#and I guess it's handy to have it as a way to get books on the top floor

[victorluvsalice]

We've hit Fall Thursday in the Chill Valicer Save today, and you know what that means -- Harvestfest! And they had a FREAKING BUSY Harvestfest, let me tell you -- if I counted correctly, this update has NINETY PICTURES in total. Yeah, uh, it's actually a pretty good thing that we can upload more than ten to a post now, isn't it? O.O

Anyway! Morning started off pretty tamely and typically -- Smiler, freshly retraited after the end of the last episode, took Shadow out on a nice walk, while Alice went upstairs to gather inspiration from their fish and then start a new book (a motivational book called "Solving Your Problems With Trains" ;) ) and Victor woke from sleep and got right on studying his Nimble Mind and Emotional Stability potion tomes. I do think it's very cool how higher-level spellcasters have the books float in front of them like that. . . Anyway, Victor discovered three things from all that reading -- the recipe for the Nimble Mind potion (requires parsley and a spotted dirt frog -- figured even if Smiler didn't have that in their collection, they could breed it eventually); the recipe for the Emotional Stability potion (requires a potato and obtanium -- again, even if Alice didn't have that in her metal collection, she could dig it up eventually); and --

The fact that the fossil display shelves made by @somecreativecc ALSO FUNCTION AS A BOOKCASE. O.o Uh, SomeCreative, was -- was that intentional? I'm not COMPLAINING, I just find it a touch bizarre? *shakehead* So, yeah, Victor's tomes went in there with the fossils once he was done with them and gotten his magical "free samples." *shrug* Like I said, not complaining, just -- slightly confused.

Now -- while all this was going on, I was also checking both Shadow and Kelly for signs of illness, because, as you may remember last time, I found a couple of random puddles of sick around the place and wasn't sure which pet was producing them. Shadow seemed fine on her walk, and when I looked around the house again, I found another puddle of sick by one of Kelly's scratching posts. This really seemed to indicate that it was poor Kelly who wasn't feeling well --

A hypothesis confirmed when she came over to hang out with Alice near her desk while she wrote, and another puddle of sick appeared right next to her. I had Victor use Scruberoo to clean up all the sick, then go pamper Kelly with a little brushing as I tried to determine what was wrong. I mean, after all, the cat didn't LOOK ill -- Sim illnesses in both pets and people tend to be pretty visible! The only other explanation I could think of was poor Kelly had hairballs, which -- would be very impressive on a hairless cat like herself! I made a note to get her to the vet later, and she eventually ran off to do more cat things. Leaving more sick behind her. *sigh*

With THAT mystery solved, and Victor's potions learned, I decided it was time for him to get back on fabricating stuff -- namely because I wanted to do some more eco upgrades around the house. So he headed down to the barn, where -- after Repairioing all the broken wind turbines and water collectors, and setting out some sacred candles to help with his still-broken "Fear Of The Dark" moodlet and the scary noises around the house -- he proceeded to make another eco upgrade part. (Really wish I could made those in BULK, but what are you gonna do.) I then sent him to the garden to do the usual tending -- weeding, watering, fertilizing -- as Alice continued working on her book (maxing out the Writing skill in the process! Go Alice!) and Smiler came back from their walk with Shadow. The doggo went to hang with Victor in the greenhouse as he started harvesting, while Smiler entertained Kelly and Alice finished up her book, submitted it to the literary digest (because obviously this guide on Bumby murder deserves it), then went to clean the chicken coop and entertain the cowplant -- which, since we seem to be keeping it for the time being, I decided to name "Toothy." I mean, if the large drooling maw full of sharp teeth fits...

[99thpercentile]

places where the audio distorts

image ids under the cut

tmagp 4:

tmagp 5:

tmagp 7:

tmagp 8:

the audio distorts when people lie.

I imagine this knowledge will come in handy later.

[id: ALICE: This is not something you go poking around in. Not if you want to keep your job… or your neck. SAM: (a little amused) Okay, okay! I get it. Consider me scared straight. "Consider me scared straight" is highlighted. end id]

[id: LENA: Now, while I understand your concerns, you need to understand that Colin has held the IT Manager position for some time without incident, and although he is somewhat… frustrated with his current assignment, he can request help from the central IT team at any time. I am certain that should he find his responsibilities unmanageable, he will request assistance. Or resign, of course. Either way, the problem will resolve itself. "Or resign, of course" is highlighted. end id]

[id: CELIA: Is there any way to look up specific files? ALICE: Like what? CELIA: Oh, I don’t know. Every case about… being buried alive, or meat, or… whatever. ALICE: Well, there’s a search bar, but it doesn’t actually do anything. You’d have to dig through them all manually. (suspicious) – Why do you ask? CELIA: Just figuring it all out. Ah well, I guess I’ll need to find Bigfoot on my own time. "Just figuring it all out" is highlighted. end id]

[id: GERTRUDE: I see. Well, I’m sorry, but I don’t think Gerry can help you – GERRY: (casually) Yeah, I barely remember any of it. "I don’t think Gerry can help you" is highlighted. end id]

[id: GERRY: Oh yeah, but I was pretty young. I remember filling in a bunch of forms and questionnaires, then some old men asking me questions about what books I liked to read, who did I look up to, that kind of thing. And then I left. SAM: (disappointed) That’s all? GERRY: Yeah, afraid so. Other than just sitting around with a bunch of other kids in a room that smelled like old books. "Yeah, afraid so" is highlighted. end id]

[id: CELIA: I’m trying to look into… Weird physics stuff: time travel, other dimensions, teleportation, all that good stuff. Freddy doesn’t really do searches, so you could keep an eye out and let me know if any come up in your cases? SAM: Uh, sounds a bit sci-fi compared to our usuals. What’s this for? (amused breath) You’re not doing research for that podcast you were on, are you? CELIA: (surprised) You know about that? SAM: I might have given you a quick Google. CELIA: Then… yeah. I’m doing a favor for Georgie. "yeah. I’m doing a favor for Georgie" is highlighted. end id]

[mykoreanlove]

What gets you wet? 💦

Minho x y/n x chan x sexy time ⚠️

„Minho, I need your help“, Chan proclaimed as he stormed into his friend‘s bedroom.

Minho, who was hidden under the thick cotton sheets, peeked up his head, brows furrowed.

„What, now?!“

„Yes, now!“, Chan sighed desperately.

Minho rolled his eyes and sat up on the bed, bare back against the metallic headboard.

„Let me guess. Girl trouble?“

Chan was fidgeting with his fingers, visibly uncomfortable to voice his problem out loud - especially to his younger friend. But if Minho was notorious for something, it was for making girls scream in ecstasy.

„Remember the problem I told you about last time?“, he silently asked.

Minho nodded patiently.

„Well, we’re still struggling with that.“

„Shut up - you still haven’t made her cum?!“, Minho asked out loud.

„Alright, that’s my clue to leave you guys alone“, you declared as you shot up from underneath the covers.

„Oh, y/n, hi… I didn’t know you were in here… with Minho“, Chan greeted you awkwardly, feeling even more embarrassed now.

„Kitten, stay. I have a feeling you’d come in handy with hyung‘s problem“, Minho softly commanded.

Both you and Chan looked at him puzzled but knew better than to doubt him.

„So, you’ve been dating that girl for a couple of weeks now, right?“

Chan nodded silently.

„And she still didn’t cum?“

Chan sighed out defeated, nodding again.

„Has that happened before?“

„No!“, Chan paced through the room, clasping his hands together.

„I never had problems with that. All my ladies were very satisfied with me. Or so I thought. But now I’m hella insecure - why won’t she cum?!“

„Have you asked her that?“, you chimed in.

„Yeah. But she’s not really talking about sex. It makes her uncomfortable? I think.“

„And you still want to date her?“

„Baby!“

You slapped Minho‘s shoulder, scolding him for his insensitivity.

„What? No orgasms and no communication - what good does that do?“, he justified himself.

„I’m sure they will figure it out. Some people need time to open up. Not everybody’s as sexually promiscuous as you, baby.“

Minho rolled his eyes in annoyance, even though he was secretly loving the way you saw him.

„I’m not sure if I can figure it out, y/n. I’ve tried every trick in the book but she just won‘t cum. I’m desperate and need help. Really“, Chan explained.

„So, how do you do it?“

„Huh?“

„How do you fuck her?“, Minho interrogated.

Chan‘s cheeks reddened again whilst thinking of all the ways he pleased her already.

„Ah, you know… it starts with foreplay, taking care of her body until she is ready. And then I’ll take my time fucking her. Slow, fast, different positions. That kind of stuff.“

„Does that turn you on?“, Minho turned around to face you.

„Eehhh“, you grimaced, not really feeling it.

„Hyung, if you want to make her lose her mind and scream in anticipation for you, you have to engage all of her senses. You have to make sure you‘re all she sees, hears, touches, smells and tastes.“

„Okay, but how?“, Chan asked perplexed.

„I have an idea.“

Minho got up from the bed, revealing his entirely naked body to both of you. As he was walking over to his closet to grab a pair of grey sweats and a shirt, Chan averted his gaze whereas you stared at him in admiration. You’ve seen him like this countless times but the effect of his pure form still made you stop breathing, losing yourself in all of him. You hated him put on clothes but loved the way his muscles flexed while doing it. Minho walked back to the bed and propped his elbows, giving you a sweet kiss while whispering into your ear: „I see you staring, Kitty.“

Happily giggling you took his face into your hands and kissed him, sweetly and tenderly.

„Ahem, guys“, Chan cleared his throat, reminding you of what was important now.

„Ah, sorry hyung.“

Minho got up from the bed and sat down on the chair next to it.

„So, how do you know if your girl is really into it?“, he quizzed like a professor.

„When she tells me?“, Chan answered unsure.

„God, no. Hyung, she won’t be able to form two clear sentences when you fuck her good. Listen, if she is really into it you’ll notice it by her wetness“, Minho explained.

„Her wetness?“

„You want her pussy dripping like a faucet. Trust me, you want to drown in her pussy. That’s how you know.“

Chan paused for a second and thought about his past encounters, wondering if he ever made a girl drip like a faucet.

„So, I’ll have to use all of my senses and get her extremely wet. Is that it?“

„Not your senses. Hers!!“, Minho yelled.

„I don’t get it“, Chan retorted.

„Yeah, no shit“, Minho muttered under his breath.

He remained silent for a while, wondering how he could teach his friend in the best way. Suddenly, he knew exactly how to bring the point across.

„Kitten“, Minho turned around and addressed you sweetly.

„Would you be willing to help?“

You pointed your own finger at yourself, muttering in disbelief.

„You want me to help? Me?“

Minho nodded as he walked over to you and helped you out of bed. Chan quickly averted his gaze as he realised that you were also completely naked, bare from head to toe.

„Hyung, it’s okay. You can look. My sweet kitten is generous enough to help you out. Won’t you use her help?“, Minho cooed softly.

Chan slowly turned around, unsure what to make of this situation.

„Come here, baby“ Minho guided you to the chair he had sat on.

Chan was reluctant to look but he couldn’t help himself. You were so beautiful, so divine. Your body had curves in all the right places and your skin looked so soft. He couldn’t help but wonder how you’d taste.

Minho saw the naughty thoughts in his friend‘s eyes and smirked, feeling immensely proud of dating a goddess like you.

„Min, wait“, you grabbed his arm forcefully as you whispered his name.

„I have no idea what you’re up to this time“, you confessed nervously.

Your boyfriend pressed his forehead onto yours without breaking eye contact.

„Do you trust me, Kitty?“, he asked calmly.

You nodded silently.

„I love you, y/n.“

He placed a tender kiss on your lips before turning around.

„So, shall we?“

[pipwasreal]

Day 5: magic + marking

Characters: Charles Rowland, Edwin Payne

Content warnings: marking, knifeplay

Now with an illustration by jube-art!

Charles has been trying to untangle the string of this yo-yo for ages. It's a handy back-up weapon, with the string magically extending as long as needed to hit a target, but it's a pain in the arse to manually reset afterward. He wonders if it'd be possible to add a retract function, like a vacuum cleaner.

"I believe I have found a way," Edwin says slowly, stepping out from behind the desk, "of ensuring we can find each other, should we ever be separated."

Glad of the distraction, Charles abandons the tangled mess on the floor and springs to his feet.

"That's brills, mate!"

Charles grins and Edwin smiles in return, but he still seems tentative, his fingertips pressed together in front of him and his thumbs circling each other.

"What's it involve, then?"

"It works a little like the enchantment on the tracking stones, only more... permanent."

Edwin gestures to a book laying open on the desk and Charles dutifully glances down at it.

A load of text he can't read, some fancy runes... and a helpful little diagram of two Medieval-looking people, hearts visible through their chests and a dotted line picked out in gold ink connecting them.

Charles looks back up at Edwin expectantly.

"Essentially, each person is marked with a rune, the runes are magically linked, and they can activate the connection between them as needed, with just touch and intent."

"What d'you mean, marked?"

By way of answer, Charles can only assume, Edwin begins to unbutton his shirt. They've been alone in the office all day, so Edwin is dressed down to his rolled-up shirtsleeves, collar undone. It delights Charles that only he gets to see Edwin this relaxed.

"I took the liberty of marking myself first," Edwin says, "to test if I could faithfully replicate the rune on spectral flesh."

He leaves the lower half of his shirt buttons still done up, moving instead to unbutton his undershirt.

The skin revealed is smooth and pale, with a few freckles and a sparse dusting of hair. The rune, inch high and intricate, is scar-white on his breastbone.

"You did that to yourself?" Charles gapes, impressed and... a little bit uncomfortable, if he's honest. It seems oddly reckless, for the usually careful Edwin.

"I did not wish to mention it until I was quite sure there would be no ill effects. Are you... amenable?"

Edwin looks almost shy, which makes Charles want to be bold.

"Yeah, course. Don't want to lose you, do I?"

Edwin smiles properly at that, teeth and dimples and all.

"Nor I you," he says softly.

Then he clears his throat, all business.

"Right, well," he says, "according to several sources, the placement of the mark is important. If you wouldn't mind removing your undershirt?"

Charles immediately pushes his braces down and tugs his singlet off over his head, baring his chest.

"And the implement."

Edwin picks up a small knife from the desk and holds it up for Charles to inspect.

It has runes etched into the curved blade and tooled into the dark green leather wrapping the handle. There's a dainty silver chain attached, for hanging from a wrist or belt, Charles guesses. It's a pretty little thing, but the blade is a wicked sharp claw.

Edwin rests the tip on Charles' breastbone.

"Now Charles, I'm afraid this may sting a little."

Coming from Edwin, with his disturbingly high pain tolerance, that probably means it's going to smart like blazes, but that's alright. Charles swallows, stuffs his fists into his trouser pockets and nods.

Edwin places his other hand carefully on Charles' shoulder, squeezes gently, and begins.

The pain is bad, but Charles has had worse. And it's kind of nice, having Edwin so close, focused so intently on him.

After what can't be more than a minute, but which feels much longer, Edwin lets go of his arm and steps back to survey his work.

Charles cranes his neck to look down at his own chest. The mark looks more like a pale scar than a fresh wound, and already the pain is fading.

"Kinda looks like an E, doesn't it?" Charles says.

Edwin tilts his head. "I suppose... a little. Back-to-front."

"Right way round from here. Looks good."

Edwin's critical expression softens into a hopeful smile when he meets Charles' eye.

"Shall we link them?"

Charles nods.

Edwin presses his right palm to the mark on his own chest, Charles mirrors him, then Edwin takes Charles' free hand in his. He says a few brief words in an unfamiliar language.

Charles doesn't have to ask if it worked because he can feel it, pulsing between them. He laughs, delighted and oddly relieved. When he closes his eyes he can see it, a gold thread guiding him home.

[santaasi]

VIOLENCE

pairing: boxer!jj maybank x gf!reader

summary: jj maybank wants to put the whole world at her feet, but the only way he knows in this life is violence

warnings: angst, a lil bit of fluff, (kinda) violent behavior, some language, no use of y/n, jj calls reader kitten, english isn’t my first language

word count: 4.7k

a/n: this work was originally conceived as a small drabble with a maximum of 1.5k words but it became a full one-shot. i guess i can't be brief. as always, I recommend you to listen to this amazing song while reading: Eden - Suffering for Love. Have a good time <з

She hated what he was doing. She hated this little ring, which looked like a cage when even animals could not be kept. She hated being in a crowd of sweaty men drinking beer and shouting his name. She hated watching his face, which she loved to cover with kisses, get hit after hit. And she hated that she felt a vague pleasure when his fist flew into his opponent's face.

All in all, she hated violence. And JJ Maybank's lifestyle was full of this violence.

But more than that, she hated the fact that she was the cause of this violence in JJ's life. Everything he did was for her and because of her. He kissed the ground she walked on.

Therefore, he was ready to do anything just to give her a bouquet of her favorite flowers. Or to arrange the most unforgettable date for her on the beach. Or to give her that rare and outrageously expensive book for her birthday that she had dreamed of for so long. And for all of this, money was needed, which JJ did not have. But there was hatered and violence in his veins, which for the first time in his life came in handy.

At first, these illegal fights were just additional earnings for him, when he had to make ends meet, to repay debts, or when he just wanted to pamper his princess (always). But then... the high-stakes, wins, the big money, her smiling face - pulled him into a place he didn't want to get out of. And JJ Maybank knew perfectly well that if she found out about his new little part-time ‘job’, she wouldn't like it. So, he kept it a secret. Violence was his little secret.

But she was never stupid. She found all these little gestures on his part sweet and innocent. She didn't wonder where he got the money from, because he had a job. In this godforsaken car repair shop. But when Mr. Joyce, his boss, called out to her on the street, asking her to send her ‘errand boy’ to take his share after he was fired, she began to suspect something was wrong.

With his first big win in boxing, he rented them a small cozy house on the outskirts of the cut. It was a gift for their second anniversary. And she moved from her parents' huge mansion on Figure 8 to this small house to be near him, to love him and to spent her whole life with him.

They never talked about JJ's new job, she didn't ask where his money came from, or where he got new beatings every week right after the previous ones had just healed. She didn't want to get into his soul with questions, having already understood perfectly well for two years that if he wanted to, he would have told everything himself. But all this bothered her, because of which she did not sleep well, she always walked around sullen and gloomy. And at some point she just couldn't stand it.

She remembered this day as if it were yesterday. She going down the dark stairs to the basement, standing in the crowd, looking around for the top of his blond hair, and how her heart stopped for a moment when she saw him in that cage. She stood frozen with horror and fear for him, unable to say even a word. She saw how he struck blow after blow, how his eyes burned with determination and how he grinned triumphantly into the crowd, enjoying himself after winning.

He always enjoyed the taste of victory and the roar of the crowd shouting his name at such moments, because it made him feel needed, noticed and appreciated. But as soon as he saw her frightened look at him, everything inside him turned upside down. She was standing there, looking at him with her big, frightened eyes, like a little deer that had met with a gun pointed at her in the woods. And the air was knocked out of his lungs in a second just from one of her looks, which stabbed into his heart like a knife. He watched her slowly squeeze through the crowd, trying to get out, trying to escape from what she saw.

For the first time in his life, JJ Maybank didn't know what to do. He understood that she needed time to make sense of everything, but he didn't want her to make some hasty decision without him.

So, he quickly took his salary and things and left the basement, meeting with the cold wind and with her. She stood hugging herself, trying to warm her body, which was shaking either from cold or shock. JJ draped his jacket over her shoulders and lit a cigarette, waiting for her to speak first.

Everything inside him was shaking with fear that she would leave, that she would not want to be with him anymore. And this thought terrified him more than anything else in the world.

"Why didn’t you tell me?" she asked in a barely audible voice, concentrating all her attention on the flashing light at the end of the road. A tiny cloud of steam escaped from her lips.

"It didn't matter, kitten," the guy croaked, looking at her. JJ had never seen her so seriously cold before. There was a lump in his throat. "You never cared where I took the money so I..."

"It didn't matter? Doesn't it matter to you, JJ?!" her voice rose and she turned to him, looking at him in rage with tears in her eyes.

"’Cause it does metter to me! ‘S metter to me where you are, if you're okay, how y’feel.… And after everything we've been through, did you jus’ decide to hide that you're engaged in illegal fighting now?" her chest heaved and her fists clenched. She did not understand at what point she stumbled, that he no longer trusted her. What did she do wrong?

"Why don't you trust me, Jay? I thought... we..." her lips trembled and her voice cracked. All the rage seemed to have disappeared in a moment, leaving only pain and resentment. Resentment against the person she loved most, for whom she fought for so many years and went against everyone, even against her parents. And for what?

JJ stood next to her in a daze. He watched her body shudder from the cold and saw tears begin to shine in her eyes in the light of the lanterns. She looked like a little kitten who had been kicked out of a warm and cozy house onto the street, where she was surrounded only by a big world filled with fear and horror. And to tell the truth, that's how she felt. All those relationships filled with love and trust that she had tried to build brick by brick between them were now slowly crumbling before her eyes. She never asked questions. And maybe that was her mistake. Maybe that's why her JJ decided she couldn't be trusted. Maybe that's why he decided to hide part of his life from her?

But that wasn't the case for JJ. He has always trusted her and will trust her no matter what happens, because she is the one for him. She was always there for him in the most difficult moments of his life. She pulled him out of the swamp of darkness and pain that he had been immersed in all these years. She took him under her wing, took care of him and loved him. JJ always believed that she was his guardian angel. That at some point in his miserable life, God, if he really existed, sent her to save his, JJ Maybank's, worthless life and give him a reason to stay.

She was always perfect in his eyes. Innocent and pure. He couldn't let all the dirt and violence he was dealing with show on her. But even more, he couldn't bear the thought that after recognizing him as so evil and cruel, she would abandon him. That's why he's hiding it. That's why he didn't tell her anything.

"Jay, please say somethin’.… this silence is drivin’ me crazy," her voice was hoarse and helpless. She looked at him with her big tearful eyes and JJ felt his heart breaking. Did he really do this to her? "What did I do wrong?"

Maybank could have sworn he barely heard her last words. The phrase swept past him like a cold wind, leaving behind a wave of goosebumps. He wished he hadn't heard them. He wished he didn't feel that stabbing feeling in his chest that they caused. But JJ heard that soft voice, broken for a second, which, like a blow to the gut, forced the air out of his lungs.

JJ Maybank had done the most terrible thing to her. He made her doubt herself. And he hated himself for it. The guy frowned, trying a couple of times to open his mouth and say at least something ... at least something so that she would understand him.

"That's what I thought," Dana whispered softly, nodding and turning around and walking in the same direction from where she came.

The sound of her footsteps echoing down the empty street brought JJ out of shock and he immediately started running after her. He couldn't let her go. She was his world. His everything.

"Kitten, wait! Stop! I'll explain everythin’, okay?" catching her hand, he gently turned her around.

The girl's face was pale and lifeless. For the first time in all this weeks, JJ noticed blue circles under her eyes, and a lack of shine in her pupils. She didn't say anything, just stood there waiting for his explanation. The girl knew that she would never be able to leave him without listening. No matter how many times JJ Maybank messed up, she would always accept and listen to him.

"I jus’ wanted to give you better life, kitten. I- I-... ‘n that was the only way," JJ whispered, taking her hands in his. His fingers moved slowly and soothingly over her palms.

"I know you don't like... all this. I know ‘s too much. But ‘s worth it to see y’smile..." JJ looked at their joined hands and let go of one, reaching into his pocket and showing her a stack of greenbacks.

"There's a thousand bucks here. I got a thousand dollars for jus’ one fight, kitten. ‘S enough to cover all our expenses and there will still be..." Maybank looked up at his girl, smiling, but when he met her sad expression, his smile immediately faded.

Her name came out of his mouth, but she just shook her head as she came closer. Her hands gently touched his face, tracing each wound with her finger. A split eyebrow. A bruise on the cheekbone. A bleeding scar on the bridge of his nose. A split lip. She flinched a little every time her finger touched a particularly badly bleeding wound, as if all these wounds were hers.

"Do you really think that this money is more important to me than you are? Do you really think that this money is worth all your injuries to me?" Dana whispered softly, frowning slightly. Her voice was soft and soothing, but her eyes were shining.

JJ saw her bite her lower lip to keep from crying. His heart ached. JJ saw her pain. He said her name again, but she shook her head, taking a deep breath.

"You still haven't realized in all these years that I don't care about money, Jay?" She cupped his face with her hands and looked him straight in the eyes. "I left my parents, I left my life behind to be with you. I don't need money, I need you."

JJ's arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her to him. He needed to feel her next to him. To feel that she would never leave. JJ rested his chin on her hair, inhaling the scent of floral perfume.

"I know, but I don't want you to live in need, kitten. I promise it for a while.… I'll figure something out"

JJ kissed the top of her head, holding her close. And she believed all his words again, hoping that he would really end it soon. She had no desire to watch him torture himself because of her.

"I can't do this anymore, Jay," the girl confessed months after their first encounter. This time his ‘performance’ went worse than expected.

She stood behind him with her arms crossed over her chest, looking at him through the mirror. JJ slowly treated his wounds on his face, sometimes spitting blood clots into the snow-white sink. He looked terrible. His entire torso was dotted with red bruises, and there was no living place on his face. Even after the worst fights with his father a couple of years ago, he didn't look that bad.

She watched as he slowly applied the alcohol-soaked cotton wool to his bruised eyebrow, pressing it too hard, which made him cringe in pain. She suppresses the urge to reach out to him and take everything from him, treat his wounds properly and kiss every bruise on his face, as she has done since the very beginning of their relationship. First because of Luke, and then because of his... his job. But she remained standing behind him, leaning her head back against the cold tiles on the wall. It seemed to calm her down a little. But all these thoughts about JJ, about these illegal fights, about what their relationship had become because of it, did not give her peace of mind. She didn't want to support this violence anymore. She doesn't want to see him suffer.

"You know 'm doin’ this for ya. For us, kitten," JJ said wearily, putting down the cotton wool and turning to the girl. Her gaze swept over his features again, which she did not recognize because of the swelling and bruises, and the girl frowned even despite his soft smile. "'m doin’ this so that we have the money to pay for this house. And for the bills. And for the food and all other stuff that ya need"

"If I get a job too, then you won't have to fight..."

“No! I have everything under control. You're not gonna work in some diner just ‘cause I..." the guy swallowed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Just ‘cause I can't provide for the life you had before me."

She shook her head and frowned. That was the whole damn problem. The fact that before her relationship with him, she was a kook, lived in a large mansion with a cook, a maid and a gardener, had an unlimited golden card and could do anything. And JJ was a pogue. And he didn't care about it until they decided to move in together a year ago, and since then he has set himself the goal of doing everything possible so that his kook princess doesn't lift her finger a day in her life. Although she didn't mind, she was never one to be afraid of getting her hands dirty. She was willing to work in the most God-forsaken eateries twenty-four hours a day just so that JJ wouldn't enter this fighting ring anymore. Because to see him like this almost every night…

"I'll figure it out, kitten. It's okay," she felt JJ's hands wrap around her cheeks, wiping away the tears with his thumbs, which she didn't even notice how they flowed. She focused her gaze on him and shook her head, biting her lip, suppressing a sniffle.

And again she hears "I'll figure it out." Sometimes it seems to her that she has heard this phrase from him every day throughout the year. Although it probably is, because all they've been doing this year is fighting. Then make up. And after that they quarrel again. So in a circle.

Her whole life over the past year has become like trash day, from which she can not get out.

"No, Jay. Nothing's gonna be okay as long as you go there," she couldn't even bring herself to say out loud the place where her boyfriend went almost every night. She swallowed the lump in her throat and put her palms on top of his. "With each new time you come in a worse and worse state… 'm afraid... one day… 'm afraid..." her voice trembled and she had to take a couple of breaths before speaking again. "I'm afraid that one day you won't come home, Jay. And I don’t wanna know... I don’t wanna know how I will live after that"

She felt a new wave of tears roll down her cheeks, and Jay cursed softly to himself before moving away from her. Over the past two months, these conversations have become more frequent and it annoyed the guy. None of these talks ended well. And JJ Maybank hated fighting with his girlfriend because she was the only one he lived and did everything for in this world. There was no point in his life without her. But despite this, he said what he considered necessary at that moment. Pause. They needed a pause.

The girl's eyes widened and she stared at the guy in shock. He couldn't offer it. Couldn't he?

"I'll stay with John B. until... until you calm down," the guy came out of the bathroom, opening the closet, taking out a pre-packed bag of things. She followed him out, watching him pull on his hoodie.

"What the hell, Jay? Are you leavin’ me?" her voice broke into a scream, and her heart began to beat at breakneck speed. He couldn't leave her. He won't leave her.

"This is a pause. ‘S just a pause for a few days. I'm tired of fighting’ with ya," JJ breathed wearily, without even turning to her.

"If you stopped goin’ to that damn basement, all the quarrels would be over!" the girl shouted, watching him leave.

"I'll text you" was the last phrase he threw before the front door slammed shut and she fell to the floor sobbing.

She didn't understand at what point everything had changed so much. At what point did all their lovely quiet evenings turn into this? At what point did their I love you’s and happy morning cuddling turn into JJ deciding to leave her?

It all looked like a terrible nightmare and she didn't know how to deal with it anymore.

Two weeks have passed since their last fight. It was the most difficult and terrible two weeks of her life. After almost three years of a relationship, she had to relearn how to be on her own and live alone.

For the first few days, she woke up in the morning in the complete silence of their small house in a cold bed, remembering how the door slammed after he left. She walked from room to room like a zombie, trying to occupy herself with something just to avoid thinking about him, but every time she was distracted by something, her thoughts returned to JJ. When she brushed her teeth in the morning, she looked in the mirror, hoping to see him in the reflection and laugh at the mean faces that he made to make her smile. When she was cooking in the kitchen, she remembered JJ quietly whistling some silly tune from an ads, which annoyed her. Even when she was lying on the couch reading a book, she always remembered how JJ would lie down next to her, wrapping her in his strong arms and asking her to read aloud. Maybank didn't give a damn what kind of book it was or what it was about, he just liked listening to her voice and heartbeat.

In those two weeks he wrote to her only a couple of times. She couldn't find a place for herself, only occasionally asked Sarah how JJ, who lived in her and John B.'s house, was doing. From her, she learned that today was his another fight with a man who was famous for his special cruelty. And that scared the hell out of her.

That was exactly the reason why she was standing now among shouting and jostling men, as she had been a few weeks ago. Beer and drool flew in all directions while some young boys were fighting in the boxing ring, who were put on the "warm-up" before the main fight. The fight between her JJ and Broady Harington aka killing machine. And her heart leapt in her chest at the very thought of it.

She wanted to see him before the fights. To apologize. To say that they can solve everything. That her life doesn't make sense without him. And that he doesn't need to participate in this fight. But the bully guard at the service entrance wouldn't let her in. He pushed her out of the room, forcing her to wait for the end of the fight. So she stood in the crowd, fiddling with the hem of her white dress that Jay had bought her for their first anniversary. She thought it would reduce the degree of tension between them.

The girl in the red swimsuit and the referee entered the ring, announcing the start of the fight and then the world around her stopped. It was the first time she had seen him in two weeks. All the wounds on his body and face had almost healed and he looked so young but determined that she didn't even recognize him at first. There was something wrong with him... something was definitely wrong. His gaze focused on the mat under his feet, the way he put on gloves with special slowness, and how the muscles in his jaw moved and tensed. He didn't even look into the crowd, as he did before every fight, to see her and get an encouraging smile. JJ Maybank was completely focused on his goal and in some way it scared her.

When Sarah told her on the phone that JJ had been preparing for one main fight of the season for a month. She didn't believe it. He usually chose small daytime fights that earned him a good income. But over the past month, he began to disappear in the evenings, and he began to bring more money, even began to offer her to look for a real house. Not a rented one that they had now, but their personal home. And she was surprised by that, but she did not attach any importance to it. But now... now she realized that all his evening absences and visits with particularly severe beatings, and all this talk about a private home…

A loud roar knocked her out of her thoughts and she turned her gaze back to the ring. JJ lay on his back, covering his face with gloves, while his opponent delivered a series of strong punches, trying to break through the defense. The air seemed to be knocked out of her lungs and she leaned forward, clinging to the bars, breathing heavily.

"JJ!" she screamed before one of the guards forced her to move away.

The guy's whole body tensed up when he heard her voice for the first time in two weeks. And as if at the behest of some force unknown to him before, he turned the man sitting on him over, making a blow. The girl exhaled in surprise, looking at her boyfriend's bloody face. At the rage that distorted his beautiful features, and a wave of goosebumps went through her body. She missed the whole fight, wandering in her thoughts. But now she was watching JJ snatch his victory from the hands of a man who was famous for his violence. And she was even a little proud.

The referee's voice starts counting down to the end. JJ continues to strike without noticing anything around him. The man lies exhausted under him.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

JJ Maybank wins. The crowd is shouting and rejoicing. Drops of beer break and soak into the fabric of her white dress, but she doesn't care. She pushes through the crowd, heading out of the ring to meet him. Her winner and the beloved guy she missed so much.

His arms close around her waist, pulling her to him. She feels the metallic taste of blood in her mouth when he covers her lips with a forceful kiss and for the first time she does not resent it. Her heart beats in time with his as he holds her in his arms and looks into her eyes.

"The last one," he whispers into her hair, kissing the top of her head. She raises her head uncomprehendingly, frowning slightly. "It was the last fight. I... I won't participate anymore."

"Why?" she asks softly and naively, childishly, fluttering her long eyelashes.

The guy grins. She sees his eyes glisten and feels her heart begin to beat faster. Just like that first day when she bumped into him on Midsummer and he spilled the entire champagne tray on her expensive dress. Even then, she somehow realized that she had found the very love here that they write about in books and make films. And it was at that very moment that she already realized that JJ Maybank was her man.

"I don't wanna see y’worry and cry ‘cause of me. I don't wanna see you on the other side of the cage among these nasty men, ‘cause you came to support me. I don't wanna quarrel with you anymore, kitten" His voice was soft and gentle, and so soothing that she felt a rush of butterflies in her stomach again.

"So I found a regular job ‘n I'm gonna be the most ordinary person with the most ordinary life, but with the most fuckingly perfect girl in the whole damn world."

She giggles through her tears and pulls him closer to her, dragging him into another kiss. He doesn't resist. When had he ever refused to kiss her? JJ Maybank was created to kiss and please her. Therefore, at this very moment, he couldn't care about anything more than her in his arms and his lips on his lips.

"Hm! Maybank, I don't want to distract you from your entertainment, but come into my office and pick up your check. Unless, of course, you want to leave me 600 thousand dollars," the head of the bookmaker's office in which Maybank worked chuckled, which made him take his mind off his girlfriend.

He lets go of her waist, and is about to follow the boss. But before that, he turns back to her, pulls her to him, kissing her on the cheek.

"I hope you chose the house, kitten, ‘cause tomorrow we are gonna buy it. Now you definitely won't get rid of me, princess," the guy whispers in her ear, and then disappears into the crowd.

She stands there for a couple more minutes, trying to understand everything he said to her, before breaking into a loving smile and heading for the exit from this evil place, to which she hopes never to return. JJ finds her sitting on a bench outside a couple of minutes later, and they return home, where for the last time, she will heal his wounds and kiss each scar so that they don’t sting so much.

And when the next evening, or a week, or even a month later, JJ Maybank does not go to the basement for another fight, but stays with her in their own house to watch a movie, she can do nothing more, but only enjoy life. And to love a guy who now represents only gentelness, not violence.

JJ Maybank was her gentleness, and she would never let him go.

thankx for reading <3

i'm a little dissatisfied with this work, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway! you can always share your opinion in comments or my inbox :3

- your santi 🪐

masterlist

[weasleyreidstyles]

Serendipity

chapter ten

summary: it was only meant to be a purely transactional relationship. he would help her strengthen her abilities in return for her getting his friends out of his father's nasty path. he didn't mean to fall for her, but loving her was the easiest thing in his dark world.

no use of y/n, but your general nickname is Meadow. all characters are aged up to be over 18.

pairings: mattheo riddle x fem!ravenclaw reader; platonic!slytherins x fem!reader; platonic!golden trio x fem!reader

warning(s): drugging, poisoning, hospital talk and general angst!

series masterlist; previous part; next part

The moment you and Ginny burst through the doors of the Hospital Wing, the feeling of dread crashed over you like a tidal wave. Ron was laying motionlessly on a lone bed at the far end of the ward; if you couldn't visibly see the rise and fall of his chest, you would have presumed him to be a dead man. Ginny's breathing was uneven as you made you way to the vistors' seats that surrounded him.

"Mum and Dad are with Professor Dumbledore. They should be back soon though." she mumbles as she sits in the seat beside George, who doesn't hesitate to wrap a comforting arm around his sister's shoulder. You give the twins a sympathetic smile as you sit in the seat adjacent to Fred, who barely acknowledges you, intent on scowling at a stray loose thread on Ron's duvet. Harry and Hermione are sat on the other side of the bed, Harry has his head in his hands and Hermione has a tight grip on Ron's stiff fingers.

"So all in all, not one of Ron's best birthdays." Fred heaves a sigh. The older twin is ashen-faced and unnaturally quiet as he directs his stare to his brother's sullen face.

"Yeah. Not how I imagined we'd gift him his present." George replied in tandem. Indeed, on the bedside table was a decently sized box, neatly wrapped in the twins' signature colours: purple and orange.

"When we planned for him to receive it, he was not supposed to be comatose." Fred said lowly. "We were waiting for him in Hogsmeade when Dad sent us a patronus."

"Why were you in Hogsmeade? You could've just sent it to him." Ginny asked her older brother who gave her a smile.

"We were in negotiations to buy out Zonko's." he replied, a proud look overtaking his face, before it is snuffed out by his following words. "But Mr Zonko said that he hardly gets customers anymore. Normally the months following January are busy for him. It would be bad business for us to go ahead with the deal."

"That would be because Professor Dumbledore has limited our Hogsmeade trips." you confirm. "It's like we're trapped on the grounds."

"They want us to be safe." Hermione speaks up for the first time, voice heavy with emotion. "To stop what happened to Katie, happening to anyone else."

"How did this even happen?" you murmur to Harry, who jolts up to look at you. "Last I checked, a Love Potion antidote isn't made with the intent to poison someone."

"What are you going on about?" Fred asks, finally turning to see you, a frown painting his face.

"He ate some chocolates that were laced in a Love Potion." Harry explained and Hermione's face widened in horrified realisation. "I went to Meadow to see what to do and then took him to see Slughorn who gave him the antidote. He offered the drink because he said Ron would be dehydrated. He started seizing as soon as he swallowed it."

"Fucking hell." George muttered with wide hazel eyes. "What was it?"

"Wine." Harry said. "Slughorn said it was meant to be a gift, for Professor Dumbledore."

"How did you stabilise him enough to get him here?" you ask him and Harry answers immediately.

"I found a bezour and shoved it down his throat. He woke up for a a few minutes before he passed out and then McGonagall showed up with Madame Pomfrey. She said he'd only have to stay here for a week, taking daily doses of Essence of Rue."

"Merlin." Fred mumbled. "How'd you think of a bezour?"

"I guess that book came in handy." you say to Harry with a grim smile as Hermione glares at the side of his head. He only nods in confirmation.

"I saw it in one of Slughorn's storage draws. Lucky it was there otherwise I don't know what I would've done."

"Do you think he did it on purpose? Put poison in the bottle, I mean." Ginny asked, quietly, her face partially buried in George's cashmere jumper.

"I don't think so." you say. "Slughorn and Dumbledore have been friends for years, right Harry?" he nods at you and Fred heaves a sigh.

"But what if it was meant for you, Harry?" Ginny says into the quiet atmosphere. Everyone turns to her with incredulous looks.

"What?" she defends herself shrilly. "He's been coined the Chosen One. Maybe the poison wasn't meant for Ron, but for Harry."

That notion is dismissed almost entirely. No one, not even Ginny, thought Slughorn was competent enough to pull something like that off.

The five of you sit in silence, waiting for Mr and Mrs Weasley to return. Each of you watching Ron as he breathed steadily in his dreamless sleep. As you rested your head on Fred's shoulder, you couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that knawed away at your gut.

~∞~

You had never known a rage like this.

As soon as Ron's parents came and left, along with the twins, you were storming through the double oak doors without a second thought, ignoring your friends' confused and incredulous looks. Only Ginny seemed to understand what you were doing and you resolutely ignored her knowing look of alarmed concern.

Somehow in your gut, you know that they're responsible for this. And as much as you care about granting them safety, the fact that their schemes have led to Ron being bed bound in the Hospital Wing had tipped you over the metaphorical edge.

Your mind and all its accompanying thoughts were locked up; fortified behind walls of pure steel as you faced the door to the Slytherin common room and you wasted no time in pounding your knuckles loudly against the hollow stone. The door was opened by an aggrivated looking fourth year, but you paid them no mind as you made your way into the far corner of the room, where Pansy was sat with Enzo and Blaise.

She sat up in surprise as you stood in front of them. "Meadow! How'd you manage to sneak in here?" she asked with a laugh, which died away instantly at the sight of your enraged expression.

"What's up, Meadow?" Lorenzo spoke up with lighthearted curiosity. Blaise was only looking at you with cautious eyes.

"Where the hell are they?" you hissed as the trio stared at you in bewilderment. "And don't lie to me because I will find them either way."

"Who?" Lorenzo asked cluelessly. "What's wrong?"

"'What's wrong?'" you scoff, turning to face him with such feral intensity that Lorenzo actually flinched. "My best friend is comatose right now in what's wrong, Berkshire!"

Blaise rose to his feet as you sneered. His face stone cold and ready to defend his friends as you glared at them. But his berating never came. He looked behind you instead, eyes wide with sudden recognition.

"Calm down, tesoro." the deep voice of your dearest friend spoke up from behind you. Beside him stood Mattheo and Draco, like some imposing threat as they all stared you down.

You were a Raven in a den of vipers.

You felt like a caged animal, and they were the zookeepers.

"I won't 'calm down', Nott. Not until my best friend is awake and okay." His face twitched in surprise. You hadn't uttered his last name with such distaste in years. He tried to reply to you but you held up a hand that caused him to freeze. "No. Now you want to speak? After weeks of nothing?!"

"That's enough, love." Mattheo spoke up with a firm voice, and despite the withering look you cast his way, he approaches you with little caution, tutting lightly when you slap his approaching hands away from you. "What happened?"

"I don't know what your master has you all doing," you jeer at them, revelling in the way they all flinch at your decidedly venomous wording. "I pushed away the idea that it was you when Katie was cursed because you were all there, or at least accounted for. But you've gone too far. You poisoned Ron. He could have died."

No one said anything as your voice broke with the pain of the admission, but you saw the way Theo avoided your gaze and you watched Draco's already pallid skin pale even further. You saw the guilt clouding Enzo's eyes and the understanding flow through Blaise's. Watched as Pansy sucked in a harsh inhale of breath.

Mattheo's face was impassive, but you could read him like an open book. His eyes held a soft, apologetic expression, despite the hard frown decorating his face.

"What do you mean, Weasley's been poisoned?" Pansy murmured in horror. And you whirled around to your friend with anger cresting in your features.

"Oh as if you didn't know?" you snapped and she looked at you with pure confusion, which you adamantly ignored. "They," you pointed behind to where the boys were stood stock still, "have sent the closest person to a brother that I have, to the Hospital Wing, Pansy. You're telling me you were unaware of their plans?"

"That's enough." Mattheo's voice was like a deadly storm. You may have become somewhat important to him, but he would always remain loyal to his friends; would always defend their honour. He ignored the way you clawed at him to release you as he gripped your arm and began to drag you towards the stairs to the boys' dormitories. His face was one of solid stone; expressionless and lacking emotion.

But you could feel his anger like a twin flame to your own.

"Let go of me." you snapped, but his grip was unrelenting. He didn't release his grip on you until you were confined to his abnormally large dorm room.

Calm down, love. Like hell would you calm down. You were practically seething as you paced across the floor of the vast bedroom.

Akin to the Ravenclaw rooms, the Slytherin dorm held a particular regality to it. Dark wood features and curtains of deep emeralds made of the finest silk created an air of elegance, paired with rich and soft carpets that felt like walking on a cloud, that heated your body from the feet up, covered the entire floor. The room was warm and surprisingly inviting, only lit up by the firelight of candles and conjured balls of magic which reflected on the murky depths of the Black Lake through thickly paned windows. It was a room fit for a royal.

Which Mattheo was, in one way or another; the Slytherin Prince.

"I don't appreciate you bursting in here and throwing about accusations like that." he said, his voice quiet and low. He wasn't looking at you, instead facilely trailing his fingers across the books and stray pieces of parchment paper that littered his desk as you came to a rigid standstill in the middle of the room. It was awkward like this for some time until he looked up at you and motioned towards his bed. "Sit."

"I'd rather not." you say with narrowed eyes.

"Suit yourself then." he says as he leans against the table, arms crossed as he looked at you with an assessing gaze. If you weren't so angry, you'd be salivating over the way his t-shirt hugged his giant muscles.

Mattheo watched as your eyes flicked about his room, your figure cloaked in an uncomfortable tension, lip trembling with an awaiting sob that you were doing well to hold back; had been doing well to hold back since you first errupted at the group. "Is he okay?"

You whipped to face him head on at that question and the look in his eyes told you that he really did care, but you weren't in a rational state of mind. Slowly, you stalked towards him, the anger radiating off of you like you were trailing waves of fire. He stayed in his position, arms folded with nonchalance.

"Considering you poisoned him, I'm surprised you care." you say with emotionless eyes, but despite your walls being on their strongest guard, Mattheo saw right through you. Cautiously, he trailed his hands down the length of your arms. Slowly caressing. Giving you the chance to pull away. When you didn't, by some miracle, he grasped a hand in each of his, marvelling silently at the blatent size difference. Obviously now was not the time for him to be thinking such thoughts.

"I promise you, I did not poison your friend." he said, his voice adamant and self assured but his breath trembled, as if he was trying his hardest to hold onto the truth.

"I don't believe you." you rasp, voice heavy with the urge to let out your broken emotions.

"What will it take for you to trust me?" he says, his voice coated in something akin to desperation. "Let me make it right, please sweetheart."

"You can't." you whisper, throat tightening with the onslaught of emotion that you finally let escape.

Mattheo fights the urge to wipe away the wet tears that are streaming down your face.

"He hasn't woken up. He won't wake up for a week at most. Just tell me it wasn't you, tell me I'm so, so wrong about it. That this is all one big misunderstanding."

"I wish I could do that." he mumbles as he pulls you into his chest, wrapping one arm around your waist as the other buries itself into your hair. Even though you resist him at first, you melt into his firm hold of you. He revels in the feeling of comfort that you bring him. But the feeling of your tears soaking into the fabric of his shirt only heightens the immense feeling of guilt in his stomach. "I wish I could tell you, but I can't."

"What do you mean you can't? It's a simple answer to a simple question." you argue, cheeks beginning to redden with the sudden flare of anger you felt as you push yourself away from his chest. Your fingers tingled as your magical core instinctively flared to life.

"It's not simple, love. Trust me." he reasons, eyes shifting carefully to your clenched fists. He brings his hands to cradle your's affectionately as he carries on. "I'm sorry that Weasley was caught in the crossfire but you have to know: it wasn't meant for him."

He felt the phantom of pain strike like pounding fists against his consciousness and his face scrunched up in pain as his left arm burned in earnest, ready to maim and kill if he managed to say what he was forbidden to.

"'Caught in the crossfire?'" you repeat slowly and he winces at the poor choice of wording. Your hands begin to heat with fervour, but you don't seem to notice as you glare at him. "Mattheo. He almost died."

As you growl your discontent at him, you don't register the way your magic snaps in tandem to your ire. You don't notice how you instinctively move to grip onto his biceps with a strength you were unaware that you possessed.

Only the feeling of magic a power like no other fills your veins as Mattheo stares at you with wide, unnerved eyes of swirling onyx.

"Meadow." he rasps. "Meadow stop."

You register his anguish too late and you watch in absolute horror as your hands begin to glow the same pale silver as his magical core that appears in your head all the time. It began merging with the pulsing glow of your own indigo-purple core, intertwining like threads being stitched together.

"Meadow, love, please." you release your grip on him with a horrified look as you stare at your hands, the glow beginning to melt into your skin. Your breathing picks up and you flinch away when Mattheo tries to comfort you.

"I-" you stutter, refusing to meet his eyes as you scramble for the door.

"Darling, it's okay." Mattheo reassures you, but you can't look at him; won't look at him in fear of seeing the loathing and disgust written all over his handsome features.

No. No. No. You repeat the word over and over in your head which is sent straight into Mattheo's mind as you lose control of all sense. He looks at you with worry and concern as you race for the door.

"Woah! Where are you going?" he says as he chases after your rapid steps.

"Mattheo please," you beg. "I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me."

"There's nothing wrong with you." he says your name with pure anguish as you reach the exit to the common room, ignoring the solicitous looks from his friends and other peers that occupied the common room. "I promise you."

"I'm a monster." you mutter to yourself as you swing the door open. You repeat this sentiment over and over again like a mantra.

The door slams in his face without so much as a goodbye from you. Turning around, he finds the whole room staring at him in incredulous anticipation.

"What the fuck are you all looking at?" he snaps, his terrifying facade painting his face, as if he wasn't just staring after you like a kicked puppy. Everyone turns around rapidly, tensing as they felt his presence meander to the corner of the room, by his awaiting friends.

"What in Salazar's name just happened?" Enzo muttered, the others humming in agreement as Mattheo sank into the seat beside Theo, yanking the cigarette from his best friend's mouth and taking a long drag.

"I need to tell you lot something." he mumbles. He knew that it could break your trust in him further. But he also knows that you're too stubborn to ask him for the help you need, so he is taking matters into his own hands.

~∞~

After slamming the door in his face, you completely block out thoughts of Mattheo. The only thing you see is the way his eyes widen in alarm as you drain his magic from his very bones; the mantra of "I'm a monster" reverberating through your skull.

You can feel it too. The power coarsing through your veins like volts of electricity, ready to strike it's outlet at any second.

You only have one place in mind as you make your way through the corridors, coming to a standstill when you reach the giant Gargoyle statue that leads to Professor Dumbledore's office. You pace the length of it for a time, not knowing the password to accesss it, before the stone creature magically begins to twist upwards with an almighty groan, leaving a spiralling staircase in its wake. You dash up them with no hesitation and tentatively knock on the grand oak door at the crest of it.

It opens with a firm gust of magic that you feel rush through you as you cross the threshold. Professor Dumbledore is stood by one of the grand windows that overlock the castle grounds, hand gently stroking the head of his pheonix, Fawkes. Sunlight surrounds him like an eternal halo.

"I wondered when you would come to me, Miss Meadow." he says with a saccharine smile as he gestures for you to join him at the window. You do as he wishes and stand by his side, eyes tracing the outlines of the trees that belong to the Forbidden forest in the far distance as sunlight bleeds against your frigid skin.

"You knew what was wrong with me the whole time." you state, ignoring the tremor that wracks through your hands at the feeling of Mattheo's still-lingering magic clashing with your own. He hums noncommittally in response, but he doesn't deny it.

"An ability like yours," he says with a surprising lack of emotion, "is as rare as it is essential for the happenings in this world."

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean, Sir." you say with furrowed brows, confusion lacing your tone.

"With proper instruction, you could be the weapon that turns the tide of the upcoming war." he says, finally turning to face you.

It's creepy, the way the wizard and his pheonix tilt their heads at you with identical stares. Unnerving.

"I'm not sure I want to explore that avenue, Professor. Being a weapon usually results in death and I'm not sure I want that to be my fate." you reply, almost flinching at the reminder of the foreign magic in your system. Dumbledore gives you a knowing look before he guides you around to sit at the plush armchair that faces his desk before he travels around the large table to sit in his throne-like chair.

"A siphon can summon magic from several forms of magical cores. That includes people and particularly potent magical....objects." he says crypically. "That means you can detect where certain things and certain people are."

"So I'm like a walking, talking tracking device of sorts." you summise and it draws out a light chuckle from the man infront of you.

"That's one way to put it I suppose." he scratches the butt of his chin in contemplation before he adresses you again. "But believe me when I tell you that your abilities will be needed, sooner than you may think."

"I don't know how to even go about controlling it." you say with disappointment. "I've fainted once and sucked magic from my friend without his consent. I hate it."

"That may be the case, now." he says slowly. "But in time, you will be able to bend it to your will. Is there something else troubling you, my dear?"

You inhale in surprise as he tilts his head knowingly at you. You hadn't even noticed your slipping shields.

"Suppose I had a few friends in need of dire protection." you start slowly, choosing your words carefully. "How would I go about getting them out of the precarious situation they've unwillingly found themselves in?"

"Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it, Miss Meadow." he says, but his expression gives away nothing of what he honestly feels. "But can you trust that they truely deserve that offer?"

Your face scrunches in disbelief.

"I cannot help those who have not asked be saved, Miss Meadow."

"So you'd abandon your own students?" you scoff. "Even if they've been forced against their will and tortured for it? Even if they're so scared that they got someone they trust to try for them?"

His eyes dart towards the door as you speak, but gives no indication for you so halt your rant.

"You suspect they have something to do with Mr Weasley's unfortunate situation." he says knowing. "But yet, you're still willing to try for them. Why is that?"

"My friends may have done some bad things, but they're good people. Kind people. I can't just let them be abandoned. They didn't want to be in the position they're in, in the first place. It's all familial obligation. They've helped me and I promised I'd help them."

Your last few words are admitted as mere whispers and Dumbledore delivers you a look akin to pity.

"You should never make a promise you cannot, with certainty, keep, Miss Meadow." he says. "Whatever it is they are doing in return will be fruitless."

"I think this conversation is over, Sir. Thank you for your time." you say, rushing to your feet and turning to leave without so much as a glance back.

"You're co-operation will be vital in the coming months, child." he says. "It'll be competent of you to keep the knowledge of your abilities to yourself, lest the information gets brought to the attention of the....wrong hands."

You say nothing as you breeze through the open doorway, completely bypassing Harry, who was stood under his invisibility cloak (after having followed your name travel from the Hospital Wing to the Slytherin common room all the way to Dumbledore's office on the Marauders' Map), with wide and distrusting eyes. So caught up in the heat of your reignited anger, you fail to hear his accusing words to the Headmaster:

"She's known about Malfoy and Riddle this whole time, hasn't she, Professor?"

Later, as you sit in comfortable silence with Hermione and Ginny at Ron's bedside, you are completely ignorant to the lightning storm waiting to strike you down.

~∞~

i can't believe i deleted this whole thing on accident i was so proud the first original draft of this😀😀😀

my tumblr has been acting tf up all week and i can't edit half of my posts 😍😍😍

taglist :

(striked out users are ones that i couldn't tag)

@camille-1019 @lovelyygirl8 @xluansstuff @babeylover @thejadeazalea @undercover-smutlover @adhxmoony @dreamingofonceuponatime @thepassionatereader @urmomsgayforme5 @aphroditeisamilf @devotedlycrookeddonut @purplegirls-posts @nofacenonamelikekira @foxboyapologist @lafrone @lovely-maryj @nromanovaswife @leeknows-wife @dracygf @wildlyobserving @ravenclawprincess33 @melllinaa @vellicora @lantsovheiress @emiliahoward @stunkbiggu @vcosette @prongsprincessworld @mattiesgirl @rachmmb @x-kermit-x @sun-fiower-seed @cas-planet @certaindreampost @weirdowithnobeardo @mikalovesicecream @sunasbbie @rainy-darling @faeriepigeons @lovely-blackinnon @topguncultleader @gimalo135 @elsafromcabinsix @moonlightreader649 @blueshome @nopedefe @spencerreidsthings @navs-bhat @agent-tempest @magimtz23 @y0urm0m12 @sbrn0905 @leona-hawthorne @whatsupb18 @moni-cah

[femmefemmefatale]

Hey I have two request (seperate you don't have to do both or you can do them different times )

The first one is yandere Lucy from the fallout show x fem!reader who has been traveling with her but is planning on splitting off because the reader finally arrived to where she was going

The other one is yandere Ashe with gn!reader who is trying to collect her bounty

TW: Lucy uses her tranquilizer gun on you. Traveling with Lucy has been interesting, to say the least. Her vault-tech ways were refreshing but naïve. It made wanting to travel with her very easy. Especially since you were both heading in the same direction. That pip-boy of hers sure came in handy. For a wastelander you were better off than most. You weren't starving, you were literate, you had a weapon to protect yourself against others and you had enough medical knowledge to patch yourself up in case someone used a weapon against you. But in comparison to Lucy, you felt… unkempt and uneducated. While you did your best to manage your hygiene, water was a luxury, and educational books were a rare accommodation. Lucy however didn't share that sentiment. The girl was pretty much singing your praise from the moment you met her.

Lucy loved everything about you. From how resourceful you were to how despite the horrors of the wastes you were still kind to strangers. You were cautious, she had to earn your trust, but you were kind—a true diamond in the rough. You just needed a little polish and you would be perfect. You were already perfect to her of course, but a little cleaning up never hurt anyone. Of course, that polishing wouldn't be possible anywhere but in Vault 33.

She hoped that by the time the two of you reached your destination her stories of Vault 33 would've made you curious enough that you were willing to go with her. The fact that you hugged her when you got where you needed to be cemented that fact for her. Only for you to drop a bomb on her.

"I'm going to miss you," you said as you held her tightly. Your chin on her shoulder and your arms wrapped around her.

For a moment those words didn't hit her at all. She was too busy drowning in your embrace to listen to you. But when that initial hit of bliss was gone, she was left with the cold hard reality.

"Miss me? Silly, there's no need to miss me if you join me," she tried with her everlasting chipper tone. Reluctantly, she pulled back to look at you.

The sheepish look on your face was endearing to her. The way you tucked your hair behind your ear. The way your gaze drifted to the side even though she preferred to have your eyes on her at all times.

"Your vault sounds amazing, Lucy. And I would love to visit it one day. But I have… matters to attend to here. It's not something I can ignore," you explained to her. Your vague answer didn't bother her a bit.

Unlike Lucy, you've been a bit more secretive with your past. But that just intrigued her. You were a beautiful mystery she was dying to unwrap in more ways than one. You weren't from a vault but you had more education than most surface dwellers. She tried to guess where you came from by the way you dressed. But your generic leather armor didn't give any hints.

It took a while but she finally got a hint a week into traveling with you. You were unpacking your bag, looking for something, when you suddenly pulled out a dress. It was lovely and well taken care of. When she asked you why you had it, you grinned that grin of yours that made her want to pull you on her lap so she could take your breath away. The only thing you said was; "To dance, Silly."

While she had no dress of her own, she would still love to dance with you. And she was hoping that she would be able to dance with you underneath the artificial sky in her home vault.

"Are you sure I can't convince you to join me?" she asked. Feeling a bit daring, she pressed herself against you. This wasn't the first move she made on you. She was never afraid to get what she wanted, but you were the first woman she wanted. Lucy knew she needed to do things differently. Not just because you were a woman, but also because you awoke something in her.

You were stronger than her. More capable of defending yourself, but somehow still so sweet and kind. She wanted to wrap you up and take you away. Away from prying eyes and anyone who could hurt you.

Being your knight in shiny armor, however, wasn't a way she could sweep you off of your feet. While she was a good shot, you were faster. More experienced in a way she couldn't be because she grew up in a vault.

That's why she showered you in compliments. But you didn't seem to catch on that it was anything but friendly. Not until she started to get a little more bold. Complimenting your looks instead of a skill.

The first time you realized her compliments weren't as platonic as you thought they were, she was almost afraid you would pass out from how flustered you got.

Since then, her favorite thing to do was to make you as flustered as can be. The blush on your face now the reason why she decided to take drastic measures.

A quick look to take in her surroundings told her everything she needed to know. And as you did your best to formulate an answer all while being too flustered to look at her, she took her chance.

She slowly took one of the tranquilizer darts from her belt. With one swift motion, she stuck it inside of you. It only took a second for you to collapse onto her.

Lucy held onto you tightly. A loving embrace. While it would be a pain to carry you all the way home, she could never be upset with you.

Besides, she always wanted a chance to sweep you off of your feet.

[districtunrest]

hey! :) i just saw your tags on one of your reblogs mentioning peeta killing the d4 boy? i was just wondering if you can cite some theories about this or even canon events (maybe i missed something?) in support of this? thank you!

hi good morning! and ofc

I can't find the post now but someone within the last year or so did do the research within the first book to support this. I held the same theory before that, but I'll be going off things I remember that post referencing as well my own rationale, jsyk.

mostly, it always stuck out to me that a Career tribute died during the bloodbath (thg 157). let's forget the movie's depiction of him; the D4 boy was very likely not a younger, untrained kid. the D4 girl was in the Career pack, I think it's safe to assume the D4 boy would have been as well. but he died on the first day.

this is after Haymitch, like this post points out, advised both Peeta and Katniss to stay way from the bloodbath at the Cornucopia (thg 138-139)... and then both of them didn't, lol

because Katniss sees the bow and arrows there and thinks she can go for it, second-guessing that Haymitch wouldn't have advised her like he did if he knew how fast she was (thg 149). but when she sets herself up to run for it, she notices Peeta shaking his head at her - like, no don't please just listen to Haymitch pleaSE - and misses the gong (thg 150). fumbling, she still gets away with a backpack - and a knife from Clove - from the outer edge of the Cornucopia (thg 151). we don't know where Peeta is through all of this, but the next time we do, he's in the Career pack (thg 160).

at which point, Katniss notes,

His face is swollen with bruises, there's a bloody bandage on one arm, and from the sound of his gait he's limping somewhat. I remember him shaking his head, telling me not to go into the fight for the supplies, when all along, all along he'd planned to throw himself into the thick of things. Just the opposite of what Haymitch had told him to do (thg 161).

...okay at this time in the story Katniss is notorioisly wrong about Peeta. she assigns motives to him that end up being the exact opposite of what's true. so piecing through her judgment here, we can tell Peeta fought, presumably in the bloodbath, and came away from it in the Career pack. we also know he wasn't supposed to do any of that - but he has a crush on Katniss, and plans to die for her, and he saw that she was about to throw herself into the thick of things.

one of the Careers remarks that Peeta is "handy with that knife" - on the first night in the arena (thg 162). so they've already seen him fight, and whoever his opponent was left some considerable damage, and they're down an ally...

so I theorize that, spurred by Katniss' last-minute decision to forgo Haymitch's advice, Peeta followed her into the bloodbath in order to protect her. but whereas Katniss got away, Peeta got caught up in a fight - I presume with the D4 boy. Peeta won, showcasing his knife skills and impressing the other Careers, and then from there was able to talk his way into the pack, with the dual purpose of saving his skin for another day as well as protecting Katniss. after all, she learns during the recap how he "misled the Careers about [her], stayed awake the entire night under the tracker jacker tree, fought Cato to let [her] escape" (thg 363). but I doubt that was his plan from the get-go, he was just working with the circumstances he had. I mean, it would be near impossible for Peeta to leave the alliance alive once he was in it - he's the first one they'd turn on - and so I doubt Haymitch would've approved it prior. to me, it seems like Peeta got stuck in it and used it for all he could.

Peeta goes on to mercy kill the girl from D8 (thg 162). this, I imagine, was harder for him since she was defenseless and not trying to kill him. but I think people conflate this as being his first kill when we don't know that for sure. when watching the recap, Katniss doesn't note Peeta killing the D8 girl - it tracks she wouldn't note him killing the D4 boy, either. not that Katniss doesn't watch/learn this information, but it's just sort of the shock of it all and she wouldn't hold it against him in any way. and we know all too well Katniss doesn't always share what she does know with us.

so that's my long-held theory! let me know if you have other questions about it :)

[midsummer-semantics]

wiggly wednesday 🪱

Okay sure, this sounds fun. I was tagged by @medusapelagia to share a brainworm/headcanon, and I've been trying to get one to develop more fully so here we go.

Today, I'm thinking about...

Steve and Eddie going through some of Eddie's old things as they pack up to move into their own place. Nancy and Robin are there to help even though that mostly consists of Robin picking through already-packed boxes because she keeps getting distracted by all of the things she finds.

Steve finds what looks to be a really old photo album, the sticky pages holding the photos down yellow with age.

"Oh, shit," Eddie says, taking it from him to flip through. "I haven't seen this in ages. I was sure it was lost when all the shit went down."

"Oh my god, please tell me there's embarrassing baby pictures of you in there," Robin grins, trying to snatch it away.

Eddie holds it out of reach, nearly throwing it as Robin tries to tackle him for it.

"Jesus Christ! I'll show you, just keep your insane paws to yourself!" Eddie gripes.

Steve scoots in closer while Robin and Nancy crowd in on his other side, all wanting a closer look.

There's not many pictures in it and most are grainy and out of focus, black and white and hard to distinguish. But there's a few of a baby with an unmistakeable crop of riotous curls.

"Holy shit, you were so cute," Steve coos, running a finger along the 2D cheek of one photo.

"Excuse you, Harrington, but I'm still cute," Eddie snarks, flipping to the next page.

There's one photo of a young man holding baby Eddie, dark curls so similar to his own atop his head. The photo looks to have been torn down the middle, the right side pressed right against baby Eddie's back, like whoever was on the other side was better left out of the picture long term.

"Huh," Steve hums. "It never occurred to me that I had no idea what your dad looks like."

"And for good reason, babe," Eddie says, fighting not to rip the photo out and burn it. "Thankfully all I got from him was his hair and penchant for hot wiring. Everything else I got from my mom I guess."

"You guess?" Nancy asks.

Eddie nods. "She died when I was a baby and the old man kind of went off the rails after. I suspect this—" he runs a finger along the jagged edge of the photo in the book, "is his handy work."

"That's a shame," Steve says softly. He lifts the plastic covering the photo and peels it off the sticky backing, holding it up to his face to get a closer look — his eye sight is pretty back after so many concussions after all.

"Ya know, if his hair was a little longer, like mullet style, he'd almost look like a dark-haired Billy Hargrove," Steve points out.

Robin snatches the photo out of his hand, holding it out stretched like she can see it better that way instead. "Oh, shit. You're right. That's so weird."

Eddie snatches it back, top lip curled in disgust. "I don't want to speak ill of the dead, but how fucking dare you in any way compare my gorgeous existence to that guy."

Steve snickers and presses a kiss to Eddie's cheek. "I'm sorry, babe. You're right."

The photo gets tucked back into its place and they keep flipping through the book. There's more of Eddie as an infant, a few more of his dad, even a couple of a young Wayne in his military uniform holding a toddler Eddie by his arms as he jumps up, legs gangly and wild. Any photo that might have contained Eddie's mom is ripped, none of them cleanly, and there's only the occasional hand or blur of dark hair. Even still, it does stop happening once Eddie's about six months old.

"Wow. So you really don't know what your mom looks like?" Nancy asks finally as they're setting the photo album in a box.

"Oh no I do," Eddie says. "I have one singular picture of her from right after I was born. Wayne saved it for me."

"Oooooo can we see?" Robin pipes in. Eddie shrugs, getting up to dig through a shoebox that Steve's seen before but somehow managed to avoid snooping through — not that he didn't think about it all the time for the last year they've been together.

He comes back with a photo, plopping back into his spot while his friends and boyfriend crowd around him once more.

It's dead silent for several minutes, all of them staring at the picture. Eddie always figured his uncle was on to something when he said Eddie looked more like his mom, but now that he's about her age when this photo was taken, he thinks he can really see it.

On his left, Steve is trying to process exactly what he's looking at. Sure, the woman in the photo looks like she has the same dark hair that Eddie does, though it's a lot less curly, but aside from the hair and the tired look on her face, she could be a dead ringer for —

"Either Mrs. Wheeler has a doppleganger, or a secret twin we don't know about," he says.

He glances at Robin for a second before looking at Eddie and Nancy. They're heads are bowed over the photo, wearing matching expressions of wide-eyed shock.

Wait.

Matching.

Oh shit.

"Eddie," Robin says carefully. "What's your mom's name?"

His jaw opens and closes a few times before he croaks out, "Elizabeth, but Wayne said she only ever went by—"

"Her middle name?" Nancy asks, the fear of knowing the answer obvious in the wobble of her voice.

Eddie flips the photo over to look at the names and date written on the back. He's looked at it a million times, tracing her loopy handwriting so much over the years that it's slightly smudged, but still legible.

Karen Elizabeth Harvey + Edward Wayne Munson, November 1965

"Oh shit."

——————————————

no-pressure tags if anyone also wants to share a brainworm: @tedewitt @hornedqueenofhell @malikat24601 @spectrum-spectre

[kitthepurplepotato]

Chapter 14 - That’s what friends are for

Summary: Izuku shows his Sweet Pea around his secret lair. Katsuki doesn’t appreciate being ignored.

One loaf of bread was murdered during the making of chapter. Blame Kirishima.

Warnings: Swear words, a lot of kisses

First Chapter Master List

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

“I guess, I owe you an explanation.” Izuku sighs, looking anywhere but you, his cheeks tinted pink.

Honestly, you would be happier to just get a kiss, but the state of this “secret lair” is also quite concerning and would probably be nice for it to make some sense to you before you end up calling the mental hospital on the poor guy.

“That would certainly be helpful, Izu.”

The walls all covered with bookshelves on all the sides except the one with the “door”. There is a massive cork board there filled with pictures, newspaper cutouts and official statements from the agency covering up a map of the word. There is also a bigger map just of japan, that one is filled with several printouts, most of them around the Tokyo area but there are a few articles pinned to Rishiri and Wakkanai in the Hokkaido prefecture then another several to Korsakov and Nevelks in Russia.

The bookshelf are half filled with books, mostly of geography, history and other topics that might come in handy for a case and the other half is filled with thousands of notebooks, all looking worn out from the constant use.

There is a massive corner desktop a meter away from the actual corner so there is enough space for Izuku to move around the bookshelves. He could walk circles around the whole place with no problem and knowing how restless Izuku he probably did that a several thousand times already. The left part of the desktop is full of paperwork and the other one has the same single person CCTV setup as the people in his agency. By the look of it he’s been looking at a footage of a harbor before you came here.

“Okay, so…” Izuku takes a deep breath. “These notebooks are the ones I’ve written about the heroes when I was young. I’ve kept up with this hobby so there are also a few new ones there about the current heroes. This place was supposed to be my little geek corner where I can write my silly little notes and geek out over quirks. This… has changed a lot since this case came by. This place was supposed to be my mind palace, a place where I can re-gain my motivation, my strength, to remember my roots. The cork board on the wall is about this case as well. I think I’ve found a connection between Japan and Russia. I saw an unregistered ship on the CCTV leaving the harbor in Russia heading our way, probably full of illegal drugs or props, I don’t really know. I sent my findings over to my team an hour ago. They probably have all of this information anyway but Katsuki asked everyone to leave me out of the work e-mails for the time being and it frustrates me to not know how the case is going…” frustrated tears roll down Izuku’s cheeks. You can’t help but run over to your boyfriend and hug him to soothe his troubled soul.

“You know I understand why you are doing this, right?” You mumble into his ear and Izuku starts sobbing. “You know you should’ve just told me this and I would have understood. Katsuki made a massive mistake by leaving you out of this. I know it came from a good place but he should have known you won’t be able to sleep well without seeing those e-emails, seeing that they are indeed working on the case.”

“I’ll stop, Sweets. I swear this is the last time…” Izuku begs, but there is no reason for him to do so.

“You don’t need to, Izuku. I’m not mad. You just need to take a deep breath. Relax. Then come back here, do your thing for a few hours and once you close that door, leave all the pain behind. I don’t think you working on this case is a bad thing.” You admit. “It doesn’t make your recovery longer and it helps to soothe your soul knowing that you did your part. As I said, I understand. We will talk to Katsuki, okay?”

“That won’t make this place feel less dreadful, though. It’s not… fun to be here anymore and I hate that.” Izuku mumbles with his cheeks red.

“I can help with that.” You give Izuku a cheeky smile and he perks up right away.

“Tell me the plan, boss.”

“Are those papers on your desk important?” You nod towards the massive mess and Izuku looks at you with a confused face. He’s so cute, even with the dried tears dirtying his puffy cheeks.

“Let’s make paper cranes. Whoever does the most wins.” You give Izuku a shit eating grin while he stares at you incredulously.

“That’s your big plan, Sweets?” Izuku finally laughs, the sound loud and airy. Oh how much you missed that laugh.

“You are laughing, aren’t you? So shut the fuck up and get to work.”

Izuku is terrible at this. His fingers are too chunky to make the cranes look neat but he does his best and the frustration on his face is playful, a face of a kid ready for a challenge. It takes him a whole hour to get the hang of it but after that you two manage to clear out the desk almost completely. There are only a few papers left now, and there are at least 30 cranes sitting on the keyboard, most of them made by you but there is a constant smile on Izuku’s face so the pain in your fingers was definitely worth it.

“And now that the desk is almost clean…” You push yourself up to sit down on it, legs sprawled out to make space for Izuku to come between them. “It’s time for the boss to reward his hard-working assistant with some cheeky kisses!”

Izuku snorts. It’s hilarious.

“Oh, office AU? Forbidden love? I love that trope!”

Now it’s your time you laugh like a maniac.

“Oh my god, Izuku, you sound like me, that’s unacceptable!”

“Hey, where’s the respect for the big bad boss?” Izuku uses black whip pull you towards him, tentacles snaking around your waist until there is no space between you two at all.

“Are we actually gonna role play?” You ask between two snickers.

“No, it’s really fucking weird to be honest.” He giggles back and attacks your mouth with so much fervor you barely have time to reciprocate first but after a few seconds you finally kiss back, your legs snaking around his middle to pull him even closer. The kisses get deeper and deeper as the time goes, his tongue dancing with yours and you somehow end up sprawled on the desktop, your neck bent in a really uncomfortable way as you try to keep your posture so he can kiss you deeply. Izuku takes your head in his hand to help with the strain of your neck, and you just kiss and kiss and kiss, devouring the other until Izuku’s stomach makes a growling noise and you both start laughing, completely flushed and lips red.

“Wanna get a home made bento from me so we can share it on the rooftop of our office and share cheeky kisses while eating?”

“I’m quite sure those fanfictions usually end with the secretary being bent over a desk screaming the boss’s name.” Izuku retorts cheekily. You can’t help but laugh out loud again.

“You kiss your mother with that mouth?” You mumble as you pepper small kisses on Izuku’s lips who’s smiling like an idiot, content and happy for once.

“Don’t tell her, she’ll cry.” Izuku help you up with one hand and makes his way towards the exit. “Come on, I’m starving.” Izuku takes your hand and pulls you forward but he only makes a few steps before your back ends up against the hallway wall. Izuku steals a few more passionate kisses, moaning about not being able to use his other hand then walks towards the main exit again then stops after a few meters and kisses you again like he’s trying to make up for the time wasted in the last 7 days. Eventually, you make it to the exit, stumbling out of the hallway in each other’s arms (well, one arm in Izuku’s case. Duh.) but a loud “OI” coming from Izuku’s bed ruins the moment.

Katsuki and Eijirou are sitting on the end of the bed, Eijirou looking smug with a knowing smile on his face while Katsuki blushes like a virgin seeing people making out for the first time.

“I told you there is no reason to freak out, Kats.” Eijirou says loudly, a shit eating grin blooming on his face.

“Why the fuck do they even have phones if they don’t fucking use them?!” Katsuki throws your phone in your face and you barely catch it before it hits you straight in the face. You almost burst out laughing as you read the messages.

Group chat: Deku updates

2 days ago

You: He’s still not talking to me. He looks tired. I don’t think he sleeps properly.

Ei: That does sound like Izuku. Don’t worry. He’ll be back in a few more days. Did he eat?

You: Yeah, a bit.

Katsuki: All good, then.

Today

Katsuki: I’m going to the store, need anything?

Katsuki: That protein shit Deku likes is on sale, want me to buy some?

Katsuki: Oi

Katsuki: Don’t fucking ignore me you punk

Katsuki: I bought 10 bags of it, good luck putting that away, you piece of shit.

Katsuki: Oh, they have a limited edition All Might chocolate, there is only one left!

Katsuki: Oh well, someone bought it and ate it. How sad. *picture of Katsuki biting All Might’s head off.*

Katsuki: WHY ARE YOU NOT RESPONDING YOU FUCKING FREELOADER

Katsuki: DEKU ISN’T RESPONDING EITHER WHAT THE FUCK

Katsuki: I’M COMING OVER AND I’LL SHOVE YOUR STUPID PHONES INTO YOUR ASSES YOU USELESS BUNCH!!!

“So here I was, fucking worrying my ass off about you two, while you were busy fucking in Izuku’s secret room. Peachy. Also, I ate the food on the table. It was fucking cold anyway. Fuck you.”

Izuku actually gawks at that, his stomach making a rumbling noise just a second after.

“What Katsuki is trying to say is that we ate the cold food and made you guys some lovely spicy lentil soup instead as it’s way past breakfast anyway. We went into a cute little bakery on our way and got you guys some fresh bread! It was still hot when we bought it!” Eijirou says with dazzling eyes.

“What Ei is trying to say is that he bought two loaves of fresh bread and ate one of them on the way here. The whole fucking loaf. He just… tore into it like an animal. I think I want to divorce. I’m living with a monster.”

“Says the guy who eats a full ass ghost pepper like it’s a fucking apple.”

“I ship you guys so much.” You mumble out without meaning to and Izuku starts giggling.

“You are such a nerd.”

“I’ve never thought I’ll hear Izuku saying that to anyone. You two really are two peas in a pod.” Eijirou adds on, but Katsuki is done with the small talk and ushers everyone to go to eat.

The soup is amazing and when you bring up the topic about the e-mails, Katsuki is surprisingly understanding.

“If you think that’s okay then… yeah, we can do that.”

And that’s it. A few hours after that Izuku gets his first work e-mail and he almost cries from happiness because his findings were actually right and the guys managed to pinpoint the exact location of their warehouse just an hour after he sent them the e-mail.

Then he actually cries, but this time, from the relief.

“This week was so bad. I missed you much. I’m so tired and so stressed about to future, this fucking cast is so itchy and my butt hurts from all the sitting!” Izuku laughs in the middle of his crying fit, somehow happy about feeling all of those things all at once. “Fuck, I thought being stressed is the worst thing but whatever I’ve been through this week was far worse than anything I’ve ever felt. I was so empty. I swear my soul wasn’t a part of my own body. It was so terrible, Sweets! I would rather get another blast in my chest than go through another week like this!”

“Don’t say that!” You reprimand right away. “Also, whatever it was, it’s over now. You are back. You’ll be fine. 2 more weeks and the cast will be gone, too. Now cuddle the shit out of me, you stupid.” You plop yourself down next to him on the sofa, ready to be loved.

“Kiss attack!” Izuku is back to his normal self, giggling and laughing as he kisses you all over until it’s time to go to bed… And finally, you don’t need to go to bed alone.

“I love you, Sweets.” Izuku mumbles, his face hidden in your neck as per usual. The bed is so warm and comforting you can barely keep yourself from falling asleep in the middle of your answer.

“I love you too, Izu-Izu.”

… next chapter!

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- Jesus Christ, finally done with the angst! I hated every second! Every single one of it!!!!

- The next chapter might be late, I got hooked on a manga called “signs of affection”. The first few episodes of the anime is out if you guys wanna give it a go! I swear it’s the cutest shit I’ve ever read/watched! So yeah, I binged the whole manga in a few days after I watched the first episode but I got so distracted I haven’t written the new chapter yet so if it’s late, I’m sorry. I also posted all the angst chapters 1-2 days ahead of my usual schedule so… LET ME BREATHE 😂

- I choose Korsakov and Nevelks because they are the “closest” cities to Japan. Just check the map and you will see the vision. It’s not important though, I won’t go into too much details about the case in the future, but I thought it would be nice to have a peek into it!

- While writing this chapter I realized that technically, Izuku would be able to keep himself on top with the help of black whip… Now the only question is; are these two desperate enough to use Black Whip at their first time or do they wait until Izuku’s hand is healed completely and can lean on it? Let me know what you think. 😂

- Eijirou’s terrible way of eating bread was actually inspired by me. 😂 I’m a celiac so I can’t have bread and most of the gluten free breads taste like ass. There was this small bakery a few streets down from my flat, in Budapest, Hungary, and they were selling freshly made GF bread. Me and my friends went over to my flat and I was too hungry so I took the whole bread out of the packaging and literally just tore into it like an animal and stuffed half of the bread into my mouth in one go and my friend almost died. (Mind you, I’m really small, 158 cm and 45 kg 😂) She couldn’t look into my eyes the whole day. I still miss that bread so much that every time my bestie comes over to England I ask her to bring me some haha

- The next chapter will be called Br0cc0liB0i! 😂

- Also, have you seen the new Kirishima x reader ficc I started to post? It’s super fluffy and cute! Check it out! Please!

TL: @garfieldthomas @porusuniverse @stickygumchewer @sixxze @mily-moo @aei-sedai-moiraine @aymasakusa @katsuari @kenzie-deadly @shiviwrites07 @lukerycyja-reblogs @cloroxisadelectabletreat @coffeent @kisskissshutmydoor @bobcar1 @yazminetrahan @cringefan @ronimacaroni77 @thekookiecorner @dangerousluv1 @emperatris-rinaka @shotos-angelic-whore @angelsdemonsmonsters @norvacaine @rei165 @unofficialmuilover @yao-ai @happydragonfrog @eeerreehhh @vinivave

[angelic-omega]

Dom!Crowley x Sub!Aziraphale x Sub!Reader

(Amab Crowley, Afab Aziraphale, and Afab Reader) GN!Reader!

Sloppy kissing, Sloppy oral, Clothed Dom naked Sub, Cumplay, Degradation, Praise, Multiple Orgasms, Chubby Aziraphale, Chubby Reader, They/Them Reader, He/Him Aziraphale, He/They Crowley, Crowley’s Forked Tongue, Some Overstimulation, Fingering, Light Spanking, Face Sitting, Creampie

!!!MINORS DNI¡¡¡

The sound of the turning pages filtered through the back room of the overly full bookshop. You found yourself sitting cross legged on the small sofa, peeking over the edge of your novel to look at Aziraphale in his comfortable chair. His reading glasses had slipped cutely down the bridge of his nose and you couldn’t help but adjust your own upon seeing it. You watched the light catch on his golden ring as he turned the next page and you let out a sigh. Shifting on the couch to get more comfortable you tried to focus on the task at hand. Crowley had left some time ago and you were anxious for his return. Aziraphale and Crowley were rarely apart, but Crowley had laid down for the night so for the time being you were left to your own devices. Which resulted in a bubbly conversation involving Kipling which had slowly dwindled to the making of hot chocolate and sitting down to read a good book.

You sat opposite one another as you both read in relative silence. The old record player could be heard lightly from where it’s needle drug across the vinyl, it’s cacophonous melody swimming pleasantly through the shop settled you both. The only sound between you was your own bated breath and the turning of pages. You were trying your best to focus on the words written before your very eyes, but found your gaze wandering to Aziraphale. When he had first taken you under his wing and allowed you to stay at the bookshop you had been curious as to why. Over time you pushed the question to the back of your mind but now you couldn’t help but let your mind wander.

At first you had thought it was merely him being his angelic self. However, you now had to ask yourself why he had allowed you to become such an integral part of his daily life. Clearly the two of you shared some sort of deeper connection? Or was it just your imagination running wild? You found yourself thinking back to something which had occurred a few months or so ago. You two had not discussed what had happened besides ensuring the other had not been too startled that night. That night the two of you had been drinking away within the bookshop and being a lightweight you had found yourself more affected than you cared to admit. Crowley had found your drunken stupor particularly intriguing and had embarked on a little game. The demon was naturally quite curious when it came to you, as you often found yourself too tongue tied to say much of anything in his presence. Something Aziraphale had assured you, you would grow used to eventually. However, finding yourself drunk enough to sprawl next to Crowley on the sofa you were left quite exposed. You hadn’t meant to answer such a question but it had slipped out before your brain could catch up. Crowley had asked “What sort of human bits do you prefer?”

And without a second thought in your head to stop you, you had pushed a rush of air through your lips and lightly replied, “The ummm holes? No use having anything dangling about! Not like I’d use it anyway!”

All eyes had been on you as you had continued “Handy I guess since then you both could have your way with me! No fuss at all really…”

The record which had been playing had come to a sudden stop and the air in the room had shifted. In your drunken state you had stumbled up from the couch and brazenly steadied yourself on Aziraphale’s thick thighs. You had giggled at your clumsy display before you reverently reached out to move your hands closer to where those two legs connected. Crowley had leaned forward in his seat and watched aptly as your curious hands had found their mark. You had pressed them curiously against the flat expanse of tan clad pelvis in front of you. You gasped as your fingers met nothing discernible between the Angel’s legs. As you slipped them further down to press at the seam of his pants he had sharply inhaled, drawing your eyes away to stare blankly into his own.

You had darted from the room only to trip and fall over a rogue stack of books, landing firmly on your front and spilling your abandoned whiskey with your foot. Crowley had been swift in miracling the mess away and helping you to your feet. He smirked down at you and had teased, “Well, that’s one way to find out”

It was then that you found yourself feeling suddenly sober, as you looked into those piercing yellow eyes. Looking between the two of them the words and actions of your inebriated self had come rushing back to you. You had pulled away from the Demons grasp and had curled into a ball on the sofa. No one had spoken on the matter since, but that night everyone had sobered up and moved the festivities into going out for a nice dinner. Since then it had scratched at the back of your mind until you finally found yourself wondering once again. Was that a good gasp or a bad gasp? Surely if Aziraphale had not been comfortable with such brazen groping he would have put a stop to things? Maybe he was just as curious as you had been when feeling around…

You weren’t the best at making moves but while Crowley was away you found yourself feeling less shy. The demon had quite the affect on you both but you still wanted to know more about Aziraphale. You hadn’t paid much thought to him prior to that night. He was just a very sweet being who had taken you in and given you a place to sleep and meals to eat! He was an Angel, supposedly sexless but apparently not. You couldn’t help but wonder if he had kept genitals purely for aesthetic purposes but now as you folded your book closed and studied him closer…you wondered if it wasn’t just aesthetic.

“About the other night…” you softly began, toying absentmindedly with the hem of your shirt before you continued, “I have to ask! Are they- is it purely for looks or do you? You know? Make use of it?”

You watched as he squirmed in his seat, letting out a shakey sigh before flipping the page. It was only then that he looked your way with a slightly trepidatious expression. He studied you for a moment in which you felt your heart would seize in your chest, before he closed the book and softly responded, “I assume you mean my umm parts?”

You nodded your head and scooted minutely closer to the edge of the couch as you hung on his every word. Why you were so curious you weren’t quite sure but your gaze was unwavering as he continued, “Well partly they are aesthetic as I find clothing tends to not fit as well without! As for making use of my genitals it’s purely natural to wish to do so! Part of the human experience would be erm pleasures of the flesh”

“But you’re not human?” You interjected, coming to stand beside him as you leaned closer.

He blushed lightly as he looked away and worked on removing his glasses. As he set them down on the desk nearby he meekly replied, “Well you know me! I find human experiences quite thrilling, so I assume it is of no surprise I would…indulge.”

It was your turn to gasp at the truth unfolding before you. He shyly looked away and steadied himself, hands firmly smoothing out the wrinkles of his waistcoat before he peered up at you once again. He motioned for you to follow him into one of the further rooms and you silently did as you were asked. You were astonished as he pulled the door open to reveal a plush looking bed next to a small chest of sorts. You stood awkwardly in the doorway for a moment or so before he patted the bed and you reluctantly came to sit on the far corner. He got to his knees near the chest and removed a black bag from within, which he then handed to you with a coy smile. The fabric was a rich, soft velvet with red drawstrings cinched tightly closed. It didn’t take a lot of mental strain to conclude what was inside the bag. The weight of the object within was heavy and felt curiously phallic in nature. You were sat frozen with the device in your hands as Aziraphale stood and awkwardly watched the pieces click into place.

He was twisting the ring around his finger, a nervous habit he couldn’t seem to break. Apparently he had plenty of human habits! Human habits that required the use of this particular room, which until today you had never stepped foot inside. There was a small window in the far end of the room with its curtain gaping slightly open for a beam of sunlight to stream in through. The way it encompassed him as he stepped off to the side made him look more ethereal than normal. He was shyly peeking up at you as you held the concealed object in both hands, letting the hefty weight press against your palms as you took it all in. You looked to one another for a few tense moments before he stepped cautiously closer and cheekily smiled. Reaching out to gently run a warm palm down your clothed arm until it reached your still slightly outstretched hands. Gingerly he took the toy back from you as you let out a pleased sigh.

The feelings stirring inside you were odd. Aziraphale had always looked and acted quite similar to you which had made you like two peas in a pod! Now you were realizing the two of you were vastly more similar than you had previously imagined. You had always assumed because he was an Angel he would not be privy to such desires, but here he stood before you with flushed cheeks and a vibrator in his hands. He was smiling that small coy smile he got sometimes around Crowley, the one he’d shyly give the demon before doing something bold like giving them a kiss on the cheek. With lightly trembling hands he pulled the bag open, pulling the toy out into the open and coming to stand almost directly in front of you. Without thinking you reached out to take it from him, your fingers brushing as he politely handed it over.

Inspecting it closer than you had before you ran a finger over the small raised bumps down the shaft of the toy. You were immensely curious as you rubbed your thumb over the power button, hovering it there for a few moments before you looked back up to Aziraphale. Movement had caught your attention in your peripheral vision and as you looked up at him from your position on the bed you noticed he was undoing his bow tie. The room was feeling rather heated as you felt yourself flush at the implications. Certainly he wasn’t suggesting what you thought he was? How could you be sure he wanted something like that from you? How to break the news to him that you weren’t very take charge at all in the bedroom.

For a moment, as he looked down at you and raised a brow, you wondered if maybe he was going to take the dominant role. You could never truly tell about someone after all. However, watching his trembling hands pulling his bow tie free you gathered he was just as eager as you. You couldn’t move, you sat frozen on the bed as he shyly turned away to undo his slacks. Pushing them down in one swift motion before hanging them neatly over the end of the bed, he batted his eyes at you over his shoulder. You knew that look. You had USED that look. Smiling back at him you shifted further on the bed, broadly gesturing for him to join you as he stripped bare from the waist down. The bed dipped in the middle as he climbed gracefully atop the plush sheets, crawling towards you determinedly he came to his knees in front of you. Sitting up to press closer you set the toy aside for a moment, letting your hands explore the front of his chest and further down across the swell of his stomach.

He let out a shakey breath as his hands came to rest on your shoulders to steady himself. Taking that as a sign to become bolder you pulled him closer gently by the waist. Fingers digging into the plus flesh of his sides as you sweetly nuzzled your nose against his flushed cheek. Giving a small contented hum you waited a second or two before bringing your lips together. As you kissed you shifted even closer, letting him almost straddle one of you thighs as your arms wrapped fully around his middle. Clutching at his back you heard him moan lightly into the kiss, tilting his head to give you better access. Soon you found yourself desperately pressing closer as you tried your best to keep your hips still. Without breaking the kiss you adjusted positions, coming to sit up on your knees as well to make your next move easier. As gently as you could you guided him to lay on his back, letting you climb gingerly on top of him. It felt thrilling to have your legs on either side of his hips as you continued to kiss, with his hands fluttering from your thighs to your own hips. Finally as your head began to swim you pulled away from the kiss, looking down with lust as you watched him staring down to your spit slick lips before dragging his hooded eyes up to your own.

This time when you leaned down into his personal space you pressed chest to chest, lightly dragging your blunt nails across his stomach as you lifted his shirt up. The skin you found below the fabric was warm and feeling him arch into your touch had you moaning into the kiss. Feeling overwhelmed and wanting to please him, you pulled away with a wet smack of lips. You rolled your hips as if you were fucking yourself onto him before you took a sharp breath. As you worked your hands further under his shirt and vest you brought your lips to the side of his jaw. You stilled your movements as you lightly drug your lips down the column of his throat, teeth scraping against the side of his neck as he let out a whine. Nipping carefully at his pulse point you felt a shiver go down your spine and the sultry moan he let out in response. Emboldened by his eagerness you dug your teeth in a little harder, worrying the flesh between your teeth as he squirmed below you.

“Please! Oh!” Aziraphale’s voice warbled out into the room, desperation echoing off the golden walls as the sun momentarily went behind a cloud.

Lifting your head as the light suddenly streamed back in you gave a small laugh. Pulling your hands out from under his shirt as you sat back on your haunches you shyly whispered, “Give me a second.”

Now it was his turn to giggle at your overly eager kissing, bringing his hands down to rest across his chest as you leaned over to fumble for the toy. Once it was in your hand you climbed off his hips, guiding him to raise one of his legs to make room for you between them. It came to rest heavily on your shoulder as you tentatively smoothed your free hand down his thigh. He watched curiously on as you gently cupped him between his legs, smoothing the palm of your hand up and down the warm and willing folds. He let out a breathy sigh as you kept a steady pace, feeling the slightly damp flesh between his legs as you both stared at your hand mesmerized.

Nervous but wanting to move things along you removed your hand from between his legs, slipping it into the crook of his knee and bending the other leg back. With better access granted to his pink holes you guided the vibrator into your open mouth. Thrusting it in and out to let the salvia pool around the silicone you gave his thigh a reassuring squeeze. After only a few moments of running your lips and tongue across its surface it became slicked enough to pull it free. A large strand of drool connected your bottom lip to the very tip of the vibrator, your salvia dripping down the entire length of it to roll onto your hand. With the toy sufficiently slicked and Aziraphale’s effort glistening in the sunlight, you brought the toy between his legs. He bit his lip and let his head tip slowly back as you drug the very end of the toy along his slick folds. In one slow push you let the toy spread his lips open, thumb hovering over the button as you watched him wiggle on the bed. It felt surreal seeing him glistening with a thin layer of sweat in the early morning sun. His clit was slightly smaller than yours where it had engorged at the top of his sex and as you hilted the toy he let out a high pitched whimper. The small wheel attached to the middle of the device pressed firmly against the very tip of his pea sized clit.

You smirked giddily up at him as you brazenly depressed the button, watching aptly as the toy came to life. His hips stuttered up from the bed as he started to lazily grind them in erratic semi circles. Moaning shakily and arching his spine on the bed you began to slowly thrust the toy in and out of his eager hole. He was whining and shaking his head from side to side as you pressed the middle button once again. The wheel began to spin faster, small silicone tongues lapping insistently at his sensitive bud as the toy pulsed in a steady wave. The vibrations started low and slow then grew harsher and faster before the process would start over again. His moans would crescendo alongside the sensations as you kept the vibrator hilted inside him.

You were feeling affected yourself, throbbing between your legs as you watched the toy slowly unravel the Angel below you. Wiggling on the bed you couldn’t help but arch a little too, hips pressing back as you nuzzled the calf draped across your shoulder. Soon you were both shifting your hips as his moans rang through the room and made your head go all fuzzy. It was around then that you heard the door creak open…

With eyes wide and a startled gasp leaving your lips you turned to see Crowley leaning casually against the doorframe with a small box of chocolates in his hand. Tossing the ornate box with a small golden ribbon tied around it, onto the small table near the entrance of the room he purred, “Having a little fun while the big bad demon is away I see?”

“Crowley?!” You both gasped in unison as Aziraphale brought one hand up to cover his face and the other to clutch at his heaving chest.

You sat frozen on the bed. Your heart was pounding in your chest and the toy was still buzzing away inside Aziraphale as he sauntered into the room. Kicking the door shut behind him, you watched intently as he came to stand over by the edge of the bed. His sunglasses slid down the bridge of his nose to reveal his hungry eyes as they trailed slowly over you both. You couldn’t help but whine at the heated look he shot your way. There was a tense moment shared between the three of you before he snapped his fingers with a smirk. The sudden burst of demonic energy sizzled across your pale skin as both of you were exposed to the room. Aziraphale arched his now fully nude body closer to you as he looked towards Crowley looming above the bed.

Cloaked in nothing but the warmth of the sunlight pouring in through the crack in the pastel blue curtains, you looked to him as well. Shivering under the intensity of his stare you unconsciously shifted your hips on the bed. Trying to helplessly ease the ache between your legs as his smile broadened and he stepped assuredly closer. You couldn’t help but let out a small moan as his hands founds their place on your waist. His grip tightened as he climbed onto the bed behind you, lifting you up onto all fours. Humming appreciatively as you arched your back towards him, he scooted closer to teasingly rub his clothed erection against the crack of your raised ass. You whined and shifted your hips back but his grip on your waist kept you in place. Leaning back to run his hands down your sides and across your hips, Aziraphale’s moans picked up once again as those hands reached your thighs. Digging his thumbs in and spreading the flesh before him he commanded, “Keep going and stay still.”

Nodding your head and biting your lip you turned your attention back to Aziraphale. You were closer now and could see how his slick was leaking around the toy inside, how his chest was rising and falling rapidly. How his hands clutched uselessly at the bedspread before he tipped his hips up and grabbed the backs of his own thighs. This granted you better access and made it easier for one of Crowley’s curious hands to press down on the middle of you back, forcing you to bend further. The teasing touches from Crowley only fueled the fire between your legs and you couldn’t help but blush as he spread your cheeks once again. You could feel how wet you were and knew there was no denying how deeply arousing you found his presence. As soon as he let out a pleased growl behind you, you felt another pearl of slick drip down your folds to dangle wetly between your spread legs. At the sight of it Crowley chuckled amusedly before he teased, “Eager are we?”

“Delicious,” he slipped a hand down to rub gently across your slick sex before pulling it away as he continued, “look at the two of you~”

You both whined at the praise. Then Crowley teased your slick entrance with one of his long fingers, leaning closer to whisper, “Turn the toy down a few speeds.”

Aziraphale was nearing the edge as you immediately obeyed, clicking the minus button twice and listening to the Angel whimper above you. He adjusted his grip on his legs as he looked down to the both of you with a hazy pout. You only had a moment to return his stare before your eyes rolled back in your head at the slow press of Crowley’s finger within you. It seemed to go on and on. Crooked finger sliding deeper and deeper until you gasped and shuddered on the bed. The demon let out a hiss as you tried to push your hips back, reminding you to stay still as you whimpered and froze. Aziraphale was not fairing much better and soon enough he was tossing his head from side to side and begging, “oh please?! Please?! Crroooowwwleeey!!”

He whined the demons name long and loud, shifting his hips the best he could on the bed as he tried and failed to push over the edge. The toy was not enough to send him over on such a low setting but it was doing an excellent job of keeping him close. Writhing in ecstasy and torture alike Aziraphale whimpered and begged once again, “Please?! Please!! I-I can’t?!”

“You can Angel.” Crowley gritted out through clenched teeth which were quick to tease across the sensitive skin of your inner thigh.

Slipping a second finger inside and crooking them both, he began lazily thrusting them in and out. Teeth still nibbling at your quickly bruising skin your head started swimming. Each delightful little pinch of teeth sent a flash of warmth cascading through your very veins. The fingers picking up their pace certainly didn’t help you in your lost cause to keep quiet. Soon with every nip of teeth and press of fingers you were gasping and moaning into the room. Whining as he switched to placing teasing bites up your neglected thigh he paused to admire his work before he purred, “Keep still for me,”

He grabbed your hip and pulled you closer to his face; breathing the next command directly against your enlarged clit as he said, “and when you cum I want you to turn the toy back up.”

Before you could even fully process the words you were crying out as his fingers crooked harder within you. Jerking in his grasp at the first press of that slick forked tongue lapping at the very tip of your clit. Letting the forked tips fall on either side as his fingers continued to thrust against that special spot inside you whined and whimpered almost as desperately as Aziraphale. With both your hungry moans filling the air of the room like the sunlight itself the demon shifted closer yet. Wrapping his lips around your pink little button and giving it a small suck. Eyes rolling in pleasure as your legs started to tremble with the effort of remaining still, all too soon he was pulling off. Whining long and loud as those slick fingers slipped free you flushed at his heated command, “Hump my tongue, Lovely.”

Whimpering as he extended the long appendage so that the base of the tongue pressed against your opening and the twin forks wrapped around your sensitive clit, you did as you were asked. Hips working slowly at first then faster and faster as you felt the pleasure building to a dangerous level. You were going out of your mind at the feeling of those two ends flicking up and down with every push of your hips. Sliding your clit between them as they undulated on either side while the very back of the demons flexible tongue teased at your leaking hole. It wasn’t long before all that pent up energy was reaching a super nova of pleasure. Trembling as you let out little breathy moans and pants, with what little brain capacity you had left you pressed the button. Turning the vibrations of the toy back up two speeds which sent Aziraphale spiraling headfirst into a powerful orgasm right behind your own. You throbbed and pulsed as your hips continued to twitch sporadically back onto the demons dexterous tongue. Whining and jerking in his grasp as he cruel kept teasing your over sensitive nerves with the very tips. You stilled your hips as you came down from your own orgasm, watching hazily as Aziraphale’s moans elevating in pitch as he found himself sensitive as well. Still catching your breath as the demon pulled their tongue away from the burning nerves at the very top of your slit, you pulled the toy slightly out and away from Aziraphale’s own swollen little nub. The wheel was spinning and you watched it turn as Crowley took the opportunity to spear you with his now sloppily wet tongue. You called out brokenly as it found its way deep inside in one quick thrust. His pleased growl reverberated against the pink flesh where his tongue spread you open, sending another flash of heat through your very core. Shivering at the sound of his rough voice pressed against your sex you whimpered desperately as his tongue began to flex and pulse within you. You had never felt anything quite like it and soon enough you felt the pleasure building up once again.

Aziraphale was panting above you as the vibrator continued to press against his own nerves. Soon you felt emboldened by his pleasured moans which mingled with your own eager sounds and pressed the toy forward once again. With the demon rolling their tongue in waves and the high pitched wails of pleasure filling your ears you let out a startled gasp as you found yourself on the edge. Your breath caught as you balanced there at the very edge of what promised to be a violently powerful climax before you let out the loudest moan yet. Both Crowley’s hands came up to grasp at your bitten thighs and that sent you tumbling headfirst into a second orgasm. As the first wave of pleasure crested the demon cheekily brought one hand up the inside of your thigh to press two fingers firmly against your throbbing clit. The other raised high into the air before coming down hard across the supple flesh of your ass. The sting of the slap mingled with the endless waves of your orgasm which had you seeing spots in the corners of your vision.

As you felt the pleasure ebb and flow away for the second time, that long tongue was slowly and teasingly pulled free from your thoroughly used pussy. Trailing a long strand of slick and spit from the tips of the demons forked tongue to your warm and wet slit. As it finally pulled completely free Aziraphale arched on the bed and let out a small shout, his legs trembled and threatened to close as he whined needily with his head tossed back. Crowley sat up and watched as the pleasure faded and his fried nerves began to protest. You went to sympathetically turn the vibrations down when Crowley fisted a hand roughly in your hair and hissed, “Sssstop. You’ll turn it off when I Sssay you can.”

Peering back at him over your shoulder you shyly mumbled “yes, sir.”

“Good~” Crowley praised as he let your head drop back into its natural place, smoothing a hand down your spine as he continued to watch.

Aziraphale’s was writhing below you both as he practically screamed with every turn of the wheel. His eyes which were clouded by lust and desperation met Crowley’s own as he continued to tremble and shake. His legs dropped to either side of you as his hips lifted up off the bed in an attempt to get away from the onslaught of pleasure, but he made no move to beg until he heard Crowley speak once again. Gripping tightly at your waist and bringing his hips closer to your exposed ass once again he suggested, “why don’t you turn it up?”

“NO?! Please?! PLEASE!!!” Aziraphale cried out before your finger could depress the button, tears threatening to spill down his ruddy cheeks as he whimpered.

Taking mercy on the Angel Crowley ground against your ass and lowly whispered, “turn it off and come help me with THIS.”

Aziraphale went limp on the bed as the vibrator finally came to a stop, pulling it free from his slick hole you handed it off to him before peaking back at Crowley. His hands which had been firmly holding you by the waist slipped down to your hips before sliding off you entirely. Sprawling across the very end of the bed you were quick to fall to your knees below him and begin unfastening his belt. As you undid the button and pulled the zipper down he let out a small grunt and raised his hips toward you. Pulling everything down enough to free his rigid cock proved harder than anticipated but with a little elbow grease you managed to get the pants down to his thighs. Scooting closer and letting your knee slip between his slim ankles you leaned closer to pull at the hem of his boxers with your teeth. Hooking a finger under the waistband you slowly guided them down as well. Your eyes hungrily took in the sizeable effort before you greedily ran your lips from the base of the shaft all the way to the very tip. Reaching out to grab hold of the shaft and steady it, you parted your lips and took the very tip into your mouth. Bobbing your head over the very top half of his cock a few times, you pulled off for a second to run your tongue teasingly along the underside before swallowing it back down. This time you removed your hand, placing both palms flat on his thighs as you set up a steady pace. Slowly moving up and down the turgid flesh between your lips you let him slip further and further back. Soon you were taking him almost all the way to the base. Drool dripping down the shaft and onto his exposed balls you reached a hand out to feel their heft and weight as you held yourself pressed as far back as you could go. He groaned and ran a hand through your hair encouragingly as you did so. Pulling off to catch your breath you moaned as you plunged back down once again, overcome with the full sensation across your tongue. Soon you were moving faster as you continued to let out pleased little hums around his thick cock. It wasn’t until you heard shifting on the bed that you paused to see Aziraphale climbing to the floor as well. On still trembling legs he slid to his knees beside you, gently touching your cheek and guiding you to pull all the way off the demons spit slick cock.

You then watched as he leaned across to take him into his own mouth, causing Crowley to let out a rough growl which caused you both to squirm below him. While Aziraphale worked the shaft with his mouth and tongue you leaned closer to suck one of the demons slick balls into your mouth as well. Rolling it around your tongue before doing the same to the next. You switched between the two as Aziraphale bobbed his head faster and faster. Crowley fisted a hand in the Angel’s hair as he let out a breathy moan. Aziraphale coyly pulled off once again as you both looked to one another you leaned in together. Sliding both sets up lips up and down either side of his cock you worked your tongues over the underside. Occasionally the tips of them would brush each other as you moved together. Feeling confident in the demons steadily increasing sounds of pleasure you reached a hand up to palm at the leaking tip of his cock. Rubbing two fingers across the slick head in circles before pressing firmer against the sensitive flesh. Aziraphale brought a hand up as well, encircling the bottom half of his shaft before moving his mouth up to the very tip. You found yourself doing the same. Joint hands stroking the bottom and top half of his erection as you left only the head free to explore with your wandering tongues. The slick sounds filled the room as your conjoined saliva slicked the way for your tight strokes. Flicking your tongues fast and rough against the sensitive tip had Crowley arching his hips forward, thrusting erratically as he groaned. When you tightened your grip around his cock and lightly rolled his balls around in your free hand he cursed, “Ssssshit! FUCK?! You Basssstardsss?!”

It was then that he thrusted forward once again, then twice, then on the third thrust he shook lightly as his cock throbbed. Wet pulses of hot white cum flooded out as you both continued to work him through it. The sticky fluid coated your lips and cheeks as you both kept your steady pace before slowing down your greedy tongues. Loosening your grip on his shaft you lazily lapped up the last dredges of the demons orgasm as they panted and caught their breath above you. Two possessive hands reached down to press against the back of your heads, forcing you and Aziraphale to touch noses. Giggling giddily as you shyly looked up to Crowley, you both were quick to let his hands guide you closer. You moaned as Aziraphale’s lips met your own, kissing for more than a few moments before Crowley growled in frustration above you. Tugging lightly at your hair had you both whining into the kiss and when your mouth opened Aziraphale took the opportunity to slip his tongue tentatively inside. Moaning around it you swirled your own tongue along the underside of his, eyes squeezing shut as the tip of the Angels tongue flicked teasingly against the roof of your mouth. Sending sparks of sensation down your spine and causing your hands to clutch eagerly at his upper arms. As the kiss was deepened he moved his hands around your waist and pulled you closer, making sure you were firmly straddling his thigh before he broke away. Crowley smirked approvingly down at the both of you and as you tilted your head to look into his golden eyes Aziraphale began lapping at the cum coating your lips and cheek. Turning back to the task at hand you gripped the back of Aziraphale’s neck and returned the favor. Closing your eyes you let the salty taste wash over your tongue as you did your best to catch every drop.

When you finished Aziraphale’s greedily pulled you even closer, grinding against your own leg as he grabbed tightly at your hips and guided you into doing the same. You moaned wantonly at the firmer treatment, shivering as Crowley’s hands guided you both into another passionate kiss. How you found yourself already so worked up and willing was uncertain. All you knew was you were steadily heating up as those strong hands grabbed hold of your hips hard enough to bruise. You found yourself shocked to learn how good of a kisser Aziraphale was. The Angel had you practically melting in his grasp with every careful press of lips and tongue and soon you felt the thigh between your legs growing wetter. As you leaked down onto his thigh he was leaving a patch of wetness across your own. Soon the smooth glide across even smoother skin wasn’t enough and you both broke the kiss to gasp for air. Whimpering into the others neck as you clutched one another tightly.

It was then that you felt Crowley nudge you both gently with his booted foot. Clearing his throat as he raised a brow down at the two of you he demanded, “Enough! On the bed…Now.”

Hastily untangling yourselves from one another, you and Aziraphale were quick to slip past the demon and onto the bed. Crawling on all fours together you let out a shocked sound at the feeling of two demonic hands grabbing you by the hips to hold you closer to the end of the bed. In a flash you found yourself flipped onto your back and you whined at the display of strength. Crowley smiled down at you as he loomed closer to gently trail both hands up the backs of your thighs to spread your legs. Lifting both knees up to your chest to leave your slick holes exposed to him, he stared past you to purr, “Get over here Angel. I’ve got just the place for you~”

As he shifted to his knees once again, using your thighs as leverage to lift himself up, he clicked his tongue at you. Running one hand up and down your soaked lips teasingly he said, “Look how desperate you are. It’s pathetic!”

You flushed at his whispered words, subtly trying to press harder against his teasing fingers as they ran sensually up and down your sex. You moaned excitedly as he suddenly grabbed you by the waist and pulled you closer. Your ankles naturally sitting atop his lithe shoulders as his hard cock slipped over your aching clit. Rubbing his erection through your slick folds to tease you he looked to Aziraphale and then back to you. Silently commanding him to join once again. You reached over your own head to guide him closer until he was left hovering above your face. He reached to prop a pillow under your head and seconds later he was settling over your chin. You closed your eyes as you experimentally opened your mouth and flicked your tongue out. Whining into the space between his legs as Crowley brought his cock down to tease the very tip against your slick entrance. Squirming in hopes of them taking the hint you doubled your efforts with your tongue. Running it up and down the angels wet slit at an ever increasing pace. Occasionally stopping to flick hastily at the bundle of nerves near the top before probing further down. With your nose buried in the depths of him and your tongue pressed tight against his clit you clawed at the bedspread. In one slow and steady push of his hips Crowley had sheathed himself fully inside you. Stretching you almost to your limit before bottoming out and keeping his cock fully inside. With barely any warning at all his pulled his hips back before slamming them harshly back into you. Setting a fast a brutal pace which had all coherent thought leaving your head. Soon all you could do was moan and whine with your tongue left sticking out for Aziraphale to grind against. Every thrust sent a burst of pleasure to your core, a tight knot twisting with every heated touch until Crowley roughly whispered, “Look how well you’re taking it~”

It was those words that had your back arching and you legs trembling as you practically gushed around the demons cock. Not allowing you a second to rest he bent down to lave his forked tongue over one of your pert nipples as he continued to thrust. Hazily you reached a hand up and pressed your palm to Aziraphale’s sex, letting him hump his way closer to his own climax as you shouted and rode out your own. Each thrust of those sinful hips seemed to drag the feelings out for eternity. Pleasure washing over you in wave after wave until finally you stopped tensing and twitching with it. You went completely limp on the bed, barely able to even listen as Aziraphale whimpered and shook above you. Leaning over you to share a passionate kiss with Crowley as he throbbed and pulsed through his own orgasm.

He slowed his thrusts as you both came down from your highs before pulling all the way out of your slick hole. Aziraphale climbed off you as well and you groggily looked up to them as they shifted positions once again. Aziraphale smiled down at you as he came to rest across your waist, kissing his way up your neck as he arched his back towards Crowley. With a grunt they reached out to grab him and thrust into him in one harsh movement, causing Aziraphale to moan against your neck. Wrapping your legs around his waist you shyly pulled him into another kiss. Blissed out and just enjoying the closeness you let him kiss, lick, and nibble at your lips as Crowley’s thrusts became erratic. The wet slap of skin on skin and your own panting breaths were drowned out by the little whines and breathy moans Aziraphale kept pressing to your lips. In a few moments he tipped his head back and in a desperate tone exclaimed “Ahhh~ Crowley I-I’m Close?!”

Growling you watched as one hand reached forward to lightly wrap around the Angels throat, the other slipping down between his legs to press a finger to his clit. Rubbing back and forth and round and round until Aziraphale screamed and trembled. He was sobbing and moaning with every thrust and a few thrusts later Crowley’s hips jerked. His thrusts stuttered to a halt as his cock pulsed wetly inside his Angel who had gone limp on top of you. As you all panted to catch your breath you though to yourself…

What a lovely way to spend a morning?

[dulltoned]

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three

Branch spends the next few days trying his best to enjoy what time he has left. He stomps down the bitter sting every time his brothers get together to talk about the future and tries to bask in the little moments they allow him. Branch makes breakfast for Bruce and tries to wriggle a recipe out of him that he can cherish during the gray days. He spends an evening with Clay talking about novels and getting as many recommendations as he can so he can know what kind of books his brother likes. He even lets John Dory pick at a few of his projects so they can bond over their shared handiness born from their survivalist pasts. Branch has never gotten to know much about his brothers, he was so young when they left he can barely remember any of the little details, so he clings to everything now. Clay's ears flick when he's irritated over something insignificant, like a bent page in his book or the uneven amount of pencils at Branch's workspace. John Dory sleeps with that stupid glove on, and he cleans off his goggles every night because the routine helps him relax. Floyd hums rock songs in the shower even though he doesn't like the lyrics because he loves the melody. Bruce isn't a huge fan of seafood after so many years serving it back in his restaurant on Vacay Island but he loves Country Troll cuisine.

Branch gathers every little detail he can and he tucks it away because he knows that soon enough these few fleeting memories will be all that he has left to hold on to. Soon enough they'll be on their way and he'll be alone with only their ghosts to haunt him. He thought that he was finally done grieving. He thought that maybe he was finally ready to let go of the family that didn't want him. Now he can already feel their absence like a gaping wound even though they're still here sitting in the next room over.

Today is the day. Branch takes a fortifying breath and brushes nonexistent dust off his vest before slipping out of the kitchen to go gather up his brothers from the living space around the corner. He plasters a smile on his face as he steps through the entryway, leaning up against the arching entrance like nothing could possibly be wrong. John Dory has Clay tucked under his arm and is violently ruffling the younger troll's bright green hair. Bruce is cackling, nearly doubled over, and even Floyd is hiding a few loose chuckles behind his paw. Clay's hair admittedly doesn't look any different than it did before but that doesn't stop him from spewing protests.

"Are you guys done yet or should I give you some more time?" Branch teases, raising an unimpressed eyebrow that's betrayed by the amused smile spreading across his face.

John pauses his assault to look over at Branch and his grip seems to have loosened just enough for Clay to make his hasty escape. "I guess we can cut this short," John Dory shrugs, smirking while Clay grumbles and Bruce wipes tears from his eyes. John looks proud, smug in a way that Branch thinks only an oldest brother could be. His heart aches wondering if this is the last time he'll see that expression and he struggles to keep his smile in place.

"I'm sure the balloon is already set up so we better get this over with." Branch pushes off the entryway and tucks his hands deep into his trouser pockets in a hopefully subtle attempt to hide how they've started to shake. Bruce's laugh is still ringing in his ears and he can't help but ask himself if he'll be able to remember it so distinctly a year from now. He swallows thickly, eyes flicking from sibling to sibling and drinking in the easy smiles on their faces. They look so happy right now, joking and laughing and roughhousing like brothers are supposed to. Branch feels so out of place. Do they even care that they're leaving him behind all over again? Have they even noticed that they're ripping his heart to bits and stealing away the tattered pieces so he could never hope to be whole again without them? Do they think he's being childish because he's so heartbroken over something inevitable?

"I guess you're right," John Dory agrees, stretching out and popping his back. John throws Branch an easy smile and motions for the rest of their brothers to gather up so they can head out. Clay rolls his eyes and helps Floyd up from the armchair while Bruce stands from the couch. This is it. This is really it. Branch's heart flutters pathetically beneath his ribs and dread thrums through his veins. He wasn't ready to say goodbye. Not again. This wasn't enough time. He wanted more time. "Lead the way, little brother."

Branch is helpless to do anything else but swallow down the vile, bubbling emotions climbing up his throat and walk them out of the bunker towards the clearing Poppy arranged for their departure.

The pit in Branch's stomach only grows with each step and he listens with mounting irritation as his brothers chatter excitedly behind him. They're all excited to get back to their lives and Branch wishes he could begrudge them that. He wants so badly to be angry but he can't. They deserve to go back to their lives, their homes, their families. He doesn't want them to be miserable, he just wishes that he could be part of their happiness. He's well acquainted with loving others more than he's loved but the hurt never quite fades.

"Hey, Branch, you're quiet up there." Bruce calls and Branch looks over his shoulder curiously. Bruce smiles back teasingly, his eyes shining with bright mirth that Branch doesn't think the situation warrants, "Got something on your mind?"

"Or someone," Floyd joins in with a playful wiggle of his eyebrows that makes Clay cough a poorly concealed laugh.

Branch frowns, eyebrows furrowing, "What?"

"Poppy's going to be there, right?" Bruce asks like it's obvious and the pieces slot into place. They thought he was distracted because Poppy was going to be there to see them off?

"Oh. Not really," Branch shrugs. He turns back around when he sees their expressions shift, smiles dropping while they share confused glances. Branch figured it would be obvious why he was so quiet but maybe that was a bit presumptuous of him. He's been eagerly spending as much time with them as he could these past few weeks despite how obvious they were about their plans to exclude him. He guesses his silence now could be seen as a little odd, all things considered.

They don't say anything else for the rest of the trip. At least not to Branch. He hears them muttering but he doesn't try to listen in or even turn his head to look back again. He does his best to keep his eyes straight ahead and tune them out. Before he knows it he can see the large burgundy body of the hot air balloon growing steadily larger in the distance and the dread burrowed in his gut spikes. This is it. 

John Dory lets out an impressed whistle, "It's bigger than I expected," he admits but he sounds excited about it. It hadn't even occurred to Branch that his brothers wouldn't really be familiar with traditional Pop Troll transportation anymore. Branch offers a noncommittal hum and scans the area around the balloon's basket for a splash of pink. He spots her quickly and some of the hurt in his chest dissipates. He can breathe a little easier knowing that she's here.

It's only a few moments before Poppy notices them, Viva a bundle of energy at her side. Pink eyes find them from across the clearing and a smile breaks out across Poppy's face like the sun after a rainstorm. She bounces on the balls of her feet and waves excitedly, calling a loud hello instead of waiting the thirty seconds it would take for them to reach her. Branch can't help but chuckle, shaking his fondly with a roll of his eyes while John and Bruce yell back their own greetings. Viva rushes over at top speed, twirling around Clay before falling into step beside him like it was second nature. She's rambling excitedly about something that Branch doesn't have the energy to try and follow but Clay is smiling brightly and nodding along.

"Hey," Poppy greets him softly, sliding up to him and gently grasping the front of his vest so she could pull him in for a swift kiss. Her eyes scan over his face and a frown tugs at her lips, "Are you okay?" She whispers, ducking in close for some semblance of privacy.

Branch tries to offer a reassuring smile but it feels bittersweet and tired, "As good as I can be," he sighs, lifting a hand to rest it softly over hers, "Better with you here." He confesses and bumps their foreheads together. She smiles, though the worried furrow between her brows remains. Branch wants nothing more than to smooth out the creases, chase away the concern she's wasting on him, but he knows that there's nothing he can do to convince her that he's fine. She wouldn't believe him even if there was.

She presses another quick kiss to his cheek before pulling away to properly greet his brothers, sharing a few warm hellos, "So, is everyone all set?" She looks between them, hands on her hips, like she expects them to have luggage despite the fact that they arrived empty-handed. She doesn't wait for a response before she turns on her heel and gestures to the small grassy hill next to the balloon that would give them easy access, "You guys should have plenty of room and there's a bunch of blankets if it gets cold, I also packed a lot of snacks just in case you got hungry. Oh! And there are some games--" "Okay, okay, sounds great Poppyseed," John interrupts, eyes wide when he realizes that Poppy had no intention of stopping her ramblings. He raises his hands in an attempt to slow her down, "What about a manual?" He presses curiously, the shock bleeding away to a fond amusement that made Branch's heart pang.

"Here," Branch reaches up into his hair and pulls out the pilot's manual. He refused to give it back after Poppy'd thrown it out just a few months ago. It's been haunting him these past few days but he hadn't dared to forget it on the way out of the bunker. He steps forward and passes the thick volume to John Dory, trying not to look at his brother's grateful smile, "It's pretty extensive but you only really need to read the first and the fifth chapter for a quick trip." He clears his throat awkwardly, trying to keep up a lighthearted attitude

"I'll take that," Clay reaches over and plucks the book from John Dory's hands with ease, grinning as he completely ignores John's protests. Viva giggles by Clay's side and even leans in to get a better look at the manual while Clay flips through it to see the table of contents. Branch watches the two self-proclaimed Putt Putt Trolls and hopes that maybe Clay will come along when Viva inevitably decides to visit. Branch has come to really enjoy having another level-headed, fact-oriented troll around and one brother would be better than none. If he's lucky, which he can admit isn't likely, maybe Clay will even keep him updated on their other siblings.

"So this thing is all ready to go?" Bruce looks up at the large balloon, admiring the structure with muted curiosity. He doesn't look too interested but rather intrigued by something unfamiliar.

"Yep!" Poppy chirps, bouncing over to stand back and look with Bruce despite being well-acquainted with Pop Troll travel methods. She's already flown out to visit each of the other Kingdoms at least once since the end of the Rockapocalypse. "All the prep work was finished last night so all you need to do now is climb aboard." She explains with a curt nod, clearly proud of herself and her work.

"Well!" John Dory claps his hands together drawing everyone's attention back to him, "Sounds like that's that then, let's get this show on the road, huh?"

"We shouldn't drag this out any longer," Floyd agrees with a sad smile and a small nod. John moves first, stepping forward to ruffle Branch's hair before walking over to climb up the incline. He vaults over the lip of the basket easily and quickly begins looking around. Floyd follows after him, shuffling forward with a clear exhaustion weighing down his limbs. He walks right past Branch without even glancing back, hiking up the hill and accepting John Dory's help into the basket with whispered thanks. Branch swallows convulsively, trying to push down the lump growing in his throat. Did Floyd not even want to say goodbye?

A hand lands lightly on his shoulder and Branch turns around only to be wrapped up in Bruce's arms. Instinctively Branch hugs back, squeezing tightly and nuzzling into Bruce's comforting hold. Bruce's arms envelop him in a warm, secure embrace and Branch mourns the fact that he'll likely never get to feel safe in his brother's arms again. "It was really nice seeing you again," Bruce murmurs into Branch's hair with a soft sniffle.

Branch's own eyes burn but he forces out a small laugh, "Yeah, you too, man." He doesn't think he'll ever forget the joy he felt when Bruce first told them that he was a father. He was terrified and elated at the idea of being an uncle. Bruce pulls back and wipes his eyes, a bright and happy smile on his face before he, too, leaves. It's getting harder and harder for Branch to keep his expression neutral and he finds himself desperately wishing for Clay and Viva to make their leave before he starts to break again.

Clay, thankfully, steps in and pulls Branch into a side hug with the manual tucked neatly under his other arm. Viva detaches to go say her own farewells to Poppy and Branch is pitifully grateful for the modicum of privacy. Clay presses their temples together with a lop-sided grin, "Take care of yourself, okay?" He extracts himself quickly but also reaches out to ruffle Branch's hair like John Dory had and Branch doesn't even try to push him away.

"Yeah, you too." Branch tries to smile back but his world is starting to feel dark and desaturated again. He wonders if Poppy would notice. She insists that she can see his hues shift with his mood even when Branch himself couldn't tell. He wonders if she can see the color draining out of him the way it feels like it should be. Watching Clay turn away and stride confidently over to the balloon stirs something deep and anguished in Branch's chest and he stomps down the urge to reach out and ask them to come back. It was too familiar watching them leave and being powerless to make them stay.

Viva and Poppy wrap up their own muted conversation and share a tight hug before Viva rushes off after Clay. They climb into the basket together, talking excitedly about something or another, and it makes Branch's stomach churn seeing them all so content while his world crashes down around him again. He realizes with sudden and startling clarity that he has to say goodbye. He can't let them leave this time without saying something.

He scrambles forward before Poppy can make her way back to his side and looks up into the basket with wild eyes. Floyd spots him first and his merry expression drops immediately but Branch speaks before Floyd gets a chance to question him. "I know it probably doesn't mean much," Branch starts hesitantly and has to take a calming breath when his brothers' attention shifts unwaveringly to him. "But I'm going to miss you guys." John shares a confused look with Bruce and Clay while Floyd's frown only becomes more pronounced. Floyd moves back towards the edge of the basket with a shake of his head.

"What do you mean? Of course it means something," Floyd assures softly, leaning over the rim to better meet Branch's eyes. Floyd's scanning him over and it makes Branch feel exposed.

Branch tries to laugh it off, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, "I guess I wanted to make sure that you knew this time." He cringes the second the words leave his mouth, "That came out wrong--" He immediately tries to backtrack before he ruins any chance he has at ever seeing any of his brothers ever again.

"Back up," John Dory cuts in, appearing at Floyd's side, "Why is this starting to sound like goodbye?"

Branch freezes, dumbfounded, and blinks up at them. His anxiety is drowned out quickly by his confusion, "..isn't it?" He asks only to be met with two startled faces. Branch cranes his neck to look at Bruce and Clay so he can see if they're as confused as he is but they look just as upset as John and Floyd do.

"Hey, Viv, maybe we should give them a second." Poppy chimes in from somewhere behind him and he watches distractedly as Viva climbs back out of the balloon and walks off somewhere with her sister. He's sure he'll be grateful to Poppy for this later but right now he's just trying to get his thoughts sorted. Why were they so shocked? Did his brothers really think that he was that oblivious? He wasn't blind, it was easy to see that they were keeping him away from their important conversations.

John Dory hops over the rim of the basket and lands neatly in front of Branch, "Why in the world would this be goodbye?" He asks urgently. There's something desperate in his eyes that Branch can't quite discern but he doesn't understand why they're the ones making such a fuss about this. He was the one who had a right to be upset but he was trying to let them go.

Branch tilts his head and scoffs, sparing a glance at the hill where Bruce is carefully helping Floyd back out of the balloon before turning his attention back to John, "Aren't you guys leaving?" He raises an eyebrow, crossing his arms to keep himself from fidgeting with the hem of his vest. John Dory gestures to him frantically, making an exaggerated noise of disbelief before turning to the others like they could possibly help him.

"Yeah, for now," Clay looks at Branch like he's grown a second head and it was really starting to piss him off. What right did they have to be so flabbergasted? They were the ones who made plans to ditch him, not the other way around. This wasn't his plan.

"Where in the world did you get the idea that we weren't coming back?" Bruce adds on, asking the question that was apparently on all of their minds as he lowers himself down from the edge of the hill to drop down beside John.

"It's not like you've been subtle," Branch snarls, taking a sick pleasure in how his brothers jump away from the sudden tone shift. Good. If they wanted to play dumb they deserve to face the consequences. "You've been here for almost two weeks and every time I happen to walk into the room the conversation dies. A few days ago you were talking about just how much room Vacay Island and the Golf Course have for everyone without even a single mention of Pop Village. Are you kidding me! Why the hell would I think you were staying?" Recognition is blooming across Floyd's face and he can see the realization dawning for Clay like it was happening in slow motion. The green-haired troll's eyes widen just a fraction and his mouth drops open into a soft oh and it'd be funny if it wasn't because Branch had known all along that they were planning to abandon him again. He was so tired of being thrown away like he was nothing and they had the audacity to think he was too stupid to catch on? Maybe Poppy was right and he should just cut his losses and accept that they didn't want him in their lives. He was better off without them anyway.

"You got it all wrong!" John reaches out and places his gloved hand firmly on Branch's shoulder but Branch jerks back with a growl. There wasn't any guilt on their faces but instead a soft, bitter understanding that was starting to make Branch feel cornered. He was getting real sick of being left out of the loop.

"Branch, please, just let us explain," Floyd implores. Branch huffs, glaring, but some of the tension falls away at his brother's plea. Floyd looks at him with desperate lilac eyes that are starting to fill with rising guilt and Branch loathes to see his kind-hearted sibling so hurt. He doesn't want to cave, he wants them to deal with how they've hurt him and feel the weight of their actions, but it's Floyd who's asking and that's enough to break his resolve. Branch waves a hand with a sharp exhale, silently urging them to continue before he changes his mind.

His brothers sag with visible relief and John Dory quickly scrambles to take the reigns once more. "We thought you were uncomfortable," he tries to explain and his face his twisted apologetically with such genuine regret that Branch wants to believe him. "Whenever we started talking about our plans for after we went home you'd start to get all fidgety or you'd just kind of…"

"Leave," Bruce finishes off. John Dory's eyes flick back to Bruce before nodding.

"We thought that you didn't want to talk about it, which feels really stupid in hindsight." Clay admits with a disappointed sigh. Like he's realizing he should have known better but he'd been so caught up in the moment that it hadn't even occurred to him.

Branch can only stare at them in disbelief, waiting for one of them to laugh and tell him this was some sort of stupid joke. "Are you serious?" He seethes, paws closing into tight fists that shake at his sides. "The first few days you guys only talked about how eager you were to go home," Branch had been a bit flighty at first and, in the beginning, his heart would jump into his throat every time they started talking about how excited they were to go back to their lives. He was scared. Scared to lose them, scared that despite everything they just went through for each other it still wasn't enough to hold them together, and he didn't want to ruin their happiness with his own catastrophizing. "You laughed in my face when you thought I wanted us to be in each other's lives and you think I'm jumping to conclusions thinking that this is the last time I'm going to see you?"

Floyd looks horrified. Branch realizes that there's a decent chance that Floyd didn't know about that part. "Branch, I'm moving to Pop Village." Floyd says in lieu of any empty comforts he could've offered. What's done is done, they couldn't take it back.

"What?" Branch breathes, hesitant joy bubbling up and peeking through the anger still burning bright in his stomach.

Floyd smiles and it's bright and contagious, drawing similar expressions from their brothers, "I wanted it to be a surprise but after everything I really don't want to go back to Mount Rageous. I still need to talk the details over with Poppy but I wanted to move here to be closer to other trolls again. To be closer to you." Floyd looks like he wants to close the distance between them and Branch is glad that he doesn't. There's a tentative trust being built but Branch is still wired from the roller coaster this conversation has become and he's sure that one wrong move will send him tumbling.

"I'm coming back with him to pick up Rhonda but I plan to stop by often now that I know where this place is," John Dory gestures back the way they came towards Pop Village. It's plausible, it's all plausible, but Branch is still hesitant to believe them. He doesn't know what he'd do if all these reassurances were empty and meaningless.

Bruce steps forward slowly, raising his hands in surrender when Branch takes a hasty step back. His face is soft and open when he speaks, "I'm sorry we weren't really thinking, Branch. And we never should have implied that we didn't want to be a family again. We were frustrated and angry and tensions were high but adding everything up it's not too hard to see how you came to these conclusions," Branch wonders if this is what a dad voice is. He never met his father and he never really had the kind of friends that would introduce him to their parents. He imagines that this is what Bruce sounds like when he soothes his kids and tells them that everything is going to be alright and that makes something small and broken buried under his ribs yearn. "We want you to visit too, B. I want you to come to Vacay Island and meet your nephews and niece." "And I'd love to show you around the Golf Course!" Clay chimes in brightly, eyes shining with unshed tears that contrast with the fond smile on his face.

"Have you seen your bunker? You'd be amazing at camping." John Dory agrees warmly.

"We just got you back," Floyd murmurs but it's loud in their close proximity. "I don't think any of us want to say goodbye."

Branch feels the last of his protective anger drain out of him and sucks in a shaky breath. He smiles, uncertain and thin, but it seems to be enough to reassure his brothers. "Okay."

"We're really sorry, Branch," Clay insists, blinking away the wetness in his eyes and staring over at his youngest brother with blatant worry, "We really just weren't thinking, man. We never wanted to exclude you or make you feel like this was it."

"It's okay, really, I have a bad habit of overthinking this kind of thing," Branch sniffs, trying to be casual despite how his heart was still racing. He was already upset that he'd accidentally made a big deal out of nothing but it was admittedly nice to be reassured so sincerely. It soothed his frayed nerves in a way that was strange but welcome.

"It's not," Floyd disagrees quickly and Branch startles, "It's not, not really, but we'll have time to make up for it, okay?" And isn't that everything that Branch ever wanted? He'd wanted more time and miraculously they're giving it to him. Maybe this isn't the end, maybe it wasn't time for goodbyes after all. His heart starts to calm and a fragile hope begins to bloom where the anxiety was nestled under his sternum.

"Yeah," Branch nods, his smile shifting into something lighter, "I'd like that."

John reaches forward and snags Branch by the wrist, tugging him forward before Branch could even think to ask what was going on. John Dory's arms wrap around him in a bone-crushing hug, "I'll be back, got it?" He says firmly into Branch's hair. Branch nods into John Dory's shoulder, arms raised with shocked uncertainty. He gives in after a few beats and hugs his brother back as tightly as he can.

Branch lets the hug linger, grasping tightly to the leather of John Dory's vest until the contact starts to make his skin itch. He detaches himself stiffly, shaking out his arms with an awkward chuckle, "You guys really should get going, though. You're burning daylight." It still hurts to see them go but it feels different than it had before.

"That's probably for the best, huh?" Floyd agrees, reaching out a hand to Clay in a silent request for help that the older troll quickly jumps to oblige.

Branch uses the time it takes his brothers to hoist themselves back into the basket to compose himself. These past few weeks have been incredibly jarring and he thinks that he's seen enough of his emotions for the next few months but… it's also been surprisingly rewarding. He turns to scan the treeline hoping to spot a flash of pink but he doesn't even have to go looking before Poppy and Viva pop into view already making their way back over. They had to of been watching from a distance but Branch is confident that Poppy would have dragged them far enough away that they couldn't have overhead anything so he's not worried.

Viva bounds back over to the balloon and practically tackles Clay in her dash over to him. They immediately start talking quietly and this time Branch can admire their dynamic without any clouds of resentment hanging over him.

"You got this thing figured out?" Branch asks. "Totally. No need to worry," Clay assures, raising the manual and wiggling it for emphasis. Branch is glad that there's someone on that thing who'll actually read the instructions.

"I'll see you around, then, I guess." Branch smiles.

"Soon," Bruce promises.

With that they cut the ropes holding the balloon down and start the ascent into the open air. Branch and Poppy wave with vastly different levels of energy and their siblings wave back. There's no pit in Branch's stomach as he watches them get further and further away and no crushing sorrow when they say their goodbyes. It's not goodbye this time, not really, it's see you later. That makes him feel lighter than he has in days.

"You're looking blue," Poppy admires at his side, slotting her paw into his like it's meant to be there. You're looking happy, she means.

"I am." He admits quietly and is surprised to find that he means it.

[velvetkisscs]

Is It Casual Now ? - PSH SMAU

chapter 3: my side, your side (0.5k)

──౨ৎ｡⋆ 𝓬ontains: friendly teasing, mild cussing, more bickering between the exes

𝓦arning: strangling each other to death AS A JOKE

likes, reblogs, comments, and feedbacks are appreciated. rude comments will be ignored, reported, and deleted.

𖦹˙— ₊˙♡﹗˚ ༘ ✩࿐࿔ you make your way to jay's house, where your friends have agreed to study together. jay was left without a choice, considering his apartment was spacious enough to accommodate everyone. he keeps a whiteboard, using it to memorize recipes, which doubles as a handy tool to jot down notes. it’s not that you don’t want to study– well, maybe a little– but finding a quiet place during this time of year is nearly impossible. libraries and cafes are too noisy, crowded with busy students, cramming everything they can. so here you are, 2 hours later than the agreed time, dragging your feet to jay’s apartment.

unfortunately for you, it seems that sunghoon also had the same thought. as soon you push the door open, you spot the very last person you wanted to see, quickly realizing he arrived mere seconds before you. however, to everyone else, it looks like the two of you came together. to make matters worse, you’re immediately greeted by ni-ki and beomgyu’s teasing

“look who finally decided to show up!” ni-ki called out, grinning from ear to ear

“late AND together, huh? how interesting,” beomgyu added, a smirk on his lips.

“STEAK STEAK STEAK!” ni-ki said excitedly.

jay and jake can only groan in frustration after losing the bet.

sunghoon, with an amused look, scoffs. “she probably followed me. guess someone can’t help herself.” he shrugs.

you shot him a glare. “as if i’d follow you anywhere. your ego is as big as your head.”

everyone but you and sunghoon exchanged amused looks, quite used to the constant bickering. you scanned the room for a place to sit and saw the only available spot was next to him, sunghoon.

“great…” you muttered under your breath, making your way over.

sunghoon shifted his books and laptop, creating a clear division between your space and his. “you better stay on your side,” he warned.

“YOU better stay in YOURS” you shot back.

as you both settled down, the atmosphere was thick with tension. ni-ki and beomgyu exchanged glances and stifled a giggle.

the group tried to focus on their studies, but it wasn’t long before sunghoon accidentally knocked your notes over, reaching for his own.

“seriously? what happened to not getting in my space?” you snapped.

“maybe if you didn’t take up so much of mine, this would’ve been avoided,” sunghoon retorted.

“maybe if you weren’t such a klutz, it wouldn’t matter,” you countered.

jay looked up from his laptop, shaking his head. “you two are something else.”

a few hours had passed and everyone wanted a break; both from studying and the constant bickering between you and sunghoon. all have agreed that it’d be nice to head to the nearest store for some food and get some fresh air during the walk.

at the convenience store 𖦹˙— ₊˙♡﹗˚ ༘ ✩࿐࿔

the group scattered, grabbing their own carts and their favorite snacks. surprisingly, the only quiet time you and sunghoon had was in the ramen aisle. 2 minutes had passed and you’ve finally decided to get the carbonara buldak, but to your demise, sunghoon reached for the same pack.

“of course you’d pick the same one,” sunghoon said, raising an eyebrow.

“what the fuck are you looking at me like that for? not my fault you have good taste for once” you shot back.

sunghoon smirked. “guess i do. try not to fuck up your ramen, okay?”

“try not to burn jay’s apartment, okay?” you retorted, grabbing the ramen and turning away.

<<< prev masterlist next >>>

a/n: heyyy! what'd you guys think about this chapter? yn and sunghoon sitting next to each other was definitely the move!! i love forced proximities between two people that claim to hate each other! but yes i will be updating every weekend! maybe once or twice? i'm not sure yet. also i'm so sorry i keep updating with filler chapters- i swear it will get better ;-; thank you for all the support i've been getting! it means a lot considering this IS my first ff ;-;

. 𖦹˙— ₊˙♡﹗˚ ༘ ✩࿐࿔

taglist: open

📌: @sunoostripletriple @yoizhrs @leov3rse @heelee-01 @naviiy @ramenoil @mitmit01 @luvrseung @river-demon-slayer @wonwoos-wineparty @sumzysworld @sngleehee

[send a comment/ask! no empty blogs, must be 18+]

[ethankyou]

A while back I had a chance to play Cyberpunk Red, which is the 4th edition of Cyberpunk by Mike Pondsmith.

Red is also the successor to Cyberpunk 2020 which was the inspiration for the notorious Cyberpunk 2077 - haven't played, don't intend to, not the subject of my discussion here!

So how did it go?

Cyberpunk Red is a lot of crunch though plays really easy once you get past the initial learning curve of the rules.

But there are a lot of rules.

I find my go to when learning a new game is to find a video of someone trying to give a briefer on the game system and then go to the book to cement those ideas myself.

I found this video pretty helpful when researching character creation. XPLoveCat does a whole series guiding through the creation process. If you like to listen to someone explain things (it's a big help for me) this might be a great place for you to start too!

Once you pick your lifepath, if you're going with the beginner one (i don't remember what it's called it's been nearly a year sorry!) the creation process is pretty smooth, it's just following some steps. There's a medium and veteran version of the life paths that add more complexity to your character creation process and I feel like since our group was a bunch of RPG vets we could have handled that, but it does speed things up to go with the quicker start for a one shot.

Meanwhile Red is like "You have 60 skills and one of them is fashion and one of them is looking good."

Whenever I'm starting a new game I also like to have a character sheet handy so I can piece everything together. And once you get Red's character sheet in front of you, it really begins to feel like a game from the 90's with a modern coat of paint.

The character sheet in question. 3 pages!

There's a lot of fun to be had in older systems! But newer systems have opted to streamline things like skills and stats and stuff nowadays. I remember being glad that 4th edition D&D cut skills by more than half by just folding a lot of similar ones together, something that would continue into 5th edition as well. There were some casualties along the way though (rip use magic device, and all the extra knowledge skills!) and typically the stuff that got cut was stuff that would facilitate like... You know.... Playing a character? Not just murderhoboing your way across the country.

Pictured below, everything that is "Cool" in the year 2045 (taken from a custom character sheet)

Creating a character is an interesting process because it follows this lifepath system. So you choose one of several paths and the game streamlines the creation process by directing you which page to go to next in an almost "choose your own adventure" sort of layout. This is very helpful, but while it's easy to go forward, it's not so easy to go back. If you went to the wrong page or just didn't like what you read and want to try something else, you'll be searching for where you made that wrong turn. A lot of ttrpg books can be like this so this isn't exactly a new problem, but the way the book is laid out it really does need you to follow this path to new pages instead of discovering the information yourself by reading on. I guess just write down the page numbers of places you want to go back to before flipping forward.

Initially finding things on the sheet is tough because if you're told to make a "Tracking" check, you might not immediately assume that's an Int skill. Since the skills are grouped by attribute, you'll have to go through the process of figuring out what skill belongs to which group. I don't think this is a bad thing, because the alternative would be an alphabetical list of 60+ skills, which might make it harder to figure out their associated stat, or would just make the sheet more bloaty with repeated stats beside each and every skill. All games have an adjustment period to them and this is a pretty minor one. I remember this being a sticking point for our group after playing it originally but having some time to think on it I think there's a valid argument to be made either way. Someone in our group even mentioned this was one custom character sheet away from not being an issue and I agree. And apparently others do too because there's a lot of them out there! Many of which sort the skills differently and many also try to condense the 3 page sheet to 2. I know there's a lot of wasted real estate on the third page but it's pretty cool!

There are also apparently free quick start rules that come with premade characters and everything! Free is free and you can check that out on drive thru RPG! It's called easy mode but my understanding is this includes the core rules too. This would probably be the best choice for a one shot game to test the water but we just weren't aware of them at the time.

But a major part of creation is your role. This is the part I might be the most critical of. While they give you a lot of skills and everyone has access to the same skills, each role has basically one major ability that only they can do. The med tech can use medicines to help the groups, the netrunner can take more actions while in a netrun. That kind of thing. But that's pretty much it. Improving your role may allow you to use your role abilities better or more frequently, but there's not a lot in the way of new abilities.

And also the divisions between the roles feel pretty arbitrary. Like the med tech is the only one who can use a bunch of medicines. But why? Everyone has access to the first aid skill, which is something the med tech is also proficient in. What's stopping someone from taking one of their medicines and using it?

I think having well defined roles for each player is very important! And the roles do provide this, but I don't feel like they go far enough. We did only play one session though so perhaps this is something that would be more evident over time.

I played a Netrunner (a hacker) which ends up also having to play a little minigame separate from the rest of the action. I knew what I was getting into but wanted to try it out to see how the game handles it. In previous games that I've played a hacker, it bogged down the game by either having an entire session play out for the hacker while everyone else waits, or does nothing while everyone else is in the middle of the action because they have to stay with their big cool hacker rig. Red deals with this in a really great way - your rig is a headset that has wifi. And if you want to hack a secure system, you need to be hardwired into that system. This means the Netrunner has to be on site and still has an opportunity to join the action. Or may even be forced to do both at once.

As far as the actual hacking game goes, I really like the implementation of hacking a cyber infrastructure. You bring programs that all serve different functions, such as attacks or other actions and then you have to fight your way up the digitial infrastructure, with each level offering more rewards, but higher threats. The programs all have a fantasy aesthetic and the architecture functions kind of like a dungeon in Netspace. You can take multiple netspace actions, but you're still able to act in meatspace as well during this time. Sometimes you'll have to balance your actions in and out of netspace.

The biggest problem I had with the Netrunner goes back to my problem with roles. There's a Tech stat and several Tech skills so what kind of check do you make? Why, you add your role to your roll! The Netrunner uses their role, which starts at +4. Compared to their Tech skills which are floating around a +10 or so. Now the DVs for these checks are all lower to compensate for this but... Why do we gotta do it this way?

There could easily be a skill that could have covered this and the DVs could have been comparable to everything else in the game. You might think, well if other characters were allowed to hack, they could prove to be just as effective as the Netrunner so it has to be a balance issue right? Well the Netrunner role allows them to take 3 actions a round in Netspace which would make them much more efficient than someone without the role. But also having the role is what grants the interface feature, which is required to take NET actions at all! But even though the Netrunner is obviously the best choice for the task, what's stopping someone else with a rig from attempting the same thing and just being less efficient at it.

The way I guess this is addressed, is that you can take on other roles potentially? You have 4 in your starting role, so I believe you'd start with 1 in a new role. But with a +4 in my Netrunner role I found that I struggled a lot, so I can't even imagine floundering around with just a +1. You'd be at the whims of the dice.

Despite that though, I appreciate the game does allow this sort of multi-classing. Especially since many of the roles seem to be very gear based, so it feels silly to not allow any crossover.

In the end, the hacking did feel balanced, which is important. But it didn't feel awesome, which i guess is what it came down to for me. But I also failed a lot of those checks Netrunner checks, which brings me to my last major gripe.

Rolling a single d10 for checks is fine, but if you critically fail on a 1, which is 10% of the time, that is lame. I don't mind using a d10 for checks but without some kind of way to mitigate 1's it makes things brutal, not in a fun or challenging way. I feel like if I was going to play again, I would need the crit fails to just be gone altogether.

Overall, I did enjoy Cyberpunk Red! I think it's a bit hard to dig into for a oneshot, but we managed just fine. If you really wanted to get a feel for it though, I'd recommend you play a 3-5 session arc. This game is definitely worth your time!

I'm also curious about going back to previous iterations to see how it's changed over time.

So, fun fact time, Cyberpunk Red was published in 2020, 30 years after Cyberpunk 2020 was originally published which is goes hand in hand with every scifi media that has predicted a date in the "far future" that we have now reached (and passed!).

See you in 2045 for the 5th edition of Cyberpunk I suppose!

[agaypanic]

One for Erica from my babysitter a vampire? Where her and fem reader are bffs but reader is human and is sad that Erica will outlive her. She secrets wants Erica to turn her but is scared of the reaction she'll get from their friends and maybe when Erica does turn her they admit they have feelings for each other?

Mortal Attachments (Erica Jones X Reader)

Masterlist

Request Something!

Summary: Hating the fact that Erica will outlive you, you ask her to turn her so you don’t have to lose her. Despite the consequences, Erica doesn’t need much convincing.

A/N: slightly possessive erica?? mbav wiki says that in order to become a fully fledged vampire, you have to have human blood within 28 days. It doesn’t say whether or not your own (old human) blood would work, but in this fic it does (wlw + blood = hot, sue me). also, according to the wiki, apparently vampires don’t really die?? If you stab them in the heart with a stake, they just end up in limbo??? The lore is crazy yall

***

It’s hard being best friends with a vampire as a human. Even harder when you’re in love with them.

But you felt like it was inevitable to fall in love with your best friend, Erica Jones. Before she turned, she was the sweetest, prettiest nerdy girl you knew. And when she got her fangs, she just became even more attractive. And even though she publicly renounced her nerd identity, sometimes she’d let it show with you. 

Erica being a vampire obviously had its upsides. Not only were her vampire powers cool, but they definitely came in handy when she had to save you once or twice from evil-doers. 

But she was immortal. Erica would be her young and beautiful self forever, while you would eventually outgrow her. Not that you wanted to. If it was up to you, the two of you would have a giant house hidden in the woods, living happily ever after. Literally forever. But you knew Erica didn’t love you, at least not in that way. And although she always talked about how becoming a vampire was the best thing that ever happened to her, she probably wouldn’t let you have the same fate.

“Y/n.” You were pulled away from your thoughts, startled by a hand suddenly waving around in front of your face. “You there?”

You looked to the side to see Erica, looking both annoyed and concerned by your lack of response. “Oh, yeah. Sorry.” The blonde looked at you expectantly, and you realized she probably asked you a question. “Um, what did you say?”

“I asked you if you were still coming over after school.” Your heart fluttered at the hopeful look Erica gave you as she leaned close to whisper in your ear. “I finally got the third Dusk movie on DVD.”

You gasped in excitement, the noise quickly being muffled by Erica’s hand. She didn’t exactly want people to know that there were still traces of the nerdy girl she was before her turning. “Can’t wait!” You said, still muffled by Erica’s hand.

***

Watching the Dusk movies with your vampire best friend that you were secretly in love with turned out to be a mistake, believe it or not. It made you feel so conflicted. The way Erica acted, vampire life must have been a dream. But watching Rochelle yell at Jakeward to leave her alone after he killed her best friend and him insisting that he did it out of love for her made you second guess the notion.

Erica, however, seemed to be eating up every second of it.

“I don’t remember this happening in the books.” You muttered, snacking on some popcorn. Then again, it had been a few years since you read the books. “I dunno if I like it.”

“What?” Erica gasped, looking at you, almost offended. “Why not? It’s so romantic! Plus, Jakeward’s really, really hot.”

“Romantic?” You shifted your body to fully face Erica, and she did the same. “Erica, he killed Rochelle’s best friend.”

Erica shrugged, looking like it wasn’t that big of a deal. “Had to be done.” You almost laughed, not knowing if she was serious or not.

“Oh really? How so?”

“It was for the better.” She insisted. “Like, yeah, okay, killing her was a bit extreme. But Jakeward did it so it would be easier for Rochelle to become a vampire and live forever with him. She wouldn’t have been able to explain to Jenn that she was a vampire.” Erica watched the movie again for a brief moment before looking back to you. “It’s hard to be immortal with mortal attachments, Y/n.”

You thought you might’ve heard a hint of sadness in Erica’s tone, but you figured you just imagined it. “Would you do that?” You asked, leaning closer to her in curiosity.

“Do what?”

“Get rid of the people around the person you loved so you could have them?” 

Erica’s eyes softened the slightest bit as she made eye contact with you. “I dunno. I guess it would depend on the person.”

You reached for the remote and paused the movie. You didn’t want to miss more than you already have, but you were more focused on the conversation with Erica.

“How?”

Erica sighed, a bit frustrated. She didn’t like explaining herself, or talking about feelings, but you were too invested in the answer. “Okay, let’s say it was…” She took a deep breath, like she was about to reveal a giant secret. “Let’s say it was you.” Your heart fluttered at the fact that she was using you for this hypothetical love scenario. You nodded, urging Erica to continue. “I would just bite you, because all of our friends are either already vampires or know about vampires. There’s no risk.” 

“And what if it was someone who wasn’t in the group?”

Erica laughed a little, seeming sheepish. A very rare expression for her, or at least vampire Erica. “I haven’t really thought about outside the group.”

“Aw.” You cooed, trying to push down the hope that was rising. “You love us, you love us.” You teased in a sing-song voice. Erica rolled her eyes, pushing your shoulder and making you giggle.

“Some more than others.” 

The small comment made you both freeze, like you weren’t expecting to hear it and she wasn’t expecting to say it. Your eyes couldn’t avert from each other; it felt like time had frozen. 

Erica was the braver of the two of you. She always was. So it wasn’t a surprise when she was the one to bite the bullet and kiss you. You didn’t mind in the slightest, of course. Your hands planted themselves on her cheeks, keeping her close, and Erica threaded a hand through your hair to do the same. 

“Bite me.” You murmured against her lips. Neither of you wanted to pull away from the other, not even when you were making such an insane request. “Please, Erica. Bite me.”

Erica released the grip on your hair, letting her hand trail down your neck and hover over your pulse point. Your breath hitched from the feeling of her cold fingers ghosting over your hot skin.

She reluctantly pulled away, her eyes now a bright yellow and half-lidded with lust as they met yours. “There’s no going back.” Her voice was soft, as if the old Erica was peeking through.

“I don’t care.” You responded, pecking her slightly swollen lips. “There’s no reason to go back when all I want is you, Erica.”

Erica growled, the noise both surprising and exciting you. Despite her hunger, she held you gently, delicately tilting your head to the side and moving your hair away from your neck. She leaned in, holding you tighter as she got a whiff of your scent.

She kissed down from your jaw to your pulse point, and you could almost hear her fangs protract.

Then she sunk her teeth into you. You let out a strangled gasp, pained by the sudden intrusion. Erica’s fangs were out of your neck as quick as they had entered, she didn’t want to risk getting carried away.

You shuddered in Erica’s hold as the vampire venom coursed through you. It felt strange but exhilarating. You were shocked when the strange feelings were over. From all the movies you watched and books you read, you thought it’d take longer to turn. But this felt instantaneous. 

“Y/n?” Erica gently moved your head to look at you. You looked back, seeing her with new eyes. Everything was clearer, more alive somehow.

And Erica looked so hot. Her hair was slightly disheveled, and her mouth and teeth were covered with blood. Your blood. 

You didn’t think an image could be so arousing. But it was, and you couldn’t help but lunge at Erica and kiss her again. Your tongue entered her mouth, licking the delicious blood off of her teeth before battling hers for dominance. Erica gripped your hips, pushing your body to lay down on the couch as she hovered over you.

Then she pulled back. You were about to ask what was wrong, worried that she had suddenly changed her mind about everything that had just happened, but she spoke before you could. “I love you, Y/n.”

Your now undead heart melted. How silly of you to think that Erica wouldn’t love you the way you loved her. What other explanation could there have been for the look in her eyes whenever they went your way.

You reached up to caress Erica’s cheek, smiling brightly. Erica looked at your new fangs and yellow eyes, wondering why she never thought to turn you sooner so she could have you forever. “I love you too, Erica.”

[otakween]

Digimon Tamers: Brave Tamer - Final Thoughts

Phew! If you're wondering why I've been quiet for a bit, it's because this game took me 3 weeks to beat. It was kind of grueling at times. It definitely assumes that you played the previous 3 (or 4 if Anode and Cathode count for 2) games and does NOT baby you at the start. It definitely wasn't my favorite game in the series, but the fact that it did away with the terrible old Jogress system earned it a lot of points in my book. There are still some Wonderswan games to play, but I think that's really it for Ryo games! Thank goodness :)

Notes:

Major downgrade from D1 Tamers visually! D1 was so colorful and exploring the world was actually interesting. Brave Tamer follows the Digimon World 2 strat of making every single dungeon pretty much identical and the hub world is bland as heck as well. You don't even need to travel to get to the dungeons you just walk up to the same hole every time. Lame.

Thank God this game lets digimon level up and evolve normally. It basically follows the Pokemon style of evolution. In previous games there were bullshit level caps unless you jogressed a zillion times. This game still has that dumb mechanic where your digimon devolves into a baby. I get that that happens in the show, but it felt pretty silly in the game. They get back to normal pretty quickly after a few battles.

Digimon recruitment is limited to borrowing digimon from digidestined from the various anime series. What an awkward concept. Ryo comes out of nowhere to save the day and then each partner digimon is like "See ya partner, I'm ditching you for Ryo!" I'm just imagining the characters that are left partner-less facing certain doom after Ryo leaves lol. Maybe it's one of those situations where they're only gone for a few minutes due to dimension hopping.

The card slash system (based on the Tamers universe of course) was interesting, but kind of annoying to figure out. After I got a handful of strong cards I couldn't be arsed to keep trying new jogress combos.

Speaking of taking the lazy route, I didn't use the majority of the digimon I recruited once LOL. It's more efficient to just stick with the same digimon for the whole game unless you want to spend a lot of time grinding, so that's what I did. I ended up with only mega-level digimon at the end which is frustrating because MegaloGrowmon and Taomon were at level 30! (They upgrade to mega at 31).

The bosses were strangely easy in this game (except for one that took me like 5 tries). What made it hard were the frickin' labyrinthine dungeons (the last one is TIMED! Evil). I have a terrible sense of direction IRL and in video games so the dungeons in this game were torture for me. You have to traverse up to 5 floors and sometimes there are so many dead ends and roadblocks that it takes what feels like an eternity. Also, there are random battles every 2 seconds that increase the suffering. In the later game I planned my route ahead of time by figuring out where the boss was on YouTube and mapping backwards from there. Here's a screenshot of me and my map in MS Paint:

(By the way, I always play Wonderswan games in windowed mode or else they look wonky. This time, that really came in handy).

I had to use multiple guides to figure out some of this game because the most popular walkthrough wasn't very good. It barely gives you any instructions on getting through dungeons, which was what I really needed.

Most scandalous part of this game was when Millenniummon called Ryo his lover (koibito)? Whaaaaa...?

I didn't realize that this game is a prequel to Tamers so I kinda did things out of order, whoops! I didn't realize that Cyberdramon was supposed to be the outcome of a Monodramon/Millenniummon jogress. Makes me want to rewatch some bits of the anime...

There was so much dramatic build up for the final battle and then it was so easy? I didn't even need to use the 10 low-level healing items I stocked up on. Oh well, guess I was well prepared.

Of course there's a post-game where you can scan all the digimon you missed, but that just seems silly. They're not partners in this game, they're cards. If I can't a raise a digimon I don't really see the appeal in collecting them all. (I mean I guess I wouldn't see the appeal in raising them all either, but the cards seem like even more of a waste of time).

The Wonderswan games have always been my fave digimon games but this one felt simultaneously half-assed and overly complicated. I'd give it like a 5 or 6 out of 10. Let's call it a 5.5.