#and metal bat is smiling so precious???

[moonlight-stalker]

# Dcu x Dp 142

In the center of Gotham there stood two unique and strange statues.

One of the statues was of a humanoid man that stood up straight at 5 feet 8 inches both of his hands resting on the top of a sword that was in front of him. He wears a cape that was sculpted to look like there is fur on the edges a chain holds the cape in place, where the chain meets the cape there is a human-looking skull on both sides. His head is slightly tilted down so if you stood a couple of feet away he would be looking at you, he has a soft open smile on his face if you look closely enough you can see he has fangs. His hair looked as though it was floating, on top of his head sat a crown, he had pointy ears the hands that rested on top of the sword had nails that looked like claws. He wears a bodysuit baggy pants and what looks like combat boots, on the center of his bodysuit there is a D with a P inside symbol.

At his feet lays the other statue, a big Rottweiler. The dog came up to his hip while lying down and was at least 7 feet long, his head was by the man's hip and his body was curled behind the man's legs. The dog had his mouth open partially with his tongue hanging out you could see his teeth when looking at him the dog's head was looking at the same spot that the man's head was looking at. The dog wore a collar with spikes at the front there was a tag that had the name Cujo and on the back of the tag the same symbol that was on the man's bodysuit. One of the dog's paws was resting on top of an actual dog toy made of rubber.

They both are on a stone pedestal that is about 3 feet tall and 6 feet wide the pedestal is decorated with symbols of death and protection. You can find other humanoids sculpted into the pedestal and over time people have noticed that you can also find the Bats and Birds symbols on the front of the pedestal and in the corners you can find symbols that represent the rogues.

The statue had both precious gemstones and metals decorating it. The statue of the dog had the least, the dog's eyes are made of rubies the claws are made of obsidian. The spikes on the collar seemed to be an actual metal, in between each spike a star sapphire sits. Under each spike, a small chain is attached and connects to the next spike.

The man had much more, his eyes were made of Alexandrite stones but changed from Emerald to Sapphire and they changed at random. His freckles are a combination of Opal stone and Moonstone that are spread across his cheeks and nose, and his claws and sword are made of obsidian. The cape outside of the cape has small silver spots, and on the inside, there are many different gemstones that are decorated to look like stars in the sky. Crown is made of a combination of Amazonite and Malachite and is decorated with Ammolite, papagoite, shattuckite, and star sapphire. Bracelets are made of Azurite with grandidierite, he has Paraiba tourmaline earrings with one star sapphire earrings hanging from his right ear. He has three rings one made of Garnet, the second one is made of Grandidierite, and the last one is made of Jeremejevite. On his left hand, there are some cracks that disappear underneath the sleeves of his bodysuit and appear again on his left cheek the cracks seem to be filled with emerald ( the bats know it's not emerald it's crystallized LaArus water ) it is like a kintsugi.

Several things make these two statues very unique

1. No known history there is nothing about who made the status or why they were placed there

2. Destroy or steal no matter how many times people try to blow up the statues or smash them no damage can be done, and no one can remove any of the gemstones that are on them. The person would also become sick or be injured after trying

3. Can't be Recorded or take pictures it's difficult to get clear pictures and videos unless they're from an older model

4. No one can buy or take them many wealthy people have tried to buy the statues and take them but every time that's happened the machines and cars that were there to move them were shut down and the person who tried to buy them would get extremely sick and be haunted by nightmares, night terrors and paralysis.

5. Crused and blessed as mentioned before people would get sick be injured get nightmares, night terrors, and/or paralysis. People that stand in a 15 feet radius of the status can't get infected by any of the gass that are release and people that are already infected by them are inside the radius will get cured, and has also protected people from getting attacked inside the circle .

[sky-kiss]

@taneysha-pictures requested Raphael doing a torture about EIGHTEEN THOUSAND YEARS AGO. Apologies for the delay, hopefully this scratches the “Raphael is terrible bastard” itch.

R/F!T: Your Blood, My Wine

She disappointed him for the last time.

Raphael considers himself a generous patron, even-tempered, and endlessly patient. No, he does not come calling at first sight of the little mouse's indiscretions. He waits, a snake coiled in the dark, to gauge her intent. He does not bat an eye when she first crosses the threshold into the House of Hope. He'll call it mortal curiosity. 

He's amused when she makes use of Haarlep, feeling the phantom sensation of her cunt spasming around his cock. The little thing breathes his incubus' name in the throes of passion, but he feels the truth: desire for him, hungry and ill-suited for a hero. 

Two missteps in quick succession.

And then the little dear makes a critical error, the only sin he might have called to account: she betrays him. Trust is not a currency a devil deals in, not truly, but he's placed a degree of it upon her shoulders. He treats her fairly and constructs a partnership! And then, this. 

And he cannot allow it to stand, can he? Not as a creature of order. Not as a master of law. 

Raphael reclines in his seat, casting a glance to his right. His mouse hangs suspended, a delicious gift strung up in silver chains. Blood trickles from the mangled ruin of her hands, cutting rivulets down bare skin and precious metal alike. So lovely, his Tav. He's carved fresh ruins in the delicate skin of her belly, painstakingly elegant infernal. It must burn in the open air. 

"Are we paying attention, pet? This lesson is for your benefit." 

She doesn't speak or can't. The poor thing's chin rests on her sternum, the muscles in her neck straining. She's looking so worrisomely pale. He lifts a claw, dragging it across the inside of her ankle. Blood still rushes to the surface, but the trickle into his goblet is slower. 

"Haarlep. A drink for our guest." 

The incubus snickers. They move around the table with an exaggerated sway, holding the healing draught to their toy's lips. She whimpers and tries to turn her head away. Haarlep snarls, squeezing his jaw until Raphael hears the bones click. The message is quite clear: open, or they'll break it. The incubus doesn't give them time to adjust; they pour the water down their gullet, leaving them choking, sputtering, and screaming. 

Raphael rests his chin on his hand, cooing. "Oh, how shortsighted of me. I quite forgot." 

The healing is arguably worse. Tav's flesh tries to pull shut, but the hooks are already set. It's new skin closing around the barbs and tearing all over again. His little mouse howls. 

Raphael strokes the inside of her calf, touching it with deceptive tenderness—a lover's caress. The cambion smiles. He takes his goblet and drinks deeply, the sweetness of her blood washing over his tongue. A treat, a prize, compensation for his efforts and the resources he's lost. 

"A toast, pet. To all that we might have been." 

[mrsfrecklesmarauders]

The flower chain necklace

Remus saw the little sparkling chain hanging in front of him and he immediately knew this was a bad idea.

"I cannot do it" he shook his head.

"You said it you would!"

"This is a beautiful chain! You should give it to her yourself"

It was a breathtaking necklace. With a beautiful flower chain. It looked expensive. Way out of Remus's budget. And knowing James, it probably had some precious metals somewhere.

Lily's seventeenth birthday was approaching. Remus really liked the girl. She was his best female friend. And he already got her a nice book he thought she might enjoy. Nothing fancy.

Now James, the golden boy, had come and shown Remus what he got for Lily. It was the kind of gift that would take any girl's breath away. It certainly had taken Remus's breath away. But when he commented on how amazing it was, James said: "Glad you like it. Because you're giving this to her for me". Remus had choked on his saliva.

"Again, why don't you give it to her yourself?" Remus asked "It would surely add some points with her. You might have her snogging you by the end of the night"

James laughed as he got a little red.

"If it would be that simple with her, I would definitely do it, Moony" he sighed "But she hates me. And if I give this to her, she won't accept it"

Remus twisted his mouth. Ever since he had met James, he had been head over heels for Lily. And since Remus got close to her, he promised the boy to help him with her.

Remus was the only one who listened to James mumble about Lily or told him things he'd been learning about Lily during the time he spent with her.

"I picked this with my mum over Christmas break..."

"You've got this since Christmas?" How adorable was that?

"Yeah" James rubbed his neck in embarrassment "I didn't know how to give it to her. But her birthday seems like a better occasion to do it..." then he looked at Remus "I mean, for you, her best friend to give it to her"

"James..."

"Please Moony" Oh God, James was pouting "I spent a lot of money on this..."

Of course he did.

"I know she will like it and wear it but not coming from me" James added "But she will, coming from you!"

Remus was noticing James had long eyelashes as he batted them at him.

"She will never believe I have the money to buy something like this" Remus replied.

"You're a smart boy, Moony" James said "Make something up"

"But....I....."

"Pleeeaseee Mooonyyy!!"

As James begged with his hands, Remus thought he and Sirius were too similar in many things.

"I really think you should do it yourself..."

"Moooons!!" James chanted

"You have the best opportunity to win her heart!" Remus used the same tone.

"I just want her to see her happy face when she receives the necklace" James sighed "I just want to see her happy"

Remus smiled. If Lily knew this James, the amazing person he actually was, a true gentleman, Remus was sure she would fall for him. Lily was waiting for her prince charming when he was right there.

God, both of them were so stubborn.

"So, Remus? Are you my mate or not?" James added raising an eyebrow "A Marauder should help his fellow Marauder in anything!"

That made Remus laugh. Ever since he arrived to this school and met the boys, he wanted to belong with them. Be a true Marauder. And even if they treated Remus as such, he knew they had more history. Sometimes he was an intruder. So making James happy with this was tempting.

Remus wanted James to like him. He was so cool. Remus understood why Sirius was obsessed with him.

Remus took a deep breath. James was still pouting and moving his eyelashes that looked bigger behind those glasses. And damn, James was handsome and he had a very convincing face.

"Fine..." Remus said.

But he couldn't continue for James was already attacking him with a tight hug that was leaving him out of breath and several kisses on his forehead and cheek that made Remus blush for some reason.

"Thank you...." Kiss "Thank you...." kiss "Moony!" kiss, kiss "I knew you were a good friend" Wet kiss that made Remus push him away and wipe his cheek "Sirius is right! You are amazing!!"

Remus blushed even more to hear that compliment from Sirius.

Remus giggled happily.

"I still think you should give this to Lily yourself, though..."

James sighed "Blah blah blah... You are my friend, Remus. Not my conscious"

Remus nodded in defeat "Fine"

"And Remus" James put an arm around his neck, pulling him closer "Not a word of this to anyone..." he sounded dead serious when he said it "Not even to Sirius. For as long as it concerns you, you are the one that got this necklace for Lily... Okay?" he even put a finger on his chest "You'll take this to your grave"

Remus was a bit overwhelmed of how secretive and serious this all sounded. He thought he was screwed, wasn't he?

"Yeah ok..."

He received another wet kiss on the cheek and that was the way their pact was sealed.

The day of Lily's birthday party, the necklace box was burning inside his pocket. And James's gaze was burning his back anywhere he went.

Lily was beautiful as always. She was dancing with Luke Gardener, a bloke Lily had told him she potentially fancied. Remus observed them dancing and thought how wrong they fitted and how well she would look with James.

But James was dancing with another random girl Sirius had introduced him.

If Remus was allowed to tell both of them a lot of things he knew, they would surely be together. Remus was a coward. He cared about both of them. But he wasn't that confident or intelligent to make a plan. Plus he believed they had to realize it for themselves. Scheming something would only bring them apart.

Remus sighed as he finished his drink.

"Moony!! Why the long face?"

As James had begged, Remus hadn't told a soul about their pact. He actually forgot until that morning when James gave him the box. But Sirius didn't know. Remus understood why James didn't trust his best friend with that secret. Sirius had been trying nonstop to set James up with random girls. According to Sirius, James was young, handsome, funny and athletic, (true), and he didn't deserve to be pining after the same girl. Even more if Lily was insulting him all the time.

Sirius wasn't a romantic. And having a huge crush on someone like that was a bloody nightmare.

"Aren't you enjoying The Ginger's party?"

"Oh Sirius, you know how much I am the life of parties" Remus answered sarcastically which made Sirius laugh "Just give five more minutes and I'll be on the center of the floor"

"I'll take that as a promise" Sirius winked "Seems like the birthday girl is having fun"

Remus followed Sirius’s gaze to see Gardener's large hands on Lily's waist. She looked red as her hair and kind of embarrassed as she put her arms on his shoulder. She even smiled.

Remus immediately turned to look at James who seemed sad, eyes on Lily and not even on the girl dancing her butt out in front of him.

"Don't worry, Moony" Sirius added, looking at his expression "James will be fine with Crazy-Tongue Danielle"

"Crazy-Tongue?" Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Rumor has it she does wonders" Sirius smirked "Not that I know" he added as Remus frowned unconsciously "I decided to leave her to Prongsie"

"So generous of you" Remus tutted "He's into Lily, though"

"His obsession will go away when he travels in a waters of free pussy"

Remus groaned in disgust "You're so disgusting sometimes, Pads"

Sirius was laughing.

"And it is not just obsession what James feels... Trust me"

He wanted to tell Sirius about the great gesture that his best friend was doing for the girl of his dreams. But unfortunately he couldn't.

"Life is not like those romantic books you adore to read, Moons"

Of course, the boy Remus fancied would never do something like that for him. Maybe for anyone. Remus knew he was capable of loving. He just chose to act like a dick sometimes.

To prove Sirius’s words, another song started playing that made every girl scream. And this song was not romantic. It was about sex, women's bodies and other horrible stuff that made Remus want to puke.

It was upbeat and mostly every girl went crazy with their slut dancing. Remus was about to offer Sirius to go and smoke somewhere, when they saw Alecto Carrow opening her way to the center of the dance floor. All eyes turned to her because she was pretty and a really good dancer. Even Sirius was looking... Even Sirius was looking.

Alecto noticed Sirius and she walked directly towards him and began dancing right in front of him. Remus didn't understand where did she get that confidence.

She even laughed when she tripped and dropped to the floor with a loud gasp.

Sirius bent over her.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" he asked.

"Better now that my own angel came to my rescue"

Sirius smiled. His cheeks slightly red.

"Oh God! Al, are you okay?"

Now Alecto's friends were all over her, trying to get out of the floor.

"Did she hit her head?"

"Is she breathing?"

"She probably needs CPR"

"Maybe Sirius can do the honors" Alecto answered with a smile. Sirius blushed again.

"She is just bloody drunk" Dorcas snapped with patience "Come on, babe. Let's take you to the dorm"

"Maybe Sirius can be a gentleman and make sure she gets there alright" Alice said with a tiny smile "Looks like she hit her head"

"Don't worry... She is that stupid"

Remus almost laughed to Marlene's comment. He realized that there was a little group of people who were watching the scene. Lily included.

"And no matter what you do, darling, your style is always awful" Alecto replied.

Marlene clenched her teeth when she noticed Dorcas and immediately blushed.

"Come on, Al" Sirius spoke to everyone's surprise "I'll take you to your dorm"

Not only Alecto seemed surprised, but her friends as well, and even Remus. He was used to see Sirius with girls. But that didn't mean he felt as if his heart was being stepped on everytime.

"Oh, such a gentleman" Alecto seemed like she was beaming as Sirius grabbed her hand and dragged her away.

Remus saw Marlene rolling her eyes and he was tempted to do the same.

"Sirius strikes again" Mary commented, making Remus have an unpleasant twist inside his stomach.

As the party resumed to its normality, Remus was feeling worse and worse.

"Moony! Did you do it?"

"Ha?" Remus turned to James trying to blink his pain away.

"Did you give her my present?" he asked "I mean, YOUR present"

Remus took a moment to remember what was James referring to.

"No"

"What happened?"

"Didn't you see how Alecto fell to the floor?"

James raised an eyebrow.

"Sirius took her to her room" It was even more painful to say it.

"Cheeky bastard" James laughed. "She's been into him for ages"

Remus pretended to snort but it sounded like a wounded kitten.

"Where were you anyway?"

"Crazy-tongue Danielle took me to the loo"

Remus wasn't surprised.

"Just a quick snog" James explained as he rubbed his hair in embarrassment.

"Nice" What was Remus supposed to say?

"Anyway, it's almost midnight"

"So?"

"So?" James asked "Lily's official birthday! Go and give her the present!"

Remus was going to protest but James pointed behind him.

"Look she is going for a drink" he exclaimed "Do it when the vulture of Gardener is not around... And make sure I get to see her face"

"Want me to prepare dinner for you as well?" Remus snapped back.

"I already ate" James shrugged not understanding the joke. Then pushed Remus from his shoulders "Just go!! Nooow!"

Remus was practically pushed towards Lily. The rest of the way he made it himself.

Remus sighed. He was really doing this.

Lily, was not drinking alcohol but she was gulping a large glass of water as if she wanted to forget about her problems.

"Hey gorgeous"

Lily almost choked with her drink.

"Remus!!" she smiled widely "God! I am so glad to see you!"

She said it as she side glanced at Luke. It looked as if he wanted to approach but wasn't sure now that Remus was near Lily.

Remus laughed "We saw each other like 40 minutes ago when I told you Happy Birthday"

"Yeah, right" Now Lily was giving a slight smile to Luke.

"Everything alright?"

"Yeah?"

Remus just looked at her.

Lily closed her eyes and shook her head.

"I don't know, Remus" Lily bit her lip "Luke tried to kiss me just now!"

"Oh!"

"It wasn't even in a romantic song or anything. He tried to grab my waist and kissed me right there! I mean I know that he is a boy and everything but it just seems kind of awful to have the first kiss with him like that. I mean we are not even dating. We've bumped into each other a few times and had a good time but now he wants to kiss me? First kisses are supposed to happen in a magical way or at least in a more romantic song.... God! Now I don't know what to do! Thank God Alecto fell then I just ran to drink some water. I'm not sure if I want to kiss him just yet, Remus"

It was a lot for Remus to process. But Remus understood Lily pretty well. She was a romantic through and through. Not like the horny teenagers around. She deserved that magical first kiss.

"I see" he smiled "Do you fancy Luke?"

Lily bit her lower lip "I don't know, I think I do. He is handsome and fit. I saw him without a shirt exercising on P. E. the other day and..."

"Lily!!"

Lily blushed "It was Mary's idea"

Remus laughed.

"Do you think I should just kiss him?"

"No!" Remus exclaimed, then cleared his throat "I mean... No if you don't want to."

Lily twisted her mouth.

"I know our generation is rotten with meaningless drunk snogging at parties" Remus said thinking about Sirius snogging Alecto in her dorm, but decided to shake that thought away "But you are not like that, Lily. You want romance. You want a meaningfull kiss that seems straight out of a novel"

Lily blushed "Yeah I do"

"Maybe get to know Luke a little bit better before snogging him?"

Lily nodded "Right"

"Plus, it is your birthday. You can do whatever you want" Remus shrugged.

Lily let out a little laugh.

"Remus, you are so wise"

Remus felt the excitement of showing her the present now but also the guilt of lying to her. She deserved someone as romantic and detailed as James. Someone who would sweep her off her feet all the time. Especially on her birthday.

"I have a present for you"

Remus had promised though. In the corner of his eye, he saw James taking secret glances at them.

Lily looked surprised "I thought you already gave me that book?"

Remus sighed "This is an extra"

His hand literally shook as he reached the box. He showed it to Lily. She swallowed.

"Happy Birthday, Lily"

Lily grabbed the box between her hands with care. As she opened it, she gasped so loud that several people turned to look.

"Holy Shit!!"

"You don't like it?" Remus asked nervously.

Lily stared at him with disbelieve "Remus! This is beautiful!!"

She was beaming as the chain hanged from her fingers. Her green eyes shone with glow.

But then she shook her head and gave it to Remus.

"I cannot accept it"

"What? Why?"

"Remus, it looks expensive" There it was "How much money did you spend on me? Oh my God!" she covered her mouth "Why would you spend such money on me?"

"I didn't spend much" Remus said quickly "I didn't spend money at all" he added when Lily gave her a concerned look.

"I only spent on the book. This was.... This was... Free..."

Remus's eyes flickered towards James. He wasn't even trying to be subtle. He was pendant on them. He even sent that Danielle girl from before away.

Luckily Lily couldn't see him.

"Just the book was fine" Lily sighed, then she gasped again "What do you mean free??" she put her hands on her hips in a motherly way "Remus Lupin, did you steal this?"

Remus should be offended. But it was obvious by the way he was different from all these posh kids that he had no money. Even Lily who had a scholarship had more money than him.

"What?? No!! I..." He was going to kill James Potter "I didn't..." Quickly Remus think fast... "It was my mother's"

Using his dead mother was low. But nothing else came into his mind.

That surprised Lily even more. She placed the necklace on Remus's hands.

"Remus, I cannot accept this"

She didn't sound angry anymore. Just sad.

"Lily, please accept it" Remus was losing patience.

"If it is from your mum, you shouldn't be giving it to me. It is something special to give to some girlfriend, even your future wife. Your bloody daughter!!"

Remus took a deep breath "It's fine." he cracked a laugh "I don't think I would ever get married" Worse having children.

Lily was still shaking her head.

Remus took a glance at James. He seemed nervous.

"Lily, look..." Remus took his hands on his, the necklace hanging from them.

He looked into the girl's eyes "You are not just my friend... You are a very special person to me. I never got along with girls until I met you. They kind of scared me" he snorted "But then I met you and with you it was easy. I know I've known you for just months but I think we have a special connection. You are amazing and wonderful. I think we are both practically the same. We were meant to know each other and be friends. In every universe. And I really wanted to show you how much you mean to me.... " he swallowed "By giving you this small present"

It was true everything Remus said. It was what crossed his mind when he thought about Lily. Remus kind of sucked at making friends. But with Lily it felt like it had been meant to be. Remus really liked her. He had gotten attached to her in a short time.

"Plus, I am sure my mum would've loved you. And she would have been pleased with you having her necklace"

Lily had tears in her eyes. Remus was a bit overwhelmed as well. He was such a liar.

"I want to give this to you" Remus added "Please accept it"

Lily wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him in for a hug. She was a hugger like James.

"I really like you, Remus" Lily said "You are a very special friend to me"

When they broke apart, Lily had a weird expression on her face. She was looking at Remus with longing and hope. She even bit her lip and played with her hair in the way girls used to do when they flirted. Remus tried to ignore it.

"Want me to put it on for you?"

Lily blinked in reaction "Oh, yeah"

She gave Remus the necklace. He could see a beautiful smile on her face as she turned and raised her hair. Remus smelled her sweet perfume as he put it on.

James was smiling at him. He had his thumps up.

When Remus was done, Lily turned and gave Remus another hug.

"I love it, Remus" she said "I'll never take it off"

James would be pleased.

"Great" Remus pushed her away.

She looked as if she was enchanted. He didn't take her eyes away from Remus.

"I am going to pee" he said.

"Okay"

Lily watched him walk away until her eyes set on her new necklace with a satisfactory smile.

Remus got out of there as soon as he could. He walked towards a smiley James.

"Did you see her face, Moony?" he asked "She loved it!"

"Great! Don't blame me when she falls in love with me instead"

As James laughed, Remus thought about the nightmare that it would be.

"No offense, mate. But you are like her brother"

Remus made a face.

"I can go back and tell her the truth" Remus smiled "She doesn't see you as her brother"

James's smile disappeared.

"Thank you very much, Moony" James said as he kissed his cheek "Next meal at Hogsmeade is on me. You are a golden friend, Remus"

As James walked away, happily, Remus smiled because it had been satisfying to help James out. Although he would have done things differently.

Maybe this could drag the two boys closer. And Remus didn't think there was something more cool than that.

[mrsbluehands]

Can we please get Loona x Male Vampire Sinner Reader Headcanons? Thanks for your time!

A new chance

Headcanon (x male reader)

Helluva boss

Loona with a vampire sinner reader

Thank you for the request anon! I love your ideas!(i can practice my English!). I had so many ideas that I kind of made a story out of it lol. Sorry for the long wait...(T^T). Might have some mistakes, I'll probably edit it later again.

Tw: Blood(duh), gore

Pronouns: He/him

Meeting her

When you suddenly woke up in pride ring, you certainly wouldn't have expected your hellish punishment to be carried out that way. You felt something had changed and the moment you saw yourself in a puddle you understood. (you tried in a mirror and freaked out when you couldn't see yourself)

Large pointed ears now stood on your head, your complexion as pale as a ghost, and wings like a bat adorned your back.

You noticed how your mouth felt dry and how thirsty you were. Blood thirsty. You supposed it was only fair, you were in hell after all!

But as your first day on hell passes, the feeling becomes worse and worse. You mouth feels like sandpaper and your stomach seems to eat itself. You need blood.

Demon blood would help but nobody in the hell hole (sorry) would give you the precious food you needed with a smile and a thank you. You had to fight for your food like the animal you became.

It was morning when Loona came out of I.M.P headquarters to escape the constant worry of her dad-of Blitz. Lighting her cigarette she started to scroll trough her sinstagram without paying much attention around her.

She suddenly raises her head when she hears a small whimper coming from the alley to her right. Her ear twitches following the sounds.

There you were. Curled up in a ball close to a hysterical state. Rocking back and forth against the wall, you turned your head harshly in her direction hissing at the stranger.

Loona wasn't one for empathy and/or pity, but something about the way you looked at her reminded the hellhound of her own time at the adoption center.

She looked at you curiously "What are you doing here? This is imp city it's no place for a sinner like you to be hiding." She shoots an interrogating glance at you. "Unless you're here for my father- Blitzo's business?"

You just stared at her wide eyed. I took everything in your body not to jump on her and suck every drop of blood in her body. You hadn't eaten in a week.

You licked your cracked lips. "Hungry."

"Huh, yeah well we have food inside. I guess you could come in?" She gesture behind her lazily.

The contract

She practically had to drag you inside due to how weak your legs were. She couldn't help but be impressed by your height. You were taller than her even though she could be considered tall for a hellhound.

Due to some unexpected event, the gang had to drag the body of their human target trough the portal in extremis. A metallic smell lingered in the air.

You chose this moment to walk in the I.M.P headquarters. The smell making your stomach growl.

Less than a second after you not only had sucked the man dry, but had also devoured a part of his legs and neck.

Blitzo stared in awe at the sheer violence in front of him. "Wow! That was awesome man! Where did you learn that trick?"

You stared back at him confused, your senses barely coming back to you. "I...was just hungry."

"Would you...huh...you know, be hungry often? Cause man we could use someone like you!"

And just like that, you got yourself a job, a home and a wonderful way to have unlimited amount of food. You were so shocked that you missed the sparkle in Loona's eyes as she stared at you devouring that man.

Could it be what I think it is?

Loona isn't the kind of person who will directly tell you about her feelings, she prefers to show it to you.

She never really asked about your condition as a sinner. Loona knew what they sometimes had to endure and favoured helping you with your hunger rather than to try to understand the struggle.

She's not much of a talker anyways.

You notice how she now hands you your cup of coffee every morning, even without you asking. She'll advert her eyes, but if you look closely, a small smile is tugging at her lips.

Whenever you two are going in a mission, she makes sure to save the body for you.

She always seems to worry whether or not you've eaten enough. She remembers how she first found you in that alley and the thought of you suffering again makes her heart ache.

Wait, what was that feeling just now? Could it be...

She's never going to say it out loud, but you're the only being she genuinely enjoy spending time with.

"You had enough to eat last time? It's kind of a slow week and we don't really have any missions in the next few days." She holds you your cup with a smile this time.

You grab it from her hands, fingers brushing against hers. "Yeah, don't worry. Though, I like when you ask. Thank you for taking care of me." You smile at her.

She blushes immediately and mumble a simple "no problem" before storming off in her room.

A new life

She's definitely more of a "Giving gifts and acts of services" kind of girl. (Please don't ask her to tell you she loves you she'll never recover.)

It's subtle when you two become a real couple.

You two get closer and closer until holding hands and asking about each other's days is part of the routine.

Kisses in the morning, kisses when parting, kisses when going to bed...

Missions were absolutely out of the question if you couldn't be with her. So...I guess your dates can be quite entertaining!

The first time you two kissed she nearly fainted. You didn't exactly think before you pulled Loona close and gently kissed her lips as your good morning greeting.

She froze locking eyes with you and turning a deep shade of red. "Did you just...". You nod. "Yeah, I think I just did." A rare smile creeps on her lips.

That morning, you both arrived late, hair and fur disheveled and a light blush on the cheeks. After mumbling a quiet "sorry", everyone knew you both belonged with each other.

[strawberrymilk-sunshine]

My lovely shining sea star, be mine forever!

I have way too many w.i.p.s, haha...

Also this was hard to write, since Azul basically says nothing after overblotting. He has, what, three lines? Nevertheless, I wanted to write this, so I tried my best.

Warning(s): death, kinda gorey when describing the deaths, strangulation, you're restrained by his tentacles near the end, yandere behaviour, implied delusions/stalking, maybe not great writing (I'm really tired again)

When you returned to the campus of Night Raven College and the dormitory of Octavinelle, you didn't really expect to see Azul in the middle of an emotional breakdown.

He was using It's A Deal, over, and over, and over again. And as he did, you noticed something. He was... crying? No, not crying. It was more like something was leaking out of his eyes. It was leaking out of his eyes, his nose, his mouth...

"Eww, what's that black gunk dripping out of Azul?" Floyd asked. "That's... not his ink... is it...?"

"He's using his unique magic too much! If he doesn't stop now..." Jade paused for a moment (for dramatic effect). "He's going to overblot!!"

The magestone that rested upon Azul's staff turned to a pitch black as he began to laugh maniacally. He dropped the staff, and his entire body began to change, much like what you saw happen to Riddle and Leona. His legs turned into octopus tentacles, and his body was covered in coral, shells, starfish, and of course blot.

You couldn't believe your eyes. Every other time an overblot has happened, there haven't been any casualties..

But this time...

Everything has been burned into your brain. You'd never forget the screaming. Nor would you ever forget the gruesome deaths they suffered.

Jade and Floyd were brutally torn apart with magic. Leona and Ruggie had been stabbed by Azul's trident. Deuce, Ace, and Jack... you can't even bare to think about what happened to them. With a snap of Azul's fingers, the anemones grew once again, though much more... violently than before. All that remained of the bodies of your friends were the anemones.

You were the only one left.

"(Y/N), it's just us now." Azul told you, smiling widely. "Nobody's in the way anymore!"

You grabbed Azul's staff off the ground. The staff had a metal octopus on it, and that was the only thing around you could think of to defend yourself with.

You ran towards Azul, holding his staff like a baseball bat, and then... you hit him across the head with the staff's metal octopus.

Azul was unresponsive for a moment. Though, you remained on-guard, you knew from the previous overblots that he wouldn't go down that easily.

And it seems you were right.

Azul grabbed you by the neck with one of his tentacles, and began to lift you up off the ground.

"Now now, (Y/N), is that any way to treat the ruler of both the land and sea?" He asked you. "No. No, it in't."

"Let... g-go...!" You struggled to breathe in his grasp. It didn't help that he was tightening his grip on your neck.

"You're forever going to be mine." He said, stretching out his arms. "You're the most important thing in the world to me! My precious sea star... precious and deadly..."

You tried to pry his limb off of your neck to give yourself a second to breathe, but you just couldn't.

"Ah, (Y/N), isn't this wonderful?" Azul asked. "I'm all powerful, I have the power to get back at everyone who's ever wronged me! And... I have you. I have you, my love, my everything."

You've never seen him like this before. You were used to Azul sounding calm and rational, and he had never expressed any romantic interest in you before. Had he been this way the whole time? Was he in love with you...?

"Please let go of the staff, darling." Azul demanded, tightening his grip on your neck once more. In pain, you did as he asked. "Good." He finally let go of you, causing you to fall to the floor, coughing and gasping for air. "Oh dear, was I too strong~?" Azul asked you, a smug grin on his face.

"A-Azul... please c-come... to your senses..." You begged, a hand on your throat after it was nearly crushed. Azul looked down on you, as if you were some kind of bug.

"No, no, don't you understand...? This is the best I've ever felt! I feel so strong... I can finally get back at everyone who bullied me!" He began evilly laughing once again. "Oh, my precicous sea star... my lovely, shining sea star... please, promise to be mine, forever...!"

Then, Azul wrapped his tentacles around your body once more, though thankfully not your neck this time. Holding you still with his tentacles, he leaned in and kissed you on the lips.

You're not sure what's going to happen to you... nor to Azul, for that matter. You know that apparently people can die from overblot, so... is that what's going to happen...? You just have to wait for Azul to die? You're almost certain nobody's coming to help, so... it seems that is your only option.

How tragic...

[luvrsux]

𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒘𝒐

❝ 𝒇𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 ❞

other chapters

➠┊word count: 5.4k

➠┊characters: trafalgar law, portgas d. ace, nami, monkey d. luffy, vinsmoke sanji, roronoa zoro, franky {mentioned}, usopp {mentioned}, robin {mentioned}

➠┊cw: harassment, minor swearing

➠┊modern au !!

𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒑

❛ you had a hectic day at school; your close friend received an oss after a fight and you made a newfound enemy. to make it up, you suppose, nami had invited you to an event after school. ❜

{colors for dialogue may shift/change as more characters are introduced !!}

❛ ━━･ ❪ 🖤 ❫ ･━━ ❜

The final bell rang and every student that attended GOH poured out the building like a tsunami. You had immediately bolted to your precious car as usual, not wanting anyone to get in between you and that comfy bed. It’s the same everyday. Nothing blocked you from being excited to get back home.

“(F/N)!”

You grumbled and stopped in your tracks, only to turn to see a cheerful Nami trotting towards you. You enjoyed Nami but couldn’t help but force a smile.

“Me and my group are going out later! You should come” Nami suggested. You began to feel a lump in your throat. All you wanted was to snuggle in bed and sleep for heart away from the pure exhaustion the school inflicted. Nami could tell your indecision and giggled.

“C‘mon! The guys aren’t that bad once you get to know them” Nami giggled. You just sighed in defeat and shrugged.

“I don’t see why not”

“Awesome! I’ll text you when we’re outside!”

Not even a second later and Nami was running on the pavement to her little group of friends. You had watched with a relaxed smile, only for it to disappear once you trailed your eyes to a cocky, black haired boy that also had tattoos. You both shared eye contact for a quick moment before he shot you a menacing grin. You just rolled her eyes in pure agitation and shoved her body into your car. He seemed to be amused in your frustration.

“What an asshole…”

You started the engine and didn’t hesitate to pull out the driveway. It was about time you left this headache.

Down the middle of the road on your way back, your phone began to rhythmically buzz in the cup holder. You hated using your phone while driving, so you didn’t bat an eye. You completely cancelled out the vibrations that were slowly drilling into your brain like carpentry. That was, until, the caller was persistent on getting ahold of you. You roared in a groan. You stopped at a red light and angrily picked up the phone.

“Ace, I’m driving” You began only to receive a proud chuckle.

“Yeah, I know I just wanted to call to talk” Ace was at home in his somewhat messy bedroom. He flopped on his comforter, the impact making it’s way to the other end of the phone. He had ditched the ice pack when he was picked up from the building. The building he resided in was quieter than usual considering he was the only one from the trio to be home.

“Safe to say I’m grounded” He sighed. You couldn’t help but giggle.

“Not surprised”

“You could at least comfort me!”

“In your dreams”

You two exchanged laughter. You drove the rest of the way home with a single hand. Luckily, the way back wasn’t far at all so the anxiety of potentially colliding with whatever hunk of metal that came in the way was out the window.

“How do you still have your phone, though?” You asked curiously. Usually a punishment involves taking away certain privileges, but this was Garp we were talking about. Ace grunted as he rose himself off his bed.

“I’m just on house arrest” He sighed in slight defeat.

“Guess no more parties for the jock”

“I barely go to parties!”

You laughed manically, like it was the funniest jokes you’ve ever heard in your years of living and breathing. Ace sat through each cackle with a straight, unamused face. Oh, how the tables have turned.

“Good one! So good” You steadied your breathing. A finger swiped a straggling tear that seeped out your eyelids.

“Yeah, yeah whatever”

You had pulled into the driveway, but stayed in the car to continue your conversation. It wouldn’t hurt to stay and chat with the reckless jock for a little longer.

“What about basketball?” You asked curiously. Surely he’d be kicked off due to the suspension.

“Y’know Newgate loves me” Ace said with pride. “He let me slide considering this is my first fight”

A long pause was shared between them. He sensed your ‘Quit lying…’ expression through the screen.

“School fight…” He corrected.

You giggled. The quote made you trace back at the many party fights Ace encountered when he was stupidly drunk. Ace was usually the fun at parties, but alcohol was his enemy. He’d get dangerously intoxicated in a blink of an eye. The sheer amount of alcohol caused him to barely remember previous events that occurred. He swears up and down he doesn’t get that painfully drunk.

“So what do plan on doing on house arrest?” You asked with a grin. Ace chuckled.

“Funny you think I’m actually going to stay stuck at home”

You simply scoffed, although, you hadn’t expected anything less from Portgas. You rested an arm on the window ceil of your car.

“I hope you get caught and get a longer sentence” You grumbled, only to receive a hearty laugh.

“You’ll miss me” He cooed.

A small tint of blush appeared on your cheeks from sheer embarrassment, and the smoothness of his voice. Of course he’d charm you. He’d charm anyone, but the smoothness didn’t phase you. He was nothing more than a close friend to you. Ace just radiated of natural charm.

“By the way, do you know that kid that bumped into in the nurses office?” Ace asked.

Confused at first, you traced back to the cold, tatted, raven haired boy from earlier. The thought of him made her nerves boil. You internally blamed Ace for reminding you of your newfound enemy. You didn’t know what exactly made you so infuriated, but it was just something about his cold yet smooth demeanor he bit at you in the nurses office.

“That asshole? Nah” You immediately replied. Even trying to form words of agreement was impossible to you. “Do you?”

“Not well, but yeah”

Of course he knew him. Ace knew basically everyone at that point. If you needed any sort of intel on anyone, Ace would be one of the top choices. He was a practical encyclopedia of Grand Ocean. You mustered up a sigh.

“He’s in band and apparently he does a lot of shit after school” Ace explained. “But he doesn’t talk much, arguably worse than you”

“Shut up!”

You used that as a signal to finally get out the car you were once cooped up into. You slammed the door shut out and tucked your phone in between your shoulder to scramble for your house keys. It was swirling around in your backpack, accompanied by loose leaves and pencils.

“He’s a dick…”

“Yeah, he gets that a lot”

Before you could ask for his name, not like it even mattered to you, a loud crash happened on the other end. You couldn’t help but completely flinch and halt.

“Luffy got home and is already causing trouble…” Ace groaned. He faintly heard you laugh in amusement. You could hear the commotion ever so slightly on the other end.

“I’ll call you later” Ace sounded like he regretted every decision that led him to this point.

“Gotcha”

You heard the phone beep, signaling the connection has disconnected and you can finally enter your loving home. To your surprise, your kind mother was home cleaning the kitchen. She usually hadn’t arrived home until much later in the afternoon.

You gleamed happily at the sight of your mother, only to receive one back. She didn’t hesitate to sit by a stool on the kitchen island.

“You’re here early, ma” You beamed. The woman slid you a bowl of freshly assorted fruits. Each individual fruit was an assortment of your favorites. This was clearly the gods way of apologizing to you about your rather hectic day.

“My boss had a family emergency and decided to give everyone an early release” She chirped, leaning against the island.

“How lucky”

“Always~” She sang as she suck a raspberry in her mouth, to receive a scrunch of the nose by her kin. Her remark reminded you where you luck actually came from.

“Guess who got into a fight today” You said with a half bitten berry in your mouth. Her mother tapped the table and she thought about it. It was a broad question considering most of the students in your school were quite the hot heads.

“That scruffy Luffy kid?” She guessed. It was a good guess, you couldn’t lie.

“Nope,” You popped the remaining berry into your mouth. You saw your mother flinch, baffled by the fact it wasn’t Luffy. How shocking.

“Who?”

“Your favorite”

You spoke with a grin while you watched your mother gasp like she saw a ghost. She had a hand by her mouth. Her reaction was completely priceless to you.

“Ace?” She exclaimed. You just responded with a slow nod.

Your mother and Ace had a good relationship. She was aware that he was your closest friend and he’d occasionally raid her home, as you would like to put it. Your mother greatly appreciated his existence, adoring his fire spirited attitude and the way his freckles framed his cheeks. The same ones she’d pinch and pull every time they encountered. Much like how you saw the orange boy as a brother, she saw him as a second child.

“Gosh, what happened?”

You explained to her worried mother about the whole ordeal in the cafeteria. You spoke nonchalantly, berries entering your mouth with every sentence like Ace simply took a stroll in the park innocently. Meanwhile, your mother looked invested and devastated as if this was a shocking news headline. Watching her distraught expression made you if she was your mother or Ace’s.

“He’s always been there to help people, what a heart of gold he has” You watched her mother clean the rest of the kitchen in preparation for dinner.

You shrugged at her sentence and swooped the bowl of delicious fruit into your arms as you plopped off the stool.

“I’m going to study for a little before Nami comes pick me up” You began, still popping raspberries into your mouth. You watch your mother lean against the island with a raised brow, immediately knowing what she was going to say. ‘Where?’ ‘For how long?’.

“We’re going out to hang out for a few hours, no big deal” With that, you turned on your heals and trotted up the stairs.

Once you were finally in your room, something you’d desperately waited for, you immediately sat at your desk and cracked open a notebook that innocently laid there. The assorted fruit really fueled your energy. You didn’t stop popping each one in your mouth like candy. In reality, though, there was nothing you had to study for. It was semi-early in the year for any exams. You innocently just doodled in your notebook to her hearts content. You hummed to a random tune in nestling in your head, not being able to get the song out of it.

I’ve rejected affection

For years, and years

Now I have it, and damnit

It’s kind of weird

Your phone buzzed.

He tells me Im pretty

Don’t know how to respond

I tell him that he’s pretty too

Can I say that? Don’t have a clue

Your phone hadn’t stopped buzzing. You interrupted your own soft singing and was ready to throw your phone out the window that sat in front, only to see who interrupted your peaceful moment was no other than Nami.

Nami - 4:56 PM

hey we’re getting ready to leave soon!

you readyyy?

Nami - 5:03 PM

helloooooo??? we’re about to leave

Nami - 5:07 PM

(F/N)!!

You felt slight guilt from ignoring Nami’s rather aggressive message. It’s really been that long? The deep trance from doodling and humming was deeper than you had anticipated. You scurried your fingers over the glass screen.

(F/N) - 5:08 PM

Sorry!! i’ll get ready now

Nami - 5:09 PM

omg i thought you died

we’re running late because of zoros clueless ass😒

You humorously chuckled at Nami’s recent message. Internally, you oddly thanked Zoro’s incapability to find directions since he bought you a smidge of time. You didn’t hesitate to pull out the chair that sat you in front of your dimly lit desk and opened the wooden closet door.

You decided to put on different clothes than you had on from school. You sat in the same ones for eight hours, why would you sit in them for any longer? A tight, white, frilly sun dress with a tan cardigan did the trick just alternately fine. Nothing entirely special.

You looked long and hard in the mirror, analyzing your features. You weren’t the most prideful person in the world, but your self doubts did weigh you down occasionally. In the end, everyone had their own set of insecurities, no matter how much praise they’d get. Despite everything, though, it’s still you. You admired your attire and you at least assumed you looked presentable. That’s all that matters.

You grabbed your purse, house keys and phone. You tucked the jangling keys in your purse but before you could have your phone follow close by, it chimed.

Nami - 5:22 PM

we found the moron

[Attachment: 1 image]

The image contained Nami, Luffy, Sanji and Zoro cramped in a dark car. The only thing that illuminated their faces was the flash Nami used to clearly take the picture. The snapshot was slightly shaken and blurry, assuming that Nami took this picture with one quick take and that’s all. Luffy was beside Nami with a humorous expression while Zoro and Sanji were arguing in the back. You wondered if they’d even have space for you.

Nami - 5:22 PM

we’re close by so you better be ready :p

(F/N) - 5:23 PM

way ahead of you

-ˋˏ ༻ 🖤 ༺ ˎˊ-

There you were, at Robin’s residence with the small half of her little group and others. It seemed to be a small get together party with food and drinks for everyone. To your surprise, Franky and Usopp weren’t here to join in the fun. Robin stated that Franky couldn’t make it because of work tiring him out while Usopp was with his girlfriend, Kaya, for the night.

You stayed on the pearly white couch sipping on a can of ‘White Claw’. Sure, you were a responsible honor student, but why not join in on the fun?

The party wasn’t to your liking, though. If Ace or anyone closest to you was paired with you, you figured you might’ve enjoyed it more. Luffy was off the rails the moment he got a drop of alcohol in his system, while Nami couldn’t put the cups down. And yet you thought Ace was bad.

“(F/N)” You felt a sloppy arm wrap around your shoulders. You flinched and looked at a sluggish, intoxicated Nami.

“We’re about to go out in the back… to the pool” Nami was hiccuping on her own words. “Come withhhhh~”

Nami tugged your hand off the couch once she lifted her body upwards. You didn’t bring a change of clothes nor swimwear, but your legs would do just fine. The ‘White Claw’ was buzzing you anyway.

“Sure, sure” You giggled.

Once out in the back, everyone stripped off the first layers of their clothing revealing basic swimwear. You wondered why no one told you they were planning on jumping in a pool, but remembered that you’d probably say no anyway if you were informed.

You watched everyone splash into the pool of illuminated water. Well, only Luffy, Nami and few other people. The blonde and Zoro were bickering back and fourth before one shoved the other into the water. The moss headed tanned man hollered in laughter watching Sanji submerged into the water.

“You fucking idiot!”

Zoro said through fits of laughter, crouching on his knees from the sheer amusement from Sanji. He finally sprouted up from the water, shaking his head left in fright to shake off the water on his long, golden locks.

“I should drown you in this water and stomp you in the drain port you mossheaded moron!”

“I’d like to see you try, fancy brows”

“Get in this pool and see what happens!”

They argued non stop, throwing insults at eachother before Sanji finally dragged Zoro into the pool himself to get a taste of his own medicine. You faintly heard Zoro choke on the chlorine water trying to curse back at the blonde. Through it all. Nami swiftly swam in between your legs.

“Too bad I forgot to tell you about the pool” Nami formed a pout, lightly splashing your legs and it contacting the hem of your dress.

“And swim with these guys? Nah” You replied, taking a swig of your can. Nami saw you stare at the two hotheaded boys and shifted towards you.

“You actually have a point”

You and Nami shared some giggles about the blonde and the mossheaded boys. According to her, this is a regular thing. The main thing they’d argue about is their, somewhat, shared height. Despite the papers stating they share the same height, Zoro will always be a mere centimeter taller than Sanji.

“Oi! (F/N)! Get in the pool, you crab!” Zoro called from afar in the pool. You jolted at his voice and shook your hands ‘no’ while you had a swig in your mouth.

“I didn’t bring a swimsuit, sorry” You swallowed. You saw him shrug.

“So? I’m sure Robin has clothes for you to change into-“ Zoro halted in his words when a hand hit the back of his head abruptly.

“The lovely lady said no, mosshead” Sanji hissed at Zoro only to ignite another tussle between the two.

Nami exhaled at the two, according to her, idiots bickering for the millionth time in her life span. Nami swam her body next to yours, leaning against the pool wall.

“How’s Ace?” Asked Nami. You rubbed the rim of your can with your thumb.

“He’s fine, I guess” You began. “I know he’s bummed out, though. I’ll miss seeing him at school”

“It’s only a week, Luffy says” Nami tried comforting you the best of her ability despite her not being entirely sober.

“Ace brightens my day” You admit with a smile. “Sometimes”

You and Nami giggle at your own correctness. Your can began to feel empty with only one gulp left. You rose the can in your mouth and swallowed the gulp whole. The slight bitter taste made your nose scrunch up.

“I should head out, my moms gonna flip if I don’t make it home soon” Nami heard your legs exit the bright water. She waved you goodbye before swimming towards the rest of her friends. Everyone in the pool noticed your exit and followed Nami’s lead by waving you goodbye.

On your way out, you tossed your can away and dried your legs off, pairing your shoes on your feet shortly after. As soon as you stepped foot outside in the brisk, autumn, weather, you realized Nami was your ride here. You had no other choice but to walk back to your residence.

“It shouldn’t be that far, no?” You murmured.

You were sorely mistaken. The length between Robin’s place and your own was pretty hefty, but you’d rather walk than have Nami drunkly drive back home, or forget to even take you back. You internally praised yourself for wearing comfortable shoes once you were blocks away from Robin’s house. You can still faintly hear the music blasting from her house down several streets.

After roughly fifteen minutes, you saw a bright building approach in the dark streets. You squinted your eyes to make out whatever was beaming the streets and to your luck, it was a gas station. Your stomach had been hounding you since you left. Food was scarce at Robin’s due to Luffy’s void of a stomach.

“Thank lord”

You immediately pulled into the building. There might as well be tumbleweed with the pure silence and emptiness of the store, only maybe only a few cars in the driveway.

The light was ringing above, assuming that this gas station was sort of run down. You roamed the isles and resulted to a bag of your favorite saltine chips and a bottle of water to help the alcohol that was in your system. Meanwhile, though, you felt eyes piercing your body like a rail gun. Even in areas that were sacred. A bead began to form on your forehead from your own nerves once you blindly eyed the drinks section. The only other person here was the register, or the shop owner.

You couldn’t just bolt out and cause more of scene, though. You inhaled and strutted towards the front desk to make your purchases and quickly make it back on your path.

The grossly older man wore a white ‘wife beater’ shirt with a gold chain. He had an unkept stubble beard frame the bottom of his face poorly. He formed a thirsty smile on his face as you approached, like you were meat to a dinosaur.

“Just these…” You murmur. He hummed and grabbed the two items to scan them. All you could hear were the clicks of his register when you averted his menacing eyes. You flinched when you heard the bells of the door jingle from behind from your high anxiety and nerves.

“Your total is $4.55” His voice was hoarse and withered, like he was smoking out a lung for the past several years. You glimpsed at him leaning towards you. “But you can pay me in other ways”

You felt your body run cold from his words. All you could do was pull your cardigan around your chest to shield the window he was clearly peeking at.

“No, I’ll just use my card-“

“Oh, c’mon”

His sudden cut off made your skin crawl and bite your lower lip in fear. Your hands began to tremble.

“You can’t just come into my store looking like that and tease me like that”

You were ready to grab the phone on his desk and wrap the cord around his throat to bless yourself the favor in shutting him up. You just paused.

“Just let me pay for my things” You managed to speak. You saw his attempt of forming a flirtatious face shift to an angry one. He had a firm grip on your frail wrist.

“You bitch-“

He grunted as a firm hand grabbed his own wrist, giving him a taste of his own medicine. In contrast, a more gentle hand was around your waist but the culprit didn’t pull you close.

“Y’know” He began.

“There’s a nice nerve in between your index and thumb here. If I do this…” He jabbed his thumb in the place he described, causing the grossly old man to groan and rip his hand away from yours, setting you free.

“Feels nice, huh? It’s actually called the median nerve. Although…”

You realized who was generously defending you and your hatred for the individual slowly evaporated. You were stunned, and quite stubborn to come to terms that maybe he’s not so bad…

“You work at a gas station of all places so I doubt you even know what median means”

He had his tall figure lean against the desk. The man just shook his pained hand that was caused by the tatted boy. He watched in pure amusement.

“Get the hell out of here, both of you!”

“It’d be a pleasure, sir” He grabbed the unpaid items that innocently laid on the table. You were completely frozen, and still hungry.

“I’ll be taking these, though. Surely, if you don’t mind” His inked hand grabbed the chips and crisp cold water bottle. You hadn’t noticed the individual finger tattoos until now.

“Like hell you’re not! The bitch hasn’t paid for her shit!” He hissed.

“Would you like me to show you more pressure points as a way of paying?” His gaze was cold and menacing. You weren’t even behind the desk and you felt intimidated.

“I just—seemed to have forgotten my wallet in my car so do forgive me”

His tone was lethal enough for the monster behind the counter to shake. He stayed silent and watched the dark boy wrap an arm around you and pull you away from any more danger.

“As I thought”

Is all was left before you two were outside and safe. You felt him shove your items to your chest and look away. You gazed upon him like he was an angel sent from heaven—and you hated it. You hated how this, no other best way to describe, asshole, saved your spine in that building.

“You gonna thank me or what?” He chuckled. There it was. His unlikeable personality seeping through to which you were formally fond of. ‘That didn’t take long…’ you thought.

“I’m joking, but it would’ve been nice” He ran his fingers through his dark locks.

“Yeah, thanks…” You averted eye contact to admit that he did save you, despite the fact he had an attractive punchable face.

“You shouldn’t be out this late. Men are gross” He admitted, ironically enough. You giggled at his statement.

“You’re not entirely wrong” You inhaled. “I’m walking home from a party”

“Walking?”

His raised an eyebrow, like you said the most offensive thing to linger on Earth. You simply nodded.

“I know it would annoyingly bug me if I left your clueless ass sitting here alone so,” He twirled his key ring around his inked finger and pointed to his sleek, black vehicle nearby him. You scoffed.

“You’re still a complete stranger, idiot. We only go to school together” You spat. You saw him roll his eyes in agitation.

“Trafalgar Law, senior, and medical student. And also the one that saved your ass” He had a ‘smart ass’ tone flowing off his tongue.

“Enough for you, princess?” He crossed his arms.

You thought about it. If an interaction like that occurred once, what makes you think it won’t happen again. You’d much rather go home in one piece rather than none at all. You gave Law the benefit of the doubt and decided to take his offer. Maybe you’d warm up on him on the way.

“Hurry up” His previous finger targeted the car you were now stomping to. He grinned and followed closely.

His car wasn’t expensive, but it was definitely better than your own. You saw that it had a sticker or two on the sides of the black car. It was a smile with stems around the circle.

You threw yourself in and immediately snapped open the bag of chips that was menacingly teasing you and your hunger. Law gave a side eye as he started up his car.

“Who said you can eat in my car?”

You popped a chip into your mouth and ate them like Law didn’t say a word in regard. You just watched the building grow smaller and smaller once he pulled out the parking lot.

“I’m hungry” You muffled out with saltines in your mouth. Law just rolled his eyes, steering with one hand.

You analyzed his body and each inked mark more on his body. You wondered how he had the money to even have these drawn on.

The car ride was awkwardly silent between you two, besides occasional directions you’d whisper to him that lead to your home. In your defense, you barely knew the dark boy to begin with. But from his prideful demeanor back in the store, you’d think he’d be the conversation starter. You just kept your eyes on the window.

“Y’know, I introduced myself” He finally spoke. “Since you’re in my car, it’s only fair…”

‘Was he seriously curious about me?’ You thought.

“(F/N) (L/N)” You plainly responded. You still tried to present your slight distaste for him.

“Wow, so interesting” He sarcastically remarked. You stopped feasting at your un-purchased bag of delights.

“What do you expect me to say, Law” You emphasized. “Is that enough for you, princess?” You mocked.

“You’re making me blush, (F/N)-ya” He teased. That cocky, smoothing tone did something to you. It reminded you about the interaction back in the nurses office after his first offense towards you.

“You’re so irritating, y’know that?” You sifted your body away from him only to hear a deep chuckle.

“Yeah, be original next time”

“Okay. You’re agitating”

“Try again”

“Fuck you, Law”

You tried to hold in your laughter at the small bicker you two shared. Law caught your lips quivering to contain it.

“So now you can’t admit that Im funny?” Law had a smug grin. His remark made you breathe out a laugh, completely defeated.

“You’re kinda funny I guess” You rolled your eyes. “You’re still an asshole. You still owe me an apology”

Law twitched his head, baffled by your remark. He raised a brow but stayed his attention on the road ahead.

“For what?”

“For today, idiot!” You finally turned your body towards him. “You shoved into me twice and was so rude about it”

Law replied in a deep laugh. Louder than the entire car ride since the gas station. You watched in complete disbelief.

“Consider me saving your ass as an apology, ‘kay?”

You had your mouth agape at his statement and just slouched in defeat. You gave Law yet another direction, but each one was a grumble under your breath. You finally gave him one last direction and he pulled into your blacktopped driveway.

You glazed your eyes on the house and the lights were all cut off. Your mother probably was asleep, early as usual, in her room. Luckily, you had your house keys to let you enter your own home.

“We’ve arrived at your destination”

Law relaxed his body is his black drivers seat. You folded your half eaten bag of chips and dusted off your fingers. You adjusted your body, ready to finally leave without another second.

“Hey, what do you sayyy…?” Law cooed. You had a confused, as well as annoyed, expression on your face from his attitude. You finally caught on.

“Thank you” You said coldly.

“At least try to be genuine, (F/N)-ya”

You cleared your throat. You practically gave Law whiplash with how sudden you formed a faux smile on your lips and beaming eyes.

“Oh my goodness, Law! Thank you sooo much for giving me a ride! You’re my knight in shining armor, please, carry me along the sunset and marry me!” You spoke in a high pitched voice that could almost crack the windows. You collapsed your fraud act. “Better?”

“Absolutely, yes” He seemed nothing less but amused. “Although, I think it’s a little early for us to get married but if that’s what you want-“

“Goodnight, Trafalgar!” You snapped, bursting out the passenger side. You could hear Law laugh manically as you slammed the door and stomp your way to the front door.

“Don’t bump into the door next, (F/N)-ya!” He teased through the drivers side window. You glared at him before unlocking the door to burst yourself inside the comfort of your home.

A window broadcasted the front lawn of your home. You peered through the window to watch Law quickly speed out the radius. All was left from you was a scoff and a strut to your room.

There you were, comfortably laid in bed thinking about your entire night. You gazed on your blank, dark ceiling and wondered if Law really was a bad guy. He did save your spine back in the gas station, but his cold actions back in the school building kept lingering. You were internally battling your own emotions on wether not he was still an asshole or a nice guy. He did make you laugh, and his smooth remarks and voice was charming. Your eyes trailed to your arm. The gross and strong grip still felt like it was there.

…

Maybe Trafalgar wasn’t that bad…

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𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔

✎ ❝ yayy chapter 2!! i wanna first off my saying thank you SO SO much for the immense support i’ve gained on my profile!! i honestly didn’t expect the sudden wave of support but it genuinely warms my heart that people enjoy my writing, it’s such a great passion of mine! i love each and every one of you that has reblogged, liked or even simply read my work you don’t understandddd. anyway, i wanna come out with chapter 3 around this weekend. sorry if the story is getting a little slow but 3 is where it definitely picks up trust meee. that’s all!! stay sweet!! ♥️❞

All licensing and ownership belong to Eiichiro Oda

[thecameronchronicles]

The Cheerleader

TW: Semi-public sex. Smut. Language. 

SUMMARY: Your distant flirtations come to a head the night of the big game.

WORD COUNT: 1300

REQUESTED

Anonymous asked:

hi can i request a fic where pope plays football and reader is a cheerleader kook and they always see each other at games and they finally hook up (maybe behind the bleachers or in her car?)

thank youu!

The Cheerleader

Although he was supposed to focus on the play, all he could direct his attention to had been the way you executed every choreographed twist and turn to perfection. This was worsened by the seductive lips pulling to a smile and those come hither eyes offering a forbidden invitation that would send your separate group of friends to riot if they knew even one of those sensual thoughts. Pogues and Kooks were destined to be rivals, but you and Pope Heyward cared precious little for the starcrossed connection you shared as you found a carnal focus to silence the sound of reason just behind that desire. Enough that you would finally act on it in the final game of the season…

“TOUCHDOWN!” The crowd roared to the final points made by none other than the object of your most lecherous of affections. Your lashes batting at him with intrigue and pride as you sauntered off of the main field after finishing your victory sways and kicks, lingering at the corner of the bleachers as the crowd began to disperse. 

“Pretty impressive, Heyward…” You spoke at the edge of the cold metal, kicking yourself off as his eyes had adored you from head to toe and back again. 

“Thanks…” He spoke softly, the honeyed tone of his natural voice sending chills throughout your skin as you bit your bottom lip to further your seduction, his jaw clenching as a response. 

“Maybe you could help me understand something though?” You moved just a bit closer as he slowly nodded. 

“You’re valedictorian and just scored the points it took this school to get into state for the first time in over a decade…and yet through the adrenaline and the brilliance, you still have NO idea when to make a move..” His lips pulled to a grin as he rushed you into the bleachers, lips full and gluttonous for yours, as you were quick to approve. When his grip came to the metal, you corrected it by leading it to your thighs. 

“I’ve wanted you to touch me for so long, Pope…please don’t make me wait any-” You weren't able to finish talking before he had his fingers against your clothed clit, scoffing when learning just how wet you were for him. And suddenly, something in him had shifted. The reserved and polite persona you knew worn behind wondrous eyes widened, made dark when plagued with lust, had now shifted into eager arrogance that elevated when realizing you desired him just as deeply as he favored you. 

“All for me?”

“Always.” You confessed, biting your bottom lip as he suddenly stopped his motions. 

“If it is all for me, then…I’m the only one that gets to see it-” You were pulled from the side of the bleachers and into the direction of his truck, a rusted reminding you of the lack of financial exuberance that your friends would critique if seen in passing. It was a thought that made your smirk widen as you wondered what they would think of just what you’d allow him to do to you behind those same doors. 

“How do you like it?” He asked while taking you brazenly against its exterior, hands bold at your hips as your eyes darted in every direction to see just who was in note of you. But as his lips teased your neck and ran up your jaw to your ear, all you cared for was a continuation of his touch. 

“Anyway you want-” But as he opened up the backseat of the truck, hovering over you after the door came closed, you couldn’t help but breathe deeply beneath him, somehow regretting your answer. 

“I’ve had to watch you for months in this short little skirt, wondering how it felt to be between these little thighs…” His hand was soft to your cheek, a single kiss making you breathless as your hair was then taken in a grasp and pulled to reclaim his dominance. 

“So you’re gonna tell me how you want me to make you come…because that’s the only thing that made me reach that touchdown tonight…knowing how wet it made you…how badly you’d want me-”

“Now…Put it in-” You pleaded as he shook his head. 

“What would all your friends think for you begging for a pogue’s cock, hmm?”

“I don’t care.”

“No? He unsheathed himself from his bottoms, exposing him to you as your mouth parted in disbelief to his size, that was now teasing your sex as he simply set your panties to the side as you were both too impatient to wait for them to be removed completely. 

“Then you don’t care what they’re gonna say after hearing you scream?” 

“That’s only if you can, Heyward-”

“You wanna come, you say MY name…” He ordered, hand to your jaw, as he slipped slowly into you, allowing you the chance to stretch to him. 

“Pope!”

“Good girl.” He began his rhythms, your fingers quick to take hold of his hips and his back, driving down his muscles, and finally at his face as you brought him into a deeper kiss. 

“You feel so good!” You belted for him, encouraging his motions even deeper as he pulled your leg over his shoulder. 

“Now?”

“FUCK!” He littered small circles over your clit, watching you tremble beneath him, completely speechless as you felt him twitch inside of you to your own actions. 

“I’m gonna come! You’re gonna make me come, Pope!”

“Yeah? Then come around me, baby…Let me feel how being this deep inside of you makes you wanna come for me…”

“Po-POPE!” You nearly screeched before he was quick to pull himself through you beyond your high, until he was certain you were satisfied. The second your eyes opened to him, you were then taken over his shoulders. 

“What are you-”

“I want more. THIS is for ME-” He pulled his tongue through your slick, following the removal of your panties, recent cum now staining his smirk, before this faded into focus that brought stars behind your eyes. 

“Come again. I want it again…” He groaned between your legs as your legs shook on either side of his cheeks that you felt alter from smirks to the motions necessary to bring you this secondary pleasure, meanwhile, watching his hand stroke himself from beneath you. 

“Tell me you’re close-”

“I’m-”

“Tell me-” He growled against your sex, your eyes pulling into a roll at the idea of him needing this from you. 

“I’m coming!” He pulled you deeper against him, your eyes forced into a tighter squeeze as your body trembled through a second high brought in quick succession from your first. 

“Where do you want it?” He asked while you quickly rose to your knees, taking him into your mouth and ignoring all reservations from your gag reflex to his warnings, as you brought him to his own edge. 

“Use your hand, I’m close-I’M CLOSE!” He warned again, silenced by your fingers wrapping around the base you could not extend to, while you continued to endorse him through his edge, pulling those ribbons down your throat as he cursed out your name behind clenched teeth, scoffing when noting the pride across your face in having executed this to perfection.

“I’ll consider these my trophy…” He spoke with a grin, pulling the saturated fabric to his lip and dabbing his mouth clean, as your eyes followed him in disbelief of a new arousal. 

“You HAVE a trophy-” You reminded him. 

“But this is so much better…” He slapped your ass. “My little cheerleader…” He muttered as your heart soared at the words while you now had a new conundrum. 

How the hell were you supposed to walk after that?

Taglist: @hopebaker @iovdrew @penny4yourthoughts @magnificantmermaid @pickingviolets @lovedetlost @trikigirl271 @maybankslover @slut4starkey @slvtherinseeker @obxiskewl @obxxrxfes @bluesongbird @slut-era @ailee-celeste @rafesbae @camilynn @bethoconnor

[faoighiche]

Faelures | Cass & Burrow

PARTNER : @magmahearts TIMING : Current. LOCATION : Downtown. SUMMARY : Burrow is caught by an angry mob of humans. Luckily, the local superhero Magma is nearby to help. WARNINGS : None.

The humans were quick, but Burrow was quicker. Always a pace or more ahead of the stomping feet behind her. She did not have the same luck with the barrage thrown at her: one smacked firmly on her back. It clanged as it met the ground: probably metal. It left a bruise like metal. Not that she let it stop her. She still needed to outpace the swinging bat — she could hear its whooshing in the air behind her. If only her precious parasites did not yearn for the humans, then she could be done with them. But their yearning would always become her own, so she too craved the humans’ insides. It would only lead to minor discomforts; not like the humans would ever understand. Nor did she care to change it. Even if her roundworm eggs wanted carnage, she still would have been slipping them into that bakery’s bread. So many humans had already gladly accepted their intrusion with a smile on their faces. It could have been such a lovely thing… until she was spotted. They should be grateful her parasites found them worthy to be hosts! She would only offer the best for her parasites. And the best they were, the humans’ legs not tiring as they continued to chase her. 

Down and down the alley they chased. Down to a tree that would be Burrow’s sanctuary. She scrambled up the branches, finding a comfortable resting spot high amongst them. The humans scurried to the trunk, banging at the bark, causing some to fall to the ground. They had to go and injure another worthy host as well! They screamed at her to return to the ground, but she was uninterested. This was all too dramatic for her liking. “If you accept to put down your makeshift weapons, you will never see me again.” That bind was ready to be rid of both of their problems, if only the humans could be reasonable enough to take it. For the moment, they too were uninterested in giving into her demands. She considered calling to her roundworms and sending the grown ones squirming into the humans’ lungs. A tempting thought. But it would cause suspicions to become certainties. They would know of her parasites’ presence and kill them. No. She called to another: the parasitoid wasps resting nearby.

It was too soon, really, for Cass to be doing this. On some level, she knew that. Her shoulder still ached, still hadn’t healed entirely, and she still felt the warden’s presence around every corner. Like he was waiting for her, like she was one step away from his knife finding her skull instead of her shoulder this time. She was supposed to be taking it easy, still, supposed to be letting herself heal. But she was bad at that, she was learning; she was bad at sitting back and doing nothing, especially when Alex was at school and Kaden was at work and the cabin was empty. She felt so afraid, and she didn’t want to. She wanted to feel strong again, wanted to feel brave. So she turned back to the thing that had always allowed her to feel like she was a thing worth being. She dropped her glamour — a relief, since the concentration to keep it up had been harder to come by since that cold iron had slashed her flesh — and she went out.

Cass was weak. Cass had nearly died at the hands of a hunter, to a weapon she still didn’t entirely understand. Cass had laid on an autopsy table and seen ghosts on the faces of the people she’d loved. Cass had needed saving, like a damsel in distress. But Magma wasn’t like that. Magma was strong, Magma was brave, Magma was a motherfucking superhero. Cass wanted to be Magma now, wanted to be Magma most of the time, really. Magma made a difference. She liked that.

So, Magma she was. All rocky skin and glowing veins, following the sounds of trouble to the foot of a tree, where baseball bats sent bark flying. A twinge of anger stirred in her gut. Trees weren’t her domain, but she still hated to see them hurt for no reason. And, as she heard a voice calling down from the branches, she realized that trees weren’t the only thing these bats were trying to hurt. “Baseball bats?” She called out, making her presence known. “Really? What are you, Steve Harrington? Quit while you’re ahead.”

If only the humans knew the importance of a schedule, Burrow would not be in this mess. When the humans left for work, when they slept, what they focused on eating, what items they regularly used — where these things were missing is where she burrowed herself into. Of course, in hindsight the ooze would change this predictability. Humans were creatures of mimicry. When the world became disarrayed, they acted accordingly. A chaos she had thought she had accounted for, but who could really account for the uncontrollable. Oh, if only she had arrived in this human nest sooner. She could be nestled nicely in the Aos Sí of her choosing, enjoying a steaming mug of cocoa. Instead, there was a ringing in her ears. For once, she would rather have the buzzing of wings. She called to them: closer and closer.

All the clamoring distracted Burrow from the buzzing within. That burning that always clawed its way up her back when one of them was near. Yet, even without that gnawing pain, she would have known the other was an oread. No other could possess that swirling dance of magma and rock. A living light that was a fire to the moths: as dazzling as it was dangerous. A magnificent truth exposed without a lick of caution. In the middle of a human nest, no less! How deranged. While Burrow would indulge in her truth more frequently than her promise allowed, she would never think to do the same. It wished for death. It was careless. It was… useful, Burrow suddenly realized. The humans became too distracted to yell, their mouths now preoccupied with gawking.  

Only moments, of course, since these were residents of Wicked’s Rest. “Wha- what the hell are…” The quiver in the man’s voice was replaced with a growl. “Oh, fuck off! This doesn’t fucking concern you.” He gripped his bat even tighter, now that he had two targets for it. The fear and suspicions in them all was palpable. Burrow was, unfortunately, familiar with such dangerous things. “Hello. Why are you exposing yourself to the humans?” It was clearly not a common occurrence, or her searching would have been fulfilled long ago. No, this was an outlier, as it should be. Did everyone in the other’s Aos Sí act so brazenly? At least oreads were no use to her and her parasites — such an Aos Sí can be easily written off as too much of a risk.

She felt it as she approached the tree; that quiet flutter in her stomach, that familiar pull. Whoever was hidden in the branches wasn’t human, or undead, or a shifter. They were fae. They were like her. And, as it always did, the revelation filled Cass with a quiet anxiety, a sharp unease. Whoever it was was bound to dislike her, because fae usually did. They’d think her strange or reckless and want very little to do with her when all was said and done. The rejection would hurt, she knew; it always felt so much sharper coming from someone who was meant to be biologically inclined towards companionship with her, like she was failing at even the most instinctual of things. She could feel the blade of it resting against her skin, a ghost of the warden’s cold iron that had almost killed her in the form of preemptive grief. 

She pushed it away for now. Whoever was up there — another nymph, or a faun like Conor, or a spriggan — they wouldn’t like her, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that they needed help, that someone was trying to hurt them. Cass had needed saving when Rhett’s blade was against her skull, but she didn’t need saving now. She could do the saving now instead, could be useful again. She wanted that. She wanted it more than anything. To prove herself, even if only to herself.

“When somebody is trying to hurt someone, I make it my concern,” she said, letting the crackle of her voice shine through, letting it sound less and less human. People were afraid of her true form, sometimes. When she was trying to make friends, she hated it. But when she was out as a superhero? It came in handy. She glanced up to the tree, where the fae hidden in the branches seemed to be addressing her now. She tried for a smile, the expression somewhat muted by the stony nature of her skin. “Hi!” She greeted, ignoring the man with the bat for now. “I’m a superhero. This is how I make sure nobody recognizes me. I don’t usually walk around like this, but it comes in handy when I want to make sure nobody knows who I am, you know? Are you okay? Did they hurt you at all?”

Did this fae feel sympathy to the humans? The oread was comfortable not just to exposure, but to dabble in their concerns. To chase away the monsters under their beds. Or attic, in Burrow’s case. It made more sense, despite how ridiculous, than for the fae to feel sympathy for herself. When this savior turned her attention to Burrow, her limbs readied. The climax of her urgency was matched with the buzz of wings in the air. It may have been avoided if she had caught that smile. She knew the meanings for most expressions. The causes for squinted eyes or twitched antennae. But rocks and their ways of feelings were, well, a mystery. Enlightenment only came when a cheery voice erupted from the other’s mouth.

The buzzing of the wasps stopped. “Uth?” Burrow muttered. Was she the one being given aid? Gods, what was happening? It was becoming clearer that there was something wrong with the fae of Wicked’s Rest. It was so strange and terrible, to get a taste of the comradery she had only ever seen at a distance. She would savor its temporary sweetness before spitting it out once proven fruitful. Even if it already had a… weird taste. Superhero? She had heard the word through various walls, accompanied by tales of punching and bright colors. Well, the oread had the latter covered. “They will not know your disguise, but they may recognize what you are.” Parker had been very keen to avoid any bloodshed for his fellow ironmongers. A natural inclination for one's kin, but it hinted to the presence of others nearby. Others who could hear the tale of a ‘girl’ with melting stones for skin. 

Burrow looked down to the humans, who could not come to a consensus to which fae they would stare. Should they focus on their prey or the sudden predator? She did not suffer from the same conflict; her eyes stayed fixed on them, despite continuing to address the other. “Yes I am okay. Yes they have harmed me. They threw something hard at my back.” A human was quick to retort, “You were poisoning our food, you freak!” How aggravating to twist her actions. She was giving them a beautiful blessing; a chance to make their bodies useful. But of course they were incapable of understanding it. She would not bother to explain. “I was not,” was the only answer she would give.

It was a familiar warning, one that had come often from the elder nymphs in her aos si. You put us all in danger when you risk exposing what you are to the world, they used to hiss, even if they’d never seen fit to explain to her what kind of danger she was meant to be avoiding. Until Wicked’s Rest, Cass had known nothing of the existence of wardens and hunters, had been unaware that there was an entire subspecies of humanity designed specifically for killing her. Would it have stopped her from clinging to humanity as she had back in Hawai’i? She wasn’t sure. Part of her knew, deep down, that this hunger would have always existed inside of her, this quiet desire to find acceptance from her mother’s kin. 

She only shrugged at the warning now, the same way she had all those years ago on the island. There was an anxiety in her chest that hadn’t existed there before, of course — she could still feel the phantom hand around her throat, the knife slipping into her shoulder — but she pushed that away. Rhett hadn’t gone after her because he’d seen her in Magma form. Alex said he could sense her, that hunters had the ability to know when someone was the kind of thing they went after regardless of what disguise they might be wearing. “If people come after me for helping people who need it, I can deal with that,” she replied, more confident than she felt. There were worse things to be hurt for, she thought. There were worse ways to go. She’d rather be targeted because of her heroism than pulled away from safety at random by someone she’d thought trustworthy, rather bleed for others than for nothing. If people like Rhett were going to target her either way, she’d prefer it if they learned of her existence because she’d used it to do something good. 

The other fae was okay, and there was some relief at that, though Cass did feel a flare of anger at the fact that these people had thrown something at her back. She shot the nearest human a sharp glare. “She says she didn’t,” she said, firm and unyielding. “And I don’t think she’s a liar.” It was easier to trust fae than it was to trust humans, despite her fondness for the latter. Humans lied so easily, as simple as breathing. Fae found it much more difficult. The fae in the tree said she didn’t poison their food, and there didn’t seem to be any discomfort accompanying the statement, so Cass let herself believe it. Besides, it was so much easier to side with the person hiding in a tree than it was to agree with the ones standing at the foot of it with baseball bats in their hands and violent intentions in their expressions. “Even if she did do something to your food, what’s hurting her gonna do? The food would still be messed up. Just don’t eat it. Put the stupid bat down, go to the grocery store. Or stay here and try to fight, and get all embarrassed when I kick your butts. Up to you!”

How altruistic. Burrow did not understand it. Selfishness was demanded by her nature, but it was not entirely at fault. While she knew such generosity existed between other fae, how it bound their souls together, it was never tied to her. No one had shown her how to tie those knots; no one had shown her what they meant. After all, she was a monster. But, in that moment, she was just one in the crowd. The oread defended her words as if she were any other fae. Strange. For a wonderful blink, the fae’s favor was hers. “Right. I do not lie.” Such a disgusting thing. She could never understand the humans’ obsession with it. It was their second worst trait. 

Another terrible trait was their proclivity for fear, but at least that had its uses. Burrow watched the oread make her loyalties known — watched as the humans’ confidence melted away. She could understand why other fae were so addicted to community. With just that one addition, the course of Fate shifted. Puffed chests began to concave as the oread’s threat settled in the humans’ hearts. It was hard to boast when met with a match in physical might, and the oread was particularly mighty. Burrow was mighty in her own ways. She would seize their tremble in judgment. “As I said. If you accept to lower your makeshift weapons, you will never see me again.” The bind nestled innocently before them, waiting like a hookworm waited to be stepped on. The humans grumbled amongst themselves, yet between the tones of frustration she did hear the sprinklings of “fine”s. Good enough. The bind claimed them. 

A few humans began to slowly retreat, the others being pulled into that flow, and with it their weapons followed. They lowered. Then stopped. Everything stopped. The humans choked on that silence. The only show of their continued consciousness were their eyes. They darted about rapidly, never settling on anything. Unable to settle on anything. The weapons returned to their tight grips, but it did not return what was lost to them. Still, those eyes searched desperately into nothing. It was then that the silence was broken. A cacophony of wails, followed by the blind bashing of bats. “Ach, shit,” Burrow hissed.

It was better, Cass thought, to end things like this without a fight. She didn’t like hurting people. She never had. Violence was a thing to be used sparingly, only when absolutely necessary and never more than what was called for. The best heroes won as many battles with words as they did with fists, leaned on diplomacy as much as their powers. Cass had always wanted to be like that, had always wanted to be the kind of hero who hurt only those who needed hurting and never harmed anyone irreparably. Being fae helped with that; binds were useful things, able to ensure that no one went back on their promises. And she was glad that the fae up in the tree was making use of one now.

She relaxed as the humans lowered their bats, pleased with herself for the peaceful resolution even if it hadn’t been her who had orchestrated it. But then… something happened. The humans stilled, and something in their eyes seemed to change. They were looking without seeing, and Cass felt her breath catch in her throat. The fae’s words had been precise, she realized, and there had been a reason for that. The bats swung out, blind but violent. One slammed against her side, the sound reverberating as metal met stone. It hurt, in spite of the rocky surface of her skin. She stumbled back a few steps, out of reach of the bats.

Furious, she looked up into the branches. “What — What did you do? They were leaving! They were going to leave! You didn’t have to —” Another bat swung towards her, the man brandishing it drawn to her voice now that his sight was gone. She sidestepped to avoid it, ducking behind the tree with her chest heaving. Guilt ate away at her. This was her fault, wasn’t it? At least partially. She’d talked them into accepting the deal, had damned them just as much as the fae in the tree above. “Why would you do that?”

“Tha fhios agam!” I know! Burrow mirrored the oread’s frustration, for this all was a mirror to failures of the past. It was those pesky words that were her obstacle. What she truly wanted was not a lack of sight but a lack of notice. To be made a fly in the corner, free to take what she wanted. But the humans were not enticed by ‘do this and you will not notice me.’ An obvious predicament, though she had tried… and failed. Well, seeing was a type of noticing. She had hoped ambiguity would be her partner, as it often was eager to be, but found it lacking in this case. Her preference was for frankness, and it seemed her magic preferred it, too. A loss of sight was much more direct than what she desired. And what she desired was not this. Even if the humans could not see her, they were certainly noticing her then. 

A parasite did not want chaos. Chaos led to detection; detection led to poison. Burrow was not a helpless worm unknowing of the mebendazole soon to come and starve them. She was safe up in her tree, yet still, she felt the prickling of unease. Her wasps had the air join that prickling. Under the will of her essence, the buzz of small wings became the shriek of a banshee. It consumed the humans: all they knew was the buzz and all they were was the buzz. Desperate to escape total assimilation, they scattered. Aimless and graceless, but still the humans found their path away. Follow the quiet away from the buzz. Once the last human disappeared, the wasps also followed the quiet. Silent and pleased, they rested on branches, waiting to be called. 

“One day I will perfect that bind.” But that day had yet to pass. Burrow severed its knot, letting the bind break into oblivion. No use in leaving evidence that the humans could use to hunt her later. She looked down to the oread. Right. She was not alone. The corner of her lip twitched: almost a smirk and almost nothing at all. The humans would likely blame the one who was not disguised as them. It was in their nature to favor their own kin. If only she could experience the same sentiment. “Do not bother scolding me for my poor binding. I am aware. I severed the bind.” 

She couldn’t understand what the other fae was saying. The language was unfamiliar to her, but the tone wasn’t. The frustration, the uncertainty… It occurred to Cass that the results of this bind may not have been an intentional thing. She thought of Kuma, of how dangerous a bind could be when you didn’t know what you were doing with it. Anger turned to sympathy in an instant, even as she had to step behind the tree to avoid the blind blows from the terrified people still swinging. Most fae she’d met — save for Ren, who was her own anomaly — were better at this than Cass was. They’d been raised the way fae were meant to be raised, grown up around people like them. Maybe this one in the tree was more like her. Maybe there was still companionship to be found here.

Buzzing insects descended on the humans, and they scattered to avoid the sensation of being both blind and deaf. Cass was torn between her desire to go after them and make sure they were okay and her desire to stay beneath the tree and do the same for the fae within its branches. In the end, the latter won out, leaving her cemented in place. It was natural, she thought, to feel more drawn to the one who was more like her than the ones who’d just been trying to hurt her. It was an expected thing. 

She looked up into the tree, catching sight of the other girl within the branches for the first time. With the humans around, looking up for an extended period had been too dangerous to risk; that wasn’t a problem now. The girl looked about her age, which made sense. Older fae tended to find it easier to perfect binds. She admitted to having severed the bind, and Cass felt the relief swirl within her chest. “Okay. Good. That’s good.” She paused for a moment. “I wasn’t going to… scold you. I just — I thought you did it on purpose at first. And that’s — They were just scared. You know? People do stupid things when they’re scared. But I get it. The, uh… The trouble perfecting the bind. I’ve had accidents with that, too.”

Burrow knew well how often stupidity and fright were paired. While she was often safe inside obscurity, there were moments like the one that had transpired. The humans had only seen a glimpse of her nature, a glimpse of something they feared to murderous intent, and they had been sent into a frenzy. The lapse of judgment made them easier to bind. If only it didn’t come with the possible consequence of knives or poisons or bats in her face. It was why she preferred less drastics routes, but Fate did not care for her wants. So, yes, the oread’s logic was sound. It was the lack of a want for scolding she found odd. The oread had been content to do the same a moment ago, and admittedly she was justified in continuing to do so. What changed? It seemed the fae was very forgiving, or overly empathetic, or both. Strange. “Yes, I am aware. Of how the humans were scared and stupid, not of your… bind mishaps.” 

Well, if the oread was no longer in a sour mood, then the conversation could continue. There were other things Burrow would prefer to discuss. The only thing she cared to discuss with fae. She leaned forward, her dreads falling forward to caress her face. A shadow covered her features, leaving only the lights of her eyes visible. “As you can see, the humans do not like me.” The fae didn’t as well, but that wasn’t relevant. “I am in need of an Aos Sí. Do you know the location of any?” If the oread truly was the standard to whatever nest she hailed, Burrow would be sure to avoid it for her greater goal. But maybe, hopefully, the residents knew of more appropriate nests. One that wasn’t on some hunter’s radar due to the fae galavented about in their truth like the one before her. 

“Humans aren’t the only ones who do stupid things when they’re scared,” Cass replied with a small shrug, thinking of all the terrible things she’d seen people of all different species do with fear as an excuse. “Sometimes I think it’s the only thing everybody has in common, you know? You’d think it would bring everybody together, but…” It only ever served to turn them against each other. Her shoulder twinged faintly, the memory of Rhett’s hand around her throat never far from the forefront of her mind these days. The people who’d been after the fae in the tree weren’t hunters, she didn’t think; if they had been, they wouldn’t have run, wouldn’t have hesitated to attack her. But it didn’t matter much in the end. They could do just as much damage.

She looked up into the tree still, making note of every feature she could make out on the other fae. She wanted to recognize her if she saw her again. If she was struggling, maybe she needed a friend. Maybe Cass could be that. “They don’t usually like me much, either,” she admitted, even if it hurt to say. Of course, fae didn’t tend to like her much, either, but she kept that to herself. Her face fell, however, at the question of an Aos Sí. “I’m not really… in the know about that kind of thing,” she said with a shrug. “I haven’t been a part of one since I was a little kid, and it’s a really long ways away from here. I don’t know of any in town. What kind of fae are you? Are you a nymph? Maybe I can help you find one with people like you.”

“Fear does not make anyone want connection. I know that well.” If it did, Burrow would be the most beloved fae of her old nest. They would have never let her go, they would have never allowed her to go — filled with the same insatiable want as her parasites. Instead, all she had was her parasites. They would never fear her, for she was made to destroy their fears. The oread did have some sense. The fae and the humans were all connected in their fear of her parasites. She would see them all end if their bodies were not filled with such useful nutrients. Well, usually. Even that the oread lacked. Though, she could still find use in things less tangible. In words and ideas and knowledge. Accept that was lacking as well. 

Gods, another stray.  It felt as if this place was a nest of strays, too far spread to even make a proper féth fíada. Of course, Burrow knew (or perhaps more accurately, hoped) that wasn’t true. It was likely those that were of a nest never bothered to leave. It was what she would do; it was what she wanted to do if any of the fae would cooperate. But, no. Another ignorant stray — another useless conversation. 

Well, only presently, it seemed. The oread offered future usefulness to her. How altruistic. Burrow would work with that, especially if the oread was as adept at finding as she was intimidating. Many moths could fall prey to that brilliant flame. “My family are the protectors of the boneless. Na gun cnàimhan… The entomids.” It would have burned the same as any other lie if she had said she was one, too. The last she had thought, truly thought, she was an entomid was before she could properly pronounce the word. No, her role was a monster. That was what she was. But other monsters were not what she seeked. Though, other entomids were not what she seeked either — not specifically. “I would enjoy a nest of fae that are not just entomids. I simply want to find a nest.” 

“Depends on what you’re afraid of. Mutual fear can bring people together… for better or worse. Usually worse.” Mutual fear made a crowd into a mob. Being the thing that a large group of people were afraid of could end poorly. Cass had a feeling the fae in the tree knew that well, if the reaction of the humans who had been chasing her was any indication. Cass knew it, too. It was rare, the number of times she’d been chased instead of left, but it was still a substantial enough thing to bear mentioning. It wasn’t something she enjoyed. She doubted it was something anyone enjoyed.

She couldn’t see the other fae well enough to see the disappointment on her face, but she knew it must have been there all the same. This stranger was seeking community, and she’d found Cass instead. How could that ever be anything even remotely resembling enough? Cass wasn’t in a position to offer anyone any kind of belonging; she couldn’t even find it for herself.

Cass nodded along as the other spoke, making a note of it. An entomid. A little unfortunate, she thought, that this one would arrive just as Ren was leaving; the two of them could have found some belonging with one another, maybe, had things worked out differently. “I don’t know of any others in town anymore,” she admitted, a little disappointed in herself. “But I know other kinds of nymphs. Maybe one of them knows of an aos si you could join.” Teagan knew a lot about fae things, didn’t she? Cass didn’t think the nix was a part of an aos si, but maybe that was by choice. Maybe she knew of one, even if she wasn’t a member. Dr. Kavanagh likely knew none, considering how in denial she was about most things, but that might have been worth an ask, too. “What, um… criteria are you looking for? We can narrow it down.”

Fear did have humans clamoring upon themselves like mindless worms. They were a communal species, after all. A community that Burrow was not welcomed. She may be a monster too, but the humans shared no love for her. Nor did she often share their fears, but in the times she did, it did not bridge the gap between them. “Mutual fear has never connected the humans to me. That is irrelevant.” Totally and truly, for she had lost interest in the topic. It was a lost cause — a path that led to disappointment and death. The other, the one that ended in the claiming of an Aos Sí, was all she cared for. It would lead her parasites to a place where fear would never harm them again. A place this fae was so sweet to help find.

Anymore. Well, Fate smiled on Burrow again. If she had arrived in town a moment sooner, she would have been forced to play nice with the entomid — at least, for as long the oread proved useful. What a shame, though, that she could not watch as her parasites slowly took away all their precious insects. “Yes. I would like to… know what those other nymphs know about the Aos Si here.” She would not say she would like to meet, for that was a lie. She merely wanted their knowledge and nothing more. Their exchanges would not extend any longer than they were useful. “I want to find a nest of those who are connected to the creatures, the plants, the fungi, and the waters of this world. I do not want a nest of those of the shadows or the light or the cold. They may live in the nest, but I do not want one that is composed only of those types.” She would do better to continue struggling as she did now, then try to make a home with those. They attracted nothing for her precious ones to feast upon. It would be a slow and unfortunate death for them all.  

She didn’t want to argue, but she could have. Cass had spent years of her life chasing the affections of humans, trying with everything she had to make them love her. And in a lot of ways, she’d had more success with them than she had with fae. Humans — or people who used to be human, like Aria and Alex — had a habit of loving Cass better than those with shared heritage knew how to. But she understood the other nymph’s desire to find a connection with people more like the two of them. She understood that quiet yearning for an aos si to belong to, even if she’d given up finding one for herself a long time ago. She wanted to help. She really did.

She just wished she were better at it. She knew so few fae here in town, and none who belonged to a larger group of them. Especially with specifications. Finding an aos si was a feat all its own, but a specific one? One not made up of certain kinds of nymphs, but with those like the one in the tree? It would be a challenge. “I can try,” Cass agreed. “I can try to find that for you. But… I’m not sure I’ll be able to.” Fae didn’t like her, and if fae didn’t like her, they were highly unlikely to share with her something as personal as the location or details of their aos si. But if she failed… this fae wouldn’t like her, either. She wanted to try, wanted to find something, wanted to be useful. “Did you come from one? An aos si, I mean. Were you a part of one before?” Maybe that explained why she was looking for something so specific. A desire to recreate a lost home was a big motivator. 

Burrow let out a disappointed hum. The oread had seemed so eager to help, it was assumed it had been paired with the capacity to fulfill it. The oread had seemed capable of anything moments ago: strong and steady against the ire of all those humans. But the fae did not lie. They may trick and mislead, but they did not lie. The oread did not believe she was competent, so naturally, Burrow believed as well. A pity. While the fae in this nest were slower to discern her true nature, she knew her luck would be spent soon. To have a fae, a true and magnificent fae, as assistance would have been a wonderful asset. Still, any help at all was a rare commodity. Though she will not provide Burrow with her greatest want, the oread could provide hints. Things that Burrow could use to find it herself. There was power in numbers — such a power Burrow often wielded. “You will try, then. I will use whatever you provide me.” 

Burrow tensed. A finger clenched in a way that severed the bark under her grasp. An echo of an old pain rebounded against her chest, writhing inside her heart as if it had been made anew. It soon simmered into nothing, as all echoes do. Her heart returned to its normal tempo. “Yes, I come from a nest. It was a long time ago.” Nearly half her life could be split between being home and being without. In that time, she had learned her true home was many. As many homes as she could claim. She did not need that thing from the past. “It… The old nest will not do. I am in need of another nest.” One that her family could not refuse her to keep. They had known what she was, unlike the fae of Wicked’s Rest. That ignorance would be their end.  

Cass tilted her head a little at the other nymph’s wording. “I’m not making any promises or anything,” she warned. No matter how much she wanted this stranger to like her, she refused to allow herself to be bound. She’d do her best to help, but she wouldn’t promise anything more than that. She wasn’t capable of anything more than that, and she didn’t want to doom herself because of it. 

But… it was hard not to feel some sympathy for the fae in the tree. She didn’t know what had forced the other from her aos si, but it was clear that something had. It could have been hunters, could have been that her community was no longer there to return to. Or it could have been something more like Cass’s experience — a banishment that saw her desperately seeking belonging elsewhere. Cass had found hers among species unlike her. Ariadne, Alex, Metzli, Milo, Wynne, Van… not fae, but good all the same. This nymph seemed to have little interest in that, though. She was steadfast and certain of what she wanted. Maybe there was something admirable in that. “Okay. That’s all right. Forget the old one, we’ll see if we can find you something new.” She paused a moment. And then… “I’m Cass. What’s your name?”

Burrow returned the head tilt. “I am aware.” The fae never made promises to the likes of her — not without something to be gained. She did not want to make an exchange with one who could not fulfill their end. It was a deal guaranteed to end in the other’s torment. She knew many fae enjoyed that sort of play, but not her. She wanted results, not fun. “You would have already made the promise if you were interested.” Still, a shame she could not be given the promise freely. It would have hinted at a confidence that could have secured Burrow her new home. Instead, she must rely on the oread’s passing whimsy. And it would surely be passing, as the fae did not stand her for long. 

Burrow’s frown was lost to a shadow, but not in the tone of her voice. “No. I will not forget the old one. The memories remind me of what I am.” As a child fresh in the human world, weakness had plagued her mind. It had made her want to give it all away. To be rid of the memories of her parents calling her monster, but also the memories of a warm bed and constant food. She had wanted to be made anew amongst the humans. But she could not forsake her parasites. The memories reminded her why she must succeed. The world was cruel to all the parasites; they needed a sanctuary only she could provide.

“My name is Burrow.” Just as the words escaped her lips, she heard commotion in the distance. It tore her attention away from the oread, casting her face finally in the light. It stung her eyes, forcing them into a squint. But she did not need wide eyes to gather that the approaching noises were human in nature. 

There was no anger at the lack of promise, at least. Cass would accept that as a victory, albeit a small one. Fae often grew frustrated when they weren’t promised things they thought they deserved; Cass had experienced it so many times over the years. If she was being honest, she’d admit that she’d felt such frustration herself a time or two. But it wasn’t much fun being on the receiving end of it, and she was glad to avoid it now. She offered the other nymph a grin that seemed to split the surface of stone on her face. “That’s right,” she agreed. Those who were foolish enough to make promises were usually foolish enough to do so quickly, after all. 

There was a quick stab of anxiety through her chest as the other spoke again, a flash of fear. She’d said the wrong thing, hadn’t she? She always did. Say the wrong thing too many times and you’d lose any shot of friendship, she knew that. Quickly, she tried to backtrack. “No, I don’t mean — Not forget it, like, literally forget it! More like, um, who needs them, right? You’re here now, so screw them. Memories are important, but, you know, you’re probably better off without the people. Right?” Was she digging the hole deeper? It was hard to say.

It was almost a relief when the commotion sounded in the distance. At least it would save her from messing anything else up with her big mouth, right? She looked up into the tree towards the other nymph, towards Burrow. “They’re coming back,” she said quickly. “If you come down, I can get us somewhere they won’t find us. There’s an entrance to a cave nearby! We can hang out there until it’s safe.”

The bubbliness of the oread’s tone popped, and all her words became jumbled. Burrow had learned that it could mean the other was nervous. A spike of nerves she was unsure of the cause. It certainly was not the approach of the humans, based on the oread’s previous bravado. Had Burrow said something worrisome? It was a curiosity she did not care to expand upon. “I see. Ok.” There were other things on her mind, such as what to do about the mob around the corner. If she followed one of the sturdy branches she had perched upon, she would be close to a nearby building. Close enough to reach a railing. A well placed jump here and there, and she could make it up onto the roof. But, it seemed to not be necessary. 

Burrow’s gaze returned to the oread — returned to the shadow that concealed her look of caution. The only other fae to offer her such help had been Teagan, and that had been secured with a bind. Secured even further with the knowledge that Teagan, too, was a monster. This fae had neither assurances. Those shifting rocks that made her face were impossible to understand, only matched in obscurity by the oread’s intentions. Was this a trick? The oread had announced herself a hero and the fae did not lie. Cass seemed forgiving and altruistic and (dare she think it) kind. Seemed. Burrow had never known the fae to be kind. It was foolish to trust it. What she did trust was the animosity of the humans, which (truthfully) she wasn’t sure she’d fare much better against. She let out a sigh. “Do not harm me, or you will discover the might of my domain.” A promise without a bind, though she would uphold it the same. She let the warning linger in the air. “I will follow you to the cave.” 

Burrow scurried down the tree, landing silently upon the ground. An unnecessary action, for the approaching clamoring would cover any noise she made. “Lead the way.”

[originemesis]

@flowercrxwned xxx

When the smoke started at first she thought a soul was joining her, albeit in an unusual way, but as its tendrils and sickening arms of blackness began to crawl up her legs her heart froze. The realization barely had time to form in her mind before she was falling, or what felt like falling, into nothingness with its destination slowly creeping into view of her swimming eyes. The view of a place she hadn't laid eyes on in many thousands of years, but knew intimately. Eden. A few seconds to take in her whereabouts was all too quickly processed when she saw the giant tree before her. The tree that started and ended it all for humanity at her hand. Her biggest mistake loomed over her in every sense of the word, but instead of the once flourishing shades of life it was gnarled and smelled of decay.

As she watched the sight before her there was pure heart-gripping horror dousing her in ice and fire, her chest aching and burning with all the pain and passion a mother has for her most lost child. As purgatory as her cage she was accustomed and even endeared to what most found horrifying, but watching her son's limp body hanging from inside the tree's grasp what she felt went beyond what the deepest parts of that hopeless place could think up to torment her with. A drop of blood on her cheek fell down her face like a tear, the tears she'd cried as he died in her arms coming back as fresh as they were they day Cain committed that awful deed upon her second son. It was her fault. All of humanity's suffering was her fault. This tree has shown her many things; the fruit taught her the truth of the world and now its roots were teaching her the price she paid for that knowledge. "Abel?" He coughed, he moved, he spoke... but how much of it was him? He was in there somewhere, she could tell by the way he looked to her and smiled, memories of his boyish antics flooding back to her as new tears washed away the first one that marked her upon his emergence. Her cries were soon drowned out by the shrieking screams of whatever monster lied within her precious child. Adam had blamed Cain, Cain had blamed god, and Eve... Eve blamed herself. How could it not be anyone else's fault but hers? She had eaten the apple, she brought knowledge of good and evil to humanity, she was responsible for raising her children, she was to blame and she was the one who needed to set it right.

She stood, facing with the strength that she was only able to garner after eons in banishment. In the folds of her flowing black dress she opened her bag of purgatory sand, pulling the powdered granules out and forming them into a smoky glass blade. She lunged forward, slashing at the nearest twisting wooden appendage engulfing her baby. "My son belongs to me and I will cut him from you limb by limb."

"...M-Ma." He'd answer her if only briefly because the vines of the tree of knowledge's root system had decided that this intruder (whether welcomed in by the will of God or not) was not welcome within its blood letting sanctum. This it let her know by 'breathing' inwards towards the ceiling of earth's crust within the underground cavern, drawing its sustenance provider in like a hug that would not relent so easily, especially not in front of a mother that had let him leave her sights on that miserable morning despite any miniscule misgivings she had at the time. Wincing, he swiveled his gaze over to her as it was the only thing he could do while under the tree's deeply rooted control, a puppet to continuously bleed and supply its shriveled demand for nutrients out in the void in which they now crossed paths.

With a frustrated jerk of a metallic shoulder pad as if to bat the tightening roots back from his attempt to swipe a heavy arm through the air as if he actually has the means to claw his way back over to her, he soon loses that sentiment in a tightening of tendrils just under the jugular. They tense as if prepared to rip his throat out themselves and spare its appetite the slow drain of blood in favor of a steady stream, but stalls just long enough for the intruder of the time pocket to drive her blade into a thick portion of the root system. The tendril screeches and writhes backwards with an assaulted octopus's strength, twisting in upon itself as if if could staunch its own decapitation while the lack of its once sturdy support on the thigh it once constricted causes Abel to drop off his upright axis and hang suspended halfway upside down a good foot or so below the vine around his neck's reach. "Grk!" He chokes, his freed arm frantically finding the rough texture of the root's noose to pull at it like a much too tightly fastened necktie.

The roots don't seem to care about his floundering now though, needle tipped ends twisting in like the heads of snakes to observe the woman now deemed a threat over a mere inconvenience with her severance of one of its oldest support beams. With a warning rattle, they would violently surge- but not towards her.

Still grappling with the vine's grip on his airway, Abel would snap suddenly up to the ceiling in a vicious overcorrection of dropping him but even a few inches just to as quickly slam him back down until he hit dirt hard with the majority of the root system now perched heavily upon and pinning him down in the rubble with the persistence of a feline not so easily removed from a lap.

The three remaining heftier tendrils begin to whip the air with warning cracks, and between each pause of the wind up and release, Abel musters a dazed cough beneath the pile. "Please. I don't...want it to get you too-" The vines protruding from his ribs yank him back to his boots, serving as the standing strength that his slumped shoulders indicates he'd lack without the assist. Another haunting pitch leaves a mouth half parted without him ever having lipped them.

"Y̷o̷u̶ ̶c̴a̵n̸'̵t̴ ̷s̸a̶v̴e̴ ̷h̷i̶m̷ ̴a̷n̶y̶w̵a̵y̵.̷ ̷Y̷o̶u̴ ̵n̶e̸v̶e̵r̷ ̵c̷o̷u̴l̸d̵."

"M̵̨̭͓͉̆i̴̗̔͠ṣ̴̠̉͒͐͆ẗ̷̺̯͓́̍̄͑a̷̭͈̓̄k̷̢͖̳̏̌͝ë̷̱̗͓̰́̾̏͝͠ͅ ̸͙̳͑̉̅ȍ̴͙͕̦̦̄́́f̴̧̭͚̀̽̕̕ ̷̦̜͖͂̈́̂ä̵̢̛̯́̀ ̷̧̥̇̑̿m̶͔͚̗̥͎͐͘o̴̙͇̤͊ṫ̷̮̫̭̙̲̅h̶̘̣͇̯̋͘͜͠ẻ̸̙̜͒̓̄ͅr̸̯̭̻͒̒͆̂!̵̧̆̾́"

[mayhemproduces]

phantom vs giulia

Tonight's the night. All the stars have aligned just right to let this happen, and Phantom's about ready to exorcise this ghost of her past. The incident that nearly ended her career entirely, the months she spent on the shelf, unsure if she'd ever wrestle again, the return and slow recovery... Sure, she's doing some good work now. But just months earlier, there was serious concern that she may just never return to the ring.

Clearly, fate had something more compelling in mind. Serendipity has brought her right back to where she needs to be, right where she was ready to stand almost two years ago, but with more fire in her veins than ever. Her mask may cover her face, but the glare she's giving Giulia as she steps into the ring is more than clear, especially with the way she slowly stalks her side of it.

Tonight, she rights the wrong that nearly ended her.

The bell tolls, and Phantom and Giulia face each other at last. A match so long in the making, a moment capitalized on the second there's time. Phantom, this time, is the first to make a move, leaping forward the moment Giulia even glances away to immediately fling herself into a drop kick, throwing Giulia into the corner hard. This is no time to start with anything less than full fire, and Phantom's more than happy to spark it.

Giulia picks herself up quickly, and storms forward to lay into her adversary – immediately met with sharp punches raining down on her skull. It's quick, brutal, but sadly short lived. Before she can keep going, Giulia lurches forward and jabs her right in the lower stomach to double her over and force her off, kicking her away to take a brief moment in the corner. Even if she bought herself some time from the early onslaught, said onslaught certainly hurt like a bitch.

Those precious few seconds she gained to lick her wounds are taken, but the cost proves severe. Phantom returns to continue her beatdown, grabbing her by the hair and just tossing her out wholesale. Giulia tries to catch herself, but clattering to the floor like that is a bit over the line on what she can land on her feet for. She pulls herself up rather easily, but Phantom beats her to the floor and kicks her back down, nearly growling as she does.

Years of pent up frustration, fear that her career was done for. Strike after strike, kicking her while she's down, before she turns around immediately. Like a woman possessed, she moves now to the apron, flicking up the fabric to dig underneath the ring. Her first find is a chair; standard, effective, but ultimately not what she’s looking for just yet. What she finds next though is much more compelling: a baseball bat. Its worn metal faintly catches the lights, and under the mask Phantom can’t help but smile to herself. Yes, that should work.

Hushed murmurs spread throughout the crowd at the sight, especially as she slams it against the guardrail. A way to scare her opponent, maybe? She stalks forward, almost hunching over herself as she scrapes it against the rail. An ear-screeching knell sounding out for Giulia, who scrambles backwards in a desperate attempt to avoid getting pulped there and then. Her back taps against the apron, and she wildly sifts for something, anything as Phantom advances, readies her weapon of choice—

BAM! Just as it starts to come down on her, Giulia swings wildly with a lucky find of her own – a pair of brass knuckles that punches a hole in the intimidating facade (and nearly threatens to do the same to her stomach).

Not a moment too soon! If she was only a foot away, that would have been the end for Giulia right off the bat (pun not intended, of course)! Phantom recoils, coughing almost immediately as she drops the bat in shock. It hurt like all hell, sure, but it was such an abrupt pause of her flow that she can’t quite try to pursue her quarry. Giulia hoists herself up with the apron, rolling her shoulders before moving in again for another strike, hitting her right in the arm.

The same arm that was injured before.

Phantom cries out, gripping immediately at her arm as Giulia grins to herself. She remembers that night just as well as her foe. Why wouldn’t she? She got a championship out of it, after all! She remembers the arm she injured to get to where she was going, the way it crunched under her barrage of attacks... and now she's going to get at it again. Strike after strike after strike, she keeps going in, even as Phantom moves her arm out of the way. Shots to the back, shots to the other shoulder, doing everything she can to take the upper hand. It’s only fair, she feels, with how brutally she was treated leading up to this moment.

It's certainly not a pretty fight, but Phantom's thought smartly. She's backed off into where she dropped the chair from before, using it to block another punch. As Giulia recoils, shaking her hand from the surprising impact, Phantom uses the chair and hurls it right at her opponent's head! What it lacks in spectacle it graciously makes up for in efficiency: it brings Giulia straight down, opening her up to an immediate follow-up swing into her side.

Then another swing, then another, then another… each strike threatening to bend the chair around her, enough to keep her down just for those precious few seconds. It's a savage affair that was carefully planned for, enough to keep the beast down — or so she thought. Despite every bloodthirsty strike, Giulia just gets right back up. Swaying on her feet, sure. One shove away from cracking her face on the floor, absolutely. It doesn’t stop her from staggering to the apron, clawing desperately under it to find a new toy to lash out at Phantom with. She finds herself touching the cold, curved metal link of a chain. …Perfect.

As Phantom approaches, she wraps the chain hastily around her leg before lashing out with a harsh kick! Phantom curses loudly, listing to the side, and Giulia continues the assault, firing a three-round burst of extra kicks before Phantom manages to turn it around, finally managing to score a hit on Giulia to drive her back with a sharp kick of her own. It catches Giulia off guard just enough for Phantom to charge forward, spearing her off her feet and right onto the concrete outside the ring!

As Giulia struggles to get back up, she attempts to throw a punch, but Phantom retorts by smashing Giulia’s head into the floor again. It’s a repeat of last week’s attack, just as effective as the first time. It gives Phantom enough time to roll off, still a bit heavy on her feet from her newfound bruising, but it’ll do. She dips once again under the apron to see what’s in store for her, to explore the box of tricks MPW’s supplied for them. Something there catches her attention, given the slight tilt of her head, and she pulls out...

...a fucking airsoft gun. The crowd gasps as Phantom outright pulls it out, most of them confused at what application this might have. Phantom seems to already have something in mind, however. She turns around and rolls back into the ring, aiming it... upwards. There’s silence, save for the audience’s confused murmuring – what in the hell could she be trying to do? Phantom lines up the shot... and fires. There’s a loud pinging off something metal, as she rolls right back out of the ring…

One of the spotlights fall, crashing right where she stood. Cloaked in the new-found dark, Phantom revels in the mixed cheering and surprised cries. Most of the ring now is completely obscured, leaving her many an opportunity to emerge as if she’s freshly storming down the line.

What really proves to set the tone is the sparks coming off the spotlight. An errant few find purchase on the fabric of the mat, which quickly sets it all ablaze. Giulia stirs and begins to stand to the sight of Phantom approaching, orange and red flickering around her. The light of flame flickers off the ruined metal chair she drags behind her. It’s an imposing sight – as if the angel of death is storming before her, ready to finish the job.

It offers a much different impression from the woman who just wanted to wrestle, the woman who loved the industry to bits because her father brought her into it.

Phantom is a different beast entirely. And for a moment, that seems to intimidate even Giulia, who nervously backs away in an attempt to get a little further away from the flames, if not the woman who created them.

She’s too slow. Phantom latches on to the woman’s arm to drag her back into a ripcord lariat, sending her right back down to the concrete floor. Her instrument of divine terror is raised and is brutally driven into Giulia’s forehead. It cuts into her skin, crimson starting to pool down her face as the wreckage previously resembling a chair is tossed aside. It’s a waste of energy to carry, and a waste of time to swing. She can do better without it.

For this moment, the masked demon stands tall, drinking in the noise of the crowd. It’s a mix of cheers, boos, even some fear at the gall of everything. Maybe Phantom wasn’t kidding. Maybe Cass Saito really did die in the aftermath of that fateful day in Stardom.

Some would wonder what remains, if Cass was no longer there. Something more hollow, perhaps? A revenant, waiting to seek justice for sabotaging her career all those months ago? Something vengeful, unfit to rest until its unfinished business taken form is left spluttering for mercy? Perhaps something still breathing, still feeling, still alive – something hunting for the precise moment to stain its land scarlet.

Or maybe, just maybe, she's just really pissed off at one woman in particular.

Phantom wouldn’t be able to answer. She finds herself asking something more pivotal as she casts her resolve in molten steel with a deep, tempered breath: where the hell has Giulia gone?

The answer comes quick and hard: a brutal, blunt force square on the back of her head, sending her spiraling on to the floor. Like a spider that’s scuttled into the dark to avoid being splattered across a shoe, Giulia preyed on the darkness Phantom herself cast, lashing out in a precious moment of solitude. Another overdue retort for something turned against her earlier in this very match, something that splits her face with a cruel smile. As she drags Phantom away from the floor, she twirls around the twisted remains of what could once be called a chair. The battered steel scrapes against the ground just the same as the borderline carcass in her opposite hand, towards a rather innocuous block of cinder.

What little of the crowd can truly observe the spectacle is left in stunned silence, waiting to see if Giulia’s bloodthirst will shine enough to capitalize on it. She has full intent to, but only if she’s able to act in time: Phantom stirs, twisting her body around and driving her head into Giulia’s side. As she storms back to her feet, she’s completely beside herself. She was so sure Phantom was done for. Her incredulous stare is met with a mocking tilt of Phantom’s head, as she rushes forward to continue the battle. Giulia’s open strike is met with nothing, then a harsh kick to the thigh. Phantom’s follow-up kick off her back foot is sidestepped and kneed into, throwing her all the way off balance. Despite herself, she swings a wild punch into the dark and only barely staggers into something resembling a proper stance – only to meet nothing, and see no one. She’s not dealing with repeats. Not again.

As Giulia charges out of the shadows, Phantom ducks with an almost bored presentation, using the momentum to buck her up and over - clattering right back on the ground, right by the cinderblock. With the remnants of the chair, Giulia forces herself not quite up, but just enough to reach and take the brick into her free hand. Phantom approaches in her stead, staring down at a rather miserable sight. Bloody, teeth clenched so hard they damn well could shatter, Giulia “stirs”, waiting for just the right moment… … …

There.

She lashes out with the husk of the chair, catching Phantom in the stomach. As she doubles over, Giulia whips to her feet and smashes the cinder block directly into her opponent’s mask. She falls like a rock, back of her head thumping dully against concrete to follow suit from the front. That should be more than enough, she thinks. With how frequently both of them emerged from an unthinkable maneuver, however, she can’t allow room for any question. Once more, she takes the block into her hands, and drives it down onto Phantom’s face corner-first.

Crack. The mask splinters. The lens in her left eye is giving way, a jagged break carved through.

CRACK. A wide fault emerges across a diagonal. The crowd can barely look.

CRACK. A chunk is bitten out of plastic and metal with stone. It’s driven into flesh this time, she can see the red staining it.

Giulia sets the cinder block down, content with her handiwork. Phantom is splayed out, bleeding, broken. Doomed to have lost to Giulia again just the same as before. A wicked sunset paints the corpse and its curator from the previously lit inferno made of the mat, and on shaky knees she stands. Yes. Yes. This is what she deserved. To hammer the last nail into the coffin containing Phantom’s career, her hopes, her dreams. Just to spite her. She tried so, so hard to make herself anything again – something she couldn’t have even managed if she didn’t mangle her arm in the first place. And now, she’ll go straight back to square one, and that assumes she’ll even stay in the company.

… That’s something to celebrate later. She sculks off to collect one of the referees, luckily only a short jaunt away from the light that the brutal finale took place in. They’ve seen plenty, sure, but they couldn’t dare to intervene. Not in this light level, not with how merciless the women were to each other. For all they knew one of them would have flat out died if they made the effort. There’s a squabble only heard, as the cameras stay on the ruined body of Phantom. Is that it? Is there nothing more to it? Seconds drag on, blurring into the haze of minutes. The stadium’s eyes look for anything more than the shallow rise and fall of her chest, and just when Giulia comes to prove herself the victor…

She stirs.

No. No. That shouldn’t be possible. The crowd erupts in a frenzy, watching the corpse of Phantom reanimate itself with slow, measured movements. One hand at a time plants itself firmly on the ground, painstakingly working the rest of the body up. Splayed out, then on hands and knees. As she returns to her feet, she picks up the cinder block that nearly spelled her end just moments ago. Giulia stares incredulously, shock turned to a scathing mix of sorrow and fury. No, damn it, this was supposed to rip a hole in the playbook!

Of course, the beast in front of her disagrees. Her mask is split wide, revealing a dark smirk. Just above, blood drips down, and what little of the mask shields her face is one strong move from falling apart altogether. A harsh, piercing stare burns through Giulia’s soul from the lens she watched break in front of her. She’s too beside herself to move.

Wrong answer.

The block comes down hard on Giulia’s shoulder. Once, twice, thrice over, almost dislocating the arm altogether. A scuffed boot plants itself against her chest and sends her hurtling to the ground. Every motion is punctuated with a harsh, strained noise from Phantom. It’s bestial, not quite a growl but damn near close. Not enough for her tastes.

She sinks to her knees atop her downed target. Punches rain down with the force of shotgun blasts, each aimed with laser precision. A soft but palpable crunch affirms the breaking of her nose, though the blood flowing and staining her fists doesn’t let anyone else deny it. She takes Giulia’s head by the hair and mashes it into the concrete, all over again. If she could get away with it, she might try to wait for another crack there, too. Nothing comes of the venture, not enough to convince her.

So back she stands, wrenching Giulia up with her. It’s almost sad to watch, as Phantom mashes the mangled form that can barely stand without her holding her up into the corner of a table, against the stairs… she loops the mat, face cast in shadow by the fire on her opposite side. The heat is haunting, the dance of amber and ruby almost beautiful against the agonizing display. They loop the ring, until Phantom’s foot catches the chain that Giulia wrapped around her leg earlier in the match. She drops her right then, taking the chain… and holding it to the fire. The crowd’s beside themselves, mouths agape, most covered by a hand.

As the chain starts to mimic the fire’s light, Phantom removes its currant-red form and lashes it against Giulia. She swipes twice, across the face and chest. The cry of pain from Giulia affirms her suspicions. Not yet. But almost. With her free hand, she beckons a referee forward, using it to slam Giulia against the opposite side of the turnbuckle. There, Phantom takes the chain into her hands again, and…

Oh.

Oh. She wraps it around the turnbuckle and Giulia’s neck, starting to strangle what little life is left in her! The crowd breaks through the silence to roar in dismay and terror, watching Giulia struggle. Phantom stares on with her head tilted the opposite way, a callous expression on her face.

It’s too much. She can’t. She’s not going to die here. Her hand slaps against the mat in a frantic rhythm. She… she can’t. She can’t—

The pressure is released. Giulia slumps against the ground, dazed, weakly clutching at her throat. Phantom unceremoniously drops the chain on her head, slowly circling the ring once more with movements that carry the weight of far, far too much work for what was accomplished this night. She plods up the stairs, ducks through the lower and middle rope, and stands resolute. Barely able to hold herself aloft, the flames licking weakly at a body unwilling to bend to the whims of her once-sinister nemesis. Now, Giulia sits pathetic, irreparable.

Phantom hardly registers anything else. The crowd falls on deaf ears, as does the announcer who calls her the victor with a tone that fails to hide how truly unnerved they were. She’s numb to, but acknowledges, the raising of her arm in victory. A difficult task, with her body feeling like lead.

Damn it all, though. She won. She finished what she set out for.

… The brutality of it all feels so, so fucking cathartic.

[casspurrjoybell-25]

The Healer of Shakkara - Book One

*Warning Adult Content*

Chapter 29 - The Dwellers - Part 2

"It gets worse?"

Anira gestured to Korim and the old man rose stiffly.

With great care, he donned  a pair of thin, soft gloves and unrolled a large, rectangular piece of vellum, on which was a very old and detailed map.

Anira beckoned for them to gather for a closer look and those seated further down the table rose to obey.

Galen leaned over between the seats of two council members and peered at the map.

He had not seen many maps before and so had little idea what he was looking at but Triss had seen plenty.

"This is Sakkara," she said, frowning.

"The detail is extraordinary but the borders are all wrong. Look."

She pointed to a long, squiggly line separating one region from another but Korim batted her hand away.

"It is map of ancient Sakkara," he snapped.

"Incredibly rare and valuable. Possibly se only of its kind. Do not touch."

"You must forgive Korim," Anira said with a fond, if strained, smile.

"He takes his job quite seriously."

"As would you," Korim huffed.

"If you were tasked wis preserving and protecting se last relics of a lost world."

Sevhalim held up a hand.

"Wait a minute. 'Lost world?' 'Ancient Sakkara?' Are you talking about the Dwellers? Because they're a myth."

"Are they?" Anira raised her brows at him and pointed at the vaulted, carved ceiling overhead.

"You don't think a few dozen old members of The Hand built this place, do you? We found it. All we did was dust the cobwebs and update the furnishings."

"What are The Dwellers?" Behn asked nervously.

"Are they like the barrowlings?"

"No, not at all," Galen said.

For once, this was something he knew.

Among the precious books Harrald had brought him over the years, the old History of Sakkara had been the longest and most difficult to read.

Galen had read it several times, nonetheless and recalled an entire chapter on the Dwellers.

"They were an ancient race," he said.

"Most stood at least eight feet tall. They were very wise and loved beauty and knowledge. They mined rare minerals and metals and jewels from the earth and built their great halls, right into the mountains themselves," he trailed off, looking about the room with renewed wonder.

He had noticed that everything seemed a little too large, from the table and chairs to the doors and stairs and now it made better sense.

Sevhalim picked up where he'd left off but with a more skeptical tone.

"It is said they dwelt beneath the mountains, whole cities underground, lit by strange magic or strange inventions, perhaps and in hidden places such as this. That the Dwellers themselves or the Iryani, as they called themselves, existed is not in question, most of the stories about them, however, are exaggeration at best. If you could prove they built this place, it would be a stunning discovery."

"It proves itself," Anira said.

"Deeper in, there are chambers with walls covered in carvings that tell stories or recount histories, perhaps. It is not easy to decipher them and though there is writing as well, the Dweller language is largely lost. From what we can tell, however, this was a place of healing, a place with spiritual significance, where those in need of rest might come to restore themselves. There are other places like it, scattered along the mountains and beneath the mountains themselves lies the Dweller realm."

"Se entrances to which are hidden," Korim said.

"So zat only zose wis proper knowledge may enter. Zat is what se maps are for, we look for a way in and hope se barrowlings have not found one already."

Sev whistled.

"I see. If you're right and there are truly tunnels and passageways beneath the mountains, who knows how far the barrowlings might spread, how great their numbers might become or what troubles they might cause?"

Anira nodded.

"Indeed. To say nothing of what else we could discover. So, tell me, Sevhalim... who would be interested in lost Dweller knowledge and why would Rea, having come upon those maps and perhaps understanding their significance, immediately steal them and disappear?"

With a sigh, Sev circled back around the table and sat down in the chair opposite Galen's, beside Zenír, who had remained in his seat.

The others followed and for a moment the only sound in the room was the rustle of fabric and a few grunts as everyone retook their places.

Finally, Sev lifted his gaze and met Anira's, an unhappy turn to his lips.

"The Order," he said.

"While they claim it is the work of their own high mages, there is a legend, as I'm sure you're aware, that The Heart of Sakkara, 'The Jewel' beneath Jana Val, is a Dweller construct. If they thought they might find another or learn how to make more... That would outweigh even the importance of The P'Yrha, I think."

"So we have concluded as well," Anira said, as Korim carefully rolled up the ancient map once more.

"Let us assume, for the moment, that we are correct. You understand what a serious matter this is?"

Sevhalim nodded grimly.

"Those maps mustn't reach the Order, for the sake of the Haven, if nothing else."

"You know Rea best. Where will she go?"

"Straight to Jana Val by the fastest route," Sevhalim answered.

"At this time of year... I'd wager she'll make for the southern pass, steal a horse in Lastiff and ride hard up the valley plains to Tal P'Nir and from there to Jana Val. It's what we would have done if we had not risked this more northern route."

"How long will this journey take?" another council member asked. Sev considered.

"With the snows... two weeks to the southern pass, two more to reach Jana Val."

"Then we have time," another said.

"She's had more than a day's head start," Obi argued.

"Rea is tireless. We'll never catch her up, unless you have a sled and dogs like the Yotaim use."

"Sadly we do not," Anira said.

"However..." she looked around the table at each of the other members of the council, who each nodded once in turn, as if casting a silent vote.

Anira nodded last and continued.

"However, there may be another way, a way you could reach Sakkara faster and cut her off at Tal P'Nir."

"How?" Triss asked, eyeing the map with unease.

Anira smiled.

"I see you've guessed it already, perhaps. We were not merely looking for an entrance. We found one. After so many centuries the passage is blocked but we're very close to breaking through. Days... a week at most. If the tunnels beyond are intact, you may be able to cross the mountains with ease, arriving at Tal P'Nir well before Rea."

"If this 'Dweller Realm' is as extensive as you say," Sev said, frowning.

"We are more likely to become hopelessly lost."

Anira raised her brows and nodded at Korim, who held the roll of vellum.

"That is not the only map we found. There is another. And lucky for you, it is much more difficult to steal."

Galen looked to Triss and Behn and saw his thoughts mirrored on their faces.

Perhaps it was fortune of some kind but he did not feel lucky, at all.

[mochimelt]

Destiny-tober, #6: Regicide

Again, I wasn't around for the Taken King, so most of this comes off the Destiny wiki page. Wish I could've been there though, Oryx is terrifying in lore.

”Horizon!!!“

The man of that name sighed at the voice. The annoying, crackling voice on the other side of his door. He nearly dropped the relic in his hand, and almost crushed the brush in the other. Oh the things he'd do if this little annoyance caused him to break one of his precious research tools.

”Let me innn!!! I'm booooooored.“ Two small thumps sounded on the door. Horizon held his breath, maybe they would think he was gone and leave him be.

”I know you're in there!! Styx told me!!“

He rolled his eyes. His own Ghost, Scribe, flashed into existence beside him with a short bob.

”They know. Styx sent me a ping a couple minutes ago.“

Horizon batted away his metal companion. Scribe rolled in the air, disappearing back into the Light as the door to the lab opened, revealing the Exo on the other side.

”Horizon! I knew it!“ They rushed into the room and stood beside him, hands on the edge of his desk. ”What do you know about Oryx?“

Horizon raised a hand to silence them, opening his jaw, a retort to their witty comment on the edge of his tongue, but it never came. Instead, he froze, eyes watching them as they asked their question. He raised an eyebrow plate, slowly setting down the Hive relic in his other hand.

”What?“

”What do you know about Oryx? The Taken King?“ Risk asked once more, their blue eyes shining a faint glow on the table before them.

”I heard you, but what? You're not the type to be interested in these kinds of things. Why now?“

Horizon swiveled in his seat and waved a hand toward them. Risk was not a scholarly Warlock, absolutely not. Not like he was. They were a Warlock with the soul of a Hunter, a ball of impulsive energy waiting to burst out, to cause problems on purpose.

”Well.. I was on patrol on the outer giants when I saw the Dreadnaught. Cricket mentioned Oryx, but not much, and now I wanna know more.“

Horizon hummed. ”If you promise not to touch anything, I'll tell you.“

”Promise!“

Horizon grabbed their hands and pulled their grip off his table, glaring at them. They held their hands together with a shy chuckle. He couldn't help the tired sigh from his voicebox.

”Oryx was one of the original three Hive Sisters, the one who pioneered the Sword Logic. He was the oldest of his sisters, Savathun and Xivu Arath, and the one to make the pact with the Darkness that turned the Krill into the Hive.“

He paused for a moment to observe them. If they were confused, they hid it well, so he continued.

”By killing his worm, Akka, he was given the power to Take.“ Risk held back a laugh and he shot them a glare. ”Becoming the Taken King, any person and any race could succumb to his ability. They would die, an empty husk, a new body for him to add to his army.“

There was an empty look in their eyes.

”The Taken. The Blind Well? In the Dreaming City?“

He gestured toward them until their face lit up, snapping their fingers. ”Oh… right. Sorry. Continue?“

”Right.“ Horizon swayed in his chair, tapping his foot on the tile floor. ”Well Oryx had a couple children, the most well known being Crota. Crota was killed a long time ago by Guardians, and when news reached Oryx, he was enraged. He swore revenge for his son and made his way toward Sol. Our solar system.“

Despite their lack of knowledge, Risk looked genuinely interested in his words. They were captivated by his story, hanging on every word, fingers fiddling with the edges of their jacket. He couldn't hide the small smile that grew in the glow of his mouth.

”He arrived in our system in the Dreadnaught, as you know, a massive ship that also held his Throne World. This turned out to be his downfall though.”

“How?”

“Well, as you know, the Hive Gods can only be killed in their Throne Worlds.” He paused for a moment to let them process. “Savathun was taken down in her own Throne world, and Xivu was recently cut off from hers. Oryx is dead now, so..”

He waved a hand. It took a moment before it clicked in their mind.

“He was killed in his Throne World!”

Horizon nodded. ”If he hadn't brought his Throne World with him, we likely never would have won the war against him and his Taken army. His body was calcified in Saturn's orbit, his heart left behind, turned into a weapon by Eris Morn.“

”His logic, once steadfast and powerful, now broken and abandoned. Though I don't know which Guardian took him down, and Ikora refuses to tell me, whoever they are.. they refused to follow the ideas of the Hive.“ He paused for a moment, glancing at the artifact on his table. It was Hive, with various runes he had yet to decode carved on the surface, only one he recognized. The symbol for Oryx. ”Through the Sword Logic, this Guardian was to become the new Taken King, killing Oryx and taking his place. But.. they refused. They took his heart and left, abandoning the Dreadnaught, leaving the Taken leaderless, cracking the ideals of the Sword Logic to it's very foundation.“

“The Taken can never truly be killed. When shot, they return to the Ascendant plane to fight once more. Despite his death, Oryx remains immortal. His legacy lives on, through the infestation of Taken in our system, through the weapon his heart was molded into, through the corpse buried in the depths of Titan.”

Risk gasped. “Oryx was the fucking corpse we were standing on???”

“Wh— Yes, you didn't hear us screaming about it?” Horizon sat straighter, crossing his legs and resting a hand on the arm of his chair. “Over and over?”

“I was a little busy trying not to die to the moths!”

“Well, you were the one to crush the Ghost that would've been his, so technically you have a hand in keeping Oryx dead.”

Risk threw their hands up and let them fall limp, groaning and pacing in place. Several silent seconds passed.

“I understood barely any of that.”

“Of course you didn't.“ Horizon sighed. He rubbed his fingers into his temples, legs stretching as he stood from his chair, metal muscles stiff and tired.

”Come on, let's go out to eat. I've been working all day.”

He turned to the door and motioned for Risk to follow. It took a moment before they smiled widely, bounding across the room as he walked, back to their usual high energy self. He could worry about explaining the Hive when he wasn't hungry anymore.

[onepunchmiss]

Just in case anyone TOTALLY MISSED THIS LIKE I DID SOMEHOW, there's a OPM mobile game coming out September 16th (2019) called One Punch Man: Road to Hero

Its for iOS and android devices. It's a turn based card rpg that initially will cover events from season 1 of the anime, but season 2 will be added in a later update. The most exciting thing imo is that tt's going to feature over 50 characters?? Personally not my style of game butttttttt I'm going to die anyway probably.

EDIT: I forgot to mention but the original voice actors are reprising all of their roles for this as well which is actually pretty hype

[love-toxin]

scream my name - eddie munson

plot: you, eddie's precious angelface, are the lead singer of his favourite black metal band. and a chance meeting after your concert might pave the way for his dreams about you to become real.

cws: metalhead!reader, gn pronouns, blood, mentions of perfomatory self-mutilation, smoking, cigarettes, light sexual innuendos, no spoilers

wc: 1.7k

It's a wonder Eddie could even make his way through the crowd in the first place. The pit had been insane, and the performance itself was stellar--he loves your band as a whole, but his love for you is a lot deeper than that.

You're the poster child for the whole group. Not only are you unsettlingly pretty for the leader of a black metal band, but you're the one that's constantly coming up with new ideas for the shows, and if he hasn't seen them in person, you can damn sure bet he's heard the stories and forced the people telling them to retell them as many times as he can manage.

You've done the classics, smashing your guitars on stage and splintering the pieces across the crowd, but you moved on pretty quickly from that. Then it started getting even more intense--you've done everything from orchestrating stage fire to performing with barbed wire wrapped around your legs and tied down to the stage. Fans have told stories about your scars, about how you've even slit your hand open and got someone in the crowd to drink your blood, and Eddie wishes it could've been him. He's not sure if that one is true, but that hasn't stopped him from dreaming about it when he lays back in bed and blasts your music as he smokes and....does other things.

So to be in the audience for your shows is like…it's a spiritual experience. He's still in awe of it now, as people filter out while still cheering your name, but it dawns on him soon that since he's so close to the stage it's gonna take a pretty long time for him to get out and get going home–the drive here was long, and the drive back to Hawkins is gonna feel even longer so late at night. Lucky for him, his thief's eye catches sight of an unguarded door by the stage, and when he gets to the edge of the crowd he darts inside and lets it close behind him. Knowing venues like this, there's always a back door to get out into the alleyway. But once he makes it down the corridor lit by flickering fluorescent lights and turns the corner, he's taken by surprise by what, at first, he assumes is a security team.

But then, he sees you. Your bandmates are milling about ten feet further down near the real back door, but you're leaning against a doorframe that presumably leads to the lower area of the stage, taking a puff of your dwindling cigarette and staring off into the distance. And you're still covered in blood from the performance, the abundance of black leather in your outfit stained and crackly with what he only now realizes is most definitely real blood, so Gareth can shove his theory of you using the fake stuff up his ass. Your gimmick this time was to be showered by a waterfall of blood as you played your last set, and it had been glorious, the blood splashing all over the audience and making them look like a red sea of bodies as they sang along. So fucking cool, and he's fairly certain he at least got a little bit in his hair from where he had been standing himself.

But now, seeing you alone here, his first thought is to back away before he gets tackled by a bodyguard or something–but then your eyes meet, and to his absolute shock, you smile at him and wave him over.

"Heya, sweetheart. You liked the show?"

His steps are light, quick, but nervous. He's almost afraid to get within five feet of you, but the rest of your band don't bat an eye at him as he gets close enough to touch you. Eddie stares for a good, long few seconds just taking you in before he realizes that you asked him a question, and hurries to answer it.

"Loved it, I fucking loved it! It was…it was amazing. You're amazing."

Eddie breathes, barely able to comprehend the fact that you're even standing in front of him. You flick your cigarette butt away, your eyes never leaving his.

"Fuck yeah. I like to hear it."

God, your confidence is fucking hot. His crush on you isn't anything new to his friends and to anybody he can get to listen to your music, but those feelings flutter even more now that he's face to face with you. It's like he's falling in love all over again, the first time being when he heard your voice and saw you live on stage at his first concert of yours.

"I think I saw you cheering in the crowd, actually. I recognize the shirt."

You gesture towards the Hellfire logo with your curious eyes following suit, and he proudly sports a toothy grin before holding it out straight by the bottom, so you can get an even better look.

"Like it?"

"I love it. Very metal. What's your name, baby?"

Ohhhh, he just died. He might already be dead. He'd be happy dying right now, hearing the most metal person he's ever met calling him metal, and with a bit of stumbling over his words he manages to string together the letters of his own name. Luckily he hasn't forgotten.

"Eddie, huh?"

The way his name leaves your mouth, it's like…it's hard to explain. It's like hearing a voice in the summer breeze and turning around to find nobody there. It's enchanting.

"That's a nice name, sweetheart. Rhymes with a lotta stuff. Bet it would make for some good lyrics."

He's so entranced by you, your blood-covered face smeared in a thick layer of black makeup, that the pack of cigarettes and your signature lighter practically materialize in your hands. You pop one out with a smack and pull it out the rest of the way with your teeth, and when you gesture towards him with the rest, he quite happily follows suit and does the same to your obvious entertainment, if your grin when he does so is anything to go by. The box disappears back into your jacket, and you light the stick hanging out of your mouth with a flourish–and instead of lighting his the same way, you lean in and hover the end of your cigarette against his until it flickers into a flame. Fucking mercy.

"You wanna come to the afterparty, Eddie? Be my plus one?"

There's not even an ounce of a cough when you take a puff, the drag slow and smooth as you evaluate him for his answer. But not in the way that people at school around town often will–your stare is inquisitive, interested, and he can't sense any judgement from you even with your playful tone. You well and truly seem like a cool, relaxed person, so it makes it even less believable that he's actually being asked what he thinks he's being asked.

"Are you–are you serious?"

Your laughter comes as a surprise, and for the second that he thinks you really are just yanking his chain, he's still too in awe to think about anything but how much different it sounds. Your laugh is sweet and infectious, totally unlike the gritty, scream-filled songs that tear out of your lungs onstage.

"Serious as a heart attack. Don't have one, though--you're too cute to die."

You wink at him, your cigarette dangling as you reach into your back pocket and pull out a black handkerchief. With a couple wipes the dried blood comes off your cheeks and your forehead for the most part, leaving behind only streaks and crusted over bits around your hairline, along with smudging your makeup even more than it already was from your sweat. On anyone else it might be gross, but on you, it looks hot.

"Eddie, I don't invite just anyone. You're the first person to pique my interest in a while, and I wanna get to know you better. Maybe we can, y'know….collaborate."

The way that word flutters off your tongue makes him fidget and suck hard on his cigarette, his iconic rings twisting and tinging together so lightly that he would assume nobody would notice–but you do, and your gaze drops down…and stays down.

"Shit, I'll bring my guitar!"

"Oh, you play? Even better."

It takes him a second to understand what you're insinuating, and when he does, you turn your eyes back up and giggle at how red his face is getting. He just has to take another puff from his cig to try and hide his face in a cloud of smoke, but it's a feeble attempt at best.

You're so different from Hawkins, from everything about Hawkins. You're cool and you're hot, yes, but you're also just…special. You had every right to stomp on him or flat-out kick his ass to the curb, but you seem so interested and he can tell that you genuinely enjoy listening. For a lead singer, you seem to be much more of a listener than a talker. And you're just so kind, and unapologetic, and he thinks he's in love. He is in love. This has to be what it feels like, because he can't imagine anything feeling any better than this.

But as you're sharing a contemplative and almost romantic gaze, both your heads swivel at the sound of your manager, with a deep and crackly smoker's voice, barking at you to get yourself and your gear outside and into the van.

"Cool your ass, dickhead! C'mon, Eddie. Let's go, yeah?"

A little irritated that you have to throw away your cigarette without finishing it, you drop it to the ground and crush it with a black boot while Eddie does the same…and silently wishes it was him underneath your heel. You kick off the doorway you've been leaning on and the two of you head down the corridor towards the open door, a spray-painted hippie van idling while your mates pile their gear inside. And before you get there he feels a brush against his hand, and looks down to see you sliding your own inside his to squeeze it. It sends a fluttering feeling into his heart, and the sensation drops right into his groin when you lean over to whisper into his ear.

"Good boy. I can't wait to hear you sing for me."

[thornsnvultures]

make you whole ♡

Bucky Barnes x fem!Reader

summary: "What do you have?!" "A knife!" "No!!!"

warnings: knife injury, blood mention, all pretty tame but I'd rather be safe then sorry

words: 725

a/n: this is my submission for @real-jane 's #HealingHandsChallenge in celebration of her hitting 725 followers 🥰 I hope you like it, Kate, it was so hard for me to stop at 725 lol (maybe I'll write the smutty follow up to this down the line 🥴) Kate, I adore your writing. The way you have with words never fails to take my breath away, there's always new sides I see of you with every story you post and I hope we keep getting to see more and more. Thanks for including me in this, girlie, I had a lot of fun 💖 (like god I cranked that out in 2hrs. umm mom are you proud of me?? I made a moodboard who am i??)

18+ BLOG, MINORS DNI. IF YOU INTERACT AND YOU DON’T HAVE YOUR AGE VISIBLE ON YOUR BLOG YOU WILL BE BLOCKED. 18+ BLOG, MINORS DNI.

"Aren't you supposed to be some kinda elite knife murder…man? How did you accidentally cut yourself?" The stupid paper wrapper won't come off of the bandaid and it's driving you nuts. Stupid manicure, you huff to yourself and rip the paper open with your teeth. Thankfully one of the caterers had some bandaids in their bag but the character options were abysmal and apparently their packaging was military grade tough.

"So eloquent, doll." Bucky drolls sarcastically. "You're just a vision in white and I got distracted."

"Or, you were goofing around with Steve again. I told you not to play with knives around him anymore, he's a bad influence. And on our wedding day, too,' you shake your head, "unbelievable."

Bucky watched you struggle with a smirk on his face. He would ask if you wanted help but you growled, actually growled, last time. "You shouldn't be patching me up, I'll get blood on your dress."

"You're not gonna get blood on my dress."

"It'll be healed up in an hour anyway."

"That doesn't mean you don't deserve to be taken care of, Bucky!"

Your eyes meet over the Paw Patrol bandaid, now opened, paper partially peeled off in your hands.

"Sorry for snapping."

Bucky doesn't answer right away, letting you finish making sure his thumb has gotten the dire medical attention it needed. He smiles, admiring your handiwork.

"You do an amazing job taking care of me, doll."

"Of course I do. I love you, Buck. Or I wouldn't be here in this big silly dress." Your arms flail around you at the pile of tulle you're currently swamped in on the floor in front of him.

"I know, sweetheart."

You grab hold of his hand once again, press a quick, light kiss to the blue police dog taped to Bucky's thumb and and smile. "So cute."

"Y'know that's gonna show in our wedding pictures."

"Oh now you care about wedding pictures, Bucky?"

"No, but you care. You know if it was up to me we would've had our trio of idiots escort us to the courthouse and gotten this done in 20 minutes." He's right. Sam had even offered to drive.

"But don't I look pretty, Buck?" You bat your eyelashes, like anyone could ever describe you as coy, and Bucky snorts out a laugh. His calloused hands cradle your face like you're made of something delicate and precious and maybe you are, to him. It's why you're here in a large storage closet surrounded by white folding chairs and tables putting a silly little cartoon bandaid on his thumb instead of out there celebrating with your extended family. You're precious to him in ways he never thought he'd deserve. Delicate in how someone else's love could hold you up and in and wrap around you so nothing spills and you're whole. His thumbs, one metal one...plastic and sticky, caress your cheeks in soothing circles as he stares at you, lost in thought. You could go for a nap, waiting for him to come back to you, but he never took too long.

"We should get back." The low timbre of his voice sends shivers up your spine.

"We should."

"You do look beautiful by the way." Bucky plucks at the strap strategically placed over your shoulder and something in you wants him to keep pulling until there's nothing left.

"So I've heard. From you. About every five minutes."

"But it's true, doll." He runs his rough fingers down your arm and you feel like you're already shaking under him, about to fall apart. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"That you stabbed yourself so you could sneak me away and have your way with me in a broom closet?"

"Wha- no! Haha! What kinda lunatic do you think I am, sweetheart? I-," he coughs and clears his throat, "okay, maybe."

"Good," you smile with a tilt of your head, feeling his thick thighs tense under your fingertips. "'Cause I'm dying to get out of this dress. How long do you think Nat and Steve can hold off the angry mob when they realize we ditched the party?"

"Who cares, I wanna have my way with my fuckin' wife. Now let me help you get-"

You wince when you hear something tear in his hands.

"Careful, grandpa, we just got you patched up."

[slytherbun]

confession

pairing: jay halstead x reader

summary: you find yourself in some trouble while clearing a location with your partner jay.

word count: 2.8k

tags: @specialagentsoftie @fighterkimburgess @everythingaddictxx

note: different kind of pd fic then i'm used to but hope y'all like it! ☺

"we're eight minutes out. don't go in yet." voight said into the mic but you and jay had already entered a second too late.

jay's been your partner for almost a year now. the one he had before you was a blonde named hailey that took a position from the fbi.

when you first met him it was about a month after the previous detective left and you could tell he was obviously still in denial. you gave him space and only input your opinion about cases you worked on with intelligence.

it took about three weeks until he actually said anything besides the occasional comment. and he knew deep down that you weren't trying to replace her. but since you were together a lot during the week—jay couldn't help but make his own conclusion about you.

he started to open up more when he looked past the stubbornness after concluding that you were a decent person. for a moment there, you could have sworn he was having an out of body experience with how nice he started treating you.

jay started to invite you out to drinks on a periodic basis. he wanted to explore the possibilities of having you as his permanent partner. one night after a couple of drinks, jay was in a good mood and showed you a picture of his old partner.

the two of them were standing in front of their new work truck with bright smiles on their faces. he talked about her a lot after that night as a way of meeting you half-way. and by the end of that month—it was as if you physically knew her and who she was as a person.

the both of you hit it off pretty well and became friends. even as far as, having drinks every tuesday and thursday after work at molly's—the firefighter owned bar.

jay mumbled a curse at the order voight gave but it was already too late. "get behind me." he spoke in a hushed whisper. not wanting to argue in that particular moment you did as told.

detective halstead had his gun raised and in a firm grip around his fingers before stepping further into the house. you followed his position and warily stepped more into the creaky house.

luckily the both of you had vests already on and around your chests. the material easily gave you a visual view of his arm muscles around the freckles splayed across his biceps.

right away you spotted the cans of spray paint sitting on the concrete living room floors. crude words were traced along the four walls and you couldn't help but scrunch your nose at the horrid smell.

it only had you raising your pistol higher.

while you glanced around to survey the room closely, you couldn't help but notice the gang symbols that you were familiar with. due to the cpd database you knew at least three different affiliations drawn over the wood boarded windows.

the overused drug house looked like something out of a horror movie.

"clear." he grunted between paced cautious breaths and you continued to walk behind his careful steps around the garbage to venture into the main hallway of the house.

jay stopped at the entryway and you turned back around to double check the area once again while he scanned the front view where you and he needed to go.

both sides of the hallway were clear but he made sure his gun was raised and followed every inch of the hallway space that he inspected.

you felt a tap on your waist and turned back around to see jay was still facing forward. he probably hadn't noticed the spot he touched of your body but it still sent shivers down your spine with the intimacy of it.

but you pushed away the anxiousness to check and see what was bothering jay. the only thought you should be having right now is how to get out of the dangerous position.

the hallway was full of open and vulnerable space. a clear point of range that could be taken advantage of to take either you or jay out at any time.

jay was concerned for you. he couldn't help the anxious feeling that he had in the pit of his stomach. the unknowingness ahead in the crack house irked him greatly that he couldn’t predict what was about to happen.

the walls of the hallway smelled highly metallic and if that hadn't given it away, the walls were filled with fresh blood splatter. you gulped at the sight of the bright red handprints going down the length of the hall and glanced at jay from the corner of your eye with an eyebrow raised.

he sighed and nodded his head while pointing his gun to the left to signal the continuance of moving on. you bit the bottom of your lip and tipped your head to let him know you were ready to go.

turning your body in a three hundred sixty angle, you watched his back and felt the hairs on the back of your neck lift up in a static gesture. you could also feel goosebumps all over your arms and you just wanted to hurry up and get out of there.

it was truly the most awful scene you've ever been to. with everything you had—you kept yourself together and calm. your lips were in a straight line the whole time.

you should have known with the uneasy feeling that things were going wrong within a split second. and you were right because after jay turned just slightly he felt a gun being pressed against his forehead.

“put your guns down or else i’m going to blow his head off.” an angered voice said into the echoey hall.

not believing what was happening, you turned your body to survey the area and another man came into your view and held his gun higher. “‘tsk tsk’ miss. hand me that gun or else we’re going to have problems.” jay sighed from behind you and you rolled your eyes.

“i’m not putting down shit until you tell me your demands.” you said maybe a little too cockily but it was protocol.

voight had told the team plenty of times to stall and not give up your gun at first. in hopes that the other’s would show up and it would become a better outcome if you just continued talking to the person who was a threat.

a third one appeared and now you were officially outnumbered but you were still hoping they were dumber than they looked. the one that was pressing a firearm to your partner’s temple spit out, “listen lady. you either put your weapon down or else his brain matter will be just another body that was paved across the walls of this house.”

you tried to calculate in your head quickly if you should take the risk of surrendering. voight said they were eight minutes out. and if you’ve been in the house for almost four minutes now.

that was half the time left until they were going to show but then those few precious minutes would be enough time for literally anything.

sometimes you hated being a part of the police force. how could you ever know the correct answer and outcome within a split second of your life? could anybody be capable of that? whatever choice you decided to take would be the outcome.

you knew you wouldn’t be able to live without jay as your partner and in your life. and his blood would be on your hands if you didn’t surrender now. a shaky breath fell past your lips when you clicked the safety back on and handed it to one of them.

of course they used your gun against you and headbutted you with it. little black spots were in your vision before it completely knocked you out. you just hoped the intelligence team would be able to find you and jay.

it would be your fault and you’d feel guilty until your last breath if they didn’t.

you weren’t sure how much time had passed but a hard slap against your cheek woke you up. a blood trail still continued to trickle down your forehead and you winced at the feeling of an awful beating in your eardrums. “wake up sleeping bitch.”

you tried to speak but instead you coughed at the buildup in your throat. not being able to help yourself, in a snarky tone you replied. “i thought it was sleeping beauty?” that earned you another slap that ensured fingerprints across your cheek but you weren’t feeling any regret about it.

“now shut up and answer my next question.” he inputted before you could interrupt again. you looked at him with a devious grin and he rolled his eyes in annoyance. “what were you looking for in that house?”

when you leaned forward, you realized the reason why you couldn’t move was because your arms were tied behind your back. but nonetheless you leaned forward encroaching in his space enough to feel his breath span out against your red cheek.

“as if i’d tell you.” your defiance had him pushing your head back forcefully so you hit the concrete behind you, feeling as if a baseball bat hit your skull.

he smirked at your uncomfort. “perhaps a little visit with your boyfriend will help you come to understand that i don’t mess around. if you don’t give me an answer—my boys won’t hesitate to put a bullet straight through his head.” your only reply was a silent one.

spitting blood onto his shoes and he cursed before grinning again. “yeah that’s what i thought.” turning his head towards the door, he yelled. “bring the pretty boy in!”

your shoulders immediately dropped when they entered the room. the other two men from earlier were dragging jay into the room and disposed of his body roughly on the ground in front of you. if it weren’t for his chest rising up and down faintly then you would have thought he was dead.

both of his eyes were already swollen and you knew he would have two black eyes for weeks, dried blood dripped down his face and you didn’t even want to look at the rest of his body. despite the fact he was wearing clothes, you knew he had many internal problems that would need only the care a hospital could provide.

“j-jay?” you stuttered at the sight of him.

he kept blacking out and struggled to stay awake. jay had been counting his breaths to make sure he had enough air circulating through his body. cracked ribs were no joke and he could only groan to let his favorite person know that he was still holding on.

“you think beating people is the only answer? violence?” you glanced around the room and glared at the three with a venomous look. they shared similar smiles hearing how hoarse your voice was.

“i hope my team finds you all and you rot!” the two that brought jay in walked away and the one that talked to you a few moments ago stood and looked down at you. saying one more thing before walking out the door and shutting it. “and i hope next time i come in here—you’ll feel more generous and tell me what you were up to. if you don’t then our pretty boy here will die as promised.”

as soon as he left the room, you started rubbing your arms up and down the wall in hopes that the binds around your wrists would break off. “y/n.” jay mumbled. you didn’t even notice he had turned his face and you shushed him. “don’t open your eyes jay. it’ll be okay, i promise.”

he tried again. “y-y/n. i need to t-tell you something.” jay’s lip was busted and bruised. he hissed at the pain. “you don’t need to tell me anything. we’re getting out of here, detective halstead.” you stated with confidence and continued to run your hands up and down despite the sting of your wrists.

jay had a feeling earlier this morning that something bad would happen. his gut had told him something and he wished he hadn’t ignored it. but he can’t always follow everything, especially when they didn’t even have their case yet. but of course after finding out the hard way, this case was bad.

he knew it and it still put you in harm's way but jay had to tell you how he felt just in case it did go the way he was hoping it wouldn’t. “i don’t care if i need to keep my strength right now. listen to me please.” he pleaded and you finally stopped, turning to glance at his face.

jay was squinting and the visual of his state had your stomach churning.

“y/n i haven’t been completely honest with you and i need to tell you this. i’ve wanted to for a while now, but i just couldn’t find the right moment to.” it was getting to the point where you were desperately trying to keep together. and now that he wanted to confess a deep secret that he’s held close to his chest, the whole thing just had you hysterical.

jay frowned when you started laughing. he tried to scoot closer but the pain he felt was significant. it was just one of those situations where it wasn’t an appropriate response but you couldn’t help yourself either.

he noticed the tears falling down your cheeks while watching you quiet down. a reaction like this didn’t surprise your partner so he didn’t blame your outburst in the least. “i’m s-sorry. i’m sorry.” you muttered and tilted your head to both sides.

you looked back over to jay after successfully wiping more than half of the tears on your sleeve. and for a moment he just gazed into your eyes with his blue ones. a look that you couldn’t decipher nor describe appeared across his face but he seemed to snap out of whatever he was thinking.

jay cleared his throat and continued with what he was about to say earlier. “it’s okay y/n. but i need you to know that i don’t blame you in the slightest for what went down in that house. i would have done the same exact thing because i love you.”

it was like time stopped and you couldn’t speak even if you wanted to. after all of that time you spent with jay. him wanting nothing to do with you, then becoming your acquaintance, somewhat of a real friend and he loved you?

“you really love me?” you questioned. not being able to believe what was coming out of his mouth. you wondered if the three men drugged him and he was high or delusional. a grunt came out his mouth at the current aching pain he felt all over his body.

“yes y/n, i love you so much. if i could, i’d be over there right now and giving you a hug. then i’d lean down and give you a kiss that i’ve been wanting to give you for months now.”

that honesty from him had you laughing, “months? me too. i’ve wanted to kiss you for almost the whole year that i’ve known you.” you replied with the same amount of honesty he had given you.

“yeah, y/n. it’s probably going to be a year soon but i meant what i said. i really do love you and i’m sorry we’re in the situation that we’re in now. i wish i could protect you from this.” before you could reply the two of you heard gunshots outside of the room. “shit! i hope that’s them.” you mumbled and jay nodded as best as he could.

the door banged open and hit the wall. you almost peed your pants with how happy you were to see kevin and adam surveying the room. “clear!” kevin announced and then walked over to you and jay. adam spoke into the radio, “5021 ida. we have officers down and need two ambos rolled to our location.”

after kevin ripped the binds from your wrists, you crawled over to jay even though your arms were killing you. another tear fell down your cheek when you got up and close to him. he looked awful but now that the two of you were safe, he could begin to heal soon enough. “jay.” he made a ‘hmm’ sound due to the exhaustion he was feeling.

“i love you too.” you finally said and he smiled. you leaned down to brush your lips against his carefully. “after all of this is done. i’m going to give you a proper one.”

you winked and he grinned and responded while the medics rolled in. “we have plenty of time in the world now.”