#and it took so long just to fix like the formatting of half of one of the brochures yesterday

[coridallasmultipass]

brocal for the ship bingo?

The OTP to end all other OTPs... (Man. This wound up being basically Cori's Masterpost of BroCal. AKA... this got long and has some images, since I realized I can post my own art directly instead of just a text link to it lol.)

Wasn't actually expecting this to wind up with a bingo? But I got basically 2?? (Will explain the lighter heart later.) This is A LONG post, and definitely gonna get SUGGESTIVE, bc man, am I obSESSED with BroCal. I'm just gonna go thru each checked box, since I don't know how else to structure this post lol.

Read More to save ppl's dashboards:

I want them to make out with blood: OKAY. I HAVE A WHOLE THING PLANNED FOR THIS CONCEPT. I AM NOT GOING TO GO INTO DETAIL ABOUT IT JUST YET BC I ACTUALLY WANNA WRITE IT. I'm obsessed with this one fanart of Bro licking Lil Cal, and it spurred on an idea I outlined and really wanna write: https://coridallasmultipass.tumblr.com/post/739969858334294016/hiiii-mutual-i-am-secrecy-asking-if-u-have-anymore

((Sorry for the plain text links, Tumblr app is NOT cooperating with me right now to add hyperlinks. I'd post the image directly if that one was mine.))

Basically, I just really need to see Bro and Cal making out with blood in their mouths, and I started a whole convoluted, unrelated outline in order to make that hapen. It'll probably just be a really short thing that ends at the uh climax, since otherwise it's gonna end up sadstuck. And I don't like sadstuck lol.

Undeniably t4t: Bro and Dirk are always trans for me, and Lil Cal's got that uh... what percentage did I calculate it out to be? 13% of Dirk is in Lil Cal [ My shitpost calculations: https://coridallasmultipass.tumblr.com/post/746702663327072256/i-ran-out-of-tags-rambling-about-this-so-im-just ] so Lil Cal is at least 13% trans because of that much of Dirk being in him, plus however you feel about the other components being trans. LMAO this is ridiculous to type out. Moving on.

EDIT: FUTURE CORI INTERJECTING WITH A:

"Lil Cal Top Surgery Healing Progess: Day 1"

Terrible for each other affectionate/derogatory: I don't even know where the affectionate/derogatory split occurs. I multiship BroCal as both Bro/normal puppet Lil Cal and as Bro/evil juju puppet Lil Cal, and whatever combination in between or outside of that. Terrible in that Bro is so obsessed with Cal that he doesn't have normal relationship/social skills and uses Lil Cal as both a crutch and motivator alternately, in a terrible cycle, or maybe rather... spiral. And also terrible in that Bro is caught in the allure of playing the role of puppeteer while also being a puppet for the darker parts of Lil Cal, whether he actively knows it or not. (Honestly though, I feel like it's dismissive if you try to blame all of Bro's faults on Lil Cal like this tho, which is why I tend towards liking Lil Cal as just a regular puppet a lil bit more. Or at least, a regular mildly supernatural puppet since that can be a little more entertaining if Cal can get into mischief while no one's looking or give off the vibes of his mood more directly, rather than like entirely inanimate or 'just LE, trapped in a puppet body.' Again, I like all of these concepts.) ((I mean that can also be a whole post of its own, like, by the time Bro gets ahold of Lil Cal, are any of the other components still alive in there? Like, are ARquius and Gamzee still in there or did Caliborn kill and consume them entirely? Idk how it works, man. This is why I like Lil Cal as his own person, maybe just influenced by the feelings of the others. LaCroix: CalGamARquius essenced water. Lil Croix.))

They need to get weirder with it: YES YES. 1000% YES. I need entirely shameless Bro doing entirely shamless things to Lil Cal. I want them inseparable and doing unspeakable things to each other. I want Bro taking full advantage of Cal having a puppet body and all the intimacy that comes with making repairs and being elbow-deep in stuffing.

Playing with them like dolls cute/psychological torture: This is the same divide as with the 'terrible for each other' point, so I'm just gonna go with the cute one, since the torture one is self-explanatory. I want them fucking married. Like. Full mushy cute romance type of relationship that Bro has never felt for any of the people in his life (cough aromantic cough). I made this comic not too long ago, and I often fondly look back on it, because I adore the concept of Bro being lovey and romantic and everything out of character around Lil Cal because he feels safe and loved and comfortable around Cal:

[ https://coridallasmultipass.tumblr.com/post/750602227910131712/brocal-4-lyfe-so-i-had-this-idea-of-dave-being ]

I made a post a long, long time ago (not gonna link that one bc it was personal and I was being very obviously mentally ill ["C'mon, like you're not being obviously mentally ill while typing paragraph upon paragraph about BroCal still in 2024 like 10 years later??" Fair.]) But the gist of it was that, like, having objectophilia or objectum sexuality is like, from an outsider pov, it's a way to express love to yourself. You filter all your self-hate through the object you love, and you get back unconditional love in return.

Lil Cal is never gonna hate Bro, no matter what Bro does. As a regular puppet, Lil Cal doesn't have the capacity for hate. And so that only brings them closer, since Cal is never gonna reject Bro for any reason. (Back to being a crutch. RSD is real, and Dave is probably a big trigger for that since he's not on the same wavelength of weird as Bro [not blaming Dave, obviously, this is a post about BroCal].) Bro can experience receiving positive attention from Lil Cal, without feeling 'fake' or uncool by expressing that same attention or affection directly to his own self. (Things are always done through multiple layers with the Striders, aren't they?) ((And I'm not saying Lil Cal doesn't love Bro, or that their relationship is just pretend - it's real, I'm just like, 'What's going on behind the curtain in the mundane situation?/ How is the relationship appealing?' Lil Cal luvs Bro 5eva 4 lyfe and that's a hard fact. Could cut diamonds with that shit.)) Example: maybe Bro is dealing with a bout of body/gender dysphoria and is trying to take out his frustration with working out, and it's not helping, even if he's powered through a set better than normal. Then, he notices the way Lil Cal is watching him, and he can feel the excitement seeping off Cal. He can sense the echoes of a wolf-whistle ring out through his mind, and it's like. Okay, none of that shit from before matters, he's got all the validation he needs right there in Lil Cal. Maybe flex in Cal's direction, Bro?

Oh, so back to being cute: isn't it wonderful how the template maker phrased it as 'playing dolls'? But yeah, I want all the mush and everything. Bro has a whole wardrobe for Lil Cal for every minor event that occurs in the Strider household. I want them going on genuine dates. Maybe even... holding hands. Bro blushes for the first time since he was 16. He even gets to take Lil Cal with him when he goes out to DJ or put on a show. Not to mention the whole website business. (I've talked about Cal's role in that before, but I'll mention it in a moment...)

They will die in a heart shaped pool of blood: I mean, kinda did happen, even tho Lil Cal didn't perma die right there. I don't think this one needs any explanation, since it basically happens in canon.

'You should see the other guy...': Okay, so. About 11 years ago, I had a really great idea. About how smuppets enter this world. I expanded on it in the following more-recent post (adult only content lol): https://coridallasmultipass.tumblr.com/post/741683686717669376/back-in-the-day-my-friends-called-me-insane-when-i

To sum it up, whenever Bro makes a new smuppet design, he then gives it a video debut on his website, where uh, Lil Cal births the smuppet like it's a horror movie scene, fake blood and poly-fil gore all over the place as the smuppet crawls out from the viscera. Bro then gets to play aftercare by lovingly and gently cleaning up and restuffing Lil Cal as they get to admire their new creation and rake in the dough lol.

So it's technically not a 'you should see the other guy' kinda situation, but it does involve one of them being... idk what word would describe it. Injured by the other? Usually a character loses a fight and says this to act like they got out of it better than the other guy, but... We could have someone knock on the door during the filming of a scene like that, and Bro has to answer it with fake blood up to his elbows, and be like 'You should see the other guy.' (But obviously, that's a terrible idea and would cause more trouble than it's worth... Maybe worth it for a persistent door to door salesperson, though.)

Though, I guess I should also say, I'm not opposed to Bro beating on Lil Cal in or out of the bedroom. Or in the case of animate Lil Cal, Cal choking out Bro. In or out of the bedroom, lol. Depends on the situation, like I said I will ship this ship any which way. But my preference for animate Lil Cal is to be like a totally normal puppet around Bro (or mushy in-love with Bro) and then evil-murder-puppet towards anyone else in Bro's life, like a... toxic yaoi guard puppet. (New Phrase Achievement Unlocked!) Bro brings home another guy to have sex, who tries to stay the night due to the late hour, but the guy wakes up shortly after to see Lil Cal standing there with a knife in the dark, eyes glowing red. Panic ensues when the guest screams and freaks out, and by the time Bro's got a light on, grabbing his sword, ready for a ninja vs ninja fight (bc an intruder would've had to bypass all the traps), Lil Cal is just innocently splayed across the desk chair, no knife in sight. Relevant post (well, the caption on the post too, saying how Bro can't seem to hold onto any relationships besides Lil Cal):

[ https://coridallasmultipass.tumblr.com/post/741830516962164736/i-want-you-so-youre-mine-always-selfishly ]

Uh, lol, also Cal choking out Bro in the bedroom, adult only drawing: https://coridallasmultipass.tumblr.com/post/754328907438800896/i-wouldnt-wanna-be-my-ex-when-he-found-out-who

Thinking about them always and forever: Listen. My Tumblr as proof, I've had BroCal on the brain for at least 11 years at this point. Definitely longer, since I first started reading Homestuck. I fucking love puppets and dolls and plushies and I always have. Man, if I hadn't deleted Tweets (automated app I used to do, and I couldn't choose what to save) from when I was in high school, you could've seen me @ ing my fave band when they were taking lyric suggestions on a fan-inspired album, where I was telling them 'make a song where the theme is puppets' and, while I don't know if they saw that or took the suggestion (they had responded to me before bc they weren't huge yet), there is indeed a song titled "Puppets" on that album, and it was my favourite song on there. Point is, I was fated to ship BroCal before I even knew it existed.

Sicko 2 sicko communication: I mean, does this even need explaining? Bro and Cal aren't just on the same wavelength of freaky, they're the fucking source of the wavelength, and it's causing a feedback loop between them. And it does as feedback does, which is, it amplifies with time. (Going back to the spiral symbolism here, lol.) ((Actually, time can play a symbol here, too, I guess, but idk how to word it, I'm starting to run out of steam.))

Let them have a happy ending: God, I need this so badly. I know Bro's story ends in Homestuck, but like. Pls. Someone needs to officiate their wedding. Currently placing the dreambubble order, but I can't organize a wedding by myself. OH speaking of. In that lil comic I did above, where Bro is accepting Lil Cal's proposal, I had the Natural Born Killers wedding scene in mind. I was gonna draw that as a follow up, but I think I have too many WIPs going. Just two people on the run, saying "I do" in a scenic but completely ordinary roadside location. Idk why, I keep going back to that movie for things related to Bro (I mention it in a very important scene in a longer WIP I've been writing, as something Bro watched and internalized as a kid lol.) It's not the best movie lol. Anyway.

The devotion omg: I feel like I have already gotten my point across about this, but let me reiterate:

[ https://coridallasmultipass.tumblr.com/post/735842968450269184/in-the-name-of-iconic-magical-girl-anime-ill ]

Bro and Lil Cal absolutely beat the shit outta Jack Noir before he gets prototyped. And even then, they fight together till the death, like. C'mon. Nothing more romantic than fighting a losing battle side by side. Also, like, Lil Cal having his own protective chest for safekeeping as seen in the Strider living room? Like, you don't just have a protective case for any old thing, especially something meant to be handled, especially something that is regularly used to smack other things/humans. What I'm saying is, Lil Cal is durable and resilient, and yet, Bro still has a case for transporting Cal safely. Oh, wait, I just thought of something funny, what if Lil Cal goes feral like a cat, and basically the chest is like a cat carrier so Bro can drive without being constricted lmaoooo, I've been typing for hours can you tell?

Kind of homophobic: Listen. I HAD a Cal. Took him to college. Staked my claim on the top bunk bc I am royalty. Proceeded to not have anywhere to set my water cup and had to use a cardboard box as a table up there. Spilled water. Melted Cal's sharpie-drawn face. And then proceeded to cry. I have a WIP of Lil Cal 2, but that requires actually remembering to work on him. I wanna do better by the pattern, too, since I rushed to finish the first. I have all the material! I have the project started! So it's just a matter of reordering my WIP priorities, honestly.

Where is all the fucking content?!: For realzz. I was actually venting about this the other day (didn't end up posting it), but it's like, either there's no BroCal content, or there IS BroCal content, but I can't reblog it for reasons I don't want to get into on this post. I'm dying of thirst in the ocean, basically. Whatever. This just means I need to make more BroCal content myself, which I am more than happy to do. I've just had a rough past few months, so I'm glad I got to type all this post out, and hopefully I can get back to creating soon.

Last one! I hope this one makes up for the absurd length of the post, it's prob my new fave idea I just came up with on the spot.

[TW drink spiking by a stranger mentioned in this.]

Committing atrocities as their silly little activities: I think we all know what this means, but I am going to ignore that elephant with my special x-ray vision. Because this is a BroCal post. I'm digging deep to the meat and bones of this. Honestly, this could go multiple routes, it depends on how you take your Lil Cal.

One could place emphasis on the 'guard' part of the, ahem ahem, toxic yaoi guard puppet. Maybe someone is actually trying to harm Bro, and Bro legit can't do anything for reasons outside of his control - let's say his drink got spiked a while after he invited a stranger home that he thought was chill. As Bro gets shoved down on the futon, his memory of the night is only a few flickers. Familiar orange plush, roiling around above him like a dancing windsock. Flashes of Lil Cal's face all distorted and stretched wide like a funhouse. J-Lo and Ice Cube on the TV. But when Bro is finally able to fully wake up in the morning, everything is as if he just got home alone last night and passed out on the futon. Cal looks totally normal and content tucked under Bro's warm arm. Except when Bro gets up, there is a pair of shoes too big to belong to him at the door. Maybe Bro knows. Maybe instinct tells him to run. Maybe he does, but he's running towards Lil Cal, every time.

[queerhawkeyes]

I was too busy this week and now am super irritated and overstimulated. just want to be alone in a sensory deprivation tank. unfortunately I have to do work but I am so close to being the worst version of myself and cannot do an educational records review in this state.

[obsessivevoidkitten]

Feeding

Male Half-Demon Yandere x Gender Neutral Vampire Reader CW: Noncon, blood drinking, biting/cutting for blood, making out, drugged sex, drugged reader, forced addiction, overstimulation, reader fucked well and truly out of their mind whilst high on demon blood, aftercare, general yandere behavior Word count: 1.6k (Sorry this took forever. The image of reader sitting on dick while sucking blood from a wrist was living rent free in my head and I had to write this. Written on my phone, hopefully I fixed all the weird formatting and typos.)

The full moon shone brightly in the clear winter night. With each exhale, your breath plumed out visibly. The shadows of trees stretched long and spindly, grasping for a material world they were incapable of grabbing hold of. You hid amongst the bushes, silently watching the small bar in front of you. It was a secluded place. Quiet and down the road from anything else. Perfect for a person to grab a drink. Even a vampire like yourself. This was your first night in this town, but there were almost always places like this to slake your thirst. 

Wait for a drunk customer to come stumbling out and nab them to have a drink of your own. Then, if you needed to, use your hypnotic powers to make them think it was all a dream. 

That's what you had intended tonight. But then you caught a whiff of a human that smelled much more tempting than any other you had ever encountered. 

The bartender. Your sharp ears could pick up his name even from outside. Wade. Not that you needed to bother knowing it.

You decided to wait for the last lingering patron to leave the bar before sneaking in and making your move. It took a few hours, and your joints grew stiff in the cold, but finally, the bartender was alone, and you could make your move. You were practically salivating as you slipped into the bar, and his scent hit you more directly. You couldn't wait to taste what waited in his veins. Luckily, you didn't have to. 

"Sorry, we've just closed," he said as he heard you enter.

With superhuman speed, you rushed behind him, barely having time to note the surprised expression on his face. 

You wasted no time on pleasantries and sank your fangs into his neck.

Instantly, you were lost in his flavor. His blood was glorious. But after one drink, your eyes glazed and your thoughts were foggy. 

He plucked you off of him easily, and you fell to the floor, dizzy and confused but yearning for more of him. You were so thirsty. A mild sense of euphoria washed over you, but your body felt weak and wobbly. 

Wade stared down at you, smirking. His brown hair turned silver, small black horns sprouted from his forehead, and his hazel eyes glowed red.

"What's wrong? Bit off more than you could chew?"

Not much blood had been consumed, so you started to get to your feet, but Wade wanted you nice and helpless. He rubbed his fingers to the bite mark you had left and shoved his fingers into your mouth and smeared the drug on your tongue. You immediately slumped against the counter.

He went and locked up the bar before returning to your side and administering another hit of his blood. You eagerly drank it up. It was too irresistible. 

Then he gently led you downstairs where he apparently lived. 

"Didn't realize I was part demon or didn’t know demon blood was like a narcotic? Maybe you didn't know either of those..." 

He tossed you on the bed rather unceremoniously.

"Thought you were gonna get an easy meal, but you're gonna feed me too!"

Assuming that he ate beings with magic, you looked up at him with a horrified expression and scrambled to get off the bed. He stopped you and pushed you back.

"I'm nourished by intoxication and addiction the way sex and lust nourishes an incubus," he explained, having noted the fear on your face.

Though you still had a fierce thirst for his blood, you weren't addicted. Yet. Just significantly increased blood cravings. You had the presence of mind to know what he intended, and you didn't want to be a captive.

"You can't do this!"

The effects of his blood on your body were rapidly wearing off. It had only been a small amount. You could use your speed to zip awa-

"I can do whatever I want to a little leech like you~" 

Wade pinned you on the bed and used the sharp nail of his thumb to slice his wrist before shoving his wrist to your mouth. You tried to turn away and keep your mouth closed, but you could feel the warm blood tingle your lips, and the smell was all-encompassing. Tired of your struggles, he smacked you hard across the cheek. You could have shrugged off a strike from a normal human, but he had demonic strength. As he had anticipated, you cried out in pain. With your mouth open, he jammed his bloody wrist right into your mouth. 

Once a drop had touched your tongue for the third time that night, all your resolve melted away. You relaxed under him and greedily lapped at his wrist. Now that it was in you, you needed more.

As you gave into your dark desires and fed off Wade, he fed off the intoxication and the budding addiction growing inside you. 

But the whole situation had his cock straining painfully in his jeans. 

He maneuvered your clothes off as well as his, but your attention was focused on your meal. You whimpered and grabbed for his arm as he pulled it away to lube up his cock. Just because he was doing this for nourishment didn't mean he couldn't have some fun. Besides, being all cute and needy for his blood made you look far too tempting for the half-demon. 

He pulled you into his lap and slid his thick cock into you.

Wade put his arm up to you so you could suckle from his wrist as he slowly fucked into you. A large demonic cock like Wade's would have stretched and hurt the hole of any human, but you were far more durable. In fact, it felt quite nice. His blood seemed to heighten pleasurable sensations while reducing unpleasant ones.

You moaned softly as you fed.

"That's it, take alllll you want babe. I regenerate faster than you can drink."

It must have been true. His wound had healed and you had to bite his wrist to draw more blood. He didn't seem to mind. 

The demon kissed your neck and sucked it softly as he continued pumping into you. Never too hard to interrupt your meal. 

He kept the slow and considerate pace until you had finished. Blood was smeared all over the lower half of your face, your eyes glossy and half lidded. You were barely cognizant of your surroundings anymore. All you knew was that you felt warm, happy, relaxed and, for the first time since you had turned, alive.

Wade angled your face towards him and kissed you deeply from behind, enjoying the taste of blood from your lips and the rush of energy he got from getting you high. He brushed his tongue against your fangs to draw blood so you could suck it while the two of you made out sloppily. The half-demon broke the kiss, a sanguine string of saliva and blood connected your lips for a moment. Wade hastened the tempo of his thrusts into you as his mind raced over the implications of having you. 

A human would have died from just a drink of demon's blood. That's why he blended each bottle of booze in his bar with but a single drop. Just enough to subconsciously coax humans to crave coming back to his bar and give Wade a bit more intoxication to sustain himself. But he didn't have to hold back with you at all. 

Rapturous moans left your body as your pleasure reached its zenith. Your normally frighteningly pale face was actually flushed.

"You enjoying yourself?" Wade smirked and kept going.

You could only weep silently as the overwhelming sensations from the drug and sex mingled into an overwhelming wave of ecstasy bearing down brutally upon you. 

With supernatural stamina he kept going for hours, he readministered his blood as needed. Every time he made you cum you whimpered. Each orgasm seemed to hold within it a greater and greater threat of throwing you off the brink of sanity and shattering your mind. 

By the end of it, when he had finally had enough after filling you with cum over and over again, you were a shaky drooling mess. His demonic features faded away as he picked you up. Then he took you to the tub and bathed you gently, getting all the dried blood off your face and cleaning up all the semen leaking from your hole. 

"Sorry I had to give you so much. Have to get you hooked on it."

Wade picked you up and wrapped you in a soft towel. You were too out of it to respond.

"The crashes aren't bad though at least. Extreme cravings but no life threatening illness or anything."

He kissed your forehead and tucked you in before getting under the covers and spooning you. 

"You're gonna love it here I promise. All the blood you want. I'm not just keeping you here to feed me, I could see glimpses inside your mind when your inebriation nourished me."

The half-demon ran a hand soothingly up and down your side.

"I know we're compatible lovers. You'll see."

You could hear his words but could just barely process them. 

"B-but.." You protested weakly.

"Hush now. You need to rest."

He put his arm around your waist and held you protectively. It was so much easier to just let sleep claim you than it was to resist.

Wade stayed up far longer though. All the thoughts of the wonderful life you two would share together running through his head and keeping him awake. It would be amazing. He couldn't wait for tomorrow.

He'd treat you so well and make sure his little vampire was always happy. And he'd keep you hopelessly addicted to his blood. You'd be so helpless and dependent on him that you'd simply never be able to escape.

[norman-fucking-reedus]

BEGGING ON MY KNEES FOR CORRUPTION KINK WITH DARYL YOU WRITE SMUT SO HEAVENLY😫😫😫

SWEET LITTLE SINNER

THE YUMMY STUFF: Age gap, (Daryl is in his late 50s, Reader in her early 30s) Creampies, breeding kink, fingering, bit of cockwarming, just smutty stuff, ...petnames 😇, semi-public?? guys they fuck in the church, virgin fem!reader, religious!reader, dont cancel me for this, but religion kink

DO NOT READ IF YOU THINK YOU'LL FEEL OFFENDED BECAUSE HOW YOU FEEL IS NOT MY PROBLEM

OKAY ANON I KNOW IM ANSWERING THIS REQ MONTHS LATER BUT BEAR WITH ME ALRIGHT 🎀

Im playing around with a new posting format and I honestly really like it so far! Im just literal dogshit at summaries so I don't necessarily bother with them (I mean at least I try) but eeeerm guys let me know if its cutie AND PLEASE LOOK AT MY BLOG PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE I CHANGED THAT TOO

So after scrolling through the mounds of unanswered asks I have, I found this one and it reminded me of a conversation I had with my sister abt Daryl x a Christian girl who holds herself very high to her faith and has a deeper understanding of the bible

This takes place around the time they find gabriel, and somehow this ended up being a !greene reader, I also had to extend the church for... purposes :3

Believe it or not this is my first time ever writing corruption kink 😭 I got this request back when I was still fresh on tumblr and its been sitting ever since because I just didn’t know what to do (and I still dont)

southern gothic has me in a chokehold and I cant breathe

"Come on! Fight to the fence!" The sound of Rick's voice bellowed over the deafening clang of metal and ringing gunfire, rapidly taking down any walkers that shuffled within range as the men helped the women to climb over the fence first, Carl dropping down and catching all the weapons that were tossed onto the safe side.

Rosita crawled up the chain fence quickly, noticing that you were behind her when she was balanced right on top and extending a hand out to you. "Up and over" She lightly yet urgently joked, and you could only let out a small huff of air as you grasped her hand, and hauled yourself upwards, swinging a leg over to join her in scaling down the other side.

"Let's go! Move your asses!" Abraham shouted as he fired his gun, covering Rick as he made a break for the fence, the redhead man not far behind once the walkers had started to herd up. He threw the firearm over the fence and easily jumped onto half the fence, using a walker's head as a boost to fling himself over onto the other side.

As you and the others hastily gathered your belongings, no one dared to look back at the remnants of Terminus, trying to stay together as you all ran for a safe place behind Rick, expecting that he had some kind of miracle up his sleeve and would find a place to hunker down for a few hours, days even.

Despite the chaos and the destruction that surrounded you, you and the rest of the group hastily gathered your belongings, not daring to look back at the ruins of Terminus. Trying to stay as closely together as possible, you all followed Rick's lead as he dashed through the trees. He was the one who had kept the group alive for so long, and everyone was hoping that he could do it for just a little while longer.

After what felt like forever, you could feel the intense heat seeping into your skin and making your clothes stick to your body. Every step you took felt like a burden, with the fabric rubbing against your flesh. The air was thick with humidity, and you could feel the moisture clinging to your skin, making you feel sticky and uncomfortable. You glanced around at the other people around you, all of them appeared to be struggling in the heat, with their foreheads glistening with sweat and their breathing labored.

As you looked over at Daryl, you couldn't help but notice the solemn expression on his face as he kept his eyes fixed on the ground. It was clear that he had been struggling to come to terms with Carol's sudden disappearance, and had been much more withdrawn and reserved than usual. He seemed to be lost in thought, lost in his own world, and it was hard to know how to reach out to him.

"Right here," Rick spoke as he brought the group out to a small clearing that was surrounded by trees, briefly scanning the area before crouching down in the dirt and beginning to frantically dig.

Abraham scoffed, "Tha' hell are we still around here for?" taking a few steps forward as he analyzed and addressed Rick, watching the man pull out a blue duffel bag.

"Guns. Some supplies," He said bluntly, pulling the black zipper back and further exposing the bag's contents, multiple guns, and other hand-held weapons. "We go along the fences, use the rifles, and take out the rest of 'em."

"What?" Glenn gawked, staring at Rick in disbelief as he listened to the words spewing out his mouth, bouncing around uncomfortably in his head.

Rick started to pull out the variety of weapons one by one, not once turning to meet Glenn's gaze. "They don't get to live."

The latter pursed his lips and huffed, stepping closer to Rick as to get his attention. "Rick, we got out. It's over."

"It's not over till they're all dead." Rick growled, shaking his head.

"They are dead. That place is on fucking fire, crawling with walkers in every which way." Rosita spat, laughing in annoyance at Rick's stupidity.

You shake your head as Rick continued to pull items out of the bag, "We got lucky back there," you said, voice low and trembling. "It's not worth risking our lives by going back in" your eyes meeting Rick's in a plea for him to understand. "God doesn't always give us a second chance. Just play the hand you were dealt" The thought of going back into that walker-infested place made your skin crawl, and you couldn't understand why Rick was wasting his time.

"Does he think he could give me one?" A familiar voice spoke softly from behind your group, faces lighting up in surprise and joy as Carol lightly stepped through the forest, appearing from behind a tree with her signature smile tugging at her lips, stretching all the way up to her ears when all of Daryl's weight barreled into her frame, almost knocking her straight onto her ass with a shocked laugh.

Her unexpected appearance managed to lift the once extremely heavy atmosphere, now bright and bubbly as it was filled with smiles.

"Did you do that?" Rick questioned once it was his turn to hug Carol, not getting a verbal response but the cheeky smile painting her blood-covered face was more than telling. However, it didn't last long once she scanned over the entirety of the group. "You have to come with me."

Carol led the group through the forest and down the train tracks until reaching a small cabin hidden in the trees where Tyrese and sweet little Judith had been holed up waiting for her return, everyone watching as Sasha, Rick, and Carl sprinted towards them, each cradling their respective loved one. It was another emotional yet much-needed heartfelt reunion, especially considering that the last few weeks had been nothing but hell in a handbasket.

"We should get moving, the fire's still burning" The grey-haired woman suggested as she gave the tall, rising black smoke one last look over.

"Yeah. We need to go" Rick nodded as he took stared at the smoke, an unreadable expression on his face and in his eyes.

Daryl huffed slightly, "Yeah, but where?" glancing around the remote area.

"Doesn't matter. Somewhere far away from there."

It had been a long few days since the group had gotten somewhere far away from there, and a long few days since anyone had anything to eat. Stomachs were empty and energy seemed to only be decreasing, the hunger gnawing away at all of you.

As the sun slowly began to rise above the horizon, Daryl quietly made his way into the dense forest in search of something to eat. It was quiet, and peaceful as he gingerly and skillfully walked through the mess of vines and roots at his feet, blue eyes scanning the dirt floor for any sign of movement that might indicate the presence of an animal.

Oddly enough, it felt like he wasn't necessarily alone in these woods, glancing around and over his shoulder more than he typically would. Maybe it was just a nearby walker he could sense before he could see, but he knew way better than to believe something like that. His gut told him that there was someone else out here, and Daryl learned to always listen to his gut.

He instinctively raised his crossbow to be eye level, scanning the treeline as he took careful and quiet steps, moving from the west to the north and then east. There was a slight breeze that ruffled the leaves, tousled dark hair in his face, and flowed a dirty white skirt from a few feet from him, a tiny but audible gasp heard.

It had come from behind a thick collection of bushes, Daryl carefully combing them out of the way with one hand and ducking to prevent anything from getting in his eye. He had a tight grip on his crossbow, ready for whatever potential danger could be on the other side.

Luckily for him though, there was no danger. It was just you, the weird and off-putting Greene who had somehow turned into a new interest for Daryl, not quite being able to put his finger on just what it was that drew him towards you.

You were a quiet, soft but strange Christian girl, much different than Maggie and Beth. Unlike them, you seemed to have some kind of spiritual connection to the bible, a deeper understanding of it that often made others feel oddly safe around you, as if you truly did have God protecting you.

Funny enough, it reminded Daryl of when his parents would drag him to the southern church, forcing him into the small confession box where he would sit and sob for hours, silently begging for God to come save him.

He could hear you softly murmuring something, but the full words didn't entirely reach his ears. You were kneeling in front of a large moss-covered log, hands clasped together with your head down, looking up every so often. He watched how every time you leaned back, your hair fluttered back and fell back into position.

Not wanting to be creepy, he decided to come out from where he had been hiding, a little taken aback when you seemed to not be bothered, as if you had already known he wasn't any sort of threat.

"Hell ya' doin' out here girl?" Daryl grumbled out, standing a few feet behind you. He watched as you repeated the motion with your head a few more times, eventually pushing yourself up off your knees.

You knocked the gathered leaves and a few bugs off your skirt, smiling at him softly. "Prayer. I come out here every mornin' for it"

He scoffed slightly, glancing down at the ground as he rolled a rock under his shoe. "Why bother? Not like s'gon get heard anyway"

“Yeah? We’ll see. I prayed we find a safe place today” You said as you brushed some hair our your mouth, wind starting to pick up in speed.

Daryl hummed, “Pray we also find some food?” flipping his own hair out his face.

“Of course,” You laughed slightly, airy and light. “But with you out here I think that’ll be answered”

The man scoffed again, this time ducking his head at your words. “Yeah right” He mumbled out.

“I mean it. Look, there’s a squirrel in that tree” You point to a nearby oak tree and Daryl follows your finger, pulling the trigger of his crossbow faster than you could even fathom.

The squirrel hit the ground, Daryl stepped over a few roots and bushes to pick it up, pulling the arrow out and tossing the carcass over his shoulder.

“Good eye girly. C’mon, guess yer God is gon help ya’ help feed us” He glanced at you from over his clear shoulder, motioning for you to follow him with a short nod of the head.

You followed as he walked through the thick mess of bushes, the green leaves staining your cowgirl boots as you stepped on them. The birds chirped loudly above head as the sun got higher and higher in the sky, the air starting to increase in temperature.

It was quite a nice walk through the forest regardless of the heat, Daryl making for much better company than you expected even though he didn't have much to say. You filled the silence by humming softly to yourself, staying a few feet behind and looking around the wooded terrain, keeping an eye out for animals and walkers.

Daryl paused for a moment, holding up a finger and then positioning his crossbow again. The weapon fired, and you watched as it struck another squirrel, this time pinning it against a tree.

He yanked the arrow out, sliding it back into the holder on the front of his bow and tossing the second squirrel over his shoulder.

"Need'ta get at least five," He said as he continued walking, glancing at you again from over his other shoulder just to make sure you were still there.

You scoffed slightly at his words. "Five?" You repeated, staring at the angel wings on the back of his vest.

Daryl nodded, peering up into the trees and looking around on the ground. "Yeah. Got a lotta people to feed"

"And you think five is the lucky number?" You joke lightly, a small smile tugging your lips as you stay hot on his heels.

He shrugged, squirrels bouncing with the motion. "Dunno. Depends on how many ya prayed for"

"Well, if you told me, I would've prayed for at least ten" You appeared at his side and bumped his arm with yours, his gaze meeting yours for only a split second before you were suddenly startled by Rick and Glenn's out-of-nowhere appearances.

They pointed their guns at both of you, and you put your hands up to show you weren't a threat. "Jus' catchin' some breakfast," Daryl said as he dropped his arms and nodded at Glenn in greetings.

"Ready to get some concrete under your feet?" Rick asked him as the four of you began to make your way out of the forest and back to the rest of the group, the day only getting hotter and hotter. "I think it's time."

Daryl hummed, a thin layer of sweat starting to form on his forehead. "That is sweet music to my ears, Officer."

"We take the next road we come to, try to get back to going north 'till we find a vehicle." Rick gestured slightly with his hand, gun still in his grip just in case.

You all stepped up the steep hill leading back to the road where the group had decided to set up a temporary camp for the night.

Rick meet Daryl's eyes, placing a hand on his squirrel-less shoulder. "Good?"

"Good"

"–And Father God, I once again call upon you to ask for a blessing, a miracle, an answer. You've got me so far, this group, I ask, will you continue to do so? Will you bestow us a safe place? A home?"

Back on the road once again. It was hot as the group ventured forward, worn down shoes and boots slapping against the burning pavement as you all conversed amount yourselves and entertained one another, Michonne and Carl in some form of competition while you lingered behind, Daryl nearby just in case a walker somehow nabbed you.

He silently listened to the soft whispering of your voice, the gentle lull you used as you spoke your prayers, walking with your head down and the palms of your hands facing towards the sky, almost reaching out in a sense.

There was a few questions lingering on his tongue, but growing up in the southern church Daryl had learned not to ask questions until after prayer. Hell, he had learned not to ask questions period.

Daryl only watched you out the corner of his eye, your plush lips moving slightly as you murmured. There was just something about you that was captivating, the fact that you were almost a mixture of Beth's sweet and softness, Maggie's stern and stubbornness, it made him curious to know what the third mysterious Greene had to offer.

"Amen" You mumbled a little louder than intended, clasping your hands together as you finished and concluded your prayer. You brushed some hair out your face when you lifted your head, catching a glimpse at Daryl's watchful eye.

He looked away when your gaze met his, furrowing your brow slightly with a small and playful smile. "What?" You appeared closer to his side and purposely bumped into him, watching how he staggered a little in his pace.

"Nothin'. Jus' hot as hell out here" Daryl shrugged slightly, sweat rolling down his face and back.

You hummed softly, "Hell is a lot hotter than this, but it is super hot. Just wish we could find a river or something" fanning your legs with the loose fabric of your skirt.

Daryl glanced at you, eyes dropping the flowing motion of the fabric. "Tryna' go swimmin'?" He questioned, because a dip in the cool river didn't sound that bad at all

"We weren't really allowed growing up, swimsuits were always super revealin' so we just stayed inside most summers" You shrugged, a tiny smile on your lips as you recalled past memories with your sisters, even if it was just sitting inside trashing the kitchen. "We weren't even allowed to wear shorts that didn't stop at the knees"

It made sense, ever since the farm you, Beth, and Maggie had always been more modestly dressed then the rest, never wearing something too short even if it was the only option.

But even then, as long as your skirt as, Daryl still couldn't help himself from picturing the entirety of your bare legs, a shiver coursing through him as he tried to wipe the image away as quickly as it had come. You were sweet, almost too sweet for him. He was damaged and tainted, you were pure and holy.

"My moms used'ta watch me 'nd m'brother when we went to the river behind our house 'cause I ain't know how'ta swim as a kid" Daryl forced himself to say, tearing his eyes away from the dingy fabric and looking anywhere that just wasn't where you were.

Of course, it wasn't it that easy, especially when you giggled at his sentence which almost caused him whiplash from how hard he snapped his neck at you.

"Sorry, sorry. Just– You didn't know how to swim? Even I can swim" You covered your mouth as you spoke through your laughter, cheeks starting to hurt a little from how hard you were smiling.

Daryl scoffed, the sound of your giggles being music to his ears. "Laugh it up girly. Won't be funny when I throw ya' in a river"

You did laugh even harder at that, maybe because you knew it might be true. "It'll be hilarious! Even more because you'll be the one finding me a new outfit"

"Jus' a little water. S'not like yer damn skirt s'gon wash away" Daryl rolled his eyes, watching as you fake a look of offense.

"How do you know that? It just might! Then you'd have to cover me up" You folded your arms over your chest, quirking a brow at the older man as he glanced you up and down.

"Maybe I don' want to" He mumbled with a short shrug of his mouth

"What do you want?" You asked with a small tilt of your head.

Daryl's lips moved way faster then his brain, and he found himself suddenly muttering out "Wanna see wha's under tha' pretty dress"

You stared at him for a little, and he wished he could just bury an arrow in his head now, but then you chuckled a bit, nudging his arm with yours. "That's a sin, Daryl"

The two of you fell silent, your words lingering in Daryl's mind as he focused his gaze down on the floor, his ears perking slightly when they caught the gentle sound of your humming, some kind of song that he had surely never heard before.

He didn't wanna admit that your voice was soothing and melodic, it almost reminded him of his mother when she would cradle his trembling body in her arms, bruised and bloodied as the soft vibrations of her humming buzzed through him, comforting him as he softly sniffled into her chest, clutching onto her shirt and wondering what it was that made him so undeserving of God's–

"Help!"

The scream of terror rang out from the forest to the woods, and you all looked around at each other as your movements halted, everyone turning in the direction they thought the cry had come from with their weapons drawn, you subconsciously inching closer to Daryl for safety.

"Help, anybody! Help!" The cries came again, this time audibly and undeniably from the left side of the trees.

Rick nodded his head, gun drawn and pointed as he dashed off the road and into the forest, the group all following closely behind as the screams and pleads for help didn't cease, getting louder and closer which drew the attention of nearby walkers, having to dodge and take out any that got too close.

"Anyone, help! Help!"

As you all sprinted deeper into the trees, the sound of snarling and clicking teeth began to mix and become more audible, eventually leading the group out into a green clearing where there was a... pastor cowering ontop of a large stone rock, slipping off and making a half-ass attempt at kicking the walkers.

There weren't that many walkers, but it was still enough to where Rick felt firing his gun was necessary. The gunshots rang out through the forest, and you covered your ears at the loud noise, wincing slightly as it bounced around uncomfortably in your head.

Daryl took out the last straggler with a hard stab of his knife, wiping the thick blood off his blade on his pants before he slid it back in his holster, appearing at your side as he analyzed the pained expression on your face.

"Ya' alrigh'?" He murmered softly, hands hovering over your face but not quiet touching it, almost as if he was restraining himself.

You nodded, uncovering your ears and glancing at the pastor on the top of the rock, Daryl and everyone else following your gaze.

He whimpered softly and quietly from where he sat, eyes frantically darting between the all of you as if you all were the threat.

"Come on down." Rick said in a loud, stern voice, taking a few steps forward in front as the group took a few steps back.

The man rolled on his stomach and awkwardly wormed his way down grunting slightly and crying out when he slipped the rest of the way and landed on his ass.

A few giggles erupted from you and Maggie, stifling your laughter in the same way you've both always done by simply turning your heads away from the source of humor.

Rick didn't seem too entertained though, glancing the man up and down when he stumbled to his feet and dusted himself off. "You okay?" He raised a brow, emotion unmoving and flat.

"Sorry. Yes, thank you. I-I'm Gabriel." He stammered out, his lips pulling themselves into a small an nervous smile.

"Do you have any weapons on you?" Rick titled his head as he asked condescendingly, taking another step closer to 'Gabriel.'

The man in question chuckled slightly. "Do I look like I would have any weapons?"

"We don't give a rats flying fucking ass what it looks like." Abraham barked out, and you could only nod your head in agreement.

Gabriel mumbled out some kind of understanding before he put on his best brave face. "I have no weapons of any kind. The word of God is the only protection I need"

At that you scoffed, covering your mouth in a fake apology. "Oh sorry, just that, didn't really look like God was protecting you now was he?"

Gabriel smiled nervously and awkwardly at your words, his eyes taking in your attire and the sparkly cross around your neck. "Well, he led a woman of your nurture here, so that must mean something right?"

"Oh of course. It means that you have something we want" You spoke softly, yet your tone was oddly dark. It somehow flipped the aura surrounding the group, replacing it with a heavy presence that just couldn't be explained.

"I-I have nothing to offer. Whatever food I- I had left, it just hit the ground." He glanced down at the ruin pile of whatever it was he had.

Carl stepped forward, fishing something out his pocket and holding it out to the pastor. "We've got some pecans, sorry if you're allergic" He partially joked, taking a step back and behind his dad.

Gabriel thanked him, dumping a few into his mouth and chewing. Judith cooed sweetly from where she rested against Beth, the mans eyes softening as he spotted her. "That's a beautiful child," He said, glancing around at just how many of you there were. "D- Do you have a camp?"

"No. Do you?" Rick asked without hesitation.

"I have a church." Gabriel mumbled, and your ears perked up at the sound of that. Daryl also noted the way your face lit up, while his twisted in distain.

Rick stuck his gun in the waist band of his jeans, aggressively grabbing Gabriel. "Hold your hands above your head."

"How many walkers have you killed?" He questioned, roughly patting the man down in search for any weapons.

"Not any, actually." Gabriel answered nervously.

"Turn around." Rick commanded and he spun the man, continuing his thorough search. "How many people have you killed?"

"None." Gabriel said as Rick spun him back around, narrowing sharp, quizzical blue eyes at him.

"Why?" He almost hissed the words out, whispering them out through the skin of his teeth.

Gabriel was silent for a moment, glancing at all of you before back at Rick. "Because the Lord abhors violence."

"We've all done something, we were all born as sinners. Nobody's perfectly pure." You spoke up from where you stood behind Daryl, shaking your head slightly. Daryl could argue with your words that you were the most perfect damn thing he’s seen, but he forced himself to keep his mouth shut instead. You were pure and holy, he was damaged and tainted.

He looked at you, slightly taken aback. Rick finished his search by nodding in confirmation that he was clear, taking a step back from Gabriel but not too far.

"I sin almost every day," He murmured out after a moment, scanning you all once more before his lips shifted into another small nervous smile. "But those sins, I confess them to God, not strangers."

"You said you had a church?"

You sat outside on the church step with all the other women, plus Gabriel, while all the guys stormed inside to do a thorough search of the building, in search of any weapons or any other people. Although Gabe claimed it was just him and himself, Rick didn't believe him and didn't want to take any risks.

It was quite peaceful, birds chirping above with a slight breeze that brought a little bit of cooling relief from the burning sun. Judith cooed softly in Beth's lap, shaded from the sun courtesy of Carl's hat, too big to properly fit her head but big enough to cover her body.

"I spent months here without stepping out the front door." Gabriel's voice cut through the blissful silence, and you tried not to shoot him an irritated glare. Rick came out first, followed by Daryl and then Glenn. "If you found someone inside, well, it would have been surprising."

"We found a short bus out back." Rick said, hands on his hips as he squinted from the harsh glare of the sun. “Nothing else besides that. I think we can settle down here for a minute”

“Shit ain’t settled ‘till we get Eugene’s ass to Washington” Abraham’s voice barked from behind the man, Eugene and Rosita following suit.

Daryl stood on the step above yours, and you turned to smile softly at him as his large frame blocked the scorching light of the sun from spilling down onto you.

He scowled in response, but only because he didn't wanna make his cheeks any more red than they already were. He turned his head away and decided to just blame the burning sensation on the Georgia heat.

Rick shrugged his shoulders as he dismissed Abraham. "Yeah, well, people are exhausted. This place has four walls and a roof. Safe. In other words, we're staying here."

"Sounds pretty good to me, I've slept inside a chapel before," You said as you twisted your head to look at Rick, glancing inside the church to get a glimpse at the size inside. "Plus we can all fit in there, so why not? We could even do our own version of 'The Last Supper' but with squirrel meat" You added, gesturing towards the string of squirrels Daryl had managed to catch on the journey here.

"That kinda does sound good" Beth smiled as she bounced Judith on her leg, the thought of eating meat making her really hungry. "And we can have a bonfire! It'll be even better 'cause we won't have to sleep outside after we put it out" She gasped slightly when the idea crossed her mind, sitting up a little straighter as she talked about it.

Maggie smiled softly at the two of you as you both made light of the situation, grateful that you had always been able to see the bright side of things and just simply brush things off, sometimes falling and scraping your knee but getting right back up to walk it off.

Out of the three of them, you had always had a much stronger connection to God even as a child, sometimes walking right out of Sunday school because you claimed the teacher "silenced" his voice. Growing up, you only continued to believe more and more, so much to the point that it almost worried Maggie, like you could always see something that she couldn't.

There were times when she found herself a bit envious of you, especially when you both had reached your teen years, Maggie starting to take a dive at rebellion and you still as perfectly holy as you had been at age five, wardrobe consisting of nothing but your pristine white clothes, and the same faded white cowgirl boots daddy had bought for you a decade ago on Christmas. He had gotten you all a pair to wear around the farm when dealing and riding with the horses, you and Beth wearing yours down to absolute hell.

By the time you were both in your early twenties, petty rivalry put aside years later replaced by constant gossip and the latest guy Maggie was going out with, she realized that there was no reason to envy you, because she didn't wanna be you. You were pure, holy, and kept yourself high within your faith, studying the Bible in a way that she sometimes couldn't even wrap her head around.

"We need supplies, no matter what we do next" Rick spoke up as he glanced around at everyone, watching Beth pass over Judith to you to sit in the shade Daryl provided.

Glenn nodded in agreement. "That's right. Food, water, ammunition, anything we can find"

You quirked a brow at Gabriel, glancing him up and down. "How'd you survive here for so long?"

He jumped slightly at the sound of your voice and stuttered as all eyes landed on him. "W- Well, I had God protecting me"

"No, you didn't. God doesn't protect, he watches" You rolled your eyes at him, as if this wasn't common knowledge.

Gabriel was taken aback by your response, mouth slightly agape as he scrambled to find a different answer. "Our annual canned food drive, things fell apart right after we finished-"

"That's great 'nd all, but Rick, seriously, we're gon' get heatstroke s sittin' out here in the boilin' sun" Maggie cut the man off, fanning herself with both her hands even as she was pressed up against your side, trying to hog the shade that you were already sharing with Beth and Jude.

Carol nodded her head in agreement, also dripping in sweat. "Yeah. You said it was safe, so why aren't we inside yet?" She gestured to the church.

"Alright, alright. Everyone inside. Let's cool off and rest our feet. We can discuss what's next later." Rick nodded and propped the church door open so that the group could easily fit through with all their stuff and guns, loud clattering as these things were dropped on the floor.

You followed after Maggie as she helped Glenn haul a bag inside, holding Judith on your hip as she sucked on her tiny fist. The way you held her almost looked natural, as if she was your very own. Daryl tried to pry his eyes away, but he just couldn't. He was drawn to you in a way he couldn't understand.

It bothered him in a way, the world had ended and you treated every day as if it was just an average day, as if dead people walking around was nothing more but an inconvenience. You were a carefree and buoyant spirit, as if your mind was consistently clear and levelheaded.

But it also intrigued him, how somehow someway in a world plagued with darkness that forces people to be tough and hard, you still manage to be soft and dainty, as if the plague hadn't even touched you once.

There was a combination of walker blood and mud splattered all across your white dress, some of it on your sleeves and your face, yet it didn't make you look any less tender, especially now as you seemed to sit cozily in the nave of the church, bouncing Judith on your leg as you softly hummed her a song.

Inside the church was fairly big, the back of it containing a few large offices that Rick deemed the safest the camp out in for the night, explaining that the doors had locks and that if someone were to break in everyone would hear and have plenty of time to wake up, claiming that everyone could sneak out the back door or just fight if need.

"The food lasted a long time," Gabriel said once the large wooden door creaked shut, other members of the group finding a place to settle down. "And then I started scavenging. I've cleaned out every place nearby, except for one."

"What kept you from it?" Rick questioned.

Gabe shrugged. "It's overrun."

"How many?" Glenn pipped in from against a wall.

Gabriel slightly tilted his head in thought. "A dozen or so? Maybe more."

Rick scoffed, hands on his hips as he stared at the man. "We can handle a dozen."

"Bob and I will go with you," Michonne said calmly as she stepped forward. "Tyreese should stay here, help keep Judith safe."

"That'll be okay?" Rick glanced over to the man in question, who nodded his head.

"You ever need me to watch her, need anything for her, I'm right here" Tyreese said with a small smile.

The corner of Rick's mouth slightly quipped upward in a tiny smirk. "I'm grateful for it."

"I'll draw you a map–" Gabriel spoke up but was quickly cut off, "–You don't need to, you're coming with us." by Rick who shot him down with a cold icy glare.

It caught Gabriel off-guard and made his anxiety go through the roof. "I– I'm not gonna be of any help, you saw me up on that rock, I'm no good around those things." He stammered, trying to plead his case nervously under Rick's burning gaze.

"You're coming with us."

The sun had set long ago, and the inside of the church was lit up with a warm candle ambiance that fueled that lighthearted mood, everyone in the group chattering and laughing with one another for the first time in what felt like years.

"I'd like to propose a toast." Abraham loudly announced over everyone and all conversations ceased as the ginger easily captured all eyes in the room, raising his glass of wine that Gabriel had pulled from his own office.

"When I look around this room... all I can see is survivors." He said, scanning his eyes over the nave and everyone inside. "Each and every damn one of you has earned that title."

Abraham was silent for a moment, giving the room one last glance over before tipping his glass. "To the survivors."

"Survivors! Cheers!" You all said in unison, raising your glasses and clinking it against the person beside you, the church erupting back into its previous laughter as everyone resumed drinking and enjoying the night.

You scooted your way over to Daryl who was sat in a corner, purposely getting in his space and holding out your glass to him. "Survivors." You mumbled, a tiny smile tugging at your lips.

He glanced at you, a faraway expression on his face as he raised his glass to yours, mumbling out a soft,"Survivors" that was only loud enough for the both of you to hear.

"Now," Abraham said out loud once again, all eyes falling on him. "We get Eugene to Washington, and he will make the dead die, and the living will have this world again." He took a swing of his drink, raising his pinky. "And that is not a bad takeaway for a little road trip."

From where Judith sat snuggly in Rick's lap, she cooed and fisted some of his shirts in her small hands.

"Eugene, what's in DC?" The ginger questioned, all eyes now falling on the scientist for the answer.

He took a moment, clearing his throat before he spoke in his usual flat and unwavering tone of voice. "Infrastructure constructed to withstand pandemics even of this fubar magnitude, that means food, fuel, refuge."

"Restart," Abraham concluded, Eugene giving a short and curt nod at the response. "However this plays out, however long it takes for the reset button to kick in, you can be safe there. Safer than you've been since this whole thing started."

"Save the world for that little one, save it for yourselves. Save it for the people out there, who don't got' nothin' left to do except survive." Abraham spoke, his words of encouragement ringing out through the church's walls.

Judith cooed loudly as she squirmed in Rick's lap, and he smiled at her as he readjusted his grip on her tiny torso. "I think she knows what I'm about to say," Rick joked, managing a few laughs from people. "If she's in, then I'm in too."

"We're all in" Carol interjected, smiles spreading across everyone's faces as conversations and laughter began to fill the room again, people started to celebrate by drinking, clapping, and cheering, the energy in the room upbeat and positive. "Let's do it!" Abraham exclaimed, clearly now tipsier than everyone else as he raised his almost empty glass in the air one more time.

The once warm and cozy atmosphere that the church had inside during the earlier activities had been snuffed out long ago, leaving a cold and empty feeling inside the nave.

It wasn't literally cold, or maybe it was just the cigarette that was keeping Daryl warm, taking long drags from the small stick every minute or so. He couldn't be bothered to go all the way outside, and the natural glow of the moon seeping into the room was more than enough.

Plus, it's not like he was alone, considering that you were sitting in the aisle over from him with your head down.

It had been just the two of you in pure silence for about thirty minutes, and Daryl had only been staring at you for twenty. He tried not to, he really did, but it was hard for his eyes to peel away from the way your dress reflected the light, hands neatly folded together in your lap as hair spilled down your shoulders.

Because of the wine from earlier, there was a slight buzz that ran through Daryl's nerves that somehow encouraged him to stop staring and stand, making his way over to where you were sitting.

"Smoking is a sin, and so is interrupting my prayer," You said once he was sat a few inches from you, not even glancing up at him once.

Daryl let out a tiny scoff, taking another drag from his cigarette. "Yeah, well, s'gon fall on deaf ears anyway"

"Do you not believe in God?" You asked as you blinked your eyes, now turning your head to look at him with genuine curiosity etched on your features.

The man shook his head. "Ain't ever believed in no God," he said, pulling another hit and speaking around it. "Hell, ain't ever believed in nobody"

You sighed a little, leaning back against the bench. "God believes in you"

Daryl scoffed a lot louder at that. "Don' even believe in m'self"

"Well, I believe in you," You said with a shrug, scooting a bit closer to him to bump him with your elbow.

He grumbled as he bumped you back, more so pushing as he held his cigarette between his teeth. "Wha' else ya' believe in? Sandy Clause?"

You let out a small giggle at his butchered version of the fictional character. "Santa, and no, I don't. But I do believe that this is the next world though."

"Why? We ain't dead yet" Daryl analyzed you from the corner of his eyes.

You shook your head, "No, we're not. We never have been. Don't you see? This, this is the resurrection" waving your hands around for emphasis.

"I thought everyone was s'pposed ta' disappear or some shit?" He questioned and you rolled your eyes at him. "Oh come on, I thought you didn't believe in stuff like that. Did you also think that Jesus was gonna fly down from the sky and save us all?"

Daryl huffed as he took a long drag, getting more toward the last few puffs of his cigarette as he raised a brow at you. "Ain't that tha' whole point?"

"That's what people want you to think. They always talk about the resurrection and how Jesus will come back from the dead to save humanity from its wrongdoings, which is exactly what's happening now"

"Tha' hell ya' tryna' say, girl?"

"That God has a plan. He wants the world to be pure again, he wants us to be pure again"

At your words, Daryl scoffed, taking a long and final drag of his cigarette. "Well, m'not very pure unlike yerself" He said as he stomped out the butt of the remaining stick, crushing it under a muddy a boot.

"You're tainted, and its okay. No need to be envious of my non-sinning streak" You jokingly said, flipping your hair which got a tiny chuckle out the older man.

"Now I definitely don' believe ya' ain't ever committed no sin" He said, shaking his head.

You had a small smile playing at your lips, shrugging both shoulders as you looked at him. "I mean, technically walkers aren't people, so I don't really think I've killed anyone"

"Steal anythin'?"

"Thou shall not steal, Daryl. Plus, looting stores is only against the law"

"Well, everyone's told a lie"

"Oh, I'd never lie. The truth will set you free"

Daryl frowned at your words. "Yer startin' ta' piss me off, girl"

"I'm just not a sinner, Daryl. I was raised inside a church, so I spent all my time studying the bible and asking God questions." You said with a sigh, thinking back to when you were still a little girl.

"Wha' kinda questions?" Daryl asked, and you turned once again to meet his gaze.

"Well," You started, taking a moment to think before glancing back up at him. "I've always wondered if you commit a sin inside a church, if it still counts as a sin"

"How would ya' know?"

You shrugged. "I don't, I've never really had any sin to commit"

Daryl hummed, eyes flickering down to your plush lips, tracing the shape of them a few times before shifting his gaze back up to meet your eyes. "Lust is a sin"

"Now that's just unholy, Daryl" You scoffed at him, crossing your arms and turning your head away to hide the heat that rose to your cheeks, because lust was indeed a sin. "It's extremely important to save yourself for the person you're gonna marry. Sex is an emotional gift"

The man furrowed his brows, "How do ya' know tha' if ya' ain't ever fucked?" suppressing the shiver that ran through him at his own words.

Something dark twisted and turned in his stomach just thinking about the idea that you were just as pure as the day that you were born, and he tried not to think about the wildly dirty things he wanted to do to you that he knew would potentially leave a stain. You had probably never even thought of doing something like that, let alone with someone of his nature.

But you had, and you were right now, nervously and subconsciously squeezing your thighs together the more self-aware you started to feel within the older man's presence, feeling his eyes traveling over the length of your body. "I told you, I studied the bible. Sex is the connection of two people who are bound to one another for life, aka being married of course"

"Sex could also just be sex," Daryl shrugged, his brows unmoving as your words confusingly rang out in his ears. "Ain't much of a difference is there?"

You sighed, shaking your head at him. "Of course there is silly. When you're married, sex is a form of art and beauty, as well as conception. God intends for us to use our bodies as a way to communicate with our partner. Any other time, sex is just a form of escape and pleasure, abusing the gift that God has given us in a sinful way, or as you know, lust"

Daryl hummed as you simplified the words for him in a way that he still didn't necessarily understand, but he just decided to pretend like he did. "Ya' ain't ever go through hormones growin' up?"

"Are you asking if I get horny?" You let out a tiny giggle at how his eyes snapped to yours at the blunt question, his cheeks starting to tint pink as he grumbled and looked away. You laughed and wrapped your hands around his forearm, pulling at the man and trying to get him to look at you. "Don't get embarrassed! Are you?"

Unknowingly, you had instead pulled yourself a lot closer to Daryl, and when he twisted his head back in your direction, you were both face to face, noses almost touching.

Daryl stopped breathing for a few seconds as your doe eyes stared up at him, flickering down to where your fingers gripped what you now realized was his very muscular forearm. Sitting this close to him under his burning blue gaze made you feel a bit small, and made a funny feeling form in your lower stomach.

His own eyes flickered back down to your lips, finding himself using his other hand to brush some hair out of your face, curling his fingers at the back of your hand and cupping your cheek in a big, calloused palm, tracing his thumb over your bottom lip. "Maybe I am"

"This is God's house, Daryl." You muttered in a hushed whisper as you curled your fingers around his arm, trying not to downright melt into the warm touch of his hand.

"Think he's gon' watch us?" He whispered back, and your lower stomach tingled in a way that made your whole core heat up, feeling a mild throbbing sensation coming from your private area as you looked up at the older man, running his thumb over the edge of your jaw.

"I– I don't–" You stammered, shifting your eyes away from his as you found yourself at a loss for words.

"Said ya' always wanted ta' commit a sin inna church, righ'?" Daryl tilted your gaze back to his, stroking your cheek with a gentleness you didn't even know he could muster. "Might as well do the one tha' feels best"

"But I've never done something like this... Will it– Will it hurt?" You said as you searched his eyes, the blue orbs going soft and tender.

"M'not gonna hurt ya' at all sweetheart," He said in a genuine voice, holding your face a little tighter. He couldn't even imagine hurting something as dainty as you, especially not with the way you were looking up at him with curious and innocent eyes. "If anythin' I do hurts, tell me, alrigh'?"

You nodded, the corner of your lips twitching into a smile as it felt like there was an entire butterfly exhibit in your stomach, Daryl learning down into your space and first giving your lips a small peck, before pulling you completely flush by the back of your nape, a shiver running up your spine that went all the way down to your clothed cunt, legs squeezing together as Daryl deepened the kiss, your first and hottest kiss ever.

It made your head light and dizzy, leaving you starstruck and dazed when he pulled away with only a thin trail of saliva connecting your lips, Daryl brushing the skin of your cheek once again as you slowly blinked, still feeling airy from the kiss you just experienced.

"Do that again please" You murmured in a tiny plea, feeling both sets of your lips tingle in excitement at all the new sensations Daryl was showing you.

He pulled you in for a chaste peck, catching your bottom lip between his teeth. "Ya' like tha', pretty girl?" He mumbled the words against you, pressing another kiss to your plush lips and swallowing the tiny moan you let out.

You moved to wrap your arms around the older man's neck, Daryl now taking both his hands and gripping you by your waist, pulling a shocked gasp from you at the way his touch made your cunt ache. He carefully moved you to lay on your back, slotting a thigh between your legs and pressing the denim material against your soaked panties, a noise mixed between embarrassment and need coming from your throat.

It felt so good, and you found yourself trying to rut against Daryl's thigh as he started to kiss and suck at your neck, making you giggle slightly as the skin there was more ticklish than anywhere else. His body was big and warm as it was pressed on top of yours, feeling a pulsating sensation traveling through your nerves as you continued to needily hump his leg, whining softly as you tried to further fuel the feel-good moment you were having.

"Let m'help ya' out doll, jus' leave it all ta' me, gon' make ya feel real good" Daryl spoke the words from the underside of your jaw, kissing his way up to your lips before he leaned back, pulling his thigh back and leaving a hand on your hip, courtesy of your fingers scrambling to curl around his for comfort.

"I'm a bit nervous," You said, avoiding his gaze out of embarrassment as you spoke the words. "What if I mess something up?"

"Tha' ain't gon' happen, m'gon do all tha' work fer ya'" Daryl said as his hands moved down to your thighs, lifting and pulling your legs to circle his waist, a shrill shriek tearing out your throat as your dress started to slip down and pool at your waist.

It left your lower half completely exposed, and it was almost an instinct to drop your hands down to cover your panties, a hot blush painting over as Daryl gripped both your hands in one, moving them away and pinning them to your chest. "Nuh'uh, ya' ain't gonna hide from me, pretty girl"

You whined softly as he released your wrists, ducking his head down to kiss and lick your stomach, causing you to jerk from the wet muscle dragging across your skin. His fingers traveled down past the hem of your undies, pushing them midway down your thighs before sitting back up and lifting one of your thighs, yanking the flimsy blue fabric the rest of the way off and stuffing it in his back pocket, pulling you a bit closer as he licked his lips, eyeing the prettiest pussy he's ever seen.

You weren't exactly sure what to do with your hands, deciding instead to clench the cross around your neck in one and prop yourself up on the other, all this being so new and different, dirty and sinful, that you couldn't help but wanna watch.

Daryl placed a hand on your hip, the other moving to gather spit on his fingers. "Gotta get ya' stretched out so I don' hurt ya'"'

"Is this part gonna hurt? I've only masturbated once, but I was too scared to actually finger myself" You frowned a little, feeling your nerves spike as it started set really just how inexperienced you were.

Daryl leaned down and placed a soft peck to your lips, dipping his fingers into your cunt gently and rubbing the digits up and down your slit, pressing down against your clit and moving in a circular motion, his actions on the bundle of nerves sending shivers sparking up your spine, letting out a moan that was deep in your throat right against the older man's lips.

He let out a low chuckle, adding a second finger to his movement against your clit. "Doesn' hurt now, does it?"

You shook your head, body tingling in a foreign way that almost made you feel like you had been tased but in a good way, not that you've ever been tased before. The rough pads of his fingertips against your clit drove you absolutely crazy, the faster they moved the more you found your hips jerking down in a clumsy attempt to speed up whatever high it was you were riding right now, feeling better than you ever have in your whole life.

"There ya' go beautiful, c'mon, cum on m'fingers" Daryl murmured the words out, quickening his pace as he could feel your legs twitching around him, your whines and whimpers getting louder and louder. He spread your cunt lips apart more which revealed your raw clit more, a few harsh strokes to the small bud before you were biting down on your bottom lip and letting your head fall back, a shaky, pleased cry tearing out your chest as waves of electricity coursed through your entire nervous system.

Rather than pulling his fingers away, Daryl dragged them back down your now much more sensitive slit, this time slipping a single digit past your tight entrance, the feeling foreign and oddly unique. Daryl's finger was a bit bigger than average, so you could feel there was a slight stretch to your virgin hole.

Daryl could feel it too, as well as the way you experimentally clenched and convulsed around his stilled finger, giving you a few minutes to adjust to the new feeling.

When he began to slowly thrust the digit in and out, curling the tip of his finger each time in search of your sweet spot, carefully watching the way your face twisted and contorted.

"Ya' alrigh'?" He asked, starting to brush his thumb against the skin where he was gripping your hip.

You nodded, involuntarily clenching around him. "Yeah, it just feels really funny, maybe I just had my expectations too high," You said as you furrowed your brows, a bit upset that 'fingering' wasn't all you chalked it up to be.

"First finger ain't much, second one might feel 'bit different" Daryl said as he pulled the digit back, this time pushing back into you with both fingers, the stretch and drag of the two digits feeling agreeably more different than just one.

This time Daryl just kept up his steady pace, continuing to thrust and curl his fingers into your cunt, starting to scissor you further open. Your eyes trailed down to follow the movement of his other hand as he released his grip on your hip, beginning to undo the zipper of his jeans and shoving them halfway down, the first and biggest cock you've ever laid eyes on.

Your jaw went a little slack, scrambling to find words as you felt panic boil in your stomach. "That– That's not gonna fit!"

"Calm down doll, I swear yer'gon be jus' fine" Daryl murmured softly, reaching down to reassuringly press his forehead against yours, so close that your eyelashes were almost touching. "Told ya', m'not gonna hurt ya'. S'probably not gon' feel tha' best at first but it gets better, righ'?"

Taking his words into consideration for a minute, you nodded your head against his and let your eyes flutter shut as he placed a chaste kiss to your lips, followed by another, and then the feeling of his fingers slipping out of you.

It left you feeling oddly empty, but there was excitement building up as you watched Daryl spit on his cock, using it as lube as he dragged it up your already slick slit, pressing the tip into your hole and easily pushing past, the stretch of his cock slowly slipping into you a lot more painful than expected, your hands finding his forearms where he gripped your waist and squeezing them tightly, wincing slightly as you dug your nails into his skin.

Daryl caressed the skin of your waist with his thumb, trying his best to ease the discomfort he could see and knew he was causing you. "I know, I know, s'gon be alrigh' gorgeous, yer' alrigh'" He muttered, pulling his hips back and pushing them forward again, repeating the motion in long, deep strokes.

Whatever his method was, it was definitely working, each drag of his cock against your walls feeling better and better, your cunt only getting wetter and wetter which made it so much easier for Daryl to increase his pace, trying his best to restrain himself from completely plowing into you like he had been craving to do for days, weeks now.

He didn't wanna hurt you or go too rough, this was your first time for crying out loud, a sweet christian girl who hadn't even dipped her own fingers inside herself, and here he was, a grumpy tainted man who had somehow managed to stuff himself balls deep into her pure little pussy, hugging his cock in a warm, velvety hold that he just wanted to absolutely ruin.

He watched the way your eyes fluttered, soft moans coming from you as your face seemed to be pleasantly relaxed, the tight and fearful grip you once had on his arms now reduced to a lazy and content hold, fingers squeezed every once in a while when Daryl's cock would bump a rather sensitive nerve. "That actually feels good" You mumbled as a small smile twitched on your lips.

But Daryl knew how he could make it feel even better, and his restraint to hold back from completely plowing into you had run down to nothing, a sharp grunt leaving his throat when he snapped his hips forward, shoving the entirety of his cock into you suddenly.

You let out a surprised squeak at the action, Daryl's hands planting themselves awkwardly but firmly on the church bench, your own moving to keep yourself steady as he ducked his head down to begin sucking your neck, setting a rough and unforgiving pace.

"Oh my fuuuck" You moaned out in a shaky, pleased breath, fingers curling into the wood and your toes curling in your boots. It's like you were dancing on cloud ten, each hard bump of his tip to your cervix making your mouth practically water, sending bolts of lightning licking up your spine.

Daryl groaned into the skin of your neck, sucking and kissing against your pulse as he got lost in the warmth of your cunt. "Got such a perfect fuckin' pussy, love tha' s'all fer me"

You whined and couldn't help but clench around him at his words, a shudder running through you when you felt him start to speed up, pulling tiny moans out of your chest at every thrust.

Daryl muttered in a husky voice right by your ear, "Feels so fuckin' amazin' doll, so damn tight 'nd wet, might fuck ya' fer hours" grabbing you by the hip and pulling you impossibly further in his lap, driving his cock faster and deeper into your body, nailing your tender sweet spot dead on which caused you to let out a high pitch cry, Daryl muffling your sounds with a slow but sloppy kiss.

He slammed his cock right into the sensitive bundle of nerves, each thrust making you feel dizzy and lightheaded, knocking the air out of your lungs but it felt so good you couldn't even care, eyes starting to roll back when Daryl slid a hand down to roughly finger at your clit, the way he was stimulating your whole cunt making the entire room spin, a shaky, needy sob spilling pat your lips as your whole body was drowning in pulsing and throbbing tingles, Daryl placing another kiss to your lips as he only went faster.

"Ya like tha' huh m'lil sinner? Goin' against everythin' ya' stand fer, feels real good don' it?" He groaned the words out against your lips, and you downright whimpered at his words, heart pounding in your ears as he worked your clit, still ramming in and out of you at an animalistic pace. You couldn't think, and the only word you could muster was a small, broken "D-Daryl"

Your hips jerked down to clumsily grind against his fingers and his cock, needily chasing the building high of your second orgasm as it became difficult to keep your volume at a low, moans starting to tear themselves right out your throat.

Daryl reached an arm underneath your back and flipped you into a sitting position, straddling his lap with his fat cock now one hundred percent of the way buried inside you, so deep that you were convinced for a second that he was in your stomach. You draped your arms over his shoulders and muffled a lewd moan into his neck, the first thrust sending him deeper than ever.

He held you flush against him and bunched your dress up with one hand, and squeezed your hip with the other, letting out breathy, heavy moans of his own as he bounced you in his lap, the tight and slick drag of your raw cunt against his throbbing cock straight up addictive.

"So goddamn wet baby, ya' was saving this wet ass lil' pussy fer me huh, lil' devil?" As the man spoke, he sounded extremely winded, with deep and passionate huffs, you couldn't help but convulse around him at his words, a tiny noise leaving your lips as you clung to him tighter, whining as his hand on your hip pulled you even closer against his pelvis. "Fuck, so fuckin' perfect doll"

Only choked-off moans and whimpers came from you, trying to muffle your sounds into Daryl's neck as his cock shifted angles inside, driving himself right into a soft and squishy spot that made you mewl, the man holding you down as he continued to slam into that spot head-on. His thrusts were fast and unforgiving, fucking your cunt almost as if he hated you, but his grip was tight and protective, holding your body against his like he loved you.

Which he did, but he just didn't know how to say it. His only hope being that you could feel it in the way he fucked into you, hips starting to falter slightly as your tight cunt milked his cock, practically sucking him in and making it impossible for him to ever want to pull out.

From the way you had started to tremble and spasm around him, Daryl could tell that your orgasm was getting closer and closer, encouraging him to quicken his pace. “Gonna cum, pretty girl?” He murmured as he moved down to pepper kisses across your cheek.

“Yes! Oh my goodness yes” You moaned as your entire body pulsated, each bump of his tip to your cervix sending you further into bliss. Your arms dropped down and you curled your fingers into his sturdy shoulders for purchase as he relentlessly pounded your twitching pussy, keeping your limp body closely pressed against his.

Daryl could feel the boiling heat of his own orgasm rising in his gut, the wet and warm slide of your cunt against the throbbing pulse of his aching cock pushing him closer and closer to the edge. He hitched your dress up further as he adjusted his grip on you, speeding up his pace even more as he started to chase after his own relief, the squeeze of your soft and squishy walls practically making him drunk.

He groaned as electricity licked and burned through his veins, thoughts flashing and racing through his head. “Let me cum in ya’ doll. Gonna get ya’ nice ‘nd plumped up with a lil’ baby, huh?”

That sent tingles shooting down your spine, clenching down around his thickness at the words each time they rang out in your head. Growing up, all you've ever wanted was to have a sweet little baby of your own, and after unlocking such a world like this you couldn't possibly picture life without Daryl at your side.

"Please, please give me that" You almost whimpered as you trembled against his chest, heart pounding in your chest as a heat burned and built up in your stomach. You jerked your hips and made a clumsy attempt to rut down against him, but he tightened the hold he had on your lower half to stop your movements. "I've got ya' gorgeous, m'gon take care of ya', told ya' m'gon make ya' feel good"

Daryl readjusted his position, moving you to sit up properly and gripping you at the waist, pinning up your dress there as well as he started to bounce you in his lap, downright using your body as a sex toy as he plowed right into your sensitive sweet spot, pulling strained and guttural moans from your chest as you tried your hardest to keep your volume down as to not echo off the church's wall, biting back sobs as your hands found their way to Daryl's chest, fingers curling into the strong flesh as all the digits had a hot buzz to them, lungs suddenly not being able to take in any air as your stomach burned, toes curling in your boots and teeth clenching as a wave of scorching hot pleasure washed over your whole entire body, this time not being able to hold back the loud cry that tore it's way out your throat, uncontrollably convulsing around his cock as he thoroughly fucked you through your orgasm, muffling your pleased moans with a messy kiss.

With the way your now overly sensitive cunt squeezed and roughly gripped his pulsating dick, Daryl wasn't far behind in his orgasm, grunting into your mouth as his hips stuttered inside you, cock twitching eagerly as he pumped his load deep into the warmth of your heat, Daryl slipping his tongue into your mouth and pressing it up against yours.

When he pulled away, you were nothing but a puddle of pure jelly, going limp in his grasp as he wrapped a secure arm around your middle, moving to kiss and suck your neck as he covered you back up by dropping your dress, deciding he wanted to stay wrapped inside you a little longer.

"Are you gonna give me my panties back?" You questioned from where you now rested against his shoulder, eyes following the older mans movement as he flicked his lighter, holding the flame up to a new cigarette.

The tip burned red as he took the first and long drag, blowing the smoke up in the air and holding the cigarette away from you by stretching his arms across the bench, humming softly as if taking a moment to think. "Nah"

You pulled back from his chest and gawked at him. "No? There'll be a sticky mess between my legs in the morning!"

He smirked at you, showing a sliver of his porcelain teeth as he did. "Tha's the point, lil' sinner, yer gonna be feelin' me fer days"

The nickname made you blush, turning your head away from the man as you also considered his words, a part of you wanted to feel and experience it all over again, almost arguably a divine slice of heaven itself, and you wanted to taste it once again.

"Well you should never commit a sin twice" You mumbled instead of your real thoughts, cheeks now starting to heat up from embarrassment and a bit of shame, Daryl's cock still buried inside you as a reminder of what you had just done, a reminder that the purity and sacrality you had been preserving for your future man had been completely stripped by another.

Unless, Daryl was your future man, clenching down around him as he took another drag of his cigarette, placing a hand back over your now-covered hip, traveling up to your waist, and squeezing the flesh there. He wasn't the God-fearing, clear-minded, faithful man you had dreamed about as a little girl. Still, he was the strong, protective, and leaderful man that you had dreamed about as a young woman, the man you dreamed of to provide for you and the home you built for another, to protect and preserve the family he's made.

His hand grazed your jaw, fingers caressing your cheek and tracing over the shape of your lips. With his gentle and soft touch, you could feel each blister and callous formed on his hands, the rough feeling of hard work against your skin causing goosebumps.

"Somethin' bad gon' happen ta' us?" He questioned, talking around an exhale of smoke as he did.

"We'll go to hell, Daryl!" You rolled your eyes at him.

He lazily shrugged a shoulder, staring at you with searching eyes. "We'll go together"

Your mouth gaped at his words, stammering as you struggled to find your own. "W– Well I'd much rather prefer we go to heaven together"

"They not gon' let me in" Daryl scoffed slightly as he spoke.

"Not when you commit sins like lust, Mr. Tainted" You flicked his forehead, and he grumbled swatting your hand away, rubbing the reddening skin.

"Ain't my fault, Mrs. Holy, yer' dress leaves little ta' tha' imagination" He muttered, and your eyes widened at his words.

"Are you– My dress goes to my flipping ankles!" You picked up some of the pooled dingy fabric, tugging on it for emphasis.

Daryl shrugged again at that, his eyes now traveling the length of your body where you sat still in his lap. "Don' matter, ever since I saw tha' pretty lil' face I've wanted ta' see the rest of ya', 'nd I ain't disappointed"

You scoffed in disbelief, turning your head in an attempt to hide the heat rising to your face, speaking in a hushed whisper. "My gosh, you speak such foul words in such a sacred place"

"We jus' fucked" Daryl said bluntly, taking another drag from his cigarette as he watched you snap your neck back to him, mouth slightly agape as you scrambled for words. "Y– Yes. But, that doesn't mean you have to talk like that in God's house"

At that, Daryl's cock twitched inside you, a smirk taking over his lips "Ya' said tha' same thing before m'tongue was down yer' throat"

"Daryl!" You hissed, the man chuckling as he gripped your hip and moved to kiss at your already marked-up neck, the weight of your faith starting to weigh heavy as you felt Daryl's cock hardening to life against your walls. "Fornication is straight up breaking the laws of God. We can't– I can't do this again"

The smell of cigarettes and sex painted the church air as you planted both hands on Daryl's chest, pushing yourself up and slowly off his dick with a restrained groan, turning into a sharp gasp when the elder pulled you back down, flush against him.

"Think fornica-whatever s'allot more than jus' sex, 'cause I don' have a problem makin' ya' mines" Daryl mumbled the words into your hair, holding you to his chest with one arm and stubbing out his cigarette in the wooden bench with the other. "God can't stop me from wantin' ya', can he?"

"He can, if you don't truly want me" You muttered into his shirt, and could feel the rumble of his short laughter through his stomach. "'S'good tha' I've wanted ya' fer a while then"

You sighed as you pushed yourself up to meet his gaze, eyes sharp and focused on yours as you moved. "It's more than just want, marriage is a life-long commitment, spiritual and eternal, it's about your faithfulness and loyalty to the person you love, the person you wanna become one body with, share your body with. That's why it's important to save yourself for marriage, to keep yourself pure and clean for the one you want to share it with"

"Aren't we one righ' now?"

"I– I mean– yes, but n– not in the way God intended for us to be–"

"–Why? 'Cause we ain't married? Pretty stupid if yer' askin' me"

He took your left hand in his, bring it up to his lips and placing soft kisses on your delicate fingers, lips lingering against your ring finger.

"Don' need no God ta' tell m'tha' I do or don' love ya', 'cause I know I do, dammit woman, loved ya' since I met ya' on yer' daddy's farm" Daryl scoffed as he finally spoke his feelings into the air, listening to himself and how ridiculous he sounded.

You listened intently, staring at him with glossy eyes as he spoke, your lips twitching and tugging into a tiny smile.

A provider, a protector, a man, a real man, was what Daryl Dixon was, the type of man that you thought could only ever exist in your head and bible, yet here he was, clinging to you and holding you close to him, pressed tightly against and in you, so tight that it felt like you'd just melt right into him at any second, his heart beating erratically in his chest, so much that you could feel it against the beat of your own heart.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" You whispered, watching how Daryl's eyes shifted away from yours in the embarrassed way that they always did. "Tell me!"

The man grumbled as you grabbed his face and shook his head, forcing his gaze back on you as he pulled your hands away with his, dropping them down to his chest and holding them there. "I didn' think ya'd want someone like me"

"What? Someone unholy?" You tilted your head slightly at him.

He shook his head, fingers squeezing your wrists. "Someone damaged"

"Damaged? You aren't damaged, Daryl. You're just tainted" You furrowed your brows, frowning slightly at his words.

"Ya' always say tha'" He mumbled, and you sighed. "Because there's no other way for me to put it. You're just a corrupted soul, but that doesn't mean you're a bad person"

He stared at you, licking his lips as he looked at your own, his cock twitching back to life again. "Even if I wanna corrupt ya' too?"

"And how exactly would you do that?" You laughed, but couldn't ignore the heat starting to pool in your gut, feeling a familiar buzz in your fingertips as Daryl ran his hands up your thigh, bunching the fabric of your dress all the up past your tits, a sharp gasp leaving your lips as the cold air hit them, the older man pulling you close and popping one of your tender nipples into his mouth, rocking his hips to full hardness. "M'gonna slut ya' out, pretty girl. Gonna turn ya' into my sweet lil' sinner, a little holy fuckdoll"

"I'm not a sex toy" You whined as he dragged his tongue across your boobs, involuntarily clenching around him as you tried to defend yourself, but Daryl laughed lowly as he trailed his lips up to the skin of your neck, kissing his way up to your ear and taking the lobe between his teeth. "Not yet, gorgeous, not yet"

GUYS. GUYS I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY OF THIS I SWEAR.

I can't believe its done??? I've snipped so many snippets, cut so much out, stared at it for so long, and now its done (after a few decades) so I hope that everyone who I hyped up for this fic was satisfied and it was everything that I had made it out to be

Anyways this fic wouldn't have even existed without @tylermaxxine the local instigator and chronic coffee chugger

[mrsbrookemunson]

Hi, love you’re writing! I was wondering if you were open to a Sebastian request… there’s a HC that the reason his hair is always so chaotic is due to Solomon taking sheep shears to his head, and I was wondering if you could use that to do a small fluff, possibly revealing a crush, between Sebastian and MC, in which he’s received another Solomon haircut and is feeling really self conscious about it, so MC assures him it’s not so bad/he’s still handsome

I'm not even kidding, I saw this request and immediately had to do it because I love it so much - I recently went to Universal (Islands of Adventure) and saw the Hogwarts castle and Hogsmeade... I may have cried a little. Summary: The request Pairing: Sebastian Sallow x MC (No pronouns used) Warnings: Uncle Solomon (there, I said it), angst, fluff, food mentioned, use of 'MC', honestly just real fluffy fluff which I feel like we don't have a lot of. Wrote this in one sitting so most definitely typos. If you're on a computer, the pictures might be formatted weirdly. Contains (Or Lacks): No specific house mentioned. The main plot of the game still happened, but Sebastian's side quest did not. Which means Solomon's alive, but Anne is not cured. Set in summer.

(Pictures Found on Pinterest)

The summer sun was always a lovely feeling after the long and cold winters that occurred in the Scottish Highlands. You could admit the snow was pretty, but the way the warmth engulfed you as your journey took you through fields of flowers, across crystal clear water streams, all whist surrounds by tall mountains that were accented with green. Green was everywhere - green grass, green trees, green bushes, and everything so forth. Each breath you took filled you with peace.

Then there you were.

Feldcroft.

It was only a month and a half ago since you last saw your best friend, Sebastian. The end of your 6th year left you torn. Why? Because ever since you and him met in 5th year, you couldn't deny the spark that ignited when your eyes first met his. It was almost as if Merlin himself wrote in the stars that the two of you would find each other one day. And thank Merlin you did. He was there for you during your fight in the Goblin War, he was there for you in the search to find all the answers that led to more questions, and he was there for you when you lost Professor Fig. But, there were lows that came with it.

You couldn't help him. Over the last two school years, you've tried and failed to have found a cure for his twin sister Anne. You both now knew Rookwood was behind the cruelty and not a goblin, but what good did it do when you were too blinded by the fight to have forgotten to force the answers Sebastian so desperately needed out of him? At least, that's what you tell yourself. Sebastian had to have told you a million times not to blame yourself, but you couldn't follow through. The only way to fix things was to find a cure for Anne.

You clutched the handle of your trunk as your eyes caught the all too familiar well of Feldcroft.

"Off on another adventure?"

You turned your head with a raised eyebrow toward Ignatia Wildsmith. With a chuckle, you continued forward.

"Ah! MC, good to see you again!" Bernard Ndiaye, the Feldcroft shopkeeper, called out.

You smiled and walked up to him. "Hello, Bernard. Doing well?"

"As good as one can be," he answered. "What brings you to town?"

"Oh, I'm just visiting a friend," you replied, vaguely. "Sebastian," you added.

"Ah... young Sallow. I've seen quite a bit of him recently."

"Hm?" You gave him a questionable look.

"He's been helping the folks around here with some labor. He's been a great help to me, keeping my shop tidy and stocked!"

"Sounds like Sebastian," you laugh.

He echoed your laughter. "I shouldn't have been surprised of your arrival, he's been talking about you."

"Has he?" You perked.

"Oh yes... all good things, of course." He grinned, smugly.

You furrowed your eyebrows at him in suspicion. "I'll take your work for it..." you dragged in amusement. "Well, I should probably be going, they are expecting me."

"Yes! Yes! Don't let me keep them waiting." He waved you off as he takes a sip of his tea.

You smiled and waved goodbye. You walked away toward the Sallows' house which you deemed as the most whimsical looking one out of Feldcroft, but maybe you were biased. You sighed as you took in the house. It was small, but beautiful. You took note of the new elements that have appeared since the last time you were here. A few new plants, a few new fruits and vegetables in their garden, even a new painted wood sign that claimed their residency. Everything looked perfectly tended to.

You raise your fist to knock, but before your knuckles could touch the door you heard what sounded like a grunt coming from behind the house. You froze in attempt to make it easier to hear. Your eyebrows furrowed when you heard yet another one. You took a step back from the door and set down your luggage. Your curiosity led your feet around the house, eyes bouncing around to spot the source of the sound.

You stopped over by the training dummies when you heard another sound, louder than had been before. You turned your head rather abruptly knowing you had finally found your conclusion but that backfired when you felt your knees nearly give out on you.

Oh.

Your face flushed when your attention was suddenly drawn to none other than your best friend. Your best friend that you fancied like mad, right here in front of you, skin glistening from sweat, breathing heavily with the occasional grunt as he moved large trunks of wood. Your eyes widened the more you continued to gawk at him, you didn't even notice that your jaw had dropped a little at the sight of him.

He stood up straight and lifted his hat a little to wipe the sweat off his forehead. He let out a long sigh of exhaustion and let his head hang low for a moment before shaking it off and turning his body to where you stood. You swore you saw his soul leave his body when he was smacked in the face by your presence.

He jumped and grasped his chest with a gasp. "Merlin MC, don't do that to me! How long were you standing there?" he scolded.

Your brain didn't process his scolding. You smiled and walked with vigor up to him. Without a word you threw your arms around your neck and pulled him into an embrace. He stiffened for a second before hugging you back

"I missed you," you said.

He wouldn't have admit it in that moment, but hearing your voice after haven't heard it in a while made his stomach flutter. A smile made its way onto his face. "I missed you too."

You pulled away, but not too far as you scanned his face for any changes. He did the same.

"You've grown," you pointed out.

"Have I?" He smirked.

"At least an inch." You narrowed her eyes. "And you got a new freckle... right... there." You poked his cheek.

He jokingly slapped your hand away. "I see you haven't change one bit," he teased.

You rolled your eyes. You raised a hand to block your eyes from the sun. "Merlin Sebastian, how are you wearing a hat right now in this weather?"

You didn't mention it, but you saw the way his cheeks turned a light shade of red.

"Where's your luggage?" he asked.

"At the front." You jutted your head in the direction.

"C'mon, let's get you settled then." He placed a hand at the small of your back and guided you to the front of the house. He grabbed your luggage and brought it inside, holding the door open for you.

The first thing you saw was Anne. She was standing there with a weak smile on her face. She had gotten a lot thinner since last summer when you saw her, and the dark circles under her eyes were more noticeable. It was a jab to your heart seeing her this way, knowing you couldn't control it.

"MC!" she exclaimed, happily.

"Anne!" You opened your arms and hugged the girl.

"How've you been?" she asked, moving so she could look at you as she spoke.

"I've been good - busy - but good." You hesitated at first, but asked, "And you? How have you been feeling?"

"Some days are worse than others, but today has been good. Probably because I knew you'd be here today." You laughed together. "Uncle has gone out to go get supplies for supper tonight, he should be back soon."

Sebastian behind you muttered something incoherently.

Anne looked at him. "Something on your mind?"

He glanced up from the palm of his hand which he had been absentmindedly tracing. He formed his lips into a tight line. "Nope. Nothing at all... I'll be outside if you girls need anything." He was quick to leave.

You grew a little confused at his rushed exit. "Is there anything I should be aware of?"

Anne scoffed a little. "Oh, it's - it's nothing, it's silly." She brought you to sit at the dining table with her. "He's just a little snippy because Solomon gave him a haircut," she explained.

You didn't know whether to laugh or not. "What?"

Anne shook her head a little. "Ever since we were young, after our parents died, every summer Uncle Solomon will give Sebastian a haircut if he thinks it's gotten too long to do labor with."

You grimaced at the thought of that man giving you a haircut and began to felt sympathy for Sebastian the more you thought about it. "Oh..."

"Solomon recently thought it had gotten too long... I have never seen Sebastian fight it more than he did this time. Honestly, I think it had something to do with you coming so soon."

You frowned. "I'd never make fun of him if that's what he thought."

"He knows that, it's just..."

You tilted your head. "It's just... what?"

She leaned in a little. "It's just that he wants to look his best when he's around you."

"Why should that matter?"

She looked a little taken aback. "My Merlin, do you really not know?"

"Know what?"

"You don't!" she exasperated.

"Don't know what?" You were starting to get a little desperate.

Anne looked around as if to make sure no one was listening. "Be honest with me here... do you fancy my brother?"

You nearly choked out your saliva as you gasped in shock. "What?! No! Me?! No!" You avoided her eye contact as well as her wide grin.

"Oh my gods! You do!" She began to laugh as if it was hysterical. "I knew it!" She slapped the table. "And Sebastian told me you didn't think of him that way..." She shook her head. "I should've listened to Ominis." She began to ramble off about you, Sebastian, and Ominis.

"What are you talking about?"

"You can't tell him I told you, but sister to sister you have to know... that my brother - my twin - is totally in love with you."

You blinked a few times as you attempt to process this information. "What?"

"Now before you start asking - "

"Has he told you that?! Since when?! Why has he never told me?!" you blurted.

"He - "

Suddenly, the door swung open. Heavy footsteps treaded in, the wooden floors creaked underneath the new weight. You turned your head and was met with Solomon whose facial expression hadn't changed since the last time you saw him. A deep scowl.

"You're here early," he grumbled.

Your eyes glimpsed at the grandfather clock in their house. You weren't early, in fact you were actually a little late, but there was no way you would correct him. So, instead, you gave a sweet smile. "I had anticipated some interruption during my travels, but lucky for me none came."

He gave a stiff nod and shuffled his way to the kitchen. "Hope you like Shepard's pie."

Even if you didn't, you would never admit it. "Love it!" You eyed Anne who was holding back a giggle.

"Where's that boy?" he asked, unpacking the produce and meat.

"He's outside, working in the back," Anne answered.

He glared. It wasn't directed toward Anne, but it still managed to make you two cower a little. "No manners that boy has! Invites a guest over and then - " The rest of it was mumbled as he stormed out of the house.

You and Anne could hear muffled shouting.

You turned to Anne. "Anne, about Sebastian - " You were interrupted this time by the door. However, Solomon was now accompanied by Sebastian.

So, that's why he's wearing a hat. You thought to yourself.

Solomon shoved his toward the table where you and Anne sat at. He huffed and sat down beside you.

Anne glanced between the two of you with a sly smile. "So, MC... you said you've been busy, doing what exactly?"

"I've been helping Mr. Weekes at Spintwitches Sporting Needs, he has some new ideas for broom upgrades that I've been assisting him with."

"Sebastian told me you were a good flyer, better than Imelda from what he's told me."

Sebastian had seemed to've perked up. "She's the best on the team."

You breathily scoffed. "That's pushing it a little."

"Nonsense, people think you're gonna get chosen for captain in this new year," he said.

"Don't let Imelda hear that, it'd be over her dead body would I get that position," you half-heartedly joke.

"Anything else you've been doing?" Anne inquired, resting her chin against her knuckles.

"I've been helping Mr. Hill with modeling clothes, helping Sirona at the Three Broom Sticks - cleaning and whatnot, helping J. Pippins with potion deliveries, of course running my own shop - "

"Have you been taking breaks?" Sebastian asked.

You frowned a little at his look of concern. "Of course I have been taking breaks, I''m taking one right now, being here." You could tell that didn't ease him. "It's a busy season, but I've been managing."

"But, you've been drinking enough water, right? Eating enough? Sleeping enough?"

Anne could relate this back to the 'he's in love with you' claim, but you could relate it back to the two of them. He's had to care for Anne for a while now and witnessed her downfall, it's to no surprise he'd be protective over your health and making sure you're okay.

"Yes, Sebastian," you assured.

Solomon was cutting carrots (why is that funny to imagine?), when he grumbled to himself about something. He set his knife down shook his head. "Boy! What did I say about wearing hats indoors?"

You eyed Sebastian's expression. It flickered with embarrassment.

"I am not taking off this hat," he argued.

Solomon crossed his arms and stared down Sebastian. "And why is that?"

Sebastian's lip trembled a little. "W-Well, because - " He sighed in defeat, he didn't want to argue in front of you. That was an embarrassment in itself as he learned the more he thought about the day you first met Anne. "Yes, sir."

Solomon went back to cooking. You didn't know whether to watch or not as Sebastian slowly took off his hat. His eyes casted down in shame. Some of his hair was matted down from the sweat while the rest of it had it's own mind. You had never really seen his natural hair, always tamed with gel. This was the first time you had seen the chaos that was Sebastian's hair, and oh how Solomon did not understand it.

Sebastian ran a hand through it, but it only seemed to have stirred it more. The shorter layers sticking out a little, some parts wavy, some parts straight. The longer layers uneven. You deep down hoped that one day it'd be you who'd give his hair the treatment it deserved, because you knew how much Sebastian cared about it.

"I'm just going to step away for a moment - " Sebastian started.

"No, I need your hand in the kitchen," Solomon countered.

Sebastian shut his eyes. His nostrils flared ever-so-slightly as he breathed in sharply. He stood up and walked to the kitchen.

"Due to the arguing, Solomon did haste the cutting process," Anne explained in a hushed tone

"What does he use for it?" You scooted closer toward her so Sebastian nor Solomon heard.

"Sheep shears." Anne cringed at the thought. "I've been fortunate enough to have never experienced it, Sebastian on the other hand..." she paused. "In our second year, Solomon cut it right before the start of first term, and let's just say... it ended him up with an awful nickname."

"Oh, poor Sebastian..." You sympathized.

"After that he learned how to style his hair and built a new reputation for himself, but I know it haunts him every time this season comes around. I think he's just scared you'll somehow lose interest in him all together if you see him - well... this way..."

You frown and looked at Sebastian whose energy drained in the last hour.

"I don't think that's possible," you whisper, unknowingly.

Anne grabbed your hand that laid on the table. "Maybe it's time to tell him that."

You bit your lip. Your nerves grew the more you thought about such a conversation between you and Sebastian. Where you'd reveal the feelings you've contained since the day you met him. Yes, when you met him, you thought he was attractive, but then you got to know him and suddenly he was beautiful. Inside and out, and that's what scared you.

Were you enough for someone beautiful?

You know Anne said he liked you back, but what if it was all a big misunderstanding? It wouldn't have been the first time.

Could you afford to get your heartbroken by Sebastian?

You think not. Which is why when you got your plate of food, you managed to build up no appetite. You pushed around the potato meat and vegetables until it was nothing but a pile of mush. You could feel the heat of Sebastian's gaze burn into you, but you did you best to avoid it. Eventually, Anne allowed the awkward silence to take over until everyone was done with dinner.

Sebastian stood up. "I'm gonna go get some air," he announced before leaving.

You watched him carefully as he left.

Anne picked at her fingernails. "I'm gonna go help Uncle with the rhubarb pie," she said, slowly, as if hinting toward something. "If you know... you wanna... talk." She eyed the door.

You picked it up her cues rather easily. "Yeah," you breathed. "Yeah, maybe that's for the best." You cleared your throat as the both of you stood.

Anne could read by your stance how nervous you were. She grasped your upper arm. and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Hey, believe me when I tell you that you have nothing to worry about. I know my brother better than anyone and I know... you're everything to him."

You could've argued against that, but chose to bite your tongue and nod. She smiled and gave your upper arm one more squeeze. She walked past you to the kitchen. You sighed and glanced at the door. After what felt like a lifetime you took the first step toward exiting the house until you felt the cool breeze against your face. You ventured out a little and turned your head to your right. It was where you two met up the day you first came to Feldcroft all that time ago, before you met Anne, before him and Solomon got into that fight, and before you told Sebastian all about the keepers.

You walked up the steps and to him where he was leaning against the railing. His back was still turned to you which prompted you to rest against the railing next to him. The two of you wallow in the silence.

"I'm sorry," he said, breaking the silence.

"What for?"

"For being distance."

"It's okay - "

"It's not okay..." He groaned a little. "It's stupid." He shook his head.

"What is? I can tell you, whatever it is, it is not stupid if it's affecting you this much." You knew what it was, but for you to truly understand, you needed to hear his feelings on it.

He shakily sighed. "I know you've noticed, how could you not notice?" He tugged at a strand of his hair which stuck up and out of place. "I swear he treats me as though I'm still a child."

"Sebastian..."

"Don't even lie and tell me it doesn't look bad."

"Could you look at me, please?" He hesitates but does so. "Here..." You stand upright, guiding him to do the same. Cautiously, you began to run your fingers through his hair. You don't verbally mention the way he shuddered immediately when doing so, or when he sighs again, this time of content. You smile, and continue to use your fingers to carefully style his hair. "This is the first time you've ever let me do this."

"Is it really?" He sounded absent. You noticed he had close his eyes and was now leaning into your touch a little more than before. "I've been missing out..."

"Just give me the word and I'll do this at any time for you." You smiled even though he couldn't see it.

"Careful... I think I'd tell you to never stop at some point."

You chuckle but don't respond. You finish by brushing his bangs to the side. Your eyes flickered all around his face. You were so close, you could've counted every freckle, every eyelash, every scar and imperfection that was perfection simply because it was him. Without another thought, your fingers dragged to trace the side of his face down to his jawline. During that, his eyes slowly opened. Your hand didn't leave his face as his eyes bored into yours.

Have they always looked at you that way?

"Have I told you lately that no matter what... you're beautiful... to me?" you stammered.

His breath hitched in his throat. "No," he breathed. "But, then again, I've been doing a terrible job reminding you that as well."

"We ought to really work on that together then, hm?"

He lifted up a hand and pushed your hair back behind your ear. "Yeah..."

"Sebastian?"

"Yes?"

"Kiss me."

You could only describe the moment as the stars having finally aligned. He wasted no time placing his lips against yours. There was no barrier of friendship keeping him from doing the thing he's been wanting to do for so long. You both have well crossed that safe line and now there was so turning back. Sebastian pulled you closer as he deepened the kiss. He wanted to make up for all the time he let go by without making you his. And he really wanted you to be his as much as he wanted to be yours. He wanted to memorize the feeling of your lips against his, your body pressed to his body, the tickle of your hair of his face, the feeling of your fingers in his hair. All that he wanted to consume was you.

The two of you pulled away to catch your breath. You both laughed and leaned into each other as you processed the moment as it was really happening.

You sighed, happily. "You know, your uncle is going to be wondering where we went."

"I honestly could care less about that right now." He couldn't stop smiling. He goes to lean in again but is interrupted by someone clearing their throat.

"As much as I'd love for you guys to continue your moment, I was ordered to tell you that the pie is ready," Anne said with an amused glint in her eye. "I'd also like to mention that I told you so, to both of you." She spun on her heel and began to slowly walk away.

You and Sebastian watched Anne walk away with wide eyes. Sebastian intertwined your fingers with his. "I guess we do have all of summer to spend time with each other."

"I'd like to think it wouldn't end just there," you tease as the you both start to walk back to the house.

"Don't you worry, you're gonna be stuck with me for life. Bad haircuts and all." He nudges you, playfully.

A perfect life.

Your eyes soften. "Lucky me," you whisper.

[alice-after-dark]

A Dark Web Romance (Concept)

Just a fun concept that has been sitting in my drafts for a while.

@hiemaldesirae hope you feel better :)

TW for violence, abusive relationships, vaguely implied sexual abuse, cannibalism, gore, murder, implied NSFT, and other canon-typical triggers. Contains abusive StaticMoth.

Vincent Haynes, who goes by the online name "Vox," is an elite hacker who makes his money on the Dark Web doing jobs for the worst of the worst. It is through this work that he becomes acquainted with a user known as TheRadioDemon, a cannibalistic serial killer who hosts a podcast. Vox has never missed a show since discovering him and has developed a crush on the man. Sure, he may not have any interest in which parts of the human body are best suited for a stew, but he is more than willing to listen to that gorgeous voice explain it to him in graphic detail while he carves said flesh off his screaming victim.

When the host expresses difficulty with his website, Vox jumps at the opportunity and soon the two are exchanging private messages daily, even long after the problem has been fixed.

One day months later he meets Alastor Bourreau, a new resident in their apartment complex who has moved into the apartment across from Vox. Hailing from New Orleans, he has come to New York City for a change of scenery, a "change of flavor" as he puts it.

There is something...familiar about the man, but Vox can't put his finger on it.

Vox and Alastor become fast friends, something Vox's boyfriend, a jealous and unstable pimp named Valentino, does not approve of. Their relationship began after Valentino hired Vox to do some work for his snuff website and now Vox is trapped in Valentino's never ending cycle of love-bombing and abuse. He is too scared to leave the pimp, knowing full well that Valentino could have him killed if he wanted to.

He expresses these fears to TheRadioDemon during their nightly chat after a particularly bad fight that leaves Vox with two broken ribs and a sprained wrist.

And suddenly Valentino stops calling him. He stops showing up at his apartment unannounced over some perceived slight or another. He stops contacting him altogether. It's strange and confusing and Vox doesn't know what to make of it. Valentino won't answer his calls. In fact, they all go straight to voicemail until finally the inbox is full and he can't leave any more.

He decides Valentino is probably on another one of his binges and that he'll hear from him eventually.

But he doesn't. What he gets instead is a link to a livestream sent to him from TheRadioDemon. That's...strange. TheRadioDemon has never been a visual person, always sticking to his podcast format. Still, he clicks on it without hesitation.

Front and center is Valentino.

The man is strapped into a medical chair with his chest cut wide open. Vox can see the rise and fall of the man's lungs. A message pops into his inbox.

Do you like it, darling? He broke your ribs, so I took his. I also took the liberty of removing that foul tongue of his.

Another message.

What should I take next?

Vox already knows what he wants before the question even comes.

Cut off his fucking dick.

It's three hours before the video ends, the main chat alight with suggestions and comments. The video goes dark every time TheRadioDemon acts, broadcasting Valentino's agonized gurgles and wails and cutting back on to reveal the new damage done. Vox says no more, simply sits back and watches the show.

He is only half watching Valentino though. Instead, his gaze is constantly being drawn to the small red fawn plush sitting on the metal table, starkly innocent beside the bloodied instruments of torture and placed so purposefully.

He knows that plush. He bought that plush.

Moments after stream ends finds him in front of Alastor's door. He's barely had time to knock when it opens and he is yanked inside and subsequently slammed up against the door and kissed.

"I was so hoping you'd catch on," Alastor mumbles against his lips. "I've had my eyes on you ever since you first tuned into my broadcast. I could hardly contain myself when I finally found you. You looked so delicious."

Vox isn't sure if he means that literally or figuratively and he doesn't care. It might be both. It's probably both. He's okay with that.

[keysmashingfantasies]

Hi, I love your writing and was wondering if you could do a chishiya x freader where reader takes a long time to come back from a game so chishiya assumes she is dead. They aren’t together but somehow chishiya has managed to open up to them and is starting to have a better understanding of emotions. So when he thinks readers dead (the only person he tells his feelings and past) he has a break down. Then reader comes back to find him a mess. When she asks why he explains how he wants to learn about emotions and feeling because reader opened him up to the idea. He basically ends up confessing and they end up together. Maybe even drunk sad chishiya idk 🤷🏻‍♀️.

yes i can! thank you for requesting. i tried a different format with this so let me know if it's confusing. flashbacks are in italics

"You seem like a doctor", you said with a smile. Chishiya's brows rose. Was it obvious?

"Why do you say that?", he tried to act like you hadn't read him but you had. And after almost drowning, Chishiya didn't have a lot of energy to keep up his nonchalant facade. Especially not since you had rescued him, given him first aid, dry clothes and a warm meal.

"You seem... Serious. But not in a moody way. Like someone who's been... desensitized. You're very clinical. About all of this, the games. The way the world works. Your eyes are a little sad. Like you've seen so much", you said, sitting opposite to him and handing him a water bottle with a smile that made him feel funny. He remembered asking himself if these games were a ploy of God. But if they were, maybe God put some angels hidden around. Like in a spades game inside a pool filled with traps.

"But that could be anyone", he took the water bottle, nodding his head slightly as a way to thank you.

"Yeah. But anyone wouldn't be as smart. And they wouldn't know how to fix the excuse of a patching up I did in themselves like a pro, like you did", you pointed to his forearm, now properly bandaged up. Neither too loose or too tight, the bandages tucked in nicely. "So, doctor, what's your name?", you smiled, offering him what was left of your food.

One hour. It's been one hour since the games were over and there were no sign of you anywhere. With so many people, he thought he may have missed you. But it wasn't like him to not be able to spot you. Not when he couldn't take his eyes off of you at any given point when you weren't inside a game.

He was sitting seemingly patiently but he had started to twist his hands inside the pockets of his hoodie. His mind was going haywire, going through the stages of grief over and over and over again, interluded with pep talks about how you were smart. You were strong, you could do it. But could you? And then it would start over again.

Another half an hour went by before Chishiya stood up.

"Sitting around just won't do", and then he started walking.

"I think I've seen the worst of the world", Chishiya said, quietly, like he was telling you a secret. In a way, it was. He hadn't told anyone about it, after all. "Here, back in the real world... It's all the same, isn't it? There's no justice, is there?". He seemed so vulnerable, looking down at his lap.

"What happened in that game wasn't your fault. It was a hearts game. You just played the hand you were dealt with", you said, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder, squeezing to bring him out of his stupor, to let him know you were there for him.

"Yes but... How can we decide? How can anyone decide the cost of a life? Who's worth it and who's not?", he said, looking over at you.

"We can't. No one is more important than the other person, but we are all important", you said. You looked over at him, looking every bit like an angel in that white hoodie. "In normal circumstances. But these aren't. You need to stay alive, understand? You have to live", you said. What you didn't say was the "I can't loose you" that felt lodged in your throat, the words seemingly floating in the air around you too like smoke. It was there, you both knew it, but it wasn't tangible.

"I will live. I will", Chishiya was in a similar situation to yours. He didn't say the "You won't loose me. Ever. Even if I die" that was wrapping around his throat, wanting to force him to confess. "I will come back to real world", he said, determined. He didn't add the "With you" at the end like he wanted to, either.

Chishiya didn't mean to get drunk, honestly. He just thought it was a good idea to not be so tense waiting for you, and specially when you returned. Because you WOULD return.

So he decided to drink a bit. He didn't want his nervousness to take the best of him and make him lash out at you because he's so worried. He could picture perfectly the way your brows would crease, your eyes widening, your lips pouting... You were so beautiful.

But as time progressed and you didn't show up, this was a good enough way to keep occupied. Back at the real world, Chishiya wouldn't indulge in things like that. Not even in the Borderlands, really. But you did something to him. Him drinking to try and numb himself of the intrusive thoughts caused by the anxiety of not having you close for longer than expected made Chishiya feel as if he was one of the patients that he worked with in residence, that started to smoke as a replacement addiction to opioids. Chishiya was addicted to you.

"What will you do? When you go back?", you said. It was yet another one of your late night talks, and he was trying his best not to let his sleep addled mind make him do something stupid. Like kissing you. Even though you were so so close...

"I'm going to start living. Really living", he said, voice thick with sleep in a way that made you shiver. "This place has a way of making you feel like you were wasting your life, doesn't it?", you nodded. "What about you?"

"I will do the things I was too afraid of doing before I came here. I'm going to let people in. I'm going to fall in love. Madly. Maybe start a family. Who knows", you were blushing, your eyes closed to avoid the embarrassment of what you just said. You could feel Chishiya's eyes piercing all over throughout your face like needles.

"That sounds good, I think", he said simply before closing his eyes as well, his own blush dusting his cheeks.

"Chishiya? Chishiya, wake up", you said. You had just came back to find Chishiya asleep with an empty bottle on his hand, and started to worry immediately. This wasn't like him. What really startled you though was the dried tear streaks on his cheeks.

He had opened his eyes after a minute, but just barely, his lids were heavy in a way that told you he was still drunk.

"Y/N... You're back", he hid his face in your thigh where you kneeling besides his head and you had to contain a jump to not hurt him. He was already going to have a killer headache soon, you didn't want to contribute. "I can't believe you're back".

"Of course I'm back", you gently pried his face from your thigh and helped him sit up against a wall. "My game took long, it was a maze. And then I had to get some food too, that's all", you whispered, his intoxicated gaze fixated on you like you'd dissapear if he looked away. "What happened? Why are you drunk?"

"I... I drank because I was afraid. Stupid. Stupid decision", he slurred and you nodded for him to keep going. "You were taking so long... And I was afraid you were... You wouldn't... And then we wouldn't fall in love madly and have children ", he could barely string a sentence properly but you could tell he was being sincere. "Love you. Thank you for letting me in. I thought this was all just so stupid. And then you made me care about you", he said and you felt like you were having a heart attack.

You quickly leaned forward to give him a peck on the cheek, and, regretfully, had to push him away when he tried to kiss you. Instead, you cupped his cheek in your hands. "I love you too. But you're drunk. No funny business until the morning comes", you said and he gave a slow nod.

"Come here. Let's hold each other for now, ok? Rest, and we'll talk in the morning. I'll be here when you wake up, I promise", you whispered. And he promptly fell asleep, anxious to open his eyes to you in the morning as soon as possible.

[marinerainbow]

Since you asked me about my Mario au tell me about yours!!!!

Thank you so much for asking me!!!

Hum... Well, my AU is nowhere NEAR yours or anybody level of awesome. But I hope you still like this! ^^

So, to begin, I do want to pinpoint that I do believe in MatPats theory that Rosalina is the daughter of Luigi and Peach. I know that MatPat has a reputation of WAY overthinking things, and I don't agree with all of his theories, but I like this one. And the reason, as he also put in his video, for how Rosalina can be the same age as Peach, how Peach can be alive even though Rosalina's mother is dead, and why she would choose Luigi over Mario, is because the Mario Universe's galaxy basically resets itself every 100 years with various differences; Rosalina is from a previous cycle of the galaxy, and since now she's a part of the ship and with the lumas, she is nearly immortal.

The reason I took the time to get into that theory is that I applied that to my AU. The galaxy resets itself every 100 years or so with little differences here and there, hence the various inconsistencies throughout the Mario Franchise. (This is partially so I can have the excuse to have multiple Mario AU's and just claim it's another galaxy cycle 😅 but also because I genuinely think this is cool ^^) for now, we'll talk about the current galexy cycle. Or at least my version of it.

Since there is SOOOO much to dissect in the Mario universe, I'll try to cover a little bit of everybody. Or at least the main crew. If you want individual headcannons, feel free to ask! ^^ I'm gonna do this in bullet points since I feel that format will be better for this.

The World

Even though Rosalina states 100 years as the galaxy's cycle time in Super Mario Galexy, I'm gonna stretch this too... 1,000 years, at least. Because think about it; one century isn't as long as you may think. Peach, Mario, Daisy and Luigi can all be born and grow old to be 100, and maybe not even die considering the oldest person alive is 117 years old, a whole new galexy is supposed to be born within one or two generations?? It doesn't exactly sit right with me tbh. So even though it's explicitly stated in the Mario canon... I'm gonna toss that out the window for my AU 😅😅😅

I know that the Mario TV shows are considered non-canon, but I do draw inspiration from them; in the sense that in this cycle at least, Mario and Luigi did originate from Brooklyn and accidentally found a magic pipe that took them to the world of the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario and Luigi, after getting over the initial panic, decided to lay low and continue their jobs as plumbers in this strange world while trying to find a way to get back home (as plumbers, they can get closer to pipes anywhere and can easier find a pipe that can take them home). It wasn't until that they witnessed Bowser kidnapping Peach while fixing the pipes of her castle that they were promoted to heros.

Speaking of Princess Peach's World, everything is bigger here. Like, everything. From the plants, the wildlife, the coins, and even the people. That's why we have gold coins as big as Mario's head, and why Bowser Jr., a b a b y, is half his size. I headcannon Luigi to be 6'2 and Mario to be 5'3, which although is still small for the average man... Princess Peach is 7'3. Yeah. Which compared to Bowser, that's still small. They truly are the land of giants. Toads are considered some of the smallest inhabitants of this world, as well as other characters such as Fawful. (I heard that Nintendo made Mario's official height to be 5'1, which would make the other characters a more reasonable size when you do the math... But this is a different cycle of the galexy (*cough* my personal AU) so XD)

From now on, I'm gonna refer to the world as The Strangelands. This is the world as a whole, not one specific land like The Darklands or The Mushroom Kingdom. They have their own separate space and galexy from us, hence why we aren't affected by the galaxy rebirth. The land where the fairies of 3D world come from, however, is also a separate universe from the Strangelands, and that's part of why their pipes are transparent rather than green. Ever since Mario and Friends and Bowser discovered the land of the fairies, it's become more accessible... And yet Mario and Luigi still can't find a pipe back to their world 🥲

Building up on that; the boos are a separate entity from ghosts. We see in Luigi's Mansion both boos and ghosts of various shapes and sizes. The boos have never been alive, or at least not as humans or toads or anything. They are the natural born citizens of the Strangelands' underworld- or rather, The Underlands, as they are called in this universe. It's where you go when you die regardless of the kind of person you were in the Strangelands, and King Boo rules over the afterlife. He sets up haunted mansions up in the land of the living both for fun and to 'recruit' more ghosts... Since boos are aggressive towards Mario and Friends when they enter the houses, use your imagination on what this recruitment process entails.

Peach, the Toads, and the Mushroom Kingdom

I'm gonna say that for my AU, Peach is an adopted Strangelands human of the Mushroom King and Queen. For whatever reason, they couldn't produce an heir, but found Peach when she was a baby. That's why Peach looks different from the toads.

The clothes and building materials of the Mushroom Kingdom are made from the fibers of the kingdoms own mushrooms and toadstools. It allows the clothes to grow back when they get torn or something, and the houses and buildings can easily recover from an invasion (afterall, we were able to create bricks out of fungal mycelium that can literally grow. Why not have the same be true for the toads?) The clothes are also pretty soft despite not being cotton, silk, or anything of the like. Which is why Kamek and Luigi canonically love Peach's dress... And also it's because her fashion is on point.

As we know, Peach is becoming bigger than just a damsel in distress. In my AU, Peach took a vow of pacifism when she took the throne, believing that that was the true path. However, the more that Bowser kidnaps her and the more threats that she encounters, Peach has been starting to get tired of it and learning how to defend herself with Daisy as her mentor. She's still the sweet, kindhearted princess and would rather avoid conflict. But she's not afraid to fight some koopas anymore. (Bowser thinks it's hot-)

According to the original games' manual, the goombas were traitorous toads of the Mushroom Kingdom. The reason why they look so different from the toads is because the magic in the Darklands corrupted their forms, making them closer resemble the very fungai of their former home.

The Mario Kart and sports games take place in the far future, when Peach and Bowser are finally on peaceful relations like she had always hoped. She now always invites him and his family to the tournaments. It took a while for the toads to trust him, considering his reputation, but in good time, he was accepted in the Mushroom Kingdom again ^^ in fact, Iggy helped invent the gravity defying wheels we see in Mario Kart 8.

Bowser, the Koopa Kids, and The Darklands

Toadsworth and his wife, the grandma toad in Mario RPG, are basically the Kameks of the Mushroom Kingdom; being Peach's advisors and teaching her what magic they know. Granted, their magic is more light than Kamek's, but it was how Peach was able to change her citizens back to normal after Bowser turned them into bricks, stones, and horsetail plants in the first game/kidnapping.

Speaking of horsetail plants; they are considered illegal in the Mushroom Kingdom with how deadly they are to the citizens. They can make a toad gravely ill just by being near them, and is the most effective poison against a toad, being able to kill them in mere minutes after consumption. And, with various things in the kingdom being made of mushrooms, the horsetail plants can also potentially destroy the very foundation of the city. Bowser intended on taking the mushrooms of the kingdom and turned some of the citizens into the plants to keep any potential survivors away from the princess, and once he took full control he would turn the toads that were bricks and stones back to normal since they know how to create these mycelium inbued buildings.

Mushrooms in real life can boost plants' immune systems and even defend them when they are connected to their 'shroom network. The same applies to the mushrooms of the kingdom. In fact, because these are magical mushrooms, it makes Peach's Kingdom not only the healthiest, lushest and most colorful place in the Strangelands, but it also means her land is the most valuable for agriculture. Not only could you grow whatever you want in the kingdom's soil, but it can also thrive. If the Mushroom Kingdom was in charge of our farming, we would have so much produce we wouldn't know what to do with it! Those $6 boxes of strawberries could go down to as little as 50 cents! No wonder people are constantly invading Peach's kingdom!

The initial reason why Bowser kidnaps Peach in the first place was A) part of his plan to conquer and rule all of the Strangelands, and B) because her lands' mushrooms are valuable for the reasons I stated above and then some. However, at some point, he fell in love with the princess in pink and his kidnappings became less hostile (as in, unlike the first time, he'll leave the toads alone for the most part. He'll still cause destruction, but he doesn't go out of his way to kill anyone. Except the Mario brothers since they are constantly in his way and wrecking his plans). He wants to court Peach, but after the first time, he's pretty certain that she only sees him as a monster. So he thinks that the only way to get her to even look his way, let alone get her to talk to him, is by force. But as we see in the Super Mario Wonder promotion video, we see Bowser is starting to try more gentler tactics of charming Peach when he offers her flowers. It doesn't excuse his actions, but my version of Bowser just wants Peach to love him back.

He does love Peach for her, but he also gained memories of a past incarnation of the galexy where they were genuinely in love. He's not sure how these memories exist, or why they only came to mind when he first met Peach, but it did spur him to find answers, and that led to his falling for the princess (in this world, there are only a few characters who remember their pasts lives. Kamek is one of them, and he used an experimental spell to jog Bowsers memory, and later on the koopalings and Junior once he perfected the spell. And that's how Junior knows that Peach isn't his mama without her or Bowser telling him otherwise. But he and the koopalings still want her to be their mother)

The reason why we see so many dry koopas in the darklands is because the darklands are the closest connection to the underworld. Like you're more likely to find a pipe to the underworld in Bowsers castle than in Sarasaland or sonething. That's also part of why Bowser and King Boo have developed an alliance. Boo has taught Bowser the secret of his paintings, hence Super Mario 64, and provides him a way to utilize his citizens who have passed away. In return, Bowser agreed to allow King Boo reign over part of the Stranfelans whenever he takes over. As long as each of his kids still get their own kingdoms.

Speaking of the Koopalings; kamek only casted the spell on them after their own first encounter with Peach. The kids were confused as to why Bowser would go to such lengths for Peach, but when they got to interact with her, she was... Actually, very nice to them. Almost maternal. Peach couldn't believe Bowser had children and was even afraid for them, considering she's only seen his tyrannical side. For the brief time she interacted with them, she expressed concern and care for their wellbeing and even got to play with some of them like Lemmy, before Mario rescued her. That was enough to convince the Koopalings they needed Peach in their lives, but once they got to remember the past cycle where she was their mother, they really started to get involved in Bowsers schemes to get her back... Even if they are exasperated with him not just talking with her 😅

Wendy: Dad, trust me. Us girls love it when a guy just walks up to us and tells us how we feel! You need to try it!

Bowser: Hm... Maybe-

Bowser: Wait! Have there been boys talking to you, Wendy!?

Wendy: -_- Dad, if there were, Roy would have beaten them up by now.

Bowser: Well, as your father, I need to get a beating in myself! Where are they!?

Wendy: *facepalms*

Edit: I originally said that Bowser requested Kamek to jog his children's memories, but I realized the plothole in that; if he knew that the kids knew that Peach was only their mother in a past life, why did he look so guilty, shocked, and was almost crying when Junior confessed to him that he knew Peach wasn't really his mama? So I fixed it, and Kamek did it on the koopalings request instead, when they snuck in his lab and read his notes on this whole thing. Bowser only finds out later. (Also, Bowser up above is threatening to beat up the hypothetical boys that talked to Wendy not only because he's protective, but because he figured out she's a lesbian and isn't tolerating some guy putting the moves on her. Wendy hasn't told him yet, he's just waiting for her to come out if at all. He's intense, but he's got the spirit.)

In this galexy cycle, Bowser birthed Junior himself (I saw a headcannon floating around that koopas can reproduce with another, or by themselves, and I love that ^^), but adopted the koopalings in different times. Ludwig came first, followed closely by Iggy. Larry. Mortan. Roy and Wendy were adopted around the same time. And finally Lemmy. Junior was born a little before Roy and Wendy came into the picture, and has very vague memories of first being introduced to Lemmy. Other than that, as far as he's aware, his siblings have been with him from the beginning.

As for the Koopalings' ages, I do mostly agree with the mainly agreed census that their order of appearance in Super Mario Bros 3 is indicating their ages; Ludwig, Lemmy, Roy, Iggy, Wendy, Mortan, and Larry... I say I mostly agree with this because I actually headcannon Lemmy to be the youngest of them all next to Junior. Just- LOOK AT HIM!? He's so baby!! I know, he could very easily just be immature and short for his age... But he is the true baby of the Koopalings in my heart.

Rosalina and the Lumas

As for Kamek, he's been working on this memory spell for some time. The past... 50 or so galexy cycles, in fact. It's only before the lumas sacrificed themselves in SMG that he finally cracked it, after experimenting on himself and other koopas (one cycle, he even accidentally wiped all of his memories and had amnesia for the rest of his life. Fortunately, he had all of his memories back in the next cycle and made a mental note not to do what he did to cause that again 😅)

As stated above, Rosalina is from a previous cycle where she was Peach's and Luigi's daughter. It did take her some tie to get used to witnessing new timeliness where her mother fell in love with Mario instead, or stayed single. Bowser being her mothers love interst especially threw her off. Though, because of that, she has developed a tiny sense of a big sister role with Junior and the Koopalings. It grew when she got to meet and interact with them in Mario Kart, though she keeps her secrets from them; they don't know that she's technically their sister from another timeline.

By the end of Super Mario Galexy, Rosalina has made her presence known to the cast, and has decided to be more hands on from now on as her role of watcher of the galexy. She comes to the Strangelands to physically check in more often, and that allowed Peach to invite her to the kingdoms events. Rosalina hasn't told Peach of her true identity, though the princess does feel a strange, maternal warmth towards her that she can't explain.

The reason why Rosalina and the lumas were so involved in SMG was because of the black hole. It was unexpected, and they stepped in hoping to help Mario stop it, but he couldn't. That's why the lumas sacrificed themselves to emergency reset the whole galexy before it's scheduled time. It's because of that emergency cycle that the cast are still around rather than being reborn as their ancestors and clearly remember everything.

Just because Rosalina has accepted her role as watcher of the galexy, doesn't mean she's too happy about it. I mean, she has to watch her family who don't even remember her continue on with different lives every 1,000 years, and is unable to communicate to them who she really is... I think Rosalina might have even developed depression at some point. She loves the lumas, but she still wishes she can truly be with her family. Even if they aren't her family anymore.

After the events of Galexy, Kamek wants to find Rosalina and figure out what the hell is going on. He remembers past lives, but doesn't know how it's even possible. But he knows Rosalina has to know, and he wants answers. He's also hoping to find a way to get everyone to remember their pasts for his own reasons. But since Rosalina lives in a spaceship, it's kind of hard to accomplish that... But hey, with the strange stoic women being invited to the Go Karting tournaments, as well as the koopas, it gives our favorite wizard a chance to finally confront Rosalina...

This is all I have so far, aside from character headcannons. I also have my own original concepts and characters. You know Princess Boolina (the poll is still going, but I'm gonna refer to her as Boolina since that's the winning name), as well as a kingdom of music with a king, queen, princess, and prince. I'm not sure if I'll develop the second one more. It depends on whether or not people would be interested and if I can figure out how to fit them in the Mario world. But I hope you like this AU! It may change as I develop it more ^^

Part of the need for the emergency reset was also because of people like Kamek trying to change the course of this cycle. In this iteration, or at least the one before the lumas sacrificed themselves, Peach was supposed to end up with Mario, but thanks to Kamek, Bowser kept getting in the way and trying his way of courting her and getting her back rather than letting this cycle run its course, to the point where he made up his own universe and caused the events leading up to the blackhole consuming everything just to have his love back. After these events, Rosalina has decided that she should keep a better eye on Bowser and Kamek in particular...

[snippychicke]

Legend of the Selkie and the Pirate --Two--

Fandom: One Piece (LA mainly)

Rating: Teen/mature (we have non-graphic nudity stated)

Pairing: Buggy/Selkie!Reader

Warnings: None except heartbreak?

Summary: Even in a world of monsters, devil fruits, pirates, and fishmen, selkies were considered a myth. Especially in the East Blue where the waters were too warm for seals to live anyways. 

Except that myths were always seeded with truths, and stories always had a habit of coming to life. 

Tagging: @tfamidoingwithmylife; @yellowbbear ; @skullr0se; @chiyo-juice

Masterlist|Ao3

(psst, if you're a long time reader of mine and noticed that I had posted part one without dramatic use of italicized words... that was because tumblr ate my formatting. It is fixed now along with a few spelling/grammar corrections.)

Prompt:  Something/Someone missing

The joy of a large trove of treasure disappeared as Buggy watched the seal slip beneath the railing and over the edge. Without thinking, he called out your name as he raced to the edge, just to watch you gracefully disappear beneath the choppy waves. He was somewhat aware of the rest of the crew torn from the treasure, but was frozen as he watched the water. Hoping--Praying-- that you'd break the surface. That you would reappear--either human or seal-- and he could pluck you up once more despite the earlier ocean spray on his hands had already made them painful and weak. 

He'd do it again. And again and again. 

If you would just reappear. 

"Not even a goodbye," Mohji whined eventually. "Richie is going to be so heartbroken." 

Who the fuck cared about the lion? He was heartbroken. The necklace he had in his fist--the one he was about to insist you try when he had first turned around-- cut into his hand as he clenched his fist. 

Why? What did your family or kind or whatever have that he couldn't provide you? Were any them as flashy as he was? Making you constantly smile and laugh? Did any of them take you and accept you as easily as his crew had? 

Did any of them love you like he did? 

Or was it his one flaw? His one weakness? That he couldn't swim. That the ocean hated him for fucking accidentally eating that damn fruit. 

That damn Shanks. If he ever saw him again, he would rip his throat out. 

(Don't let it be his nose. It couldn't be his nose, right? You said it was fine, and he didn't think you were lying.) 

"Cap'n?" Mohji asked, breaking Buggy from his thoughts.

The crew was looking towards him, which he usually didn't mind. Except there was pity in their eyes. As if they could tell--as if they knew--how he felt. 

"What are you freaks looking at?!" He shouted with a manic grin. "We just hit the jackpot! It's time to celebrate!" 

The cheers were less than heartfelt, but Buggy let it slide. This once. 

--

Granted, later that night, while the crew was sleeping off draining half the beer they had on board, Buggy made his way to the small room you had claimed. 

You had been with them for just a few short months, and yet you had made the tiny room your own. Hammock full of blankets and pillows stolen from who knew where. A chest brimming with clothes donated by the crew. A vanity with a cracked mirror, yet you.hadn't seemed to mind. You had placed shiny rocks and shells in the canister meant to hold makeup and brushes.  

He took the necklace he had kept in his pocket and put itt in the main drawer, next to the hairbrush (your hair mixed with a few of his since it had been a spare he had found in his own room). He knew he was being foolish, but he held on to the sliver of hope you'd be back. That you would look at his gift with delight and grin happily at him. That the sparkling gems would look as beautiful as he imagined against your skin. 

And, well, if he happened to fall into your hammock, pulling your pillow close to his chest, it was merely because he drank too much. But in the moment, he knew the truth as the sway of the ship rocked him into an uneasy sleep. 

He missed you. 

Prompt: Forgetfulness 

You had forgotten how lonely the sea was. 

As the sun set and everything became dark, you pulled yourself up to an outcropping of rocks before shifting and looking to the stars. Except the sky was clouded, obscuring everything. 

The night would have been silent if not for the sound of water splashing against the rock and your legs. It was impossible to tell where the sea and sky separated--all that you could see was inky blackness. As if you had somehow appeared into an abyss. 

You shivered, but you weren't cold. You still pulled your fur tighter as you continued to shake, chest becoming painfully tight. 

You wanted to be on the pirate ship right now. You wanted to hear the rumble of snores of the crew. The soft boot steps of those taking watch. The soft glow of the lamps and candles. 

Buggy finding you and ending the lonely night often brought alongside insomnia. It had become a little routine, making you wonder what made it so hard for him to sleep at night. 

You never asked. 

Finally the tightness erupted into a scream, hot tears stinging your eyes. 

You had forgotten what true loneliness was like.

You forgot the heartache of missing those dear to you.

Your heart wasn't sure it even knew where 'home' was. The arctic where your pod was. Where your parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, were.

Or a ship where you were surrounded by people so unlike but had wormed their way into your heart nonetheless. 

(Or maybe where a blue haired pirate grinned at you with bright eyes and a red nose. Like you were the most amazing thing he had ever seen.)

Prompt: Unexpected 

"We're going to the Grand Line!" 

The crew of freaks stared at their captain in confusion. When he had called them together, this was not what they expected his announcement to be. In fact, no one had cared to even place bets considering they all believed it to be the same. 

To go after you. 

"The… Grand Line, Captain?" Mohji was brave enough to ask, clearly as confused as everyone else despite the fact he was technically Buggy's second in command. 

Thankfully, Buggy grinned at the white curly-haired man. Though there was a hint of mania yet again to his blue eyes. "You heard me. We've pittered about the East Blue for long enough, it's time to go after the grand prize--the One Piece!"

"Don't we need a map for the Grand Line?"

"Does the One piece actually exist?

"Well, rumor has it Buggy was on Rogers ship. So if he thinks it does, then it must, right?" 

Buggy wasn't too concerned about the talk amongst the crew, that was to be expected. After all, it was a big change. 

But then…

"What about our selkie that jumped shipped?" Mohji asked, and everyone quickly grew silent, looking towards the captain expectedly. 

Buggy felt his eye twitch as he gritted teeth behind his smile. 

Waking up in your hammock had made the truth hit him like a sledgehammer. You were gone. You chose to leave, without so much as a goodbye.

 Escaping to the one place he couldn't follow. 

"Our little seal made her choice," he said, turning to his first mate with murder in his eyes. "And I don't want to hear another word about it." 

Because his heart was bruised enough as it was. 

He wasn't going to chase after someone who didn't want him. (Just like everyone else in his life he had cared for. He had opened his heart to you, only for you to devour what little had remained before jumping overboard.)

Prompt: Undone

"Well, she's rather special. I mean, can you blame him?"

"Hmph. Captain Buggy has made it a point to build a crew of people that don't fit in. We're his band of freaks. But at least we're human. Or fishperson. The bitch is as useful as a one-legged man in an ass kicking contest. I mean, she had to be taught how to wash dishes." 

"Either she sharpens up, or the Captain will realize how useless she is and send her overboard too."  

The words still echoed in your head despite it being weeks since they were spoken. The conversation you weren't meant to hear but did. The one that made you realize you didn't belong among the land-kind. 

That you weren't meant to be one of Buggy's crew. That the chore girl position you had been given was just to keep you entertained and out from under others feet.

Oh sure, many of the crew acted like they enjoyed you being there-- especially Buggy himself-- but not all of them were such great actors. The scoffs. the sneers. 

Some things were universal no matter what. 

The cry of a seagull roused you from the half-sleep. You groaned when you realized the sun had moved, meaning you were no longer in the shade of the towering cliffs but in the hot sun. 

You grabbed your fur and moved into the new shaded area. Hoping to get a little more sleep before the sunset and you could resume your attempt at finding home.

Goddamn tropics being so hot. It was way too warm to try and swim during the day, so you resorted to trying to sleep while the sun bore down. Yet always alert for any land-kind, so sleep was a relative term.

But at least there were plentiful fish in the waters. 

Yet… your time on the pirate ship had spoiled you. All that different food.

Baked.

Roasted.

Toasted.

Fried. 

And the fruit. The cool and sweet juices from biting into one busting into your mouth. Sometimes too much and escaping the corners of your lips. 

Buggy laughed as you tried hard to catch the juice with your hands. He eventually reached over and wiped some you didn't notice from your chin and made a show of licking it from his glove. "Juicy little thing, aren't you?" 

"I-it was," you agreed, trying to reign in your impulses that you didn't realize what he truly said.

How were you supposed to enjoy going back to eating merely to survive after that? (Were you ever going to get him out of your head?) 

You continued to try and sleep, ignoring the pain any dreams brought once you woke. 

Prompt: Eyes 

For being stuck in a sack, bodiless, and more or less prisoner of Arlong, everything had been going fine. Listening to Luffy's antics was always entertaining. The boy was so clueless and full of optimism that it was almost unbelievable at times. As well as rather annoying, considering how the rubber-cursed teen and his tiny crew had beaten him 

What was wrong with this kid? 

Maybe the Gum-Gum fruit had done something to his brain too. 

Okay, things were massively sucking for Buggy right now, but he held out hope. He had escaped worse situations. Yes his body was too far away for him to literally pull himself together. But after they tracked down the Straw hat, Arlong said he'd let him go. 

Granted, Arlong was the kind of pirate to lie straight to your face, but all Buggy had at this point was hope. 

And then he heard you. He knew wherever his body was it jerked, instinct to whip around to look for you before he remembered his ear was miles away at the Baratie restaurant hidden in Luffy's cap. 

What the fuck were you doing there. 

He wiggled his ear slightly in hopes things weren't so muffled. As angry and hurt as he still was, there was no denying that he was desperate to hear your voice clearly. 

He wanted to see you. Touch you. Talk to you. (Demand to know why you had left him the way you did. Hadn't any of the time you spent with them, with him, meant enough for at least a goodbye?)

"--I'm lost," you admitted slowly, sounding as cautious as when you first boarded his ship. Back when you didn't know who to trust and expected someone to do something. "I'm trying to head north, but--"

He silently groaned, rolling his eyes, the Baratie was south of the Deadman Stacks. No wonder you ended up in the East Blue. You were absolutely clueless when it came to directions, weren't you?

(He could have helped. If you had just asked. If you had just waited another minute.) 

"Where's home?" Luffy asked, full of innocent optimism that set Buggy's teeth on edge. 

You wouldn't. You wouldn't dare accept help from the brat after leaving him. Right? There was nothing that kid had that he didn't. (Except a normal nose-- no. You didn't care about his nose.)

"North?" You answered awkwardly, and Buggy wasn't sure if you were avoiding the question, or if you really didn't know. 

"Like, Shells town? Syrup Village?"

"Um… further… north?"

You… didn't know. At least, none of their names for places. And you didn't trust them enough to divulge that truth. His innocent little lamb lost at sea for how many months now? He didn't think his heart could stand another knife in it. 

"I mean, Cozia is the northernmost isle of the East Blue I know," A new voice peeped in. One of the waitstaff if he recalled right. Sangria? Sojo? Something like that. It didn't matter, not really. 

"That sounds… kinda familiar?" You answered, though your voice was tinged with obvious doubt. You were such a horrible liar. (Which only confused him more, because he had thought you at least liked him. Yet you ran away. Why?)

"Don't worry, my cherie, you rest and eat your fill. We'll find a way to get a beautiful woman such as yourself home." The waitstaff flirted, making Buggy grit his teeth as he tried to keep his snarl silent, well aware that Along's crew was probably listening. 

Hell no. No suave fucking waiter was going to try and steal you from him. (Completely ignoring the fact you obviously weren't his to be stolen.) 

Wait. 

Shit. Fuck. 

Arlong was heading for the Baratie. Where you were. 

And as happy as he was to find you, for the chance to just see you again, there was no mistaking the fear rolling in his gut even if he wasn't attached to his body. 

What if you got caught up in the inevitable fight? You could defend yourself, but against Arlong's crew? One Selkie against three fishman that were stronger than himself? 

What if Arlong decided he wanted you as a trophy? What if he took your fur from you again? Unlike Buggy, Arlong was known to hold people captive for long periods of time, doing as he pleased. (Buggy held on to the fact he wasn't that bad since he only gave the towns and villages a mandatory free show for a few nights and before he'd leave and allow them to rebuild their boring little lives.) 

And all Buggy could do was watch. A bodiless head, unable to do anything but watch. Listen. Maybe beg but he already knew any pleading would fall on deaf ears. 

Prompt: Crowds

You had impulsively followed the smell of food, sick of fish, and ended up giving a few humans--Luffy and Sanji-- heart attacks when you pulled yourself halfway onto the deck asking for food. 

And well, you had gotten what you had asked for that ruined your usual diet even more because it tasted divine. But as you ate, the two had been full of questions and one thing led to another and… 

They wanted to help you. Apparently their navigator might know more about where you were heading. 

Except chaos erupted before you could even meet their navigator. Maybe it was because you were surrounded by too many humans, but you felt exposed. Overstimulated. The constant chatter of the patrons. The clinks of silverware against plates. 

The animalistic part of your brain finally won out, and you ran yet again. There was a storm on the horizon and you didn't want to be caught in the middle of it. 

You didn't care which way you were going, you jumped into the water and dived deep and fast, allowing your body to follow the urge to run and hide. 

~*~

You weren't at Baratie. 

Hours later as Buggy helped the Straw Hat idiots navigate.to Arlong Park, the mantra repeated itself in his head. You weren't there. You hadn't been amongst the crowd of diners that Arlong threatened. You weren't part of Lyffy's little crew. 

Buggy was relieved. Angry. Devastated. Thankful. 

Oh, you had been there. Your voice hadn't been a figment of his deranged imagination. But apparently between Mihawk's attack and Arlong’s arrival, you had slipped off into the night without so much as a word. (Which did help a little. Especially as Sanji mourned the fact two 'lovely ladies' had disappeared on him without so much as a goodbye.)

"Wait, you knew her?" Luffy asked after Buggy not-so-subtly asked if they had seen a curvy gal in a seal-skin coat. 

Buggy grinned, though he felt an eye twitch. "You could say that.  But I mean, what man really knows a woman, am I right?" 

"She's running away from you, isn't she?" Zoro guessed-- making Buggy grit his teeth. 

God, if he had his body right now he would have decked the grass-haired man. Right in the swordsman's chest wounds. (See how he liked a knife in the heart.)

"That would imply I actually gave a shit about what she's up to." Okay. He couldn't lie to himself. He did. Hearing you were still so lost had taken the edge off his anger. He was still mad, but it was tempered with worry now. "She's merely an old acquaintance and I was surprised to hear her voice is all. She doesn't like hanging around crowds." 

"She was a jumpy little rabbit," Sanji agreed with a dreamy hint to his voice. Okay, forget the dramatic samurai-wanna be, Buggy was going to slaughter the chef. "I should have offered to protect her. To keep her safe from whatever frightened her." 

That madeBuggy laugh. "That is a riot. Friend, buddy, pal, let me tell you a little secret. Those sharp teeth aren't for decoration. I've seen her kill half a dozen men in just a few minutes with those chompers of hers alone. She'll bite your hand off if it wanders a bit too much-- and I do mean literally." 

And yet… you were still an innocent little lamb he felt compelled to protect as well.

Or maybe just stand back and watch you protect yourself, clapping and cheering the same way you did during one of his performances. 

But the fact.remained, you had left him. You did not want him or his crew. 

 He was in the midst of his body being kidnapped and sailing into the territory of one of the most vicious pirates of the East Blue with a ragtag bunch of idiots. That should be what took precedence in his mind. 

Not you. (Yet it was.)

[troutfur]

thistlebush helping kill silverstream, but also maybe helping shelter leafpool and squirrelflight and their kits from the worst of snow even in such a weak power level while they rest in a nearby tree or something, because even if leafpool shouldnt have kits, even if theyre half clan and he's not happy about that she's still his MEDICINE CAT and the only one at that, and by starclan he will NOT let his medicine cat get frostbite because she's stupid even if he's not fully happy with her for being stupid with the running off thing or whatever replaces it in this au because i know people change this arc a lot on who the sire is and how it happens but she's their only medicine cat and the plan she has to put this behind her and move on is a good one, she's clearly repenting unlike stupid graystripe insert obligatory she shouldnt have to but like its thistleclaw here

maybe his tugging on her fur was one of the reasons squirrelflight agreed, as if it was him trying to go "yes, cmon, its perfect, we can fix this, say yes"

I just...i love his nuance, i love him, i hold your portrayals of mudclaw and thistleclaw so gently in my hands as wrong but nuanced cats who did bad things, and dont regret it, but had interesting nuanced reasons why and are capable of more then just those things

✍️

Y'all are on fire with this Thistlebush scenarios.

Yes, yes! I can imagine that, with the move and them no longer having a RiverClan border the new location he took root in after the stray seeds caught in someone's pelt could be somewhere aroudn the other border, near WindClan. He could have seen Leafpool go out, give her a scratch as she left, as bad as he could given his power level and the limitations of his magic to punish her for deserting the clan and when she comes back that same way... He's surprised by her loyalty and lets her pass, only leaving a stray seed or pollen on her so he has a connection to her.

I can see him using that liaison to the camp to listen in on her and Squilf as they are planning and fretting and with what little power he still has manifesting in their dreams, pointing them to a hiding place, letting them know about a place where they can rest and give birth to their kits.

The three are dangerous to StarClan. The prophecy plus the fact they came from a codebreaker doesn't endear them to the kittens. For all they care let Leafpool bear the consequences of her actions, whatever those may be.

Firestar is dead, Hawkfrost's plan succeeded, and Brambleclaw is carrying his involvement to the grave as he ingratiates himself with the very rule-following Brackenstar. Leafpool is beloved, but without her dad in the highest office will she be granted leniency? StarClan doesn't really care, but if not, two birds with one stone eh?

Thistleclaw has other ideas. He can't help directly, and he hates the idea of these kits in principle. But the Clan having a medicine cat is important. She better not repeat this fuckup, though. He has his limits.

Aaaaah, thank you! <3 Putting out these concepts and playing with the ideas of StarClan as the embodiment of the historical memory of the Clans is very, very interesting to me. I'm glad it's resonating and really hitting for y'all.

My plans for Haneossia are very all-encompassing and ambitious. So many moving parts and concepts to explore, not only with the supernatural side of things but also with the default polyamory dynamics. I'm still trying to figure out how to realize it all within a format that is comfortable to me. I am, at my core, a writer of short stories not long form fiction. So bear with me as I experiment and see how I can strike a balance between executing my ideas and keeping my workload manageable.

[salvy-deldroid]

Hi there! I am pretty new to this site so I dunno if I'm doing this currently or not. I've read some of your works on Wattpad and am a bit familiar with your writing. Can you write me a few fix headcannons for an ABO creepypasta idea? Alpha Jeff the killer and his Fem omega darling in the classic mansion AU? Darling isnt much of a combat and kill person, however due to being a product of two omega parents, shee does have a mutation in her genes leading to extra powerful pheromones on will. The pheromones can help assert her will on anyone, much like midnight's quirk in MHA. Person feels sleepy and couldn't process shit apart from what they're being told, and then end up complying to it. Slenderman uses it to it's full extent, sending the darling out in recruiting missions and using her to make sealed lips speak. I would love headcannons on how they met and how Jeff sees her! You can make it a bit of dark yandere! I don't have much preferences on clothing but I'll like it if darling's dressed in a beautiful dress with a half faced kitsune mask, it adds to her innocently mysterious aesthetic! It's okay if you can't tho, lots of love <333

Hi there Hon!! That's one specific request XD but it makes things easier imo. I really love the described environment (and the ABO is just the cherry topping the cake!) and am excited to see how this is gonna turn out to be!!! 

So let's start! I'll make it in headcanon format! 

Being a child born of an affair between two omegas didn't make your life any easier. However, it did make it a hell lot of interesting and adventurous. A teeny tiny Lil mutation in your DNA had granted you with something akin to a quirk, and you're grateful for it. The mutation causes you to secrete a special type of pheromone (that too on will, talk about winning the jackpot), which makes it easier for you to control and brainwash someone. Once inhaled, their brain fogs up and the person is temporarily moved to a little space kind of mindset, the only thing they're able to fully register being you and your demands. And hence, you could ask them or command them to do anything and they'll happily oblige. The effect of the pheromones stay as long as they're inhaling it, and a few differences in dosage can make large differences.

When it comes to recruiting, your pheromones are just used as a tranquiliser. You tell the now fogged up creep about the mansion, the advantages and the reasons why they should come with you. And in most cases, they agree and follow you like a lost puppy. In a rare few cases where they refuse, you have to command them to yield, because if you come back empty handed Slender would personally make sure you're punished accordingly.

And that's how you and the asshole of the household first met, on yet another one of your recruition missions. The fairly new creepypasta had been going on a bloody rampage each week, his kill streak enough to catch Slenderman's attention. And off you were dispatched, just 3 weeks after his debut, to find and recruit him.

Oh, it was bloody hell finding that crusty sewer rat. It took you a total of 4 days just tracking his position down. However, you finally found him lurking near the woods the mansion was in, a pretty convenient place. Following your usual set of actions, you start secreting the pheromones before approaching.

For Jeffrey however, the first time seeing you was something akin to witnessing an angel on earth. The previous week's had been rough, the police hot on his trail, laying low during the day and murdering in the night, along with the scarcity of food and water due to his current homelessness. In this subsistence crisis of a life, that beautiful aroma coming from the woods surely caught him off guard. His brain fogged up, all the reasonable thoughts and warning bells muffled as his only concern became to try and find the source of such heavenly smell. 

And as you waltzed out of the woods, wearing that beautifully crafted dress and the intricate kitsune mask hiding the upper half of your face, he was awestruck. He should've ran away, he should've attack and kill you, He should've demanded to know how you found him and what you wanted. But he didn't- he couldn't. At that moment, the only thing that existent to him was you, your offer about joining this mansion family shit where he would be kept safe and provided for and whatever, the beautiful scent, and this dark urge to own you. Something so fucking beautiful needed protection from all the horrors of the world. Something so soft needed someone to hold her close and keep her safe and secure. Something so mystical needed to be looked away and provided for.

You needed him and his protection, and he would gladly give it to you. 

He had absolutely no qualms about the mansion at all, ready to follow you to the depths of hell if it meant being in your mystic presence. He melted at the sight of you, making things times easier. He followed you back to the mansion, up the stairs and to Slenderman's office without any objections, not caring about neither the fact that there were other people looking at him with either curiosity or distaste, nor the giant faceless person in front of him going on and on about having to stamp some pact to join them and becoming a part of the pack completely. All he cared about the soft gaze on your face and the supportive, understanding smile on your soft lips. 

Finally, after being taken to his assigned room, did the fog clear after you closed the door and left. The reality crashed in on him, as he slid down into the floor questioning what, how and why.

This was only the start of the long spiral down the obsession lane for him. Those secret glances at you at the dining table would soon become hard glares at the other Alpha's you'd interact with. Before long he'd start tailing you during your missions, observing each and every interaction of yours. Soon small articles started going missing, nothing too much at first. Just a misplaced bracelet, lost earrings and forgotten scrunchies. Soon however, those little accesories turned into missing panties, lost bras and what not.

While this was going on behind the scenes, on the front stage Jeffrey had already started to get himself acquainted with you. Something out of your reach? Lemme geddit for ya shortie. Why so lonely? You can always play video games with me. He was everywhere, keeping an eye on you or straight up being the one hogging your attention. Oh, he just loved how your oblivious little self would squirm around, the queasiness of being watched. Those frightened little glaces you'd give while walking down the woods alone, your subconscious nagging at you about the presence of a viable alpha. Your jumpiness just added fuel to the fire, firming his belief that you needed someone to take care of you. You need him to take care of you.

A year or two passed by, the alpha within him getting more impatient as you went over to recruit more and more creeps. The thought that everyone here had smelt that sweet aroma of yours atleast once made his blood boil. He would need to act out soon, now that you had a fair amount of viable mates around you.

Soon, the time came. You had started to nest, getting ready for your bi monthly heats. Pillows, shirts and blankets thrown down into your little safe corner and molded into your fortress of fluff, your beautiful nest. This, coupled with your heat suppressants, would be enough for yet another heat without any trouble.

And as on que, our beloved yandere alpha started to put his plans to action. The minty suppressants in the bottle were replaced with mint candies, nothing too much for your oblivious self to notice. Sweet little omegas like you shouldn't use suppressants in that much amount, it would be bad for you. Soon little break in and sneaks into your room started to occur, all your stuff apart from your nest being lightly scented. Not enough for you to notice but prevalent enough for your hindbrain to go crazy. Most of the work had been done, now it's just about time….

Finally, the fateful day of your heart striked. Cramps times worse than what you've experienced in the last couple of years, your foggy brain not being coherent enough. The burning sensation throughout your entire body, you felt like crying. You had forgotten how painful heats can be. This was just one of the worse ones right? 

However, your world came crashing down as you opened your door, entering your room. The jar open door forgotten, all your attention got hogged by what has happened to your little den. 

The entire place just reeked of an alpha, from your bedding to your dresser and wardrobe. Taking low, dreadful steps into your defiled safe space, you should've felt bile rise up your throat. But your heart addled brain just added fuel to the fire, your subconscious screaming at you to go into your nest and wait for alpha instead of investigating. Taking slow, dreadful steps towards your nest, you held your breath in hoping for it all to be a dream 

But it wasn't. The scent of the foreign alpha was the most dense over your best, soon you found out why. Shirts, blankets and articles from your loved ones had been thrown out and replaced, as white hoodies, jackets, black shirts and unknown pillows and comforters lay in their place. All your stuffed toys now were aggressively scented and accompanied by larger toys you didn't recognise. Your nest, the safest place for an omega, had been thoroughly scented and 'perfected' by someone.

Your nest- your den had been marked by an Alpha. And as the realization dawned, you were broken out of your reverie by the sound of your door closing and locking. Snapping around, your eyes met with the figure of him, putting all the pieces together. You started backing away as he turned to meet you, the sickening smile on his face.

He'll make sure it would be a night you'll never forget. 

—------------------------------

Hope this is what you wanted! Sorry if I made any mistakes 😅

[toadspondofwhimsy]

Wildflower -- Charlie Bradbury

SUMMARY: Cas and Dean can’t stand to see their best friend single any more, so they set them up on a blind date with their other friend, Charlie.  PAIRING: Charlie Bradbury x gn!Original Character WARNINGS: OC pairing, I’m hella rusty at writing  WORD COUNT: ~1.2k A/N: I haven’t written something non-academic in a long ass time, so pls be easy on me friends. Also, this format thing is also new to me :)  divider cred: thecutestgrotto

The lighting in the bar was dim, but Phoenix could still make out the forms of their two best friends holding each other and gently swaying on the dance floor. Currently, they were slumped over seated at the bar nursing a lukewarm beer. They only came out tonight because of the staunch begging from their oldest friend Dean and a promise from their most angelic friend Castiel that they definitely will not be third wheeling. Here they were, watching their friends be grossly in love while they themself had zero prospects. Yippee! 

A few songs passed and Phoenix had to look away from the sickening scene, if they saw Cas’ trench coat twirl around him one more time, surely they’d barf. They flagged down the bartender and ordered a vodka cran and requested it be put on Dean’s tab. If he complained they’ll just remind him about his better half’s promise and the credit card fraud.

Another round. Another round. Another round. Phoenix drank their sorrows trying to drown out the sound of their lovesick heart. They always put personal connections on the back burner as a sacrifice for the job. It’s just something you do to protect the ones you care about, don’t get too close and they can’t be harmed by this week’s big bad. After Phoenix had a few drinks, Dean and Cas returned to the bar, smiling and giggly, like they both just got asked to prom. Phoenix couldn’t help but smile at their love despite their jealousy. No one could deny how cute they were as a pair with Dean’s gruffness and Cas’ aloof stare, who wouldn’t adore them?

“What’s up?” Dean asked taking a seat at the bar, “Whatchu drinkin’?”

“Oh you know, just sitting here by myself while my friends ditch me to be in love,” Phoenix answered laying the guilt on thick, “vodka cran.”

“Sorry, we got carried away,” Cas apologized sounding as sincere as he could in this moment. 

“Plus, I think I know how we can fix this,” Dean called over the bartender to order another round, “Cas tell ‘em”

“We have a friend, Charlie, we can set you two up on a date. She’ll be visiting next week.” Cas explained. 

Phoenix’s interest was piqued, they turned their attention to Cas, “tell me more.” 

Cas continued talking about his friend and Dean jumped in with some funny anecdotals. All in all Charlie seemed like a pretty cool person to get to know. Even if nothing romantic came of it, Phoenix would certainly love to be friends with this person. 

A few weeks later Phoenix stood outside the art gallery nervously clutching a bundle of wildflowers. Their eyes scanned every passerby for a violet pinned to her shirt, that’s what Dean told them to look out for. Phoenix told Dean that they’d be the one wearing a denim vest with an impossible amount of patches on it. 

Their eyes lit up when they noticed the red headed woman standing on the other side of the entrance with a violet pinned to her t-shirt looking around. Phoenix couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her, she’s gorgeous, they thought to themself as they walked over. Charlie glanced over at them as they approached her.

Charlie smiled as their eyes scanned over Phoenix’s vest. ‘That really is a lot of patches,’  Charlie thought to herself. She pointed at the wildflowers, “Phoenix?” 

“Well, actually I’m Phoenix, these are flowers,” Phoenix held the flowers out to Charlie with a sheepish grin, “for you.” 

Charlie chuckled, it sounded like music to Phoenix’s ears, “Thank you.” She took the flowers into her hands and looked them over admiring the many blooms. “These are beautiful.” 

“Almost as beautiful as you,” Phoenix responded, “shall we go inside?” Phoenix held their arm out and Charlie linked hers through theirs. 

“Totally! I’ve been so excited for this gallery,” Charlie spoke the excitement clear in her voice. 

The two walked inside together arm in arm and Phoenix listened intently as Charlie told them everything she knew about the artist being showcased at this gallery. Phoenix couldn’t help but smile at her as she spoke, her knowledge and confidence to share it warmed their heart. All the first date jitters washed away from them as they walked deeper into the gallery.

Charlie had shifted topics now and was speaking about queer art history in general. Phoenix stopped walking in front of a large painting of two brightly colored ambiguous human figures leaned into each other with dark muted colors swirling around them in the background. They felt breathless looking at this painting as their eyes scanned over it rapidly taking in every element.

Charlie stopped speaking when they noticed what had captured Phoenix’s rapt attention. She glanced over at the painting and saw it for what it was, beautiful, but it didn’t quite hold her attention as much as Phoenix did. She rather watch Phoenix, their face holding a look of wonder as they stared up at what they would describe as a masterpiece. 

Charlie leaned into Phoenix bumping their shoulder with her own. Phoenix looked down at her and smiled brightly, “sorry, I was just enamored. What were you saying?” 

Charlie shook her head, “No, no, don’t be sorry. It was cute.” She had her own smile that matched Phoenix’s. 

Phoenix’s heart sang as they held Charlie’s gaze. Never in a million years did they think Cas and Dean would be good matchmakers, look at how long it took the both of them to realize the intensity of their affections for each other. Though here Phoenix was standing in front of Charlie with a stupid grin permanently plastered to their face. They could listen to her info dump all night in fact they welcomed it, adored it even. Phoenix turned so their body was now facing Charlie’s and she followed suit. Phoenix’s heart hammered in their chest as they admired the soft wave of Charlie’s hair as it framed her face. 

A soft pink blush creeped up on Charlie’s cheeks. She felt bashful at Phoenix’s admiration of her. Charlie took a step closer to them, slowly closing the distance between them. Phoenix felt a frenzy of butterflies come to life as Charlie moved closer to them. They wrapped an arm around Charlie’s waist and pulled her closer, eliminating the distance between them, “this okay?”

“Does Princess Leia steal and plant Imperial blueprints in R2-D2’s memory?” Charlie answered, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. 

Phoenix laughed, a sweet sound to Charlie’s ears, causing her to laugh as well. They were both quickly smitten with each other. Phoenix gently brushed a loose strand of Charlie’s hair behind her ear and whispered, “can I kiss you?” 

“A million times yes,” Charlie answered with a sweet smile on her face. 

Phoenix leaned in and pressed their lips against Charlie’s, pulling her into a soft kiss. Charlie leaned into them, her heart racing as she kissed them back with everything inside of her. 

When they pulled away from each other, lips pink, and chests heaving, they shared a look. 

“Wanna get outta here?” Phoenix breathed, their voice low and heady. 

Charlie nodded her head as her eyes raked over Phoenix’s body, practically undressing them with her eyes, “let’s go.” Charlie took Phoenix’s hand into hers and led them outside to her vehicle. 

[robinsno1lesbian]

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐀𝐆𝐍𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐌𝐒 - 𝐑.𝐁. & 𝐍.𝐖.

you had a speech, you're speechless love slipped beyond your reaches and I couldn't give a reason

nancy wheeler x robin buckley

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: years after what happened in hawkins, nancy and robin meet again and things take a different turn from what they'd expected

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 4663

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: 18+ mature content! (MDNI), porn with plot & feelings lmao, mild angst, implied cheating, mention of alcohol, vaginal fingering, oral sex (as always let me know if i missed anything!)

𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: 1 year of ronance?? one thing: i wrote this on ao3 at first but when i was about to post it, they messed up the entire format. i sort of fixed it (took HOURS) but it might still look a bit odd?? idk just ignore that part i'm too lazy to fix it right now, it's almost midnight lmao! <3

when robin first saw her standing in the doorway, her heart dropped. not because she wasn't happy to see her because, god she was, but because it felt like seeing a ghost. a person from her past she would've never expected. especially not now, in the middle of a rainy july night she had planned on spending all alone on her couch.

nancy wheeler doesn't look like a ghost though, she looks so very real. her hair has grown much longer than robin has ever seen it and her face has changed too. she seems so much older but in all the right ways. in the ways, robin knows from whenever she looks in the mirror herself. they aren't kids anymore though that's just about how long it must have been since she last saw her.

she is dripping, summer rain drenching her clothes and soaking her hair. she's got her arms wrapped around herself, light blue eyes widened in surprise as if she wasn't expecting robin to actually open the door. strange, robin thinks, considering that she quite literally came to her apartment. but any of this, any thoughts and doubts vanish the second nancy speaks. it's just one word, but hearing the sound of her voice again is enough for her to feel an odd sense of comfort.

"robin-" she says, her facial expression something robin can't wrap her head around. she has half a smile on her lips and yet her eyes betray her. they're somehow scared as if she fears robin would send her away again. they hold a bit of surprise too that probably comes from the fact that this is her first time seeing robin too.

and just like that she stands there, in the hallway of robin's house, leaving a trail of waterdrops behind and smiling in a way that immediately captures the other woman's heart, even after years that have passed. as if she was never truly gone.

"nance..." robin mumbles, her raspy voice cracking when the nickname falls from her lips. "what- god what are you going here? i mean- i- god" she shakes head and steps all the way out of her apartment and into nancy's space. she can't even help herself but wrap her arms around the other girl's body and pull her into a hug. she can hear her gasps and loosens her hug for just a second, afraid that she has made a mistake, but nancy holds her in place and returns the hug with a soft "oh".

she can feel her wet clothes soaking the fabric of her own but she doesn't care. she doesn't care about anything but the fact that nancy is here, with her.

"oh my god" she mumbles and leans back, palms still holding her by the shoulders to look at her from up close "oh my god".

nancy chuckles, her smile spreading across her whole face. she seems relieved.

"you should-" she turns around to give a quick glance into her apartment. thank god she chose to clean up earlier. "you should come inside" ──────────────────

robin's couch bounces slightly under their weight as both women drop down onto it: nancy wearing a skirt and blouse that haven't gotten as wet due to her coat and robin with a bottle of wine and two glasses that she fills up for them.

she isn't sure when or why she has gotten this bottle, considering that she was never really a wine type of woman. but this seems like the right occasion or a least she hopes so.

it's not like she never really knew much about that either. she feels unusually exposed like this, well aware of nancy's eyes on her as she hands her the glass.

"so.." robin finally finds her voice "what brings you here?"

nancy takes a sip from her glass before she answers and robin's eyes immediately fall upon her jaw and the way it moves as she swallows the liquid. she drags her eyes away from it when nancy puts the glass down.

"steve gave me the address" she begins. "i was in town and...i didn't know where else to go"

"hold on" robin furrows her brows. "why are you in town?"

nancy inhales slowly. "i mean...i wanted to see you...i think...i- i kept thinking about you and i didn't have anything else to do"

robin wants to be surprised, wants to ask a million questions but how could she when nancy said that she wanted to see her ? that she kept thinking about her ? these words have her heart racing in her chest in excitement. the kind of excitement that reminds her of her youth and of all the times she had spent loving nancy. from afar at first and then from up close too, though no one ever knew about that.

it was their little secret, the one thing they had and shared in times when everything else had been ripped from them.

it was not what they should have done, robin knows that and she knows nancy knows too. it was tragic and heartbreaking and yet it was beautiful for as long as it lasted. and then, from one day to the other, it had all been gone.

"how long has it been?" nancy asks and tilts her head.

she looks beautiful like this, robin thinks, with her knees drawn to her body while she has an arm propped up up the armrest. she looks older, too; her hair has grown longer and her eyes seem to be less...tired? or exhausted, maybe?

either way, robin knows what must've caused this; the sleepless nights that followed the events of 1986 had left a mark on all of them. that seems to be gone now, though. or at least a lot less present.

robin wonders if nancy still falls asleep to the sound of jonathan's breathing. if they're still as strong as they were at 18. but she can't bring herself to ask that. she can't bare to hear the truth about the nights they had spent together back then.

although she can imagine it perfectly fine: "we were children robin" nancy would say, nipping on her glass of wine occasionally. "we didn't know what we were doing. it meant nothing". only the voice of imaginary nancy in her head makes her heart drop. it didn't mean nothing to her. of course not.

but nancy had jonathan, chose jonathan. even after the nights they had spent nuzzled up against one another beneath the weight of the blanket, telling stories about the things they would do once all of this would be over.

years have passed ever since. years of occasional calls, questions about life but always avoiding those topics. years of telling each other they would meet again soon and somehow they never did. robin wonders what changed.

"i'm not sure i want to know, actually" robin chuckles. "too long, that's for sure" "yeah" nancy nods, her gaze lingering on the coffee table absentmindedly for a split second. "too long"

she turns the wine glass in her hands before she finally speaks: "so, robin buckley" her head turns to look at her, her deep blue eyes sending shivers down robin's spine.

"how have you been here?"

"oh you know-" robin shrugs. "getting around...i have a pretty solid job, an apartment i like..."

"is-" nancy cuts herself off for a second, as if she's reconsidering her words, before she does speak "is there anyone?"

"oh" she blushes slightly, praying that it is dark enough to conceal the soft shade of red of her cheeks. "no...i mean, i guess there have been women but...it never felt right"

never felt right with anyone but you, is what robin means to say. she wants to scream it, at the top of her lungs, like she should've done when nancy left hawkins. maybe if she would've done so, things would be different now.

"what about you?" she asks instead, chewing the insides of her cheeks nervously.

the sight of this makes nancy chuckle to herself; years have gone by and this is still robin. all grown up now, long curls held out of her face with a hair claw so that her freckled skin is on full display. but it's still her: the tall girl who reached for her hand in the upside down, who held her when no one else did, who put bandages to the wound that have scarred now but are still a permanent reminder of who they are. who had always been so unapologetically herself.

"it's...difficult" she answers, drowning the last bits of wine in one gulp to give her the strength to go on. "jonathan and i we- well we were engaged as you know-"

the words are enough for her to internally flinch. she does know. she remembers the day she got the letter, inviting her to their 'engagement party' in big, loopy letters. it all seemed so final then. not like it hadn't already felt final before, but this seemed to be it.

"yeah" she nods.

"but that kind of...didn't work as we had planned" nancy looks down at her hands, at the spot where the engagement ring used to sit -tying her to a person whom she could never love the way he deserved it.

robin's gaze follows her, eyes widening slightly when she finds the spot empty. "what happened?"

"i don't think our visions of a future matched the way we thought they would. he had all those dreams and...i knew i couldn't give him that"

she nods along to her words softly.

"when did you...?"

"it's been a little while" nancy explains and puts the glass on the coffee table. "it's fine we don't- let's not talk about him right now okay?"

she knows robin deserves the truth. probably the most out of all people. but nancy is also well aware that this truth, her truth, could ruin them more than life already has. and she isn't ready to lose robin.

"of course, of course" robin agrees. "whatever you prefer it's just..."

she reaches out softly and ever so slowly until her hand reaches nancy's. their fingers link in an instant and for a split second, they're in the upside down again, darkness all around while creatures of terror are screeching in the distance. they're both 18 once more, secretly head over heels for the other while knowing they could not be.

just like all these years ago, skin meets skin and all the worries in this world become white noise to their feelings.

nancy blinks and her eyes find robin's. they're 26 again, in a beautiful apartment that is more robin than anything imaginable. times have changed, they have too.

"you got this" she whispers, just like nancy once did. "and even if you don't, i got you"

a soft smile creeps upon her features, softening the sharp edges of her face that she never grew out of. robin is happy she didn't. she has always been the most beautiful woman robin has ever laid her eyes on and yet mid-20s look good on nancy, probably even better than 18.

"maybe i should have stayed" nancy mumbles. "robin did i...did i make the wrong choice?"

she clears her throat, slightly taken aback by the answer. her younger-self would have yelled now. she would have yelled and screamed and cried about how she did make the wrong choice and how she broke her heart by leaving.

but she has grown.

nancy hadn't been ready, unlike herself. it had been unfair, but that's the way it was then. robin had sworn herself she wouldn't waste her time waiting for a woman that had chosen her own way.

now she knows that she has waited all along.

"you didn't, you- you weren't ready nancy" she explains. "this couldn't have worked like this"

nancy tilts her head and gives her a look that tells her just how thankful she is. she also leans in a lot closer than she did before. but maybe robin is imagining that part.

"is there still time...?" she breathes. oh she's definitely not imagining that. she can feel nancy's breath on her face. "can i- god, please let me fix this"

and then she closes the little distance that is left between them.

her lips feel softer than they did back then. she must've dropped the anxious habit of chewing on them. but robin doesn't care about that right now, and pushes the thought away for another time.because nancy, her nancy, is kissing her again.

it's been years of longing for the taste of those lips and yet robin remembers. robin remembers everything.

they still feel like flying on clouds and taste like the summer of '86. their mouths meet softly at first, testing long-forgotten waters. they're a long series of pressing carefully and giving in for the silent plead. that's until nancy's part slightly and robin can't help but follow suit immediately.

nancy allows robin to take control over the kiss, unlike she had done back when they first kiss.

the sensation of tongues sliding against each other has her head spinning too much to remain in control over anything.

robin wastes no time in pulling them up, her lips never leaving nancy's as they move through the apartment in a haze.

"h-how do you- i mean- is this-" robin curses herself for this damn rambling that comes up at the most inconvenient of all times. the other woman doesn't mind though. she just smiles.

"your bedroom, robin" she whispers.

"oh, yeah...yeah right" robin says, biting her lip.

that same smile is still plastered over nancy's face when she mumbles a sweet invitation of "come here" and wraps her arms around her again.

they stumble down the hallway of the apartment, occasionally walking against corners and walls without breaking their kiss. there is a trail of clothing following them on the wooden floor, a sweater, a blouse, and a tank top lining up until where they're standing. nancy chuckles against her lips as the taller woman struggles to find the doorknob behind her, all while she is getting pressed against it by her. once she figures it out, robin wastes no time in pulling nancy inside. suddenly very self-conscious, she stands in front of her, finally allowing robin to take in the beautiful sight in front of her.

she is standing right in front of robin the woman who she loved all these years ago. who she still loves, if she's being honest. but this is probably not the time for this conversation, nancy decides. not when she's wearing nothing but a lacy bra and her jeans still, just waiting for robin to undress her.

"you're- you're so beautiful, nancy" robin whispers, her eyes glued to her body. there's no shame in her shameless gaping. for the first time, she can actually do so without feeling utterly ashamed. and she's making some good use of that. blush creeps up her chest and robin's lips curl into a smile.

"you're beautiful too" nancy returns and steps into her space. robin is wearing a rather decent, black bra, but god it looks good. she reaches out, her palm meeting robin's upper arm just beneath her shoulder. neither of them speaks, heavy breathing the only proper noise they can manage as she runs her hand upwards softly. over the outstanding collarbones, the hundreds of freckles she has counted more times than she cares to admit, over the soft flesh of her pulse point, until her fingers wrap around the back of her neck.

robin has moved her hands down to settle on nancy's waist and, just like that, she pulls her in. they lean in slowly, slower than they've ever done it before. seizing every second they can get of this.

it is nancy who eventually closes the distance by pulling robin towards her with her hand on her neck.

their moths meet parted, hot breaths past each other's lips while they press their foreheads together.

"i want you" nancy mumbles and is rewarded by robin's mouth pressing against hers. their tongues slide together within seconds. they move together softly at first, taking their time to explore each other's mouths. but when robin sucks nancy's bottom lip into her mouth and nancy audibly gasps at the feeling, the last bits of remaining ice is broken.

this is also all it takes for the kisses to reach new heights, hands roaming freely while they're still hooked to the other's lips. eventually, though, robin breaks the kiss. nancy is about to complain, at least that's until robin's lips attach to her neck and her parted lips -prepared to let out a complaint- open wider to let out a sinful gasp, followed by "oh Robin".

her mouth is doing some absolute magic work on her neck that has her legs shaking and leaves her with no other choice but to hold on to the back of her head and pray that she won't stop anytime soon. robin isn't planning on stopping, of course. this, the feeling of nancy's fingers curling up in her hair, her racing pulse beneath her lips, her soft moans like fuel to the fire that's burning within her, it's all so much. it's pure bliss. it's not nearly enough.

as her tongue licks a long stripe up nancy's neck, her fingers find her nipples through the thin lace of her bra. nancy mumbles some incoherent words of how she needs it off of her but robin gets the hint and reaches around her body, unclasps it with surprising ease that has nancy wondering just how many women robin has been with since her, and let's gravity do the rest of the work as it drops to the floor.

nancy's eyes meet hers and she feels almost shy now, with robin still in her underwear while she has been stripped out of her own. that can be changed though, she realizes, and steps forward to get robin into an equal state of undressing.

robin chuckles to see how eager nancy seems to be to ger her naked but doesn't mind one bit. she guides the other woman to the bed, where she sits down on the edge of the mattress before pulling nancy onto her lap.

her fingers run over her cheeks, cupping her face in her soft hands while she looks down at her through the dim light.

"i missed this" she whispers quietly, so quietly robin isn't even sure she was supposed to hear it. her voice is layered with so many emotions but nancy wheeler is not gonna get emotional about sex. yet the image of robin is enough for her to start crying if she just focused on that for long enough. "i missed you".

"i missed you too, nance" robin replies. her voice is as raspy as it ever was, like music to nancy's ears.

"please touch me!"

and so she does. she brings her lips to her chest and kisses all over her skin. nancy leans her head back immediately, her eyes fluttering shut at the heavenly sensation of finally having her mouth on her body again. she still has a hand behind her head and guides her softly, giving her a suggestive tug of her hair, closer to her hardened nipples. robin understands within seconds and wraps her lips around them before sucking softly. her eyes meet nancy's as she does so and she is delighted to see that nancy's lips have parted and she is panting at the new feeling.

"oh god...yes!"

her lips begin trailing further downward after a bit more of this, further and further, as far as their current position allows it. at the same time, she has both of her palms on nancy's back to hold her close.

"beautiful" she whispers. "so beautiful...so pretty..."

then, when nancy least expects it, she spins them around so that she has her laying beneath herself. nancy lets out a noise of surprise that turns into sweet laughter once she realizes what robin is up to.

she watches her with curious eyes as the other woman props herself up over her with both of her arms. it gives her just the right amount of space between their bodies to wrap her arms around her body and, with a questioning tilt of her head that robin confirms with a nod, take off her bra too. once she has loosened it, she allows the fabric to slide down her body.

her fingers dance over robin's ribcage faintly, feeling the swell of scars that she carries from the battle in hawkins still. she hopes that each line of her fingerprints might help them heal.

robin's breathing is labored when nancy's hands find her breasts and she gives them both a gentle, careful squeeze.

"holy shit nance-" her voice is richly layered with want for the girl beneath her and carries little cracks with it that shoot right down to nancy's center.

she leans down again, kissing her already swollen lips. she would probably allow nancy to play with her tits for hours -maybe one day she will actually ask her to do so, assuming that this is more than a one-time thing- but she wants her, needs her. nancy sucks on her tongue and robin groans audibly, a noise from deep inside her throat. finally, her lips move downwards again, except that this time their position is not an obstacle for that. she kisses her way down, until she is laying between nancy's legs, her fingers hooked around the waistband of her skirt. she lookes up at her and mumbles "can i?"

"please" nancy nods. "please"

robin pulls down both her underwear and the skirt and brings it all the way down her long legs before throwing it over her shoulder absentmindedly. she keeps looking right into nancy's eyes though, not wanting to make her uncomfortable by gaping at her pussy. nancy wouldn't mind though, if anything, she would greatly appreciate it if robin finally gave her the attention she wants.

she spreads her legs even wider and finally, robin's eyes wander lower. she visibly licks her lips and inhales sharply at the sight in front of her:

nancy is wet. she's so wet and wanting for her.

she fights back the internal urge to press her thighs together, because that would mean robin would probably lean back and that is the last thing she wants. instead, she grabs the back of her head and bucks her hips upwards. robin gets the hint and lets it happen, lets her pull her face into her. she puts her hands to her inner thighs and holds her open as she licks a broad, long stripe through her with the flat of her tongue, before circling her clit with the tip of it.

it seems as if she hasn't forgotten a thing after all this time, as if she still remembers all the spots that have nancy seeing stars. she wraps her lips around her clit after some more licks and sucks gently, immediately earning an arch of nancy's back and a broken moan of her name in response.

she keeps teasing around her clit with her tongue and then occasionally dips down to gather more of her arousal on her tongue to bring it up.

"fuck nancy" she breathes, voice all hoarse. "you taste so fucking good"

nancy only tries to pull robin closer at that. she feels so hungry right now. she wants more, she needs more. nancy doubts she has ever felt this way before. not with Jonathan, definitely not with steve back then. and even the nights she has spent with robin...nothing could compare to what this feels like. back then they had to rush things, had to keep it quiet, had to love each other in utter silence. now she can love her freely, she can let robin love her freely. for the first time she doesn't have the weight of shame on her shoulders.

robin is still sweeping her tongue through her, but she does it slowly. firm and with purpose, but it is obvious that she wants to take her time with this. just like nancy does.

"oh robin..." nancy's eyes have fallen shut, which gives her no warning when robin begins toying a singular finger to her entrance. her eyes fly open at that but before she has time to fully comprehend it, she pushes it inside and she cries out loud. the noise has robin clenching around nothing between her own legs because she can head just how good nancy is feeling because of her.

she pumps it into her a couple of times, attentively watching what nancy seems to like before the woman above her lets out a whiny "more please" and she adds a second one to it. the pushes it into her slowly but nancy takes it all, moaning as she stretches her further.

"oh- oh my god robin- right there fuck" she moans.

robin wastes no time in getting her mouth back on her and syncing the licks of her tongue over her clit with the thrusts of her fingers. "you're so pretty like this" she mumbles against her and the vibration of her voice goes right into nancy's aching cunt. after a couple of minutes of this, of slow thrusts and licking, she starts picking up her pace. she can feel nancy growing slightly impatient; hips rolling with each curl of her fingers and fingernails scratching her scalp in a desperate attempt to have her closer.

she gets a reaction out of her immediately. the volume of her moans increases and she can feel her legs shaking around her head.

"robin- shit robin- i'm- i'm close" nancy gasps, her back arching off the mattress while she rocks her hips forward in quick motions, chasing her orgasm. "please- please robin please"

"shh" robin hushes her and puts a palm to her stomach to ground her back down onto the bed. "don't worry nance, i told you i got you"

and with that, she picks up her pace again, much quicker this time. high pitched moans echo through the room as nancy grabs for robin's other hand that is still sitting on her thigh and holds onto it for dear life as she comes. robin fucks her through it, and allows her to ride her orgasm out on her tongue; she just lays it flatly against her, and nancy does the rest of it.

nancy's moans are louder than she has ever heard them. she sounds so fucking pretty, robin thinks to herself.

eventually, nancy's orgasm has washed over her and she comes down from her height. she is panting, her chest rising and falling while her eyes are still closed and she is leaning back.

"holy shit" she breathes and chuckles, the aftershocks still rippling through her limbs.

"yeah..." robin mumbles, chin and fingers covered in nancy's cum. "holy shit"

"god" nancy opens her arms. she sounds still breathless but her gaze settles firmly on robin. "come here please"

that's all the woman needs to hear. she slowly withdraws her fingers from her, still careful not to accidentally overstimulate her right now. once she has pulled all the way out, she crawls up her body and nancy wraps her arms around her to hold her especially close. she kisses all over her, every part of her head she can reach: her hair, her forehead, her cheeks, her nose. "thank you" she manages in between kisses. "oh thank you robin..."

robin just smiles, allows her to hold onto her as she recovers from her orgasm.

she's not sure what this means yet, not sure what will happen once they finish whatever this is. she knows she wants nancy to stay. not just for the night but for much longer. she knows that letting her go again would be too much for her to bare after she has lost her once before.

so she holds her just a tiny bit closer to her own body, strokes just a little bit more of her skin she can reach, and whispers sweet nothings to her to steady her racing heart. makes use of everything she can get as long as she has it, the fear of nancy leaving slowly creeping into her head.

little does she know that nancy, who is running her fingers through her hair as she enjoys the soft kisses and touches on her skin, has already made up her mind. that for the first time ever, nancy is not afraid to make a choice this fundamental.

nancy knows what she really, truly wants. she knows she wants robin.

and she will show her just how much...

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. currently very tempted to write a part 2 so...

[bard-llama]

WiP Wednesday: Healing Fire

Zuko had done it for as long as he could remember. It wasn’t anything special, not even proper firebending. It was just gathering heat and pressing it over the new injuries he received far too often.

The heat made the ache lessen, made it heal faster, even helped it not to scar. It didn’t fix it entirely, especially with deeper wounds, like cracked ribs. But it helped. It was enough to keep him going during those times when Father was disappointed in him and Azula cackled with glee as she hurt him.

It was just heat. It wasn’t like he was doing anything incredible. He was just really, really practiced with doing it, so it came almost second nature.

Of course, even if the move was instinctive, it didn’t do him any good when he was unconscious. By the time he awoke after that awful Agni Kai, it was too late to do much. The heat lessened the pain some, but not nearly enough. 

On his ship out at sea, he got hurt a lot less than he had in the palace. He still expected everybody to hurt him, but bafflingly enough, they, for the most part, never did. 

Uncle never hurt him. Not once. Zuko was slowly starting to think that maybe he never would.

At any rate, there wasn’t much cause to practice pressing heat to his injuries on the ship, though occasionally his adventures off the ship would result in needing treatment.

If anyone noticed that cuts and burns didn’t last long on him, they never spoke of it. Zuko hoped they just assumed he was a fast healer, but he wasn’t wholly certain why he hoped that. It wasn’t as if he was doing anything wrong. 

Right?

Spending so much time on his ship with only minor injuries had him out of practice with the big ones. He realized this the day that his ship blew up with him still inside it. He tried to bend the explosion around him, but it wasn’t enough – he was blown out the bridge’s window and fell too many feet into the cold ocean, salt water making his wounds sting something awful.

He’d just barely managed to surface when he heard Uncle screaming his name, sounding absolutely wretched. Uncle wasn’t supposed to sound like that. He didn’t want Uncle to sound like that. So he concentrated all of his focus on moving his limps and swimming towards the shore, using his Uncle’s cries to guide him.

When Uncle finally spotted him, his scream cut off mid-syllable and he gasped, rushing forward to help pull Zuko onto the dock. “Zuko,” he murmured, voice shaking with emotion. “How – are you – what happened!?”

“Pirates,” Zuko managed to gasp. He was shivering with the cold and every movement made his ribs spike with pain and his breathing was ragged and labored, but he was alive. And since he was alive, that meant he had to deal with the consequences of this. “We need to get out of sight,” he gasped. “They have to think they succeeded.”

“Zuko–”

“Uncle, please. If they know I survived, they’ll just try again. And next time, they’ll make sure it sticks.”

Uncle bit his lip, looking conflicted. But he seemed to understand what Zuko was talking about, because he helped Zuko to his feet, one arm wrapped around Uncle’s shoulders. They shuffled off the dock and away from the port city, instead heading for the craggy rock formations near the shore.

When they stopped, Zuko was panting and his vision was half whited out with pain. Uncle moved him to lean against a rock and Zuko struggled to control his breathing enough to take the pain away. He pressed one hand over his ribs and began to apply heat.

It took a while, but his breathing started to smooth out, coming faster and easier as the pain lessened. 

When he released the heat and looked up, Uncle was staring at him with eyes wide with wonder. 

“What?”

“Zuko,” he started, “you – can you heal!?”

“Of course not,” Zuko scoffed. “It’s just heat.”

“But it helps,” Uncle pressed.

“Yeah, I guess,” Zuko half-shrugged, which turned out to be a bad idea. He brought his hand up to treat some of his other injuries. He couldn’t do anything more for his ribs, but he could help these cuts and burns heal.

Uncle watched with wide eyes. “Sometime,” he said slowly, “you will have to show me how you do that.”

“Sometime,” Zuko agreed, too tired to argue. It wasn’t like he was doing anything special. 

And for the moment, they had more important things to worry about. 

“Bet you anything Zhao hired the pirates,” he said. “He wants me out of the way.” He frowned, thinking about it. “He wants you as an advisor on this invasion.”

“Of course I’ve declined,” Uncle said, sounding worried. “Zuko–”

“You declined to stay with me,” Zuko said and the words were somehow scary to say, heavy with the threat that Uncle might disagree. But he didn’t. “If I’m dead, you have no reason not to go with Zhao.”

“What?”

Zuko forced himself to raise his head and meet Uncle’s eyes directly. “You need to go with Zhao.”

“What will you do?”

“I’ll come, too,” Zuko reassured. “The Avatar is in the North Pole. I’ll go in disguise and then separate from the invasion force when we’re close enough. I’ll extract the Avatar without interfering in Zhao’s invasion.”

Uncle did not look convinced, but he nodded nonetheless. “You will have to hide as a common foot soldier. I will see about getting you armor once I speak with Zhao.”

Zuko took a deep breath and his chest only twinged slightly. Not bad, considering the ribs had started out definitely cracked if not broken. Heat really was amazing.

“Let’s go,” he said, and they set off back towards the port.

––

With all that had happened at the North Pole and afterwards, Iroh forgot to ever ask his nephew about the heat technique that soothed injuries. It got lost in the shuffle of things and it wasn’t until some months later that Iroh thought of it, and by then, he was the one in desperate need of its service.

He had foolishly allowed himself to get distracted during battle and his niece had taken advantage, as she was so wont to do. The strike hit Iroh with sudden intensity, a burning pain across his chest. He was vaguely aware of being thrown back with the force of it, of his back hitting the dirt ground. 

Mostly, he heard Zuko’s scream and the part of him not consumed by pain wanted to soothe his boy immediately.

He didn’t know what happened with Azula, but a moment later, Zuko was beside him, clasping his hand. 

“Uncle?”

Iroh couldn’t quite manage words, but he squeezed Zuko’s hand back.

“Okay,” Zuko whispered, “I can do this.” Then Zuko’s hand slipped from his and a soothing heat spread across his chest, guided by Zuko’s hands.

The pain lessened enough for Iroh to become more aware of where he was. He was on the ground outside the abandoned village with Zuko kneeling next to him, but a few steps away, the Avatar and his companions lingered, mostly looking uncomfortable.

“Zuko, we can help,” the Avatar offered.

“We don’t need your help,” Zuko snarled, but didn’t lash out at them.

“Katara’s a healer,” the Avatar said softly. 

“Good for her,” Zuko grunted. “Go away.” His attention was still focused on applying heat to Iroh’s chest and it was truly incredible how much it was helping the pain fade away.

“Wait,” the lovely young woman he’d had tea with said, frowning in Zuko’s general direction. “Are you healing him?”

“What!?”

“I can sense his heart,” Toph said. “And it was bad after getting hit, but now it’s better. So what are you doing to him!?”

Zuko did not answer, growing pale as he continued to stroke a soothing heat over the injury. The pain was still present – but it was bearable and not worth exhausting Zuko to treat. 

“Enough, Nephew,” he said softly, bringing a hand up to settle on top of Zuko’s. “You shouldn’t push too hard.”

Zuko’s frown was obstinate, but he did release the heat from under his palms. 

“So?” the Water Tribe boy prompted. “How did you heal him?”

“It’s none of your fucking business,” Zuko bit out. 

Iroh had to admit, he also wanted that answer – but Zuko was still too pale, so he suggested taking a moment to share a pot of tea.

Zuko’s look was incredulous, but the Avatar and his companions must’ve been quite curious, because they agreed. 

It would be nice to start a fire and warm the tea properly, but he wasn’t sure the children would have the patience for that at the moment, so he decided to heat the water by hand. Then he poured everyone a cup (earthbended by Toph) and sat back with a slight smile, reflecting on how incredible heat could be. His chest was still noticeably injured – but given the damage blue fire could do, especially with such a concentrated burst… well, Iroh knew he had been lucky.

Which brought them back to the question of the hour. He debated how to broach it.

The Water Tribe boy was not so tactful. “Well?” he demanded, not touching the tea. “What did you do? How did you heal him!?”

“I – I didn’t,” Zuko protested. “It’s just heat. It helps make it hurt less, but it’s not – I can’t heal.”

Iroh looked down at his chest, examining the evidence that Zuko really could, actually.

“What do you mean ‘just heat’?” the Avatar asked. 

“I mean just heat,” Zuko shrugged. 

“Perhaps you could explain how you use such a technique?” Iroh suggested delicately.

“What do you mean, ‘how’!?” Zuko looked frustrated. “It’s just heat! You just build up your chi and sublimate it as heat! It’s not that incredible!”

“Zuko,” the Avatar said slowly, “you just used heat to heal. I think that’s pretty incredible.”

Zuko huffed, little flames escaping from his nostrils. 

The Water Tribe siblings looked warily between them all, but then the girl turned to Iroh and asked if she might examine him.

“I’m a waterbending healer,” she explained. “Perhaps I can supplement whatever Zuko did.”

Iroh nodded in agreement. Zuko tensed as she approached, but she kept her distance from him, popping the cork on her waterskin and drawing the water out to wrap around her hand like a glove. Fascinating.

She held her palm just over his chest where the wound was, and he could feel a cool, soothing sensation spread from that point. It was different from how the heat had felt, but both of them worked to reduce his pain and heal his wounds and that in itself was incredible.

When she stepped back, there was a thoughtful frown on her face. “I don’t know how,” she said, “but Zuko definitely healed you. Your chi shows recent signs of healing, though it’s different from what I’ve encountered before.”

They all turned to look at Zuko, who paled. “But – but that’s impossible. I can’t heal!”

“No, I really think you can,” the Water Tribe boy said, rubbing his head like they were all giving him a headache. “I never knew water could heal before Katara figured it out – but fire? Really!?”

“Well, why not?” the Avatar said with a little shrug. “Fire is life.”

Iroh was not the only one to blink at him in surprise, though he was the only one to smile and agree. “Indeed, though the ability to heal is not one I was aware of.”

“How in the fuck,” Toph began, “is fire equal to life!?”

The Avatar shrugged again. “I dunno, that’s what they always said in the Fire Nation a hundred years ago. And I mean, it makes sense. Agni is the Spirit of Life, right? And when we think about the elements inside a person, what else would fire be?”

Zuko and the Water Tribe boy’s faces were remarkably similar as they scrunched in bafflement. “What?”

“Fire is passion, right? That’s what Kuzon always said. That’s what the dragons taught.”

Heart suddenly pounding, Iroh heard his voice as if from a great distance. “You’ve… been taught by dragons?”

“Well, not really,” the Avatar shook his head. “Just Kuzon’s dragon, but Kyal was a baby. But there were tons of dragons when I was a kid! And there were some really wise old dragons that we’d go seek advice from during certain festivals and stuff. It was fun!”

The look on Zuko’s face was odd. “There were that many dragons a hundred years ago?”

“Yeah! As many as there were sky bison, easily!” The Avatar’s smile dimmed. “I haven’t seen any since I woke up, though. Of either. Aside from Appa, of course.”

Zuko’s grimace was surprisingly pained when Toph said, voice blunt, “the Fire Nation killed them both off. In fact,” now she turned her head towards Iroh and her unseeing eyes were narrowed. “You were the one to finish off the last dragon, weren’t you?” She pointed at Zuko. “If he’s Prince Zuko, then that makes you…”

“Yes,” Iroh agreed. As an Earth Kingdom citizen, it was unsurprising that she should know his name. Still, he mourned the sudden caution he could sense in her. 

The Water Tribe siblings looked between them confused. “What? Is the old man someone important?” the boy asked.

Iroh surprised himself by having to fight down a smile. “Not anymore,” he answered easily, putting a hand on his nephew’s shoulder where he’d puffed up in offense.

“Uncle!”

“I am Iroh,” he introduced.

“The Earth Kingdom has a different name for you, General,” Toph pointed out.

Iroh tilted his head in acknowledgement. 

“What do you mean?” the Water Tribe girl asked. “What do you call him?”

“The Dragon of the West,” Toph responded, and though she couldn’t see, her gaze seemed almost fixed on Iroh’s. “The Conqueror of a Hundred Cities. The Scourge of Ba Sing Se.”

Iroh tried not to wince. Knowing what he did about the world now, he regretted who he once had been. But the world only knew that person from the past and he had a responsibility to acknowledge the truth of his actions.

“What – what does that mean?” the Avatar asked quietly. 

Taking a fortifying breath, Iroh admitted to his sins. “A decade ago, I was Fire Lord Azulon’s most decorated General in the war effort. I led the eastward expansion across the Earth Kingdom to its capital.” He attempted to keep his tone neutral, but he could see the immediate way the Water Tribe children and the Avatar shied away from him.

They weren’t wrong to do so. How else should they react to the man who stole a thousand sons from their families, but who crumpled the moment it was his own son to pay the price?

“That was a decade ago,” the Water Tribe boy said, voice suspicious. “So what are you now?”

“Now?” Iroh repeated, considering his answer. “Now, I am retired.”

“That’s an interesting word for it,” Toph said. “Can you retire from being Fire Lord?”

“What!?” the other children yelped.

“Think about it,” she said. “That,” she pointed at Zuko again, “is the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. And that,” she shifted her finger to Iroh, “is his Uncle.”

“Ah.” The two Water Tribe children looked like they’d swallowed several eels that were wriggling down their throats and it made something in Iroh’s chest ache. 

“So?” the Avatar asked innocently.

“So,” Toph said emphatically, “he was supposed to become Fire Lord when the last one died. But he didn’t.”

“I’m retired,” Iroh said again with a benign smile.

“But… why?” the Water Tribe boy asked. “If you were supposed to be Fire Lord, then how are you just some old guy following around Zuko now?”

Zuko puffed up in offense again, but Iroh found he rather liked being described by his relation to his nephew. 

It gave him the strength to say, “it is a long story.” 

“So?” the Water Tribe boy crossed his arms across his chest.

“You have no right to that story,” Zuko snapped, and while grief over his son’s death was never gone, it was more prevalent in this moment than in others and he appreciated Zuko’s concern. As such, he managed a smile for his second son. 

“It is all right, Nephew,” he said softly. “Perhaps it would be good for you to know,” he continued, contemplative. The Avatar was supposed to end the war, after all. And how could he do that if he didn’t understand how the current Fire Lord had risen to power?

And perhaps it would be good for his nephew to reflect on such things as well. Zuko had yet to recognize that the war and the Fire Lord and the Fire Nation were all wrong – but Iroh had hope that it would happen soon.

(He’d had the same hope for three years now. So far, it hadn’t panned out.)

Clearing his throat, Iroh considered where to begin. And maybe stalled a little bit. “If we’re going to be here a while,” he said, “perhaps we should make a proper camp?”

Zuko rolled his eyes with a sigh, but obligingly rose and began to gather stones and kindling for a fire pit.

“Why should we make camp with you?” the Water Tribe girl asked, suspicious.

“Don’t, then,” Zuko muttered. 

He made no move to attack them, despite his clear annoyance at their presence, and Iroh wanted to believe that was a good sign. It probably had a lot to do with Iroh’s injured state and his own exhaustion, but even so, the fact that Zuko was willing to spend any time at all around these people was cause for hope.

The Avatar’s group watched Zuko create a campfire with a sense of bafflement, none of them moving to help. 

Because Zuko knew him well – and was perhaps trying to show his concern – his nephew set up a crude device to hang the teapot over the fire, and Iroh greatly appreciated it. He rewarded his boy with a smile and a soft thanks.

Zuko grumbled under his breath, plopping back down next to his uncle. 

Iroh took his time preparing the tea this time, and he could sense the impatience of his companions, but honestly, he’d never had to tell this story before. He wasn’t sure he knew how.

“What do you know about the Fire Lord?” he asked finally.

“Like, this one or in general?” the Avatar asked with a nervous laugh.

“Either. Both.”

“Um.” The Avatar shrugged somewhat helplessly. “The current Fire Lord is named Ozai. Sozin was the Fire Lord a hundred years ago. And, uh… everyone in the Fire Nation owes their allegiance to the Fire Lord?” His voice was uncertain, but the answer was acceptable.

“That’s correct,” Iroh said. “The Fire Lord is the ultimate authority within the Fire Nation. There is no higher power – except, it is said, the Avatar.”

The Avatar startled, clearly surprised, and Zuko frowned at him.

“What do you mean?” he asked. “What makes me so powerful?”

Zuko sputtered in disbelief. “Are you fucking kidding? You are the human host of a Great Spirit. Of course you’re fucking powerful!”

The Avatar blinked. “Oh.”

Iroh cleared his throat. “Our bloodline has sat on the Dragon Throne for millennia. In most cases, the first born child is the one to inherit the crown. Occasionally, however…”

“Ozai is younger than you?” the Water Tribe boy asked.

“Yes,” Iroh agreed. “For most of my life, it was assumed that I would one day become Fire Lord.”

“So what happened?” the Water Tribe girl asked now.

“My parents were young when they had me,” Iroh said. “It was expected that my father would rule for a very long time and then, eventually, the crown would pass on to me. As such, I had time to seek glory. First by pursuing the last of the dragons – and later by commanding the Fire Nation’s advance across the Earth Kingdom.” He took a breath. This was surprisingly difficult to speak of. “It is expected that all in the royal family play a significant role in the Fire Nation. Sometimes that means taking a military command – and sometimes it means playing a role more behind the scenes. That has always been Ozai’s skill.” 

His lip curled as he spoke of the creature that wore the skin of his younger brother. He raised his teacup to his lips to hide it, not wanting Zuko to notice.

“What does that mean?” the Avatar asked.

“Before becoming Fire Lord, Ozai was Fire Lord Azulon’s Head of Intelligence. He is a master manipulator and his reach is extensive. He makes sure that all know that he is to be feared.”

Zuko’s forehead knit as his frown deepened, but he didn’t protest the description. Iroh wasn’t sure if that was progress or not.

“My campaign across the Earth Kingdom was largely successful,” Iroh said, attempting to keep his voice level. His feelings about those times were complicated. On the one hand, he had come to recognize that the Fire Nation and the war were both wrong, and that the things he had done were shameful.

But there was still a part of him that held a bit of pride in those actions. He knew now that he’d been on the wrong side – but that didn’t change the fact that until he’d fallen apart, he’d been his father’s most decorated general for a reason. He was good at war – and that in itself was almost shameful.

He missed it, sometimes. Things had been so black and white back then, and he’d been so sure of himself, so certain of his righteousness. Until…

“I led our force to the capital and held the city under siege,” Iroh forced himself to say. “One of my commanders was–” his voice died and he had to cough, clearing his throat.

Zuko leaned into his shoulder.

“One of my commanders was my son, Lu Ten,” he managed, but then he couldn’t get anything else out. 

“What?” the Water Tribe boy asked, oblivious to the agony coursing through Iroh. 

“The Earth Kingdom got a lucky shot in, so they say,” Toph was the one to answer. Her voice was neutral, but the words still made Iroh flinch.

The words made one picture a single blow, fast and deadly. But Iroh knew that wasn’t how it had happened. He’d seen enough of his men die to know how earthbenders killed. They dragged their enemies down into the earth until they suffocated.

Iroh’s breathing was shaky and Zuko wrapped an arm around his arm in what could almost be considered a hug. He blinked rapidly against tears, feeling at once to blessed to have Zuko beside him – and so terribly grieved to be deprived of Lu Ten’s presence as well.

It was his fault Lu Ten had been near the front lines. Lu Ten had been trying to impress him – and Iroh wished more than anything that he could go back and tell his boy that he’d never needed to try. He’d always impressed Iroh, and Iroh loved him so, so dearly.

Iroh was definitely crying now, but he tried to remind himself of why he was reliving this. He had to get to the part that was important for the Avatar to know.

So he breathed deeply until his exhales were no longer shaky, and then he spoke. “I broke off the siege, ordering the army’s retreat. It is believed that is why my father changed his will.”

“Wait, what?” Zuko blurted out, looking confused. “That makes no sense. We didn’t know the siege was over until after Grandfather was… um.”

Iroh blinked. “Oh.” He blinked again. What was he supposed to do with that?

“So then why?” the Water Tribe boy asked, and his eyes were sharp. “Why would the previous Fire Lord pass the crown onto his second born son if it wasn’t because of the retreat?”

Iroh… did not have an answer. Rather, he did not have an answer he was willing to share, not when Zuko still believed the best of his father.

But really, he didn’t know why he was surprised that Ozai probably changed the will. He wouldn’t be surprised if Ozai had helped Father into the afterlife.

There was something odd about that thought. He was horrified that he could so easily believe such an evil of his younger brother – but more than that, he was disgusted by the way it made so much sense. 

At the time, Iroh hadn’t questioned it. He hadn’t wanted to question it. He’d known when he’d returned to the Fire Nation after his spirit journey – after losing Lu Ten and discovering the truth of the world – that there were questions surrounding Ozai’s ascension. But he’d made the decision not to challenge his brother for the throne. How could he, when he now understood the damage the war had done? 

He truly did believe that the crown was better off far away from his hands – but he could admit that the real reason why he hadn’t challenged Ozai was because he knew Zuko would never forgive him for such a thing.

“So now you’re ‘retired’,” Toph said, calling him back to the conversation. 

Iroh swallowed hard, nodding in agreement. “Now I am retired.” Because being retired meant that he could be the father Zuko deserved, and there was no other way to have that.

“You really went from almost Fire Lord to just some guy who follows Zuko around?” The Water Tribe boy’s voice was disbelieving. “Seriously!?”

“Yes,” Iroh answered.

There was silence for a long minute before the Avatar fidgeted and asked, “what now?”

Zuko huffed. 

“Perhaps you could demonstrate your technique with heat, Nephew,” Iroh proposed. 

[buckyarchives]

5 years of peace | Bucky Barnes

summary: you and Bucky go to vormir: who will make it back and save the world?

word count: 9.1k

author note: i wrote this a long time ago and was sure i’d lost it, but i found it! very lightly proofread and the formatting is a little weird. like i said, wrote this awhile ago. feedback is appreciated. fyi, no happy ending in this one.

You breathed in the fresh countryside air and filled your ears with the faint sound of wind chimes in the background. Coffee filled your nose as you nursed the warm cup in your hands. The wind blew gently through your hair as you took in the scenery, this moment. You were sitting on the porch of the big house you owned with the man you loved so fiercely through the years, experiencing the domestic life you'd dreamed of as a kid before the likes of Dreykov or shield forced it out of your desires. 

After the past 5 years, you cherished these moments of peace and quiet above anything, just to be in the moment and remember it fully later. The air felt cleaner these days; you had to look on the bright side of the great unfortunate event oh so many years ago. 

After the battle in Wakanda, after the dust settled, you learned to stop treading in place in denial and grief. You pulled yourself together, moved west with none other than Bucky Barnes, and settled down. You being a widow since birth mixed with Bucky's tortured past, you both knew the life of cutting your losses and learning to find the positive in horrible situations. In New York, you stopped bringing yourself further down. You moved on from losing half the world and let yourself live the life you'd always dreamed of with the man you'd always loved over the years.

You two bought a house soon after Stark left, you couldn’t handle living in the compound anymore and being haunted by the ghosts of people you couldn't save. You kept in contact with Tony and Pepper as they began raising a child, Tony helped you find a farmhouse and helped fund your living while you found yourself again. 

But the calm only lasted so long before the storm.

A gray car pulled up to your house and brought you out of your bliss trance, the gravel crunched under the tires as it came to a stop. You have been off duty for too long; you didn’t snap into a defensive stance and assess any threat as the unfamiliar vehicle stopped at your house. The doors flung open, and you are met with some familiar faces, quickly pondering whether they would bring good or bad news. 

“You look good, y/n.” Steve said, “healthy.”

You took a deep breath as you suddenly got confronted with the past; you didn’t completely sever your relationship with the remnants of the avengers. But it seemed everyone was in a different headspace, you wouldn't allow yourself to be brought down by sorrow anymore. 

“You too, Steve.”

A less familiar head popped out of the car after Natasha did, a brunette you vaguely remember from Germany. “Are we going to stand around longingly or are we going to explain why we’re here,” he spoke, the blunt lightness in his voice was a stark contrast to the two others. 

“Where's Bucky?” Steve asked. “We really need to talk to both of you guys.”

Eyes glanced from Steve to Natasha, you knew her well. A fellow widow you knew from the red room, she and Yelena were like sisters to you. An unspoken bond and shared experience, she was one of the few people who knew you in and out. You too; you saw red puffy eyes decorating her face. The way she fidgets and kicks at the gravel under her feet, her face shows a glint of hope, clinging onto it by her fingernails. You knew what they were here for,

Your breath hitched before stepping down the steps, closer to the trio, as you crossed your arms firmly across your chest. “I swear, Steve. If this is another desperate attempt to fix what happened years ago, I won't do it.

Your voice was tired and Steve's head hung low at your words, defeat flashed across his face. “I won't let myself get my hopes up just to feel like a failure in the end, I’m happy– we are happy. I need to keep what I have.”

Natasha couldn't bear eye contact as she turned her head at your words. Steve nodded along before taking a deep breath.

“Just give this one a chance, let us explain and you can back out at any moment. And if this doesn't work, we’ll never bother you with it again,'' Steve bargained.

Steve Rogers always had a way with words, a way of saying exactly what he needed to persuade a person without it being manipulation. You knew he meant no harm to you or your current life. Everyone was just trying to cling to the thought of fixing our failure. 

Natasha looked at you with tears brimming in her eyes. “Please, y/n. I think we have a real shot here.” the desperation in her voice could tear you apart alone.

“Bucky’s out back.” you breathe out, “Follow me.”

Gravel crunched under everyone's feet as you led the trio across your yard to the barn, to the horse stable. Coming into sight was a smiling Bucky Barnes, he cut his hair short after you moved and set down here, but now it was currently in a grown-out state between his older hair and even older hair. He stood next to a brown horse named luck, one hand on the horse's side and the other holding your 7-year-old son upright as he sat on the saddle. 

Although, your dreams of being a mother were crushed when you were only 16. You loved children and continued to help the plethora of children orphaned by the blip, who were unfortunate enough to lose both parents. One child, in particular, took a liking to you and Bucky.

 He was only an infant when the chaos of the blip caused a car crash, resulting in both his parents passing. You meshed well with him and it only felt right to make it official, adopting the boy and raising him as your own.

Ajax, your son, spotted you first as you approached the metal fence keeping the horses in. “Mommy!” his face beamed, and Bucky followed his gaze to meet you. His smile dropped slightly as he saw who followed close behind you.

“Hey, pal.” Steve offered as he greeted Bucky, Bucky waved back with a pursed smile.

Bucky reached for Ajax still sitting upon the horse, easing him off luck as he set him down just for Ajax to run off towards you. Shouting mommy as he practically catapulted himself towards your body and into his arms, adjusting his body to hoist him on your hip. Having two super-soldiers as parents came in handy for these things. 

“How’ve you been holding up, little man?” Natasha always had a soft spot for children, it was evident in how she reacted to Clint's children. Always aunt Natasha.

Ajax smiled brightly toward her as she ruffled his head of hair. His dimpled stressed, he replied by bringing his thumbs up toward Natasha. Earning a warm smile from every adult around him.

“What brings you guys here? Or have you just dropped in to join us for breakfast?” Bucky said, adjusting on the balls of his feet and shoving his hands into his pockets. 

“Breakfast?” Scott spoke up, a hint of excitement in his eyes and voice. 

A gentle smile rose to Bucky’s face as he set out towards the house, “as long as nobody tears themselves in half, you can join us.” 

You set down the small child, and a smile played upon your face. “Go show uncle Steve and aunt Nat and their friend where the kitchen is.”

Ajax beamed towards the three adults, a contagious smile as their faces lit up. You let him grab Nat's hand as he pulled her away, Steve and Scott following. You watched as the group headed towards the house; the sun shining down on everyone. Under different circumstances, you'd enjoy this sight. 

The avengers always had a tricky relationship, the line between foe and family always blurred. You'd always tried to keep the family together, so at times like this when it felt all too domestic– you had to soak it up.

Through a pair of large French doors, the kitchen table was placed with food and drinks. Ajax gladly took his spot in his seat as Bucky poured a glass of juice for him. Steve chuckled at the sight, “you know, as a kid, I used to think I’d be the first one to start a family. But it suits you, buck.”

A light laugh left his lips, “I don't know how you could have thought that with how you talked to girls.”

You sat at the table and nursed another warm cut in your hands, sipping at your coffee. Natasha took a seat next to you. Her blonde hair had grown out, and it faded into red, tied to the side in a braid. She hadn't been taking proper care of herself and it pained you to see. 

A bittersweet smile painted your face as you brushed through the few strands picked out. “You need some serious root touch-ups.” you joked, successfully earning a smile from her. 

The rest of the adults sat and made themselves comfortable around the table. Ajax sat at the end with you and Bucky at his sides. Steve sat next to his best friend and Scott strangled towards the end of the table. Like some dysfunctional family breakfast. 

“So, what's the groundbreaking news that dragged you all out here?.” Bucky fidgeted in his seat. 

A nervous cough from Steve as he looks towards Scott, currently shoving a piece of toast in his mouth, looking a little lost as he takes in your beautiful house.

“Well, make yourself at home,” Nat mumbled under her breath, earning a quick snort from you.

Scott finally caught up to the group and put down the piece of toast, clearing his throat as he looked at the faces around the table. “Uh, have you two ever studied quantum physics?”

Bucky, the absolute biggest secret science nerd, nodded his head. Especially now that Buckys had the past 5 years to catch up on the 70 years of science he missed. 

Scott began retelling his story of entering and traveling the quantum realm, and how he left, 5 years later. Despite it feeling like only 5 seconds for him. Scott explained that it was possible to enter and come out at a specific time. To a time before Thanos.

All the information at once felt too sudden, hitting you hard enough to knock you down to your knees, and you kinda wished you poured some bailey in your cup before you sat down. Bucky sent you a few worried glances towards you as you both took in the pieces of information. As you got over the initial confused wave before slowly grasping onto what Scott was saying.

“So you're saying you have a quantum realm time machine and want to go back to a time where we can get the stones?” you assessed, looking around the table. Somewhere along the conversation, Bucky slid his hand under the table and grasped yours as it lay over your thigh. Giving you a quick reassuring squeeze, he knows how overwhelming this must be for you.

Scott nodded slowly, “yeah, pretty much.”

You said nothing, and neither did Bucky nor anyone else at the table. Natasha had come to you with her desperate attempts and ideas to redo what we did, but none of them seemed remotely plausible and mostly just pathetic shots in the dark, but this. This sounded like something. Time travel is such a far-fetched and impossible concept for you. Especially after hearing a long and frustrating drunk rant from Tony years ago about his failure with time travel. 

“What happens if we lose again? I mean, what’s at cost here because I can't– I can't lose what I have here.” Bucky stumbled over his words, his eyes motioning around him, to his son, to his house, to you, and his entire life. “Steve, you know how much I've gone through to get where I am, even if I don't deserve it. I can't lose this now.”

“We don't know the risks yet, we still have some workshopping to do before putting anything at risk,” Steve explained, Scott followed with a reassuring nod. “We’re just working on getting the team together.”

You could only sit in silence as you went over your options, nervously chewing at your lips. Bucky was going to scold you later for worsening the habit he's been so determined to break for you. 

“What'd Tony say?” your voice came out small and weak, unsure of yourself.

The way Steve and Natasha's faces dropped instantly at the mention of the billionaire gave you your answer. Of course, Tony would say no. Over the years he’d grown the same mindset as you, he would not risk what he has now. His broken trust in Steve didn’t make this offer any more convincing, either.

But you've always had a little more faith in your friend than most.

You gave Bucky a look, a look that should tell him everything he needs to know. He just nodded.

“Give me and buck a moment to talk, watch him.” You pushed the chair out from behind you while gesturing towards your son, pulling Bucky away from the kitchen and out of the ears of the two other super soldiers at the table. To do that you'd probably have to exit the house, but in these trying times you'd trust them not to eavesdrop.

“What do you think?” Bucky nervously asked, scratching at the scruff on his beard. “Also,I see you, stop chewing your lip. It’ll bleed and then you'll just complain about it later.”

“I hate you.” you deadpan, Bucky just throws a cheeky smile towards you, giving you a quick peck on your broken lip.

You took a deep breath, “I think we should give it a chance. If you’re in, I’m in. If you're out, we can stay here. But we should at least stick around to help with the workshopping.” Bucky listened to you with his full attention, nodding along with your words. “We can just help, we don't need to put ourselves in any immediate danger if we don't have to. We can back out at any time.”

As you spoke, you felt like you were assuring yourself of this explanation more than Bucky Like you were searching for any reason to help without damaging your life now. Bucky would agree, he's done enough fighting over the century. He's not sure if he has any more left in him to give besides fighting over what time to put his child to bed or what to make for dinner.

“I’ll call a babysitter,” Bucky said, confirming that he agrees with you.

“I'll go tell them.”

You steal one quick kiss from Bucky before he grabs his phone from his pocket and types the numbers in, as your steps ascend away from him and back towards the kitchen. All eyes turned to you with glimmers of anticipation as they awaited your answer.

“We’ll go, but we're allowed to back out anytime we feel fit.”

Natasha looked like she glowed, the small ball of hope growing inside of her. Steve nodded with a small smile, “thank you.”

“Oh god, don't thank me yet, Rogers.” you joked, “we still gotta wait for the babysitter to show up before we leave.”

/

You don’t think that you — or anyone around you really understood what and where you were going, what you were doing. Like it hadn’t sunk in until this very moment when you stand across your teammates, in a circle ready to fly through time and space. Anything could happen and at any time, you could be stuck wherever you were going for days- years. It's all so unknown.

you weren’t going to try to hide the way your legs shook, 5 years ago you went to space for the first time, and now time travel? it’s all going too fast for you, when were you going to fall behind? it’s sure to happen one day.

Bucky's hand squeezed yours for a moment, you were going with him but who knew if this was the last time you’d see him. Things can go bad, they can fail. you looked up to him, like the angel he is, your worry seems to slip from your mind when you meet his gaze. His icy blue eyes never fail to knock your breath away and make you dizzy, so hard you couldn’t think. It helped.

Nat's face was all too helpful, her optimism scared you sometimes. She turned to see everyone, “see you in a minute.”

You muster up an awkward smile and nod, everyone syncs up their GPS and with one button, you are somewhere else in a totally different time. You steal one more glance toward Bucky. he smiles and mouths ' I love you’ (you know he's saying that in case it's the last time, it makes you feel more terrified) and you press the button.

Everything goes white and you feel your body tingling or being pulled apart. There are flashes of blue and you’re barely able to register what’s happening before you’re on a dark planet with nebula and Rhodes in front of you. Buckys beside you.

“Holy shit, it worked.” Rhodes shouts, almost like a sigh of relief, “that felt horrible, oh my god.”

Nebula says nothing and gives you a weird glance. you're not too sure about her, especially ever since talking about Vormir. both you and Bucky had agreed she gave off weird vibes, and not because of being Thanos's daughter or the unnecessary aggression.

“Are you okay?” Bucky takes no time to check you first, checking your body for— well, anything unusual.

“Yes, I’m okay, b.” you nod, placing a hand on his shoulder, giving him that comfort and reassurance you know he needs desperately. “Let's do this.”

Bucky nods and gives you a promised glance. 

“Okay, no funny business. get those stones and come back.” Rhodes hugs you and gives Bucky a shoulder squeeze. 

the spaceship brought to you by Rocket on behalf of the rest of the guardians stood behind you, already sized up and ready. Bucky’s nerves are on overdrive, his hands shake as he puts a hand on your lower back as you walk towards the hanger.

“hey! and watch each other six!” Rhodes shouts once more. Both your and Bucky's heads turn.

“you two!” bucky shouts, before you’re on the jet with him and readily strapping it.

you watch him intently, his anxiety has gotten worse than ever after coming back here. you weren’t ready to have to calm a winter soldier panic attack while flying a literal spaceship. 

“I am way too old for this,” Bucky speaks lightheartedly, a smile on his face despite the voices of impending doom in his head. 

“So am I,” you reply.

you're both done tinkering with the ship as Rocket instructed and now strapping in for launch. “I still got like a good 30-40 years on you, sweetheart.”

“still old.” you shrug, buckling yourself up. 

Your fingers shake as your punch in the coordinates and repeat what rockets discussed with you. This thing is a lot different from a regular jet.

“ready for take-off in 3… 2…” you lie back in your chair and Bucky breathes out a heavy breath. Getting ready. “… 1”

the gravity shifts and you’re taken aback by the pressure on your body as the ship catapults through space. you feel bucky's hand creep towards you, squeezing the top before you can sneak your finger into his. 

Once the shock settles and you adjust to the feeling, you look forward and in utter awe of the sight before you. Space was so beautiful, a mixture of purple, blue and pink. As well as every single shade and color possible, the stars shine bright and you swear you're dreaming. Never would you have imagined seeing such a sight in your entire life, weirdly it lifted your nerves and made you feel lighter. 

You look over to see Bucky’s reaction but he’s just staring straight at you, not even sparing a glance at the once-in-a-lifetime scene in front of him. Bucky looks like he’ll die of love sickest with how he looks at you. Admiring the way your eyes widen and the colors reflect off your features making you look like a complete and utter goddess. Bucky would rather soak this once in a lifetime sight than space, you are more important. More beautiful. 

“you’re gorgeous.” he breathes out, you couldn’t think of looking out at space after this. with this man in front of you, practically worshiping you.

you squeeze his hand once more, “I love you, James Buchanan.”

“I love you.” Bucky smiles.

It took an amazingly short time to get to vormir, landing was a lot easier than you’d expected. The planet was dark and empty, which just added to the ambiance of this mission, I guess? 

though you wish you could have found any other way to get up this horrid mountain where the soul stone is apparently. you were sure Scott could have shrunk down a helicopter or something, anything. because your legs were fucking killing you, no amount of super soldier serum between either of you could make you ready for this monster of a mountain. 

“I can't believe I'm in space but I still haven’t seen a normal flying car.” Bucky sighs, his breath heavy as he stops walking for a moment to breathe. “The future is so disappointing.”

You snort, following him and leaning up against the rocks. “That is not what you said when we started watching gossip girl.”

Bucky's head falls, and he chuckles, remembering your way too many hours of binging shows to catch Bucky up in the 21st century with all the newfound freedom from the blip. Bucky feels his legs sting from walking, how was he supposed to fight for this soul stone when he was already worn out?

“Why couldn’t we have sent Tony or Rhodes here instead? They can fly. This would be so much easier.” Bucky says, which earns a warm laugh from you that brings Bucky back down. It seems way too easy to get lost in the chaos of this and forget who you were. 

You kick a rock and pull yourself to your feet. “Come on, let's get going.” you put your hand out to offer Bucky help.

Bucky groans dramatically, “you have a more enhanced version of the serum, this isn’t fair.”

“Oh boo hoo, big baby.” You fake cry, but Bucky takes your hand and you head up the mountain more. “I'm sure you’ll live.”

Time seems to have no meaning once you reach a certain point, it feels like hundreds of hours since you first started up this rock — yet only a few minutes since you were standing in front of everyone ready to jump through time.

“I bet the raccoon didn’t have to hike up this,” Bucky grumbles under his breath.

“How many times has he said to stop calling him that?” 

“Then what is he?”

you sigh, “not a raccoon.”

Bucky laughs, but it’s cut short when a booming voice interrupts you two. trained assassin an all— in second Bucky had his hand ready and pointed and your barons out. whizzing with electricity and glowing blue in the dark light.

A man that seems to fly (or hover?), the black of his body misting into the air as he moves. A hood covers his face, but you see the scarlet red showing through.

“James Barnes, mother of Winnifred.” you seem Buckyrecoil at the sight and voice, his gun lowers slightly, and he falters at the mention of his mother.

“y/n, l/n, daughter of Roberto.”

Your eyes widen now, a breath escapes your lips. A flash of utter fear rushed through your body, a chill ran up your spine— confident the same feeling is mutual with Bucky. 

“I assure you, you have nothing to fear from me.” the hooded figure speaks, your weapons lower only slightly.

Bucky had a sneaky feeling whatever stands— floats in front of him isn't affected by gunshot wounds but his finger still stays happy on the trigger. “who are you?”

“Consider me a guide. To you, and to all who seek the soul stone.”

“creepy” you mutter under your breath.

The figure moves and you're more than ready to throw a powered-up baton at it. His black abyss of hands lowers his head and Bucky’s audible gasps. Your head flinches towards him just before seeing the skeletal figure, yet full red like the skin has just been stripped from his face.

“oh god.” Bucky's eyes are wide. “Nazis are guarding soul stones, the future really isn’t bright.”

“What?”

Bucky sucks in his breath. “That's the red skull.”

“Weird.” you huff, “great, so tell us where the stone is and we’ll be on our way.”

A part of you two knew too well that it would not be that easy, maybe hoped it would be, but reality had always been harsh for the two of you. 

Red skull sighed sympathetically, a strew of German words muttered under his tongue. “If only it were that easy.”

You didn't spare Bucky a glance before you looked the gray arch up and down. Continued forward with bucky close next to you, hands grazy each other as you walked. Under different circumstances, you could hold him. But the large rock that had dropped to the bottom of your stomach shook you, a fear and uncertainty you'd never felt settled deep in you. 

But, bucky knew better. He was strong than you and he reached out, just like you had done once for him, and held you, his gloved fingers laced into yours and held on tight. The unpleasant touch of leather on leather ha you yearning for things to be different. If you had said no you'd probably be in bed now tangled in each other lips, with no protective leather in between. 

That would be selfish, the blaring voice in the back of your voice screamed. You were a hero who needed to save others, you couldn’t hold onto the luxury of selfishness for long. 

It was like the voice was ingrained into your head when dreykov or elder widow made you repeat those phrases during class. You are nothing, you have no place in the world, and you are alone – always alone. Muttered under your breath seven days a week, while you ate, while you lay awake at night, while knives were shoved into you as a test, while you killed people with a straight face. It was all you knew.

Until Bucky came along and you decided you were going to try and save one person if you couldn't yourself, but along the way he save you. Sometimes just squeezing your hand just to remind you that, no – you were not alone.

The sky in front of you shined blue and purple, something you'd only expect from an otherworldly planet as their sunset. It was beautiful, it slightly settled the heavy weight in your chest.

Red skull led you both closer and closer to the edge of the mountain. Your hands shook wildly as your eyes traveled down, down, down. “What you seek lies in front of you… as does what you fear.”

“The stones down there.” you hide the shake in your voice, the uncertainty of what you had to do to get it hanged heavy above your head. 

“For one of you, for the other…” The red skull looked between you two, it scared you how even he had a glint of sadness in his presumably cold, dead, and hollow eyes. “In order to take the stone, you must lose that which you love. An everlasting exchange. A soul, for a soul.”

Bucky's hand slipped from yours and suddenly you realized how cold it felt up here, a freezing chill ran down your spine and shook you to your core. Bucky muttered under his breath, “a soul for a soul.”

A soul for a soul. One of you had to die.

You looked up at the man you love, and the same realization of what your future beholds carried through to his eyes. A croak settled in your throat that made you feel as if you were choking, but you didnt move. Bucky's head lowered, his head shook in denial as he paced toward the stone keeper, muttering a spew of Russian threats under his breath.

A hand grabbed at his chest before he could attempt to harm the being, you stood stone like – almost lifeless as you stopped him. “Bucky, I don't think that's going to work.” your voice was quiet, defeated as you blinked rapidly. Trying desperately to bring yourself down to reality.

“He– he's gotta be lying, I mean come on, Y/N '' he caught your attention as Bucky fought back the truth, his chest heaved as his breath got heavier, faster. “He's making this shit up.”

“He knew your mother's name, my father…I didn't” Your breath hitched, something you so desperately fought to push away or hide and just as you thought you were over it. It came back around to push you down to the ground. 

“So? That doesn't mean anything.” anger and denial laced his word, it was something you'd never heard before. 

Your feet dragged below you as you crept away from the edge and sat down on a rock, almost in a daze. The wind whipped around you and violet colors painted the scenery, everything. It was too quiet like a high-pitched ringing in the background as the storm crept closer. 

One of you had to die to get that stone, after all those years fate caught up to you. you'd never be able to live the life you dreamed of in your early years because you couldn't imagine it with anyone else besides the man that paced rapidly behind you. Threading his finger through his hair, feeling the rush of anxiety rise to his heart.

“Nope, nope, nope,” Bucky repeated, each syllable his voice raised louder and louder. His feet kicked the gravel everywhere as he abruptly stood right in front of you, snapping you out of your daze. His hands were thrown around as a burst of nervous laughter erupted from his chest, as bucky denied what had to be done.

“Nope, this is us backing out. You said we could back out anytime. This is us backing out, we are leaving.” he rattled on frantically, his hair a mess from grabbing and pulling it out of stress. His step carried him in a small circle as he paced in front of you. 

You shook your head slowly. “Bucky, no… we can’t. Were too far–”

“We’re not heroes! We never were, why are we starting now!” he yelled, pain dripping from his voice.

“If we don't come back with that stone, Billions of people will stay dead,” you spoke plainly, a croak in your voice.

You couldn't get the image of Natasha's face out of your mind. How this blip had driven her to the brink. Everyone failed on that day 5 years ago, some blamed themselves more than others but Natasha was too used to carry pain of everyone. She needed this win, she needed you. Everyone did.

Bucky breathed heavily, his face contorted as if he was being tortured. His eyebrows knotted and lines showed prominently on his forehead. You always imagined reaching out to him and smoothing the tortured lines along his face, like you’d rid of his worries with one touch. You touched his face lightly and he practically melted into you, bucky's head fell on your shoulder as you both pushed back choked sobs as tears brimmed each other's eyes. 

“What about Ajax? he's expecting his parents to come home together.” Bucky mumbled into your shoulder, his words broke you as you dropped your head onto Bucky as sobs escaped you. 

“We have to save them, Bucky.” your voice shook, even more, when you tried to breathe “We can get them all back.”

“And lose each other?”

You didn't dare respond to that question, both of you knew the answer. 

Somehow at this moment, everything felt so familiar. Despite being in a different time and on a different planet you'd never even known existed. You weren’t surprised you stood here in tears, ready to sacrifice everything ever loved or known. 

Bucky pulled away, seemingly more composed despite how broken he felt inside as he knew what he had to do. He lived too long and caused too much bloodshed along his lifetime to even deserve what he's had for the past 5 years. To have you– it was criminal. 

“One more time, please.” Bucky breathed, you knew what he meant and simply nodded.

Metal and flesh held your face once more, his eye trained on you, studying every feature so as to not forget. Like he'd do late at nights as the moonlight highlighted you, making you look like a goddess in need to be worshiped. Bucky obliged, joyful. He ingrained the image of your beauty one last time before he leaned down and captured your lips.

Bucky always kissed you so gently, like you were made of glass. Every peck never failed to cause butterflies to flutter throughout you like it was the first time despite the many kisses over the years. He always made you feel special, you couldn't ever imagine feeling worth anything without him to remind you with a simple kiss.

Pulling back, tears brimmed your eyes. But you held your chin up high, powering through as you've always been taught to. “Whatever it takes,” you muttered Steve’s words under your breath, your hand slipping back comfortably into bucky’s.

“Whatever it takes,'' Bucky repeated, his voice trailing off into a quiet whimper.

You looked up at Bucky, heavily exhaling as the weight settled in your chest once you made eye contact. Eyes narrowed back at each other, your face settled into the closest thing that could resemble peace at this moment. A quick flash of panic presented itself in Bucky's eyes as he frowned.

“No, no, Y/N. I know what you're thinking and– and, no.” Bucky rattled, his head shook slightly. The wind still whipped around as the breeze carried through his brunette hair. 

“It's gotta be me, Bucky.” you said.

He continued to shake his head. “Come on now, don’t be a hero.”

“And you are?” your lip quirked up as your voice steadied, repeating bucky's words. 

Bucky sighed heavily. “I deserve this.”

“No, you absolutely do not.” you snark, “don't get all self-wallowing on me, asshole.”

“I’m not, I'm trying to save your life, doll,” he spoke plainly like it was just that simple, saving your life by killing the one thing that kept you going.

You kept your mouth closed of sneaky comments, you smiled up at Bucky once more, earning the same from him. 

And that was enough for you.

“Ajax always liked you better, anyways.” 

Bucky's head perked up, “what?”

You smiled and Bucky was barely able to get the full phrase out before he hit the ground with a thud. You had grabbed his metal hand the harshest you've ever touched him and twisted it around so you could use all your strength to kick his back, successfully stealing the air from him and sending him down.  

“Tell everyone I love them.”

A mistake. Giving bucky any amount of time to rebound, maybe it was something deep down in you that didn’t want to leave him. Right as you set off to run and jump off the edge to a heroic death. Bucky is able to reach and wrap his vibranium fingers around your ankle harshly, tugging and sending to the grouch harshly. A shot of pain went straight up your leg when you fell, you’re sure Bucky fractured or broke something just so you'd stay down. 

You don't miss the way Bucky flinches when he sees you grunt in pain, his worst fears coming to life when he is faced with the choice of hurting you just to keep you alive. “No, Ajax loves you more.” 

Bucky grunts and rises to his feet and sets out to run, your hand shoots up as you curse to yourself for having to do this to bucky again. The red glow of your widow's bite shines brighter in the dark lighting of the mountain, shooting straight to Bucky's stomach as he recoils and spazzes, falling to the ground again. 

No way could he rebound from that so quickly, especially at the distance at which you shot him. Enough time to bring yourself up, ignore the pounding of pain shooting through your leg as you felt the bones in your ankle crunch. Turning away from Bucky once more as you limp towards the edge, speeding up as much as you can to get over there.

A harsh impact hits your back as Bucky tackled you down, successfully pinning you just as you've reached the edge. “I’m sorry, my love. I just can't let you do this.” his face is inches above yours as you landed on your back.

damn him for sweet talking you even now. 

“You think I want to do this?” you breathe out and your knee comes up harshly to his groin. Weakening him just enough to push him away.

almost over the edge, you need one more step and you'd be free falling. With the thought of Bucky in your mind, attempting to remember him as your loving husband, imagine him next to your son in the house you adored and littered yourself and the life you built everywhere. A report card from Ajax was pinned on the fridge. The stupid Captain America mug you bought Bucky in the sink. The rocking chair Bucky built for you so you could read on the porch. Coffee stains on the wood of the dining table because bucky never remembers to use the coasters.

 Everything you had with him and you'd promised yourself to remember him like that as you die, instead of the man tackling you with tears in his eyes as he attempts to save you.

You don't need saving, but Bucky will never let you win. His hand tugs you back from your jump and his arms wrap around you, pushing you back. But you stay planted in your space as you follow him and lock your arms tight around his waist. Holding him so close so if he decided to fling himself over, you'd go with. 

Rocks fall from the edge as you both try to balance your feet at the very edge, barely inching away from falling. Your both panting breath as you face each other now, eyes narrowing.

“Let go of me.” Bucky grunts. 

“Never.”

Bucky's face grimaces. “It should be me. Please, I've lived a long enough life, there's nothing left for me.”

“No.” you start but bucky's strained voice doesn't pause.

“Please, my love. I don't deserve this life, I’ve spilled too much blood to be the one to live.`` Bucky cries out. His grip around your waist is getting tighter, as he desperately soaked up the warmth of your body before he meets his end. “I can't live without you.”

“And you think I can?” you scoff. 

Bucky doesn't respond. His eyes don't leave your face as he gawks at you. “I love you, I love you so much James Buchanan.” you begin to rattle on, “i've loved you ever since the day we met, you're an amazing partner, an amazing father, and a good man. You are a good man, and your story is not over yet.”

“No, no, no. Please don't do this to me, doll.” Bucky pleads. 

“I won't let you fall again. Okay? I have to save you because you've already saved me.” 

Bucky's mouth croaks open, he feels like he is dying as the words leave his mouth. Bucky’s life practically flashes before his eyes, his long and tortured life but he can only see you. The way you light him up inside with just a smile, bringing out the best version of himself he can be after everything that's happened. 

You've already saved him enough, you were there for him before anyone else. You helped him heal. You brought him back out of the water when he was sure he’d drown. You were his everything and Bucky knew he couldn't live a life without your smile. He has to save you, again.

A flash of promises shows in Bucky's eyes, he's going to win. Bucky makes sure you see it.

But you're smarter. You cycled through the red room too many times to count. Bucky held a far advantage with his strength, but you were smarter– you were stalling. Bucky was a fool to let himself rattle for so long, especially with your baton held tight in the hand that pushed him close to your body. The electricity powered up every second he bargained his life because the truth is you had won the moment his grasp held you.

“I'm sorry, James.” 

You grunt as you jab him hard in the left shoulder, where the horrid scars of his past hid. Where metal connected to the flesh, the machine to the man. The electricity coursed wildly through him and the vibranium arm. His grip lets up and you inch yourself to the side as Bucky curls into himself, his body acting on its own accord to the shock. 

More rocks fell as your foot slipped purposely and your weight shifted, letting you fall off the edge. 

Just as you've accepted your fate, Bucky's flesh hand barely grips you. His chest is down flat on the edge of the mountain, looking down at you as you dangle. Tears are falling down his face as watches you so close to your death. Croaks and pleads leaving his mouth as tries hard to pull you up.

“Just let me die, goddamnit!” you yell, growing frustrated that he had to drag out this pained process any more.

“I can't.” Bucky croaks, a tear slips from his eye and drops down, down and down. To where the stone lay. Bucky wont let you die for him.

But you've already won. Hands sipping much faster than pulling. 

“It’s okay.” was all you said; so simply, as if it didn’t take the breath from bucky's chest

“No, it's not.” he whimpered. “You don't deserve this.”

Bucky’s desperate grip only holds you by the end of your fingertips. His vibranium arm sat useless as the electricity that coursed through it successfully apprehended him. You're slipping from Bucky's finger and he can't do anything. Bucky can only watch you, smiling up at him like any other morning. Hiding the fear coursing through your body, only one tear falling down your cheek. 

“Let go.” Your voice is gentle and soft. Bucky wishes he kissed you more, held you tighter, and fought harder. He deserved to be in your place, falling to his death like he should have back in the 1940s. 

“You’re going to be okay.”

“I love you, Y/N.” bucky croaks out one last time.

You nod, but your mouth stays closed You’re going to fall, slipping from Bucky's fingers as he fails to save you. Bucky can't look away, despite the horrible fear of having to last remember you like this– dangling off a mountain just as you're about to fall to your death, just to save him. Bucky doesn't want to remember you like this.

Your hand slips, and you fall down, down, down. So far bucky can't hear the thud when your body hits the ground as you meet your fate. Bucky lets out one last whimper as he screws his eyes shit– he won't let himself remember you like this. The night you met, faded memories of seeing you at Hydra, in the heat of battle against aliens, Sunday morning when you're tangled in white sheets and his own limbs, laughing with your friends or caring for your son. Anything but the image of your body lying dead because he failed. 

And now he's alone. Again. The emptiness that finds his body taunts him. Bucky feels like he died with you.

The sky booms and cracks, and the brightest light blinds him even with his eyes shut. Bucky's sobs to himself of your memories just as everything goes black.

/

Tall grass crunched under her feet as a whole pack of small village children ran after her in fits of giggles, a smile tugged her face as she watched them race towards the small red hut by the lake. Her eyes narrowed and a hand rose to her face to shield the bright Wakandan sun on this warm spring day. 

“Hey! Leave the poor old man alone,” she shouts as the children make teasing noises at the half-woken man, giggling to themselves as they mutter under their breaths. They skidder away and run past her, but not before she can playfully tussle the head of one of the kids as they run off to play. 

Her smile subdues, and a light joy is still lingering on her face. Pulling back the drapes to see a one-armed man arising from his small cot, hair thrown back in a messy half-bun and dressed in rich red and blue. He craned his neck and groaned as if he were nursing a headache. She gives him time before speaking, not until his eyes land on her body and he registers her presence. A small and welcoming smile was placed upon her lips.

“Good morning, Barnes,” she speaks, her voice is light and warms bucky’s chest. “Did you sleep well?”

Bucky stares at her for a moment, blinking a few times as if he doesn't understand the questions. A future version of himself watches through bucky’s eyes, a future version that had just lost you. Bucky feels a sense of panic suge through his chest as he realizes what he's watching, seeing, reliving. He is here and presents in this body, but the past version of him is here too. 

Bucky had no control over this memory as he relived it again, he can't move to hug you. He is unable to open his mouth to tell you how much he loves you. The emotions of loss and panic don’t show on his face. 

This is not like being the winter soldier, he had no control and can only watch his body act through his eyes. But he's lived this, he knows what happened next and then on for the 7 years of you. He knows no harm or hurt now, his chest feels warm.

She notices his lack of response and remembers herself in his shoes. “I'm here to watch over you and help you recover. I’m a friend of Steve, he suggested I stay here with you.`` Her voice is calm and reminds Bucky of honey. “I've been in a similar situation, the whole brainwashing thing.”

Bucky blinks once, twice. The girl before him is about to speak once more, to let Bucky know he's safe and in good hands. But his raspy, rushed-out words stop her.

“I know you.”

The ends of her lip quirks up, her head falls down to hide the amused smile. The future version of bucky's consciousness wishes she hadn't hidden her smile, just so bucky could bask in the light of it one more time. 

“Yeah, I was at the airport in Germany with Tony.” she stuttered out, nervous over the fear that Bucky might push back once the knowledge she wasn't initially on his side a year ago. Instead, that thought doesn't even scratch his mind, no— something entirely different.

“No.” bucky cuts her off, “i know you.” 

Her eyebrows furrowed and her chin tilted upwards slightly, she always did this when confused or curious. Bucky knew the act too well. “Pardon?”

Bucky’s past broken mind, filled with foggy memories pieces together messily. Some only through the lens of the winter soldier. But he remembers her as himself. 

“You gave me a granola bar.” his voice is only above a whisper, still groggy from his sleep. 

A wave of confusion flashes through her before she winches back as the memory comes back to her like a truck. Her face drops, as a widow and her many years of being cycled through the red room. Hydra had a distant and messy relationship with Dreykov and the red room; it didn't last long, but it's how she ended up at a Hydra facility one night. 

Which she was confronted with hearing the screams of a tortured man only a room away. The man she only heard hushed rumors about, of an unstoppable man that wasn't allowed to die, a dangerous weapon, the fist of Hydra– the winter soldier.

She hadn't been chemically brainwashed then, she still had her humanity and sympathy hidden behind the walls built up by dreykov. That fateful night she hid a granola bar under her shirt, one she intended to eat. Her only meal for the night, yet she hid it and snuck to the winter soldier's chamber with no hesitation or thought. Snuck past the Hydra agents as they changed their shifts, slipped it through the bars, and threw the food towards the naked, grime-covered man chained to a wall.

Bucky remembers making eye contact with the girl for only a short moment, as he noticed the plastic package skid by his body, initially he flinched at the bar, and realization set in that he was in no immediate harm. The first warm feeling coursed through him in decades, he studied that girl's features so hard as not to forget. 

She skidded away soon enough but bucky ingrained the memory in his mind. In hopes of it staying there despite the constant torture and brainwashing from Hydra, promised himself he wouldn’t let them take every good thing away from him. The memory got muffled out over the year, but he didn't forget now that she sat in front of him years later.

A small genuine smile rose to Bucky's face for the first time in a while, it was a contagious smile at the moment as her lips quirked up too. She still sat stunned as the resurfacing of such an old memory came back. “Yeah, that was me.”

Bucky wants to cry, he isn't sure which version of him purifies this feeling. He remembers feeling hopeful at that moment way back then when he first really met you. He wants to stay in this moment forever with you, cherish it, and ingrained every second of this memory in his brain where all he can think about is you. 

You, the day you dragged him out in the peak of the morning to go for a walk around the lake. You did that every day, or let the village kids drag him out of his hut to play tag or other silly children games. or you'd take him into town to help him learn to be around people by offering his help to the elders and making him do chores and tasks around the community. He told you it was annoying and hated it but secretly enjoyed it. Anything involving you made Bucky feel more alive and warm, more human.

He'd do anything to get those moments back again. Anything.

/

Bucky's eyes flutter open as he lays down his back in a pool of water, making his suits stick to his skin. Sitting up with his hair now sopping wet, his fringe sticking to his forehead and face as water dipped from his head and mixed into his teras.

Looking around as he sat in miles of water, your body and the mountain you just fought on out of sight. Only the faint sunset of purples and oranges filled his sight, his head hangs low in defeat. Tucked into his metal hand, holds the glowing light of the soul stone. 

The only reminisce of your life, your sacrifice sitting in his palm. Glowing just as bright as once did. This stupid thing cost your life, a disgust washed across bucky’s face as he narrows his eyes at it. This stone had killed you, and bucky let it.

His body falls in on itself as he hits the ground, and a whimper follows. His quantum suit activates and he shrinks back down before he can allow himself to grieve, allow himself to cry.

Bucky barely process the change in scenery and time as he was taken back to the present day and back in the compound. A dazed, emotionless face is painted as the rest of the avengers look around with hopeful, almost gleeful faces. The bright light of the room is a stark contrast to the dark scenery of vormir. Bucky’s head pounds.

Steve and Natasha meet bucky’s figure at the same time, and more importantly– the lack of your standing next to him.

Natasha's face drops, “bucky? Wheres Y/N?”

The room's attention is now on bucky and he suffocates under it, you've been gone for only a few moments but the waters already filling back up, and soon bucky’s drowning again without you. His lips quiver when he looks up to see Steve's concerned eyes. Water is still dripping down his face and off his body. 

“What happened, buck?” Steve asks, his steps slowly coming closer to bucky’s body. As he stands there almost frozen in grief, and anger. Resembling a statue if it were for the slight quiver of his lip or the heavy rise of his chest as bucky feels a panic attack arises in his core.

A sharp inhale, bucky’s eyes flicker towards Natasha, then Steves. Bucky breaks.

Heavy footsteps that put a fear into everyone around him, trudging toward steve. Bucky's face contoured into a pained gesture as he stops right in front of his best friend, showing the glowing stone harshly into his chest. Steve grunted at bucky's motion as he grabbed the yellow stone, feeling the aggressive shake of Bucky's hands.

“Here's your fucking stone, steven.” bucky barks, a shake trembled the core of bucky’s voice.

Bucky grimaces, his feet carrying him quickly out of sight from the others. His pace sped up, heading to the only place he can think of. Your old room, where he’ll allow himself to cry. 

taglist ; @ivywasmaroon @ozwriterchick @slytherinambitious @wintermischief @silverfire475

[changingplumbob]

hii!! 11-14 for the story questions

Hooray a chance to talk!!! And I actually really wanted to do these 4! Thank you Lori 😁 I'm throwing in a cut just because I write long answers, don't want to be cluttering dashboards.

11) Why have you decided to tell this story? Are there any messages or meanings within it?

It was about 6 months of me playing my rotations before I had the thought to record what was happening in story format. I was actually sticking with households and wanted to be able to look back and see how far they'd come, so I decided to start writing and taking screenshots. I've always liked creative writing throughout my life, but have been reluctant to share it, there's so much talent out there. I enjoyed writing about my sims so wanted to share it, mainly so I could talk to people about my sims because I have such fun playing.

Messages or meanings... I try to write most of my sims as being accepting. There's a lot of hate and bigotry in our world, and I like writing a world where there is minimal prejudice. Samir will never have to face sims distrusting him simply because he is of Arab descent. Devin will never face discrimination in casting simply because she is married to a woman. Joey will never have his job performance questioned simply because he has hearing loss.

I do write a few mean and narrow minded sims but they are few and far between. They are mainly there to add some realism but I want my sims to feel safe being who they are. So messages... judge someone for their character, not something that they have no control over (ethnicity, sexuality, gender, disability).

12) Do you actually play the game or do you just use it as a storytelling medium?

I LOVE playing! I preordered Sims 4! However, patience is not my strong suit. The longest I've played one household lasted from the teens in a household growing to YA and having a baby... I was the master of making a household, playing for a few in game weeks, then getting bored. Rotational play is great for me as it helps me stay invested, plus I love to micro manage.

I do consider that I'm playing my game and just recording what happens for the most part, Reece and Samir are the only ones I think of as me crafting a story. Apart from them I play pretty unplanned.

13) From basic planning to a finished post, how long does that take you?

I like to play, take screenshots, then write for those before returning to the game for another round of playing. Let me check some dates... The next households first part screenshots were taken on Jan 28th and I finished playing the household on Feb 3rd. Looks like I created the word document on Jan 28th and it was last edited on Feb 4th.

So 8 days to play and write the chapter. I'd guess another day to finish queuing the posts (I also do these as I go). But that is probably one of the faster ones. This latest one I've done has taken me over 2 weeks, yes I was away for a portion of that, and I've still not finished the writing. I'm currently unemployed so I have the time to spend on it. When I find a new job I imagine average creation time will double or triple.

Drafts from the past take about 3 minutes as it's just me getting a screenshot of whatever weirdness is happening and putting it in a post. Lookbooks can take several hours to string together, or less than 1 if I'm not providing new outfits. Build or Reno posts take maybe half an hour to put together, providing I took the screenshots I need. This post took me an hour to write because I'm having an IBS flare up and thinking deeply.

14) Do you have any regrets about your story so far? if you could go back in time, how would you fix these?

I am not a big one for regret in real life. I was for a long time but now I try to see the past as "things happened, I did the best I could in the circumstances with my resources and what I knew".

I do somewhat regret putting my earlier writing straight on Twitter with no copy to my hard drive because all that story is essentially lost to the black hole of the internet. BUT that's taught me to keep records of what I'm doing.

Story regrets... nope. I've sat here for 5 minutes and cannot think of one. I do feel sad about making all of Marta's family dead but I don't regret that choice. What I have done with my sims are things that made sense for the characters.