#and then suddenly stopping and half-pulling over once we got out of the rain

[2amriize]

˚⟡˖ cuddling with RIIZE

ᡣ𐭩 masterlist genre fluff pairing bf!riize x reader

ᯓ★ SHOTARO

Shotaro had spent the entire day out, as he had been rehearsing all day. You had the day off, so you stayed at home, enjoying some time to yourself. When Shotaro got home, you were already in bed, half asleep, as it was past dinnertime when he arrived.

While you were lying on your side, you felt his arms wrap around you, his body pressing against yours. His head rested on your shoulder, and you opened your eyes slightly.

"Did you just get home, baby? How was rehearsal? Did you have dinner...? Do you want me to make you something? I can…"

"Shhh... Don’t worry, I just want to hold you for a bit. I'll eat something later. You can go back to sleep, honey."

He whispered near your ear as he pulled you closer, caressing your hips while both of you closed your eyes. It felt so good to be in his arms that you quickly drifted back to sleep.

ᯓ★ EUNSEOK

It had been a really long day. Well, not just a day, but an entire week. It was Friday, and you had worked more hours than usual that week. You hardly had any time to rest, and you hadn’t even had the chance to see Eunseok, so you were really looking forward to spending Friday night with him.

When you arrived at his place, Eunseok greeted you with open arms and a smile, leaving a soft kiss on your lips. Still hugging, he led you to the sofa, where you both lay down. He knew perfectly well how exhausted you were, so he kept holding you, covering both of you with a blanket.

“It’s been tough, hasn’t it, princess?” he whispered, gently stroking your hair.

Your faces were only a few inches apart as you looked at each other. After a few seconds, you rested your head on his chest while he continued to stroke your hair, putting on a gameplay video on the TV.

ᯓ★ SUNGCHAN

You and Sungchan were training at the gym. It was quite late at night, which was your favorite time to go since there were usually very few people, but that day, the gym was completely empty.

When Sungchan finished his last set, he walked over to you, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you close.

"Sungchan, I’m all sweaty..."

"So what? I am too. I don’t care, I need to recharge."

He said, resting his head on top of yours, closing his eyes a bit. You smiled, looking at him through the mirror, gently caressing his arms as he tightened his grip on you. You leaned your head against his arms, continuing to stroke him, feeling him relax too much.

"Sungchan, you're going to fall asleep."

Hearing you, he opened his eyes, which looked a little tired, and glanced at you, confused.

"Let’s go home, baby, your caresses have relaxed me too much..."

ᯓ★ WONBIN

You had lunch plans with Wonbin, and you went to a sushi restaurant you both loved. After eating, you had planned to visit a beautiful park you had recently found, but suddenly the sky filled with clouds, and it started raining heavily.

Wonbin didn’t want your date to end there, so he suggested heading back to his place to watch a movie. Once you arrived, you noticed that Wonbin couldn’t stop yawning. You knew he had had a tiring week, so it wasn’t surprising that he was exhausted.

“How about we take a nap?”

Wonbin’s eyes lit up when he heard you, and in less than a second, both of you were lying in bed. Wonbin loved cuddling with you, resting his head on your chest, as his favorite thing was when you stroked his hair.

And that’s what you did. While he gently ran his fingers over your stomach, hugging you, you slowly stroked his hair, just the way he liked it. He fell asleep faster than you expected, which you found so adorable that you considered taking a picture.

ᯓ★ SEUNGHAN

Seunghan loved being cuddled up with you. He loved being physically close to you at any moment, in any place. He just loved having you in his arms. It reassured him to know you were safe and with him.

You also loved how Seunghan held you, always leaving kisses on your cheeks and looking at you with that cat-like smile you adored.

But there was one particular cuddling moment that was your favorite, and he couldn’t deny it. It was the aftercare moment. Sometimes you thought Seunghan was too sweet to be real. He always made sure you were okay and comfortable, staying wrapped around you for as long as you needed.

He loved softly caressing your body, leaving kisses on your neck and fixing your hair. He could spend hours looking at you and telling you how beautiful you were and how much he loved you. But he always ended up falling asleep after making sure you were comfortable and well.

ᯓ★ SOHEE

You and Sohee both loved video games, but what you loved more was playing video games together. Recently, you had bought a two-player multiplayer story mode game for the PlayStation, and you both had become hooked.

But it wasn’t just playing games with your boyfriend that you enjoyed, it was the way you played together. It’s worth mentioning that Sohee wasn’t usually very touchy most of the time, but when you were playing video games, he always let you sit between his legs while he hugged you.

You loved lying with your head resting on his chest and his arms wrapped around you, it was so comfortable. And every time you cleared a level, he’d plant a kiss on your cheek with a big smile, which you found incredibly sweet.

ᯓ★ ANTON

Cuddling with Anton was like a dream. Everyone knew how tall Anton was, but you really felt how big his torso was whenever you hugged him or he hugged you.

It wasn’t uncommon for Anton to be hugging you, as he loved physical contact, especially with you. Most of the time when you were together, Anton would be giving you a back hug while you played with his hands.

But you had a favorite cuddling moment with Anton. It usually happened when you got home after dinner and spent the night together. Tired, Anton would always lie down on the bed, and when you saw him, you’d lie down on top of him. His arms would always wrap around your entire back, pressing you against his body while you both smiled at each other.

You would often stay like that for a while, playing with his hair or gently stroking his face as you talked or shared a few kisses before resting your head on his chest.

ᡣ𐭩 masterlist

taglist: @regularsuh @gacktsa @totheseok @kkumistars @taroddori

@enhacolor @ladylilith @electric-hearts @astrobymarwa @layluv123 @sunflowers1610 @nctrawberries

[antonsbf]

Unspoken

chapter 2- once more to see you

⤷ summary: a slow-burn, emotional story about childhood friends torn apart by time and dreams—only to meet again years later as rising stars in the spotlight. Between secrets, past feelings, and second chances, they learn that some things never really fade.

⤷ pairing: idol/actor!ni-ki x actor!male reader

⤷ wc: 1.5k

⤷ warnings: heavy angst! slow-burn! secret feelings! yearning male reader! childhood friends!

⤷ read chapter 1 read chapter 3

"it's not like i'm going to disappear. we'll still talk. i'll be back soon enough, i promise."

that had been the promise he swore he wouldn’t break. the one i clung to long after he turned and walked away that night by the creek. even when other words were spoken, and even after time pulled us apart, it was that single vow that stayed with me—the last real thing i had to hold onto.

he had been the person i grew up with. the one who had always been there, even when nothing needed to be said. the one who made me laugh through the rough patches and somehow always knew exactly how to push my buttons when i needed it. the one who, without even trying, felt like home.

and maybe that’s why it hurt so much—because even when everything else faded, that promise never did. not for me.

✦ ✦ ✦

five years later. five years and ni-ki had become a memory i tried not to touch too often.

life had a way of moving on even when you didn’t want it to. and somehow, without meaning to, i learned how to live with the space he left behind.

at first, it was little things, his contact slipping lower and lower down my favorites list. the empty spot beside me at the creek the summer after he left. the inside jokes that stopped making sense because no one else was there to laugh with me. the days where i'd reach for my phone without thinking, fingers hovering over his name, only to pull back and pretend it didn’t sting.

then bigger things, the day i realized i didn’t know what song he was obsessed with anymore. or whether he still cracked his knuckles when he was nervous. or if he even thought about me at all. whether he still missed the way our hometown smelled after it rained, or if he remembered the way we used to sneak out just to sit under the stars and talk about stupid dreams.

he had been chasing a dream, and i-i had been left behind trying to figure out what mine even was.

sometimes, when it got really quiet, i could almost imagine he was still here. that if i closed my eyes long enough, i could hear his laugh from down the hall. feel the familiar thud of his sneakers against the wooden porch steps. catch the scent of fresh grass and summer sweat and the cheap cologne he used to over-spray before every "big moment" in his life.

sometimes, i hated how easily i could still conjure him.

✦ ✦ ✦

acting wasn’t something i’d planned. it wasn’t like i woke up one morning and thought, hey, i want to be a bl actor.

it just... happened.

a friend dragged me to an open audition when i was nineteen. "you've got the face for it," they'd joked, shoving a script into my hand. i didn’t even take it seriously at first—just read the lines, half-laughing, not thinking anyone was actually paying attention.

but someone had been. someone saw something i didn’t even know i was showing.

the first role was small. background. hardly more than a name in the credits. but it led to another. and another. and suddenly, somehow, i was y/n, rising bl actor with a growing fanbase and a face that people started recognizing on the street.

funny how that worked. when i was a kid, i used to think the only way to matter was to stay next to ni-ki. now people screamed my name at fan meetings, shoved letters into my hands, told me i saved them without even knowing it.

i smiled through it all. smiled for the cameras. smiled for the fans. smiled for the interviews where they asked me about "first loves" and "inspirations" and i lied through my teeth because the real answer was someone who hadn’t even seen me become this person.

and yet... none of it ever really filled the space he left.

there were nights i would come home after a long shoot, collapse onto my bed, and stare at the ceiling, feeling like a stranger in my own life. nights where the applause felt deafening but the silence afterward was worse. nights where i wondered if he would even recognize me now.

✦ ✦ ✦

i wasn’t bitter. at least, that’s what i told myself. bitterness was too ugly of a word. i was just... realistic now. ni-ki was never coming back to the life we had. not really. fame changes people. time changes people. and maybe the worst part was that he wasn’t the villain. he hadn’t broken his promise on purpose. life just... pulled him too far away for promises to keep.

and me? i survived.

i built a life out of auditions and scripts and interviews where i smiled too brightly and told polished stories about my dreams. i learned how to cry on cue, how to fake laughter, how to pretend a love story was real when the cameras were rolling and forget it the moment they cut.

i was good at pretending. maybe too good.

✦ ✦ ✦

when my manager handed me the new script, i didn’t think much of it. another bl drama. another love story. another faceless co-star to pretend to fall for.

i flipped through the pages on the ride home, half-distracted, until i hit the name. the stage name at the top of the character list. a name i hadn’t heard in too long. but one that felt like it had been carved into my ribs.

nishimura riki. his real name. not a character. not a role. him.

at first, i thought i was hallucinating. or maybe someone else just had the same name. but a quick search confirmed it: ni-ki. idol turned rising actor. making his debut in the very same project i’d just signed onto. of all the projects. of all the people. of all the times.

life had a funny way of laughing at you when you thought you’d finally moved on.

✦ ✦ ✦

the first day of rehearsals felt like waiting for a storm you knew was coming.

i spent the morning getting my makeup done, my hair styled, my outfit prepped. i laughed when the staff joked. smiled for behind-the-scenes cameras. played the part of "friendly, easygoing y/n" so well i almost believed myself.

but under it all, my hands wouldn’t stop twitching. my heart wouldn’t stop pounding. i told myself it didn’t matter. that it had been five years. that he probably barely remembered me.

but when the director finally called for rehearsal and i turned around there he was.

ni-ki.

older now. taller. still awkward in the way he shifted his weight from foot to foot. still ni-ki in the way his mouth tilted into a half-smile the second he saw me.

he looked like someone i used to know and someone i hadn’t met yet, all at once. familiar and foreign and terrifying. and all at once, it hit me like a punch to the chest: all the years i spent trying to forget, trying to move on, trying to survive, none of it worked. because the second our eyes met, it was like no time had passed at all.

✦ ✦ ✦

"hey," he said, voice deeper than i remembered.

i swallowed hard. my mouth opened, but no words came out.

there were a thousand things i could have said. "you left." "you broke your promise." "i missed you." "i hate you for not missing me back."

but all that came out was, "...hey."

the director called us over before either of us could say anything else. we fumbled through the first rehearsal, stiff and awkward. the kind of awkward that had nothing to do with inexperience and everything to do with all the things between us left unspoken.

when the scene ended, ni-ki glanced at me. his mouth opened like he was going to say something.

but the staff swarmed us with notes and touch-ups and schedules before he could.

and maybe that was a mercy.

because i wasn’t sure if i was ready to hear whatever he had to say. or worse, what he wouldn’t.

✦ ✦ ✦

later, as i sat alone in the makeup room, wiping off the fake sweat from a fake emotional scene, i caught sight of myself in the mirror. i looked the same as always. polished. put together. exactly the way the world expected me to be.

but inside, i was thirteen again, knees scraped from climbing trees, laughing until i couldn't breathe while ni-ki teased me about losing another race. i was seventeen again, heart pounding too fast when we held hands under the summer stars. i was eighteen again, standing by the airport window, watching the boy i loved walk away, too scared to ask him to stay.

time was supposed to heal things. wasn’t it?

so why did it feel like the wound had just been ripped wide open all over again?

i leaned forward, resting my forehead against the mirror, letting the cool glass soak up the warmth of my skin. i told myself to breathe. to be patient. to remember that this was just another scene. just another project. just another co-star.

but no matter how much i lied to myself, the truth was simple.

he was here.

he was real again.

✦ ✦ ✦

taglist: @kaiyunsim @deliousberry @arequiem4u  @yourmaple17 <33 (leave a comment to be added for future chapters)

[luxaofhesperides]

Dancing in the rain ; requested by @wandixx!

He hadn’t been expecting the Signal to chase after him. It is, after all, well after midnight, and he had seen the vigilante out earlier during the day. 

Maybe the Bats are understaffed tonight, he muses as he leaps over the rooftops, a wild grin on his face. Being on the other side of a chase is a lot of fun, he’s discovering. He can see why Selina enjoys it so much.

Though, it probably has to do more with who’s chasing her than it is the chase itself.

But Danny’s become a bit of an adrenaline junkie after a few years of being a hero, fighting ghosts and governments. He’s not a hero anymore, especially not in Gotham, but being Catwoman’s partner in crime is way more fun than being responsible for everyone’s safety.

It’s like he’s doing anything bad, either. Selina can steal whatever she wants; if they couldn’t protect things against her, then should they really have it? Danny doesn’t focus on jewelry or gems. No, he takes ghost artifacts or items contaminated with ectoplasm back to the realms where they won’t cause problems to any humans. There are enough ecto-contaminated people in this world, solely from Amity Park. Best not to let that number grow.

So here he is, leaping over rain-slicked rooftops and only using a little bit of flying to keep ahead, holding a cursed pocket watch that a ghost had requested he return to them, with the Signal chasing after him, disappearing into shadows and popping up unexpectedly. 

“Stray! Get back here!” Signal yells, and Danny takes a moment to spin on his heel to face the vigilante to stick his tongue out at him, then backflips away.

“I didn’t even steal anything important!” he returns, tossing the pocketwatch in the air ahead, then jumps up to catch it and scales his way up to the roof of the next building. 

“Seriously,” Signal says, suddenly in front of him. “Stop running and we can talk this out.”

“Woah!” Danny tries to get around him, trips over his own feet, and crashes into the Signal’s chest. 

“Careful, there.” He looks up to see the Signal’s smile, and he absolutely can not be blamed for having his half dead heart skip a beat. He’s in the arms of a hero who’s smiling at him so sweetly, what’s a guy to do? “Ready to talk now?”

Danny goes intangible for a moment, smoothly sliding out of the Signa’s grip. “Nope,” he grins, starting up the chase once again.

The rain isn’t very strong, and the drops feel cool against his face as he runs, getting a little more air with each jump as he uses more of his flight to keep ahead. He can hear the Signal chasing after him again, heavy footsteps that start and stop unpredictably as he travels between shadows. 

Just to be safe, Danny stashes the pocket watch inside his chest, leaving his hands free to grab onto the rough brick of the walls and scale them up, aiming to go higher and higher. Maybe if he finds a good building, he can dramatically fall off the edge and fly away invisibly. 

“Got you!” 

The Signal pops up out of the wall and grabs Danny, who yelps and tries to pull his arms away. The Signal is too strong, and his tight grip on Danny’s wrists is warm against the chill of the rain. 

They stand there for a moment, just staring at each other as they try to catch their breath. And then, “Is that any way to treat a guy?” Danny jokes, trying one last time to pull his wrists free.

“It is when it’s you,” the Signal replies. “Man, you sure know how to run.”

“I’ll be sure to put that on my resume for my next heist.”

“Seriously, can we talk?”

Danny eyes him curiously. The other Bats mostly tried to take back whatever it is he’d stolen that night, occasionally trying to get information from him. None of them had outright asked to have a chat with him. The Signal at least has some manners, compared to the rest of him. There’s no harm in sticking around for one conversation.

It helps that the Signal is cute, especially when he had saved Danny a few weeks ago. 

Sue him, he’s a bit soft on the Signal. Wouldn’t anyone be with their favorite hero?

“Alright,” Danny says, relaxing. “Go ahead. Talk.”

“Great! Okay, um.” The Signal bites his lip and Danny should really look away, but his eyes are fixed to his mouth. He doesn’t speak for a solid minute, during which Danny really begins to feel the chill of the rain. “Can I get less comments from the peanut gallery?” he says suddenly.

“What?” Danny laughs, confused.

The Signal sighs. “My comms are on. The others are being annoying. If they wanted to ask you questions, they should have caught you first.”

“Oh, protecting me from the big bad Bats? My hero,” Danny says sweetly, pretending to swoon. Except, the Signal follows his movements, releasing his wrists to catch him by the waist, holding him steady. Danny’s breath hitches, and from how close they are, he has no doubt that the Signal heard it. They freeze for a moment, then the Signal dips him like some fainting Victorian maiden.

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t mind sweeping you up in my arms.” The smirk on his face only lasts a moment before he grimace and says, “I shouldn’t have said that on open comms. Man, they’re annoying. It’s not my fault I know how to flirt.”

Danny…

Well. Danny short circuits for a moment, running the words over his mind again, then blushes so hard he’s sure there’s steam coming off his cheeks. “You’re flirting?” he squeaks. “With me?”

“Flirting,” a new voice confirms, making them both jump, stumbling against each other as Black Bat hops down onto their rooftop. “Both shy and silly. I’m better.”

“You can’t even ask out Spoiler,” the Signal retaliates.

“She can’t even WHAT?” Spoiler yells as she also vaults herself over the alley below to join them. “You want to ask me out?”

Though she doesn’t say anything, Danny can practically feel Black Bat’s glare through her mask. The Signal winces, then says, “Oops.”

“Man, you can keep yourself busy, clearly Sig doesn’t need backup,” Spoiler says. “I need to go on a date with Black Bat. The rest of you suckers are on your own!” And then she grabs Black Bat’s hand and grapples away.

There’s a beat of silence, then Danny and the Signal share a glance and start laughing. 

“Well,” Danny says, “Good for them! Good for them.”

“They’re probably just going to Bat Burger.”

“And are you going to be treating me to a burger any time soon? I should be compensated for this conversation, you know.”

“Please, if I was taking you out on a date, it wouldn’t be to Bat Burger. I’d take you out dancing.”

It sounds like a date his dad would take his mom on. It sounds nice. Danny smiles and leans in closer to the Signal, taking hold of one of his hands. With the other, he puts Signal’s hand on his waist, then brings his own up to the Signal’s shoulder. 

“Why not dance with me now?”

Danny leads them in a few clumsy turns of a waltz, silently thanking Sam for forcing him to take a few ballroom dance lessons with her. The Signal seems a little dazed, following his lead, and when he lightly squeezes Danny’s waist, he shivers. 

Catwoman should be done with Batman soon. They had agreed to meet up at the newly opened Vintage Boutique in Diamond District, and he intends to beat her there. 

Reluctantly, Danny pulls away from the Signal with one final spin, and hops up onto the edge of the roof. “If you can find me during the day,” he says, “Then I’ll dance with you again. See you around, Signal!”

And with that, Danny hops backwards off the roof, free-falling towards the ground before he lets gravity lose hold of him and slips into invisibility, flying up just as the Signal peers over the edge, searching for him.

Unable to help himself, Danny floats closer until he can give the Signal a quick kiss on the cheek, then flies off, grinning wildly. 

He certainly can’t wait to see the Signal again. 

Maybe if he hired a few guys to pretend to rough him up while Signal’s out patrolling…

Well, either way, this cat is already half dead so he can jump straight to satisfaction bringing him back. And, hopefully, back into Signal’s arms again when they won’t be interrupted by other Bats. 

He’s already looking forward to it.

. . .

[send me a ghostlights prompt!]

[viccyzsasz]

💋 “Can You Come Get Me… Please?”

Post-Breakup | Dean Winchester x You | Angst, Drunk Confession, Comfort, Lingering Love

summary: It ended months ago—with slammed doors and stubborn silence. But some hearts don’t let go, and tonight, yours dials his number again.

warnings: alcohol use, emotional vulnerability, hurt/comfort, soft reunion, kiss in the rain.

The last time you spoke to Dean Winchester, it ended in a slammed motel door and words you didn’t really mean. Something stupid. A petty fight blown out of proportion. A miscommunication you were both too stubborn to untangle. And just like that… it was over.

Months passed. The ache dulled but never disappeared. You got good at pretending. So did he.

But tonight? Tonight pretending wasn’t in the cards.

The club’s parking lot reeked of smoke and cheap decisions. You sat on the curb, makeup smudged, knees scraped, your phone trembling in your hand as you scrolled past every contact except the one you knew you’d eventually land on.

Dean.

Your thumb hovered. Then tapped.

It rang.

Once. Twice. Three times.

You nearly hung up.

Then—

“Yeah?” His voice came through low, tired. Groggy, maybe. You had definitely woken him up.

You swallowed, suddenly hyperaware of how drunk you sounded.

“I—I didn’t know who else to call,” you mumbled, blinking fast against the spin of the parking lot lights. “I got kicked out. From a club. They said I was too drunk—” you let out a breathy laugh that was more pitiful than amused. “I think they were right.”

A pause. Then sharper: “Where are you?”

You gave the name. The city. The cross street.

He cursed under his breath. “You’re an hour away. What the hell were you doing out there alone?”

“Trying to forget you,” you slurred before you could stop yourself. “Didn’t work.”

Silence. The kind that almost made you regret calling.

Then:

“Stay where you are. I’m coming.”

You blinked again. “You are?”

“Yeah,” he said, and you could practically hear him pulling on his jeans, grabbing his keys. “I’d come farther than that for you.”

Your throat burned hotter than the cheap vodka still in your system. “Dean—”

“Don’t talk. Just sit tight. I’m coming to get you.”

⸻

You were about to text him to tell him not to come. That you were fine. That it was a mistake.

But then—headlights.

The roar of a familiar engine.

Baby.

The Impala pulled up, black and sleek and painfully familiar, and for a second you forgot how to breathe. Dean stepped out. Rumpled grey tee, boots laced in a rush, jacket barely on. His hair was messy. He looked like he hadn’t slept.

But his eyes were focused. Sharp. On you.

He didn’t speak at first. Just stared, taking in the sight of you—mascara streaked, hair wild, legs scraped from tripping on the sidewalk.

You opened your mouth, half-drunk apology already forming.

But he was already there, crouching down in front of you.

“You okay?”

You nodded, too embarrassed to say anything else.

His jaw tensed. “You’re freezing.” He peeled off his jacket and draped it over your shoulders before gently helping you up. “Come on.”

The moment you sank into the passenger seat, it hit you like a punch—this used to feel like home.

The door shut. The engine rumbled back to life. And for the first fifteen minutes, neither of you spoke.

The silence wasn’t uncomfortable. It was loud—filled with every word left unsaid over the past few months.

You stared out the window, his jacket wrapped around you, throat raw.

Until finally, you broke.

“I’m sorry.”

He glanced at you. Just once.

“For calling?” he asked.

“For everything.”

Another pause. Then—“Yeah,” he muttered. “Me too.”

You turned your head toward him. “We were so stupid, Dean.”

“Yeah, we were.” He gripped the wheel tighter. “You know I almost called a hundred times.”

“Why didn’t you?”

He sighed through his nose. “Pride. Stubbornness. Thought maybe you moved on. Thought maybe I was the only one who still gave a damn.”

Your laugh cracked in your throat. “Does this look like moving on to you?”

He looked over again. Really looked.

Eyes softening.

“You’re drunk and bleeding in my front seat, wearing my jacket.”

You chuckled, wiping your eyes. “Sounds romantic when you say it like that.”

Dean didn’t laugh. He swallowed hard, knuckles white around the steering wheel again. “Don’t do that again. Don’t go out alone like that. Don’t put yourself in danger like I don’t care. Because I do. I never stopped.”

Your heart shattered in the best and worst way.

“You still love me?”

He didn’t hesitate.

“Yeah. God help me, yeah.”

The car slowed to a red light. The rain had started—light and soft at first, tapping against the windshield like it knew how fragile this moment was.

You turned toward him. “Dean?”

He looked over.

“Can I kiss you?”

He didn’t answer.

He just leaned across the seat and kissed you like he’d been waiting every night since the breakup to do it. Soft. Slow. Salty with tears and warm with everything you both buried.

When he pulled back, forehead resting against yours, he whispered,

“Let’s stop being stupid.”

And you nodded.

Because this time, neither of you planned on letting go.

⸻

back to masterlist

[taleeater]

In With the Rain [Rewritten]

I didn't like how this turned out the first time so I edited it to make it softer and more in character. :] <3

TMNT Raphael x Reader

Pronouns: Gender Neutral

Warnings: illness, fluff, domestic, non-sexual caretaking

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Raphael was waiting for you to get home from work in your apartment. But you’re late. It’s been raining all evening, and he got soaked on his way over. Raph made sure to dry off quickly with a discarded blanket when he let himself inside through your window, so he wouldn’t get your floor wet.

An hour goes by. The cop show he’s watching is getting boring and he wonders if maybe you stopped for groceries on the way home. 

Another half an hour passes, and he’s anxiously checking his phone. He considers going out to look for you, when the lock on your door turns. He stands to attention, and when it’s you who walks through the door, he slumps with relief.

“Where have you been?” He says casually from the couch. You don’t respond, and he notices something is off. You’re swaying in place by the door, struggling to slowly shed your coat off. 

You woke up with a scratchy feeling in your throat this morning. Work ran late. You’d forgotten an umbrella. And your hair is dripping wet. 

It’s been a long day. 

You suddenly slump forward and brace a hand against the wall, hit with a dizzy spell, and Raph immediately rushes to your side at the door. His hands are hovering over you, not sure what you need. 

“Babe?”

You’re panting hard. Raphael wonders if you ran home for some reason and gets worried. He looks around you for any indication as to why you were late and sees no shopping bags to help with. He leaned his head down to try and look into your eyes, trying to get your attention. But he sees your hazy red rimmed gaze and guesses you weren’t feeling very good. Were you okay...? 

“(Y/n), are you sick?”

You lifted your head slowly when you heard his voice, barely registering it as your head swam. Raph held your cheek in his palm and brushed some wet strands of hair out of your face, and felt the scorching heat under your skin. 

You groan tiredly and shut your eyes tight against the light of your apartment. Legs shaking and unsteady, you leaned your weight into Raphael’s offered hand.

“That’s some fever you got… Hey. Let’s get you into bed, okay?” Raph spoke to you softly in his husky voice. You swallowed dryly and barely managed a slight nod, still not opening your eyes. 

Raph took the lead, wrapping an arm around your waist and slowly led you down the hall towards your bedroom. Your legs felt like jelly. The long day running around at work that ran late, the dizzying trudge home through the biting cold rain, you tried to focus on the sight of your door at the end of the hallway but your vision swam with every trembling step. You only managed to get half way before your legs gave out from under you.

“Woah!! Hey, hey, hey, I got you.” Raph was quick to hold you up and support your weight. After some shifting he pulled you close and scooped you up off the floor, carrying you the rest of the way to your room. 

He carefully sat you down on the edge of your bed, watching carefully as you swayed in place trying to stay upright. Your heavy lidded eyes were trained on him as he bent down to pull off your sopping wet shoes and socks.

“....sorry…” You mumbled quietly, exhaling a deep shuddering breath. 

“Don’t be. I gotcha.” Raphael looked at you softly. His brow ridges knit together in concern. 

He reached up and gently pressed a kiss to your heated forehead, making you shudder a sigh. His fingers traced your sides and found the edges of your sweater and shirt.

“Arms up.” He muttered, slowly pulling off the damp fabric. Once it was pulled off, you slumped back onto your bed, panting lightly. He did the same with removing your soggy pants. After the wet fabric was removed, he rushed to your bathroom to retrieve a proper towel and hang up the clothes to dry.

When he returned only a minute later, you were starting to doze quietly on your bed. He snorted at you fondly.

Raph wasn’t always the best at being gentle. But he did his best to dry out your hair and slid on some soft pajamas while you muttered tiredly. 

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll send your boss a text and ask April to bring us groceries tomorrow.” He crawled up on the bed over you after discarding the towel. “You want some medicine or somethin?”

You made an adorable sour face, scrunching up your nose at the proposition. Raph chuckled. He then reached under you and scooped you up again, agilely pulling down the covers of your bed with his foot before sliding you under the comfy blankets. 

He took a moment to pull out his phone and shoot a quick message to his brothers that he would be staying over with you for a while to take care of you. Mikey immediately responded with heavy exaggerated despair that you were sick. Donnie followed up by asking if he needed to stop by and give you a check up. Leo eventually responded with confirmation that Raph would not be back in the morning, and respectfully wished you well. Raph smirked at his phone as he responded with assurances that he would tell them if you needed anything. Then he felt a small tug on his sash.

He looked over to you, your eyes shiny with fever as you pushed down the edge of your sheets and wordlessly begged him to join you.

Raph’s eyes softened as he gazed at you warmly. He couldn’t say no to you.

Tucking his phone away, he untied his belt and his mask and slipped under the covers beside you. His arm slid beneath your head and other snaked over your waist, pulling you close as you snuggled against him for warmth. Raph buried his snoot in your hair and inhaled the scent of rain, tracing your back comfortingly. 

 Raph looked out the rain pattered window as the city lights illuminated each individual droplet. Your soft, even breathing warm against his chest.

In less than a minute you were soundly asleep. Raph peeked down to check on you, taking in your flushed cheeks and pallid exhaustion. In that moment he resolved himself to take care of you. 

Raph sighed and hugged you closer to him, muttering to himself. 

“……you idiot.”

[riddlesrizzler]

Hey! I love your fics so much, esp your stuff with Matthew x Hufflepuff!reader. I got some really bad family news today, would you be willing to write something in that series about reader going through something hard (like death or sickness of a family member) and trying to stay positive and Matthew helping her? But mostly comfort/fluff? No pressure though, even reading your past fics has been cheering me up <3

hey love! i am so sorry for what you've been going through and i hope you are doing better. if you need to talk about anything, know that i am always here to listen.

im so glad that you like mattheo x hufflepuff! reader, one of my favorites to write about. but here is a small little drabble and i hope it helps.

The world outside was still.

The kind of still that made everything feel like it was holding its breath.

Rain tapped softly against the windows of the Slytherin common room-slow, steady, like the sky was mourning with her.

Mattheo Riddle sat curled up on the emerald velvet sofa, one arm looped tightly around the trembling girl beside him. She wasn’t sobbing-she had been earlier-but now she was quiet, limp, exhausted. Her Hufflepuff cardigan sleeves were pulled over her hands, fists pressed against her chest like if she held herself tightly enough, the aching might stop.

“I know it’s stupid,” she whispered suddenly, voice hoarse from crying. “She was just a cat.”

Mattheo's brows pinched together. He turned his head to look at her, dark curls falling into his eyes.

“No,” he said firmly, voice low but steady. “She wasn’t ‘just’ anything.”

Her lip wobbled.

“She was yours.”

And that broke her all over again.

She turned into him, hands clutching the front of his shirt, the rhythm of her silent tears soaking into the fabric. Mattheo didn’t flinch. He wrapped his arms around her fully now, resting his chin atop her head.

“She was there before Hogwarts,” she murmured into his chest. “When my mum was sick. When I didn’t have friends yet. She used to sleep on my pillow and… she just knew when I was sad.”

Mattheo didn’t say anything. He just rubbed slow, gentle circles into her back, grounding her. He’d never been good with death-too many memories, too many losses—but when it came to her, he tried. He always tried.

“She was more of a friend than half the people I’ve met.”

He pressed a kiss into her hair. “I believe it.”

“I just keep thinking I should’ve been there.”

“You loved her,” he said. “That’s what matters. She knew that.”

Silence settled between them for a moment.

Then: “She used to paw at my quill when I was doing homework.”

Mattheo smiled softly into her hair. “Smart girl. Trying to stop you from overworking yourself.”

“She knocked over an entire cup of ink once. Ruined three feet of parchment.”

“She sounds like my kind of cat,” he teased gently, and she huffed a watery laugh.

There it was.

That was what he’d been waiting for-that tiny flicker of light in the dark. That proof that she was still in there, even through the grief.

“Do you think…” she began cautiously. “Do you think she knew I loved her?”

Mattheo cupped her face, thumb brushing a tear from her cheek. “Without a single doubt in the world.”

Her eyes fluttered shut at his touch.

“Tomorrow,” he said softly, “we’ll go out to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. I know a quiet place-flowers everywhere. We can leave something for her. You can tell her goodbye properly, yeah?”

She nodded. Her throat tightened, but she was grateful.

He kissed her forehead, and it felt like a promise.

They stayed like that for a long time, in the quiet hush of rain and candlelight. Grief lingered, but she wasn’t alone in it.

She had Mattheo.

[anxiouswildfire]

Okay but a James who uses pet names very casually with all his friends.

James gives Sirius a look. “Babe, no.”

“But-“

“No you can’t blow up the classroom, people could actually get hurt. What about a smoke bomb?”

“Lily, my love,” James says with pleasing eyes. “Please?”

“I’m not doing your homework for you.” Lily says without looking up.

“Peter, darling, can you pass the butter?”

“Of course.”

But once he established Regulus in his mind as a friend, he made any excuses to call him pet names. It was so often that it was obvious that james was in love.

“Reg, my dear,” James said, startling the poor boy. “Get out of the cold.”

Regulus stuttered before getting out, “It’s nice out in the rain.”

“You must at least wear a jacket.”

“You’re not going to catch the snitch.” Regulus teased. “You’re too slow.”

“Baby, I’ll catch it before you even see it.”

Regulus blushed so hard and was delayed in chasing after the snitch because of that one word.

James tsked at the other boy’s sleeping form. “Sweetheart.”

“Hhmm?” Regulus stirred at his voice

“Come on, honey, come on.” James helped regulus up.

“Love, what are you doing in the floor, there are perfectly good chairs!” James exclaimed, amused.

Regulus was sitting at the back of the library indeed on the floor. “You’re one to talk.”

James shrugged and sat beside him. “Fair enough.”

“Aren’t you going to hogsmeade?”

“Darling, I’d rather be here with you.”

Regulus coughed before answering, “I’m just doing schoolwork.”

So I don’t think regulus could be faulted for what he thought when he woke up in the middle of the night. No, I think it’s quite reasonable. Especially since he was rarely around James’ friends.

Regulus woke from a dream clearly about James and had the startling realization that he was dating James Fleamount Potter. There was no other logical explanation why he constantly hung around him and called him pet names. In public too! Now regulus was worried about when they got together. Obviously regulus was in love with him. But when did they start dating?

He got out of bed and pulled out his diary, flipping through the pages to a month ago when he first noticed James used a pet name for him. He concluded that james knew they were dating for at least that month.

He wracked his brain for a moment that he might’ve indicated that they were dating. And also.. Did James think he was a prude for not kissing him?? He got up. He had to rectify this. And then he sat back down and cast a tempus. It was 5 am. James woke up around 6:30. Why did he know this? Well, he thought, at least he had an excuse to know these things now that he knew they were dating.

An hour and a half later (of agonizing waiting), regulus got up and pulled on warm robes. He slipped out of the entrance to the slytherin house and went to look for potter- er James. Eugh what did James think of him if he didn’t even call him by his first name!

Meanwhile, james was having a nice run when he spotted his crush, regulus black, walking straight towards him. He beamed and jogged over.

“Regulus, my love! What are you doing up this earl-“ he was interrupted by regulus pulling him in for a kiss.

“I’m sorry I didn’t do that sooner.” Regulus said, clearly slightly distressed

James blushed. “I- uh.. why are you sorry again?”

“I mean we’ve been dating for so long and I haven’t kissed you!”

James laughed and then stopped at regulus’ expression. “Wait you’re serious?”

“No Im regulus.”

“Reg, darling, we aren’t dating? Or at least-“

Regulus realized suddenly that his 5 am realization might have not been quite right. “But.. oh.”

James frowned. “Did you think-“

“I woke up this morning- I mean I thought I was just.. oblivious?”

“Well you did get it right that I love you, but we haven’t exactly talked about it yet.”

“I guess now’s better than any time?”

[youtopialanding]

Youtopia

Chapter 1 : Never trust technology

3928 words. TW : light body horror

Acid rain poured over the wasteland that had once been the megalopolis of Los Angeles. The ruins of an ancient civilization were still apparent, the steel of wrecked cars on an abandoned road rusty enough that some of them were destroyed by the aggressive water. The vague growl of disintegrating iron floated in the air, the only sound accompanying the torrential rain that contaminated the few remaining lakes on this desolate ground. Steps suddenly appeared in the distance, proving that someone was still alive in this apocalypse. A large shape walked among the wrecked cars, pulling a damaged cart with one of its wheels threatening to give way. Tall, wearing a black suit that covered both his hands and his entire head, Jolly paced around the scrap metal searching for new pieces to bring back to the general headquarters.

“M.I.N.D., can you analyze this one?” he asked out loud.

A light clinking started, the same sound you hear when computing hardware connects together. The tall man waited patiently until the sound finally stopped.

“There is a MacBook in the trunk, a model from 2026,” replied a robotic voice that seemed to come from his helmet. “I can’t detect anything else, and I can’t tell if it’s in good condition.” “Could be useful. Even if some people hate Apple components.”

Jolly wiped the acid rain from his integrated glasses, and looked in his cart to pull out a crowbar. After a few seconds of effort, the trunk’s lock gave way allowing him to rummage through the contents. A backpack full of holes, a worn blanket, a can of oil…and at the bottom, a laptop pouch which certainly hid the jackpot. The Swedish man smiled ; it was a good find, for once.

“Acidic levels exceed the limit, the air is too toxic and my battery is running low. We should return to headquarters before we encounter any bad surprises,” warned the AI. “I also detected some prowlers less than a mile away.” “I take it all,” Jolly said. “We’ll check the content and its condition at home. Ask Folio and Ruffilo to join me at the meeting point, and signal the position of these prowlers.” “Got it, boss.”

“FUCK !”

The swear word bounced off the cave’s rough walls, then vanished into a dark corridor. This one was very sudden.

“Language, boss.” “Oh, shut up !”

Frustration accumulated on Noah’s shoulders. He was lying on his back, under a huge desk with a gigantic computer on it. His head was lost among large black cables, all of them linking many - maybe too many - screens hung on the cave’s walls. No neons here ; the only available light came from the screens themselves, which projected a pale and flickering glow. The entire scene looked like a film noir.

Our man was in that uncomfortable position, because half of the screens suddenly turned off, as if fried by lightning. Another swear word escaped, and he finally gave up. Some cables still crackled, and he had no other choice but to cut them and hope they wouldn't electrocute him.

“Everything is lost,” he said while standing up, a handful of black threads in his gloved hand. “M.I.N.D., please check that nothing else is corrupted.” “On it, boss !”

The computer’s main screen, on which some Python code was running, suddenly changed and displayed a series of folders. Working by itself, the machine searched through the files at an amazing speed. Noah’s face was marked by fatigue; dark circles had grown under his bloodshot eyes, his hands were shaking as if he were under immense stress. His long body, once well-maintained, was now missing a good part of his muscles and he looked diminished with his back bent over like an old man. Numerous scars adorned his bare arms, some newer than others, some tattoos even disappeared under old wounds. In one word, the poor lad had known better days.

“Corruption detected in the system, but I managed to recover the second-to-last save,” the robotic voice finally claimed. “I’m restoring it right now.” “Better than nothing,” Noah whispered, although he didn’t look relieved at all. “High cortisol levels and blood pressure. You should rest.” “Leave me the fuck alone! I don’t have time for this!”

The irritation made him irrational. Raging against the entire world, Noah put his hand over his right arm and pulled abruptly, ripping off what seemed to be a piece of black plastic. Where the thing was plugged in was now a simple metallic circle, tightly secured to his flesh. Looking up close, it vaguely resembled a catheter one could find in hospitals back then, and there was no doubt that it served the same purpose. That was what guaranteed their survival : a permanent connection with M.I.N.D. who offered constant protection in this hostile world. But although he pulled that away, Noah couldn’t sever the ties with the AI. Not anymore.

“I was programmed to look after your health before everything else, boss. If you take off the device, I can’t fulfill my mission in its entirety,” the AI explained in a terribly neutral tone. “If you wanna piss me off every five minutes about my health, you can get fucked, I’m not putting back that fucking chip!” “Noah, don’t be childish.”

Suddenly, the feminine voice became more human, more…palpable. Using his real name instead of “boss” was unusual for her, and it totally threw him off. That change alone was enough for him to stop what he was doing and stare at the main computer screen. He came closer, slowly, put his hands down on the desk as a woman’s face appeared in front of him. His heart missed a beat.

She was here, M.I.N.D., staring back at him with a soft but accusing glance, her cartoony anime-like features moving with a surprising fluidity. Her brunette hair gently floated around her face as if it were underwater, and her dark eyes looked too real to be true. A smile strained her lips, on the verge of the uncanny valley, but soon came back to normal and opened.

“There, I like it better like that,” she said. “If you overwork yourself and die in the process, your mission will not be fulfilled.” “Yes, but…”Noah tried, but she cut him off. “The others can’t win without the both of us. It would take them years. You and I, we’re made to do great things. I’m your shield against her, remember ? And you’re my vessel. If one of us disappears, the entire operation is compromised.” “And you’re telling me that because…?” “You, humans, have a fragile carnal envelope. You have to take care of it. If you forget to take care of it for too long, you may die. The smallest mistake could be fatal.”

M.I.N.D. was right, obviously. Noah knew that deep down, he couldn’t last very long in a fight in his current condition. The stress kept him awake and he did overwork himself. However, this behavior didn’t make him win enough time to justify its existence. He should calm down.

A sigh, and suddenly he looked diminished again. These past couple of years felt like he aged ten years, and the more time passed, the less he felt even human. His eyes searched on the floor to find M.I.N.D.’s chip, which he fixed back where it belonged and winced when the device connected again. It wasn’t pleasant at all.

“Will you give me a sleeping pill?” he mumbled.

The AI’s avatar disappeared from the screen and the Python code appeared again. It was obviously running it in the background, like a deciphering algorithm.

“Of course, boss.” she said, taking back her usual robotic voice. “I’ll still be restoring the system while you rest your body.” “Jolly will surely fix you. If I’m not awake by then, leave the total access to your parameters to him. Except…” “Except the “core” folder, of course. On it, boss. Good night and sweet dreams.”

Jolly’s patience started to grow thin. His eyes swept over the plains, looked at his stats displayed on his right forearm, then looked at the landscape again. He had given the signal a while ago and hoped that his two acolytes would soon be by his side. With a deep sigh, the tall man kicked a stone that rolled further away. He was lucky in his misfortune : the acid rain calmed down a bit, and some radioactive rays of sunshine pierced through the dark clouds.

“How much time again ?” he grumbled out loud. “Folio seems close,” M.I.N.D. replied. “But I’ve lost contact with Ruffilo. He doesn’t reply to my requests, but I still have access to his vitals.” “His suit’s battery must be running low, like all of ours. We should think about taking a walkie-talkie like the old days, if we can find some.” “You wanna replace me, boss ?” “Of course not! Just…ah, nevermind.”

A dark silhouette finally appeared, struggling to pull a cart that looked maybe three times as full as Jolly’s. The man raised an eyebrow ; Folio had totally let go of the salvage, and he doubted that all his findings were very useful. Not even mentioning that his tarpaulin was gone, and the metal on top of all these things was significantly damaged by the rain.

“Folio, seriously?” Jolly sighed. “What? I need a lot of scrap steel to fix the ventilation !” the youngest justified. “And you think that your rusty stuff will be helpful?”

Nick shrugged, and crossed his arms over his chest out of defiance. As the youngest and the last addition to their team, he was always hot-headed and didn’t really like to follow orders. It was a real miracle that nothing happened to him, apart from a few scratches here and there. Not to mention the chip he too had on his arm, the only body modification they all consented to make. Noah was the only one who went further than that, but he had a very good reason to give up a part of his humanity behind.

“We should go home, shouldn’t we ?” The rain is starting to pour again,” Folio said, staring at his suit’s screen. “Five more minutes,” Jolly replied. “I’m sure he’ll join us soon.” “Maybe he’s already home ?” “He’s got orders, as we all do. He wouldn’t do anything against this order. It would be too dangerous, and he knows that.”

The oldest of them all started to be very concerned about Ruffilo’s absence, and his lack of patience began to show through jerky gestures. He checked his oxygen levels again, the time on his screen, and finally let out a swear word.

“C’mon, we have to find him”, he ordered in a serious tone. “Eh…don’t you want me to stay here and watch our stuff?” Nick tried. “If something happened to him, it means that the entire zone is way too dangerous to stay alone. You’re coming with me, that’s an order!” “Yeah, yeah…no need for high horses here.”

The young man kicked a stone to show his frustration, but complied and abandoned his findings to follow his elder. Jolly’s attitude proved how stressed he was, probably more troubled by their friend’s absence than he let on. Under his helmet, his face turned pale and his jaw was clenched, his dark blue eyes underlined by dark circles couldn’t stop sweeping over the plains in fear of a bad surprise. For that matter, he reached behind him and grabbed his assault rifle, checked the ammo and kept it in hand. Folio mimicked him ; if the eldest stayed alert that way, it meant that danger was upon them.

Seconds dragged as they walked through the ruins, the rain pouring more than ever with a concerning intensity. Fortunately for them, the wind was weak; a storm right now would be the worst timing ever. Each quiver was a potential threat, be one of the creatures that lived in this apocalyptic landscape or those who didn’t have their best interests in mind. More than ever, it was the silence, slightly broken by the moving metal under the acid, that was the creepiest.

“We should have found him already, shouldn’t we…?” Nick murmured, unable to stay silent as the stress was too high. “Shh,” was Jolly’s only response.

He thought the same thing, but hoped not to draw attention. The two of them could take on many opponents if they had the element of surprise ; it could save their lives. So they had to stay silent.

Too many minutes passed until they finally heard a growl not so far away. Jolly immediately turned towards the noise, wondering if he wasn’t heading straight into danger. But if danger there was, the hope to find their last teammate was also high ; the risk was calculated, and necessary. He adjusted his grasp on his weapon and walked closer and closer, until he froze. A piercing, inhuman scream, followed by a cry of pain, made his skin crawl.

“Fuck,” he cursed before immediately taking off running.

It was Nicholas’s voice, mixed with one of these prowlers’ shrieks. Fortunately, a few seconds were enough for them to find him, and what they saw froze them in terror.

A dark shadow thrashed on the ground, struggling to escape half a dozen of these humanoid creatures. Their skins were peeling off under the acid rain, their eyeless faces were cut in half by a big grinning mouth filled with sharp teeth. Their bestial growls were frightening, so horrifying that Folio stood completely paralyzed.

It wasn’t the case for Jolly. He raised his weapon in a flash and shot, exploding one of these monsters’ skull. A second bullet reached the throat of another one, and almost beheaded it. Unfortunately, the four remaining creatures were immediately drawn to this new threat. They turned toward him, abandoning the poor soul still writhing on the ground.

“Folio, move your fucking ass !” Jolly shouted, and finally his friend snapped out of his lethargy.

He drew his weapon too, hands shaking, and fired at one of the targets. His bullet flew past its ear, provoking a threatening shriek while turning its face towards him. Sheer panic blurred his vision, his breath grew short, and his focus dropped to near zero. He fired again; the bullet struck the creature’s shoulder, but it didn’t seem to care. It was still moving far too fast in his direction.

“No, no, no…” he moaned, emptying his ammo at the creature,half his shots didn’t even graze its deformed body. The rest of them landed somewhere in its stomach, but it didn’t seem to care.

He was about to die, right here and now. Die because he was too stupid to aim, too scared to save his friends. How could he think he’d be useful outside ? Despite the training, now that he was in the field, he realized that it was completely different and was losing his composure. The creature was now almost upon him. In a few seconds, it would pull his head off and devour what’s left of him. He stepped back, stumbled over a rock, and fell hard. Raising his arms to shield himself, he knew it was useless.

BANG.

The gunshot was so violent that Nick’s ears were ringing. His suit was now splattered with his enemy’s brain matter, from head to torso. What remained of the creature’s body slumped onto his legs, twitching slightly. He glanced over it, eager to see who had just saved his life, and saw a frail silhouette who was clearly struggling to stay upright. The barrel of its rifle was still pointing on him, held one-handed and pressed against the figure’s abdomen for support.

“Up !” this savior ordered in a hoarse voice, which he finally recognized as Ruffilo’s.

Ashamed of what he had just done, giving in to sheer panic instead of fighting properly, Folio immediately obeyed and pushed the body away with disgust. He realized that Jolly had already taken care of the rest of the creatures, and his cheeks turned red. Under his helmet, no one could see it. Good for him. 

“Erm… thanks…” he whispered. “Humpf,” Nicholas mumbled.

He was still struggling to stand up. When he could finally look at him more closely, Nick understood that his elder’s suit was in critical condition. His shoulder was exposed, marked with an impressive and bloody bite. The skin around the main bruise should normally be intact, but instead it was already melting due to the ever-present acid rain. His left hand was unprotected as well, and the plates on his back were misplaced. His clothes underneath wouldn’t hold up to the weather for long.

“M.I.N.D., can you analyze his vitals ?” Jolly asked. “It seems my sensors are damaged,” the AI replied. “Your suit’s battery is almost out. Energy-saving mode activated.”

The eldest cursed under his breath. Of course, they couldn’t rely on this bloody AI… but she had already warned them multiple times prior to that encounter, they could only blame themselves.

“We have to go back home,” he declared, and gave a piece of cloth to his friend. “Put your hand in that thing, it will limit the damage…” “Should we go back and pick up our stuff, or…?” Folio asked in a feeble voice. “No, they stay where they are. His condition is critical, and he’s been bitten. There’s no time to waste. We’ll go back for them later.”

“Boss, the team is back. They need you.”

Noah awoke from a deep sleep, his chalky face still weary from the past few days. How much time had he slept? Five minutes? Two hours? Nothing that could fix his problems, though, but he didn’t have a choice. If M.I.N.D. decided to wake him up after all her efforts to force him to rest, the situation must be urgent. He left his makeshift bed, stretched, and joined the cave’s main room. 

The three men had taken off their suits and showed obvious signs of conflict. Folio was hanging their equipment on the wall, Ruffilo was sitting half-naked on the central steel-made table and Jolly was searching frantically in what they called the “nurse’s desk”. It was a simple chest with many drawers, in which one could find everything they needed to treat a wound, cure a disease or, in this case, an infection. Noah came closer to the light, frowning, and Jolly jumped in surprise when he saw him.

“Noah!” he shouted suddenly. “M.I.N.D. told us not to bother you…” “She woke me up,” the man replied. “Can you report what happened?” “Ruffilo was late to the meeting point, so we tried to find him. He came upon a group of prowlers and was badly injured. His suit is half destroyed, and he’s been bitten…and also injured by the acid rain.” “Shit. Do we still have any antidote left ?” “That’s what I’m looking for, and…AHA !”

Jolly pulled out a very small vial of dark liquid, smirking. The prowlers’ bite was highly infectious, and if they didn’t want Nicholas to turn into one of them, they had to act swiftly. Noah sighed in relief, came closer to the injured man, and patted his thigh.

“You’re always looking for trouble, aren’t you?” he teased to ease the mood. “You should know me by now,” the other replied in a whisper.

Speaking was still painful, his body seemed too busy fighting the spreading infection and easing the pain in his shoulder and hand. The shoulder, by the way, had turned a nasty purple, another sign that the wound was far from being benign. 

Jolly approached with a syringe. He made sure that no air bubble would risk killing their friend, and stabbed it just below the wound. With a bit of luck, the antidote’s effect would take only a few minutes to be felt. For the rest… Nicholas would certainly suffer for a while.

“You seem troubled, Nick.”

Noah had enough of the headquarters, and immediately suggested going back outside to bring back their findings. M.I.N.D. wasn’t very cooperative at first, but she had to comply. Nick couldn’t just go back alone, Jolly was their best medic and had to monitor Nicholas’s health, and they desperately needed new components.

“No, well…yeah…I mean…what makes you think…?” the youngest stuttered, avoiding his friend’s glance. “You’ve been silent since we left the HQ. It’s unusual, coming from you.” “Oh, erm…well…”

Folio didn’t know what to reply. How could he possibly share his shame with the only one in their team who seemed perfectly unable to feel fear ? How could he share how useless he felt, that he may have compromised their mission and could have simply died because he was too stupid to fight ? He should have stayed hidden underground like a rat, instead of following them on this crazy journey. He thought he’d become a hero from the shadows, but in the end…he was just a burden for them.

“I screwed up,” he whispered, lowering his head. “Screwed up?” Noah repeated. “Earlier, I…I panicked. It almost cost my life, and…if Nicholas hadn't been there, I’d be dead by now.”

Silence. All one could hear was the sound of their steps in the apocalyptic desert. The rain stopped but the sky was still dark, and they weren’t safe from another shower. Suddenly, the older man stopped. He looked away in the distance, thinking.

“It’s perfectly normal to screw up sometimes,” he simply said. “But I shouldn’t have…I mean, I trained ! I should have known how to fight too. Jolly did everything, as usual.” “You remind me of myself a few years ago. Believe me, what you did today was nothing compared to the mess I’ve done in the past.”

Folio took off his helmet and glanced at his friend, wondering what the hell he was talking about, but Noah remained silent. He was lost in his thoughts, certainly thinking about that time he endangered many lives. Since he joined these rebels hoping to give sense to his life, the youngest of them all didn’t really bother to learn about the others’ past. Or yes, he did ; he tried to ask around, but nobody dared to speak and share their stories. So he learned not to ask again, but his curiosity was still high.

“Nicholas saved my life when we were kids,” Noah said while checking the inside of the carts they finally reached. “He often put himself in danger to save my ass. He hated me on principle, because I was an arrogant little brat…but he stayed with me, taught me everything he knew and followed me when I decided to launch this mission.”

That was the very first time Noah consented to delve a bit into his memories, and Folio felt honored. He stared at him with big glowing eyes, hung on every word, and finally understood that he wanted to reassure him.

“So…you don’t think he’s angry at me ?” Nick asked hopefully. “And…and Jolly neither ? He’s fought them all alone, and…”

“Jolly is a soldier before anything else,” the eldest interrupted. “He keeps a cool head in every circumstance, and never lets his emotions win. It’s normal not to measure up to him", he’s got way more experience than you do. And…if he were angry at you, you’d definitely know. He’s rather direct.”

Deep down, Noah’s mission was a success : Folio felt confident again, and understood that a simple mistake wouldn’t kill them on the spot. He just had to make sure he wouldn’t repeat the same mistake in a more delicate situation, that’s all. He smiled, happy about this news. He then grabbed his cart, threw his helmet in it and headed back to the headquarters.

“Oh, by the way…I thought you and Ruffilo were the best of friends in the world since forever,” he said and Noah laughed. “Naaaah…our story is rather spectacular, and there was a long time during which we would have killed each other if it weren’t for the greater good. But now, nothing and no one can tear us apart. Just like with Jolly, and you. You’re in the team now. It’s us four against the world.”

[violetrainbow412-blog]

Day 4: rainy day

Masterlist flufftober 🎀

Reblog if you liked it!

“This rain will never end,” Spencer whispered, watching the drops of water hit the ground and hugging himself against the breeze.

The storm had caught you on your way to the subway after work and had only given you enough time to take shelter in an awning too far from anywhere else you could enter. He had assured you that it was just a drizzle, but now he wasn't so sure and he was afraid that you would arrive home too late because of the weather.

“We could order a taxi,” you suggested, but he shook his head.

"I run out of battery"

“How wonderful,” you said ironically. The credit on your phone to make calls had run out and the nearest pay phone was probably about three blocks away, so the idea was out of the question.

It had been so long and you had already gotten tired of being in the same position, that you suddenly got rid of your briefcase, placing it aside and began to untie your shoes under your suit.

"What are you doing?"

“I'm going for a walk,” you responded simply. You took off your blazer, placed it on top of the other things and then started walking towards the street.

“Y/N! What are you doing?"

“It's freezing!” you said with a shaky voice, your entire body already soaked from the rainwater and your arms crossed in an attempt to keep warm, but with a smile on your face.

"Love, come back. "You're going to get sick" he half shouted, because it was difficult to hear anything over the noise of the drops. After a few minutes, when your body finally got used to the temperature, you opened your arms and looked at the sky laughing out loud, feeling all the rain falling directly on your face.

“Come here, it's fun” you tried to encourage your boy, who looked at you with a worried expression from his position.

He started listing reasons not to, starting from health hazards to the risk of physically hurting yourself from a fall, but you just walked until you were facing him and asked him again to come with you.

“Why do you want me to get wet?”

“What else can we do now, huh?”

“But my things, and shoes…”

“Just take them off,” you said simply. With your hand you took his and tried to pull him, but he stopped you with the promise that he would come once you let him get rid of the things that shouldn't get wet.

You waited patiently for him to place the clothes next to yours and when his feet were bare he hesitated before taking a step forward.

“It's freezing!” he yelled, just like you had done a few minutes ago. You were elated at the fact that he had dared to do something like that and then you took his hand to pull him a little further towards the street.

The rest of the world didn't even dare to drive by, which left the entire track free for you to take a couple of laps with the noise of your boyfriend complaining in the background. Then you started jumping over the puddles of water and Spencer stumbled over to you so he could catch you in case you slipped.

“You look like a baby giraffe” you mocked, because if the man's walk was already clumsy when you added a smooth, wet floor that only increased. You maneuvered to grab his arm and he did the same, smiling when his gaze met yours “When was the last time you got wet in the rain?”

“I've never done this before.”

“Not even when you were a kid?” you asked, completely surprised, because the rainy season had always been your favorite because you knew you could play in your yard under the drops of water.

“I was a very sickly child and that's why mom preferred me to stay safe and warm inside.”

“Poor kid,” you lamented exaggeratedly, as you carefully reached out with a hand to brush his hair away from his face, something for which he thanked you with a silent gesture. The clothes had already stuck to your bodies and you thought that in some strange way that made him look attractive... or maybe it was just you lusting after your boyfriend at all times.

You noticed that he had been watching you for a few seconds and when you thought about saying something he spoke first.

“How cliché would it be if I kissed you right now?”

"It would be nice. No one has ever kissed me in the rain” you smiled, already feeling the growing excitement in your stomach. Somehow he always managed to make you feel like every kiss was your first.

His large hands held your face and he leaned down just a little to press his lips against yours, while you held his wrists firmly. It was a soft kiss and to a certain extent uncomfortable because of the water that seeped between you, but for you it was quite romantic.

“Now every time I get stuck in the rain I will inevitably think of you.”

“Don't say that,” you whispered, stealing another warm kiss “It'll make me feel sad if we ever break up”

"What are you talking about? That's not going to happen,” he said with determination. "You're never going to kiss anyone again in your life, I'll make sure of that."

“And what about our children?” you asked playfully. The man's eyes lit up because, as you already knew, he fervently wanted to start a family and your initiative made him happy.

“Just our children and that's all”

You smiled and after that you separated from him to start jumping again, although now he accompanied you with more enthusiasm and carelessness. Both of you got two things that day: a horrible cold, and one of the most beautiful memories of your entire life.

taglist: @navs-bhat @reidwritings @tricia-shifting14 @spencerslove @vivian-555 @r-3dlips @rhiannonhippiegirl

[toxicmalysh]

The link we share

Chapter 27: Nightmares

Word count: 2,789

Summary: You suffer from a nightmare

Warnings: mentions of death, night terrors heavy angst sorry guys don't hate me

⋆✧✦✧⋆

You and Wanda were peacefully sleeping through the night, both enjoying the feeling of your body's close together with the peaceful atmosphere.

Unfortunately, early in the morning, your warm thought process became cold suddenly, an uncomfortable nightmare weaving its way into your mind.

It was so lucid, scenes and images of Jenny and her last few moments, it all felt too real and even in your sleep you could feel your chest tighten.

You woke up panting quickly and sweating, throwing yourself to sit up straight. Your breathing was erratic and your eyes were blown wide.

Wanda woke from the sudden movement beside her, the sound of your rapid breathing bringing her to consciousness. She sat up slowly rubbing her eyes and then your back.

“Dorogaya, what's wrong? Are you okay?”

You looked slightly towards the direction of Wanda's voice, not fully turning to look at her. Your brain was moving to fast, constant images of your ex-girlfriend, your whole chest heaved with your breath.

Wanda noticed how your body was trembling, realising the extent of the nightmare you must've had.

“Malysh, look at me please.”

She murmured softly, reaching out to gently touch your knee, trying to pull your attention to her and ground you back in reality.

You flinched as Wanda placed a hand on your knee, your hands found your ears covering them tightly. You couldn't breathe, couldn't even think.

Your chest heaved heavier, your body sweating, shaking, breathing faster and faster, your eyes growing wider and wider.

Seeing you flinch away from her touch and cover your ears, Wanda knew it was a sign of complete distress. She quickly moved closer to you, desperate to help you ground yourself.

“Y/n, listen to me, you need to breathe. Can you hear me? Focus on my voice.”

Her tone was more urgent now, trying to break through the nightmare that had its grasp on you.

You got up, panting, on the verge of passing out, making your way out of the bedroom, stopping every so often to try and breathe. You were trying to grab at the collar of your shirt, needing room to breathe, as you stumbled your way to the entrance of the compound.

Wanda quickly followed behind you, her feet moving swiftly to keep up with your frenzied pace. She called out your name, her voice full of concern and worry.

“Y/n, where are you going?”

She didn't care if she woke up the rest of the compound, if anyone saw her coming out of your room half naked, your wellbeing was more important.

Your head felt fogged, you could barely see your feet walking in front of you, couldn't hear Wanda's voice calling about behind you. Your hand rested against the lobby wall, and you bent over grabbing your chest tight trying to breathe, to think.

Wanda quickly stepped up beside you, her hand gently resting on your back as you leaned against the wall, struggling to catch your breath.

You flinched at Wanda's hand on your back, and before she had time to speak you stood up leaning against the wall again. Your eyes shut tight as a sharp pain entered your chest.

Once the pain receded to a manageable level you began making your outside the compound. The rain immediately came down on you. You smiled, the rain, you could feel the rain. You were barefoot, the mud below you filling the spaces between your toes. Wanda hung back, wanting to give you space, and it took a minute but as you walked towards a particular tree, soaking your t-shirt, you felt yourself calm down. You allowed yourself to slide down sitting against the wet bark.

You began hysterically laughing, this whole situation was ridiculous, not even five minutes ago you were sound asleep in Wanda's arms, and now you were covered in mud, crying outside. Crying? Wait, you were crying? Tears streamed down your cheeks as you held the front of your cheeks. You screamed into your hands, the sound echoing through the woods.

Wanda watched you stand up, watching as you yelled into the sky. The sound of your voice echoed through the air, a mixture of pain, anger, and sadness. Her heart ached for you, longing to comfort you and take away your pain, but she stayed where she was, knowing you needed this moment to let it out.

You continued yelling into the sky, no words, or sentences, just simply sounds of exhaustion. You were angry at how the universe was treating you. The rain spilled over your face as your yelling turned into loud sobbing, falling to your knees, your hands resting in your lap.

You bent over on your knees, raising your right fist and bringing it down into the soft muddy grass from the rain.

A wave of stress left your body, and you felt lighter instantly.

You raised your left fist bringing it down. You began repeating this, switching your right and left fist.

After a few minutes your fists began to bleed slightly, and you were grunting harder at each punch to the ground. Your thrust sped up and you eventually brought both of your fists down in unison, screaming out in anger.

You finally stopped, the mud mixed with your blood, and you pulled your hands into your stomach as you leaned forward yelling again.

You let the last of your anger out before turning to your sadness, simply laying forward on your knees, crying softly.

Finally, unable to watch you suffer any longer, Wanda couldn't restrain herself. She slowly approached you, her footsteps careful and soft, not wanting to startle you. Her heart ached at the sight of you, hugging yourself, trying to bring some comfort to your weary body.

Wanda knelt down beside you, her hand hovering over your shoulder, unsure if you'd welcome her touch or not.

You continued sobbing, trying to wipe the rain from your face only to spread mud and blood across your skin.

The older woman winced as she saw the mud and blood from your hands smeared across your face, the rain continuing to fall and mix with the mess on your skin. The sight only made her worry for you even worse.

She gently placed her hand on your shoulder, her touch light, ready to pull back if you flinched or pulled away. She spoke softly.

“Dorogaya, it's okay. I'm here. Can you look at me, please?”

You were too embarrassed to look at her, instead, you threw your hands around her waist, burying your head into her stomach crying into her softly.

Wanda was taken back by surprise as you suddenly threw yourself into her, knocking her onto her backside. She was about to protest or ask if you were okay, but when she felt your face burying itself into her stomach, your arms wrapping around her tightly, holding on to her for dear life. Her heart broke at the sound of your tears, still falling gently from your eyes.

She was caught off guard but quickly recovered, her arms instinctively wrapping around your trembling body, holding you close.

The rain continued to fall around you, soaking you both, but she didn't care. All that mattered to her was holding you in her arms and offering you the comfort you needed.

She gently stroked your back, her hand moving in slow, soothing circles, trying to soothe and reassure you with her touch.

“I'm here, my love. I'm here. I've got you.”

Your crying wasn't stopping anytime soon. You were so frustrated and upset with yourself, weeks of progress, weeks of positive changes, down the drain.

“I was doing so well.”

You sniffed through your tears, burrowing your head further into Wanda's lap.

Wanda listened to your words, her chest tightening with each syllable as she understood the depth of your frustration and pain. Your head burrowed deeper into her lap, seeking comfort and solace in her presence.

She continued stroking your back, her touch gentle and reassuring, trying to provide some small measure of comfort in the midst of your tears and distress.

“I know, malysh. I know.”

She whispered softly, her voice filled with empathy and understanding,

“But you've been so strong, my love. You can't expect to be perfect.”

You gripped into Wanda tighter, pausing for a minute to catch your breath. Your voice was filtered through tears and snot.

“I just wish my brain worked properly.”

Wanda's heart ached as you spoke, your words a reflection of the deep-seated pain and frustration you were feeling. She understood too well the struggle of dealing with a mind that often felt like it was working against you.

She continued gently stroking your back, her touch steady and comforting, her voice filled with empathy and understanding.

“Oh, my love, I know. I know it can feel disheartening, and it's not fair. But you are strong, and you have come so far.”

You cried softly, soaking in Wanda's words, you truly appreciated how patient she was.

You snapped back into reality suddenly, realising how vulnerable you were being with Wanda, you crawled off of her quicky, falling onto your backside the same way Wanda had, wiping your tears quickly, backing up slowly still leaning back on your hands, turning your head away from her as you stood up, the rain still pouring.

Wanda's chest tightened again as she saw the way you tried to hide your vulnerability by wiping your tears, turning away from her. It was clear that you were uncomfortable with the level of vulnerability you had just shown, and you were trying to regain some semblance of control.

The taller woman stood up slowly, still watching you, uncertain of how to proceed. The rain continued to pour around you both, the cold and wetness adding to the tense atmosphere. She knew you needed space, but she couldn't shake the urge to close the physical distance between you, to offer some comfort.

She took a small step forward, disappointed slightly when you shut your eyes tightly, but her voice was soft and gentle.

“Malysh, it's okay. You don't have to hide from me. I'm not going anywhere.”

Wanda took another step forward, her movement slow and careful, not wanting to startle you. She could see the tension in your closed eyes, the way your body was bracing itself.

She reached out her hand slowly, wanting to touch you but not knowing if you'd allow it.

“Please, my love, look at me.”

You shook your head, you were doing it again, you were shutting down. You didn't know how to handle this new position you'd found yourself in. You knew you were allowed to be vulnerable with Wanda so what was holding you back?

“Why are you pushing me away dorogaya?”

Wanda's voice was soft and filled with concern.

You turned suddenly to face her, your eyes filled with a silent plea, Wanda's eyes filled with care and desperation.

“I don't know, okay!.. I don't know what's wrong with me.”

Your reply came out loud before taking a breath and lowering.

Wanda saw the way you brought your hands to your chest, holding yourself as if trying to hold back the emotions that were threatening to overflow.

“Darling nothing is wrong with you.”

She spoke quietly, her eyes locked on yours, her tone filled with gentle reassurance.

You stepped back from her outreached hand, holding yourself tighter as you cried,

“Everything is wrong with me.”

Wanda's face filled with tears, seeing you like this was crushing her, she knew there was nothing she could do to help and that was worse than standing and watching.

“Darling, no. That's not true. Nothing is wrong with you. You're just... you're just struggling right now.”

Wanda watched as your face relaxed, it was eerie how you simply stood up wiping your face, and your tone was so calm.

“I'm sorry… I'll stop..”

She was confused, she was allowing you to cry and speak with her. Why were you shutting down like this?

“I love you.. I think I just need some sleep.”

Wanda's eyebrows scrunched in visible confusion as she watched you. You stepped forward, kissing her cheek gently, your tears fixed with mud and blood, dampened that part of her face.

She was going to embrace you but you pulled away, walking back towards the entrance of the compound.

She stood in utter confusion, unsure whether to follow you or give you space.

Wanda had spent a restless night, her sleep plagued by worry for you and a nagging sense of concern. She felt the guilt eating away at her, knowing that she hadn't been able to provide the comfort and support you needed last night. But she knew better than to push you in this state, knowing that you needed time to sort through your emotions and process your thoughts.

As morning dawned, she found herself pacing around the common room, the silence of the compound weighing heavily on her. She was desperately worried for you, her mind racing with thoughts and fears.

After what felt like hours Wanda could hear the sound of cutlery clanking. Her face lit up as she made her way to the kitchen, sighing in relief as her eyes fell on you. You were sitting at the kitchen island, eating through a bowl of cereal.

“Malysh?”

Your head twitched to the side immediately, hearing Wanda's soft voice. Your throat cracked as you responded, your vocal chords clearly damaged after yesterday's screaming.

“Yeah.”

Wanda heard your response, and her heart ached at the sound of you, your voice still laced with a hint of pain and vulnerability. She took another step forward, her voice still soft and tentative.

“Can I talk to you for a moment?”

You patted your hand to your left, offering Wanda a seat.

“Yeah.”

You watched as her face lit up before turning back to your bowl. You took a breath, already feeling a lump form in your throat.

“I'm sorry Wanda.. I know I keep apologising but I am sorry.”

You felt guilty, you knew you needed to be open with Wanda, but the fear of her getting scared and leaving was eating at you.

“Malysh, you have nothing to apologise for. I just… I want to understand what's going on with you. I want to help, but you have to let me in.”

You felt your chest tighten, you took Wanda's hands firmly, and held them to your heart softly, speaking with genuine meaning.

“And I want to let you in.”

Wanda felt her heart flutter as you held her hands to your chest. It was a simple gesture, but it was filled with so much vulnerability, so much trust. She squeezed your hands gently, her eyes locked onto yours.

“Then talk to me, my love. Tell me what's troubling you.”

Wanda could easily look through your mind and read it for herself, but you two had established many times that was not allowed and it was a boundary she shouldn't cross. It hurt knowing she could help but she wasn't allowed to, though she understood verbal communication was more important.

You held her hands tighter, your breath shaky,

“I just… I keep seeing her.”

Wanda nodded in understanding, holding onto your shirt slightly as you continued holding her hands.

“In your nightmares?”

Her tone was soft and understanding, she knew the trauma associated with that name.

You nodded slowly, your eyes filling with tears.

Wanda's heart ached as you confirmed that you were plagued by nightmares, the terror and anguish etched across your face. She leaned over embracing you in her arms, her voice gentle and reassuring.

“It's okay, my love. You're safe here. You're safe with me.”

You began to cry, you weren't sure if you were crying from the negativity you were experiencing, or the overwhelming amount of care Wanda was providing you.

“Shhh… It's okay. Let it out. I'm here for you. I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here.”

You felt safe, so safe as she held you tighter, you felt grateful to have such a patient person holding you so securely. After a few moments, she broke the silence, her voice soft yet firm.

“I know opening up isn't easy, love. But I want you to remember that you don't have to carry all this pain and guilt alone. I'm here to help you, to shoulder the weight of your burden with you. Can you try to talk to me, darling? Just a little?”

You nodded, taking a deep breath as you prepared to be honest. The only thought running through your head was what did you ever do to deserve such care and appreciation.

[birrdies]

wpuld u consider “I can keep you safe, they’re all afraid of me.” For shadowrot? or really any Cleo ship. because she’s so scary…

Win Secret Life.

There's a certain peace that should come with knowing you'll lose. Etho's not fool enough to believe it's feasible to win; for him, anyway. But that does nothing to dampen the panic, burning bright through him and setting every nerve-ending alight. It's a familiar panic that slips back into his bloodstream, almost like it'd never left. The fear that comes with dwindling numbers, rolling thunder claps, and each audible heartbeat pounding in Etho's ears.

A wild animal that knows it's about to die won't just take it lying down, even if it knows fighting is futile. It'll still gnash its teeth and swipe its claws at anything that moves in its periphery, anything that gets too close or backs it into a corner. And Etho can't help but shake like one, pacing in the same stretch of grass until it flattens to dirt, churning every possible move in his head. A chessboard only Etho's been dropped in halfway through the game and he doesn't know where half the pieces are.

The task book weighs a million pounds, strapped to his waist, where the words taunt him again and again.

Win Secret Life. Win Secret Life. Win Secret Life. Win Secret Life.

"Hey—"

Their base had been overrun, what little defenses they'd managed to build ripped to pieces. It's not safe there, really, but it's not safe anywhere. Least of all out here in the open, the night sky an oppressive, suffocating weight draped over him, rivaled only by the silent stone statue at his back, hands outstretched, non-existent eyes cold and empty. This place is crawling with red names, it'd only take a second for them to come raining down upon him like hellfire.

"Etho."

Grian's gone, too. Not gone gone, but somewhere Etho can't see him, which is almost just as bad. That panic is an unfamiliar one that sinks its teeth into him, like the cornered animal is trapped somewhere inside of him instead, desperately trying to chew its way out. It's always been just him, by the end. He's had allies, sure— beneficial things to have, like weapons or gunpowder or redstone— but if he'd end up alone that would've been fine.

Would have been.

Where the hell is Grian?

"Etho!"

He stumbles, ripping from his mindless pacing by a pair of wide, heavy hands gripping him by the shoulders. Pale, green fingers twist into the fur lining Etho's collar. He stares at those hands, taking longer than it should have to remember that they belong to someone. He lifts his head, eyes suddenly heavy and tired as he faces Cleo whilst simultaneously avoiding her gaze.

With nowhere to go, his legs stagnant, the anxiety festers. A burst of kinetic energy bubbling underneath his skin like a boiling pot with the lid left over it. He tries not to shake. He doesn't know if it works.

"Cleo," he says, swallowing a gasp his body tries to force out. "We've gotta— We need to find somewhere to set up, fortify. Maybe team up with Bdubs and the others— we're outnumbered. They're stacked, they've got Gem, Joel, Scott—"

"Etho, stop." Cleo jostles him by the shoulders, pulling him in close enough that he couldn't squirrel away even if he tried. Her eyes are red. Nauseatingly red, so deep Etho can't believe he hadn't noticed them before now. "Stop, you need to calm down."

"If we don't act now it will be too late," Etho says, reaching for Cleo's wrists, though he's not confident whether it's to push her off or steady himself. Either way once his fingers have found her pulse point, he can't bring himself to let them go.

Cleo's face, usually stone carved sharper than any sword's edge, softens. Her eyes dim, her mouth tilts up at the corner, and she loosens her grip on his collar. The only thing keeping her hands there at his neck are Etho's. Now he's shaking.

"It's already too late," she says, and its the kind of news that should be delivered with a somber, hung head and the unspoken apology too dense to ignore, let alone breathe through. But Cleo's not sorry. She's smiling at him and he's never seen her more relaxed.

It terrifies him.

"No," he says, shaking his head. "No, it's not. We're still here. We can— We can do something, we just gotta find Grian."

"And do what?" Cleo says, raising an eyebrow at him. Her heartbeat is steady. Calm. Everything a red name at the end of their rope shouldn't be. "Aren't you tired of dying scared and alone and desperate?"

I'm tired of dying, Etho can't bring himself to say. I'm tired of trying and it never being good enough.

Instead, all he can do is nod.

"Then let's go out our way." Cleo grins at him, and it's the first thing to loosen that iron-like grip his ribs have on his heart. "Y'know, causing mayhem, being nasty."

It's tempting. There's few others (if any) Etho'd rather spend his final hours with. Because these are the final ones, if they even have that long, and no amount of panicking or planning or trap-setting will undo the scales that've been tilted against them from the beginning. But the thing about scared animals is that they're stubborn. And no matter how much he wants to give in and let go, he'll never be able to rid himself of that instinct. Not to win, but to survive.

"But the others— They'll be on our tail the whole time." What if they don't have the time to do anything? To live their final moments how they want; just because you don't want to fight doesn't mean everyone else will spare you the same courtesy.

"I'm not scared of some bumbling red names," Cleo says, her words as vicious as they are confident as she finally lets him go, forcing him to drop his hands down by his sides. But she doesn't leave him. She stays right there, within arm's reach, as she tugs free a flint-and-steel from her pocket. "I can keep you safe. For now, anyway. They're all afraid of me."

The laugh that bubbles out of Etho is a quiet, private one that hurts coming up. But he wouldn't have it any other way. "You are pretty scary, Cleo," he says. "What do you wanna do?"

"I think burning Scar's house is a good start," she says, flipping the flint-and-steel in her hand before activating it, watching the small flame dance.

[waitingandwishing]

(Cross posted on tumblr and AO3)

Prev - Next Chapter

The rest of the day, Five seemed distracted. Finally, when Y/N asked him what was up and he led them to an old department store, empty and closed up for the night. It was pitch black and raining.

Y/N and Five walked up to the sliding glass doors and he looked at the girl. "Stay here for me, would you?"

"Why are we here?" Y/N asked him, looking around inside through the window, though it was dark and she couldn’t even see anything.

"You'll see," He jumped inside.

Sighing, Y/N leaned her back against the windows and started fiddling with the hem of her shirt once again. About two minutes in, she heard gunshots fire.

"Five!?" Y/N turned and kicked the glass twice, smashing it. She ran inside and there were two shooters, both with rifles. She could only see their silhouettes but swore they didn't have human heads.

Y/N crouched down and had her back to a metal pole, probably a clothing rack, and breathed in slowly.

Loud shots fired and Y/N ducked down, covering her head while trying to avoid getting hurt. She heard a loud ‘clink!’ and cursed when she realized her mask had been chipped by a stray bullet.

 She grabbed the missing piece of porcelain from the ground and pocketed it. When the bullets stopped firing,  she kept running as fast as she could.

Y/N grabbed a shoe and threw it in the opposite direction to distract the shooters. She stopped and crouched down before being met with Five. 

"Watch out!" Five said and dived at her. He tackled her to the ground and landed on top of her. Two isles away the two shooters were firing half their ammo at where they'd just been.

"We gotta get out of here." Five said breathlessly. Y/N nodded as she heard a loud racket and a couple of shots fired where it was. He slipped his hand into her’s, ready to jump at a moment's notice. 

And together, they ran. They ran together silently until Five pulled away. "Where're you going?" Y/N whispered.

"I gotta get something!" He yelled over his shoulder, running the opposite direction we were meant to be going.

"Over there!" The bullets came and we both fixed for cover.

"I get the girl you get the boy," One of the shooters said. Her voice was muffled which meant they were in fact wearing masks.

She gritted her teeth as she focused and pushed a clothing rack a few aisles away from her with her ability. They shot over where the noise was made. Hopefully, she could cause a distraction so they could waste their bullets. 

As she made her way through the clothes, away from Five and towards the door. Behind me, a gun went off. Five appeared next to Y/N, half a mannequin in hand. "Ok let's go." He said.

She nodded as he grabbed a backpack from behind then and shoved the mannequin inside. He put it on and grabbed Y/N’s hand, running down the aisle exposed. Bullets rained over them and Five yelled.

Her vision went blurry and blue for a moment and when it faded, they hadn't moved. Y/N suddenly slammed him into cover.

"Thanks for the cover." Five smirked. He grabbed Y/N’s wrist and dragged her as he ran. Y/N took a breath and continued flinging racks of clothing from the opposite of them as well as hangers of clothes over at the assassins.

The two assassins fired at them with much better accuracy before Five let go of Y/N’s wrist and they vaulted over a register. "Got 'em!" They spun and saw them.

One, wore a blue cartoon bear mask. The other, Y/N guessed, was female and wore a pink rabbit mask. They both had their guns aimed at their faces, torches shining in their eyes. 

Behind them outside, sirens wailed. They all looked and saw cops pulling up in the parking lot. While the assassins were looking, Y/N and Five dived behind another register.

"The bastard jumped again." The man said.

"Come on," The woman said. "Let's go."

Y/N heard their footsteps fade away, they were leaving. Breathing hard, she grunted before asking, "What's that for?"

"This is Delores." Five said, almost offended.

“Nice to meet you Delores.” She said, still out of breath and slightly shaken. She was too tired to care about why some mannequin was so important to Five anyways.

"Why didn't you just fling them away?" Five asked.

“Like you, I didn’t eat anything.” Y/N said as she coughed violently. Five pointed to her face.

“Your mask.” Five said.

Y/N cursed as she felt the jagged hole in her perfect mask and breathed harder before standing up. “We gotta go back. C’mon.” She said, not bothering to help Five up as he grabbed Delores and the two headed back to the Umbrella Academy. 

Five couldn’t help but notice how sensitive Y/N was about her mask. The way she panicked made him confused. What was so bad about her face that she needed to hide it.

_____________________________________________________

Y/N sighed, rubbing her eyes as she looked at her face in the bathroom. She gritted her teeth, tense, as she glued the porcelain piece back onto her mask. She exited the bathroom with a shaky sigh before going upstairs to Five’s room.

In his room, Y/N grabbed a random book to read and clicked on a lamp. She sat next to Five as he muttered something, hugging Delores tightly in his arms. Y/N flipped the book open and started to read for a while with a slight frown. ‘That’s stupid, why would he even like her? She’s mean and rude and more of a pushover than anything! And what’s the point of world-building for FIVE CHAPTERS only to have twenty chapters in the first place? Also, what’s up with the-

Her train of thought was interrupted as she felt a weight on her shoulder. She turned her head to see Five sleeping on her shoulder, his hold on Delores was looser now.

Y/N smiled slightly as she looked down at him before going back to reading the book. After a few minutes, Five shuffled around and his eyes parted open slightly. “Y/N?” Five muttered. She turned to him with a confused look as he continued to speak, “You’re okay… You’re alive.”

“Yeah, I’m alive Five.” Y/N said quietly. Something about the way he looked broke her heart, like it was being stabbed. “I’m right here.”

“Don’t ever leave me…” Five said as he relaxed back into her shoulder. Y/N stayed silent before nodding.

“Don’t worry, I won’t ever leave you.” She said as Five started to drift off to sleep again, but this time with a slightly sleepy smile. Y/N frowned, what did he mean by that? Maybe it was something about the apocalypse? She’d have to ask him in the morning…

_____________________________________________________

Five woke up, Delores in his arms, but Y/N was nowhere to be seen. The lamp was off and the book she was reading was on a nightstand. He looked around before Y/N came in with a steaming cup of coffee and a box. She looked at him with a smile, “I’ve got coffee. Don’t worry, it’s not the shitty kind.” She said and handed him his coffee. “Black, right?”

Five nodded as he took a sip. He slightly smiled, “Thank you, Y/N...” He said.

“It’s no problem,” She said.

“When’d you wake up?” Five asked. Y/N shrugged.

“Never went to sleep.” The girl said casually, as if it was normal to pull an all-nighter. Five gave her a concerned look and she elaborated. “I don’t need to sleep. At least not for a few days.”

“And how many days has it been since you’ve slept?” Five asked. Y/N stayed silent, changing the subject.

“You have to deal with that wound.” Y/N pointed to the bullet wound in his arm that probably grazed him last night.

“I’ll take care of it.”

“No you won’t.” Y/N said as she opened the box in her hands to reveal a first aid kit, “Let me help.” She said.

Five reluctantly took off his shirt as Y/N sat down beside him and started to clean his wound. Five frowned slightly before speaking, "You get any?" He asked me when Y/N picked up the needle.

"No." She threaded the needle.

"Lucky,"

Y/N had it done in about 13 minutes and Five finished it off with a bright yellow kids plaster. He got dressed, zipped up Delores's bag, and opened a window. "We can leave normally." Y/N commented, following him out the window.

"Less conspicuous." Five said, grabbing Delores's bag. Y/N, although hesitant, followed him out the window.

All the windows in the house had small black rail balconies outside. Thankfully, they were all connected by stairs and ladders in a maze of wires. Five started climbing down the stairs first, Delores over his shoulder.

Y/N followed him down. On the street, in an alleyway, Klaus was rummaging through a dumpster talking to himself and smoking weed. Y/N and Five started down a ladder.

"I'd ask what you're up to Klaus bit then it occurred to me," Five stopped and looked at him. "I don't care." They kept climbing down.

"Hey," Klaus laughed and watched the duo. "You know there are easier ways out of the house, buddy."

"That's what I told him," Y/N said.

"This one involved the least amount of talking." Five said jumping off the ladder. "Or so I thought."

Y/N reached the street and they headed out the alley together. "Hey hey hey, so." Klaus called after them, leaning on the edge of the dumpster. Y/N looked back and saw his flask of God knows what in hand. "You need any more company today? I could uh, clear my schedule." He drank.

Y/N smiled slightly. It must’ve hurt to know that your siblings have given up on you so much that you’re always the last to… Everything. "Sorry, Klaus. Maybe when you're a bit more sober." Y/N smiled, “But, maybe next time, we could go shopping?”

Klaus gave us a bittersweet smile as Five rolled his eyes. "Yeah, no. I'm done funding your drug habit." Five said, walking away.

"Maybe I just wanna hang out with my brother and his weird crazy kinda-girlfriend." Klaus called. 

“Bye, Klaus! We’re going shopping later.” Y/N pointed and Klaus blew a kiss. "I'll buy you something!"

"I love you! Even if you can't love yourself!” Klaus shouted, “And I’ll hold you to it Y/N!”

"Wanna steal that van?" Five asked, nodding to the van parked ahead of them.

"Sure." Y/N shrugged.

After a decent night's sleep, which was the best Five got, he was able to jump into the van and open it for me. Y/N handed him her pocket knife and he hotwired the van. They drove off and parked on a street corner across from Meritech Prosthetics. The duo sat there spying.

Five nudged Y/N and nodded to the Lance from before, they watched him go in. He was dressed the same as before, with a jumper and lab coat. In his hand was four coffees. As he made his way in he kept glancing around behind him as if expecting an attack at a moment's notice.

"He seems nervous." Y/N noted.

"Shaken from yesterday?" Five suggested.

"If that's what you think." Y/N shrugged. He headed inside and they looked away. 

Five looked into the back of the van and swore. He zipped open Delores's bag and pulled out two bottles of vodka. He set the two bottles in my lap. "Hey," He helped Delores sit up. "Sorry you were in there so long Delores. No, I'm not drunk."

Y/N examined a bottle in her hand before handing it back. "I'm not really into alcohol.”

Five frowned, “Right, I forgot. You can’t get drunk.” He nodded. Y/N was slight taken-aback.

“How’d you know that?” She asked. He didn’t answer as he took the two bottles and drank straight from the bottle.

Five played with his eye and drank from time to time while Delores sat there. Y/N said something to him but he didn’t say anything. She noticed how dilated his pupils were and how ragged his breathing was. His hands were balled into fists and his knuckles were white as he clutched onto his shorts.

Y/N placed a hand on Five’s shoulder, “Hey, hey, hey. Five, you’re alright, you’re safe.” She said and turned his head towards her. “I’m right here. It’s gonna be okay, just breathe in and out.” Y/N breathed in and out as Five copied her shakily.

“You’re doing great, it’s gonna be over soon.” She said, “I’m right here.” Five blinked rapidly before his breathing slowly returned to normal.

After a few moments of silence, Five spoke up. “Thank you.” He said quietly. There was a sudden knock on the window and the two of them jumped, only just noticing his brother. 

Y/N opened her door and Luther stuck his head in. "You okay?" He asked.

"What are you doing here?" Y/N asked. "How'd you even find us?"

"Um," He nodded behind them. They looked and saw Klaus making out with Delores in the back of the van.

"Hey, a little privacy guys. We're really hitting it off back here." Klaus said. He went to kiss Delores and Five threw something at him. Klaus screamed.

"Get out! You can't be here." He yelled.

"I'm in the middle of something." Klaus came forward in the van and stuck his head between the front seats. "Any luck finding your one-eyed man?"

"No," Five whispered.

"What's he talking about?" Luther asked.

"Does it matter? It's Klaus." Five sighed. "What the hell do you want Luther?"

"Okay, before we have a conversation... Can you, um, get out of the van?" Y/N asked. Making a confused face, Luther got out of the van. He put an arm on the roof and leaned down to look at them. His weight made the van lean with him. "Anyway, um, so Grace may have had something to do with Dad's death. So I need you to come back to the academy, all right? It's important."

"It's important?" Five repeated with an annoyed expression. "You have no concept of what's important."

"Look, Luther, we're dealing with something a little bigger than whether it was murder or heart failure that killed your dad."

"Hey, did I ever tell you guys about the time I waxed my ass with chocolate pudding?" Klaus laughed. "It was so painful."

"You know I'm trying to have a serious conversation here," Luther said.

"What? Are you saying I'm incapable of being serious?"

"Luthers got a point, you should get out." Five said.

Klaus scoffed, offended, and got out of the van. He slammed the door and walked off. "You're still one of my favorites, Klaus!" Y/N shouted.

"Thanks, Cici!" Klaus shouted back.

"What are you up to, you two?" Luther asked once he was gone.

"Believe me, you wouldn't understand." Five said.

"Try me, last I checked I'm still the leader of this family."

"Well, last I checked I'm twenty-eight years older than you." Five argued.

"You know what your problem is?" Luther asked Five.

"Really hoping you'll tell me." Five said sarcastically. Luther missed the sarcasm by a mile.

"You think you're better than us. You always have. Even when we were kids. But the truth is, Five, you're just as messed up as the rest of us. We're all you have. And you know it."

"I don't think I'm better than you, Number One. I know I am. I've done unimaginable things. Things you couldn't even comprehend. Things she couldn't do in her wildest dreams."

Luther scoffed. "Right."

“As if.” Y/N muttered. Five opened his mouth to say something before being interrupted by a loud voice.

"Hey bitches!" Klaus called as he ran past holding a bunch of food. A man in a security uniform chased after him, blowing a whistle.

"All just to save you all." Five finished his sentence.

[sports-on-sundays]

idk if you’re taking requests but could you do a fluff with rodrigo riquelme where him and the reader enjoy a rainy day indoors

rainy days / Rodrigo Riquelme

Summary: sunny!Rodrigo x girlfriend!cloudy!reader - A little bit of rain won't stop you and Rodri from having a fun day together. Fluff so sweet it might rot your teeth.

Warnings: thunder & lightning

Requested?: Frick yes!

Author's Note: My friend, I'm so happy someone requested for him that I probably actually blushed when I opened my inbox and saw this. I am your certified no. 1 Roro girlie, here at your service! 🫡

Just as you enter the living room where Rodrigo has been waiting for you for the last half hour to finish getting ready, it starts raining.

"Nooo!" you whine, your hands going to your face in dismay. "You have got to be kidding me!"

Rodrigo sets down his phone, frowning, looking out the window. "And it looks like it won't be stopping anytime soon... Look at all those dark clouds over there!" He leans back at an angle to get a better view.

You plop down next to him, crossing your arms, and murmur, "And I got all dressed, too, in this brand new dress. Now I have to go change, since we can't even go out..."

"Hey, wait," Rodrigo says, turning to look at you for the first time since you entered the room. "You don't have to go change. You look lovely in that dress."

"Don't be silly. It's a sundress. I'm not going to be wearing a bright yellow sunny sundress when it's pouring outside and we're stuck indoors!"

"Aw!" he grins, his eyes sincere. "Why not? I'm here, and I think you look adorable in it. I'm certainly impressed, even though you took an hour and a half getting ready."

"You sure?"

"Of course I am!" he laughs, pulling you into a hug, kissing your cheek, like he's snuggling with a teddy bear. "I'm so glad you decided to wear that dress, rain or shine!"

"Well..." you smile softly, blushing deeply. "I was hoping you'd think it's pretty."

"See?" he grins. "I do, so there's nothing to worry about. And I'm sure we can find plenty of fun things to do inside. Come on!" He grabs your hand, pulling you up to stand with him.

He leads you to the dining room, where he has your picnic blanket and lunches on the table. You click your tongue in disappointment. "We can't even have our picnic."

But Rodrigo looks at you with cheery eyes. "Sure we can!"

"Rodrigo, it's pouring!"

"We can have it inside!"

You frown, crossing your arms, and say bluntly, "That's stupid."

"No, it's not. Come on." He picks up the lunch and goes to the living room. He lays out the soft blanket on the floor and lays the food out. "No reason we can't have it right here. Here- and I'll open the windows, too, for some fresh air."

"Wait, no-" you suddenly say nervously, sitting down on the blanket.

He stops with his hand on the window's handle. "Why not?"

"I..." you hesitate, before continuing softly "What if it turns into a lightning storm...?"

Rodrigo smiles softly. "Then I'll close them. We'll be fine."

"You're sure?"

"One hundred percent," he chuckles, opening the windows. As he sits down next to you and begins taking out the food, you have to admit, the breeze does feel nice, and you like the sound of the rain outside.

So you sit together and eat your indoor picnic, and once you finish, Rodrigo lays down and pulls you down with him, murmuring, "Wanna just cuddle?"

"Sure," you chuckle. You have a very cuddly boyfriend.

So you just lay together, arms around each other. You rest your cheek against his chest as he runs his fingers through your hair, and you both stay silent, just contently listening to the pattering of the rain falling outside.

Suddenly, though, there's a loud crack of thunder, and you flinch, letting out a little squeal, and automatically take two fistfuls of the soft pullover sweatshirt Rodrigo is wearing.

He chuckles softly, leaning away a bit to look at you. "You scared?" he asks teasingly, but also softly.

"Can- Can you just close the windows please?"

He smiles and nods, before hopping up to do so. Once they're closed, he asks, "You're scared of thunderstorms?"

You pout a little, sitting up on the blanket. "Maybe."

"Aw," he grins. "Cutie."

You lick your lips, rolling your eyes, and cross your arms. "Whatever."

But suddenly, lightning flashes, and you jump again, biting your lip nervously, before tucking your knees to your chest and resting your face in your arms.

"Hey, hey," Rodrigo says gentler, sitting next to you. "It's okay..." He wraps his arms around you, which does add a lot of comfort. After a while of him just holding you, he says, "Hey, why don't we do something to get your mind off it? Why not play a board game or something?"

You swallow and nod, before clearing your throat and saying, "Alright. Sounds good to me."

He nods. "M'kay. You wait here; I'll be right back with a board game for us to play, yeah?"

You nod, and he's off. But only for a moment, because soon he's back with a Sorry! box in his hands. He sits down next to you, and you're just beginning to take the board out of the box when suddenly, there's another loud crack of thunder, and a second later, the room goes black.

"Rodri!" you gasp, clinging to him, burying your head in his chest.

He laughs softly and rubs your back. "It's okay. The electricity just went out, is all... There's nothing to be scared of... I'm right here..." he soothes gently.

The fact that Rodrigo knows you also have a fear of the dark- that's really not helping your situation. "But... what if... I don't know..." you sigh, leaning away. "How are you not scared?"

He shrugs with a little smile. "I like storms. And there really is nothing to be scared of. The chances of lightning hitting us is so incredibly low, there's no reason to worry."

"But..."

"Hey." He gently tilts your head up to meet his sincere eyes, which you can just barely see in the dark room, with the electricity now out. "Chin up, princess. Your crown is falling," he teases.

You sigh with a nervous smile and nod.

"And do I look scared?"

You frown. "No."

"Then there's no reason for you to be scared, either."

You pout. "That's not fair for you to say. You're, like, a footballer and travel and stuff. You do scary things all the time."

He grins. "Have I ever been killed playing football? Have I ever been killed flying in a plane or driving in a bus? Clearly not, because I'm sitting here right now looking at the most beautiful girl in the world. So what makes you think that we're going to get killed in a thunderstorm?"

You shrug with a more genuine smile. "Nothing."

His grin widens. "There you go. Besides, I think we're far too important to get killed in such a dumb way as getting struck by lightning. You know? I think we've got far more life to live than that."

Now you match his grin. "Alright, alright. You've won me over. Now, you're getting pretty obnoxious: just looking at me so cute, and not even kissing me or anything."

He giggles a bit and says, "Well, sorry!" before cupping your chin and leaning in for a kiss, spreading his sunny, cheery, happy-go-lucky aura around you, despite the rain and wind and thunder and lightning outside.

When he pulls away, you're about to lean in for more, but just then, he slaps his thighs and says, "Now, let me go get a candle, so we can get to playing Sorry!"

You smile softly as he walks off with a skip in his step.

Oh, Roro.

Soon, he's back with the candle. It takes him four tries and some taunting giggles from you until he's able to light the match and the candle before it going out first. When he finally does, he lets out a relieved sigh and says with a laugh, "Finally!"

"'Finally' is right! Rodrigo Riquelme, public enemy number one- when it comes to matches!"

He grins and nods, very, very, slowly and carefully setting the candle down next to the playing board, before you get playing.

You end of beating his socks off in Sorry!. "There!" you grin, setting your last piece in the 'home' tunnel. "Professional Hasbro Sorry! player right here! No, no, really, it's okay- I can give you my autograph!"

This, though it's not particularly hysterical, sends your boyfriend into a fit of laughing. He just tends to find you funnier than most people. One of his friends could say the exact same thing, and he might give a small chuckle.

And you laugh with him, because you love the sound of his laughter.

Finally, he begins cleaning up the board, a smile still lingering on his face, as he says, "Look at us. A pro footballer and a pro board game player. Power couple one hundred right here."

"You got that right," you chuckle, before a sudden, big yawn comes on you.

Rodrigo looks up with a little sparkle in his eyes. "You getting sleepy?" he asks as he closes up the Sorry! box.

You shrug, smiling back. "Dark, gloomy days make me more tired."

"Gloomy?" he asks, standing up. He holds his hand out to you, and pulls you up to stand as well. "I don't think this day has been gloomy at all."

"What do you mean? The weather is crap."

He sets the board game box on the end table by the couch, before coming back to you and linking his arms around your back, looking you straight in the eyes. "Gloomy is the last word I would use to describe seeing my gorgeous girlfriend in such a pretty dress," his voice softens, and so do his eyes as he continues, "It's the last word I'd choose for having a picnic with her- indoors or not, or getting to cuddle with her. I would never, ever say getting to joke around with you, and laugh with you, is gloomy. I think getting to spend time with you, playing a board game, is the exact opposite of gloomy, actually."

You grin and throw your arms around him. "I love you so much! You know that?"

He kisses your cheek with a loud 'mwah!' before promptly lifting you up and bringing you to the couch. "I love y-"

"Now what are we doing?"

"My goodness!" he laughs. "You don't even let me say it back!" he jokes as he lays down on the couch, letting you lay on top of him.

"Okay, okay, sorry. Say it back."

"I! Love! You!" he giggles, and in between each word pecks your lips. "Now, I think it's time for you to go to sleep, sleepyhead."

You smile, nuzzling into him. "Alright. I'm down for that."

"Good," he whispers with a content sigh, before his hands begin absently loosely braiding your hair.

Your eyes flutter closed, and just as you're drifting off to sleep, you feel a sleepy sigh from Rodrigo, and you're not sure if it's his voice really, or just a fragment of your sugar sweet dreams, but you perceive the soft whisper from Rodrigo murmuring, "Oh, Y/n. Whatever would I do without my Y/n?" and his soft lips kissing you goodnight.

[ashestoroses018]

Things Can Only Get Better (Part One)

Originally posted in 2017. 18+

It is late October, 1985, when your car breaks down near your old friend's house on a freezing, rainy night. What you thought would be an uneventful and awkward night with someone you've barely spoken to in over four years has, quite literally, turned your life Upside Down.

Steve Harrington/reader, one-sided Dustin/reader

It's with a heavy heart that you walk up to the front door of your ex-friend's house. The thing is, it's raining quite heavily outside, and you're not fond of the idea of walking around at night in Hawkins, with all the weird shit that's happened the last few years; much less walking alone at night when it's raining heavily.

Knock, knock. You wait. It's likely his parents aren't home, but you're certain Steve, himself, is, because you've heard that he hasn't gone out partying as much recently, especially since Nancy Wheeler dumped him. After a moment with no response, you ring the doorbell, hoping you aren't waking him up, considering it's after 9.

“Come on, Steve,” you grumble under your breath, already starting to freeze half to death in the late October weather.

“Coming!” You hear him shout from inside. Oh, thank God. After a moment, he opens the door.

Your eyes meet his sheepishly, and a look of unmasked shock crosses his face. “Hey, Steve. Been a while, huh?”

He just nods; after a moment, it seems like he realizes that you're dripping wet. “Oh shit. Come on in. Let me get you a towel. What the hell happened?”

You follow him to the bathroom, explaining all the while that your car broke down a few blocks back, and his house was the closest of anyone you know.

“Shit. It's freezing out there. You're ice cold.”

“Thanks, Steve. You didn't have to do this. It's been forever since we were friends.”

He sighs as he helps you dry your hair, while you focus on warming yourself up with the other towel. “I'm sorry about that, you know. I've missed you the last few years.”

You glance up and accidentally meet his eyes, suddenly realizing just how close your faces are. Heat rises unbidden to your face. “I've missed you, too. What the hell happened to us, Harrington?”

Subconsciously, you pull away from him by a few inches, as he stops drying your hair to respond. “A lot of stuff, I guess. Once high school started, we sort of just...went our separate ways?”

You nod in agreement. “Yeah, you got caught up with those assholes and became King Steve, while I stuck around with my nerdy friends.”

Steve coughs and rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. “My friends were idiots. I feel like a dumbass for even having hung out with them.”

“Shit happens, Steve. Can I use your shower?”

“Uh, yeah, sure. I can grab you some dry clothes, too.”

“That'd be awesome. Thank you.”

He tosses you a nod and half-wave as he walks out of the bathroom and shuts the door behind him, so you can undress in privacy. What a turn of events, indeed. Aside from a few awkward hellos and short conversations during shitty parties, you and Steve haven't talked since, what, '81?

As you wash your hair, you think over the last couple of years. Since Steve and Nancy had dated, you'd noticed a change in the boy, as had everyone else. It knocked him out of the “top tier” of high school popularity; but if you're being honest, for you, it feels like your old best friend is coming back. Maybe there's hope for your friendship, yet.

A few minutes later, Steve shouts through the door that he's putting clothes onto the toilet and not looking. You just laugh and thank him, imagining that awkward look from earlier painted across his face once again.

It's when you're half-dressed in Steve's spare pajamas (why'd he give you pajamas? Was he assuming that you'd just stay the night, like you used to do in elementary school?) that are about four sizes too big for you, that there's a frenzied rush of knocks and doorbell rings on the front door.

“Steve! Open up! It's Dustin. We have an emergency, and we weren't sure where else to go but here. Please hurry!” You're not a hundred percent sure who Dustin is, but it doesn't seem like Steve is going to answer the door, so you wrap a towel around your hair and run back to the front door.

When you swing it open, you're greeted by the surprised gazes of six fucking kids. “Who the hell are you?” asks a kid who sounds like the 'Dustin' from before.

“I'm F/N L/N. You could say I'm an old friend of Steve's. You guys okay?” It isn't hard to figure out that the kids are absolutely terrified.

“Just let us in.” A black-haired kid interjects, and you just nod. “Where's Steve?”

“He's around here somewhere. Go sit in the living room, or some—holy shit, are you okay?!” A red-haired girl is nursing a huge cut on her arm. “Oh shit, don't go to the living room. Mrs. Harrington will have a conniption, if blood gets on her carpet.” At least she will, if she's the same as I remember, you think idly. “Kitchen. Come on.”

The six younger teens follow you to the kitchen. As the redhead sits down, mentioning offhand that her name is Max, Steve happens to walk into the kitchen.

“What the hell are you guys doing here? Shit, Max, are you okay?”

“Does it look like I'm okay, numbnuts? I'm gushing blood right now, and you were the only place we could go. Hop would lock El back up for another year, if he found out.”

A chorus of agreements sound from the boys, while the other girl just nods silently. She must be El.

“How the hell did you do this to yourself, Max?” you ask her quietly, as you press a clean dish towel onto her wound.

She exchanges a meaningful look with her friends. “We can't tell you.”

“Look, dude, I'm not going to tell anybody. I don't really give a shit; it's just that I need to know how deep the cut goes and what type of cleaning I should do. Steve,” you address the slightly older teen, turning to face him. “I need you to get the purest alcohol you have, okay?”

He nods, while Max just stays quiet.

“Seriously, Max. You don't want me poking this thing to see how deep it is. Did you get stabbed or something?”

She shakes her head. After a moment, the other girl speaks up. “Demogorgon.”

You blink. “The demon prince? You hurt yourself playing DnD?”

“Oh my God, you play DnD? Steve finally picked a cool girl to date,” the curly-haired boy – Dustin – says, excitedly.

“Not dating,” Steve says with a tone of finality. “Here's the strongest shit my mom has.”

“Do you have a needle and some dental floss? I'm going to have to stitch her up. Max, you should really be in the hospital. This shit is bad.”

The girl gives you a look that brooks no argument. “That's out of the question. My stepdad would kill me.”

With a sigh, you nod. “Steve. Needle and floss. Quickly. The bleeding isn't slowing, and if this shithead isn't going to go to the hospital, we need to stitch her up.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Are you seriously going to stitch her up?” the African American boy asks suddenly.

“Yeah.”

“Be...be careful.”

“Boyfriend?” you ask Max in a slightly teasing tone. She just nods, with a slight blush. Cute. “Okay, Max. This is going to sting like a fucking bitch, but I don't have anything better. Steve's family isn't the best about keeping first aid kits.”

“Wait, I just found one under the sink,” says the only kid you actually recognize – the Byers kid. Will.

“Thanks, Will. Can you hand it here? Let me see if there's any alcohol wipes in here. Uses a different kind of alcohol, but it has basically the same effect. Max, hold the towel on your arm, okay?”

Not waiting for her to answer, you begin rummaging through the first aid kit. You find some gauze wrap, which will help a lot, as well as some antibiotic ointment. After a further few moments of searching, you find a singular alcohol wipe. That's not going to be enough for her giant cut – that thing spans nearly her entire forearm.

“Looks like we're using the vodka after all, Max. Sorry. Like I said, this is going to burn like a bitch.” You grab some cotton balls out of the first aid kid, before dousing three of them at once. “Breathe in, okay?”

She nods, as you begin gently cleaning the wound from the outer edges, inwards. As you take a closer look at it, with the blood being cleared off, you realize it looks like some sort of bite wound, rather than a slice or anything like that. You look up and make eye contact with Dustin, and he averts his eyes. Looks like the kid knows what you realized.

“What the fuck kind of animal in Indiana bites like this?” you ask under your breath.

Again, the quiet girl speaks up. “It's not an animal. It's a demogorgon.”

“El,” hisses the kid you suddenly realize is Nancy's younger brother, Mike. “why are you telling her? We don't even know her. Party rules, remember?”

“Well, Mike...She's kinda involved now, isn't she?” asks Max's boyfriend.

Dustin and Will nod in agreement. “Majority rules,” El says simply, right as Steve walks back into the room.

“We telling F/N about our double life then?” he asks, almost jokingly, but, even after all this time, you know him well enough to realize he's dead serious underneath the sarcastic facade.

Mike sighs. “I guess. Who wants to explain this shit?”

“I'll do it. She's my friend, so it makes sense that I tell her, right?”

“What the hell is going on, Steve?” you ask, before realizing he brought the needle and dental floss. “Disinfect the needle. Boiling water, ten minutes.”

“How do you know all this shit?” he asks, complying.

“Don't worry about it. Why don't you start telling me about your secrets first, hm?”

“Okay, but you need to trust us. This is completely, a hundred percent true, no matter how crazy and unbelievable it sounds. We could literally be killed for telling you. We all signed documents and shit saying we wouldn't spill.”

You blink in surprise. You've never heard Steve so serious before. “Alright. I'll do my best to believe you.”

He takes a deep breath, turning to you after he starts heating a small pot of water on the stove. You briefly meet his eyes, before returning to disinfecting Max's injury. You've gone through at least 20 cotton balls by now. You're going to run out soon, at the rate this is going. Glancing up at Max, you give her a warning look, which she seems to understand, before you pour some vodka directly onto the skin surrounding the bite. She hisses in pain, which makes you wince, but she says nothing, instead choosing to clench her teeth.

While you finish up disinfecting her and Steve puts the needle into the now-boiling water, Steve explains what has allegedly happened over the last two years here in Hawkins, and that it's been a year since the last time anything happened – but it seems like that quiet is going, now that Max just got bitten by one of the sons of bitches; it sounds like she was lucky to survive and only did so because of Eleven – which is apparently El's full name.

“Needle's done,” Steve says, after a moment of silence.

“Okay. Wash your hands, then dry it with a piece of gauze. Then bring it to me. Max, you should probably take a shot of vodka. The pain's going to be way too much otherwise.”

“Are...are you sure? I'm only fourteen.”

“Do you want to be screaming like a little bitch?”

“No, not really.”

“Okay, then. You're gonna take a shot. It's gonna taste like shit, but it's gonna be nothing compared to the pain of getting amateur stitches with no anesthetic.”

She nods, understanding. Steve brings over the needle and a shot glass. You thank him with a smile. At the moment, you can't even fully comprehend the story you were just told – and you're a little shaky about the fact that you're about to stitch a kid back together, quite literally.

Even with the liquor in her system – and it definitely is, judging by her red face – Max is squeezing her eyes shut, with tears coming out of her eyes. Steve whispers to the boyfriend, Lucas, that he should go hold her hand, which he does after a moment. Max thanks him with a look of gratitude; it's obvious she doesn't quite trust her voice, at the moment, as her teeth are still clenched.

Ten minutes later, she's fully stitched. “Okay, Max. Almost done. We're just gonna put some antibiotic on it, then wrap your arm, okay? If you don't want your parents finding out, I suggest wearing long sleeves for the next couple weeks. We're going to need to change your gauze every few days, though. And I need to check on the stitches every few days, to make sure you aren't getting infected. Where do you live? Or do you just want to meet somewhere?”

Steve stares at you in a mix of shock and awe. “Seriously, where the hell did you learn this shit, F/N?”

“It doesn't matter, Steve. I'm trying to help her and make sure she doesn't get an infection, despite being an idiot.”

“Fair enough. You guys staying here tonight?”

After a moment, the kids nod. Steve sets them up in the living room to sleep, with the understanding that they'd explain exactly what the hell happened tonight in the morning; after all, it's after midnight, and the kids are obviously exhausted.

After they're set up, Steve comes up to you. “That was fucking amazing, F/N. Seriously, where'd you learn to do all that?”

“Look, Steve. I...don't want to talk about it right now. Let's just say it has to do with some serious emotional baggage, okay?” You give him a strained smile, as you clean up the massive mess in the kitchen. He moves to help you.

“Alright. Just...tell me when you're ready, okay? I think it's awesome that you were able to help them. I wouldn't have had any idea what to do.”

“They obviously trust you a lot, Steve,” you say, leaning against the counter and facing him with crossed arms, while he picks up some of the garbage you missed.

He awkwardly rubs the back of his neck before meeting your eyes. “I'm a damn good babysitter.”

You can't help but giggle at the look on his face. “I have no idea what the fuck I just got into, but I missed you, Harrington.”

“I missed you, too, L/N. Thanks. Seriously.”

After you've cleaned the kitchen, you look over at Steve. “Where should I sleep?”

You don't want to tell him that you're a little bit freaked out after their unbelievable tale, and that you don't want to sleep alone. Luckily – or perhaps, unluckily – he notices almost immediately that you're nervous. He comes close to you, so you can hear him whisper without the risk of the kids overhearing.

“You can sleep in my room if you need to, F/N. You look terrified.”

You try to break the tension with a little joke. “You won't try anything, Harrington?”

“Never. You need to be protected, right now. Not taken advantage of.”

It's at that exact moment you realize Steve Harrington has become someone worthy of every ounce of trust and care you could afford him – a dangerous feeling, indeed.

[imagine-that-fanfics]

Long day

Steve x reader fic

Woo this took me way too long to right lmao but here’s this, I might make a part 2 to this at some point, first Steve fic I’ve written but I have plenty of others in the works

Female reader, most of it is GN though just a few of the nicknames are fem but you could easily change them in your head, not completely proof read so apologise for any mistakes or bad writing lol

It had been a long day, and when you say 'a long day' you mean a really long fucking day. Luckily the day had finally came to an end and you were headed home, the rain was pouring down heavy, window wipers on full, you were about a half hour away from your house when suddenly all hell seemed to erupt from your engine, "no, no, no! don't do this to me now! wait until I'm home please!" you begged the car as if it would listen however it didn't and instead decided it had had enough and with one last sputter came to a halt. "fuck!" you groan and slump over resting your head against the steering wheel "can this day get any worse!?" you whine quietly to yourself

You’re not sure how much time passes but the rain doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon so you finally decide to give up on waiting, just as you're about to turn to your back seat to grab your jacket a flash of headlights catch your eye, you sigh and hope that who ever it was would stop and help you out, you also hoped that whoever it was it wasn't some creep. The mystery car must have spotted you as it pulled over just behind yours. you're preparing yourself for whatever was to come, when suddenly there's a knock at your window, as you're winding it down your face drops as you realise just who had stopped to come to your rescue, a shit eating grin had crossed his face once he had recognised you 'spoke to soon' you thought to yourself "need a lift?" he asked almost smug, you glare at the boy "from you? I think I'll pass" you scoffed He shook his head and let out a small chuckle in disbelief "come on, its pouring down and it doesn't look like this old thing is gonna get you home anytime soon, so what do you say little lady? not like you got any other options, I doubt that anyone else will be coming this way at this time of night and definitely not in this weather." you send another glare his way "first, don't ever call me that and second I'd rather get drenched and walk home than spend any time in your company" he lets out another chuckle and shakes his head "aw come on sweetheart I ain't that bad" a smirk grows on his face as you scoff "I'd beg to differ" a small moment passes and you sigh not actually wanting to get home drenched in rain "alright fine, you can take me home" you finally gave in, reluctantly taking the keys out of your ignition and grabbing a few things you needed out of the car before getting out and quickly running and getting into his.

Steve follows behind and gets into the drivers seat laughing to himself as he throws his umbrella into the back seat. "what?" you grumble and he turns to face you once he's put his seatbelt on "you, you say you'd rather walk and get drenched and yet as soon as you're out your car you go running to mine" he smirks and you roll your eyes " whatever Harrington, just drive, the quicker we get going the sooner this will be over" Steve shakes his head, starts the car and pulls away "sheesh, I'm just teasing, loosen up a little would ya?" "not in the mood Harrington, so for the love of god for the rest of this journey keep quiet" you huff as you turn to face out the window you leaned your arm against the door and place your head in you hand as you watched the rain fall. Steve didn't respond and the drive is quiet, well for the first five minutes anyway, he had been giving you quick glances from time to time thinking of the best way to break the silence. eventually he cleared his throat and spoke "so, what were you doing all the way out here at this time for anyway?" you let out a small groan "none of your business Harrington!" "alright, alright, geez was just tryna make some conversation" you scoffed “didn’t I literally tell you to keep quiet though” there’s a short silence that feels like it was hours where you realised you had been a bit snippyer than you should’ve been you sigh before speaking up again “look it’s just been a long day okay, I do not have the energy to deal with all your “Steveness” okay” steve rolled his eyes at that before smirking “oh please you love all my “steveness” as you call it” “yeah just as much as I love dropping something heavy on my toes” you rolled your eyes “yeah you keep telling yourself that, but come on really, what’s got your panties all up in a twist?” You groan slightly “you’re not gonna shut up until I tell you huh?” Steve smirks “nope” “fine, if you must know I found my so called boyfriend was cheating on me this morning, I got into a stupid fight with my mom, my brother seems to be avoiding me for some unknown reason then all night I’ve had to deal with asshole customer and now my car breaks down in the middle of nowhere in the pouring rain and now I’m having to deal with you so there that’s what’s bothering me, happy now?” You let out a deep sigh and turn back to look out the window resting your head against your hand. “Sheesh… that sounds like a lot… sorry”. Those words shocked you to say the least, you never would have thought that THE Steve Harrington would feel bad for you never mind bad enough to apologise for something he didn’t need to apologise for, it annoyed you a little “I don’t need your pity Harrington, just get me home” Steve stayed silent after that not fully sure what to say which was unusual for him he noted.

The journey was filled mostly with silence with the faint sound of the radio on the background, Steve had been stealing quick glances at you not that you noticed too preoccupied with watching the trees pass. Steve deciding the silence was too unbearable cleared his throat before speaking “I’m sure he’s not” your face contorts into confusion as you turn to him “what?” “Dustin, I’m sure he’s not avoiding you, at least not intentionally” “why makes you say that?” Steve let’s out a chuckle “because that kid adores you dude, he never shuts up about how cool you are and how you’re definitely the best older sibling out of the group, always says he wishes you’d hang out with the group more like you used to” your face relaxes happy to hear that Dustin doesn’t hate you but your heart sinks when you hear that he wishes you were around more, Steve notices the look on your face change “shit sorry I didn’t… he fully understands that you’re busy with work and your own friends… he doesn’t hold it against you or anything he” you interrupt him “it’s fine Steve… you don’t need to…” you shake your head slightly knowing he was trying to make you feel a little better, you agreed that you were busy with work and with the people you called friends which if you really thought about it they weren’t really your friends more your exs’ but that was no excuse for not hanging with your brother and his friends at all, you loved those kids as if they were all your siblings, you let out a small sigh “what’s worse is that those guys weren’t really my friends, well I guess I’ll just have to make it up to Dustin and the party” you ran your hand through your hair in slight frustration, Steve gave you a soft understanding smile one that made your heart skip, what the hell was that? And what happened to Steve, this isn’t the Steve you knew, he seemed different, you knew he had been babysitting the kids a lot lately which shocked you at first but let it go, then of course there was Dustin who almost always went on about Steve and how awesome he was now but you couldn’t believe he had changed that much I mean, he was the biggest douche in school but there he was trying to make you feel better about the fact that you had basically ditched your brother and the party over some guy and his friends it was odd to say the least.

The car finally pulled into the Henderson household and you let out a slight sigh in relief which Steve heard and scoffed playfully “geez Henderson at least try and pretend you don’t hate me” your eyes widened slightly “n-no that’s not…I’m just glad to be home, I…” wait why were you trying to explain yourself? It shouldn’t matter what he thought but still a part of you didn’t want him to think you really hated him, sure you thought he was a dick but hates a strong word and you didn’t want him thinking that… why didn’t you want him to think that? You shook your head slightly Steve grinned at you playfully and your stomach flipped as you saw it,you quickly shook the feeling “uhm thanks for the ride” getting out of the car quickly and heading to your front door, Steve got out the car and leaned against it as he shouted your name, you turned looking at him in anticipation, Steve smiled “can’t wait to see you around more” he turned getting back into his car “oh and your boyfriend was an idiot” he said before driving off leaving you slightly stunned, your heart fluttering, what the hell was that? You thought to yourself before entering your house.

[the-fiction-witch]

The New Job

Media The Artful Dodger

Character Jack Dawkins

Couple Jack X Reader

Rating Sweet + Spooky

I let out a stunted yawn trying my best not to let my yawns be too obvious as it was early and had a long way still to go. But I had been travelling for what felt like years at this bloody point. So much has changed within the last year. Fallen in love, perfected groundbreaking surgery, got arrested for said groundbreaking surgery, got released under servitude, and paid my way out of it, lost the woman I love and… lost Fagin too. But I suppose I had come to think of myself much like a hand on a clock face, I must go forward even if it hurts, even if I carry a weight eight times my own behind me, I must move forward ever forward and never once back. I now sat in a carriage being bustled and bumped along. Staying in Port Victory wasn’t an option anymore, too many ghosts. Nothing was left for me there and I needed a blank slate somewhere to start over again. And God knows I haven’t got that many more cracks at a blank slate, I’ve already had more than most. But I managed to weasel my way into a job. With my own home office, a weekly salary, free accommodation and a completely fresh start. A small ocean-side town in the States where hopefully things could be fresh. Even if that meant packing up my life in Port Victory and travelling from Australia to South Carolina. Which… Is not fun. And is long. And hard. And I forgot how dark and cold boats are. You’d think I’d have remembered that… from the Navy, but it still got me.

I sighed for a moment, pulled my letter out from my pocket read through it all again trying to remind myself of things,

‘Dear Dr Dawkins,

We are so glad and excited that you coming to our little town. Everyone is extremely excited to meet you and have you here with us. You should arrive on the twelfth all being well. I look forward to your arrival so I can personally meet you and introduce you to the town. We have set up your house and office, it’s sitting here waiting for your arrival.

you enjoy your journey to Charleston.

Signed

Mayor Wolton’

I knew it couldn’t be too much longer now, Part of me shivered with fear and concern, And yet another part of me couldn’t sit still with excitement and anticipation. The carriage bounced and buckled, the roads here were worse now, and the fields seemed to stretch for further than I could even imagine I could see trees and farmhouses miles away across the vast emptiness, the sky a deep grey as the rain slowly drizzled from the sky. The sound of the horse’s shoes clicking on the road, the patterning of the raindrops on the wooden roof above me, the fluttering of a window open on the other side, I had tried to shut it but it was stuck worse than my strength could fix. I held my bag tightly protecting the contents within from the movement, I got my pocket watch from my pocket, I clicked it open revealing the face of the watch. I hoped we would be there soon so I had time to get settled.

“Dr Dawkins!” The man shouted over the rain and sounds of horses

“Yes?” I responded, my voice a little hoarse from hardly speaking today,

“We’ll be arriving in Charleston soon sir!” he yelled,

“Ohh thank you” I answered,

I looked desperate to try and see something, anything of the place I was going to be calling home but the rain and the small windows allowed me not to see much.

I pushed down my window and almost stuck out my head to try and see more. I could see houses, trees, and at last signs of life.

This place seemed smaller than I imagined. A small town with shops, townhouses, and some basic cottage industry all by the sea but the rain battering everything in sight.

The carriage suddenly stopped so I got out holding tightly onto my bag as I stepped out smelling the sea air turned on my heels to see water being battered by the rain. We had stopped surrounded by an old twisted metal sign,

‘Charleston’

I looked into the town and saw the cobblestone square with a small half-burnt tree, beyond the tree was a little wooden church at the end of the long street. With another long street passes through the tree as well however in the other direction.

“I’ll take your things to your house, Dr Dawkins,” the man says,

“Oh thank you” I nodded, and he whipped the horses and headed off into the town.

I know I am meant to meet with the Mayor but I couldn’t see a single soul.

I headed over the threshold and in slowly, looking at the little line of shops and houses, none of them had lights on, the rain dying down and the sky coming over dark and gloomy not the best weather to be arriving.

This place was just so strange, and different. I’d never seen a place like this before it was all so unusual and so empty… it put me on edge.

I turned to look around this town, trying to find Well I wasn’t sure what I was looking for exactly but something. I turned back towards the church and I jumped seeing a woman there standing in the middle of the road.

I knew she hadn't been there before as the carrier just went past where she now stood. It was as if she appeared there the second I looked away, I looked at her taking in every inch of her.

She stood in the middle of the road with her hands behind her back, she wore a blue and black dress that sat on that hove on the ground so I couldn’t see her feet and yet the dress didn’t touch the mud. She wore black gloves and blue ribbons blowing in her long Y/C hair in braids and plaits, her lips blood red and her eyes Y/E/C. She was beautiful and yet frightening like she was somehow haunting to look at, even if she was pretty, something about her made my hair stand on end, my stomach turned and my breath go cold and yet I didn’t want to look away from her.

“Hello,” She smiled her voice smooth but strange,

“Ohh uhh Hello,”

“You’re later than they expected,”

“Yes... I do apologize, Traveling has been hell,” I said, “Where is everyone else?”

“In the church, there is a funeral on the hill this evening. I didn't know her. besides they like me to stay away from such things,” she explained,

“Right…” I nodded,

“You’re the new doctor? Aren’t you?” she asked and I nodded “Good, I rather hope I will get to see much more of you, Dr Dawkins”

I froze up a moment, “How- How did you know my name?” I stuttered,

“Well, Your initials are on your carry bag,” she smiled, “That and the town hasn’t stopped talking about you,”

“I see, I apologise I just -”

“You thought I had played a lark on you?” she interrupted, “It’s quite alright Dr Dawkins, I get it a lot,” she smiled, “The Town Often thinks such things of me, You’d Think me, Wicked Doctor,”

“Oh, No no…” I told her, “I’m sorry I don’t even know your name,”

“Miss Y/l/N,” she smiled, moving her hand from behind her back and offering it to me. I nodded slightly nervously, taking her hand in my own and politely giving the top of her hand a small kiss, she smiled widely as I did. While I was holding her hand I noticed she seemed to be in pain and I saw the sleeve of her dress move slightly away from her glove and I noticed a mark on her skin almost like a burn or a tattoo on her wrist as black as night and seemingly shapeless.

I didn’t mention it, I felt it would be rude to have brought it up to her.

“They won’t be done for a while. If you like, I could take you to the house and office?” she offered,

“Oh well thank you very much, yes I’d like to get settled before it gets too dark” I smiled so she nodded and began walking down the road towards the burnt tree and then going down the road to the right.

She led me through the dark town, her dress making a strange fabric swishing noise unearthly due to the fact I couldn’t hear her steps, until she stopped. the last house it was a tall weathered old wooden house with dirty windows hiding what was within, there was a wooden porch with steps out the front that led to the front door and the post box beside a small bell on the wall, There was a small bench beside the door and a metal sign hung by the wall out into the road it had a syringe and a stethoscope with Doctor written under it.

She walked up to the door opening the post box revealing a couple of letters and two keys she flicked through the letters as she came back over to me, “I’m sorry these are for the old doctor,” she said putting the letters away, “The key to the door, and to the post box,” she smiled handing me the two keys,

“Thank you,” I nodded taking the keys, “what happened to the old doctor? If you don’t mind my asking?”

“We don’t know,” she shrugged, “One day he just packed up his things his wife, his children and then left,” she explained,

“I see, Well I’ll do my best to uhh to replace him,” I said,

“I’m sure you’ll be brilliant,” she smiled, “I better be going Moll will be missing me,”

“Moll?” I asked

“Ohh I’m sorry My cat,”

“Oh, we used to have a cat at my old hospital.” I chuckled, “Evil little thing but, still, they can be nice. I- I would love to see your cat?”

“Perhaps I could bring her to visit,” she smiled, “Perhaps I could bring you some dinner this evening as you're busy getting settled?”

“Well That would be lovely Miss Y/l/N,” I smiled blushing slightly, “I look forward to it,”

“As do I, I’ll see you later Dr Dawkins,” she smiled, “Welcome To Charleston,” before she hurried off into town. 

I unlocked the door to the house and a wave of dust moved through the air as the door was opened. The room was tiny merely a porch with two doors one to the right and one straight head. I opened the door to the right, this was the office I was going to be working in from now on. Shelves of bottles and stock, a theatre table some various chairs and tools I had left behind in Port Victory with a fireplace to the side and a window out to the front porch. The place would need a clean up but it was more than serviceable. I headed through the other door and found all My bags sitting on the floor.. The room was nothing but a corridor with three doors, one at the end of the hall and one on each side of this door one to the left and one to the right straight ahead of me was the staircase leading to the upstairs. The Door to the left was the living room; it had a window seat and a large fireplace, the fire already roaring up the chimney, two perfect chairs sat with a small table between them on bookshelves all over the place. I herded upstairs curiously the stairs creaked and dust fell from the bannister as I ran my hand across it the top hallway had three doors the one to the left of the staircase had a bath a sink and a few other things with another fireplace that must have been connected to the living room one in some way to heat the water, the one across from the staircase was the main bedroom with a double bed with blankets waiting across it, a vanity, some chests of draws a small window out towards the hill. The other room had another bed and a few toys and other such children’s items. I headed downstairs again to the door at the end of the corridor. It was a dining room with a rather large dark dining room table and another door at the end, where notes and baskets all over the table, filled with fruit, flowers, and other such small things all with notes from the people in town, mostly from the women of town. I checked the last door seeing the little kitchen and the pantry as well as the door out to the back garden.

The place was… nice, more than I could have hoped for honestly, to think the whole place was mine to do whatever I wanted with. I started putting everything away, unpacking all my things into the little places I thought things should go. Once enough for the next few days of settling was set up I went and ran a hot bath to clean myself up after the long trip! Ohhh goodness it was a godsend, I could have laid in that bathtub for hours…

But then I remembered!

“Ohh bugger Miss y/l/n!”

So I jumped out got dry and some fresh clothes on,

I could see it was just starting to get dark as I headed downstairs lighting some candles in the dining room as the bell rang at the door, I rushed over and fixed my hair a little before opening the door and seeing Miss Y/l/N stood on the porch with a box of a few things, in a purple dress not too different from the dress she wore earlier today and a black coat over her shoulders.

“Ohh Hello Miss Y/l/N,” I smiled,

“Hello, Dr Dawkins,” she smiled, “May I come in?”

“Oh, yes of course” I nodded, offering my hand. She happily took it and stepped inside “May I take your coat?”

“Yes Please” she nodded, “Oh wait, Moll, come along,”

Suddenly a pitch-black cat climbed out from under her dress its bright blue eyes shock against the black fur,

“Ohh This is Moll then I assume?” I laughed as the cat sat on her shoulder,

“Yes this is Moll, she was very excited to meet you,”

“Well, I was very excited to meet you too Moll,”

“Come along Moll get down,” she laughs and the cat happily jumped down sitting on the rug so I carefully slipped off her coat putting it on the rack,

“You look very beautiful Miss Y/l/N,”

“Oh, why thank you Dr Dawkins,” she smiled, “So shall we go sit down to dinner?”

“Absolutely, did you bring something for us?” I asked,

“Of course I did,” she says, going towards the dining room I happily followed her and her cat as she went to the kitchen sorting out what she brought,

“Your cat is very well trained,” I said,

“Ohh thank you,” she smiled, “I made you some soup for dinner and something rather special for desert,”

“That's so kind of you miss Y/l/N,” I smiled, “You didn’t have to-” I began,

“Well, You needed dinner after your trip,” she says, “Go sit down,”

I nodded going and sitting at one end of the dinner table, she brought in a small bowl putting it down on the floor I assume for Moll before she brought in two bowls of soup sitting one in front of me and a spoon then going to the other side of the table with her bowl and spoon,

“Thank you very much for dinner Miss Y/l/N,” I smiled,

“You're quite Welcome Dr Dawkins,” she smiled, starting her soup so I picked up the silver spoon and had a small sip quietly ready to have a fake smile and force down the revolting food but it was genuinely delicious.

“Ummmm... This is lovely,” I smiled quickly having more wanting to fill my empty stomach with the food,

“Why thank you Dr Dawkins” she smiled slowly eating her soup, I didn’t take long to finish the bowl as I had barely eaten all day I went to get up but she did first, “Please don’t get up I’ll go,” she says gathering the dishes,

“No please Miss Y/l/N you’re my guest,” I told her getting up and trying to stop her,

“No, no, I’ll do it for you it's alright you’ve had a long trip,” she explained making me sit back down and going into the kitchen,

“If I may say so, you’re a very lovely lady miss Y/l/N, You’re very kind to me,”

“Awww why thank you,” she smiled, “why wouldn’t I be kind to you?” she asked as she came putting a pie on the table with two little plates, “You seem lovely,” she smiled,

“Thank you Miss Y/l/N, But really I don’t think anyone has been so kind to me,” I explained,

“Well You're very sweet, and of course you should always be kind to a doctor, don't know when you’ll need one” she explained, making me laugh a little, “And.. I’m the first one you meet here and I should make a good impression for everyone's sake,” she says,

“That's very sweet of you, what sort of pie is it?” I asked,

“Apple,” she smiled, “from the trees in the woods,”

“You made it?”

“I did, this afternoon, hurry it's still warm,” she says handing me a slice on the plate I happily took it sitting back in my seat with the pie having a little taste and it was lovely,

“You are an amazing cook Miss Y/l/N,”

“Thank you Dr Dawkins,” she smiled, “I’m sure you're a lovely cook as well?”

“Um, not quite, I am not a good cook Never been one for it honestly,” I explained,

“Well I’ll have to be the judge of that someday,” she says eating her slice, Once I was finished I got up and took the plates even if she wasn’t happy about it, I put the dishes in the sink and when I returned to the dining room she was stood with Moll in her hands, “I suppose we should get going, let you get some rest ready for tomorrow,” she says,

“Oh Yes, of course, I wouldn’t want to keep you up any longer anyhow. Thank you very much for dinner Miss Y/l/N,” I smiled,

“It's quite alright Dr Dawkins, I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around town,” she smiled,

“Certainly, I do rather hope I won't be seeing you in my office any time soon,” I told her,

“That’s very kind of you Doctor,” she smiled, “ -Ohh before I go I have something for you,”

“Oh? Something for me?” I asked curiously,

“A Little Present,” she smiled getting something from her bag it was a rather beautiful little flower a white daisy, “I hope you like it here,” she smiled,

“Thank you, Miss Y/l/N,” I smiled putting it to the side to go to the door helping her with her coat Moll hiding under her coat again I opened the door for her and she smiled going out into the darkness, “Thank you so much for today, for tonight, for everything Miss Y/l/N,” I smiled,

“Y/n,”

“Excuse me?”

“Y/n Y/l/N,” she smiled,

“Y/n, what a beautiful name. Jack, Jack Dawkins” I smiled,

“I’ll be seeing you then, Jack,” she smiled heading down the little porch steps and almost disappeared into the darkness of the town.