#and I should have checked how windy it was

[elprupneerg]

Hate when I go out on an adventure and then end up with a sensory bad that makes me shut down and have Difficulties. Hate when it pushes my gf into having to take care of things and push past her own limits. Hate getting misgendered a whole lot. Hate having to put extra spoons into being nice and then having negative spoons for handling sensory time and Difficulties. Hate pushing my gf into also being in negative spoons

[envyi5envious]

𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐃.

࿐ — 𝙋𝘼𝙄𝙍𝙄𝙉𝙂 : (Superman) Clark Kent x GN Reader. 𝙎𝙔𝙉𝙊𝙋𝙎𝙄𝙎 : ࿐ — Clark got injured, now you have to help him (and get him dressed.) 𝙒𝙊𝙍𝘿𝘾𝙊𝙐𝙉𝙏 : 1.1k 𝙒𝘼𝙍𝙉𝙄𝙉𝙂𝙎 : Fluff. Depictions of semi-nudity and heavy injury. Suggestive, no smut. 𝙉𝙊𝙏𝙀𝙎 : English isn’t my first language. Batman knows you're a freak. Enjoy ♡

The night was dark and windy, the rain splashing against the windows of Clark's apartment. You were curled up on the couch, watching the news reports of the latest crime spree that had been stopped by Superman a few days ago, when you heard the sound of the front door bursting open. There was a loud clatter of some kind. That was enough to get you on your feet. You could feel your stomach physically drop as you saw Clark- no, Superman wounded. You never thought you’d have to see the day. Clark stumbled through the front door, his face pale.

He had managed to save the day once again, but this time, he hadn't come out unscathed. A deep, angry gash ran across his stomach, the edges of the wound already starting to turn a sickening shade of green from the Kryptonite poisoning. He leaned against the wall for support, his hand pressed tightly against the wound in a useless attempt to stall the bleeding. He should have gone to the Fortress of Solitude first, it was the best way to counteract the effects of the Kryptonite. But he needed to check on you, to make sure that you were safe. When he realized you were standing in front of him, he forced a weak smile, not wanting to worry you.

"Hey, honey," he said, his voice strained with pain. "I'm... I'm home."

“Clark! What happened?” You dashed to hold him as fast as you could. He tried to take a step forward but the effort was too much. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the floor with a grunt. You tried to catch him but he was too heavy for you to support alone.

So you settled for the next best thing, kneeling next to him as you try to figure out how you could help. “Clark. It’s.. Okay. You’re going to be alright.” You didn’t know who you were trying to convince, him or yourself. Maybe both. Then you realized how you could get him to the bed. But it wasn’t the best option.. “I’m sorry for what I have to do, baby.” You mutter, giving Clark a kiss on his forehead before you stood up. Reaching for his legs, you firmly held his ankles and dragged him back to your shared bedroom. You knew it most likely didn’t hurt, he was the Man of Steel after all, but you still felt bad for basically manhandling him while he was bleeding out. You would have to find a way to apologize to him later. When you finally reached the bed, he let out a sigh of relief as he felt the soft mattress beneath his back. He looked up at you and managed a weak smile. "Thank you, sweetheart," he whispered, his voice barely audible.

You couldn’t even think of what to say so you just let out a soft hum in response. "In the bathroom, under the sink," he said finally, his words coming out. "There's a first aid kit. Bring me that, and some towels. And... and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. It's a strong disinfectant, it'll help clean the wound." You quickly noted all of it in your mind before rushing to get everything. Looking through the cabinets, you took out all the things Clark asked for. You came back into the room to find him still sitting on the bed, he had just re-adjusted himself. He was in a much better position to be treated. You climbed into bed, kneeling beside him. You took the first aid kit and pulled out what you would need. A wrap of bandage, a bottle of water and snippers. Then you took one of the towels and dampen it with the water. “How are you doing, Clark?”

"I... I'm hanging in there, sweetheart," he said through a tense jaw. "It hurts like hell, but I'll be okay. I promise you that." He watched as you worked to clean the wound, your brow furrowed in concentration. "You're doing great..” He said softly, his hand reaching to lay on your back. “I couldn't ask for a better nurse than you.” He was trying to lighten the mood, it was sweet. “Did you hear that line in a movie?” Teasing, you gave him a kiss on his jaw. “I like it.” When you said that, you could feel his hands move to reach your hips until you pat them away gently. “Don’t start, Superman. You’re injured.”

He chuckled slightly, his hand still on your hip but he didn’t move it any further. “I’m sorry, I can't help myself when you look so beautiful.” Knowing Clark, he wasn’t trying to tease you. He was being honest. He always was. It was nice to hear.

"Wrap it tightly, but not too tight. And... if I pass out, don't worry. I'll be healed before you know it.” He rubbed your hip bone with his thumb, feeling a bit content with the silence. Once you were finally done, you realized you would have to help him get undressed.

“There we go. See, you didn’t pass out. Good job.” You gave his hand a soft squeeze before you reached for the hem of his shirt, looking at him for permission. He gave you a small nod, “Arms up,” You said while unclipping his belt and pulling the shirt off of him. 

Then you pulled his pants down his legs, pulling off his boots and letting them fall to the ground. Leaving him in his underwear, you stood up to get him one of his regular sleeping shirts. Clark usually saw no need for pants when sleeping, he said they make him get too hot. “Which one do you want? Red or white?” You asked, looking through the solid color options in the closet. "The red one," he said softly, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. He watched as you rummaged through the closet, admiring the curve of your back. You pulled out the red shirt, closing the closet door. You walked back over to Clark and helped him lift his arms up again, pulling the shirt down. You smiled at your good work, Clark was not comfortable and healing because of you. Clark definitely did not let that go unnoticed, pulled you by your waist, pressed you against him. It stung a bit but he powered through. Bringing your hand to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to your knuckles. He could feel the warmth of your skin, could hear the unsteady beat of your pulse. "Goodnight, sweetheart," he whispered, his eyes drifting shut as he held you still. ©◞✶ 𝐄𝐍𝐕𝐘𝐈𝟻𝐄𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒

☆ 𝙈𝘼𝙎𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙇𝙄𝙎𝙏.

[veltana]

Stranded - 2

✦ Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Fem!Reader

✦ Word count: ~2,3 k

✦ Rating: Mature

✦ Warnings/tags: Grumpy mountain man!Bucky, don't ask me about US geography just go with it, eventual relationship/romance/smut.

✦ Summary: You leave the cabin to escape Bucky's attitude, braving the cold, but it ends up being more than you bargained for.

✦ Note: For chapter 2, you guys voted for protective!Bucky! Next poll will be up tomorrow!

Stranded is an interactive story were you the reader gets to vote on what happens in the next chapter. You're also welcome to send in suggestions on what you want to happen in future parts! Everything is tagged with #stranded series. Please take a moment to reblog this fic if you liked it! Comments and asks are always welcome ❤️

Series Masterlist

Masterlist | AO3

The gentle crackling of the wood stove should be soothing. How many times had you dreamed of escaping to a place just like this? And yet, it feels more like the relentless ticking of a clock, counting down. Never in your life have you felt so unwelcome in a place you'd been invited into.

You can hear Bucky in his room not far away, the floor creaking as he walks around, then the springs from his mattress whining as he lays down.

If your clothes dry quickly maybe you can just leave. It would probably be better to sleep in your car and freeze to death than endure spending any more time with Bucky.

The isolation feels understandable to you now. He clearly hates people. But the thing you can't wrap your head around is why he would invite you in and then be disgusted by your company. It's confusing, to say the least.

You busy yourself by making the bed. After you're done you check your clothes but they're still wet. With a sigh, you lay down and pull the covers over you. You can rest your eyes for a few minutes and then maybe the clothes will be dry enough for you to leave.

You wake abruptly to the sound of howling wind and sit up. It's dark outside the windows and quiet from the wood stove. Checking your phone, you see that a couple of hours have passed. Your clothes are probably okay now, but before you can muster the energy to leave the bed, sleep pulls you under once more.

The next time you wake it's from the sound of a door opening. You lay still, listening to Bucky move around the small room, put more logs into the stove, and then go to the kitchen. "Want some coffee?" he asks, his voice cutting through the quiet. You have no idea how he knew you were awake. "Sure," you reply, doing your best to ignore the warmth that blooms in your chest at the sound of his still-sleepy tone. Despite being an asshole, Bucky is very handsome.

As the old machine starts to gurgle and sputter, you get up and look out the window. It's still windy but no more snow than what was already on the ground yesterday, which is a relief. You wouldn't want to be snowed in with the world's biggest grump. On the other hand, people always say hate sex is good. Then you mentally slap yourself for even going there. Bucky would probably agree to touch you if you were dying. Maybe.

As you turn back around you're greeted with the sight of Bucky in the middle of the room with a big block of a phone pressed to his ear. His jeans are tight over his thighs and his henley snug over his shoulders. The scowl seems to be a permanent fixture on his face.

“It's Bucky,” he says into the phone. “Yeah, no I'm fine, do you have a truck available to pick up a stranded car down by the big road?”

The person on the other end chats away and Bucky starts pacing the room.

“No it's not for me, I said I'm fine.” The sigh that comes out of him feels like it comes from his soul. “It's for a… a friend, you could say.” He glances over at you and you shrug. Better to be called a friend than an intruder.

“Hal, I don't have time for this. Do you have a truck available or not?” You watch as his shoulders sag in defeat and you know the answer without him needing to state it. He says a short goodbye before looking over at you.

“Let me guess, no one is available to get my car?” “Not for a few days, it's a small mechanic shop and they're backed up at the moment.”

You don't dare to joke about Bucky being stuck with you for a few more days. Instead, you quickly gather your now-dry clothes and head to the bathroom to change. Hesitantly, you get rid of the warm, oversized hoodie. You fold them and put them on the counter. He's probably gonna burn them once you've left but you don't need to know that.

The cabin smells like coffee and you make yourself a cup that you sip on while tidying up the bed. Bucky hasn't offered any breakfast and you're not gonna ask. The coffee will last you to the car and you have snacks there. He sits by the table with a book and his cup, not acknowledging you.

After you've folded all the linen, you drain your cup, use the bathroom one more time since you're not sure when you'll be able to again, and then start putting on your jacket.

“Where are you going?” Bucky asks, and you look over at him. His scowl is more concerned this time, but it's not enough to change your decision. “To my car.” Bucky glances out the window. “The wind is strong.” You shrug. “I need to get out of here,” you simply say. No need to point out that he’s a terrible host. He answers with a hum.

You're about to thank him for taking you in and giving you food and clothes, but he's absorbed in his book again. So you pull your hood up and head out.

***

Yesterday, you hoped to reach your destination before dark. Now you would rather walk anywhere in the pitch black if the wind would just calm down. Despite your thick jacket and winter boots, you're freezing, but at least you made it to your car.

It looks intact and you get in to get away from the wind. Despite knowing nothing will happen you try the ignition again but the car is still dead. All the way there you fantasized about it magically turning on and you driving out of there, warm and towards a place you'd be welcome.

With numb fingers, you unlock your phone but there is still no signal. Yesterday you decided that walking towards town wasn’t an option, but now it’s the only one you have. And if the opportunity presents itself you’ll be brave and stick out your thumb.

As you stuff more things into your backpack you wonder if this is one of the times where your stubbornness is getting the better of you. Then again, you are socially intelligent enough to know when you're not wanted. You're not sure why your thoughts keep returning to Bucky since you’ve known him for less than 24 hours. And known is to word it strongly. Barely interacted with is more like it.

You close the trunk of your car with a bang and start walking. Maybe the annoyance at yourself will keep you warm because the wind has not gotten any warmer. The road is as deserted as when you first got stranded. You try to keep a lookout for cars but you constantly have to put your head down as you walk forward.

Time passes but you're not sure how long you've walked or how far you've gotten. If you turn around and you can still see your car, you're gonna lay down and just die, because it feels like you've been walking for hours. The snacks you had in the car weren't nearly enough and you're starting to get hungry. What you wouldn't give for a taste of Bucky’s hot soup.

You feel like you're in a cartoon, thought bubbles with his name and face popping up above your head constantly and you want to wave them away. But you're so cold, tired, and hungry. The ground at the side of the road sure is looking inviting for a nap.

Despite better judgment, you stop. Your legs ache and feel like jelly. Tears burn your eyes because you're mad at yourself for being so stubborn. And mad at Bucky for being an asshole.

You have to keep walking. It's the only way. But you don't want to. You want to sit down.

The ground is cold and hard, but also somehow soft. Soft enough to want to lie down. You can just rest your eyes for a few minutes then you'll get back up and walk again.

A deep sigh escapes you as your body relaxes into the hard surface and suddenly you start to feel warm again.

***

It isn’t like Bucky cares where you are. At least that's what he tells himself. You said you were going to your car, he thought to get something. He could have driven you but he just wanted to start his day slow and have his coffee before running out.

Since you aren't back, he assumes you got the car going.

The sat phone goes off and startles him as he sits deep in thought.

“Hey, it's Hal! I managed to get a tow for your friend's car, I have it by the shop but it's gonna be a few days until we can get to it, is that alright?”

“She isn't with you?” Bucky asks and deep lines form between his eyebrows.

“Eh, no, the car was empty. Wait, did you have a—”

Whatever Hal is about to say gets cut off as Bucky hangs up. You weren't by the car, but you're still not back. So where are you?

A tinge of panic rises in Bucky's chest, a feeling he refuses to analyze more at this moment. He heads for the door, unsure what he's gonna do, but he needs to go out and look for you.

“I’m so fucking stupid,” he tells himself as he starts his car. “She's found someone to catch a ride with. She doesn't want you to look for her. She doesn't care about you, so why should you care about her?”

But still, he drives slowly so as not to miss anything.

***

The sound of a car door slamming shut starts you awake. Fuck, you missed an opportunity to hitch a ride, is all you can think, and you try to sit up, open your eyes, and speak but your body is slow and sluggish. Then you hear a familiar voice. “What the fuck are you doing?”

In the next moment, you feel yourself being lifted. With great effort you manage to open your eyes and see the one man you'd hoped never to run into again. He places you in his truck, buckling you into the seat, before rounding it and getting in, not saying a word before turning on the empty road and heading back the way you came.

“No,” you press out hoarsely. “What were you doing?! Trying to walk to the nearest town?!” “Mmhm,” you answer and lean your head back. You're still tired and hungry, but the car is pleasantly warm. “How can you be so stupid? It's a two-hour drive!” You want to answer that you couldn't stay but all the energy has left your body so you just shrug.

It feels like you're back at the cabin in no time, as if you didn't make any headway on your walk at all.

Bucky reaches over to unbuckle you and carries you up to the cabin, putting you on the floor in front of the wood stove.

As he's putting more logs into the stove your head starts to spin, and a second later you’re lying on your side, having tipped over from the vertigo. “For fuck's sake!” Bucky growls. “Dizzy,” you manage to croak. “Just lay there until I've warmed up some soup,” he says and walks away. The heat from the fire makes sweat form on your brow, still bundled as you are in your thick jacket. You fumble to take it off, but your fingers won't cooperate. In record time, Bucky has a bowl of yesterday's soup on the floor next to you, and you've managed to get the zipper down a few inches.

With surprising care, far more than you expect, he gently helps you sit up and unzips your jacket, then assists with your boots as well. As he grabs your hand you can feel the stark difference between your cold fingers and his warm skin. No wonder you couldn't move the zipper.

After, he scooches in behind you so that his legs bracket your body, keeping you upright, before picking up the bowl and holding it in front of you. “I'm not feeding you, just be careful,” his grumpy voice says.

The spoon shakes as you pick it up, you lean forward at the same time to not spill anything. It's slow but it works. Feeling returns to your fingers, making them tingle and hurt. The food tastes amazing, but that's maybe because you're famished. It takes some time to finish the bowl, but once you do, you feel pleasantly full. There's a light, almost drunken sensation from how good you feel—warm, cared for, and nestled between the legs of a handsome man. All you have to do is overlook the minor detail that he happens to despise you. Why would he come and get you? You don't understand. Maybe he was headed somewhere else and happened to see you. But then again, why stop? You don’t mean anything to him.

“Why'd you stop?” you find yourself asking. The flames dance in front of you and you resist the urge to lean back into Bucky. There is no answer, just like you expect, and maybe that’s for the better.

Despite it still being early evening, you sigh and say, "I'm tired," as you push yourself up. Heading toward the couch, you sway on your feet, but Bucky is right behind you. It isn't until you're halfway there that you realize he's gently steering you toward his bedroom instead.

Too tired to question or analyze the situation, you head straight to bed. Your last thought is that you aren’t dying, but Bucky still touched you willingly.

[authorhjk1]

Idol Competition

IU X Kang Seulgi

IU sits on the couch in her apartment, her phone in her hand. It's 9:55 am on a Monday. The fourth of December to be exact.

Five more minutes. She has five more minutes until her deadline. IU wonders if she is able to still pull it off. It's quite cold outside, so she expected her to not go through with it. But the other woman sounded more than confident.

Lee Ji-eun checks the chat history on her KakaoTalk app. No picture to proof her accomplished mission yet. IU smirks. Four minutes left.

Is this it? Is this going to be the moment she wins this competition? It has been going on for months now. The two women come up with new challenges almost every day.

Kang Seulgi had two days for this one. IU sees the six turn into a seven. Three more minutes. Even if she could do it in the cold, she would still need to find someone to do it with her. IU wonders who could be crazy enough.

But then again, it's Seulgi. She is a famous woman. And really pretty. There is no doubt that someone would say yes.

Two more minutes.

IU is already thinking about the prize. Although you could say that every mission was a prize itself already.

Her phone vibrates and Ji-eun sighs in disappointment. She clicks on the picture Kang Seulgi send her just now.

The younger woman is kneeling on a blanket. It's visibility windy, her hair flying in all directions behind her. The waves of the ocean are captured on the left side of the picture.

It could have been a normal picture of a woman on a beach. Except for the fact that Seulgi is completely naked. And that it looks like she just good a facial.

IU zooms in on her face. She licks her lips as she sees how well someone came on her competitor's face.

Seulgi is smiling into the camera, hands behind her back, pushing her tits a little forward.

"How often did you get caught?"

IU bites one of her nails as she sees the notification that Seulgi is typing a response.

"Twice. The second guy even stayed and watched while I got my face fucked."

IU moans at the thought. She remembers the challenge from two weeks ago.

Seulgi made her go shopping without her credit card. When she wanted to buy something, she had to convince the seller with something else. It didn't matter if it was a man or a woman, IU did her best to buy as much as she could. In the end, she got caught by a young couple in the isle of some store, her face a mess while the seller was abusing her throat.

"Was it very cold?"

"It was alright. Sex makes you warm real quick."

IU chuckles at Seulgi's message.

"Do you already have something in mind for me? Or do I need to wait?"

Ji-eun's eyes widen when she sees Seulgi's next text.

"Go to SSHS."

That's Seoul Science High School.

"Find a student who is younger than 20 and give him the best school day of his life."

IU can't help but let her hand slide underneath her shorts. Being over thirty years old already, she recently discovered that this is somewhat a new kink of hers. Younger guys who are almost half her age. Legal of course, but young. This could be her chance to freely enjoy this kink of hers.

"Deal."

"You've only today. Should be a piece of cake for a slut like you."

"I love you too."

IU teases her back, before getting off the couch. What to wear for her visit to high school?

Ji-eun walks towards her closet. Should she dress up as a teacher? Or a student?

She can feel how wet these thoughts make her pussy. The idea of letting some young man fuck her, forces IU to move her hand back into her shorts. She let's herself sink into her bed, while looking at the opened closet. Her head falls back as she starts to finger herself.

IU nervously looks around, before reaching inside the bookshelf. Now that she is here, she is way more cautious. It was surprisingly easy to get inside the school building, considering that strangers are not allowed.

Wearing her mask, Ji-eun was able to pass as a teacher while walking through the hallways. She is now standing in the library. The perfect place for her challenge in her opinion.

Now that she has placed her phone inside the bookshelf to record the proof, she is looking around to find the right guy.

"Ms. Lee?"

IU turns around on instinct, her heart sinking. Did she actually get caught already?

"I apologize. I thought you were our homeroom teacher."

The young girl apologizes. She doesn't seem to recognize her. IU takes a deep breath, relieved that she is fine.

"It's alright. Can I help you anyways?"

She tries to act natural, hoping the girl won't catch on.

"Yeah. Me and my boyfriend are looking for the right textbooks for our research. I'm not old enough and he lost his library card. We wanted to ask Ms. Lee for help."

Ji-eun nods. Does that mean her boyfriend is at least eighteen? She knows you have to be over eighteen to borrow specific books from the library.

"I'm sorry, I can't help you with that. You better ask Ms. Lee."

"Thanks, teacher."

The young girl bows and walks towards a table. A guy, who seems to be her boyfriend, is waiting for her there.

IU can't help but bite her lip. The first guy she finds looks quite handsome as well. She doubts he could resist her. After all, relationships in high school aren't serious anyways.

She watches the girl leave the library, before walking over.

As expected, it only takes a couple of words, before IU takes the boy's hand and leads him towards the bookshelf. He just turned eighteen four months ago. Just the right age to fulfill this fantasy.

She can feel his stare on her legs as she walks in front of him. Ji-eun deliberately chose this outfit. It's not too revealing, but it highlights her long, flawless legs.

Once the pair reaches the shelf where IU put her phone, she turns around.

"I will make sure that you enjoy yourself."

She gets on her knees in front of him.

IU expected him to not last very long, but here she is. Her face pressed against books about biology as she gets fucked from behind. The recording must be ten minutes long already, plenty of footage for Seulgi to enjoy later on.

Ji-eun was able to stay mostly quiet up until now. The guy's pace keeps increasing as he starts to reach his limit. She feels his young cock in her wet pussy, enjoying the fact that he is barely older than half her age. She never doubted herself. She knew every guy wants to fuck her. Whatever their age.

"Turn me around."

IU is close to her own orgasm herself. The student does as she says, turning her around to face him. She leans against the bookshelf, staring at the one across the isle. That's where her phone is hidden. Her dark, lustfilled eyes are glued to the camera as he starts to thrust into her again.

Her small Gucci shorts are lying at Ji-eun's feet. She wasn't wearing underwear, knowing she would have to take it off anyways.

"You fuck me so good."

She whispers into his ear as she places her head onto his shoulder.

His hands hold her small waist, pounding her into the shelf full of books.

"Fuck!"

IU is unable to not moan loudly, when she finally cums. Her pussy contracting around the young guy's cock, making him orgasm as well. She can't believe how good this felt. How good it still feels.

This was a better fuck than what she expected. Not just because he is way younger.

As he let's his cock slip out of her, IU watches his cum drip out of her pussy. She can't blame him. Her pussy is just so incredibly tight when she cums.

"Oh fuck."

Seulgi sighs as she cums on her fingers. Her phone is in the other hand, her screen showing IU's new video. Seulgi knew she could pull it of, but never expected it to be this hot. The way Ji-eun looked at the camera while she got railed into the bookshelf....

Seulgi tries to collect herself as she hears her members walk around. Yeri and Joy both seem to be in a very good mood today.

With shaky fingers, she starts typing on her phone.

"What do you have for me?'

Seulgi is genuinely curious. At this point the two of them did pretty much everything. She doesn't even know what task she should give IU after this one.

"The two of us have a music show soon, right?"

"Yeah."

"If that hot camera man is there again, I want you to suck him off, while I watch."

Seulgi remembers the face fucking on the beach mere hours ago.

"Deal."

"Why don't you cum on my pretty face, hmm?"

Seulgi kneels in front of the young man, stroking his cock. IU is sitting on the couch behind her, watching and getting herself off. IU's dressing room looks like it has become a scene of some dirty movie as Seulgi wraps her lips around the man's cock once more. Her head bobs up and down, making him groan and take a fistful of her hair.

Seulgi's pussy feels even wetter than usual, probably because she has someone watching. She wants to prove to IU that she is the better one at sucking cock.

"Are you enjoying your reward?"

IU sighs as she looks at the guy, who's eyes are glued to Seulgi's face. He nods, unable to understand how ge got himself into this. When he started working, he never expected someone like Seulgi to walk up to him after the show, asking if he wants some head.

She is now doing her best to make him cum, her slow blowjob proving enough for the guy eventually.

While IU has her hand rub her pussy, she watches how he starts cuming on Seulgi's face. Rope after rope of his cum stains her skin, some of it getting into her eyes.

Seulgi let's out a satisfied hum as she starts to clean his cock.

"You taste delicious."

She gives his tip one last kiss, before he starts to pull up his pants. There is another group about to perform.

As the two women watch him leave, Seulgi takes some of the tissues from the small coffee table and starts to clean her face.

"Anything else?"

Seulgi shakes her head.

"I can't come up with a good idea."

IU sighs as she licks her fingers clean. She enjoys the taste of her pussy just as much as the guys who eat her out.

"Me neither. I was afraid this would happen."

"So what now? Do we end this in a tie?"

IU raises and eyebrow.

"Do you think you are better slut than me?"

Seulgi shrugs her shoulders.

"Let's just say I got two faicals today. What about you?"

IU shakes her head.

"We can't end it like this."

The notification sound of Seulgi's phone interrupts their conversation. The younger woman unlocks her phone, before scrolling around.

"What are you doing?"

She sees Seulgi bit her lip as she seems to read something.

"There is another smut fic about me."

"You actually read those?"

"They are hot. I like how my fans think about me."

She gives IU a wink, before she keeps reading the new post.

The wheels in the older girl's mind start to turn.

"Do you think they would do this to us in person? What they write?"

"Unnie..."

Seulgi looks at her.

"I like how you're thinking."

"We should invite some of the writers so they have more inspiration for their stories."

The two of them laugh.

"That's a good idea."

Seulgi scrolls through her phone.

"But there are so many. If we would try to fuck them all, our careers would be over before we got to all of them. We don't have so much time."

"Who says we have to fuck them individually?"

IU's smirk makes Seulgi chuckle.

"I like where this is heading."

"But how are we going to get them all in one place? They probably live all over the world."

Seulgi ponders for a moment.

"How about we send them dms and pictures of us? It should work. Especially when we tell them that we are inviting others as well. This way they can communicate with each other, making sure we aren't trying to scam them or something."

"Sounds like a plan. What could go wrong?"

IU regrets those words as soon as she opens the door of the practice room. Two weeks later and here they are. The two women look at the fully packed room. Seulgi tries to count the guys who are here. They messaged about twenty guys, but it now looks more like thirty or forty. It seems like word has spread.

"Is this a good or a bad sign?"

IU looks around as well. She had a threesome before, but this is quite different. Even if Seulgi and IU get used at the same time, there are still gonna be at least fifteen guys for each of them.

"Are you backing out?"

IU shakes her head.

"Why would I?"

Seulgi chuckles. She is nervous, but tries to hide it.

"Let's make another bet. Whoever makes the most guys cum in 15 minutes wins. The other person is going to be a free use for everyone."

Ji-eun likes the idea. She imagines all those guys taking turns on her and Seulgi, using their bodies as fuck toys.

"Sounds like I'm gonna win."

The older girl is confident. The high school boy is proof of the fact, how tight her pussy can become when she cums. No one survives that.

"But no fucking."

IU looks at Seulgi.

"What?"

"No fucking. Only your mouth and hands."

"Hey, that's boring."

Seulgi scoffs.

"You are not up for that?"

IU rolls her eyes.

"Fine. Watch and learn."

She walks inside, all heads turn towards her as Seulgi follows quickly after.

"Hi, everyone!"

IU waves.

"I guess the two of us don't need to introduce ourselves. You all know, why you are here?"

She sees everyone nod their heads.

While IU talks, Seulgi let's her eyes roam the room once more. Now that she is inside, she can count properly. She stops at 31 as her eyes falls on to a man, who is standing further back. He is a little taller than most of the guys in the room. She sees his biceps underneath the sleeves of his shirt, the bulge in his pants visible, without him even having a hard on.

Seulgi licks her lips. This is going to be a fun evening. Because she zoned out for a couple of moments, she didn't catch what IU was saying.

But when suddenly all of the guys start walking towards them, Seulgi immediately feels her panties getting damp. This is it. In the back of her mind, she still has a little bit of doubt left. It vanishes soon though as the first guy reaches her.

She sees IU kneeling down next to her, Seulgi does the same. The sound of ten guys opening the zippers of their pants almost makes Seulgi drool. She watches the first guys pulling their pants down, taking their cocks out.

Seulgi glances at the clock, about to start their bet. But IU is already reaching forward, taking hold of the first man's cock.

"Are these all for me? So nice of you."

She coos as she holds another man's dick with her other hand.

Seulgi doesn't want to fall behind. She reaches for the man nearest to her, pulling him forward by his cock.

"If everyone is gonna be as big you...."

She trails off, feeling the guy getting harder in her hand.

Seulgi decides to use her mouth early. She takes the man's cock into her mouth, savouring the taste. At the same time, the other guys around her make her use her hands.

By now, pretty much all the guys have gotten rid of their pants and are standing around the two women. IU is starting to suck off her first guy as well, both her hands busy with stroking two other men.

Seulgi closes her eyes as she hears everyone moan, occasionally switching cocks. There are five guys directly standing around her right now. More than enough to enjoy herself.

She is excited as she feels everyone's stares on her. This is something entirely different than singing and dancing on stage. And yet, it makes her equally happy. That rush of adrenaline makes her suck the guy's cock even faster.

IU takes another man into her mouth, savouring the new taste. Wearing this this suit might not have been the best idea, because they guys can't have easy access. But she still feels someone from behind sneaking his hands around her waist. She moans around the cock in her mouth as she feels someone rub the fabric over pussy.

Seulgi is starting to suffer the same fate as IU. The guys around her start touch her body, making her squirm underneath them. All the attention makes her wet as hell, wishing they would fuck her already. Why did she make that bet with IU?

She regrets it now as the first guys let's his hand sneak inside her shorts. His strong fingers make Seulgi moan around the cock in her mouth. The man who she is blowing puts his hand onto her head, unable to resist the urge to cum in her mouth much longer.

IU has driven one of the guys who stand around her to a similar level of arousal. He is pushing her head onto his cock, while her two hands are still busy, stroking the four guys on her sides, switching occasionally.

Seulgi let's out a surprised gasp when she feels the first man cuming. But it's not the cock in her mouth, but one of the guys on her right. She was stroking his cock up until now. His warm cum hits her pretty face, making her moan around the dick in her mouth. It makes that guy cum too. He shoots his load down her throat. Seulgi feels like she is in heaven. The warm sperm on her right cheek makes her sigh in pleasure as she turns towards the next guy, ready to suck him off.

IU is keeping up with Seulgi, making the first guy cum in her mouth. She swallows all of it immediately, ready to give another guy head. The guy on her left is trying to take her jacket off, which makes it harder for her to use her hands. Eventually, she gets rid of that useless piece of clothing, feeling two hands unbuttoning her shirt.

Seulgi feels someone's hand dip a finger inside her pussy. She has been unable to keep her hands off herself for these last two weeks and yet she melts at his touch.

Ji-eun keeps sucking off the guy in front of her, until she feels someone cuming on her hand. She looks to her right, letting his dick fall out of her mouth. She licks her hand clean, before taking the guy who just came into her mouth. His cum tastes delicious as she cleans his cock, hoping she can make him cum again soon.

Seulgi feels a pair of hands groping her tits underneath her grey top.

Still with another man's cock in her mouth, she turns her head towards him. With a seductive stare, she eggs him on to slide his hands underneath the fabric.

Seulgi let's her tongue swirl around the top of the cock in her mouth as she feels her nipples being pinched. The other man is now inserting a second finger into her wet snatch. This was supposed to be a competition on how many guys they can get off, not how many guys can get her off.

Either way, Seulgi tries her best to outcompete IU as she feels several hands on her body.

The older woman feels how the fingers on her covered center now start to make her pants wet. Her panties are already drenched, this many men around her too much for her mind to handle. Ji-eun never felt this good.

Someone is now letting her white shirt slip off her shoulder, exposing the lack of a bra. Her upper body is only covered by her tie, which doesn't hide much. Multiple hands make use of her newly exposed skin, some pinching her nipples, while others let their hands wander over her body.

The sight of the naked celebrity in front of him makes the guy in her mouth climax. IU feels his cum paint her mouth as she gulps it down, already looking for her next victim.

"Oh fuck."

The guy in front of Seulgi groans as she pulls him out of her mouth.

"Oh yeah. Paint my face."

Seulgi closes her eyes and sticks her tongue out. Two quick strokes later, she feels his cum staining her skin. Some of it hits her nose, but most lands on her lips and tongue.

"Good boy."

Seulgi winks at him as she cleans her lips with her tongue, making sure she doesn't waste a drop.

Once she opens her mouth again, she is surprised when two guys thrust into her at the same time. Seulgi never sucked off two guys at once, her competitiveness showing as she starts without hesitation. She is going to win this bet and she is going to humiliate IU, until she admits that Seulgi is the bigger slut.

At the same time, IU has another man cuming in her mouth. She almost chokes at the amount of cum he forces down her throat. Once she let's his cock fall out of her mouth with a loud pop, she feels a hand roughly grabbing her tie. Still on her knees, she gets turned around, faced with another hard cock. The guy's hand is still holding her black tie as he pulls her towards him, making Ji-eun take his cock.

Seulgi is unable to speak or do anything properly with her mouth as she tries her best to keep the two dicks inside of her. Only her tongue is able to swirl around their tips occasionally. The two guys keep thrusting into Seulgi's mouth with no intention on stopping anytime soon.

IU's mouth is being used as well. The men in the room starting to grow more confident. You don't have a lot of chances to get a blowjob from Seulgi or IU.

That being said, the guy in the older woman's mouth uses this rare chance to finally cum in her mouth. This must already be the third time she is swallowing someone's load. IU is barely able to keep up with counting. Her hands are slowly starting to get tired after stroking so many guy's cocks. She glanced at the clock. Seven minutes to go. How can she win this bet? She sees Seulgi sucking off two guys at once. Needy slut. IU watches for a moment as they both cum inside Seulgi. They make the younger woman choke as they fill her throat.

Once they are done and take a step back, Seulgi breathes heavily, some of their jizz got onto her face. As she wipes it off, she sees someone else standing in front of her. The guy she noticed earlier. He seems even taller, now that she is kneeling.

Seulgi scoops up some of the cum on her face with a finger, before licking it off with her tongue.

He hasn't taken his jeans off, but Seulgi already knows how big he must be. She reaches forward, fumbling with the belt. A guy on her right starts rubbing his cock all over her face, which makes her stick her tongue out. Seulgi keeps eye contact with the guy in front.

"Come here."

IU whispers towards one of the guys to her left, before starting to get rid off her pants. Seulgi said she is not allowed to use her pussy. No one said something about anal. The guy is not the biggest, which makes him perfect for this. As much as IU is used to have a cock up her ass, she always needs to adjust at first.

"Fuck my ass. Cum in me."

She slips off her grey panties, throwing them to the side. They are heavy and wet with her juices. She sees one of the guys pick it up and wrap it around his cock, before stroking himself with it.

IU feels a familiar tingle inside her body as she lies on her back. All the guys above her look down on her. The man who is supposed to fuck her is now kneeling between her legs, another above her head. The latter pushes his dick down, making Ji-eun take him into her mouth.

The guy between her legs rests his tip against her puckered hole, before slowly starting to push forward. IU moans around the dick in her mouth as she feels how her ass is getting stretched out.

"Fuck. You are so tight."

Seulgi turns to her left after hearing the man groan.

"Yah! Unnie!"

The younger woman stares at IU, who is lying on her back, getting her ass fucked. Her mouth is too full to answer.

Seulgi is about to say more as the big guy in front of her grabs her head and turns her towards her. He got rid of his boxers while she was distracted. Seulgi only manages a gasp, before he pulls her onto his cock.

With one forceful thrust he is already halfway down her throat. Seulgi gags and chokes. Even if she would've been prepared for this, she couldn't have taken so much at once. She feels her jaw getting heavy as the guy fucks her face. He uses her throat like a fleshlight, pounding a way like there is no tomorrow.

Seulgi feels her throat starting to get soar as tears start rolling down her cheeks. She is realizing that this is one of the roughest face fucks she ever had. But definitely not the last one.

His big cock keeps hitting the back of her throat, making Seulgi struggle for air. But he doesn't let go of her head, which means she can't back away.

The fingers in her pussy curl upwards, making her lower body tingle with pleasure. The combination of getting face fucked and fingered pushes Seulgi towards her limit. She never expected to be in this situation. On her knees, surrounded by almost ten guys. All of them stroking their cocks to her getting her throat bruised and her pussy played with.

Seulgi has to close her eyes, tears keep falling from underneath her eyelashes. They mix with her make up and the cum from earlier, turning her once flawless face into an absolute mess. The mixture starts to drip down her skin. Together with her saliva that spills out of her mouth. She is unable to close it. Her body feels numb as she is on the brink of orgasm as she gets the face fucking of her life.

IU's cheating has left her mind a while ago, her brain empty except for the pleasure she is feeling. And how soar her throat is. Seulgi doubts she is able to sing tomorrow. Or even the whole week if this continues.

She hears IU's voice over her own gags, but her own mouth is too loud to hear what the older woman is saying.

"Fuck, yes! Give me your cum!"

Ji-eun moans as she sees two guys on both her sides, stroking their cocks, ready to cum. The guy in her ass keeps her mind in a weird state of bliss as she feels like she is in heaven. The man who was fucking her mouth is replaced by another, who starts where he left of.

How many guys did she already suck off? Five maybe?

IU moans as around the new cock in her mouth. The two men start to cum all over her body. They cover IU's skin in warmth. Her chest, her tummy, her throat. All of it.

While IU keeps getting fucked, Seulgi feels someone from behind, who is starting to pull her shorts down.

Because the guy who is fucking her face is taller, she had to get on her knees to reach his cock. That means her white shorts can be slipped off easily.

Seulgi feels a pair of hands tug at her pink thong. The rubbing of her clit pauses for a moment, almost making Seulgi climax untouched.

The man who is holding her head in place gives Seulgi a second to relax. He pulls about halfway out, letting his cock rest on her tongue. She takes heavy breaths, trying to prepare herself for the next face fucking.

Another hand begins to play with her pussy as she feels the cock in her mouth starting to move again. This time, he doesn't fuck her fast. It's one slow, forceful thrust after another. It makes her head rock back everytime, before he pulls her onto his cock again.

Seulgi reaches the same state of pleasure as she did before. Hanging on the edge of her orgasm, she takes the face fucking like a champ, trying to keep eye contact with the man who is mercilessly using her.

Seulgi feels a pair of hands grope her butt. She is excited at first, but then, she feels someone's cock touch her rear entrance. She tries to shake her head, but the hands on head won't let her. She was never really the anal type. Plus, she doesn't want to cheat like IU does.

She doesn't have a choice. As the men around her see her struggle, they take holds of her wrists and guide her hands towards their cocks. Seulgi is unable to defend herself.

The cock down her throat, the fingers inside her pussy and now the tip of some man's cock in her ass. It all proves too much for Seulgi. Her shriek is muffled by the man in front of her as she cums around someone's fingers.

Seulgi's body shakes as she practically gets spitroasted. With every thrust into her mouth, she gets pushed onto the cock in her ass. With every thrust from the man inside her ass, she is getting forced to choke around the cock in her mouth.

She realizes how hot this must look for the others as she feels someone nutting on her grey top. His cum stains the fabric and Seulgi is reminded of the bet.

For a moment, she lost sight of the goal, just enjoying these men, having their way with her. But as much as Seulgi likes this situation, she still needs to make more guys cum than IU.

"Yes! Fill my ass up!"

Ji-eun moans loudly as she feels the cock in her ass starting to throb. In that moment, the guy above her climaxes, cuming all over her face. IU gasps as the unexpected facial hits her.

Before she is able to clean her face with her tongue and her fingers, the man between her legs cums inside of her.

"Oh fuck!"

Another moan escapes her cum stained lips as she feels his load paint the insides of her ass.

"Fuck! Please slow down!"

Seulgi screams. Half in pleasure, half in pain. The guy who is fucking her ass is the same guy who fucked her face so good a couple of minutes ago. He left a huge facial on her face, before giving others the chance to enjoy her mouth. Now, he is standing behind Seulgi, after getting her off the floor.

Her legs feel like jelly as she takes his pounding from behind. Her hands are useless by now, just loosely wrapped around two guy's cocks.

Another guy now steps in front of her to shut her up.

"You are too big for my ass."

She whines, hoping he would slow down, before another cock pushes past her lips.

Seulgi needily sucks on it, trying to blend out the pain in her ass. She has been used by so many guys now. She lost proper count a while ago. And if she would've looked up to check the time, she would have realized that the fifteen minutes were over fifteen minutes ago.

But Seulgi is too busy getting stuffed with cock from both ends. The black hairband she used to make a ponytail is barely holding up. Her hair looks like it's in a messy bun by now. Drops of white cum decorate her black, silk like hair.

IU is taking two cocks at the same time, too. But she is in a different position. She is placed on all fours in a circle of about ten guys. They all take turns fucking her ass and thrusting into her mouth.

The guy who is currently using her throat holds her tie in his hand, making her choke, whenever he gives it a light tug. The fact that she is getting choked makes IU even hornier. It would be something worthy of exploring later. Is she into getting choked?

Her thoughts are interrupted, when the man in her ass shoots his load. Ji-eun can almost feel how her body becomes heavier. This is the fourth time they came in her ass. If she counted correctly, she made them climax around 23 times already. There is more than enough proof all over her body.

A couple of minutes ago, someone used her still soaked panties to tie her hair back. Someone came on them beforehand. But instead of being disgusted, IU wonders if that counts as making them cum.

"I'm gonna gonna cum in your ass, bitch."

It's the first time the man behind her talked to Seulgi. Her dripping wet pussy craves his cock as he keeps fucking her ass. Because her mouth is closed, Seulgi can't answer. She feels someone's hand now rubbing her clit.

Another hand slaps her right ass cheeks. She doesn't know if that was the guy who is fucking her or someone else. The sting causes her to moan around the cock in her mouth.

"Fuck!"

The guy behind her groans, before he pumps Seulgi's ass full with cum. Her eyes roll to the back of her head as her legs almost give out. His warm cum in her ass makes her see stars.

After he leaves her freshly fucked hole, Seulgi does her best to recover. She remembers that she set a time limit on their bet. She checks the clock on the wall. They have been doing this for over thirty minutes now?

"Unnie! Time's up!"

Seulgi's voice sounds hoars after she removed the cock out of her mouth.

IU tells everyone to stop what they are doing. Seulgi has to kneel down again, her legs too weak to carry her.

Ji-eun slowly walks over to her. She feels cum leak out of her ass. Everyone is staring at the pair, waiting to find out who lost.

"So?"

Seulgi looks up at IU. The older woman is still wearing her tie, her hair now held back by her panties. Her body is covered in cum, wherever you look. Her face, her tummy, her chest, her feet.

Seulgi looks similarly used. Her back is still warm from the load of cum she got, while someone fucked her ass from behind.

"25 now."

Seulgi's eyes widen. She didn't expect it to be this close.

"Wow, unnie. You are no slouch."

Ji-eun raises an eye brow.

"Why do you sound so happy?"

"27."

"What?"

"I made them cum twenty seven times."

Seulgi feels someone's cum drip out of her freshly fucked ass and onto her legs. She grins up at IU, who is looking at her with anger and surprise written on her face.

"You know what that means, right?"

IU nods hesitantly.

"Let's tie her up boys."

Seulgi chuckles as she sees someone grabbing IU's wrists and holding them behind her back.

"What-?"

She tries to struggle against his grip, but Seulgi shakes her head.

"You can't run away, unnie. You are now officially a free-use whore."

Before she can reply, someone already stuffed her mouth with a piece of silk. She only realises a moment later that she has Seulgi's pink thong in her mouth. Someone is covering her mouth, so she can't spit it out.

IU's tie is finally gone too, now being used as a way to tie her hands together. She tries to resist, but the guys around her are way taller and stronger than her. Ji-eun sees someone getting a chair from one of the corners of the practice room.

Seulgi suggested this location. It's Red Velvet's former place of learning choreos, when they were rookies. They used a second room outside of the SM building. No one uses it anymore.

When someone sits her down, IU stares at everyone around her. The about forty guys wait for Seulgi's first move.

"You two,"

Seulgi points at two guys on her left.

"Suck on her tits."

They do as she says, both stepping on either side of IU. The older woman moans into Seulgi's panties as she they lean over her. They both wrap their lips around her nipples, sucking on them. The occasional bite makes her squirm in the chair.

"I feel like the gag is now making her too quiet."

Some of the guys nod in agreement.

Seulgi reaches forward to take her panties out of IU's mouth.

"Don't forget, you still have to admit that I'm the better slut."

IU would've stuck her her tongue out, but is currently unable to do so. The two guys working on her tits make her sigh and mewl.

Ji-eun's eyes widen in surprise as she feels Seulgi working on her pussy. It feels weird as she tries to look down, wanting to know what's going on. The guys' heads are blocking her view.

Her head sinks back as she feels Seulgi pushing her thong into the older woman's pussy. A deep moan escapes her lips, once the piece of silk is completely buried inside of her.

"You always bragged about how tight your pussy is. Let's see if that's still the case."

She turns around.

"Guys, I want you to stretch her out like crazy."

IU moves her head to be able to see what's going on. The first guy is already standing in front of her, his cock in his hand.

"Wait. First pull out-Fuck!"

IU moans loudly as he pushes half of his cock inside her with one thrust. She can't tell yet, if Seulgi's panties make her feel better or not. But IU can't help but squirm even more as the man starts to fuck her.

She feels fuller than usual as the guy pushes fully into her stuffed pussy. Together with the two guys who keep playing with her chest, he makes Ji-eun see stars.

She realises this is only the beginning, when another guy steps forward. He grabs IU's ponytail, forcing her down. She automatically opens her mouth, ready to suck his cock. It has become an instinct for her by now. Without even thinking about it, she starts to suck him off.

The two men stop sucking her tits as they both watch how the new guy makes her bob her head up and down on his cock. He and the guy who fucks her stand side by side.

Seulgi looks around them, trying to see what's going on. She feels a pair of hands wrap around her waist. She looks up, seeing the man who just came in her ass.

"You still don't have enough?"

Her cheeky grin makes him chuckle.

"I never expected you to be such a whore."

His cock is now resting between her cheeks. Now that she feels it again, Seulgi can't believe how his dick fit in her ass.

"And this is probably the only chance I'm ever gonna get. So I want all of your holes."

Seulgi leans her head on his chest.

"Take me then."

She feels him aligning his cock with her pussy. He slowly pushes inside, making Seulgi moan. Her half open eyes see, how the guy who is fucking IU is cuming inside her pussy. She hears the older girl's moans as he pulls out and leaves. A moment later, the next guy stands in front of her.

Seulgi can't believe what she has done. What she is still doing. What would her members say to this? She chuckles as she thinks about Yeri's nature. The maknae would probably follow her example.

Her smile is wiped off Seulgi's face as the man behind her increases his pace. His thick cock makes her body heat up as he almost hugs her into his chest.

Seulgi is almost standing on his toes, only his hips working overtime. He has his face in her neck, kissing her skin.

IU moans as another man walks forward. The man who just came in her mouth already left, leaving her throat all sticky. She would've begged for a break, but she knows that Seulgi won't give her one. Although the younger girl is currently occupied with getting fucked, IU dismisses the idea.

She invitingly opens her mouth, before the guy even reaches her. Instead of pushing his scock into her mouth, he takes a hold of her ponytail. Only now, IU realises that he has been stroking his cock while he approached her. His cum is now painting her face, leaving another layer of jizz.

IU moans as the warmth hits her face. At the same time the man in her pussy cums as well. He shoots his load into IU, giving her a second cream pie within a couple of minutes.

"Just... Just give me a second."

Seulgi breathes heavily, almost missing her chance to humiliate IU even further. Slowly, she manages to get of the guy's chest she was leaning on. Standing in front of the older woman, Seulgi reaches down. Her freshly fucked pussy already oozes with cum. She has to fumble around a little, before finally finding her own thong deep inside Ji-eun's cunt.

IU whines as Seulgi slowly pulls it out. There is no sign of the fact that the silk was pink once. It's stained with IU's juices and the other guy's cum.

"They are gonna fuck you for real now."

IU shakes her head, knowing what Seulgi is planing. But because her hands are tied, she can't defend herself.

Seulgi pushes her thong into IU's mouth. The older woman tastes the mixture of her own juices and two loads of cum.

"Take it like the whore you are, unnie. I don't want to hear any complains, once I'm back."

She turns around, taking the hand of the guy, who just fucked her.

"Come with me."

And with that she leaves IU alone with the forty guys. Bound to the chair, unable to yell after her. She sees some of them start to walk towards her.

"Seulgi!"

Her muffled screams stay unheard as Seulgi and her special friend enter the practice room next door.

"I have two more hours until I have to be back at the dorm."

She slings her arms around his neck, grinding her naked center against his cock.

"I want you to fuck me until then."

How long has it been already?

IU can't tell, the clock is hanging on the wall behind her. 30 minutes? An hour?

She would've thought the guys would stop at one point, but she is proven wrong. This is their only chance to fuck Lee Ji-eun however they want. They can use every single one of her holes.

Korea's number one celebrity isn't even sitting on the chair anymore. They started to take turns with sitting in the chair, making IU sit in their laps.

She never experienced having all three of her holes stuffed with cock. But that's the case right now. The man who's lap she is sitting on is thrusting upwards into her ass. The man in front of her is fucking her pussy. Another has placed both of his hands on her head, forcing her to lean to her left.

IU doesn't know how long it has been since she was able to talk. There are still three guys standing in line behind the guy who is fucking her face.

She also doesn't know how often all of them came, since Seulgi left. Probably all of them at least once or twice. Maybe even more. That would make at least forty to eighty times.

That could be the reason why about fifty percent of IU's skin is covered in cum. Her tits and her midriff are full with it, but they still don't compare to her face. She feels like she has several layers of make up on. Her hair probably wasn't spared either.

And how many cream pies did she already get? At least a quarter of their loads. She must have swallowed so much cum by now. Probably more than a liter or two.

Ji-eun moans around the cock in her mouth as she climaxes once again. Her pussy pulsates around the cock in her, making the man cum in her snatch. She even lost count of how many times she came.

Where the fuck is Seulgi?

"Oh god! Oh god! Oh god!"

Seulgi mumbles and moans. She is lying on the sofa in the corner of the second practice room. The man she took with her is fucking her missionary style. His hand is in her hair, forcing her upper body to lift off the couch.

"Gonna cum!"

Her warning is almost too late. Seulgi climaxes right after the last word leaves her mouth. Her pussy grips onto his cock as he keeps fucking her through her orgasm. Her body is covered in sweat and cum. How often did he make her cum already?

Seulgi moans as she is taken toward another high. She feels his cock suddenly leave her pussy, before he pushes against her puckered hole. The young woman moans and whines as he starts to switch with every thrust. First her pussy, then her ass hole and then her pussy again.

Seulgi can't do anything but lie there, feeling her holes getting used in such an unholy manner.

She is a mumbling mess underneath him, feeling his cock in her ass and then in her pussy again.

Her eyes rest on his sweat covered body as she feels him trying to hold back his climax. As they lock eyes, they both know that this is the last one. The pair is too drained to go on much longer.

"On my face. I want it on my face."

The man nods, unable to form words. Seulgi's ass too tight for him to think straight.

He manages to switch between her holes for a couple of times, before he finally pulls out once and for all.

With awkward movements, Seulgi manages to push herself off the couch. Her limbs feel like pudding, her energy barely enough to keep her eyes open.

He strokes himself to climax as he stares at Seulgi in front of him.

How is she still able to look this cute?

That thought rushes through his head, right before he orgasms. His load isn't as big as it used to. Seulgi's pussy has claimed more of it for itself already.

It's still enough to make her sigh with pleasure though. The warm cum covers her nose and cheeks.

IU opens her eyes. She looks around the room, realizing that she is the only one. And a moment later she recognizes her bedroom. How did she get here?

She hears someone in the kitchen, fumbling with the pans.

Ji-eun tries to get up. Her body feels soar all over. She feels like she has been hit by a truck. Her body seems to be clean on the outside, but not on the inside. She can feel someone's cum in her pussy and ass. Her throat is still sticky, making it hard to breathe.

IU can't even remember how many guys came in her throat as she reaches for the glass of water on her night stand.

Her feet barely lift off the ground as she stumbles into the kitchen, only wearing a robe.

Seulgi seems to be making egg fried rice.

"Hello, sleepyhead."

Seulgi chuckles at IU's perplexed look on her face.

"I brought you here after you passed out. Do you know how long it took me to get all of that cum off your skin?"

IU shakes her head.

Seulgi pours the rice into two bowls.

"I have good news."

Ji-eun is only able to sit down at the counter, waiting for Seulgi to hand her a spoon.

"I found someone knew to compete with us."

IU looks up. Her eyes still look sleepy and tired and exhausted. And yet, Seulgi is able to catch a glimpse of lust in them.

"Who?"

"She should be here any minute."

In that moment the doorbell rings.

"She and her members had a similar competition. Like the two of us. She won and is looking for women, who are on her level. I told her we got fucked by forty guys at the same time."

Seulgi says as she walks towards the door.

"I-I'm not sure if I can start having sex again immediately. Maybe give me a couple of days."

IU's tired, hoarse voice makes Seulgi chuckle.

"Don't worry. Me and Jennie already have something planned for the two of us."

She opens the door.

"Hi Seulgi!"

Jennie and Seulgi hug each other.

"Ready to go to the movies?"

"Yeah, just let me eat dinner."

"What?"

Only now IU realises what time it is. She slept the whole day.

"Hi, unnie."

Jennie waves at her. The older woman takes a look at her outfit. She immediately knows that watching a movie will not be the only thing they do in the cinema.

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

(Alternative ending)

Hi everyone!

I hope you enjoy the first story of the December special.

I haven't written something like this before, so I'm not sure how well it turned out. I did my best to write a good build up, because I didn't want to jump straight into the main part.

Have a great day! See you next week for the second one!

[binniesbooks]

hi my fayebae, i just read ‘you don’t want him to know, do you’ and i’m🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️absolutely in love with it ahhh, feeding my brain and oh god i sudd had a thought…

his fingers… please

soobin x reader??? let’s just say that in this reality, soobin is able to play the piano beautifully. With his long fingers giving him the advantage of reaching the many keys he needs to, sometimes your mind wonders of how those long fingers would feel inside you…

the way he would play with your cunt… the way he would make sure youre stretched out and then finger fucks you…purposely bringing out his fingers from you. Sucking of your cum from his fingers, making you imagine how his tongue would feel against your clit.which of course then leads to freaky freaky heheh

ahhh i fr had this thought i hope u like it🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️

• MELODIES OF TEMPTATION

SB 000 .F23 2024

wc 3.4k

pairings musictutor!Soobin x fem!reader

warnings oral sex, fingering, making out, nipple pinching (dream)

faye's note TMI: I was summoned to hell for the goddamn thesis, that's why I uploaded this late. Wth. Fuck school.

Hope you still enjoy this tho hehe, especially to my Beomgyu's kitten, I'm sorry for uploading so late, omg I hate myself 😭 anyway, I love your asks, really. Kith kith 💋

The soft clinks of the keys of the piano resonated inside the confinement of an empty room, long slender fingers dancing gracefully across the keys. Soft hums come from a comforting voice. The cold windy breeze blows at the open windows flowing through the guy's long fringe as his eyes flutter close feeling the notes hit his ears quietly. His movements came to a halt, head snapping towards the door --soft knocks waking him from his wandering thoughts.

'Hi, are you, perhaps, Choi Soobin?" You quietly asked, clutching on the straps of your crossbody bag.

"Uh, yeah?" he hesitated out of confusion, "May I help you?" -- "Oh, where are my manners, come in." he stood up from the piano as he walked toward the small table on the corner.

You walked slowly, observing the naked room, almost doubting if you really did come to the right place. "Please take a seat," Soobin said as he offered you a glass of water.

"So uh, my mother, found out about these some piano class thing? And, forced me to take it?"

"Is that so? Well, I have no students this session. it's been a while actually, so I'm afraid I can't make classes as of now." He answered.

You wiped your palms on your jeans, "Uhm, is there, like, nothing we can do about it then?"

"The whole lesson fee is actually divided over students. It's just that I can't let you pay the whole price. It's too expensive, given that... you still look like a student." He explained observing your overall figure that totally gives off a student vibe.

"I can pay for the whole price. Just... just let me take the lesson," you pleaded, hands clasped in front of you, "I just can't do anything about it. My mother is expecting me to play the piano in 3 months. I'm supposed to play at my brother's wedding." You rolled your eyes at the request your mother asked you. It just didn't make sense. Why ask you to learn the piano when they could just hire a whole band if they wanted to?

"I see." he meekly answered, nodding slowly. "Then I think we can do something about it." He stood up and walked towards the small cabinet just near the table.

"You can fill up this form, for legal purposes. And we can proceed on talking about your schedule." He handed you a folder. "Do you want to pay it whole or do you want to pay it every session?" He asked as he watched you fill up the form. "I'll pay during every session." You smiled at him and continued answering the necessary form.

You slide back the form towards him, "Y/n Y/s/n, 22." he muttered under his breath before closing the folder. "When are you free?" He asked as he pulled out his phone. "I am free on weekdays afternoon, and weekends the whole day."

"Should we do it on weekends?" he asked, checking his calendar. "We will have 24 sessions in total," he added.

"I'll take it. Weekends, I mean." You agreed.

"Is 5-8 in the evening okay with you?" His head tilted to the side, and you simply nodded.

Soobin stood up, "Okay then, come back this Saturday. we'll start at five." You stoop up after him taking his hand to shake it. As you were about to leave, you turned around once again, "I don't have to pay any deposit?" He chuckled as he answered with a dimpled smile, "No deposits."

...

You gasped as you looked at your wristwatch, what were you doing all this time? It was already four in the afternoon. You fumbled to fix your things as you quickly got up.

"Something wrong?" One of your friends asked, "We still have a movie to watch." "Go ahead, I have an appointment this afternoon, I'm sorry, I'll make it up to you guys on Monday!" You scurried out of the cafe only to go back again to order drinks.

"Two iced americanos, to go."

You knocked at the door twice before pushing it open. He was playing the piano again. he has a huge frame, you thought to yourself. His broad shoulders complement his tall figure, despite the fact that he has a big body build, Soobin has a small waist, emphasized with how his white shirt was tucked in his pants.

You walk towards the small couch and place the drinks on the table. You close your eyes as you listen to his soothing voice. He quietly sings with the melody he is playing. When he was done, you cleared your throat to let him know you were already there.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I did not notice you." he shyly walks over to the couch to talk to you. You offered him the drink as he expressed a small "thank you."

"You have a great voice." You complimented him. A flush crept up on his face, to be honest, he's not used to being complimented.

"Shall we get started? I'm glad to walk you through your music journey." His dimples showed up nicely. They're cute, it makes you want to poke them but it doesn't make you seem professional.

The session ended up well. Besides, Soobin did not have to start from the very beginning, since you already know some of the basics.

The following sessions wrapped up well too. According to Soobin, you are a fast learner. You pick up everything he says quickly. Well, aside from Soobin having longer fingers, it was difficult for you to press keys that were far apart. Other than that you didn't have any problem.

"Can I just cut my fingers and have yours instead?" You were growing frustrated, you were not able to press the right key, making a disturbing sound instead of a good melody. You always end up twisting and wrenching your hand when trying to hit the notes.

"I quit!" You exclaimed only for Soobin to chuckle at your complaints. "You can do it, you are a fast learner," Soobin commented, his arms crossed on his chest. "I am, but the keys make me want to kill myself." You blurted. "It's easy, look." Soobin gently placed his finger on the keys, easily pressing down each note. "You have long fingers, I don't." You pouted. "Not my fault I have longer fingers than you." He answered while laughing only to make you pout again.

"Let's end here, come back tomorrow, you should rest for now, it's getting late." Soobin closed the windows of the room.

"Where do you live? Shall we go out together?" You asked.

"Call," he replied with a dimply smile.

You two ended up dropping by at a convenience store to grab a snack. You found out that you go back by the same way, so you thought might as well take the same bus later.

"I thought you were much older than me." You chimed when you found out he's just one year older than you. "Shall we talk casually, then?" He asks as he sips on the hot chocolate he bought. "If you don't mind." You nodded giddily.

Soobin saw how you shivered at the chilly breeze. "Wear my jacket, you've been shivering since earlier." He offered, taking off his jacket to hand it to you. "I forgot mine." You sheepishly answered as you wrapped his jacket around your body.

"Let's go. You might freeze to death if we stay here any longer." Soobin laughed quietly, picking up the trash on the table as he chucked it into the nearest trash can.

You took the same bus that night. He even bid you goodbye and breathed a soft "Take care, see you next week" before you got off.

Soobin is a shy guy. But he's gentle and caring. He's also talented, not to mention his face card did not decline.

That same night when you got home, you did not know what had gotten into you. You did not know the reason why you let your senses engulf the perfume on his jacket, nor when you tried to close your eyes only to vividly imagine how your night went on. You even quietly prayed and hoped each day that week came fast. Your heart raced at the thought of seeing him again. You grew nervous each day, the anticipation made you bounce your legs in class. It got you checking and re-checking the date.

Maybe the heavens above heard your silent pleas. Because the weekend arrived so quickly. You were so used to wearing just pants and shirts whenever you went to the music tutoring. However, this time, you find yourself fumbling through your dresses as you look for clothes you can wear that gaev off the "I dressed up well for you but I'm not gonna make it obvious" vibe.

You stood in front of the mirror, wearing a skirt and a knitted long sleeve. You look silly, but your heart is about to burst out from the giddiness you were feeling. It's not that you were gonna meet up with a date or something, but, maybe, you like him. Maybe you like Soobin a little bit. Your sessions were more than halfway done, with just 10 sessions remaining.

However, when you stepped inside, there was no Soobin to be found. Nor his things to be seen. The windows were open, though.

You were clutching onto his jacket he had lent you as you scan the room once again, still not used to the naked ass room he's holding the lesson in. However, a bigger couch caught your attention, it looks new. You sat on the couch and watched the clock ticking slowly. You placed his jacket on the couch, as you tried to make it puffy to serve as a makeshift pillow. It's still early anyway, taking a nap won't hurt, besides, he's still not here.

Soobin stepped inside the room, his hair a bit messy as if he just got up from a nap, or a fight, or whatever it was. His words are slurred. Was he drunk? "Hey, are you alright?" You asked as you stood up and walked closer to his tall frame still standing at the door. He grabbed your face and crashed his lips onto yours. His hands fumbled over your body as he pressed your back against the wall.

"H-hey.. S-soobin.. ah.." You tried to push him away but to no avail, he's much larger and stronger than you. His tongue grazed your neck as he sucked lightly as if he wanted to leave a mark. His slender fingers danced across your waist, slipping underneath your long sleeve. He lightly pinched your nipples, eliciting a soft moan from you. His hand travels back to your waist down to your thighs as he lifts your skirt. Your blood ran south, heat pooling on your slit. You can't help but whimper at his touch, his fingers gently rubbing your clothed pussy. He pushed your underwear to the side to slide his fingers in--

"Hey, hey y/n, are you okay?" His face was painted with worry as he tapped your shoulder to wake you up. Your eyes snapped open. "You were whining in your sleep, is everything fine?" He asked grabbing a glass of water. Your face turned red. You can't believe you were dreaming about him, and a sexual dream at that. You chugged down the whole glass of water, you couldn't look him in the eyes, what was that dream all about? Oh god.

"I'm sorry, I was late, something came up and I needed to take care of it, that's why I uh, wasn't here." He apologized, his face still painted with worry.

"N-no it's fine. I mean, I early.. I'm got.. I was... I got here earlier t-than our scheduled time." You cannot even form your words straight. He let out a laugh, as he look at you once again. "You got me worried from all that whining." He sighed, "I thought you were having a bad dream." You scratch the back of your nape as you play with the glass in your hand, you can't tell him about your weird dream, it's not something to spill.

"Shall we start? I'll play a song first, then you'll play once I'm done and apply what you have learnt." He instructed as he strides towards the piano.

Your eyes were fixated on how his fingers danced gracefully on the keys. His beautiful fingers were able to reach the notes you were unable to do. Choi Soobin was actually known for his exceptional piano skills even when he was still at a young age. To most, him playing melodies effortlessly could enrapture the audience, but to you, his fingers stirred thoughts that went far beyond music. You had always thought how his fingers were so pretty although he was a man. It was as though he gave them extra care. The thought even caused you to dream about him. Not to mention you were dreaming about him inside his tutor room.

He had finished playing long ago, but you were still staring at his fingers, still in a daze. His body was already turned to you, examining your eyes and what they were staring at. An enigmatic smile played on his lips, "Care to tell what you are thinking about?" He asked, voice low and inviting. "W-what?" Your eyes snapped back at him. "What's on your mind, y/n." He chuckled when you avoided his gaze, he stood up, "Care to tell?" His head was tilted to the side once again. "Nothing... I.. I just think you're really good at playing the piano.. and that your fingers are p-pretty," you stuttered.

Soobin walks back to the couch where you were sitting, he draws his face near to yours as you back down, leaning your head on the backrest of the couch. "Is that all you're thinking about?" You felt your heart thump faster and harder as you nodded frantically, your palms sweaty. "I don't think so," he leans closer, one wrong move and you'll get your lips crashed with his, "I heard you call my name in your sleep -- let me correct myself, you were actually moaning my name." His arms were on both sides of your head, you're trapped on the couch.

"I'm not the type to let myself go in this kind of situation, but," he stopped as he twirled the end of your hair on his fingers, "You excite me. I'm actually surprised." He chuckled. "S-soobin, I... I didn't mean t--" "Mhm, you didn't baby, you didn't." He nods as he presses his thumb on your glossy lips. You gripped his jacket on your lap with nowhere to ground yourself. Your eyes flutter close at the skin contact. "See? You really didn't." He whispered before closing the gap between the two of you.

You did not know what happened, or what had gotten unto him, but there's one thing you were sure of. Your music tutor is making out with you.

"My, my... You were thinking about what else my fingers can do, am I right?" He remarked as he pulled away a bit. You bit your lips as you nodded lightly. "Naughty girl." He smirked.

His fingers danced across your face, touching your cheeks as he kissed you. You can't help but hold onto his arms.

"Stand up," he commanded as he pulled away. He gently drags you and makes you sit on the soft cushion chair in front of the piano. "Show me what you have learned." He ordered as he kneeled in front of you. "You look pretty by the way," he added.

You slowly pressed on the keys of the piano with an unstable rhythm and a pounding heart. "Spread your legs, I'll show you something," he chuckled at the thought. You clenched your hand as you slowly spread your legs in front of him. "Don't stop playing until I say so," he instructed as he pushed your underwear to the side.

You continued playing on the piano with a more uneven tone and rhythm as you trembled under his touch. His fingers danced gracefully on your pussy, slightly grazing your clit, making you shiver.

He bunches up your skirt to your waist and pulls your underwear all the way for easier access. "Tell me once again that you didn't mean what you were doing earlier," a playful smirk was plastered on his face as he looked up at you. "I... I didn't m-mean to m-moan your n-name..." You whispered with a shaky voice. "Is that right?" He asked, his finger nudging your clit. You nodded as you felt your body shrink at his melting gaze.

"Your body says otherwise, lovely." He chimed as his middle finger slides easily inside you making you gasp. "Continue playing, I'm grading you." He reminded.

You don't even know if the notes you're playing were making sense or if it's the right key, you just kept on pressing the keys with trembling hands as you felt Soobin's finger scissoring your pussy. "You're so wet that all I can hear is the squelching sound, your notes are being drowned," he commented, pressing on your sweet spots.

"S-soobin, I can't a-anymore..." Your fingers stopped, as you shook your head. "I'm grading you y/n. It's either you pass, or I'm going to refer you to another tutor." He warned. "B-but--" "No buts, pretty. Continue."

You did not know where your mind flew to. All you can think about is how his pretty fingers are stretching you out and reaching the spots your own fingers weren't able to reach. "I'm g-gonna cum..." Your voice all trembling and shaking as much as your legs do.

"So soon?" Soobin started to move a bit faster, the sound your pussy was making was so lewd and dirty. You're toes curled, your hand gripped on his shoulder as you try to stop yourself from cumming. Soobin smirked, you're so lovely to look at. "Hmm, pretty." He chuckled as he stared at you.

"P-please Soobin, I'm gonna cum..." You pleaded. He twisted his fingers, scissored and pushed it more inside your gummy walls, you're too weak to hold back. You came on his fingers as you shuddered with his finger still fucking inside you. You were whining and squirming, but he's too strong for your weakened body.

He pulled his fingers out. He stares at his sticky and slicked-covered fingers and looks at you. He saw how the flush crept over your cheeks. "We will continue our sessions, you still have a lot to learn." His gaze at you is unwavering, waiting for you to look back at him. And when you did, his fingers disappeared in his own mouth.

"Fuck, you taste so sweet." He moaned, cleaning his own fingers covered with your cum. His low voice gives you a shiver down your spine. He continued on licking his fingers, eyes locked on yours. You lean down to kiss him, tasting yourself on his tongue. He pulled away. "I'm still not done, hold your skirt up." As a good student, you gladly obliged, clutching on your skirt.

He placed one of your thighs on his shoulder as he dives into your pussy. Lapping every essence dripping down. You squirmed and gripped on his hair. His tongue poking on your cunt. "S-soobin ahh, shit." You've lost it. Your tutor is eating you out, the guy you have a little crush on.

He keeps on humming in your pussy, the vibration adds to the tingly sensation you are feeling. You were in ecstasy.

"N-no more... Hng.." he did not stop. No way he's gonna stop. Not when Soobin is already hard and on the verge of cumming just by eating you out. But he holds back. "Shit!" Soobin felt you clench on his tongue, riding your other high. Your legs spasmed while he was cleaning you with his tongue, scraping every drop of your cum. It's something he can't waste.

He looks up at you, wiping his glistening mouth and nose with the back of his hand.

"Lay on the couch." He bosses, as he proceeded to lock the door. "Maybe buying this bigger couch has a purpose. Too bad it'll get soiled today, I just bought it yesterday." He smiled as he unzipped his pants, "Bend over. You're the one to grade me this time. Which is the best? My finger, my tongue, or my cock."

@binniesbooks 2024

[coralinnii]

congratulations on the 2.7k followers 🎉🎉 you really deserve it^^ you're writing is just so good and amazing i'm so happy more people recognise your talent <3 (also i really like the fact that you opened your requests for 27h it's really a fun way to remember that you got 2.7k followers hhhh)

So i'd like to request, if it's alright with you, yuu staying at crewel's or train's place during the holidays and the messages they exchange with (riddle, ruggie, vil, epel) , just yuu having a long distance relationship with the boys if it makes sense!! you can make it platonic or romantic, I don't mind either as long as you have fun writing it ^-^

thank you in advance and again congratulations, i'm really happy for you! have a nice day <3

❋ It Doesn’t Matter Where I Am, I’m Yours ❋

↳ long-distance relationship with him over the holidays

feat: Riddle ⭑ Ruggie ⭑ Vil ⭑ Epel

genre: fluffy romance

note: no pronouns used with the reader, established relationships, reader is implied to be Yuu since Grim comes with them, reader is staying with Crewel in Riddle and Ruggie’s ver. and with Trein in Vil and Epel’s ver., nicknames are used as terms of endearment (rose and my love in Riddle’s ver., sweet lil thing in Ruggie’s ver., sweet potato in Vil’s ver.,)

How did I choose who reader stays with? With a coin flip and it somehow worked out this way :p Hope you enjoy it!

2.7K Followers Writing Event

Riddle’s mother insisted he returned home and Professor Crewel offered demanded that you stay with him over the holidays after finding out that the cafeteria ghosts would be gone throughout the break.

If you two were still new into the relationship, Riddle was anxious over this separation, he's gotten used to the routine of seeing you every day and he can't imagine a day without you, let alone a month. The sweet redhead insisted you keep in contact with him every day, no matter what.

He knew that his mother would set him a schedule filled to the minute with studies and magic practice but he managed to convince her to give him 30 minutes with his phone, in the guise of keeping updated with his dormmates as the Housewarden. He may even try to wake up a little earlier just to text you good morning

teenage rebellion?

But Riddle is not the most familiar with texting slang and lingo, being the type to write out every message with proper grammar, spelling, and explanation points.

At first, he sounded like, albeit sweet, a daily weather update. Riddle once read in a book that a good conversation starter is “Nice weather we have” and just went with it.

As the days went by, Riddle has gotten more comfortable and soon the 30 minutes doesn’t seem enough for him. He wants to tell you more about his hometown (even if he couldn’t leave his home), mention how Trey and Chenya would occasionally sneak a visit, even little tidbits of something he learned from his studies you might find interesting, anything to spend time with you.

If you send him random videos you found online, Riddle would be so confused and won’t understand the humour of it but will text you it was funny just to make you happy (this precious confused child).

Whenever Riddle unintentionally texts you something sweet, Crewel gives you an exasperated look your way as your joyous gushing would startle the puppies.

But Crewel sighs with a little smile on his lips and let you be, better Riddle than those trouble-making Heartslabyul duo. At least with Grim, his trained dogs can keep him in check while the two of you are here.

Riddle is incredibly happy to be able to speak with you everyday but secretly he’s mentally counting the days when he could see you again at school.

His messages

“Good morning, Rose. Today is forecasted to be windy where you are. Be sure to stay warm”

“The cat is adorable. However, I do not understand what is a “blep”.”

“Grim was reprimanded by Crewel and his dogs for trying to steal extra snacks? Perhaps Heartslabyul should adopt a few as well”

“It’s already 2 minutes before I must get ready for sleep? It’s unfortunate but I must go for today. Good night, my love. I will greet you first thing in the morning”

Ruggie was surprised that you were going to stay with Professor Crewel this holiday break but he was going to be busy with seasonal part-time jobs anyway so he wasn’t planning on visiting you (Crewel would’ve sent his dogs on him if he did, anyway).

Due to his irregular work schedules, you couldn’t predict when Ruggie would text you. Different part-time jobs would give him different break times so you and Grim could be helping Crewel to feed his puppies and suddenly you had to hide the cute text your boyfriend sent you from a suspicious Crewel.

“Pup, who was that?”

“Just Ruggie…don’t look, it’s embarrassing!”

Ruggie may even write over-the-top lovey-dovey messages to you, partly to annoy Crewel, but mostly because he does mean them

But sometimes Ruggie would get too tuckered out to text you and would apologize for not replying as soon as he could the next day.

It’s understandable, though. Which is why you tried to text more to lift his spirits, so that everytime he opens up his messages, he reads your little motivational messages.

“Don’t forget to eat lots, my hardworking hyena! I’m so proud of you <3”

Ruggie’s coworkers won’t get a single explanation to Ruggie’s sudden burst of energy in the second half of the day, nor his wagging tail. But they can guess that is something to do with you, judging by the goofy smile the hyena beastman has on throughout his shift.

His grandmother is very aware of your presence in Ruggie’s life, not that he’s very subtle. She sees the way Ruggie gets a toothy grin so early in the morning just by looking at his phone, or the way his ears perk up when his phone vibrates.

His messages

“Mornin’, sweet lil thing. How’s life with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Grumpy? Shyehehe, wouldn’t be surprised if he gave ya some homework while ya there”

“Grandma made some of her famous donuts. When we come back, I’ll make some for ya so look forward it”

“The kids are badgering me to show ‘em the pic of ya. Even Grandma is curious! She wanna know who’s been making me so happy so…do ya mind?”

“It’s weird. Even with my work and the kids, I still feel kinda bored. I wanna see ya soon. I can’t believe that I might want school to actually open sooner”

Holidays would be a busy time for Vil. Even if he specified that he’s prioritizing his studies, he would occasionally agree to a gig or two, just to ensure he stays relevant in the business.

Funnily enough, Professor Trein offered to house you during the holidays since his wife heard that you were spending the holidays all alone in your depreciated dorm (what’s the difference with any other day, though?) and wouldn’t let that be. Both Trein and Vil live in the Shaftlands but it was still miles away from each other and with Vil’s busy life, you couldn’t really see each other over the break.

Cautious of his situation, Vil is careful with when and where he is when he’s messaging. It’s not that his agency would ever let anybody with ill intentions come close to him, but he doesn’t want to drag into this world where social vultures could harm you.

Vil’s texts are professional but always sweet and filled with concern for you. Asking you how was your day, if you have eaten yet, and if you remembered to take care of yourself (then reprimand you if you did forget).

In the comfort of his home, Vil would video call you as he does his skincare routine, content with listening to you as you tell him about your day and talking about the most random things, because you look so beautiful to him when you do.

If you gush about how amazing the Shaftlands was as Trein and his wife showed you and Grim around, Vil would entertain the thought of showing you around his hometown with you. Just the two of you.

One day, Vil’s father was passing by as the two of you were on your video calls which is when Vil finally introduces you to his father. The older man is pleased to finally meet the one who’s making his son so happy and even excited to return to school. Vil chose not to comment on this.

His messages

“It may not be as cold there as it is here, but be sure to put on your moisturizer. Just because I’m not there to take care of you doesn’t mean you have a day off, sweet potato”

“Oh, you saw my interview this afternoon? Well of course, I was nothing short of pure elegance. But thank you, my dear. I truly appreciate your kind words. Hmm? Of course, I will tell you my next appearance”

“Sweet potato, your eyes seem tired today. Are you alright? You stayed up watching movies? Good grief, I told you how bad that was…you were watching my early works? …That is no excuse, we can watch them together when we return to college”

“Professor Trein told you and Grim that you could visit my town sometime next week? Hmm, I will discuss with my agent and I will show you around myself. Hmm? No, it’s no trouble. What inconsiderate man would think a date with his beloved would be trouble. I will see you soon”

Epel was surprised that you were actually going to be closer than he realized when you told him that you were staying with Professor Trein and his family over the break.

However, Trein’s town still isn’t exactly close and Epel was going to help out his family on the farm throughout the break anyway so the two of you couldn’t meet up as much as you really wanted to.

Texting while he was working outside wasn’t easy with the gloves Epel had to deal with so he opted with taking pictures, voice messages, and video calls whenever he could. He sends you pictures of some of the newly harvested apples and raves over the great harvest this year, which you found absolutely adorable (but you kept that to yourself).

He tried his very best to be sneaky about his calls to you though, because the townspeople would tease him and gush about young love whenever they catch him sending messages on the job.

“Look at my lil’ apple. All grown up an’ smitten”

“Grandma!”

It wasn’t any less embarrassing on your end as Trein’s daughters were also staying during the holidays and quickly caught you on your phone leaving cute messages for Epel. They’ve taken up the older sister role and lovingly grill you over your relationship.

“Does he give you flowers or chocolates? No? Hmph, how disappointing”

“He may be a hard worker, but if he isn’t a gentleman, he’s not husband material!”

The sisters were only a little bit impressed when after you jokingly told Epel about that embarrassing conversation, there was a crate of genuine Harveston apple juice. Atop of the crate, there was a note formally wishing the Trein family well and thanking them for taking care of you.

Epel may have wanted to prove to you he can be a man, but now he also wants to prove he’s a gentleman…and also husband material.

His messages

“Is it cold where ya are? Be sure to get real cozy and warm. Huh, Grim’s been complaining? Haha, Shaftlands chills ain’t no joke”

“The town’s real happy about the harvest this season. Gonna be another year of delicious foods this time around. I really wanna share with ya when we get back to school”

“Do you like the apple juice I sent ya? It’s made with the apples I picked myself, you know. Gotta only be the best for ya afterall”

“Grandma has been naggin’ to bring ya over to visit. To be honest…I want that too. I miss ya a lot”

[i6nv]

heyyy do u write for gn!reader? could i request some fluff or hurt + comfort for ororon? good luck w da new blog :333

yes i do write gn reader kyaaah thank you

out in the garden. ororon

content : fluff, gender neutral reader, silly ororon

an : ive never written ororon dont kill me haha i love you anon, and i give ororon a tail whenever i draw him so like yeaa also sorry that its short i had no idea what to do this is my first time writing anything but pure freak☹️

the wind blows through ororons hair, his hood flying away from his head. he sighs, upset by the raging wind— the moonlight shines down on him as he checks on his cabbage, the radish, the sleeping bugs.

you clear your throat, "quite windy, isnt it?" smiling at him with exaustion visible on your face. ororon mumbles "you should be asleep right now, its late" turning around to see your smiling face, his hair blowing in the wind. he cant help but crack a small smile, "... you arent here for me, are you?" he asks, and you nod your head, replying enthusiastically. "yup, all for my little ororon, hehe" you chuckle, he does too.

he looks away nervously, "so.. do you wanna, help me with the plants...?" ororon asks, nibbling at his nails with sharp teeth. you yawn, shrugging your shoulders, "i cant sleep either, so why not?"

you can see his face start to flush, and he stares at you with shiny eyes and an even wider, more awkward smile. "really?" he asks again, "will you really help me?" his wings twitch and sway expectantly. and you nod, grabbing his hand and looking up into his tired eyes, "mhm, ill stay with you until we can both sleep." you smile, standing on the tips of your toes to land a peck on his cheek— it only reaches his chin, but thats okay.

ororon begins to stutter, backing away slowly and turning away. "lets— yeah, i mean, the.. — the thing.. the plants...!" he sighs, covering his face in embarassment, his shoulders slumping as he bends down, knees slowly being contaminated by the wet grass, you follow in suit, giggling like a little school kid who went and asked out their crush. "ororon?" you pause, rubbing circles into his back with one hand as the other begins to pat at the dirt and poke holes for new seeds. "yes..?" he gulps air nervously, plucking unwanted bugs fron his crops and settibg them aside. "i like you, yknow that?"

his head flies to you, and you swear his neck hurt like hell after. "huh?" he breathes, tiny tail wagging slowly. "me?"

"yes, you, ororon, i like you— we're dating." you remind him, cocking your head to the side in faux confusion. "w..we are dating.." ororon blinks once, and again until it finally sets in and he begins to laugh silently, a huge smile plastered on his face. "i like you too, yn" he replies sheepishly. "but we still have to take care of these plants, and freshen up the weeds.." he trails off, continuing a different subject after his stupid, short and sudden confession, and now its your turn to stumble. you slap his arm playfully, grumbling about how hes so smooth with it.

he chuckles, picking a tomato from its stem. " even though i dont like to hurt my vegetables— or you! ill throw it at you, and we can have a veggie war." ororon spoke, in a joking manner he pretended to throw it at you, and you playfully stage a strike and fall onto your back.

the moon seems to shine brighter underneath the laughter of you two, and seems to blaze as his lips meet yours in the garden.

RIGHT INFRONT OF MY SALAD.

[counsellorofaphrodite]

In Defense of Aphrodite! - A Devotional Work!

Hello all, this is a thing I wrote a while back, but now that I have a blog, I figured I would share it! I get so annoyed by people giving Aphrodite flak and dishonoring her by the words they say. While I understand that most of these individuals are not pagans, or even Hellenist for that matter, I still think it is disrespectful. For those of you who are not Hellenist out there or worshipers of Aphrodite, please understand that she is a goddess, and that there are people who do honor and respect her. So, if you are a non-pagan and you put yourself in the shoes of an Aphrodite worshiper for a moment, you would see why we are annoyed, and quite frankly why we are angry about the recent trends spreading about our goddess on TikTok.

In Defense of Aphrodite:

What this post will cover:

What she is not!

How she shows love!

How she shows beauty!

She extends herself far beyond just love and beauty!

She is a mother figure!

She is not a monster!

What she is not!

People, pagans included seem to shun Aphrodite. They mock her and belittle her. They assume that because in myth she is portrayed as jealous, sadistic, and uptight, that it must be relative to her true nature. However, this is not, and never was the case. Aphrodite is not a monster; she doesn't "curse women who are compared to her in beauty". She definitely doesn't "take away your beauty if you ignore her". She is totally not the "whore" that modern media has reduced her to. She most certainly is not an advocate for the lesser-known toxic femininity that people often cast her with, otherwise known as a diva. She is SO much more than what people see!

How she shows love!

If you would just get to know her, and begin to be one within her bliss, she will show you her truly loving, caring, compassionate, patient, and unconditional nature. This is when you begin to love her as she loves you. When you get to know Aphrodite you see that there is more to life than just slugging through pay-check after pay-check, that there is more to life than what the media will advertise to you, that life itself is beautiful. Life is her gift to us, and thus we should cherish this gift. She animates our soul, and fills us with wonder, and amazement to explore the world, and to explore life with curiosity. Life is such a special and sacred thing. She cried for Adonis when he perished, but this is not just her sadness for the death of her mortal lover, this is the sadness that she feels when each and every one of us dies! That is how much she truly loves us! She cherishes every waking second she gets with us before it's our time to go. She is love incarnate!

How she shows beauty!

Aphrodite can teach us one major thing about beauty, that is, that it is subjective. Beauty is, and always has been in the eye of the beholder. Beauty is not the caked-up face that society has forced upon most women, true beauty comes naturally. You are already SO beautiful and you don't even know it. Beauty is not reserved for celebrities, or models. Beauty is not the stereotypical body standard that plagues society these days. Beauty is for all! Men, and women alike can rejoice, and appreciate the beauty in themselves, and in our world! There is beauty in us, in the rustling of the trees on a windy day, within the hearts of the ducks swimming gracefully upon the pond, within the eyes of any living creature. Aphrodite is beauty incarnate! If you just look for her, she is everywhere!

She extends herself far beyond just love and beauty!

Aphrodite is the goddess of all love and beauty, but she is SO much more than that. She is also the goddess of pleasure, passion, romance, and desire - none of which are inherently sexual in nature but can very well be sexual in nature if one wishes. she is the goddess of the self; self-love, self-care, self-adoration, self-confidence, even self-discipline - the list goes on. She is the goddess of the heart and is a heart healer. You can vent your sorrows to her, and she will listen, and she will guide you to healing. She will speak to you, be it in your subconscious, or in your heart itself, she will heal your sorrows and your pain.

She is a mother figure!

Aphrodite is a mother too, and if you are one who has a not-so-great mortal mother, Aphrodite will take you into her arms, and openly accept you as her own child - though you are not her blood born child, and most certainly are not a demi-god - she will still take you as her own, especially those who lacked the parental love they needed in childhood. She loves her children very much and will do anything in her power to protect them. If Eros is anything to look at in myth, she doesn't let him get away with Psyche so easily, and I feel that as a mother, she was just trying to better understand Psyche before letting Eros pursue her fully. She wouldn't want anyone to hurt Eros. She gives this same loving motherly protection to all her children. She loves us so very much!

She is not a monster!

As we can see, Aphrodite is not a monster, she is not the vile goddess myth portrays her as. She is lovely in nature to say the very least about her character. She loves all, and wants us to realize that beauty is subjective, and that everyone holds their own beauty inside and out. I pray that Aphrodite blesses and protects each and every person who reads this! <3

[thetempleofthemasaigoddess]

The horse healer (part 1)

not royal! horse tamer!Éomer x reader. A tale of second loves. This is part one of two.

(moodboard)

*****

🐴 As a horse breeder, you have devoted your life to the raising and care of horses. From the powerful destriers soldiers mount at war to the large, docile draft horses used to pull carts and plow the fields, to those bred especially for speed to compete in races or work with livestock, you love them all, and take care of them with the same gentleness and attention you would devote to your child - had you one. Your husband, who helps you greatly with your small but successful breeding farm, managing your expenses and earnings and taking care of the heavier tasks, jokes that sometimes he feels you like horses more than people, and you answer primly that you indeed do, he is just fortunate enough to be the exception. 

🐴 You and your husband love each other very much; four years after your wedding you begin discussing having a child. Life is tiring but good; people from all over Rohan and even distant Gondor and Dale come to your farm to buy horses, organise planned matings, and simply ask for your opinion and help, since despite your relatively young age you are by now well-known as an expert breeder. You thank Béma for his blessings, and think that you do not mind never growing rich, or having to work hard from dawn to dusk every day, your life is perfect and should you soon have a babe in your arms, you will really consider yourself the most fortunate of women. 

🐴 Unfortunately, war comes to disrupt your peaceful and tranquil life. All able-bodied men are called to join the army, including your husband. “I will be back before you have time to miss me.” he tells you as you help him saddle the farm’s pride and joy - his stallion Blackwind, a beautiful and headstrong horse that your husband delivered with his hands and is recognised as the dominant member of your herd. You nod in response, not trusting yourself to speak, and kiss him passionately, promising you will wait for him, and pray to Béma every day for his safety and quick return. “Please be careful.” you add, knowing perfectly well how superfluous those words must sound, and with a smile not fully devoid of bitterness he promises he will; a moment later he is riding away, a hand raised in farewell, Blackwind galloping towards the horizon.  

🐴 Only one of them returns. On a cold, windy day, two weeks later, you are walking out of the stables, having entered to check on a pregnant mare and make sure two other horses had been brushed and prepared for the visit of a potential buyer when, looking in the direction of the gate connecting the farm to the road leading to Aldburg, you see a small group of soldiers approaching, their armours clean of blood but battle-damaged, weariness heavy on their faces and bodies. Your heart stopping, you recognise them as men hailing from nearby farms and villages; they are all riding, and one of them is also leading another horse by the reins - a riderless horse you immediately recognise as Blackwind.

🐴 You do not realise you are falling to your knees, and screaming your husband’s name loud enough the Valar themselves can hear it, and clawing at your clothes and pulling your hair;  the soldiers, who wanted to do you a kindness thinking that having Blackwind back might help soothe your pain, look on not knowing what to do, while the farm-hands and grooms gather around to try and help, but you cannot see any of them, as if you had suddenly lost control of your own body, and become deaf and blind to everything that is not the pain exploding inside you. He’s dead. How can he be dead? I need him, I have had him only for four years and thought we would have many more! This is not fair! This is what you’re thinking, as you pray to find out this is not real, or not really happening, he cannot be dead!, he had promised he would return and he always keeps his word…

🐴 It’s almost a relief when in the end you faint, nothingness enveloping you to offer a relief from pain you will soon have to awake from; you close your eyes as the ground rises to meet you, and as darkness fills the world, you have time to realise your life will never be the same. 

🐴 You will later learn you have been a widow for a week already, since your husband fought bravely but was then felled during the bloody battle that inaugurated the brief but brutal war. Rohan is safe once again, having successfully repelled the invading army that threatened its people and lands, but you cannot find in your heart the strength to celebrate. What do you care about the rest of the realm, and of the world? How can you care about anything, when the man you loved, and who you had hoped to share your future and raise a family with, has been taken from you? You know many other people and families in Rohan are mourning their dead and that Béma values and welcomes in His embrace the warriors who give their life in defense of their homeland, but you find no comfort in knowing that your pain is shared, or that your husband’s spirit is safe in the arms of the Rider; you miss him terribly, and every day you spend long hours at his burial, in a peaceful, quiet corner of the farm, mourning his loss and that of the life you did not get to live together.

🐴 You and your husband had lain together on the night before he left, not to mention a few other occasions during the previous days. You hope, and pray, that the Valar have at least granted you a small mercy, and allowed his seed to take root in your womb so that you will have a child to love and to keep you company in the years to come, but only five days after Blackwind’s return the coming of your blood puts an end to your hopes. You cry again, sitting on that marriage bed that has never felt colder, or bigger, than since you no longer have someone to share it with, surrounded by the clothes, tools and other keepsakes that once belonged to your husband but unable to find any comfort in them. 

🐴 A positive -... sort of- aspect of your situation is that you do not have the time to spend your days in idleness, crying as you curse the Valar for their cruelty and let yourself starve to death; there is work to do, lots of it, and now that your husband is dead the future of the farm lies on your shoulders alone. You and your husband will not get to raise a family here, but your workers, the grooms and farm-hands working the fields, do depend on you for their livelihood, not to mention the dozens of prized horses who need to be fed, exercised, and cared for in so many ways. You do not want to abandon all of them to their destiny, nor to sell the farm for a price far below its value to wash your hands of it; the farm is your family’s treasure, your life’s work, and the only thing left in the world you care for. So, for its sake, and for that of the creatures who depend on it, you take heart, dry your tears, and get to work. 

🐴 A compensation has been paid to the families of the soldiers who died in the war, and you use the funds to buy new horses and make some repairs around the estate; the farm does good business and despite your broken heart things go back to normal… if not for a single issue, due to the one creature who, in his own ways, is suffering for your husband’s loss with the same intensity and depth as you do. 

🐴 You know horses suffer in war as much as men do. So many of them die in battle, or have to be put down to spare them suffering, or are taken prisoners by enemies with their riders and owners. Still, you had never seen any of them behave like Blackwind has done ever since he was returned to the farm. The usually stubborn and vaguely diffident but well-behaved horse seems to have transformed into a creature hailing from the darkest depths of Mordor; he does not allow anyone, not even the grooms who have taken care of him for years, to touch him, reacts with alarm and aggression when someone approaches, and barely eats, and drinks, which worries you greatly. You have never thought horses dream, but at night, when silence has fallen on the estate and the other horses sleep peacefully in their stalls, he suddenly starts neighing loudly and thrashing around, tormented by nightmares he cannot wake from.

🐴 No one is able to calm him down; not even you, who the horse knows better than anyone apart from your husband. The problem pertains other horses as well: hoping that Blackwing will find his peace if surrounded by his own kind, you try to release him in the fields surrounding the farm together with his kin, but without success: your husband’s stallion becomes aggressive as soon as his kin, including the mares, try to approach him. When the grooms try to lead him back to the stables, he again reacts in alarm, and only the quick intervention of a few other people save one of them from being trampled under Blackwing’s hooves. From that day on he tries repeatedly to escape the stables, often leaving a trail of devastation behind him, to gallop freely and alone; the farm-hands lament that the horse disrupts their work in the fields, his evident distress elicits that of the other animals, and in a couple of occasions he even leaps over the gates of the estate to intrude into that of your neighbours -who are not happy- or escape towards the nearby woods. On each occasion, it takes days to bring him back, not to mention that having to devote so much time to his care and retrieval naturally means you and your workers have to neglect other duties.

🐴 The powerful stallion, once the pride and joy of the farm, is completely ungovernable. The estate is not large enough to allow him to roam freely avoiding contact with people and other animals, and wherever he goes, he causes disruption. Despite all the chaos he’s been wrecking, sometimes, when you look at Blackwind, you can’t help feeling a syntony with him, his rage not unlike the one you have felt filling your heart ever since he returned without his rider, and that you also vented crying, breaking things -and then sorely regretting it, since it meant having to spend coin to replace them- and cursing the Valar. “That horse is causing more trouble than he is worth, mistress; you should get rid of him, and forget about him.” the head groom suggests, and you only consider the possibility for a moment before dismissing it: while putting down horses is something you are unfortunately familiar with, it is an extreme measure you only resort to in order to spare a beast pain, not to free yourself of a problem you cannot deal with otherwise. Like with all the horses on the farm, you have a duty to take care of Blackwind, not to mention he is the closest thing you have left to your husband: not only he would want you to help and protect his beloved stallion, but abandoning Blackwing would make you feel as if you had abandoned him. 

🐴 So you are determined to help Blackwind, or to die trying. But how? You are quite sure he is not exactly sick, and unfortunately you cannot talk to him, and hope for an answer when you ask him what in the world is wrong with him and what you can do to help. You pray to Béma for help and the next day, no doubt coincidentally, you receive the visit of an old acquaintance of your husband to discuss the price for renting your draft horses to work on another farm. You mention your issue with Blackwind over tea, and the man, a former soldier, almost off-handedly mentions that he knew a man who would be able to help you. “I am not going to put him down.” “I was not thinking about that; it is just… I once had a horse that was exactly like your stallion; he seemed possessed, as aggressive and dangerous as a Balrog, not even the bravest soldiers dared approach him. Until a certain man was called, and he was able to calm the stallion and restore him to sanity; I swear it was almost as if he could talk to the horse!” 

🐴 This sounds like the sort of scam you were warned against all your life, like the travelling vendor who swore the concoction he sold would make any woman look twenty years younger or the false healer who offered to make your father’s finger grow back in exchange for a thousand gold pieces, but your interlocutor swear the man he is talking about is actually gifted, capable of fixing even the most unruly horses. He is exactly what you need… even though unfortunately your acquaintance cannot remember the man’s name, nor he knows where you could find him, since the man was a traveller. “I could try and ask around for him, if you want; spread the word that he’s needed.” he offers, and you thank him, already convinced that you will never hear about this miraculous horse tamer again, or him about you. 

🐴 Over the next few weeks you have ample time to forget hearing about the man you have heard about; it is almost time for the most important horse fair of the year, a hectic period for any breeder in Rohan, including you, not to mention this is the first time you cannot count on your husband’s help. You work tirelessly to ensure everything goes without a hitch: the horses are groomed and prepared in order to look their best in front of potential buyers, you hire guards to protect you in case your convoy is assaulted along the way to Edoras, and ask discreetly around about your competitors, their best mounts, and the prices that will be asked for them. You depart, and for the first time in months you do not think about Blackwind, too occupied with the tiring but exciting activities of the fair: inspecting the horses brought by the other breeders, bargaining with the buyers, meeting old acquaintances to exchange news, gossip, and tips. It is a brief moment of respite that you desperately needed; you still feel your husband’s loss tremendously, especially when so many people you meet for the first time since his passing look for you to express their condolences, but you make good deals and your horses are hailed as among the best in the whole of Rohan. The King’s steward himself buys some for the Royal Household, a great honour that fills your heart with pride. 

🐴 You return home tired but satisfied, content with knowing your husband, wherever he is, must be proud of your work. Unfortunately Blackwind’s situation has not improved while you were away, the grooms you left at the farm tell you, which means you will have to decide what to do with him sooner or later, but you will think about it in the morning. You return to your bed, as large and cold as you remembered it to be ten days ago, and fall asleep dreaming of a man -your husband, no doubt, even though you cannot see his face- holding you in his arms. 

🐴 On the next day you have just broken your fast when you are told you have a visitor. You walk to the house’s door, thinking it might be one of the buyers from the fair who came to complain about your horses -not that they might have a reason to, but people can be very fussy when they return home and realise they have spent more than they should have- or someone who could not attend it and now wants to do business privately… and you find yourself face to face with a man you have never seen before, and who you immediately realise is not a breeder, or a merchant, or a groom, or like any person you have ever met. 

🐴 “May I help you?” “My name is Éomer. You are mistress (name)? I was told you needed help with an unruly horse.”

🐴 So it is him; against all odds, word of your situation has reached him, and he came, which is good, even though his sudden arrival takes you by surprise, so much that at first you do not know how to react. “You did ask for me, yes? I can leave, should you want me to, but I promise I am not here to arm you…” “Of course not. Please come in; would you like something to eat?”

🐴 He is younger than you expected, not much older than you, with the same blonde hair many Rohirrim tend to have and a short, well-kept beard; he bows politely as he enters the house and thanks you for the food, which he eats unhurriedly even though you can hear his stomach growl. “Is it true what they say? That you can tame even the most unruly horse?” you can’t stop yourself from asking, and he ponders the question for a moment before answering that “It depends. I can certainly try, but some horses simply cannot be helped in any way. But to be more precise, I would have to see the animal first.” You lead him to the stables, where Blackwing has recently been led to by the combined efforts of five men; it became necessary to keep the stalls next to his empty, to make sure other horses did not get hurt as your husband’s stallion trashed around and tried to bite anyone who approached.

🐴 You observe Éomer closely. He walks confidently into the stables, ignoring the many valuable horses as his brown eyes immediately find the stallion that is, for once, calmly resting in his stall, probably exhausted after his latest tantrum, which ended with the healer called to check the injuries two grooms had sustained. “A war horse, is he not? Four, five years old?” he murmurs, low enough for Blackwind to remain unaware of his presence. “Yes; he is exactly four and a half, and he is a war stallion. How did you know?” “Knowing horses is what I do for a living, mistress. I assume he was part of the recent conflict?”

🐴 You tell him that Blackwind was, indeed, the steed of a soldier who participated in the recent war, and sadly returned without him; since then, the previously wilful but obedient stallion has been unmanageable, refusing not only to be ridden, but even to be approached by the people he had known for years. “I am very worried about him; he barely eats, he cannot seem to bear the presence of his own kind as well as ours, and he has grown violent. He has hurt half of the grooms of the farm, and when we leave him free, he causes disruption in the fields and among the farm-hands. I do not want to put him down; all I want is to help him, but I cannot seem to understand what is wrong with him.”

🐴 Éomer nods briefly, his eyes still trained on your husband’s horse; a floorboard cracks under your feet, and Blackwind turns his head to look at you, and at him. He neighs softly, a sound that reminds you of the growling of a wolf, immediately alert, and you can see him grow agitated as Éomer walks slowly towards him, deaf to your urging to be careful, because he could get hurt. Not daring to breathe, you observe this stranger as he approaches your husband’s horse, whispering words of reassurance that fall on deaf ears, because Blackwind tries biting him, and would succeed if not for Éomer’s quick reflexes. “What hails you, my friend? I can see you are in pain; can you tell me why, so that we can try and help you?” the man asks, not at all discouraged, but Blackwind does not seem in the mood to chat. He neighs threateningly, and when Éomer does not back down - not out of fear, you realise; many people become paralyzed in the face of danger, unable to flee to save their life, but this is different; Éomer is standing his ground, ready to meet his opponent…

🐴 … and in the end, he barely avoids being trampled. “By Nahar’s hooves! Step back, I beg you!” you cry, and the man obeys, walking back to you as Blackwind grunts, as if challenging him to try his luck again. “Well?” you ask as you and Éomer leave the stables together, eager despite yourself to hear his opinion “What do you think?” 

🐴 Éomer reflects for a minute before answering; a gentle wind is blowing over the courtyard, stirring the neat braids of his blonde hair. “You probably know already there is nothing wrong with that horse; he is not ill, or wounded, he has not been bitten by gnats or other insects.” he begin then, turning to look at you; the intensity of his look, preoccupation for that horse he barely knows and that has tried to kill him and desire to make you understand exactly what ails him, is so unexpected that for a moment you struggle to hold it “The problem, I fear, is in his mind, and his heart. You told me he was part of the war, and he lost his rider; no soldier would mount a steed he cannot trust on the battlefield, so I can imagine they were very close.”

🐴 They were, obviously. Blackwind was, in his own way, the only creature who loved your husband as much as you did, and while you imagined the horse had realised his rider had disappeared and missed him, you could have never imagined that was the source of his discomfort. “Are you saying that he is in pain because my… because his rider is dead?” “I believe that is part of the reason, yes. Have you ever seen soldiers who return from the war perhaps hale and victorious, but broken in the spirit? Men who have witnessed such atrocities, and with so much blood tainting their hands, that they are irremediably changed, the horror and violence they have known making it impossible for them to find peace?” “I have; my father was a captain in the army, and he used to say there are men who simply cannot leave the battlefield behind, no matter how peaceful their life, and the love and support of their families.”

🐴 Éomer nods, openly pleased you were so quick to catch his meaning. For a moment you are tempted to ask whether he fought in the last war, and witnessed the horrors he is describing, but after all he is not here to talk about himself, so you keep your questions to yourself. “The same thing can happen to horses; I have seen it many times. Army horses go through a lengthy, complex process to become acclimatised to the clang of swords, the violence, the chaos of the battle; since your stallion…” “Blackwind; his name is Blackwind.” you decide it is important to point out, and Éomer, rather than being annoyed at your interruption, smiles. “That is a fine name. Assuming his rider worked here on the farm, Blackwind had not been prepared for the horrors of war, which means the whole experience must have been deeply traumatizing for him, and it is an experience he cannot, like you said, put behind him. If you hear him trash at night, it is probably due to nightmares; and perhaps when the memories of the war fill his mind, he can no longer distinguish between the enemies surrounding him and the people who have taken care of him for years. Blackwind is not sick, nor is he undutiful; he is scared, scared that the horrors he witnessed might come back again.”

🐴 Unfortunately, Éomer adds, there is no surefire method to reassure a horse that he has nothing to fear and no one wants to hurt him; horses are much smarter than most people outside of Rohan give them credit for, but you cannot very well sit them down and discuss their problems. Still, there are techniques he knows to help horses in Blackwing’s situation, and with your permission, he would like to make an attempt.

🐴 “What techniques?” you ask, and for the first time you see Éomer smile; it looks good on him, you have to admit. “Well, if I told you you would not need my intervention, mistress, so I will have to ask you to trust me.” “Very well.” you agree, suddenly feeling, for some reason, the need to put some space between you “Shall we go back inside to talk business?”

🐴 You do, and the sum Éomer asks for his work is so low, even considering room and board, you are immediately suspicious he is trying to deceive you in some way, maybe stealing Blackwind for himself or taking advantage of your hospitality as he spends his days in idleness. Nothing could be further from the truth, anyone who knows him just a little would know, but if Éomer can see the distrust in your expression, he pretends not to, and presents you his terms. 

🐴 “I need to warn you it will surely take a while: weeks, months probably, and while I will do my utmost to help Blackwind, I cannot guarantee I will succeed, or even that I will make more than the smallest improvement. Also, you will see that while I will work with him every day, there will be instances in which I will do much, and others in which I will do less. I am warning you because I do not want you to accuse me of laziness, or that I neglect my work; but this is a matter that requires time and patience, and that cannot be hurried. I will remain here as long as I deem necessary, or you decide to dismiss me. Then, and only then, should you be satisfied, you will pay me.” 

🐴 It doesn't sound particularly convenient for him, to receive no weekly wage and leave the possibility of not being paid at all in the hands of a person he has just met, but Éomer seems so sure of himself, as if this was a routine he had lived by for years, and so you decide not to protest. “Your conditions are acceptable.” you say, feeling vaguely foolish for the formal tone you’re using, and praying in your heart you are not entrusting your most beloved horse to a man who will not take care of him “Welcome to the farm, master Éomer.”

🐴 You introduce your new worker to the head groom, to show him the estate and make sure he is housed in the barracks, and then go back to your business, spending the rest of your day taking care of the farm’s books, writing a few letters and then helping the cook with the dinner. You still cannot say whether entrusting Blackwind to Éomer was the right choice, but you have to admit he made a good impression on you, and it is a relief knowing that at least for the time being, your most unruly horse is no longer a problem you have to deal with. 

🐴 You have dreamt about your husband since you received word of his death, regularly if not often, dreams from which you wake up feeling either wistful, or sad, or melancholic. You do not dream about him that night, which is not surprising since those instances are still a minority, but in time you will find yourself thinking back to that day, more and more aware that it is then that it all began, even though you still do not know it. 

🐴 Éomer gets to work early on the next morning, as soon as he has broken his fast with the grooms in the kitchen. An hour later, when you take a short break from your own duties to check on him, you find him in the stables, exactly in the same position as yesterday, when only a miracle saved him from being trampled under Blackwind’s hooves. The horse seems even more agitated than usual, screaming -that’s the proper word; the sound is almost human, a cry of rage and mourning and desperation. Once more, you think with a pang, you and your husband’s stallion share the same heart- as he tries desperately to get rid of the trespasser. “Stand back! Are you trying to get yourself killed?” you ask, and he shakes his head, amused rather than terrified like you would be in his place. “Blackwind and I are still learning to know each other.” he explains “I will spend a few days here, so that he can get used to me.”

🐴 You cannot help doubting it will work, since Blackwind is equally adverse to the presence of the grooms he has known all his life, but Éomer looks so sure, so committed to what he is doing, you decide to leave him be. “Let me know if you need something.” you tell him, and he bows his head in response, so completely focused on the stallion desperately trying to beat him to a pulp he barely pays attention to you. “Thank you, mistress, but I have everything I need here.”

🐴 He said he would spend a few days at the stables, and he does - whole days, to be precise, entering as soon as he is done eating his breakfast and leaving when the bell calls the men to dinner at the end of their work-day. The cook, who has quickly grown fond of him, sends one of the maids to bring him lunch, and Éomer -you are told- thanks her and returns the empty plate and cup to the kitchen in the evening, and you guess he leaves to relieve himself, but otherwise, he spends the rest of the day there. But doing what? You could not tell; when you go look -not to make sure he is not wasting time, or that he is not up to no good, but really, that is your horse, and you are his employer. Do you not have a right to check everything is as it should?- you find him with his elbow resting on the hinged door as he talks to Blackwind, as easily and politely as he does with people, or offers him food the stallion haughtily refuses, or trespasses for the umpteenth time into the stall to try and touch him. He is chased away, over and over again, but Éomer never loses hope - if anything, each failure seems to make him more determined to succeed. 

🐴 A whole week spent in the cramped, smelly space of the stables would make anyone, even the most determined worker or horse lover, lose their mind, especially since from what you hear Éomer has made no progress, if one does not consider that after a whole day spent fighting even poor Blackwind is exhausted and barely has the strength to try and bite him once more. “Should we do something, mistress? I am starting to get worried about him.” the head groom tells you, and you privately agree; Éomer does look like he knows what he is doing, but you do feel he needs to take at least a day of rest, since he literally never stopped working since the morning after his arrival. “I will take care of it.” you tell him before heading towards the stables “I apologise, master Éomer, but…”

🐴 He quickly, imperiously, orders you to be silent. “Look…” he murmurs, and you do, almost paralysed as you hold your breath at the scene you are witnessing. Éomer has, once again, left the stall’s doors open, something the grooms have warned him against should Blackwind escape. Standing in front of him, he slowly extends his hand towards Blackwind, who at first snorts and paws the ground, clearly agitated, but then, almost reflexively, raises his head to meet the hand halfway, and soon Éomer is caressing him, slow, kind movements over the dark fur. Blackwind’s liquid eyes follow the movement as if to make sure the man means no harm but the horse seems otherwise calm, his large, powerful body relaxed as he lets the man touch him, soothing words accompanying the delicate pat. 

🐴 It is incredible. Unbelievable. A miracle, small if compared to what people usually describe as such but a miracle nonetheless, only apparently inconsequential. You remain at several feet from it, feeling suddenly an intruder in a domain you formally own and where you have lived all your life, as Éomer spends a few precious minutes caressing Blackwind’s head and then even his side. “My poor, poor friend; it hurts, does it not?” you hear him say “I am so sorry you had to go through such an ordeal. You are safe now, you are home, and we only want you to be well…”

🐴 You stare, unable to look away, and suddenly the scene in front of your eyes seem strangely unfocused, and you have to blink tears away; your press your hand to your mouth to swallow a sob, a bittersweet feeling that is both joy and pain filling your heart with such an intensity you fear it could burst. It’s a small step forward, too small to make a difference probably, but it’s an improvement, more real than mere wishful thinking, and you hold onto it with the desperation of a shipwreck victim grabbing a rock in the middle of the storm.

🐴 It can be done. He can be helped; and maybe, in the meantime, you will be too. 

🐴 After a while Blackwind moves to shoo Éomer away, firmly communicating that the time for cuddling is over; he obediently walks back, and turns to you. “It is better not to insist, at least for the first day.” he explains, and you hurry to nod, assuring him you did not mean to ask him to. “I… I do not know what to say; master Éomer, that was… prodigious. I never thought that was possible, I… how did you do that? You did not simply wear him down.” He admits that there was more to it that simply tiring the horse until Blackwind was too exhausted to refuse his presence; Éomer has started earning his trust, even though, he warns you, to win a battle does not mean the war is over, and a second step towards improvement will probably take as much time and effort as the first did, if not more. 

🐴 “Of course. I do not expect you to magically cure him within days; do what you deem to be right.” you invite him. You trust him completely now, you realise in the privacy of your heart, and are happy for his presence at the farm. You share a smile, preciously genuine and friendly, until Éomer looks at you with worry, and you realise he can see the tears still wet on your cheeks. You hurry to dry them with your sleeve, embarrassed; you already know Éomer would not think ill of you because you were moved by his small miracle, but the reason behind those tears is too personal for you to share “I know your work has just started, but I am grateful, truly. Now please, take a day for yourself; you cannot be of any help if you do not take care of yourself first. You can return to work tomorrow morning.”

🐴 Éomer smiles again; the lack of laugh lines around his mouth suggest it is not a common occurrence, and for a moment you feel almost proud for having elicited such a rare sight - even though it is probably more due to the satisfaction for his success with Blackwind than to you. “At your orders, mistress.” he answers, and he bows slightly before leaving.

🐴 As he had warned you, the fact that Blackwind has allowed Éomer to touch him once, briefly, does not immediately mean they are friends now - rather, the horse seems to want to make up for that moment of weakness becoming even more capricious and unapproachable. Éomer does not give up, and keeps spending his days in the stables. He talks to the horse, you are told by the grooms, long speeches as if he were conversing with a friend, who obviously could not answer even if he wanted to. “What does he talk about?” you cannot help but ask. “Kind of everything, mistress; of other horses he has worked with, the places he has visited… even his life before he came here to the farm. You can go and listen as well, if you want.” 

🐴 You actually consider it for a moment; while his expertise is out of the question, you are curious about Éomer’s past, since he has gently but firmly refused to answer every time the other workers, who have quickly grown to consider him one of them, have asked about his land of origin, whether he has a family, and how he came to become a horse healer. The man seems determined to keep his secrets to himself, which is his right, and since he appears to have chosen Blackwind as his confidante, what right do you have to eavesdrop on their conversation? But you are curious -about his life, and about him- which is highly unlike you, something you cannot explain and that, because of this, gives you pause.

🐴 After six more days of alternate vicissitudes, Blackwind has grown to accept Éomer’s presence near him, and even to be touched, in small doses. Éomer asks for a moment of your time one day after breakfast, and tells you about his next move. “My main worry is that, as you know, Blackwind is refusing food, and even drinks much less than he ought to. Because of this, I wish to try to bring him outdoors, in the hopes that a little exercise might stimulate his appetite.” Knowing that keeping the horse in the estate will damage the fields and disrupt the workers, he plans on bringing him to the nearby woods, where there are clearings and meadows where the horse can run freely with no risk. You offer to send someone with him, but Éomer assures you there is no need, he and Blackwind will manage on their own. 

🐴 On the next day, a still recalcitrant Blackwind is led out of the stables; Éomer asks the many grooms, farm-hands and even the maids who have gathered to witness the scene to leave, and the absence of other people actually seems to calm the horse down, enough for Éomer to pull him towards the path that leads to the woods; he has a satchel with food and water that the cook prepared for him. “Please be careful.” you tell him, and he nods, not smiling this time, focus and determination filling his gaze. “I will, mistress, as much as he lets me.” he says, and then turns to delicately calm Blackwind down and direct him towards the path.

🐴 Having left Blackwind in Éomer’s care, the farm still keeps you occupied from dawn to late at night; a couple of merchants have paid you a visit recently to observe your horses, and you are now exchanging letters with them, a tug of war on paper as the merchants threaten to make business with other breeders if you do not lower your prices, and you answer that if they are capable but not willing to pay the real worth of your horses you would rather not do business with them regardless. Despite all the duties and responsibilities that fill your day, you have not forgotten that a certain day is approaching, the sort of anniversary you feel highly disinclined to celebrate… today is a year since your husband’s death. 

🐴 You visit his grave like you do regularly, having left word at the house you do not wish to be disturbed for any reason, bringing fresh flowers and a rag and water to clean the headstone. “I miss you desperately, my darling; but you can be proud of me, I am staying strong, and taking care of everything we worked for together. I just wish you were here to see it; if I think I am going to spend the rest of my life without you, without your smile and your embrace and your voice, and without the children we were planning on having, it feels like light had gone out from the world, and darkness were all that remains…”

🐴 You cry, you cry like you had not cried in months, you cry until you have no more tears to shed and sterile sobs rise from your lips; you have much to be happy and proud of, with your successful farm and many valuable horses, but you know you’d gladly give all of it away, and spend the rest of your life begging for scraps, to have your husband back by your side, even just for a year, a month, a single day…! 

🐴 The loudness of your crying still allows you to perceive the sound of steps approaching. “What is it? I said I wanted to be left alone.” you point out with a sigh, standing and turning… and finding yourself face to face with Éomer, who looks just like what you had predicted he would look one day: a man who has been trampled on by a thirteen hundred pound horse, and barely survived to tell the tale. “Oh, Béma… come, you need to see a healer.” you say, quickly helping Éomer circle your shoulders with his right arm -the left one is clearly broken, just like his face is swollen to the point he’s barely recognisable- to support his weight “Oh, I am so sorry…”

🐴 You lead him away, in your hurry forgetting the rag and the still half-arranged flowers at the gravestone -an oversight you will feel terribly sorry over for days, even though your husband would surely agree taking care of a wounded took precedence- to accompany Éomer to the healer, who bandages his arm and takes care of his bruises, pointing out how lucky he had been, since a horse as strong and aggressive as Blackwind could have easily killed him. “You better suspend your work for a couple of weeks at least, young man.” he advises, which Éomer stubbornly refuses: he tried mounting Blackwind before it was time and the horse violently threw him to the ground and hit him with his hooves. A mistake he could have paid with his life, but even with his arm bound Éomer intends to continue working: he has spent three days running after Blackwind across the woods, compensating for the horse’s higher speed and stamina with the stubborn persistence of a man determined to complete his work or die trying. He thanks the healer for his help, and then, as you are both leaving the farm: “Mistress… Blackwind’s rider was your husband, was he not?” he asks softly, and you nod rigidly; you have not told him you are a widow, but the grooms have surely informed him, and he must have heard you speak to your husband’s grave as he met you on his way back to the farm.

🐴 “He was.” “I see. You are free to refuse, but would you have a piece of clothing with his smell on it, so that Blackwind could recognise it?” he asks, and you blink, suddenly unsure. “I will check in our quarters.” you promise, even though you know already you have just the thing: a shirt you found under your bed the day before you learnt of your husband’s death. You were going to wash it with the rest of your things, but you decided to keep it because it was the last item with a trace of his scent, of his warmth, on it. For weeks you slept with it laid out on the pillow of the empty side of the bed, caressing the soft fabric the way you used to do with his back, or his cheek, or his shoulder. One day the maid saw it when she entered your bedroom to announce the arrival of a visitor: out of embarrassment since then you’ve kept the shirt hidden in a drawer. 

🐴 You give him the shirt soon after, reticent like a mother letting her child leave the house on their own for the first time. “Do you really think it could help?”, you ask, placing the simple, worn garment, lovingly folded and that in the privacy of your room you have held against you for the last time, in Éomer’s hands. By now your husband’s scent on the fabric is barely perceptible; another memory of him you are losing. “I think it is worth a try; and fear not, mistress, I will take good care of your treasure.” Éomer promises, and he barely knows you, and he never met your husband, so he should not be able to understand what you are feeling, but he does, you just need to look him in the eyes to know it, and you do not quite sure how that realisation makes you feel, like an involuntary invasion of your privacy, or like the understanding empathy of a friend. Who knows…

🐴 Ever since he has left Blackwind free in the woods, Éomer no longer spends all his day with him; rather, he pays the horse a visit every day for a couple of hours, leaving him be for the rest of the day. He had warned you from the beginning this would happen, and you let him be, by now deeply convinced that not only he knows what he is doing, but also that he really has Blackwind’s best interest at heart. You expected Éomer to take advantage of his time away from his patient to rest, especially considering his recent injury, but you are wrong; the very next day, you find him in the fields, helping the farm-hands with their job. “What are you doing?!” you ask, flabbergasted “I hired you exclusively to take care of Blackwing; I hope you do not think you had to… since you spend less time with him now…” “Not at all; I like keeping myself occupied, that is all, rather than wasting the majority of a day sitting with a drink or wandering aimlessly. I promised the healer I would not strain my arm, so please keep my secret, mistress.”

🐴 He looks so sure of himself, so at ease and even happy, dirt soiling his clothes and hands and even his hair, perspiration running down his skin under the implacable midday sun, that you find yourself lacking the courage to protest. “Very well, as long as you do not overexert yourself.” you comment in the end, feeling vaguely awkward, and Éomer smiles before turning to walk towards the plough. Like the other workers he has taken his shirt off, and your gaze linger on his taut skin, the rippling muscles moving under it, on his wide shoulders, and ample chest, and muscled back and arms. He turns again in your direction, as if having perceived your eyes set on him, and you quickly avoid your gaze, suddenly anxious to leave; had the farm-hands noticed the way you were looking at Éomer, you would die of shame, not to mention gossip would spread on the farm. And what if he had noticed…?

🐴 More importantly, you should not look at a man, any man, like that, because you are married. Of course you are! What does it matter, if your husband is dead? You still love him, and you know, if his spirit still exists in some form that is able to feel and think, that he loves you as well. On the day of your wedding, first publicly surrounded by family and friends and then in the privacy of your bedroom, you have promised to belong to each other forever, as long as the world would last; you have always taken your promises seriously, and that one especially, since you knew he was equally determined to keep his word. Why should a trifle like death change things? You will be his wife until your last breath, even if it means spending long decades, more than half of your life, alone; one day, once you close your eyes for the last time as well, you will be together again, and you want your husband to know you have been faithful. 

🐴 Most would argue that enjoying the sight of a handsome man does not equal to cheating, nor is spending nights awake in your bed and wishing there was someone holding you tight and sharing his warmth with you, a betrayal towards your husband; but you are determined to be better safe than sorry, and avoid any temptation, because, you are ashamed to admit, you are not quite sure you would be able to resist them. 

🐴 Unfortunately, there are people in the surroundings convinced that, no matter how admirable your loyalty to your late husband, it is not good for a widow to remain unmarried for too long, especially if that widow is still young and the sole owner of a successful business, not when so many farms in the area have younger sons, celibate brothers or widower fathers to set up. Among the many letters you received in the weeks following your husband’s loss, quite a few expressed, along with the condolences, a more or less explicit proposal that you invariably ignored, throwing away the letter without even finishing reading it. You expected, or at least hoped, your suitors -some of whom had not seen you in years, and would not have been able to recognise you in the company of two other women- would correctly interpret your lack of response and stop insisting, at least after the third or fourth letter, but not all of them did. There are quite a few, especially as the first anniversary of your husband’s death approaches, who do not lose hope - rather, they start turning up at the farm, unannounced, for a courtesy visit that actually aims to test your propensity to remarry.

🐴 Almost none of them speaks of love; that at least you are spared. A few of them are kind, talking of their own lost spouses or intended, and offering company and even friendship; some, less polite, tell you outright that a woman alone would be unable to run a farm by herself, and that unless you let a man, a husband, manage your affairs for you, you will be ruined within a year. You thank the former for their sympathy, and explain to the latter that your farm is actually thriving, thank you very much. Someone points out that soon you’ll be too old to have children; a few others even explicitly offer to take care of your womanly needs, whereat you have the grooms immediately escort them to the gate. Even your female friends and acquaintances step in, recommending their fathers, brothers and friends -in some cases even their lover- for the coveted role of your second husband. 

🐴 The whole matter feels pointless, awkward in the best of cases and painful in the worst, not to mention that you have to be very careful in dealing with your suitors; one day, after a reversal of fortune or a sudden emergency, you might find yourself in need of the help of those very men, some of whom will not easily forgive your refusal.

🐴 None of those men had actually preoccupied you until one day, you receive a visit from an old acquaintance, an older man who had known you since you were a baby and had been friends with your husband. You welcome him gladly, fully convinced he has come to enjoy your company… and so you are completely flabbergasted when, during a walk in the fields, as you discuss the rising prices of fodder and wheat and what about the next fair, are you planning on going?, the man suddenly stops, takes you in his arms, and kisses you. It takes you a moment to react, but then you are firmly pushing him back. “Are you out of your mind?!” you ask “You have known me since I was in cloths! Your children are older than me, and my husband was your friend! How can you do something like this?!”

🐴 Perhaps, in retrospect, it was unfair to accuse him, since while he should not have kissed you without your consent, the man is neither married nor a relative of yours, and there is nothing objectively inappropriate in his interest in you. Unfortunately it is too late to take back your words, and your interlocutor seems sincerely surprised you are not already answering yes to his proposal. “Think about it, (name); I would let you run your farm as you wish to. Your husband would want this as well, having a trustworthy man taking care of you.” he insists, and suddenly you do not regret your earlier words anymore. “How dare you mention my husband to convince me to marry you, and to offer to let me do something that is already rightfully mine to do? He would not want someone to take care of me, he knew I was able to run the farm by myself! And this I will do!” you cry out and then your interlocutor, a man you have always known as stubborn but friendly and jovial, really becomes enraged. You start arguing loudly, he calls you names you would have never dreamt to hear him utter… 

🐴 “You stupid girl! Do you not see you are throwing your life away with your stubbornness?” he cries after a while, grabbing your wrist; while past his prime he is very strong, and try as you might, you cannot free yourself. “Let me go this instant.” you hiss “Let me go, I said!” “(name), try and be reasonable… you are too old for…” “My age has nothing to do with this; let me go or I will have you flogged!” The man, even more enraged, screams some more insults at you, his grip on your arm growing painful; he is going to hit you, you realise, whether to express his rage or to do something even more unspeakable. Panic rises inside you as you realise you are alone, far enough from the farm and the fields no one would hear you scream; but more than scared, you are angry - absolutely furious, about the whole matter. “You bastard…!”

🐴 “May I interrupt?” 

🐴 Both you and your assailant jump, neither having noticed Éomer approached, alone but with a heavy stick resting on his shoulder, his brown eyes filled with a barely repressed rage that makes you shiver in fear even though you are not the one it is directed to. “Are you quite alright, mistress?” “I am perfectly fine, Éomer, thank you; my guest was just leaving.” you answer firmly, and your assailant finally lets you go. He grumbles something highly offensive under his breath, looks resentfully at Éomer, easily judges a fight against the younger, stronger man would never end in his favour, lowers his head and finally walks away. Having shared a brief look with you, Éomer follows him, returning a few minutes later. “I have asked two of the farm-hands to escort him to the gate; if I may, you should tell everyone to turn him away from now on.” he suggests, and you nod numbly, sitting on a large boulder.

🐴 Éomer hesitates for a moment before kneeling by your side, deliberately avoiding touching you in case you were still upset, but close enough you can almost perceive the warmth of your body. “You are safe now.” he murmurs “I, err, hope you do not mind if I intervened, but I seemed to see that you needed help…” You murmur, unable to keep your voice from breaking, that since you can easily imagine what your assailant could have done had he not joined you, you are grateful for Éomer’s intervention. “I am just so tired.” “Well, I know how hard you work…” “No, you misunderstand me; this whole re-marriage business… this is what I cannot stand. Men started vying for my hand before my husband’s body was cold in his grave, including his former friends. They doubt my ability to run the farm, or consider it inappropriate for a woman to run a business on her own, even though I was born here and I know this place better than anyone. No one cares about my happiness; even my friends see me as nothing more than a prize to claim, and I could swear my own employees look at me in a different way recently! I am not looking for love, no; I am content with remaining alone for the rest of my life. I just wish… someone were on my side, with no other interest than my happiness and security… I just wish… I had someone left who cared for me…”

🐴 You do not cry, whether because all your tears are reserved for your husband’s memory or because this is the deep, dull pain that cannot be relieved outwardly you could not say; but you remain on your uncomfortable seat, your legs held close to your chest, as Éomer observes you, his eyes full of a worry and sympathy so intense you can barely bear to meet his gaze. He must realise nothing he could say would be of comfort to you, given your relatively close but still formal relationship, but he lingers by your side, a solid, reassuring presence you actually find comforting. You should feel embarrassed one of your workers is witnessing such an intimate moment, but you do not; rather, it feels perfectly natural, as if Éomer were an old friend or someone you knew you could be yourself with; it would be much different if one of the grooms or of the farm-hands were in this place, but with Éomer… with Éomer you feel at peace.

🐴 “Thank you.” you murmur quietly “I am sorry I am keeping you from your work, but… I am really grateful you intervened.” “I am glad I could help you, mistress; but I am sure you would have managed without me equally well.” he answers, which you highly doubt, even though you appreciate his desire to lift your spirits. Éomer promises he will not tell anyone what he witnessed, and at his -vaguely embarrassed?- offer to walk you home you assure him you will not let that idiot make you feel in danger in your own home. Without thinking, you take the hand he is offering you to stand; it is a good, strong hand, the touch delicate despite the calluses and blisters due to a lifetime of work, and you could swear it lingers in contact with yours for a moment longer than it should.

🐴 “In that case… well, I should return to my work.” Éomer murmurs; the hand he used to help you to your feet is balled in a fist, and he suddenly seems unable to meet your eyes “I will see you later, mistress. “Of course. Éomer?” you ask once he has moved a few steps away “Thank you; I am really grateful for what you did and… for having listened.” “I did nothing, mistress; please, try… try not to give in to pain.” You promise you will, and you start back towards the house, the unpleasant moment you just experienced already forgotten as you focus on your duties for the rest of the day, unaware of the man who is, once more, looking at you go, wishing with all his heart he could follow. 

🐴 The next course of action, Éomer has explained to you, now that the horse has gotten used to his presence, consists in helping Blackwind feel more at ease in the world around him. To this effect, releasing him in the woods has actually helped; safe from predators and other dangers, your husband’s beloved stallion seems to have gotten his appetite back and has lived a few days of peace, wandering around as he wished, feeding on the grass and the fruits he found on the ground, and enjoying the tranquillity he sorely needed after the terrible ordeal that took his rider from him. Éomer has kept visiting him, brief encounters in order not to lose the precious familiarity they had built in the previous weeks, and the horse appeared to tolerate his presence, especially when Éomer has had him sniff your husband’s shirt, which actually seemed to have a beneficial effect.  

🐴 Now it’s time for maybe the most delicate and important step in the process, which is returning Blackwind to his previously tame state, accept the burden of a rider and remain docile amidst people and other animals. “Do you have anything against me riding him, mistress? I understand if it feels painful to you.” he tells you kindly, and while the prospect of seeing another man on Blackwind’s back does break your heart, you allow it. Trying to mount the stallion without his consent seems to be as challenging as climbing the Redhorn bare-handed; Éomer, the grooms and farm-hands who go check his progresses until you ask them to focus on their work rather than disturbing his tell you, is thrown to the ground repeatedly, and risks being trampled over again several times. Still, he never backs down, and tries again, and again, until they’re both exhausted and the fight must be postponed until tomorrow. “He is certainly one of the most stubborn horses I have ever met.” Éomer tells you one day, in admiration rather than annoyance “But I like to think he would say the same about me, and that he considers me a worthy opponent.”

TAGGING @konartiste @haibara-ai-tsii @sotwk. Thank you for asking!!

[lauvieknows]

Lauvie’s Past

(I’m not a writer btw so this is the best I could muster up💔 She’s like 14 during all of this and her brother is 7 btw.) TW: Descriptions of death, like her mom is almost decapitated 😭

Ugh, these slugs!

Its a cloudy windy fucking Tuesday and my brother keeps digging up these weird colorful slugs and tries to shove them in my face! When will he realise that I absolutely HATE them? The only reason I’m out here in the backyard with him is because mom isn’t home and he refuses to go back inside.

“Luka, how many times do I have to tell you, I DONT want to see these stupid purple.. slimy worms! They’re weird!” I frown, pushing his hand away from my face before crossing my arms, huffing.

“Shut up! You don’t understand awesomeness, that’s why.. Look, here’s a pink one!” His eyes lit up again as he picked up another one from the soil, this time without a shell. He watched in fascination as it curled up on itself, as if vulnerable.

I cringed, leaning my head back to avoid contact with the slimy thing. It’s funny, you’d think I’d be used to weird sticky stuff living in Zaun. But a human is still a human and humans are different. Luka loves bugs and slugs, I hate them.

After a while of sitting and playing with him, I eventually grew tired but also, concerned. Mom has never taken this long whenever she went somewhere. “Back in a wink!” She’d say playfully, before pressing a kiss on both of our foreheads. There was no reason for me to worry, except there was. Because no Zaunite gets to live worry free as long as those enforcers get to walk freely down here.

“Lauv, when is mom coming back?” Luka asked absentmindedly, gently petting the same pink slug he found hours ago.

“I don’t know…” I answered, gently brushing the dirt off his hair before ruffling it. It’s been hours since she left, and each minute made the pit in my stomach deepen. Something was wrong, but I didn’t know what. I had already went inside once or twice to check if the stove was on, if the tap water was running, if any animal had gotten through our window to cause mischief. Nothing. Should I go out and look for her? Even though that’s the exact opposite of what she’d want, she couldn’t blame them. She’s been gone since lunchtime, it was almost dinner.

“Hey, wanna go look for her?” I suggested, smiling a little enthusiastically to bring my brother’s sinking spirit up. Maybe he could feel it too, that gnawing pit that ate away at your stomach, trying to warn you that something was going bad, horrible even. He nodded before grabbing my hand and standing up. It won’t be that hard, we’ll just have to check the bridge, The Last Drop, maybe further down the Lanes where her friends lived… yeah. We’ll find her.

____

We looked everywhere. The bridge. The Last Drop. We even went so far into the underground we almost got snatched by some chembarons! We looked everywhere, we saw everyone, but no Mom. She wasn’t anywhere.

“Do you think-“

“Don’t. They have no reason to. Not like they’d care, but just- Don’t say that.” I interrupted, holding his hand tighter as if that would calm the storm inside my head. We were on our way to the river, hoping, praying, that she might’ve just forgot about us and decided to enjoy the sunset, that she was finally taking time for herself. But I knew that was impossible, because no one can truly rest and breathe in this hellhole.

“We’ll find her.”

Let alone a mother.

———

The wind blew gently, kissing the men in blue uniforms as they patted eachother on the shoulder and gave eachother approving nods. They tucked their guns close to their chests before walking away with straight and proud shoulders. As if they just completed a successful mission of getting rid of a bother. Getting rid of nuisance, a criminal. A Zaunite.

Luka frowned at the sight, trying to pull me away from their direction so that we wouldn’t have to deal with interrogation because even he, a 7 year old child, knew how much of a nightmare those Enforcers could be when they wanted to.

But wouldn’t I budge.

I couldn’t move. It was as if time had stopped the moment my heartbeat did. No.. We were too late.

“No..” I whispered, slowly walking towards the grass near the river because right at the edge, close enough to be kissed by the gentle waters, was Mom.

My breath hitched, eyes widening. My grip on Lukas hand loosened as he stood behind, too scared to come forward. There was no way…

“Mom! Shit, don’t joke around like this- It’s not funny! Come on..” I tried to chuckle as I ran up to her, crouching down to try and wake her up. Tried to make the sound that I knew would’ve woke her up in an instant if she were to truly be faking it. But it wouldn’t make sense. She would’ve never done something as insensitive as pretend to die.

I kneeled down next to her body, my hands hovering over her body as if deciding where to hold first. I took a closer look at her, one that I would regret forever.

I gasped, my hands immediately retracting to cover my mouth in pure shock and terror. Her neck. The neck that was usually adorned with shiny jewels passed down from generations, soon to be passed down to me, was now scarred so deeply. Those red cuts, deep enough to expose her red flesh, so obviously made with force and struggle. She could’ve been beheaded. Her throat was slit so deeply, so inhumanly. The blood had soaked into the soil underneath, bleeding into the water beside her and dyeing her newly blonde hair a dark crimson. I placed her nearly severed head on my lap, soaking my dress instead. Her dress.

She had bullet wounds. Her long purple dress had holes with blood pooling through. She used to be so full of warmth, and they drained everything from her. As if they wanted to make sure she had no warmth left to embrace us with if she was given the chance.

“Mom… I-“ I gasped. I wanted to throw up. I wanted to scream and run away from her corpse in disgust and fear, but I couldn’t. Her head tipped back and more blood poured down my lap, making me let out a scream that startled my brother. It was holding on by a thread at this point.

“Why would they do this to you?..” My voice was shaky as I tried to figure out a way to hold her without breaking her. My vision was blurring with a sea of tears, but I couldn’t look away, I just slowly held her close, trying to warm my draining heart with her drained body. Console myself with her presence.

“.. Lauv?”

I froze.

Luka.

I couldn’t let him see this. I couldn’t let the monstrosity the enforcers had left my mother in taint my brother’s image of her. Atleast I was old enough to understand the true depth of this. He was just a kid.

“Luka, look away. Now.” I tried my best to sound firm, despite how shaky and weak my voice was. He must’ve gotten the hint, his small feet immediately turning to face away from her corpse.

“.. Is she okay? She’s not.. dead, is she?” He said in a small voice, fidgeting with his fingers anxiously. Oh mom, why did you have to leave now? Why not when we’re older and wiser? At least then I’d know how to handle this.

I wanted to tell him that yes, mom was gone, dead. She was never gonna come back again. We were never gonna see that fond look on her face everytime he did something to impress her. Never gonna hear her voice reassure us as the armed men raided our neighbours, telling us that that would never be us. That she would never let them take us.

But she never reassured us that they would never take her from us.

And I, just stayed quiet. Slowly running my finger over her lids to put her to rest, letting the grieving air spell it out for him instead. Maybe Janna could explain it better than I could.

———

Slowly, gently, we let her float away.

In the river that she always took us to watch, how the waves crashed against the shore, how the calming hum of the river always managed to lull Luka to sleep. But also, to play. To teach Luka how to swim, to teach me how to swim, to find the prettiest rock and to then throw it back into the water the farthest we could.

In the river that she found the most peace with.

Now, she could finally rest in peace with the waters she’d dreamed of flowing with. Free, and without worry. I had wrapped her neck up with some white cloth to make sure she’d stay intact and Luka helped me change her into a pink and yellow dress. Pink was my favourite colour and yellow was his. Now, wherever she decided to float away to, she’d still have us with her.

I held Lukas hand once again, watching with silent mourning eyes as the water pulled my mother away and felt my soul go with her. I didn’t have any tears left to cry and the boy was just.. there, his mind seemingly still in denial. He held a neon purple slug with green splotches all over it close to himself. Holding it close as if it was mom reincarnated.

Maybe that’s what the enforcers saw when they murdered my mom. The same way I’d step on those gross slugs Luka would bring home, crush them until they’re nothing but matter, they crushed her. They shot her down and sliced her throat open, playing with her corpse because we weren’t human enough to them. We were just bugs to stare at in pity. To be fascinated with, study, just to then be thrown away. But she wasn’t no bug, and they probably realised that. That’s why they went so hard on her. The state they left her in, eyes wide open and mouth gasping. Not from pain, not from shock, but from fear and grief.

Because now, her children were orphans, and she couldn’t do anything about it.

[lana-angel-writes]

Winter’s Kitten

Pairing| Bucky Barnes x reader (gender is not really specified)

Summary| Bucky comes home from the market with a very unexpected but adorable surprise.

Warnings| Absolutely none- Just some random cute fluff

Materlist

Today was a very cold winter day in brooklyn and you had sent bucky out to get more bread from the corner market. It started snowing when he left, which was thirty minutes ago, and it was getting really thick and windy. You were starting to get worried, what if something happened to him? You decided to give it ten minutes until you were going to call him and make sure he wasn’t in trouble. Just as you were about to go to get your phone the door to your shared apartment opened. When Bucky walked through the entry he was covered in snow from head to toe, with a grocery bag in his hand. But what you also didn’t miss to notice was the abnormal lump coming off of his abdomen. “Hey doll, sorry it took me so long, the weathers really getting bad out there.” You stood in front of him speechless did he not think you noticed the now moving lump under his coat. “Buck, what's under your coat?” One thing you always found cute about Bucky was that he couldn’t lie to you. The give away signs were that he couldn’t look you in the eyes, and he’d blush. And right now the big super soldier in front of you looked like a schoolgirl with a crush. “Well, I uh, found her outside on my way back from the market, she doesn’t have a home doll.” As he unzipped his coat a ball of white fluff appeared. “Baby, is that a cat?”,”Yeah.” As soon as Bucky spoke the cat started to move, she tried to crawl up his chest but ended up snuggling back into his arms. Now that she adjusted you could actually see the cat's features,she had big bright blue eyes and tiny little ears.You could now totally understand why he couldn’t leave her behind. She was adorable and the way she looked at you just made you want to melt. “So what do you think of her doll? Can we keep her?” You had no idea your boyfriend could look so innocent, he was giving you the biggest puppy dog eyes with a pout on his lips. How could you ever say no to him or the adorable cat. “Of course we can keep her, Buck.” You couldn’t help but chuckle at the pure excitement on his face and as if the cat knew she had just found a permanent home she jumped out of Bucky’s arms and started to inspect the cozy apartment. After Bucky took off his jacket and boots he pulled you into his arms. “Thank you doll.” Instead of answering him you pulled your head off of his chest to kiss his stubbled jaw. Bucky moved his head down to give you a proper kiss and right before your lips touched there was a loud crash in the living room. "Well I better go check what that was.", "Yeah, I think that's a good idea,Buck."

Later that night when you and Bucky were settled down in bed, he asked “What about alpine.”, “What do you mean Buck?”, “For our new addition to the family.” You loved how easily Bucky said ‘family’ . You felt honored and proud that you were able to keep that special place in his heart.Since Bucky was the one who brought the cat home you thought that he should have the honor of naming her. “I think that's perfect, baby.”

Just after Bucky went to sleep a certain fluffy white cat decided she was going to sleep right on Bucky's chest. You couldn’t help the smile that came across your face, the sight of a man, most are afraid of cuddling with a little cat, was so wholesomely adorable. You were glad that Bucky brought home your new addition to your little family.

[padfootagain]

Only an Almost (XIII)

Chapter 13: Decisions

Hi! Here comes a new chapter! We are reaching the heights of the angst… next chapter. So, buckle up, we’re up for a wild ride…

I hope you’ll like this chapter! Please, tell me what you think!

*************************************

Pairing: Hozier x fem!reader, friends with benefits AU

Warning: No explicit smut or nsfw content, but there are sexual themes and heavy make-out sessions (it’s a friends with benefits AU, I can’t really escape it), so 18+ only!

Summary: Andrew has been in love with you for years, and yet he has never confessed his feelings. But a night out celebrating the engagement of his best friend changes everything. However, you don't seem ready to be with him just yet. You make him an offer that he can't refuse... but will certainly regret.

Word Count : 1982

Masterlist for the series – Hozier’s Masterlist – Main Masterlist

“Andy, honey… can you take a pic from up there? Down the river. Try to centre it on the bridge…”

Andrew followed his mother’s instructions, climbed on the bench by the docks that ran along the Liffey, aimed the camera the best he could, took a couple of pictures.

“Is that alright?” he asked his mother to check the pictures, handing her the camera.

“Perfect! Thank you, honey.”

They resumed their walk down the river, Raine’s camera secured around her neck. He offered his mother his arm, and she took it with a tender smile.

“This is such a lovely afternoon, isn’t it?” she said after a moment of comfortable silence.

The sky was grey but there was no rain in sight. Dublin was busy with life, as it always was. The murmur of cars passing in adjacent streets and boulevards mingled with the cries of a few seagulls who had flew up along the river from the sea. It was early in the afternoon still, right after lunch-hours, and the docks were empty of people, except for the occasional joggers and their loud earphones, the parents and their children, the lovely couples. It wasn’t too warm, nor too windy. There was a sweet scent coming from a nearby bakery.

“Yeah, it is lovely,” Andrew nodded.

“Thanks for coming with me today and helping me with the pictures.”

“I’m expecting some kind of reward for such hard work,” he joked, making his mother laugh wholeheartedly.

“That may be arranged… if you come for lunch on Sunday.”

“Sure, I’ll be there.”

“Jon is coming too, with his partner.”

“Lovely.”

“You can ask Y/N to come, if you want to.”

“Mom…”

Andrew shook his head, growing annoyed already.

“Y/N and I aren’t together. I’ve told you…”

“I know, I know. You have that… casual thing going on. No progress on that then?”

Andrew grew quiet, pushed his tongue against the inside of his cheek as he thought of an answer.

“I don’t know,” he answered earnestly. “I’m fucking lost.”

Raine waited patiently for her son to speak again.

“I… It’s like… I don’t know what she wants. Sometimes it’s just so… nice. Like we’re moving forward, like we’re getting closer to being an actual couple. And the next second she’s cold and just…”

“One step forward, two steps back…”

“Yeah, something like that. Back to square one. I don’t know what to do. I just… I can’t believe she feels nothing at all. There was this one time I talked to a woman in a pub… she was fucking jealous. I stayed over night and it was so… intimate. Really. It wasn’t just casual. And we have so much fun together, like… we really have a lot of moments when we are truly happy. But then, the other day, she just ran off like laying in bed with me for five minutes might kill her.”

He heaved a deep sigh.

“I don’t know. I’m lost. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what I should do, and I don’t know what I want either.”

“Don’t you? Know what you want?”

“I mean… I do know. But she doesn’t want that.”

“Have you told her how you feel?”

“No… I don’t think she would react well.”

It was Raine’s turn to heave a sigh.

“If the two of you don’t want the same thing… you can’t stay with her. You’ll get hurt, Andrew. Do you understand?”

“Of course… don’t you think I’ve thought of that?” he fought back, being harsher than he meant.

He felt guilty as soon as the words passed his lips, and so he tightly closed them.

“You need to talk to her,” his mother insisted, ignoring her son’s irritation. “It’s the only way out. Communication is key.”

“I know.”

“But?”

“But if I do, and she rejects me…”

He let his words suspended in mid-air, to hover between them. But Raine soon let out a low chuckle.

“Andy… You can’t have happiness without sorrow; love without pain; satisfaction without risks… it’s never one or the other. It’s always both. If she rejects you, you’ll have to learn how to live with it, the way we all do.”

“I don’t know how to live without her. And I don’t think I want to find out.”

Slowly, she nodded.

“You must really love her,” was her only answer.

His throat tightened, he could feel that he was welling up too.

“Yeah… yeah…”

“I have to admit… I don’t understand her,” Raine went on.

She stopped their walk so they could sit on the bench there, facing the river. It wasn’t the nicest part of the docks, but it was quiet, and someone near was blowing soap bubbles with their daughter. They flew up catching the light of the hidden sun, iridescent and fragile as they rod on the wind. They both looked at the bubbles while they spoke.

“What do you mean?” asked Andrew.

“I mean… I’ve always thought that she felt the same as you did. That one day your lives would finally align, and you’d end up together. Married even.”

“Were you already choosing baby names for us?” Andrew laughed.

“I have a whole list,” she joked, and they both laughed for a moment, despite all the pain held in this conversation. “I don’t know… I thought she loved you.”

“I don’t know… sometimes I have hope. Sometimes she pushes me away so much, I wonder if she doesn’t hate me a little.”

“Hate you?”

“Or is ashamed of me, perhaps.”

“Why would she be ashamed of you? You’re a good man. You truly are a good and kind person. There will never be a day when I am not infinitely proud of who you’ve become.”

“God, mom, stop… that’s enough…” Andrew protested, blushing all the way to the top of his ears and shifting uncomfortably on their bench.

Raine merely smiled fondly at him.

“I don’t know,” Andrew went on. “I don’t understand what she wants.”

“This can’t go on forever.”

Slowly, he nodded. Daphne’s words echoed in his mind.

“You’re right. I need to talk to her.”

“I’m your mother. I’m always right!”

They laughed again, brighter and merrier than before. They remained there for a long while, chatting, the conversation drifting towards the rest of their family, this new recipe for a blueberry pie she wanted to try, this song he was working on.

When he offered to go for tea before going home, Andrew was fully aware of how lucky he was to have her by his side.

The hike was nice, although the weather was unsteady. But then again, it always was in Ireland.

Andrew wanted to wait until you would reach the lake to talk. First Daphne, then his mother… he couldn’t push back that moment any longer.

You had talked about your work while you walked, then about the wedding. It was coming closer, only a couple of months left. Soon, it would be time to try on the dresses and suits, settle on the flavour for the cake.

You were growing a little annoyed though. It was visible that he was only half-listening to you, barely participating in the conversation. Still, you didn’t say a thing, merely pouting and frowning a little. You were adorable, as always…

“Ha, there it is! Let’s take a break!” he offered as you finally reached the shore of the lake.

You plopped down in the grass as an answer, further away from the trail so as not to be disturbed if more people were coming this way. Andrew soon joined you.

“Alright, what snacks for today?” he asked, making you roll your eyes.

“You know you can bring your own snacks…”

“They’re better if I steal them from you!”

You chuckled, handing him some biscuits and some grapes.

“As sweet as you,” he teased, biting in one of the fruits and shooting you a wink that brough fire to your skin.

“Smooth,” you said with irony dripping from your voice.

He laughed, biting on his biscuit instead. His favourites. He wondered if you knew how much he loved them. You often carried these when you hiked together.

There was a long silence, and Andrew was visibly nervous. He had a lot of courage to gather, and a lump in his throat that needed to be swallowed back, so he could finally talk to you.

“Andy? Spit it out.”

He looked up at you.

“Hmm?”

“Whatever it is that got you so worked up… spit it out. You’re killing me.”

He clenched his jaw, set his gaze on the lake. Peaceful. Tiny ripples brought by the wind. Rocks and grass and wildflowers staining its shores. There were some birds over there, on a tiny rock, right on the edge of the water. He wondered what kind of birds they were, all shades of grey and white and black…

“I just… I think we should talk.”

“We have talked,” you fought back, defensive already.

“Y/N…”

“Look, Andy… things are simple. We don’t need to talk about this more. We agreed that this would be casual, just sex, no attach. If you don’t want to do that anymore, we can stop.”

“I don’t want us to stop…”

“What do you want then?”

You.

But if he said it, he knew you would run. He could see it in your eyes now. Somehow, he just knew you would fly away like these birds on the shore of the lake, that you would disappear in the sky, never to be seen again.

“I just want you to answer one question.”

“Go on.”

“What do you want from me?”

You were so taken aback by his question, you were left silent, with lips parted and brows furrowed.

“What… what do you mean?” you stuttered back.

“What do you want from me? This… this is temporary. At one point, we’ll either become more than friends, or go back to being in a friendly zone. Which one will it be?”

You huffed, clearly uncomfortable, shifting your weight.

“I don’t know. How could I know that?”

“I know.”

“And what do you want?”

“I asked first.”

“I asked second.”

“No. No, Y/N. You’re not allowed to turn that around.”

“Why not? Why are you asking this anyway? You’re always… wanting to plan, wanting to make this evolve… why can’t things just remain how they are?”

Because I’m in love with you.

But Andrew couldn’t say that. He settled for what seemed like the next best thing.

“Because I care about you. And because nothing ever stays the same. Things always change.”

He was surprised by your sudden anger. How you got to your feet in a jolt. How you started packing back your snacks.

“Y/N…”

“I don’t fucking know, okay?! What do you want me to tell you, Andy? It was never meant to be more than an arrangement. What else could I say?”

“It means more than that to me.”

You opened your mouth, but nothing came out. He didn’t know what to make of your silence. Because if no words were coming out of your mouth, tears were gathering at the corners of your eyes.

And his heart was beating a thousand miles a minute, but he didn’t back down. He stared, and waited, for an answer that never came.

Instead, you kept on packing. And then you were off to the trail without a word. He followed you, eventually, walking behind you in silence. It started to rain, about halfway down the trail to get back to the carpark. You reached his car in silence, drenched and miserable.

You didn’t speak for a few days, until an olive branch was offered to him, in the shape of an invitation to the cinema.

He ended up in your bed that night, but when it was over and done, he didn’t stay.

[brazilspill]

love to know more about the project you did covering brazil as a pirate mation!

So the class I did the project for was about technology and privacy from a librarianship standpoint (it basically consisted of our prof telling us about all the ways that corporations spy on us and what they can/actually do with our info, leaving us all feeling extra paranoid at the end of every class).

My presentation was on intellectual property rights and remix culture (we’ll get to what that is in a moment) and who owns the information. 

I started out by talking about how the fight regarding privatizing information isn’t new. In ancient Greece we have the story of Prometheus, who shares fire with his creations and is punished by his fellow gods for doing so.

Then we have Odin, who sacrificed himself in order to gain knowledge of the Runes so he could share it with humanity:

I know that I hung on a windy tree nine long nights, wounded with a spear, dedicated to Odin, myself to myself, . . . Until I spied the Runes Then I was fertilized and became wise; I truly grew and thrived. From a word to a word I was led to a word, From a work to a work I was led to a work." -- Rúnatal, or Rúnatáls-þáttr-Óðins (Odin’s Rune Song), The Hávamál, Stanzas 138-140

And last but not least, I told an abridged version of the story Anansi and the Story Chest from Yoruba culture. The tl;dr version is that Anansi the Spider Man (a Trickster in Bantu stories) sees humanity is struggling and suffering and decides to help. He builds a web up to the sky and asks Nyame the Sky God to share his story chest with humans so they can thrive. At first, Nyame laughs in his face, but eventually agrees to part with the chest if Anansi completes three impossible tasks for him. By way of trickery and cleverness Anansi succeeds and Nyame is forced to reluctantly hand over the chest. Once back on Earth, Anansi opens the chest and frees all the stories (knowledge) trapped inside, allowing humanity to prosper.

This led me into how Brazilian culture views information ownership, especially regarding art. The section of my presentation that focused specifically on Brazil started by showing images of how prevalent pirating is in Brazil – how in my hometown we have a whole mall dedicated to selling pirated stuff and knockoffs:

But why? Why’s Brazil so proudly a “pirate nation” by the US’s standards?

Reason 1: It’s a way of sticking it to American companies who charge us more for the same product they charge people from first-world countries.

Last I checked the cheapest iPad Pro costs $1,099 in Canada and R$9,799 in Brazil. For the price to be equivalent it should be R$4,213.97. We’re charged more even when currency rates are considered.

Technology in general costs an exorbitant amount for Brazilians when compared to people in first world countries (or at least it used to at the time, I don’t know about now).

So stuff that originates from the first world, especially technology-related stuff, is seen as bougie stuff that’s more expensive for the plebs:

^ Image that says “Don’t support the bourgeoisie! Say yes to piracy!”

Reason #2: We don’t see pirating things as stealing.

The argument is that copying isn’t stealing, as the original owner still has their copy:

But these two reasons in and of themselves don’t truly get behind why we don’t see it as theft quite as much as..

Reason #3: It’s a cultural thing.

In order to understand the culture we have to first make a pit stop at how cannibalism is portrayed in first-world media (I know this seems like quite the detour but it’ll make sense in a moment): as evil, primitive, and above all, mindless. There’s no good way to look at cannibalism according to first-world (European) culture. 

But because Brazil actually had cannibal cultures, we view cannibalism as more nuanced. It was never mindless, for a start. There were very very strict rules regarding the spiritual practice of cannibalism.

Which is where Oswald de Andrade’s Cannibalist Manifesto comes in. It’s an iconic piece in Brazilian literature and the start of a cultural art movement known as, well, the Cannibalist Movement. It was written by one of the most famous Brazilian poets from the point of view of Indigenous people who committed cannibalism. 

As the manifesto puts it, “Cannibalism [... is] The permanent transformation of Taboo into Totem. [...] Absorption of the enemy made sacred. To transform [the enemy] into a Totem.” That is, by consuming your enemy you absorb into yourself part of their spirit. For this reason, you can’t just consume any old person, you can only consume people in two categories: a formidable enemy who you respect and defeated or a loved one who’s passed away. The concept of not being able to share one’s art or to borrow from other’s work is an European idea, NOT an Indigenous Brazilian one.

“However, only the purest of the elite were able to realize carnal anthropophagy, that brings within it the highest meaning of life and avoids all the evils identified by Freud, catechistic evils. From carnal, it becomes elective and creates friendship. Affectionate, love. Speculative science. It deviates and transfers. … Low anthropophagy agglomerated in the sins of catechism - envy, usury, calumny, murder.  A plague of so-called cultured and Christianized, it is against it that we are acting.”

As Oswald de Andrade eloquently points out in his manifesto, Europeans had/have no problem using cannibals in their stories in an appropriative manner, but then clutch their pearls regarding the very culture they appropriate (innacurately) in their own art:

“Discovered and loved ferociously, with all the hypocrisy of nostalgia, by the immigrants, the trafficked, and the tourists in the land of Great Snake*… playing a part in the operas of Alencar, filled with good Portuguese ideals. We already had Communism. We already had Surrealism.”

In English, the Cannibalist Movement was renamed Remix Culture. Most cultures already use Remix Culture, they just don’t realize it. Most Disney movies, especially from the Classic and Reinassance era, are remixes of stories written by other people. Tolkien’s work is basically a Christian!AU fanfic of Norse works. Fractured fairytales are all remixes too. Harry Potter uses tons of references to other stories. Fanfiction and Fanart? Remix culture at its finest! The list goes on.

The basic idea of Remix Culture is that, just like in carnal cannibalism, you should use the best parts of other people’s work to enhance your own work. You credit them when possible, of course, but there’s nothing wrong with borrowing the parts you like.

A great example of how remix culture works can be see in the interaction between three plays: The Beggar’s Opera, Die Dreigroschenoper (The Threepenny Opera), and A Ópera do malandro (The Troublemaker’s Opera).

The Beggar’s Opera by John Gay was first performed in 1728 and is largely considered the most popular play of the 18th century. Its songs were all based on popular songs of the time, basically pop music spoofs. It was basically an anti-opera mocking the artform mostly experienced only by the rich.

Die Dreigroschenoper by Bertoldt Brecht and Kurt Weill was first performed in 1928, and was heavily based on John Gay’s play. The plot is very very similar and most of the music borrows the tunes from the original play (which, remember, weren’t entirely original in and of themselves). This play, in turn, was a social commentary on Capitalism as well as being interlaced with warnings about the Nazis being dangerous.

Bertoldt Brecht was heavily criticized for borrowing so much from The Beggar’s Opera, to which he replied that “The pitiful fear of members of our society that one could question their originality is closely connected with their shabby concept of property. … Copying is not easier; it is an art in itself.”

Then, we skip forward to 1978, smack dab in the middle of a brutally violent dictatorship in Brazil, where The Troublemaker’s Opera (see here for the full movie in Portuguese) is having its first showing. The story is based on Brecht’s play, and many of the songs follow the same tune. Like its predecessor, it too is mostly social commentary via satire of the politics of the time.

You can really hear how Buarque borrowed from Brecht in the opening songs of each play. (Here's the song by Brecht and the one by Chico Buarque)

It’s worth noting that one of the main characters went from being Jemmy, the male hero in The Beggar’s Opera, to being Jenny, a swashbuckling heroine, to being Gení, a trans woman who saves the day. Because of its open commentary on society’s treatment of trans sex workers during a time when it was taboo and censored, the play is considered a groundbreaking classic of Brazilian art.

[yinora]

Hiii could i request some headcanons about reader being Dean and Sam's sibling who's coming out as a lesbian???? :3

pairing: platonic!sibling!Dean Winchester x fem!Winchester!reader, platonic!sibling!Sam Winchester x fem!Winchester!reader

warning: coming out, reader is stressed, the closet might have a glass wall, Sam kinda already knows bc he's smart, Dean being oblivious, mentions of John, headcanon style, mentions of reader wearing lipgloss/lipstick, Winchester genes aka reader has similarities to the brothers, spoilers for season 7, minor spoilers for season 8, Dean is bi, idk if i mentioned it but i headcanon that Sam is pan though i left that up to your own interpertation, kinda feel like this is shitty writing bc idek

a/n: i am SO sorry that it took me litterly forever to get this done, i've suffered of writers block and i think i finally got over it. i personally love this request! i loved writing these and lmk if you'd like an actual imagine written too, and if so, should it be more serious or maybe a little more funny/crack/casual?

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

let's say you've had secret girlfriends growing up, hiding it with the title "close friends" whenever John or your brothers asked about it, and it worked most of the time.

Your dad simply didn't really bother checking, simply strictly reminding you that hunters can't get too close with people.

In your teenage years, you observed Dean to kind of learn how to talk to other girls if you wanted to flirt with them, and Dean being who he is, was always oblivious to it, telling you how he got girls to makeout with him in janitor's clossets without hesitation and with a smug smirk on his face whenever you asked.

Sam however, did certainly notice when you'd be in class a little too late, hair a little more messy than it was from a girl's hands gripping onto it and lipgloss a little smudgede.

He didn't bother asking about it though, he knew you'd cover it up with some excuse such as that it was windy outside when you went there during break or that you didn't realize and that you must've accidently smudged your lipgloss when wiping something off your face, and at first he thought it was from kissing boys anyway.

later on when you three were hunting together again, after you and Dean had gotten Sam from Stanford, on a case, Sam had noticed a look on your face when you were questioning the victim's sister. a look he's seen plenty times before, on Dean's face, when he was looking at women in bars.

and in his mind, something just clicked.

Sam never mentioned it though, he wanted to let you take your time, if you ever decided to come out to them, he wanted you to have that part of your life in your control.

Dean however, was as dense as a brick wall with extra isolation and a thick layer of paint and wallpaper.

he would blatantly mention how good the waitress' ass looked in those jeans, and you'd agree, and he wouldn't bat an eye to it, he'd just give you a cheeky grin and Sam would roll his eyes in response.

eventually, later on, you three met Charlie!

When you first met her, you two got along amazingly, as if you have been friends for ages, rather than the fact that you met a day before.

When she agreed to help out with hacking into Dick Roman's computer, and she had that earpiece in, and she blatantly told you and your brothers that she liked girls and couldn't possibly flirt with that security guard, you closely watched your brothers' reactions.

it both comforted you and made your insides twist when you saw that they quite litterly didn't really care. should you come out to them?

even later than that, you desided that finally, you'd come out to Sam and Dean.

you had spent nearly all morning in your room in the bunker, pacing around and thinking through how you were gonna tell them.

when you finally did come out of your room, both Sam and Dean were sitting at the table, and when Sam saw the look on your face he instantly went worried brother mode.

"Are you okay? what's wrong?"

that makes Dean look up immediately.

"Nothing- Nothing, just, i need to tell you guys something..."

Dean closes the laptop, both of them turn their attention to you fully, worried but staying quiet for your sake.

"i uh... i've been walking around with this for a while, and I... well, I'm a lesbian, I like women and only women, and I hope you are okay with that"

most of the worry in the pit of your stomach dissappears when you can see the relief on both their faces.

"Damn, [name], don't scare us like that again" "Dean." "what? I thought she was gonna come out and say she's engaged to some guy or got bitten by a werewolf or something!"

Sam definetly scolds Dean silently.

"It's alright, [name], you're still our sibling, still our baby sister, nothing's gonna change that." Sam reassures you with those puppy eyes of his and that soft spoken tone.

"yeah, well... while we're at it, I swing both ways" Dean takes a swig of his coffee right after he says that, and you're worries dissappear.

"thanks, I don't know why i was so worried, i mean, we fight monsters every other day, i don't know why i thought being gay would sepperate me from you two" you answer with a light laugh, definetly relieved.

"yeah, i uh, know how that feels" Sam answers a little more quietly.

"well, anyway, i'm making burgers for dinner, you gonna join me for a food run?" Dean mentions as he gets up.

"yeah, sure" you answer and get your jacket.

you really can't ask for better brothers.

[bridgemino]

MINOR CONTENT WARNING: This story contains some heavy topics!!

(This story is a bit of a duzie…so buckle up, buttercups!)

Hell in Hurricane

Hurricanes came and gone. The worst that had happened was a lost house or damage; nothing the rescue team couldn’t fix. They were scary, rainy and windy, but they had never needed to evacuate or relocate. It was an occasional phenomenon. One they had dealt with many times.

Jin wriggled along to the music that blasted through her headphones. She had found the song recently, and it had definitely placed in her favorites list. “Ba, da da dada daaaaaaAAH-“ she jumped up from her seat, her headphones flying off her head. The bass could be heard still from where they fell. “P-Poli! When did you show up?!”

Poli gave her a concerned look. “A few moments ago. Perhaps you should turn that down a bit, Jin.” He said, pointing his tire towards the headphones that were so loud, they vibrated across the floor. “Jeez! How high did you turn that up?!” His tone turned more playful than stern. But it quietly switched back.

“Ummm, moving on…do you need something, Poli?” She asked, turning the music off, and brushing the headphones to the side with her foot.

Poli shook his head. “No, I was just checking in. We could use some rain soon, though. Amber’s flowers are wilting..”

Jin nodded slowly. “Okay. Uh, hey Poli, can you get the rest of the team here? There’s something I’d like to discuss with you guys.”

“Oh, alright. I’ll make an announcement.”

…

“So you’re saying that this massive hurricane is coming, and you had no idea?” Helly hissed, looking both shocked and upset. “How are we supposed to prepare for a hurricane like this in less than two days?!”

Jin cringed. “I know, I know! I should’ve known that my broken weather machine meant no good…nghh..”

Roy moved forward. “Hey, instead of complaining, let’s work on getting the town ready for this storm. We only have a matter of hours til the storm hits, so we should get started now.”

Amber nodded. “Yes, but have we had a hurricane of this strength hit Broomstown? Do you think our town can handle it?” As pondered aloud, her eyes wide with worry.

“I don’t know.” Jin said, then slinking down into her chair. “It’s expected to be a strong category 5 hurricane by the time it reaches us.” She frowned.

“Perhaps we should evacuate some of the towns people to other towns with the other rescue teams?” Poli suggested. “We’ve never done it before, but perhaps it would be helpful. It would be easier to tend to the town without most of the people here. It will also be safer for them.”

Roy nodded, “That’ll work. We just have to see if Carry is willing to transport people back and fourth. It’ll take too long by boat, and the ocean is a bit rough right now. Cici also needs to be out of the harbor very soon to ensure she doesn’t get stuck out in that storm.”

“Right..”

Jin sighed, “Poli, you try to come up with a quick plan, and the rest of us will prep the town for a hurricane. Sound okay?”

“Mhm.” The room was silent for a few moments, but soon Roy turned. “Let’s go Helly, we can start by the harbor and make our way inland.”

“Okay, Roy!”

They soon disappeared, and Jin and Amber followed shortly after.

Now Poli sat alone in the empty HQ. He watched the hurricane radar on the screen in front of him. It was really big. Had they ever been hit by a Cat 5 before? It was a direct hit as well. Estimated 30 feet of storm surge..? It definitely wasn’t safe for everyone to stay, especially those near the harbor. Did they have any other choice besides evacuation?

Poli shook his head and sighed. It’s just the same as any other hurricane. He tried to convince himself. Treat it as so.

[26 hours until landfall - HARBOR]

The sound of the crane triplets loading luggage and other items onto Cici filled the harbor. The wind had begun to pick up, and clouds rolled in among the horizon. A large group of the townsfolk was kept towards the storage sheds. Most of the town was here, and anxious at that. They had little information on the situation other than there was a hurricane and they were being evacuated.

Spooky shivered in fear. “Cap, do you think the hurricane will be really bad? What if we come home and everything’s destroyed?!” He asked timidly, watching as Poli guided Carry to land.

Cap shrugged, “I don’t know Spooky. Nothing like this has happened before, so I really don’t know any more than you do.” He frowned as well.

Cleany moved a bit closer. “Have you seen the rescue team? They look really worried…”

“Yeah,” Spooky agreed. “Wait, is Posty coming? I haven’t seen him since the announcement.”

“Me neither,” Cap said. “Do you think he’s staying?”

“He would be out of his mind if he was.” A raspy voice sounded from behind them. They all jumped and whipped around. There was an old grey car behind them, black triangular glasses rested on his nose, “I’ve been through many hurricanes in my lifetime. All the ones I’ve seen here were little baby ones. This one ain’t no baby.”

Cleany gulped. “W-Well, no…I s-suppose not..”

“We’ll hopefully only be evacuated for a day depending on damages. Rgh…something about this storm is givin’ me bad vibes. If your friend a’ yours is stayin’ here, he’s gonna learn a big lesson ‘bout them hurricanes.” The car grumbled, driving off as Carry’s door opened for another round of people.

The three friends looked at each other, confused and worried.

“I hope Posty doesn’t stay then..” Cap muttered.

Spooky and Cleany both replied at the same time. “Me neither.”

[15 hours until landfall — MR.WHEELER’S TIRE SHOP]

Roy shuffled boxes over, letting out a sigh. “Mr. Wheeler, are you positive you want to stay? It won’t be very safe for you here. You can still catch Carry’s last flight out if you hurry.” There was the soft constant sound of wind blowing outside. Darker, meaner clouds were beginning to engulf the town. It wouldn’t be long now.

Mr.Wheeler shook his head. “Well, are you guys leaving?” He countered Roy’s question, raising a brow as he stood up.

“We have to stay.” Roy said simply. “Unless every Broomstown citizen we’re to leave, we must stay.”

“Then no.” Mr. Wheeler sniffed arrogantly. “I trust you guys enough to save me in worst case scenario. Plus, hurricanes usually significantly weaken once they make landfall.”

Roy didn’t say anything, but he pressed his lips together tightly. He knew there was no way to change his mind now, so he decided not to fight it.

“I want to finish my TV show as well, I’m pretty close to the end and I don’t know what will be available in…wherever that relocation place is.” Mr. Wheeler said.

“You know you’ll quickly lose power, right?”

Mr.Wheeler sighed. “I’ve been in a hurricane before. I also have a generator now, so I’ll be okay.”

Roy was at a loss for words, but what else was there to say? You’re an imbecile? That would just be plain rude… “Hey Mr. Wheeler, can I temporarily take down the sign outside of your shop? I just want to ensure as little debris flies around as possible.”

“Sure, do what you want with the place. Oh—say, who else is waiting out the hurricane?”

Roy shrugged. “There are quite a few other families and individuals who are riding it out. Most of the town left, however.” He pushed through the doors of Mr.Wheeler’s shop, and looked up towards the sign. He would have to take everything out front down, then tape and board up the windows. There was still so much work to be done, and so little time.

Roy climbed up to the sign, loosening the bolts.

Pitter…patter…

The rain slowly began. It was a soft sprinkle, but it was also the beginning of a long, long night.

Roy shivered at the thought. Hopefully Mr.Wheeler was right. The hurricane would make landfall, then dissipate. If only.

[10 hours until landfall — SIDE ROADS NEAR THE HARBOR]

Poli stood near the edge of the cliff that lead down to the water. He could already tell the water was very slowly rising, the waves crashed among each other constantly. The sea seemed to be at war with itself, as though fending off an imminent threat.

He watched as a large flock of birds battled against the slowly growing winds, their cries signaling abnormality. Poli was checking the emergency phones, yet he would be lucky if they still stood after this event. He stared down at the harbor. It was strange not seeing the crane triplets, Cici, or even Lifty down there. It was completely empty.

Moving the crane triplets had been a bit of a hassle, but they didn’t want to stay, and the rescue team had to fulfill that wish. It was almost like looking into a ghost town.

The birds soon faded into the distance, and the only sound that occupied the area was the raging waves of the ocean. There was a soft rumble among the horizon. The storm was getting closer.

Poli cought a hold on himself, driving on to the nearest emergency phone. He did a few quick inspections, came to the conclusion it was fine, and carried on. On his way back towards the heart of the town, he heard a voice.

“Poli! Wait!”

It was high pitched, and Poli knew exactly who it was. He sighed and turned around. “Hello, Posty. How are you so far?”

Posty soon caught up. “I’m well, thank you. I hope the preparations haven’t been too much of a hassle on you and you team?” He did seem a bit worried.

“It’s been fine. Just a little stressful, I’ll admit.”

“I can only imagine!” Posty exclaimed. “I hope everything turns out okay, these clouds are looking pretty mean..but anyways, I better be headed back. I need to do something important. Bye Poli!” He then raced off.

“Ah, goodbye Posty.”

Poli sighed again. Posty did have a point, the clouds were looking rather worrying. But he did suppose things wouldn’t stay bright and sunny forever. Even though sometimes he wished it did.

[5 hours until landfall — BROOMS FOREST]

Amber headed deeper into the forest, which was completely void of people now. She had to settle down some things and fix some other things, but otherwise it was just a quick skim of the forest. The wind effortlessly rattled the trees around her like toys. The previous sprinkles of before had now become fat, yet slow, droplets that plopped down from the sky.

Admittedly, she was nervous. Very nervous. Something in her gut screamed to get away from here as fast as she could, but there was no leaving now. Carry was not going to fly back in, and the storm was too close. It was a matter of hours now before it made landfall. It was creeping up on them like prey, and it was ready to kill.

The storm growled above her, eager and hungry. The winds tried to push her back, but she continued on. The storm was growing stronger as it approached Broomstown. It loomed over them like a dark shadow, cutting out the sun and glaring down upon them. It sent shivers down her spine.

Finally, she reached the emergency phone that she had needed to tend to. She stabilized it into the ground, then ran a quick inspection. Admittedly, she did not want to spend another second here. Leaves flew off of the trees, begging her to run with them. Run to some place safe. Somewhere that was not home.

This place reminded her of when she and the team had to rescue Helly during a hurricane. Not fun, considering she was basically in one right now.

Amber turned back, ready to head home. With every step her legs seemed to carry her faster, the wind assisting her until she was moving at full speed towards home.

[Landfall — HQ]

Jin stared as the rain lashed against the windows. The hurricane roared above them, shivering the building below them. The rain was already beginning to pile up within their parking area outside. Lightning flashed and thunder clapped loudly.

There was one thing that worried Jin. Her teammates. None had returned yet, and Jin was left alone within the confines of the rescue center. It was cold inside, unlike the humid outdoors. Jin shivered. She was unsure whether it was with fear, or if she was just cold.

Thunder roared, and the ground shook. Jin clutched her coffee.

Jeez, where are they? Jin wondered. They should have been back a while ago…

Jin wanted to go out and look, but the conditions were far too bad to go running out and about. She would just have to wait until she gets a sign.

[HELLY]

Rain pounded against Helly’s skin, leaving red marks with each hit. The wind hassled the rain around at such high speeds it hurt. And it hurt pretty bad. Helly swallowed as water began to pool at his feet. Town square was somewhat high up, yet still too close to sea level to be comfortable. He was far enough inland not to worry right? Or was the town closer to the water than he thought-? After all, he did live on a island…what if they water engulfed them entirely?

He shook the thought away, wading to grab hold of the Thunder statue. The water at his feet moved with speed. This water was not clear and sparing, it was muddy, dark, and mean. This water had no intentions on passing by lightly. To add to that, the rain came down quickly in large quantities, the water was quickly rising. Plus the harsh winds pushed him around, and he was obviously unable to fly.

WHOOSH.

Helly’s heart stopped. Something flew right past his head. Something metallic and hard.

KA-THUNG!

It collided with great force against a building behind him. He slowly turned around. It was a road sign. A road sign that had been pulled from the ground and launched at his head. A few inches over and…no. No, don’t think about that.

The clouds above erupted into a loud laughter, and the ground shook once more.

CRASH!

A tree branch snapped off a tree and slammed against a nearby building. The trees around him shivered in terror, as though they would be next to be torn apart by these winds.

I have to get out of here! Helly thought quickly, his eyes wide and his heart pounding. The water reached his ankles now. Helly waded through the water, clutching onto a tree after a few steps. “Ngh..” the wind prevented him from taking smooth steps. It pushed him back, trying to pull him down into the water.

There was a loud rumble in the distance. The loud sound thundered in his direction. Though this wasn’t thunder. It sounded more like…rushing water?

Then it clicked.

No. No, nononononono-! He thought frantically. The dam! The one that kept the town from completely flooding. It had broken! Helly didn’t have much time to think before he was swallowed up in the water. It hit him like a brick, slamming his body to the ground before the debris-filled water rolled over him.

He waved his arms around, trying to pull himself up to the surface. This had to be at least 5 feet of water that weighed him down. His head popped up above the water, and he gasped for air. The water moved quickly, sweeping him away. The storm cackled again above him, and he saw victorious lightning light up the sky.

The water pushed him under again, and he flailed helplessly. Then, his arm caught something. A tree branch! He clutched it hard, trying to pull against the current to get atop it. His legs began to feel tired, and he pushed harder. “Rgghh!! Helly c’mon!!” He cried to himself. “Agggh!” He hissed again.

Finally, Helly was upon the branch, and he lifted himself further into the tree. The wind growled at his success, and tried to force him back down into the rapidly rising water. Helly wrapped his arms around the trunk of the tree as the little branch snapped off. The bark dug into his arms, and oil began to spill.

“Help!” He cried, though he could barely hear himself over the thrashing rain and howling winds. His arms begun to hurt, the rain hit his back like bullets, the wind threatened to tear him off the tree and into the water, and the tree shook violently, barely managing to stay up.

“Help me! Somebody! Roy! Poli! Please! Anybody!” He sobbed he couldn’t tell whether he was crying or if it was just the rain slapping his face. Everything hurt now, his arms were tired, his legs were tired, his skin burned, his lungs burned. At this point, what didn’t?

“Poli! Please!” He cried, hiccuping between his cracked words. “Help me!” The water creeped up to his feet again, and he tried to push himself further up the tree.

Now he wasn’t even sure if any of his friends were even alive. None of them had ever called in their return, and if they were out here…Helly didn’t want to think about it, but it sat in his brain like a rock. He hadn’t eaten in hours yet he was disgusted by the thought.

Then, he saw something that made his heart want to stop. An arm. It was a human arm, there was no body attached to it, just a lonesome limb, wandering the world. Away from its home. Helly choked on his own saliva for a moment. He looked away, burying his face into the tree bark.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR……

The sound of the storm tearing apart what he once called home.

BANG, CRASH

The sound of debris of what was once his town being whipped around like toys.

CATHOOM

The sound of homes being washed away from their premises, and collapsing into the abuses below,

CRACK, SNAP!

The sound of the tree he clutched to breaking and bending, ready to come apart.

Helly didn’t know what to do anymore. He had no idea how he had come to this point, but he was terrified. His eyes were sealed shut as he used his remaining strength to hold on.

CRACK!

The tree leaned, and began to fall. Helly shot open his eyes to the piercing rain. Havoc. Pure havoc. He kicked away with his feet as the tree tumbled into the water with a groan, then disappeared in the abyss of death below. Now Helly clutched to the sharp, prickly remains of the stump, which was already beginning to be covered itself in water.

“….s-save me…” Helly whimpered. His strength was almost gone, and his arms wanted to give away. He wanted to sink into the death pit below it accept his fate. His teammates, his friends, his family…they were most likely there themselves. Helly didn’t what to die alone; not like this.

He wanted to be in the arms of his family. The ones who had brought him up and saved him. He was ready to give up.

Just as his strength was about to give into the harsh winds, to the beating rain, to the tornadoes that danced around him…it stopped.

Everything. The wind, the rain….everything. Helly shivered and looked up slowly. “Wh-wha..?” He was shocked he was still alive.

Was that the sun?

Was that the beautiful blue sky he missed so dearly?

The sun stared sadly down upon Helly. It seemed as though it wanted to cool everything down, remove the wind that sheered the land. But it could not.

Helly stared up at it, his tears reflected it’s beautiful rays.

He was in the eye of the hurricane.

All of the chaos, all of the pain, everything, had slowed to a stop. Now he had 20 minutes to decide what the heck to do. What to think.

Helly looked around. Mr.Wheeler’s shop was completely washed away now, trees had been pulled from their roots and their stems, stoplights, gates, fences all pulled up from the ground and tossed away.

Helly saw something. Something that for some reason…gave him hope. Oil. It remained separate from the water, refusing to give in to the storm. It was broken, and it strayed far from its home, but it remained strong and separated. It would not let itself be washed over by the water. Till it’s last drop it will fight.

Though oil usually meant someone was hurt or…in this case dead. Something told him differently.

He needed to be that oil. To not give up until it’s very last breath.

But how? He thought as he looked around. Everything was gone. The buildings. The vegetation. The life. It was all sucked away in a blink of an eye. Everything that took him and his family generations to build up, destroyed within a matter of moments.

He didn’t know how he felt anymore. He didn’t know if he was happy or sad, cold or hot, wet or dry, alive or dead….he was just numb. Completely.

Numb.

He sat, staring off into the nothingness silently. He knew he had little time before the second half hit but..he was still struggling to process that he was still even alive. For all he knew, he could be watching in a third person perspective, dead.

Finally, his senses came back.

Helly scrambled to his feet, stabilizing himself atop the uneven tree stump. His heart pounded, but he knew he needed to find a better spot. Then, a large fallen tree began to float by in the deep waters. Helly knew what to do. He jumped onto the tree’s back, taking a few moments to ensure he didn’t fall, then gazed around.

He floated past a few thick trees, and he decided to climb one for the second half. It was his only choice. He latched onto a tree’s remaining branch, and rested himself in between it and the trunk. He turned his gaze back to the waters, and he gave a frightened shiver.

Body parts. Limbs. Homes. Personal items. They all floated around in the water that was beginning to temporarily slow, yet didn’t lower. He wondered how many people whom had stayed even survived. He was numb to everything around him. He just wanted things to be normal again.

Then, a tear. Another. A choke. A cry.

Helly sobbed.

He sobbed for the lives that had been lost, sobbed for the homes that had been destroyed, sobbed for the sun that was already beginning to hide again.

Pat..pitter…

Round 2 was beginning.

…

It was a long night. The sun set as the second half of the storm went through. But just as quickly as the storm had come in, it left. Helly remained clutched to the tree all night long. By morning most of the storm water had gone down a few feet, but Broomstown was still a disaster.

Helly slowly climbed down from the tree, looking around. To feel solid ground against his feet was a blessing. He collapsed onto the ground, finally feeling the freedom of relaxing. Just to be able to lay on the ground, even in the murky water, it was still so much for comfortable than being stuck up in a tree.

At was so, so nice.

But wait. Helly thought, what about the others? Helly jumped up to his weak feet. He picked a direction and ran. Though he could barely stand, he could not lay around any longer. He pushed through all the rubble. “Roy? Poli! Anybody?!” He called, feeling a stab of desperation.

Then, a weak voice.

“..o-over here..! H-Help…!”

It wasn’t Roy’s or Poli’s or Amber’s or Jin’s, but it was one he recognized. “Mr.Wheeler! Where are you?!” He called desperately.

“Down…here..!” He called, and a small hand appeared from the rubble. “I..can’t get u-up!”

Helly ran over quickly. “Don’t worry, let me help you!” He picked up a few pieces of wood, throwing them to the side. Mr. Wheeler then pulled himself out. There was a large gash across his stomach, and many cuts up his arm, but otherwise somewhat okay.

“Rgnh, that hurricane packed quite the punch, didn’t it-?” Mr.Wheeler said, an attempt of a joke shown through, but Helly could tell he was devastated. “My shop…”

Helly sighed sadly and nodded. “I thought I was dead for sure…are you okay for now? I need to go look for other survivors and I can’t tend to you wounds right now. I’m so sorry…I was just stuck over there…” Helly pointing to the tree that was barely hanging on now.

“Oh,” Mr. Wheeler said simply. “I did too. But I’ll be okay for a little bit. I’ll see if I can patch this..” he then turned and sat down on a pile of wooden boards.

Helly didn’t reply, yet he stared for a few moments. Though he felt hopeful, he also felt lost. He could only pray that his family was still alive…he shook his head. No. He refused to believe that.

“Hello?!” He called as he limbed quickly down the street. “Is anyone out here?!”

No response.

[POLI]

He rubbed his head, groaning in pain. He was atop a random house’s roof, and felt defeated. He was beginning to dry off now, since the hurricane had left a few hours ago now. His lungs burned from the water he had swallowed. He had spent many long minutes coughing it back up when he awoke. Though his world still spun, but he tried to stand. He was in the middle of a neighborhood. By himself, as far as he knew.

House was one of the only ones in the area that hadn’t collapsed, and he was thankful for that. He didn’t know he had gotten there, but he was just glad to be alive.

Poli slide down off the rooftop, plopping harshly onto the mushy ground below. Now that he was really looking around, he saw a small family huddled together at the end of their driveway. Their dog ran around them in circles, and the dad offered some small pieces of food to his two kids.

He knew the family well, they were all together and they looked mostly alright. Poli decided not to confront them, he wanted to look for others who needed immediate assistance. He walked through the street, his feet never straying from the yellow line. Road laws had to value to him at the moment.

He would have to build all of this up again. And for what? To be destroyed again when another storm rolled through? His mind spun. He didn’t know what to do. Would they rebuild or leave the town to slowly drown? Thinking about it made his head hurt. He would think about it later.

A voice sounded softly in the distance.

“Hello?! Anyone out here?!”

Sounded a bit like Helly….wait, Helly!

“Helly?!” He forced out in reply, moving faster towards the sound. His voice was raspy from not having spoken.

“Poli?!”

Poli saw him.

“Helly!” His voice cracked with relief and excitement.

They ran into each other hard, holding on tight. Helly sniffed, and Poli could tell he was crying. He tightened his grip on the smaller male, leaning down a bit a match Helly’s height. Before he knew it, he was on the verge of tears himself. He was just so thankful to have at least one of his teammates alive and breathing. Right in his grip, where he didn’t want to let him go.

After a long few moments, Poli slowly stood up. He looked down at Helly’s teary eyes, and gave him a small smile. Something he hadn’t done in so long. It felt nice.

Helly sniffed and rubbed his face. “P-Poli, do you want to try to find the others?” He asked softly, taking Poli’s hand and not letting go.

Poli nodded. He felt like he couldn’t speak, perhaps it was from the lump that hung in his throat. He squeezed Helly’s hand and moved forward along the path.

They walked for a while, Helly occasionally calling out to people. Though Poli did want to look for the others, they needed to get back to the Rescue Center. Hopefully the others would be there.

[AMBER]

She held her arms up, eyes wide with worry.

“Posty, jump down. I’ll catch you, I promise.”

Posty shook his oily head. “No! I’m going to get hurt even more than I already am!” He was pretty scratched up.

Amber nodded. “I know, but I can’t treat you when your still in that tree! You won’t feel any better bleeding out in a tree like that!” She said, trying to get him down.

They had climbed those trees to escape the rising river waters. They were in the forest, near where the bridge used to cross the small river. Due to the hurricane, the river had risen to a concerning extent. Yet the debris that flew around posed more of a danger to them.

Amber hadn’t seen any of the damage that had happened in town, but she was worried about it. She lifted up her barely working transmitter, and called back to Jin. None of the others had responded when he tried to reach them.

“C’mon Posty,” she tried to lull him down again.

Posty grimaced. “Fine…” he slowly shuffled from the trees. “AHH!”

Amber rushed forwards, barely catching him. She sighed exhaustedly. “…see? That wasn’t so bad.”

Posty was laid onto the ground when Jin’s voice came through her transmitter.

“Amber! Do you think you’ll be able to make it back to the rescue center?” Jin asked.

Amber looked around. The water had significantly lowered since last night, so she should be able to wade through the river without an issue. She lifted her transmitter up, “Yes, I think I should be able to. I’ll try to be back as soon as possible. I need to help Posty cross the river, since the bridge broke.”

“Okay! I’m glad I’m at least hearing from one of you guys…I’m really worried.”

They both sat in silence for a few moments, before Jin hung up. Amber turned to Posty. “Okay, so I’m going to have to carry you across…are you comfortable with that? If not I could always carry supplies from one side to another. At least until we can get something safer for you to cross on.”

Posty shook his head. “No, no, you can take me I guess. I don’t want to make things harder on you guys.”

Amber didn’t argue, it would be easier if he could just run back home. She nodded. “Okay. Come on, I don’t have much time.” Might as well get things over with quickly so she can check on the rest of the town.

Posty and Amber headed for the river, Amber pushing past tree limbs and other random pieces of debris like road signs. Soon, they reached it, which was mostly calm, but still moved quickly.

“Alright, you sure you want to do this, Posty?” Amber asked, ensuring he wanted to do this.

Posty nodded. “Yes! All my packages are going to be ruined! I need to see their condition!” He hissed, jumping up and down worriedly.

Amber sighed, bending down to pick him up. She pulled him up into her arms, just barely being able to see past him. She slowly made her way through the water, feeling it tug on her legs. They reached the other side, and Amber rested Posty on the bank side.

“There, now you go head off to your—AH!” Amber felt her foot slip. She fell and landed hard in the water. She felt her screen scratch the rocks in the bottom, and the water tugging her along. She pushed up with her arms, getting up onto her knees. She took a surprised few breaths, and shook the cold water off of her.

“Oh my gosh! Amber! Are you okay?!” Posty asked, looking shocked himself.

Amber stood up, spitting out some water that got trapped in her mouth. “Ugh, yeah. I’m fine…”

***

“Oh thank god you guys are okay!” Jin cried. Running up to them. “Where were you guys?!”

Helly frowned. “We got stuck in the hurricane…sorry Jin. I should’ve known better…”

“We all should’ve known better, Helly,” Amber said, giving him a sympathetic look. “It wasn’t just you who got caught in the storm you know..” She gave him a small pat on the shoulder.

Jin sighed. “It’s great to have you all back but—wait, no, where’s Roy?” Her voice shifted to a concerned one.

They all looked around.

“Has anyone seen him?” Jin asked.

They all shook their heads.

Amber thought for a moment. “I did see him before the storm hit, but otherwise no…”

Helly looked at Amber then back at Jin. “Should we go look for him? What if he’s in trouble?”

“No,” said Amber. “we need to make sure all of us are fit to travel, Helly, you’re all banged up. Before we go look for him, we will treat our wounds.” She established. She did know best for this situation.

Jin nodded in agreement. “That sounds good, Amber.”

It took a few days before Poli got out of the rescue center to look for Roy. We was getting worried now, especially with no signs of him. Surprisingly, there were a few emergency phones that still worked, and they were getting many calls from residents who stayed. They begged for help and cried about their homes…it was horrible.

But Poli wanted to find Roy first. He needed to. He couldn’t stand still a second longer not doing so. It stuck to him like a needle in his kneecap…however that works. Of course he felt like shit, but it was a weight on his shoulders that seemed to strangle him.

He groaned. It was all so much. So much for one leader. One guy who had to chose whether they should give up or rebuild, what to do and how, when to do it and where, try to somehow fix his town from…that.

That monster.

The monster that slowly shrunk among the horizon, yet it’s teeth still sunk through the grounds of Broomstown. Through the heart. Through his and everyone else’s hearts. Homes. Lives. Everything.

He shook his head, trying so desperately to clear it. He wanted everything to just be okay again. To fix themselves. To go back to when everyone was happy and healthy and safe and…and…

THWAP !

Something struck Poli hard in the head. Then black.

Birds chirped and plucked at the flowers that tried ti heal within the soil’s bounds. Their wilted, destroyed petals slumped sadly against his cold skin. Yet, even in their wilted state, they protected him. The ones that had managed to heal enough stood triumphantly over his body. Like an I survived statement to the world.

Because they survived. Unlike others, they continued to try to bloom even in the thick of it, when their petals were torn away from their stems.

They brushed his face, a call to wake up. A call to come back to reality. There was much to do for this young, unconscious man in the grass; huddled by beautiful, yet hurt, flowers.

His eyes slowly opened, the sun brightened with excitement to his sigh of waking up. Waking up.

From this nightmare?

No.

He sat up slowly, feeling trickles of water that hid in small dark spots of his body scatter away. Everything remained fuzzy as he looked left-to-right. A small bee flew from a flower petal to his knee. It buzzed happily as it saw him. Hello! It seemed to say. Wake up! Wake up! There is work to be done! Buzz along, boy!

He looked closer at the busy bee. Very busy indeed. There were many flowers to be pollinated. The bee buzzed it’s wings on his knee. That town won’t pollinate itself, boy! Go save your hive! Then, it flew off. He was glad to know he wouldn’t be the only one busy tonight.

Now, he stared at his hands. His feet, up to his knees, his waist, his arms, then his wrists. His once bright red paint was now stained and scratched and cut up. He felt like the little bee that had buzzed off. Did he have to pollinate the town, make it beautiful so it can flourish and spread once again? Like the bee with its flowers?

Yes.

He look his grey cut hand and lifted it to his face. Then…

WHAP!

His cheek stung, but he was ready now.

He jumped to his feet, ignoring how his legs screamed in pain as he did so. “C’mon, Roy,” he said to himself. “Sitting around won’t help people.”

Before he knew it, Roy was plunging down the small hillside. His legs and feet brought him speed, his arms brought him strength, but what he needed was his town. His town gave him bravery. Endurance. It made him and shaped him into who he truly was. He would not let it go to waste now.

No matter how many hurricanes plunged through and threatened to tear them apart, they would always be together. Whether in Broomstown or somewhere far, far away.

When he came back to reality, he stood in the middle of town square. It was only now that he noticed the thick, long trail of black oil spilling down the front of his face. He probably had a concussion. He wiped it away.

The town was in ruins. It looked like it had been abandoned for years. Many years; one storm. Gone. Everything.

Roy refused to let this deter him. He pushed his gaze towards the gate that lead to the rescue headquarters. His home. Almost by instinct, he pushed past the red and white bars, his feet carrying him further and further. He last many broken families, but for once his mind wasn’t in them. His mind was on home.

home…

He missed his team—his family so much. He had not idea when things had been so suddenly torn away, yt it left a whole in his heart he wanted to fill. Just seeing one of their faces would…wait.

There it was. There he was. On the side of the road, clearly unconscious, laid his friend. Best friend, to be exact. A fat tree branch laid beside him. He must had somehow been hit.

Roy rushed to Poli’s side, almost tripping over his own feet.

“Poli? Poli!” He cried, shaking Poli’s shoulders weakly.

Poli shifted with a short groan of pain. His beautiful blue eyes met Roy’s thick, teary, brown ones.

“R-Roy?” Poli’s eyes widened, and the suns rays made them sparkle like new. Every aspect of them was illuminated. It was almost like looking into a glacier. The prettiest, bluest, bestest glacier he’d ever known.

“Poli…”

Roy ducked down and engulfed Poli in his arms. Oil from his bleeding head stained Poli’s forehead, but he didn’t care. He hugged a little tighter.

“W-We thought you were dead, Roy!” Poli exclaimed, tears escaping his relieved gaze. “You we’re gone for d-days and we had no idea w-where you w-were…”

Roy’s eyes widened again in shock. Days? Had he really been knocked out that badly?

“I-I…I got some kind of bad head injury…I didn’t think I was out for that long…I’m so sorry for worrying you guys…I don’t know..”

Poli slowly got up from the roadside. “…well I guess we’re matching in head injuries, that’s for sure.” He joked, though his voice was still thick from his tears and worry.

Roy nodded. “Let’s head back to the rescue center. Then we can discuss what we’re going to do with the town. Remember Poli, we, your team, will be there every step of the way. The weight isn’t just on you, you’re not alone. If you ever need help, or need a break, we have you covered. Just please…don’t overwork yourself. I know how it is coming from me but…”

Poli’s gaze went to his feet, then back up at Roy. “T-Thank you. I’m so lucky to have you guys.”

Roy took Poli’s hand with a soft smile. “Come on. We have things to do.”

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

That’s it 😭

I’m sorry to end it a bit abruptly but this is getting so long already….

W to you i you read all of this.

I’ll check for grammar mistakes later, so I’m sorry if I left any weird/random cliffhangers or just stupid grammar mistakes lol

Good night :3

[imjustwritingg]

Sorry not Tracy/Jesse related but is the windy city series worth getting the books have been in my Amazon basket for weeks and can’t decide

Never apologize! I’m happy to talk about all the things around here.

In my opinion, yes, but I might be just a little bit biased. I love the Windy City series and I love Liz Tomforde. She is a writing genius and can do no wrong in my eyes.

From a more pragmatic perspective as a writer myself, I think Liz tells a great story and she has some of the most well fleshed out characters I’ve ever read. They are characters who are sweet and funny, but flawed and relatable, and they’re people who have their own backstory within the story who you really root for while reading.

I also really enjoy how the series is interconnected. Every book is technically a standalone, but the stories are woven together so well that it doesn’t really feel like you’re reading a standalone. Not to me at least. Another thing I love about the series is the found family aspect which ties into the books and their stories being connected. You never really miss a character because they’re always mentioned or pop up in some way in the other books.

The fifth and final in the series comes out late May so you have the perfect amount of time to read the others and get caught up. And I do recommend reading the first four before you read the fifth one only because you will have a much bigger and better love and appreciation for the MMC in it. Not a spoiler, but his name is Rio DeLuca and he deserves every good thing in this world and I am SO EXCITED for him to finally have the spotlight.

I kinda went on a wild tangent here, but yes, I absolutely think they’re worth it and you should give them a chance. There are some things to keep in mind trigger wise…they’re not too crazy, but always check for those before you read anything. Liz’s books also have cursing and a good dose of spice, and if it wasn’t obvious already, the series takes place in Chicago which is just a major plus for me.

If you do read them, please yell in my inbox about it! I would love to hear your thoughts. I’m also happy to give more book recommendations if you want them.