast, swallowing vegetation along the ground. Thick, black smoke whips into the air.

"Il y a putain de feu!"

"Let's move!" Ghost shouts.

You're running again, using the distraction to your advantage, the veiled hood flying off your hair. The sudden silence in the gunfire gives you a moment to look around, and with a rush of terror, you realize that a sliver of sunlight has crept over the horizon. The sky above is no longer the pure black of night.

"Simon, we have to get to her!"

"Where's the chapel?"

"I don't know! I-I need to see the road to find it."

The farm stretches out in every direction, the lack of light making it hard to see anything far off. You stop for a moment, trying to orient yourself. Maybe if you could just—

Another shot hits the ground, close enough to feel the heat on your toes. You barely catch a glimpse of the men still chasing you before a cloud of smoke bursts from the ground. It’s not from the fire he started—it’s a smoke bomb, just like the one they used to disorient you the first time.

The smoke stings your eyes and lungs. You clamp your mouth shut to avoid breathing it in.

"Drop to the ground!" Ghost growls in your ear, loud enough to hear over the gunfire you can only hope is coming from Kyle and Price.

You obey, hitting the ground hard with his arm firm around your waist. He grips your dress, guiding you as you crawl through the smoke’s underbelly, where the air is clearer. Down here, you can see just enough to navigate forward, the blind gunfire whizzing harmlessly overhead. But as Ghost hauls you to your feet, a new panic grips you—you can no longer see the others.

"Where are they?"

Through the tears in your eyes, you can't make out anything past the smoke at your backs.

"Price can handle it. Come on."

For a brief second, you hesitate, torn between ensuring they’re alright and following him—but the encroaching sunrise makes the decision for you. There is nothing else you can do but keep running, hoping something will look familiar as you weave between nothing but stalks of wheat and the small homes. You’ve gained enough distance to escape their line of fire, and when you look back, the flames by the barn seem to have stopped swelling, but that is all you make out before something rams into your side.

"Femme pécheresse, regarde ce que tu as fait!"

The stray guard wrestles your body to the grass, a blade at your throat slicing a shallow welt into the skin, but he is ripped off you within seconds. Ghost breaks the man's neck, steals the pistol from his belt, then tosses it to you. He takes your free hand to help you up, and only as your finger smoothes over the trigger do you realize your other gun is gone.

He turns to keep moving, and part of you wants to sob in rage that you still don't know if you're even headed the right way. Then you see it—something in the grass. You grab his hand. "Look there. What is that?"

His gaze follows yours to the distinctive red stain embedded into the ground. Faint, but there. He leans down to touch it. "It's fresh."

"It could be hers, Simon," you urge.

He stalks forward, fingers hovering before pressing into a faint footprint. "It's her size. This way."

Blood smears lead you to the main road, and your chest tightens at the sight of the cars. This was the route through Fleurbaix. You recognize it. You scan both directions, spotting a white BMW in the distance—a flash of memory.

"I peed by that car. The chapel’s over there," you say, pointing to the stone roof barely visible ahead.

The sudden pierce of a scream confirms it.

Blue barely manages to get far before the sound of booted steps echoes behind her. She flits her head around in panic, ducking beneath the first car she sees and holding her breath. The distinct rustle of chains, accompanied by a snarl, unfurls her eyes. She glances up into the warped side mirror of another vehicle, catching sight of a cloaked figure. That man who'd helped Maman—Pierre—is looking around, one of the Greys in tow, its muzzle back on.

"Come out, petite fille. You cannot hide from a démon. Not when your smell is so strong."

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she uses the sleeve of her dress to soundlessly wipe her bloody cheek as if that might help but pitifully realizes her feet and arm are even worse. The movement causes her bare foot to dig into a sharp rock, and she bites her tongue hard to keep from crying out. The footsteps halt, then switch directions.

When the Grey lunges toward the car, Blue leaps out and runs blindly, adrenaline pushing past the dizziness. Pierre shouts and follows, the Grey leading him, its draw to flesh tracking her even as she tries to weave behind the rose bushes. Spotting a tree, she glances over her shoulder one last time before hugging the narrow trunk and using all her strength to climb. What’s usually easy becomes a struggle as pain shoots up her legs when her feet try to find purchase on the bark. Her grip slips, and she falls hard onto her back.

Before she can lift to her elbows, a frothy mouth leaps in front of her face. She screams, writhing beneath the muzzled Grey, as Pierre hovers over her. "You could have earned God's grace, but instead, you killed her." Bitterness laces his voice. "Maman would want you dead, no matter what form the offering takes."

Blue tries scrambling backward, but a boot steps on her freshly cut wrist, twisting around and effectively pinning her. She chokes on a sob, fingers trembling in the dirt below her. The man reaches down to unscrew the muzzle, and in this moment she prays to whatever stupid god there might be, that Ari was right, that being eaten fully is better than the infection from a mere bite.

She screws her eyes shut, bracing for the pain, but instead, her ears ring from a sharp sound. A weight crashes down on top of her, and when she opens her eyes, she wonders if she’s been drugged again. There, in her vision, is her father—his bare torso covered in blood and grime, his face contorted with rage as he shoves Pierre into the tree.

"Blue!"

It’s Twix. She shoves the Grey’s corpse off of Blue and scoops her into her arms. Blue freezes, unable to return the hug, her gaze fixed on her father as he rips a knife from his belt and stabs it into Pierre's hands, pinning them above his head to the bark.

When Pierre tries to kick him, Ghost shoots both his knees.

"Seigneur, s'il vous plaît, épargne-moi dans l'au-delà!"

The plea is choked off as Ghost rips the lower mandible free, the jagged bone tearing through flesh, leaving the tongue to flop uselessly, twitching and gasping for air. Twix's arms tighten around her, urging her to hide her eyes within her neck, but Blue keeps watching as Ghost snarls rabidly, finishing the kill by slamming the butt of his rifle into Pierre's skull, caving it in with a loud crack.

Only when he turns around, shoulders heaving, does she realize it’s truly him—and not a dream. He kneels on the ground, and Twix releases her into his chest, the solid feel of it absorbing the tremors that wrack through her limbs as she cries. Ghost cups the back of her hair, and despite the pained breath in his chest, he lifts her up, clutching her close. Her nose presses into his neck, struggling to breathe as she inhales the scent of him.

"D-daddy," she croaks.

"It's me, it's me."

"I-I'm alive."

Something raw pushes through his teeth. "Fuck—you're okay, baby girl. I'm here. I've got you. I've got you." His fingers tighten against her scalp. "Hold tight to me. I won't let you go this time."

"Sal... My child." "You're a pain in the ass—" "The turtle dove sings for you." "The turtle dove sings for you!" "Come feed on her pure flesh, and in return, bless us with more food for the winter and healthy babies for your new people." "A cut to make them feast!" "There's a fucking fire!" "Sinful woman, look what you've done!" "Come out, little girl. You cannot hide from a demon. Not when your smell is so strong." "Lord, please spare me in the afterlife!"

#simon ghost riley x you #simon riley x reader #ghost #simon ghost riley x reader #simon ghost riley #cod #zombie apocolypse au

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brbsoulnomming · 5 months ago

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Heart On Your Sleeve Part 10

-----

The town is a wreck, but there's still space for them at the hospital.

Nancy recognizes a few of the doctors - ones who know about the Upside Down - and they're all whisked away into two private rooms. One for Eddie, and one for Max.

Steve is stuck with Eddie. He hates thinking of it like that, because he wants to be with Eddie, but he wants to be with Max, too. He wants to prowl back and forth between them, like his presence will make any difference.

But Eddie's heart is still in his chest, and while the doctor had praised his quick thinking in helping his friend, it's too risky to have Eddie's heart far away from his body while he's healing.

So Steve's in the chair next to his bed, hooked up to the heart monitor and listening to the faint but steady sound of Eddie's heart as he feels it beat in his own chest.

Dustin and Robin go back and forth, one of them always with him and the other giving updates when they come to switch out.

It's Dustin in the chair next to his now, and he feels the echo of his own heart next to Dustin's, knows the kid must be feeling what he is - and probably a little bit of Eddie's, too.

Three hearts, all entwined. Robin could make something poetic from that, he thinks.

All he can do is let Dustin pillow his head on his shoulder, press his hand to his own chest and think come back to us.

Eddie's hand twitches.

Steve jolts up, reaching for it automatically.

“Steve?” Eddie asks, even though his eyes are closed and his expression hasn't changed. “Dustin?”

Dustin makes some kind of strangled noise, fumbling for Eddie's other hand. “Can he feel us?”

“I've got his heart, and you've got mine, so yeah, he has to, right?” Steve asks, aware he sounds a little desperate and not really caring.

“Come on, Eddie,” Dustin pleads. “You have to wake up, okay?”

Eddie wakes up.

—

“I should have died in there.”

Steve feels his jaw tense. “No, you shouldn't have.”

“No, I meant - doc says I would have died, if you hadn't taken my heart,” Eddie says.

Oh.

“I know,” Steve admits. “That's why I asked for it.”

Eddie exhales, long and slow. “Where'd you learn that?”

“Eighth grade science,” Steve replies, shooting a little grin at him.

Eddie gives a surprised little laugh. “Seriously?”

“Eh, kind of.” Steve considers for a moment. He's never talked about this with anyone, but - “My parents used to lock their hearts in a safe in my dad's study at night. When I was little, and I got upset at them leaving, they told me they put their hearts in there when they went on trips, too, and I had to stay behind to watch over them.”

Eddie looks at him, soft and tender. Steve'd think it was pity, if it wasn't for Eddie's heart in his chest. It's just sad, and a little angry.

“I told Mr. Clarke about that, and he said it was hogshit.”

Eddie snorts. “Mr. Clarke said hogshit?”

“Who's telling this story?” Steve retorts, then laughs when Eddie mimes zipping his lips closed and throwing away the key.

“It was hogshit,” Steve continues. “But then he told us that people could survive potentially fatal injuries with heart exchanges. Then, after Starcourt…”

He trails off, not sure how to say it.

“Robin told me a little,” Eddie admits. “That it was the Russians and the Upside Down, and you let yourself get caught to cover for Dustin and Erica. That you tried to draw attention away from her.”

Oh.

That makes him sound more heroic than the moment felt, but at least it also makes this easier.

“The Russian spies, they had this thing that could open your chest. They didn't believe I was telling the truth, so they took my heart out.”

Eddie reaches out to take his hand, squeezing it tight. There's a faint trickle of horror and guilt and affection, and he knows that Eddie's put it together with the changes in his heart.

“I healed a lot faster because we were doing heart exchanges,” he finishes. “So I figured it'd keep you safe.”

Eddie's grip on his hand tightens. “I really am sorry,” he mutters. “About last summer. After - after that, you needed a friend, and I just left.”

Steve licks his lips, considering his response for a moment, before he goes with honesty. “I had friends. I had Robin and the kids, and they were enough. I didn't really need anything else. But - I wanted you.”

Eddie looks at him, and Steve can feel - hesitation, uncertainty, does he really want me?

“Eddie,” Steve says, slow and thoughtful. “I don't want you because I'm lonely, or I have no one else. Maybe there was a part of that when it first started, but - I'm okay, I'm happy. I want you because of you, not just because I want anyone.”

Shock filters through Eddie so hard that Steve feels it like an almost physical blow.

His heart aches.

He doesn't have to ask if that's something that Eddie hasn't been told before - he knows it already.

“I'm not letting you go,” Steve tells him, only because Eddie's heart is still beating in his chest and he's confident it will be well received. “Not this time.”

“I can live with that,” Eddie says, only a little shaky.

—

Dustin takes a turn swapping hearts with Eddie, and Steve heads immediately for Max's room.

Lucas is there, sitting by her bed and holding her hand.

“Hey,” Steve says softly, pulling up a chair to sit next to him. “How's she doing?”

“Same,” Lucas says flatly. “But she's in there, I can feel it.”

“You can feel it?” Steve asks.

“We swapped before - before. Just in case. To give her another tether to the real world.”

Shit, that was a great idea. It gives him more hope, and he sags a little in his chair.

“Jesus, you kids are smart,” Steve says, impressed.

Lucas looks at him funny. “We learned that from you, Steve.”

He doesn't really think that's true, considering he learned it from them just as much, but he lets it be, just gripping the back of Lucas's neck and giving him a little squeeze.

Lucas unwinds, just a little bit, and Steve gets a better look at him - notices his swollen eye, his puffy jaw, and feels a cold surge of rage.

He waits for a moment to let the worst of it pass, then asks, “Swap?”

Lucas looks over at him, clearly hesitant.

“The three of us are kind of banged up,” Steve says. “Figure it can't hurt to have more heart power at work here.”

Lucas snorts. “Heart power?”

“Heart power,” Steve confirms, radiating as much confidence as possible.

He's not sure if it works, but Lucas does open his chest up and carefully pull out Max's heart. Steve's extra gentle as he swaps them, tucking her heart into his chest.

It's immediate, what Lucas was talking about. There's only the faintest sense of Max, and an equally faint sense of a fear and guilt and love that he recognizes as Lucas - the residual of what Max is feeling from him, he guesses. Even stranger is an echo he can feel of his own emotions - from him to Lucas to Max and back to him again, apparently.

“Huh,” he says, at the same time Lucas goes, “Woah.”

They sit there, together, and Steve must fall asleep at some point because the next thing he knows, there's the shifting of a chair as Lucas jumps up. Steve startles, only to see El and Will and Mike come flooding in. They sweep Lucas into a hug, and Steve watches them hold on, clinging and desperate.

Eventually, they peel apart, and El goes to Max's side, taking her hand. Her eyes close for a long while, then open again, looking sad.

“I can't reach her,” she whispers. “Not even with my powers back.”

“She's there, though, right? I can still feel her,” Lucas says.

El's brow furrows.

“Max and Lucas swapped before this happened,” Steve explains. “To keep her tethered here, so Vecna couldn't take her.”

Mike frowns. “Vecna?”

“One,” El says, which - okay, yeah, clearly there's a story there, but not the time. She holds her hands out to Lucas. “May I swap?”

Lucas looks over at Steve, and he takes Max's heart out and offers it to her.

“We figured the more helping, the better,” Lucas says.

El exchanges her heart for Max's, looking thoughtful. It's an even bigger rush, with El in the mix, and - even though Max's heart isn't in his chest anymore, he can feel the echo of her even more clearly.

Lucas sucks in a breath. “It's working,” he says. “She's stronger.”

“The more, the better,” El says thoughtfully.

“Eddie woke up from me and him and Dustin sharing,” Steve says, the realization coming over him. “I mean, it wasn't a real circle, but he was just regularly unconscious, not creepy wizard unconscious.”

El looks at Mike, who immediately turns on his heel and leaves. He comes back a few minutes later, with Dustin and Robin and Erica.

“We made Nancy and Jonathan and Argyle stay with Eddie,” Mike announces.

“Uh, yeah, do you want to tell us why?” Dustin asks.

El's eyes flash. “We're going to get Max back.”

Hearts change hands quicker than Steve can keep track of, but in the end, no one has their own heart in their chest. It's an avalanche of emotion that Steve can't make out - so much it’s almost overwhelming - until he feels something like a guiding hand, firm and insistent.

“Max,” El whispers.

Steve turns his thoughts completely on Max, focusing on her - on taking her to the arcade, on the skate park, on her hanging out in his kitchen as they cook dinner. One by one, everyone's emotions start to take focus - on how Max makes them feel, how much they care, how they need her here.

Max's eyes open.

—

They set up another rotation schedule, this time for Max, who looks a little shell shocked and overwhelmed by all the attention.

“Did you think we wouldn't do this for you?” Steve asks quietly when it's his turn, when Lucas and El are sleeping and it's just him and Max awake in her room.

She doesn't answer for a while, but he can feel her conflicted confusion and then unsteady acceptance.

“No,” she says after a while. “I knew you guys would.”

He breathes out, and they sit in silence for a bit.

“Did you read my letter?” she asks, purposefully not looking at him.

“Nah. You said it was just in case, and there wasn't going to be an in case. We weren't going to let Vecna have you.” He manages to keep his voice steady, though he knows she can feel the edge of the fear he'd had for her. “I wanted to hear what was in it from you.”

She makes a face, and he thinks she isn't going to tell him, but then she blurts out, “I said I wished you were my brother, not Billy.”

Oh.

His stomach drops out, and there's a rush of vertigo that leaves him breathless for a moment, but - not in a bad way.

He doesn't know how to respond to that, other than, “I am your brother.”

She scoffs. “It doesn't work like that.”

“Sure it does,” he counters, growing confident. “Billy was your brother just because of a piece of paper your parents signed, right?”

She frowns, finally looking at him again. “Yeah, I guess.”

“So what's stopping us?” He taps his chest, over where her heart beats. “We have each other's hearts. We'll always be family.”

Max looks away again, then, very quietly, says, “Okay.”

—

“Heard you call Max your sister when you were talking to the doctor earlier,” Eddie says.

Steve feels a little smile tug at his lips as he takes Eddie's hand. It grows when Eddie laces their fingers together.

“You know Dustin's going to throw a fit when he hears it, and insist that you were his brother first, right?” Eddie teases.

“Of course he is.” Steve rolls his eyes. “Welcome to my family. You sure you still want to stick around?”

He's joking, but Eddie's expression goes soft and contemplative.

“Welcome to your family, huh? You planning a proposal soon, big boy?” Eddie asks softly.

Steve's mouth goes dry. He thinks he should say something - anything - but nothing comes out.

“Swap?” Eddie asks, after a few minutes.

Steve's not sure if someone told him or if he figured it out himself, and part of him wants to ask Eddie if he's sure, but he decides to take Eddie at his word. He opens his chest up, holding out his heart.

Eddie copies him, and - it's his first real look at Eddie's heart. There's silver lines all over it, delicate scars mottling its surface, but it's almost as deep red as Steve's still is.

“Oh,” Steve breathes once Eddie's heart is safely tucked inside his chest again.

There's a love there so strong he almost doesn't know what to do with it - isn't sure if it's Eddie's or his for a moment before he realizes it's both of them feeding off each other.

“Yeah,” Eddie says quietly.

Steve lifts Eddie's hand up, presses a kiss to his knuckles. “I know what I want my future to look like,” Steve admits. “And I want you in it.”

Eddie swallows, and Steve can feel an edge of trepidation before it solidifies into something sharp and determined. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Steve asks.

“I'm sticking around, this time,” Eddie confirms. “For good.”

“Okay,” Steve agrees.

He knows it's a risk, but - right now, they're alone, and so he leans in to seal the promise their hearts are making with a kiss.

-----

And that's the final part for now! I do have a sequel planned down the road for what happens after they get out of the hospital, folding Eddie into the heart sharing and settling Eddie and Steve and Robin into a trio - I plan on using the tag "hearts out steddie" if anyone would like to follow it for when it comes out!

Thank you so much to everyone who commented, reblogged, liked, or otherwise interacted with this! Everyone's reactions were so amazing, and I really love reading your thoughts!!

Final taglist: @fairytalesreality @lostonceandneverfound @wheneverfeasible @awkwardgravity1 @theintrovertedintrovert @thewickedkat @ravenfrog @scarlet-malfoy @missmagillicuddy @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @ollyxar @cringe-culture-is-dead-99 @thedragonsaunt @makewavesandwar @cryptid-system @ajeff855 @mae-liz @the-fantastical-asexual @jettestar @warlordess @persnicketysquares @samsoble @my-love-of-books @mydysfunctionallife @dreamercec @holyangelstudentuniverse @breealtair @shunna @xtraordinarally @thatdamnfan @justalittledrainbamage @strangerfolks @disrespectedgoatman @amber-ambience @anxietyfulloption @thepossummoldypasta @irregular-child @th30ra3k3n @powdeeee @theohohmoment @5ammi90 @ominous-pool-light @beeeeeeeeeeeeeeens @rebellatlas @blackpanzy

#steddie #steve harrington #stranger things #eddie munson #steddie fic #robin buckley #dustin henderson #max mayfield #lucas sinclair #eleven hopper #steve and dustin #steve and dustin and eddie #steve and max #lumax #im not saying elumax but im also not NOT saying elumax #hearts out steddie

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kiame-sama · 7 months ago

Text

Humans Are Extinct (Yandere!TWST x Fem!Reader) Monster AU pt 6

(Quickly running out of Monster men drawings to use as my chapter pictures. May be a hot minute until I get the next chapter out since my laptop can barely stay conscious long enough to draw another one and I want to only use the monster AU versions of the characters for this series.)

Warnings; multiple yanderes, platonic yanderes, romantic yanderes, monster AU, eating Humans mentioned, more AU history, Cater is not having a very Cay-Cay day, food is an excellent way to bring groups together, Fauns, Satyrs, Kelpies, Crow Fae, Unicorns, Water Nymphs, vampire bats, dragons, cervitaurs, Raiju, Mermen, Cecaelia, Gnolls,

~~~~~~~~

Lunch finally rolled around and you were surprised that Ace and Deuce had actually taken Trey's words seriously and accompanied you to classes. Ace had loudly complained about his volunteering for a little bit but once he saw how many students actually took an interest in you, he stopped complaining and started viewing the task as a kind of important role only he could do. Naturally, Deuce was far less irate about the situation though there were times he almost came across as a punk when it came to others trying to harass you. Both had adjusted well to being around you and come lunch Deuce was actually taking pride in explaining things to you.

"-and that's what makes Fauns different from Satyrs."

"So Fauns are the nicer version of Satyrs?"

"For the most part. Satyrs are known for being loud and always wanting to fight-"

Ace cut Deuce off, shoving an uncooked carrot into the Faun's mouth to silence him. You had seen the two interact and you got the distinct feeling that the Faun and Satyr had more of a brotherly relationship with one another. Where they both had different personalities, when they did agree on something it was practically a law to them.

It was fascinating to hear that these monster men had similar names to the mythical creatures from your world and you wondered why such an overlap existed. Maybe the Humans from your world did interact with this world in the past, or maybe it was just a coincidence. Still, it seemed almost too close to be mere coincidence.

"Anyway, now that Dunce here is done talking-"

"You know my name is Deuce-"

"Like I said, now that Dunce is done talking, I have questions for you, (Y/n)."

You almost laughed at the back and forth banter of the two Goats- Faun and Satyr respectively- as their voices fumbled over one another. Truth was, you had been expecting far more questions than the few they threw at you between classes, so now was as good a time as any to ask.

"Okay, what do you want to know?"

"So, you don't have magic? Like, at all?"

"No magic whatsoever. Where I came from, magic is a myth and no creatures have magic."

"Okay. But how do Humans survive? No horns, no claws, nothing to protect themselves from bigger creatures."

"We make weapons. I know you all have bows, arrows, and knives, we have the same. Guns too, but I haven't seen any guns used here."

"Wait, what is a gun?"

"Basically an automatic bow that fires little pieces of metal using explosive powder that needs a spark which launches the metal through their target."

Ace seemed almost excited by your vague explanation of a gun, opening his mouth to ask you another question. His voice died in his throat as his gaze locked onto something behind you, prompting you to turn around to look at whatever it was that had unsettled Ace.

Standing not too far from you was the large figure of the Horse-man Trey. Ace told you he was a Kelpie, but you just couldn't make that connection seeing as he looked like a big white horse and not a water kelp-horse like Kelpies were supposed to be. He was clearly making good on his threat to check in as he approached you with a patient smile on his face.

"Hello (Y/n), have Heartslabyul's first-years been adequate guides for you today?"

"Yes. Grim doesn't even have to try half as hard to keep me safe now and I haven't been late to any of my classes other than the first one."

Trey gave a genuine smile at this, nodding his head as he was pleased to know his choice had been a good one. Seeing the centaur made you wonder about Cater and what may have become of the air-head student. In some ways, you worried asking would have a negative effect, but you were so curious you couldn't help but inquire about him.

"So... What happened to Cater?"

"He is being dealt with by the Headmage. He's lucky he isn't going to get expelled for what he did, but once the Headmage is done with his punishment, he's going to be turned over to Riddle."

"Is Riddle mad about all of this?"

"Well... I actually haven't told Riddle yet. He has a short fuse and isn't going to take Cater's actions well, especially since he asked both Cater and I to protect you if we happened across you. Odds are Cater is going to be collared and kicked out of his room for the foreseeable future."

This made you frown in contemplation at the prospect of the Red-haired student being punished too harshly. Though you were upset Cater took photos of you without asking and likely set several poachers on your trail, you didn't want harm to come to him. Sure, he was stupid and made a stupid choice, but he shouldn't be hurt or kicked out of his home for it.

"... If he is kicked out of his room, is there anywhere else he can go?"

"No. Riddle is very strict about rule-breakers being banned from the dorms so long as they have one of his collars on, and most other dorms aren't keen to house a student that isn't theirs. He's probably going to be sleeping in the Heartslabyul lake if Riddle doesn't ban him from there too."

The morality of the issue weighed on you and made you worry about the ditzy redhead. Though you didn't really trust Cater or his clearly impaired decision making skills, you still felt like he deserved basic decency despite his actions. You knew firsthand how the creatures that lived around campus were genuinely terrifying and dangerous, so you didn't want him thrown to the metaphorical or actual wolves.

"Can... can Cater stay in my dorm?"

Your question earned you several dubious looks from the Goats and Trey as if you had grown another head or said something unhinged. Even Grim had to pause his hesitant raw veggie medley- the only thing the cafeteria served today- to stare at you in surprise.

"You- you want Cater in your dorm? Why?"

"Well, it wasn't like he knew what he was doing was bad, and I don't think he should be left outside for his poor choice."

"(Y/n), do you realize how vicious poachers are in Twisted Wonderland? You will be hunted every moment of every day because Cater couldn't keep himself from posting you to that stupid Magicam app he is obsessed with. The second you are unguarded you will be attacked. The Headmage is even considering assigning Sam and Vargas to your dorm just to make sure poachers can't get in, or even moving you to Diasomnia so Malleus can protect you. I don't think you understand just how seriously we need to take your safety."

"I'm just a Human though, I'm not a princess or someone important. Why all the fuss?"

Your comment made Trey let out a long and exasperated sigh, his gaze leaving your confused form as he tried to keep in mind just how new you were to their world. Humans were never just Humans in Twisted Wonderland, and them simply dying out has made a far felt ripple in the history of every known species. For so long, so many species had adored and tried to protect Humans, but even they couldn't save the fragile species from the hunger so many magic users had for their very flesh.

Most things in the technological realm and cooking realm- pastries and phones included- only existed because Humans led the way to them being invented. Even now, technology has been mostly stagnant for over a hundred years with only the Shrouds having any aptitude as far as advancements were concerned. Trey himself had Humanity to thank for his family's bakery and the many cuisines local to the Queendom of Roses.

"(Y/n), Humans have never been 'just Humans' to us. Maybe to Sunset Savana, but never to the Queendom of Roses. Even Briar Valley had laws in place to protect your kind from everyone else. I get you may not understand it, but compared to most other species, Humans were better than most in the emotional and critical thinking department. It was Humans creating new inventions, coming up with unique ideas, and above all else, peacekeeping between the various species and races to the point they were called Beast-Tamers. Most wouldn't even speak to their Fae counterparts until Humans got the two to interact amicably."

You were somewhat surprised to hear all of this, having been under the impression that Humans were mainly pets to the other species. It was interesting to hear what Humans were credited for and that despite all they did to help, they were still hunted as food until extinction. The few from Savanaclaw you interacted with had been both sides of the spectrum of threatening you or being peaceful to you and it made you wonder just what kind of species were still keen to get a taste of your forbidden flesh.

"Honestly," Trey continued, "I wouldn't be surprised if several Kingdoms and Queendoms sent ambassadors to take you away from Night Raven for your own safety. I just know the international law makers are going to have a field day the moment it becomes common knowledge that you're here."

It made sense that Trey was stressed about this, you knew from your own home how aggressively endangered and near-extinct species had to be protected, but you still felt Cater shouldn't carry all the blame. If it wasn't Cater, it would have been someone else. Just because he was the fool to do it first didn't mean that others wouldn't have tried or succeeded in the same endeavor.

"Still, if he gets kicked out of the dorms tonight, will you at least tell him I will let him stay with me?"

"If you really want me to," he sighed heavily, "I guess I can tell Cater about your offer. I won't tell Riddle though, knowing how that Unicorn is, he will actually harm Cater for even thinking about taking shelter with you after what he's done."

~•§•~

"HE DID WHAT?!"

Riddle was beside himself with rage and even stomped his hooves against the marble floors of the Headmage's office, almost cracking the stone with his rage. Cater was trying to sink into his chair and hide from the Sophomore Housewarden who was beyond the point of furious with the water Nymph. Not only did he get a dressing-down from the Headmage, but he was going to be thrown at the mercy of his own Housewarden who was known for being an absolute hard-ass on rule breakers.

"It wasn't like I was trying to target her! I just-"

"SILENCE! YOU WILL SPEAK WHEN SPOKEN TO, CATER DIAMOND!"

The firm tone Riddle used made Cater shut his mouth and bow his head, trying to avoid upsetting the Unicorn further. There was no way he would be able to go back to his room at this rate and odds are he would be sleeping in the forest if Riddle had anything to say about it. Plus, he still had that essay to write for Trein that was due tomorrow.

"He apparently took a selfie with (Y/n) and posted it to Magicam with hashtags indicating she is Human. By the time I got him to delete the post, it had been downloaded several thousand times. Since then I have already received a call from the Royal Sword Academy Headmage to confirm a Human lives here now, and what we as the heads of our schools can do to protect her. No doubt representatives from Briar Valley and the Queendom of Roses have already been dispatched and will arrive on the island soon enough, not to mention how many poachers are likely on their way here as we speak."

Cater knew how upset Riddle was given the fact the Unicorn's horn was humming loudly with magic and the Unicorn himself was a bright red. Things really weren't coming up Cay-Cay today.

"OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!"

~•§•~

You felt a bit more comfortable with the school as a whole by the time classes had finished for the day. Practical Magical Theory was an interesting class, even if you really didn't have the faintest idea what they were talking about. According to Ace, you were lucky you didn't have Flight Class because there was a high chance you wouldn't be able to participate in the class itself. Still, you were happy to have a moment to let things settle down for a bit.

Ace and Deuce walked you to your dorm, but had been called to Heartslabyul by a quick text from Trey, leaving you alone in the dorm with Grim. Despite the beginning of the day being an absolute wash, the rest of the day hadn't been too bad. It was around this time you decided you may as well start on making some dinner. You could hear Grim's stomach growling already as you both went to the kitchen.

"Are you gonna make something good like you did for breakfast?"

"I'm going to try to."

"What are you gonna make?"

"Well, I was thinking we have the stuff here for a really nice soup-"

You were promptly cut off by the Kitchen door swinging open with a loud bang. Clearly, you were going to have to tell the professors or even the Headmage Crow about securing that side door given how it had already been used twice by others seeking to get into your dorm. Luckily for you, those that walked through the door had at least two familiar faces in the group.

"Sorry for interrupting," Lilia called out, happily making his way over to you in an almost bouncy gait, much like a bird hopping around, "hope you don't mind I brought Malleus, Silver, and Sebek too. I heard one of the Heartslabyul students blew the whistle on you being here in NRC. Figured you could use a bit of extra protection in case any poachers try their luck. Besides, the nest here is just as big as Malleus' nest in Diasomnia."

It was then Malleus spoke, his voice a deep rumble in his chest as he looked over you.

"They will not lay a hand upon my hoard without paying with their lives for such a transgression."

It was clear the Dragon was not happy with the events that took place and he seemed to be quite content claiming you as one of his Hoard. When Lilia explained it to you last night, apparently the moment Malleus decided he was adding someone to his Hoard, he became extremely attached to that person and would even become violent in their defense. Given the way others talked about him, he must have been a genuinely frightening and powerful person to command such fear and respect.

"... So does that mean I'm making soup for all of you or..?"

"If you don't mind. I certainly want another bite of your cooking, (Y/n)!"

Lilia took his perch back on the counter and swung his feet, seeming rather impish and almost childish in his behavior. You just shrugged and nodded, gathering enough ingredients to feed the group several times over. Your hope was that there would be some left over for you to take during lunches. As nice as it was to have raw foods once in a while, you'd rather your meals be cooked.

Grim clearly only trusted Lilia and sat next to the Bat to watch you bustle around the kitchen. He even let out a soft purr when Lilia began to pet his forehead and ears. Where you would have scolded them for sitting on the counter, it wasn't like you didn't have enough counter space already. Starting the broth and preparation was rather simple for you and it was clear those standing around you were keen to watch you prepare the soup.

"(Y/n)," Grim meowed, "where did you learn to do all this fancy stuff?"

"Humans usually cook their food. So I just learned while growing up. Of course there are some things you can have without cooking, like a sandwich or a fruit salad, but most big meals are better cooked. Now, that doesn't mean every Human can cook well, but most are good enough at it."

"So does that mean I can have more of the food you cook?"

"Like a bigger portion? No. But you will always get to have some of whatever I make, okay?"

Grim purred loudly at this, his face lighting up with an excited smile. Clearly the little creature was pleased with your arrangement even if it meant he had to go to boring classes with you. The food was absolutely worth it and he got to sleep in a mountain of pillows and blankets after a long day. It was all way better than the hole in the ground he occupied when he wasn't actively running for his life before he met you.

Once you got most of the soup started, you knew it just needed to be covered and cooked, listening idly to Lilia talk with the others about the events of breakfast and the Gnoll that invited himself in. It was when you finally got this moment that you took a good look at the other two visitors who were either Silver or Sebek, seeing as Lilia didn't point out who was who.

Much to your surprise, one of them reminded you of the Kelpie and Unicorn you had met earlier but he had an obvious three point antler rack attached to his head. His lower half was that of a reindeer and was fairly fluffy compared to the short coats of the Kelpie and Unicorn. Part of you wanted to test if he was as soft as he looked, but you figured it would not be considered appropriate to pet him.

The second new face was an almost canine like man with pale green hair that was slicked back and spiked up at the ends. His eyes were intense as was the apparent scowl that held his features, two sharply pointed dog ears atop his head. Bright yellow-green eyes tracked your every move and regarded you with as much curiosity as you regarded him. The similar medium length tail fur swayed lazily as his tail slowly began to wag when you looked at him.

The soup was beginning to smell rather good and it was clear four of the five others in the kitchen were taking note as they occasionally sniffed the air. Lilia, Grim, Silver, and Sebek were clearly keenly interested in the scent but it was Malleus' behavior that caught your attention. Instead of sniffing or lifting his nose as the others did, his forked tongue slowly slid from between his lips like a snake as if he were tasting the air. You almost laughed at the oddly reptile behavior before his gaze suddenly snapped to the door of the kitchen.

Standing in the doorway was a curious looking man that seemed to have fins on the sides of his head. His almost scaled skin had a kind of faint green tint to it with intense blue undertones, his eyes being two different colors with the right one being a pale gray and the left one being a bright gold. Atop his head were tousled blue-green locks with a singular black stripe that crossed over his forehead above his left eye.

"Oya, it seems I'm not the only one with culinary interests. Apologies for intruding, but the lovely smell drew me in. Would you mind telling me what it is you're making?"

You were surprised to see the almost Fish-like man despite how polite he was being with you. Instead of hopping in to defend you, Lilia looked at you for what you wanted to do with this interloper. Malleus seemed rather keen to rid you of this newcomer's presence but you held up a hand to stop him from acting. Part of you worried this new visitor was dangerous, but because he was wearing a school uniform you figured he was just another student.

"Soup?"

"... May I ask what kind?"

"Only if you tell me your name first and what you were doing around my dorm."

"Ah, forgive me. It seems in my haste to get to the heart of the matter, I forgot my manners. My name is Jade Leech, I'm the Vice-Housewarden of Octavinelle. I'm going to assume from your appearance you are the highly talked-of Human now living on campus. Azul informed us that you would be remaining here for the time being. As for what I was doing, I am rather interested in the foods that grow wild above water, so I was out gathering some mushrooms to sample."

He lifted the foraging bag that hung over his shoulder, showing you the contents within. He was right in that he had gathered up a fair few number of mushrooms and there were several that you actually recognized. You were no master of mushrooms- of course- but you still recognized a few species that were safe for you to eat, seeing several button mushrooms among the many gathered.

Those would be great in the soup you were making, and it was early enough that you could add them right in and they would cook just fine.

"Okay, Jade. I believe you were at least out gathering mushrooms which is innocent enough. I'm actually curious if you wanted to trade for some of those button mushrooms you have, they'd go great in the soup I'm making. In return I'll tell you about it and you can have some to eat if you'd like."

Jade actually seemed to brighten up at this, his smile becoming less strained and his expression smoothing from the stressed way his brows had been pulled together. It was almost as if he had been wanting to ask for some soup but was far too polite to actually inquire. He nodded and set his bag on the counter, letting you pick out the little rounded white mushrooms from the selection he gathered.

"I'm quite partial to the cuisines the different kingdoms have to offer. Rare as it can be to find those who are masters of their craft, I would still like to sample the meals above the ocean waves. I would be grateful for whatever knowledge you can share with me. It isn't every day that someone adept at cooking graces this school."

"Hey," Grim interrupted loudly as you set to dicing the mushrooms, "that's my Hooman you're talking to! She only cooks for me, but I'm kind enough to share with all of you. Don't forget it, got it?"

Jade gave a rather patient simper to your primary companion, resting his right hand over his heart in an almost polite gesture.

"But of course. I'm simply interested in learning to make such meals for myself. I'm certain Azul and Floyd would be keen to taste such a wonderful smelling dish."

This seemed to satisfy your little companion as he nodded with a pleased smile, watching you add the mushrooms to the rather large pot you decided to make the soup in. Thankfully it was a cauldron type pot made for cooking soups over firepits. The fire so dutifully warming your meal crackled pleasantly even as you stirred the bubbling mixture.

"Do you want to ask them to come over, Jade? I made way too much. Honestly, everyone here could all have a bowl, a second bowl, and I would still have enough soup for the rest of the week. I think I went a little overboard in the food department. Should have probably started with a smaller pot, but we're already this far..."

Jade seemed surprised at this, but nodded respectfully and pulled out his phone. You were curious just what Jade was as you really hadn't seen many fish-men during your day, but you weren't going to ask him. If he wanted to tell you what he was, that was his business. Didn't make you any less curious though.

"If you're certain? I'm sure Floyd will be thrilled to have something new to try. He doesn't like some mushrooms, but I don't believe he has tried the ones you've selected, and he certainly hasn't tried cooked mushrooms yet. Azul may try to heckle you into a deal, however. He is always looking for new ways to improve the Monstro Lounge."

"Yeah, of course I'm certain. I offered, didn't I?"

He nodded and began tapping away at his phone, but Lilia seemed rather keen to speak up. The Bat had been listening keenly to the conversation and felt he needed to make himself clear to the notoriously crafty student.

"If Azul threatens (Y/n) or tries to force her into a deal, we will have more than a few problems, understood?"

"He is aware. Believe it or not, those of us from the Coral Sea are actually quite fond of the legacy of Humans. Even Floyd has been babbling excitedly about meeting (Y/n) here."

"That's right, Humans were popular among the various merfolk kingdoms. You all even have a famous story involving the mermaid princess falling for a Human and joining him on land."

"Yes. She struck a deal with The Sea Witch to gain legs she could use to dance for the Human man she fell in love with, too bad the deal didn't hide her gills or fins though. Still, the Human loved her."

You listened to the conversation as you stirred the soup, glad that all of the flavors seemed to be coming together rather well despite the large amount of food you found yourself making. Judging from the conversation Lilia and Jade happened to be having, Jade was a Merman of some kind and apparently Mermen were one of the 'safe species' for Humans to interact with. Though you knew not to judge an individual by the species, it did put you at ease to know he was one of the safer ones.

It was as you were taste testing the soup that the door to the kitchen once again flew open as another visitor invited themselves in. It was offical now, four times proved it was far too easy to get into your dorm through that door. Maybe Lilia would be able to fix it for you, or Malleus seeing as Lilia said it was the Dragon who had mostly fixed up your current abode.

"(Y/n), you're an absolute angel! I thought I was going to have to sleep in the woods once Riddle temporarily banned me from Heartslabuyl! He won't even let me sleep in the lake even though I'm a Lake Water Nymph because of what happened. You believe me when I say I didn't mean to put you in danger, right?"

Cater had thrown himself at your feet, holding onto your legs as if he were some abandoned pet seeking shelter from a blizzard. Around his neck was a thick metal collar that extended out to the sides in black and red colors, forming a heart-shape that locked in the front with a golden and black padlock. He was careful not to get in the fire that was dutifully cooking your soup even as he groveled at your feet.

"O-oi! What's the big idea with everyone coming in that door? It's dangerous to leave that thing unlocked."

"That's what I'm saying! So much for protected and safe with that thing in here."

You couldn't help but slightly grin at Grim as he voiced your own concerns out loud. Lilia simply regarded the door, snapping his fingers to close it as a large metal bolt affixed itself to the door before clicking into place.

"There. Now it can't be thrown open anymore. But why is Cater here? Cater, when did Riddle collar you and why?"

Cater seemed to realize there were others standing around you as he suddenly straightened up, clearing his throat and taking several steps back from you. He tried to play off the desperate display he had just shown and was failing miserably. Cater looked much worse for wear than you remembered him being and you genuinely began to hope the Unicorn hadn't actually harmed the ditzy redhead.

"Well... I may have 'accidentally' posted a picture that told everyone that (Y/n) was a Human and was on NRC grounds, but I totes didn't realize it would put her in danger! Honestly!"

Lilia's bemused smile almost instantly fell away into a glare as he regarded the man standing by your side. You added a bit of salt to the soup as you wated, watching the thick broth bubble and roil with vegtables and diced meat. There were a lot of things you could do in that moment, but something told you it was best to let Lilia handle this situation.

"And what did you think was going to happen, Cater?"

"Tbh, I thought that I would just get a follower count boost and everything would be fine. The Headmage and Riddle sure made it clear I was wrong for thinking that. Lessons learned!"

"It only cost us the safety of the last Human left in Twisted Wonderland."

"I said I was sorry!"

Everyone except Cater seemed to be exceptionally upset as they all glared at him, making him duck behind you as if you were the best shield from their rage. You just let the tall student try and fail to escape the ire of the others. For once, a polite knock came at the kitchen door, breaking off the aggressive staredown taking place.

"Hey, why are we here, Azul?"

An almost sing-song voice hummed from somewhere on the other side of the door, prompting Jade to walk over and open the door for who you assumed to be the two he was talking about. In strode a rather lovely looking man with snow-white hair and shining mauve blue eyes hidden behind thin framed glasses. Around his face were lovely and intricate black markings that reminded you quite a bit of the tentacles of an octopus. Behind him lumbered a rather tall man who almost looked identical to Jade if not for the swapped eye color and slight difference in height.

"We're here because Jade told me there is a profitable venture to be had and I am not going to miss out on this chance to make the Human's acquaintance, Floyd."

The shorter one hummed in a smooth voice and you almost giggled at the rather fact-of-the-matter tone that the white haired one spoke with. You felt it was safe to assume the rather lovely man was Azul and the near identical to Jade fish-man walking with him was Floyd.

Floyd almost made a show of sniffing the air, following his nose to where you stood in front of the pot of soup, watching him curiously. Once his gaze fell on you a wide grin overtook the slight frown he had been pouting with. You could see the way his eyes trailed over your figure due to the bright yellow of his right eye highlighting his pupil as it darted up and down.

"Ne ne, what is such a cute little Shrimpy doing this far above the water? You're so small I just want to squeeze ya."

He took a single step towards you and this seemed to be enough for the two- Silver and Sebek- to suddenly intercept him with swords drawn, creating an 'X' that blocked the tall Merman from approaching further. It was more than a little surprising to see weapons suddenly drawn, but maybe you shouldn't be all that surprised. Lilia did say he came over to guard you again and even brought the others for the same purpose.

"Hey, I'm not gonna hurt them, I just want a little feel on if Shrimpy is as soft as they look!"

"Floyd, that's enough. She was polite enough to allow me to invite you and Azul over and she is quite the rare specimen, you can't threaten her so casually and expect those guarding her to not be upset."

"I didn't threaten, I just said I wanted a big ol' squeeze."

"Same difference where you are concerned."

"Eh, you're so boring sometimes, Jade. Anyway, what is Shrimpy making over there? Smells good~!"

You were stunned at the almost aggressive behavior from Floyd given how calm and level headed Jade had been thus far. Maybe it was just a quirk of Floyd's to be a little more hands on than others. It honestly made you glad to know your self-appointed guards took their task seriously as they still refused to let the large Merman near you. Speaking of your guards, Floyd didn't seem put off by their aggression in the slightest and almost seemed amused by them as if it were all one big game.

Tension was thick in the air as the almost aloof Floyd smiled at you, watching you grab several bowls and begin ladling out ten total servings. You were not really all that surprised when there was still more soup to go even after you filled enough bowls for yourself and the ever increasing number of guests.

Maybe you were right to make so much after all. Hopefully your surprise guests had all shown-

"Why is the door locked? Hey, Human, I smell food in there! I already ate all the Dandelions from this morning! Can I have some of whatever you're making? Please? I'm starving out here."

Peaking through the windows to the kitchen was a familiar grizzled muzzle of the Gnoll you had met that morning. Ruggie was staring with those unsettling bright blue eyes and you were unsure if you wanted to laugh or scream. You scolded yourself in the back of your mind, remembering that animals would often return to places if they were given food prior and no doubt the Hyena man sought to do the same.

"Should I let him in, (Y/n)?"

Lilia asked, eyeing the lock on the door as Ruggie began to loudly whine and cackle for attention. You just sighed and nodded, knowing the Hyena wasn't going to leave now that he knew there was food ready and waiting just inside.

"May as well."

The Gnoll was quick to enter once the door opened and he happily grabbed one of the ten bowls, immediately scarfing down the soup without even glancing at the now large group of men standing in your kitchen. You didn't bother offering a spoon to Ruggie as it was clear he didn't need or want one. Despite the odd group that had gathered under your roof- technically it was the school's roof, but now wasn't the time for semantics- they all seemed keen to dig in when you passed out the bowls.

Getting yourself a bowl- seeing as Ruggie had taken one of the ten- you were able to finally take in the meal of your labors. It wasn't half bad and those button mushrooms added just the right earthy flavor that really brought the soup together. All of your visitors clearly liked the soup as well and Grim was the first to ask for seconds.

"Miss (Y/n)! This is a fantastic meal! I don't think I've had such flavors in anything I've eaten before! I would only think a meal from my liege could possibly taste better!"

"Sebek," the white haired one interrupted the shouting one, "you don't need to yell at her."

"I'm talking at an adequate volume, Silver. You dare say this meal isn't divine?"

"That's not what I said at all."

Lilia giggled as the two odd characters argued, hopping off the counter to serve himself another helping of the plentiful soup. Despite the absolute lack of respect for your personal space they all seemed to share, you couldn't help but smile as well. The many men you had met were odd and so unique in many ways but none of them actually seemed all that bad once they relaxed and got talking.

Maybe these monsters weren't as monstrous as you thought when you first met them. Hopefully their worries of poachers would just prove to be worries, but you knew you weren't truly safe yet and anyone could be a threat if they genuinely wanted to be. You just hoped there wasn't another shoe waiting to drop on your peaceful evening.

~•§•~

"Trey?"

"Yes, Riddle?"

"Invite (Y/n) to tomorrow's Unbirthday party. It has become rather clear to me that no one can look after her the way the Queen demands, so I will step up and take on that task."

"Riddle..."

"She will be safe with me, I will do whatever it takes to ensure it."

#kiame-sama #yandere #x reader #yandere x reader #reader insert #tw yandere #yandere twst #yandere twisted wonderland #my monster au #twst monster au #Humans Are Extinct TWST AU

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moldycheezeit · 16 days ago

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Chapter 2

hi uh this took longer then it was supposed to because of my SAT testing and I'm having to study for my history STAAR (Texas state testing) then after that my finals so hopefully I survive.

Let's skip to a couple months later because I’m not writing all that. Also this isn't following the mcu nor the DC storyline.

You were currently in New York helping Tony with the gadgets he makes. Well that’s what you do part of the time the other part you hang around avengers tower. And currently you and a certain spider hero. who you see as an older brother, an annoying one but still a brother. Peter knew you saw him as such and he was proud of it. That he was the brother you chose HIM and not those stupid birds that were your so-called brothers. But ignoring that you were trying to make cookies. Damn do they look bad. “How do they look, peanut ?” Peter asked proudly. “I’m gonna be honest with you, you're terrible at getting the measurements right, I thought you were supposed to be smart.” You had replied while looking at the supposed cookie goop with disgust. “ Well damn screw you too I guess, maybe we can still save it…” Peter had said.

You might be wondering why you are here and does anyone know. Well after you won Tony gave you his card just in case you ever wanted to intern under him. With that he left, I mean he gave the other winners the same card, but you saw it as a great opportunity. So you unenrolled out for Gotham high. It was quite easy because You knew how to forage Bruce’s signature and It wasn’t as complicated as unenrolling out of a school like Gotham prep. Not like Bruce would notice anyways. Anyways, you took the internship and started staying in New York with Tony. while staying with him he started seeing you more like a daughter then an intern. Being around you made him feel more paternal but not in a normal way. Over time he realized he feels protective of you and never wants to let you go, and when I say never I mean NEVER. He doesn't understand how your family ignored and neglected you. You're the one of the best things that ever happened to him. Alright let's pretend we didn't see that and go back to the present. :)

“I mean if we add more flour we could probably save it.” You looked at Peter while saying. “But next time don't try to be stupid and wing it!” You had now started hitting him with the baking mitt that was next to you. “Hey stop that! it was an accident!” He tried to apologize while shielding his face from your rath. “What are you two doing?” The familiar voice of Tony had said. You turned to look at him and annoyingly said “Peter didn’t get the measurements right for the cookies we were supposed to be making but instead it turned into a gooey mess.” You were about to show him the bowl, but then you realized it was gone. “Hey where did it go?” You had started looking around we’re it just was. Peter had responded “oh I put it in the freezer to see if it would harden up so we could use it.” You couldn’t help but huff then look at Tony. “Do you need help with anything, because if not I’ll just go hang out in my room.” “Nah kid I’m fine right now” Tony said while smiling at you. With that you walked away. In the distance you hear your ‘brother’ yell “you’re just gonna leave me! Fine, I'll hang out with my friends then.”

You had gotten to the room Tony gave you. It had a desk, bookshelves, and had maps on the walls. You could never get why but you loved drawing them. It kinda helped you to decide to improve your gauntlet for communicating and basically having a gps. Ignoring all of it you decided to call Kidd, the guy who won 3rd place, because after the competition was over you two made good friends.(someone asked for this and I thought it would be cool, rip if I forget this) The call hadn’t been connected, then you remembered he said he had to get surgery for his arm today so he won’t be answering. He had told you something happened to his arm so they have to amputate it. That's basically the whole reason he built that robotic arm. Now sitting in silence you start thinking about your life currently. You got this amazing opportunity to work with Tony Stark and you can’t lie you see him more as a dad then you even saw Bruce. Instead of dealing with all your brothers who don’t like you, you have Peter who actually loves hanging out with you. While in your thoughts you didn't hear the door to your room open. Tony walks in and sits on your bed, and when you feel the dip in the bed you realize he’s in the room. You look at him and he starts speaking. “Hey peanut are you doing ok you seem kinda quiet lately.” “I’m ok it’s just been weird dealing with all these things I’ve never experienced before when I was in Gotham…” you had said quietly. Tony places his hand on your head and comforts you in his own way. After a long silence he starts talking. “I came here for another reason. I have a question for you bub and you can say yes or no I’ll be fine with it.” He takes in a deep breath as you wait for it with anticipation. “Do you wish to join the avengers..with the rise of villains I want to keep you safe and I feel like joining us would help you. You don’t have to do any missions. You can stay here and be like our tech girl, but I’ll also have you trained in case something comes up where you do need to fight.” But what you didn't know was that his real reason for it was to keep you near him so you couldn't leave. I mean why would you, you're his precious daughter after all. It was quiet for a moment and you had answered. “Yea, I’ll do it.”

“Tony, why is Natasha here?” “She’s going to teach you how to fight, or in other words self defense.” All three of you were in one of the towers' training rooms. You look at Nat as she smiles at you. “Alright I’ll leave you to it.” He says before he leaves. He already told Natasha not to hurt you too badly. Now why would he want his little peanut to get really hurt, no father would want that for their daughter. Nat turns to look at you and says ��alright let’s start off with the basics.”

You had been training with Natasha for a month now, and she’s taught you a good portion of what she knows. Currently she’s helping you defend yourself from an attacker with a knife. “ Let's start with how to fight against someone wielding a blade. (y/n) try attacking me.” You look down at the fake knife in your hand then back up at her.“ Are you sure?” she tells you “there's no need to hold back” “all right here I come” you say right before you run at her swinging the knife wildly. “When someone's waving a knife around, keep your distance. If they attack directly, plant one leg and use it to pivot and dodge, then grab their wrist and back at the same time and slam them to the ground.” She explains as she does the motions on you. (yes I did take this from the scene where gunhead is teaching uraraka how to fight (ᵕ—ᴗ—)) “ ow.. that kinda hurts.” “Well it's not supposed to feel good.” Natasha smiles at you as you get up from the floor. “Alright we’re done for today's training. You're doing good, peanut.” Upon hearing that you rush out of the room as fast as your sore body could carry you. As soon as you made it back to your room you laid on your bed, just laying there that's all. Not knowing there were cameras watching your every move. Your dear old man had put them in your room after he found out his big little obsession with you. But he doesn't watch you get changed or anything, he just wants to know what you're doing 24/7 to make sure you're safe. While laying on your bed you accidentally fell asleep. You know I wonder what's happening right now in Gotham?

The manor is quiet, it normally is but for the past few months it's been eerily quiet. Like there was supposed to be something there but it's not there. Currently Tim was walking around the manor looking for a place to possibly nap seeing as his room is filled with his tech and it’s all noisy. Then he came across a room that was slightly ajar. It was on the other side of the manor. When he opened it there was a bedroom, it was the same size as another guest room in the manor. But it looked like it was lived in at one point in time. The more he was in the room the more familiar it seemed. He felt as if he knew who once lived within these walls. That's when he stopped at the closet. Something tempted him to open it, so with his natural curiosity he did. What he found inside was old boxes, some filled with awards and medals while others filled with old clothes, pictures, and books. As he snooped through them he was surprised someone other than him had won all these awards and the family never noticed. On all the trophies he kept seeing the name (y/n). ‘Why did that name sound so familiar?’ he thought while moving to another box. This time it had some pictures. At first he saw a picture of a beautiful woman, Bruce's dead wife. He knows who she is by the many paintings of her in the manor, specifically the one in his office. The further he got in the box the more he saw pictures of this girl, who looks like a younger version of the woman in the pictures. As he picked up one picture and looked at it, he froze. It was the girl, who he presumes is (y/n), and recognizes her. It's an old picture from when she was much younger but he remembers her face a slight bit, but that's because every time he saw her it would be with discussed in his eyes. He doesn't remember why he would look at her that way. She never did anything wrong to him. She was just a little girl who wanted someone who loved her. It caused him to feel guilt in his heart. He had to fix this without the family knowing. He had to find (y/n) and fix this. And with that he took some of her things in a box he dumped out and headed to his room to find his little sister.

Hopefully you guys liked it (ㅅ´ ˘ `)

I’m sorry I made you wait so long. ૮(˶╥︿╥)ა

Taglist : @cxcilla @starslightzz @jackchanzzz @simpingpandas @galaxypurplerose @spqce-buns @peche4et3chocolat @ryuushou @moon0goddess @fanficloverlol @tinybrie @victoria1676 @r-u-s-s-i-a-h @lostsomewhereinthegarden @h-ib @xheri122 @0sunnyside01 @momentomoribitch @1abi @redsakura101 @mariadvorak @awawage @crazycaoticsimp @jsprien213 @vanessa-boo @alishii @xzmickeyzx @sirenetheblogger @bunniotomia

Omg so many of you guys ( ˶°ㅁ°) !!

Also guys does anyone know how to make a master list? I wanna make one so people don’t have to scroll through my post trying to look for stuff.

#batsis!reader #neglected reader #platonic batfam #tony stark x reader #yandere batfam #teen!reader #platonic #moldycheezeit #yandere tony stark #yandere peter parker

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frflyavenue · 29 days ago

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Under Your Touch - Chapter 1

Pairing: poly!Ateez x makeup artist!Reader (Fem!Reader)

Warnings: Implied childhood trauma/parental issues

Summary: Down on your luck, you pack up your things and move to Korea on an impulse. With no job and no money, you have no clue what your future could hold—until you’re scouted by two employees from a company you’ve never heard of, KQ Entertainment, looking for a new makeup artist. With the opportunity of a lifetime and the offer to work with a group named Ateez, maybe there’s hope for you after all. But what your future holds may be even more exciting than you expect.

Author’s Note: Hello everybody, and welcome to my new series, Under Your Touch! This is my first fic EVER, so please tell me what you think! I already have so much in store for you guys ;) —Planning to update with a new chapter every Sunday! Leave a note if you want to be added to the taglist for UYT~

Join me on ao3 @frflyavenue <3

WC: 5.1k

Without further ado~

Chapter 1: The Beginning

The chill of the Seoul winter air hits you immediately as you step out of your apartment, sending a chill down your spine as you turn to lock the door. It’s your first winter in Korea, and while you’ve loved the moderate weather of the summer and fall, the winter chill alone is making you reconsider your choice to pack up and live here. Or maybe it would, if you hadn’t finally scored a job.

You smile lightly to yourself at the thought. You moved here 8 months ago, just toward the end of spring, wanting to get far away from your home country to start afresh. On an impulse, you packed up two suitcases, the most you could carry on your own, and booked a flight to Korea. You found a reasonably priced studio apartment during your first night at a hotel in Seoul, and with the small amount of money you had, you signed the lease the next day. It really all happened too fast for your own good. You were panicked—you didn’t really think ahead. For a month you stayed in your apartment with basically no money and no job, desperately studying Korean and looking for jobs. And for a while, your only source of comfort was your art.

You’ve always loved art. You grew up with nothing much to do except go to school, come home, and draw, not the type to stay around your parents too long. You always stayed away from them, in fact. That’s the reason you’re here in the first place. But regardless, drawing got you through it all. It was your first love, the first time you felt that you could forget about everything else and immerse yourself in a different world entirely. And even when your parents and teachers scolded you for doodling on your papers instead of doing your schoolwork, you continued. It was everything to you, why care about school? Not that you were a bad kid—you did everything you possibly could to make your parents and teachers happy. But you drew the line at abandoning your art, no pun intended.

As you got older, that passion carried into makeup. Considering your artistic background, it came as no surprise to you that you had a knack for makeup, and in that month trying your best to survive in Korea, that’s all you did. Makeup, different styles and different techniques, over and over, just to pass the time.

Mastering the Korean idol makeup style was easy. As was mastering pretty much any style, all around the world, you name it. But particularly, maybe because you now live in Korea, you loved the modern Korean idol makeup styles. Truthfully, you knew nothing about Kpop aside from the music you had heard in passing through the streets of Seoul. Your knowledge ended there. But that didn’t stop you from practicing and mastering the makeup, putting your own spin on it based on techniques you had learned from practicing other styles.

Regardless, you weren’t any less surprised when two women approached you during your weekly trip to the grocery store, speaking in rapid Korean and smiling excitedly, pointing to your face. With your limited knowledge of Korean, you managed to pick up a few things: “Your makeup—I like it!” Unsure of what to do, you smiled politely and thanked them, turning to leave. But they quickly shook their heads, stopping you and typing something into a translating app.

‘Are you a makeup artist?’

You shook your head and smiled awkwardly. “No, sorry.” You responded in what you hoped was an understandable Korean accent. They continued typing, seeming more excited now.

‘We work for a K-pop entertainment company called KQ Entertainment. We would like you to train with us and show the company your skills so we could hire you as a makeup artist.’

It seemed too good to be true. You accepted their business cards, typed back to them in whatever app they had that you would give them a call, and went home. It took you a while to confirm that the whole thing wasn’t a scam, but when you did, you were ecstatic. You had just received the opportunity of a lifetime.

The next few months went by fast. You were given what you compared to a scholarship—a free pass to attend a small class on makeup techniques. All for free under their eyes, you learned how to adjust different styles to different face shapes, how to do hair, learned what products to use on different skin types, how to utilize colors to make features pop. You studied Korean and were immersed enough in the language to be able to communicate effectively, which was a plus. You studied color theory, something you knew from experience but were interested to learn technically. And you had fun. So much fun. You didn’t think it could get any better, even if you weren’t getting paid.

But six months later, during an observation from one of the higher ups in the stylist and makeup department, it did get better. They complimented you on your hard work and your abilities, saying that your work was some of the best they had ever seen. And on the spot, they gave you a job offer to work at KQ Entertainment as a personal makeup artist for one of their boy groups, Ateez. It seemed too good to be true. You? Really? You accepted the offer without hesitation, thanking them profusely for their opportunity, and you were sent home. That was two weeks ago. In the meantime, you researched as much as you could about this group, Ateez.

You learned that there are eight members: Park Seonghwa, Kim Hongjoong, Kang Yeosang, Jeong Yunho, Song Mingi, Choi San, Jung Wooyoung, and Choi Jongho. And all eight of them are possibly the most stunning men you have ever laid our eyes on. The perfect canvases. You were giddy at the thought. Your job description noted that you would be the personal makeup artist for Jung Wooyoung and Choi Jongho, the two youngest members. Jung Wooyoung is an incredible dancer, apparently known to be more energetic and lighthearted in nature. He has the visuals of a black cat, incredibly elegant and colder in appearance, though his personality is anything but. Choi Jongho is the youngest member and the lead singer of the group, and his voice is the most beautiful thing you have ever heard. You silently wished to yourself that you would get to hear him sing in person. He’s visually like a teddy bear, an adorable face with the sweetest smile you’ve ever seen. But it seems that his style is cool and simple, which you kept in mind.

Over the two weeks waiting for your paperwork to go through and finishing up interviews with their managers, you spent your time practicing. You drew models of their face shapes, testing out different styles on your drawing tablet and getting to know the curves and geometry of their faces while keeping in mind personal style and their group concept. All things considered, you would think that now, as you walk down the street in the freezing cold toward their makeup studio, that you would feel at least a little bit prepared.

False.

You’ve never been more nervous in your life.

While maybe you didn’t fangirl over the members like much of their fan base, this was your first proper job ever. Your Korean is nothing better than understandable at best, and while you’ve practiced with drawings, you’ve never actually done makeup on these two before. So even though what you’re doing today is nothing more than just a consultation with the two, you can’t stop the shaking in your hands, glad that you will be able to blame it on the cold. You need to do well today. Whether or not you really get the job depends on it.

No pressure.

It’s still dark out when you make it to the address the company sent you, an obscure studio in Seoul supposedly nearby to the Ateez dorms but still hidden from the public’s prying eyes. You check your phone. 6:45am. Perfect, 15 minutes early. You go to your contacts, calling Bae Hyerin, the agent you had been working with during this whole process.

“Good morning Hyerin-unnie! I’ve just arrived at the studio.” You call out into the phone, hoping your usually cheery tone overrides the shakiness in your voice.

“Ah, you’re early! One moment, I’ll let you in!” She hangs up, and you smile to yourself. Hyerin has been a lifeline since this whole ordeal began, possibly one of the sweetest people you’ve ever met. She’s two years older than you, and even though you haven’t known her long, she’s helped you like an older sister, standing up for you when others undermined your abilities or made snarky comments about your Korean, and always praising you for your hard work. You can’t help but feel some of your nervousness dissipate when she greets you at the door with an excited smile.

“Y/N-ah! Welcome!” She says happily, gently pulling you inside. “It’s freezing out, please come in!”

You obey, familiarly holding her arm while she gives you a brief tour of the studio. There’s a large space inside past the entrance with two spaces—one with a couch, some seating, a small fridge, and a TV, presumably an area for the members to relax or sleep while they wait. But you’re more interested in the other side, a slightly smaller space with clean tile floors and four neat stations, three of which are clearly occupied with various products and tools. The fourth is completely empty, with nothing but the vanity, a chair, one staple hair tools, and a large lit mirror. You nearly drool at the sight. Assuming all goes well, this station would be all yours. Hyerin seems to notice, and she ruffles your hair lovingly with a laugh. She lets you set your large makeup bag on the empty vanity, getting a few things set up before they arrive for their consultation.

You blow hot air onto your freezing hands, relieved to finally have a bit of time to yourself to prepare. Unpacking a few things onto the vanity, you count once again to make sure you haven’t missed anything. Their respective foundations and concealers—check. Clean brushes for each of them—check. Palettes—check. Respective lip products—check. Everything is still unopened.

Phew.

Ater reassuring yourself that, yes, you brought all of their hair products too, you relax a bit, taking a seat on the couch in the other side of the studio. Now there’s nothing to do but wait.

——————

It’s still quiet in the Ateez dorms when Wooyoung begrudgingly wakes up to his alarm. 6:00am. Gross. He sighs and manages to get himself out of bed, cringing as the cold air hits his torso while he desperately searches for a hoodie. He struggles to get it on as he trudges over to find Jongho, knowing the younger member probably snoozed his alarm.

Entering his room, he smiles affectionately at the younger man still laying comfortable in bed, his squishy face pressed against the pillow and his blankets pulled all of way up to his chin. The serene moment is interrupted quickly, however, as Wooyoung climbs onto Jongho’s bed, effectively laying on top of him and wriggling around in an affectionate attempt to wake him up. Jongho groans and turns onto his back, sending Wooyoung rolling of to the other side of the bed. Puffing his lips out in a pout, Wooyoung shakes Jongho’s shoulders in another attempt to wake him up, making him grumble outa string of curses before opening his eyes. “What?” He asks, annoyed.

Wooyoung sighs. “We have to get ready to leave. Another makeup artist consultation.” Jongho reciprocates a sigh. Last month, the makeup artist responsible for taking care of the two men’s hair and makeup quit unexpectedly, leaving the company in a desperate search for somebody to fill the position. Over the last few weeks, Jongho and Wooyoung had to wake up early countless times in order to meet with potential candidates for consultations, the company wanting only the best for their prized members. Unfortunately for the two men, their company is picky. Jongho has lost count of how many artists they’ve consulted with over the last few weeks, and he’s tired of waking up earlier than everybody else everyday just to meet with another candidate that ultimately gets rejected. He has no doubt that today wont be any different.

Wooyoung seems to be thinking the same thing, because he nods sympathetically while he slides off of the younger members bed. “I know. But we have no other choice. Get up and get ready, we have to leave in 45 minutes. If we’re lucky, we’ll find a good candidate soon and we won’t have to do this shit anymore.”

Jongho sighs, but complies, forcing himself awake.

Now showered and clean shaven, the two men meet with their manager outside of the dorms, greeting him and climbing in the back of his car with less than eager expressions.

“Who’s the candidate this time?” Wooyoung asks, not doing much to hide the bitterness in his tone.

Manager-nim buckles up and starts the familiar drive to the makeup studio, looking at the tired men in his rear-view mirror with a sympathetic expression. “It’s somebody new, no experience. She’s foreign, moved here less than a year ago from what I gathered, so she speaks little Korean.”

The two men sigh, tired. Out of respect they say nothing, but their thoughts are clear. Why are we wasting our time doing this again? Manager-nim seems to take notice, and he adds quietly, “Hyerin-ssi recommended her.”

Jongho’s eyebrows raise slightly, though his face is still skeptical. Hyerin is known for being rather harsh when it comes to perfecting makeup—its part of what makes her such a good leader. So if she were to recommend somebody so unqualified to even consult with the members… she must see potential there. Still skeptical, the two opt for saying nothing.

Wooyoung nudges Jongho’s shoulder, waking the poor, tired boy as the car pulls into the lot of the studio. Wooyoung, deciding to be optimistic, smiles as he exits the car, hissing through his teeth at the cold but giggling regardless. No point in making yourself any more miserable, is there? Jongho couldn’t care less about looking towards the bright side of things. He’s tired, cold, and pissed off, and quite frankly he doesn’t want to be here. His face only prolongs Wooyoung’s fit of giggles.

Entering the studio, Bae Hyerin greets the three at the door, taking their coats.

“Good morning! Thank you two for coming in so early.”

Wooyoung nods, less grumpy now that he’s woken up a bit. “Of course! We’re excited~” It isn’t a complete lie, he justifies to himself. Jongho says nothing.

Hyerin isn’t blind to the air of annoyance eminating from the two youngest members, but she decides not to mention it. “I’m excited for you guys to meet her, too! She worked as a student under the studio for a few months, but honestly there wasn’t much we could teach her that she didn’t know already. She’s amazing.”

The two blink, a bit surprised. It’s the first time they’ve ever heard Hyerin speak so highly about anybody. Wooyoung smiles, looking forward to this visit a little more now. “What’s her name?”

Hyerin smiles fondly. “Y/N. She’s foreign, but I’ve had no difficulty communicating with her. She’s really cute, I hope you guys like her. I sincerely want her on our team.”

Wooyoung laughs softly, a bit entertained by how fondly their usually strict coworker is speaking about this new candidate. “Are you sure you don’t just have a crush on her?” He asks teasingly, making Hyerin roll her eyes and playfully smack his shoulder.

”Hush.”

Jongho opens his mouth to speak, but is suddenly interrupted by the sound of a new voice calling out from the doorway.

“Unnie, I’m sorry but is there any water I can- …uhm…” You blink with your wide doe eyes as you meet the gaze of two stunning men standing in the entrance speaking with Hyerin, confused. Hyerin turns around and smiles sweetly at you, walking over and gently pulling you toward the two men. Unable to do anything else, you let her.

“Good timing, Y/N, our members just got here! Wooyoung, Jongho, this is Y/N, the makeup artist you will be consulting with today.”

——————

A bit flustered to be meeting them so unexpectedly, you just blink for a second with your pretty, flustered eyes, before remembering yourself. You bow deeply.

“I’m sorry, you surprised me. My name’s Y/N, I’ll be taking care of you two today.”

Wooyoung giggles softly, finding the whole situation rather endearing, and Jongho can’t help himself as he, too, smiles at the scene. You’re nothing short of adorable, with deer-like features and a welcoming closed-lipped smile. Your hair falls short around your shoulders, fluffy as it frames your face, though it doesn’t appear to be particularly styled. Your face is adorned in a subtle, natural makeup, not appearing to be much more than a simply base, natural eye makeup, and some pretty pink lip gloss, but Jongho notes to himself that it suits your face perfectly. Your outfit is also simple, a cream colored, tight-fit turtleneck sweater tucked into light-wash baggy jeans topped off with a simple brown leather belt. Nothing about your appearance is necessarily astounding, but your girl-nextdoor vibe leaves the two finding themselves admiring how pretty you are.

Nervous as you feel their eyes on you, you instinctively reach to hold Hyerin’s hand, making Wooyoung press his lips tight together in an attempt to suppress his sudden cuteness aggression. Jongho smiles after only a few seconds since your introduction, bowing in return. “Good morning, Y/N, my name is Jongho Choi.” He responds in English. You blush from the cute gesture, giggling in slight surprise. Picking up on it, Wooyoung does the same. “I’m Jung Wooyung. Or… Wooyoung Jung. Nice to meet you!”

You laugh softly, giving the two the opportunity to admire your smile, which they find equally as endearing as the rest of you. “Nice to meet you too. Jongho, Wooyoung.” You nod in each of their directions, making them laugh. You feel Hyerin squeeze your hand happily, and you return the squeeze. “Which of you would like to work with me first? I can give you two some time to relax before we start while I get set up. I know it’s early.” You say politely, this time in Korean. You take your time with each sentence, wanting to pronounce everything correctly.

“Me first!” Wooyoung replies eagerly, interrupting Jongho snaps his head to look at Wooyoung in protest. Wooyoung shut him down quickly, stating simply, “I’m older.”

You laugh lightheartedly, enjoying the scene. “Alright then, Wooyoung-ssi first. I’ll give you a few minutes to eat something and get settled in while I set up, yeah? Just let me know whenever you’re ready.” Both men nod and thank you politely as you turn to leave, silent for a moment.

As soon as you’re out of sight, Wooyoung whispers excitedly, laughing in spite of himself. “She is cute!’

Hyerin laughs. “I know, right?”

——————

You hum to yourself as you get Wooyoung’s makeup ready on the vacant vanity, looking over your drawings one more time for good measure while Wooyoung and Jongho laugh over a small breakfast in the other room. Convincing yourself that you know his daily makeup by heart, you turn to rehearsing different hairstyles in your head, knowing it’s your weak spot. Wooyoung usually uses this mouse… or was it the other one? No, he likes the coconut one, right. And he recently got his hair bleached, so use an extra strength heat protectant for good measure. You jump as Wooyoung suddenly appears behind you, tapping your shoulder with a bottle of water. You wince as your jaw clamps down and you bite the inside of your cheek, but smile as you turn around.

“You okay?” Wooyoung laughs, sorry to have scared you. “Here, you were asking for water earlier.”

“Ah, thank you!” You feel a bit relieved, suddenly remembering how dry your mouth is. “Sorry, I was in my own world for a moment. Ready?”

Wooyoung nods, and you smile up at him, pulling the chair out for him and gesturing for him to take a seat. He obliges, sitting down and letting you drape a light cape over his front to protect his clothes. You pump the chair up a few inches, steeling yourself with a few breaths. God, I’m dramatic. You think, exhaling in slight annoyance at how nervous you are. It’s really not that serious.

“Any specific styles you want for today?” You ask, unable to bear staying alone with your thoughts any longer.

Wooyoung thinks, blinking. “Mmm… cool… sexy style.” He replies with a hint of bravado, making you smile. He lifts his hands, pushing one side of his hair back. ”Maybe half slicked back hair like vintage American TV actors, you know? And for makeup just… simple. Handsome..”

You nod, relieved to know exactly the style he’s referring to. You smile, and, unable to handle feeling awkward, you mock a salute. “Aye aye, captain.”

Wooyoung laughs, his eyes a bit surprised, but he quickly shakes his head through fits of giggles. “No, I’m not the captain! That title is only for Hongjoong-hyung.”

You blink, a bit confused for a moment. Hongjoong. As in Kim Hongjoong, the leader of Ateez? Probably. Thank goodness you did at least a little research. “Ah, your leader is the captain? Apologies.” You reply smoothly, your doe eyes sparkling with humor.

Wooyoung nods, clasping his hands in his lap and smiling with intrigue. “Do you know anything about Ateez?” He asks, watching as you squeeze some sun cream onto the back of your hand.

You laugh awkwardly. “Only what I researched when I found out I would be consulting with you two today.” You admit, gently applying some of the sun cream onto his face with the pad of your ring finger. “Eight handsome members with a pirate concept working hard to bring badass stages all around the world.” You say simply, summing up what you know.

Wooyoung laughs, endeared by your description. “You think we’re handsome?” He finds himself asking, wanting to tease you.

You nod, humming affirmatively without hesitation as you blend the cream on his face. You make brief eye contact and smile cheekily before refocusing on his makeup, making him blush.

Well, that backfired, he thinks, cursing himself internally for his failed attempt at flustering you. “How old are you?” He asks suddenly, almost without thinking.

You smile. “I was born 1999.”

He blinks, suddenly excited. “Oh, we’re the same age! Shall we drop the honorifics?”

You meet eyes with him, equally surprised, before nodding eagerly. “Ah, I would like that.”

Conversation comes easy with Wooyoung from that moment onward, as you introduce yourselves and get more comfortable with joking around. Jongho observes with slight surprise from the lounge portion of the large space, taking note of every laugh and blush from Wooyoung at your occasional remarks. He smirks, capturing a picture of the moment and sending it in the Ateez group chat, wanting to tease his hyung. But as he looks closer at the photo, he gasps slightly, catching a glimpse of his completed makeup while you finish up his hair. It’s nothing special, just what appears to Wooyoung’s normal, daily makeup. But something about the harmony of his features looked different… it was the closest thing to perfection he’d ever seen. He looks up from his phone, squinting to try and see him from across the room as if to confirm what he’s seeing. Unfortunately for him, you turn the chair around almost as soon as he does so, done with Wooyoung’s hair and eagerly showing him the finished look in the mirror.

Wooyoung’s reaction is equally as surprised.

He gasps as he sees the job you’ve done, taken aback as he leans forward to look closer at his makeup. The base is so flawless it may as well be his skin, and he reaches up to poke his cheek as if to make sure it isn’t a filter. His eye makeup is minimal, but the product is placed perfectly to accentuate the sharpness of his eyes rather than change the shape, something makeup artists have done commonly in the past. His lips are done in a perfect color for his skin tone, with gloss placed subtly in places where it can only be seen when the light hits it at certain angles, sculpting his plump lips beautifully. Even his nose, one of his proudest features, is perfectly carved out, again accentuating the feature just enough for it to harmonize with everything else. It’s shocking, frankly.

You knot your hands together, fidgeting nervously. Mistakenly taking his silence for dissatisfaction, you bite the inside of your cheek and shuffle on your feet.] “Ah.. is there anything you would like me to change…?” You ask tentatively, worried you might cry if he doesn’t say something soon. He seems to notice, because he pries his eyes away from the mirror and turns to face you, excitedly grasping your hands.

“No… this is amazing. How did you even do this?” He asks, no sign of his usual teasing smile on his face—only sincere shock.

You blush, suddenly looking away, feeling shy and…relieved. “Ah, really? I’m glad you like it.” You say quietly, hoping he can’t feel the nervous tremble of your hands. If he notices, he doesn’t say anything.

He lets go, turning back to look at the makeup in the mirror again. “Jongho-yah, come here. Look.”

Jongho stands up, also eager to get a closer look. He gasps in the same way as Wooyoung, gripping Wooyoung’s chin and tilting his head side to side in admiration. “Handsome…”

Wooyoung nods, meeting Jongho’s gaze with wide eyes as he communicates silently what he’s thinking. Jongho’s eyes say the same thing.

You clear your throat nervously, checking the time. “I’m sorry, if you don’t mind, can I get started with Jongho-ssi? We only have 45 minutes before you have to leave to get ready for your next schedule.”

“Ah, sorry.” Wooyoung says, removing his cape and handing it to Jongho while he swaps positions with the younger man. “Go ahead~”

You nod in thanks, and get to work with Jongho, starting the process all over again.

By the time you’ve finished up with his makeup, turning him around to style his hair, he’s already as energetic as Wooyoung, laughing at almost every silly remark you make and rebutting with ease. Wooyoung notices, noting to himself how easily you manage to adjust to different member’s humor. For reasons unbeknownst to him, that thought makes his cheeks feel warm. You speak comfortably as you style his hair, this styling a bit cuter than Wooyoung’s, per Jongho’s request. It doesn’t take long before you’re done with his hair as well, and you gently pat his shoulder before turning the chair around so he can see the final result.

The two men’s reactions are no different this time. Again, his features are balanced perfectly, with lips a perfect shade of pink, super soft nose contour, and puppy eyes accentuated with bits of subtle sparkles Jongho has never worn before, though he can’t help but like them. It’s perfect.

Wooyoung is quick to run over and admire the work as well, unable to close his jaw as he looks it over. “Jongho-yah, I don’t think you’ve ever looked so good.” He says, a hint of teasing in his tone.

You shake your head, laughing. “His bare face is my favorite. Both of you are perfect canvases to work on, seriously. So handsome. All I do is make that handsomeness pop for the cameras.” You explain, wiping excess makeup off your hands with a wet wipe. “But I’m glad you both like it.”

Both of them blush, unable to say anything in response as you excuse yourself to go wash your hands, struggling with just the wipes. Now along, the boys can finally speak in private.

“Hyung…” Jongho says softly, his voice carrying a tone Wooyoung’s maybe heard only once or twice before. “She’s perfect, seriously.”

Wooyoung nods, agreeing with a hushed, but still undeniably excited tone. “And also she’s so-“

“Cute, right?” Hyerin interjects, walking in the room. The two nods unashamedly. Hyerin steps closer, admiring your work on their faces. “Perfect, as usual. To think she was so nervous she would mess up today…” She shakes her head, smiling proudly as you return. You chirp happily at seeing her and rush over, quick to hug her arm.

“You did a good job, Y/N. You managed to make these two sleepy fools look like idols.” She praises sweetly, making Jongho scoff playfully.

You laugh nervously, shaking your head. “Thank you, Unnie. I’m glad you like it.” You turn as you hear the chime of the front door’s bell, presumably their manager re-enter the building to pick the two members up. You let Hyerin go so she can bring them in, and you’re surprised to see a few new faces instead of their manager. Hyerin clears her throat.

“Y/N, these are the people I was telling you about that would observe your work. No need to be nervous, they’re just going to talk with the members for a bit and make some final decisions.” She winks, but your shoulders still tense slightly at her unspoken words.

They’re going to determine whether or not you get the job.

You feel a sudden poke on your hip and look down to see Jongho smiling. You let out a breath at his sweet thumbs up, smiling slightly in return and bowing your head in silent thanks.

“Y/N, why don’t you go ahead and head out for the day? You did well.” Hyerin interjects, her face sympathetic. You nod, quickly moving to clean up the vanity and pack everything back into your compactable makeup bag. You give a quick bow to Wooyoung and Jongho, grinning sweetly before turning around, quick to leave the building.

Wooyoung and Jongho look at each other and smile, silently crossing their fingers while their hair and makeup is being observed.

They like you.

…

Yeah, they like you a lot.

This fic belongs to @frflyavenue and nobody else—please do not steal this work or any other works by this author <3

Chapter 2

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sweetheartsofpanem · 28 days ago

Text

Without Needing to Say It - Soft Things Survive

Previous Part

sorry it took me so long to post another part y’all😔

warnings: refer to series masterlist

pairing(s): refer to series masterlist

word count: 4.17k

series masterlist | main masterlist

Peeta found the game in one of the old supply boxes they never got around to unpacking after the war. It smells faintly of dust and singed cardboard, has no rulebook, and instructions written in handwriting none of you recognize.

Naturally, it’s everyone’s favorite.

Katniss is already suspicious of it.

Peeta is treating it like a sacred relic.

You are half-asleep against Haymitch’s shoulder.

“Remind me,” he says dryly, drawing a crooked card from the center pile, “what’s the point of this game again?”

“To sow chaos,” Peeta answers, already mid-grin. “And allegedly build ‘emotional resilience.’”

Katniss makes a noise like she’s been personally offended by the concept. “It gave me a card that said I had to compliment the person I trust least.”

You raise an eyebrow. “And you chose Peeta?”

“I trust him too much,” she mutters, eyes narrowing. “It felt like a trap.”

Peeta pouts. “I did nothing!”

You blink at them. “Okay, but where are the rules?”

Haymitch shrugs. “Guess we’re making ‘em up.”

You’re tucked close into his side on Katniss and Peeta’s couch, legs curled under you, one of his arms stretched lazily behind you. Every now and then, his thumb brushes against your shoulder absentmindedly, like he doesn’t even notice he’s doing it.

You don’t call attention to it.

You just lean into him a little more.

And Peeta—because he’s Peeta—glances up from his absurdly idiotic bickering with Katniss and catches the way Haymitch looks at you.

Then he smiles to himself and says nothing.

Not yet.

Katniss draws a card, reads it, and immediately tosses it onto the table like it offended her personally.

“What?” Peeta leans over, trying to peek. “What does it say?”

Katniss scowls. “Says I have to sit with the person I’m emotionally closest to.”

You and Haymitch say “Peeta” at the same time.

“I want a different card,” she mutters.

“You don’t get a different card,” Peeta says, delighted. “The board demands emotional growth.”

Haymitch snorts. “We’re gonna be here all night.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” you murmur, nudging him with your elbow.

His fingers twitch where they rest against your shoulder. “You’re the one who insisted we come over.”

“And you came willingly.”

He hums. “For the cookies.”

Peeta beams. “Finally, someone appreciates my contributions.”

“You’re a menace,” Katniss mutters, begrudgingly sliding out of her seat and flopping into the cushion next to him.

“An emotionally available menace,” he corrects.

You roll your eyes. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

Peeta grins at you. “Relax, Pinecone.”

Haymitch pauses mid-sip of his drink. “Pinecone?”

You freeze.

Peeta’s smile widens.

“No,” you say, already bracing yourself. “Peeta—”

“Wait,” Haymitch says, turning to you. “That’s new. Why’s he calling you Pinecone?”

“I—” You stammer. “It’s nothing. Inside joke. Not important. Totally irrelevant to everything.”

Peeta is glowing.

Katniss glances between you and Peeta like she’s trying to calculate how fast this is about to go downhill.

Haymitch raises an eyebrow. “Honey.”

You scowl. “Do not call me honey while interrogating me about my secret shame.”

That’s when Peeta—traitor, snitch, former friend—claps his hands together and says, “She had a crisis. A whole dramatic spiral. Came over and said, and I quote, ‘I’ll fake my own death. I’ll move into the woods. Change my name to Pinecone.’”

Haymitch turns to you slowly.

You are beet red.

“I was overwhelmed,” you hiss.

“Overwhelmed by what?” he asks, eyes narrowing with far too much amusement.

You want the couch to eat you. “Feelings.”

Peeta is cackling.

Katniss is smirking.

Haymitch looks delighted. “You were going to run into the woods because you have feelings for me?”

“I—maybe. Shut up.”

“I kind of like it,” he says, biting back a grin. “Pinecone’s got a nice ring to it.”

“You’re never allowed to use that name.”

He leans closer, voice low. “You sure about that, Pinecone?”

You groan into your hands while Peeta looks like he might explode from joy.

Katniss takes a slow sip of tea. “This is the best game night we’ve ever had.”

“Okay, okay,” Peeta says, trying to recover from laughing. “It’s my turn.”

“You should be disqualified for emotional treason,” you mutter, still red.

Katniss snatches it from his hand and reads it aloud, “Name three things you’d bring into the woods if you had to survive alone for a week.”

She grins. “Oh, this one’s perfect.”

Peeta groans. “Oh no.”

You cross your arms. “Alright. Let’s hear it.”

Peeta sighs, counting off on his fingers. “Fine. A knife, a firestarter, and Haymitch.”

Haymitch raises an eyebrow, mildly amused. “What the hell would I be good for?”

“Morale,” Peeta says solemnly. “And sarcasm. Also, probably immune to bear attacks through sheer force of bitterness.”

Katniss snorts.

You nod, pretending to be thoughtful. “Solid choice. He’d glare at the wildlife until they felt too emotionally vulnerable to attack.”

“Damn right,” Haymitch mutters, leaning back smugly.

“My turn,” you say, drawing a card—and immediately blanch. “No.”

Katniss perks up. “What’s it say?”

“Nothing. It’s—no. I’m redrawing.”

“You absolutely are not,” Peeta says, lunging forward to snatch the card out of your hand. He reads it aloud with glee. “Do an impression of someone at the table.”

You groan. “Unfair.”

Haymitch grins. “You gonna do me, honey?”

Peeta chokes on his tea.

You cover your face again. “Why do I even speak.”

Katniss, calm as ever, says, “You walked into that one.”

Haymitch leans in, far too amused. “I’d like to see your impression. Go on. Give it a shot.”

You narrow your eyes at him. “Fine.”

You sit up straighter, put on your best scowl, and in your most gravelly voice, say, “Life’s a joke, kid, and I’m the punchline.”

Peeta nearly falls out of his chair.

Haymitch tries not to smile. He fails. “That’s not what I sound like.”

“It’s exactly what you sound like,” Katniss says flatly.

Haymitch shakes his head, still grinning. “Bunch of traitors.”

“You love us,” Peeta says, leaning back dramatically. “Admit it.”

Haymitch makes a vague hand gesture. “You’re tolerable.”

You glance up at him through your lashes. “Even me?”

He glances down at you—arm still draped behind you, fingers grazing your shoulder—and says, a little softer this time, “Especially you.”

That shuts you up.

It shuts everyone up.

Until Peeta—unbearable, shameless, Peeta—lets out a dreamy sigh. “And the award for Most Emotionally Charged Board Game Moment goes to…”

Katniss tosses a pillow at his face.

Peeta recovers from getting pelted in the face but only after pretending like he was just severely wounded during war. “Okay. Since we’re already off the rails—bonus round. Everyone goes around and says who they’d want with them in a zombie apocalypse.”

You blink. “Is that a real part of the game?”

“No,” Katniss says.

“Yes,” Peeta says at the same time.

Haymitch mutters, “I want the zombies.”

“Rude,” you say, nudging his leg with your foot. “You’d want me on your team, right?”

He gives you a slow once-over. “Can you outrun a zombie?”

You gasp. “Wow.”

“Answer the question, Pinecone.”

Peeta chokes on his own breath and has to curl over like he’s in physical pain from joy.

You glare at Haymitch. “Yes, I can outrun a zombie. Especially if they’re slow.”

Katniss hums. “Too bad. Our zombies would be runners.”

“Great,” you mutter. “Guess I’m doomed.”

Haymitch leans back and says, entirely too smug, “I’d still pick you.”

You freeze.

Peeta says, “Ugh,” like it physically wounded him.

Katniss narrows her eyes. “Wait, so you’d let the rest of us die?”

Haymitch shrugs. “I figure she’d be the only one who didn’t make fun of me if I screamed.”

“Oh, I’d mock you,” you say quickly.

“Relentlessly,” Peeta adds.

“But I’d do it while helping you fight off a horde,” you say, with mock sincerity.

Katniss reaches for the snack bowl. “You two are exhausting.”

“You’re just jealous,” Peeta says. “They’ve got coordinated apocalypse plans. What do we have?”

“A shared trauma bond and good aim,” Katniss says, deadpan.

Peeta grins. “We’re gonna be fine.”

You toss a handful of popcorn at them.

Haymitch sighs, mutters something about the sanctity of game night, and promptly eats a piece off his own shirt where it landed.

You stare at him. “Did you just—?”

“Waste not, want not.”

“You are feral.”

“You knew what you were getting into.”

Peeta points at you. “She absolutely did not.”

Katniss leans over and steals the card deck. “Alright. A few more rounds, then we stop before someone proposes.”

Everyone goes quiet.

Peeta looks at you.

You look at Haymitch.

Haymitch calmly takes a sip of his drink.

“…Right,” Katniss says, eyes narrowing. “Not touching that.”

Peeta leans forward, still grinning way too hard. “Okay, speed round. No hesitations. You get one question and everyone has to answer.”

“Is that even legal?” you ask.

“Illegal in five districts and a monastery,” Haymitch mutters.

Peeta ignores both of you. “First question—what’s your biggest irrational fear?”

“Bees,” Katniss answers without hesitation.

You blink. “Wait, really?”

“They don’t have a moral code.”

“That’s not even—”

“They’re chaos incarnate.”

You nod slowly. “Okay.”

Haymitch raises an eyebrow. “I’m terrified of silence being used as a strategic weapon.”

Peeta points. “That sounds targeted.”

You consider your answer. “…Accidentally sending someone the wrong letter and ruining their life.”

Everyone stares at you.

“That’s not irrational,” Peeta says. “That’s just deeply specific.”

You shrug. “I think about it a lot.”

Peeta grabs the next card. “What’s your go-to comfort meal?”

“Stew,” Katniss says.

“Cinnamon bread,” Peeta says with zero hesitation.

You smile softly. “Pasta with butter and garlic. The cheap kind. From childhood.”

Haymitch is quiet a second too long.

“…Cold toast with honey.”

You glance at him. “Why cold?”

He shrugs one shoulder. “That’s how it was when my ma made it. Used to think it was the worst thing. Then it was gone, and—” He stops. Shrugs again. “Guess it stuck.”

Your chest tugs, soft and aching.

Katniss doesn’t say anything.

Peeta looks like he wants to.

You reach up and brush your fingers against Haymitch’s arm where it rests along the back of the couch. Just once. A soft, barely-there touch.

He doesn’t look at you.

But after a second, his hand shifts slightly—fingertips grazing the top of your shoulder—and stays there.

The next few rounds pass in a blur of laughter and insults, Katniss bluffing like her life depends on it, Peeta stealing snacks from everyone’s bowl, you and Haymitch sniping at each other like a married couple.

Eventually, the cards dwindle.

The laughter softens.

The night sinks deeper.

Peeta glances at the clock and groans. “How is it already this late?”

Katniss is sprawled on the floor with a throw pillow under her head, perfectly content and not moving.

You stretch your legs out with a quiet hum. “Okay. I guess we should probably head out before one of us falls asleep right here.”

You slip your shoes on by the door, still warm from the laughter that lingers in the corners of the room. Haymitch reaches for your coat without a word, holding it out for you with a quiet sort of ease that makes your chest ache a little.

“Thanks,” you murmur as you slide your arms through the sleeves.

Peeta offers a lazy wave from the armchair. “Try not to fall in love on the walk home.”

You flip him off without turning around.

You hear Katniss snort behind you.

Haymitch just shakes his head and opens the door.

The air outside is cool, the kind that hints at autumn even though summer hasn’t quite loosened its grip. You step into it together, the door clicking softly behind you.

The walk is short but neither of you rush it.

Your hands brush once.

Then again.

And then he reaches over and threads his fingers through yours like it’s nothing.

No words. No pressure.

Just the familiar shape of him beside you. The stars overhead. The quiet rhythm of footsteps across soft grass and stone.

By the time you reach the porch, you almost forget where the walk ended and the comfort began.

He opens the door. Waits for you to step inside.

And when you do, you feel it settle again—that quiet, steady warmth you’ve come to crave more than anything.

Home.

Your cardigan’s draped over the back of his chair.

You haven’t moved in. Not technically. You still have your house. You still sleep there sometimes, especially if Katniss or Peeta stays over after dinner and Haymitch’s house is too quiet.

But most nights, you’re here.

You fall asleep tucked beneath his arm, forehead resting somewhere between his jaw and his shoulder. And when the dreams come—because they always do—you don’t let each other go.

When your past haunts you, he holds you without asking questions, rubbing slow circles into your back until your breathing evens out.

When his own past claws its way into his dreams, you wake to the sound of his breath catching in his throat and shift closer, hand at his chest, whispering soft reassurances into the dark until his grip on you loosens and his body remembers it’s safe.

You still haven’t said I love you.

But it’s in the way he pulls you back in even when he’s shaking. It’s in the way you don’t hesitate to climb into his lap and hold his face in your hands until he comes back to you.

It’s in the quiet. In the way you both stay.

In the way neither of you run anymore.

You toe off your shoes just inside the door, breathing in the familiar scent of his house—faint woodsmoke, something herbal, and whatever soap he uses that somehow always smells like comfort.

Haymitch hangs your coat on the hook next to his, then moves into the kitchen to pour a glass of water. He doesn’t ask if you want one—just brings two and sets one in your hand without comment.

You smile against the rim as you sip. “Thanks.”

He grunts, already halfway across the room flicking off lights as he goes. You follow behind, finishing your water, trailing him like you always do when it’s late and your body’s starting to forget how to hold tension.

When he reaches the stairs, he glances back once, waiting for you to catch up. You do without a word, bumping your shoulder against his just enough to make his lips twitch.

The bedroom is dim when you step inside, lit only by the low lamp near the bed. The sheets are still rumpled from earlier, and your heart does something dumb and fluttery at the sight of it—like the room knows you belong here now.

Haymitch disappears into the bathroom for a moment. You change into one of the soft shirts he keeps in your drawer—gray and worn thin with age, stretched a little from too many washings. You sit on the edge of the bed, curling your legs beneath you, and wait.

When he comes back, he’s shirtless again, and your brain short circuits for a second in the dim light.

You try not to stare.

You fail.

He raises an eyebrow, but says nothing.

You lie down before you have to answer for whatever expression just flashed across your face.

He slides into bed beside you a second later, warm and familiar, the quiet creak of the mattress almost a comfort in itself.

You shift onto your side.

And without a word, he slides an arm around your waist and pulls you close.

It’s not rushed.

It’s not even fully deliberate.

It’s just what you do now—fit together in the dark like something tried and trusted.

Your hand finds his on instinct. Fingers curling. Holding.

Neither of you says anything for a while.

And maybe you don’t need to.

Because in this house, in this bed, in this moment—you are home.

You stay like that for a long moment, his chest pressed warm against your back, your fingers laced together.

You feel his breath against the nape of your neck. Slow. Steady. Present.

Eventually, you whisper into the quiet, “You ever think we’d end up like this?”

He lets out a small breath that might be a laugh.

“Not exactly like this,” he murmurs. “Didn’t think anyone’d put up with me long enough.”

You hum. “Good thing I’m unusually patient.”

“Mm. Is that what we’re calling it now?”

You smile into the pillow. “Shut up.”

But his arm squeezes you just slightly. Like he heard what you really meant. Like he feels it too.

You shift, just enough to roll onto your back. He lets you move, doesn’t pull away, just adjusts to stay close. You turn your head toward him, and he’s already looking at you.

There’s nothing teasing in his face now. Just warmth. And something that looks dangerously close to awe.

You reach up, brushing your fingers against the soft edge of his hair. He leans into it without hesitation.

“I like you like this,” you whisper. “Quiet. Not pretending.”

His eyes search yours. “I like you like this too.”

You smile. “A mess?”

“Real,” he says simply. “Still showing up anyway.”

You don’t know what to say to that, so you lean in and press a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth.

He stills.

Then turns his head slightly—just enough.

Your lips meet again, slower this time. A little deeper. A little more certain.

It’s not rushed. It’s not hungry. It’s something quieter.

Like a promise.

His hand comes up to cradle your jaw, thumb brushing lightly against your cheekbone as he kisses you again. And again.

And again.

Each one softer than the last.

When you finally pull back, you’re close enough to feel his breath against your skin. His eyes are half-lidded, softer than you’ve ever seen them.

You whisper, “I’m really glad I didn’t change my name to Pinecone.”

That earns a real laugh—low and quiet and rough around the edges.

“You still could,” he says. “I’d find you.”

You grin. “Would you follow me into the woods?”

“Every damn day if I had to.”

And somehow, that’s the most romantic thing anyone’s ever said to you.

You shift again, tucking yourself against his chest, one arm across his middle, your face pressed against the curve of his shoulder.

His arm settles around you like it belongs there.

You feel his lips brush the top of your head.

And everything—everything—is quiet.

You don’t fall asleep.

Not yet.

You’re too warm. Too full. Too aware of the way his fingers are tracing gentle, absent-minded shapes along your back—barely there, like he doesn’t even know he’s doing it.

You shift slightly, just enough to look up at him again. “You’re not tired?”

He shakes his head a little. “Too much noise in my brain.”

You nod. “Same.”

He studies you for a second, then says softly, “You wanna talk about anything?”

You shrug against him. “Not really. Just like hearing your voice.”

That gets a huff of a laugh out of him. “You’re a menace.”

You grin. “You love it.”

He doesn’t answer right away.

But his hand stills for a second on your back, then resumes, slower now. “Yeah,” he says quietly. “I think I do.”

You look up again, but he’s staring at the ceiling like he didn’t just say that.

And your chest aches.

Not in a painful way.

In the way that says I could live in this.

You shift again, propping yourself up on one elbow beside him. His arm drops to rest around your waist like he can’t quite stop touching you even when you move.

“Hey,” you murmur.

He glances at you, and there’s something in his expression—tired, open, maybe a little overwhelmed—that makes your heart stutter.

You brush a knuckle gently along his jaw. “You’re allowed to say it, you know.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Say what?”

“That this is good,” you say. “That it’s okay to be happy.”

He exhales slowly. “It scares the hell out of me.”

“I know,” you say softly. “Me too.”

His eyes flick to yours.

“You’ve been through more than anyone should’ve had to,” you continue. “And maybe it still hurts. Maybe it always will. But you’re here. You’re still here. And that matters.”

For a second, you think maybe you’ve said too much.

But then he nods. Almost imperceptibly. “It does.”

You lie back down again, curling against his side, your head resting on his chest. You listen to the slow rhythm of his heart, one of your hands rubbing the scar on his collarbone.

“I like being here,” you whisper. “With you.”

He tilts his head just enough to brush his lips against your hair. “Good.”

You shift closer. “Maybe tomorrow we can sleep in. Make a lazy breakfast. Do nothing.”

He hums. “Sounds dangerous.”

You smile. “That’s a yes, then?”

“Might even let you make pancakes again.”

You feign shock. “You’d trust me with the stove again?”

He smirks. “Only if you promise not to burn down my house.”

“No promises.”

Another laugh, low and warm.

You breathe in deep, letting the moment settle, letting it stretch long and soft between you.

“You know,” you murmur, “for someone who once told me he wasn’t someone to count on… you’ve been showing up a hell of a lot.”

He’s quiet for a long time.

Then, so softly you almost miss it, “I didn’t think I had it in me.”

You tilt your face up toward his. “You always did. You just didn’t know where to put it.”

He meets your gaze, something raw in his expression, and doesn’t look away.

You reach up and trace your thumb lightly over his cheek. “You can put it here.”

He closes his eyes like the weight of that almost knocks the breath out of him.

But when he opens them again, he nods.

He kisses your forehead, slow and steady, like he’s planting something there.

Something that might grow.

You don’t say anything else after that.

You just stay close, wrapped in each other, the night stretching quiet and soft around you.

You can feel the way his breathing shifts every time you do, like he’s quietly adjusting to your rhythm, or maybe like he’s trying not to get used to it.

You lift your head slightly, just enough to glance up at him again. “Still not tired?”

He shrugs a little beneath you. “Not in a hurry to waste this.”

You smile, soft and lopsided. “This?”

He glances down at you, and for once, he doesn’t look away. “You. Here. Me not screwing it up.”

Your chest aches in that familiar, quiet way it always does when he says something like that.

So you kiss him.

Just a light press of your lips to his—soft, certain. A reassurance.

His hand finds your waist, warm and steady. He kisses you again, a little longer this time, a little more sure.

Then a third—gentler. Slower. Like he’s learning your shape by feel.

You pull back just far enough to murmur, “You’re not screwing it up.”

His thumb brushes your hip. “Give it time.”

You roll your eyes, then kiss the corner of his mouth. “You’re allowed to believe you’re good at this, you know.”

He snorts softly. “That’s a big ask.”

“Start small,” you whisper. “Like… maybe letting yourself be kissed.”

He hums, low in his throat. “Think I can manage that.”

So you do it again.

Another kiss, longer this time. You tilt your head and shift closer.

His other hand slides up to cup the back of your neck, and for a few breaths, it’s just that—your mouths pressed together, slow and unhurried, like time doesn’t matter as long as this keeps happening.

When you finally part, you don’t move far. You stay close, noses almost touching, your eyes barely open.

His voice is low. “You’re gonna kill me, honey.”

You smile. “I’m trying to keep you alive, actually.”

He huffs a breath, and it brushes your cheek. “Funny way of doing it.”

You press a kiss to the tip of his nose. “Still here, aren’t you?”

And his expression shifts—just slightly—but it’s enough to make your breath catch. Because for all the teasing, for all the sarcasm, there’s something devastatingly sincere in the way he looks at you right now.

Like he’s realizing something he doesn’t know how to say.

You don’t push it.

You just rest your forehead against his again, your fingers tucked against the side of his chest, your lips still tingling from every kiss.

Neither of you speaks.

But it’s all there anyway.

And when you kiss him one more time—just because you can—he lets out the quietest sigh, like maybe he’s finally letting himself believe he deserves this.

You stay like that.

For a long, long time.

Until your body finally relaxes into sleep.

Safe.

Held.

Loved.

Even if neither of you has said it yet.

Next Part

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jobean12-blog · 4 months ago

Note

You come home and see that babe got you a present. What's in the box?

The Perfect Gift

Pairing: Joel Miller x female reader

Word Count: 700 (exactly hehe)

Summary: Living in Jackson has given you as close to a normal life as you can get in the post apocalyptic world and Joel just makes it that much better.

Author's Note: Thank you my sweet Cia for sending such lovely thoughts my way! I was doing some yoga this morning and this idea hit me. I appreciate you always thinking of me! I hope you're having the best week and happiest holidays! HUGS and LOVE! ❤️Thank you all so much for reading! Much love always! ❤️❤️❤️Divider by the lovely @firefly-graphics thank you Daisy🥰

Warnings: Soft and sweet fluff

Pedro Pascal Character Masterlist

The world outside is muffled in a hush, every sound softened by the blanket of sparkling, cold snow. But inside, there’s only warmth.

A strong arm rests against the curve of your waist and calloused fingertips trace idle shapes on your soft skin. The steady rhythm of his breath is warm along your neck before his lips press delicate kisses down to your bare shoulder.

“Mornin’ darlin’,” he whispers, his voice still deep and rumbly with sleep.

You turn over, burying your face in his chest and mumbling, “good morning.”

He pulls you closer and kisses the top of your head.

“Ready to get up?” he chuckles.

“Is it still snowing?” you ask, keeping your face hidden.

He stirs slightly and after a short pause, quietly answers with a “yes.”

“Let’s stay in bed.”

“What about your present?” he murmurs.

At the mention of a gift, you blink open your eyes and reluctantly drag yourself from his warmth to meet his gaze.

“Gift?”

He nods with a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips. You run your fingers through his mussed hair, twirling a stray curl around your fingers before softly kissing him.

“Ok. I can get up for that.”

“I thought so,” he grins with a wink.

He starts to move but you cling to his biceps. “But I don’t want you to leave,” you pout.

“I don’t have to go far,” he says and sits up to reach into the small makeshift nightstand next to the bed.

He pulls out a package, wrapped simply in brown paper with some twine holding it together. He suddenly looks nervous, his expression wide eyed with worry and your eyebrows draw in.

“Joel?”

Without blinking he stares at you and sets it in your lap.

You give him one last curious glance and pull at the string. The paper opens and out falls one of his flannels, your favorite one.

Your face lights up in a smile and you hug it to your chest, letting the sheet fall from your shoulders, revealing more of your naked skin.

He reaches out to touch you. “Do you like it? I know it’s nothing new, but I know how much you love wearing them. Now this one is officially yours.”

Pressing the soft fabric to your chest you bring the collar to your nose with a deep inhale.

Sighing softly, you whisper, “it’s perfect Joel. I love it!”

You throw yourself into his arms and he helps you put it on, slowly and carefully closing each button but not without brushing his knuckles along your skin, sending a shiver of goosebumps down your spine.

“There,” he says, looking you over. “My perfectly wrapped present.”

You giggle and run your hands down the front. As you do you feel something hard in the front pocket. You stop and look up to find Joel smiling softly.

“Find something else?”

When you reach into the pocket your fingers close around something small and cool and then you pull out your hand in your palm rests a simple gold band.

Your eyes widen and you suck in a gasp.

He takes it from your hand and grabs your chin between his fingers, tilting your face up to his.

“Darlin’,” he starts, his voice gruff with emotion. “I was so lost before. But now that I have you, I need you. Not in the ways to survive, but in the ways that make life worth living. I was made and meant to look for you and wait for you and become yours forever…that is, if you’ll have me. Will you marry me?”

The tears fall freely down your cheeks, and you manage a “yes,” just before your arms wind around his neck and you pepper him with kisses. He takes the ring and with a gentleness that makes your breath catch he slips it onto your left ring finger.

“I love you.”

Your words are a whisper, and he takes your hand in his, lifting it to his lips to kiss across your knuckles, then your palm and finally your wrist before your hand opens to cradle his cheek.

“I love you more,” he answers, closing his eyes.

#joel miller x reader #joel miller #pedro pascal #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x you #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x y/n #joel miller imagine #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal x reader

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lovelyyandereaddictionpoint · 11 months ago

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Spoiled Brat Child Reader | Platonic Yandere Twisted Wonderland

“You can’t tell me what to do! You’re not my mom!”

It’s alarming for a child to be brought to a world completely different from their own

It’s just as alarming when that child is good at getting what they want

“Aren’t I generous–”

“This is it? What are you some poor old featherduster? Is this really all you can do for the child you practically abducted with your weirdo mirror ceremony un-believable.”

You fit right in at NRC

Stomping your foot and pointing your little gloved fingers

You have way too much ease when it comes to confronting your seniors

Already surviving and rumored to have started Overeblots

Gathering rows of thralls friends that take it upon themselves to be the big brothers you need try and instill some disciplines

And oddly enough the ones to do it first surprisingly are those at Scarabia

“Oh (Y/n)! Look at you in your little Scarabia clothes, it looks so good on you.”

“Hmph no it doesn’t I look poor. I wanna wear something else!”

“But you do look cute, promise!”

“I don’t care! Something else!”

“...(Y/n)...”

“Shut up you shouldn’t get to talk to me, servant!”

“(Y/N)!? Apologize!”

It’s really bad at first when rotations have you staying with them

Kalim like so many others is enamored by your cuteness and is usually at your whim

But the minute you take it too far with Jamil especially after his Overblot

Before the Overblot Jamil would just try to hypnotize you or play into your bossy attitude

He’s already watching an overgrown child so why not bratty one too

After his overblot though the guilt from endangering little you has him oddly quiet when you take your jabs at him too far

It’s Kalim who steps up

Doing something he didn’t even do when Jamil had plots to take over the dorm

Get Mad

“(Y/N) THIS IS ABSOLUTELY NOT OKAY! JAMIL DOES SO MUCH FOR YOU AND YOU ARE BEING SO UNGRATEFUL! YOU NEED TO APOLOGIZE NOW.”

The dorm is absolutely quiet

As you nervously shuffle your feet

The thing about being bratty and spoiled is that you almost never get corrected

Like ever

So when one of your most avid spoilers turns around to lay down the law

It’s surprising

So surprising you just might cry

“I….I….I…Waaahhahhhhh!!! I’sorry Jamil! Sorry! Sorry! I love you still! Sorry don’t be mad at me!”

Crying into Jamil’s jacket for an hour or two before you’re sleeping

Kalim is silently crying to himself as he’s certain you’ll never smile at him again

But he doesn’t plan to apologize either he doesn’t feel sorry for defending Jamil

He just hopes he can stand his ground

Jamil on the other hand is beyond amused

It doesn’t really hurt him when a child who stomps and whines about trivial things starts making fun of him

Even having just survived his Overblot he knows it’s nothing but hot air

He already knows you like him because despite being a 'servant' you’ll follow him around to tell him about something silly Grim did

But the way Kalim actually spoke some sense into you suprises him a lot

He was just going to quickly hypnotize you to listen when he glared at you

But this was so much better

It ended with you clinging to him promising you’ll behave and that you are grateful for him

“I really really really am, Jamil!”

“I know.”

“I really really really really am!”

“I know Habibi, sleep please.”

“Okay….only if you stay with me though.”

Come next morning you’ll shyly greet Kalim hiding behind Grim or Jamil

Until its time for you to draw something for him while you sit a little bit closer

“Here…”

“Oh uh thank you.”

“It’s…a picture of us…Me and carpet drew it to uh…apologize for misbehaving. Do you…forgive me?”

“......”

“Kalim?”

“Waahaahha! Oh (Y/n) you’re a sweet angel yes I do!”

Kalim’s unbelievably happy and Jamil is so so prideful

He is the one taking you hand-in-hand while you apologize for some of the more heinous things you’ve said or done

“I–er–well I…”

“Out with it, (Y/n).”

“O..okay. I’m sorry Ruggie for calling you poor.”

“Wow I didn’t think you’d ever do something like that. Are you sick?”

“I actually really like dandelions too…I tried one after I saw you trying it.”

“....(Y/n)! If you don’t mind being poor you can come home with me next break.”

“Really–”

“Ah-ah no you don’t.”

For this Crowely suddenly is much more willing to give the dorm a bit more leeway when it comes to taking care of you

But if the other dorms have anything to say about it that won’t be the case for long

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the-ancient-dragons · 9 months ago

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EXTRA OVERCOMPLICATED ICEWIIIIINGS

You know how it goes, Joy Ang is cool and I'm not yadda yadda move on.

Details and explanation below!

Otherwise, next week is the last Pyrrhian tribe: NightWings!!!! See you then!

More overcomplicated dragons.

If the RainWings are the design that destroys Joy's work the least, this one takes the original IceWings and tosses them out the window. Going into this design I knew it would be hard, but boy was I unprepared to get art block for 2 months because of it.

I eventually found my inspiration in the girdled, spiny, and horned lizards, They. Are. So. Freaking cool. If you think a crocodile skink is awesome, look up girdled lizards. Not as fancy with the eyeliner but they are SPIKY!

I fell in love in particular with the giant girdled lizard. I knew I wanted the scales of the IceWing to look rough and like they were made of actual ice or diamonds - or covered in frozen sleet and snow - and this lizard was basically perfect inspo for that. Also, blue spiny lizards. They are basically real life IceWings, full stop.

But even though I had perfect references to draw from, I still struggled with the head shape. I wanted them to feel like a reptilian polar bear, which is why I slightly blunted it, but I think I should have gone with a more angular shape instead. I can always change it later when I do their full-body.

I did have a very fun time with the horns, however. I wanted them to be a mix of narwhal teeth and icicles (yes, narwhal 'horns' are actually overgrown teeth. One tooth, usually, but sometimes they can have two!!). Before I get distracted I should explain how they grow: the scales at the base of the horn are constantly growing and essentially create the horn. That's what gives them their narwhal-like spirals.

I chose a similar approach to the neck spikes (untangling that mess was fun, let me tell you. Grids are very useful when doing many scales/spikes). At the base of each one you'll notice a scale forming it. On the back, I wanted to give a good side profile of the spikes. Technically, they are ever-growing, and need to be trimmed or sharpened constantly.

Now, as I was drawing them, I asked myself: why do IceWings need a mane of spikes?

A stupid question, you might wonder, but to me it's very important. Animals look the way they do for survival. So, while it's important visually for the ice theme, how could they be explained scientifically?

And then, when thinking of polar bears, I got my answer.

How the hell does a giant sparkly dragon hunt in the north? Seals would probably be part of their diet, but it's hard to sneak up on them if you're a ten ton reptilian flying creature, so I imagine they would tackle the problem like a polar bear would by waiting by a breathing hole and pouncing at the right moment. They already look like a frozen snowbank, so that part is easy.

But any hungry polar bear would be doing the same thing, and like a giant dragon, they would be waiting downwind of the breathing hole too. They wouldn't pose a threat to adult dragons or dragonets larger than them, but in real life polar bears are dangerous hunters and prey on humans. Why wouldn't it prey on a dragonet it thinks it can take on? Things in the WOF universe seem to be extra big (or scavengers/humans are tiny) so I think it would be a feasible for a desperate bear to hunt a dragon. They cannibalize, anyway, so going after another apex predator isn't out of the question. In this case, the horns and neck spikes would be a dragonet's saving grace, discouraging attacks from behind and especially on their necks. A bear's teeth could never get through their scales, but they could still crush their airways and choke them, and the spikes would keep them away from their necks and protect them from that fate. As they grow up, the neck spikes' length and strength could be used to determine a dragon's health and help them select good partners.

Finally, continuing with the bear theme: for the scales, I took inspiration from polar bear fur (which is actually hollow) to help design how IceWings preserve their body heat. In polar bears, its used to make them look white by reflecting the light of the sun, but in IceWings it could keep the cold out. Air pockets would create a barrier between them and the outside elements, and whatever gets in would meet their thick layer of fat that does the real warming. Yes, IceWings would be squishy, but you'd probably poke your eye out or stick permanently to their side a la tongue to cold metal pole.

Don't hug IceWings; they're very cold.

#wof #wings of fire #wof art #art #my art #digital art #icewing #wof icewing #wof fanart #Overcomplicating the WOF Tribes

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kyri45 · 7 months ago

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✨ShadowPeach Bio Parents Bio AU Q&A! 23/10✨

I'm LIVE on my TWITCH page drawing Spicynoodle! Come and say hi!

Welcome to the Q&A! A space where I can answer related or similar question about the Shadowpeach Bio Parents AU! If you submitted your ask anonimously, then you’ll have to check the whole post if it’s answered here, if it’s not, worry not! Your asks might have been used for a future comic or just in the queue~

Anonimo ha chiesto: Ok so your Bio parent AU (loving it so much by the way) takes place after season 5 right? I thought it would be cool if you touched on Monkey Kings issues with Mk using the circuit on him. I eat that stuff up. if its already going in a different direction then that's ok, just a suggestion.

Aww in the end I don't think I can fit this in the story. It's absolutely an amazing idea, and I had thought of adding it for so long, but in the end the final part of the story will go differently.

Anonimo ha chiesto: How do Wukong and Macaque react that they have two grandchildren?? (Kai and Nya)

Will probably die of emotions. The fact that that's both their son's son/daughter, and that's their nephew/niece. It would blow them away. I'll never have children, but they completely change your prespective.

@shadowpeachera ha chiesto: AGHHHHHH XIAOTIANS WEAPON IS SOOO COOOOLLL AND THE WAY YOUR SHOWED HIM MAKING IT AGHHHHHH SO GOOD HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO COME UP WITH THE DESIGN? THE COLOURS? THE EVERYTHING UGHH I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS COMIC AGHHH

I think I did a couple of sketches before the final design, but I went on pinterest quite a lot before to see some variations of magical staff

@beanspassin ha chiesto: Do you think Macaque and Wukong will ever find out about each other secretly checking the other out? Cause let’s face it, Wukong will get a MASSIVE ego boost when he finds out Macaque was staring at him. 🤭

I think Macaque can HEAR when Wukong is checking him out. Wukong probably would negate the fact that he's checking him out, bc my boy is just a mess of emotion

@tessthe-cheesecake ha chiesto: Hello! I just wanted to say I really love your Shadowpeach Bio Parent AU I just have two questions, one: how is MK handling four ears? I assume he doesn't like crowded places (if yes then me too bud me too) ok second question would MK ever go back to being Wukong's successor but in his own way instead? :)

I think MK doesn't want to be a successor bc he doesn't want to be the next Monkey King, but he still wants to be the Monkie Kid. Also, I think he might be starting to feel himself a little more like an heir then a successor

@minli-daughter-of-wukong ha chiesto: So, would you have changed MK’s weapon if you thought a staff wasn’t really his style anymore? Also how did you come up with the idea for the sunset staff and can you give tips on how to find the right kind of weapon you’d choose for a character? So this is so long lol

I aint real good with weapon/characters. This was my first time matching a weapon to a character to be honest. I wanted to create something that was similar to both Wukong's and Macaque's staff, but at the same time being something new. With a new color palette that could represent the kind of hero MK wants to be

@cavern-of-shenanigans ha chiesto: Ok ok ok this is kind of silly but MKs new staff kind of reminds me of a twirling baton So combined with Macaques showmanship and the scarf bit MK tied on, they could play around with it and do a joint shadow play/ribbon dance performance! Maybe add him into the hero warrior story? Nice mother son bonding activity because its cute

HA! true! they are performance duo!

@ashmeertheimp ha chiesto: Hi love your fan art, story,and art style! What if piggsy and Tang went on a long trip and lives in flower fruit Mountain

I don't think freenoodle could survive living so close to shadowpeach

@italian-wizarding-world ha chiesto: Duuude i love, Love, LOVE!!! your art, and your Mk, Wu and Mama it's just too sweet, just two question: 1 Why sunset and not dawn? is it because usually sunset are more impresive? or maybe the staff has two "forms" depending on him using more his shadow powers and if so can he change between them? 2 We need red son reaction to Mk essentially magical girl transformation even if it's just a sparkling staff, because i think it would be epic/hilarious. We need more moment about them and Mei lookin at how dumb both are

I liked sunset because in a way MK started more with Sun powers and he is now discovering more his Macaque side of powers, so he's approaching a little bit the shadows (so his journey was from day to slowly twilight)

Anonimo ha chiesto: Have you ever thought about drawing an adult MK? I love your drawing style, and I wanted to see what an adult MK would look like, as well as Mei and Red Son. Você já pensou em desenhar um MK adulto? Eu amo seu estilo de desenho, e eu queria ver como seria um MK adulto, assim como Mei e Red Son.(I'm Brazilian by the way and I love reading your Au)

Maybe in the future....?

Anonimo ha chiesto: I REALLY REALLY REALLY LOVE NO ..I ADORE YOUR DRAWINGS MAN!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ EVERY DAY I REREAD THE WHOLE LMK COMICS OF YOURS..!!!!!!❤️❤️ And hey l have a quition!!! What if mk interrupted wukong while his meditation and like wukong thinks he's in the past what is he gonna do when he see mac!?🌝❤️ Probably we will see a lot of hugs and kisses?🥹

Can you imagine since they are so cuddly even if they aren't together yet again in the AU, that because of this Macaque for a good moment DOESN'T notice the difference?

Anonimo ha chiesto: Can we get a character sheet for chiyou?

nope sorry, but he will come back no worry

Anonimo ha chiesto: Who else wants to see Pigsy and Tang show Monkey King and Macaque pictures of MK growing up?

Aww I think Wukong and Macaque would die from cuteness but at the same time feel a great remorse that they weren't there for their child when he was little. They are glad freenoodle was with them, but still, It's a big chunk of his life that they missed.

@itz-izzyart ha chiesto: So with the noise canceling headphones, does mk wear them so he (hopefully) doesn’t start hearing the past again or is it just something he wears to help him sleep at night?

Both. It helps him muffle the noise.

Anonimo ha chiesto: Would Wukong get ptsd if MK somehow got a circlet himself ?

He would probably loose all his immortalities rather than let MK have a circlet.

@loseranddummy ha chiesto: I have a ≈question≈ is Peng gonna be in your lmk bio parent comic by chance?

mmmm nope, sorry

@oddogoblino ha chiesto: Beeeeeg monke armmssss...meant for hug jail...

yessss..... and cudlleeeeeee...

Anonimo ha chiesto: :D was macaque grooming mk while they were waiting for the weapon to be forged

yup!

Anonimo ha chiesto: HI! Hope you're well and staying hydrated. Would we/could we see more Lilo and Stitch refs for your ShadowPeach bio parents au? I saw the last one and couldn't stop laughing. 😆 Maybe a beach scene or something?

I'll have to see the movie again and I'll see if new idea come in my mind

Anonimo ha chiesto: Have you ever thought about that because Macaque was gone from the living world for so long he doesn't know how use modern technology. Like Wukong's phone will go off when he isn't there and Macaque can't figure out how to get the stupid thing to be quiet

They are both gay boomers, your honor

Anonimo ha chiesto: In your shadowpeach au who is a morning person and who is a night owl Macaque or Wukong?

none of them. Wukong sleeps like 12 hours and Macaque like 5. (but now he's sleeping more thanks to Wukong but still wakes up earlier than Wukong)

#shadowpeach bio parents au #ask box #spicynoodle

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worfsbarmitzvah · 3 months ago

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in the coming weeks, months, and years PLEASE be mindful of posts that rile you up but include no useful or actionable information.

an example i just encountered on tiktok: “they’re banning these books!!!” who is banning them? what, exactly, do the bans entail (are they banned from being taught in schools, removed from school libraries, from public libraries, etc)? in what parts of the country? is this coming from school boards, local legislators, or somewhere else? what is the source of this information? am i supposed to be able to do something about this, or am i just supposed to get mad, leave an incredulous comment, and scroll on?

social media makes it easier than ever for people to feed off of fear and anger. misinformation spreads like wildfire online. BE DILIGENT. do not let people use your outrage to farm engagement. direct that energy toward action based on verifiable information. attend local government meetings. find a real-life community (even one that isn’t oriented toward activism — you will make connections that will be essential in the coming years whether your community is a volunteer group or a dnd campaign).

you are not obligated to complete the work, but you are not free to abandon it. getting worked up over posts feels righteous, and you think you’re gonna put that energy away to do Something with it later, but i know from experience that that doesn’t work. you overwhelm yourself with all the bad news and you keep doomscrolling.

here are some actions that make a difference:

get some rubber gloves and a trash bag, go for a short walk, and pick up all the litter you see.

donate to the aclu.

draw or write something. in times like this we need art.

call your local food bank and see if they’re looking for volunteers or donations.

this website lists various ways you can help undocumented people.

go to or contact your local public library and find out what groups, activities, and programs they have available. even if there’s nothing there for you, get a library card and use it regularly.

there is so much more you can do, but it will vary from place to place and person to person. my point is: find what you can do and do it rather than doomscrolling for four years straight.

remember to practice self-care. you cannot boil an empty kettle. tidy up your living space, take a bath or shower, do some stretches or jumping jacks or push-ups, take a few deep breaths.

if you are a minor right now, especially if you won’t be 18 before the next election, your job right now is to SURVIVE. that’s everybody’s job, but kids and teenagers especially. do not burn yourself out on despair before you ever get to cast a ballot. i know it’s terrifying right now. i was 12 on january 20, 2017. i know how you’re feeling. it won’t be easy and the you that you are in 2028 will not be the you that you are today. be good to your friends, do your best in school, and take care of your body and mind. that is your ONLY job. you might see kids your age doing activism, like kids my age saw greta thunberg and x gonzález during trump’s first term. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE THEM. you just have to keep yourself going. the future needs you.

again, whatever you do, DO NOT GIVE IN TO DESPAIR. do not give your attention and energy to people that just want your like and your outraged comment. save that energy for things that help heal the world.

#txt #tikkun olam #this is probably disjointed and rambly but i got so frustrated i had to rant on tumblr #and now i am going to get dressed and brush my teeth

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midnight-mourning · 23 days ago

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🐟Midnight's DCA MerMay🐟

It's that time again, but now it's for May! So let's just jump right into it;

Requests

I will have 16 slots available for requests. Length will be the same as previous events with 1000-2000 words allocated to each

Requests can be anything (again)! Just ask that they relate to mermaids/mermay in some way, be that directly or indirectly and of course DCA-related.

As most know I am an X reader writer, but as long as my general request rules are followed, I don't mind writing for ocs, canon, etc.

fair warning though for the above, I am not familar at all with TSAMS and if you DO have a specific au, I will do my BEST to be accurate but cannot guarentee beyond that

For those who don't know my rules, no nsfw (suggestive is fine!), and if you want something specific, be specific. Besides that, it's fair game, request what you want!

Potential Issues & Schedule

If there is overlap between request ideas, they will be combined in some manner of speaking (if possible). If needed, I will reach out to you about adjusting ideas or the likes, though I don't forsee this happening. This would occur if for example, someone wants gift shopping with Sun with their oc, and someone else wants the same thing with a reader-insert. Whoever requested second would be who I reach out to.

Requests will be posted starting on May 1st & ending on the 31st! I will likely post every other day, with the fic I'm writing suplementing in between ^^

I will be starting writing as soon as I get the first request, as I have a busy month or so prior to May SO, requests will be open from today (April 13th) until next week April 20th, or until I get 16 unique requests.

To keep things organized, please request in the comments of this post. This also helps to potentially keep from overlap in requests, as you'll be able to see what else has already been requested. If you request in my ask box or such it'll make things a bit more difficult, so please avoid that.

HOWEVER, there is one exception to the above, which is if you wish to request anonymously, which is completely fine to do! But please only request in my ask box if you want to be anonymous. If overlap happens in that case, then y'all may just get two responses with similar vibes on the same day (essentially a bonus lol)

Sharing & More

Please feel free to share this post around, and request if you want to! Once I hit 16 unique ones I'll reblog this post with the announcement that requests are closed, so make sure to double check they aren't closed already prior to requesting!

I'll also post updates every couple of days regarding the status of total requests as well ^_^

Everything related to this will be under the tag #MM dca MerMay

These should be uploaded to ao3 when posted here, so you'll be able to read there if you prefer!

Shout out to the artists and beta-readers helping out with this event! It's a big help and adds to the fun so very excited to get to cooking with these and see what y'all get up to with them ^^ (if you're interested in joining in on this here's a final call to reach out and I'll invite you to the discord server :D)

General update things from me

As I said in my update post I am, very busy, things have picked up in my research so I'm in crunch mode to get done asap so i can graduate

I've been writing tho! Several things I'm waiting to share until I clean them up a bit but once mermay gets started i don't forsee another dry spell for a bit at least

Been working on a bit of everything, CS and HS both sit at the back of my mind but I just haven't had the time to really sit down and write for them both given theyre more in-depth with plot and such, will be getting back to them once im able to though I promiseee

I'm down a thumb rn due to a run in with a mandolin (the cutting tool not the instrument) but I will survive! not being able to draw sucks tho >_<

Excited to see the requests, bye for now!

Tags for those who enjoy my writing (if you'd like added, just let me know!)

@scarletcowboy @beemyhuneybee @fishm0ther @deviouscrackers @elsajoyagent8 @luckyyyduckyyy @zenkaiankoku @jogimote @local-shrub @milosmantis @robinette-green @everlightreader @sinister-sincerely @starredeclipse @dangerva @juukai @crystalmagpie447 @mothgutz236 @lizyxml @divinit3a @amarynthian-chronicles @crystalfay @that-one-unknown-artist @rosescarletful @buzzy-bee @hazelthebat @nightriverart

#dca fandom #fnaf dca #fnaf sun #fnaf moon #dca fic #fnaf daycare attendant #sundrop #moondrop #MM dca mermay #writing requests #i forgot to post this yesterday like i said i would oops #to be fair #busy saturday #BUT it's here now #the story is coming along nicely #big things there #will make a formal post for it over the next couple of weeks and such probably

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feyhunter78 · 5 months ago

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Three Times Buck Wanted to Sleep with You (and the One Time He Did) Pt 2

Description: Weeks after drunk texting him, you get a call and much more from a very high and very honest Buck.

Part 1

“Y/N, my favorite girl, how are you doing this fine day? Don’t tell Maddie I said you’re my favorite she’ll be upset.” Buck says, his voice weirdly hushed but also loud at the same time.

You pull the phone away from your ear, double checking the time and pinching yourself to make sure you’re not dreaming.

“Hi Buck, I’m doing good, how about you?” You ask, slightly suspicious.

“I’m seeing pollen right now, and I saw this cat on the street that reminded me of you, and I just had to call you, it was so cute.”

You huff a laugh, and lean back in your green faux velvet armchair, your next patient isn’t due to show up for another half an hour, you’ve got time to entertain whatever this is. “That’s so sweet, but what do you mean you’re seeing pollen, is the count really high or something?”

“No, no like I’m seeing it, right in front of my eyes, and I think I’m hearing it too.”

Okay now you’re a little concerned.

“Buck, where are you, aren’t you working today?” You ask carefully, already sending a text to Athena asking if she’s anywhere near the station.

“Some convention center, there’s a bunch of tiny beauty queens here, tiniest ladies I’ve ever seen. Why wanna hang out?”

“Are—are you out in the field right now?”

“Yeah, but you know you can always come by, you’re my girl, I always want to see you. Plus, Eddie and Hen are here too, they said you should come hang out.”

His girl, his girl, his girl. He’s going to kill you, always telling you that you’re his best friend, dodging all your sober and drunk attempts at seduction, only to turn around and do this.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to come to the scene of an active emergency, plus I’ve got a patient soon.” You tell him, pulling your phone away again to read Athena’s text.

Athena: Yeah, I’ve got the three of them in my sights, looks like they’ve been dosed with something.

“Aw boo, ditch the kid, he’ll survive a missed therapy appointment I missed a ton as a kid.” Buck says, and you can hear Eddie booing in the background, though you’re pretty sure he has no idea what’s going on.

Y/N: Dosed???? With what????

“Okay um we’re gonna circle back to that comment but Buck, are you high right now?” You stand and begin to pace.

Athena: We have to arrest them; think you can rein Buck in?

Y/N: I’ll try

“High on life, on the sound of your voice, and maybe I put a bit too much pre workout in my shake this morning.” He draws out the “e” sound in maybe, and you try to ignore how you can hear him smiling through the phone.

“Come on, I’m serious.” You say, biting down on a manicured nail worriedly.

“I’m serious.” He mimics, then he gets loud again. “Whoa hey Athena, no fair, I’m talking to y/n.”

“Buck, just let Athena put you in handcuffs, it’s for your safety and the safety of others.” You say making your tone soothing, trying to lull him into doing what Athena says.

“Call me baby. Like you did in the bar when you wanted that guy to leave you alone, and maybe I will.” He says, his voice teasing and low.

He’s such a brat, you can’t believe you’re in love with him.

You can hear Athena groan in the background, and you sigh heavily; your face flushing even though you’re alone. “Buck, baby, will you please go quietly with Athena?”

“Will you come bail me out?” He counters.

“You’re not going to jail Buck.” Athena says, flatly.

“How about I come to the station after my next patient, and you just sit pretty waiting for me?”

“You know I’d wait forever for you sweetheart.” He purrs, and your stomach flips.

“You’re so sweet, now let Athena arrest you, I have to go.” You say quickly, trying not to scream.

“Okay, bye y/n.” He says, and you can hear Eddie and Hen chiming in as well.

You race over to the 118 after your last patient, tapping your nails on the steering wheel, worrying at your bottom lip. Your shoes click against the concrete of the floor, and you take the steps two at a time until you see him. He’s half slumped on the kitchen table, but he brightens when he sees you.

“Y/N!” He stands quickly, closing the distance between you, wrapping you in a bear hug and lifting you off the ground.

“Buck—put me down!” You laugh, clinging to him for balance.

“No, if I put you down, you’ll leave again.” He pouts, his large hands going to your thighs, holding you up, your legs wrapping around him in an extra effort to keep yourself steady.

It’s not even necessary, Buck’s arms aren’t even slightly straining under your weight, it’s like you weigh less than a bunch of grapes.

“I just got here, I'm not going anywhere.” You tell him, face burning hotter and hotter the longer he keeps you in his grip.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

He smiles, and your stupid heart skips a beat.

“Although you’re the one who ran out on me the other week.” You drawl, taking advantage of his diverted attention to draw circles on the nape of his neck with your nails.

“The other week?” Buck’s cheeks redden and he looks dazed, distracted, his hands squeezing your thighs every so often, an unconscious reflex or a side effect of the drugs? You’re not sure.

You bite your lip and Buck’s eyes drift to it. “My apartment? Before all the craziness and the countywide emergencies, I offered to make you breakfast, and you just bolted.”

“Oh yeah…” Buck says, as he carries you over to the couch, sitting down, keeping you in his lap. “Sorry about that, that was rude of me, huh?”

“A little bit.” You tell him, hoping no one comes upstairs, because Buck might not have any shame, but you sure do.

“Let me make it up to you.” He says, giving you the most puppy dog look you’ve ever seen.

“Buck you’re high, we can talk about this when you’re sober.” You tell him, moving to get off his lap.

He holds you fast, his large hands on your hips. “You said you wouldn’t leave.”

Yeah, you’re definitely gonna bring this up to him at a later date, he needs to talk to a professional about his abandonment issues.

“Buck I can’t just be straddling you in your place of work, it’s not appropriate.”

He pouts but lets you move to sit beside him, keeping his hands on your hips. “Fine, fine, but seriously y/n, I’ll make it up to you, anything, tell me what I have to do.”

Tell me you love me, tell me you want me, tell me I’m not crazy. You want to say it, he’s high as hell, he won’t remember, but it feels wrong, like you’d be taking advantage of him somehow.

“You don’t need to make it up to me, we’re friends, I shouldn’t have expected anything more.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, what do you mean?” Buck asks, his brows furrowed.

“We’re friends, you say it all the time, and I know I shouldn’t expect more than friend behavior from you, but sometimes I’m a little delusional.”

“And?”

“And?” Now it’s your turn to furrow your brows. “No and, that’s it.”

He shakes his head. “There’s always an and.”

“Fine, and I want more.”

“More friend stuff?” He asks, his thumbs slipping under the hem of your shirt seeking out your skin.

“More than friend behavior. But I know you don’t feel that way, and really, we shouldn’t even be having this conversation right now, you won’t even remember—”

Buck drags you back into his lap, and kisses you, his lips soft, melding with yours, intent on devouring you, and fuck you’ve wanted this for so long, but you can’t, he’s not in his right mind.

You break the kiss, and pull back, stomach flipping when his lips chase yours, giving you that puppy dog pout he wears so well.

There’s a heartbreaking uncertainty that flickers across his face. “I thought—?”

“No, no you’re right, you thought right, it’s just Buck, you’re high.” You stress, cupping his cheeks, swiping your thumbs back and forth along his cheekbones.

“Yeah y/n, I know.” He groans, “everyone keeps reminding me.”

“And just like how you told me no when I was drunk, I’m telling you no now.” You say firmly, undercutting it by booping his nose.

He wrinkles his nose in response, all uncertainty gone. “Fine, fine, you’re a good person y/n, kinda a tease, but it’s okay I still love you.”

You swallow hard and get off his lap. “Yeah, let’s see how you feel when you sober up.”

Eventually Maddie comes to pick Buck up and you head home, thoroughly wiped by the emotional rollercoaster you’ve been on. Falling asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow. You wake up the next day to a text from Buck.

Buck: Fully sober, I meant what I said, did you?

Y/N: Yeah I’ve actually been flirting with you for months now, so

Buck: I’ll be over in thirty sweetheart, and I’m bringing breakfast. No running out this time I promise

#meg's writing #evan buckley x reader #buck x reader #buck 911 #evan buck buckely #evan buckley x you #evan buckley x y/n #fox 911 #911 tv show #911 fanfic

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stellamarielu · 4 months ago

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your blog is sooooo fab!!! Can I request a Declan x reader set on a plane where Rupert is flirty with a girl between him and Declan not knowing she is secretly seeing Declan & when he gets jealous he drags her to the back of the plan to join the mile high club? (Idk if that’s a good request but it seemed good in my head so I hope it’s okay!)

good girl

declan o'hara x female reader

summary: when declan's had enough of watching rupert flirt with you, he decides to take matters into his own hands.

content: 18+, smut (are we shocked?), cursing, jealousy, unprotected sex, dirty talk, praise kink, airplane bathroom quickie!!

author's note: spoiler alert i got a little carried away with this request lol. this idea was just so juicy and yummy i had to. also i'm trying to go to paris with rupert and declan if you know what i mean. wink wink nudge nudge

—

Your palms were sweating as you anxiously awaited takeoff. You didn’t fly often, in fact you avoided it as much as you possibly could; however, your position as production assistant at venturer landed you a seat on a redeye to New York. You had agreed to join two of your bosses on the work trip not considering your extreme fear of flying and now you sat between them attempting to hide your trembling hands and racing thoughts. You bit the inside of your cheek as the flight attendants walked the aisles to clear for takeoff and felt the weight of Declan’s shoulder meet your own. Your eyes carefully looked in his direction and your nerves were instantly calmed by the gentle curl of his lips, his sweet smile and warm brown eyes always had a way of grounding you.

If it weren’t for Declan being seated next to you, you weren’t sure if you would survive the eight-hour flight. No one else knew, but the two of you had been somewhat inseparable recently. What started as wholesome conversations and innocent glances quickly turned into inappropriate touches and passionate rendezvous. Your relationship was a secret you were both determined to keep, which made situations like this so much more difficult.

The plane began moving and all you wanted to do was squeeze Declan’s hand and hide your head in his shoulder to keep the nerves at bay. You wanted to hide in the warmth of his touch and the sweet scent of his cologne but you couldn’t, not with Rupert Campbell-Black sitting directly on your right.

Their friendship wasn’t enough for Declan to confide in Rupert about his new relationship with you, so you had to keep a professional relationship with both of them for the weekend.

This was hard for two reasons. The first being your deep need to constantly be near Declan; to have your hands on him, your mouth on him, to feel him buried deep inside you, you were desperate for him. The second thing that made a professional relationship with your bosses difficult was Rupert’s continuous flirting.

This wasn’t new for Rupert. He was known for being a flirt, and boy did he love toying with you. He would go out of his way to pay you compliments or make innocently dirty remarks toward you. Nothing serious, just little things here and there, but it drove Declan mad. Sometimes you were convinced Rupert knew about your little secret and his flirting was just another way to mess with Declan and get under his skin, but you could never be sure.

As the plane gained speed you couldn’t stop your knee from bouncing- a nervous tick. Then suddenly a hand was on your thigh halting your movement.

“Darling, no need to be nervous” Rupert’s voice purred, his hand on your leg and a smirk on his face.

The contact wasn’t inherently sensual. For anyone else it would have been sweet or even friendly, but coming from Rupert, the touch was seeping with ulterior motives. His palm was gently resting just above your knee and the pad of his thumb was slowly drawing patterns into your skin. You were so distracted by the foreign touch on your thigh that you had hardly even noticed the plane was now lifted into the sky.

You fought the urge to look at Declan on your left knowing he was probably losing his shit right about now.

“See there. You’ve done it, good girl.” The smirk was still on Rupert’s lips as he winked playfully at you, taking his hand off your thigh with two quick pats.

You glared at Rupert, internally hoping he wasn’t planning on being this aggravating for the whole trip.

“Try to calm down a bit, it’s a long flight.” Rupert spoke, resting his head back on his seat and closing his eyes. You didn’t know how he did it, but Rupert always managed to have such a silken and seductive tone to his voice.

“Don’t be afraid to wake me if you need some help relaxing. You know, I’m quite an avid member of the mile high club.” His eyes just barely opened enough to peek at you from beneath his lids, a full-blown smile breaking onto his face.

“Rupert.” You say his name as an attempt to warn him to shut the fuck up, but you can barely get it out without laughing. His ridiculous attempts to flirt with you, while flattering, were now becoming a running joke between the two of you.

You’re rolling your eyes and jabbing at Rupert with your elbow when you catch Declan shift in the corner of your eye. You let your gaze wander over to the man in the aisle seat, he now had a book in his hands. Seeing his furrowed eyebrows and tensed shoulders had you guessing he wasn’t actually reading but was instead listening as Rupert tried to make a pass at you.

You slouch down in your seat praying that you can just sleep for the entirety of the flight.

You’re not sure how much time has passed since takeoff, maybe two or three hours. Your dream of sleeping the flight away was crushed when you realized it was nearly impossible to get comfortable in the middle seat. You had thought about leaning on Declan’s shoulder to help you doze off but he was deep in his book and had hardly even looked in your direction since Rupert’s little charade earlier. As for Rupert, he had been fast asleep for pretty much the entire flight so far. His body was leaned against the window, his chest rising and falling as he slept.

Declan’s eyes were tired and trained on his reading, his lips pouted slightly as he focused on the book in his hands. God, you wanted to kiss him. This was absolute torture, sitting next to him for this long and barely speaking a word to one another. You quickly took note of the other passengers in the plane, almost everyone within sight was sleeping. So you took the chance and without much thought you let your hand find Declan’s thigh. As soon as he felt your touch, his eyes were on yours.

Bingo.

You blinked slowly at him, and a minuscule smirk appeared on his face. After a minute of thought he leaned in so close that you could feel the warmth of his cheek on yours.

“Meet me in the bathroom.” His whisper was gruff.

It wasn’t a suggestion; it was a command.

Without so much as looking at you, he stood, leaving his book in the seat and walking toward the back of the plane.

You sat in shock for a few seconds. This was so out of character for him. Jesus it was even more out of character for you, now wet at the idea of it. Having sex in public like this. Being together in such a risky way. The notion of getting caught right under your noses. It was stupid, it was dangerous. You couldn't. And then you were.

You were up out of your seat, your legs carrying you to Declan. You let your eyes scan the rows as you walked. Everyone was sleeping or preoccupied and thus not paying you a bit of attention. Thank god.

You reached the bathroom swiveling your head once more to make sure no one was watching you make such a disgustingly risqué decision. Your head buzzed with anticipation as you opened the door just enough to slip in. You were instantly met with Declan’s broad chest. He was looking down at you, a devious grin playing on his lips. In half a second his arm reached behind you locking the door.

��I wasn’t sure if you’d join me.” His accent was thick, and his hand reached for your hair, twirling it between his fingertips.

“You told me to.” You respond sweetly keeping your voice low.

Declan hummed as the words left your mouth. Using his strength, he effortlessly spun your body so you were now pressed against the wall with him directly behind you.

“Good girl.”

He uses the words that were on Rupert’s tongue just a few hours ago and you can’t help but squirm under his touch.

Your bodies are wedged together in such a confined space that you’re sure he can feel the desire radiating off your skin.

“Does my good girl think it’s funny when someone else has his hands on her?”

His touch is needy as it roams your body.

“Because I don’t find it very funny.” He’s still whispering as his hands find the waistline of your pants, tugging them down just enough to get what he needs.

“I think infuriating might be a better word.” His voice is simultaneously rough and tender.

You can feel his hand come between your bodies as he wastes no time letting his fingers find your center. He hasn’t even slid a finger into you, but he groans in approval upon feeling the wetness pooling at your entrance. Then, just as fast as you felt the warmth of his touch near your heat, it was gone. You wanted to whine at the loss of contact, but your grief was replaced by excitement at the sound of Declan’s belt coming undone. After a split second of rustling, you felt the tip of his length meet the slick of your cunt, keeping it right at your opening withholding the satisfaction of feeling him fill you completely. He was teasing you like it was some sort of punishment. You could feel him throbbing and you knew he was enjoying himself, it had you biting your lip to keep from making an obscene noise.

Suddenly the full pressure of him hit you and he was stretching you, bottoming out in one swift thrust. Just as a squeal was ready to leave your lips Declan’s large hand reached up to cover your mouth.

“Shh, we wouldn’t want anyone to hear us, would we?” He’s condescendingly murmuring in your ear and you’re lazily shaking your head in agreeance, his hand keeping your mouth shut.

He began thrusting in and out of you. While the pace was slow, the power behind his movements had your legs trembling and your arousal swelling.

He moves his head closer to yours, his lips nearly kissing your ear.

“That’s my good girl.”

He hums the praise, and you practically buckle under the words.

He can feel your body react to him and he takes it as an opportunity to pick up the pace. His thrusts are deliciously timed and hitting all the right places making you melt further into his body. Your pathetic moans are being muffled by his hand.

“My good girl yeah? All mine.” His words are a low quiet groan, reflecting his own arousal.

You’re furiously nodding your head to appease him when you feel Declan’s other hand trail down the front of your body until it stops at your clit. The small circles he begins pressing into your bundle of nerves opposes the feral way he’s fucking into you from behind.

The thrill of the moment is catching up with you and your panting into the hand covering your mouth.

As your orgasm pools at your core threatening to burst, you clench around him causing Declan to let out a moan.

His slip up makes you smile, and you know he can feel your grin on his palm because he starts plunging into you relentlessly, hitting your walls in that place that makes you scream out in pleasure. But you don’t scream, you can’t. Instead, you allow Declan’s touch on your lips to keep your mouth shut and squeeze your eyes closed to focus on your release.

“You gonna be good and cum for me?”

Like a key to a door, Declan’s words unlock the pressure building inside you and your hand instinctually reaches up to stop yourself from moaning in pleasure, clutching at Declan’s hand that’s already over your mouth.

Just as you reach your peak you can feel Declan’s fingers fumbling at your clit and his thrusts are growing sloppy. You can hear his shallow breaths, and you reach your hand back to tug at his hair. Your fingers play with the dark curls, and you know it’s enough to send him over the edge. With a few more thrusts deep into your sopping core, he buries his face in the crook of your neck to keep his grunts from being heard.

He lets himself rest there for just a minute, hands caressing your body as you lean back into him. You’re both trying to regain composure through deep breaths and gentle touches before cleaning up and heading back into the sea of sleeping passengers.

“You go first, I’ll wait a bit and then go out.” His words are laced with amusement as he fastens his belt.

He’s glowing with pride as he places a quick kiss to your temple and pats your ass as you turn toward the door. You were like two teenagers, unable to keep their hands off each other. Never in your life did you think you would be the person having sex in an airplane bathroom, yet here you were- hair messy and knees weak from getting fucked against the wall of a lavatory.

“Smug bastard.” You whisper back at him through a smile as you open the door.

You creep your way back to your seat and your stomach turns at the sight in front of you.

A wide-awake Rupert Campbell-Black was sat comfortably awaiting your return. The shit eating grin plastered on his face was enough to tell you he was going to have a lot to say about this.

“Welcome back.” His voice was a poor excuse of a whisper as you find your spot next to him.

You’re avoiding eye contact and trying to hide the blush on your cheeks when you hear soft footsteps coming up the aisle.

“Ah Rupert, how’d you sleep?” Declan’s sliding into his seat next to you and peering over at Rupert as he speaks. His demeanor is calm and a bit playful unlike yours which is completely frazzled with a hint of humiliation.

Judging by the smirks on both of their faces you know Rupert knows where the two of you disappeared to, and you know Declan loves that he knows.

“Oh, just fine old pal.” Rupert’s tonguing his cheek to keep from chucking in enjoyment, his eyes darting between you and Declan.

“Okay both of you just shut up.” You finally huff out in defeat covering your face with your hands. You could hear Rupert’s soft laugh and feel Declan’s reassuring touch on your leg. This was bound to be the longest flight of your life.

masterlist

#declan o'hara x reader #declan o'hara #declan o’hara smut #rivals fanfiction #rivals #rivals x reader #rupert campbell black #rupert campbell black x reader #declan o’hara fanfiction #mile high #jealousy

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