#and checking some dog anatomy again

[jeonstudios]

anatomy of a vampire | 01

a young man returns to a small town he hasn't seen in years, and a house he hasn't lived in since before the last president was born, only to find that a stray cat has given birth to kittens in his closet.

pairing: vampire!jk x nerdy f veterinarian!reader (with a special interest in the science and biology aspect of the supernatural lol)

genre: sorta scifi-ish, fluff, minor angst, some smut later on

word count: 4.7k

warnings: none in this part (maybe anatomy talk/vet talk?), but there's gonna be like... inspection kink-stuff later on 🤪 more detailed warnings to come <3

rating: NC-17 – Adults Only

masterlist

part 1/? 

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© anatomy of a vampire is copyright jeonstudios. this fic can not be modified, re-posted, or translated without my permission.

You’re halfway through your lunch when Namjoon pokes his head into the break room, a stethoscope around his neck and thick-rimmed glasses low on his nose.

“Reception just got a call about a home visit.”

“Today?” you ask, your mouth full of chicken sandwich as you glance at your wristwatch. You and Namjoon are way too close for you to care about being ladylike.

“Mhm.”

You pause. Not many clinics in your small town offer home visits, and even fewer do it on short notice. For your clinic, it’s usually about an old dog being put to rest at home—incredibly sad, but not an emergency. 

“Is it urgent?”

“Not on the minute, but needs done today.”

You glance at the patient chart on the table in front of you. “I think this’ll be quick. I’ll go after this one.”

“You sure?” Namjoon asks. “Technically, it’s my turn.”

“Yeah, it’s fine. You should see Oakley when he comes; he’s not very fond of me.”

Oakley, a returning patient with chronic stomach issues, has managed to spray paint you a yellowy brown on three different occasions. From both ends. It’s like he aims.

Namjoon snorts. He hasn’t been hit once.

Checking your watch again, you push the last bite of your sandwich into your mouth, chewing it while you grab the chart. Namjoon is already on his way to greet another patient and their owner, and you take a second to swallow and wipe any crumbs off your scrubs before you follow his lead, heading into the waiting area.

“Millie?” you call, smiling when a young woman rises from a chair, her red dachshund's nose practically glued to the clinic floor.

It’s two-thirty when you pull out of the clinic parking lot, the clinic’s old station wagon rattling faintly as you steer onto the main road. The address in the confirmation email is farther out than you expected but still technically within the town limits, and you watch the short apartment buildings give way to larger, more spaced-out houses as you drive.

You don’t often find yourself in this part of town these days, although you’re very familiar with at least one house here. Many Halloweens were spent here back in the day, kids dressed up as various creatures daring each other to fight through the overgrown lawn and peek inside the dark windows. Countless stories were told about the abandoned house, each one slightly more insane than the last. Of course, you were like… eight, and a large, seemingly empty white house with a big, black gable was doomed to be haunted.

Still, you’re very surprised when you stop at the red pin on your phone’s screen, and it’s outside that very house. Momo, who works the reception, must’ve forgotten to fill out the pet owner’s name on the confirmation form she sent you, so all you have is this address and a brief line of patient info.

Even though the sky is gray—fittingly enough threatening September rain—it’s not as scary as you remember. Probably because it’s not a dark Halloween night, and you’re not a kid anymore. It also doesn’t actually seem to be abandoned. To be fair, it was never really run-down aside from the lawn, but now there’s a big black SUV parked outside. 

Getting out of the car, you grab the rectangular veterinary kit bag, accidentally shutting the trunk a little too hard. The sound echoes down the quiet street, letting anyone who wasn’t already aware know of your arrival. A chilly breeze has you pulling your softshell jacket tighter over your light blue scrubs as you lock the car. When you turn back to the house, you pause to take it in once more. It’s a pretty house—two-story, painted white probably a long time ago but still holding up surprisingly well. Black shutters frame the dark windows, and the tall, black gabled roof reaches impressively toward the gray sky. The lawn has either been trimmed within the last few years, or your childhood imagination really exaggerated it because you can clearly recall it looking more like a thicket with tall grass than just… an overgrown lawn. You distinctly remember more... shrubs.

Climbing the shallow steps, you stop in front of the black-painted door and raise your hand to knock. As you wait, you tilt your head back, once again letting your gaze linger on the house. Who exactly are you here to meet? Maybe it’s some introverted old woman who rarely leaves her house? Or a grumpy old man? But then again, the SUV looked awfully modern. Maybe the ancient resident has a grandchild visiting?

A short moment later, the door opens with a slight creak.

It’s not an old lady; it’s a young man. A tall young man—probably the most attractive one you’ve ever seen—looking down at you. He’s broad-shouldered and lean, visibly fit even despite the thick, black hoodie and baggy jeans he wears. You try not to stare at the shadow created in the fabric between his pecs, or the way the oversized hoodie still somehow manages to cling to the top of his bicep as he keeps one hand on the door handle. His black, relatively straight hair doesn’t look styled, just like it naturally falls into its part, the sides of it a little shorter than the top. Everything about him screams effortless, like he just wakes up looking like that.

One thing’s for sure: he wasn’t who you expected to open the door.

“Uh, hi,” you introduce yourself, telling him your name, “Did you… call for a vet?”

For some reason, he looks almost as surprised as you. “Hey. I did, yeah. I’m Jeongguk.”

Though he smiles politely, he doesn’t offer his hand for you to shake. It’s not something you dwell on. Quite a few of the pet owners you meet prefer not to shake hands.

“Come in.”

You nod and step inside, having to almost squeeze past him in the narrow hallway as he shuts the door behind you. Like always when you enter a strange man’s home alone, you say a little prayer in your head. If it came to it, you’ve got a bunch of pointy things in your bag, but you’d still prefer it if he wasn’t crazy to begin with.

As you move past him, you’re almost surprised that you don’t… smell him. Men—at least in this town—are very fond of their colognes and sprays, but you don’t catch even the slightest whiff of him. You wouldn’t say that you particularly enjoy the strong… scents, but the total lack of one from a hunk like this is almost disappointing.

When you go to slip your shoes off, he stops you. 

“Keep them on,” he says, voice kept low due to the distance. Or rather, the lack thereof. “It’s… not very clean.” 

There’s something in the casual smile he gives you besides an attractiveness you’ve never seen before. Maybe it’s a tad of… sheepishness? It doesn’t matter; your skin still heats under his gaze

“Oh, okay,” you say, trying to remain unbothered and professional while waiting for him to take the lead. Luckily, you don’t think he notices.

Even with the heads-up, you’re not sure what surprises you more as you follow him into the house—the layers and layers of dust, or the Edwardian, neoclassical interior design. The faded, beige walls are paneled, and as he leads you toward a staircase, you catch a glimpse of what appears to be the living room through an open archway. In it, you spot a pale green velvet sofa and two upholstered armchairs, fitting right in. There’s also a rectangular fireplace, a gold-framed mirror above it, and what catches your interest the most: a chandelier. Its size is impressive, and so is the fact that it looks like it was made for real, live candles. The same goes for the brass wall sconces placed on either side of the fireplace. You’ve only ever seen those in movies.

“They’re up here,” he says, and you nod, reaching for the wooden railing as you follow him up the stairs.

The steps creak loudly beneath your weight—another reminder of just how old this house probably is. At the landing, he turns, leading you to a bedroom. It’s surprisingly small for a house this size, but it’s cozy and warm in a way you weren’t expecting. You guess the clouds outside have eased up a little because the smallest ray of sunlight filters through the practically sheer beige curtains and highlights the dust particles floating in the air.

The four-poster bed is made from dark wood, its canopy rails bare and the headboard curled softly. Like most things, the white sheets appear pretty much untouched, and the only real signs of life are the footsteps disturbing the dust on the floor. You've followed a path all the way from the door, and when you look closer, you see paw prints venturing outside it.

Noticing your lingering gaze, Jeongguk scratches the back of his neck.

“I haven’t been here in a while.”

You figured. It doesn’t look like anyone’s been here since… the late 1800s. Although it’s certainly a stylistic choice—and one you wouldn’t have expected from someone so young and otherwise modern-looking—it has its charm. Even if you’re not sure there’s even electricity or running water.

“I arrived earlier today and found them here,” Jeongguk continues, approaching a standalone wooden wardrobe placed against the wall. One door is already slightly ajar, but when he carefully opens it wider, you see them. The cat with kittens. “I read that you’re not supposed to move them.”

The mother cat, who looks to be all black, has made a little nest on top of a crisp white shirt that’s fallen from its hanger above.

“Oh,” you breathe, crouching slowly to get a better look. “They’re brand new.”

“Yeah. And I think one is smaller than the others.”

Your eyes travel over the small beings, each with varying patches of white to go with the black. None of them, from what you can tell, have even opened their eyes yet. The mother cat stops licking one of the kittens to give you a warning hiss. You listen, rising to your feet and turning away, a plan already in mind.

“Okay, I brought some food that might help lure her out,” you say, setting the bag down on the floor and crouching to reach into it. “This stuff’s usually pretty irresistible…”

But when you look back at the man—a jar gripped in your hand—he’s already holding the mother cat. Just straight around her middle, as if he’s never held a cat before. She doesn’t seem to mind very much, just hangs there, looking around.

Jeongguk looks at you, a little surprised too.

“Oh, okay. She seems to like you better,” you smile. You can’t help but think that he looks… sweet. A big, clearly very muscular and attractive man who’s liked by animals? It’s definitely both a green flag and a personal weakness for you.

The food goes back into the bag, and you reach for the equipment you’ll need instead. With a stethoscope around your neck, a small kitchen scale, and a thermometer, you kneel in front of the wardrobe. In the meantime, Jeongguk sits down on the bed, the cat perched on his lap. He keeps his large hands around her, gently keeping her in place in case she changes her mind.

Very gently, you reach for the smallest kitten first. It squirms in your hands, mouth open and paws sticking out in a silent protest. 

“Sex is notoriously tricky to tell on kittens, especially this small, so I’m not even gonna try,” you say with a smile, giving the kitten a general once-over before focusing on its face. It’s a sweet little thing, crying a little as you inspect it. This one is mostly black but with two white front paws.

“Well, I’d definitely say they’re only a day or two old. This one has a suckle reflex but hasn’t opened its eyes yet. That usually happens between day five and fourteen. The umbilical stump is still attached too, and that usually falls off around day two to four.”

“So that’s… good?” Jeongguk asks, and when you look at him, the mother cat is bumping her head against his abdomen. He peers down at her on his lap, extending his veiny hand in a wordless offer. She accepts it, rubbing her head against his palm and letting him pet her.

“Yeah. That’s normal.”

You return your focus to the little being in your hands, carefully looking into its mouth again to check its gums and palate. 

“Pink gums and no cleft. That’s good, too.”

With one hand, you grab the stethoscope from your neck, putting the earpieces in place. Getting a clear heart or lung reading on kittens this tiny isn’t easy. Their heart rate is fast, making it easy to miss abnormalities, and their small, wriggling bodies make it hard to even position the chestpiece properly in the first place.

Focusing, you hold the kitten still, placing the stethoscope on the left side of its chest just behind the elbow. Then you listen closely, trying to ignore the soft purring from the adult cat.

It sounds… good. Alright, at least. Shifting the stethoscope slightly, you first listen to one lung and then the other. You don’t notice anything abnormal there, either.

“Heart and lungs sound okay,” you declare, slipping the stethoscope back around your neck.

“What’s next?”

“Temperature,” you answer, reaching for the digital thermometer.

“What should their temperature be?”

“Somewhere between thirty-six and thirty-six point five degrees Celsius.”

“Isn’t that a little low? I mean, compared to a human?”

“Adult cats are more similar to humans, but kittens generally run a little colder,” you explain, focusing on getting the reading right. “They don’t have the ability to regulate their body temperature properly for the first couple of weeks.”

The thermometer beeps.

“Thirty-six point two,” you mumble. “So that’s within the range. A little low, but not necessarily dangerous.”

With one hand, you reach for the kitchen scale, setting it on the floor in front of you. It powers on, and once it’s ready, you place the kitten on it, keeping your hand floating above in case the little animal tries to wiggle off the tray.

The number settles, and you read it out loud. “Eighty-one grams.”

“Too small?” Jeongguk wonders.

“On the lower side, but not dangerously so. At least not yet.”

You take the kitten and carefully place it back in the makeshift nest for the moment. Before reaching for another kitten to examine in the same way, you grab a small notebook in your bag, quickly jotting down the numbers so you don’t forget them.

Jeongguk looks on as you inspect the rest of the four kittens, occasionally asking another question. It’s not unusual for pet owners to ask questions, but considering these aren’t even his cats—and from what you gathered, he only found them today—it makes your chest warm. Not everyone would go to such lengths for stray cats. It also doesn’t help your growing soft spot that you get to talk about animals and their anatomy to someone who seems to want to listen. After all, you’re a bit of a nerd, and this is your number one fascination.

One by one, the kittens get their clean bill of health and are placed back on the shirt, and then you shift your focus to their mother. She’s standing on Jeongguk’s lap, still headbutting his chest. While she’s preoccupied, you quietly reach into your bag for the microchip scanner, but the moment you try to get close, she notices and hisses. 

“Give it a try, please?” You hold the scanner out to Jeongguk, keeping as much distance as you can. “Press this button and move the scanner over her, focusing on her neck and back.”

Jeongguk takes the scanner from your outreached hand, doing as you instructed and pressing the button. It beeps, and he begins to move it over her.

“Like this?” he asks, his eyebrows furrowed almost angrily as he focuses.

You nod encouragingly. “Yeah.”

“Is it to see if she has an owner?”

“Yes. But sometimes, even if they are microchipped, there's not a registered owner. But we can hope.”

He continues to search for a chip, but when nothing happens, he looks at you with those dark eyes, silently asking what to do.

“Try her belly and even her legs. Sometimes, they migrate.”

Adjusting his grip on the scanner, he moves it lower.

“Doesn’t seem like it,” he says a moment later, handing the scanner back to you.

“Yeah,” you sigh, taking it to put it back in the bag. Although disappointed, you’re not surprised. “Would you mind helping me check her out? She seems to really like you. A whole lot better than she likes me, at least.”

He matches the soft smile you give him. “Sure.”

“Okay, well, she seems to be in okay condition, but I need to rule out any birth-related injuries. 

“What do I do?” he asks, scooting closer to the edge of the bed, the cat still happy to receive his attention. 

“Just… hold her like that… Yes, exactly. And with your other hand, move her tail away for me?”

A little awkwardly, he follows your instructions again, and while you don’t think the cat particularly enjoys it, she doesn’t fight it. You move closer, trying to get a better look while doing your best not to stare at his veiny hands instead. In any other setting, they’d be way too much of a distraction, but knowing that this cat depends on you to evaluate her health, you divert your gaze.

“Alright… I don’t see anything... unusual, no swelling, no blood, no discharge. If she were injured, you’d usually spot it, but she’s not thrilled with me, so I won’t push it,” you chuckle, leaning back.

Having animals dislike you is unfortunately part of the job. Sometimes, it hurts your heart a little, but when you remember that it’s easy for an animal to associate the scrubs or equipment with something unpleasant and maybe even painful, it makes more sense. Briefly, you wonder if this cat has ever been to a vet or if her dislike for you stems from something else. It’s definitely normal for new mothers to have a bit of an attitude, but you’d think that would include every human in the room. Or maybe she doesn’t dislike you in particular; maybe she just really likes Jeongguk. Which... you know, fair.

Almost as if sensing that the examination is over, the black cat jumps down from Jeongguk’s lap, leaping past you to get to her babies. 

“Alright,” you say, wiping your hands on your pants before you stand up. “It’s important not to disturb them too much, but they’ll still need some supervision—especially the small one—just to make sure they continue to eat and grow. And they’ll need a better place to nest, somewhere a little warmer, softer, and less… dusty. No offense.”

Jeongguk chuckles, standing up as well and brushing some cat hairs from his hoodie. “None taken.”

“So, if you want me to, I can take them with me. We have a foster program and a few great volunteers.”

Jeongguk looks down at you, his brows furrowed in confusion this time. “I thought they were too small to be moved?”

“Yeah,” you nod, bending down to quickly gather the rest of the used equipment and put it back in the bag. “Ideally, they wouldn’t need to be. But I understand if you can’t or don't want to look after a stray cat and her kittens.”

“No, it’s… uh… It’s fine,” he says, appearing to land in a decision and sticking by it, his eyes traveling to the little bodies nestled into the white shirt. “It’s not that hard, right? Just keep an eye on them? If you think I can do it, of course. I already have a litter box.”

You blink, a little surprised. “You just happened to have a litter box?”

“No, I asked some neighbors after I called you. I figured you'd have some tips about the other stuff. Like food and such.”

Your smile grows as you watch him. He is… oddly endearing. “Yeah. Of course,” you say, your voice softening. The fewer cats and kitten taking up the very limited space at the volunteers', the better. “Okay.”

You begin drafting an email to send to him. It includes everything you've talked about plus cat food recommendations for the mother cat and a link to a cat bed that’s cheap but comfortable enough for a nursing litter. While you write, you talk him through everything again, like what to watch for, when to weigh them, and what to do if anything seems off.

He asks a few questions, making it very clear—if it wasn’t already—that he doesn’t really have any experience with animals. While he’s never appeared scared or nervous during your visit, you can tell that he’s not quite sure what to do. He moves slowly, almost a little awkwardly around the cats, but it’s more like he doesn’t want to scare them.

“You really like animals,” he points out, watching you tuck your notebook back into the bag.

You glance up at him. His tone isn’t mocking but more... curious. Still, you nod, a little self-conscious of how nerdy you can be.

“Yeah, animals are incredible. Not only because they’re such good companions—some of them at least—but, they’re so fascinating? How they function and how they’ve evolved.”

But there’s something else in his curious gaze that you finally pick up on, and it dawns on you.

“You think I’m a freak too, don’t you?” you say with a smile, pulling the stethoscope you’d forgotten to pack from around your neck and tucking it into the bag as well.

“No, no,” he shakes his head.

You lift an eyebrow. “But you know about it? My paper?”

His eyes are so dark. “Yeah…”

You look away, trying not to let it affect your professionalism. Speaking about it brings up memories you’d rather not be reminded of. “I thought you said you hadn’t been here in forever?”

It’s weird, right? If he doesn’t live here and hasn’t been around in a long time, how would he know the gossip?

“Town called a few years ago. About the electrical wiring needing to be upgraded. So I came here to fix it.”

Oh. That makes sense, you guess. A few years ago was when it first happened. That’s probably also why the yard looked different from what you remembered.

“And you heard about it?”

He smiles apologetically. “Yeah. It’s a small town, I guess.”

“It’s not like I think Ariel is real. Or that dragons roam the sky or that Dracula lives in a dark castle somewhere, wearing a black cape over a white, frilly shirt,” you defend, slinging the bag over your shoulder. “I just wrote about how much we don’t actually know about the living organisms around us and how some of the 'supernatural' traits aren't really that crazy, anatomically speaking.”

“No, I get that,” he assures, sounding like he genuinely didn’t mean to upset you. “I found it very interesting.”

“So is that why you looked so surprised to see me? Because you recognized me?”

“No. Or… well, yeah. I spoke to the receptionist, and she told me a man’s name—Namjoon, I think—would come.”

“Oh.”

“But I did also vaguely recognize you, I think. From the image.”

Lifting your wrist, you glance at the watch. “I should start to head back. Lock the clinic up.”

“I didn’t mean to offend you,” Jeongguk says, and when you meet his dark eyes again, he looks genuine. “I don’t think you’re a freak, I promise.”

“It’s alright,” you say, offering him a quick smile. “I’m not supposed to be out this long anyway. I have to get back and finish up the bill. I’ll email it to you along with the advice, is that okay?”

He nods, clearly accepting that he did in fact upset you to some degree. “Okay. Thank you for the help.”

You smile again, relaxing your shoulders and taking a deep breath. Maybe you should cut him some slack. Technically, he wasn’t even the one to bring your paper up; that was all you. And besides very, very handsome, you haven’t once thought of him as anything other than sweet.

"No problem."

The drive back to the clinic is quiet. You don’t even turn the prehistoric radio on. It doesn’t matter because your thoughts are loud enough anyway, circling back to one thing. One thing and one person.

The paper you wrote in vet school was a mistake. Not that it was bad per se—it was a perfectly science-based paper, focused on the more unusual biological traits found in the animal kingdom. 

Unfortunately, you made the grave mistake of connecting some of those traits to various mythical creatures and their ‘unbelievable’ biology. Some of your peers—predominantly men—found it absolutely ridiculous and teased you for it. The more you tried to defend yourself, the funnier they thought it was.

You’d think it at least would’ve stayed within whatever small circle vet med is, but when your small town happens to be known specifically for the vet med program, a surprisingly large chunk of the population has some connection to it. You’re lucky that not many wish to stay in town after graduating, or you would’ve been last on the list to get a job. You still remember your current boss’s inspecting eyes as she interviewed you, trying to make sure you weren’t actually batshit crazy. That was maybe five or so years ago, and you haven’t really had to think about the paper in probably at least a year. 

Until today. Again, it wasn’t Jeongguk’s fault, you don’t think he even meant for it to be brought up. It still caught you off guard, though, because even if you don’t know him, he didn’t give off the same vibe as the people who laughed at you. And now, you can’t stop thinking about him. About his build, and how the oversized clothes hung off his strong, muscular body. Or his large, veiny hands as he gently pet the mother cat. His dark eyes, sharp jaw, and strong eyebrows. Even his nose—with its straight bridge and softly rounded tip, creating such a striking, masculine profile—had a way of completely mesmerizing you.

Not only is he probably the most attractive man you’ve seen in a long time—maybe ever, but he seemed… warm. You wouldn’t expect a man like him to care for a stray cat and her newborn kittens, much less call a vet out to help, but he did.

Back at the clinic, you take a seat in front of the desktop computer, typing your notes into the chart and updating the bill. Besides the obviously tragic parts of dealing with sick and injured animals, the worst part is probably billing the owners. You need money to live just like everyone else, but you’ll always feel wrong charging worried owners to care for their family members. Even now, as you’re adding the services to… Jeon Jeongguk’s bill, you think about how the cats don’t even belong to him.

The cursor hovers over his name. Who is he? How did he come to be the owner of that house, and why own it if he’s not living there or at least visiting regularly? Why bother even fixing the electrical wiring if it’s just gonna stay empty? And just how long had it been empty?

The questions whirl in your head. Though it’s not really any of your business why he returned, maybe you could’ve at least asked him where he’s from? It would’ve been acceptable small talk, right? Could you also have asked why he felt the need to take care of the cats, even when you offered to take them off his hands, or would that have been rude? 

Realizing that you’re not getting anywhere, you bill him for a standard home visit of half an hour—even though you stayed closer to one—and for the gas just so you don’t lose money on the visit. You don’t add the same day fee or charge him for the used materials.

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author's note: i hope you liked it and are excited for the rest because i think it's gonna be good!!! i also had some moodboard pics of the house made so let me know if you'd like to see them <3

[iyoonjh]

Beyond Plus Ultra! – The anatomy of falling in love

Chapter 15: Over 1,000,000 Heartbeats Per Second, but Jesus Christ who let the dogs out?

wc: 6536 words

Soobin was going to pass out.

Like, not metaphorically. Not the oh, I’m so nervous I might faint, ha-ha kind of thing. No—he was genuinely preparing himself for actual loss of consciousness.

Because she was coming over. To his apartment. The same apartment where he had cried over Your Name, kept an unopened One Piece figure on the bookshelf for three years out of fear of “ruining the box,” and owned exactly zero furniture that could be classified as “adult.”

And she—Y/N—was coming here voluntarily. After the kiss.

Which had haunted him every waking second since it happened.

Soobin stood in the middle of his living room, staring at his bookshelf like the books had personally betrayed him. Why had he alphabetized them? That was insane, he was insane. No normal person alphabetized their manga by author and series title. That was the behavior of someone who paid taxes with a sword and lived in a moss-covered cave.

His hands flew to the shelf. No time. Chaos was more human. He began to de-organize everything with the urgency of someone erasing a crime scene. Then paused. Was chaotic worse? Would it scream “this guy hasn’t emotionally evolved since Digimon”?

Truth was, Soobin had cleaned his apartment like he was preparing for a government inspection.

Not just a “wipe down the counters and hide your socks” kind of clean—no, this was a full-blown crisis intervention. He vacuumed. He rearranged the manga shelf three times. He googled “how to look effortlessly cool but emotionally available through interior design.” He wiped down the inside of the microwave. The inside. Who even notices that?

He had picked out three shirts. Tried all of them on. Hated all of them. Went back to the first one – the Gojo one. Changed again. Now he was in a soft grey hoodie because “low-stakes and huggable” felt like the safest vibe.

And still, as he paced his too-small living room—hands tangled in his hair, heart clawing its way up his throat—Soobin was certain of one thing: He was going to die. Or combust. Or dissolve into the floor. Or something equally dramatic and deserved.

Then his phone buzzed, and for a split second, he was genuinely convinced it was the end. A stroke. A heart attack. Divine punishment.

Y/N: omw :)

Oh god. She used a smiley face.

Not an emoji. A colon-parenthesis smiley. The old-school, no-frills kind. The kind that meant warmth. Familiarity. The kind that made Soobin feel like maybe she wasn't coming over to say "hey, about that kiss, let's never speak of it again, it was the worst kiss of my life."

Maybe.

He stood up so fast he got dizzy. Checked the mirror. Immediately regretted it. His hair looked like he’d tried to style it in a wind tunnel. His hoodie was riding weird on his shoulder. He looked exactly like he felt: insane.

The buzzer rang.

Oh my god. It’s her. Okay, this is happening, this is life.

Soobin walked to the door like a prisoner walking to the gallows, heart on his throat and sweat running down his spine.

He opened it.

And there she was.

Backlit by the low golden sunset, hair slightly tousled from the breeze, her lips pulled into a soft smile that made his brain completely short-circuit.

Soobin stopped functioning.

Like, genuinely. His entire body just—froze. It was like he was seeing her for the first time all over again. As if seeing her like this had triggered some biological override. As if his nervous system had taken one look at her and whispered, Nope. We’re out.

She was right there. Real. Warm. Wearing the kind of expression that lived in the spaces between his daydreams, the kind that looked too soft, too fond, too much for his heart to take.

And she was smiling at him.

God. That smile.

It wasn’t big or dramatic. It was quiet, just a curve of her mouth and a slight crinkle near her eyes, but it hit him. Like some hidden part of him—some vulnerable, unspeakable center—had been waiting for exactly this moment without realizing it. And now that it was here, now that she was here, he couldn’t breathe.

His heart was thudding hard. Loud. As if trying to escape his chest and throw itself at her feet.

Because she looked like something out of a dream he’d never have the nerve to describe out loud. The way her hair caught the last light of day. The way it moved ever so slightly in the breeze. The worn tote bag hanging from her shoulder, the edge of a book peeking out like an accidental detail from an indie movie. Her shoelaces a little uneven. A necklace he’d never seen before. Her hands tucked into the sleeves of her sweater.

Every detail was devastating.

Because it was her.

Because she'd kissed him.

And now she was standing in front of his apartment door like it was nothing. Like this was casual. Like his world hadn’t been tilted off its axis since the last time he saw her.

And for a second—a full, long, crushing second—Soobin wasn’t standing in a doorway.

He was standing on that porch again, her face just inches from his. Her hands in his hoodie. Her breath brushing his cheek. The kiss, soft and surprising and all-consuming, like a secret he didn’t know he’d been keeping.

He’d replayed it in his head every night since.

Except “replayed” didn’t even cover it. He’d relived it. Obsessively. The angle of her chin. The way her hand lingered near his jaw. The moment her lips met his and the rest of the world just faded out.

It had wrecked him.

It had remade him.

And now she was standing here in golden light, eyes lit up with that mischievous glint, and Soobin had never felt more like a character in the wrong genre of movie. The best he could hope for was to not pass out before offering her water.

His throat was dry. He didn’t know what to do with his hands. His palms were clammy. His knees felt like they might betray him at any moment.

She said, “Hi.”

And he thought, I would memorize every version of your voice just to keep this one forever.

He said, “Hey.”

And wanted to punch himself immediately.

But she just smiled wider. Tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. And he nearly had to lean against the doorframe to stay upright, because how was this his life?

She was really here.

And she had no idea. No idea how hard it was not to tell her everything. Not to say, I haven’t slept because I keep imagining your mouth on mine. Not to blurt out, I’ve been thinking about you every second of every day and I don’t know what to do with myself anymore. Not to confess, you ruined me a little. And I liked it.

Instead, he swallowed hard. Shifted his weight.

Let her in.

Prayed to every god that had ever existed that he wouldn’t do something monumentally stupid.

Because the girl who kissed him under a starry sky was now walking into his apartment, and Soobin had never been more aware of his own heart than he was in that golden hour light.

“Hope I’m not too early,” she added, stepping inside. “I brought candy. And emotional baggage.”

Soobin let out a nervous breath. “I’ve got a whole closet for that.”

Y/N laughed—soft and easy—and kicked off her shoes. “Oh thank god. I was worried you were going to pretend to be emotionally healthy tonight.”

“Absolutely not,” he replied, following her into the living room. “I’m very committed to my internal chaos.”

They sat on the couch—on opposite ends, naturally. A respectable, excruciating distance. There were exactly twenty-four inches between them. Soobin knew because he’d measured it earlier, just in case she sat next to him and he had to pretend he wasn’t hyper aware of how close they were.

And now here she was, cross-legged, tossing a gummy worm into her mouth like she wasn’t the sole reason Soobin’s entire nervous system was in flames.

She looked around his apartment. “You rearranged your manga shelf.”

Soobin blinked. “W-what?”

She smirked. “In that picture you sent me yesterday, Bleach was next to One Piece. Now it’s on the bottom.”

Holy shit. She noticed?

“I, uh…” he rubbed the back of his neck. “Thought I’d switch it up.”

“You panicked.”

“I definitely panicked.”

She smiled, and something in his chest ached.

Y/N looked perfectly at ease, legs tucked under her on the couch, her face lit up with quiet excitement like this—being here, in his space—was the most natural thing in the world. She glanced around the room like it was familiar, like it didn’t even cross her mind that this was a big deal.

Meanwhile, Soobin was coming undone at the seams.

His brain couldn’t keep up with reality. She was on his couch. In his apartment. Eating the gummies she bought for him. Smiling at him like this wasn’t the single most terrifying and thrilling moment of his life. A silent, internal scream echoed through him as he tried to act normal—like his heart wasn’t trying to launch itself into orbit.

It hit him like a rogue wave: sudden, cold, and disorienting.

What was she doing here? How had this happened? Did she know what she was doing to him?

He blinked once. Twice. She was still there.

“Movie?” she asked, scrolling through the options on the screen like she didn’t just shatter his entire nervous system.

He nodded—too fast, too eager—and managed to form a word. “Yeah.”

They settled on Dune without much debate. It was an easy choice, safe and cinematic. A little pretentious in theory, but somehow a comfort movie to both of them. Neither of them mentioned they’d already seen it. Maybe because it didn’t matter. Maybe because this wasn’t about the movie at all.

Soobin knew every line, every cut of the camera. He couldn’t recall a single frame.

“So,” she said, popping another gummy into her mouth, eyes diverging from the screen, “tell me something dumb you believed as a kid.”

Soobin blinked. “Like… I used to think if I drank soda and chewed gum at the same time, my stomach would explode?”

She gasped. “Same! I was terrified. One time my brother gave me Coke while I had a mint in my mouth and I almost cried.”

He grinned. “A shared trauma.”

“What else?” she nudged his sock-covered foot with hers. “C’mon. Let me into the mind of young Soobin.”

“Oh no. That’s dangerous.”

“Do it.”

He sighed dramatically. “Okay, fine. I used to believe that if I didn’t say goodnight to my stuffed animals in order, they’d fight each other while I slept.”

Y/N nearly choked. “What kind of Toy Story warzone were you sleeping in?”

“They were competitive! Especially the penguin and the dragon.”

“It doesn't seem like a fair fight to me.”

Soobin laughed, and it was the kind of laugh that felt real—the kind that cracked through the nervous haze and made room for something softer. Something that said: she’s here. She’s here and she’s laughing and this is okay.

“What about you?” he asked. “What dumb kid belief did you cling to?”

She smirked. “Okay, this is embarrassing. But… I thought actors lived inside the TV.”

Soobin blinked. “Like, just waiting?”

“Yeah. Like they had little apartments in there. And they’d come out when it was their turn. I once whispered to the TV during Lizzie McGuire to let Gordo know I thought he was cute.”

Soobin snorted. “Wow. Poor Gordo never knew.”

“I had to move on.”

They laughed again, the kind of shared laughter that slowly eased the weight in the room. They kept talking, forgetting about the movie, —about their friends, their childhoods, Soobin’s unfortunate incident with a Slip ‘N Slide and a pinecone (“I don’t wanna talk about it”) and Y/N’s brief, cursed phase as a magician’s assistant at a third-grade birthday party –which Soobin told her that Taehyun would love.

Somewhere in the middle of the conversation—right after Y/N finished explaining how Jungwon once accidentally texted her “I love you” instead of “on my way”—the distance on the couch changed.

Soobin didn’t know how it happened. It just… shifted. Slowly. Like gravity was in on something he wasn’t.

Their knees touched.

Just a light brush. The smallest point of contact. But it hit him like a shockwave, like someone had flicked on a switch in the dark corner of his chest that hadn’t seen daylight in years.

And she didn’t move.

She didn’t apologize or shift away or act like it was anything at all. She just kept talking. Calm. Unbothered. Like she wasn’t currently rewriting the molecular structure of his body just by being there.

Soobin’s breath caught in his throat.

His heart—already a mess from her smile, her laugh, her whole being here—now decided to go into full DEFCON 1. Blood roared in his ears. His lungs felt too shallow. He tried to focus on what she was saying—something about Jake’s tragic karaoke renditions of emo songs—but all he could think about was how close she was. How real. How soft her voice sounded from here. How her knee was still touching his.

And then—then—she leaned a little closer.

And that was it. That was the moment he actually, truly, almost lost it.

Because she was here, right here, and she was so effortlessly herself. And he was Soobin—sitting so still it felt like his bones were buzzing. Trying not to explode. Trying not to mess this up.

He didn’t know how to sit anymore. His back was stiff, like if he moved the wrong way the moment would shatter. His hand was resting awkwardly against his thigh, fingers twitching like they were aching to reach for her, to trace the lines of her hand, to prove this was real.

Because it didn’t feel real.

Not after the past three days.

Not after the way he’d gone to bed that night and just stared at the ceiling in stunned silence, hand over his chest, replaying the kiss like it was on a loop in his brain. Not after he’d walked home from the porch half-dazed, like someone who had just stepped out of a dream and wasn’t sure which reality was the real one.

He hadn’t slept that night. Not really. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her face lit by the porch light—her expression right before she kissed him. Like she wasn’t afraid. Like she knew exactly what she was doing.

And Soobin?

Soobin had been wrecked ever since.

He’d woken up the next morning thinking it might’ve been a hallucination. His brain had immediately gone into overdrive: Did I imagine it? Was it an accident? Did I dream the entire thing? What if she regrets it? What if she thinks it meant nothing and I’m just sitting here making friendship bracelets out of feelings she doesn’t even know I have?

And now she was next to him.

Real. Here. Knees touching his.

Leaning closer like it was nothing.

He could smell her shampoo—something citrusy and warm, bright and sharp like the rest of her. He could feel the way the air between them tightened, thickened, like the universe itself was holding its breath.

Soobin wanted to scream. Or sob. Or kiss her again. Or all three in rapid succession.

He turned his head slightly, just enough to see her profile.

She was now focused on the movie playing on the screen. At least, she was pretending to be. Her lashes flicked downward, slow and deliberate. Her bottom lip was caught between her teeth. And the corner of her mouth twitched—like she knew exactly what she was doing to him.

She was close enough that if he turned his head just a little more, he’d be able to see her eyes. Close enough that if she looked back, they’d meet in that space where no words were needed and everything would suddenly be too much.

And Soobin...

Soobin had never wanted anything more than he wanted to know what would happen if she looked at him right now.

Because this was worse than a crush.

It was gravity.

It was weeks of lingering glances and half-smiles and oh-god-does-she-know.

It was his fingers twitching with restraint.

It was the ghost of her lips still etched on his.

It was how good she had felt kissing him. The warmth. The softness. The way she had cupped his face like she’d been thinking about it just as long as he had.

He remembered that moment like a favorite line in a book he wasn’t allowed to reread. And now, here she was, turning pages again, breathing the same air, and not pulling away.

And it hurt. In the most ridiculous, hopeful, beautiful way.

Because maybe she remembered it too.

Because maybe she wanted to kiss him again just as badly.

Because maybe—just maybe—this wasn’t one-sided after all.

And so, Soobin sat there, heart thundering, body frozen, wishing he had the courage to close that last inch of space.

Wishing he knew for sure.

Wishing he could tell her that the kiss hadn’t ruined him.

It had remade him.

And now he didn’t know how to exist without her this close.

“Soobin,” she whispered suddenly, her voice soft but enough to make his heart lurch.

He turned, trying not to look too startled. “Yeah?”

She leaned her head back against the couch, eyes still on the screen. “What would your dragon stuffed animal think about us sitting this close?”

He blinked. Then laughed, nervous and breathless. “He’d be jealous, probably.”

“Oh?”

“He was very possessive.”

“Over you?”

He looked at her then. Really looked. And for once, she was already looking back.

A beat passed. Then another. And her smile shifted—gentler, softer. “I don’t blame him.”

Soobin swore the air in his lungs turned to static. “That’s, um. Bold of you to say.”

“I’m a bold person.” She popped another gummy into her mouth, her tone far too casual for the way his chest was currently caving in on itself. “You just never noticed before.”

He wanted to say, I notice everything about you. The way she chews her bottom lip when she’s thinking. The way her laugh always comes half a second after she covers her mouth like she’s still trying to hide it. The way she never finishes her coffee but always insists on making a fresh cup. The way she kissed him and ruined every song that used to mean nothing.

But his brain wasn’t functioning. Not with her sitting this close. Not with her warmth brushing against his side like she belonged there. So instead, he swallowed hard, cleared his throat, and said, “Not true. I’ve always noticed you.”

She turned to him again, eyebrow raised, the corner of her mouth twitching like she was trying not to smile. “Yeah?”

Her voice was teasing, but her eyes were hopeful. Curious. Like she wanted him to keep going.

So he did.

“I mean… freshman year?” Soobin shook his head with a soft, breathless laugh. “You used to walk across campus with your headphones in and that laser-focused expression, like you had a secret mission to complete.”

“I did,” she said, smirking. “It was called: avoid human interaction at all costs.”

He grinned, but there was something quieter in the way he looked at her now. Something almost reverent. “You were kind of intimidating, honestly. Not in a bad way. Just… you always seemed so far away. Like you were in a different world. Like…” He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. “Like someone like me wouldn’t ever be in yours.”

She tilted her head. “Soobin…”

“Y/N, really, how could I not notice you?” he said, eyes meeting hers now, voice a little steadier. “Even when I tried not to. You were just—there. Always. In your own orbit. And I’d see you in the library or walking past the café and I’d feel like I was watching a movie I wasn’t in. Like I wasn’t supposed to talk to you. Just… admire from a distance.”

Her breath caught, and the playful spark between them simmered into something softer.

“And last semester,” he continued, barely above a whisper, “when we had that one class together? I used to wait an extra minute before leaving so I’d run into you by the doors. I timed it. Almost every week. Even though I never said a word.”

She blinked, her voice just as quiet now. “You noticed me like that?”

He smiled, a little shy, a little proud. “I always noticed you like that. And now,” he added, voice quiet, “now it’s like—I walk into a room and I look for you without even realizing it.”

There it was.

The truth, not just in his words but in the way he said them—gentle and careful, like he was offering her something fragile.

Y/N stared at him, blinking slowly, like maybe her brain was catching up too.

“I didn’t know,” she said after a moment. “I thought I was the only one who… noticed.”

“You weren’t,” he said, almost in a whisper. “You never were.”

Silence stretched between them, golden and warm. The movie played in the background, forgotten.

“So,” she started, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “hypothetically speaking… if someone were to want to kiss you again—like, let’s say they did it once, and it was sort of unexpected but really good—would that person be totally out of line if they… wanted to do it again?”

Soobin’s brain blue-screened. Rebooted.

“I—uh. I mean. Hypothetically?”

She nodded, pretending to study the credits now rolling across the screen. “Mhm. Totally hypothetical.”

“I think… that person would be very, very in line.” He smiled, shy but sure. “In fact, they might even be doing the universe a favor.”

Y/N turned back to him, eyes bright, cheeks flushed. “Oh. That’s good.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She bit her lip. “Because I’ve been dying to kiss you again.”

Soobin let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, all tension and disbelief. “Then you should.”

She tilted her head, playfully skeptical. “Just like that?”

She didn’t say anything right away.

He nodded. “Just like that.”

Just looked at him, really looked — the way someone might look at a constellation for the first time, like connecting the stars finally revealed the shape of something they’d been trying to understand all along.

Soobin felt suspended in that gaze, like the world had narrowed to this one fragile thread between them.

And then—

“Okay,” she whispered.

“Okay?” he echoed, blinking.

It took him a second to believe it.

And another to move.

But then he was leaning in, just a little — so slowly it almost hurt — like he was afraid she might vanish if he moved too fast. His eyes flicked to her lips and back up again, searching for any sign that this wasn’t real. That maybe he was dreaming on his too-small couch and any second now his phone would buzz and shatter everything.

But she was still there.

Closer now.

And when her eyes fluttered shut, he closed the space between them.

The kiss was careful at first. Soft. Like the moment you dip into warm water — tentative, unsure, until it wraps around you and makes you forget you were ever cold. Her hand found the side of his neck, featherlight, and he melted under the touch. His fingers barely brushed her jaw, scared to startle her, but needing to hold on to something, anything.

She tilted her head just enough and deepened the kiss, and that was it — Soobin forgot his own name. Forgot where they were. Forgot how to breathe.

She tasted like the strawberry gummies she’d been eating earlier, sweet and a little tart, and Soobin knew—knew in the deepest, most irreversible way—that he would never eat one again without remembering this. The soft press of her lips. The warm weight of her hand on his chest. The way everything else had gone quiet.

And then her fingers moved.

Slowly, deliberately, from his collarbone to the curve of his shoulder, tracing the fabric of his shirt like she wanted to memorize it. It was barely a touch, really—just fingertips. But to Soobin, it might as well have been a lightning strike. His breath hitched, and suddenly every nerve ending he’d ever had was tuned only to her.

She shifted closer, knees bumping his, and the couch dipped slightly beneath her weight. Her palm splayed gently across his chest now, grounding him, and he realized with a dizzy sort of awe that she could probably feel his heart trying to punch its way out of his ribcage.

Still, she didn’t pull away.

Soobin’s hand moved almost without thinking. He touched her waist first, tentative, unsure, but she didn’t flinch. If anything, she leaned in, her hand sliding up the back of his neck and curling into his hair. That single, confident tug—barely even pressure—made him exhale, made him melt.

Every new point of contact felt like a secret shared. Her thumb brushing the hinge of his jaw. His fingers trailing along her side until they rested at the dip of her spine. Her knees tucked closer to his thighs now, her body warm and real and so incredibly close.

Soobin pulled back just enough to look at her.

Her lips were parted slightly, her eyes heavy-lidded but watching him with something soft and certain.

“You’re really here,” he whispered, like the words might help him believe it.

She smiled, fingers still in his hair. “Where else would I be?”

He didn’t answer. He just leaned in again—this time with a little more urgency. Like he couldn’t bear the space between them. Their mouths met again, and this kiss was messier. Fuller. Her hand slid down from his hair to his cheek, then lower, tracing the line of his throat, and he shivered at the contact. He held her tighter now, one arm wrapped fully around her waist, the other cradling the back of her head like she was the most precious thing he’d ever touched.

And maybe she was.

Every move felt sacred. Like permission. Like a promise.

The kiss deepened slowly, a lazy build of heat and gravity, like neither of them wanted to rush what was happening but couldn’t stop leaning closer, falling harder. Soobin’s thumb brushed over her waist, back and forth, anchoring himself to the soft curve of her. Her fingers were tangled in his hair again, guiding him, holding him there like she couldn’t get enough either.

And then—A sound.

Barely audible. Just the faintest, breathy moan against his mouth. Soft and helpless, like it had slipped out before she could stop it.

It shattered him.

Soobin stilled for half a second, heart thudding wildly in his chest. Every thought, every carefully constructed dam of restraint he'd built in the last five minutes cracked at once. His pulse roared in his ears. That one sound had lit a fire low in his stomach, something raw and wanting and entirely new. It was the sweetest thing he's ever heard.

His hand tightened at her waist. The other cradled the back of her neck, tilting her head just slightly to kiss her deeper, fuller, like he was starving and she was the only thing that could keep him breathing.

She didn’t pull away.

If anything, she clung to him, fingers curling tighter in his shirt, nails grazing the back of his neck. Her lips parted willingly beneath his, that same quiet sound escaping again—and he swore he felt it vibrate straight through his bones.

He made a sound then too, low and nearly a groan, something desperate and reverent all at once. He pulled her impossibly closer, their chests pressed together now, her legs shifting to hook around his, as if she couldn’t stand another inch of distance either.

“God,” he whispered against her lips, voice wrecked and shaking, “you’re gonna kill me.”

She smiled, flushed and a little dazed. “Not unless you kill me first.”

And then she kissed him again.

And again.

And again.

And Soobin, hopeless and breathless and completely gone for her, let himself fall—hands everywhere, heart wide open, tasting strawberry and summer and everything he’d ever wanted in a single moment that felt like it might never end.

After five or maybe five hundred kisses, they were still tangled up on the couch, sunk into the cushions like gravity had given up on them. Her legs were draped over his, one of her hands absentmindedly playing with the drawstring of his hoodie, and Soobin was pretty sure this was the happiest he’d ever been while doing absolutely nothing.

But also—he was dangerously close to combusting.

His brain was short-circuiting from the way she kept looking at him, from the way she was still holding onto him like she didn’t want to move. Like maybe she liked being here just as much as he did.

He cleared his throat, shifting slightly beneath her.

“So,” he started, trying to sound casual and immediately failing. “Um. I know the couch is… like, peak couch. Very comfortable. Lots of personality. But… uh. Do you… maybe wanna see my room?”

Y/N blinked at him, eyebrows lifting. “Your room?”

He panicked. “Wait. That sounded like a line. I didn’t mean it like that. Not—not in the ‘hey baby, wanna see my room’ kind of way.”

She grinned. “So not in a ‘Netflix and chill’ kind of way?”

“I mean… Netflix is already playing,” he said, eyes wide, heart pounding. “And there’s no chill. I’m literally sweating.”

She burst out laughing, collapsing a little more into him, her forehead landing lightly on his shoulder.

“I just—” he tried again, helpless. “You’ve never been in there, and I—I thought you might want to see my shelves?”

Y/N tilted her head up at him, biting her lip to hold back her smile. “Your shelves.”

He nodded solemnly. “Very elite shelving. Tastefully curated. Zero dust. An emotionally significant penguin figurine.”

“You had me at emotionally significant penguin.”

He grinned, then stood up, offering her his hand in that awkwardly formal way of someone both pretending not to be nervous and simultaneously vibrating with nerves.

She took it easily, lacing her fingers through his.

“Lead the way, Mr. Curated Shelves.”

As he guided her down the hall, Soobin could feel his pulse in his ears. He almost tripped over his own slippers, bumped into the wall once, and still managed to keep talking, because silence would be worse.

“I cleaned it recently, by the way,” he babbled. “Not just because you’re here, but like, maybe a little because you’re here. But also because I spilled ramen on the rug. That’s unrelated.”

“So this is a room of mystery, drama, and noodles.”

“I contain multitudes,” he said, eyes wide. “Please keep expectations low. There are Funko Pops.”

She squeezed his hand. “Soobin. I’m excited.”

That made his heart do a strange flip.

He opened the door and stepped back dramatically. “Behold. My domain.”

Her eyes immediately scanned the room, and her entire face lit up. “Oh my god, it’s so you.”

There were books, game controllers, a surprisingly well-made bed, and a color-coded manga shelf. And on top of it all sat a small, slightly lopsided pirate penguin.

She gasped. “Is that Captain Waddles?!”

Soobin groaned. “I can’t believe I didn’t hide him.”

“You better not have. He’s perfect. Does he still fight dragons?”

“He’s retired. Writes memoirs now. Very private.”

She giggled and walked further in, taking it all in like she was in a museum. And all Soobin could do was watch her.

Because she was here. In his room. Holding his penguin. Smiling like she meant it.

And Soobin couldn’t remember a single time he’d been this happy to share a part of himself.

He’d always kept this space kind of sacred, honestly. Not in a “no girls allowed” kind of way–because it's not like any girl would've wanted to go there–, but more like… this was the one place where he could be entirely himself. No social filter, no worries about fitting in or looking cool. Just him, his comics, his odd collection of trinkets, and the quiet.

So the fact that she was standing here—in her little hoodie and mismatched socks, looking around with open curiosity and warmth instead of judgment—felt like someone had cracked open a window in his chest and let the light in.

“Your bed’s made,” she said, mock-suspicious.

He flushed immediately. “Okay, yeah. That was for you.”

“Busted.”

“I panicked!” he cried, flailing slightly. “I’ve never had anyone in here before! Especially not someone I’m—uh, I mean—”

She looked up at him, eyes gleaming. “Someone you’re…?”

“Fond of,” he finished weakly, like that was the word his brain landed on in sheer desperation.

“‘Fond of,’” she repeated, walking over to him slowly. “That’s such a Soobin word.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you’re ridiculously cute and kind of tragic.”

“I—wait, tragic?”

“In a very charming way,” she added quickly, eyes dancing.

Before he could defend himself (he was working on something involving honor and slander), she sat on the edge of his bed and patted the spot beside her.

He went, obviously.

And when their shoulders touched, the silence that settled between them wasn’t awkward at all. It was full of electricity. Of things not said. Of all the tension that had been slowly building like steam in a kettle.

Y/N reached over and picked up a small, laminated Pokémon card from his nightstand.

“Is this... holographic?” she asked, holding it up to the light. “Oh my god, is this a first edition Charizard?”

Soobin lit up. “Yes! Yes, it is. I kept it in a binder for years. I traded like three Digletts and a shiny Eevee for it in eighth grade. Honestly, daylight robbery.”

She looked at him like he’d just handed her a national treasure. “I love that you still have this.”

“I love that you don’t think I’m a total loser for it.”

She smiled, softer now. “How could I? This is… you. All of this is you. And I really like you, Soobin.”

That was it.

The sentence that rearranged everything inside him.

He turned to face her fully. His hand brushed her knee—lightly at first, but when she didn’t pull away, he left it there, grounding himself.

“Yeah?” he asked quietly, voice a little hoarse. “You like me?”

She leaned in just enough for him to feel her breath on his cheek. “Yeah. A lot, I thought I've said this already.”

He didn’t know what to do with that except feel it. All of it. The butterflies, the warmth, the urge to throw himself out the window in a happy spiral. But also—he couldn’t let the moment go without being Soobin about it.

“So like, on a scale from ‘appreciates my book organization’ to ‘would still talk to me if I told you I cried during Spirited Away’…”

She grinned. “You cried during Spirited Away?”

“That scene with Chihiro’s parents! They’re pigs! It’s devastating!”

She was laughing again, tipping into him, and this time when their noses bumped, neither of them moved back.

“Okay,” she whispered, her fingers toying with the sleeve of his hoodie. “So what’s next, Mr. Curated Shelves?”

He looked at her mouth. At her eyes. At the girl sitting on his bed, who somehow made him feel less alone just by existing.

“I think I kiss you,” he whispered.

And she smiled like she’d been waiting for that.

Just as Soobin was about to lean in—heart thudding, eyes locked on her smile, hand reaching up to brush a strand of hair from her cheek—the front door slammed open.

“GUYS. SOUND THE ALARMS. SOUND THE ACTUAL, LITERAL ALARMS.”

A beat of silence.

Then—thunder. Pounding paws, frantic snuffling, and then—“WHAT THE—” Soobin yelped as a blur of fur and chaos charged into his room at the speed of light and body-slammed them both on the bed.

Y/N shrieked. “WHAT IS HAPPENING?”

“I FOUND A DOG,” Beomgyu announced, bursting dramatically into the room, panting like he’d just run a marathon. He was holding a lightsaber in one hand and a half-drunk can of Monster in the other. “HER NAME IS RONNIE. SHE IS MY DESTINY.”

“WHAT?!” Soobin was being smothered by floppy ears and enthusiastic dog kisses. “WHY IS SHE ON MY BED?!”

“She chose it,” Beomgyu said solemnly. “She chose you. She is imprinting. Like in Twilight.”

“Oh my god,” Y/N wheezed, trying to sit up as Ronnie, tail wagging wildly, climbed over Soobin’s chest to lick her face.

“She’s licking me!” Soobin cried, flailing helplessly. “She just stepped on my neck!”

“She’s asserting dominance,” Beomgyu nodded wisely. “You must accept her leadership now. You are part of the pack.”

“I was about to kiss Y/N!” Soobin shouted, still being steamrolled by a very excited Ronnie.

Beomgyu gasped. “Oh my god. Did she ruin the moment? That’s so Ronnie-coded.”

“She full-on flew into the room like a missile,” Y/N laughed, petting Ronnie’s head. “How did she even get in?”

“I gave her a dramatic speech about how sometimes in life, we find what we weren’t looking for. Then she followed me home. I think we’re soulmates.”

“She’s a dog,” Soobin muttered, now sitting up with his hair sticking in eight different directions.

“She’s a vision,” Beomgyu corrected, absolutely starry-eyed. “Also, she chewed through my phone charger, so now I think we’re trauma bonded.”

Ronnie barked once, loudly, like you’re welcome for the vibe check.

“She’s kind of cute,” Y/N said, giggling as Ronnie shoved her snout under her arm and curled up next to her.

Soobin looked at them both—Y/N, smiling and relaxed, Ronnie snoring now like she owned the place—and sighed dramatically. “Great. Replaced. By a dog.”

“Oh come on,” Y/N grinned, nudging his knee. “You’re still in the top two.”

Beomgyu flopped onto the edge of the bed, somehow holding a bag of chips he hadn’t had five seconds ago. “This is the happiest I’ve ever been. The gang’s all here. I’m starting a group chat called Ronnie’s Guardians. Soobin, you’re emotional support. Y/N, you're her style inspiration.”

“I am none of those things—” Soobin began.

“Shhh. Let it happen.”

Ronnie let out a contented sigh, tail still thumping lazily against the comforter, as if to say this is my bed now.

And even though the moment had been completely derailed, Soobin couldn’t help but smile.

Because Y/N was still next to him. Laughing. Petting a dog neither of them knew existed ten minutes ago. Looking at him like maybe, just maybe, that kiss would still happen later—

Even if they'd have to work around Beomgyu and his emotional support goblin dog to make it happen.

And Soobin? He had never been happier.

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profiles: d&d saturday mass group | bling bling losers

author's note: HI I'M BACK! i know it was overdue, but here i am with yet another cute CUTE c u t e chapter hehe. I got my dog bc she followed me home and jumped on my bed just like ronnie did to beomgyu so i guess i got inspired by that! also, y/n is the coolest i cant!!! i hope you guys enjoy it, what do you all think?? a little spoiler: the gangs are going on a trip hehe

ALSO adult life is no joke, i'll tell you that! i've been so busy and tired that when i get home i just fall sleep! i'm so upset i can't update as often as i'd like to, i'm really sorry guys thank you for understanding! i'm trying my best bc it brings me so much joy, and i can tell makes you guys happy too!! i'll reply to everyone now hehe anywaysss thank you so much as always <3

taglist: @heejamas @mingyustar @wintereals @mimimiloomeelomi @wonderstrucktae @delirioastral @gomdoleemyson @i03jae @irishspringing @bunniwords @kirbrary @sirenla @saladgirl @beomieeeeeeeeeeees @uvyuri @imlonelydontsendhelp @haechology @sanriwoozzz @stormy1408 @soobinieswife @ijustwannareadstuff20 @soobskz @jkeydiary @imnotsureokay @nyanzzn @lostgirlysstuff @lilbrorufr @beomgyusluver@lveegsoi@pagesoobinie @catpjimin @t-102 @sh0dor1 @i-am-not-dal @bbeomgyucafe @damn-u-min-yoongi @https-yeonjun

[iateyourparents]

ghostie | c.b.

pairing: colby brock x fem!reader

summary: you met something very cute while waiting for boys to be done with exploring haunted place and decided to keep it.

warnings: fluff, use of y/n, bad writing and grammar(i’m sorry, english is not my first language), wasn’t proofread

pictures are from pinterest:)

You were sitting in the back of Sam’s car waiting for Sam, Colby, Seth and Nate to be done with exploring the haunted house.

You were supposed to be with them inside but because you felt ill earlier, you decided to stay in warm of the car, especially with the bad weather outside.

You knew it could even be hours till Sam and Colby will be done there but you weren’t complaining. Car was warm and you had a blanket, snacks, water and your phone so you were sure you wouldn’t die from boredom.

Currently you were watching old episodes of grey’s anatomy. No matter how many times you rewatched this show, you still were amazed by Addison’s entrance.

You were so into your show that you almost didn’t hear silent groan from under the car. Key word - almost.

Your first reaction was of course uneasiness, you were in a driveway of a haunted house so of course many possibilities went through your mind.

Then you heard it again and for sure, unless something wanted to lure you by pretending to be some animal, it wasn’t a ghost or some dark entity.

You were almost sure it was meowing of a cat, eventually really weirdly sounding dog.

But what concerned you was the fact that sound was coming from under the car and it didn’t sound nice. From just the sound of it you could say that the animal was scared and maybe even hurt.

So of course you did the only logical thing. You got out of the car and got on your knees to look under the vehicle. Rain was now pouring on you and you were sure your pants are already stained with dirt and water.

But there it was. Meowing silently, black cat was sitting probably trying to escape the cruel rain.

From its stained with dirt fur you deduced he must be a stray.

You carefully reached your hand in its way to see if it would escape but little creature only smelled it and went for pets. You peted it with smile and then you carefully lifted it from under the car and into your arms just to see that it was a girl.

“Hi baby, what are you doing here? Are you hurt?” you asked in baby voice and got into the warm car with cat in your arms “Do you have an owner baby?”

After moment of silence while you were petting her, you made a decision.

“Well, now you do have an owner. Even two owners” you smiled at her. Apart from dirt on her fur you didn’t saw any wounds so you carefully placed the cat on the blanket and reached for water to give it to her.

“What should I call you, hm?” you thought for a moment “Since you were here with ghosts maybe I will call you Ghostie? I think Colby will like it. Do you like it?” you observed the cat while she was drinking from your hand “I know animals don’t like visiting vet but we have to check you for wounds and some shit like flies, baby.”

You knew she wasn’t an old cat, for sure not older than few months so it broke your heart how someone could possibly leave that baby outside. Especially with that weather. It was certain death for that young animal.

After some time, in which you told Ghostie about Colby, you noticed Sam, Colby, Nate and Seth leaving the house so you quickly covered Ghostie with the blanket and your body.

You knew you would have to eventually tell boys about her but you decided it’s better for them to cool down after exploring first and then visit the vet.

You only hoped that Ghostie will be silent on your way home.

After few minutes while boys were saying goodbye to theirs guests, they got into the car and you asked “How was it?”

“It was great, love! We got so many evidences on the camera.” Colby smiled at you and started telling you everything about their investigations with Sam adding something sometimes.

So far your plan was working. You were already in LA, almost in your house and neither Colby or Sam noticed the presence of a little cat.

But unfortunately, Ghostie felt left out by boys and demanded attention by really loud meow.

Your eyes immediately got wide while Colby looked in the direction of the sound - your direction, and Sam narrowed his brows but didn’t looked away from the road.

“Y/n? What was that?”

“Why it sounded… like a cat?” asked Sam and you laughed awkwardly.

But you didn’t have to explain yourself. Ghostie did that for you by jumping out from where she was bundled in the blanket and got onto your boyfriend’s laps, demanding pets.

“And who’s that?” asked Colby while giving the cat pets she was asking for, but also looking back at you with something that was between amusement and resignation. He already knew what happened.

“Why there’s cat in my car?” Sam asked.

“Yeah, by the way Sam, turn left and go to nearby vet, please.” you asked and then you looked at Colby and laughed awkwardly again “Guess the cat’s out of bag now.”

He just sighed and shook his head.

“Does it have an owner?”

“Yeah” you nodded “Us.”

Colby looked at you with wide eyes.

“You don’t know if it had owners before?” he asked and you shyly shook your head “So you basically stole a cat?”

“She was under the car while I was waiting for you guys! And look at her, it’s obvious she was a stray.”

Colby only sighed but you could tell. He didn’t mind it, he just wasn’t expecting it.

“Her name is Ghostie.” you added silently and you could see that Colby was starting to smile.

“I like it.” he said and you bit back a wide smile that wanted to appear on your face.

“We’re here guys.” Sam announced parking next to an animal clinic.

You got out of the car with Colby while Sam declared he will wait in the car.

“I hope you know it was irresponsible.” Colby said to you while taking your hand with his free one and with the other one still holding Ghostie.

“Yeah, but you want to keep her.” you stated with a smirk and he only rolled his eyes and held door open for you.

“Whatever.” he snorted and kissed your forehead before heading to receptionist’s desk.

Now you were officially a family of three.

[maddiesentmehere118]

A Stranger's Jacket: Part 14

Evan "Buck" Buckley x plus size! reader

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: mentions of blood, angst, slight comfort

Author's Notes: Yes, I took inspiration from Grey's Anatomy when Meredith had to call for her mom's medical emergency.

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Your cheeks ache from how hard you’re smiling at your phone screen. Buck has sent a selfie of him and Christopher at the pier. It feels good to see him smiling again. All because of a little boy named Christopher, the embodiment of light in everyone's lives.

You flash the selfie to Maddie behind you. Rolling closer, you let her examine the photo. She lets out a soft awe, and you send a heart emoji back with a text to check up on the pair. 

You: Maddie and I love it. How’s the pier? 

Buck: We’re having a blast, Chris won a bear! 

He sends a follow up photo, and the bear is as big as Chris.

Buck: I wish you were here. I’ll have to bring you sometime.

You:🍦🎡

Buck: Only the best for my love. Text soon, about to win you a fluffy cow 🐮

You: Be careful, I might cuddle it over you. 

Buck: Doubt it, won’t even make it into bed. You can only cuddle me.

You: 😉

Warmth fills your tummy, moving up to your chest as euphoria washes over you. This is what a good day is supposed to be like. It has been a few days since Buck has been this flirty, and you’re thankful that you and Eddie’s plan is working. 

However, you don’t get long to revel in the small victory as the phone rings. You blink away the joy, shifting into professional mode. Whilst you would love to keep seeing a smiling Buck, you need to be present here. You place your phone to the side, finger hovering over the answer button.

“911, what is your emergency?”

“Hello, my mommy is bleeding really bad.”

You take a deep breath to steady yourself. Visions of Dr. Daniels flashes through your head. Blood everywhere. You were doing so good up until recently, when Buck threw some clots. You close your eyes, shaking away the images. 

Dr. Daniels is safe. You are safe. Buck is safe. 

“Okay sweetheart, can you tell me your name and how old you are?”

“My name is Molly and I am five years old.”

“Hi Molly.” You tell her your name, already typing in the request to track the phone’s location. “Molly, can you tell me your mommy’s name?”

“Maggie.”

“Molly, can you please put your ear on Mommy’s chest to see if she is breathing and her heart is okay?”

There is a pause and you hear some shuffling, some breathing. In your mind, you see a little girl, scared as she holds the phone up to the side of her face. 

“Yes, mommy is breathing and I can hear her heart.”

“Good job, Molly.” You enter the address as it pings, briefly switching to the radio. “Dispatch, I need a medical response at 4434 Red Maple Drive. There is a woman bleeding and a five year old girl, Molly.”

“Station 41, en-route now, dispatch.”

“Molly, are you still there?”

“Yes.”

“Molly, do you know where Mommy is bleeding? Did she cut herself or hit her head?”

“No, she fell. My baby brother is in her belly.”

An increased sense of urgency hits you as you follow up with the first responders. Your fingers are trembling, trying to keep your voice clear and steady. 

“Unit 41, this is dispatch. The woman is pregnant.”

“Okay, sweetie, I need you to stay on the phone with me until help gets there. Do you have a pet with you?”

“My dog Zeus.”

“Will Zeus be mean when the helpers get there?”

“No, he really likes the mailman.” 

Zeus is a nice dog, you note in the log. One less obstacle to getting to Maggie and Molly.

“Molly, you’re doing great. Do you know if the door is locked?”

“No, we went to the park.”

“That’s perfect. When the firefighters get there, they are going to knock. But for now, you need to stay with mommy. Can you do that for me?”

“Yes.” You hear her breathing pick up. It hitches as soft cries start to come through the call. “Is my mommy going to be okay?”

 Your heart clenches. You can’t help but imagine the 118 responding to the call, and how Buck would be the sweetest as he attended to the girl, as he was not as medically adept as Eddie, Chim, and Hen. 

“Molly, they are going to be the best helpers ever.” You pause, thinking of ways to possibly distract her. “Are you excited to be a big sister?”

“Yea-yeah.” She hiccups. 

“You’re going to be a good big sister. You’re already taking care of him and helping mommy!”

Sniffles meet you as her crying slows down, but you can still hear the fear in her voice as the reality of the situation slowly sets in. 

“Do you know what his name is?”

“Jack.”

“Dispatch, Unit 41, turning on the road now.”

“Molly, you are going to hear ambulance sirens soon. That is your helpers. I want you to open the door when they knock and then you will tell me when they come into the house, okay?”

“I’m scared.”

“I know,” You’re sincere, acknowledging her fear but choosing to be honest with her. “You’re doing an amazing job, Molly. I’m so proud of you for helping your mommy and Jack. You did the best thing by calling for help. You’re a hero.”

“I’m a hero?”

“Absolutely, the bravest one I know.” You affirm, not missing a beat. 

“I think I hear sirens.”

“That’s them! When they knock, you can open the door. Do you see any lights yet?”

“Yes, red and blue!”

“Dispatch to unit 41, your caller is Molly. She’s opening the door when you knock. Dog is friendly.”

“Copy that, Dispatch. Making an entry.”

“Molly, can you tell me when they come inside?”

A few long seconds pass by. You only know she is still on the phone by her breaths and then the sound of a knock. 

“They’re here.”

The firestation announces their arrival, boots thudding against the floor. You sigh in relief. 

“Good job Molly, you were so brave. Thank you for helping your mommy and baby Jack.”

“You’re welcome.” She says brightly. You smile, wishing that you could hug the girl.

“One of the firefighters will stay with you. I’m going to hang up now, okay?”

“Okay. Bye.” Her response is soft, still etched with some fear. But the hardest part is over, and you know that she is in good hands. Your job is over, and you have to let her go so you can help the next person. 

“Bye Molly.”

You end the call, tears in your eyes. You push the mic away from your mouth to take some calming sips of coffee. The warmth of the tumbler is somewhat grounding.

You hadn’t had many calls from children yet, but it was definitely one of the worst calls you have taken yet. She was so young, unable to truly understand what was going on, but smart enough to know when and how to call for help. 

The line rings again. You press the spacebar, a few tears falling down your cheeks. 

“911, what is your emergency?”

“I think there’s an emergency at the Santa Monica pier. The ocean is leaving.”

Your eyes flit across the screen as you try to think of what that could mean. Santa Monica pier. Buck. Christopher. You feel a lump in your throat, voice breaking.

“You mean the tide is retreating?”

“No, like there is way more sand than normal. What do you call it, not a hurricane but a-”

“Tsunami.” You breathe out, body surging with adrenaline. This can’t be happening.  Right? “Sir, I need you to evacuate as many people as you can off that beach and get as far away as possible.  I need to clear this line for emergencies now.”

“Okay.”

“Please be safe, get to a high shelter if you cannot get away in time.”

“I will. Thank you.”

You turn around, calling out Sue’s name and waving her over hurriedly. She moves quickly, her face contorted with worry upon seeing your dread-stricken face, blood leaving your face as you pale. 

“What’s wrong?”

“I uh, just received a call of signs of a tsunami at Santa Monica Pier. I told him to evacuate as many people as possible.”

“Crap.” She mutters, facing the center of the room as she leans against your desk. You’re in disbelief as she communicates to the rest of the room. This can’t be real. Not again. Haven’t you and Buck been through enough? 

“Listen up!” She demands. People turn to face her, some still handling calls whilst others are waiting. “These lines are going to fill up soon. There are potential signs of a tsunami at Santa Monica pier. You know the drill, triage important calls and let non-emergency calls go. The protocol is in the natural disasters folder on your desk and the computer.”

Those in the break room file out, heading to their respective desks. One spills some coffee from her mug onto the floor as she rushes to her headset. The desks are filling up fast, a large white board being wheeled to the center by Josh. You grab your phone to check in on your boys. 

You: Are you still at the pier? Please text me when you can.

You grip the edge of the desk. One, two, three minutes pass by. No answer.

No time to panic. People need you. Buck will take care of them if they get caught up in the tsunami- you have to believe that. You pray to God that they have left by now, but seeing as you just heard from them about fifteen minutes ago, there is no way that they’ve left. 

Your name is said. You snap out of it, turning around. Maddie’s eyes are wide, knowing. She swallows hard, taking a deep breath. 

“It’s fine. They’ll be fine.”

It’s all that you can come up with. It's more of a mantra to ease your own nerves. You force a smile, seeing tears in Maddie’s eyes.

“Buck can swim and Christopher knows emergency drills. They’ll stay together.”

God, please let them stay together. Safely. Alive.

You have to be the sunshine for Maddie. You have to keep your calm, even when every cell in your body is telling you to flee. To get on the phone with Buck and run towards the danger. To face it with him. You mentally kick yourself for making this plan. Maybe Buck was right. You should have stayed home, in bed, together. You had to watch Chris anyways, and he could have joined you in bed. Watched movies and played games all day.

The last time you were with Buck and Christopher, you went out for ice cream and a day at the zoo. Christopher was insistent on seeing the giraffes, and Buck had placed Chris on his shoulders so he could feel as tall as one. You smile at the memory.

Everything is silent. The calm before the storm. You follow the breathing patterns from your time in therapy, creating a square. In for four, hold for four, out for four, in for four. You need to relax, reset your nervous system.

 Then calls start coming in rapidly, just as fast as the tide changed on the pier. Red flashing lights of filling lines. The furious tapping of keyboards, buzzing of chatter filling the room. Everything is amplified, louder, more serious than normal. Your first major disaster since you started working here.

The image of Buck and Christopher meeting you back at the apartment tonight, safe and sound, motivates you to push forward.

“Here we go.” You whisper to yourself. You readjust the headset, tapping the mic. You push your emotions to the side. You slowly become numb to the idea, hoping that this will distract your racing mind. You speak calmly, even if you don’t feel it. “911, what’s your emergency?”

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[duskier]

Werewolf AU / fat hairy werewolf gf x poly!141 idea rambling in honor of the art by @littlebit-of-art ♡

|| okokok werewolf lore is always varied but I love the idea of like. shift at will werewolves, but they have forced shifts during the full moon where they get all primal and stuff... thinking about the 141 in the woods, in hiding from bad guys, getting cabin fever and impatient as hell. Pissed that Laswell has benched them (though understanding she has legitimate reasons why)

Soap finds you first, middle of the night. Well, you find him, actually. He was just sneaking out for a cigarette, went alone because he didn't want to share- his pack was running low. You're a tall creature when shifted, much too large to be excusably identified as a wolf. It's the full moon, so the 'you' isn't all there- moreso your hindbrain, your dumb dog of a wolf self. Of course *she* makes a beeline towards Soap after smelling him in the air, first human you'd seen in years- he thinks he's about to get mauled to death but is pleasantly surprised when he sees your tail wagging and you're nudging him to come play with you.

The rest of the squad looks at Soap like he's nuts when he comes by with you in tow, the "can we keep it?" look on his face. Ghost has half a mind to shoot you, no matter how damned cute you looked flopping over on your back, your primal way of telling the group you were friendly.

Price knows you're something strange, not a normal wolf. After some bickering between Soap and Price ("He looks cold :("..."it's a wild fucking animal, Sergeant") you're allowed to curl up on the couch in the den of the cabin, just in front of the fire. The wood of the furniture squeaks under your weight, reassuring Price you wouldn't be sneaking anywhere at night without him noticing.

...But come morning time, when you are you again- human, that is- Price is left speechless. Who was this beautiful, stark naked woman, and why was she on the couch? Where'd the wolf thing go? Poor man, fighting his urges to look you up and down over and over until he'd memorized every silky furry curve, the soft pout of your lips...

After an embarrassing wake up call, a lot of screaming and scrambling, you were sat in an oversized blanket wrapped around you and explaining who and what exactly you were to the 141. You appreciated the warm place to sleep in, so you offer them a deal- let you move in, you'll hunt for them in your wolf form. Easy enough.

What you never could have expected was how much you would become attached to the team. It starts off small, them getting used to your large wolf form- Gaz gives you a scratch behind your ear once in a while. Then it becomes so common for you to rest on him that when he sees you, he wordlessly clears his lap, a perfect resting spot for your head. Soap asks to draw you once, then it becomes a natural thing and he's a sudden canine anatomy expert in weeks, half his sketchbook filled with you- human and otherwise. Price checks in on you, worries over you and waits up every night that you're out late hunting for them. Reminds you not to push yourself, you've stocked them plenty for winter, as he wipes your bloody maw clean with a towel before bed. Ghost gets annoyed at your limp from stickers caught in your paws, but then it becomes a daily ritual for him to groom you all over, pulling out annoyances caught in your fur or paws.

...That's just when you're in your wolf form. When you're in your human form, the men are all just as sweet, if not sweeter. Price finds an old record player, teaches you to dance to the music. Revels in the feeling of pulling your soft body close, hands lovingly caressing every inch of your body as you sway in time, your pretty head resting on his chest. He becomes quickly besotted by the feeling of your arms under his hands, the silky hair covering inch of your skin making him just mad with affection and want. Soap makes even more portraits- drawings with harsh and soft lighting, never wanting you to ever hide your body in the ways you'd been taught to previously. Can't stop raining down compliments on you the entire time, as if every five minutes he's blown away once more at your beauty. Doesn't miss a single tuft of hair, a single bit of your body. Gaz who finds every way he can make you laugh because once he's heard it, once he's seen the way your laugh moves through your whole body and the way your smile lightens the room, he's like a lovesick puppy. (It becomes bad news for Soap, because nothing made you laugh quite like Gaz pranking Soap, each prank becoming more and more childish.) Ghost takes the meager rations they have- thankfully bolstered by your hunting- and makes the best warm meals you'd ever had. Makes you taste test every meal- never plated until it has your approval. Watches you with his golden brown eyes, searching for your praise.

One night, Laswell shipped them their new rations and included a bottle of bourbon, a late birthday gift for Price. 'Sorry you're still there,' a note on the bottle apologized. The team couldn't care less about being there, so focused in on you. You take turns having small shots of the liquor and end up watching the men as they excitedly share story after story with you, each wilder than the last. Price puts his big warm hand on your leg, unable to keep himself from squeezing gently. Gaz has his arm on the backrest behind you, fingers toying with your hair. Soap sits at your feet, his head on your knee, you feel his stubble against your skin whenever he speaks. It's Ghost who breaks rank first, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear and telling you you're the prettiest girl he'd ever met. You blush, and he says he'd like to kiss that blush right off of you. It's slurred, it's silly, but it works, and you let him kiss you, his mask rolled up to his nose. Soap protests, then, of course, how dare he not get a kiss. You jokingly ask Gaz if he'd like one too, of course he agrees and you oblige them both, as if it's the most natural thing in the world. You turn to Price, who was watching intently, eyes glittering in the firelight. "Come here, love," is all he has to say before you're crawling onto his lap and kissing him silly, the peanut buttery smell of his cigars filling your senses.

From there it's as natural as breathing to wake up in a cuddle pile, to kiss them all goodbye before going out on a hunt. For each of them to take you to bed, alone or all together or somewhere in between. They treat you like a precious thing, but never like glass- they know all too well how strong you are.

They find out even more of your capabilities when they are attacked.

Full moon, you're out hunting. Happily secure in letting your wolf side take the reins, looking for the best deer to take home for your boys when you hear a crack like a whip in the distance. You hear Soap screaming just as everything goes red for you. The primal side still in control, all it can think is that your pack was in danger. You ran faster than you ever thought possible, bulky wolf body breaking through old trees, unstoppable in your path to your mates. The men you kill in your way aren't anywhere near prepared for you, slaughtered like nothing. From your boys' perspective, you were a terrifying sight to see. Snarling and monstrous, standing on your back haunches taller than a building, soaked in blood and gore. It isn't until all enemies were silenced that you're capable of thinking anywhere clearly enough to look for your boys, make sure they were okay.

Thankfully, no one was hurt. Ignoring the mess covering you, you were sniffing and nuzzling each of them ignoring their protests in disgust, distressed whines leaving you. They weren't able to calm you that night, having to allow you to stalk a perimeter around the house all night long, daring more enemies to come. It wasn't until the next day that they found you, human form collapsed in the dirt from exhaustion. They take the time to bathe you, gently and with reverence, grateful for both your life and their own. Softening your skin with lotions and oils after, wrapping you in their nicest blankets and surrounding you in a giant cuddle pile so that when you awoke, you'd feel safe.

And you do. You can't imagine life without your boys.

[titleknown]

KAIJUNE 2025 #2, H&H

...You know, before writing this, I let out one of the longest, most resigned sighs I could. And hey, right, old man, good bit, I thought this would be the best way to start. Turns out, doesn’t work in text.

Let me start over. Hi, I’m Akira Schwartz, proud Asian-American, proud Jew (but not too proud), electrician, successful comedian (in dog years), and currently, freelance kaiju responder. Or as I like to call it “WHAT THE FUCK, WHAT IS THAT THING, WHY IS THE LIGHTNING GREEN?!”

[READ-MORE]

Which was, to be blunt, my primary original response when Mr Brightside crashed in around the club in Vegas I was in. I wasn’t even done bombing yet, there’s hospitality!

But, I tried to help, do what I can, sabotaged a couple of transformers, and one thing lead to another and I, uh, distracted it long enough for Toriatte to hit it back and save things. And I thought “Hey, I could be pretty good at this. Maybe I should try for one of those civillian corps things going on, maybe post videos on that Youtube thing that debuted when I was in my thirties!

...My early thirties, I will note. But, long story short, the vids turned out more successful than any comedy I’d done and it changed my life. For the better? Eh. For the better when I’m not fearing it’s going to shortly end? Sure, let’s go with that!

But, that’s not what this is about. It’s about this little guy I found. Well, little, the size of a moderate car, these things are relative. Point is, found the little guy right around Sedona, riiiiiight around… well, around the time things were getting bad… well, okay, things were getting worse… well, OKAY okay, the time the big red My Little Hitler: Friendship Is Anti-Life burst out of the Pentagon and wrecked Washington.

You know, yet another indignity. We were on some abandoned farmland, there’s a lot of that in Arizona. That’s a real ray of sunshine to this, they stopped draining the aquifers for extremely inefficient water-hungry crops, and all it took was Godzilla-sized god-monsters destroying large portions of infrastructure. Hooray?

Anyway, we were on there, and this creature… it seemed to be stuck, not moving. Now me, of course, I immediately stopped to help the poor- yeah we got a flat tire from the shrapnel around there, and someone had to repair it! And after we drew straws, well, that someone was very concerned for the integrity of their organs.

But, it didn’t move. They just kinda stayed there, trembling. I think I heard them whimper and saw some of the shrapnel stuck there. Whole lotta blood, silver-purple, baby was hurt bad. So, I decided, foolish me, to take a chance and try to help. I mean, the crew and I dealt with impalings before, why not again? Tikkum olam doesn’t technically exclude giant scorpions after all.

So, I checked their wounds, removed the shrapnel, stemmed the bleeding, disinfected, yadda yadda, health school 101. They twitched a little, but they were no Mr. Krinkle. Which is good, because as you can clearly see from my stunning malnourished, weedy physique, I’m no Steve Irwin.

I checked if they were stable, I checked with the person there who actually knew insect anatomy to check if they were stable, and then I was off. Into an ambush in Sedona by the fascist cancer monsters, like in Pink Floyd’s The Meat Wall. Which is also the porno title, but moving on, we almost died. These things are fast, they put guns and wires into their anatomy, and they have tactics.

Even though Mr. Neighdolf wasn’t there, I could feel his eyes on me, the sweaty, nasty stench, the sound of meat against shattered pavement… and then the sound like that exploding transformer and the smell of a barbecue of flesh zombies. Metaphorically of curse, we did not eat the tumor monsters.

And it was the little fella. They followed us, they saved our (turkey) bacon. And, well, most of the crew thought they were cute, they seemed to be friendly, and they were mostly healed, so long story short, that is why we now have a double-wide horse trailer.

I wondered about the two-tone look apparently they’re bilaterally gynandromorphic, sex split down the middle, happens a lot in arthropods. So, happy pride I guess!

Ah, well, I don’t think I could imagine the team without ‘em anymore. Mostly because we probably would’ve been dead several times without ‘em. They’re very protective, but they’re very sweet. Like a large armored sheltie that doesn’t obey the square-cube law.

I noticed some similarities to another one I’ve seen, Virgin Killer, big scorpion, has weather-type stuff like this little goober, but if that’s the case… boy do they have a lot of growing to do. Maybe we can do a road trip after this, she’s got sightings...

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

Abilities:They're small, so they're limited in both their resiliency and combat ability relative to older kaiju, but even then their resiliency and physical strength is significantly greater than a conventional organism of their size should have.

They have the ability to shoot both fulguric and cryonic rays, or in more conventional terms ice and lightning, castable as beams or a more concentrated sting. They can also control weather to create "strange rains," including healing ones, but unfortunately for Neon Tyger's host they have very little mastery over it at their age. 

Bonus Trivia: They're not just related to Virgin Killer, but in fact the lone surviving egg of hers from the original incident. Their scent being camoflauged by the smoke-grenades lead to VK missing them in the chaos, and they were left as VK went on her currently-ongoing rampage, but they did manage to hatch, survive and muddle through.

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

A lighter note for our second entry! Gotta pace one's self after all, at least for the nightmare coming tomorrow. I figured I may as well make the "Minya" of this setting, tho unlike Showa Minya I hope they're actually endearing and not unpleasant to look at. 

The bilaterally gynandromorphic thing was because I was thinking of the paint scheme and liked the look, it being on pride month was just a happy coincidence. 

The name is from Heaven and Hell by Dio-era Black Sabbath, mainly because it's a song I like and it fit the paint scheme, and the idea of the potential for good and evil inside anyone fit well with this babby kaiju just learning their place in the world, IDK.

Also, bonus trivia, I based Schwartz's manner of speaking on John Stewart. From the Daily Show! I wonder how evident that was to folks in the writing...

And of course, in Kaijune tradition, this character and all related narrative elements are under a CC-BY 4.0 license, as long as I, Thomas F Johnson, am credited as their creator. Have fun!

[coulsonlives]

Y'all. There has officially been "furry" drama on the neopets subreddit, and I'm crying. It's such a trainwreck.

Someone posted anthro artwork of their neopets OCs, which looked like this:

And I guess it was reported as NSFW by multiple people, because these neopets were really um, well. I'm not gonna lie, they look like naked people with super short fur, and they even have pretty big mons pubis (genital area) which for anthro characters, especially super humanoid ones, is normally covered by clothes and/or thick fur.

Plus the poses seem a little playful (tongue sticking out? toesies?) and could easily be interpreted in a sexy way, especially once you factor in the more realistic anatomy, which again, there are shapes there in the genital area that aren't even really hidden. So I'm not surprised a lot of people were uncomfortable.

My opinion? It shouldn't have been taken down (and it wasn't!), but people had the right to be confused about why it wasn't marked as NSFW.

My thinking was, you wouldn't want to open something like this at work and show it to your coworkers. Or leave it around the break room table.

But of course, the artist got snarky. Apparently this happened to one of their older posts too, so they were really annoyed and acted like the mods were spineless (literally, they said multiple times that the mods should "grow a spine"), and there was some weird implication that the mods were censoring women's bodies, or fatter bodies, or something. They also compared their OC artwork, which is of the above very-humanoid neopets, to the Fontaine Sisters (who ofc, are always fully clothed sigh), and said if the Fontaine Sisters would be allowed to be posted, their naked humanoid neopets should be, too. Uh?

Then, they made a totally separate rant post on the subreddit, titled "yes, neopets is a furry website", which was promptly removed (I didn't even get a chance to see it, rip).

But I'm scrolling through the comments, and oh my god.

Someone replied with this comment:

The <image> link goes to this picture, with a few comments:

This person also seemed to agree on the general interpretation that it was a very "sexy" rendition:

And someone else on the original post with that character:

So hrmm, okay. Nothing wrong with drawing what you think is sexy, but. Own up to it and accept it might get marked as NSFW.

Someone made the following comment...

And the third reply checks out tbh. If I was still working with kids, I'd probably get written up too lol. And no, not everyone has a hip with the kids, totally down to hang boss, so that's a weird argument. If you couldn't leave this in an office break room, like I said before, it's not okay.

This person explains why the NSFW tag actually is appropriate, even though the artist claims it isn't:

Another comment that points out the mons pubis:

To which the artist replies:

To give them credit, they're not wrong that humanoid animals and humans in general do have a shape in that region! And it looks weird to just have a totally flat silhouette there, especially if the rest of the character is super curvy. But. again. There is almost no fur. So it comes off as nakey + features too humanoid for some peoples' routine, at-work browsing.

Someone else comments:

When... the artist could've just dropped the subject as soon as their post was labelled NSFW, but instead they had a tantrum and made a totally new post to whine about the mods' decision and peoples' reactions? Um.

Here's someone else trying to explain peoples' reactions, and the artist's reply is just silly:

Those are dogs and cats and fish. They're. not. extremely. humanoid. anthro characters. Now I'm getting annoyed reading all of this stuff lol. Is this really the hill you've chosen to die on? This has happened twice now. Mods are gonna mod. Get over it or leave. Your art isn't the same as say, King Coltzan even if people do thirst over him too. He's fully dressed.

Another commenter who missed the point about how most neopets characters have clothes and aren't very, very humanoid:

But thankfully the mods came in and locked some of the comment chains:

So um. That was wild lol.

[theflyindutchwoman]

Um…tonight is the night. Oh. Really? Yes, really. My place or yours? Jealous dog or nosy roommate?

| ANATOMY OF A SCENE - CHENFORD EDITION 5.12 - Death Notice

You know how there are some scenes that always cheer you up and put a smile on your face, no matter what? Well, this is one of them. It's probably one of my favorite comfort moments… It's the way these two can't help but bask in each other's presence, finding ways to touch the other in front of the station despite being in a 'secret relationship'… how it parallels their behavior when they were undercover… how they are getting ready to take the next step in their relationship, courtesy of both Tamara and Sergeant Grey.

It's also the fact that this happens at the station, in the parking lot… This place really bore witness to the progression of their relationship. From the morning after their first kiss, when they both didn't know how to act around each other anymore… to that moment full of longing and pining when Tim told Lucy about his breakup… to that magical scene where they decided to take that leap together. And here we are, back in the morning, with a new day full of promises.

And let's talk about how giddy they are to see each other. And how brazen they are with their little touches. These two are so bad at this 'secret relationship' part. They are just so far gone already, even though they have only been dating for a couple of weeks. Tim's lovetap on her thigh, Lucy's finger caressing his hand and wrist… This is both incredibly sweet and intimate. And the way they're glowing… So much so that Lucy can't even wait for them to be in a more secluded area or for the end of their shift before announcing that she is ready to take that next step… She really just said that in front of the station, with people within earshot… Causing Tim's brain to short-circuit for a second (he's getting better). But the certainty and the lower register of her voice when she confirms it, is extremely sensual. His smile after that says everything… No way he didn't have this conversation in mind during their shift.

And that Kojo reference! I know we can't always see him (though we are way overdue for a scene with him), so these little mentions are really welcome. The image of this good boy being jealous and wanting Lucy's attention is so precious. Tim's audacity at being surprised that Tamara knows is honestly hilarious… It's the way he thinks they are being so subtle when they truly are not. Case in point : they are so engrossed in each other that they don't even see Grey coming. Cop eyes...

But it is interesting to see that Lucy is the more realist of the two, that she fully grasps that riding together could present an issue, now that they're a couple. Maybe it is because of her experience with Nolan. Maybe it is because of their previous conversation about Aaron and Celina. Whereas Tim is still in denial, convinced that it doesn't change anything. And in a weird way, he is not entirely wrong : he has been treating Lucy differently for a long while. For all his rules of 'no personal talk in the shop', it only took them the second day of her training to break it. But it's clear that a part of him doesn't want anything to change. He is aware of the chain of command issue, he just wants to ignore it for as long as possible. This is someone who needs his creature comforts after all, and riding with Lucy is one of them. And I love how Lucy gently calls him out, while checking out his ass - again, at the station. She is positively shameless and oozes so much confidence. And you can see her already plotting her next step. Taking a page from his own playbook… Yep, there is no way they weren't thinking of that during their shift.

[megancanthearyou]

The Outbreak Chapter 9

“Xaden!” His hands slacken from her and she watches in horror as he falls off the horse, his eyes closed. She shakes him slightly as she jumps off coming to his side, “C’mon, wake up!”

Her eyes fill with tears, she can’t do this alone, she doesn’t want to. She looks around at their surroundings, looking at the house that is closest to them. She puts her arms under his, placing the crook of her elbows around his biceps. 

AO3: Chapter 9 | Chapter 1

Putting all her strength into lifting him, she pulls him through the front door of the house, laying him down on the floor. She’s breathing hard, the effort of pulling his entire body weight with no help using up most of her energy. She walks back out of the house, tying up Andarna in the garage of the house, before she returns to Xaden. 

She goes to his side, lifting his shirt slightly to check his wound. Grabbing her bag, she gets a clean rag from the medical supplies and wets it using her water canteen. 

She's careful, cleaning it delicately so she can see how bad it really is. She has some basic first aid skills from her time at the boarding school, but nothing advanced enough for this. 

He's lucky, she thinks once the wound is clean. If her knowledge of anatomy is correct, the rebar missed any of his vital organs, only piercing his flesh. 

It's still going to be a hell of a wound and recovery time for him, and a hell of a time for her to keep it clean and free of infection. An infection out here would kill him and for all her medical supplies, she doesn't have any antibiotics. 

Once his wound is clean and dressed, she moves to sit at his head. She sits crossed-legged, lifting his head to rest in her lap. She runs her fingers through his hair, pulling it away from his face. 

His eyes flutter open, a hazy far-away look in them. 

“Hey you.” She whispers, her hands still in his hair. “How do you feel?” 

He weakly raises a hand to make a thumbs up, before he drops it, closing his eyes again. 

“You’re in for a long night, Xaden.” She taps his face and his eyes open again, meeting hers. “You're not allowed to leave me though, do you understand?” 

He nods, the movement slow and she can tell he's falling back asleep. His breath evens out, a sure sign that his body is resting. 

“I'm gonna tell you the story of how I got bit, would you like that?” He doesn't respond, she knows he wouldn't. She doesn't think she would actually have the courage to tell him if she knew he was awake. 

“It all started when Rhi came back…”

Violet jolts awake when someone, something, jumps onto her bed, its teeth sinking into her neck as it growls in her ear. She pushes her attacker off of her, throwing them to the ground and pulling her dagger out from under her pillow. 

She points it at her assailant, only lowering it when she recognizes who it is. 

“Ow. Fuck Vi.” The girl on the ground complains, rubbing at her hip where she landed on the ground. 

“Rhi?”

“What the hell, I landed on my hip.” She complains as she stands back up, taking the hand Violet offers her. 

“I thought I was bitten!” Violet’s hand goes to her neck where Rhiannon had fake bitten her. 

Rhi laughs, “I know, kinda awesome huh?” Violet rolls her eyes, not dignifying Rhi with a response as she puts the dagger back under her pillow. 

“I haven’t seen you in… so long.” Violet replies, her voice low and a little hurt that her best friend had just left her behind for so long. 

“45 days.” Rhi clarifies, her eyebrows raise in jest, “Want to know what I’ve been up to?”

“I thought you were dead Rhi!” Violet crosses her arms, turning away from her best friend. She doesn’t really want to hear the excuse. There’s not an excuse that would justify letting Violet believe she had been dead for so long. 

“Yeah… I have something for you though.” Rhi reaches up behind her neck, pulling off the necklace around her neck. She hands it to Violet as her eyes widen. It looks like old military dog tags, except this one has the Empyrean symbol on the front and Rhiannon’s last name on the back. 

“No way…” Violet’s voice comes out breathless as she runs her fingers over the tag, turning back to look at Rhi as she wanders around the room, “You joined the Empyrean?” 

Rhi just shrugs, giving her a playful smile. Violet watches her for a moment before she heads for the door, opening it and peaking into the hallway. 

“What are you doing?” Rhi asks, watching as Vi’s panic begins to take over. 

“I’m checking to make sure no one catches me with a member of the Empyrean in my room!” 

“Relax,” Rhiannon waves a hand to dismiss her, “There’s no soldiers on this floor, I checked.”

Violet rolls her eyes, putting the dog tag back in Rhi’s hands. “Congrats, I guess.” 

Rhi catches her hand before she can pull it away, “Hey are we good?”

“Are we good?” Violet repeats the question, her voice a little incredulous as her eyebrows hit her hairline.

Rhi sighs, letting go of Violet, “Look I disappeared and you're mad,” Violet’s eyes narrow on her, “AND I owe you an explanation. Let’s go somewhere where we can talk.”

Violet shakes her head, “It’s almost morning and I have military drills.” 

Rhi just scoffs, throwing some clothes at Violet, “Put some clothes on and let's go.”

Violet stares at her for a second before moving to put her clothes on, “This is so dumb of me.” She shakes her head, wondering why she is agreeing to this.

“C’mon,” Rhi says, poking her head out the door for just a moment before she turns back to Violet, “When have we ever gotten into trouble?”

Xaden groans under her, and her eyes fly to his face. He doesn’t open his eyes, but his face screws up in pain. 

She gently sets his head down from her lap, pulling off her hoodie to use as a pillow for him. She goes back to his side, checking the bandaid and noticing that it has splotched with blood. Digging in her backpack for another set of wound dressing, she changes it for him. 

What she really needs is stuff for stitches, but all the medical supplies she has are basic; bandaids, tape, wound dressing. She comes back up to his head, leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead. 

“I’m going to check the pharmacy I saw down the road. I won’t be gone long.” He doesn’t even react to her words, clearly back asleep. 

She leaves the house, her arms wrapping around herself to ward off the nighttime chill after giving her hoodie to Xaden. She keeps her head low, sticking close to the property lines of the houses, hoping that she won’t be spotted on her way. 

All she needs is a needle and some thread. A way to properly clean the wound outside of water would help too, but she doesn’t think she will get that lucky. She has a lighter to sterilize the needle when it comes to that. 

She opens the door to the pharmacy, keeping her movements as slow and quiet as possible. The place has been absolutely ransacked, not that she hadn’t expected it to be. This close to campus, there were probably thousands of people running and looking for supplies the moment the outbreak first happened. 

She’s walking towards the back of the store, where the medications would’ve been stored, when she hears what is unmistakably a clicker. She leans over the counter, seeing the clicker wandering between the rows of what used to hold medication. 

She has her pistol and her dagger on her, of course, but she’s not strong enough to take it down like Xaden does, and she’s really trying to not use her pistol. She doesn’t really want to alert anyone in the area that she’s here, especially with Xaden unable to defend himself right now. 

But fuck she can see a first aid kit right next to the clickers feet so she needs to get back there. She looks around at her feet, finding a brick that someone must have used to smash the windows in the building at some point. 

She picks it up, testing the weight in her hand for just a moment before she throws it as far away from her as possible. It lands with a loud bang, skittering across the floor. The clicker falls for the trick, its loud screech echoing in the pharmacy as it runs to investigate. 

Feeling proud of herself, she quickly jumps over the counter, keeping her steps light as she walks towards the first aid kit. She opens it, her heart beating with excitement only for it to quickly crash when she realizes the kit is completely empty. Ignoring the urge to kick it, she makes a quick sweep of the rest of the pharmacy. 

There’s nothing. 

She curses lowly, before hopping out the back window of the pharmacy and making her way back to Xaden. The chill from the night has settled into her bones and she’s already feeling nervous being away from him for so long. She would rather warm up and go back out in the morning once the sun is up. 

When she enters the house, Xaden is still exactly where she left him. The slow rise and fall of his chest letting her know he is still breathing, still sleeping. She tucks into his non-injured side, letting the warmth of him spread through her. 

“Now… where was I?”

“So,” Violet says as she and Rhiannon make their way through the halls of the boarding school. “How did you find them?”

“The Empyrean?”

“Yeah.” Rhi leads her up the stairs that Violet knows leads to the roof. They are headed to the mall which is next to the school, Rhi and Vi having spent many nights there in the past when they wanted time away.

“Remember that Empyrean member you bit and stole their dagger?” Violet smiles, her hand drifting to the dagger that is currently sheathed at her thigh. 

“How could I forget?”

“Well that was Fierge. I saw her walking down the street and trailed her. Followed her into this alley and a whole group of Empyrean ambushed me. Took me right to their hideout, to Tairn.” Rhi explains, as they round the corner on another set of stairs. They both pause for a second, looking for any sign that a soldier is around. 

When there’s nothing, they keep walking.

“Were you scared?” Violet asks her.

“Fucking terrified. I thought he was about to shoot me, but instead he asked ‘What took you so long?’. He was expecting me.”

A look of confusion crosses Violet’s face, “And what? He just made you a member of the Empyrean?”

“Basically. The whole almost killing me thing? A test. Wanted to know I was committed.”

Violet hums in acknowledgement, keeping quiet as they continue to make their way to the roof. Once they are up there, they use the plank of wood they have stashed here that will let them cross onto the roof of the mall. 

“So, who are you hanging out with now that I’m gone?” Rhi asks her, still trying to watch out for her best friend’s back from a distance. 

“Uhh, no one really.” 

“What about Tara and her squad?” Rhi questions. They had always spent time together while they were growing up. 

“Those are your friends Rhi, not mine.” 

Rhi shrugs, not really understanding Violet’s hesitance to spend time with them. They had all always gotten along while she had been around. 

Violet changes the subject, not really caring for the reminder of how alone she is now that Rhi has set out to change the world. 

“So, you buy into the whole, save the world thing now?” Violet asks her, as they drop down from the roof into the front entrance of the mall. 

Rhiannon shrugs, leading her up the escalator to the second level of the mall. “All I know is that I’m not a soldier.” 

Violet looks away, feeling chastised even if she hadn’t meant it that way. “Maybe… I should join the Empyrean too then,” She suggests. Maybe that’s where her friend is leading her, her own initiation ambush. 

“You don’t think that was the first thing I asked? Tairn wants you to stay safe at this stupid school. I’m not even supposed to come see you.” 

Violet looks confused, “Why does he care?”

Rhiannon just shrugs as they reach the top level. When they get there, there is a tent set up on the floor, just where it always had been. 

They had always snuck out to the mall, it was quiet and relatively safe from infected. The tent belonged to Dain, one of their friends from the military school. He had also been Violet’s first boyfriend. 

He’d broken up with her when he graduated, getting stationed at a QZ on the other side of the country. She didn’t even know if he was still alive. 

Violet lets out a long sigh, hating the reminder of someone else in her life having left her behind. “What are we doing here, Rhi?”

“I… have a surprise for you.” 

Violet perks up a little, “Oh? Is it a dinosaur? I’d forgive you for leaving if it was a dinosaur.”

Rhiannon holds open one of the tent flaps for Violet to slip inside. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

She turns to the box that is sitting in the corner of the tent, pulling out two old warm beers before handing one to Violet. 

“Cheers to a fun night.”

They clink the bottles together and twist off the bottle caps, Violet taking a quick swig of her before she sets it down, choking on the hoppy liquid as it burns her throat. 

“Ugh. I still hate that.” She says between coughs caused by the burn. 

Rhi laughs as she chokes down her own drink, not making it much further than Violet had. “Yeah. Dain had shit taste in alcohol.” 

Rhiannon sets her bottle next to Violet’s before they go back out of the tent. “Let’s get going so I can show you what I found.” 

Violet follows close behind her as they go further into the mall than they had ever gone before. They typically stayed near Dain’s old tent whenever they came here, as it was easy to get out if something, or someone, got too close to them. 

Rhiannon waves her over to a set of double doors that belonged to one of the stores in the mall, a large transom opening above them wide open, like Rhi had gone through it before. 

“Boost me up,” Rhi says, “I’ll unlock the door and let you in.”

She nods, making a foothold for her friend’s foot as she lifts her up. Rhi jumps through the transom, landing softly on the other side. Violet waits, thirty seconds passing, and then a minute. 

Violet pounds on the door, “Rhi? Rhi!” 

The door creaks open a crack, no other movement suggesting that Rhi is okay on the other side. Violet slowly opens the door, pushing through to make sure her friend is okay. She jumps, whirling around when a hand grabs onto her shoulder, a clown grabbing onto her shoulder.

Rhiannon laughs, ripping off the mask as Violet places her hand on her chest, trying to slow her racing heart. 

“That’s twice today Rhi. One more and I might actually kill you.” 

She looks around, taking in the store around them. It’s an old Halloween store, the aisles still lined with old masks, decorations, and toys. She walks around the store, her fingers trailing over all the items. 

She wonders what it would’ve been like to grow up in suburbs somewhere, getting to dress up for the holidays and going trick-or-treating like she saw on the TV. She’d never gotten to, growing up on the base, they didn’t really bother with the holidays. 

Her eyes catch on an item called Skeleseer, which seems to be similar to a magic 8 ball, just shaped like a skeleton. 

“Is this plan of Rhi’s going to get me killed?” She shakes the skull, smirking towards her friend as she comes to stand at Violet’s side. She flips over the skull, “Not Likely. Hey, that’s good I guess.”

She thinks for second, “Will I ever get to leave the walls?” She shakes it again. “Could Be Yes, Could Be No. What a non-answer.”

“Will I… ever grow boobs?” Violet shakes it one more time, “Your Chances Are Dismal. Okay, fuck you skull.” 

Rhiannon shakes her head, grabbing Violet’s elbow and pulling her out of the store. “Let’s keep moving, we don’t have all day.” 

They leave the store, walking in silence for just a moment. “Can I ask you something Rhi?”

She nods, leading Violet down the stairs that leads to the mall’s maintenance room. 

“Why did you leave without telling me?” 

Rhi tenses, her footsteps stumbling for just a moment before she continues on. “I didn’t tell anyone.”

“But I’m not just anyone… Am I?” 

She shakes her head, “No, of course you aren’t. It’s just… look we have to keep moving. It won’t be as exciting in the daylight.” 

Rhiannon lengthens her steps, bringing herself out in front of Violet. She’s easily six inches taller than Violet, who has no hope of catching up if Rhi is going to use the entire length of her strides. 

“Cool answer.” Violet grumbles to herself, not satisfied with the way she dodged her question. She decides to try a different tactic. “What are we doing here anyways?” 

She perks back up, opening the door to the maintenance room. “You know how the military wants us to believe that only parts of the city have electricity?”

“Yes…” Violet responds hesitantly. 

“Well turns out, if you know what breakers to flip,” Rhi opens the electrical panel in front of her, inviting Violet to flip the switch. She steps up eagerly, pulling it. She covers her eyes, shielding them from the light as they flicker on above her, giving her eyes a second to adjust. 

“Woah… is the whole mall lit up?” She asks Rhi.

“Let’s go find out.”

When Violet wakes up the next morning, the sunlight streaming through the windows, she’s still pressed up against Xaden’s side. She jumps up quickly, moving to check his side.

She carefully peels away the wound dressing, hissing at the sight that awaits her. The skin around the wound is red, irritated and inflamed, a clear sign that an infection might be setting in. 

She curses, using the last of her water to clean it again, hoping she can keep it from getting any worse. She redresses the wound, Xaden not reacting to anything she is doing. Her hand comes to his cheek, his skin warm under her touch. 

His face is directly in the sunlight, and she hopes that the warmth is from that, and not a potential fever taking over his body. She needs to find him medicine and fast. A kernel of worry plants itself in her stomach as she pushes up from the ground, determined to keep him alive. 

Worry has no place here, not when his life hangs in the balance. 

“I’ll be back, then I’ll tell you more of the story.”

She slips out of the house again, going in the opposite direction of the pharmacy from yesterday. She wanders the block, looking for anything that might have first aid supplies in it. 

“Bingo.” She mumbles to herself, spying an old military helicopter on the second floor of a house at the end of the road. Luckily it seems to still be in decent shape, not destroyed upon impact with the house. 

Based on the condition of the copter, it must have crashed here fairly recently, meaning it might not have been looted yet. Although with those fliers on campus, who knows how far out they had ventured for their own supplies. 

She climbs the stairs of the house, heading towards the second floor where the helicopter is resting on its side. 

“Please be here, please be here.” She chants to herself, as she lifts herself into the helicopter, tumbling over and landing on her side as she falls in. 

“Fuck…” She lays there for a second, catching the breath she just knocked out of herself. She stares at the ceiling, taking deep breaths until her lungs work again. 

When she is breathing normally, she sits up, looking around the carnage in the cockpit. She spies the bright red box under the passenger seat, the standard placement of an army first-aid kit. She scrambles for it, opening it with shaky hands. 

Tears prick her eyes in relief when she looks through the contents. Stitches, a small bottle of antiseptic, and more bandaids. She breathes out a sigh of relief, clutching the kit close to her body. 

“You are coming home with me.”

She scrambles back out of the helicopter, making her way back to the house where Xaden is. The entire neighborhood is too quiet, and it unnerves her. Even if it’s silent back at the house, at least she has Xaden’s rhythmic breathing to keep her calm. 

When she walks back in the front door, Xaden is awake, clutching at his side as he tries to sit up. 

“Hey!” She runs to him, setting the first-aid kit next to her. His eyes fly to her, his body visibly relaxing when he sees her. 

“Where…?” He croaks out, his voice scratchy. 

“Shh.” She sits cross-legged again at his head, guiding him back to lay on her. She brings his water canteen up his mouth, helping him to drink a bit. She brushes his hair out of his eyes, and their eyes meet. His gaze is still hazy, like he isn’t quite awake. 

She gives him a small smile, her eyes filling with tears. “You’re gonna be okay. I’m not gonna let anything happen to you.” 

He nods, his eyes falling back closed as he leans into her hands that cup his face. 

“Where…” He tries again, his body too exhausted to complete his question. She holds up the first aid kit, showing it to him even though his eyes are still closed. 

“I found some first-aid. I’m going to have to give you stitches.” She slightly raises his head up, moving out from where she had been acting as his pillow, placing her hoodie back under his head. She moves to his wound, lifting his shirt to look at the wound again. She sucks in a shocked breath at it, the redness getting worse. 

She needs to clean it again, and get it closed, and hope that his body is strong enough to fight off any infection that may have started. “This is going to hurt like a bitch,” She tells him, unsure if he is even awake anymore. 

Her hand shakes as she threads the needle with the stitches, running the antiseptic over the needle.

“I’ll finish my story while I work. It’ll keep me calm.”

“Rhi.” Violet starts, right before they leave the maintenance room, “I know what you are trying to do and I… well I’m glad you’re not dead.”

Rhiannon’s face softens when she looks at her best friend, the hurt and pain written all over her face. “Vi… I know we had a pretty nasty fight before I left and I, well, I haven’t been able to stop playing those moments in my head. I didn’t mean it. Any of it.” 

She nods, looking away slightly from her friend. “I know.”

She doesn’t say anything else, doesn’t say if she forgives her friend. Yet she gestures forward, asking Rhiannon to lead the way forward and she thinks they will be okay, eventually.

When they leave the maintenance room, they head up the stairs into the main lobby of the mall. There’s neon lights lit up everywhere, the signs for the stores flickering to life. In the middle of all of it, is a giant carousel, covered in vines but lit up and playing faint music. 

“Wait.” Violet says, holding out her arm to stop Rhiannon from walking any further into the mall. “Won’t the soldiers be able to see the mall lit up?” 

She shakes her head, “Nah. None of the outdoor lights worked. I checked.” 

Violet smiles then, her eyes lighting up as she takes in the sight of the mall. She closes her eyes briefly, her imagination running wild with what this place might’ve been like before the outbreak.

“Wanna try?” Rhi says, gesturing to the carousel. Violent smiles, leaping onto the platform and perching onto one of the painted horses. She presses the button before following Violet up, sitting on the horse next to her. 

When the platform starts to turn, Violet’s smile grows even wider, her eyes slipping closed. The platform is slow, in fact Violet is sure she could walk faster than this thing is turning. But with her eyes closed, leaning back as far as her arms will let her as she grips onto the pole, and the gentle music around her, this is the most free she has ever felt. The most alive.

She can almost forget that in just a few hours she will be back behind the military bases walls where she will spend the rest of her life. 

Too soon, the carousel stops, her eyes opening again to take in the dilapidated mall around her as reality crashes back into her. Rhi coughs slightly, Violet turning to face her. 

“Another thing,” She reaches into her backpack, pulling out a small book about the size of Rhiannon’s palm. She flips it open to a random page and begins to read,

“It was many and many a year ago,

   In a kingdom by the sea,

That a maiden there lived whom you may know

   By the name of Annabel Lee;

And this maiden she lived with no other thought

   Than to love and be loved by me.”

Violet gasps, “Is that a new poetry book?” It’s not very often that they find a new book these days and while poetry was never her favorite, she will always take new things to read, something new to keep her interest. 

Rhi smirks, closing the book as passing it over to her best friend, “It’s for you.”

Violet smiles, flipping through the book quickly. “Let’s go see what else is around.”

They wander around for a bit, most of the shops here closed and locked tightly, not able to get in at all. Rhiannon gasps, noticing something further down one of the branches of the mall. She grabs Violet’s arm, leading her to it. 

“Vi! That photo booth is on. We are SO doing it.”

Rhiannon holds back the curtain, holding her arm out to invite Violet to enter first. The screen inside is still lit up, blinking the word “Start!” on the screen. 

Rhi sits down next to her, pulling the curtain closed behind her. 

“You do it.” She says, pointing at the screen. Violet nods, pressing the button. 

“Oooh themes! Let’s see… there’s love,” She waggles her eyebrows at her friend who bursts out laughing, “Friends, and cool.” 

She presses the button for friends, and watches as the screen begins the countdown and the two of them change poses quickly.

They start with both of their hands under their chins, the very picture of “cute”. 

Violet gasps, pointing towards an invisible spot in the distance, “Dinosaur!” and both of them look shocked.

“Pufferfish!” Rhi calls out, and they both cross their eyes, squishing their cheeks and pursing their lips. 

The screen flashes with the words “Last one!” and they turn back to back, looking into the camera over their shoulders, giving the camera the most sultry look they can imagine. 

They both crack up laughing, watching as a preview of their photos pop-up on the screen. Violet hits the button to print the photo, she wants to remember this night for the rest of her life, but a giant error message pops up on the screen. 

“Aww what the fuck,” Rhi complains, her head dropping back against the wall of the photobooth. 

Violet thinks for a second, remembering all those times Brennan or Mira would try to fix a broken piece of technology while they were growing up. She reaches out, smacking the screen as hard as she can. A new error message pops up, and she hits it again, plunging them into total darkness as the photobooth shuts down. 

“Uhh… I think I broke it.” Violet says, cringing at her recklessness. Rhiannon laughs, pulling her friend out of the booth.

“That’s okay, we will always have the memories.”

They continue walking, climbing an escalator that leads them to the second floor again, this time on the opposite side from where they had entered. This is as far as they can go without completely leaving the mall. 

Violet’s eyes widen when she sees the large store in front of her. The neon sign is still blinking, even if a few letters are out, and she makes out the words “The Archives.” It’s a giant bookstore, an old chain that had been in every city prior to the outbreak. 

“This is… amazing.” Violet breathes out, as she slowly walks into the store. Most of the shelves are empty now, some books strewn across the floor, water ruined and muddy, but she can picture it in its heyday perfectly. 

Her hands run over the shelves, imagining the hundreds of books that lined these shelves. Her eyes prick with unshed tears at never getting to experience it when it was lively and beautiful. 

Rhiannon lets her wander the store, settling down on a couch near the entrance and watching her best friend. This, this is why she brought her here, she deserves to experience something outside of the walls before she is trapped. 

She had tried, she had fought so hard to get Violet into the Empyrean with Tairn, but he wouldn’t budge. He said she had to stay safe and wouldn’t hear anything else about the subject. 

Violet came and sat down next to Rhi, her eyes slipping shut as she rests her head on her friend's shoulder. “Tell me a story,” She asks, her voice quiet as if she doesn’t want to disturb the other shoppers in the store.

Rhi is quiet for a moment, her mind quick with thinking up a story. 

“There once was a girl named Violet Sorrengail,” She starts, “And she was the hope for the world.” 

Rhi tells her a story of a much different Violet, a Violet who was strong, and fierce. One who rode dragons and wielded lightning. One who proved everyone wrong by defeating the Venin, who in this story were evil magic wielders, with her powers alone. 

Violet smiles at her friend's words, lifting her head from her shoulder, “I wish I was that cool.” 

“And I wish dragons were real.”

Violet laughs, standing up from the couch, “Could you imagine defeating the infected using dragon fire? We would be unstoppable!” 

They laugh before pausing, Rhi’s head cocking slightly as she listens in the distance. “Do you hear that?” 

She turns quickly to go investigate the music that is playing, it’s different from the music that had been playing a carousel, a little bit sharper than the gentle sounds. 

“Wait Rhi.” She reaches out, grabbing her by the elbow and spinning her to look at Violet. 

“We should go back.” She pauses as she contemplates her words, “I need to go back.”

Rhiannon scoffs, turning back to check out the sounds, “You have plenty of time.”

“Rhi…” She looks away from her friend, sounding a bit frustrated, “I’m on my last strike there. If I get in trouble again, I’ll get kicked out. And I have… nowhere to go if I do. We can come back tomorrow, yeah?”

Rhi’s face slips, a momentary flash of sadness. “I… can’t tomorrow.”

“Okay, well then the next day. We will find time.”

Rhiannon’s gaze flicks around the room, looking anywhere but Violet’s face. She shakes her head, stepping closer to her best friend. “They’ve asked me to leave.”

Violet feels like she’s been punched in the stomach, “Leave what?”

“Cordyn. They want me to join a group in a different city.” Violet’s eyes flash with hurt. She thought this whole night had been because Rhiannon was back, she was apologizing for the fight they had so they could be friends again. Not buttering her up just to leave her alone. Again. 

“I tried to fight, Vi! But… You know how Tairn is. Nothing is easy with him. I think it’s a test. They are picking me up tomorrow.”

Violet stares at the ground, feeling her heart break all over again. She nods, fighting the tears that threaten to fall, “Okay.” She chokes out, her voice thick with sadness. 

“That’s it?” Rhi asks.

Violet’s eyes snap to her, her face a stony mask of hurt and anger. “What else do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know!” Rhi throws her arms out to her sides, “How about from friendly advice?”

Violet scoffs, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms in front of her. “Why did you bring me here Rhi?”

She’s silent for a moment, staring at her best friend who she knows she just hurt again. Brought her here so they could part on good terms and they are fighting, again. “I wanted to see you.”

Violet is quiet, her face turned away from Rhi as she takes deep breaths, trying to calm her temper. She doesn’t want to be mad at her at what she now knows is the last time she will ever see her. “You want some advice?” She bites out, her tone meaner than she means it to be, but she physically can’t make herself be any nicer, “Go. Let’s just say our goodbyes and be done.”

Rhiannon takes a step back like Violet slapped her. She points over her shoulder with her thumb, “I’m going to go check out the music.” Her voice is soft, softer than Violet has ever heard. 

Violet’s face softens at her tone, knowing she just hurt her friend. “Rhi…”

But she’s already out the door, going through a set of double doors that leads to the back storage of the store. Violet turns, hitting her fist against one of the shelves softly. 

“Fuck!” Violet curses, before she follows where Rhi just left from, pushing open the door quickly. She looks around quickly, not noticing her anywhere. 

“Rhi!” She calls out, hoping her friend is still close. She must’ve been moving quickly though, no sign of her around. Violet listens closely, listening for the music and moves in the direction that seems to bring her closer to the source. 

She makes her way out of the storage area, into the back hallways of the mall. These hallways must connect all of the stores, making it easier for employees at the time to move around so they can take breaks without getting stopped around the mall. 

“Rhi!” She calls again as she gets closer to the music. She approaches a set of double doors, similar to the ones that she just left from the bookstore. She freezes for a moment, the crowd of people in this room taking her by surprise. When none of them turn to look at her, she realizes they are mannequins. 

She walks closer to the music, pushing open a door that leads to a large department store, Rhi standing there, staring at the musical display that spins around in front of her. 

“Have you ever seen anything like this?” Rhi asks her, continuing to stare at the display. 

“So are we just done talking then?” Violet asks, ignoring her question. If this was going to be the last time she got to see her best friend, she wasn’t leaving mad… or without all the answers she wanted. 

“I don’t know.” Rhiannon turns her head slightly to glare at her over her shoulder, “Are we?” 

Violet’s mouth sets into a hard line, her eyes narrowing on Rhi. “Actually. You don’t get to be pissed at me right now. I’m pissed at you.”

“For what? Asking you what you think?”

“You never care what I think!” Violet explodes, she’s tired of holding back for the sake of her friends feelings, “We were good. Better than good. And then you told me to fuck off and vanished for 45 days. This whole night… what? You feel guilty? You want to leave without hurting me? Fine. Here’s your out. Take it.”

Rhiannon shakes her head, “I’m supposed to be on the other side of town right now. I get caught here as a member of the Empyrean? I’m dead. Guilt didn’t make me cross a city full of soldiers Violet. And yeah. I said some shit I can’t take back but… I’m here for you. I’m here to see my best friend again.”

Violet’s face softens, staring at her best friend. She debates her next move for all of a heartbeat before she’s moving, pulling her best friend into a hug. Her head rests on Rhiannon’s shoulder, as her arms wrap around Violet. She squeezes her tight, not wanting to let her go. 

“Rhi…” Violet whispers against her shoulder.

“Yeah Vi?”

“As much as I want to do this all day… I need to get back.”

Rhi nods against Violet, squeezing her one more time. “Can I atleast walk you home?” 

Violet laughs, “I suppose so.”

“Listen…” Violet says as she finally pulls away, her arms dropping at her side. “I said it like an asshole earlier but… You should go.”

Rhiannon shifts uncomfortably, her face an unreadable mask as she watches Violet. 

“This is something you’ve always wanted, you’ve wanted this for… forever you know? Who am I to stop you?” 

“You’re the only person who can.” Rhiannon tells her, her voice calm but serious. 

Violet’s face twists into a mockery of sadness, her voice dramatic as she fake cries “Oh no Rhi, please don’t go. I’ll be soooo miserable without you.”

They both let out a small laugh, Violet shaking her head as she stares at the ground. 

“I’ll be fine, Rhi. You’ll be fine. And we will see each other again.” 

Rhi gives her a small half-smile before her face lights up with an idea. “You still have your old music player?” 

Violet nods, reaching into her backpack, “Always.” She hands it over to Rhiannon, who jumps behind the counter next to where they had been standing. She plugs it in, the pop music they grew up with playing loudly throughout the store. 

Rhiannon climbs up onto the counter, holding a hand out to Violet, “C’mon. One last dance with me.” 

Violet smiles, letting herself be pulling up onto the counter. They keep their hands clasped as they dance, shimmying and spinning to the music. One last happy memory with her best friend before she leaves to save the world. 

When the song ends, Rhiannon pulls her into one more hug. 

“I’m going to miss you.” She says, keeping Violet close. 

“I’m gonna-” She’s cut off by a crash at the back of the store, both of them frozen for a second as a small group of infected comes running towards them. 

Faster than Violet can react, Rhiannon is pulling out a pistol, firing once, twice in the direction of the infected. 

“Rhi!”

The sound of gunshots pulls her out of her story. She finished Xaden’s stitches a while ago, moving back towards his head so she can cup his face and wish that he will open those beautiful eyes of his and tell her it’s all going to be okay. Her head whips towards the front door, the shots having come from the street in front of the house. 

“They’ve gotta be around here somewhere.” She can hear a flier say through the broken living room window. “That guy and his little fucking girlfriend. If I see them, they are fucking dead.” 

“Oh fat fucking chance.” She whispers to herself. She isn’t dying now, and she sure as fuck is not letting Xaden die here. She grabs Xaden’s rifle from where she left his bag by the front door. She makes sure it’s loaded before walking quickly up the stairs in the house. 

She takes a position in front of one of the windows, lifting it to aim in case any of them come near this house. They don’t enter any of the houses, clearly looking for signs of Andarna to lead them to where they are hiding. 

Lucky for her, it has snowed since she got back from raiding the helicopter, any sign that she has been around here being covered up with soft blankets of white. It also will make it easy for her to track where they go. 

They need to get the fuck out of this neighborhood, and Xaden is in no condition to ride, he can barely stay awake for longer than a minute. Whether that is from blood loss and his body trying to heal, or the infection he is trying to fight off, they don’t have time to sit here and be hunted down. 

She has an idea, and it’s just crazy enough that it might work. She searches the house for as many blankets as she can find, some rope, and something she can use as a sled. Taking her findings back out to where Xaden is, she lays down her first blanket. 

“This may be uncomfortable.” She warns him, launching back into her story to keep her mind occupied while she wraps Xaden in a blanket cocoon. 

“Rhi!” 

The closest infected to them goes down, Rhiannon jumping off the counter and dragging Violet with her.

“Run Vi!”

They both take off sprinting, going back through the hallways they had used to get here. The infected are chasing them, quickly gaining ground. They approach the double doors that would lead them back into the bookstore, Rhiannon quickly slamming the door shut when three infected are racing towards them. 

“Shit. We have to barricade the door!” Working together, they push a metal shelf in front of the door, buying them a few minutes. 

“Let’s get this garage open!” They both lift, Rhiannon holding it open for Violet to slip through first. She pushes an old mechanics cart under the garage door, keeping it up for Rhi to slip through. 

As soon as she does, the door from the book store crashes open, the small group of infected honing in on them quickly. Rhi shoots at them, killing them before they can make their way towards them. 

They both turn, taking in their surroundings. This must’ve been where the mall received shipments for each of their stores, the large receiving bays, some still with trailers docked, waiting diligently for workers to unload their contents. 

There’s another screech behind them, another group of infected making their way towards the two girls. They both turn at the same time, running through the receiving dock. Violet trips up the steps as they get closer to the other side of the mall, getting ever closer to the safety of the military base. 

Before she can stand back up, an infected grabs onto her ankle. Her face twists in anger, she refuses to go out without a fight. Kicking out with her other foot, she kicks the infected’s head once, feeling as it’s grip loosens just slightly. She kicks again, the head twisting at an unnatural angle as it falls down dead. 

She scrambles to her feet quickly when she hears Rhiannon scream, looking up to find her best friend cornered by an infected. Violet runs to her quickly, throwing out any pretenses of caring about her own life as she jumps onto the infecteds back. She stabs it in the neck over and over again, until it finally goes down. And then she stabs it two more times just to be sure. 

“The stairs.” Rhiannon says, grabbing Violet’s hand to lead her away. “We need to get to the scaffolding at the top of the stairs, that’s our way out.”

They race up the steps, as more and more infected are quick on their heels. Rhiannon leads them to an open window, a set of scaffolding going up the side of the building like they had been repainting the mall prior to the outbreak. 

Rhiannon goes first, jumping up the first set before turning to make sure Violet is behind her. 

“Keep going! Don’t worry about me!” Violet yells at her, she’s right behind her, she just needs to keep moving. 

They reach the last set of scaffolding, Rhiannon easily jumping up to the top. Violet curses to herself, knowing that her shorter stature is going to make this near impossible for her. She attempts the jump anyways, her hands grabbing onto the ledge of the scaffolding. 

“No, no, no! Violet!” 

The scaffolding hadn’t been secure, or if it had, it wasn’t after years of sitting there and being exposed to the elements. It’s tipping, her weight hanging off of it enough to send her falling back down. 

She hits the ground hard, her vision swimming and unable to breath. This moment of inability to move is all the infected need, jumping onto her quickly. Her eyes go wide quickly, realizing that this is the end of her life. 

She reaches her hands up, trying to keep the infected from her as much as possible. It’s teeth are so fucking close to her, and she won’t be able to hold it off forever. She just needs to hope that Rhiannon got out. She can die happy if her friend gets out. 

There’s gunshots around her, and next thing she knows, the infected on top of her stops moving. It’s kicked off of her, and she looks up into the eyes of her best friend. She holds her hand out, helping Violet to her feet. 

“Quickly!” But she barely gets the word out before an infected is tackling her to the ground. 

Violet sees red, her body acting on instinct to protect her friend. She launches, her knife in hand as she stabs the infected in the back, grabbing its head by the hair and lifting, her knife making quick work across the front of its throat. 

Rhiannon scrambles away, the mall finally quiet again as she tries to catch her breath against an old flower planter. Her eyes go wide as she stares at Violet.

“I think we are clear.” Violet says, turning around to look around the outdoor space they have found themselves in. 

“Vi…” Rhiannon’s voice is soft, but firm. “Violet, your arm.”

Her eyes go wide as she lifts her arm to inspect it, the entire forearm coated in blood. She drops her knife in surprise, her hand swiping away the blood to reveal the crescent moon shaped teeth marks that now mare her skin. 

“No.” She whispers, her hands running over it again like she could wipe it away if she tries hard enough. “No, No, NO.” She shouts, tears pricking her eyes. 

This can’t be happening. She doesn’t want to become… one of them. She didn’t make it 25 years behind the military walls just to die before she even gets the chance to leave them. 

Her eyes look up to stare at Rhiannon, her tears rolling quickly down her face now. Rhiannon’s eyes are just as full of tears as she holds up her right hand, showing Violet the bite that marks her own hand. 

Violet’s face twists into veritable rage. At least if she was the only one bitten, her friend would’ve been safe. But now they are both doomed, both destined to turn into one of those monsters. 

Violet picks up a piece of the metal frame that made up the scaffolding she had fallen off of. She swings it at the flower pots that line the path they are near. 

“Fuck! Fuck, Fuck, FUCK.” She breaks each one, her anger falling away to sadness with each swing she takes. 

She collapses to sit next to Rhi, her head falling against the giant planter that Rhi hasn’t moved from. 

“There’s some more stuff over there you can break.” Rhi says, her voice full of tears. 

Violet doesn’t respond, her hands coming to her face to wipe away her own tears. She’s openly sobbing at this point, wiping at them only smearing the blood that speckles her face. 

“What are we going to do?” She whispers, her hands still covering her eyes.

“The way I see it, we have two options.” Rhi starts, her voice the same firm tone she had used when she was in charge of Violet during school formation. 

“Option one,” She holds her pistol in front of her, showing it to Violet, “We take the easy way out. Go before our brains get turned to mush. It’s quick and painless but… I’m not a fan.”

Violet looks at her now, wondering what on earth option two could be.

“Or Option two, we fight.”

Violet’s eyes narrow on her, “Fight for what? We are hours away from turning into one of those things.”

“The way I see it. There are a million ways we should’ve died before today, and a million ways we can die before tomorrow.”

“But we fight…” She whispers, remembering now her best friend's final words to her. She tightens the rope around Xaden, securing him to her makeshift sled. She can’t get him on the horse, and he wouldn’t be able to stay up anyways. This is the only way she can transport him somewhere safer so he can heal in peace. 

“We fight for every second we get together. Whether it’s two minutes…” She jumps onto the back of Andarna, the snow outside coming down even harder. She’s glad she has Xaden tightly wrapped in the blankets, he will be warm while they travel. She pulls her hoodie over her head, hoping they can get out of this weather sooner rather than later. She will be freezing. 

“...Or two days. We don’t give that up.” She whistles for Andarna to move forward, her face set into a stony mask of determination. She couldn’t save Sloane, or Liam, or Rhiannon. 

But she will save him.

[chibikyo]

Caught in his Web Pt. 1

This is mostly Reader x Shinnok, with some Reader x Raiden x Shinnok in the second part

Shinnok receives an interesting captive on the cusp of his victory over earthrealm and decides to indulge in a more hedonistic way to torture earthrealm's god of thunder.' A.K.A. - reader is a demi-god from earthrealm who is in love with Raiden and both are in the clutches of Shinnok who decides to torture Raiden by assaulting reader. Reader submits to Shinnok under threat of him torturing Raiden. Loosely inspired by this scene from MKX.

This is a AU timeline featuring my half-goddess OC (converted to reader for more wide-spread enjoyment). This is set in a sort of original timeline/MKX-esque timeline. The battle with Shinnok in my oc's canon does not go this way so this is a what-if more than anything. Since I wrote this firstly for my OC the reader is afab and uses female anatomy/pronouns, but i stuck with generic descriptions as much as I could. Be warned this was meant to be a oneshot but is currently 14,000 words and while almost finished this was never meant to be so lengthy. please read warnings.

Warnings: Extremely dubious consent; reader consents under duress so basically non-con, forecd voyeurism, forced orgasm, throat fucking, double penetration, torture, bondage, pnv sex, Dom/sub tones, reader may be close to subspace at some points though it isn't mentioned in those words, forced to participate in assault (Raiden forced to interact with reader), praise kink, please let me know if this needs expanded

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Quan Chi shoved Y/N through the doors of Shinnok's temple as soon as they creaked open. He had bested her forces and taken her prisoner, per his master's orders. Y/N stumbled from the force of the shove, and Quan Chi reveled in the look of pure loathing she shot his way. 

To her credit, she recovered quickly enough. Her back straightened, posture stiff, though she did her best to appear unperturbed. Quan Chi merely chuckled at the false bravado as he gestured to her to keep moving. At the head of the main hall sat Quan Chi's master, the fallen elder god himself, Shinnok. Y/N could feel his eyes watching her as she made her way closer to his throne. It made her feel vulnerable, like prey caught in a predator's trap, but she would have to pick the right moment to make her escape.

"And what has my dear Quan Chi brought me this time? You don't look like an earth-realmer." Shinnok chuckled. She shuddered as he blatantly checked her out, his eyes lingering at the dip of her cleavage disappearing into her tunic. She kept her eyes forward, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. Quan Chi merely chuckled again.

"A keen eye as always, my lord. Y/N is no mere mortal; she is Lord Kurai's daughter."

"A demi-god. How interesting." Shinnok curled his finger, gesturing her closer. Y/N hesitated only a moment before pressing forward, letting out the breath she had been holding. She made her way slowly up the short steps until she was standing just one step down from the fallen god. He leaned forward, reaching out to trace one of his long, slender fingers down her jaw, pausing as it settled against the hollow of her throat. Y/N kept her eyes forward, expression neutral. "Such a beautiful specimen is wasted in earthrealm."

"Spare me the empty platitudes, Shinnok. The minute you and your dog lower your guard, I'm going to gut you." Y/N growled, fists clenched tight to keep her from shivering with disgust at his touch. Shinnok grinned, his grayish skin stretched taut across sharp cheeks. A sudden, sharp sting pulsed through her, and she felt something hard wrap around her throat. She jerked back, her hands shooting up to try and yank the object loose as it slowly tightened. She struggled to get enough air as her hands found purchase on… fingers? She collapsed to her knees, drawing in ragged gasps as the fingers finally relaxed. Long, thin, skeletal fingers wrapping around her throat; the bony palm pressed against it tight where Shinnoks finger had been moments prior.

"Go ahead, my dear, gut me if you dare." Shinnok tipped her chin up, forcing her eyes to meet his once more. Y/N glared at the fallen god, her body tense, but she did not take the bait. "Good girl. You're a quick learner, I see. That collar is capable of doing far more than simply cutting off your precious air." Y/N heard a muffled shout in the distance and whipped her head around, finally taking in her surroundings to find the source. She heard Shinnok laugh again as her eyes went wide with fear at the sight before her. "Yes," He murmured. "Much faster than our guest of honor."

"Lord Raiden?!" Y/N jerked to her feet, mouth agape at the sight before her. Raiden was on his knees between two of the closest columns. His hands were bound behind his back, held in place by one of Shinnok's skeletal hands. Two more were wrapped around his throat and mouth, and she could see the one on his mouth was clenched tight, digging into his jaw and cheeks, muffling any sounds he tried to make. It would take only a few strides to reach him. Y/N made a motion to run toward him, but the minute she got more than a step away from Shinnok, she felt the hand wrap itself tighter around her throat. She whipped back around to face Shinnok. "Stop it! You're hurting him!"

Shinnok's eyes drifted over Y/N, lazily taking in the desperation and fury in her eyes and the trembling fists clenched at her sides. With a flick of his wrist, he eased off the pressure he'd been applying to Raiden's muzzle. He was suddenly very curious to see what the thunder god was trying to say. Shinnok had noticed the shock and terror that had washed over his prisoner when Y/N had come into view. Perhaps this mortal would prove to be even more entertaining than anticipated. As soon as the fingers peeled away from Raiden's mouth a snarl could be heard, making Y/N jump.

"Don't you dare touch her, Shinnok! She isn't a part of this!" Raiden's deep voice echoed through the hall, reverberating deep within Y/N. She let out a shaky breath, grateful at least to know he sounded unharmed. Her relief lasted only seconds as she caught the vicious grin twisting Shinnok's face. There was a gleam in those eyes as he surged to his feet. He reached forward, cupping Y/N's face delicately within the cradle of his spindly fingers. Y/N's gut clenched in fear as he softly traced the line of her jaw, caressing the exposed flesh of her throat. She could hear Raiden thrashing behind her and Shinnok urged her with gentle touches to turn around. She did so stiffly, unsure what Shinnok was plotting.

She stopped as her eyes locked with Raiden's. She could see the fear in his gaze. Shinnok's hands were back, one resting gently around her throat, the other pressed into the dip of her waist. Her clothes had been torn from the prior fighting and those cold digits brushed against the exposed skin, making her shiver. She didn't dare move, knowing that any resistance would be punished. Quan Chi seemed content to stand by, watching the exchange in quiet anticipation. He clearly had some idea of what his master was plotting, but the sympathetic look he gave Y/N brought her no comfort.

"You dare presume to order me around, Raiden? Have you not learned yet how truly powerless you are?" Shinnok chuckled. He squeezed her waist gently, just enough pressure to remind her of its presence as he drew in close behind her. "And what, pray tell, is so special about this one? I've never seen you quite so… desperate. Could she be someone special, Raiden? Someone you care for?"

"Y/N is one of my champions. Not one of your playthings, Shinnok." Raiden barked, straining against the bounds keeping him prisoner.

"That wasn't a no, Raiden." Shinnok grinned.

"If I may interject, my lord, I can confirm that from my own observations, the thunder god seems to be far more attentive to this mortal, compared to his other 'champions'." Quan Chi smirked. Raiden growled, but said nothing to dispute the sorcerer.

"Is that so?" Shinnok's hand dipped lower until it was sprawled across her hip and he leaned in, his lips grazing her ear. "What about you? Do you secretly harbor feelings for earthrealm's god?"

"I respect Lord Raiden. He has been like a mentor to me." The words fell from her lips with a quiver. She kept her tone and expression neutral even though she knew it was only half truth. She knew that her feelings for the thunder god were much deeper, and that he in turn had been slowly returning those feelings. They had been dancing around each other for weeks, on the cusp of coming together and expressing those desires, when Shinnok's invasion had pushed all of it aside. She felt the fallen god go stiff behind her, felt his hand tighten against her throat, fingers digging in hard enough to leave pinprick bruises on her pale skin before those lips brushed against her ear with a 'tsk'.

"Lies, my dear." Shinnok hissed. "Tell me the truth. How do you truly feel?"

"I'm telling you the truth. I swear it. " Y/N gasped as Shinnok's fingers dug painfully into her hip. She flinched as Shinnok drew up to full height behind her and pulled her back until she was flush against him.

"I'm going to drag the truth out of you, Y/N." Shinnok caressed her neck once before snapping his fingers at Quan Chi. The sorcerer grinned as he made his way toward the pair of them. A gnawing pit of fear grew in her gut. "Either you can confess your heart now, or I'll have to see for myself how you feel about your beloved 'mentor'." Y/N could feel her heart beating in her throat as Shinnok finally released her. She couldn't speak, unwilling to bare her heart to this monster. He sighed at her hesitation. "So stubborn."

An ear splitting scream tore from Raiden's lips as the hand collared around his throat began to pulse with a red aura. Y/N scrambled to run to him, but Quan Chi was ready, pinning her arms to her side as Raiden thrashed in pain. Y/N tried to break away from the sorcerer, but his grip was unrelenting.

"Stop it! Stop, please, you're killing him!" Y/N shrieked, tears glimmering in her eyes as Raiden's torment continued. "Please!"

Shinnok snapped his fingers again and the aura dissipated. Raiden slumped, his bonds taking his weight as he struggled to catch his breath. Y/N tried to shrug off the sorcerer, desperate to go to him, but Shinnok stepped into her path and Quan Chi squeezed her harder in warning. She stilled under the fallen elder god's burning gaze.

"I will give you one last chance, my dear. Any more lies and I will continue Raiden's suffering. You will obey me, utterly, or I will take my ire out on him." Shinnok placed his hand under her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze, reveling in watching her accept his power as absolute. "Now…"

"It's true. I love Lord Raiden. I've been halfway in love with him since we first met. Please don't… don't hurt him." Y/N choked. She could hear Raiden gasp behind them and she wished more than anything she could at least see his reaction. Instead, her cheeks burned with shame as she confessed her feelings under Shinnok's feverish gaze. She let her voice drop, pleading. "Please. I'll do anything you ask."

“Anything?” Shinnok repeated. His hand flexed under her chin and she shivered at the sudden hunger she could see in his eyes. He glanced over at Raiden, his face smug with victory. There was a shift in the air around them, a palpable tension that Y/N was terrified would soon snap. Raiden seemed to sense it too, his posture going stiff. Shinnok’s hand trailed down, tracing the line of Y/N’s sternum, tugging down the fabric of her tunic to expose the curve of her breasts. Y/N’s breath hitched, eyes wide with panic as the path of Shinnok’s fingers dipped below the fabric. His fingers pressed between her breasts, thumb stroking the soft expanse of skin he had exposed. “You’ve seen what will happen if you disobey me. Are you sure you want to promise anything?”

Y/N closed her eyes, swallowing thickly against the bile rising in her throat. Shinnok’s thumb continued its rhythmic pattern, almost soothing in its tenderness. There was no real choice in this situation. Anything she did short of what he wished would result in Raiden’s continued torture, and likely her own. Yet, to submit to this monster was it’s own torture in a way. How could she ever face Raiden? Whatever affection they harbored for each other would be forever tainted by this. She shivered as Shinnok continued to stare her down, his milky white eyes still hungry; still promising a torment sweeter, yet more insidious than anything she’d suffered yet. Y/N exhaled slowly as she nodded in assent.

“Y/N, don’t! You don’t have to do his bidding!” Raiden roared. “Leave her alone, Shinnok!" He strained hard enough against his bonds that Y/N almost thought his muscles would tear. Shinnok glared at the thunder god.

“Be silent, you impetuous fool!” Shinnok barked. Y/N felt a slight tingle around her neck, before the same red aura was encompassing her. The pain she felt was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. As if all her flesh was being peeled away at once and a fire was set to smolder in her every nerve. She screamed, thrashing in Quan Chi’s hold as if tearing herself away from the sorcerer might somehow end her torment. Shinnok pivoted, allowing Raiden to watch as she squirmed and sobbed.

“ENOUGH! CEASE THIS NEEDLESS TORTURE!” Raiden bellowed, howling in rage as the pain only grew more intense. "Please!"

“I said be silent!” Shinnok replied, calm, unfazed in the face of Raiden’s anger. Shinnok waited, satisfied as Raiden’s mouth snapped shut. “Better. Much better.” The aura disappeared around Y/N and she collapsed forward, muscles weak and trembling. Quan Chi released her with a laugh and she stumbled straight into Shinnok who caught her weight with a chuckle. Y/N shivered as his hands settled on her hips, helping her to right herself.

“I don’t enjoy hurting you this way.” Shinnok stroked his hand along her hip soothingly, enjoying how she trembled in fear beneath his fingers. “However, sometimes pain is necessary and you do scream ever so sweetly.” Shinnok smiled at her, gentle, but filled with sinister promise. “As much as I enjoy forcing you into compliance, Raiden, I do hate being interrupted.” Shinnok added. He snapped his fingers and Y/N heard a muffled shout as the hand that had earlier muzzled Raiden clamped back into place. He locked eyes with Y/N and she could see the regret and anguish in those orbs. Y/N tried to convey some reassurance, but knew it fell flat in the face of what was to come.

“Now, my dear Y/N.” Shinnok grinned, eyes focused intently on her. “I want you to remove your clothes. Let me see your true beauty you attempt to conceal.” Y/N could feel that cold pit in her stomach turn to steel and drop. She let any protest die on her lips, flinching when Shinnok’s hand went to rest under his chin, studying her intensely. She glanced back at Quan Chi, the sorcerer smirking at her impending humiliation, before returning to meet Shinnok’s gaze. With shaky hands, she slowly set about removing her clothing. Layer by layer she stripped down, cheeks burning with shame as she let the garments fall around her. When the last piece fell to the ground she stepped forward, untangling her legs from the mess, and placing her mere inches from the fallen god. She glanced quickly at Raiden, her blush growing deeper at the gravity of his gaze on her naked form.

“Such a gorgeous young woman isn’t she, Raiden?” Shinnok chuckled. Raiden growled in response which only seemed to spur Shinnok on. He traced the line of Y/N’s jaw, hand drifting back until it was threaded with her hair. Y/N wasn’t prepared as Shinnok clenched his fist, tugging fiercely at her hair, or for the sudden shove he added, and her knees cracked against the obsidian tiles with a loud clack. She cried out at both the sting along her scalp and the impact from her fall, even as Shinnok rubbed at her head soothingly. Y/N glared up at the god, dread growing with every breath as he smiled down at her. “I think my new pet deserves a treat for behaving so well.”

She watched in horror as Shinnok unhooked his belt, allowing his waist cape to fall to the ground with it, all while continuing to stroke her hair, slowly drawing his hand closer to her lips. He shifted slightly, ensuring Raiden could see what came next unobstructed. He continued to fuss with his pants, slowly drawing them down until his cock sprang free. Y/N sucked in a sharp breath. She had never seen a man’s sex so up close before and had to force herself to not jerk away, knowing any resistance might be taken as disobedience. Y/N would not give Shinnok a reason to torture Raiden. He slipped two fingers into her mouth, pressing down just slightly on her tongue and Y/N nearly gagged at the intrusion. His other hand gripped the base of his cock, stroking it a few times languidly as he watched her internal struggle.

“Come now, pet.” Shinnok licked his lips. “You're such a good girl for me. I want you to worship my cock with this sweet mouth.” Y/N watched in horror as his cock twitched. It was only half hard and bigger than anything she had ever imagined. She swallowed the urge to gag as Shinnok pulled back, letting his hands drop to his side and forcing her to take initiative. Hesitantly, Y/N reached out, wrapping her hands around the thick appendage. The skin was much softer than she expected and she stroked it experimentally, feeling it twitch in her hand. Shinnok seemed content to let her set the pace, for now, though Y/N wasn’t sure how long that patience would last.

She drew close, letting one hand drop to rest against his thigh and gave his cock an experimental lick along the underside. She continued to give it kitten licks over the head and along the thick vein on the side, adjusting to the salty taste of pre-cum leaking from the tip. This close she could smell the thick, musky scent of the elder god mixed with the ever present sulfur smell of netherrealm clogging her nostrils and making her dizzy. She took the head into her mouth, sucked once, then pushed forward until the weight of it was heavy on her tongue. Her teeth grazed the soft skin, causing Shinnok to hiss in pain. He threaded his finger in her hair and yanked her back, making her yelp. She had to dig her hands into the fabric of his pants to maintain her balance.

“If I feel those teeth again you will regret it, pet.” He growled. Y/N coughed, cheeks burning brilliantly as she glared up at him.

“I haven’t…” Y/N grit her teeth, wanting to bite back the admission. It only took an image of Raiden thrashing in pain to force the words out in a rush. “I haven’t done this before.” Shinnok’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, then an expression of pure rapture spread over his countenance.

“I had no idea I had the honor of being your first.” Shinnok grinned. He couldn’t help glancing smugly at Raiden. The burning hatred in Raiden’s eyes made shinnok's cock twitch eagerly. “Curl your lips around your teeth.” Shinnok instructed, guiding Y/N’s head back to his cock. He grasped the base, feeding his cock into her mouth slowly, relishing the hot, wet slide as she followed his directions. “Use your tongue. More,” He sighed. “Just like that, pet. Relax your jaw, It’s quite large for your first.” Y/N swirled her tongue around the head of it, her hand drifting up to take over for Shinnok and stroke the length she couldn’t fit into her mouth. “Don’t forget to suck, when you’re ready.”

Y/N pulled back, taking a deep breath before diving back in. She wanted to get this over quickly. She took Shinnok in deeper, until she could feel him pushing at the back of her throat. She took a deep breath, fighting the urge to gag as she began bobbing her head on his length, sucking at the head and swirling her tongue along the glands. His cock was thick, stretching her jaw painfully and too long to fit the entire thing in her mouth comfortably. She continued to stroke what wouldn’t fit, pulling off to catch her breath and slurping along that thick vein before taking him in again.

Shinnok kept one hand on her head, a contented sigh on his lips as he felt that tight, hot pleasure pooling in his guts. She was definitely a quick learner, her intense focus allowing her to read the minute twitch of his thigh or his cock to know what she was doing well. The hand she had previously braced on his thigh disappeared under his pants and Shinnok moaned as she fondled his balls, stroking and massaging them in tandem with the bobbing of her head. He jerked forward, the first physical sign he was actually enjoying this and Y/N pulled away with a cough as his cock hit the back of her throat. He shuddered at the tight squeeze he had felt before she’d pulled away. Her eyes were slightly glazed, lips red and swollen, with spit and pre-cum smeared along her chin.

With a sudden growl his hands dug into her head, yanking her back onto his cock and pushing his way past that sweet resistance to plunge down her throat. She choked, gagging around his length as she felt her nose nestled against the dusting of hair at the base of his cock. She felt him moan as she gagged again, unable to breathe, scrambling to push him away. He held her in place, relishing the way she swallowed around his cock, amused by the way her hands fumbled in the folds of his pants. He wished he could see if her throat was bulging around him. Distantly, he could see Raiden begin thrashing anew and decided that the only thing sweeter than taking his pleasure from the body of Raiden's love would be to hear the aforementioned god begging on her behalf. He let the muzzle fall away and was not disappointed.

“Release her! She’s choking! She can’t breathe, by the elder gods, stop this!” Raiden roared. Shinnok moaned louder, but relented, pulling back just enough for Y/N to draw in a ragged breath. She swallowed painfully, eliciting a shudder from the elder god. He kept one hand in her hair, the other he trailed down to rest against her throat, taking in the sight of her beautiful, fucked out face.

“Once again you presume to order me around Raiden?” Shinnok chided. “Have you not learned your lesson?” He stroked Y/N’s hair as he began to thrust his cock shallowly into her mouth. “I tried to make it easy for you by muzzling you. After all, you can hardly get in trouble if you can’t speak.” His gentle rocking began to pick up. Y/N was still light headed from before, she weakly tried to swirl her tongue along his length, but Shinnok didn’t seem to mind her lackluster attempts. He kept steadily thrusting harder, deeper, feeling her throat contract around him further and further as Y/N concentrated on breathing, on fighting the urge to gag. Tears spilled from her eyes and her throat ached as Shinnok fucked it mercilessly. “You will not speak unless I order it, Raiden, or it will be Y/N who suffers the consequences. I can make this pleasurable for her or I can make it hurt. The choice is yours.” He chuckled as Raiden’s mouth snapped shut, eyes burning with fury.

Shinnok continued to fuck into Y/N’s throat, elated in having subdued his rival, orgasm approaching quickly as he watched her expression become soft and lax around his cock. Y/N’s head was fuzzy, the lack of air made her feel like she was floating as she relaxed further around Shinnok’s cock. He slammed into her once more and Y/N felt his length spasm as something thick and warm shot down her throat. She was forced to swallow, hearing Shinnok moan as his hand traced her throat where it stretched taut around him. He was still cumming as he slowly pulled back, rope after rope of his salty essence filled her mouth until finally he withdrew with a satisfied sigh. A few final spurts of his seed landed along her chin and the swell of her breasts.

“Swallow it.” He ordered before she could spit any out. Y/N did so, letting her mouth fall open after for him to inspect and he groaned appreciatively at how fucked out she looked. Her lips were an angry red, tears dripping from her eyes, and her face flushed so beautifully. She was drawing in rasping breaths, her eyes glazed over as she rocked back to sit on her heels. She looked up at him, hands resting on her thighs, and he couldn’t help but swipe his hand through the cum coating her face, collecting most of it on his fingertips. He fed it to her, pressing the salty fluid to her tongue and didn’t even have to give an order before she started cleaning his fingers gently. She suckled at them softly, her face burning with shame as she swallowed down more of his seed. He tugged them free with a pop, tracing a line from her chin down to the thick rope of seed on her chest. He massaged the sticky seed into the swell of her breast, marking her, staking a claim on her for Raiden to see.

“Such a sweet girl, behaving so well for me, pet.” Shinnok praised. She wanted to feel disgusted by his praise, but she was still coming down from her high and his words brushed over her nerves like silk, making her tingle and shiver with pin pricks of pleasure. “You did such a good job for your first time, taking me so well.” The praise crashed down on her, pleasure shooting straight to her core and she felt her cunt become slick as she bit back a moan. She squirmed, thighs pressed together, seeking any kind of friction. She ached to touch herself, and had to clench her hands to keep them still. Shinnok hadn’t given her permission to touch and she refused to do something unless he specifically ordered it. She prayed the fallen god wouldn’t notice how his words were affecting her. He didn’t seem to, content to continue rubbing slow circles into her skin as she recovered. Unfortunately, someone else had been watching her much more intensely.

“My lord, I believe your new pet is rather enjoying your praises.” Quan Chi chuckled. Shinnok glanced at Quan Chi, following his gaze to where it rested between her legs. He could see a few drops of liquid against the obsidian tiles beneath her, watched her thighs tremble and the way her face grew hotter was all the confirmation he needed. Shinnok smirked.

“Is my sorcerer correct, my pet? Do you like it when I tell you how sweet you are?” Shinnok dropped to one knee, hand hooking under her chin to force her to face him. “Such a sweet, gorgeous creature. You looked so beautiful swallowing down my cock. So lovely.” Shinnok grinned. He rested his other hand on her hip and could feel her squirming beneath the tips of his fingers. “Didn’t she look absolutely divine as she choked me down, Raiden?” His smirk grew wider, triumphant, as her body spasmed sharply. He could see more of her slick juices pooling along her crease, dripping onto the floor beneath her. He let his hand drift closer, swiping at it with his thumb. Y/N’s breath hitched at the shock of pleasure that gentle touch elicited. Shinnok glanced over at Raiden expectantly, savoring the war that waged behind the thunder god’s eyes, knowing that Raiden would have to answer, lest Shinnok unleash his wrath on Y/N. He leaned in closer to Y/N, lips inches from hers even as he kept his eyes trained on Raiden. “Come now, Raiden. She did so well for her first time. Surely she deserves some recognition.”

“You were beautiful, Y/N.” Raiden swallowed down the bile in his throat, choking on the words as her eyes met his. She was close enough that he could see how her breath became shallow, her body twitching in response to him and his own cock spasmed at the sight. He felt sick with guilt at how his body was reacting to just the sight of her laid bare before him. He reveled in how, despite this nightmare, she seemed to react so keenly to his voice, to his eyes boring into hers with such ferocity. Shinnok may have been the one touching her, but it was his gaze, his presence that brought her pleasure. It was enough encouragement for him to speak up. “You looked so perfect, so gorgeous, taking his cock so well. Absolutely beautiful.”

Y/N whimpered as her core clenched tight with pleasure from hearing Raiden speak such filthy things. Shinnok grinned, feeling another slick rush of fluid around his thumb. He pressed it deeper into her crease, teasing her clit as she gasped, hands reaching up to clench at the folds of his tabards (the god was shirtless beneath), steadying herself as she shamelessly spread her legs a little, allowing him better access. His other hand drew her face closer as he claimed her lips with his own. He kept up the gentle circles as he plundered her mouth, relishing the little ‘ah’ ‘ah’ sounds she made against his mouth. He could taste the remnants of his spend on her tongue as he sucked on it lightly. She whimpered as he finally drew back, feeling elated.

“Was that your first kiss, pet?” Shinnok asked, his thumb stilling against her clit. Y/N shook her head, eyes clenched shut as she struggled to control her breathing. She hated how easily Shinnok could manipulate her body. She didn’t want this to feel good. Shinnok’s thumb pressed harder against her, making her gasp into his mouth as he kissed her again. “Tell me about it; about your first kiss.”

“It was…” Y/N keened as his thumb began to move again. His fingertips dug into her thigh for purchase as teased her with slow steady circles. Her breath grew shallow and her core clenched, aching and empty, and Y/N felt her skin flush hotter. She'd never felt these sensations before; never thought she could burn so hot as if her very nerves were being plucked like chords. Her eyes met Raiden's just as Shinnok's finger slid over her clit and she moaned, thready and high pitched, legs trembling with need. She drew in a ragged breath, but there was no reprieve from the relentless drag of Shinnok's fingers. She let her eyes fall shut, head thrown back on another moan because she could feel Raidens' eyes burning into her, tracing the curve of her heaving breast, memorizing the way her face looked flushed with pleasure, the sheen of her sweat-slicked skin. It was too much. Seeing how badly he desired her was making every touch of Shinnok's hotter, more intense.

“It was at the sky temple, just after we defeated Shao Kahn.'' She started again. Her voice was just a bit gravelly, still sore from how deep Shinnok had fucked her throat and hearing it seemed to invigorate him. His thumb pressed harder, the rough pad dragging over her clit faster and Y/N moaned again. “I was in the garden’s… oh… hah… at… at the sky temple with, ah, with Raiden. He… hah, ahh… he kissed me, ah, under the moonlight. It was so… ohh… so sweet… perfect.”

Shinnok paused his hand and Y/N slumped forward, keening as the slowly building pleasure in her core slipped away. Shinnok glanced up, surveyed the room with a critical eye. He hadn’t realized just how sweet a prize Quan Chi had brought him. He'd never anticipated she was so inexperienced, so virginal; tailor-made to torment the thunder god at the most primal level. His eyes fell on his faithful servant and he wasn’t surprised to see Quan Chi’s pants stretched taut and bulging. He would have to reward Quan Chi for his patience. Plus, sharing her body with the sorcerer would cut Raiden even deeper. To see the person he loved and desired taken apart for the first time by his most hated enemy already such delicious torment, but to allow Quan Chi to share in the experience would burn so much deeper into the thunder gods psyche.

What did surprise him was the equally straining erection tenting the Raiden's pants. He was a sight to behold. On his knees, wrists bound tight behind his back, his usual calm and serene composure lost to the raging storm Shinnok always knew was buried deep down. Even though the collar around his throat suppressed his powers, there was still lightning crackling around Raiden's eyes as he watched Shinnok teasing Y/N. Oh, but how ashamed he must feel, taking pleasure from this! Shinnok could hardly blame him. Y/N had been breathtaking as she'd quivered beneath his expert touch. Shinnok shuddered with inspiration.

He kissed Y/N again, slow drags of his lips caressing hers, distracting her as he guided her to the floor, pushing her hands up above her head. He only pulled back as one of his skeletal hands snapped around her wrists, pinning her to the floor. She looked so debauched, back arched high, legs still pinned beneath her, thighs spread to make room for him in their warm cradle. Y/N blinked up at him, dread creeping back into her stomach as she tested her strength against the bonds. They didn’t budge. Shinnok trailed his hands down her torso, relishing the softness of her flesh, so smooth, so delicate under his slender hands as they settled along her breasts. He took his time exploring the plush mounds, plucking at her taut nipples, observing how each slow tease wound her tighter. He let his mouth drop down, licking a stripe across one pebbled nub and she bucked up into him with a moan. He flicked his tongue over and over, relishing the way she squirmed beneath. Once he had it nice and hard he bit down, scraping over it with his teeth before soothing the sting with his tongue. He let it go with an exaggerated pop, fingers twisting the now moist nub as he repeated this on her other side. Gods, he loved how responsive she was and pulled away to tell her just that.

“You respond so beautifully to my touch.” Shinnok grinned, knowing the praise would only drive her closer to the edge. “Such a sweet pet, moaning so prettily for me.” He kissed his way down her ribcage, licked a stripe from her belly button to the top of her crease. His hands followed the trail of his lips, skimming over her ribs, her hips, until his fingers dug into the soft flesh of her thighs.

He trailed them lower, hooked his fingers under her knees to manipulate her legs more easily. He guided them out from under her so her feet could rest on the floor. He didn’t want to hurt her and this new position allowed him to spread her legs wider, pushing them out and away so he could finally reveal her tight cunt. Y/N's legs instinctively tried to clench shut, but Shinnok only needed to squeeze once in warning for her to relax and let them fall apart around him.

“Good girl,” Shinnok crooned, hands trailing back up to squeeze at the soft swell of her flesh where her thighs met her core. He leaned in, licking a stripe from her hole to the top of her cunt, feeling her jerk and spasm under his finger tips. She tasted even sweeter than he had imagined, already wet and weeping from his attentions. He licked his lips, chasing that taste as he glanced at Raiden. “She tastes heavenly, Raiden, so deliciously sweet. She's already so wet for me, aren’t you, my dear?” He swiped a finger through her juices then traced it over her lips, grinning as her tongue darted out to taste. She shuddered as his thumb went back to her clit, flicking it harshly before sliding over it, down until it caught against the entrance of her pussy. He pushed in slowly, eyes still trained on Raiden as she arched her back and keened. “So, so sweet.”

He pushed his thumb deeper, deeper, pulling out only to push in again, watching her thrash in delicious torment. It was just enough pressure to drive her mad without pushing her over the edge. He kept at it, leaning in every so often to lap up the slick flooding out of her, teasing her until she had tears in her eyes again. Finally, he reached up to cup her jaw, forcing her to look at him. She looked absolutely desperate and that’s exactly how he wanted her. His eyes flicked up to lock with Quan Chi, a meaningful smirk on his face, and a matching grin spread across Quan Chi's lips as the sorcerer made his way toward the pair.

“You were so beautiful earlier, swallowing my cock, and my cum, and you’ve been so well behaved for me.” He pulled his thumb out of her with a soft pop, bringing it up so she could watch him suck the juices off with a moan. “Such a sweet, wonderful pet.” He grinned viciously. “You taste so divine, pet, that I can’t resist the temptation to feast. I’m going to fuck you with my tongue, suck out every last drop of your sweet fluid.” Shinnok grinned as Y/N’s breath hitched. His hands returned to Y/N's thighs, squeezing gently as Quan Chi dropped down beside her. Y/N gasped, watching the sorcerer free his aching cock from the tight confines of his pants. “I think my servant deserves a reward for his patience, don't you? It isn't often he brings me a gift this sweet. I trust you’ll take care of him as well as you did me.” Y/N nodded, her throat already aching at the thought and she let out a raspy 'yes'. "Good girl."

Y/N shuddered as Shinnok made his way back down to stare at her core. Her hands were still tightly bound, so all she could do was watch and wait for them to act. To use her as they pleased. Quan Chi was stroking his length, one hand settling in her hair to turn her head his way. She couldn't help but stare in horror as his massive cock grew thicker as he stroked it. She could already feel it filling out her throat, choking her, thicker already than Shinnok's though thankfully not quite as long. Y/N wondered, briefly, if Raiden was as well endowed; if he’d fill her throat the way Shinnok had. She had a flash of him in Quan Chi's position, feeding her his cock, her mouth stretched over it. Her whole body spasmed and a rush of slick soaked her cunt as she clenched tight at her core. She heard Shinnok gasp, watched Quan Chi pause, his cock inches from her lips as he glanced down to where the former elder god was transfixed on her slick cunt.

"My my, you just gushed my dear. We’re not even touching you yet look how utterly drenched you are. That eager for another cock in your throat?" Shinnok goaded, his thumbs pressed into her thighs as he looked at her. She shook her head, mortified at how her body reacted. "No? Then tell me, what made you so desperately wet?" He rubbed circles into her thighs, his breath hot against her soaked core, and Y/N felt tears prick her eyes again. "Use your words, pet. Tell me what you were thinking that made you soak my floors with your sweet juices."

"I… I,"Y/N keened as Shinnok's thumbs teased her skin, so tantalizingly close to her slick core. She couldn't help but glance over at Raiden. Gods, he was so close, only a couple yards away at most, but it felt like miles with how desperate she was to touch him. Just to interlock her fingers with his would be enough. She flushed as Raiden's eyes raked across her body and she looked away again. "I wondered if… if Raiden’s… if his cock was this large. I was thinking what it would be like to feel him down my throat. " Y/N whimpered. She wished the floor would open to swallow her. She couldn't meet Raiden's gaze, but there was no mistaking the aborted whimper that tore from his throat, or the ragged breaths that followed as he tried to keep his composure.

"I bet he wouldn't disappoint," Shinnok teased. "Look at how desperate he is. You can see how hard his cock is, straining his pants, soiling them with his seed. He's as wet for it as you are. He would fill you so good, so full, spilling down your throat and feeding you his cum." Shinnok pressed his nose against her cunt, inhaled that sweet scent as more juice gushed out of her. He nodded to Quan Chi, permission to continue as he nuzzled the inside of her thigh, his left hand drifting closer and closer to her core. "Go ahead and think of him, if you want. Take Quan Chi's cock like the sweet girl you are and think of your thunder god watching you come apart in front of his eyes."

Y/N whined, her breath caught in her throat, as Shinnok pressed his tongue flat against her hole, dragging it over her clit and back down. Her mouth fell open as he lapped up the mess that had already spilled out of her and Quan Chi took the opportunity to push forward, filling her mouth with the thick head of his cock. Y/N moaned around him, tongue swiping automatically over the tip, tasting the trickle of pre-cum that had collected there. She bobbed her head forward, sucking him deeper into her mouth, as far as she could with the limited range of motion she had. Her hands clenched into fists as she strained against the bonds.

Shinnok's tongue was like a hot brand on her cunt, expertly working her over. She felt pleasure building in her core as he sucked on her throbbing clit, swirling his tongue over the sensitive nub, her body responding beautifully to his touch. He worked his way down, savoring the taste as he lapped at her tight entrance before spearing her open with his tongue. She spasmed, body jerking under his hands as she pulled off Quan Chi with a high pitched whine. He fucked his tongue into her ruthlessly, delighted at the breathy moans leaving her as she took Quan Chi's cock back into her mouth. He released her thigh, bringing one finger up to toy with her folds before pushing it inside her, feeling her clamp down on the invading digit as he fucked it into her alongside his tongue.

Quan Chi groaned when Y/N spasmed around his cock, popping it out of her mouth with the most delicious cry of ecstasy. She was a truly magnificent sight, body flushed, spread open for them like a whore. He gave her a moment to revel in her pleasure before he directed her back onto his cock. Her chest was heaving, breathy moans reverberating around his thick shaft as she swirled her tongue over his glands. He gave an experimental thrust, pleased when she didn't immediately gag from his cock hitting the back of her throat. He thrust again, harder, more insistent, pushing through that tight resistance as she slurped at his length. She was drooling as he thrust again, a thin trickle of saliva leaking out, the very portrait of sin.

Y/N keened as Shinnok pushed a second finger into her, pumping them slowly and meticulously as he continued to suckle at her swollen clit. She felt her core growing tighter, hotter, pleasure building molten and heavy, threatening to spill over. Her jaw ached, stretched around the thick cock in her throat. Her thighs were quivering as Shinnok broke her down to nothing but moans and sobs of gut wrenching ecstasy. She felt that peak quickly approaching, back arching off the floor, tight as a bow string and Shinnok ripped his fingers free just before she could spill over. She barely had time to breathe before his hand came down on her clit, slapping it hard, firm, sending a bolt of pain/pleasure through her core and punching the air from her lungs.

Her throat squeezed tightly around Quan Chi and he laughed, breathy and smug, as he fucked into her throat harder, chasing his release. Shinnok slapped her again, striking over her quivering entrance, across her clit, his other hand tracing a path to her chest to toy with one of her breasts. Quan Chi stilled his thrusts, used the hand threading her hair to push her head up and down his cock, relishing the gagging, obscene noises she made as Shinnok began alternating between fucking into her tight channel with his tongue, before pulling back to smack her throbbing pussy. Each time he brought his hand down her body jerked, throat contracting deliciously around Quan Chi's cock. He began to thrust again, holding her head still and reaching down to tweak her neglected nipple between his fingers, mirroring his master's work. He felt his peak quickly approaching, his thrusts growing erratic as he pushed deep, deep into her throat. He held her there as he came, groaning with pleasure as he shot his seed down her throat. He pulled back just enough to let her inhale, tears dripping down her face, mixing with his cum as it spilled out around his cock. He continued to fill her throat, gagging her as he kept thrusting, riding out his orgasm, his cock stayed heavy on her tongue as the last weak spurt hit the back of her throat. She swallowed the thick, salty cum, licking the traces of it clean from his cock until he began to squirm from overstimulation and he pulled out of her with an obscene pop.

Shinnok gave her cunt one last smack, feeling her body go taut and plunged his fingers back inside her. He pumped them hard, fast, pushing up into the sweet spot inside of her relentlessly. His mouth latched onto her clit and he felt her gasp, then scream as she shook, squirting around his fingers, coating his hand, his mouth, even hitting his chest with her sweet juices. He didn't slow, didn't falter, forced her orgasm out of her wave by wave until her whole body went limp and she was quivering under him. He lapped up the mess, feasting on the rich taste. He could hear her aborted attempts to ask him to please stop, each time catching herself before she could give voice to the command.

Y/N was definitely floating now. She felt Quan Chi's hand caress her neck and hissed at how tender it was. His prodding was gentle, but methodical, taking stock of any damage that had been done. Her muscles were twitching, her nerves all on fire as that euphoria slowly faded. Shinnok's hand was a grounding presence against her thigh as she struggled to catch her breath. She hated how good the weight of it felt, as if it was the only thing that kept her anchored to reality. She tugged at the restraints on her hand, surprised when the pressure lifted. She didn't know what to do with them, moving at all seemed too difficult a task, so she simply left them above her head, letting the muscles relax as she continued to float.

For Raiden, it took everything in his power to stay silent, lest he incur Shinnok's wrath. He would make the elder god pay for this, he swore, but right now all he could think about was checking in with Y/N. He cursed silently as Shinnok and Quan Chi did nothing, content to watch the rise and fall of her chest, the way she trembled under their gentle caresses. It should be his hands holding her, soothing her, bringing her such pleasure. Shame welled up in him. He shouldn't be thinking of her like this. She shouldn't be in this position at all, yet it was hard to consider anything else but how desperate he was to hold her, to taste her, to take her apart under his hands. His cock was so hard and full it hurt. The silence stretched on until Raiden couldn't stand it another minute.

"Y/N. Are you alright?" His voice croaked, hoarse from both screaming and from the lust he tried so desperately to conceal.

"Speaking out of turn again? After Y/N has been so good for us?" Shinnok chided softly. "You are truly testing my patience, Raiden." Raiden growled, his fury growing by the second. Shinnok tapped Y/N on the cheek gently. "Come on, sweet girl, open your eyes for me. Let's see how you are fairing." Y/N groaned, her eyes snapping open to meet his own and she gave a shaky nod. Shinnok clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Use your words, pet. Your Thunder God is worried about you."

"I'm…" Y/N whimpered, her throat grating painfully as she tried to speak. She could barely manage more than a whisper. "I… it hurts. Please don't… hurts," was all she managed to whisper. Quan Chi stroked his hand over her throat softly.

"The poor dear. We really did a number on this, didn't we?" Quan Chi murmured, his deep voice reverberating through her. He glanced at Shinnok questioningly and at his master's assent he muttered softly under his breath, hand glowing and healing the tender flesh below. Y/N whimpered gratefully as the pain slowly faded. Her voice was still hoarse, but she sounded much less strained as she managed a soft thanks. Quan Chi brushed his fingers across her throat once more, reverently, before drawing up to full height, tucking his softening cock away with a groan.

"With respect, Shinnok, it appears one of my men has returned with another earthrealm prisoner. " Quan Chi added with a frown. "I should check in. If you have need of me?" The question trailed off, inviting orders from the fallen god.

"You're dismissed, Quan Chi. I expect a full report later on. I will call for you if I need assistance " Shinnok dismissed him with a wave and soon enough it was just him alone with Y/N, her hand slung over her face to hide her shame, and Raiden, who seemed on the verge of hysteria seeing Y/N like this.

***link to part two will be posted once it's finished; if anyone wants to comment it might help spur some inspiration to get it completed sooner***

The original character in this story is the twin sister of the OC that inspired my Rain x Male reader one shot 'Tease' if anyone is curious

[moth-after-dark]

Lol, time to actually make an intro post. Tbh, I'm not gonna put in a bunch of effort yet, but I'll update this to be better later. :P

Heyo, so we're a system. Probably OSDD-1B bc we don't have amnesia. And this is our alt acc for all things freaky :3c (If u know our other accounts, shhh no u don't)

Oh, also, obligatory "we are into many messed up things, and multiple of us are darkshippers, so if u dislike that, no hard feelings, feel free to block us and move on". And, while we try to respect DNIs, we don't always go out of our way to check every single account we interact with before liking a random post. Again, if u don't want us there, the block button is free, and we encourage you to use it. :]

Some alters to know who might show up here on occasion:

Bimbo

She/they/love/pink/heart/rose/bun/💖/🩷/🎀/👛/💕/💗/❤️‍🔥 + sometimes he/it

Genderfluid

Resident attention whore <3

Signs off with ❤️‍🔥

Kitty

It/they/she/he/kitty/puppy/paw/meow/woof/💜/🐾/🎀

Genderfluid

Resident petplayer (despite name, woof can be a dog, cat, or occasionally other things)

Signs off with 🎀

Lunar

He/they/⭐️

Demiboy? Something masculine

Resident brother kisser <3 (Also, a fictive from TSaMS, specifically of the og Lunar, and partly sourced from Ao3 fics)

Signs off with ⭐️

Auto

It/tech/cyber/wire/robo/screen/synth/neon/code/static/auto/=]/=p/🦾/⚙️/🔲/📺/☎️/🔌/🖥️/they/he?

Nonbinary (Mostly just xenogender)

Resident objectum and robot lover

Signs off with ⚙️

Nightmare

It/he/that/that thing/fear/shade/Nightmare/dark/fang/abyss/shadow/night/creature/🦷/🦴/👁/🫀/🌑/🖤/🩸/they

Masculine-aligned nonbinary

(Idk what defining feature to put here, but that thing is a scary looking monster shape-shifty thing. Do with that what u will)

Signs off with 🦴

Gore

Gore/blood/bone/flesh/rot/thing/rib/flay/parasite/🧠/🫀/🫁/🦷/🦴/👁/🪱/🪲/🪰/🍄/🍖/🥩/🩸/🩻/☣️/it/they

Nonbinary & xenogender

The name kinda says it all. Resident anatomy freak. We'll probably need to TW this thing's posts if they ever decide to post :P

Signs off with 🫀

Bloodmoon/Bloody

He/they/it/claw/fang/blood/red/🩸

Masculine-aligned Nonbinary

Resident hunting freak...and occasionally kind of sweet. (Also, another TSaMS fictive, and probably demisexual. Kinda only has feels for its other half and KC)

Signs off with 🩸

Cozy/Omega

He/they/love/cozy/omega/fluff/sleep/💕/🩷

Transmasculine

Resident omega catboy and sweet little loverboy <3

Signs off with 💕

I think that's all that matters for now? Later, we'll likely add everyone's specific likes and stuff.

[kairosimperative]

Day Five: Artists

This is entirely comic and pop artists, because that’s my solution to the dilemma I had when I mixed them together with the painters you find in fancy-schmancy European galleries. I feel much more comfortable just showing off some contemporary pictures I like looking at.

5. Lisa Frank

Yep, that Lisa Frank! Blah blah neon puppies, yadda yadda you might be a 90s kid if you remember, but I mean this with full sincerity: I love this brand. And I checked, the brand is an artist, not just a name. Ms. Frank is still around having fun with rainbows and sparkles, and to all appearances doesn’t care if she’s gone out of style. You can follow her on Instagram like I do, if you want.

One reason I wanted to change my restrictions for this category to pop art is that I have a longtime personal campaign against cultural gatekeeping. People look at Lisa Frank and wouldn’t believe anyone would consider her an artist, but the skills employed in this kind of work are the same as the ones in the pieces you see in galleries. The main difference is who it’s intended for: Lisa Frank makes art for kids, and she’s not ironic or embarrassed or preachy about it, and that’s wonderful.

4. Melody Peña

I collect Windstone sculptures, by which I mean I have one and want more. You know how the tiniest things you encounter in your childhood can end up being formative to your creative development? One of mine was a Windstone catalog. I pored over it again and again. I was picky about my mythical critters, but I couldn’t find a single thing I would change about these.

Looked up the company once I was immersed in online fantasy art fandom years later, and periodically after that. There are so many more molds now, and the classics are still there, shimmery and dramatic and warmhearted.

3. Fiona Staples

Even the best comic artists usually have some kind of subject matter they can’t draw quite as well, or a number of pages that look a bit slapdash from time to time. Except Fiona Staples. She doesn’t have a weak point. (According to her, it’s spaceships, but I have yet to find evidence.)

As a failed artist myself, I never run out of respect for illustrators who can handle every aspect of visual art from the vanishing point to the anatomy of facial expressions -- panel after panel, page after page. Don’t talk to me about “high” and “low” art. Comic books are goldmines.

2. Don Bluth

He’s an animator guy who used to work for Disney but left them for better things. If you didn’t know he’s one of your favorites too, you will soon: Secret of NIMH, All Dogs Go to Heaven, Anastasia, Titan A.E., The Land Before Time.

Yeah. All of those. A couple surprised me by their range in subject matter, but there’s still a definite style that unites them, especially in the animal characters. It’s not in the way that all Disney characters have visual similarities, either -- it’s just a Bluth thing, and bless him for it.

1. Bill Sienkiewicz

Sienkiewicz is such a comics legend that I was a little surprised to find that the series for which I know him, The New Mutants, is universally regarded as one of his greatest works. As far as I can gather from old and new commentary on the series, Marvel was throwing the dice by putting his impressionistic, sketchy, mature style into a book about innocent teenagers. It paid off in every panel and now he’s a symbol of the glory of the Silver Age of comics.

After a little exploring I found some of his work on other characters and also his original ideas, which would not be out of place in any high-end gallery. Whatever the subject matter, he goes beyond visual communication and finds beauty and wonder, as all art should.

[ssmtskw]

Hello and welcome!

Replacing my pinned with a list of the stuff I've written for anyone checking my account out. Heh. Everything is sorted by fandom, and then word count! (And if there's something I should add to the tagging, please feel free to send me a message about it so I can make the edits.) Enjoy... hopefully!

RWRB

some part of me came alive - 10,979 words [college-ish AU, 5+1]

"Bye David." David's head snaps back to Alex's direction, eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly you'd think it wasn't even there. Alex, having just removed his glasses again as he yawns once more, doesn't see it. David takes a couple seconds before slightly shaking his head, like he's just imagining something and is now actively wiping the thought away. He opens the door before he responds. "Bye Alex."

(Or: The five times Alex unintentionally calls Henry by his dog’s name, and the one time he does it on purpose.)

Francesca - 10,189 words [graphic depictions and references of violence/abuse/injuries]

Once, in a much worse place before all of this; Alex had worked for someone with one side of his office overflowing with books. He'd read all sorts of things there: Anatomy, selected works in philosophy, Oliver Twist, war hero accounts, law. Anything he could get a hold of in the dark, really. Among those books were a bible. There's a passage there that stuck— something he'd only read past but had barraged into the walls of Alex's mind three years ago, Book of Jeremiah, chapter 17, verse 9: The heart is more deceitful than anything else and is desperate. Who can know it?

Love Songs in the Key of Liam - 8,152 words [Liam POV/centric, 5+1]

It's fucked. He's fucked — Liam, that is. There was no way this was going to work. Ever. What's the next worst thing to growing up closeted in a typically close-minded neighbourhood? Probably developing a crush on your best friend who lives in said neighbourhood. (Or: The five times love songs reminded Liam of his now estranged best friend, and the one time it reminded him of someone else.)

Terrible Things - 4,038 words [Hanahaki AU, hurt/no comfort]

"How long?" That, he can answer. "A year or so." He croaks out, not really wanting to strain himself any further.

water in my hands - 3,521 words [sickfic(?), has references to illness, hurt/no comfort]

It takes Alex a good amount of time to realise; sometimes love just isn't enough to keep the world going, even if he desperately wanted it to.

no question (he'll hold your heart if you let him) - 2,837 words [June POV/outsider POV, post-canon]

June doesn't think much about it at first, putting the box along the pile, but she belatedly realises what it is and gets an idea. A satisfied grin makes its way onto her lips when she finally finds it, an edition of Astrotalk that detailed star sign compatibilities. June doesn't open the magazine all the way to the Libra section, stopping short at someone else's instead. (Or: June finds a box that contained one of her teenage fixations and goes through it for old time's sake.)

Smoke Slow - 2,026 words [shotgun kissing oneshot basically]

“Hey.” Alex says, just for the sake of saying something, the silence between them wasn’t stifling but he didn’t want to risk their interaction coming to an end just because he’s not engaging enough. Henry gives him a sideways glance. “Teach me how to do that.”

“Do what?”

“That. The shotgun.” For a moment, Alex briefly considers how idiotic that probably sounded to Henry. It wasn’t a hard task to mimic, but Alex had long thrown out his composure out the fences of Pez’s house when Henry put the goddamn stick into his mouth. 

i'll be happy (just to have known you) - 1,855 words [hurt/no comfort]

Henry resigns himself to the reality that Alex—albeit distant and unattainable—still managed to break through his dismal world and grant him a light he never imagined was still possible to exist. This was enough. This was more than he'd ever expected for himself. It was the universe's way of extending an olive branch in response to the cards he'd been dealt with. He'd be stupid not to take it.

dreamy little you - 1,666 words [crack-ish AU, post-canon]

"Of course, love, but would you love yourself if you were a worm?" This visibly stumps Alex. If the way his mouth just opened for a rebuttal and coming up empty is anything to go by.

only got a hundred - currently at 4,008 words

An ongoing collection of 100-word drabbles written according to the Brownstone server's prompts.

Haikyuu

Ceilings (he thinks it's not real, it is) - 6,009 words [light angst and pining with a happy? ending]

“Yo, you sleepy?” Takahiro meant to say that no, he isn't. That Issei looks stupid with his hair messed up like that. That he should be asking Issei that, with the bags under his eyes speaking for themselves. Instead, what comes out is, “I miss you.” It would be so easy to take the opportunity now. But still, Takahiro is terrified of ruining things. Or: Takahiro has graduation blues, and Issei makes him feel better, but things don't just end there.

Bloom - 1,444 words [two-dialogue challenge oneshot, retrospective? angst/no comfort]

Matsukawa Issei is not much of a sentimental person, save for special occasions where he has no choice but to reminisce.

Cruel (what your mind can do for no reason) - 1,012 words [light angst/comfort, implications of dissociation]

Issei struggles through a bad mental health night, Takahiro breezes him through the tail end of it.

Shameless (US)

big guns out, shoot now - 3,257 words [first kiss oneshot]

It's kind of out of character for Ian, really, he's always careful about not blurting out or doing shit that tapped into his feelings on the brunette, around the very subject of his affections. Has been, in fact, for the last two years and counting. Not that it got any easier to maintain, there are always slip ups (Exhibit A: right here, right now), but that's solely his problem.

On the Off Chance - 5,780 words [soulmate AU, ongoing]

To say Ian was relieved when he hears Mickey confirm how he did not, in fact, get his soulmate mark just a couple days after coming of age would be a huge understatement. (Or: Soulmate marks only show up when the younger of the pair turns nineteen– which isn’t uncommon, to say the least.)

[alilbitlesbian]

Oh my god the worst thing ever happened.

I tend to draw on my exam's note papers, cause I always wait out the clock vs. Leaving early, I just always assume the notes get thrown away (not checked) or at worst some rando named jeff saw my little doodles for 3 seconds.

I usually draw like, my dog, my cat, a few times I did anatomy studies on deer and other forest critters.

Today I draw on my notes page again, guess what happens after I hand evt. In??

My girl in the exambureau tells me she always hears about my drawings!! That the examinators feel bad throwing them away and always love them and share them around and that she couldn't wait to see what I drew this time.

guess what I drew ALL DAY TODAY

ThrEE EXAMS, GUESS WHAT I DREW

ILL GIVE YOU A HINT

CURSED CAT ALASTOR.

I HAVE DRAWN ROUGHLY TWENTY CURSED CAT ALASTORS, I CANT EVEN DESCRIBE THE FEELING I HAVE RN. ITS CLOSE TO HATRED??? ITS CLOSE TO SHAME

[gaykarstaagforever]

This is a list of scripted ABC shows from the last season. I haven't heard of most of them because I'm not 63 so I'm going to guess what they are about from the titles and then check and see how right I was. Or if my idea is better.

1. The Conners was that reboot / sequel of Roseanne. But then Roseanne was insane and racist in real life so they kicked her off of it. I assume it was retooled to now be about the family becoming private eyes and traveling from town to town in a gadget-loaded super RV, solving mysteries.

You should all note before I go on that most of what I know about network television comes from the 70s and 80s. Back when it was also cheap and lame, but at least fun.

2. Abbott Elementary. Probably just Community / The Office, but in an elementary school filled with a diverse cast of quirky characters who only seem to date each-other. I bet they do a lot of jokes about helicopter parents and people getting offended by seemingly innocuous things. There is probably a sassy brown person whose culture is played for light-hearted comic relief.

3. Station 19. Firefighter show, where all the firefighters look like soap opera actors. Most of the show is people having arguments and making out, then like 3 times a season stunt people in face-hiding fire gear fight a big fire inspired by some thing that happened in the news around the time they were filming the show. I bet the tag line is "And you thought the hottest action would be the fires!" Occasionally old actors from 80s movies will cameo as someone's parents. I am falling asleep just typing about it.

4. Grey's Anatomy. Oh my god. In real life these people would have retired from being bad doctors by now. Or be in jail.

5. The Rookie. I looked this one up due to the last post. Nathan Fillion plays a 50 year old rookie LAPD officer. Because they wanted to do a cop show with him but he's too old for that, without the premise. He probably has to learn about diversity and drugs or something. No one ever gets shot and they don't show LAPD white supremacist cop-gangs doing dog fights or anything. Wasted potential.

6. The Goldbergs. I've heard of this. It was some writer's Everybody Hates Chris about his 80s secular Jewish family. Obnoxious old people watched it to be reminded about how they just don't make good rock music like that anymore, man, because they are too old and lazy to go find new music they might like via streaming platforms. It has been cancelled. Good, if only to spare me that recurring conversation with people I don't like.

7. Home Economics. A rich white homemaker lady gets divorced and has to get a job as a home ec teacher at a public junior high to make ends meet? And she slowly learns to laugh and love again, while also coming to realize that poorer people are good for more than just mowing your lawn. There are hijinks about her wearing $600 shoes that get covered in cake batter. She has to rent part of her house out to an Indian immigrant family. Starring Delta Burke from 1995.

8. The Good Doctor. Ha ha ha. That show about an autistic doctor, except Hollywood doesn't know what autism actually is so he's just a deranged lunatic who gets away with shitty behavior because he's good at hearts.

But not in the fun, House MD, way.

9. The Rookie: Feds. This got cancelled so that means it was bad, even by low network TV cop show standards. I don't even know how to do that. Uh...some 50 year old TV actress I probably wouldn't recognize quits being a crime professor to become an FBI agent, after her son FBI agent goes missing under mysterious circumstances? And it ended in a cliffhanger when she got attacked by a polar bear in the middle of the jungle.

10. Not Dead Yet. My Name is Earl, but if Earl was a nice zombie. He has a best friend guardian angel played by Jaleel White.

...This actually just sounds like Highway to Heaven, if Michael Landon had been a zombie. And instead of brains he eats Jell-O, and he can take his limbs off and send them into air ducts and up drain pipes to help people, like trained rats.

...I'd watch a couple episodes of that, I guess.

11. Will Trent. Oh give me a break.

Okay. There is guy named Will Trent, who is on the run from the...CIA, because he was with them but then someone framed him for killing the Speaker of the House with a poisoned lapel pin. He now travels from town to town, helping average people and their sexy sisters out of jams, while also trying to figure out who framed him and what their master plan is, to clear his name.

The last season ended with it looking like the real villain is the First Lady, who belongs to some ill-defined anti-America cult.

It's probably based on a book series from the early 2000s that only the loudest uncles read.

12. Big Sky. Some cowboy thing, probably. Where all the cowboys are hunky stoic white men who are millionaire ranch owners. But you are still supposed to sympathize with all their "we gotta keep a-hold of this land at any cost" violent toxic male shit, because you are a postmenopausal my mother and want to have sex with these men.

It's one of those shows that just "accidentally" has zero POC cast members, who aren't one-shot drug-runners or coyotes or thugs hired by rival ranch owners.

One-shot because that is how all of their characters are killed.

It probably got cancelled when some writer got smart and tried to do a thinly-veiled anti-Trump allegory and all the Evangelicals turned on it. Tucker Carlson probably got mad about it for 3 minutes, before he interviewed some Russian politician about how the Ukrainians hate Jesus.

13. The Company You Keep. Black women try starting and running a bakery. It quickly devolved into a romantic melodrama. Black audiences never cared and white audiences wanted more sexy rich cowboys.

I don't know. It's ABC. Every seasonal lineup has at least a couple token shows starring POCs that get immediately cancelled after one season, because they aren't serious attempts at anything outside of the politics and so never connect with an audience.

Also all of them are still written by white men, so what chance could any of them have, really?

14. Alaska Daily. Northern Exposure, but the protagonist edits a news blog when not busy solving quirky small-town mysteries. The Janitor from Scrubs might be in it.

...Well. WAS in it.

This Twin Peaks thing is hard to pull off in a compelling way unless you are willing to go kookoo-bananas with it.

15. A Million Little Things. This one "ended," which means the cast wanted too much money after so many seasons, so "the producers had always planned from the beginning to wrap things up after 5 seasons."

It was probably one of those shows that just follows a "typical American family," which happens to have soap opera problems every week based on things the writers heard CNN say people in the Midwest are mad enough over to vote for Trump again.

It probably had a regular cast of like 16 people, and was on the giant TV in the showroom of every US car dealership at least once. Until someone changed it to that show which is just Kitchen Nightmares, but Gordon Ramsey has been replaced by a balding round man who lacks his charm and good heart and is just an asshole to struggling restaurateurs.

You know the one.

Or, at least, your parents do.

Update: The Conclusion