#and it turns out we're getting one of those things and none of the rest

[mechieonu]

i'm sorry it's just so funny how we all thought kfp 4 would be the Tigress Movie only for her to not even fucking be in it

[nitewrighter]

Snow White and the Fae Co-Op

Part One: I Didn't Vote For You

Okay so like--

I get why people thought we were all dwarves. Or made us all dwarves. Something between that. Collaborative storytelling what have you. It makes things significantly simpler, and it's a much punchier title than "Snow White and the Troll, the Redcap, the Púca, and four gnomes." (Of course I get top billing--I was her favorite.) And, okay, yeah, none of us came up past Snow's ribcage. Understandable.

But still it's like one of those things you don't want to start correcting people on it because you know you're going to spend the rest of your life correcting and concordantly explaining shit to people. But now it's like, you're pissed when we are dwarves, you're pissed when we're not dwarves, seriously! Pick a lane!

But okay, it seems everyone's pissed about this right now, so let's get pedantic.

We aren't sexy fairies.

Okay I didn't start that out right.

I guess it's easiest to explain this as... think of the ocean. So like, there are the scary sexy fairies who have the whole Succession/Bridgerton/White Lotus Fae Court thing going and they turn you into a deer and hunt you for sport, that's the Deep End. Then you have humans. Humans, in this metaphor, are land.

Me and my guys? We're tide pools.

A lot of stories are all like "Ougggh the magic is dying from this world ouggghhh the old ruined kingdoms" but in my opinion I think that's overall a case of Immortals Being Very Weird About Change In General. Like the tide, magic in this world rises and falls, and in the course of that you end up with this kind of hardy subgroup of fae who can survive in both High-Fae and High-Human environments. We're kind of our own ecosystem, but we're also kind of intermediaries between the Deep End Fae Court and the humans. We actually tend to broker a lot of more like, working class deals between the magical world and the human world. Maybe we get compared to the mob a lot. Whatever.

I'm getting into the weeds. This story isn't about me and the guys. This is about our girl, Snow. And trust me, I'm old as balls so before you get all 'Oh, one girl and seven guys? wHAt waS gOinG oN tHeRE?" (And you're absolutely disgusting for that, by the way). You need to understand that, on a species level, Snow was basically like keeping a very beautiful (albeit kind of bossy) sentient duck in the house. We loved our beautiful sentient duck and were impressed by the many talents of the beautiful sentient duck. No one desired the beautiful sentient duck on a romantic or physical level because, one, romantic and sexual desire for our subgroup of fae is very tedious, nuanced, and species-specific, and two, she was a duck. I mean she wasn't a duck, she was a human, but for us that's basically like being a sentient duck. All of those shitty "One girl seven guys" jokes I can definitely say are a result of human projection. Like again, you need to understand that my guys and me have basically gone through Magic Carcinization.

Again, I'm getting into the weeds.

All you need to know about Snow is that she broke into our house, she scares the shit out of us, and we would kill for her.

Okay you should probably know more than that.

Okay, so remember like 12 seconds ago when I said me and my guys are more of the working-class brokers between humans and Fae? And remember that Deep End I mentioned earlier? So like, the Deep End does deal with humans, but that tilts heavily into the 'Royalty and Miracles' side of things. Swords in stones. Swords in lakes. A fish that gives you all of the cosmic secrets of the universe when you eat it. That kind of stuff. That's kind of where Snow came from. She's a Fae weapon forged in a human womb. Hence why she scared the shit out of us.

How do I start this properly?

Once upon a time there were three human kingdoms. An icy kingdom in the north, a temperate kingdom in the west, and a, let's be real, damp kingdom in the east. Icy Kingdom had a queen, a beautiful queen, and the Deep End of the Fae love beautiful things. Beautiful Queen wanted more, and she made a deal with the Deep End of the Fae. She gave them her heart, and they give her a mirror that gives her sight beyond sight, and she used that to conquer Damp Kingdom in the East. They fought, but she could predict every one of their strategies with her mirror, all she needed to do was ask the mirror what this general is doing, or that Lord is doing, and bing-bang-boom, she took Damp Kingdom in a matter of months. And for good measure she took their baby boy prince, a pretty but frankly useless boy who, as the years went on and he grew, she largely kept for cup-bearing and harp-playing and decoration and also threatening to cut the head off of if Damp Kingdom ever stepped out of line. Because Damp Kingdom loved their pretty pretty baby boy prince as the last remnant of their royal bloodline, they were now thoroughly cowed.

So now the Queen turned her eyes to the Temperate Kingdom.

And this is when the Deep End Fae were like, "Hey okay you've conquered a neighboring kingdom, which we don't super-care-about for nebulous Fae Reasons, but for equally nebulous Fae Reasons, we don't want you to conquer Temperate Kingdom."

And the Queen was like, "Whatever."

And the Deep End Fae were like "Okay, then here's the part where we use that previous thing you gave us against you." And they tried to use her heart against her, but basically the Queen used the Mirror to circumvent the heart magic through a whole bunch of... jury-rigged alchemy shit? I don't know. This stuff was already way out of my pay grade. But what I do know is, the Deep End Fae realized they couldn't use the Evil Queen's previous deal as a failsafe against her, so they needed a new approach to stop her.

Temperate Kingdom was ruled by a kind king and queen. They also didn't want to be conquered, but things weren't looking good. Their capital city was under siege. The Kind Queen was pregnant and ready to pop--scratch that, currently popping. The king was mortally wounded while defending said Capital City. They dragged the mortally wounded king back to the bailey and he's all delirious ranting about his wife and the not-yet baby.

And then a figure in a mossy cloak appeared. They loomed over the mortally wounded king and they said very gently "Your blood will outlast you. Do you permit our assistance in this? Do you permit the cost?"

And the king was dying and he only understood like 40% of what was going on right now. He knew what was talking to him right now wasn't human. He knew you don't refuse a gift from the Fae. And he knew he was kind of safely in the 'fucked-up miracle' territory of Fae gifts though he didn't really understand the full extent of what that meant (and that's fair--no one does). He kind of assumed it would just be his own life as the cost of whatever the hell was happening here. So he's bleeding out and he nods. "If it will preserve the Kingdom," he says, "If it will save our child."

So we cut to the queen. The royal birthing is... okay it's going rough. Giving birth under siege will do that to you. In ideal circumstances you would have this hardcore butch midwife stick most of her forearm up the birth canal to reposition the baby and both the mother and child would live but... you didn't have that here. Instead, once more, the figure in the mossy cloak loomed over the Queen as she screamed through agonizing contraction after contraction. They touched two fingers to the queen's forehead and they gave her a flood of visions. Snow. Fire. Blood. Blackened earth. A little sapling growing from the body of a great and noble felled tree. And she looked to the figure in the mossy cloak. And she saw their face was kind.

The kind queen died in childbirth as the Evil Queen's forces overtook the capital city. The king was dead before he knew what deal he had made. The Evil Queen and her troops marched into the grand hall, only to see a figure in a mossy cloak seated on a little stool next to a wooden bassinet. The Evil Queen made that anime villain snort-scoff sound.

"So kind of you to offer your blessing in my victory," she said.

"This is not a blessing we offer," said the figure in a mossy cloak, "You have abused the gift given in our previous trade. The trust between us is breached. We now give you back that which you gave us. All you have won for yourself will rot. And as with all rot, new and rightful life will spring from it."

And the Evil Queen almost laughed at this at first, again, like "Whatever," but then after a few seconds she begins to do the math. In exchange for a mirror that gave her sight beyond sight, she gave the fae her heart, and then she jury-rigged a whole bunch of magical alchemical bullshit to protect herself from basically being shackled to the fae's will through her heart, because hey, if you can, that's what you do.

But what happens if your heart is no longer your heart?

What happens if the Fae bind your heart to someone else?

What happens if your heart is now wrapped in different royal blood from the kingdom the Fae told you specifically you're not supposed to conquer?

And that was Snow.

The most beautiful, weirdest, most uncanny-ass baby you've ever seen. AND she had that weird undercooked look all human babies have. A semi-formed little beast. Can you imagine looking at an infant and knowing it's going to burn down everything you've ever built? Can you imagine knowing that trying to smother this threat in its crib will burn everything down, too?

But you think, "It's okay. I can manage this. Plants can be molded in to bonsai and topiary. I can shape this to suit my needs, too. It just takes care. It just takes maintenance."

And that's when Evil Queen declares, "As a symbol of healing between our kingdoms, I will raise this child as my own." And she gives a sharp glance to the figure in the mossy cloak, and they give an assenting motion with their... probably head? Probably.

And she awkwardly takes up the baby in the crook of her arm. Wow awesome, she already has an amazing propaganda tool. There's no way this is going to backfire on her in like... 17 or 18 years.

Except you know it will. Because this is the "Fucked up miracles" side of shit we're talking about. And the Evil Queen is not on the side of miracles.

Fucking hell, that's all a mouthful, and Snow hasn't even met us yet! Look, I'm gonna take a smoke break and I'll get back to you in a minute, okay?

[luciathcv]

keep quiet - nmr

summary: you end up falling asleep when over at the dorms and the other members keep being loud || warnings: none || genre: fluff, established relationship || word count: approximately 515

You had come over to the dorm to hang out with your boyfriend, Riki, after a long week of not seeing one another. What had only been a week had felt like an eternity to the both of you and you truly wanted to enjoy all of your time together before you had to head back home in the evening.

The amount of school work you'd had the past week along with you working as well had kind of ruined things for you though as you were beyond burnt out from the week you'd had.

You'd ended up falling asleep on his bed, over the covers, next to him as you were both watching videos on his phone. He noticed after he'd commented on the video and you said nothing in response. Honestly, he didn't mind though. He knew that you had a long week and he liked being there while you slept.

You slept next to him and he turned the volume off on his phone as he switched to simply scrolling through social media when he heard the sounds of the other members loudly coming into the dorm. They'd been out the whole time you'd been over and of course they had to come back, being particularly loud, mind you, when you were sleeping.

He felt a little annoyed but he figured the bedroom door was close so it did muffle a good amount of the noise. Then, Heeseung knocked on the door rather loudly before entering the room, making you shift in your sleep. Riki groaned as he looked at the oldest member.

"What, hyung?" Riki muttered out, a bit of an annoyed look on his face.

"Oh, my bad. Is she sleeping?" Heeseung questioned even though it was obvious, his voice lowering slightly. Riki nodded slightly in response. "I was just checking in on you guys. Wanted to see if she was staying for dinner." Heeseung then said.

"She is, yeah." Riki responded, staying in a low voice.

"We're all going to get K-BBQ. Let me know if you guys are joining." Heeseung simply said before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.

Around 15 minutes later, Jungwon entered the room without warning. "So, are you guys coming to dinner?" He asked.

"Hyung," Riki groaned, looking over at you as you slept before glancing back at Jungwon. "Yes, we'll come. Okay? She's taking a nap right now." He said.

"Oh, sorry. We're leaving at 6:30 so... Have her up by then." Jungwon simply said before leaving the room.

Riki noticed as you started to move in your sleep, actually seeming to be waking up right now. He brushes the hair out of your face as you slowly opened your eyes.

"Mm, sorry for falling asleep." Is the first thing you mumble.

"Don't be sorry. You need your rest, baby." Riki simply responded as he pulled you closer to him. If hanging out with you meant you simply napping with him, he didn't mind and he'd cherish those moments just the same as if you were doing something.

ᥫ᭡ link to my masterlist

[miasmaghoul]

so, about those angsty swaeon thoughts...

It's later than usual by the time they make it to the hotel, and Dew's so tired he can barely stand up straight. He was already limping with the damn boot strapped to his leg, but the exhaustion makes it that much worse. He's more hobbling now, at the back of the pack while the others make their way to the lobby - all close enough to touch, yet draped in distance and dense quiet.

No one has spoken much since they watched Swiss be whisked away the moment they'd stepped off stage. Taken by the arm by a pair of men none of the ghouls knew by sight but who wore the clothes of the clergy, escorted down a long hall and around a corner before any of them could even call after him. They'd known he was leaving tonight, Copia's notice recalling him showed up two days ago, but the suddenness, the shock of seeing it? Well, none of them could have predicted that.

A soft, worn voice had sliced through the weight of their silence, heavy footfalls accompanying the words.

"He is...an incredible kisser."

V was softly caressing his own paint-smeared lips as he said it, and the five pairs of infernal eyes that flicked to focus on him all held different intent.

They're all still feeling out their new frontman - one who doesn't particularly enjoy being called Papa, something Dew and Mountain in particular have been struggling with - and while none of the ghouls bear him any ill will, it's true enough that there's a lot of trust still to build. They weren't looking at him with disdain, nothing so sharp - just the weighty stares of five ghouls who had all lost someone yet again, and far too soon.

Aeon, though, hadn't been looking with them. When Dew turned his attention from V, already headed down the hall, he'd found Aeon still staring at that distant corner. He hadn't so much as twitched since Swiss vanished beyond it from the look of things, and Dew's stomach had done an all-to-familiar flip.

Changing had happened in near-silence, and it's been much the same since then. The trek to the bus, the drive to the hotel and now this walk through the parking lot. Dew can at least ground himself with the pain in his foot and hip, but the others? They hardly seem present. Cirrus stumbles over her words at the concierge desk, keys get fumbled, Aurora can't stop bumping into anyone close to her. There's a faint buzzing in the air, one a human might hear and attribute to fluorescent lighting, but it's a sound Dew is intimately familiar with.

Interpreting the varying hums of quintessence is a skill Dew has honed over the years, but you wouldn't need to be an expert on the subject to read Aeon's mood. He's standing a few steps away, staring at nothing and radiating an invisible aura of discontent. The chill rolling off him would be enough to keep away damn near anyone.

Dew has never minded this particular brand of cold though. He shifts his duffel, readies himself, and -

"Need a lift?"

A large hand cups his shoulder, gives it a squeeze, and Dew leans easily into Mountain's familiar side. His eyes remain on Aeon as the taller ghoul rubs his back, holding up a plastic keycard between two fingers.

"We're roomies," Mountain rumbles, tucking the key into Dew's jacket pocket. "Seventh floor, far end. You can play backpack, if you want."

Dew snorts, looking away to gently headbutt the other ghoul's bicep.

"You know how to treat a girl," he teases, but he's already shuffling around to Mountain's back. As he's hoisted up, Dew catches Aeon trading a few words with Cirrus as he accepts his own keys. Well, one of them at least - he forces the other back into the ghoulette's hand. "You talk to the kid, Mount?"

"Not yet," he replies, getting his arms situated. "Rain was...not great when we were in the showers. He needed me."

Dew nods, rests his chin against Mountain's shoulder. Watches Aeon skulking off to the stairwell, bypassing the elevator bay entirely.

"Just wonderin'." He yawns into the taller ghoul's shirt, grunting at the ache in his foot as he's toted to the elevators. "Hey, catch Cir before we go. Got a question."

He does, Dew gets his answer, and the three of them share a long - if slightly awkward - hug and a series of cheek kisses. Mountain punches the number seven, and the doors close just as a damp-cheeked Aurora shuffles to Cirrus' side.

"Poor things," Mountain sighs, stroking the back of Dew's hand with a rough thumb. "Her and Aeon both."

Dew hums his agreement and nuzzles into the side of Mountain's throat. Inhales the green scent of his soap and the remnants of sweat stuck in his hairline. It's always impossible to really get clean in those venue showers, but Dew isn't complaining. It reminds him of better things. He lets out a long exhale, and Mountain gives his thighs a soft squeeze.

"How are you holding up, Dew?"

The low drone of his voice, familiar and full of too many emotions for Dew to parse right now, sinks straight into his skin. He sigh again, does a little half shrug.

"Shitty, but I did most of my mourning the night he got the notice from Co - I mean, from the Frater."

The silly bit of emphasis he puts on the title is solely to distract himself from the gnawing in his gut, but it has the lovely side effect of pulling a soft laugh from Mountain. They both miss Copia dearly, and they both know that any teasing is just a way to cope.

"How 'bout you, big guy?"

It's Mountain's turn to sigh, to give a half-nod.

"Is it good or bad that I'm getting used to this feeling?"

Dew's been wondering the same thing, but he doesn't know how to say so. He hugs Mountain's shoulders instead, and the rest of the ride passes without a word.

The ding of the door gives way to the warmth of the carpeted hall, and Mountain carries him to the juncture where it splits in two before he speaks again.

"Which way, fireball?"

Dew snakes a hand into his pocket, pulls out two keys - the one for their shared room, and the one he'd had no trouble snagging from Cirrus. The minute or so it's taken to get from the lobby to here hasn't really given him much time to think, but Mountain doesn't seem like he's in a rush so Dew takes some time to weogh his options. His conclusion makes him sigh, and Mountain chuckles.

"Careful, he'll think you're going soft." He nudges Dew’s head with his chin, and the little ghoul makes a dismissive sound.

"I can bully him again tomorrow," he mumbles, kissing Mountain's jaw and giving a squeeze with his thighs. "C'mon, lemme down."

"You sure?" He crouches, knees crackling, but doesn't adjust his grip. "I can do the detour, I don't mind."

"Nah, I can walk. Well, limp," he corrects, hissing as he gets his feet on the floor again. "Besides, it's the opposite direction. Let a guy keep some dignity."

Mountain chuffs out a laugh, leaning down to give Dew a quick peck. Dew gets both hands on his cheeks before he can pull away though, and that quick peck turns into a slow kiss that tastes of cinnamon gum and too many memories. Mountain's eyes look so heavy when they finally part, and Dew imagines his own look the same.

"Just text me if you change your mind," the taller ghoul says softly. "I might try to squirrel Rain away for the night. I think he might need it."

"Don't forget to put a sock on the door, Romeo," Dew quips with a wink and a wave, an attempt to lighten the mood that Mountain reaponds to with a snort, and down the hall he lumbers.

Every step is slower than it should be, and it gives him extra time to think. What should he do? What should he say? He's always had Aether to fall back on in times of loss, but now...he can't focus on that, it'll only make the tightness in his stomach worse. It doesn't help matters that, the closer he gets to Aeon's room, the more he can feel that icy energy pouring into the overwarm hall. It's worst when he's standing right in front of it, dark-stained wood and an electronic lock the only things left between them. Dew's surprised the damn thing isn't frozen over, even if this is a chill only a ghoul could feel.

Good thing he's made of fire.

With a deep breath a a quick beep, Dew lets himself into the pitch dark room - the one Aeon was meant to share with Swiss tonight, if he hadn't gotten that damn notice. Dew shivers, tucking his hands into his pockets at the frigid air bites his skin. The door clicks shut, the only light source a dull nightlight glowing from the bathroom, and it takes a few blinks for him to make out an Aeon-shaped lump on the bed nearest the window. Dew sighs, tossing his duffel on the free bed and sitting gingerly on the edge.

"Hey stardust," he says, soft and easy. "No need to pretend, I know you're awake."

Aeon doesn't answer, and Dew isn't surprised. He can see more clearly now, can see that the other ghoul has curled himself up into the tightest ball possible around one of the bed pillows. Part of Dew wants to just climb in behind him, wrap him up in his three good limbs without a word. Just silent reassurance, the kind he himself sometimes seeks when things are too much. But with how distant Aeon has been tonight - he'd even stayed on the bus instead of getting dinner - he doesn't want to risk it. Instead,

"If you want to be alone just say it," Dew mutters, unlacing his one shoe, shrugging off his jacket. "Otherwise I'm here for the night."

It's all he says, choosing instead to dig through his duffel for the painkillers he'd been given at the hospital. He shakes a couple pills into his palm, grunting as he drags himself to the bathroom. Takes the pills with a palmful of sink water, combs out his hair with his fingera, takes a leak - through it all, Aeon remains silent. Still. The knots in Dew’s stomach grow tighter.

But he doesn't push. Just heads back to the bed, setting his bag on the floor and moving to finally take the stupid boot off his stiff leg.

"Six hours and forty three minutes."

Aeon's voice barely breaks the silence, just loud enough for Dew to hear the hurt in it. He blinks over at the shape of him.

"Huh?"

Aeon doesn't so much move as he deflates, seeming to shrink before Dew's eyes.

"Six hours and forty three minutes," he repeats, jeans swishing against the duvet when he curls up even further. "Since I, uh," Aeon clears his throat, "since we met, I haven't -"

There's a pause, one that sounds a lot like a thick swallow. Then,

"Since I met Swiss, we haven't been apart for...for longer..."

"Than six hours and forty three minutes," Dew finishes for him, fishing for his phone in the pocket of his joggers. Curse the poor kid's photographic memory. "And it's been -"

"Not even eight," Aeon interrupts, with the air of someone who feels awful and absolutely ridiculous at the same time. Dew knows that one well too, but Aeon doesn't need to know it. "Not even eight fuckin' hours, Dew."

He can hear Aeon plucking at something, stitches popping on the hem of his sleeve or maybe the edge of a sheet. This time, Dew doesn't ignore the little voice in his head saying touch. He hops on one foot, scoots up onto Aeon's mattress and it's only at the last second that he pauses, with an open palm hovering over the other ghoul's hip.

"I know the feeling," he says with half a laugh, settling his hand on the bed instead. "S'like you're going insane, isn't it? Like your head's on backwards and the world is upside down?"

Silence. Dew's fingers start to itch. It goes on for too long, and for a second he worries that Aeon is going to lock up on him. The same way he did, back when -

"Why do I already miss him so much?"

Dew's stomach lurches at the words, ones that would feel so at home on his own tongue and yet still hit like a mean right hook. His hand does find Aeon's body then, warm and solid against his spine. He's so cold.

"Because love is pain, bat boy." Dew funnels syrupy warmth through the thin cotton of Aeon's tee, pours it into the pale skin hidden beneath. Aeon doesn't respond, and Dew feels a crease form between his brows. "Hey, I'm being serious here. Can you at least look at me?"

Aeon lets out a mighty huff, but Dew knows he's on the right track when the other ghoul listens. He brings that squished up pillow with him, but he turns over. Dew can see his eyes shimmering even in the dark, and he offers a gentle smile as a reward.

"There you are."

He reaches up, tucks a chunk of hair behind Aeon's pointed ear. Cups his cheek after, just enough to let him feel that cozy heat. Aeon sighs, burying his face into his pillow and looking up at Dew with something between hesitancy and expectation.

"Did..." he chews his lip where Dew can see it, but he's learned how the kid's face scrunches up when he does it. He hears fabric shift, watches Aeon move one hand to his own chest. Right over his heart. "...did it hurt this much when it happened to you?"

So much pain carried in so few words, so much longing that Dew's own heart aches. A flash of memory makes his throat tight, but this isn't about him. This is about Aeon. A long moment passes, heavy and silent, and at long last Dew sighs. He gestures at the bed, and after another breath or two Aeon nods.

"Did I ever tell you -" he murmurs, getting his good leg under him and laying on his side. Propping his head up on an elbow so he can look down at the other ghoul. "- about our first show after Aether retired?"

Aeon shakes his head, and Dew's free hand finds his arm. Rubs a slow back-and-forth while Dew takes a deep breath.

"I was a fuckin' mess," he confesses, thumb swiping under Aeon's sleeve. "Angry, bitter, lonely...didn't matter that everyone else was there, didn't matter that they'd all been around for years. I felt...betrayed, I think is the word? Maybe. I dunno, but it fuckin' sucked is the point."

Aeon blinks at him, and Dew feels him slowly stretch his legs out. Their knees touch, and Dew carefully laces his good leg between both of Aeon's, bleeding heat there too. The air around them has already started to warm, and Dew takes that as a good sign.

"I was an ass to everyone and I have no problem admitting it," he continues, feeling the fingers Aeon had dug into the pillow between them begin to fiddle with his shirt instead. "Because, no matter who was there, Aether wasn't. And I didn't know how to deal."

"I don't remember you being a jerk," Aeon murmurs, and Dew barks out a laugh so sudden it jostles the bed.

"Aeon, I didn't even talk to you first the first two weeks of that tour."

He can practically see the kid blush, even in the dark.

"...oh," comes his sheepish response, and Dew can't help his smile. Just for a second.

"Anger isn't always loud," he says, and the hand on Aeon's arm drifts up towards his face. Long fingers stroking his brow. "And you don't have to be quiet because you're sad. You aren't alone, y'know."

Aeon stares at him for a long, long while. Probably not for as long as Dew thinks he does, but the steady eye contact makes everything feel slower. He can hear every breath they share, the subtle crackle of Aeon's quintessence, the dull thud of someone walking down the hallway. It's all so distant, so distorted, and for a heartbeat the sparkle in Aeon's eyes makes Dew think he's about to be shoved from the bed.

The pillow dividing them sails over him, thuds against the wall, and before Dew knows what's happening he's got a chestful of Aeon. Hands fisted in his shirt, his face buried between them, and Dew wastes no time in wrapping him up in both arms. Pouring as much heat into the poor ghoul's quivering form as he can, combating the cage of ice no doubt working to encase his heart.

"I just...I miss him so much."

"I know, bug." He drops a kiss in Aeon's mussed curls. "I know."

He can feel the moment Aeon breaks, the exact second his paper-thin shield shatters and everything comes pouring out. The tears soak into his shirt, the sound of his sobs muffled by Dew's chest, and all the little ghoul can do is hold him tight and let it happen.

Slowly, the knots in his stomach untie. With every heaved breath and shuddering cry, Dew holds him tighter. Rubs Aeon's back and hums against the top of his head, the way he remembers a certain multi ghoul did for him back in those first days without Aether. He sucks in a deep breath to fight the pressure suddenly building behind his own eyes, and shoves his face into Aeon's hair to distract himself. This isn't about him, after all.

It's a long while before Aeon calms, before his breathing evens out and the fine tremors wracking his surely exhausted body wear off. He's reduced to sniffles now, stuffy-nosed but considerably looser than he has been for the past couple of days. Dew pulls back, just enough to look down at the top of his head.

"You okay?"

It takes a beat, but Aeon nods.

"D'you want me to stay or -"

"Please don't go!" Aeon blurts, looking up at him with wide, puffy eyes. "Dew, you...please, I don't -"

"It's okay," he assures, giving the other ghoul a tight squeeze. "I was planning on staying no matter what you said."

Dew shrugs, gives Aeon a wink, and the tiny, soft smile he gets in return is worth every soaked inch of his shirt. Aeon yawns then, sudden and deep, and he snuggles in close. Dew reaches over to grab the corner of the duvet, dragging it over them burrito style.

"Get some sleep, kid." He presses a soft kiss to Aeon's forehead. "You've earned it."

"But what if -"

"No buts." Dew lets go just long enough to fix a pillow under his neck, gathering him back up easily. "I'll wake you if he calls, I promise." Aeon gives him an owlish blink.

"Wait, how did -"

"Shush, bat boy." Dew bumps their foreheads together. "And sleep."

Aeon doesn't argue further, just smushes his face back into Dew's chest and huffs out an exhausted sound. He nods, says something Dew can't quite make out, and in no time at all his deep breaths morph into soft snores.

It's only then that Dew lets the memory from earlier rear its head.

One of a similar shared room, but filled with a lot more shredded curtains and bloodied sheets. Dew hadn't wanted a soft touch, and Swiss hadn't given it to him. Instead, he'd given him a place to funnel all that pent up frustration, all the misplaced aggression he'd just never known where to put. He wasn't mad at Aether, never had been. Wasn't mad at Copia for approving the retirement either. He was just...alone. For the first time since he'd met Aether, Dew had been without him. Somehow, Swiss had known exactly what he needed. A few choice words were all it took, and after beating the ever-loving shit out of one another Dew remembers crying it out just like Aeon did tonight. Loud and gross and unrestrained, and wrapped in a cage of Swiss' strong arms.

"Gonna miss you, asshole," Dew whispers into the dark, a sniffle not far behind. He looks at the one crack in the heavy curtains, watching the stars sparkling in the midnight sky. "Gonna fuckin' miss you."

His own tears track silently down his cheeks, and Dew holds Aeon so very tight.

[lure-of-writing]

His little Sister: I'm sorry

Summary: The mating bond between you and Azriel has been revealed and he isn't sure if any apology will ever make up for the hurt he has cause you.

Word count: 4k

Warnings: none that I know of

Authors note: Guys I just got my nails done so if there is typos it's because I'm not used to typing with daggers on my hands. But anyways that's not what we're here for. Please enjoy and let me know what you think!

Azriel was screwed. Royally screwed. Even as the spymaster of the night court he had no idea how he was going to get out of this one unscathed. First and foremost there was you. You were the mosting important thing in this giant mess that your cousin just caused and making sure you were ok was his first priority. That is once you inevitably get all of the hurt and betrayal out of your system. He could feel your emotions barrelling down the bond and it damn near made him crumple under the weight of your hurt. Next on the list of casualties was Rhysand. And by the look on the high lord's face it was a mixture of pure unfiltered anger and the need to protect his little sister. Azriel can’t blame him, you look like you could either rip him to shreds and bawl your eyes out while doing so.

Rationally Azriel knew that Rhys would never really do anything to hurt him but the other part knew that Rhysand played dirty when it came to his family and it was some sort of unwritten rule that he would go to the end of the world to make sure you were ok. If Rhysand played dirty before he was about to get filthy now. This would not be the first time he stepped toe to toe against a high lord, specifically against Rhys, but this time would without a doubt be different. This time Rhysand would pocket away all of the years of their friendship and in turn he would fight Azriel like a traitor. He, without trying, had broken your heart and betrayed your trust. To Rhysand this was the ultimate act of betrayal. 

Only being one hundred years younger than your brother means all three males were also relatively young in the grand scheme of things. Rhysand held your tiny body against his. The three males had taken a break forming training in the mountains to visit you in Velaris. It wasn’t often Rhysand was allowed to leave the camps, much less often for Azriel and Cassian. But with the arrival of a new babe they had been permitted to leave. It became a tradition to visit the ever growing babe once a year. Somewhere in the chaos of training for the Blood Rite you had grown into a teenager. Cassian was sprawled out on one of the couches in the cabin and Azirel had taken his place in the chair that was unofficially deemed as his. There in a seat a little bit bigger than his own but yet still smaller than the couch Cassian claimed you were curled up against your older brother, peacefully sleeping.

Rhysand had always disliked the way things were run in the camps, oftentimes they made his blood boil but something changed in him the day you were born. Rhys knew from a young age that he would be a protector. A protector of his friends, his family, his people and his court. But he never knew that the most precious thing he would come to protect was you. He never wanted in the camps, walking amongst those who would take any opportunity to clip your wings or even kill you without a second thought. Unfortunately there was nothing he could do to stop your visit as your father deemed it necessary. 

Silence was light in the room. Occasionally there was a pop or crackle from the fire, the sound of clothes shifting against the couch from Cassian and the light noise of you breathing. With a heavy sigh Rhys rubbed his face causing both males to look at their friend in confusion. “Something on your mind brother?” Cassian's deep voice filled the once quiet room.  For a moment nothing was said as Rhysand just looked deep into the fire before once again sighing and rubbing his face before throwing his head back to rest on the couch. “What if I’m not capable of protecting her?” The two males looked at each other in confusion before turning their attention back on their friend. Everyone knew that the power Rhys possessed was quite frankly, insane, to put it simply. “Rhys, I think you're forgetting you are there, bud.” Once more Cassian's voice takes over the room. This time in a gentle laughter. “It’s not that I’m unaware of what I am capable of.” Rhys stops speaking as he looks down at your resting form laying against him. Gently he moves a piece of hair that had fallen in your face. “I know what I can do. What I am willing to do to keep her safe but I will not always be around to protect her and that is what I fear.”

“Being her brother is the greatest honor I have ever been given but what if I fail? What will it cost her? Just her being here possesses a threat to her life. Those males out there would not hesitate to clip her wings or flat out kill her. What happens when I am needed elsewhere and she is in trouble? Who will save her then? I know my mother is training her to fight but I never want her to be put in that position where she has to. Making sure she is safe, happy and loved is all I want for her. I never want her to experience the world we have endured.” 

Neither males have a sister but they do have the love of siblings for each other and they know the lengths they would go to for the other males. They may not know what it's like to have a sibling but they do know what it's like to love you. Since the day you were born they have done nothing but love and dote on you. If you tripped and fell and scraped your knees Cassian would scoop you up and cradle you until you stopped crying. Only then would he set you somewhere where he could properly clean the cuts littering your body and then take you for a treat to make you feel better. Azriel would help you with any of the boring assignments your mother would hand out. “I don’t even know what this means!” you would groan out in frustration before dramatically letting your head fall face first into the book. Luckly Az knew you very well. Without looking up from what he was doing he placed his hand palm up in the book and waited for the impact of your head against his hand. 

Finally once your head was in his hand, did he finally look up. “You may not understand it right now but eventually you will and you will be grateful your mother made you do this.” Groaning once more you left your head where it was. “Easy for you to say you're like a genius or something.” You grumble while Azriel lifts your head for you. Gently he pats the top of your head. “Maybe if you studied more you could be one too.” A mixture of a frustrated groan and sigh made its way through your lips causing Azriel to chuckle. 

It was safe to say that they understood what a light you are in the world. In their world. And each male would do anything to protect it. “You know we would protect her with our lives, right?” Cassian now sat up on the couch. This conversation was important. “We have known her since the day she was born. We have watched her grow and reach each millstone just like you have Rhys. We would never let anything happen to her. If it were my life or hers, I would happily give up mine. I’m sure Az feels the same way.” And Azriel did. “You don’t have to worry about her by yourself. We can share the worry Rhys. You know you can count on us. If anything ever happens to you, we will protect her just as fiercely as you do. You know that right?”  And Rhysand did in fact know that but there would always be some part of him that thinks only he will ever be able to do a good enough job at keeping you safe. 

Apparently Rhysand was right. Only he would protect you. Azriel had broken his promise and now he would pay. Next on his list of people to deal with was Morrigian. At the moment she was not a priority but eventually would be. First he needed to survive the night. 

If Azriel were to go back in time less than a week ago, he would have been more or less avoiding you. After his talk with Rhysand about the more interesting part of your relationship the shadowsinger thought it would be a good idea to give you some space, not wanting it to seem like he was trying to pursue something with you. Obviously that was the exact opposite of what he wanted but he was also keenly aware of your brother's disapproval of any male you chose to date. Azriel was sure he wouldn’t fare better than the others. On the other side Azriel truly had no idea how you would react to you being his mate and that terrified him. 

He hadn’t seen you much since the training incident with Cassian. As much as it bothered him to not be able to check on your healing himself he had Cassian right there basically giving me second by second updates. Which he did appreciate but since Cassian knew you were his brother's mate he was being a little over the top. Which is why Azriel was not expecting to see you on the rooftop for the daily morning training session. 

Az and his shadows watched from across the room as Cass ushered you back towards the house. That was until you saw him and course corrected to be right in front of him. “You’ve been avoiding me. Why?” The hurt in your voice made him feel like a terrible person but he also couldn’t give you the real answer why. Not right now and definitely not right here. “I haven’t been avoiding you.” He knew he was whispering but he also knew there were more listening ears then just yours, mainly Cassians. Azriel watched as Cassian scooped you up and walked back to where he was herding you, just moments before you veered off on your own. 

As the shadowsinger and spymaster of the night court there wasn’t much, if anything, that made him nervous. The piercing stare of your gaze following his every move was definitely unsettling. But his male ego wouldn’t let him slip into that unflinching state of mind that he would usually find himself in when sparring. Now he was keenly aware of each move he was making while in front of you. His need to impress didn’t go unnoticed by his brother. Thankfully Cassian decided to have mercy on his soul and let him get in a few good punches as his repayment for when Cassian did the same to him while in front of Nesta. 

The daily sparring session was over sooner and also later then he wanted it to be. One part of him wanted to continue to impress you, even if he wasn’t a hundred percent sure that you were even impressed in the first place. The other part of him just really wants to get the awaiting conversation over with. Azriel headed over the bench where his long forgotten shirt and water bottle had been previously placed. He had barely gotten in one drink of water when you appeared in front of him. “Why have you been avoiding me?” It was the same question that you had previously asked him before being dragged away by Cassian. And yet this time it made him even more nervous then the first time you had asked him. The last thing Azriel ever wanted to do was make you feel like he didn’t want to be around you. Even before the bond he wanted to be around you every chance he could get and you knew that. He needed a reason you would believe. A downfall that came with spending all of his spare time with you is that you were able to tell when he was lying better than anyone else in the inner circle. There was only one thing he could tell you that wasn’t the full truth nor a complete lie. Rhys wasn’t a fan of the relationship, or lack thereof, between the two of us and he needed to step back in respect for Rhysand. 

Thankfully the mother was on his side that morning because you believed him. 

Opening up his arms in a form of some peace offering he’s quickly wrapped in your arms. Even though hugging anyone who was sweaty was something that he knew drove you crazy you did it anyways and it warmed his heart. But watching you place your chin on top of his chest just about made his heart melt. He prayed that you wouldn’t be able to feel or hear just how fast his heart is beating, and it is not from the training. 

Oh how Azriel wished he could go back in time to just a few days ago. Hell he would even go back to when he was avoiding you. Truthfully anything would be better than what was currently unraveling in front of him. 

“How long have you known?” Azriel tore his eyes away from Morr to look at you. The look of heartbreak that painted your face was like a suckerpunch to his gut. He took a sharp breath in. You were always stunning in Azriels eyes but looking at you now was like looking like a fallen angel. As much as the poetic beauty was undeniable he also never wanted to see that look on your face again. He would do anything to make you trust him again. 

“I-” Azriel didn’t realize just how dry his throat was until he tried speaking. Actually now that he was focused on his body he was pretty sure he felt like he was going to throw up. Swallowing he takes another deep breath. A quick glance to his right reveals Rhysand with a raised eyebrow and barely contained anger. “I’ve known since the war.” Azriel always imagined this moment would be very different. Just the two of you in private. And it would finally feel like a brick being lifted off of his chest. 

But watching your reaction to his confession felt like the opposite. He watched as you blew out a heavy breath and grabbed the back of Morrigians chair for support. Looking at the look he watches a tear finally free itself and makes its way to the ground. Just as quickly as the first tear had fallen the rest had also followed suit. He watches as you shake your head and look at your brother for the answer of what you are supposed to do. The dining room had never been as quiet as it was in these waking moments and Azriel despised it. Even if he was the cause of it. “You’ve known for almost a year and you never told me?” The spymaster watched as you fought against the lump in your throat only for your voice to crack on the last word. “Were you ever going to tell me? Or were you just going to let me continue to dream about the love I desired. Let me think I was never going to get the love Rhys and Fey have? You’ve known for months!”  Azriel sat unmoving as your betrayal turned to sadness and then anger. You had never raised your voice and yelled at him before but he knew he deserved every ounce of anger you threw at him. “You-you out of all people knew how I felt about mates and yet you held this from me. My mate! I-I-I -oh my god.” Time seemed to slow down in that moment as he watched you grab your chest in pain then collapse to the floor. He felt himself rise. Azriel wasn’t sure why, was it to move to the other side of the table and comfort you? Was it in shock? Fear for your breaking heart? He wasn’t sure. It was like slow motion as Mor swiftly twisted out of her seat and caught your limp body on the way down to the floor. Together the two females sat on the floor. Morrigian had wrapped her arms around your body and held you pressed against her chest as you sobbed. 

“Azriel!” That was the commanding voice of a high lord. The force of which Rhysand said his name and allowed his power to wash over him was the only thing capable of pulling his focus off of your crumpled body. Looking back to his right he notes that Rhysand has pushed the chair he was previously sitting in far behind him. It didn’t go unnoticed how Feyre made her way to you with urgency. The primal anger and need to protect his family also didn’t go unnoticed by the shadowsinger. He was about to get his ass beat. If not altogether killed. Rhysand may have been mad at Cassian for hurting you but he did go easy on him, even if it resulted in a few nasty bruises littering his body. Azriel knew for sure this would be nothing like that time. Rhysand had a look of death in his eyes and Azriel was sure death was waiting to greet him. 

“Uh oh. Yeah you guys may want to get out of here it's about to get ugly.” Cassian also stood from where he was once seated and began stretching. Noting Feyres' worry Cassian continued “Don’t worry I won’t let them hurt each other too much.” He paused, “Well I won’t let them kill each other.” 

Only after everyone except Mor and Cassian had winnowed away his Rhysand lunge at Azriel. 

Ever since learning that you were his mate one of his shadows followed you religiously. He never even told them to do that, it was just something they did naturally. His shadows always were ones to keep an eye on you even if you were completely safe. 

That's how he found himself in front of the river house. His shadows danced around him in warning of the two females sitting in the living room still awake at this hour. Without looking at a clock Azriel would assume it was around three in the morning. Gently he pushes the hard oak door open only closing it after allowing himself inside the quiet house.  Azriel knew he could make his way to your room without either one of the females knowing but he assumed it was better to get everything that could tear him apart over with while he was down. 

“I feel bad for her. I know what it's like when the other person knows they're your mate and you're left in the dark. But this is something else. If Mor hadn’t said anything would he?” He could hear the voice of his concerned high lady. “Do we know if she even still has a mate? Rhysand looked like he was going to kill him.” Nestas' voice that usually dripped in sarcasm was dry as bone. Stepping into the room he made his footsteps louder than he would ever step to announce his presence. A sharp gasp was the only noise that Feyre made as she brought her hands to cover her mouth. “Oh my gods” The scraping of the chair against the wooden floor pulls his gaze from the spot on the floor he found particularly interesting to see Feyre making her way over to him. Over her shoulder he could see Nesta taking inventory of the damage Rhysand caused. “Are you ok?” He shrugs off her question but allows her gentle hands to move his head from side to side.

“How is she?” Everybody knew who he was talking about. Feyre led him to the couch ushering him to sit down as Nesta answered “As well as you can expect.” Feyre had stepped out of the room to grab a pain relieving tonic “She just fell asleep a few minutes before you got here” she pushes the vial into his hands “Drink” she insists. “I never meant for it to go like this. For it to get this far without me telling her. I just was waiting for her to feel it herself but then I just kept waiting and waiting and waiting and the next thing I knew I was sitting at that table listening to Mor tell her. I promise I never meant to hurt her. You know that right? You have to believe me.” The constant throbbing throughout his body finally forced him to drink the tonic in hopes it could even touch the pain he was feeling. “I’m sure you never meant for this to happen az. But why didn’t you just tell her. Anyone with eyes could see that she already had feelings for you.’’

“I wanted it to be her choice. I would never force her to accept the bond. All I want is for her to be happy no matter what.” A heavy sigh fell from both females before the peaceful silence filled the room. Nesta was the first to leave in hopes of getting at least an hour of sleep before she needed to be awake for training. With a gentle squeeze of his arm Feyre stands above him “I Believe you Az. But you need to understand how hurt she is currently feeling.” looking up he sees not his high lady or Rhysands mate but a concerned friend. “I know I can feel it through the bond.” Feyre smiles sadly before stopping in the hallway leading to the bedrooms. “Go be with her Az. You both need it.”

The warmth of the fire was the first thing Azriel noticed upon entering your room. Although fae ran warmer than humans you were the rare exception. Unless absorbing heat from the sun or another person you were on average at least ten degrees colder than anyone else. A small smile found its away to his face to see the fire going. His own personal relationship with fire may be nonexistent but for you he would endure it a hundred times over. The next thing he noticed was your sniffling and quiet sobs. In three large strides he was kneeing besides your bed. “Y/n” you name was like a whisper of a prayer in a silent coven meant for worship. He watched as your eyes opened to meet his and listened as a sob racked your body. “I am so sorry baby” Quickly he raised from where he was previously knelt on the floor and climbed into bed with you. The move to place your body on top of his was easy but listening to the silent cries of your heart breaking wasn’t. “I never meant to hurt you I swear.” 

Eventually the tears raining upon his chest and was replaced with the gentle breathing of your sleeping form. Azriel knew he should sleep but he couldn’t help but admire every part of you just in case this was the last time he  got to hold you like this. That's why he wasn’t startled when Rhysand barged into your room, startling you awake. “I told you to stay away from her. I’m going to kill you.” He promised. Azriel didn’t take his eyes off of your brother as you raised to sit in between his legs. Rhysand could do whatever he wished but Azriel wouldn’t leave without making sure you were ok first. “Rhys don’t. You may be mad at him, but Azriel is my mate.” The bond had never sung in happiness like it did basking in the warmth of your acknowledgement.

Taglist

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[st4rgiirll]

first kiss

s1!stiles stilinski x gf!reader

creds: roseraris for dividers!

you were perched on stiles’ bed, watching him pace back and forth across his room, his hand moving animatedly as he talked about the latest werewolf drama involving scott.

the police radio scanner on his desk crackled with static, and his wall was covered in red string and newspaper clippings - his latest attempt to piece together all the supernatural happenings in beacon hills.

“and then scott practically wolfed out in the middle of practice!” stiles exclaimed, running a hand through his short hair.

“like dude, we talked about this! control! but no, apparently catching greenberg’s crossbody was worth risking exposure to the entire lacrosse team!”

you couldnt help but smile at his sarcasm. this was classic stiles - all nervous energy and rapid-fire words, trying to keep his best friend alove while maintaining some semblance of normalcy in their increasingly bizarre lives.

“stiles,” you said, trying to interrupt his rambling to no avail. “stiles!”

he stopped mid-gesture, turning to look at you with those warm brown eyes that never failed to make your heart skip a beat. “yeah?”

“come sit down before you wear a hole in your floor.” he glanced down at the path he’d been treading, then shuffled over to sit beside you, his knee bouncing with restless energy.

“sorry, i just… there’s so much happening, y’know? between scott’s furry little problem and trying to figure out who the alpha is, and my dad’s cases, and-“

“and you’re carrying all the weight of it.” you finished softly, placing your hand over his fidgeting ones.

stiles fell quiet, a rare occurrence that made you look at him more closely. his eyes were fixed on where your hands touched, and you could practically see the gears turning in his head.

“how do you do that?” he asked suddenly.

“do what?”

“just… know exactly what to say? how to calm me down?” he turned his hend over to lace his fingers with yours.

“you’re like my personal adderall, except, y’know, prettier and less medical.” you laughed, feeling your cheeks warm.

“did you just compare me to you ADHD medication?”

“i did, didnt i?” stiles groaned, his free hand coming up to cover his face.

“that was supposed to be romantic. in my head, it was definitely more romantic. can we pretend i said something smooth instead? like, i dunno, ‘you’re the moon to my werewolf’ — wait no, that’s worse, that’s definitely worse—“

you cut off his rambling the only way you could think of – by leaning forward and pressing your lips to his. for a moment, stiles froze, and you could practically hear his brain short-circuiting.

then his hand came up to cup your cheek, and he was kissing you back with all the pent-up energy he usually put into solving supernatural mysteries.

when you pulled away, stiles blinked at you several times, his mouth opening and closing without sound – another rare occurrence.

"did you just—" he started.

"kiss you? Yeah."

"and I—"

"kissed me back? also yeah." a grin slowly spread across his face, the kind that made his eyes crinkle at the corners.

"that was... wow. that was awesome. can we do that again? we should definitely do that again. like, right now. or whenever you want. im free for the next, like, forever—"

this time when you kissed him, you were both smiling too much for it to be perfect, but somehow that made it even better.

the police scanner crackled again in the background, and somewhere in beacon hills, scott was probably getting into more werewolf-related trouble, but for now, none of that mattered.

stiles pulled back slightly, resting his forehead against yours. "just so we're clear," he whispered, "this means you like me, right? because i really like you, and it would be super awkward if—"

"stiles?"

"yeah?"

"we’ve been dating for 6 months."

"oh yeah… cool," he breathed, then immediately cringed.

"i mean, not cool like 'whatever' cool, but cool like 'this is the best thing ever' cool, and im going to stop talking now because im pretty sure im ruining the moment, and—"

you silenced him with another quick kiss, and felt him smile against your lips.

"you know," he said when you separated, "i think i just found my new favorite way to be shut up."

the police scanner suddenly burst to life with his dad's voice reporting a disturbance downtown, and stiles' eyes lit up with that familiar mix of curiosity and excitement.

"want to go investigate a potentially supernatural crime scene with me?" he asked, already reaching for his keys.

you laughed, standing up and pulling him with you. "only you would think that's a romantic second kiss location."

"hey, i contain multitudes," he protested, but his grin was infectious as he led you toward his jeep.

and just like that, life in beacon hills continued – only now with the added bonus of being able to kiss your adorably sarcastic boyfriend whenever he started rambling about werewolves.

[ginnsbaker]

All Of Your Pieces (8 - The Other Side)

Chapter Summary: After a drone attempts to eliminate her in her own home, Wanda emerges from the Hex to give Hayward's team their only warning. You, on the other hand, is left to figure things out on your own. Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Female Reader Chapter word count: 3.2k+ | Chapter Tags/Warnings: None

A/N: I know what we've established in the previous chapters, so hold onto your seats. Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! // More author's notes here.

Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist

They reach the Command Center just in time to see Hayward’s plan laid bare: eliminate Wanda Maximoff. It’s not surprising—they’d suspected as much after days camped outside the anomaly—but now it’s undeniable. Hayward wasn’t stalling or hesitating; he was waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

The operation is set to launch in sixty seconds. Too little time to stop it, even with a former Avenger in the room. Clint doesn’t believe for a second that Hayward’s plan will succeed—Wanda isn’t just powerful, she’s impossibly powerful—but he knows letting this play out unchecked will only make things worse. If they don’t intervene, the attack will escalate, pushing Wanda further into anger and fear, and the walls of her Hex will only grow stronger.

“What the hell is this?” Monica demands, pushing past agents to get closer.

On the screens, live drone footage hovers ominously above Wanda's house within the Hex.

Hayward barely glances at her. “We're taking a proactive approach.”

Clint shakes his head, a wry smile playing on his lips. “He’s about to poke a bear with a stick, and we’re all gonna feel it.”

“Hayward!” Monica yells, catching the attention of everyone in the room, but Hayward pays her no heed.

Darcy, meanwhile, frantically taps her tablet then sighs in frustration. “I can’t override the launch. He’s locked everyone out.”

Jimmy heads toward the console center, but suddenly two agents step in front of him, hands resting on their holstered guns.

“Maybe we can warn Wanda?” Darcy surmises.

“There’s no time,” Clint says grimly. 

On the monitors, they see Wanda stepping out of her home, carrying a bag of garbage to the curb. The drone's camera zooms in, locking its target.  You follow her outside, noticing the drone immediately. 

“Wanda?” you murmur, looking up at the night sky where the drone's signal lights blink like distant stars. “What is that?”

“Y/N, get back inside,” Wanda says in that low, dangerous tone—familiar somehow, even though you can't recall ever hearing it before. Instinctively, you feel the urge to protect her, even though between the two of you, you're the one more likely to get hurt in situations like this.

Outside, they watch in shock as you step in front of your wife, despite her urging you to flee back inside the house. Panic surges through Monica in particular, realizing the potential casualties might not be just one, but two. And who knows how powerful the missile inside that drone is? There are kids sleeping soundly in your home, for God's sake!

“She's not a threat! You're making a huge mistake—”

“Take the shot,” Hayward commands the drone control team.

“Hayward, please!” Monica implores, her plea causing the operator's hand to waver, hesitating for just a fraction of a second. “Look, she's not alone! You're putting civilians at risk—”

That hesitation shreds the last of Hayward's patience. “Take the shot now!” he bellows.

“No!” Monica shouts, lunging forward, but agents hold her back.

Clint also rushes forward, but more agents block his path.

On the screens, a blinding flash of light erupts, then everything turns to static. Around the room, faces turn white as everyone exchanges uneasy looks, silently wondering if they've just caused a catastrophe. The Command Center is dead silent, charged with a nameless fear that grips everyone like a vise.

Then, an agent strides in, panic etched across his face. “Sir, we've got a breach.”

Clint exchanges a look with Monica. “She's coming,” he says quietly.

—

It all happened too fast.

One moment, you’re standing beside Wanda, braced for whatever threat the drone overhead might bring. Then, in the blink of an eye, everything changes.

You’re alone, standing in front of your house.

“Wanda!” you cry out. Panic clenches your chest like a vice as your eyes dart wildly across the empty street. She has to be around here somewhere. She has to be safe.

You race back inside the house, but you’re careful not to make too much noise this time and wake up the twins upstairs. The house is still. Dinner is still spread across the counter, the kitchen light still glowing, but there’s no trace of your wife.

Rushing back outside, you scan the street, looking for any sign of movement. A few houses down, you spot Agnes in her front yard and—weirdly enough—watering her plants like it’s any other night.

You jog over. “Agnes, have you seen Wanda?”

She looks up, startled, then smiles. “Oh, hey! Haven’t seen her. Everything alright?”

“I don’t know,” you say, trying to keep the trepidation out of your voice. “She was just here, and now she’s gone.”

Agnes cocks her head, her smile fixed in place, unfazed, like the world around her isn’t fraying at the edges. Like this—all of this—is perfectly normal. You thought you could handle it, that you’d made peace with the strangeness of everything, but right now, it’s making your skin crawl.

“I’m sure she’s fine, dear. You know Wanda—always off doing something,” Agnes says, light and casual, like she’s commenting on the weather.

“Yeah, I guess,” you mumble, though the assurance does little to ease your mind as your eyes continue to frantically wander, hoping against hope that Wanda might suddenly step out from one of them, smiling like none of this ever happened.

But she doesn’t.

You start walking back toward the house. She’s fine. She’s fine. She’s not fine. The rhythm builds and builds inside you like boiling water, until the panic buzzing at the base of your skull becomes impossible to ignore.

At the driveway, you stop. For one long, stretched-out moment, you hesitate. Then instinct takes over.

Your hand digs into your pocket, fingers curling around the cold metal of your car keys. You’re already moving, already yanking open the car door before you’ve fully decided what you’re going to do.

Just as you’re about to climb in, Agnes appears, moving faster than you’ve ever seen her move before, her cardigan flapping around her like wings.

“Where are you going?” she demands, breathless.

“I'm going to look for my wife.”

Agnes frowns. “Look for her where?”

“I don't know,” you sigh, one hand braced on the car door, the other gripping the keys tight enough to leave imprints on your palm. “But I'll scour the ends of this town if I have to.”

—

At the southern boundary of Westview, Hayward's men are already assembled, a line of armed agents standing at attention with their weapons trained on the elusive barrier of the Hex. The alarms continue to blare. They don’t know what’s coming, but they’re all on the front lines, waiting to find out.

Clint hangs back, his expression grim as he waits for Wanda. He hadn’t expected the girl they’d practically adopted from Sokovia to still carry so much darkness—a side of her that rears its head through the cracks when she’s at her lowest. 

He can't stop questioning why you ever chose to let Wanda believe you’re dead.  But he figures that’s your burden to bear. His own regret is not being there for Wanda after Tony’s funeral. With Vision also gone, he feels he should have stayed closer.

Part of him can’t shake the feeling that he’s failed her somehow.

For Clint, it had been five long years of grieving for the family he thought he’d lost forever. Once he was reunited with them, all he wanted was to put his Avenger days behind him and catch up on lost time, which he did. But when he heard about Wanda's situation in New Jersey, he couldn't just stay away. Steve and Nat would’ve done the same.

The barrier sparks like a live wire as a shadow begins to materialize behind it. Moments later, everyone watches with bated breath as Wanda Maximoff steps through, dragging the drone behind her with one hand. She strides ominously forward, indifferent to the dozen infrared lasers trained on her body.

“Is this yours?” Wanda yells. Without waiting for an answer, she flings the drone, sending it crashing down toward Hayward's feet. It skids across the coarse grass, stopping just short of him.

“The missile was just a precaution,” Hayward says coolly. “You can hardly blame us, Wanda.”

“Oh, I think I can.”

Clint chooses this moment to reveal himself among the crowds. He’s not sure whether it will placate Wanda or anger her further, but he knows he has to try—not for their benefit, but for hers.

“Wanda,” he calls out gently. 

“Clint,” Wanda breathes out, taken aback. For a second, she looks stunned, as if the thought of someone from her old circle stepping in hadn't crossed her mind. They know her, understand her motives—or at least, they should. “So they sent you, too?”

“No one sent me,” he assures her, taking another careful step closer. “I came because I was worried about you.”

“Funny way of showing it,” she scoffs, nodding toward the agents with their weapons drawn.

Monica steps out from behind one of the vehicles, hands raised in a placating gesture. “Wanda."

Recognition dawns on Wanda’s face, her lips curling into a half-amused, half-impressed smile. After how forcefully she ejected Monica from Westview, she hadn't expected her to come back.

“You’re still here,” she mutters warily.

“Please, let’s just talk,” Monica urges. 

“Not interested.”

“We want to help you through this, Wanda,” Clint tries.

Wanda lets out a hollow laugh. “Help me? Like you helped me after everything was taken from me?” After the funeral, they all went their own way—back to work, back to their families. And Wanda had—

She had no one to go back to. 

“I’m sorry,” Clint murmurs, his eyes dropping to the ground. “I should've been there. I'm sorry.”

Wanda purses her lips. “Sorry doesn't bring them back.”

Monica walks up to Clint’s side. “I know what it's like to lose someone. To feel that emptiness.”

Wanda’s voice becomes a cold whisper. “You don't know anything about me.”

Clint stops for a moment, the implication of her words just occuring to him. “Wait. Them?”

Wanda doesn’t answer him. With a simple wave of her hand, Hayward’s snipers, who had their sights on her, suddenly swivel their rifles toward him instead. He instantly throws up his hands in surrender.

“This will be your only warning,” Wanda says coldly. “Stay out of my home.”

“Wait!” Clint tries again, but it’s too late. Wanda has already turned away. 

Hayward's arms stay in the air, a stricken look on his face as he orders his men to stand down, but not a single one of them listens. They only manage to snap out of it the moment the Hex re-absorbs Wanda Maximoff.

—

You do exactly what you told Agnes you'd do and drive toward the edge of town.

As you go, things start getting…weirder. The farther you get from the center, the stranger things become. People are outside their homes, but they're not moving. A woman hangs laundry on a line, her arms frozen mid-air. A kid stands with a basketball, paused in the act of dribbling. They are like living statues.

“What the hell is going on?” you mutter under your breath, your knuckles white against the steering wheel. You ease the car to a stop by the curb, with only the sound of the running engine the other sign of life aside from you. 

Cautiously, you approach the frozen figures for closer inspection. They're not just still—they're vacant. Their eyes stare straight ahead, unfocused and glassy, like mannequins propped up in a storefront window. You wave a hand in front of a man's face, but he doesn't blink.

Stumbling back, fear rises in you. “Wanda!”

But there's no answer. There’s only your own labored breathing. No birds soar overhead, no butterflies flit through the gardens—none of the life you’re accustomed to near your home. There’s not even a whisper of wind. It feels like the air’s been sucked out of the place.

You get back in the car and keep driving. Houses thin out, streets get emptier. Soon, you're at the town's edge. That's when you see it—a faint shimmer in the void ahead. It ripples subtly, like a mirage or heat haze.

Frowning, you park and walk toward the strange phenomenon. As you go nearer, you see sparks dancing through a grid-like pattern. Reaching out cautiously, you touch it, and a jolt runs up your arm. It’s not painful, but it’s definitely not welcoming either. 

“What the hell is this?” you whisper.

Without fully thinking it through, you decide to push forward. There's resistance at first, like walking through thick mud, but suddenly you break through.

On the other side, the world is completely different.

—

Wanda returns home, closing the door softly behind her and letting out a quiet sigh.

She sinks onto the couch, burying her face in her hands. The sheer force of the urge she'd felt—to just wipe them all out, to eliminate any threat to her family—left her shaken. It wasn't like her, or at least she didn't think it was. She knows if that drone had reached you before she intervened, she would have pulled the trigger. The darkness that surged up inside her scared her. Is this who she's becoming? Perhaps being a bit hardened is necessary if it means keeping you and the boys safe. After all, being innocuous only ever stripped away everything she held dear.

She tries to shake it off, taking a deep breath as she makes her way upstairs. First things first: check on the twins. Pushing open their bedroom door, she finds them fast asleep, the steady rise and fall of their chests bringing her a small measure of peace. They're safe.

But as she moves through the house, calling your name, she realizes you're nowhere to be found. Trying to keep her cool, she steps outside, only to find the neighborhood just as empty and silent.

Except for Agnes, who's out watering her garden at a very unusual hour.

“Agnes?” Wanda calls out as she walks over.

Agnes looks up, a friendly smile on her face. “Hey, neighbor! Can’t sleep either?”

“Have you seen Y/N?”

Agnes hums, thinking it over. “Actually, I did see her earlier.”

“You did? When? Where did she go?”

“Just a little while ago,” Agnes replies casually. “She mentioned she was heading to the edge of town to look for you.”

Color drains from Wanda's face. “She went to the boundary?”

“Yes, she seemed quite determined—”

Without waiting for Agnes to finish, Wanda turns abruptly. She rises off the ground, levitating effortlessly. She doesn't care if Agnes sees her powers or if anyone else is watching. The only thing that matters now is getting to you before it’s too late.

“Please be okay,” she murmurs under her breath, repeating it like a mantra, synced to the frantic beating of her heart.

—

Dozens of people in black uniforms, faces smudged with exhaustion, stand scattered across a patchwork base of canvas tents, armored vehicles, and machinery that doesn’t belong in a small town like Westview. They freeze when they see you—every single one of them—like you’re a ghost that wandered in from the wrong side of reality.

“T-There’s another breach!” someone yells.

You just stand there, blinking at the sea of wide eyes staring back at you. “Who are you people? What’s going on?”

No one answers. They just watch.

And then it starts.

A sensation creeps over your skin, wrong in a way that defies language. Static under your fingernails, pins and needles crawling up your veins.  You glance down. Your hands are flaking away, little particles peeling off like you’re made of burnt paper.

“What the—?”

Your vision tilts. The sky feels too far away, the ground too close. The disintegration spreads—up your arms, across your chest. You hear someone shouting in the distance.

“Someone help her! She’s clearly dying!”

“Hold your ground!”

Then, through the noise, you hear it. “Y/N!” your name being called by the same voice you caught in Wanda’s broken radio.

You reach out blindly, trying to grab onto something as you continue to come apart, but your knees buckle, and you hit the ground. 

It feels like you're dying.

But why? Why is this happening?

Seconds later, you can't even hold yourself up anymore. You collapse onto all fours, watching helplessly as pieces of you start to drift away like dust in the wind.

“Wanda…” you whisper, and then everything around you goes dark.

—

Wanda senses it first—a noticeable diminishment of your presence where it used to be strong, as if a part of her is fading away with it. A sense of dread fills her as she looks toward the edge of town. From her vantage point above Westview, she spots your car abandoned near the boundary with its headlights still on.

“No,” she breathes, her eyes turning red as she tries to search for you past the invisible barrier.

Desperation propels her forward as she flies toward you, the wind whipping through her hair. But no matter how fast she moves, she feels you slipping away, bit by bit. 

That’s when she spots you, lying on the ground, crumbling the way she did five years ago.

“No, no, no,” Wanda cries, pushing herself to go faster. But deep down, she knows she won't reach you in time.

She stops mid-air. There's only one thing left to do. Closing her eyes, she gathers every ounce of her power. Scarlet energy crackles around her hands, growing brighter and more powerful. With a fierce cry, she releases it, sending a surge of magic outward.

The Hex trembles and then starts to expand, pushing outward. Houses, trees, streets—all get swallowed as the boundary moves to encompass more area. The strain is immense, but she doesn't care. All that matters is pulling you back, keeping you within the safe confines of the world she's created. Tears blur her vision, but she keeps her focus, watching as the red glow envelops your car, hoping it's not too late.

“Come back to me,” Wanda murmurs, willing the Hex to bring you home.

—

“Where are you going?” Monica calls after Clint, chasing him down as he strides toward his truck. Behind them, the team is scattered, hollow-eyed and dazed—they just watched you stumble out of the Hex, your body coming apart like sand slipping through an hourglass. Morale isn’t just low; it’s subterranean. Hayward's back at the S.W.O.R.D. base, probably scheming his next move, but right now, everyone’s flailing in the dark.

Clint digs through his pockets for his keys. “There’s something I need to check out,” he mutters.

“Like what? Does it have to do with… whatever that was?” Monica asks, her voice strained. “With Darcy gone into the Hex, Jimmy and I are—honestly, I don’t even know what we’re supposed to do.”

“I can’t explain yet. Not until I know for sure,” he says, avoiding her gaze. He's racked with a hit of guilt for leaving Monica in the lurch, especially when she and Jimmy are already scraping by without Darcy.

But he swears he’s leaving for a reason.

Monica nods, her face drawn. “Are you coming back?”

Clint exhales, long and slow. “I was hoping this would clear up fast. But it doesn’t look good. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Be careful out there,” she says, her voice quieter now.

“You too. Stay sharp.”

Before Monica can head back to camp, Clint beeps his truck, pulling her attention back. She turns, looking over her shoulder and waits.

“Deep down, Wanda’s a good person, you know?” Clint says, unsure of his point but feeling compelled to speak up for Wanda.

Monica gives him a small, tired smile before walking away.

[eclipseberrycake]

Poly! MoonBerryCake x Reader Pt. 9.5*

AN: The poll isn't over juuussst yet but I'm pretty sure of what is gonna win, so here we are <3 I do appreciate those voting for Roo's choice! Kissing your foreheads so softly rn /platonic So I kind of split the diff, you know? This was my choice was this part right here. Bc it makes me laugh. We get more MBC too, since I'm also going to start Part 10! Yay! Then I'll get back to requests! So, you'll get this today, then maybe part 10 either later tonight (Probably Tomorrow), then on Thursday I'll start requests again since Wednesday is my rest day!

ALSO also, people are figuring out my little clues and like I'm so proud of all of us. We're killing it, y'all are great at picking up the small nuances, Kissing you so gently on the forehead right now.

ALSO ALSO, also, I think the general consensus was that it's okay to give Reader a tail? I might hold off just for now to see if any objections come from it, but if there are none come part 11, I'll add it permanently! For this chapter, it's just a trial run! It's totally okay too if thats not something you guys want too, let me preface! If it turns out you guys try it, hate it, and want it gone I can come back and edit this part! Hence the "*" in the title!

Part One -> Part Two -> Part Three -> Part Four -> Part Five -> Part Six -> Part Six 1/2 -> Part Seven -> Part Eight -> Part Nine

Warnings: None, really, except for some of my personal ships. I don't wanna see any debate about them, this is mostly my preferences.

☁ He's watching you.

☁ He's watching you and you know it. You're momentarily ignoring it as you're elbow deep in the cookie jar, newly filed nails just barely brushing against a cookie at the very bottom. It makes you huff in annoyance at it before you're moving to kneel on the counter, hoping to reach further into the frankly too-larger-to-be-normal cookie jar. It just evades you're hand once more, and your tail gives a whip in annoyance.

☁ You would use the additional limb, but you've gotten in trouble more times than you could count with using your tail in the kitchen. Something about it getting too close to the Twisteds for it to be sanitary at all. You rolled your eyes at that, but since returning from your time as a Twisted, for a second time, you obeyed where you could.

☁ All while he's watching you struggle, hiding a poorly concealed snicker behind his blanket. It makes you huff once more before finally getting a finger on the cookie, making you grin. You hook it to the side, gently dragging it up so you can grab it, only for it to crumble.

☁ You let out a cry, retracting your cookie-less hand to stare in the jar, bewildered at the absolute audacity.

☁ This time he can't stop the laugh that spills out of him, making you glare at him. "You could've helped."

☁ "I could've." Astro agrees, standing from his chair, where he has a glass of milk and his own trio of cookies on a plate in front of him. "But where's the fun in that?"

☁ He walks over to the cookie jaw and reaches a longer arm in, making your tail wag behind you as you watch him grab one of the larger chunks of your broken treat. You quickly grab your set aside plate and hold it out for him to set the piece on the plate. One by one, every piece is set on the plate before he's pulling his arm back and putting the lid back on. It's flipped upside down so the top of the jar is facing the inside, signifying it's empty.

☁ With so many toons living in one area, it was easy for small things like an empty cookie jar to make tensions rise, so small things like that just made everything flow so much easier.

☁ You thank Astro with a happy little kiss, making him hum contentedly at your actions before you're both returning to the table. You have your own cup of milk as well, both of you picking up the tradition of a pre-bedtime snack a few months back. Or so you thought that's when it started.

☁ For Astro, this had always been the two of you's thing. Sprout and Cosmo baked, himself and Sprout went through old episodes together and the other handler rooms, even Cosmo and himself had scary movie nights. Everyone had their thing with each other, and cookies in the kitchen late at night was yours and his. This was the first place you told him about the Teagan and Rodger tension, which had grown exponentially. And as much as he tried to pretend he wasn't, he was a huge gossip.

☁ The familiar action of just you and him talking about everything going on, debriefing if one would, was something he held so dear and close to his chest, and he's sure you knew it too as you would never let more than three days pass before shaking him awake with a cheeky grin, nodding to the doorway.

☁ It reminded him of when he came back in all honesty. Never would that Astro ever have thought he would've been where he is now, with you and Cosmo and Sprout and Blu and everyone back, but as he is now, he would rather turn into a twisted again then give it up.

☁ His own tail gave a wag as he slid one of his cookies onto your plate, giving you The Look when you tried giving it back. You took it with a humored rool of your eyes, before rewrapping yourself in your own blanket, crossing your legs on your chair as you settled in.

☁ The lights were down low and gave your cheeks the softest orange tint and your eyes the softest of amber highlights. It made his tail wag at the sight of it, the silly thing giving away all of his emotions before he even had the chance to stop it.

☁ "So," You begin, folding your hands in front of you like it's a business meeting. "Check-in. How is Mr. Novalite doing?"

☁ He guffaws at the drop of his name, but copies your seated postion anyway with one pair of hands holding his blanket while the other twists with his tail to stop it from wagging like a lunatic. "I'm...content. Honestly. Sprout and I found some more sealed documents in Delilah's old room and are planning on looking through those soon. Cosmo and I have plans to watch that new Heretic movie that just came out. You and I are having our own date night. Plus, I know we all have a big date night coming up. Did you and Cosmo decide on what you wanted to do?"

☁ You nod, grinning happily as your own tail gives a wag. "Spa treatments then a movie night! We have it all planned out and ready to go, with a few special treats ordered for the night!"

☁ Your excitement is palpable and contagious, so much so Astro has to tighten his hold on his own tail, even if the moon at the end continues to move regardless. "That sounds perfect." He gives a sappy grin. "Other than that, myself and Shelly started a new book Brightney recommended to us, so we've been doing that to reconnect. And I think...that's really it from my end."

☁ You soften at the new information, leaning on one of your hands as your elbow settles on the table. "You sound happy."

☁ "I am. Immensely." He returns, reaching a hand. You give your free one eagerly, letting him hold it and trace his thumb over the knuckles of your hand. "Now, what about you? You've been busy."

☁ You nod, watching his thumb before thinking back to what you've been doing lately. "Well, Cosmo and I have started getting into art lately. We spent last night painting with music in the background, and it was nice. We got to talk without really thinking about it-oh, by the way, we decided you would be the boot in monopoly."

☁"...The boot." He has to take a second, mentally going through the pieces before realizing he never cared enough to know them all.

☁ "Yeah, we originally thought thimble because it sounds like thumb and you have the most thumbs, but it was way funnier if you went with the boot." You explain as if any of that made any sense whatsoever. "Also, did you know he wants like eight kids? Not happening." You scrunch your features before shaking his head. "Like, don't get me wrong, I liked the kids when Gardenview was in it's prime, but eight? All the time?!" You grimace, making him chuckle before your shaking your head.

☁ "Anyway, Sprout and I, what have we been doing?" You think for a second, before perking right up. "A few things! We've been playing games a lot! It started with Mario Kart, and then we found mini-gold clubs on one of the runs and now we set up increasingly difficult holes. It's great! I kick his ass!" You beam. Astro's sure half the problem for Sprout is that the mini-golf clubs made for children are much too short for him, but he doesn't bring that up.

☁ "And with friends, Goob's going through something- which I'll tell you in a second-, but Glisten and I have gotten closer lately. He joined our tag runs recently and he actually kills it! Especially with his teleporting? I don't think he's been tagged once." You explain, raising your head so you could use that hand to gesture as you speak. "We're thinking of doing some sort of Geo-caching too, but it's hard because we can't really leave Gardenview. That's okay though. As for now, I'm here with you, moonshine."

☁ His cheeks dust navy at the compliment, squeezing your hand tighter. "Do you remember the first time we did this?"

☁ You hum, thinking back before nodding. "I think I do. It was before we started dating. I think I remember being pissy because people kept saying Cosmo and I were dating but we weren't. But it wasn't because people were saying it, but because I had a huge stinkin' crush on him at the time and he could not pick up the hint."

☁ He chuckles. "Yeah. I was a little relieved at that you know. I had a 'huge stinkin' crush' on this cute distractor that had come to visit me. Imagine how crushed i would've been." He teases and you stick your tongue out. "Please. You were just as bad. I was doing the same goofy moves to you and Sprout literally within the same week and you didn't pick up on it either."

☁ "Neither of you picked up on anything, don't you fool yourselves." A new voice startles you both, making you look over at the doorway. Sprout is there, raising a brow at you both. Cosmo is hanging off his side, looking like he's seconds away from collapsing, eyes bleary and slowly blinking. Both of you wave at them, even if Sprout's eyes dart to the cookie jar and he gives an exasperated groan. "Again?"

☁ "In our defense, most of this batch were eaten by Goob. He's going through some stuff." You wince, watching as Astro pulls a chair to his side with his foot, close enough they make a soft clink when they hit, opening his blanket the duo. Cosmo takes the invitation, slumping forward as he practically crawls on the chair and burrows into the celestial, who wraps his arms around the cake roll, covering him in his cloak-blanket. At this point, you aren't even sure which it is.

☁ Sprout raises a brow at you, grabbing an apron off the hook and quickly slipping it on as he steps towards the cabinets. "What do you mean? Goob is the last person I'd expect."

☁ "Me too!" You exclaim, gently easing your hand from Astro's so you can turn to the side, making talking to both Sprout and Astro (and Cosmo by extension) easier. "But- Pause. Rewind. What do you know of the Teagan and Rodger drama? I know Astro is caught up because I told him and Cosmo knows because he's been here since it started, but I don't know if any of us have caught you or the other mains up."

☁ "Not much." Sprout responds, pulling out the butter and sugar in practiced motions as you bite into your cookie, nodding as if this was the answer you expected. "What kind of cookies do we want this time?"

☁ "Double chocolate. There's a new cocoa powder-" Cosmo suddenly pipes up, even if his eyes stay shut, interrupting himself with a yawn. "That I ordered specifically for that recipe we were looking at."

☁ Sprout nods at this, preheating the oven as he passes to grab the larger electric mixer. He measures out the butter and two types of sugar before letting them mix, going back to the pantry for the powdered ingredients. "Okay, so what is the reason? Like I know obviously the other day in the elevator there was a nerve hit."

☁ "Yeah," You dip a piece of your broken cookie in your glass of milk. "So I'll start from the beginning. When we first recovered Teagan, her and Rodger were like...inseparable. I mean, they had Toodles, so like we kinda assumed they'd be. Toodles was ecstatic to have them both back too, so we were all like 'great, perfect.' It was not in fact great or perfect." You throw the piece into your mouth as Sprout sifted said cocoa powder, flour and a few other things into a separate bowl.

☁ "It was fine for the first little bit and then we started recovering more and more people, then they began fighting, like a lot. Like more than I would classify as normal for...any couple really. It was silly, small, petty things too like Rodger didn't say good morning to her first." You continued. "He normally said good morning to Toodles first, but he was far from perfect either. I remember once, he like lost his shit because she picked up a research capsule."

☁ "He called her all sorts of names, didn't he?" Cosmo piped in, poking open an eye. You nodded at this. "I wasn't convinced they weren't gonna get physical that run. They were so loud I had to work double time to keep the twisteds occupied as Cosmo had to do twice as many machines."

☁ This made both Sprout and Astro grimace, the latter rubbing the cake roll's shoulder in sympathy even if this was long in the past.

☁ You're thinking momentarily, trying to decipher when it truly turned to shit when it hits you. "It was when Glisten came back that they broke up. Rodger made it this whole thing too in the middle of the run. I don't really blame Glisten as he was unaware of Toodles like...being their kid, we hadn't had the chance to fill him in. He was spending a lot of time with Rodger though, so we just expected him to fill Glisten in. Turns out, he didn't. In retaliation, Teagan started seeing Shrimpo."

☁ Sprout is gaping behind you as he pauses where he's adding an egg to the mixer. He recovers quickly, throwing out the shell before adding vanilla to the mix as well. He turns down the mixing speed before turning to you. "Shimpo? And Teagan?"

☁ You nod, watching Cosmo take one of Astro's cookies, making the Celestial huff at this even if his newly freed tail wags behind him. You grin before turning back to Sprout. "Yeah, trust, we weren't expecting it either. They were also about as explosive as you'd expect. If Teagan and Shrimpo weren't fighting, it was him and Rodger or her and Rodger or all three of them depending on the day. At this point, Glisten was aware he was in a little too deep, but he had fallen hard and fast and didn't know what to do."

☁ "What did he do? I can't expect him to do much in that situation." Astro pipes in, mindlessly handing Cosmo his glass- which the cake roll was reaching for. "And what happened to Toodles?"

☁ "That's what Glisten did." Cosmo steps in, dipping his stolen treat. "He would take Toodles the second this started up and would come to either mine or Y/N's room. His was still being put together and if nothing else, he knew he could trust us to step in if they tried bringing the fight to him. Which they did. It seemed if they were fighting, everyone needed to fight."

☁ "You're joking." Sprout spits, putting down the bowl with the flour mixture he was adding to the mixer. "That's so ridiculous."

☁ "I wish we were." You shrug. "But no. Which is kind of why they hate our relationship so much because we don't fight, and our arguments are often just a matter of temporary disagreement then true hostility." Your tail gives a whip behind you. "It only got physical during this period once. Once was all that was needed though. Shrimpo and Rodger had gotten into it with Teagan instigating, like pouring gas on an electric fire, and Shrimpo snapped, throwing a fist. Toodles saw and Glisten stepped in then while Scraps took Toodles. He was already on the brink, but they didn't break up during that."

☁ "How did they break up?" Sprout asks, now thoroughly entwined in this story. "They aren't together now, as far as I'm aware." He turns back to adding the powdered ingredients and you let him finish before answering.

☁ "Shrimpo and Glisten walked in on Rodger and Teagan." You explain and the bowl is nearly dropped in time with Sprout's jaw. Astro hums at this, having a similar expression when he first heard it. You nod before continuing. "They broke up with them then and there. They didn't take it well and it was this huge thing once more. Runs were absolute agony for the a little while. Glisten, in his defense, absolutely refused to interact with them though. Refused to look at them, talk to them, and I'm pretty sure for a while refused to do runs with them."

☁ The mixer is stopped and scraped as a few cookies sheets are pulled out and prepped, Sprout moving to roll the dough balls out, adding chocolate chips as he does. "When was all this?"

☁ "Right before we got Astro back was when the peak hit. It slowly got better when we got you back, and it's remained a little stagnant. Until recently." You give a devious smirk, knowing all three are hooked onto the information you're about to share. "Let me preface this with saying, everything I tell you I have permission to do so. Goob knows I'm doing this-"

☁ "Goob's involved?!" Cosmo whines, now looking wide awake.

☁ "Not in the way you think!" You quickly remedy. "No, he's involved in a different way. Because him and I work really well together, we do a lot of runs together, which duh, you guys know, but Glisten has wanted to get away from...you know...So he's started hanging with us a lot more. Anyway, they do their own thing, we do ours, but Goob came up to me the other day, and you wanna know what he said?"

☁ "Is that even a question?" Astro snorts. "What do you get from teasing us like this?"

☁ "Satisfaction, especially when I tell you that Goob has a big ol' stinkin' crush on GLISTEN." You share, and all three gape at the new piece of information. "Scraps won't have it, she's literally fuming because, and I quote, why would he want to get involve in all that drama. Goob literally refused to let her say anything about it further, going to war. I had never seen Goob so upset with his sister before."

☁ "Was this during that run we did a couple days ago? The one where tripped over a can of pop and smoked his face against a machine?" Cosmo eagerly asks, sitting up with his hands slamming on the table. "And Glisten was the first to run over and oh my god-?!"

☁ You nod excitedly. "It was! Goob literally has not stopped talking about it since. He even asked how we got together."

☁ "And you had to tell him all about how I was the one to do it?" Sprout smirked, sliding the first batch into the over. You excitement paused as you turned to stare at him, scoffing in his direction. "It was a group effort."

☁ "Nope. All me. Sprout is the greatest. C'mon. Admit it." His spotted cheeks upturn in time with his catlike grin and you continue to scoff.

☁ "Over my dead body maybe." You cross your arms, turning away from him as he comes up behind you. His arms wrap around your shoulders anyway as he nuzzles into your cheek, blowing a raspberry against it and making you squirm against him. You let out a yell at the action, even if he tightens his hold so you can't get out.

☁ The other two simply watch, remaining ignorant to your cries at them for help.

☁ While this has started as just something between you and Astro, watching you and Sprout, with Cosmo returning to burrow in his side, Astro lets his tail wag this time. His heart practically bursts at the full feeling it has and how lucky he considers himself to be a part of this.

☁ You and him will have more date nights, just the two of you, but these moments with all four of you have a way of just making him feel so special.

☁ Almost to the point he feels bad for the others as he knows they'll never feel the same happiness he feels with you guys.

☁ He hopes the past version of himself can rest easy now, knowing he's happy and content, and wouldn't change it for the world.

Also: The Cookie Recipe Sprout is making -> Here!

[cod-dump]

*paws at* bruv need more GazKönig, please, I will give you two potato, no three potato

Letters (part 1)

GazKönig

(Part 2 here)

___

If he pointed it out to Gaz that he noticed the box while laying on the floor, it'll be moved if it truly was anything worth hiding. So he kept quiet, laughing as Gaz lightly kicked his side for laughing in the middle of the floor.

Soap snoops, it's his thing really. He's nosy, too curious for his own good. Finding a secret box hidden under Gaz's bed, pressed all the way back against the wall? Well hidden behind shoes, boxes of personal items. Soap wouldn't have noticed if it sat with the rest, but so far away? Oh he wanted to look.

They were friends, Gaz knows what Soap gets into. And despite what people thought he was damn good at keeping secrets. He's Ghost's walking diary by this point and Gaz hasn't gotten a word out of him. And no one has gotten anything about Gaz out of him. So why not add a few more secrets to the arsenal? It couldn't hurt!

So, Soap waited.

Gaz eventually having to tend to his duties and Soap using Ghost's soft spot as an opportunity to snoop. He grinned, teased Ghost a moment knowing he was in a good mood, and left to slack on his duties just for a minute or two. Really, it shouldn't take that long.

The biggest challenge was reaching the box. Moving stuff out of the way and squeezing under the bed to grab it. And, of course, banging his head on the frame while wiggling out. The works.

"Stupid fucking bed-," It's the bed's fault.

Soap got over the ache and looked to the cheap shoe box now sitting in front of him. It looked like someone threw it away before fishing it back out to reuse it. Crumpled in some points before being smoothed back out. Whatever was in it needed to be hid and Gaz clearly hadn't intended on it.

Oh this was already good.

"Oh Kyle, my sweet Kyle, what secrets do you have for me today?"

A cliché comedy would've had Gaz walking by the door in that moment, overhearing Soap's unneeded spoken dialogue before bursting in to stop him. But, that didn't happen. Soap was able to open the lid, uninterrupted, and he found-

"Letters? Oh! Love letters!"

Soap couldn't help but cackle. Gaz is seeing someone? And he never told Soap? He felt the need to be hurt and upset that his friend would keep something like that from him... he will after reading a singular letter. The oldest one in the box, dated only last year. A recent thing?

Soap carefully unfolds the letter, it wasn't even in a envelope but rather folded up like those fancy letters in period movies. Except the handwriting wasn't as fancy. Soap reads the first line, grinning madly.

"I'm surprised to be writing this but I greatly enjoyed our time together."

The handwriting certainly wasn't anything special. Not horrible, Soap's was worse. But it was... familiar? Soap has seen this handwriting before but not recently. He vaguely could remember seeing it somewhere. It was work related definitely. Was Gaz seeing someone in the SAS? Why keep that a secret?

Soap read more, finding the letter lacking anything juicy other than the mysterious sender expressing their enjoyment of Gaz's couple, the feelings of the night they spent together (nothing indicated they slept together much to Soap's disappointment), the food they had, the usual boring stuff of first dates. The next line got his attention right as he was starting to lose interest.

"I was surprised you approached after you learned who I was considering we're not always friendly."

Gaz could be flirty, people tend to overlook that considering he's not as bold as Soap. Him approaching anyone wasn't the shock, but the fact that this person was surprised he did? Is he seeing an operator?

Suddenly that one letter turned into twelve, that twelve turing into thirty.

Soap searched and searched for a name but none popped up. Who was Gaz seeing?All that Soap gathered from the letters? Gaz was seeing a man, most likely an operator of a PMC (a high ranking one at that), and English wasn't his first language... which basically gave Soap shit. But, there was one more letter remaining.

The lastest letter (last fucking week) was plain out horny in response to whatever Gaz sent. Soap almost couldn't read it all considering they were talking about Gaz, his friend. But the letter gave him something, a start in his heart resembling hope. A small crown doodled at the bottom, the letter 'K' boldly drawn over it with dumb little hearts around it.

Gaz doodled it, thinking about the sender of the unsigned letters. His mistake because Soap could feel the gears turning.

"No fucking way in hell-"

Of course at that moment is when Gaz barged in. Ghost had to have said something considering his eyes were on fire. He saw the box of letters opened and Soap holding the one he doodled on. He was mortified and Soap barely had any time to react before he lunged forward. The box was snatched rather gracefully before Soap was shoved to the floor, the letter in his hands grabbed while he was stunned.

Soap just stared at Gaz as the man tried to find the words to yell at him for invading his privacy. Words went in one ear and out the other. He just couldn't comprehend Gaz of all people sleeping with someone in an opposing PMC who are only friends when they're being paid to be.

"You're shagging a merc!"

Gaz's face was on fire, "At least he's not our superior officer."

Soap gasped, "You fucking did not just say that!"

Gaz's face was still red as he stuffed the letters back in the box, holding it protectively against his chest. Soap waved his hand at it, struggling a moment to find the words to express his genuine shock over what he had read.

"You've been seeing someone over a year and you never told me anything!?"

"It wasn't an option! You would've asked too many questions!"

"Who the fuck is it!? Do I know them? Who are they working for?"

"TOO MANY QUESTIONS!"

Soap stood up, Gaz turning his body to shield the box. He was honestly starting to look panicked by it all. So Soap stepped back and held his hands up.

"I... am sorry. I shouldn't have snooped."

Gaz glared but said nothing. Soap stepped around him, Gaz turning to keep facing him. With the door to his back, Soap continued.

"Let's take a breather. This is definitely being revisited later, privately. For now... I have drills."

Soap delayed a moment, waiting to see what Gaz would do. He did nothing, just glared while clutching his box. So Soap left, rather quickly. Darting down the hall just in case Gaz decided to chase him down and beat his ass for this serious transgression.

But Soap won't say a word. He'll let Gaz come clean about it all, hopefully before the secret identity of his lover came to light in other ways.

Soap really hopes it's not who he thinks it is.

___

[the-fiction-witch]

Adorable

Media - The Maze Runner Series Characters - Newt Couple - Newt X Reader Reader - Y/n Rating - 17 (Smutty discussion) Word Count -996

Newt sat quietly in the back of the ageing jeep, the vehicle bouncing over the uneven terrain as they traversed the vast, deserted landscape toward the last city. He gazed out the window, taking in the expansive horizon where the endless, sun-bleached sand stretched like a golden ocean, punctuated only by the rusted remains of old cars, skeletal buildings, and other relics of a civilization that had long since faded into memory. The sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm, amber glow over everything, giving the desolation a haunting beauty.

Y/n, blissfully unaware of the world outside, lay sprawled comfortably across the backseat, her head resting against Newt’s shoulder. She was nestled beneath the warmth of his jacket, which he draped over her like a protective blanket. Exhausted from driving throughout the night, she was finally able to steal some well-deserved rest.

Newt smiled softly at the sight of her serene face. He gently pulled her a bit closer, relishing the moment, and pressed a tender kiss to the top of her head.

Up front, Thomas sat in the passenger seat, his eyes shifting between the rearview mirror and the endless road ahead. Fry gripped the steering wheel with determination, his focus set firmly on the path that lay before them. After a moment of silence, Thomas turned slightly to glance at Newt, "Hey … Can I ask a weird question?"

Newt raised an eyebrow, intrigued by what was to come from his friend's mouth, "Hm? Yeah, What is it?"

"How uhh how long have you two?"

He chuckled, shaking his head as he lightly ran his fingers through Y/n’s hair. "Three years now. Surprised none of you knew before."

"I had suspicions."

"Oh really? What kind of suspicions?"

"… I was curious where you were sneaking off to all those nights after lights out,"

"Yeah, yeah. Though we were getting away with it just fine."

"Do you two …"

Newt raised an eyebrow, "Are you going to finish that sentence, or just leave me in suspense?"

"You know… Do. It?"

"Do what exactly? You're gonna have to be more specific."

"Fuck." Fry spoke up,

Newt laughed out loud, "Yeah."

"… Kinda a dick move. What if she'd gotten pregnant in the glade? None of us knew how to deliver a baby and no one was ready for a small tiny thing!” Thomas complained,

"That's a valid point. We were definitely stupid to risk it." Newt agreed,

"You could have just… Not fucked." Fry suggested,

"Yeah, right. You try telling me that when you're alone with the person you love, in a stressful situation. Not that easy to just ignore the temptation."

"Translation. Newts was a horny teenager and Y/n got tired wrists." Fry joked,

"Hey, shut up. You try being stuck in a dangerous glade with a beautiful girl."

"Adorable. But what about now? No glade anymore…" Thomas suggested

he shrugged, "Not as easy to find a moment of privacy. But we're not stuck in a giant maze anymore, so it's not like we have to worry about getting caught as much. Plus, I think she's still making up for lost time." he teased.

"Also you know, given the whole… Dramatically decreased population and all… I mean you are kinda continuing humanity?" Thomas laughed,

"Great, humanity continues through Newt and Y/n." Fry sighed,

"We're doing our part to repopulate the planet," Newt smirked,

"Ughh I swear to god I'm gonna come back from a scouting trip and they'll just be like seven little blonde British kids running around," Fry groaned,

"Hey, don't knock my future seven little blonde British kids! They'll be adorable."

Y/n shifted in her sleep on Newt's shoulder nuzzling close, "ummmm babies…"

"Awww Looks like someone's dreaming about babies." Newt cooed,

"If you start making babies in that backseat I'm kicking you out Newt," Fry warned,

"Relax, we're not gonna start making babies in the backseat. I'm not that desperate."

So… Does Y/n let you … You know?" Thomas asked,

"Let me do what, exactly?"

"Touch her… You know?" Thomas asked, making a vaguely chest-grabbing gesture.

Newt rolled his eyes, but still couldn't help but smirk a little at the question. "Yeah, I do. A lot."

"how do they feel?"

"Amazing. They're…big, soft and sensitive."

"Sensitive?"

he nodded, a smug smile still on his face. "Yeah, very sensitive. She reacts just from a gentle touch on her skin. And trust me, I know just the right places to touch to make her go crazy."

"Gross." Fry sighed,

"He asked. Don't get upset just because you got an honest answer."

"But like … What does it feel like having someone else… Touch you?" Thomas asked curiosity,

He pondered for a moment, trying to find the right words to describe it. "It's… amazing. Like a whole new kind of pleasure. Having someone else touch you, knowing that they're enjoying it just as much as you are. There's nothing else that compares to it."

"Winston used to say blow jobs were like the best feeling known to man… Not sure how he knew…" Fry spoke up,

“He probably made it up." Newt laughed,

"But does it?" Thomas asked,

"Does what?"

"Does a blow job feel like the most amazing thing on earth?"

"Yeah, it does. But not the whole act itself, it's the way she… It's like… heaven." He thought for another moment, still running his fingers through her hair, smiling softly at the memory. "Especially when she's on her knees in front of me. Or if she lets me pull her hair."

"Impressive you trust someone enough to willingly put your dick between their teeth." Fry laughed

He shrugged, "Hey, I trust and love my girlfriend. I know she would never hurt me."

"hummm Newtie…." Y/n grumbled,

He softened, glancing down at her with a fond smile. "Shhh, go back to sleep, love."

She mumbled something incoherent, shifting on his shoulder and snuggling closer. He gently kissed the top of her head.

"You guys are adorable." Thomas laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, says the guy who's still single."

"We had one girl in the glade and you got her, what was I supposed to do!"

"Not my fault I got to her first. You snooze, you lose." Newt smirked, planting a kiss on Y/n’s nose.

[samanthacastano02]

Forgiveness

Bang Chan x FemReader 

Warnings: abuse (Not by Chan), mentions of blood, passing out, inaccurate medical talk, cursing, fighting, protective skz, there's probably more 

Word Count: 5.2k

Summary: You and Chan have been friends since he was a trainee, you worked for his group as a helping producer. You’ve been in love with him since the beginning but never said anything in fear of ruining your friendship. When you get into a relationship that ends up being abusive, things take a bad turn and your laptop that has the only copy of an unreleased song gets ruined, a fight breaks out between you and Chan. Chan doesn’t realize his mistake until it’s almost too late. 

Photos are not mine, credits go to photographers

Chan and I had known each other since his trainee days, while he worked to become an idol I worked to become a producer. Traveling around to all of the different groups that were under JYP, but as time went on and Stray Kids debuted and gained popularity I stopped working with the other groups as much and started working as a full time producer for them. It was well known that they were a self produced group but sometimes they needed help and that’s where I came in. 

Chan and I would be considered friends, we spend time together outside of work but usually with the entire group. There are a few rare times where we spend time where it’s just the two of us. I knew that he cared for me and he knew that I cared for him, he just didn’t know how much I cared for him and how much I would sacrifice for him to make his dreams come true. I could never tell him how I felt because it would ruin our friendship and the dynamic between me and the entire group. I knew part of me would always love Chan, but at the same time I knew that I needed to move on from him which led me to the relationship with Adam. Adam was a foreigner from America, he came to Korea on a work visa. It was only three months after he had settled in Korea that he and I started dating. At first he was amazing, so sweet and caring. Surprising me with flowers every week, random gifts just because but as time went on those surprises stopped. The man I once knew had completely changed and was completely unrecognizable to me. 

Present:

It was close to four am on a Thursday, 3Ratcha and I were all holed up in the recording studio working on mixing the different parts of their upcoming album. We're all tired but the inspiration is flowing and none of us want to break the creative flow by stopping for the night. I knew that I should have gone home when the rest of the boys did, knowing that Adam wouldn’t be happy when I walked into the apartment. But I couldn't tell Chan that I needed to go without him asking questions, questions that I couldn’t answer. I knew that none of the guys liked Adam, even Felix didn’t like him and Felix liked everyone. If I told Chan why I needed to leave it would also mean admitting that Adam was abusive and would hurt me the moment I walked in the door, as long as he was still awake. Finally around 4:30 Chan could tell that everyone was running on fumes, and needed sleep so he called it quits, telling everyone that they didn’t need to worry about coming in early tomorrow or well later today. Chan and I had been working on one of the songs from the new album but hadn’t shared the file with Han or Changbin yet, the file only stored on my laptop since it had the most storage space available at the time. As we were leaving I let Chan know that I would work on the song a little for him later so that he could catch up on some much needed sleep and not worry about getting the song finished. I would finish it and then bring it in and get his final input before sending it to Han and Changbin for their input. 

When I walked into my apartment it was dark and silent, it gave me hope that maybe just maybe Adam was either asleep or at his own place. As of the time leaving the studio I hadn’t received any text messages from him questioning where I was. It both relieved me and scared me that he hadn’t checked to see where I was because it meant one of two things, either he stayed at his apartment tonight so he didn’t know that I worked late or he was pissed and was waiting in the dark for me somewhere ready to take that anger out on me. As I slipped my work shoes off and slipped on my house slippers the living room lamp switched on, illuminating Adam in an ominous light. I could tell just from the look on his face that he was pissed, and it was another one of those days where I didn’t know if I would be able to talk him down or not. I braced myself as I walked into the living room, wanting to head to my room to drop my bag off and change into lounge wear, but I didn’t even make it ten steps before I was being pulled back by my hair. 

“Care to explain why you are coming home at 5 in the morning?” Adam exclaimed angrily.

“I was at work, production was going really well so none of us wanted to stop in case we lost the creative juices.” I explained calmly.

“Don’t lie to me bitch, tell me the truth.” He grabbed my hair and yanked my head back hard, causing me to cry out in pain.

“I am telling the truth Adam, I was at work.”

“I bet you were whoring yourself out for them, can’t keep your legs closed.” He spits angrily as he shoves me, I trip over my feet and fall. I try to catch myself but end up landing on my wrist funnily.

“Adam, I was only working, nothing else happened. I swear, you know I only love you and only want you.”

“I don’t believe you, you’ve always been a slut, whoring yourself out when you think that I’m not looking. You're lucky that I take pity on you and continue to date you.” He kicks me hard in the ribs, knocking the breath out of me.

“Adam, you are the only person I’m with. I swear I was only working. I’m sorry that I didn’t text, I should have and that's on me.” I wheeze, trying to catch my breath but every breath that I take hurts. 

“I should have fucking made you quit that job, made you work with me. Then I’d know you weren’t being a slut.” He says as he angrily stalks over to my bag, grabbing my computer.

“Adam, what are you doing?”

“I’m forcing your hand, either you quit or I’ll make you quit.”

“Adam, please. I love my job, please don’t make me do this.” I plead with him, he stares at me for a minute before walking over to me. He roughly grabs my hair and jerks my head up to look at him. 

“You just want to keep working there so that you can continue sleeping with all of them.” He spits in my face. He throws my head back causing me to smack against the ground, my head bounces harshly off the wood floor. 

“I’m not sleeping with them Adam, I have never slept with any of them and I never will because I love you.” I plead

“You’re just a slut, you don’t love me.” he drags me up by my hair until I’m standing in front of him again, I have tears running down my cheeks mixing with blood coming from my nose.

“Adam, please. You’re hurting me.” I beg as I try to pry his hands from my hair.

“Shut up bitch.” He yells angrily, slapping me hard across the face causing me to fall into the wall. I see stars in my vision and the edges are black. I have to fight to stay awake, I don’t know how much more of this I can take.

“Adam, please.” That seems to make him even more angry because next thing I know he’s stomping over to my work bag and grabbing my computer. I watch in horror as he brings my computer into the kitchen and grabs the meat tenderizer and begins to smash my laptop. All I can do is sit there in shock as he ruins the one thing I need for my job. 

“Adam, stop! Please, I’m sorry. I’ll quit, just please stop.” He doesn’t stop until my computer is in pieces and I know for a fact that I won’t be able to get anything off of it. He ignores me as he makes his way to the entryway, grabbing his jacket and leaves without saying anything to me. 

I don’t know how long I lay on the ground, fighting the darkening edges of my vision. There’s only one person I can think of to call, one person that might be able to help me get to the hospital without having to call emergency services. I don’t want to risk waking any neighbors that might have slept through the fight. I slowly crawl over to my phone that must have fallen out of my pocket when Adam shoved me. With shaky hands I scroll to Chan’s contact and press call, praying that he’s still awake and paying attention to his phone. The phone rings once, twice, three times and finally on the fourth ring he answers with a sleepy hello.

“Y/n, you ok? Why are you calling?” “Chan, I need help.”

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

“I-I got into a fight with Adam, h-he broke my laptop. I lost everything on my laptop. I-I need you to come pick me up. Please?”

“Are you kidding me y/n? We were almost done with the song. I told you we should have saved it in more than one place but I stupidly listened to you and look where that got us now.” “Chan, I’m sorry. I need your help, please can you come pick me up?”

“No y/n because now I have to figure out how the hell I’m going to get everything I need for that song again when the due date for it is on Monday.” “Chan p-please, I’m begging you. I need help.”

“Deal with it yourself, I’m so disappointed in you right now. You just lost months worth of work over a stupid fight.” Chan exclaims angrily before he hangs up. I try to call him again but he immediately declines the call. As my vision gets darker I begin to panic, thinking of one last resort I call Minho, praying that he will answer. He told me that if I ever needed him for something that I could call him, no matter the time of day. After the second ring he answers, its clear that he just woke up.

“Y/n, are you ok?”

“N-no Minho, I need help.”

“What’s wrong? Talk to me jagi.”

“I-I got into a fight with Adam, it got r-really bad and he stormed out of the apartment.” “What do you need me to do?”

“I-I need you to take me to the hospital. Please.”

“Oh god, jagi. I’m getting dressed as we speak and I’ll be there soon. Can you keep talking to me until I get there?” “I can try, everything hurts and my vision is super fuzzy now.”

“Just try to stay awake, I’ll be there soon I promise.”

I try to stay awake until he gets to my apartment, it’s a struggle but I manage to stay awake until he gets to me. I can hear the front door open and the sound of rushed footsteps, relief floods me when I see both Minho and Jisung coming towards me. In a moment of clarity I can see their shocked reactions to seeing me bloodied and bruised on the floor. As Jisung looks around he notices my smashed laptop on the counter and a gasp leaves his lips before he can stop it. He’s coming to the understanding of what the fight was about, as the relief continues to wash over me I begin to feel my eyelids get heavier and heavier. It’s getting hard to keep them open, the sound of sleep right now sounds amazing and I allow myself to be swept into the peaceful darkness. 

Minho’s POV:

Getting a call from y/n at 5:30 in the morning was not something that I was prepared for. I don’t know why but I was having trouble sleeping tonight, so when I heard my phone buzzing with a phone call I knew that it had to be something important. When she told me that she needed help being brought to the hospital, my heart dropped to my feet. I had known y/n since I was a trainee and she was like a little sister to me, even if she was the same age as me. I felt extremely protective of her and I knew that the rest of the guys did as well. I honestly thought that she might have called Chan for help, since she was closest to him out of all of us but I wasn’t going to dwell on that thought right now. I rushed down the hall to Jisungs room, I threw his door open, startling him from his sleep. He looked at me panicked, wondering why I was dressed so early, but didn’t question me when I told him to rush and get dressed. That was the one good thing about him, if you told him to do something, most of the time, he did so without question, especially when there is no hint of playfulness. 

As we drove to y/n’s apartment I explained to him the phone call that I got from her, while also trying to keep her awake and talking to me until I got to her apartment. The normally short 5 minute drive felt like it took an eternity, when we pulled up to the complex, we rushed up the three flights of steps that led to her apartment. We entered her apartment with caution, not knowing if her boyfriend was still there or not, from the looks of it he wasn’t but we couldn’t be sure. As we rounded the corner that separated the entryway from the living room and kitchen we spotted her curled up in a ball close to the kitchen. She was covered in her own blood and her lip was split, it looked like her eye was starting to bruise as well. I could hear the gasp that Jisung let out, both in reaction to her and her destroyed laptop. I rushed to y/n, she looked up at me with a look of relief and a small smile before her eyes began to close. I tried to get her to keep talking to me but she wouldn’t budge, I felt bad but I snapped at Jisung to grab her phone and then I was rushing her out the door to the car. I sat her in the back, motioning for Han to get in the back with her, he immediately listened and I rushed to the driver's seat. I drove as fast as I could while remaining safe, constantly looking in the rearview mirror at Han, silently asking for updates. When he had a look of pure panic I knew something was wrong, her breathing had begun to become shallow and I knew she only had a few minutes before things got really bad. 

I pulled into the emergency drive of the hospital, throwing the car into park without even bothering to turn it off. I threw open the back door on Han’s side. He looked at me panicked, I gently picked her up before turning and rushing her into the emergency room. Han watched me rush, before noticing that the car was still on. I knew that I could trust him to turn it off while I got y/n the help that she needed. The nurses looked up in shock when they heard and saw me rush in, they immediately rushed in to help, taking her on a gurney back into a trauma bay. I wanted to follow but one of the nurses asked that I stay back and help fill in some paperwork so that they could better help y/n. 

After what felt like hours, they got her stable and her wounds treated. When the doctor finally came to tell Han and I what all was wrong, nothing could have prepared me for what I was going to hear. The doctor explained that she had three fractured ribs, two broken ribs, a broken wrist, a punctured lung as a result from one of the broken ribs, and head trauma that they wouldn’t be able to measure the amount of damage done until she woke up. I sat by her side, holding her hand waiting until she woke up. I knew that neither Han nor I would be going into work today. Han viewed y/n as an older sister and he relied on her for a lot of comfort so seeing her in the condition that she is in, took a toll on him. He sat on her other side, holding her non-injured hand and rubbed soothing circles on the back of it. When the clock showed that it was 8 am, I first called our management team to let them know that we wouldn’t be in today. At first they weren’t happy but after explaining the situation they understood. Next on the list of people to call was Chan, when I called he didn’t answer, so I assumed that he was still asleep. So I called the rest of the guys, knowing that this was something that shouldn’t be said over text. I knew that once the boys heard the news they’d be making their way here to show y/n their support, I still wanted to get ahold of Chan so I nodded to Han signalling that I was stepping out into the hall. 

Finally after calling him 3 times he answered on the 4th call, his voice was groggy with sleep. I felt bad waking him up but I needed to let him know, I knew how much he cared for her and I knew that he would want to be here for her. 

“Minho-ah, what’s up?” Chan questions

“Are you sitting down?”

“Yes? Why?” “It’s about y/n”

“Look I don’t want to talk about her, tell her that I don’t want to talk to her so tell her to not have any of the other members call me. Please.”

“Chan, did she call you last night?” “Yes, she called me. She told me that she got into a fight with Adam and that he broke her laptop, she let a stupid fight ruin months worth of work.” He explains annoyed and slightly angry.

“Chan, work can be replaced. Did she ask you for help?” I ask, beginning to get angry, slightly afraid for his answer. “Yes, she did. Why?”

“Chan, she’s in the hospital. Adam did a number on her.”

“What do you mean? Minho you better not be messing with me.” “Honestly, I wish I was. But I’m not, she has three fractured ribs, two broken ribs, a punctured lung because of one of the broken ribs, and a head injury.”

“Oh god, she called me last night. She called me for help and I hung up on her. I told her that she could rely on me and when she needed me most I wasn’t there.” “Channie-hyung, she needs you. When she wakes up she’ll want to see you. I already let management know, take your time and make your way to the hospital, the rest of us will be here when you get here.” with that I hung up the phone.

Chan’s POV:

I sit staring at my phone in shock, guilt begins to eat away at me, the conversation from last night begins to replay in my mind. I struggle to shake myself out of it and rush to get dressed so that I can head to the hospital. The drive seems to take forever and no time at the same time, when I walk into the medical ward that her room is in, I see Seungmin and Han standing in the hall, almost looking like bodyguards. Han glares at me as I walk up to them while Seungmin looks unimpressed, I know that Minho must have told them what happened last night. When I walked into her room, I was not prepared for how she would look. I saw the guys look at me then to each other and then back to me, it seemed like they were having a silent conversation because they all silently got up and excited the room. The last person to leave was Minho, he gently put his hand on my shoulder, gently squeezing. 

“Just be there for her when she wakes up. She’s not going to know where she is or what happened after Han and I got to her.” “Thank you, Minho. For being there for her when I was stupid and wasn’t.” he didn’t say anything in response and just nodded and walked out of the room. 

I took a seat in the chair on her non-injured arm, holding her hand and whispering soft apologies, hoping that she could hear me. I don’t know how long I had been sitting with her but I must have fallen asleep because I felt a soft hand messing with my hair. I gently lifted my head, looking to where y/n laid, she was staring back at me. I could tell that she was hurt by what had happened but was also thankful that I was here when she woke, once again Minho had been correct. 

Your POV:

When I slowly came to, there was a weight in my hand and at first it had me panicking but when I saw who the weight belonged to, I felt a large wave of relief. Yes there was some hurt lingering but he was here and that had to count for something, right? He was still asleep and I didn’t want to wake him up so I gently ran my fingers through his hair, calming myself while waiting until he woke up. 

After what seemed like an hour he finally stirred, humming slightly as I continued to mess with his hair. Suddenly he sat upright, looking at me with tears in his eyes. I could tell that the guilt from what happened last night was eating at him. I went to move closer to him but the pain in my ribs caught up to me and I winced. 

“Jagi, try not to move. Do you want me to get the nurse or doctor so that they can give you something for the pain?” He asked me gently, a vast contrast to his tone last night.

“Yes please, my ribs really hurt.”

“Ok, I’ll be right back. Ok?” He asked and got up, kissing my forehead before he left to get the doctor.

After the doctor did all of the tests that needed to be done and I was given the all clear the boys helped me get ready to leave, I wanted to talk with Chan but between everything going on we didn’t get the chance to. I knew that he would be the one to take me back to my apartment, I was honestly afraid to because I didn’t know what to expect because I hadn’t heard from Adam at all. And last time that happened, it didn’t end well for me. 

When we pulled up to my apartment complex I noticed that Adam’s car was there, I felt a rush of dread go down my spine at having to see him again. Chan reassured me that nothing would happen to me, he and the rest of the boys would protect me if he tried something. With Chan’s reassurance, we made our way up to my apartment. I had to lean heavily on Chan for support. I noticed that Minho, Changbin, and Hyunjin were ahead of us waiting to enter the apartment first. When we reached the landing that my apartment was on, the three boys looked at me for the go ahead to enter, with a nod from me they opened the door. Immediately Adam was rushing the door, curses already flying out of his mouth before he made it to the entryway. 

“Where the fuck have you been?” Adam screams as he rushes to the door, I lean into Chan seeking comfort and support in his embrace.

“I suggest you back the fuck up before you get your shit rocked.” Changbin confronts Adam.

“Oh yeah? What are you going to do?” Adam makes himself look bigger and tries to tower himself over Changbin. Changbin doesn’t react.

“Speak to him like that again and you’ll see a side of me you’ve never seen before.” says a deep voice behind me, the usual sunshine man is all anger and glaring at Adam. 

“Ooooo I’m so scared.” Adam responds sarcastically.

“See, you may not know me but I know you and one kick to the head will knock you out.”

“I’d like to see you try.” he tries to provoke Felix but felix doesn’t take the bait so Adam turns his attention back on me. His eyes narrow when he sees that Chan is holding me protectively.

“I knew that you were a whore, whoring yourself out.” he sneers at me.

“You don’t get to speak to her. Now you can either leave willingly or you can leave in cuffs, the choice is up to you.” Chan speaks for me.

“What, are you gonna call the police? Like they’d believe a slut like her.” 

“Speak ill of her one more time, I dare you.” Felix sneers at Adam.

“Little boy, let's leave the conversation to the adults.” Adam taunts Felix, I can see Felix’s jaw tick but he doesn’t say anything.

“Adam, you need to leave. We are done, I need the key to my apartment back. I’ll mail your shit to you.” I look at Adam.

“You think that you get to break up with me? Bitch you fucking belong to me, I decide when we are done.”

“No Adam, you don’t. Now leave before I call the police.” He glares at me, before taking a menacing step towards Chan and me. Felix and Changbin step in front of us, preventing him from reaching us. 

“Move out of my way, before I make you regret ever being born.” Adam growled at Felix and Changbin. 

Neither boy moved, which pissed Adam off even more. I knew that he had a short temper but I never expected it to be this short because the next thing I know he’s trying to take a swing at the closest person to him which happened to be Felix. Felix easily dodged the swing, he looked at me for permission to defend himself and with a quick nod from me, he swiftly knocked Adam out. I hear Seungmin behind me break out laughing, cackling at the way that he went down, the others soon joining him. Minho excused himself and stepped out to call the police to arrest Adam. When the police finally arrived and had Adam in custody, they asked for my statement, it was hard recounting what happened the night before but I knew it would help put him behind bars. 

After a long while everything calmed down and it was just Chan and I at my apartment, the boys were reluctant to leave but finally after some convincing they left. I knew that Chan and I needed to talk and it might be a harder talk than either he or I were prepared for. 

“I think we need to talk” I say hesitantly.

“Yea, I think we do. Is it ok if I start?”

“Yea, go ahead.” I nod to him

“I am so so sorry, you called me when you needed me most and I ignored your call. I hate that I did that to you, I cannot express to you how sorry I am. I will spend the rest of our friendship trying to make it up to you.”

“Channie, I understand being upset about losing work, trust me. I was upset that it was lost as well but truly I had no control. I couldn’t even get up to try and get to my computer before he destroyed it.” 

“I should have listened when you said that you needed help, understood that you needed help getting to a hospital not fixing what your ex did.”

“I’m sorry that we lost the song, I’ll work the extra hours with you to get the song finished, and we’ll have it in two separate places.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for, you can’t control what your ex does. And about that…”

“What, why did you say it like that?”

“Changbin might have taken your laptop one night while we went on a dinner run and saved the file to his computer as well. So we only lost a few days worth of work instead of months worth.”

“That's amazing news.” I shoot towards Chan, hugging him softly, he lightly wraps his arms around me. 

“I can’t express how scared I was when Minho called me and told me what happened, I felt my heart drop to my feet. I was so scared that our last conversation was going to be a fight.”

“The only thing I could think about as everything happened, was that I wish I had chosen you.”

“Choose me?”

“I didn’t mean to say that out loud.” “No y/n what did you mean?”

“I-I wish I had chosen to confess to you rather than trying to move on, because then maybe I wouldn’t have been in an abusive relationship.”

“Confess to me? Are you telling me that you liked me?”

“Like, and I have for years but never wanted to ruin our friendship.” “God I feel like an idiot.” “What why?”

“Because, I could have asked you out the moment the dating ban lifted and this whole mess could have been avoided.” “You like me back?” “Yes! I thought I had made it pretty obvious but I guess not.” “I guess we were both idiots but we’re here now.”

“I want to take you out on a date, will you let me? I know things just ended with your ex, and it might be rushing but if you’ll let me I will treat you like the queen you are.”

“I know it might be rushing but I’d really like that.” 

He stares at me with longing, there’s a glint in his eyes that I can’t place. He looks between my eyes and my lips, looking like he’s contemplating if he wants to risk it or if he wants to wait. I decide to make the decision for him and lean in, gently pressing my lips to his. He freezes for a moment before relaxing into the kiss, his hands gently cup my cheek and lower back. He pulls away and when I look at him, he has the biggest smile I’ve ever seen. I know there will be rough patches, but with Chan I know that things will be ok. 

[wizard-on-whales]

Hi thereeee 💓 since I'm addicted to your fics, and I think you have a dirty mind like mine 😏, I was wandering if you'd like to write something about a younger reader which is recently dating James and they are at a wedding and they're really horny, they spend all the time teasing each other and in the end while they are dancing the reader teases him even more and James takes her to a isolated room and they have sex initially trying not to be noticed but then they lose control so that the groom (James' friend) discovers them and when they return to the party he makes jokes about what happened.

James from the Brioni commercial would be 🔥🔥🔥

Ps. I loooove dirty talking and details

(Sorry for my english, It's not my first language)

Center of Attention

NSFW 17+

Warnings: Unprotected sex, age gap, dirty talk, pet names, semi public?, caught, grammatical errors

Answering a request for once!

Word count - 2.5k

✭-----------------------------✭

It's crazy how quickly life can change. Less than a year ago you were struggling to pay your rent so you did something you never thought you would be desperate enough to do, find a sugar daddy. In the months that you've known him your relationship blossomed into something more and now you were slipping on a designer dress, getting ready to go to a wedding with him.

Underneath his brooding exterior, James was a very sweet and surprisingly sensitive man; all around a gentle giant. You had grown quite fond of him, maybe even obsessed. It was hard to not fall for that handsome smile and those pretty eyes of his, and even harder to not fall for him just from the touch of his hands.

His fingers danced lightly up your spine as he helped you zip your dress up, his gentle touches sending sparks through you. You turn and face him, smiling up at him before your eyes drink in the sight of him once more. The white button up with the sleeves neatly rolled up, showing off his tattoos, the dark colored vest cinching in his waist, those jeans that hugged his thighs perfectly…you wanted to devour him right then and there.

“See something you like?” He jokes softly, grinning down at you. You meet his eyes again and grin, wrapping your arms around his shoulders and pulling him into a kiss.

“Always,” You purr against his lips. He squeezed your waist and gave you a smirk, gladly accepting your slightly needy kiss.

“C’mon you little minx, we're gonna be late,” He chuckles softly, giving your ass a firm swat before removing his arms from you and grabbing his keys and wallet from the dresser. You follow behind him, looping your arm through his as you head out of the house. He opens the passenger door for you, helping you get in like a gentleman before rounding the car to the driver's side.

You had dated men in the past but none of them were like James. The appeal of an older man was everything you had dreamed of and more. Sure the age gap was frowned upon by most, the whispers you see people share when you and James are holding hands, the disapproving looks you get from friends and family, but what they didn't see was just how perfect he was. He had lived a thousand lives before you were even born, witnessed and experienced things you couldn't dream of and they all shaped him into the man he is.

The sweet kisses he would place on your forehead and hands, the lingering touches on your waist when he walked past you, the tight hold he had on your hand when another man looked at you the wrong way, those all showed how much he cared about you. And God, no man had ever pleased you under the sheets the way this one could. He knew how a woman's body worked and he sure as hell used that knowledge to his advantage.

James places his sunglasses on before backing out of the driveway, his hand resting on the back of your seat as he turns to look over his shoulder, a simple gesture but one that always got you a little warm. He reaches over and grabs your thigh as he drives, his thumb gently stroking the plush skin.

“You look damn good in that dress, babygirl,” He smirks at you, giving your thigh a squeeze. You smile, looking down at yourself and smoothing out a small wrinkle on the skirt.

“Thanks, baby…and you look damn good in that suit,” You slowly run your hand up his forearm and grab his bicep, giving it a squeeze.

“I can already tell you're not gonna behave tonight, are you?,” He chuckles, moving his hand from your thigh and taking yours off of his arm. He places a kiss on the back of it before looping his fingers through yours, his eyes barely leaving the road as he did.

“How could I when you look this good…are you sure we have to go? I kinda want to have you all to myself tonight,” You give his hand a squeeze, watching him closely as he drives, something simple that always turns you on. The way his hand always drummed along to a song against the steering wheel, when the windows would be rolled down his hair would get all tousled from the wind, and damn if he drove a stick shift, the sight of his hand around it, shifting the gears when needed it was enough for you to want to climb over the seat into his lap; Fortunately he was driving an automatic today which helped you restrain yourself from doing so.

“It's just for a few hours, then we'll have all night baby…you'll have freedom to do whatever you'd like to me,” He grins mischievously, the end of his sentence almost coming out as a growl.

The wedding venue was a close drive so it didn't take long to get there. James helps you out of the car like he always did, keeping you steady as you attempt to walk across the gravel parking lot in your heels. He made a joke about throwing you over his shoulder and carrying you which didn't help your already unholy thoughts.

The two of you quietly took your place at the back of the ceremony, watching the whole wedding with smiles on your faces. You didn't know his friend but you enjoyed the wedding nonetheless. When the outdoor ceremony was over everyone made their way into the building where the reception was held. It was beautifully decorated and was clearly a very expensive wedding. You looked around and admired the way everything looked as you stepped inside.

“Is this what you'd want?” James asks quietly in your ear as he leans over. His voice sends a small shiver through you as you look over at him.

“It's beautiful but not what I'd want. I'd want something smaller, more humble,” You say softly, giving him a small smile. He squeezed your waist and returned the smile.

“Thought you'd say that, that's one reason I like you so much, you like the simple things. I'd still give you everything if you asked for it though.” He leads you over to a small table where your names were placed on cards, pulling your chair out for you. The dinner was equally as extravagant as everything else. The portions were small like every expensive meal seemed to be but it was so good you couldn't complain.

The night slowly started to shift as people started to abandon their places at the tables and take over the dance floor. Throughout the night, James had slowly been giving you drinks, although he doesn't drink himself anymore, he had plans for you and it involved you being tipsy. He knew he'd never get you to dance with him otherwise.

“C'mon,” James pulls on your hand, trying to get you to head towards the dance floor. You felt dizzy and giggly already so you gladly agreed, letting him drag you with a wide grin.

James' plan of getting you tipsy enough to dance with him worked…but maybe a little too well. Your slow dancing soon turned into something more dirty. You shook your hips just the way he liked, had your hands all over his chest, unbuttoning a few buttons to reveal his tattoos underneath. He watched you intently, his hands gripping your waist firmly as you turned in his arms and slightly grind against him. He let out a low groan, only loud enough for you to hear over the music. You two were too absorbed in each other to see the eyes that were on you. Like always there was the disapproving glares from people who thought they were better than you, a few young and single guys clearly hoping they'll have a turn, and the groom grinning widely for his friend who was clearly enjoying himself.

James grips your hips, making you stop as you try to grind against him again. You look back at him with your half lidded and dazed eyes, leaning your body against his chest. That was his breaking point, James started to lead you away from the dancefloor, looking for a more quiet, secluded spot. You rounded a corner just out of sight from everyone, and James wasted no time to pin you against the wall.

“Fuck your such a tease, baby…getting me all bothered like that in front of everyone,” He grunts in your ear, keeping you pinned with one hand as his other one roughly hikes your dress up. He turns you around, pulling your ass against his crotch and grinding against you, desperate for frictions. You wiggle your hips a bit, smiling back at him over your shoulder.

He undoes his belt and pushes his pants down just enough to slip his throbbing member out of them, his tip already leaking with precum. He pushes your lace panties to the side and rubs his tip up and down your swollen folds.

“You're already soaked baby girl…need my cock that bad, huh?” He groans, his hand kneading the flesh on your ass before giving it a smack, making you moan softly.

“Dirty girl aren't you…always desperate to get fucked…” He plunges his hard cock into your walls making you moan again, your hands gripping at the wall he had you shoved against. He puts his hands on either side of yours, thrusting his hips against yours, his lips finding their way to your shoulder, kissing your shoulder blade. You move your hips back, meeting his halfway with each thrust. James notices how loud you seem to be already which caused him to move his hand to your throat, squeezing it just enough to quiet you but not enough to hurt.

“Gotta be quiet unless you want everyone to know how much of a slut you are. Getting fucked by a man twice your age where anyone can walk by and see,” He groans lowly in your ear. His foot kicks your legs further apart, his other hand gripping your hip and pulling your ass further against him, allowing him to go deeper. You let out a breathless moan, your eyes practically rolling back in your head as he desperately fucks you.

From this angle you could feel him all the way in your stomach, the pressure between your legs making them tremble. It was hard to support yourself against the wall with your wobbly legs and heels. James noticed this and wrapped his arm fully around your hips to support you, practically lifting you off the ground as he impaled you further against his cock. You could feel the coil in your stomach start to build, becoming too much already.

“Fuck….wait wait wait!” You squeak out the best you could, gripping the arm James had around your waist.. His movements stop as he looks at you, confusion and worry crossing his features. He releases his hand from around your throat, allowing you to take a full breath.

“What is it, babygirl?” He asks quietly, his thumbs gently rubbing your hips.

“Mmm…I just need a second…if you keep going I'm gonna make a mess,” You say with a small giggle, looking back at him with a smile. He grins at you before leaning closer to your ear, planting a kiss below it.

“Yeah? You gonna be a filthy girl? Make a mess all over us?” He practically growls in your ear, a wide smile on his face. He grips your hips and starts his movements back up but slower this time. You let out a soft moan and drop your head against the wall once more.

“Look at me…” He demands, giving your ass another small smack. You open your eyes and look back at him, meeting his intense gaze. He holds you close to him as he slowly pushes himself in and out of you, splitting you open to make room for his thick cock. He brings his hand down to your clit and gently circles the swollen nub, almost torturing you with his slow, erotic movements.

“Mmm…Jamie…” You moan softly, biting your lip as you keep watching him over your shoulder. He smacks your pussy lightly, making you squeal, your walls fluttering around him. He couldn't help himself as he picked up his movements again, wanting to feel your tight cunt squeeze him again.

“Fuck! Oh…mm close…so close,” You moan, your hands holding onto his arms tightly, supporting yourself against his body.

“Yeah baby? Gonna cum all over my cock?...fuck…go ahead, mm gonna fill you up so good,” He grunts, thrusting deeper into you, his hips smacking harshly against your ass. You feel the familiar sensation of your orgasm shutter through your body, making you squeal again, your legs giving out from under you. He holds you even tighter against him, pounding into you as he desperately chases his own climax. He quickly follows, shooting thick spurts of his seed into you and coating your walls.

“There you are, I was looking for you,” a third voice cuts you two out of your fantasy land, making you both jump and look over. His friend was leaning against the wall a few feet away, an amused look on his face.

“Fuck man, you just gonna stand there and enjoy the show?” James huffs, quickly pulling your dress down to cover you up and shoving himself back into his pants. You felt your cheeks burning as you turned around, fully facing both of them.

“I thought maybe you left before I even got a chance to talk to you. Turns out you were just a little busy,” He laughs, teasing you and James further. James rolls his eyes and wraps his arm around your shoulders, pulling you against him.

“Yeah yeah…have I introduced you to my girl yet?” James asks, grinning over at you, casually introducing you to his friend as if he didn't feel ashamed or modified by being caught. You swallow thickly, attempting to bite back your embarrassment as his friend holds out his hand for you to shake. You step forward, trying to ignore the feeling of James cum leaking out of you and down your legs as you accept the handshake.

You excuse yourself to the bathroom as the two men talk and catch up on old times as if none of that had happened. As you are cleaning yourself up you feel your phone buzz, causing you to pull it out. It was a short message from James but you felt a shiver run through you once more.

“I'm not done with you just yet…go to the car”

✭-----------------------------✭

[sycamorelibrary754]

Hearts on the Run

Paring: Natasha Romanoff x Fem! Reader

Summary: You and Natasha are on the run in Norway, unaware that Valentine’s Day is upon you. Natasha goes out of her way to make it special.

Word Count: 942

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: None

A/N: A day late, but I wanted to write a little something for Natasha. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Holiday Series: Home is Anywhere You Are Masterlist

You sat on the worn couch in the small, nondescript safe house, flipping through a battered copy of a magazine. The words blurred together on the page as your mind wandered back to the events that had led you here.

It had been months since the airport battle in Leipzig. Months since Steve had gone rogue, you'd found yourself at odds with the organization you'd sworn to protect.

You had both made difficult decisions and were now paying the price. You chose to stand by Steve, convinced that the Sokovia Accords posed a grave danger to the Avengers' freedom. Natasha, on the other hand, aligned with Tony. Having witnessed the chaos of unchecked power firsthand—the horrors of the Red Room and the sinister machinations of HYDRA—she couldn't bear the thought of history repeating itself.

Yet, when the moment arrived, her loyalty to Steve prevailed, and she aided him and Bucky in their escape. After being captured by Ross and making a break for freedom, Natasha arrived in the serene yet rugged wilderness of Norway, where fate had a surprise in store for her—she found you, a beacon of hope amid the chaos she had fled. Both of you on the run and united by a shared sense of purpose.

Nat walked into the room, her eyes scanning the space before coming to rest on you. "Hey," she said, her voice low and smooth. "Find anything interesting?"

You shook your head, setting the magazine aside. "Just the usual. Politics, scandals...nothing that will help us get out of this mess.”

Natasha nodded sympathetically. "I know. It feels like we're stuck in limbo, doesn't it?"

You sighed, rubbing your temples. "I just wish we could go back to how things were before. You know, when our biggest worry was some alien invasion or Hydra scientist."

Natasha smiled wryly. "I miss those days too. But we can't change the past. We have to focus on the present."

You looked up at her, feeling a surge of gratitude. Natasha had been a rock for you throughout this ordeal, using her vast resources and network of contacts to keep you one step ahead of the authorities.

You felt a flutter in your chest as you gazed into her eyes. It was a feeling you'd grown accustomed to over the past few months, but one that still caught you off guard.

Natasha seemed to sense your gaze, and her expression softened. "Hey," she said, walking over to sit beside you on the couch. "It's Valentine's Day."

You raised an eyebrow. "I hadn't noticed."

Natasha smiled. "I figured as much. But I thought we could...celebrate, anyway."

You felt a spark of curiosity. "Celebrate?"

Natasha nodded. "Yeah. I mean, we're stuck in this safe house, but that doesn't mean we can't make the most of it. I was thinking we could...have a nice dinner, watch a movie...something like that."

You smiled, feeling a sense of excitement. "That sounds amazing."

Natasha grinned, standing up. "Great. I'll go start dinner."

As she walked into the kitchen, you couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder. Despite everything that had happened, despite being on the run and in hiding, Natasha had still managed to make this Valentine's Day special.

You got up and walked over to the window, looking out at the drab, suburban landscape. It wasn't the most romantic setting, but with Natasha by your side, you felt like you could face anything.

As you stood there, lost in thought, you felt a hand on your shoulder. You turned to see Natasha standing behind you with a small smile.

"Hey," she said, her voice low and husky. "Dinner's ready."

You smiled, feeling a sense of anticipation. "Great. I'm starving."

Natasha chuckled, leading you to the small table in the corner of the room. The spread before you was impressive - steak, roasted vegetables, and even a small chocolate cake for dessert.

You sat down, feeling grateful. "Natasha, this is amazing. You didn't have to go to so much trouble."

Natasha smiled, sitting down across from you. "I wanted to. Not every day we get to celebrate Valentine's Day in style."

You laughed, picking up your fork. "I guess not."

As you ate, you couldn't help but feel a sense of joy. Despite everything that had happened, despite being on the run and in hiding, you felt like you'd found a sense of peace with Natasha.

After dinner, you sat down on the couch, watching as Natasha put in a DVD. The movie was an old romantic comedy you'd seen before but never grew tired of.

As you watched, you felt Natasha's hand brush against yours. It was a fleeting touch, but it sent a spark of electricity through your body.

You looked over at her, seeing the faintest glimmer of a smile on her face. You smiled back, feeling a sense of connection.

As the movie ended, Natasha got up and walked to the window. You followed her, standing beside her as you looked at the night sky.

"It's beautiful," Natasha said, her voice barely above a whisper.

You nodded, feeling a sense of agreement. "It is."

You looked up, meeting Natasha's eyes. For moment, you just stared at each other, the tension between you palpable.

Then Natasha smiled a slow, sultry smile. "Happy Valentine's Day," she said, her voice low and husky.

You smiled back, feeling your heart skip a beat. "Happy Valentine's Day," you replied, your voice barely above a whisper.

As you stood there, the air thick with tension, you knew that this Valentine's Day, on the run and in hiding, would be one you'd never forget.

[game-set-canet]

hey could you make one where the reader is also a tennis player and carlos and she are mixed doubles rivals 🫶🏻

It's Even

Pairing: Carlos Alcaraz x f!reader

category: fluff

warnings: none

Author’s Note: ok, this turned out way different than I intended 🙈 but i hope you like it, lovely anon 🤍

* Y/N = your name * Y/L/N = your last name

MY MASTERLIST

(via Instagram @ carlitosalcarazz)

♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦

"Well...?", you look up from your phone, confused, as Grigor plops down on a chair next to you.

"Good morning, Grigor! What do you mean by 'well...'?"

"What do you think about the draw?", Grigor grins mischievously.

You raise an eyebrow, sceptical:  "What about the draw?"

The Bulgarian leans back, his grin widening: "So, you haven't seen who we're playing in the first round yet?"

Now your curiosity is piqued and you put your phone aside: "No, Dimitrov, enlighten me!"

Grigor leans in conspiratorially and shrugs nonchalantly: "Why don't you ask your boyfriend... and while you're at it, ask him what tactic he and Cristina plan to use for the match."

You feel a gentle blush spreading across your cheeks. Hearing the word "boyfriend" in connection with Carlos gives you butterflies.

You brush a strand of hair from your face and try to play it cool: "We're playing against Carlitos and Cristina?"

"Mhm...", Grigor nods slowly and meaningfully, "And don't you dare get those heart eyes again! Yesterday's practise was enough for me!", Grigor starts laughing, “As soon as Carlos started practising on the court next to ours, you couldn't hit a single serve!"

The gentle blush deepens into a rich tomato red and you shake your head vigorously: "That was because of the wind! And you know it!"

"Of course! The wind!", Grigor leaves no doubt that he doesn't believe a word you say, "Just make sure that doesn't happen during the match, whether your better half is on the other side of the net or not."

*** *** ***

"I can hardly wait for our match tomorrow!", Carlos has one arm around you while your head rests on his chest. You're both lying in the big hotel bed, eyes on the TV.

You smile and lift your head to look at your boyfriend: "You’re really excited about it, aren't you?"

Carlos beams at you and nods: "Of course! It's going to be our first time playing against each other!"

At that moment, you recall a tweet you saw during the rain delay: »Sometimes Carlitos is just like a golden retriever puppy« and the author of that tweet was obviously right.

You grin, furrowing your brow and your hand absentmindedly strokes Carlos' left side up: "But we play against each other all the time?"

"Practise doesn't count! A real match is something entirely different!", his eyes shine with excitement and you feel that special flutter in your stomach, you love him so much.

"Oh yeah, and why's that?"

Carlos makes a grand gesture with the arm that's not around your shoulders: "Because it's going to be something special! Imagine the atmosphere!"

Now you can't hold back a laugh and poke him in the chest: "Carlitos, it's a first-round match, not the Roland Garros final!"

"For me, it has the same importance!", Carlitos matches your grin and you know he's at least partially serious.

You slide away from him a bit and sit up, looking down at him: "So, to you, the Roland Garros final is the same as our first-round match?"

Carlos' grin widens: "Absolutely! Because I'm playing against you!"

"True, and that's why you should be ready for something you've never experienced in a Slam final: you're going to lose."

Your expression is triumphant as you see Carlitos clutch his chest dramatically: "Ouch! What makes you so sure?"

"Grigor and I have already won a title together, and Cristina and you are playing together for the first time."

Carlos just shrugs, the grin returning to his face: "I've achieved a lot of things that seemed unlikely."

You ignore the slight increase in your heart rate at seeing that dazzling grin and toss your hair over your shoulder: "True. But not this time. This time, you’re going to lose."

Carlos doesn't say anything in response, he just pulls you close and gives you a long kiss.

*** *** ***

"Can I give you a tactical tip?" Grigor leans over, a bit out of breath, while you take a long sip from your water bottle, "If you’d stop staring at him, maybe you could actually play tennis."

You nearly choke on your drink and throw an annoyed look at your doubles partner: "And if you’d stop making double faults, maybe we could actually win."

Grigor makes a face and nods slowly before grabbing his tennis racket again: "Well, at least he’s staring at you the whole time too, so I guess it’s even."

Thankfully, it's very hot today, so no one notices your ears turning red. The match has been pretty even so far, but definitely not a highlight reel. Internally, you have to agree with Grigor: your level today is far from outstanding - the same goes for Carlitos. Surprisingly, the stands were almost full, and the crowd is cheering loudly.

"Why do I keep playing with you?", you mutter as you get ready to head back to the court.

Grigor grins widely: "Because you can’t play with Carlos: you two would just stare at each other’s butts the whole time and instead of high-fives after winning a point, it would be a five-minute make-out session."

You have to resist the temptation to throw a tennis ball at his head.

*** *** ***

In the third set, the match finally picks up and Carlitos starts showing why he’s called the golden boy. You also begin to play up to your second-place WTA ranking. Especially the tiebreak is a hard fight, lasting almost 20 minutes.

"Game, set, match, Dimitrov and Y/L/N!"

You hear Grigor sigh in relief next to you: "I thought this match would never end!"

You start laughing as you hug each other enthusiastically.

At the net, you first shake hands with Cristina and then with Carlos.

"I told you you’d lose.", you tease and Carlos laughs softly.

"It’s okay.", he still holds your hand in his and your eyes move from your interlaced hands to his face.

"Even though you claimed yesterday that today's match was just as important as a Slam final for you?"

"I don’t mind losing to you because I’m always so proud of you when you win!"

There it is again: his beautiful smile and your heart skips a beat.

Carlos leans over the net and kisses you.

The crowd cheers.

♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦ - ♦

tagging: @bluetackbaby @lxndonorris @fedalev @purplecloudarcade

[raconteur-wanpi]

One Piece 1140

Finally found the time to do a small chapter review again! Haven't done one of those in ages.

For starters, now that the fight between Luffy and Gabban has begun, I love how slaptick-y it immediately is. It's a scuffle between two extremely powerful individuals, but it's entirely unserious, as it should be. Luffy will turn anything he gets involved in in a looney tunes bit, love to see those cartoony elements even before Gear 5 is used! Giant Haki Key Bonk.

Oh and of course this. This is a straight up Tom and Jerry bit. This is so much more fun to me than generic un-choreographed shounen action, this is what I love about One Piece!!! Again, we're not even doing Gear 5 yet but its influence is rubbing off on the fight direction overall, I'm so so glad about it.

And of course we get a short little Zoro and Luffy team-up. Neither of them care about this being some sort of fair duel, they just want to get the key and screw off of the castle lol. We also finally get a closer look at the Elbaf version of Gear 5! We saw glimpses of it in the beginning but it's easier to see here! I loooove that we're already getting alternate designs for it each arc!

And of course, Gabban immediately gives up. I saw some people say this reminded them a bit of Crocus, which like, yeah! They're both Roger Pirates and we saw them hang out in that cover page, it's fun to see the bit of them knowing when to give up. For starters, he was just testing Luffy and he got to see what he wanted at this point. But an extra layer to this, is that one panel with the shine in his eye, which could easily be him using future sight, and seeing what that Zoro-Luffy combo attack would look like, before they had the chance to pull it off. I'm gonna go with that interpretation for now, lol.

This panel actually particularly stood out to me. "If Elbaph is still safe." We know the God's Knights are about to attempt to kidnap Elbaph's children. And that includes Gabban's son. I feel like this nonchalance of his here, is probably gonna be juxtaposed to what might actually end up happening to Collen later. I wonder how much Gabban will get involved, or even regret his calm here, if something like that happens and his little big guy gets hurt. It almost sounds like he's either predicted, or is expecting, that something is gonna go wrong....

And here's the big reveal of this chapter! Two whole new Gods' Knights! And both of them are confirmed to be Celestial Dragons, with their family names and everything. It's interesting to me then, that Gunko is the only one who hasn't been given a family name yet.

Anyway, my bets now on Kiringham / Qilingam having the Mythical Ox-Ox Fruit Model Kirin/Qilin. I mean, the design checks out and it's literally in his name. Interesting to see a CD in a hybrid zoan form. And the most interesting part is that he has a white hagoromo! So far it's been a theory that only awakened zoans have these, and from what we've seen they're always either white or black. CP0 had black hagoromos, and so did the Five Elders, even though we don't know if they're zoans or not. Luffy, Yamato and Qilingam over here, are the only ones with a white hagoromo, if my memory serves right. What does this all mean? Hell if I know.

It's also interesting to me that Qilingam has the CD bubble-helmet, when none of the other God's Knights so far have it. Maybe he's particularly snobbish or hypochondriac about the whole "breathing mortal air" thing compared to the rest of them? Who knows. I also wonder, like with Morgan, if we're ever gonna see his non-hybrid human form.

With that out of the way though, we finally have a new Celestial Dragon clan with this! The Limosiv Family. That, combined with the 10 Families we already knew about, makes 11 out of 20 total. That is because "Shephard" is one we already knew of, it's the same family as Saint Shephard Ju Peter. Which means Summers over here is a relative of Ju Peter.

For the curious, these families of the Original 20 that we know of so far are:

Nerona

Nefertari

Donquixote

Manmayer

Figarland

Limosiv

Marcus

Topman

Ethanbaron

Shephard

Jaygarcia

Only 9 left...

Anyway, Summers asks Shamrock if he was "visiting Harald's grave or something", which instantly rings alarm bells. I think that this all but confirms that Harald had some sort of tie or relationship with the World Government. Did he work with them? Was he being taken advantage by them? It's too early to tell, but I get the feeling that he was up to no good, as most people have predicted.

And we close off the chapter with Shamrock acting very very much so like his father during the God Valley incident. Wanting to turn the kidnapping of Elbaph's children into a game? Very familiar cruelty indeed.

This chapter did let us see more of a glimpse into both Shamrock and Gunko as personalities, whereas, so far, they were a bit void of it. We're starting to see who they are as people, very interesting!

[hunters-vigil]

The Archon's Baby - Chapter 10 - Into the Night Kingdom

First Chapter Previous Chapter Next Chapter

request from ao3: Make one where they have a child but the female character doesn't tell Mavuika that she is expecting a child and distances herself from Mavuika please 🙏🙏

warnings: talks about castration, sisters arguing, talks of dying (nobody dies in this chapter), innuendos.

Fic under the cut, don't repost my stuff on other platforms, i have ao3. Reader is not the traveller. Reader's adoptive sisters are Chasca and Chuychu.

"What did the doctor say?" Mavuika asked, giving you her full attention as Iansan looked confused.

"Archon?" Iansan began, but her question went unanswered.

"To rest. I'm fine... we're both fine. Mayahuel thinks the calculations are off though."

"Oh?" Mavuika frowned, knowing that Chuychu had estimated how far along you were when you took your test.

"Ten maybe... rather than nine. Find out more accurately soon." You shrugged, trying to block out how Iansan was looking between you and Mavuika.

"Archon, what is happening?" Iansan waited for an explanation, before realising this was clearly not her business.

"A personal development. One that in time, those closest to us will know more about. I apologise, Iansan." Mavuika explained giving you an apologetic look as she held back her urge to sweep you into her arms. Or to pepper your face in kisses and bury her face in your neck. To one day hold your baby in her arms.

"It's fine, but aren't you supposed to be resting?" Iansan turned to you, as you raised your hands in surrender, heading into Mavuika's personal chambers- yours and Mavuika's chambers, to do as you were told.

"How much does she know?" Iansan asked the moment that she heard the doors close behind you.

"Everything and more." Mavuika sighed, playing with the cuff of her bodysuit as Iansan frowned to herself. Were you one of the ancient name bearers?

(You were definitely bearing something alright...)

The sun was setting, you had no doubt Chuychu had reached wherever Chasca had gone and was giving her an earful now. You however, returned to Atea's letter, frowning as you read over its contents, then glancing at the other things in the package...

/// Meanwhile...

"Alright. It's just the two of us now. You have one minute to explain yourself." Chuychu folded her arms, not even facing Chasca, who sat on a crate, mirroring Chuychu's folded arms.

"I don't have anything to say. You don't have to approve, but you should know I only do what's necessary." Chasca huffed, but her younger sister was having none of it.

"What's necessary? You almost stormed the Speaker's Chamber to castrate the Archon. You seriously think our little sister needs that on top of everything? Your attitude is the problem here. Half the time, it's like you don't care! You try to sneak off to the Night Kingdom behind my back, then play it down as if it's just a trip abroad! Did you think about how it might affect me, or our pregnant baby sister, who would hang onto our every word growing up? Do you want her baby growing up without one of their aunts?"

"Well... technically I am going abroad, right? And, did you really have to bring that up?" Chasca shuffled uncomfortably at the memories.

"Again with the excuses!" Chuychu exclaimed, frowning at her older sister's attitude, before starting to talk through the four levels of danger, again.

Unfortunately, unlike arguments with you involved, this one did not end peacefully... it was not a normal argument.

"Alright, let's stop this here. If we keep going, I might actually have to get serious, and I think Wayna prefers his roof attached to his house."

"Is that a threat? That sounds like a threat to me!" Chuychu shouted, as Chasca finally raised her voice, momentarily.

"UGH! Chuychu! Younger sisters are supposed to listen to their elders."

"Well, we both know how well that goes sometimes." Chuychu huffed, reflecting on what she had told you in the past, "so you're really going to go? No matter what I say? I'm supposed to be your sister."

"Then, support me. I'll be back, all you have to do is wait." Chasca stated before turning away to go back to the others.

"Chasca... so, that's it? Why'd you both have to turn out to be... so... darn... annoying!" Chuychu grumbled, walking away first. She could at least distract herself with any patients at the Scions of the Canopy... while her elder sister risked her life in the Night Kingdom.

///

Paimon's voice woke you up first, but you had no interest in leaving the bed until you heard Chasca speak.

"Is she here?"

"Resting." Mavuika was vague, gesturing to her personal chamber doors. She didn't want anyone else entering after Chasca headed inside.

"It's me. I'm back. We're heading off again soon, but I wanted to check on you-" Your eldest sister began, but her words stopped at the moment you moved to hug her, waiting for a moment before she nodded, and let the hug happen.

"I missed you." Her ears barely picked up your words, holding you gently in her arms. She didn't want to hurt you accidentally, but you both needed the hug.

"I missed you too." Chasca whispered, before she moved her arm, "also, I brought you a snack. Puff Pops, from the Scions of the Canopy."

Your eyes lit up, the snack reminding you of many a time you watched the stars with Mavuika, eating it together in between conversation.

"Can I share them with Mavuika?" you hesitatingly asked, looking your oldest sister in the eye as she softened and nodded.

"I should warn you though. There's more than just Mavuika out there."

"So I should put on more clothes... um, can you help me find something comfy that also fits?" You flustered as Chasca raised an eyebrow, feeling out of her depth as she glanced around the room.

"I thought Chuychu helped you with that stuff. She mentioned something about bras-"

"She told you that? She said you'd shrivel up like a raisin if I asked you for help bra shopping!" You spluttered, as Chasca did indeed metaphorically shrivel up like a raisin at the idea of bra shopping with her younger sisters.

"Just... put some socks and shoes on too." Chasca brushed you off as you changed out of the sleep shorts into something more appropriate.

"Yeah... I confused the doctor by walking around with no shoes on earlier too." You admitted as you and Chasca headed towards the door to Mavuika's office, where all her mementos were... and apparently everyone else had gathered too.

"What is this place?" Paimon enquired, waving when she spotted you appear with Chasca, and a food she hadn't seen before, "ooh, food! What is that? Hey, isn't that Atea's talisman?"

"Puff pops. Scions of the Canopy specialty." You answered, flicking one of them into your mouth before scurrying over to Mavuika's desk.

"This is where I store all the various mementos I've collected." Mavuika explained, while the others admitted they'd never been in here, you were all too familiar with the room.

"I suppose you could see it as a hobby of sorts. In Natlan, everyone grows up listening to the stories of heroes. Chasca, you're already aware of your sister's work in preservation, physical items do a far better job at preserving those stories than our own memory." Mavuika sighed, watching you from the corner of her eye with a fond smile, "now, I still have some preparations to make for the ceremony, so feel free to take a look in the meantime. If you're curious about an item, I'm more than willing to tell you about it's origins."

"I can, also. Some of the stuff in here is what I've recovered or helped make." You replied, leaning against Mavuika's desk, much to the confusion of Mualani, and Chasca's uncomfortable frown.

"This flower looks like it's thriving. You must be good at taking care of plants, archon." Chasca commented, looking from the flowers to where you and Mavuika were stood, exchanging glances.

"The seeds were a gift I planted, there were so many I spread them between a few pots." Mavuika explained, not seeing how Chasca held back a shudder.

"Maybe you should have been more careful about where you planted your seed." Luckily everyone else was distracted observing the historical objects from their respective tribes, or chose to ignore what Chasca said because of the look on your face.

"Chuychu is right, you're so annoying!" You shivered, no longer hungry as you offered a grateful Paimon the rest of the Puff Pops.

Mavuika's ears burned with warmth, trying to keep her face blank but failing as she turned on her heel to not look in your sister's direction.

"Are you alright?" you mouthed, trying to hide the photo that your lover had on her desk of the two of you, but all you had done was gently lay it face down, leaving the mural of Mavuika's family fully on display. Mavuika nodded, answering Paimon's questions about Atea's talisman, then the other mementos.

Eventually the Traveller and Paimon made their way to Mavuika, who had just finished up with the powder, waiting for it to set.

"Well, what do you think of my collection? Do you feel like you have a better understanding of Natlan's culture?" Mavuika smiled, continuing to explain how the collection served as something similiar to ancient names. Something you were aware of, which was why you had taken photos of everything Mavuika had collected, and banned her from trying to use the albums for anything but looking at sentimentally.

Mavuika's talks about time left you speechless, having heard her explain the shape of time before, but it never failed with you. Something about time haunted you, but you knew why. Mavuika was on borrowed time, and so was Natlan, if the abyss couldn't be stopped. Blinking back tears, you directed your attention onto the Traveller, who spared a concerned glance at you.

"Humanity excels at living in the present, but too often, we forget the past, and neglect the future." Mavuika explained, nodding as the Traveller figured out what she was saying.

"So it all comes down to the power of the divine throne and the rules... wait is that, a family portrait?" Paimon floated closer to Mavuika's desk, "and- what do you have there?"

Paimon spotted your hand holding a photo frame down from her view, "It's mine. It's just a photo. Mavuika, how about you explain your family portrait?" you stumbled, looking panicked but Mavuika didn't hesitate to explain. Especially since that photo was of you and her as a couple.

"That's my father, mother, younger sister, and the little saurians we raised. I turned a piece of my dad's armour into a canvas and comissioned a famous artist to paint our likeness." Mavuika explained, her hand lingering over her heart as she spoke.

Chasca watched carefully, noticing the soft look on your face as Mavuika spoke of her family.

"Your sister is so cute! Looks like you two are really close!" Paimon cooed, "Paimon was having a hard time thinking of an archon as a normal human, but seeing this portrait... it kinda makes sense now. It really doesn't look like there was anything special about you before-" Paimon froze as you let out a cough, "wait, is Paimon allowed to say that?" covering her mouth, the Traveller gave her a warning look to watch her tongue.

"A little late for that question, don't you think?" Mavuika chuckled, but the tenseness of the Traveller and Paimon left you raising an eyebrow, and Paimon's hurried apologies left you to wonder. What had happened in their interactions with the other nations' archons?

Mavuika's laughter brought you back to reality, catching yourself before you reached out to snuggle into her side. You couldn't, not when you two weren't alone... plus, Chasca seemed to still be mad at Mavuika, judging from the way she was watching you both.

"Becoming the archon doesn't mean you sever ties with your family. The position just comes with a lot of responsibilities, so it impacts how often you get to see them." Mavuika turned her head to look at you, hiding the sad look in her eye from the two outlanders. Instead, she began to recall a memory with Hine from her childhood, noticing how you had closed your eyes, trying to hold back your tears.

"As the Archon, I made a vow to defend this nation, and experiences like that... they remind me of what I'm trying to protect."

"Well, what happened after that? This portrait looks pretty old, your sister must be all grown up by now, right?" Paimon innocently asked, not even acknowledging how you got up, leaving the photo frame alone as you headed towards your older sister.

Mavuika had guessed about what happened to Hine, thanks to your work alongside the Scions of the Canopy, and the previous pyro archons knowledge. However, a lot had been lost to history.

"Hey, what's-" Chasca began, freezing up as you hugged her without a word. Her arms eventually wrapped around you gently, her chin on your shoulder as she stole a glance at Mavuika, who only smiled understandingly back at her.

"It's getting late, Chuychu arranged food for you with Chanca." Mavuika explained, smiling softly as you frowned but nodded, heading out of the door to let the others try to save Kachina. You didn't need to be there, so Mavuika would find you when everything was done.

"I'll tell Chuychu to be ready just in case. She's very experienced with dealing with abyssal corrosion- that face you just made, don't tell me you two got into another fight?" Mavuika spotted how Chasca immediately looked uncomfortable at the mention of Chuychu.

"The last time all three sisters were in the same place, it didn't end well. Chuychu doesn't know I've apologised..." Chasca gestured to the photo frame, while Mavuika sighed.

"You three... I can only have myself to blame."

///

"Hey munchkin." Chuychu approached you eating dinner under the watchful eye of Chanca. The ancient name bearer suspected something the moment your sister had arranged food with her, and tatacos were off the menu indefinitely. You loved tatacos, your sisters would order them from her all the time for you after all.

"Hi..." you tried to speak over your mouthful of broth from your grainfruit meat soup, deciding to hug Chuychu instead of finishing the meal.

"Oh- hey, finish your food." Chuychu tried to tell you off, but the fight with Chasca was still in her mind, no matter how much she'd shoved it back, "you're worried about Chasca too?"

"When am I not? I worry about all of you, all the time. Especially with the abyss getting worse." You admitted, turning back to poke your spoon into the soup for a moment, Chuychu raising an eyebrow as you chewed your lip, looking back at her.

"Um... I love you, I'm proud of you, and I will always love you and be proud of you." Your eyes were glassy as you took Chuychu by surpirse, her stern attitude that worked on Chasca melting away at the look on your face.

"Shhh, I love you too, okay? You're okay, little one. We're... all okay." Chuychu's heart ached as she realised that was a lie. Chasca going to the Night Kingdom, exposing herself to so much abyssal energy... hopefully they should have found Kachina by now.

///

Chuychu ended up persuading you to go to bed, the others would be returning by sunrise, Mavuika had said, and you needed to sleep.

"The photo albums?" you gave Mavuika a look that Chuychu could only raise an eyebrow at.

"Intact and perfect." She nodded, realising you knew what she had done. All her mementos, burnt to ash, all in exchange for power to save the group. It wasn't long after that for your sister to usher you back to Mavuika's chambers to sleep, although feeling her watch you fall asleep made you feel strange.

What happened was replaying in your head. The sacrifices Mavuika had to make for Natlan were piling up even higher...