#and i would love her until the stars had all sputtered out and the stillness of the universe was as all encompassing as my love

[greenlabcoat]

of course it goes without saying that i am hopelessly dependant on the anvil

[carolperkinsexgirlfriend]

can you see the stars in your dreams (and do they have a lot to say about me) - Part 4

Or: a secret Admirer AU

PART 1 || PART 2 || PART 3

TW: one instance of homophobic language (internally), fear of violence due to homophobia (which doesn't occur).

Chrissy would have never expected Steve Harrington to be full of such soft, gooey feelings, but with every letter she helps him right, he only gets sappier. The latest is so sticky with sap she’s afraid it’ll stick to her fingers.

Part of her, the smallest, niggling part, wishes Steve really was her boyfriend, and all those little niceties could be for her. But, that wouldn’t be fair to Steve, anyway. There’s nothing there; he’s just Steve—the platonic ideal of a best friend.

So, she wears his last name on her back, helps him write his little notes, and hopes ardently that she’ll find someone she cares that much about for herself.

“What are you doing?”

Chrissy’s fingers stumble at the unexpected voice, Steve’s latest letter fluttering to the dirty ground. Someone else beats her to picking it up. She watches, mouth in her throat, as one of Eddie’s friends unfolds the note. He squints down at it, eyebrows raising higher and higher until they’re almost meeting his hairline by the time he reaches the sign-off.

He folds it up carefully before handing it back to her. She clutches it to her chest, but the damage has already been done.

“Aren’t you dating Harrington?” Jeff asks.

Chrissy stumbles over her words, only getting out an, “it’s not like—” and a “I wouldn’t do—” before sputtering into silence.

They stand there, staring at each other for an endless moment, neither speaking, before Chrissy finally spins around, shoves the note into Eddie’s locker, and flees as fast as her tired legs can carry her.

He doesn’t follow.

Practice had run long, and she’d just wanted to leave the note and get home. Now, home is less of a relief and more somewhere that she can stew in the repercussions of what she’s done. Jeff’s Eddie’s friend, he’ll tell him without hesitation, and where will that leave her and Steve?

With that in mind, she goes looking for Jeff bright and early the next day, hoping boys’ propensity for not talking on the phone means that they’ve yet to speak.

“Did you tell him?” she asks when she finds Jeff spinning the dial on what must be his own locker.

Seeming entirely unbothered even as everyone around them stares, Jeff continues unlocking his locker at a leisurely pace. Only once he’s pulled the lock down and swung his locker open does he turn to meet her eyes.

“You mean, did I tell my best friend that Chrissy Cunningham has been writing him love notes?” Jeff asks. Chrissy shifts her eyes around, relieved that no one’s close enough to hear Jeff’s quiet voice.

Chrissy nods, something weighty sinking into her stomach the longer he goes without responding.

He turns back to his locker with a huff to dig around on the top shelf. “No,” he says, but before the relief can hit her, he continues, “I don’t want you to hurt him, and I think you will.”

“It’s not—I don’t—“ she stumbles in an embarrassing reenactment of last night. When he turns back to her with that same judgmental look, she shores herself up, clears her throat, and finally eeks out a full sentence. “I wouldn’t do that.”

Jeff’s expression doesn’t change as he asks, “so, what? You’re going to leave Harrington for him?”

Her silence must speak volumes because he slams his locker shut, and turns to walk away, calling, “that’s what I thought” over his shoulder.

She stands, transfixed, as he walks away.

His dismissal niggles at her, until she finds herself seeking him out again before the end of the day. He’s walking out of the bathroom, still shaking his hands dry as she rushes up to him, matching his stride down the hallway step for step.

“I’m not dating Steve,” she says.

It’s the first time she’s said it aloud, none of her friends close enough to confide in. But, here she is, telling the best friend of one half of the reason her and Steve are even doing this, entirely unprompted.

Jeff looks at her sidelong. “Did you tell the rest of the school that?”

Chrissy sweeps her ponytail over her shoulder as she rolls her eyes. She’d never told anyone her and Steve were dating. All it’d taken was her wearing his letterman, and that confrontation with Jason, and everyone had been convinced, no lying necessary.

“It doesn’t matter to me what they all think.”

It does, but she’s been spending too much time with Steve, and his aloof indifference to his image has been rubbing off. She’s glad.

“But you’re telling me, because what?” he asks, still skeptical. “You have a big crush on my best friend?”

He throws finger quotations around the word crush that would be insulting if he wasn’t right. She does like Eddie. He’s weird, but nice unless provoked. But the thought of kissing his dry lips makes her nose wrinkle.

“It’s not like that,” she says again.

Jeff rolls his eyes. “Whatever.”

He walks into his next class without another word. Chrissy continues down the hall, barely making it in time for her own.

It doesn’t get better.

Jeff’s dislike, visible in his eyes anytime they cross paths, cuts at her. She finds herself seeking him out, explaining again and again, or trying to without saying anything at all.

“It’s really not like that!” she says, finally frustrated enough to raise her voice. “Steve’s handwriting is atrocious so I was just—”

She cuts herself off, hands slamming over her mouth as she realizes what she’s said. It’s just, Jeff was making that face she hates again, that one with the raised brows and judgmental smirk, and she’d gotten mad.

“Steve’s handwriting…” Jeff murmurs quietly, eyebrows now lowered and furrowed in thought.

She might’ve been able to play it off. But the silence has lingered too long, and Chrissy’s never had much of a poker face. She knows the guilt and panic in her expression is damning; she still can’t seem to wipe it off her face.

“The notes…” Jeff starts, trailing off like he can’t bear to say it, “are from Steve?”

Chrissy clenches her hand tighter across her mouth like she can somehow retroactively shove her words back into her throat, stop Jeff from having the realization that might get Steve–who’s quickly becoming her best friend–killed. But, he keeps just looking at her. So, she nods, movements jerky and scared.

“Shit,” Jeff says, finally breaking eye contact to bend over and squeeze the bridge of his nose. “That explains so much.”

Unable to stop herself, Chrissy bursts into tears.

***

Eddie heads to his locker first thing in the morning. He’s been buzzing since he dropped off the last letter, hoping against hope that she’d check there again. And there, like an answer to his prayers, is an envelope resting atop his neglected Biology textbook.

Eddie’s ready to become a believer if all his hopes and dreams keep coming true. He’ll drop down on his knees and repent for all his sins if it means these letters keep coming. In fact, he’ll do it here and now, envelope clutched between sweaty palms as his knees smack into the unforgiving floor of the hallway. All the peons around him give him a wide berth as he smacks his palms together and sends up a prayer like he’s seen people do on TV.

“What the hell are you doing?” Jeff asks, squinting down at him like this is the weirdest thing he’s ever caught Eddie doing.

“Nothing!” Eddie replies, resisting the urge to shove the letter into his mouth. He hasn’t even got to read it yet, no way is he squandering this opportunity just because Jeff’s butting his nosy little nose into his business.

But when Eddie meets Jeff’s eyes, he looks so squinty and weird, and un-Jeff-like, that Eddie’s almost worried. He stands, bruised knees aching as he shoves the envelope—gently!—into the deep pocket of his jeans. Jeff watches the paper until it’s entirely out of sight.

“You okay?” Eddie asks, hand reaching out to cup Jeff’s shoulder.

Jeff shakes his head like a dog after a bath, finally looking away from the ass of Eddie’s jeans. “What?” he asks, before shaking his head again, and it must help shake a thought loose because the next thing he says is, “I’m fine.”

Eddie keeps his eyes fixed on Jeff, wondering if it’ll be enough to break him, but all Jeff does is clench his jaw and straighten his shoulders, a warrior ready for battle.

“All right,” Eddie says, reaching his finger out to boop Jeff’s nose in that way he hates. “Keep your secrets.”

Then, he turns and walks away. He smiles as Jeff sputters behind him, calling out, “I don’t have any secrets!” just as Eddie pushes into the bathroom.

There’s a few freshmen in there, but they scatter as Eddie enters. Even still, Eddie rushes into one of the stalls and locks it behind himself. This is about as far as a lit candle and mood lighting as one can get—Eddie smells the hints of the shit the last guy in here must have taken and the fluorescents are bright enough to drill a headache into his skull—but Eddie can’t wait any longer.

He tears into the envelope, as gently as he can with impatient, shaking fingers.

  Eddie —

  I know you don’t like them, but I like sports. There’s something about depending on your body to get you through a hard work-out, you know? But, I don’t know if it’s my thing, like Dungeons and Dragons and music are yours. Maybe I don’t have a thing. Is that weird?

  My favorite color is yellow, like the sun, and sunflowers, and all those happy, bright colors. I’d love to see you in such a bright color one day, even if I do love all the black and red. It suits you.

  I’ve never dreamt much, but when they’re good, they’re usually about you, so your hopes just might come true.

  I know your handwriting, and what you yell about for the world to hear, but I don’t know as much as I’d like. I want to know everything about you. What’s your favorite color? Do you have happy dreams?

  Yours, Always

  Your Secret Admirer

  P.S. Maybe put it in Romeo and Juliet this time, the edition with the tear in the cover.

Here, tucked away in this shitty bathroom in this shitty school, Eddie Munson smiles. He’s got another note to write, and another book in the library to find.

*** 

“I have some bad news.”

Steve’s barely stepped out of his car before Chrissy’s ambushing him. He takes a startled step back into the beemer, as he meets her gaze.

Chrissy’s wringing her hands together, anxiety wafting off her. Just behind her shoulder, a guy Steve only recognizes as one of Eddie’s friends is stoutly avoiding his eyes. Whatever this is, it’s got Steve’s gut sinking into his socks.

“What happened?” Steve asks hesitantly.

His mind’s ticking away, and coming up with all the worst case scenarios. Eddie’s in trouble, or hurt, or worse. What else could bring these two together?

“Jeff knows about the letters!” Chrissy cries, words all jumbled together in her rush to get them out.

Steve takes a step back, pressing his spine uncomfortably into the metal roof of his car, instinct against an unknown threat.  No one steps after him. It’s hard to take his eyes off Jeff and Chrissy, but he does. The parking lot’s crowded with warm bodies pushing between cars, desperate to make it to class on time.

Just moments ago, Steve was one of them.

“You told him?” Steve asks, eyes locked on Chrissy.

For her part, Chrissy’s eyes look big and shiny as she nods. She takes a step forward, and it takes everything in him not to step back. It’s just—he’d thought they were friends.

“I’m sorry,” she chokes out, tears finally pouring out of her eyes.

Steve watches, stagnant, as the person he was starting to consider his best friend, cries. He wants to hug her, wants to scream at her, wants to run the hell out of here to lick his wounds in peace. But, Jeff takes a step forward, scowl on his face, and Steve takes two hasty steps back, tumbling painfully through his open driver’s side door and sprawling uncomfortably on his stick shift.

The few students nearby turn to look at him, saying snide comments to one another, barely polite enough to talk in whispers. He hardly notices, eyes locked on the main threat. Jeff’s face softens as he stops his forward momentum, foot still raised in the air for a step he doesn’t take. No one moves until everyone stops watching the spectacle and begins walking away.

Jeff’s the one who breaks the stand-off, voice quieter and gentler than he’d expected. “Maybe we shouldn’t do this here.”

Steve stares him down, still sprawled uncomfortably in his car. He’s right, but a small voice in the back of Steve’s head is wondering if they should do this at all. He wants to cut his losses and run. But, Chrissy’s still crying, and if his secret is going to be spread around the school, he’d rather have a head start out of town.

He crawls out of his seat, limbs feeling more ungainly and awkward than they have since he was prepubescent. It feels like every eye in town turns toward him as the sound of his closing car door echoes through the rapidly emptying parking lot.

“Follow me,” he says.

Turning his back on them feels like a show of trust he can’t afford, but he’s not following either of them off school grounds. The football field will be empty at this time on a Friday, especially with the rain coming down.

None of them are wearing coats, so he leads them beneath the bleachers. The rain still drips between the rafters, but there are a few dry spots big enough to stand in.

“Make-out spot, Harrington?” Jeff asks, mouth quirked up as he leans against one of the metal support beams despite it being wet and cold.

Steve’s intestines squirm around in his stomach at the way Jeff and Chrissy stay standing next to each other, a united front against Steve.

“It’s not like it’s Skull Rock,” Steve says, proud that his voice doesn’t shake. “Now, say what you want to say so I can go home.”

“There’s still school,” Chrissy hiccups out, as if he cares at all about that right now.

Jeff straightens, small smile dropping off his face as he eyes Steve. Chrissy’s face is wet. Steve’s just glad he can no longer tell what’s raindrops and what’s tears.

“I was being a dick to her,” Jeff says.

“No, you were—” Chrissy starts before Jeff talks right over her.

“All she said was that your handwriting was bad, and I put the rest together.”

A small part of Steve is soothed that Chrissy hadn’t told him on purpose. Accidents happen, he can understand that. But—

“Eddie told you about the letters?” Steve asks. He doesn’t know why he’s surprised, Jeff and Eddie are always occupying the same spaces. They must be close.

Jeff shakes his head, but it’s Chrissy that speaks first, “he saw me putting one in Eddie’s locker.”

“Oh,” Steve says, slumping into himself.

They’re both staring at him now.

Steve’s never been good with silences. When his parents are gone, he leaves the TV on in the living room all hours of the day. At school, he surrounds himself with warm bodies, all making noise. In his car, there’s always a tape playing in his deck.

“So, should I start fleeing town?” Steve asks, trying for a joking tone, but his voice cracks tellingly on the last word.

“No!” Chrissy cries.

She rushes forward, wrapping the entirety of her small body around his like she can shelter him from any harms that might come for him. Steve stumbles back, barely stabilizing before they both go tumbling into the dirt.

He wraps his arms hesitantly around her, patting her back awkwardly as she undoubtedly cries into his shoulder. She’s short enough that he can put his chin on her head, so he does. She feels right in his arms—good and warm.

Why couldn’t he like her instead?

“It’s okay, Chris,” he says, but she’s too short to hide in, and he’s got a perfect view of Jeff, still in his original spot. “It’ll be okay.”

It feels like a lie when it comes out of his mouth. He meets Jeff’s eyes, surprised when he finds them warm.

“I won’t tell anyone,” Jeff says.

It’s only then that Steve realizes how haggard his breathing had become, like he’d been running suicide’s in the gym, not standing stationary fighting the fears of his own mind.

He sucks in an unencumbered breath, the stone constricting his lungs ground down to almost nothing. Steve nods, arms still wrapped around Chrissy like she might be ripped away from him. He couldn’t have expected anything better, not in Hawkins. Except, what’s the likelihood he gets this lucky again?

He’s two for two with good reactions, what’s the likelihood the third won’t play a nice game of smear the queer?

Except, this is one of Eddie’s best friends, and does “anyone” even include him?

“Even Eddie?” Steve asks, that same damning quiver back in his voice.

Jeff shakes his head, and before Steve can begin to panic, Jeff speaks, “I think you should tell him, but it’s your secret man.”

Steve tries to find any sign of a lie on Jeff’s face. The other boy just looks placidly back, waiting his scrutiny out.

“Thank you,” Chrissy and Steve say at the same time.

They collapse into each other, giggling like fools as the adrenaline leaves them both. Behind them, Jeff’s smiling like he finds this whole thing charming.

Three might be a crowd, but Steve’s never liked being alone. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.

PART 5

[chaoticbardlady99]

Astarion x Tav, but get this… A Druid with a wyvern drake hybrid (think the dragons from GOT and HOTD). Saddle and EVERYTHING and it’s not small, no it’s like 80 feet long with a 98 foot wingspan, black scales, and very very jealous when Astarion and Tav have alone time

If You Give a Dragon a Steak- It Will Bully You Into Flying (Astarion x GN! Reader)

I AM SOOOO SORRY! I must have seen this and just forgot about actually posting it!

CW: Brief mentions of smut, brief mentions of trauma

Not my pic, but this is what I was thinking of, but all black. Her name is Cala- Cala means light in Elvish. Cala refers to Astarion as isk which is Star in draconic.

What’s actually really cool about this is that there is something called a Dragon Knight in DND and you can link your soul with an actual Dragon (so cool, right!?)

This is lightly edited 🫡💜 please leave a comment or a like if you enjoyed my story! I would love to hear what you all think!

Astarion is used to sharing your affection with the likes of Scratch or that little Owlbear cub. Yes it was annoying from time to time and the two still live in your house, but the creature he wasn’t expecting? The giant fucking Dragon that would live in his backyard post Tadpole.

He was outside one night, just minding his own business, and a couple wing beats later- you were crying tears of joy while scratching a dragon like it was a dog.

Of all the people he had to fall in love with, it had to be a Druid Dragon Knight. Astarion knows there are worst things, but my Gods how many more animals do you need!?

Your dragon, Cala, is jet black, at least 80 feet tall with a wing span the size of Baldur’s Gate itself. She is a very friendly dragon, but also incredibly possessive. Astarion hasn’t been able to have a moment alone with you since the Netherbrain was defeated three months ago. However, he is grateful for the Dragon’s existence- she’s saved him and you multiple times when a search for a way to either cure his vampirism or his ‘allergy’ to the sun goes awry. Cala is also very nice to him and if you are gone- the dragon will shrink itself down to a comically cute lap size and sleep next to Astarion on the couch until you return.

Astarion is certain he can convince her to leave you alone at least for an afternoon.

So here he is- five or six incredibly expensive steaks in a box and walking towards a Dragon like it’s the most normal thing in all of Toril. Cala eyes him, not suspiciously, but curiously.

“Hello Night Child,” her melodious voice floats through his brain, “how can I help my person’s beloved this evening?”

Astarion grins at the last part before putting the box of Steaks on the ground.

“My beautiful scaly friend, I have brought you some steaks,” he kicks the box, “and you can have them, but they come with one condition.”

Cala’s eye becomes eye level to him and she looks amused.

“A condition? You do realize I could eat these steaks and you in one swift motion?”

“Yes,” Astarion says, “but I think we both know how upset Tav would be if you ate me.”

There is a huff of agreement and a soft look in her eye. Astarion knows he has nothing to worry about.

“What are your conditions, isk?”

“I am so very glad you asked,” Astarion says, trying to keep his nerve from dying out, “I want one evening alone with Tav.”

“No.”

Dammit.

“No!?” He says incredulously, “what do you mean no!?”

“I mean that you spent time alone with Tav for the last six months while I had to be without my home- my person. You can wait at least another six months.”

Astarion just gapes at the giant beast. If he wasn’t sure she’d kill him in three seconds flat- he might just try to slay the damn thing.

“This is! Are you!? I was enslaved for 200 years!” Astarion says sputtering, “I’ve waited 200 years for Tav to come into my life! You’ve been with her since the moment you were born!”

Cala seems to consider this- her eyes thoughtful and her posture relaxed still.

“Tav wants to take you flying.”

Astarion feels like he’s going to be sick. Tav had brought it up to him when Cala first arrived. When he tried to say, “sure,” he began to dry heave. You haven’t asked him since.

It’s not that riding a dragon doesn’t appeal to him- he would love to be able to watch you in your element. Astarion just doesn’t love the idea of accidentally plummeting out of the air because you do one of your fancy tricks and he didn’t hold on tight enough.

Astarion squints at the dragon, “and?”

“Go on one flight with us and then I will leave you alone for multiple evenings as asked.”

That seems entirely too good to be true.

“Okay,” Astarion says slowly, “I agree to your terms.”

Cala’s eyes light up with Glee before looking at the box of steaks between her and Astarion.

“Do I get to keep the steaks?” Cala asks, her tail swooshing back in forth in the grass out of excitement.

Astarion scoffs, “what do you think?”

Her massive tail stills and there is a sad look on her contradictory (cute and scary) dragon face.

“Oh don’t give me that the sweet disappointed, ‘I’m not getting cuddly Astarion’ pout.”

And yet, Cala persists. Throwing his hands up in defeat- Astarion marches away and listens as Cala devours the box of steaks.

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

You are practically skipping as you hold Astarion’s hand. You had been over the moon when Astarion asked if he could go on a ride with you and Cala. You immediately dragged him away when you got home- something about wanting to do it before the moon gets too low. He didn’t consider having to be worried about the sun melting him to ash if you don’t get back in time.

“If you become comfortable, we could even fly over the Ice Spires and the Spine of the World!” You say.

He offers you a tight lipped smile and you squeeze his hand in reassurance. You asked him multiple times if he was sure and he told you he is nervous, but wants to see what all this “flying nonsense” is all about. Astarion won’t tell you that he has essentially been cornered into this by a massive fucking dragon- only because he doesn’t want to become a snack (again, now that he thinks about it. Cazador did drink all his blood once).

Astarion’s stomach is churning, but your excitement has loosened the knot of nerves that are threatening to suffocate his being. He hasn’t felt this kind of fear and anxiety since Cazador.

Tav and Cala won’t allow anything bad to happen.

That’s what he keeps telling himself when he gets on the saddle behind you and all of a sudden- Astarion is in the air on a fucking dragon.

“DOESN’T BALDUR’S GATE LOOK SO SMALL!?”

Astarion wouldn’t know- his eyes are clenched shut and he has his face buried in the crook of your neck. The sound of your enthusiastic, beating heart helps him focus on calming down. Astarion thinks of laying with you in bed, reading a funny novel together, and any other shenanigans you get into together before he finally opens his eyes.

If Astarion needed air- he would have died immediately from losing all of it.

If someone had told him even 50 years ago that he would be riding a dragon, free of his master, and with the love of his entire life giggling with glee in his arms- he would have told them to piss off.

Astarion has never seen anything like it in his 239 years of life. He doesn’t think he ever wants to land. Why had he been so afraid before!? This is amazing!

“It is very small, Darling!” Astarion muses, “is that?”

“The Fields of the Dead?” You shout excitedly, “it sure is!”

Astarion initially thought it would be a quick five minute ordeal, but soon you were both flying over all of Elturgard. You soared over the Reaching Woods and the Sunset Mountains. Your last tourist attraction for him was the Lake of Dragons- Astarion swears he has never seen a more bluer blue- before heading back home. Much to Astarion’s disappointment.

You help him navigate his way off of Cala and the Dragon nudges him with her nose as a sign of trust. Astarion scratches her nose before following you back into your shared home.

“What did you think!?”

You whirl around and look at him with wide, nervous eyes. You are playing with your thumbs incessantly like you usually do when you worry you may have disappointed him. It’s such a silly notion- you could never disappoint him.

Astarion pauses your twiddling by taking your hands in his and placing a gentle kiss on your forehead.

“I would like to fly over the Northlander Isles at some point,” he says, “if you would be willing to have me join you on a flight again.”

You beam at him before getting up on your tiptoes to place a kiss on his lips.

“Astarion- you are always welcome where I am. I couldn’t think of a better person to see the world and this life with even if I tried.”

He couldn’t help but cry at your statement. Astarion is so grateful to be able to call you his home.

At least Astarion was finally able to worship you properly since Cala kept her promise.

You are riding him as Astarion pushes his hips up to meet your downward thrusts with eager enthusiasm. When both of your climaxes hit- you put your face in the crook of his neck and giggle.

“What’s so funny, Darling?”

You look up at him- hair beautifully messy and eyes looking blissful. Another giggle escapes your lips as you begin to say what you are thinking.

“Save a dragon, ride a Vampire.”

[tunnelofdusk]

mdzs fic: wangxian, dark lan zhan, stalking, professor x student

wc: 1978

O how he loves you, darling boy. O how, like always, he invents the monsters underneath the bed to get you to sleep next to him, chest to chest or chest to back, the covers drawn around you in an act of faith against the night.

—

An air conditioner sputters incoherently as Wei Ying hunches over his laptop and pecks at the faded keyboard. Besides his laptop, a cracked smartphone lights up with a phone call set to speaker mode.

"Is that your air conditioner?" Jiang Yanli says worriedly.

"Yeah," Wei Ying says, "but it's fine. It does that all the time."

"Oh, A-Ying, I really think you should move back home."

Wei Ying laughs. "Jie, I think Yu-ayi has had enough of me! She even gave me a housewarming gift." It's true; an exorbitant metal contraption of a coffee maker takes up most of his kitchen counterspace. It's the nicest gift Yu-ayi has ever gotten him, considering the fact that she usually opts to just gift him money on special occasions. It's hush money, he had always joked even as his siblings would frown.

"Still, we live so close to your college; I don't see why you had to move out," Jiang Yanli frets. Her voice is sweet and Wei Ying smiles down at his laptop.

"It's part of the college experience!"

"Oh, A-Ying, you don't even have a roommate! I just don't think it's very safe for a young boy like you to be alone."

Wei Ying mouths "young boy" to himself and lets out a huff of laughter. "I'm 19, not 12. And jiejie, you're only 22!"

"Hmmm, I thought A-Ying was only 3…"

"A-Ying is only 3 when he wants jiejie's soup!"

Jiang Yanli giggles. "Even if my A-Ying is 3, 19, or 80, he can always have my soup."

Speaking of soup, Wei Ying flicks a glance at his steadily humming refrigerator where frozen containers on Yanli's soup reside. He's not ashamed to admit that that soup has been his primary source of sustenance as he battles past an ever-growing brigade of deadlines, exams, and presentations. He reassures Yanli when he confesses to as much. She continues to fret over him as he finishes off a paper until she finally concludes with an ominous warning that she's going to wrangle a family friend into checking up on him.

"He's a professor of psychology at your college too," she explains.

Apparently Jiang-shushu had connected with him, a professor named Lan Zhan, at a charity gala. And apparently while Wei Ying has been gone out of the house, this Lan Zhan had been visiting the house often enough with Jiang-shushu to even have Yu-ayi charmed by him. Even Jiang Cheng reluctantly admits that he's okay enough when Wei Ying had texted him with a series of question marks ("?????? Who is Lan Zhan????? 囧 Am I being replaced?????").

After collecting all of that data, Wei Ying had immediately formed a mental image of this Lan Zhan: a man as old as Jiang-shushu but with inexplicably white hair and wireframe glasses on a round, wrinkled face. Maybe he had a little scholarly paunch from a life spent inside among books and artificial lights.

When this storied Lan Zhan finally comes to check up on Wei Ying, it is on the day that Wei Ying's air conditioner gives off its last sputter. No amount of "percussive maintenance" had helped repair it and the temperature in Wei Ying's apartment had steadily begun to rise, matching the muggy atmosphere outside. And so on that day, Wei Ying has long since stripped down to a pair of loose shorts. Sprawled across the floor like a salted fish, Wei Ying stares up at the mildewed ceiling of his apartment with a rare quiet of his mind. He counts the cracks in the ceiling like stars in the sky—endless.

Once, Jiang-shushu had tried to rope the whole family into yoga, meditation, and mindfulness, but Wei Ying had ended up falling asleep during the guided meditation. Jiang Cheng had, worryingly enough, looked like he had lost his soul, as if he had come out on the other side of some internal battle all the worse for it. Jiang Yanli had done her best to meditate. And Yu-ayi had somehow ended up angrier as if she had meditated into a pure state of rage.

A crisp double knock on wood resounds through the apartment and knocks Wei Ying out of his musings. With a grumble, Wei Ying shakes off his lethargy to open the door. The bolt chain clinks merrily as his hands fumble. Finally, he swings the door open and pauses in his own doorway, staring at the man before him. The man, who must be Lan Zhan, has sharp features (with only wrinkles near his golden eyes; he must be an eye smiler!) and broad shoulders with a lightly muscled body outlined in a suit. It's so hot that Wei Ying could cook an egg on his floor, and yet this Lan Zhan looks cool and unruffled in his three-piece suit.

"Jiejie didn't say she was sending a handsome laoshi my way," Wei Ying blurts out.

"Nevertheless, your sister sent me to check up on you," Lan Zhan says blandly. The deepness of his voice sends a thrill through Wei Ying; it must be envy.

Wei Ying laughs, short and quivering. He steps back from the doorway and beckons Lan Zhan inside with a fluttering hand. Lan Zhan's eyes flicker down to that hand and a little scoff escapes him. Wei Ying eyes him in return with some indignance. So stiff!

Wei Ying watches as Lan Zhan unbuttons his blazer and settles into Wei Ying's battered sofa (it came with the apartment!). It's a bit ruder than Wei Ying would have expected from a person who consorts with the Jiangs' ilk. Yet, Lan Zhan somehow transforms the sofa into something regal—something worthy of a man like Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan's posture is stiff and the commanding spread of his thighs makes Wei Ying swallow dryly. He looks away.

"Well," he croaks out, "you checked up on me. I'm still alive, haha…"

Lan Zhan stares directly into Wei Ying's eyes, mouth tugging downward as if to say, "You live like this?"

"Where is your shirt?" is all Lan Zhan says. His gaze is heavy, lingering on Wei Ying's torso and transmitting a chill down his spine.

"It's too hot for a shirt," Wei Ying says.

"Indecent," Lan Zhan intones.

Wei Ying rolls his eyes and he watches the way Lan Zhan's fists slightly crumple his suit pants.

"I will tell your sister that you are clearly better off at home," Lan Zhan says stiffly.

Dramatically, Wei Ying drops to his knees in front of Lan Zhan's spread legs. "C'mon, laoshi, there's no need to be so extreme! I'll even put a shirt on if it makes you more comfortable!" he exclaims. He had already endured Jiang Yanli's glossy eyes when he said he would be moving out with no plans of coming back. ("A-Ying wants to be independent," he had concluded babyishly as Jiang Yanli unwillingly snorted an inelegant laugh.)

A darkness eclipses the gold of Lan Zhan's eyes and Wei Ying leans back as Lan Zhan leans down ever so slightly.

"Pathetic," Lan Zhan intones.

囧 囧 囧 囧 囧 flashes in Wei Ying's mind. "Family friend"—well, Wei Ying supposes that he had never truly been considered part of the family, at least not in Yu-ayi's eyes or in society's eyes…

"Lan-laoshi, aren't you being too harsh?" Wei Ying wheedles. "Jiejie just wanted you to check in on me, not bully this poor undergrad! Aren't you a professor too! Hmph, is this how you treat your students?"

"None of my students would behave like this."

"So cruel to A-Ying!"

"…A-Ying?"

Wei Ying laughs awkwardly. Jiang Cheng would never let him live this down if he ever found out…

"A-Ying?"

"You—you can just ignore that, haha…It's just how me and jiejie joke…"

"I am not your jiejie."

And Wei Ying looks up, suddenly confronted with the bulge in front of him. Jiang Cheng always did say that his playfulness would likely be the end of him..

"Haha…right, you're definitely not my jiejie, Lan-laoshi," Wei Ying says as he scrambles to rise from the floor. The apartment has somehow got even more hotter; the summer heat coaxes a flush to rise from his bare torso and to crawl up his neck.

Abruptly, Lan Zhan stands up and Wei Ying loses his hard-won high ground. The scent of sandalwood engulfs Wei Ying and he cannot help his hitching breath as Lan Zhan draws close.

"Your hospitality and home leave much to be desired," Lan Zhan says archly.

And then he just leaves—shouldering past Wei Ying and swinging open the door with an enviable grace that leaves Wei Ying dry-mouthed. Wei Ying stands shirtless and still in the middle of his living room before he scrambles for his phone, digging into his deep pockets.

He texts Jiang Yanli the following messages in quick succession:

囧 jiejie, ignore whatever lan-laoshi says!!!

he is a liar!!!

he is mean!!! 囧

a-ying is innocent!!!

a-ying was unjustly abused!!! slandered!!! 囧

😭😭😭

After a few harrowing minutes, Jiang Yanli texts back:

???

All he said was that he would look after you.

What's wrong?

"Did he just insult me for no reason then?!" Wei Ying mutters to himself. He sends off a final message:

nvm, a-ying is ok :) <3

-

A week after Wei Ying meets Lan Zhan, Wei Ying's professor for Introduction to Abnormal Psychology abruptly withdraws from the university for a family emergency. Wei Ying had never thought that he would have to see Lan-laoshi outside the confines of his apartment since typically, Lan-laoshi only teaches grad classes. And yet—

"Sit down, A-Ying," Lan Zhan says as Wei Ying gapes at the crisply suited figure behind the podium. Although Lan Zhan's features remain static, there is something about the curve of his eyes that reminds Wei Ying of a falcon before a dive. Lan-laoshi must really like teaching…

"You know him?" Nie Huaisang whispers as paper flutters with opening notebooks around the hall.

"Family friend," Wei Ying says as he scrawls the date across notebook paper, already tearing at the perforated line.

—

“Will you tell your brother? Your sister?” Lan Zhan says in a low voice, eyes intent.

Wei Ying shakes his head in a sharp, jerking movement. His hands are unsteady and his fingers desperately grip the balcony railing.

“They have enough to worry about,” Wei Ying eventually says. His eyes skim the view below them—trees reaching into the air, poking through the fog. High up in the mountains, the air is different. It is crisp. He takes a deep breath in and then a deep breath out, banishing his anxiety.

His hands are still unsteady.

“Will you at least report it?” Lan Zhan says.

The warmth of Lan Zhan’s concern heats Wei Ying up. He thinks, I’m not alone. (He never is but he won’t realize this until the end.)

Wei Ying shakes his head again.

“You know the police never do anything about stalkers,” he says bitterly. He thinks about Xiao Xingchen—a short-lived reconnection of Wei Ying and his uncle. Song Lan still looks for Xiao Xingchen, and grief still deadens his face until he can only smile at his daughter.

“Mn.”

“Thank you,” Wei Ying says quietly. His breath mists white in the chill air. “For letting me stay with you…”

Lan Zhan’s mouth curves thinly. “Between you and me, there is no need for 'thank you',” he says. His voice is low and even, and Wei Ying leans into his steadiness.

It is frightening to be the victim of a stalker.

Wei Ying is lucky to have such a good friend.

[smolwritingchick]

The Bangtan Gal Chapter 74- King Of Masked Singer

Chapter Summary: Jennie stars in King of Masked Singer and gets surprised when one of her favorite artists is one of the judges for the show. Jennie encourages Taehyung with his acting

Words: 5,000+

----- Hobi, the birthday boy, watched TV in the living room until Jennie walked in with the rest of the members with a baked cake and lit candles. Jimin recorded in the background as they watched his eyes light up and smile as they sang Happy Birthday, screaming and cheering. They smeared icing on his face as he laughed and got fed a bite of the cake by Jennie.

"Wow, this is really good! You made this yourself?" he asked.

"Yep!" she grinned.

"This is great!"

He opened up his little dancing birthday box that she made in green and happily read her note: 

'Happy birthday you bundle of joy! Thank you for always being the one to make me laugh and cheer us all up whenever we're down. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed. Ever since I came here, you have inspired me to be a better dancer and I thank you for those countless days of you helping me with my craft and telling me to actually dance and not hold back.

Because of you, I feel like a better performer and BTS would not be the same if you weren't here. Please keep this energy that you have. I'm looking forward to more goofy moments with you! I love you and you will forever be my hope!

Love, your munchkin

"Ah, I love this! Jennie, you're so sweet!" he pulled her in for a hug and kissed her cheek multiple times as she laughed.

Later that night, Jen had asked the Hyung line if they wanted to try the face masks that she had gotten in the mail and they all agreed. They washed their faces and relaxed in the living room while she prepared the masks.

"Stay still," she said while carefully placing the mask on Jin's face.

"So, is this supposed to make me even more handsome?" Jin asked. "I never used these masks from America."

"No one said you were handsome." Yoongi snorted, making everyone laugh.

"This is how you treat the oldest, huh?" he grumbled while Jennie finished placing it on his face.

She then moved to Namjoon, Hobi, and Yoongi before applying it to her face as well and they all relaxed.

"The fuck? Ow!" Yoongi shouted and fanned his face.

"Why is my face feeling like this?! What did you do to my beautiful face?!" Jin yelled.

"Huh!?" Jen stared at them in confusion

"Are you trying to ruin my face!?" Jin exclaimed, getting defensive

"The heck are you guys talking about!?" Jennie shouted back.

"Why is it burning!?" Hobi whined

"The fuck is this shit, Smartie?" Yoongi shouted

"This burns!" Namjoon complained

She looked at them, bewildered, "It burns? It's just a face mask, why are you yelling?"

"Are you trying to prank us?" Namjoon accused.

"What!? No!" Jen asserted. 

"Then why aren't you freaking out with your face mask!?" Hobi yelled

"Because I'm not a big baby like all of y'all!" 

"We are not babies! This hurts! Why is it burning!?"

"It's supposed to sting a bit, it means it's working!"

"You're lying! Yours isn't burning!" Jin wailed. "Why are you doing this to me!? Were you so jealous of my handsomeness that you wanted to ruin it? My face feels like it's melting!"

"Your face is dirty! It's cleaning it! Jeez!" she rolled her eyes. "Suck it up! I didn't do anything to it. It's just a face mask, calm down."

"This mask makes me look so ugly, why did I agree to this?"

"But that's how you look every day," she joked, causing the rest to laugh at him.

"E-EXCUSE ME!?" Jin sputtered. "No Korean beef for you!"

"Wait, I'm sorry!"

------

The next morning, Jennie had put on her Captain America outfit with a big Captain America mask on, prepared to appear on King of Masked Singer. The mask fully covered up her face and she made sure to cover her entire body even under the costume. Her hands were also covered to avoid any detection of who she was. If the audience caught a glimpse of her melanin, they would know it was her.

"Nervous?" Sejin smiled as he noticed her twiddling her fingers. 

He sat next to her in the car as they were on their way to the building for the show.

"That obvious, huh? Yeah, very nervous."

"You sing very well and you work very hard. You will do well on the show. Don't be nervous."

"Thanks, I needed that."

Once arriving at the place, she was filmed walking backstage as she politely bowed and greeted the camera as her voice was disguised. It seemed like forever for the show to start. And before she knew it, she was called out on stage to stand next to another person in disguise. She had been called a goofy nickname which was Captain Singer as the MC made introductions.

'Okay, I can't just leave the stage. What are my other options?' she thought. 'Ugh, I feel like I have to pass out...why does my stomach have so many butterflies? This should not be happening when I am about to sing. Breathe...breathe...breathe...BREATHE!'

Here she was, on the stage with another contestant to perform a duet on King of Masked Singer. An honor this was. To be a part of this show. It was exciting, and Jen wanted to show her vocal skills without dealing with people focusing on how she looked instead of her talent. Despite striving to last until the end, another part of her couldn't wait to unmask herself to see everyone's reactions. 

Will they assume it's her when they hear her sing?

Will they be happy? Will they be surprised? Will they even care? 

Endless possibilities of how this could go but all she wanted to do was show how much she had improved. She knew she was ready. She knew she could do this. But as soon as she looked up to see who was with the judges, she almost dropped her mic.

Ai-friggin-lee was sitting right there, with a bright smile, anticipating what the contestants had to offer. 

All those motivational words to keep her nerves at ease went out the window. 

Ailee was here!

Right there by those seats. Jennie was about to sing in front of someone that she had looked up to for years. And ironically Jennie had chosen to sing nothing but Ailee songs for this show. Now you mean to tell her she has to sing in front of the person who originally sings the songs?

'Why? Why is this happening? I am not prepared for this. Why? WHY!?' Jennie whined in her head.

How was she going to do this? How was she going to be able to sing in front of the woman she admired and looked up to as a vocalist?

Jen had picked U & I and I Will Show You to sing today if she advanced to the next rounds. She told herself she would cover her songs once she felt like her vocals improved. And now that they did, it looked like fate wanted to give her the ultimate test by singing in front of Ailee. She'd be lying if she didn't think this was intimidating. It was a bold risk to sing a song in front of the person it was written for. Not a lot of vocalists did this. But why not make a statement and come off strong? 

At the end of the day, Jen trusted her vocals and the work she put into preparing for this moment. No matter how far she gets today, she will be happy that she took that risk.

As soon as Round One started, Rihanna's Diamond came on as Jennie expertly listened to the other contestant's voice to figure out what pitch she should sing so they could harmonize. But damn, was he good.

'Gosh, this guy sings so well.' she thought. 

And his English was great as it impressed the judges immensely. But she needed to focus on the song and not everyone's reactions. When it was her turn, she sang out strong without her voice getting shaky this time when she used to practice.

I knew that we'd become one right away. Oh, right away.

At first sight I felt the energy of sun rays.

I saw the life inside your eyes

"So shine bright tonight," she heard the guy sing.

"You and I." she joined in

The judges stared at each other in surprise at how their voices danced with one another. Jennie wanted to make sure not to overpower the other singer and that seemed to have caught the judges' attention as they murmured to themselves.

"Harmony is clearly one of their strengths."

"Right pitch and everything, made my ears tingle, I love it."

After the song, the contestants were praised for their efforts and talked about how hard it would be to vote because they both sounded well.

"Okay, I have to ask...is that Rihanna under there? Does Rihanna know Korean?" a judge asked as the crowd laughed

"Maybe." Jen teased and shrugged with her disguised voice. 

If that was what they were thinking of who was under the mask then she'll take it. 

"I just want to say to the one wearing the Captain America outfit that I just love your voice," Ailee spoke with a bright smile, making Jen's stomach drop. "I am so eager to hear more from you and I'm very curious to know who you are. I can just hear the passion in your voice. I love it so much!"

Jennie wanted to cry right then and there. She was JUST complimented by her fav. She praised her for her vocals. That was HUGE. She wanted to yank off her mask right there and thank her for everything and tell her how much she loved her but she stopped herself.

Jennie decided to bow. "Th-tha-nk you so much," she replied in a shaky voice with her voice going up an octave due to the nervousness of speaking in front of her. "It's an honor hearing that from you. I'll continue to work hard."

The votes were in and it was an extremely close one which shocked the crowd.

49 votes vs 50 votes

That brought a lot of tension to the studio as they wondered who got it. It made everyone extremely nervous. Once they revealed who it was, they announced that Captain Singer would advance to the next round which shook Jennie as she placed a hand over her heart. She then waited until Round 2 as she was back on stage. She was asked questions on how she was feeling about advancing to the next round and then prepared for her stage.

Round 2

With the mic in her hand, she exhaled. She thought of herself back during the Rookie King filming. That Karaoke segment with the guys. How she explained in an interview that she wanted to touch people with her voice just like Ailee does. How she loves Ailee's smooth voice with such powerful instruments. That she hopes to be as good as her one day. How she claims that her life would be complete if she was able to meet her and ponders if she would love to share the stage with her in a collab.

"HHHHHHheeeeeyyyyyyy~" As Soon as Ailee's U & I came on and she started strong, the entire crowd lit up.

"Whoa~!" the crowd immersed as they glanced at each other before moving and dancing around. 

Meanwhile, the judges dropped their jaws and turned to Ailee when they realized that she was singing a judge's song right in front of the judge. They were not expecting that kind of note to come out of Captain Singer.

Dancing around and clapping her hands with the crowd to get them moving, that nervousness went away and Jennie decided to have some fun on the stage. 

Ha! Cut the beat now! 

Wait a minute, wait a minute

mal jalla mianhande

Wae ireoni wae ireoni 

jakku Ddokgateun mal. 

Uri jung hanan meonjeo yaegihaeya dwae. 

Yeogiseo uri geuman ggeutnae

"Oh my gosh!" that bright smile on Ailee's face didn't go away as she stood up with the rest of the judges. She covered her mouth as she continued to watch.

Jen had everyone dancing due to her charisma as the judges pondered which idols had similar strong stage presence. While the entire crowd was dancing as she did a little of the choreography with it, the judges were in conversation with one another.

"I was not expecting this! Wow!"

"We need to figure out who this woman is."

"You sure that's not Ailee?!"

"I'm right here!" Ailee laughed.

"Do you have a secret child or something?"

"No! Hahaha."

It made Jen happy to see that her voice was making people go crazy and dance around. What really touched her heart was how thrilled Ailee was as she kept encouraging her and even sang along to the throwback song.

"Wooo!" Ailee cheered. "Sing!"

nega eodiseo mwol hadeon sanggwan an hallae

gadeon maldeon ne mamdaero hae

maebeon jigyeobdorok banbokdoeneun everyday

U & I U & I U & I

Some guys had held their hearts while Ailee watched in awe at her high note. Once the song ended, the entire studio erupted into cheers while the judges continued to exclaim how amazing the performance was. Ailee had given her a standing ovation which made Jennie tear up as she quickly blinked the tears away.

"Wow! I am blown away! Phew!" Ailee laughed and shook her head in disbelief.

"The fact that this person sang an Ailee song and Ailee was the first person to be eager to want to know who is behind that mask...incredible." the judges talked amongst themselves.

"Did you hear that passion? Like I just can't believe it." Ailee turned to Captain Singer. "For you to have the courage to sing one of my songs like this, shows me just how passionate you are. I'm amazed! The way you interpreted the song, you really touched my heart!"

"Indeed," Another judge said. "Captain Singer, this must be nerve-wracking but singing a song in front of the artist it was written by...wow. It takes guts to sing a song from an artist that is right there. Wonderful job! Outstanding!"

"Yeah, I admire her braveness!" another judge praised.

Jennie bowed. "Thank you so much!"

"I just love the stability of your voice. The breath control was really good for this song even as you were dancing."

"Okay, WHO ARE YOU!?" one judge exclaimed desperately as the crowd laughed. "Can you give us a hint or something!? Because I have no idea and I am so curious!"

"I'm just a girl who loves to sing," Jennie answered. "Call me a girl who loves to sing and just wants to bring others together with her performance, not focused on how she looks."

Although she didn't make it to the third round, she was highly encouraged to sing one more song before she unmasked so she chose I Will Show You by Ailee to introduce herself, which shook everyone again.

"A-another song of Ailee!?" a judge exclaimed while Ailee continued to look intrigued, wondering why this person was so eager to sing her songs.

The song started as an instrumental of the first few notes while Jennie began to reach for her gloves to remove them. She felt a sense of empowerment when she took those white gloves off to reveal her dark skin. Black and proud, she heard the crowd begin to freak out when they started to put the pieces together. She reached for the back of the mask and began to untie it and then it fell off her face as everyone erupted into loud cheers.

"Wait! Wait! What!?" the judges yelled.

"Jennie!? MISS BANGTAN!? FROM BTS!? IS THIS REAL!?"

"I cannot believe this, there is no way!"

"I am mind blown that a voice could come out of her like that! I never knew she could sing like this!"

An amused smirk came across Jen's face before she looked and smiled brightly at everyone. She bowed and placed the mic in front of her, staring directly at Ailee. She then went on with the performance as she sang for the heart, giving people chills.

niga jwotdeon banjil beorigo

niga sseotdeon pyeonjil jiugo

miryeon eobsi huhoe eobsi ijeo jul geoya

neoreul ijeullae neoreul jiullae

For the high note, the music stopped as she impressed everything with a long high note before going straight back to the chorus with the music coming back on. As the song ended, she was met with loud cheers.

"Hello! I'm Jennie from BTS," she announced to louder cheers as she heard a few BTS fans screaming.

The judges were asked if she was who they were expecting as they exclaimed how insane this was and had no idea it would be her under that mask.

"You're very brave for singing a song like this in front of the artist the song was made for. Were you nervous?" Ailee asked as she praised her.

"Yes! Very. I hope I did the songs justice." Jennie replied shyly, smiling brightly as her face heated up.

"How do you feel about your performances on this show?"

"I'm honored that I was able to make it this far, I'm proud of myself. I'm very happy right now." 

After the show with Jennie back in her casual outfit in the dressing room, Ailee walked in with a happy smile.

"Hi!" Jennie heard her speak in English and turned around, stunned. "Oh my gosh, it is finally nice to meet you in person!"

"Hi." Jennie exhaled, asking herself if this was real. "I-I, wow I-hi!"

Ailee giggled. "I am very proud of you, Jennie! I want you to keep doing what you are doing. I have been watching you for a while. I am just blown away by you singing my songs. It means the world to me that you admire my work. You did such an amazing job out there. I can't wait to see what else you can do."

'She's...been watching me this whole time?' she thought.

"I would love to spend some more time with you whenever our schedules comply," she suggested

Jennie let out a chuckle and nodded with a tearful smile. "A-absolutely! Th-thank you." she then finally hugged her. "I have so much to tell you, like I admire you so much and the fact that you are in front of me right now, talking to me, I just can't believe it! I like-oh my gosh, is this really happening?!"

Jennie even took a photo with her, 'I MET AILEE!! Ahhhhhhh! It finally happened! This is so surreal! Thank you for everything! It's an honor! #Jen #IMSHAKING'

Many articles had headlines such as 'Member from Popular Idol Group blows judges away on King of Masked Singer' and 'Jennie from BTS praised for her efforts on King of Masked Singer' as it went into detail about her performances on the show.

When the show aired, the members had watched it and posted reaction videos and photos of her on the show.

'THAT'S MY BABY! #Jin'

'Smartie you keep cheesing. Calm down, you're making my face hurt with that smile of yours #Suga'

'Go Ennie! #V'

'Ennie~you look so cool! #Jimin'

ARMY even made a comparison video of her singing Ailee's songs back from 2013 to 2016 and went on to tweet about her on the show too.

'We need her to sing like this more often in BTS' songs! Where is her album/mixtape!?'

'I did NOT know she had these PIPES! Eargasm omfg!'

'Peep the guys in the crowd staring at her with heart eyes'

'Where the haters that said she couldn't sing?'

'I had no idea she could sing like this'

'Big Hit has picked a gem! They chose the perfect person to become Miss Bangtan! She is truly one of a kind!'

'PLOT TWIST!'

'QUEEN!'

'QUEEN of plot twists!'

'When she removed those gloves and everybody went batshit crazy, I got emotional'

'People give Jennie a lot of shit and it's funny how silent they are when they watch her sing like this. They can't admit that she has pipes!'

'Her vocals have improved so much! I hope we can see this more on BTS' next album!'

---------

Things were going great when working on the upcoming album. Today, in particular, was an eye-opener for Jennie when she was told that she was highly considered to be dancing in water for Fire.

"W-water dance? That's some EXO type shit!" she exclaimed. "You want me to dance in water? You want me to do that? Not any of the others?"

"It will fit best with you. We can use this for a special occasion such as an award show." Mr. Son had informed her.

She was told that soon she would be working with some choreographers on the dance. She happily took the opportunity and hoped to work hard as the members supported her. She wasn't used to doing much more like that but the fact that she was getting more opportunities made her elated.

Including that time when was called to see Slow Rabbit and was asked to do adlibs for House of Cards and harmonize in the background.

Back at the dorm, Jennie searched everywhere in her room for her pack of bonnets that she had just bought. She couldn't find them anywhere and began to search in the living room. That was until she saw Hobi wearing one of her bonnets.

"Hey," she spoke up

"Oh hey, Munchkin. Were you about to take a shower? I'll be quick okay?"

"No, it's not that but you're wearing one of my new bonnets."

"A what?"

"My bonnet. On your head."

"A bonnet? I thought this was a shower cap." he took it off his head and examined it as she laughed. "This is yours? I thought they were shower caps so I grabbed the pack that was sitting in the living room."

"Nah, it's for my hair to protect it. But I mean you can keep that one, it's fine,"

After finding her pack of bonnets, she grabbed her phone to see a text message from Baekhyun. Once she read what he said, she screamed and said yes

Baekhyun: Jennie, it's me Baekhyun! I was wondering if you wanted to join me and the rest of the members tomorrow at SM Entertainment.

Later that night, mind immersed in various thoughts, Taehyung got out of bed and made his way outside the dorm to sit on the steps. He didn't know exactly what time it was but from the view of the night sky, it was late. All that was on his mind was that offer for the Hwarang K-Drama.

They wanted him? Of all people? Was he...good enough for the role? 

He didn't want to disappoint them. And he didn't have that much acting experience. He didn't think he should accept the offer. What if people speak negatively about him and his acting?

Hearing the door behind him close, he turned around to see Jennie bundled up, about to walk down the steps. As soon as they locked eyes, she stopped and took out her earbuds.

"Oh. I was not expecting anyone to be out here. Hey, Tae. I'm surprised you're awake."

Taehyung immediately smiled. "Hey, Ennie! Can't sleep either?"

"I just have the munchies for those Korean chips you got me into. Want to walk with me to the store?"

Taehyung stood up eagerly. "Let's go!" he grabbed her hand and walked down the path to the store with her.

He enjoyed Jennie's company. He wasn't expecting anyone to be awake at this time, but he was glad she was here with him. Maybe he could talk to her about what has been bothering him. She always knew the right things to say.

Jennie, on the other hand, knew that something was bugging him and waited patiently for him to speak to her about it. She knew he would as he thought of the words to bring it up.

After buying her chips and some other snacks from the store, the two made it back to the dorm without anyone noticing them and sat on the steps outside, enjoying each other's company 

After chatting and snacking, Taehyung murmured while looking down at the ground, "I...I have been thinking..."

"About...?" she softly spoke, setting her chips to the side.

"The offer. I just...what do you think I should do? I'm so nervous about it."

"Why are you nervous?"

"I just...I feel like I'm lacking in acting. I don't want to disappoint them..."

"You won't disappoint them. I can't decide for you but I really hope you take the offer for the upcoming drama."

He stared at her in surprise. "You think so?"

"Yeah! That is an amazing opportunity. You're a great actor, Tae Tae. I've seen you in I Need U and Run. You are able! Listen, at the end of the day, it is you that is doing this, not me. But I strongly think you should go for it. I wouldn't pass this up. This can even help you improve your acting skills." she smiled warmly.

She bumped her shoulder into him, making him giggle. "Tae, just sleep on it, okay? Don't overthink it. When your mind is clear and focused, just think about it and call them to give them your answer. But just know that I will support you in your decisions and do whatever I can to help you practice for the drama if you say yes."

Taehyung stared at her and couldn't help but feel a sense of happiness wash over him as he took her encouragement to heart. Grabbing her gloved hand, he squeezed it while smiling softly at her.

"Ennie...thank you."

"Always."

"No, really. Thank you for being my friend. I was hoping someone would be awake and find me here. To talk to me about this. You always know when to pop up when I need you. You gave me a lot of strength. Thank you."

"I'm glad I can call you my friend, Tae. And I'm really happy to hear that. Also, don't forget...Taehyung hwaiting!" she happily announced, pumping her fist. Afterward, she nervously laughed, covering her mouth while he giggled at how cute she looked saying that to him. "Sorry, I just wanted to cheer you up. Was that too much? Too cringe?"

"Hehehe, no...not at all, Ennie."

The next morning, Jennie had been in her room catching up on her TV shows when she saw Taehyung walking in her room excitedly.

"Morning!" she beamed.

"Morning, Ennie!" his boxy smile came across his features as he sat on her bed. "I slept on it..."

"Oh, you did? You made a decision?"

"I just got off the phone with them. I accepted it."

Her eyes widened and she pulled him in for a hug, delighted for him as he laughed. "I am so happy! You're going to do great! We'll practice all night if we have to!"

He giggled. "I appreciate it. Thank you Ennie."

A few hours later, Jennie saw Tony happily jump on her bed to interrupt her watching her show. 

"Tony! How are ya today?" she petted him and started to give him a belly rub. She then noticed an odor coming from him and realized that he was in serious need of a bath. "Tony, you stink! I need to clean you."

As soon as the dog noticed what was about to happen, he tried to get out of it by whining. But Jennie wasn't having it.

"Tony, you stink. I need to give you a bath. Hey, no. Not the puppy dog eyes. You are not getting away from this. Let's get this bath over with." 

She picked him up as he whined louder and began walking to the bathroom in the hallway. She set him down and saw him giving her an even sadder look. 

"Tony! Come on~!" she complained as his sad look started to get to her. "No, we are not doing this. You are not giving me that sad look. You're getting cleaned. Ugh, how come you do this to me and not Jungkook?"

Jungkook laughed in the background, leaning up against the door. "Because he knows you'll give him whatever he wants."

Turning around to see him smiling, she replied, "Not today! He needs to get cleaned." 

Tony immediately went over to his dad and rubbed against him to try to get him to talk Jennie out of it. It worked before but this time Jungkook sighed. 

"Sorry boy, listen to Jennie. You have to get cleaned, this time."

Tony seemed to have given up on the sweet gestures and decided to accept his fate while Jennie got the bath settled.

"I got him." Jungkook picked him up and gently placed him in the tub. He then sat on the floor with Jennie to help wash him. "I think he likes it. Cute." he chuckled softly when they noticed their dog splashing around.

Jennie used the shower head to wet him thoroughly, carefully making sure not to get any water in his ears or eyes.

"Good, that'll be easy then." she grabbed the dog shampoo and began to go to work to wash him with Jungkook. 

Tony seemed to enjoy it, which made the couple laugh. But then he jumped out of the tub and ran out of the bathroom, still covered in shampoo. 

"Tony, noooooo!" she shouted.

Jungkook promptly rushed out of the room to run after the dog, who was making the floor wet wherever he ran. 

"Tony! We're not done!" he laughed out loud.

"Goodness gracious. I didn't think it'd be this hard." Jen stood up and walked out of the bathroom to help Jungkook chase him. 

After a few minutes, Jungkook managed to grab him and they resumed washing him. While rinsing him off with the shower head carefully, they got splashed and wet in the process once Tony shook his body and spread water all over the place.

"Agk!" Jungkook tried to shield himself from the water with Jennie. 

He turned to her and started laughing again before they washed him a second time to make sure he was nice and clean. Jennie and Jungkook were soaked while trying to clean him but they didn't complain as they had fun washing him.

"Ta-da! You're clean!" Jennie took Tony out and began to dry him with a towel. "You did it, Tony! I'll give you a treat once I finish drying you up."

Jungkook stretched and then bent over the tub to take out the plug that was holding the water in the drain. 

Standing up, Jennie let Tony go free and glanced at Jungkook's butt as an idea popped into her head. Feeling playful, she kicked his butt, making him fall right into the tub as she burst out in laughter.

Jungkook was a bit surprised that she would attack him like this. Nonetheless, he'd make sure to have the last laugh.

Grabbing the shower head, she prepared for him to stand up and when he did, she sprayed him as he tried to block his face. Jungkook's entire body got soaked as he tried to evade her attack while the room was filled with her laughter.

Having enough, he got out of the tub and began walking forward while she took a few steps back, continuing to spray him. She let out a scream in surprise when he grabbed a hold of her and grabbed the shower head.

"No!" she pulled it back as they went back and forth trying to fight for it. But then he yanked it out of her hands and began spraying her with water as she tried to block her face. "Kook!"

All she heard was his loud laughter before they began to wrestle around for the handheld showerhead.

[saitama-division]

It was a quiet Saturday evening in the city of Saitama. The day was slowly winding down, as it usually did. At the Miyuki residence, Sayaka was busy straightening up the house. Thankfully, Yoshiko was in her room, playing quietly, which made her work a lot easier. Not that she didn't love her daughter, but it made cleaning up a little difficult when her energetic child was always underfoot.

"Almost done," Sayaka sighed, wiping the sweat off of her brow with a satisfied smile. Looking up at the living room clock, she could see it was still relatively early, which means she had enough time to get dinner ready just as soon as she was finished. Preparing to give the room one last thorough check, she heard the doorbell to her home sound out.

Stopping what she was doing, the single mother went to the door and looked as it was a delivery person holding a large box in both his hands.

"Delivery for Mrs. Miyuki," he stated, the clipboard for her to sign on top of the box.

"That's me." Sayaka answered, signing for the package, though she was a bit confused. She didn't recall ordering anything recently. So who sent this for her? Taking the package from the man and bidding him farewell. Lugging the heavy thing upstairs to her bedroom, she sighed as she dropped it on her bed. It was then she noticed the shipping label on it.

"It's... from Minato?"

Frowning slightly, the woman tried to recall just who would send her something from Minato, as it was a large division with a number of people. Figuring she wasn't going to get any answers just looking at it, she knew she'd have to open it. Grabbing a pair of shears from a nearby dresser, she cut the tape binding the two top halves together and opened it. Seeing some sort of fabric inside, she pulled it out getting a better view of it.

...

As she did, Sayaka's mouth opened wide and her face turned red.

Why?

Because in her hands in plain view for her to see was...

...a very risque-looking pair of lingerie.

"...W-What?!"

Dropping the fabric material onto the bed in shock, Sayaka looked as inside the box were other very similar pieces of clothing inside, making her face turn even more red as she covered her mouth in shock.

...And it wasn't just lingerie, but other items meant for... "non-family friendly" activities, including some vibrators, a bottle of aphrodisiac, a box of condoms, and many more.

As the division leader wondered if this was a joke from her slightly-perverted friend, Lola, she noticed a letter at the bottom of the box. With a shaking hand, she pulled it out and looked at it:

'Dear Sayaka,

Happy-belated birthday, babe! I'm really sorry I sent these gifts to you so, so late! I completely forgot it was your birthday a few days ago, and I probably wouldn't have even known if Lola hadn't told me. But it wasn't just because it was your birthday that I sent these "lovely" gifts to you. She also informed me that you and a certain doctor and researcher from Toyama have finally tied the knot! Congratulations hun! I'm so happy for you! But now, that means you have two men you have to keep satisfied. So, I went out and bought all of this for you! And don't worry, if the lingerie doesn't fit, I kept the receipt so you can get them fitted properly.

Congratulations again, sweetie! I'm really, really happy for you! And happy birthday again! Good luck with your men, and don't do anything I wouldn't do!' 😉

Love,

Aika

As Sayaka finished the letter, the question of who sent her these... gifts was finally answered. As she was still trying to process the last few minutes, she failed to notice her door being opened until she heard a familiar voice call out to her...

"Mommy?"

The scream Sayaka let out could’ve been horror movie star worthy as she automatically threw the scantily clad piece to a random corner and pushed the box full of naughty items off the bed and out of her precious daughter’s innocent eyes. “Y-Y-Yoshiko!!” The woman sputtered as she snapped her head to face her daughter who was still standing in the doorway, staring at her mother with wide, curious eyes, the four year old didn’t seem to react to her mother’s rather loud scream and only looked at where she threw the article of clothing and tilted her head in confusion. “What was that, Mommy?”

Sayaka crossed the room as quickly as possible to get to her daughter and kneeled down to gently grasped at her shoulders and turned Yoshiko’s attention to her. “I-It was nothing, baby, just a package, what is it that you need, sweetie?” The brunette woman desperately tried to change the subject, last thing she needed was to explain to her literal toddler what was in that goddamn box Aika gave her, she also made the mental note to try and fail to curse Lola out the next time she sees her, it hadn’t even been a full week yet and now word of her relationship had spread all the way to Minato, god knows who else the model had blabbed to.

Thankfully, Yoshiko being the child she is, had the attention span of a goldfish and immediately perked up to speak what was on her mind when her mother asked. “Mommy! Let’s have a tea party!”

Sayaka blinked, not exactly sure what she was expecting but it wasn’t that but hey, she wasn’t gonna complain, definitely beats trying and failing to explain the birds and the bees to her severely underage child. “Eh? Isn’t it a tad late for a tea party though, sweetie? Also, I don’t want you spoiling your dinner with sweets.”

Yoshiko shyly twirled her foot into the ground and looked at her mother with pleading eyes. “I know…but please? It’ll be really fun! Also, Ms. Poppy was really wanting tea and auntie Lola always says that you should never keep a lady waiting!”

Sayaka’s eyebrow twitched at the mention of the blonde but immediately shoved anything she wanted to say down and sighed, reaching a hand up to gently pat her daughter’s hair. “Okay, love, let’s have a tea party but we’re going to be serving dinner instead of sweets, okay? Maybe I’ll let you have one piece of leftover cake, okay? One piece.”

Yoshiko’s eyes shined at the promise of cake as she rapidly nodded her head and began to make way out of the room to grab her favorite plushies and get ready. “Okay, mama!”

Thank you for the gift!

[glowingraindrops]

You Drew Stars Around My Scars

Prt.1

————————————————————————

Eddie was bleeding. Eddie was bleeding a lot. Streams of crimson oozed and puddled around his nearly lifeless body as Dustin cradled his head. For a second, all Steve could do was watch Eddie gasp for air and breathily tell Dustin he's sorry. He didn't know he was crying until the ringing in his ears dissipated upon hearing a muted cry of “Help him”, and with wobbly legs he brought Eddie out of the upside down. Robin and Nancy were already waiting in the backseat of the car when Steve threw the door open, shoving a dying Eddie into the arms of Nancy on the driver's side and an injured Dustin into the arms of Robin on the passenger side. Eddie was situated with his legs propped up on both Robin and Dustin's thighs and his head was gently placed on Nancy's lap. Steve hadn't waited another second to climb into the driver's seat and step on the gas.

He was probably going well above the speed limit and was almost positive that the seatbelt was jammed into the door, but he could hear Dustin sobbing and desperately pleading to Nancy to save Eddie. If Steve were a little braver, he would have offered some words of encouragement, but he didn't really trust his voice to not tremble. He didn't stop to see the dying trees looming over them and didn't notice the clock standing to the side of the road, but he heard it. He could hear the tell-tale ticking of the old grandfather clock, but all he did was press onto the gas a little harder. What that meant for Max, he didn't know. All that he could do was hope that she, Lucas, and Erica were safe.

“Hey, Robs, do you have our mixtape on hand?” Robin had kind of sputtered for a second before gesturing wildly at a very pale looking Dustin, and an even paler looking Eddie, who had seemed to have stopped bleeding at some point. Steve didn't know if that meant Nancy was able to stop the blood from spilling out of him, or if that meant Eddie had no more blood left to offer. He desperately hoped it was the former.

“Dingus, r-right now isn’t really the fucking time t-to listen to music!”

Upon looking at the rearview mirror, Steve had thought he saw his father glare at him, but he blinked and the vision was gone.

“Yeah, I know but-”

“Eddie’s dying, a-and Dustin's leg is probably broken-”

He didn't know why Robin's voice started to sound more and more like his mothers, but it made his stomach turn and he needed to shut her up fast before he did something stupid, like crash the car.

“Robs, please, I need-”

“And- and we haven't heard from the rest of the party!, and they could be dead too and-”

“Robin, please for the love of god, will you listen to me!?”

“A-and the cops are still probably looking f-for Eddie, so we don't even know if we can sa-”

“ROBIN, I CAN SEE A FUCKING CLOCK IN THE ROAD!”

His grip tightened on the steering wheel.Steve was pretty sure that he had left a dent on the leather of the wheel, but he wasn't quite certain. A tense silence fell upon them, the only sounds heard being the humming of the engine and the ever growing ticks of the clock echoing in the hollows of Steve's ears and mind.

“I-I can see the stupid fucking clock in the road, and I’m not really looking to crash right now so please! Just get out the mixtape Robin and HELP me!”

Steve hadn't needed to turn around to know that Robin, Dustin, and Nancy were crying. He heard it well enough from the front seat.

With shaky hands, Robin had handed him the mix tape she and Steve made together around their first week at Family Video. Steve couldn't remember everything that was put on it, but he knew that a mixture of Bowey, ABBA, Tears for Fears, and Blondie were all muddled together somewhere within the mixtape. He was almost able to smile at the memory of Robin loudly complaining about putting “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” on the mixtape. She couldn't stand the voice of Cyndi Lauper.

Almost.

With a shuddering breath, Steve inserted the mixtape into the cassette slot. The opening notes of “King of Nothing” drowned out the deafening chimes of the old grandfather clock. He could still see the dreadful thing sitting at the side of the road, and he swore he saw a younger version of Tommy H. sitting in the seat next to him, but his anxiety slowly dissipated as the cassette tape continued to blast the opening words of the song Steve so dearly loved and loathed on the car stereo.

‘When I was 17, I

Dreamed of being king and-’

“…Steve….?”

“…”

“Come on, talk to us, Steve! Please don't leave us, I'm begging you. ”

‘Dreams did not unfold so

I'm still the king of nothing’

“...I'm still here…”

Robin had let out an audible breath of relief before hiccuping and reaching across Dustin to grab onto Steve's shoulder. Steve found himself leaning into the grounding touch for a moment before being startled out of his daze by a speed bump. “Oh thank fuck, I-I thought you were… Goddamnit Steve, you can’t do that to me!… I thought… Holy shit, I thought you were gone…” Her voice had tapered out, and Steve had to hold himself back from letting out an audible sob. It had been a wonder that he was still able to keep the car in the right lane throughout all of this shit. Dustin and Nancy didn't say anything, but he could hear the relieved sigh Nancy let out, and the pained cry of relief Dustin had tried to stunt. It was unlike Dustin to be so… quiet. He should have been loudly berating Steve for scaring him like that, so why hadn't he?

‘But that was slumbers fault for

I have no love at all and

I’m still the king of nothing’

“You can’t get rid of me that easily, Buckley.”

‘If I could rule I'd dance my cares away

Find romance every day

I wouldn't have to listen to this poor fool say

I'm the king

I'm the king

I'm the king of nothing’

‘If I could rule I'd dance my cares away

Find romance every day

I wouldn't have to listen to this poor fool say

I'm the king

I'm the king

I'm the king of nothing’

—----------------------------------------------------—

(Preview to next chapter)

They made it to the hospital. Steve was pretty sure he broke every traffic law to ever exist, but they fucking made it. He didn’t think twice before shutting off the car and pulling Eddie out of Nancy's hands. Distantly, he was aware of the ticking growing louder and louder in the back of his ears, but he chose not to acknowledge it. He was walking away with Eddie held in his arms before the others could drag him back into the car. He could hear Dustin and Robin screaming at him, but all he could do was hold Eddie a little tighter and keep pushing his legs to work just a little bit longer.

————————————————————————

I will definitely write more of this! This is my first post on here and I actually had two of my friends proof read this do I hope its ok. If yall love this as much as I do I will definitely keep posting it on here! If not ill probs just upload to my Ao3 later :)

Have an amazing day/night! Pls leave suggestions and criticism :)

[imnotoverlyobsessive]

In Your Dreams

Moodboard by @softhecreator

Chapter Four: Visit Me When I Am Dead & Gone

AO3 info one two three four five six seven epilogue

All my work is 18+.

Darling, don’t you weep. There’s a place for me, somewhere we can sleep. Darling, don’t you cry. Head fast towards the light. Foolish men have tried, but only you have shown me how to love being alive. Until it’s time to see the light, I’ll make my own with you each night. I’ll kidnap all the stars and I will keep them in your eyes… Darling, don’t you weep. There’s a place for me, somewhere we can sleep. I’ll see you in your dreams.- Halsey, Darling

She froze. All thought ceased.

“I—“ she sputtered. “What?”

“You’re my mate,” he repeated. “I know you don’t want any sort of relationship, so I never told you. I wouldn’t have told you at all, honestly, if you hadn’t asked. I only wanted to see your face when I…” he trailed off.

Her legs chose that exact moment to give out, and she collapsed on the bench next to him. “I can’t be.”

“You have a mark on your pelvic bone. Raised, like a scar,” he informed her, as if she weren’t aware. He sounded exhausted, as if every word was a great effort. “It’s the outline of a star with eight points.”

Lea stared at him. “How do you know about my birthmark?”

“It’s not exactly a birthmark.” He closed his eyes, seemingly too tired to keep them open. “It’s a symbol of fertility.”

“A symbol of what?” she squeaked out, aghast. “It’s just a birthmark. My sisters have it, too, it’s genetic—“

“Of course it’s genetic,” he chuckled. “That doesn’t mean it’s a birthmark.”

“How are you so sure what it is, then?”

“The culture that first identified the mates of my species had a seven-pointed star as a fertility symbol,” Tim went on. “I don’t know how or why you have it. I was too far away when the marks first appeared and the first incubus—or succubus, who knows what it was?—was born millions of years before I was, and word didn’t exactly travel quickly in those times. It’s only been fairly recently that I learned the exact origin of the marks. They didn’t always exist.”

She furrowed her brows in thought. “Where are you from, exactly? Where do incubi come from?”

“Sumeria was where the marks come from,” he sighed, leaning his head back against the bench. “No one remembers when or where incubi came into being. Could be the beginning of time, I don’t know. If the first ones are still around, they certainly don’t remember anything from that long ago. As for me, I was born in southern France. My mom’s human and my dad’s an incubus—she and my dad wear glamours around people who aren’t aware of what my dad is—so they don’t actually look any older than me. Anyway, the civilization my mom was born into is long dead. I don’t remember the name of it. Neither does she. It’s been a long time.”

“So…” She gulped nervously, her throat tight. “You’re closer in age to your mom than you are to me?”

He turned to face her again. “I suppose I am, yes. She was younger than you when she had me.”

“This is… weird,” she admitted.

“I imagine it would be weird for you,” he agreed with a nod. “It’s not weird for me, though. My dad and my mom are further apart in age than we are.”

She blinked. “How old is your dad?”

Tim shrugged. “No clue. I don’t know and neither does he. It’s been too long. He remembers the agricultural revolution, and that he was very old by that point already.”

She stared at him in disbelief. “The agricultural revolution was twelve thousand years ago.”

He nodded. “Yup.”

“Your dad is twelve thousand years old.”

He shook his head then. “No. Like I said, he was older than he could remember by that point. We aren’t sure, but we suspect he’s at least twenty thousand years old. He recognized some pictures of pottery we saw from around that time.”

Her head was spinning.

“And my birthmark— how do you know it’s… that?” she asked anxiously.

“My parents are like us. That’s how we reproduce, is with our mates. I’ve known what to expect from my mate since I could talk, and I’ve known what the marks mean for centuries.”

“And if you haven’t seen mine, why are you so sure I have it?”

He opened one eye, his lips lifting up into a small, barely-there grin. “Are you sure you want me to answer that? You may be happier not knowing.”

Lea narrowed her eyes at him. “Tell me.”

“Very well,” he sighed, closing both eyes again. “I want a lot of women on some kind of base level. Maybe even most women. But it’s never specific, really. It doesn’t feel directed at anyone in particular. With you, though…” A wistful sigh. “As soon as I met you, I knew that I needed you and no one else. I have this ridiculously strong urge to fuck your brains out, and it never really goes away.” She blanched at his crude words, but he continued. “But I don’t just want to fuck you, I need to fuck you. When I’m with you, everything in me is constantly screaming to hold you down and put my child inside you, over and over and over again. From the moment I looked into your eyes for the first time, I knew I wanted—needed—to hold you and kiss you and love you. I didn’t even know your name, but I knew you were meant for me.”

It didn’t make sense. It made no fucking sense. “Are you messing with me?” she demanded.

Now that she was no longer touching him, his skin was getting paler by the second, and his breaths were getting more and more shallow. 

“No, I’m not. I know I look like shit right now,” he informed her. “Come closer to me and take my hand. I’ll show you what your proximity, your touch, does to me.”

Skeptically, she sat down close to him on the bench and took his hand.

“Watch,” he murmured, threading their fingers together.

Lea observed closely as, starting at where her hand was clasping his, his skin regained its natural color and his breathing evened out again.

“What’s happening?” she asked nervously, her voice shaky and hesitant.

“Your touch alone could probably keep me alive for another week or so, provided it’s nonstop.” He considered for a moment. “It certainly doesn’t hurt that you’re so attracted to me, either. Sexual attraction doesn’t do much, really, but it makes my situation more pleasant.”

“I’m— I’m not—“ she sputtered, and Tim laughed. It wasn’t unkind, merely… amused. 

“I’m an incubus, sweetheart,” he reminded her gently. “I know when someone is sexually attracted to me.” 

She flushed, looking down at their clasped hands instead of directly at him. She didn’t want to let go of him; what if it was the only thing keeping him alive?

“Don’t be embarrassed.” He reached over, brushing her hair from her face and cupping her cheek so as to tilt her face up towards him again. “You’d be attracted to me even if you weren’t my mate. It’s probably somewhat stronger because you are, though.”

Lea had always thought she’d done a pretty good job of ignoring his rather obnoxious level of sexiness. She looked down, her face still flaming.

“What do you remember of the dreams?” he asked after a moment.

Her head snapped up. “The… the what?”

“The dreams,” Tim repeated with a smile that quickly morphed into a chuckle at her expression. “I’m an incubus, remember? I don’t generally enter dreams, but I had to know how you felt about me.” A wistful smile. “And anyway, I couldn’t have planted anything in that pretty little head of yours if you didn’t want it already. Plus, if you’ll recall, it was you who initiated the sex, not me.”

She sputtered uselessly. “I— I don’t know why I—“

Tim chuckled. “It’s alright. At least I won’t die from your lack of wanting me. That would be a tremendous blow to a creature like me.”

“If only I can save you, what do I need to do?”

“As I told you before,” he sighed, “nothing I’d ask of you.”

“But I can do something,” she persisted. “Tell me what it is.”

He stared at her. “I think you know what it is, Lea.”

When she blushed this time, it spread all the way down to her chest, below the hemline of her shirt. His gaze followed it, making her skin feel even more heated.

“How far does that flush go, I wonder?” Tim murmured. After a moment, however, he seemed to shake himself out of whatever stupor he’d fallen into and his eyes met hers again. “In any case, I’m not telling you this to try to convince you of anything.”

“I don’t want you to die, but I can’t—“ she cut herself off, tears filling her eyes. “I can’t do that, I promised myself I would never do that with anyone, I—“

“I know,” he assured her gently. “I know. It’s okay. I never expected you to. I’d never coerce anyone into sex, but you…” He sighed again, looking away from her momentarily. “You are everything. I want you to have whatever it is you want. If me giving you what you want means me not touching you, I’m happy for that.”

Her eyes widened. “You shouldn’t feel that strongly for me, Tim.”

He smiled ruefully at her. “If you’re saying I shouldn’t love you, my darling, I’m afraid it’s far too late for that.”

“You shouldn’t.”

“Why not?” he asked. “As soon as I met you, you became the center of my existence. Everything I am revolves around you now. That’s how it’s meant. You told me in one of your dreams that you can’t give someone power over you, and I said that it’s you who has power over me, but the truth is, that doesn’t really scratch the surface of precisely how much power you have over me. An incubus’ mate holds his existence—his happiness, his life, the very core of his being—in the palm of her hand. I’ve always known that my mate would bring me one of two things: either eternal happiness and love… or death.” He took a breath. “And I’m fine with that, Lea. Truly. It doesn’t bother me.”

“But you have so much left to do,” she reminded him tearfully. “So much left to be, to experience.”

He smiled slightly. “I would’ve made more movies, I suppose. But other than that, I’ve experienced just about everything there is. I learned to read and write in cuneiform. I saw the fall of Troy and was there when Rome was founded, and when it fell. I met Socrates and Plato. I remember Charlagmne’s coronation and the Norman Conquest. I found it amusing to play Henry V because I knew him. I’ve seen the Plague overtake Europe and Joan of Arc’s execution. I remember Columbus—he was a total dickhead in person, too, by the way—, the American and French revolutions, both World Wars— you name it, I can probably tell you where I was at the time. I’ve seen everything there is to see, experienced more than anyone could ever dream of, and I promise you, the idea of dying no longer scares or bothers me.”

“But I don’t want you to die,” she insisted. “You… you mean a lot to me.”

Tim stared at her. “I know,” he said after a few beats, “but you can’t give me what’s necessary to keep me alive, sweetheart. It’s okay. I don’t mind it. I’m not upset with you, and it’s not your fault I need this from you to survive.”

Tears were trickling down her cheeks, and he reached out to brush them away.

“Don’t cry for me, love. This is probably the best way I could go, aside from being naked in your arms.”

“Is there anything else I can do, any other way I can help?” she persisted.

He hummed. “You could kiss me, I suppose. It wouldn’t—“

Lea didn’t even let him finish before she leaned over and pressed her lips to his. He was frozen for a moment before wrapping an arm around her and pulling her closer, his free hand sinking into her hair. She didn’t know how to kiss, really, but if this would help him, would save him, she’d do it as long as he needed.

The tears wouldn’t stop falling, though, so he eventually pulled away from her and brushed them from her face again. “You’re still crying,” he observed.

“I don’t want you to die,” she sobbed miserably. “I want to save you. I want to help you.”

“Kissing me will buy me a few hours. Maybe a day. You can’t save me, sweetheart. I’m sorry.”

She buried her face in his neck and cried harder.

He rubbed her back reassuringly. “It’s alright, love. Your happiness comes first.”

“I’d be happier if you lived,” she sniffled.

Tim sighed, burying his nose in her hair and inhaling deeply. “You don’t want to be with me the way I need, Lea,” he reminded her gently. “And that’s okay. I’ve held you, I’ve kissed you— I will die a very happy man.”

Eventually, after a bit more kissing—tearfully on her part—, he had enough strength to where he insisted upon walking her home.

She hugged him before he walked away from her doorstep, sobbing into his chest some more. “I don’t want you to die. I want to help.”

“You could kiss me again and buy me a few more hours,” he teased gently.

She still did it, though, teasing or not, and he kissed her back slowly, passionately. 

Lovingly. 

Finally, he pulled away, leaning his forehead against hers. “Goodbye, Lea.”

With one last sweet, gentle kiss, he left, and she knew she’d never see him again.

Goodbye, Tim.

Tag list

@ellamaianderson @shika1200 @blackqueenstarseed1 @gatoenlaciudad @esmaada @mariaelizabeth21-blog1 @softhecreator @timolaurence @timmymyluv @oddlyenoughiamweird @leecrunchybones @s-we-e-t-t-ea @almostg @leespparker @bubblebuttwade @glizzymcguirex @starberry-cake

To be added, please ask 💗

[eternaljunkyard]

Novmechber Day 23: Favorite song/line

obviously this is a very hard prompt because I absolutely cannot pick my favorite,, however I had to pick something so here we are :))) enjoy,, also its about DTTM so everyone (kinda) dies thanks

also this bad boy is LONG so uh,, sorry :,)

novmechber list and previous days here

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

It was a night not unlike any other night aboard the Aurora. A night without Nastya, perhaps, but that was nothing new. It had been that way for centuries. Still, each member of the crew had begrudgingly retreated to their own quarters (or another’s quarters) except their loyal pilot. 

Brian sat in the pilot’s chair, watching the stars. They never got any less beautiful. He rarely slept, taking the moments of peace where he could get them. He loved the crew, of course he did. But he also appreciated silence, the beauty of quiet and solace and peace, so he sat in the pilot’s chair and looked at the stars and the spiders weaving their light into webs in the corners of the huge windows.

He didn’t sleep.

But under the gaze of infinite nebulae, the DrumBot began to dream…

He dreamt of a bar, no different from any other bar. Thin metal walls caked in grime, synthetic carpet so blood- and alcohol-stained the original color was indeterminable, always enough patrons within to cause trouble but never enough to call the place ‘successful.’ It was a seedy joint, so it was no surprise when a fight broke out. It was, for all intents and purposes, just another bar fight, brutal and ugly but certainly not unique. Even when Brian noticed Jonny participating in the mess, he wasn’t concerned. Not until the knife lodged in Jonny’s heart and Jonny was silent for a long, long time. He began to laugh, a manic, desperate, chilling laugh that Brian had never heard before. It wasn’t much of a leap, watching or not, for Brian to understand that this was Jonny’s death.

He dreamt of heat and space and pressure and darkness, far more intense than most had seen, even Brian. He had been in a star, of course, but this was nothing like that. There was no reprieve from this by being pulled out of it: there was nowhere beyond this. And there, on the edge, likely the only survivable place, was Ashes with enough liquor to last eight decades, even for a Mechanism. They knew — and Brian knew — that they would not be able to finish it. Somehow, they had gasoline. And a cigar. And a match. In the total black, they struck their match, and it sputtered impossibly as they lit their cigar. It glowed, somehow so bright for a speck of light so small. They dropped the match, and Brian could taste the heat of gasoline and burning whiskey as the last fire in the universe — the last thing in the universe — enveloped them.

He dreamt of a ship, once so familiar to him but now piecemeal and patchwork. The once-shiny walls were stained with mysterious liquid, some plates corroded so badly they could barely count as metal. It made him sad to see (the shell of) Aurora in such a state, but even more sad was the state of Raphaella. She was sitting languidly in her lab, an uncountable number of notebooks and even more datapads filled with information surrounding her in such precarious stacks it almost looked like Ivy’s library. Her equipment was scattered across the floor, most of it broken, and as she tapped on one of Aurora’s screens, her knees bled from broken glass. Brian knew where the coordinates went without having to look them up. The largest known black hole, one Raphaella had been examining from a distance for centuries. It was almost comforting to know she disappeared doing what she loved.

He dreamt of a warship, so vast and powerful it dwarfed a good many stars. Not only dwarf them, but fire so much raw energy into them it sped up their lifetime into mere days. Jonny would have been proud; system after system exploded into light and colorful matter under Tim’s rampage, planets shot with near-perfect accuracy. Tim’s aim (perfect as it used to be, he was no longer the sharpshooter he used to be) strayed far enough that he missed a space station in his way. The collision caused the station — and Tim’s warship — to explode. He would have survived, probably, had the oncoming light not burned out his mechanism’s sensors (how ironic) and prevented him from strapping in. Instead, he blindly fumbled, and the force burnt, rent, crushed, and tore him until he did not exist. It was fitting, Brian supposed.

He dreamt of a library, flames licking at its walls. Ivy was packing books into a small escape pod, her hands flying uncaring over the stacks and selecting books at random. Brian knew where her favorite books were, and he knew she wouldn’t be able to save them. She clearly knew this, too. She worked quickly, but when the pod was filled with no room for herself, the flames and nearby gunfire were at a crescendo and she could not escape them. Perhaps a century earlier, she would have survived. But without her life’s work, her collection, she did not have much she desired to stay alive for, and so she launched the pod as bullets riddled her body and the fire devoured her corpse. The fire burnt so hot it scorched every ounce of recognition from the warped lump of metal that had once been an archive.

He dreamt of Aurora again, this time very much present and very much well-kept. Marius has the least sense of the Narrative driving him, so Brian thought he would have been safe. Apparently it just meant he lost his plot armor and rights to a cool death. Marius stepped in to check on the octokittens, and Jonny whooped a loud, “Eleven-point-seven!” as the sounds of eager teeth and tentacles snarled from the room. It was silent after that. There should have been noise, and Brian looked at Jonny. Jonny met his gaze — which shouldn’t have been possible, Brian was dreaming — and the touch of the Narrative shivered through Brian. Perhaps Jonny knew more than he gave him credit for. Marius never stepped back out.

He dreamt of space, as he did so often. He was used to dreaming of space. He was not, however, used to seeing himself there, floating with an expression of silent acceptance. When the process that should have ended uncountable lifetimes ago finally ended, and his heart froze along with the body that had gone long before, there was the feeling of a weight off his chest. Brian thought it was an appropriate way to die, and filed it away so he could remember what his face looked like when his time eventually came. He looked almost peaceful, unafraid of that endless night. Brian thought he deserved at least that much.

He dreamt, finally, of wood. A wooden soldier stood alone on a planet, looking up at the receding form of the Aurora, now just a husk. It had once had a name, the Toy Soldier, but without people to talk to it, names did not much matter. It had once been a toy, a real toy, it remembered, and had merely been pretending all this time to be Real. There was a story that told it that it had done a good job, but it was lonely now, and all the congratulations would not repaint its wood when it faded, or stitch up its jacket after a particularly affectionate gunfight. It breathed slowly (it did not need to, but it had always liked the principle), and understood why it was here on this planet. It sat down against a building; it did not matter which building, because every building was the same under the pretense of difference. It had made its decision. It exhaled slowly, a final breath for a breathless being, and its head drooped. It had decided to stop pretending.

Pointless, ignoble deaths the lot of them. But who that lived can really boast otherwise?

The words echoed through time and universe and story until they fell on dreaming metal ears, and Brian woke up. He blinked, looked around, and sighed. His metal finger pressed the comm to Jonny’s room, knowing his metallic voice would always come across as brash over the speaker no matter how hard he tried to soften it.

“Get up, Jonny. We have one more song to write.”

[coyotescribbles]

A short little ficlet I scribbled out, featuring Corona and guest-starring @magicalmousey's Juniper~

(It's a bit rough and I struggled with not letting it get away with me as these little plotbunnies have a tendency to do, so apologies in advance :'))

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

"How did you even manage this?"

"I'm not built like a brawler, doc, when a guy three times my size hits me like a wrecking ball, I tend to fare a little poorly."

Corona flinched and bared her denta in a hiss that tapered off into a sigh of relief as her shoulder assembly was popped back into place and the damaged armor plating pried up from where it was compressing her sensor net and motor cables.

"Better?"

"Much." Rolling her shoulder experimentally, she gave an approving nod - but before Knock Out could ask any further questions or make any observations, they were interrupted by the sudden opening of the door.

"Oh, for the love of - whatever it is, it can wait, I'm busy!" She felt his hand on her good shoulder as he shifted to look past her, and she turned her head to see who had entered as well - only to see nothing but an empty doorway.

Until she registered movement at the periphery of her vision, and looked down.

"Oh," Knock Out said flatly, even as Corona tried - and mostly failed - to stifle a startled laugh; "it's just you."

"Oh, that's cute. Since when does Megatron allow pets on the Nemesis?" She grinned, immediately tamping down her alarm. "Does anyone on board even know how to take care of one?"

The doctor sputtered something, but Corona was already stepping away from the work area to crouch down in front of the spooked little creature. "Hey, human, are these clowns making sure you've got what you need? Are they even feeding you enough?"

The human seemed to flounder for a moment, and she didn't blame her. Being so directly confronted by a strange Decepticon would be a little rattling for someone her size. But then she gathered herself up and did something that caught Corona pleasantly off-guard.

"Actually, yeah," she replied, meeting her optics, "these clowns are doing just fine, thank you."

Somewhere towards the back of the medbay, half-hidden behind a piece of equipment he'd been fine-tuning, Breakdown snorted out a laugh. The sound was followed by a clatter and a string of muffled curses when he dropped whatever tool he was using, and the human peered past her as if to see what was going on.

Corona just grinned, fangs flashing in the dim light as she looked back over her shoulder at an annoyed-looking Knock Out. "Oh, she's spicy! I think I like her."

"Yes, yes, we're all quite fond of our little scraplet," he scoffed, impatiently tapping his talons against his thigh; "now, if you wouldn't mind getting back over here so I could finish repairing your shoulder? Breakdown, could you be a dear and take care of Juniper while I'm busy with Eclipse here?"

"On it, doc."

With one last crooked smile for Juniper, Corona straightened back up and returned to Knock Out's staging area, where he sat her firmly on the berth and resumed the work of repairing her damaged joint.

"Really, doc, it's fine now," she said nonchalantly, watching from the corner of one optic as Breakdown appeared from the back and knelt down, offering his hand for Juniper to climb into. She was almost surprised by the gentleness with which he handled the human.

Almost.

"'Fine' is not getting you out of this medbay," Knock Out groused, derailing her train of thought, "'functional' is, and you're not quite there yet, so sit still."

By the time she glanced back towards the door, both Breakdown and the human were gone, although she could hear them talking quietly somewhere just out of her visual range. She didn't tune her audials to the discussion, but she didn't entirely tune it out, either - just in case things went south, and she had to snatch and dash.

"...You're concerned. Why, Eclipse, I didn't think you had it in you."

Her finials barely flicked. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, please, you don't serve as a doctor throughout an entire war without picking up on a few tells." Knock Out huffed softly, still wrist-deep in her shoulder assembly. "Really, you needn't worry. I know it's not exactly conventional, but there's almost an entire warship conspiring to protect her from the more… unpredictable elements aboard. She's nearly as safe here as the Autobots' little pets are with them."

"For how long, though?"

"Honestly? Who knows." Something in her shoulder popped and she almost flinched. "But, even if worst comes to worst, she's got some powerful 'cons in her corner, and I'm not just talking about Big Blue back there."

She felt him close up her shoulder, then patiently sat through the battery of mobility and functionality checks that followed - straighten your arm, demonstrate forward flexion, abduction, rotation, internal and external rotation, extension, show me that your fingers still function properly - before she was finally granted clearance to leave.

"And if I see you back here in anything less than seven solar cycles, I will make sure things are far less pleasant," the doctor warned, a theatrical edge to his voice.

"Yeah, yeah, stick to picking on Autobots my own size, got it," Corona replied with equally exaggerated flippancy as she rolled her shoulder one last time and stepped away.

She paused before exiting, though, turning back to look for Juniper; the human was easy enough to spot, still seated on a workbench with Breakdown leaning nearby.

"Hey, scraplet," she called; both human and Decepticon looked in her direction. "If you need anything from planetside that the flying circus here isn't providing, just come find me. The Pole Star's on the flight deck, she's hard to miss."

Then, with a grin and a wave, she was gone, a ripple of hi-gloss obsidian and silver vanishing down the dimly-lit corridor.

***

A few hours later, by local reckoning, Corona was finishing the last of the minor repairs that her little ship needed after that absolute clusterfuck of a fight. Pressing her lips into a thin line, she took a step back to survey the work… and to privately grouse about the growing list of dings that the Pole Star had accumulated ever since arriving on this planet.

(Sure, it hadn't been her ship for very long, but she would have been lying if she'd said she hadn't gotten attached.)

She just needs a little polish, maybe a fresh coat of paint…

The sensation of someone knocking on her greave yanked her away from that thought, and she immediately sidestepped out of habit as she looked down - and directly into the piercing green eyes of the resident human.

"Well." With a soft snort and an equally soft smile, Corona knelt down to be closer to her eye level. "I honestly wasn't expecting you to actually come looking for me, but since you had the guts to prove me wrong… what can I do for you, scraplet?"

Juniper looked aside for a moment and fidgeted a bit with the blanket - cloak? - she was wrapped in, as if suddenly unsure of herself. Then, as before, she found her confidence again and looked back to her with firm resolve.

"You… you said you could get me a few things that I needed while you were on Earth, right?"

"Mmhm. Or just wanted, I'm not stingy."

"…No strings attached?"

"Not one, spy's honor," Corona chuckled. "I need some opportunities to fine-tune my holoform, anyway, so consider this compensation for helping me out."

That coaxed the ghost of a smile from the human, and seemed to solidify her confidence. "Well, there have been a few things I've been missing, ever since… coming here…"

The way the human's voice faltered made something twist uncomfortably in her chest, but she hid it behind a smile.

"What do you say we work out a list, then, and I'll see what I can do."

[zjasperwrites]

"The Exchange"

Fantasy Flash-Fiction by Zohar Jasper (994 Words) A Jewish immigrant to Scotland avoids a fight with a local on the coast. Contains LGBT themes/characters. TW: Brief antisemitism in the beginning.

The rain was so muggy it made the blood on Aron’s face burn like ice. The stormy coastline swirled as his head pounded. With shaky eyes, the waves looked thirty feet tall. Sliding down the rocks, hitting his head once more on the way down, he kept towards the monstrous sea. G-d saw to it that he didn’t have much say in the matter.

Gritty pebbles poked his skin and lodged themselves deep into his curls and the fabric of his kippah. The shadows of an overhead cliff covered him as he lay there. Shattering waves deafened the cackles of his assailants up above. They hollered in their pursuit, but he was sheltered.

When Aron finally rose, the night had taken hold. The stars were as plentiful as the rocks stuck to his skin, glued by the dried blood. He winced as he glanced at the folded paper in his coat. This lone page permitted him to live here, despite the locals’ protests. The pouring rain hadn’t ruined it yet, but it’d never survive the trek home. The only thing he feared more than a goy was his angry wife.

Unable to bear the weight of the rain, some rocks tumbled down. Falling with them was a glitter like a shooting star. Delirious, he shoved the paper back into his coat and ran for the light. He had to abandon his waterlogged shoes, clambering over slick rocks and thick sand. Yet his eyes adjusted and the cold no longer ached, and the stars were bright when he reached the prize. Brushing his fingers over the thick and slippery seal skin, all concerns fled his mind.

A miracle! A beautiful waterproof miracle delivered right to him! Making haste, Aron took off his shirt to dry the inside, and then carefully wrapped his documents in the skin. All the rain made the blood run down his skin in red streams, but it was too dark to see anyhow. No one would notice as he ran home exposed, least of all his wife. He’d slip in, clean up, and she’d be none the wiser.

Yet his plan failed instantly. He stood and turned around, gasping so hard he sucked in rainwater. The end of a spear pushed against his chest.

“That’s mine.” The spear’s wielder warned, digging it deeper. “Best drop it.”

The wind stole Aron’s voice as he stared at the long-haired man before him. Only once he heard the thump of the skin hitting the ground did he sputter out in spotty Gaelic. “I had no intentions of stealing, I’m- I’m new here, not familiar with the hunting.”

The man cocked his head. “If I’m hunting anything, it’s not that. Hand it over.”

Cautiously, Aron bent down. The spear traveled with him. The skin felt heavier as he picked it up. He tried to unwrap it to retrieve his items, but the man would not tolerate it.

“Agh, you rolled it! What’d you do that for?!”

“I’m sorry!” His dread got the best of him, and he couldn’t let go of the skin. Years of pleading with Parliament down the drain! All to move to a place he didn’t know! To please a wife he never wanted! Whom he married to appease his mother, who died for his father, who never loved her anyway. This late-night misadventure would still be a miracle if he never went home. Yet he couldn’t give up. “If you’d please, I’d like to borrow it for the walk home. Join me. I can feed you for the trouble.”

“You want to take me home?” Aron had never heard a man sound so insulted before.

“Of course. The lady’s got lamb cooking.” That was a lie. He knew damn well there was no hot food waiting. All they had was wine. Yet given enough, he could entertain. Still, the man was not persuaded. At last, Aron scrambled to remove his kippah. “Or, here. Hold this hostage until I return your skin to you.”

That intrigued the man, and he swiped it away from Aron. The kippah may as well have been Aron’s skin. With the crisp night air hitting his scalp, he felt more naked than being without his shirt. Seeing the man inspect it, with long and strong fingers holding it up to the starlight, made Aron dizzy.

“You truly aren’t from around here.” The man finally replied, the corner of his lips breaking into a grin. “What is this?”

Aron shrugged, uneasy. Anything to get out of a second mugging would be grand. Yet with that spear still touching him, a twinge of anxious excitement filled him up. “It keeps me close to my G-d. Keeps me true to my word, including my word to not be a thief! I hope that’s not a problem.”

“So this deity of yours is watching you now? Seeing if you lie to me?”

“I like to think so, yes.”

“Keep your skin.” The man threw the kippah back at Aron. “If we’re bringing Gods into it, that makes it easy.”

He threw down the spear, closing the distance between them. He grabbed Aron by his curls, but it didn’t hurt. It was more of a firm tug, and within seconds the taste of salt was in his mouth, and his whole body was on fire. The dull numbness from the spear traveled down his body and out his feet until it rooted him in the sand. He never wanted to leave.

Leaving him breathless, the man spoke. “That’s three things you owe me now, lest we upset the higher powers. My skin, dinner, and a kiss. Three’s a good number of binds. I’ll wait here. What’s your name?”

His insides bubbled. If this was ‘nice’ for the locals, he was in over his head, yet he couldn’t stop. “Aron ben Yonatan. And yourself?”

“Dàibhidh. Now run, Aron. Sunrise is soon. I need it back by then. Until then, the night is ours.”

[kits-shrine]

(Little aside from current RPs to celebrate the New Years ^_^ Hiding under the cut cuz it got huge X'D. Happy New Year everyone)

Kit stood in her favorite tree that allowed her a perfect view of the village that rested at the base of her mountainous ancestral home. A smile tugged at her lips as she watched the familiar hustle and bustle of the people that lived there.

Festival stalls lined the streets, laughter filled the air and unbeknownst to those that lived there hundreds of hand crafted paper lanterns were hung hidden by her magic ready to drop at the stroke of midnight a few hours away.

The familiar sight warmed her heart. So many years she'd stood in this very tree watching them with a touch of envy at families and friends rejoicing together. It had been that envy that prompted her to decide that New Year's celebration would make the perfect time to celebrate her own birth. Though a lie, it soothed her Soul to go walk among them disguised so that she could enjoy the celebration and claim a part of it as her own.

It prompted her own tradition of making the lanterns. It had started as a prank but slowly became her way to return a gift of thanks to them. Though they did not know it, the people there for generations had helped keep her sane with her short visits. They made her loneliness bearable for centuries.

Her thoughts were cut short by sounds of laughter much closer by. Kit turned to look back at her home were her kin and friends were merrily getting ready to celebrate the new year themselves. Her eldest saw her look over before grinning and crouching down to whisper to her youngest. The little skeletal kitsune turned to look at her as well before grinning broadly.

A flash was the only warning she had before Touma ported himself in front of her and she thanked her lucky Stars for her quick relaxes catching him as he cackled. "Hello my little Flare." Kit chuckled kissing his cheek.

"Hi mama~" he cooed back. The little kitsune pointed back to the others "Come on mama. Ready."

She chuckled "I've been summoned huh? Well come on then, let's go." A grin grew over her face and she bounced him playfully "Ready?"

Touma giggled, nodding his head as he held her tight in anticipation. With a laugh Kit flipped of the branch plummeting to the ground to land gracefully before she sprinted towards the party.

When they drew closer she slowed when they approached the clearing jolting a little in surprise when they were greeted with a loud varying chorus of "SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA/MOM/KIT!" Shakko laughed at her surprised face as he took pictures "What? ya think we forgot mom?" Reiko giggled with him as Byakko bounced in excitement to uncover a lovely cake with fresh strawberries adoring it.

Even Kuko managed allowed a small smile to grace his face as Kit sputtered with a blush "Well no but-" she glanced at their smiling friends "-I thought we were just celebrating the New Years."

"We decided we could do both." Tamashii chimed in with a grin that grew when his son ported out of Kit's arms to his. He gently ruffled the little ones glowing ears "Good job Tum."

Seishin winked at her "two for one combo type of thing." Yurei beamed nodding enthusically "The More To Celebrate The Better After All!"

It wasn't her first birthday since her family, but it still felt so new and surreal in the best ways. Kit gave them and all the other new friends they'd made and had been able to join then a watery smile "Well thank you. This was a wonderful surprise." sniffing she gestured to the food "Now let's eat!"

The remaining hours passed with laughter and happy chatter until the bells in the village started to ring heralding the New Year with a resounding shout of all:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

[justyouraverageweird]

star-crossed

précis: tragic lesbians let’s goooo

a word to the wise: doomed yuri :( (you asked for it lol)

letterbox: write doomed yuri (@cult-of-yuri)

Women kiss kiss fall in love and it's happy and sappy and honestly kinda cringe but they're sooo cute together that people decide to just smile and nod and scream internally about how they'll never have a love life like these two

Golly I sure hope nothing bad happens to them

Oh no

Oh dear

Whaaaaaaaat???

A hand reached out and grazed her cheek, like many times before.

By second nature, she put her own hand against silken skin and leaned further into the warmth it provided, staring at her beloved.

Indeed, it was not a groundbreaking revelation or a once-in-a-lifetime event. Nonetheless, it never failed to rekindle something within the young girl, bringing her into an almost feverish stupor and flooding her heart with a sudden torrent of emotions.

A rush of nervousness. A dose of adrenaline. A whisper of doubt. A glimmer of hope.

Apprehension. Euphoria. Uncertainty. Reverence.

Love.

Alas, it seemed the only emotion that currently permeated through her core was terror.

"Don't do this to me," she exclaimed urged begged.

"Don't you dare. Don't—Just—" A traitorous sob came out of her lips. "Please, you can't leave me. Not again."

Oh, how cruel was her dearest.

How cruel was she for possessing her entirety, consuming all her will and thought, only to don melancholic eyes and a feeble smile whilst seizing her heart and wrenching it taut and aching and bleeding, without hesitation or reluctance, just flowing and seeping through—

Her lover's shirt, even as she practically submerged her other palm with that grotesque red in her efforts to apply pressure and bandage with what she had, the wound refused to stop bleeding—

She almost didn't catch it, but in all honesty there would never be a world where she dared not stop and listen to the sound of her dear's voice. It was a melodious timbre of sunlight, birdsong, and everything in between. Now however, that heavenly voice seemed adamant on spewing out the most vexing things.

"Stop it," the heavens murmured. "You have to leave—"

"No," The devotee snarled.

"They're still after us—"

"We'll deal with them later. You're the main priority right now—"

"HOMURA!"

Homura stopped.

That was the first time Madoka ever raised her voice at her.

"Please...I don't want this anymore. I don't—I don't want to see you suffer anymore in vain."

A rueful laugh sputtered out from Homura's mouth. "Then what shall you have me do?"

"...Stay.

That's all l...ask..."

Her darling's rosy eyes filled with tears. Instinctively the dark-haired girl went to wipe them away, but she found her unblemished hand intertwined with another. She looked away, blinking back tears, and yet Madoka's hand turned her head and so she was caught in her lover's gaze again.

It must have been mere seconds. Minutes…felt like centuries. She did not know. The passage of time held no worth for her, fruitless as it was.

But she knew that even eternity would not be enough, for it was all too quick and all too soon.

Warmth left the hand that graced her form.

Like a leaf straying from the branch, like rain descending from the skies... the hand fell to the ground, and with it all reason to live.

The goddess had forsaken her acolyte.

No.

She knew better than that.

The acolyte had failed her goddess. And by due punishment, the disciple shall never be graced by her deity's presence again in this lifetime.

She no longer adhered to religion. And yet, she cast her eyes above and cursed out whoever would listen, for what was perfection and divine incarnate was taken from her once again.

"Have I not done enough?" The girl demanded. "Have I not given enough? WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME?"

She screamed and shouted and cried out until all was left of her was a husk, an empty shell, and even then.

The gods did not answer.

Well.

The girl's eyes narrowed and her heart hardened to stone. As solemn as one would in a ceremony, in sacred rituals and sanctimonious matrimony...Homura pressed a kiss to her love's forehead and gently closed Madoka's eyes.

There would be time for mourning. There would be time for a proper send-off. But now...

The echo of footsteps emerged from behind. Unsurprised, she turned her head to the herald of girls marching their way.

The so-called heroes that failed them.

And so, just like many times before, the faithful devotee did everything to reach for her goddess against all odds, no matter the cost.

And so the cycle begins once more.

[yharnamsnewslug]

I've lost countless friends.

When I came out, everyone was extremely happy for me, and supportive. It felt like I couldn't encounter anything bad with my friends backing me up. A friend of mine, we'll call him A, began his transition a year before me - almost exactly a year before me! It made me envious and I kept it inside, thinking I'd never get to medically transition, but he stood beside me and helped me out, helped me reach my goal. I felt incredible, when I got that first shot. I cried a bunch, and felt so elated that I actually threw a party.

It made me sad when....a lot of my friends didn't show up? A lot were saying things like "sorry, I'm busy" which was understandable, but I later saw a lot of them had an Instagram story about being at home bored that night. Some of them were telling to truth, but... a lot weren't. All my trans friends did show up, and we're the loudest and happiest. They still are - even my best friend, a trans woman, whose hands shake like mine did whenever A talked about medical transition. I've vowed to help her to the very end to achieve medical transition as soon as she gets a job.

As I began to get further along into transition, I felt incredibly relieved in looking at my body - I could see A's timeline and feel mine moving along that line. With less of a beard, with more body hair, but still the same. It made me start to look up to him as a goal, a realistic one that didn't mean cis men or fictional men hand-picked to be incredibly attractive.

But the more masc I got, the more comfortable I was with my deeper voice, my shitty beard and my thicker shoulders, the more some of those friends began to pull away from me.

I remember specifically a friend of mine from High School who was dating A at the time. She'd fallen into the radfem route of "wlw relationships are more pure" and "I'm a twit star who constantly talks about LGBT+ issues and berates other cis people about how trans exclusive they are". And it felt.... like a fucking crack in my heart when she gave A the ultimatum of "either we go open relationship (she called it polyamory, but in the past and until a few months ago she'd been ADAMANT that she never could be polyamorous) or we break up". And like, A didn't want to break up, he loved her, and he also wasn't polyamorous and couldn't do an open relationship so he said 'hey, if you're really that tied down and don't want to do this, let's break up.'

She went ballistic on him. Called everyone that was mutual friends with the both of them to say that HE broke up with her and get this.....because of toxic masculinity. She said he had a fragile masculinity and that he couldn't stand that he had turned from a nice butch girl into a raging mid boyfriend.

She said this to me. To me. Face-to-face.

I remember just sputtering out that she was a raging fucking transphobe and never to call me again. She grabbed my arm, tried to explain that I didn't understand "the kind of guy he'd turned into since he took testosterone" but I remember like, in the middle of the fucking street just wanting to spit at her.

A is autistic, sweet, mild-mannered and since he took T, he's never had anger issues again. And she knew that, because she'd been dating him since before he even knew he was trans. I knew that. We all fucking did. He was doing amazing.

I realized she was the one who had been telling him that he was awful in that moment. He'd been so fucking sad in the last months and I was just looking at her and at her twitter-rotted fucking brain and I told her plainly and clearly, "I hope no trans man ever comes near your misery-loving fucking ass."

She won't talk to me anymore. And no matter how much I or A try to explain things, most of the cis women who were friends with us and also that girl would believe us, even though we have proof of texts and texts and texts and even her own Twitter. She lied, she painted him as some roid-rage monster pumped up on testosterone and she still fucking won.

Because people already think of us trans men like this.

She lied about me punching her, too. I've a history of punching people (Nazis, mainly, and bigots in high school), that one is easy to believe. But also nobody asked me my side, they just believed everything she said. I had to leave Twitter when a bunch of cis lesbians began to harass me over there due to what SHE said. And they were all cis lesbians whom, I later found out, convinced her (bisexual) that she could only be a Real Feminist if she didn't date men anymore.

I lost a lot of friends over taking testosterone. A lot. But that one always hurts the most.

❗️❗️ This is asked entirely in good faith. This post is intended to open dialogue and help with solidarity and understanding. ❗️❗️

I would like to hear specifically from trans men and trans mascs how the system of [whatever the fuck you call the intersection of transphobia, misogyny, and specifically your gender- whether transandrophobia, isomisogny, antitransmasculinity, transandromisia, transmisandry, or any that I have missed as there are a lot of words to describe similar concepts] uniquely targets and affects you. Things that you feel other demographics do not experience. Reblogs and replies are very encouraged! If you would prefer, you could dm or send an ask to be added anonymously by me.

This is in the spirit of wanting to understand. I am listening. I encourage all non-trans-mascs to not speak on this topic and let trans mascs and trans men do the talking here. Reblog the post to spread it, but please say nothing.

Any and all people who identify as trans men and/or trans mascs are encouraged to participate.

This is not bait to start a fight. I will block without hesitation anyone who is actively being a shithead on this post. I want to hear and uplift your voices by getting it directly from you.

Click this to access the trans fem and trans women version of this post.

[concotionsofelysia]

A Cold Dark Path (Chapter 2 of 2)

Pairing: Ranni the Witch/Tarnished, Blaidd/Tarnished

Summary: Ranni gets her Consort and Blaidd to fuck as she watches.

Tags: Female Tarnished, Voyeurism, Exhibitionism, Intercrural Sex(it's thigh fucking), Cunnilingus, Aphrodisiacs, Knotting, Oral Sex, Vaginal Sex, Mutual Pining, Hair-pulling, but its actually fur, Porn With Very Little Plot

Word Count: 3,908 Words

Ao3 Link:

Feedback Is Always Welcome

✦ ✦ ✦

How long had it been since Ranni was this joyous? 

She had watched Marika’s face crumble in her hands, though it was not a pleasant sight she enjoyed it all the same. It marked the end of the Golden Order and the beginning of her Age of the Stars with her dear Consort by her side. 

On her journey, there would of course be sacrifices, betrayal, and death, however perhaps the mercy of stars shined down on her, allowing her to keep most of those closest to her. Pidia had been put to death, and with him went Seluvis, however her beloved Consort managed to prevent the deaths of her shadow and warmaster. 

With her Consort’s victory over not only the vassal of the Greater Will, but beings that came from the stars, like Astel, she could rest easy. Yet, despite her joy, something weighed on her mind. 

No matter how much Ranni tried to think of what exactly made her mind feel like a paper weight, she couldn’t come up with anything, not until she saw her Consort and Blaidd training together. 

A bright grin was ingrained on her Consorts face, and in that moment, Ranni realized what was ailing her mind. Long had her Consort been willing to do near anything for her, though Ranni had been more reserved. The Queen of the Dark Moon was forever cold, and her Consort blessed her with warmth, but received only a cold touch in return. 

Ranni’s mind ached at the thought, even though she knew it would never bother her Consort the way it did her. 

Wait a moment. The exact reason she first acted in interest to court her Consort was as a result of a misunderstanding between them regarding Blaidd, when the Tarnished expressed interest in him. 

Perhaps Ranni should have been flattered, as she was attracted to even her shadow. Blaidd was eternally loyal to Ranni and none else, though he most certainly considered Ranni’s Consort to at least be a close friend. 

Then, would Blaidd be willing to give her Consort the warmth she could not? 

For the next couple of days Ranni this thought ran back and forth through Ranni’s mind, not unlike an hourglass tipping with sand. It would only be so long until Ranni would act on her thoughts. 

.

“Mine Eternal.” Ranni finally decided to speak up one night, watching her Consort stare out of the window at the lovely sapphire glow of her Dark Moon. 

Her Consort’s face quickly found purchase in staring at Ranni’s form. Eyes wide with happiness, lips turned up into a smile. She looked so much like a puppy desperate to be with its owner. “Yes, my love?” 

“Does thou still possess an attraction to mine shadow?” Her fingers tapped against one another in an attempt to relieve her mind’s pressure. 

Alas, her Consort did not intend to be completely honest, frantically throwing up her hands, “love! I told you before, I mea-” 

“Cease thy sputtering. Does thou still find Blaidd attractive? Not meaning romantic love, but think of him as merely an extension of mine.” 

Though her lips were stretched and teeth pressed together, uncomfortably, her Consort admitted, “of course. I guess I do find him attractive, but I would nev-” 

“Then wouldst thou sleep with him?” 

At that Ranni’s dear consort just fell against the bedding, her dramatics making Ranni’s ghost of a face smile dearly. “Please just tell me the meaning of this...” She groaned. 

“Answer the question, my dear Consort Eternal. I will not judge thy choice.” 

By now her Consort’s hands completely covered her eyes, an answer all on its own. She was certainly ashamed of herself, albeit not for a very good reason. 

Finally, her Consort answered, though not without a high pitched dramatic groan, “I... would.” 

Ranni simply laughed and patted the part of the bed next to her with her back left hand, inviting her Consort to fall asleep against her. After all, Ranni would still need to assure Blaidd’s own consent to the arrangement she had in mind. 

.

Such vulgar thoughts still weighed on Ranni’s mind, though less so since her query to her Tarnished bride. Ranni so enjoyed the fluster it brought to her Consort’s cheeks every time Blaidd stood by, ever dutiful, and Ranni lightly gestured to him. 

Of course her shadow knew not of what it was in reference to, and nodded to them all the same, which only made her Consort’s cheeks redder. 

The next time Ranni could bring up details of her plan was whilst her Consort was training against her sworn knight Adula. For this particular match, Blaidd stood to her right, watching with admiration for his Mistress’ Consort. 

“Beautiful, is she not?” Ranni smiled into her words, catching her shadow off guard ever so slightly. 

His ears twitched as he looked over to Ranni, “no doubt. Elegant with a blade, a true vision to behold.” 

Ranni brought one of her hands up to her cheek, to lightly cover her mouth when speaking to Blaidd. “Yes, mine Consort moves with a certain water-like flow. However, thou surely must’ve seen more than I. Tell me, what exactly were thy thoughts upon first greeting?” 

“Well, I met her in the Mistwood while searching for Darriwi-” 

“Not of that, what were thy thoughts? Else are thee dodging mine query?” Honestly, her shadow and her Consort were fingers on the same hand, trying to hide their same through strange means. Ranni knew very well what his thoughts were, however she surely needed to confirm. 

Blaidd cleared his throat, his ears nearly flattening. “I thought she was useful and strong. Took down Darriwill with barely any help from me... her fight with General Radahn was a spectacle, though I doubt you’d want to hear that.” 

“Cleanse thy mind of those thoughts. Nothing serves them. Did thou know that perhaps the main reason mine Consort entered my service was thy presence?” 

“What? Really?” Blaidd was certainly alarmed now. Focus completely split between watching the brawl between Ranni’s Consort with awe, and shock at the possibility of the attraction Ranni was implying. 

Ranni finally shifted her gaze over to Blaidd, “I must admit, I am planning another scheme. One where thy involvement is needed, however if thou wishes I will not go through with it at all.” 

Though short and hidden under his cloak, Ranni could tell that Blaidd’s tail was swinging behind him. “Wouldst thou be willing to sleep with mine Consort.” 

Perhaps if Blaidd had not the head of a wolf, he would be nearly as red as her beloved Consort was when posing this very same question to her. His tail did however speed up in a way which caused Ranni to smile further. 

“I wouldn’t want to impose but if that’s your wish, Mistress Ranni.” Her shadow settled for the humble option, despite clearly wishing to do just as Ranni suggested. 

“No, Blaidd, it would be thy wish, and it would not be any others. Give me thy answer.” 

With clenched teeth, Blaidd finally answered, “I.. would...” 

Ranni simply laughed and turned her attention back to the duel between her Consort and Adula. Everything was going rather swimmingly. 

.

Now that Ranni had confirmation on both ends, she could finally start the preparations on the night. For Blaidd to give her Consort what she could not. 

So she had a bedroom prepared, one with a seat for Ranni to observe the two, and candles lit for a warm and romantic atmosphere. Though she was unsure she needed them, Ranni also made sure to bring a bottle of vintage wine along with a small mix in to stimulate the two’s senses. 

And then, she had them summoned. 

Her shadow was the first to arrive, opening the door and just staring into the room when he saw the content. Mouth slightly unhinged, most likely from shock. Ranni sat in the chair, gesturing with one of her hands for Blaidd to enter. 

Though he bowed his head, he still entered, “this was your scheme?” 

Ranni laughed, webbing her fingers together, “hardly one so grand as the Age of Stars, but a scheme all the same.” 

Blaidd hid his face in his hands, sighing loudly and leaning against the wall opposite to the entrance. Dramatic, just like her dear Consort, though he could not mask the fact he was warmer than usual, nor could he mask the sound of his tail swishing back and forth. 

After perhaps another minute, her Consort arrived, coming to a halt as soon as she entered the room. Eyes blown wide and lips slightly parted as Ranni watched her iris’ scan from Ranni, to the bed, to Blaidd, to Ranni, to the wine in her hands, and then back to the bed. 

Slowly, Blaidd removed his hands from his face, looking towards the former Tarnished, who was slowly growing more and more flustered, despite staying frozen in her spot. 

“Well, both of thee seem rather flustered. Though I suppose that is in part due to the predicament. If this is thy wishes, close the door.” 

Her Consort looked over to Blaidd, gulping down what was presumably salvia. Blaidd just nodded, and her Tarnished let out a sound that could only be compared to a squeak from a rabbit. Slowly, her Lord backed up, reaching for the door without turning her back to Ranni and her shadow, and slowly closing it. 

“Lovely, then thou art in agreement. If either of thou needeth liquid courage, I brought two forms.” Ranni held the bottle of wine in one pair of her hands, the other fishing out two small vials of a potion she had concocted. 

It was as if it was some kind of stand off, where two of the participants were undoubtedly standing awkwardly, unsure of if they should or not. 

Finally, her Consort spoke up, “I’ll take... both?” 

And in like it was his duty, Blaidd nodded as well, grabbing a small table that was merely a holder for some candles and placing it in the middle of the room. 

“Very well. Blaidd, dost thou wish for a glass as well?” Blaidd only nodded in return. Both standing to the sides of the table as if they were participants in some kind of ritual, such a thought made Ranni laugh aloud a little. 

The two vials went first, clear in liquid, though not in odor. Blaidd reacted near instantaneously, looking clear away from the two and in deep thought looking at the bed. Her Consort on the other hand had no reactions to the smell until Ranni poured the red wine into the two glasses. 

With great caution, or perhaps hesitance, her Consort reached for the glass on her side of the table, sniffing the wine closer and jumping slightly. Ranni grinned, certain that the aphrodisiac would work wonders. 

Her beloved licked her lips, and Ranni nearly wanted to kiss them herself, though stirring from Blaidd dragged her attention off of her Consort as in one fell swoop Blaidd downed the concoction. Meanwhile, her Consort slowly sipped at the wine, near letting out a whine herself as sweat started to pull at her forehead. 

Blaidd shifted uncomfortably, his hands pulling at his armor a little to relieve himself of the heat the aphrodisiac carried. Her love on the other hand sipped the wine again, the glass almost completely gone, and as she was not wearing as much armor, Ranni could clearly see that she was rubbing her thighs together. 

Though neither were making any moves toward one another, eyes shifting all over the room but to one another as the two panted without reprise from the potions rather instant effects. Were they perhaps waiting for something. Ranni’s eye widened. 

“Do not make my orders needed. Take off thy garments.” 

Surprisingly, the two seemed near identical in motion as they quickly stripped themselves of any gear, followed by the rest of their armor. Her consort settled onto the bed to take off her boots and shimmy out of her pants. 

Ranni had suspected that Blaidd’s armor would take more time to remove, though she was sorely mistaken, as by the time her fair Consort had removed her boots, Blaidd had crept up behind her, completely bare. 

Her Consort moaned in surprise when Blaidd wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her against his chest and letting his hands wander around her nearly bare skin. Ranni felt herself being pulled closer simply by watching Blaidd wrap his hands around her Consort. One of his hands squeezing around her breast and the other traveling further. 

Of course her Consort had no problem with his actions, pressing further into his warmth with a hungry moan chasing at her lips. Though her form was certainly dwarfed by his, her Consort had no qualms with returning the favor, her hand trailing between his legs to stroke at his erect length, the other gripping onto the bicep of the arm playing with her breast. 

Blaidd groaned into his Mistress’ Consorts neck, sniffing the exposed flesh and licking salty sweat away from it. Once Blaidd rolled her nipple around in his hand, the other stroking her thigh, her Consort jumped a little, thigh pressing up against Blaidd’s erection, another deep groan echoing through the room. 

Her Consort’s eyes flickered over to Ranni, who sent her a smile in return. She wrapped the hand she was using to tease Blaidd’s cock around the hand stroking her thigh. Though Blaidd made a noise of confusion he didn’t pause in his playing with her breasts. 

Ranni wished she could lick her lips like her Consort was, moving her other thigh between Blaidd’s legs and effectively creating all around pressure around Blaidd’s cock. His nails dug into her breast when she made her first movement, slipping his length against her supple thighs. 

No blood quite yet, but angry marks were rather easily seen where Blaidd’s nails had once been, since moved to her other breast, playing with her pert nipple. Though his movements stuttered everytime her Consort rolled her hips against his length. 

Precum dribbled down Blaidd’s length, stemming from his slit. With another roll of her hips, Blaidd moved one of his hands to grip desperately at her hip, bearing into the flesh with his nails. Her Consort’s hand moved to her mouth, eyes waning on Ranni’s form as she sucked on her own digits, hollowing out her cheeks as she did so. 

Ranni gave her a wink with her spiritual eye. Saliva trailed out of her Consort’s mouth, some falling and landing along her stomach as she trailed her fingertips down to press against the tip of Blaidd’s cock. Her Consort continued moving her thighs against Blaidd’s length and teasing his cockhead until she slipped the entire cockhead into her hand. 

Blaidd once more grunted, leaning his head against the back of her shoulders, wrestling with himself trying desperately not to bite her shoulder. Her Consort moaned as Blaidd bucked his hips through her thighs, nails digging into her waist so much that Ranni could tell that her Consort’s skin wouldn’t last too much longer against the pressure. 

With a groan, Blaidd painted the front of her Consort in his cum, panting desperately against her back. It was much easier to see his knot now, though not quite activated due to the circumstances of his orgasm. Her Consort moved with him for a little longer, allowing him to ride out his orgasm a little longer. 

Ranni’s Consort rolled off of her shadow, finally able to slip her panties off of her body, spreading her legs to show the Queen of the Dark Moon the flushed nature of her sex. Putting a hand up to her face in mock surprise, Ranni certainly enjoyed that even now, her Consort seemed focused on her, and putting on a show for her. 

Finally, Blaidd came down from his high, shifting in the bed and crawling towards her Consort. His cock was still rather swollen, not quite completely free from the aphrodisiac, nor from his own mind. Though it seemed rather out of character for him to be so hungry, Ranni could see that his eyes were not much different than they normally were when the two trained together. 

Indeed, he’d been holding such things in for a long time.

Her shadow’s muzzle was pressed into her Consort’s sex, his wet nose pressed against her warm clit and his tongue licking against her folds. The former Tarnished head clew back, legs spreading further before coming up to wrap around Blaidd’s head. 

At her Consort’s moan, Ranni’s mind was sent further spiraling, watching her Consort clench her eyebrows to her face, and hands grip into the sheets of the bed, not wanting to dig into Blaidd’s fur quite yet. If Ranni had a physical body, would she join in, or perhaps she would be in Blaidd’s place, lapping at her Consort’s weeping hole. 

Ranni felt warm, she felt as though she needed to shift around her arms, to where she didn’t know. This body of hers was most inconvenient, perhaps her next big scheme would be to find some way to properly get in on this action, but for now, watching her Consort’s pleasured face would be enough for her. 

Blaidd never did stop digging into her hips with his nails, though he had been careful enough to not break her skin. At a particularly raunchy kind of slurp coming from Blaidd’s mouth, her Consort bucked her hips, her lips pressed firmly into a line and her eyes twitching. 

She was close. Almost there, Ranni’s mind could only salivate about being closer to the action, watching Blaidd’s nose press against her Consort’s most sensitive part, and watching his tongue flick inside of her. 

Her Consort’s hands finally found purchase in the hair on Blaidd’s head, pulling groans from him which echoed through her Consort's body. Loose noises of pleasure slipped from her throat as her teeth clenched together, her grip only growing until she let out a strangled moan, rocking her heat into Blaidd’s muzzle. Back arching slightly against the bedding as Blaidd still loyally sipped her slick from her cunt. Ranni moaned without any physical pleasure. 

Panting overtook the room again. Ranni’s Consort well and truly heated up and warm from Blaidd’s efforts, though judging from the still engorged cock attached heinously to his body. However, her Consort was now well and truly prepared for his cock. 

“Do you-” Blaidd swallowed the mixture of sweat, slick, and saliva in his throat before speaking again, “do you need a minute?” 

The woman shook her head, hefty breaths leaving her rather small frame, at least in comparison to Blaidd. Ranni had seen her Consort from many different perspectives, if only she’d met her before the Night of Black Knives. 

“I’m good. Ready and steady to go again.” Blaidd nodded at the former Tarnished’s words, taking his cock into his hands slightly wincing at the still swollen bottom part of his knot. That’s when Ranni noticed some precum on the actual bedsheets, it could have been from when he came earlier, or perhaps he was rutting into the bed whilst eating out her Consort. 

Ranni almost felt bad, she’d been paying attention to her Consorts shape far too much to notice if he truly was that desperate. The aphrodisiac was certainly harder on him than it was for her Consort. Either way, she still leaned forward, watching as Blaidd rubbed the tip of his dick against her Consort’s folds. 

Her Consort jumped when it rolled past her clit, letting out a small squeak, but sending a reassuring look to Ranni as well as Blaidd. 

Blaidd pushed his length in a little at a time, Ranni’s Consort’s nails digging into Blaidd’s arms on either side of her back arching as more slipped into her cunt, moan starting deep in her throat and being joined by Blaidd’s own gasp. 

Finally Blaidd was fully inside of her, and she shifted a little wrapping her legs around his waist to pull him closer, a heated noise leaving her mouth as she slipped his slightly deflated knot inside her as well. Blaidd near growled at her actions, leaning down to slip his face into the crook of her neck. 

“You can-” her Consort moaned and reached around Blaidd’s back, tugging at his fur as he started to pull back out, knot slipping from her walls, “you can bite me this time.” 

He responded by licking her shoulder and neck in one stroke, something Ranni could tell sent a shiver up her Consort’s spine. The former Tarnished’s hips were almost completely off of the bed, finding purchase in rolling with Blaidd’s slow strokes. No doubt getting her more used to the sheer girth of her length before he started a feral pace. 

“Faster.” Her Consort croaked out, voice raspy and in that moment Ranni realized she had forgotten water. She would fetch it after they next finished, or perhaps the wine without aphrodisiac could serve them well. 

Blaidd obliged Ranni’s Consort, moving at a faster pace, angled so Ranni could see each shiver and buck of hips from both parties as Blaidd slipped his growing knot in and out of her Consort. Ranni’s mind felt clouded, though she doubted she had nearly as much pleasure from simply watching as Blaidd or her Consort did from actually partaking in the act. 

Her Consort sped up rolling her hips into Blaidd’s, causing her shadow to reach and paw at her clit, something that made her Consort curse. Blaidd sped up again, a slapping sound could be heard well through the room, along with moaning from both parties, as well as Ranni’s own slightly choked noises. 

Blaidd groan’s turned into a growl as he proceeded slamming into her at a much faster pace, digging his face into her Consort. Her fingernails dug deep into his back, threading through his fur and clutching onto it as she rolled her hips against his. A loud moan echoed from her mouth, wide open, eyes closed tight as Blaidd further thrusted into her and rubbed at her clit. 

Finally, something clicked in Blaidd’s head, and he bit into her Consort’s shoulder. Luckily not deep enough to be much of a concern, but judging from the moan her Consort released, she wouldn’t have minded either way. Ranni wished she was the one inside of her Consort, feeling her insides constrict around her, fingernails digging ever further, enough to cause blood on her end as well. 

Simply from the face her Consort made, Ranni could tell she was in ecstasy, clenching tightly around Blaidd’s cock as his knot swelled, and with one final thrust he finished inside of her, surely painting her insides white with his cum. 

Her Consort slowly unhooked her legs from around Blaidd’s back and opened her eyes to give Ranni a quite pleased smile. 

“I assume thou whilst be stuck for a while. Mine Consort, Blaidd, I will be bringing water and towels.” 

“Thank you... Mistress Ranni.” Blaidd panted out, before licking at the bloody teeth marks he left in her Consort. 

With a content smile, her Consort nodded to her as well. 

Ranni felt pleased with herself. Though she felt far too empty all the same. At least this fantasy would be banished from her mind from now on.

✦ ✦ ✦

Chapter 1 on Tumblr -

[a-fence]

Beside You

His love never felt right

Dabin has spotted the same girl in the crowd for several shows now. Sure, there are fans that attended multiple shows, but there’s just something about her that set her apart from the crowd. Was it the way she swayed to the music, or the way she seemed so absorbed with the music, like she felt it in her soul, or the way she held the eye contact as he looked at her through the crowd? He wasn’t sure, just that there was something that pulled his attention to her when he sees her while he’s onstage.  

He spotted her at the after party and thought that maybe she knew one of organizers or the other artists because why else would she be here? He grabbed two drinks and the second he turned around, she’s gone. He sighed and thought maybe it’s not meant to be. He downed the two drinks he got and decided to go out for a smoke.

The bartender directed Dabin to the smoking area and he saw her out there. Maybe he still had some luck left for the day. He approached the smoking area, stood on the opposite side of the trash can and took out his pack of cigarettes. He didn’t want this to be his opening line, but after patting all his pockets, he just couldn’t find his lighter.

“Hey, do you have a light?” Dabin asked and the girl handed him her lighter. He flicked it but it sputtered out.

“Sorry I think I ran out. Here,” and she moved to stand beside Dabin, and used her own cigarette to light his.

“I think I’ve seen you in our shows more than once, or am I imagining things? I’m Dabin by the way,” he asked cautiously and he stretched out his hand.

“Y/N,” and she shook his hand. “No, you’re not,” she chuckled while shaking her head. “I was also at yesterday’s show, and the one two days ago. Although I don’t think I left that much of an impression for you to remember me in a crowd. All your shows are packed.”

“Well, you see someone in a crowd often enough, you start to remember them. Are you one of the organizers? I haven’t seen you at an after-party until tonight.”

“I’m with Jiho. I’m either sitting at the bar or out in the smoking area. Maybe we just didn’t cross paths until today.”

“Are you his stylist or something?”

“Wow, you really think I’m a stylist by the way I’m dressed?” she laughed. “I’m flattered, but no.” She hesitated to explain further. She just wanted to connect with someone else tonight.

“You’re dressed really well so you can’t really fault me for thinking you’re a stylist,” he complimented.

“Thanks,” she blushed.

She wanted to continue the conversation and she looked up as she tried to think of a topic and saw that the sky was clear tonight and that you could see some stars despite being in the city. She asked Dabin if he knew any constellations and when he said he didn’t, she started pointing out some to him. This led them to talk about their astrological signs and if they related to how their signs are usually described.

The backs of their hands brushed several times during that conversation, which made Dabin’s heart thump loudly. He really liked talking with her and thought he should ask her out before the night ended.

“Do you want to maybe get coffee tomorrow? The next show is in two days so we got free time,” Dabin asked.

She opened her mouth to respond when someone else arrived at the smoking area.

“There you are! I’ve been calling you ‘cause I couldn’t find you,” Jiho exclaimed.

Y/N pulled out her phone quickly to check. She felt her phone vibrating, she just deliberately ignored it. “Sorry I think I accidentally put it on silent.”

“Oh, I see you met Dabin. Hey man, this is my girlfriend, Y/N,” Jiho said as he draped his arm around her shoulders.

Dabin’s heart sank at Jiho’s statement and realized what she meant when she said she was with Jiho. He forced a smile and said, “How come I’ve never seen her?”

“Didn’t want you guys stealing her from me,” Jiho joked. “Anyway, we’re heading home now. See you at the next show!”

“It was nice talking with you Dabin.” She didn’t want to say goodbye but Jiho had his arm on her shoulders and she had to go.

Alone and with nothing to light another cigarette, Dabin headed back to the bar to find the boys. He spotted them and grabbed a chair to join their conversation.

“Was your girl in the crowd tonight?” Ian asked, eyebrows wiggling up and down.

“She was, but she’s not my girl,” Dabin said forlornly.

“What do you mean? You’ve been crushing on her the day you saw her,” Scott chimed.

“She was here at the bar and I found her and I was talking with her and the conversation was flowing and I asked her out for coffee but before she could reply, Jiho comes out to the smoking area and introduces her to me as his girlfriend,” he explained.

The boys’ eyes went huge. The news of Jiho having a girlfriend was just a big shock to them as it was to Dabin. Jiho could be pretty private sometimes but he and Dabin were close and he didn’t have any clue he was seeing someone.

Dabin continued, “I just… I felt a connection there. We maybe could’ve talked until dawn if only Jiho didn’t show up. When we parted, she held my eyes just a second too long, like she didn’t want to leave yet. He brought her to a party where she barely knows anyone and leaves her alone. She deserves to be treated better and I think I can do that.”

“Yo, chill. We barely know their relationship dynamics. You can’t judge them based on this one occasion. Maybe just befriend her for now and observe from the sidelines,” Cream reasoned.

They only had three shows left with Jiho before he’s replaced by Hyuk as their guest and Dabin had to make those count.

The smoking area became their unofficial rendezvous point after each show where they talked about nothing and everything in between. Dabin introduced her to the rest of DPR and to the organizers and other staff, something he thought Jiho should’ve done.

After the introductions, they hung out with the rest of DPR. They told her how DPR was formed and they asked her if she could tell them about her and Jiho but only if it was fine with her but she told them anyway. Jiho joined in after a while and he corroborated her stories, shocking them at how well they were able to hide the relationship.

Jiho’s last day of guesting meant that'll be the last time Dabin saw Y/N and he has been conflicted the entire morning and up until the before the show began if he should tell her his feelings or not.

He found her at their usual spot and he asked her if she wanted to go to the rooftop as the view was nice from there. She agreed and Dabin’s heart pounded louder and louder as they neared the rooftop and he kept on glancing at her to check if she could hear how loud his heart is beating but she just continued walking up the stairs.

They were both leaning on the railing admiring the nighttime view, and Dabin turned to her and stated, “Today’s your last night.” She just nodded in confirmation, still looking ahead.

Dabin swallowed before continuing, “I really enjoyed spending time with you and I know it might be wrong to say this now but I just don’t want to regret not ever telling you. I like you, Y/N.”

This caught her attention and she turned to Dabin. “Thank you Dabin but…” she sighed before continuing, “I know you know why I can’t reciprocate your feelings. I’m with Jiho and you two are friends and I don’t want to get in between your friendship.” She moved to hug Dabin, something he didn’t expect her to do. “Thanks for keeping me company after the shows and listening to me ramble on about the most random topics.”

Dabin laughed into her hair, his lips lightly brushed the crown of her head, and he just held on to her, savoring the moment.

“You never know, maybe we’ll have our time. But until then…” and Y/N broke from the hug and walked away, leaving Dabin alone on the rooftop.

Two years later, DPR is back on tour again and Dabin spotted her again in the crowd and he’s hit by deja vu. He thought he was hallucinating but he asked the others and they confirmed what he saw. He doesn’t have her number anymore so he couldn’t call her but he remembered where they used to meet after shows before and he went there to check.

The crowd has long dissipated and he could clearly see it was empty as he approached the smoking area. He figured he might as well smoke while he’s here, and he pats his pockets, lighter missing once again. He groaned in frustration when he suddenly heard a voice.

“Need a light?” a female voice asked.

Dabin turned to the voice and saw Y/N, arm outstretched, a lighter in her hand. Dabin immediately hugged her, completely ignoring the lighter she was offering. His heart ached at finally seeing her and the tiny seed of hope in his heart is ignited; maybe this is their time.

She hugged him back tightly, glad to be reconnected with an old friend. “I’m so happy to see you onstage again.”

“Wha-, how-,” Dabin flustered, breaking the hug. “I’ve so many questions right now. You fell off the grid and you’re here! Right now! In front of me!!”

Y/N laughed at his confusion, a sound Dabin didn’t know he missed. “I know. I’m sorry I left without any word. Jiho and I broke up almost a year ago now, and I thought it would be best for me to leave everything behind in order to move on. It just so happened that at the time of our break up, my work offered to send me to the US as part of my promotion and I took the opportunity. I kept tabs on you though. So when I saw your tour announcement, I waited to buy tickets. I bought a few in case we didn’t see each other at this venue.”

“We need to catch up. Are you hungry? There’s a diner down the block we can go to,” Dabin offered and she nodded.

The walk to the diner was filled with nervous energy as they both remembered how their last meeting ended. The two of them would ask a question at the same time and would urge the other to continue and nothing was asked nor answered as they arrived at the diner.

They chose a corner booth and ordered their food. Y/N told him about her breakup with Jiho, how they had a falling out as he prioritized his career. She also told him how she’s been adjusting to life in the US and living alone in a foreign country.

Dabin listened to her stories intently, wishing he was there as her friend during a difficult time in her life. The food arrived, which they both ignored, eager to catch up with one another.

It was his turn and he told her how he continued making music, collaborated with different brands, and despite all the work, he still wondered about her from time to time.

“What I said on the rooftop a few years back still holds true,” Dabin confessed.

Y/N smiled and reached for his hand across the table and squeezed it. Dabin interlaced their fingers when she loosened her grip.

He looked at her, hopeful. “Can I make you mine?”

“I told you we’ll have our time,” she affirms.

They smiled at each other before digging in to their food, which has gone cold by now, excited at how this new chapter in their lives would unfold.