#anyway hair hurry up and grow back i miss you already

[that-starlight-prince]

Bleh

[dragonbarbie]

𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐌𝐄 𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑 | Part 2

aegon x best friend!reader ; modern!au

series summary: this fic is snippets of aegon and reader's relationship as they grow up and discover new feelings. but to let himself be loved, aegon has to first do some growing up. loosely inspired by the tv series one day!

rating: 18+, minors dni.

tags: alcohol, substance abuse, making out, titty sucking, blink and youll miss it dry humping (lmk if i missed something)

word count: 5.1k

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A/N: im so overwhelmed by the response to the first chapter! im so sorry this took so long, this chapter was originally well over 8k so ive just decided to split it, which means the next chapter is pretty much ready maybe ill have it up by wednesday. thank you so much to everyone who interacted, hope you like this. [not beta read!]

lmk if you'd like to be added to the taglist!

divider credit @cafekitsune ! title of fic is from 'peter' by taylor swift.

Age 18

“i think that’s enough pictures, mum.” y/n held up her arms to shield herself from any more photographs her mother might take. she felt self-conscious enough already, grimacing at every picture, thinking how the flaws glaringly stood out. her parents thought she looked beautiful as always though, and wanted as many photos as possible to keep as memories of their daughter’s special night. only she didn’t want to believe there was anything so ‘special’ about it anyway.

she heard an impatient car honk coming from outside, just in time for her to make her exit. “let me at least take a picture of you and your date.” her well-meaning mother attempted, earning a whine from her daughter, “for the last time he’s not my date.” not really he wasn’t, they were just going as mates, nothing more, she reminded herself as she waved her parents a quick goodbye.

then why did her stomach flutter seeing aegon leaning against his irritatingly green, flashy sports car. taking a drag of his cigarette, his platinum hair was mostly gelled back, few strands allowed to fall to his eyes either fashionably or as a result of hurry. he was dressed simply, black suit and a white shirt. but seven hells did he wear the hell out of that suit, y/n had to admit. he looked neater than usual, the light stubble he usually carried had now been shaved off, his eyes didn’t look nearly as red as she was accustomed to. he even wore dress shoes, when truthfully y/n had been betting on him showing up in his usual jordans.

she couldn’t help but beam as she realised walking towards him, that all this effort he had made for her. aegon hadn’t even wanted to go to their senior prom. he’d said he would simply throw the after-party for the prom back at his mansion, where he wouldn’t be required to ‘come dressed as a penguin,’ in his words. the entire school knew about aegon’s famous ragers by now, and the night of senior prom was guaranteed to be the greatest ‘one-last-hurrah’.

it was y/n who had wanted to go, in order to live the full high school experience before they would be forced to enter the adult world after summer. and there was no one else she would have rather taken to prom. so, after countless hours begging and pleading (and some threatening), aegon finally relented. but his acquiescence hadn’t guaranteed to her that he would even bother following the dress code. yet, here they were.

she was going to comment on what a pleasant surprise it was to see him look like a ‘penguin,’ when she saw the look on his face. his eyes were suddenly alert and his mouth slightly agape, cigarette in his hand forgotten momentarily with his hand hanging still in the air holding it.

“what is it? do i have something on my face? on the dress?” she patted her cheek in alarm, before looking down at her dress. she’d chosen a simple black, satin dress that hugged her just right, pairing it with the deepest red lipstick she could find. she smoothened the front in anxiety, scared her high heels were going to make her trip on the fabric any second.

“no, it’s just...you look nice. very pretty.” her eyes focussed on aegon’s trying to gauge his expression, but his gaze remained transfixed on her figure.

“is it that shocking that i would look pretty, that you have to go and make that face?” she snorted. that snapped aegon’s attention back to her face with an eyeroll, “i didn’t mean it like that and you know it. you look good, would it kill you to just take the compliment?” her lips turned upwards at his words, “yeah i’m just messing with ya.” she tried to hide how the praise made her feel warm inside her chest.

“you don’t look so bad yourself, targaryen. look you’re even wearing the shoes and everything.” aegon grinned at the words giving a quick twirl to show off his full look. “who knew you had it in you?” she teased.

“had to step up my game. can't let my date outshine me, can i?"

date? the word rang in her ears. did aegon think this was an actual date?

“oh, please,” she tried to maintain a cool façade, seemingly uncaring of his words, “i've always outshined you.”

“only because i let you.” he claimed, flashing her one of those lazy half smiles of his that would make her mind wander to what else he was capable of doing with those lips—

she immediately shook her head to get that image out of her mind.

“got you something. well, technically mum got you something” aegon opened the passenger seat of the car, and retrieved from it a beautiful, very expensive looking bouquet. “she wouldn’t let me leave the house without flowers for my date” there it was, that word again, ‘date’!  she thought, astonished as she received them.

did aegon think this was a date? a date-date? was he expecting something? did she expect something? her mind started to race with a hundred things.

she had to clear her throat to bring herself back to the present, “these are beautiful, tell alicent i love them.”

“great, can we go now? i want to get the boring part over with so we can properly party later at my place.”

the prom itself ended up being less dreadful than aegon had been sure it was going to be. aegon spiked the drinks, and then proceeded to get his friends leon and martyn as drunk as possible. it didn’t escape y/n’s notice that aegon himself, was merely buzzed. she even dared to hope for a second that he was limiting his cups out of respect for her, and her very known hatred of his drinking himself into blackouts.

he remained clear-headed enough to laugh about and reminisce with her over their years at the academy. “no, i remember clearly, you’ve never once said sorry about making me fall on my first day.” y/n accused as she attempted to drink the very strong punch aegon had made for her. “and i remember very clearly, you came in my way.”

she narrowed her eyes at his blatant lie. “cunt.” he couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him at her drunken-vitriol. “and i think that’s quite enough for you.” he grabbed the cup out of her hands in spite of protests. “good gods, aegon targaryen preaching moderation? must be the apocalypse.” she nudged him playfully.

in that moment, smiling and laughing with her best friend, she couldn’t help but realise that this time of their life was coming to an end. come fall, they would be on different sides of the country.

y/n had been accepted at her first choice, sunspear university only weeks ago, but she hadn’t discussed it with aegon. he hadn’t spoken of his plans for university either but helaena had told her that their grandfather was using his pull to get him into the family alma mater, oldtown college.

any time she had attempted to so much as talk about life beyond school with aegon himself though, aegon would get irritated and cagey, eager to shut down any and all conversations about the future. then again she couldn’t blame him, for some reason her first instinct too had been to hide that acceptance letter from him.

yet as they stood there, she had a feeling that he was thinking about the same great uncertainty that lay ahead too. thinking, that their days of being by each other’s side like this every day were numbered.

“come on” he suddenly offered her his arms, getting a puzzled look in return. “you wanted the ‘full high school experience’ right? dancing at prom is kinda the main thing.”

she let him lead her to the dance floor, feeling her cheeks going red. he brought them right in the middle, and when he placed her arms around his neck, his own hands becoming placed around her waist, she couldn’t find a word to say.

couples around them were slow dancing to some song she couldn’t quiet place, and she couldn’t believe that aegon had willingly placed himself in the scene around them. this suit, the shoes, the dancing, the flowers – none of it was remotely close to his scene. yet she had barely heard him complain. she had to give it to him, he had been on his best behaviour because he knew how much the night meant to her.

“thank you,” she finally said, looking at him with adoration in her eyes. “for agreeing to come.”

aegon’s expression was unreadable at first. after a second he seemed like he was going to lean in towards her to say something, when his eye caught something behind y/n shoulder.

she turned her neck to see who it was and felt her heart drop down in her stomach.

cassandra baratheon, the most sought-after girl at school, her golden hair and confident demeanour were hard to miss. y/n looked up to see aegon was transfixed on the tight red dress she wore.

she felt his hands drop from her waist, “get you something to drink?” but he didn’t so much as look at his friend.

“sure” she mumbled, trying to mask her disappointment, but he didn’t wait for a response before he started walking towards the blonde.

she watched as aegon approached cassandra, his charm on full display. y/n sighed, tired of how predictable his routine was. she danced with a few classmates, trying to keep her spirits up, but it wasn’t the same without aegon.

after a while, she grew tired of pretending and slipped out of the ballroom, certain she wasn’t going to be followed by the only person she wanted to be with. she started walking in the direction of her home, too angry to think to call someone to pick her up.

the sound of her heels against the pavement and the chattering of her own teeth from the unexpectedly cold night couldn’t distract her from her woeful thoughts.

she should have expected this, she chided herself. aegon’s attention had always been fleeting, especially when it came to pretty girls. but it still hurt. she had hoped, maybe just for tonight, things would be different. at the beginning of the night he’d been giving her all his attention, and making her feel as if she was the only one who mattered in that room.

yet, he had to go ahead and ruin that, by chasing one more skirt to add to his long list of distractions from anything that could actually matter.

when she reached her house she was grateful her parents had long since gone to bed, not wanting to talk about her night.  she walked up to her room and changed into some comfortable clothes.

she curled up on her bed, but sleep seemed to escape her. she tossed and turned but she could not forget the look on her best friend’s face when he looked at cassandra baratheon, ignoring her. she couldn’t help but wish that the way his eyes trailed down her figure, the open lust with which he watched her, the desire that carried him away from her – she wanted it all to be hers.

it was perhaps the first time she had admitted it to herself. she wanted this, she wanted him and not just as a friend.

her mind then wandered to that one moment of hope she had not dared to let herself dwell on. the way his hands felt rested on her back, how he looked for a split second as if he were going to lean in to her, what might that have felt like if it had been allowed to go on? would he have kissed her? would his lips have felt as soft as they looked? would his tongue—

she didn’t realise when in the middle of all these wandering thoughts her hand had slipped down to underneath her shorts. over the cloth of her panties, she could feel a wetness building as she slowly rubbed the top of her entrance, her imagination building up the tension between her legs.

just as she was getting comfortable though, she got the fright of her life when she heard her window open. “fuck me!” she sat up straight on her bed, clutching her blanket in front of her chest.

she let out an exasperated breath at the now-messy platinum hair glinting in the moonlight, that she could make out even in the darkness of her room. she moved to get up and turn on the lamp next to her bed. the light revealed a slightly different aegon to the one she had left back at the dance, stumbling into her room.

his jacket now gone, his white shirt was untucked and the first few buttons had been left undone (one of them was missing, from what she could tell), the semi-open shirt allowed her to make out lipstick smears trailing his chest. his eyes were red, and the fact that he couldn’t seem to walk straight, told her he’d returned to drinking at his usual pace once she’d made her exit.

“what are you doing here?” she sighed, crossing her arms across her chest, both defensively and because her bra had been long discarded, which left the tank top she wore revealing far too much for her liking.

he almost looked earnest when he answered “came looking for you. you never showed up to the party at my place.”

“yeah, well i don’t like your parties” “sure you do!” he snorted

“no, aegon i don’t! i never have. i only ever come for you and i’m miserable the entire while, and you never notice!”

he looked hurt at her accusation, blinking as if it had never crossed his mind that she didn’t enjoy getting high and causing chaos as much as he did. that hurt quickly turned into anger of his own as he shot back.

“fine, even if you didn’t wanna come to the party, why did you leave prom so early? for weeks it’s all you wanted to do, going to prom. you dragged my ass there and then just ‘puff’ i turn my back for one second, and you’ve disappeared.” he sounded almost as if he felt abandoned, wounded.

“you seemed busy.” she cooly replied.

“busy?” aegon echoed, his brows furrowing. “i was just talking to people.”

y/n shook her head, her eyes reflecting a mix of hurt and frustration. “you always do this, aegon. you leave me for the first pretty girl that catches your eye.”

he shook his head as if y/n were being the unreasonable one here “it’s not like that.”

“then what is it like?” she demanded, her voice rising. “because it feels like you’re always looking for a distraction. and tonight, i needed you.” her eyes burned as tears pooled in them. “it was our last night in school. it meant something.”

he flinched at her words, the truth of how much he had bruised her, cutting through the haze of alcohol. “i didn’t mean to—"

“didn’t mean to what? make me feel invisible?” y/n's voice softened, the anger giving way to sadness. “it’s like you don’t care.”

aegon stood there, steadying himself by leaning against the desk, looking deflated. “i do care, y/n. you’re my best friend.” she could tell he was trying, trying to make her see he cared, trying to be a good friend. the fact that he had left his own party simply to come look in on her, hadn’t gone unnoticed by her.

but unluckily for him, y/n was tired of his constant trying when she knew it never led to any real change.

she took a deep breath, steadying herself. “we need to talk about something else, too. we’ve been avoiding it all year.”

aegon looked up at her, confusion and apprehension mingling in his eyes. “what do you mean?”

“college, aegon. you’re going to oldtown, and i’m headed to sunspear,” y/n said, her voice trembling slightly. “i’ve tried to bring it up, but you always change the subject.”

he looked away from her, fiddling with the rings on his fingers almost anxiously. “because i don’t want to think about it.”

“well too bad, because we have to discuss it” she insisted. “this is big. we’ve never so much as spent one summer break apart, you’ve dragged me to every family vacation and christmas dinner. but come fall, that’s over. you don’t think that’s important enough to even talk about? doesn’t it matter to you at all?”

“of course it matters!” he finally spat out, taking stumbling steps towards her. “i don’t want to talk about it because i know it’ll change everything.”

aegon’s eyes were glassy, his emotions threatening to spill over. “because you’ll be far away, making new friends, living a different life. you get to conveniently walk out on me and my fuck ups. i don’t want to talk about it because you’re leaving me.”

“leaving you?” the aegon that stood before her was shaking like a scared child, gone was the playful, laid back popular boy. for the first time that night, she could see clearly through him, the first time he’d allowed her to.

y/n moved closer, taking his hands in hers. “aegon, i could never leave you.” she promised. “you’re a part of me. distance doesn’t change that.”

“you say that now…” he mumbled, looking away as she caught tears running down his cheek.

“i’m not leaving you,” she repeated, more firmly this time, her heart aching for him. “we’ll find a way to make it work. i promise.”

“do you really mean that?” her hand reached out to his cheek, wiping away his tears with the pad of her thumb. “with all my heart,” she whispered. the vulnerability in his eyes was raw and unfiltered as he confessed “i don’t want to lose you.”

“you won’t,” she assured him, putting her arms around him as she pulled him into a tight embrace. “we’ll figure it out, together.” she sounded sure, determined.

he clung to her, and she could smell the weed and cigarettes on his shirt, she knew that he wasn’t as clear-headed as he should have been for the conversation they were having. “i don’t know what i’d do without you, y/n.” he muttered into her hair. she smiled against his chest. “lucky for you, you don’t ever have to find out.”

as one of his hands trailed down to her lower back, she suddenly felt her shorts were far too short for her to be having company. his other hand started to rub at her side, his thumb brushing up against the side of her breast and lingering just enough that she knew he could tell she was bare beneath her flimsy cotton top.

they’d been standing in silence for a minute when he suddenly spoke up, “i’m sorry that i mess everything up, you deserved to have me there with you tonight.”

his hand had stopped right by her cleavage, causing her throat to dry up. “it was just a stupid dance.”

“yeah, but it mattered to you.” he brought his other hand to her ass, as he pulled apart slightly to look down at her. her breathing became rapid as she looked back up at him.

in that moment, the tension between them shifted. aegon leaned in, his lips brushing against hers hesitantly. y/n responded, closing the distance again, with more passion.

there was a sense of urgency, a rush as his tongue entered her mouth. the hand on her ass moved to slip past her shorts and panties to grab at her bare skin, causing her to moan into his mouth. her own hands attempted to undo the few remaining buttons on his dress shirt, before letting her fingers roam around his exposed chest.

he pushed them back, till she felt the edge of her bed behind her making her fall back on it, pulling him down with her as she went.

his mouth moved to trail sloppy, wet kisses on her neck, and then down to her collarbone. she could feel him use his teeth, marking her for the next day.

situated as he was between her legs, she could feel his semi-hard on from under his pants, rubbing against her in the most delicious way making her wrap her legs tighter around him, to feel that friction more intensely.

his mouth broke away from her now-sensitive skin momentarily, as he lifted her top enough to expose her breasts to him. his hands roughly gripped the flesh, making y/n gasp with how cool his rings felt pressed to her skin.

his mouth then took in one of her nipples, as she whimpered at the sensation, her fingers pulling his hair as he flicked it with his tongue, before sucking on it.

when he finally lifted his head to look up at y/n, she couldn’t believe the scene before her. in that moment aegon was looking her with a hunger and wanting, that she didn’t think he’d even given cassandra baratheon.

what might come next though, made y/n nervous. she’d never gone this far with a boy before, reasoning with herself that she’d never liked anyone enough. but she could admit to herself now that she’d been waiting to share that experience with aegon, waiting for him to come around.

still, she wasn’t sure if she was ready to go all the way, or how to do it if she was.

thankfully for her, aegon reached ahead and merely kissed her lips once more, softer this time. then, even more unexpectantly, he placed a final, tender kiss atop her head, before climbing off from between her thighs and crashing down on the pillow beside her.

she blinked at the figure of him, lying next to her completely relaxed, as if what they’d just done was so routine, it didn’t warrant another thought. “get that lamp light next to you, would you?” he yawned.

as if in a daze, y/n wordlessly switched the light off, plunging the room into darkness.

she could hear him breathing beside her, close enough to block her nose with the smell of cigarettes she was sure she’d have to wash out of the sheets the next day. but with his pale hair falling like that against his fluttering eyes, she knew he was the only person she wanted, flaws and all.

drowsiness began to take over her after sometime, and she wasn’t sure if she actually heard him mumbling “love you” or if she’d dreamt it but she drifted off with a faint smile on her face nonetheless.

the morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow over y/n’s room. she stirred awake, stretching out lazily when her eyes fell on to the snoring boy beside her. she couldn’t help but smile at how peaceful his face looked, her hand stretching out to tuck behind the strands of platinum falling to his eyes.

she tried to be as quiet as she could in walking to her bathroom. standing in front of her mirror, she noticed the now purpling hickey right by her collarbone. she still couldn’t quite believe that the events of last night had actually occurred, but the evidence was staring her right in the face. her fingertips grazed the bruise, and the corners of her lips turned upwards automatically.

she washed her face and brushed her teeth in a haze, where all she could think about was what was going to happen next. would she and aegon have a conversation about it, or would he pretend it was nothing? oh god, what if he regretted it? the thought made her tense. instead of going back to her room she sat on the edge of her bathtub, nervously thinking about what impact last night would have on their friendship. she couldn’t imagine losing aegon, she thought. if it came down to taking whatever happened yesterday forward or saving their friendship, she would pick the latter, she determined. before she could lose her nerve, she decided to go back to her room with that thought.

upon her return she realised the object of all her anxiety was already up, rubbing his eyes with his palms and groaning, clearly nursing a hangover. her heart suddenly started to pound in her chest. “you’re up early. it’s not even noon yet.” she teased as she came to sit by him. “and morning to you too” he grumbled.

“how are you feeling?” she hesitantly asked, “like i got hit by a bus,” he said, attempting a weak grin.

she gave him a faint chuckle. she looked around the room as silence filled the space. she was hoping that he’d be the one to bring up last night, rather than making her go through the embarrassment and awkwardness of coming to that topic.

how did you even start that conversation? she wondered as she pulled at a few strands of embroidery coming untethered from the rest of her bedsheet. ‘hey last night was the best kiss i’ve ever had, let’s do it again sometime soon’? no, that wasn’t it. she stole a glance at aegon who had picked up his phone, neither of them having said anything to break the silence. i could start by telling him how i’ve always liked him? no that would definitely activate his commitment-phobia, and he’d go running out the door, she realised. sitting this long without either of them talking felt far too weird and she started to panic slightly.

she kept thinking if he was going to approach the topic, wondering if she should instead, when suddenly aegon got off her bed.

“what have we got here” he walked over to the basket where some of her old toys had been kept for her mother to donate when she went to college. “nothing just some old things” she replied, surprised that this was what he wanted to discuss now. he seemed to be entertaining himself by going through her things as if he hadn’t been in her room a hundred times before.

well, if he was going to avoid it, y/n decided she should be the one to rip off the band-aid. she cleared her throat to start speaking, when he suddenly cut her off, “do you still have that lightsabre i gave you for your 12th birthday? the one that used to light up and all?” “no, because you broke it playing with it in my garden that same day you gifted it.” she reminded him, “right…” he muttered, before going back to his rummaging.

this time she stood up and walked over to him, and started to say, “y’know i think we should talk—” “what’s ollie doing here?” grinning, he grabbed an old red octopus from the basket and lifted one of its stuffed tentacles to wave at her. “did this mean old lady steal you from me ollie?” “no, you stole him from me, remember? and alicent had to return it back” she reminded him, snatching the toy back from him in irritation. if he was going to keep mucking about, she was never going to be able finish what she wanted to say.

she exhaled a big sigh, and built up her courage again, “we have to talk about last night—” “yeah, what did happen last night?”

she could only blink, as aegon nonchalantly asked, not even bothering to look up from the box of broken, dusty toys. “what do you mean ‘what happened’?”

“as in how did i end up in your bed?” he laughed, “don’t remember much after us arriving at prom” her heart sank at his words. “you blacked out.” she said in realisation. she turned around and walked back to sit on her bed so he wouldn’t see her wounded expression.

he didn’t even remember what was possibly one of the biggest moments of her life, something so monumental that she’d woken up this morning as if waking up to a new life. all those years she'd spent unknowingly pining for him, she’d thought that now there was finally some hope that she could actually be with him. but one little sentence from him had made her memory of last night dissipate like a mirage.

what had she even been thinking, he was drunk out of his mind and was probably barely in knowledge of himself when they did what they did last night. it was a mistake, and it should have never happened. she couldn’t control the tears slipping down her cheeks, her back facing aegon to shield herself subconsciously.

“you were pretty drunk. you climbed up to my room and we talked for a while. you fell asleep here.” she answered in robotic narration, not daring a look at him. she wiped her face quickly as she heard him stop with his aimless search and come sit next to her.

“sounds accurate. i do anything stupid i should know about?” he asked, his voice tinged with concern. it was the standard question he asked when he blacked out. for a second, she wondered if she should tell him everything.

y/n shook her head, smiling faintly. “no, you didn't. just needed a place to crash.”

she thought about it rationally – even if they did talk about last night, what was going to be the best-case scenario? he would be glad of what he did? but even then, what would happen next? she was going to dorne, and him to the reach, and a long distance anything was going to be impossible enough. here they were nervous about their friendship surviving the distance, but a relationship? she couldn’t see any way this would end well.

and this was considering if aegon even wanted any of it. last night may have been special for her, but if drunken fooling around and crashing into bed was all it took to get him to pursue someone romantically, half the school was ahead of her in that line.

this was the best thing for both of them, she sadly thought, to preserve their friendship.

him putting his arm across her shoulders and squeezing her brought her out of her miserable thoughts, “thanks for looking out for me, as always.”

“of course,” she replied softly. “that's what friends are for.”

aegon met her gaze, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. “yeah, best friends.”

a few minutes later she left momentarily to get herself a glass of water but by the time she returned, her room was empty with her window left open and her red octopus missing once again from her bed.

[countrymusiclover]

1 - First Name Basis

Part 2

Feisty Coffee Girl

Tag list - send an ask to be added

Seattle is known for one thing: tons of rain and anyone who comes here always complains about it. Now that's not to say that those who have lived here their whole life don't get annoyed by it too. Nobody likes walking in the rain. Most find enjoyment in it because it means you get to stay in bed all day or you're a farmer and your crops desperately need some water. Anyway to the point of my ranting of rain is that I would find enjoyment in it on a particular morning. The morning I met the particular surgeon who would change my whole life forever….

The morning started out like any other; the news reported a heavy chance of rain. Jumping out of bed I missed my alarm and one of my friends who was supposed to babysit today was running late. Holding my phone up to my ear I was running around like a mad woman. “Caroline, please hurry. I need you to please be here.”

“I'm coming up the stairs now. I got stuck in traffic. Why is today so important exactly?” My best friend from home who I had moved with here asked me.

My sister Izzie and I grew up in a trailer park in Chehalis, Washington. Our mother basically raised us on our own until Izzie told her she wanted to go to medical school. Our mother spent up the money that we had saved for this to some psychics she went to see. I didn’t really understand why she needed the appointments but I could assume it was because both her daughters got pregnant young. Yet only one of us kept the baby….and I was the one who did it. “It is important because my boss said I would be getting my promotion today. The only requirement is that I come in earlier than normal.”

“Okay now I remember. And calm down, I am outside your door.” She knocked on my apartment door three times while I tossed my phone on the coach, heading to open the door letting her inside.

Caroline Brooke, my childhood best friend, smiled at me. Her curly blonde hair falling over her shoulders when she sat down at my kitchen island. “Why don’t use ask your sister to watch Eve?”

“Because she works 40 hr shifts and she’s only just an intern. She can’t afford to miss a day.”

“And apparently neither can you.” Caroline sent me a half glare. “Have you ever thought about giving your mom the spare room so she can watch her?”

Shaking my head I knew she had a good heart but she didn’t grow up around my mother all the time. My mother was happy I kept my baby up until the point when I had started working at the diner near our trailer park and I wouldn’t give her my money that I had earned. “Caroline, I love you. But my mother only cares about herself nowadays.”

“Sorry," I asked. Hey uh we should probably get Eve to school soon.” She clasped her hands together in her lap.

Looking back over my shoulder to the clock I saw it was almost 9:30 and I needed to be at work before 10:15am. Sliding on my feet I went down the short hallway to my daughter’s room creaking it open. “Everly, we need to get going. Caroline is here to take you to school.”

“Okay, mommy.” Everly came out wearing an orange sweatshirt with an orange on the front and some blue jeans and tennis shoes. She ran past me hugging my best friend sweetly. “Caroline!”

Grabbing my bag by the front door I slipped on my brown boots. I had put on my black leggings and a long green sweater that was required for our uniforms at the coffee shop. Caroline walked towards the door with me and so the three of us headed downstairs. Entering the store my boss Mandy came around the back corner. “Stevens, I need you to work the orders for a few hours until our meeting.”

“I'm on it, boss.” I called her from the back room. This had become our busy morning with the heavy rain everyone wanted a warm drink to fight off the cold. Scrambling around with a tray of coffee I handed them to each one in line who had already prepaid.

I heard someone call my name to head back to the front cash register. “Y/n! Somebody’s at the register waiting.” Della, my work friend came around the corner throwing her brunette curly hair in a ponytail switching jobs with me.

Moving back to the register seeing a guy with green eyes and brown hair. He also had a good scruff going on his chin. “Well now my day just got a whole lot better. You’re the first beautiful thing I have found in this city since I flew in last night.”

“Oh wow. I was not expecting this to start my morning off. Uh what can I get you?” I chuckled, tucking some loose hair behind my ear avoiding his gaze.

The stranger sent me a smile. “A bone dry cappuccino. Unless you have any other recommendations.”

“I’ve had the blueberry scones here and they are pretty good.” I tilted my head to the side.

The stranger reached into his jacket pocket. “I’ll take one of those too.”

“That’ll be $8. 05.” I finally lifted my gaze up to his. Blinking my eyes I just stood there for a second as he handed me some cash and I saw it was a twenty dollar bill. “Uh this is too much. I’ll give you change back.”

The stranger sent me a smirk shaking his head no. “You can keep the change, little blonde.”

“The names Y/n for your information since you didn’t choose to read my name tag.” I rolled my eyes at him, slightly turning around to make his coffee. Pouring the different liquids in a cup focused on my task until he spoke up again.

“My name's Mark. Mark Sloan even though you didn’t bother to ask me. “

Putting the lid on the cup I faced him once more sliding the cup to him. Opening the food case I slid the blueberry scone in a paper bag and handed it to him too. “Ah first name basis already. Next thing I know you’ll be asking me out on a date for just giving you your coffee.”

“I mean I am a lot of fun on a date. I could be down if you’re interested, especially for a night in bed.” Mark smirked at me, raising his coffee cup up and taking a long drink.

My face heated up quickly at the way he just blurted that out in public. I haven’t dated anyone since I had gotten pregnant back when I was thirteen. Izzie would get pregnant two years later. I felt it had become too hard to date or all awkward with me having a young kid. “Oh I don’t know about that. I am not great with dates.”

“You seem like you’d be pretty fun to me.” Mark chuckled, picking up his paper bag. He reached across the table writing down something on one of the comment cards we had near the register. He holds out the note in front of me.

I knitted my brows together confused at what he was holding out towards me. “What’s that for you already paid me?”

“It has my phone number on it. If you’re interested you should call me later.” Mark offers still waiting for me to take it from his hand.

I paused briefly just staring into his eyes. He was obviously attractive there was no doubt there. Della rounded the corner tapping me on the shoulder. “Y/n, our boss wants to see us in the back.”

“You seriously think I am going to go on a date with a stranger?” I ignored Della standing there.

Mark kept his gaze focused on mine. “We’re on a first name basis, Y/n. We wouldn’t be strangers if you take me up on my offer right now or sometime later.”

“Y/n?” Della called my name again.

I didn’t turn my head away when I lifted my right hand taking the note out of his hand smiling before Della was tugging me away from him by my forearm. “I’ll think about it. I…I’m coming. Hey I’m coming - I’ll think about it, Mark.”

“I’ll be waiting for your call, little feisty blonde.” Mark chuckled watching me and my coworker going around the corner and he found himself wanting to see you again the next day.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[skz1-4-3]

SHIRTLESS - S

Read part two here

(Added a Little note on 14th sep down below)

This chapter is slightly suggestive because so-mun will be shirtless , and fresh out of the shower.

(takes place in s2 and in the new hideout)

Content info :you and hana were together in her room having a simple girls night , out of the blue she asked for you to look for a charger for her phone , since hers was broken. So you first went into so mun and jeok-bongs room since it was closest to yours…

Reader is afab and uses she/her pronouns.

Keywords : Y/n -> your name

Second person pov

Warnings : probably some spelling errors , slightly suggestive, mentioning of so mun being shirtless, slight flirting and teasing,so mun is hot, y/n is a shy person,blushing so slight cringe warning. Let me know if i missed any warnings to give in the comments or per messages.

Word count : 1.5k

—————————————————————————

Hana may didn’t look like it , nor act like it , but she really enjoyed sleepovers. So now you two were in your, room sitting on the floor , surrounded by as many pillows as you could find. Hana was painting her nails with black nail polish, while you were doing your usual routine to go to sleep . (Do you haircare , skincare etc…) You were about to finish, when hana suddenly asked you.

„Hey Y/n , could you maybe look for a charger ? Mines not working anymore.“ holding up her charger ,that looked like it went through war.

„Yeah sure , let me see if i have mine here.“ you responded calmly with a smile on your face. Standing up , you looked for your charger but couldn’t find it. Then it hit you,before the sleepover you and hana had went out with the care to do some shopping first for the night. So You probably forgot your charger in the car.

„Oh no , i forgot mine in the car“ you said turning to hana,she looked at you.

„Dont worry , i‘ll ask one of the others real quick.“ she said and was about to stand up when you pushed her back down softly.

„Dont , i‘ll do it since i have to go to the toilet anyways , was too lazy to go, but now im already up so i‘ll go.“ you smiled and went out the door as hana thanked you. Walking into the direction of the restroom , so mun and jeokbongs room came into sight. You heard the shower earlier, so you thought that so mun must still be showering and could just ask jeokbong for his charger, since him and hana had the same phone model. As you opened the door ,your gaze landed on a shirtless so mun , his wet hair dripping down his body making him look like a seductive being , straight out of a movie. Eyes widening and cheeks turning a peachy pink colour,you let out a hurried apology and were about to go and just get your charger from the car, but you felt yourself freezing in place for a short moment, then regaining back control over your body,but so mun was already behind you ,after having used his powers on you.

„no need to apologize y/n , what do you need“ he said after letting out a deep chuckle and turning you around, by your wrist.

„Oh uhm , i was just going to ask jeokbong for his charger , he and hana have the same phone and hers was running out of battery..“ you answered him, voice getting smaller and smaller , avoiding his gaze trying to look anywhere but his tonef chest and abs. So mun noticed and leaned on the doorframe. He was now leaning above you ,his height giving him the advantage. He was obviously trying to seem flirty and wow , it definitely seemed to have had an effect on you.

You must admit that your little crush on so mun, hadn’t stopped growing since the day you met him. You were for sure a hundred percent in live with this man and so the situation was hard for you to handle. So mun smiled at you , even though it looked more like a smirk to you , weakening your knees , almost bucking* down.

*(falling down)

„You could’ve asked me since jeok bong isn’t here,didn’t you know?“ he said flirtatiously

„I didn’t“ you answered him and met his gaze. Oh how much you wanted to kiss him,just a little kiss.

„Then do it“ he said , interrupting your thoughts. You looked at him , confused. What should you do?

„do what?“ you questioned him , he leaned down even further to you , faces now not even an inch apart. He once again put his fingers under your chin and slightly tilted your head . If you were to stumble forwards now , you would be in the perfect position , on his lips. He moves his hand from under you chin to your cheek and cupped it.

„Kiss me“ he said and you eyes widened before relaxing again. You moved even closer to him , if that was even possible . So close that your lips were touching, but you didn’t dare move further . So mun noticed and let out a slight chuckle before closing the kiss and his eyes.

His lips felt like heaven , like a perfectly fitting pillow made just for your lips. They moved together in sync, both of your eyes now closed. You felt him pull away ,but you put his hand on his other cheek , while your right hand went up to his waist ,holding him in place. He started to feel hot, and so were you. He pulled you up, so now your legs were around his waist, walking up to his bed, to lay you down.

Your lips finally parted , and you both gasped for air . Your lungs were definitely overworking themselves.

„What does this make us now?“ you asked so mun , slightly hestitating. What if you weren’t important to him after all and he just wanted someone for tonight? But all those worries vanished when so mun gave his answer.

„You’re my girlfriend now , i mean only if you want to of course.“ he muttered in the end and now it was your turn to laugh , you nodded your head. You definitely wanted to be his girlfriend. So mun smiled and closed the space between you two once again . Things were getting heated pretty quickly now,he slid his hand slightly under your tight fitted t shirt ,which he loved on you . His fingers now on your naked skin felt so soft ,that so mun was excited ,for what could come next.

But it didn’t come to that , because someone burst trough the door.

„Hey so mun did you see y/-AH“ hana began to speak but as she saw you two on so muns bed , so mun shirtless , his hand under your shirt and above you , she let out a short and quick murderous scream out of shock and slammed the door shut. So mun was laughing his soul out and even wi gen asked why his chest was hurting,since she also felt it. But it was only because he was laughing so hard,while you were beneath him , cheeks heating up once again.

„Come on , i bet we have explaining to do“ he said retracting his hand from underneath your shirt, and softly grabbing your hand, pulling you up.

—————————————————————————

Alright that was it , i hope you enjoyed it. Im thinking about making a part two with M (mature content) that would be nsfw obviously. But i want to reach around 100 likes and a few comments of feedback first. So if you want a part 2 then let me know in the comments and by leaving a like.

Quick note : if you guys want to be tagged please tell me in my ask box or in the comments!)

[mvchmp]

i watch superman fly away

maws superman x reader

SUMMARY - reader has an encounter with metropolis's superhero

| fluff (?)

inspired by Taylor Swift - Superman (Taylor's Version)

I exited the coffee shop with my usual order in my hand, the other clutched on a folder which contained work documents. I had sneaked out of my shift to have a quick run to my favorite coffee shop.

Everything was just so stressing and things at home weren’t exactly the best so I rose from my bed having a concerning amount of sleep. A small trip to this shop helped me ease down at least a bit. 

I turned right to go back to our company’s building but unfortunately bumped into someone who was running, knocking the folders off my hand and my coffee spilling on my work uniform. “Sorry, miss!” I heard the young man scream while he was running away. I sigh, trying to understand that he might have been in a hurry and let him go.

I kneel down to grab my papers but instead was met with a familiar face. He was already gathering my papers, careful not to accidentally get one of them crumpled. 

I was too stunned to let the scene sink into me. Superman was in front of me. Inches away from me. I gulped and studied his face, his hair, his body, his hands as he collected the papers.

I stared at him, not realizing he was already talking to me. “Miss? Miss, are you okay? Hello?” He looked into my eyes. “Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah, I am.” I replied, chuckling awkwardly and standing up, along with him.

He put all the papers back in the folder and put it forward. I was about to receive it and say thanks, to go back on my way after thanking him, but I was surprised when I didn’t feel the folder touch my hands. “Oh, no. You spilled your coffee. I am very sorry, let me um get you a new one?” He spoke, not leaving much time for me to say yes or no.

Superman pulled me back into the coffee shop and asked me for what I wanted. I answered him and watched him repeat what I said to the barista. 

I looked around, noticing the people had gone silent. Of course, they would. Superman, the famous hero, was in the same coffee shop as them, buying coffee for a girl. 

I looked back at him when he placed the coffee in my hands. Getting my senses back, I told him, “Thank you, Superman. You really didn’t have to. I’m sure the city needs your help right now.” I noticed his cheeks tint a bright soft red, his hand going up to his nape, rubbing the area. “No worries, I guess I’m just doing my best to help around the city, and the people of course. Which includes you.” He said, the tint growing on his face. I giggled at the sight.

He’s cute, I’ll give him that. And by cute, I mean adorable.

“Anyways, thank you for this. I’ll get going now.” I told him with a smile on my face. What he said after me left my cheeks turning pink now. “But your clothes have coffee stains. Wait here, I’ll grab you something to change into-” I cut him off quickly, realizing he’d done so much for me and I can’t bother him any longer. Other civilians might need his help more than I do right now, so I let him off. 

“You don’t have to, I have a spare in my bag. I appreciate the help, Superman, but really, you should go help in the city now.” I tell him, a gentle smile spread on my face.

“Okay, but at least let me escort you to your job?” He offered, the heat on his face re-growing. “Just to make sure you don’t get run into again, haha. Can’t risk your coffee spilling again, right?” he added. I let out a small giggle and agreed on the offer. 

A comfortable silence surrounded us as he walked me to the entrance of the building. It wasn’t usual for me to step foot on its grounds with someone since I didn’t really have anyone to drop me off or go to work with. The feeling was definitely new. I mean, of course it is. The Superman just accompanied me back to work so obviously everyone would be staring – another new thing for me.

I turned to him, his hand was once again rubbing his nape. “Thank you, for everything.” I thanked him with the same smile on my face. The same smile I had on my face as I took quick glances of him while walking down the sidewalks. 

“Anytime, miss.” He smiled back before flying to soar in the sky. I watched Superman fly away.

I watch superman fly away You've got a busy day today Go save the world, I'll be around

A/N hes so fucking adorable and theres not many fics of him yet so i decided to take matters into my own hands and made one

[ogsoulless]

blinded golden - broken threads 3/?, 5.7k, ongoing. [FIRST] [PREV] [NEXT] [LAST] [ao3 upload]

"Alright fellas, that's it," Joel announced, slamming his hands onto the meeting table. Scar flinched violently and Gem rolled her eyes. "Grian hasn't responded to anything in a week and a half. Even Mumbo's here!" He pointed at the moustached man, who leaned away from his finger.

Skizz nodded. "G hasn't been past my place in ages— he promised me he would move the snails outside my pyramid. Every time I go to his house, he just nods and tells me he'll come soon. What a jerk!" He huffed. "Whatd'ya think, Dippledop?" Impulse shrugged.

"Usually Grian is always on our back about Magic Mountain meetings, but he hasn't mentioned anything for ages. Dude, he always looks so pale as well. Like he's sick or something. He doesn't even fall from my buildings to punch me anymore." He shrugged again. "I don't know, man."

"Don't call me creepy for this, but I've been checking on the feathers he moults, and there's been a lot less," Gem started. Joel raised an eyebrow.

"We don't all have a degree in everything ever, Miss Researcher," Joel laughed. "Not that I'm stupid. I'm smart, and intelligent, and really tall."

Gem punched him in the arm. "Anyway, less feathers is bad because it means that his wings aren't being taken care of like they should. He might be sick, or stressed, or something. I don't know. Maybe we should go check on him?" Gem suggested. They all nodded.

"I'll go," Mumbo volunteered.

"As will I!" Scar shouted, pumping his fist. Joel nodded. He wanted to go as well, but he hadn't spent that long with Grian on Hermitcraft— he had literally just joined. And while he saw him outside of the server a lot it was to kill him. For fun. Joel wasn't the best option; Mumbo and Scar, who had been his friends for seasons, seen him grow and change and die. They were much better choices for this. It made sense. Joel should've been there for him.

"Keep us updated, alright lads?" Joel asked. Joel couldn't be nervous. Not here. He wrung his hands under the table. Mumbo and Scar agreed, and started discussing with Impulse and Skizz about trying to lure Grian out of his house.

You wanted to volunteer, didn't you, a voice echoed in his mind. He tried to keep a straight face, but his jaw was clenched a lot more than a relaxed man's would be. No, I didn't, Gem. You're a liar, he shot back.

Uh-huh. For a voice in his head, she could convey sarcasm terrifyingly well.

Whatever. Could you keep it down in there? Joel asked, hoping to steer the conversation away from Grian. He watched her from across the table as her face twisted into something guilty.

Oh, she responded. Sorry. I'm working on it, promise. Joel nodded. Part of him felt guilty for digging into that little insecurity of Gem's just to stop her talking about something, especially when he knew that she was newly reaped. He couldn't help but remember flooding his bedroom when he had come back from the end of Double Life, Lizzie shaking him awake with water dripping from her hair.

It's alright, he smiled. You're getting better already. Gem nodded, turning away. Joel wrung his hands under the table again, weighed down with guilt. Only a dick would dig into his friend's insecurities like that. The same kind of dick who finds killing those who trusted him fun.

"Right then!" Mumbo declared. "I think we're ready to go!" Skizz cheered. Water dripped down the back of Joel's neck and clenched his fists.

☆

Pearl was trying so hard to fix her wordle game— someone had come in and inputted some order of letters that broke it. At this point, she was tempted to sit on her farmhouse's roof and eat cake. Alas, work called.

"Pearl? Are you there?" Someone called from her front door. She sighed. Productivity was useless anyway.

Hurrying up the stairs, she caught sight of Gem through the door, tapping her foot. When Gem saw her, her shoulders relaxed a little, but her brow stayed creased with concern.

"Hello, Gem!" Pearl cracked open the door. "What— what brings you here?"

"Maybe this would be a better conversation for inside?" Gem suggested. Pearl nodded, ushering her inside and closed the door. She didn't like the way Gem glanced over her shoulder, like she expected something was coming.

Once Gem was seated on her table (instead of her lovely chairs. Typical), she took a deep breath and proceeded to slam her dagger to the hilt into a loaf of bread that had been left out to cool. Pearl flinched backwards, startled.

"Mumbo and Scar are gone, Pearl," Gem spat. Her eyes shone with bitter rage and angry tears. "Grian's sick, and I haven't seen him in two days. Scar's train is empty. No one in Mumbo's town have heard from him."

Pearl reached out for her shoulder, trying to leave a comforting pat, but Gem slapped her hand away. "That's not all. Impulse was at Skizz's six hours ago, helping him clean his wings, and now they're gone too." She exhaled shakily. "I just— I just don't know what to do? Maybe it's a sickness. Maybe they're all just sick. I don't know what to think, Pearl!"

Pearl stood, pulling Gem's knife from the bread. "They could very well be sick. We've had glitches like that before. Maybe talking to X might help? And you know Skizz and Impulse like to run off together. If they don't come back tomorrow, then we'll think of something, okay?" Pearl flipped the dagger and offered its handle towards Gem. "If something has happened, being angry in my kitchen won't help anyone."

Gem looked up towards her. "There's no reason Grian would be acting weird at all, right?" In that moment, Gem reminded her of some little kid, lost in a big world and wanting a little comfort. Pearl had to remind herself that this was a murderer. Maybe not here, but in another life. She knew that better than anyone. "Of course not, Gem," she smiled. "How about you go to bed? You can talk to Xisuma tomorrow."

Once Gem had closed the door behind her and launched into the sky, Pearl began cutting the bread. Halfway through her fourth slice, she froze. She couldn't have missed it. There was no way she didn't think of it earlier. She had delivered that helmet for Grian— the same helmet that caused Scar to flood the dock with skulk and his eyes go purple and act so… un-Scar-like. She didn't take the helmet with her. That package had been sitting on his dock, unopened, anonymous like any gift would be.

Fuck, that helmet would make anyone act strange. Who knows how long he would've been wearing it. Screw talking to X tomorrow, she needed to do something now. She knew she was spiralling, she needed a clear head to do anything, but all she could remember was Scar reaching out with his soulless purple eyes. Was he going to kill her, all those days ago? God, they were so fucked. She had to fix this. Her canines dug into her bottom lip. Surely there was someone who could help.

☆

It was the fourth day that Cleo needed twenty minutes to get out of bed. They were almost dead on their feet, and the server was alarmingly quiet. Magic Mountain was the most obviously empty: Gem, Scar, Mumbo and Skizz were all on breaks, and the others hadn't been out recently at all.

Even weirder, it was some sort of glitch that the admins couldn't find, let alone catch. And her reaper was still fucking silent. What a jerk.

Right. Despite being sick with a mystery bug, she still had work to do. The shopping district was a good start. They hadn't restocked their enchanted books in a while, and they had to check on their share of the Wolves of Wool Street. She strapped her elytra to her back, jerking at the leathery sensation against her shoulder blades. They closed their eyes to prepare themself to stand=, reminding themself that they had business to do. Cleo stepped outside and lit a rocket, launching into the sky.

"Cleo!" Someone yelled from the ground. They startled, dropping a few meters. Joe and Bdubs waved at them from the ground. She dived, stumbling to the ground next to them.

"Howdy, Cleo! Where are you off to?" Joe asked.

"Yeah! Actually, where are we off to!" Bdubs added, elbowing Cleo in the side.

They rolled their eyes. "My book store, and then the Wolves of Wool Street, and uh—" Cleo cut off as they stumbled. Two pairs of hands landed on her shoulders, pulling her upright. They shook them off.

"Oh my goodness— are you alright?" Bdubs asked.

"Yeah, yeah, fine. It's fine," she reassured. "Let's just get to my shop." Joe nodded, but Cleo didn't miss the way he kept her in his peripheral vision the entire walk to the Kitty Cafe.

When they arrived, even though they did need to restock, Cleo's new main priority was getting rid of Bdubs and Joe. While she loved them, their hovering was excessive, especially considering she had stumbled once. Instead, she checked their stock and made something up about how they were full (they most definitely were not), before continuing past the store.

"Oh! Would you look at that. Hypno's right outside his base. We should all go talk to him!" She said, pointing at the roof of cut copper and the little figure in front of it. Bdubs agreed, gushing about how he 'always love to see Hypno' and if 'he would want free bamboo'. After recieving Joe's approval in the form of a thumbs up, they continued onwards.

Cleo sighed in relief once she had successfully left Bdubs and Joe in Hypno's care, then launched themself into the air again towards the wool stalls. They landed without grace (again? Cleo had spent a week flying with Grian, they were better than this) in a patch of flowers nearby. Grian was standing on the opposite end of the row, buying red wool.

They spotted Pearl jogging towards Grian, one hand holding her hat on her head and the holding their messenger bag closed. He was the first member of Magic Mountain they had seen in almost a week, and Grian still looked like he should be taking a break with the rest of them. He was quite pale, almost as pallid as Mumbo, and his eye-bags were almost the same colour as his eyes. Speaking of which— when did Grian have purple eyes. Curious.

Pearl had slowed now, walking towards him and waving. He pivoted to face her, a perfect 90 degrees, and reached out towards her shoulder. She laughed, confused. Cleo felt a sudden sense of urgency, stomach dropping in their chest. But why? They had nowhere to be, Grian and Pearl would wait to include them in their conversation. She trampled a flower, and another as she began walking faster. There were more flowers, because they were in a field of flowers.

Dogs with vibrant dyed collars wagging their tails lined the sides of dirt path between wool stalls. And Grian—fuck, Grian— was holding bundles of wool and diamonds in his hands. Cleo broke into a run. They cried out, reaching forward.

Pearl looked up over Grian's head in surprise, and Cleo could see the little oh! her mouth formed. Grian's fingers landed on the top of Pearl's shoulders, and Cleo could hear the scream that was ripped from her throat before they disappeared.

No ender pearls, no rockets, no pistons. They were gone, just like she saw.

Cleo stumbled backwards and tripped over, landing flat on their ass in the dirt path. The wolves barked at her as she slid sideways, gravity pulling their head down onto one of the barrels holding brown wool. She was so fucking close to getting them. So close to stopping it from happening. Cleo hated it when she was right.

Five hours later, Cleo could finally open their eyes. Xisuma sat on a chair from her dining room next to the bed, a grim look on his face.

"Hey, Cleo," he greeted, voice soft. "I'm glad you're up. Another hour, and we might've had to start worrying about severe brain injury."

Cleo laughed scratchily, their throat grating. "I've been dead twice, X. I'm sure a little knock on the head can't be that bad." X's twisted forehead disagreed.

"Have you seen Pearl, Cleo? Or Etho, or Gem, or Joel, or Tango? Bdubs left a while ago, saying he would be back from a family trip in two hours, max. It's been eight, Cleo. I don't know— I don't know what's happening." He scrubbed a hand over his head, but she noted almost hysterically it probably didn't work very well because he was wearing a helmet.

"I saw Pearl… five hours ago, I think? Whenever I went out. Listen, I don't know where she's gone, but I'm beginning to have an idea what's going on." Cleo said. X nodded.

"He'll come for me or Ren next. I need you to warn the others, off-world," she instructed. "Martyn, BigB, Jimmy, Scott, Lizzie. They're all next; there'll be no one left after me and Ren. X, you have to go find them, I don't care what the fuck it takes, just— just promise me," she hissed.

"You saw this, didn't you?"

"Fucking— just promise me, Xisuma."

He held his hands up in surrender. "I promise, Cleo. I'll deliver your message. Now, you need to tell me what's going on."

It had been two hours since Cleo had finished telling Xisuma anything and everything. Even the most outlandish of theories couldn't be ruled out. They finally fell into a fitful sleep, lulled by exhaustion and X's promise to deal with Grian. If Grian couldn't leave the server, he couldn't get anyone else. And then, they could figure out what was wrong with him. She could fix this.

There was a pattern to the disappearances, though. The Life members were being picked off, one by one. Grian was not quite himself. Cleo had no idea why. Martyn, BigB, Jimmy, Scott, Lizzie.

It was after two hours of restless sleep that Grian swung open her door.

"You want to do this? Hm? Who the fuck even are you?" They demanded as he stepped inside.

"I would've thought you were smarter than that, Revenant of Fate."

"Yeah, and I thought I would be dealing with something better than a coward who hides in another's skin. Boohoo, baby, can't show your face? Afraid of being busted?" Cleo taunted.

It laughed. Grian's eyes shimmered with silent threats. "Lots of talk from a mortal stuck in sleep. Didn't you have questions about your friends? You and the admin were trying so hard to guess. Why don't you go ask them yourself?" The thing launched itself at her, scrabbling at her arms. They landed a swift kick to its stomach, but it did nothing to stop the creature's assault.

Red threads tangled in her stitches.

"Curious. I didn't think the Reaper of Fate would show itself. It so loves to stay behind the scenes, pulling the strings. Too bad, you don't have time to talk at the moment."

Its hand, or Grian's, covered in scars from fishing line and callouses from an axe, gripped on her forearm where her Reaper's thread tugged upwards. They prepared for the dizzying feeling of world hopping, vertigo and rushing winds. Nothing happened. It grinned, purple light shining down Grian's cheeks, and twisted at the point where her wrist and forearm met, with nothing but shitty surgical stitches holding it together. Cleo gasped as the thread warped and snapped, their skin ripping above the seam. Then came the pain, and the vertigo.

[unofficialsapphire]

Finally having the guts to request a oneshot JWHAHAHDDHDHDH

okay anyways-

Its no surprise that Im of course gonna ask a muichiro x reader that’s a fucking dumbass (aka: her attention span is low and can easily get distracted by anything in sight. But that changes when it comes to fighting demons and training)

I guess a scenario i csn come up with is that both of them fought a demon together and muichiro would notice how focused the reader is… but then after literally just killing the demon, she saw something of interest and immediately runs towards it)

…this is very confusing so im sorry, sapphire 💔💔

Hi cloudy! I just wrote them today. I'm sorry it was late ..

FOCUS

Being the Mist Pillar's Tsuguko, there are a lot of traits before you would be considered as one.

Pure determination to eradicate all demons, undeniable strength, Patience and most important of all, focus.

You have all the traits, except for one. It's a wonder how you became his tsuguko.

Today, you and Muichiro were supposed to have early training, but you are now running late due to a few distractions along the way.

"White or Black, mmm" You contemplated, holding the two hair bows in each of your hands. You were in a hurry on your way to The Mist Hashira's Estate but you got sidetracked when your eyes caught the small cart selling hair bow ties.

"Why don't you buy them both Miss? They both look good on you." The young lady said, you eyed the seller, checking out whether she was telling the truth or just wanted to sell them both.

It took you long enough to decide: white or black? White is cute, but it can easily get dirty. The black one is cute too, but you already have one. You contemplated for a while, and in the end, you decided to buy a dark blue hair bow tie instead.

You arrived in the Mist Hashira's Estate late, you were breathing heavily as you try to catch your breath. "I'm sorry I'm late" you said to the Hashira who was looking at you unamused.

"What's new? You're always late" he grumbles, standing up, grasping his katana before looking at you intently "What is it this time?"

"I..uh..I.. was feeling sick and I woke up late" You lied, Muichiro will scold you again if he finds out you were late over something not important.

He got mad at you when one time he caught you playing around the flower field instead of training. "You're supposed to be training not playing, stop wasting time!"

He examined your features, looking for any signs of sickness. "You're not sick" he said plainly. "You bought a hair bow" he stated, mint-green eyes bore into your now wide eyes. "What? How could you possibly notice that?!" You exclaim, you were not expecting him to notice it.

"It's called paying attention Y/n! As a demon slayer and as my tsuguko, you should know that paying attention to your surroundings is vital part of being a slayer." Muichiro started to lecture you, again.

"You should be ready at all times. How would you be able to detect demons if you are not paying attention,Y/n! You shouldn't...." Muichiro's words muffled out as soon as you saw the blue butterfly fly around in his back. You were captivated by its beauty that you forgot about Muichiro's lecture.

Muichiro took notice of this, following your gaze, he spot the butterfly you were looking for. "REALLY Y/N?!" Muichiro exasperated, his loud voice boomed in the area, making you snap you back into reality.

Your eyes widen as you look at Muichiro, red face, veins almost popping, mint-green eyes glaring at you. He is mad --- mad.

"I'm..." Just right when you were about to apologize. Muichiro cut you off.

"Just right when I'm lecturing you about the importance of paying attention. You are not listening! You rather watch a butterfly than listen to what I say! This is not time to waste my time." He angrily spat, each words laced with venom.

"We are at war here Y/n! I don't need you playing around and wasting my time. It's either you grow up or quit the demon slayer corp." Muichiro's harsh words broke you. You lower your head to hide your tears threatening to fall. "I'm sorry Muichiro-san" you whisper, your lips quivering as you try to stop yourself from crying out there.

"Practice your sword swinging! I'd better not see you playing around" Muichiro scoffed as he walked out on you.

You nodded softly and started to train by yourself the whole day.

The sun is about to set and you were still upset with him because he raised his voice at you over a butterfly, which was petty. 'I'm still young' you angrily uttered to yourself while fiercely wielding your wooden sword against the tree, letting out your anger there.

"Don't I get to enjoy over little things? I am capable enough to slay demons while enjoying little things" you uttered, glaring at the tree in front of you.

You understand where Muichiro is coming from. He is also young, the same age as you, but he became a slayer at the younger age. He became a hashira at the young age, forcing himself to grow up for the sake of people around him.

You were saddened at the thought of it. "It's not his fault" you muttered softly. You were sweating a lot and decided to rest a bit when you stepped on a mimosa plant.

"Wow" you were in awe when the little leaves started to close upon contact.

You sit down on the ground, eyes looking at them in amazement as you touch the other part of the leaves and they instantly close again.

Your ears perk up at the sound of his footsteps. You immediately scramble up, quickly apologizing as he once again cut you playing around.

"I'm sorry Muichiro-san," you bow as you apologize.

Muichiro notices your features: your eyes are red from your frustrated tears and your hair is a mess from constantly running your fingers through your hair in frustration.

His eyes soften at the sight of you, he was harsh earlier and he felt bad.

"I should be apologizing. I should have been careful with my words" Muichiro murmured softly. You eyes widened slightly. He never apologize before. This is the first.

"I should be sorry, I should have paid more attention Muichiro-san" You quickly remark, looking at him sincerely.

"I should have been more patient, I'll try my best to be more understanding" He said. "Truce?"

You smiled at him, "Truce"

Just in time, both of your crows are squawking loudly, giving the mission for both of you.

"So we're on a mission together" You said, beaming at him. He nod at you, "Fix your hair first and let's go" he muttered before he started walking.

You blush slightly, 'Muichiro saw you as a mess" you thought to yourself before catching up to him. You tied your hair back in a ponytail and attached the hair bow to it.

It was expected that you will face a kizuki but what you didn't anticipate is that there will be two of them.

"Fall back!" Muichiro yelled. He didn't anticipate it either that there will be two of them. If he had known, he wouldn't have let you come with him. He needed to protect you, thus making you retreat and back away.

"No! We are on this together!" You yelled back, not taking your eyes off from the demon in front of you, standing on your ground, heightening your senses, anticipating their next move.

You heard the demon on your left leap off the ground and about to pounce on you. You quickly dodge the attack, but Muichiro, who was looking at you, shouting, didn't notice the other demon's incoming attack on him.

It's filthy hand land a hit on his chest, enough to put damage on him but you managed to cut its arms off. You stood in front of him, your back facing him as you glare at the demons in front of you "I thought pay attention to your surroundings?!" You snapped at him.

You took a quick peek at his chest to see blood oozing out. That made you snap.

"I'll fucking end you" You growled at the demon who dared to hurt Muichiro. You control your breathing, to increase your stamina. You went for a strike, Muichiro tried to help as much as he could, inflicting damage to slow them down. He used his breathing technique to temporarily hide you in the mist.

He watches as you elegantly sever their head with your own breathing style, with the help of his breathing techniques, you managed to do it. He felt silly, he was worried as hell, thinking that he needed to protect you because you always lose your focus, but tonight, you just proved to him that you are capable enough.

You smiled at him, as you walked over to him, "ha, 'pay attention to your surroundings'" you teased him and before he could answer, you gasp as you notice the fireflies around.

"They're so pretty" you squeal, you could see in your peripheral vision that he was shaking his head at you as you ran towards the fireflies.

"That's one of my favourite memory of you dad" You told to your twins as you tell them a bed time story.

"You're so cool mom" One of your twins said, his mint-green eyes, the same features as their father's shines in amazement as they stare at you.

You chuckled at them, tucking them in bed. "What about your least favourite memory mom?" You paused at their question. Your heart breaking at the thought of it. You smiled at your twins to hide your pain. "What about you both sleep first and that's another night for story to tell? Mmm?" You said to them.

"But moooom" Your twin whined, it was a good thing that his older brother, scolded him, "let's go to sleep, let mom go "

"Okay, Good night mommy"

"Good Night mom"

"Goodnight too, sweetdreams" You said to them sweetly, kissing both of their foreheads before heading back to your room.

You let out a shaky breath you were holding, your memories of him being stab was still fresh.

It was the final battle, facing off the upper moon one demon. The audacity he had to tell you over and over again to pay attention to your surroundings but he kept all his attention to you. You were capable enough. Why must he worry about you? The upper moon went to attack you, his sword landing a deep slash on your upper arm, if you weren't quick enough, he would've successfully cut your arm off.

Muichiro was enraged, he went to face him off alone but the moment he heard your small whimper of pain, he diverted his attention to you for a second. That second alone was enough to cut his arm off.

"Muichiro" You yelled, wincing in pain as you push yourself to stand up, the upper one had completely worn you out.

You watched as the upper demon stab him, making you see bright red.

Your eyes welled up in tears as you recall that event. You blamed yourself for being weak. If only Muichiro didn't pay attention to you. He wouldn't have gotten hurt. He was hurt and you couldn't protect him like he did for you.

You are truly sorry and you'll keep apologising for it

"Love?" A voice called out to you from behind before his arm wrapped around you, you turned around to hug him, "I'm sorry Mui" you murmured softly.

You felt him kiss your head before asking you, "what for?" He murmured, swaying the both of you as he held you.

"For not keeping you safe" you mumbled in his neck as you nuzzle your head in.

"That again?" He said, "You know I don't regret anything." He assures you.

"But ---" he cut you off with a swift kiss. "Shhhh shut up" he whisper sofly. "I love you" "I love you too".

[emicat1159]

Next part of my lil fanfic! I didn't do any art for it yet cos it's already taken me way too long to even write it out 😭

Anyway yeaaaaah Aggie gets to meet the angels, fun :P

Suppressing a gasp Agata ducked behind the doorframe to her right, her foot grazing the shattered glass of the window in her hurry to hide. She made little noise. From the short distance she watched as the figures- illuminated by their halos against the dreary background of rubble- observed the surrounding ruins, unable to see their expressions but, judging from their body language alone, they were unfamiliar with this location.

'And damn,, they're stood right where I wanted to go..'

How inconvenient.

Two of them looked to the tallest as he seems to start talking. He wears a perfectly straight blue suit, blonde hair reaching nearly to his shoulders. And three pairs of brown wings sat on his back. His posture was straight; and her sixth sense tells her he is dangerous.

The other two, one wearing a white suit, at his back were also three pairs of wings, the feathers coloured with beautiful greens and blues. The other, the shortest of the the three wore a long brownish-green coat, much similar to the one she was wearing,

'Well my sense of style mustn't be that bad if an angel wears something similar..'

She looks at her surroundings for anything she could use to distract them, a streetlight, car to set off the alarm of, anything that could still be manipulated with her powers. Nothing.

Lost in thought, and all at once, Agata feels a wave of energy pass through her. The tips of her fingers tingling in reaction to some unknown power. It spreads throughout her body, her muscles tensing almost painfully before growing weak, causing her to fall to the ground with a loud thud.

And fuck.. she catches herself from her fall with her hands, straight onto the shattered glass.

A pained hiss escapes her lips as blood starts trickling down her palms, adding to the erratic firing of her nerves. She sits up on her knees, whatever that just was, it left her struggling to find the strength to move. Looking down at her hands, the glass cut deep, luckily none of it was left embedded in her skin. And for a moment she forgets the three pairs of eyes that turned to look at her as she fell.

That is, until she heard one of them speak to her,

"Miss? Are you alright-?" Agata looks up towards the direction of the voice, walking towards her is the shortest of those angels, his worried expression turning to surprise when he noticed her cut hands,

"Oh! Oh no, I'm so sorry, if we knew you were there we wouldn't have- wait let me- I'll help you" he kneels in front of her. Agata's eyes shoot up to his face, his gentle round features adorned with deep green eyes and curly blonde hair, and his hand reaching towards her.

Oh how she feels like a cornered animal in that very moment. When was the last time someone had touched her?

She made a feeble attempt at leaning away from him, grimacing slightly, her strength returning to her slowly, not enough to get away just yet.

"Hey, it's okay, I can heal this. We don't usually do this for humans.. but.. Well there's no point in trying to hide what we are from you now is there?" He smiled softly at her. He took her hands gently, palm side up, careful not to irritate her wounds any further. Her skin burned at the familiar contact, craving for a comfort she had not felt in what feels like a lifetime.

The angel's halo glowed brightly as she feels the heat from her hands fading gently, her eyes widening as she watches her skin reconstruct and heal. It feels nothing like her own power's effect, while hers leaves her body tingling excitedly, this is a cool and soothing sensation, energising.

Agata once again looks up, sensing the presence of the other two angels coming closer to them, then angel helps her to her feet.

"I'm Raphael, these are my brothers; Gabriel and Michael" Raphael gestures to the other two, the one named Michael nodded towards her, his stoic expression showing no emotion, yet Agata can't deny him to be strikingly handsome- despite the resting bitch face

'Must come with being an angel' she mused.

Oh, right,

Her voice came out unintentionally timid

"I'm Agata.. you're.. actually angels-"

"Ah yes! The brunette, Gabriel, exclaims as he holds out his hand for her to shake, he looks tired, she noted.

"When we arrived here maybe ten minutes ago we saw not a single living being around us, so hiding our wings didn't seem necessary, apologies, it must've been quite a shock!"

"Y-yeah... what.. was that..?" Agata replied sheepishly

"Hm?"

"I couldn't move.. what was that about?"

"That" Michael finally spoke up "was a sort of spell we use that can temporarily neutralise and sense any entities or potential threats in the immediate area, a safety precaution if you may."

Agata contemplated this, up until this point she had resigned herself to living a life of isolation, scavenging, and hurt. The appearance of the three celestial beings at this very moment has her mind reeling with questions

'Why are they here? Why now? ...can they help me..?'

She just has to get close to them somehow.

The skies have begun to get darker now, she feels her body shiver from a cold gust of wind, it whistles through the cracks in the wall on the building behind her, she wraps her arms around herself protectively.

Raphael looks to the side, thinks, and starts to talk,

"Do you live far away? It may be best if you go back"

"A day and a half's walk away... I stopped by an old hotel on the way here, it isn't too broken.."

"Hmm.. perhaps we could accompany you?"

Gabriel spoke up next. Agata looks at him sceptically.

"I mean! We can compromise, we need a place to stay and figure out what we're doing- and perhaps you'd like the company? What'cha say?"

Agata's eyes lit up, this is exactly what she'd hoped for!

"Are you sure? This is kind of a crazy situation."

"It is strange for us too.. but we're here on a mission and we have to make it work somehow.." Michael sighs.

Agata looks down at her hands

"Hm, well, I have everything I need from this old store, so follow along if you want" she said with a small smile.

And so they start walking.

[wellthebardsdead]

Clockwork heart pt17

Part 16 here

———

Inigo: *riding on Roach, the horse Wyrm bought him with the little gold he had left so he wouldn’t have to walk* You are the dragonborn my friend?

Wyrm: *riding on Naomi, Taliesin hugging his waist with one hand and holding the reigns with the other* apparently…

Kaidan: *up ahead on Wyrms horse* apparently my arse, No normal person can move mountains with their voice like you can.

Taliesin: Or absorb the soul of a dragon like you did.

Inigo: well, I’m extra glad I did not kill you then.

Wyrm: you may as well have, something will eventually… *sighs* it doesn’t matter anyway. Once I’m home I’m never leaving again… making me the dragonborn surely must be one final cruel joke by the gods, I’m no hero or adventurer, I can’t even fight off some dogs or brandish a blade… *sniffles* papa was right about everything…

Taliesin: *strokes his hair* shhh, enough of that. You just need some help and practice is all.

Wyrm: I don’t even have two working arms…

Taliesin: … *looks up ahead at Kaidan* Kai, can I see the map please?…

Kaidan: Why? Think I’m leading us in the wrong direction?

Taliesin: no- *trying to hide the anxiety already building inside* a-are there any marked dwemer ruins nearby?

*several hours later*

Kaidan: *carrying Taliesin out of the ruins of Mzulft* Deep breaths you’re alive you’re not dead.

Taliesin: *coming down from a panic attack* we- are NEVER GOING IN ONE OF THOSE AGAIN!

Inigo: *carrying out a bag of loot* Is it a good book?

Wyrm: *holding the Lunar Lorkhan* I don’t know but… it feels strangely important given everything that’s happened to me recently… hm? *blinks spotting a building theyd missed* …Kai?? That key we couldn’t find a lock for, do you have it?

Kaidan: hm? Oh yeah- *unceremoniously drops Taliesin on his ass and fumbles around his bag for the key before handing it to him* here.

Wyrm: th-thank you. Tali are you okay?

Taliesin: *on the ground hyperventilating* I- I-

Kaidan: don’t worry I’ve got him. *pats Taliesin on the back* keep breathing you’re fine.

Wyrm: I… I’ll be right back. *watches him with growing concern before walking off to the building and opening the doors to find a store room inside* oh?… *looks around at the rows and shelves of spare pottery, parts and more* ohhh! *grabs several gears, metal plates, bolts and ingots placing them in his satchel before passing another door and immediately back pedalling as something blue catches his eye* what?… *places the key in the door and steps in as he unlocks it to see a strange shard of what he can only describe as blue glass* wow… *slowly touches it and feels his whole body seize in shock as another memory clouds his mind*

???: Aetherium? But sir we only have a limited supply left, and with the dwemer gone we don’t know how to harvest anymore, we should not start such a grand project if we are without means to finish I-

Sotha Sil: we do not need the aid of our deep elven cousins. I am aware of their methods and how we can obtain more if needs be. But in order to create my vision for our people’s future, I must first make the gateway to the plain where it shall take shape.

Wyrm: *let’s go of the shard and staggers back as he regains control of his mind* ughh- *rubs his face* Aw- shit. *huffs and rights himself* I wish that’d stop happening… *looks back at the shard before nervously poking it in case another memory sparks before quickly putting it in his satchel too and exiting the building*

Inigo: *leaning against the entrance* Anything interesting?

Wyrm: it was just a storage room but I found some gears to repair my arm!

Inigo: that is great news my frie-

Taliesin: *having a coughing fit after hyperventilating so hard he started crying* I can’t breathe- I can’t breathe-

Kaidan: *at a loss on how to help him* T-Taliesin calm down! You’re outside now you’re safe-

Wyrm: *hurries over and shuffles his way into taliesins lap hugging him and taking his hands* shhh, it’s okay, it’s almost over now… *pulls his handkerchief from his bag and wipes his face* y-your makeup is running, it’s alright Tali I-I’m sorry you went through all that just for me…

Taliesin: *sniffles and rubs his face choking back another sob* I’m- im fine- I’m fi- *coughs* w-wanted to make you happy again- I forgot h-how horrible those dreadful r-ruins are-

Wyrm: *keeps drying his face just letting him ride it out knowing how hard anxiety like this is to stop and how similar they are to his sensory overloads* I-I’m so greatful you went through it for me, y-you didn’t have to. *takes his hand to move it from his face only to feel the larger elf squeeze it a little tighter than he’s comfortable with but not in a cruel way* … *squeezes back* I’m here.

Taliesin: *breath uneven and in short bursts as he begins to steady and ground himself feeling the weight of the small dunmer in his lap, his hand in his, the sweet smell of citrus in his hair mixing with the smell of sandalwood from his robes* I… I’m… I’m okay, I think- *clears his throat and sniffles back tears* I lost myself for a moment there-

Wyrm: it’s okay to lose yourself, so long as you come back to us eventually. *smiles and dries his face cleaning his eyeliner up* I-I don’t blame you for being frightened, that centurion had you cornered, if inigo didn’t jump on it when he did I don’t think Kaidan could have stopped it in time.

Inigo: the hero again~ *snickers walking by*

Taliesin: I… *sighs rubbing his face* I’m just glad to be out of there… I only wanted to help but…

Wyrm: m-maybe next time we avoid going into dwemer ruins.

Taliesin: *nods and laughs softly* y-yes, that. That sounds like a great idea. *smiles warmly at him as he finally calms down, feeling oddly at peace as he stares at Wyrms sweet smile and gentle face* I… *finally realises Wyrm is just sitting in his lap* I- um. *clears his throat and lifts him up as he rises to his feet* d-did you find anything you can use? *sets him down*

Wyrm: yes! I should be able to fix my arm now. Thank you Taliesin. *suddenly gives him a hug before running over to the horses leaving Taliesin standing there stunned*

Kaidan: *pats him on the back* Smooth.

Taliesin: Bugger off.

Kaidan: Hehehe~

*that evening*

Wyrm: *seated at a table in the Braidwood inn as he tinkers with his arm, the group having decided it’d be best for all of them to avoid windhelm and it’s unwelcoming inhabitants* just- go- I- *pauses watching the bolt he was trying to fit into place pop out of its position and fall off the table and onto the floor* Aw biscuits… *shifts and reaches down to get it only for Taliesin to grab it for him*

Taliesin: you should be in bed little moth. *hands him the bolt*

Wyrm: th-thank you. I will be soon I just- wanted to get my arm fixed tonight… it’s just a lot harder without mr wrench to help me…

Taliesin: Mr? Wrench?

Wyrm: oh- *blinks suddenly making his Pearl eye glow and a projection of a tiny dwarven spider suddenly appearing from it* one of my-… well… I guess he’s my only automaton now… I built him from scraps and he helps me build things.

Taliesin: *staring at the projection in amazement* I?! How?! How are you doing that??!

Wyrm: huh? Oh, i-it’s one of its enchantments. I’m very good at enchanting things, I can store memories in it, it’s, like a lexicon but very small. But it mainly just helps me see. *blinks making it disappear* it’s just magicka made visible, like fire or lightning for a destruction spell or an illusion spell. I keep memories that make me happy in case I’m sad… *looks down slightly before shyly blinking again making a projection of taliesins tear stained eyeliner smudged face appear* thank you for making me happy too.

Taliesin: *visibly blushes feeling his heart skip a beat* I- I you’re welcome but did you really have to pick that- I look dreadful!

Wyrm: *giggles*

*a few hours later*

Wyrm: *sharing a bed with Taliesin as Kaidan & inigo bunk together on the other* mnn *shifts uncomfortably as the hay pokes him and the old furs itch his skin*

Taliesin: *blinks open his eyes, too uncomfortable to sleep as well* itchy?

Wyrm: *nods* yeah…

Taliesin: *shifts and gets up pulling his thalmor robe from his bag*

Wyrm: t-Tali put it away you’ll get arrested if someone sees-

Taliesin: *suddenly turns it inside out and lays it over the hay and furs* nobody will be able to tell. *smiles and lays on it, gesturing for the small dunmer to shuffle closer*

Wyrm: *gladly does as he’s asked, wanting more so to cover it with himself in case somebody comes in and sees it* th-this feels much better.

Taliesin: *yawns and nods* I agree. If all else fails we always have our bedrolls.

Wyrm: *nods and shuffles a little closer resting his head against his chest* I-I never thought I’d miss my bed so much when I left home… but anything is better than the sleeping arrangements here…

Taliesin: *visibly blushes feeling the dunmer so close* Then we’d best get you back home as fast as we can so you can rest c-

Wyrm: *blinks wondering why he paused* Tali? *looks up at him to see him frozen in place* …Tali?… *notices he can’t even hear his heartbeat anymore* … *gets up in a panic only to see Kaidan frozen mid snore and inigo mid stretch* Wh-what- what’s happening?… *looks around the room before stepping out to see the inn and it’s patrons frozen in time, the fire unmoving, the bard mid strum of her lute, a cork from a bottle of wine halted in mid air* I- *jumps and spins around feeling something touch his shoulder but unable to see what’s there* h-hello? *reaches out and feels nothing beyond a sudden and painful headache* th-this happened in saarthal too- before- before- before- *grabs the bar as his mind flashes images of the orb and the memories of creation, the throbbing of his head pounding like a drum and beating in tandem with a heart he’d seen shot into the sea* p-papa- I-I’m- dying- it- hurts- it- hurts- it- *falls silent as cool metal touches his face, a hand, elegant in design, and a now familiar, kind face smiling back at him beyond a white void… sotha sil* y-you…

Sotha Sil: *smiles warmly at him, his very presence bringing him a strange comfort* shhh… you’re not dying… You can’t die.

Wyrm: I-it hurts- it hurts my head hurts- my heart it’s so loud- wh-why m-me- why are you killing me?

Sotha Sil: *bearing a look of immense sadness and hurt on his face that his means of protecting him would cause him pain* Kill you?… impossible… *shakes his head* No matter. I won’t allow them to use you for their plans. Please bear it for a moment longer…

Wyrm: u-use me? W-who? Wh-what do you mean impossible?

Sotha Sil: *smiles* You can’t kill a god.

“Sahloknir, ziil gro dovah ulse!”

Wyrm: *gasps as he comes back to reality, only to find himself no longer in the inn, but standing atop the hill near the settlement, his nightshirt and trousers drenched from the rain… and the world eater glaring down at him as he brings forth his ally from the earth* …I’m going to die…

[antimonyandthyme]

So I was thinking how after the shootout in tallinn charles slips into the time machine barrack to find seb already there, his shoulders tense, his hand balled in his pocket around something he could use as a weapon, and how he hurries to explain that Ives is not a threat, Ives is with them. 

How it doesn't even cross his mind seb might suspect an enemy in him.

How he freezes, seb’s wiry forearm pressed into his throat, seb’s eyes black and piercing in the furious red lights, and when he demands answers his tone turns Charles’ insides into led, making him gasp uselessly as if he was breathing forward air with inverted lungs. How it deafens and blinds him, his whole being reaching out, pleading, you can’t seriously believe i could betray you you can’t you can’t you can’t you know me, while some rational voice inside him says: of course he doesn't. It’s barely been three months, for him.

Still shit with timelines, aren't you.

How he can only barely breathe again when Seb automatically looks at him for confirmation, for reassurance, that yes, there is another machine in Belgium two weeks ago, he calculated it right, how he prepares the shipping container for them on autopilot, unable to swallow past the giant block of ice in his throat, after Seb shouldered past him outside, deaf to his warnings for the first time in years.

How an eternity later Ives’s team howl Seb into the container, face pale, body fragile in the cocoon of the thermal blanket, and Charles can only sit by the cot and watch him breathe, petting just the very tips of his frosted hair because what if he harms him, waiting for him to wake up.

How when he does, Charles doesn’t even realise how angry he is, at first, how he rears up at Seb because i told you i told you why don't you ever listen i could have lost you i am not ready and how the ground disappears from under him when seb just swings his leg and shrugs and says, you know. fool me once.

It’s disorienting—and, in hindsight, unbelievably stupid—that seb’s trust has felt so rock-solid to him for so many years that without it charles finds himself in free fall.

He reaches for him without thinking, looking for a straw to grasp. It’s only when he sees seb’s sceptical frown that he realises how cheap it must look. he wants to scream, I just want to know you’re alive.

I should check your vitals, he says instead.

Seb catches his hands with cold fingers, grip tight and punishing, when charles reaches to find the pulse point on his neck; offers his wrist instead, vigilant and efficient where charles knows him soft and sweet and warm, so warm, so his—except this one was never his, was he. Charles just managed to forget already.

There's a pulse in seb’s delicate wrists, strong and steady and alive, and this will have to do, for now.

He tries to sleep more; seb doesn’t talk to him much, and he could use the time to recover anyway. 

He dreams of Greece: his back hitting the wall, seb’s eyes, wide and hungry and younger, his hot mouth, how getting to have him again felt like the world regaining third dimension so forcefully it was as much of an ache as it was pleasure. 

He dreams of Greece: winding his fingers in waves of burnished gold, in that couple of years when seb let his hair grow until it reached his shoulders, and when he finally cut it he looked so terrifyingly small and fragile that charles kept trying to cup the back of his head to keep it safe. 

When he wakes up, he misses him in that bottomless, hollow way you could only miss a piece of yourself.

Seb is staring at him from the distance of barely half a metre, sitting on a case with food rations right in front of charles’ face.

Charles is so, so tired.

“What,” he asks, trying to hide his face in the crook of his elbow. 

Seb has questions about time, because of course he does; charles suspects he’s had them for some time now, just wasn’t sure who to ask. He does his best to answer, tries to push down the memories bubbling up, pressing sharp and searing against his skin: a hot afternoon in july, cool library halls, seb’s smile, kind and patient and just that little bit amused, while he was waiting for charles to wrap his head around it.

Half of the grandfather paradox gets stuck in his throat when seb carefully cards his fingers through his hair. 

When charles looks up and finds seb looking at him with gentle eyes he can’t help it: shuffles back against the wall to give what little space there is, even though he shouldn’t, he knows he shouldn’t, it’s too soon, he can’t assume—but he wants, so much, he’s been bleeding out on this damn cot for three days, now, and when seb scrambles to get in, stretch beside him under the thin sheet, it takes all that’s left of charles to not do something stupid, like squeeze him until they both can barely breathe. 

Seb finds his hand and guides it to his throat. “It wasn’t fair,” he agrees, three days of silent treatment later. Charles swallows and cups the side of his neck to run his thumb along the edge of his jaw, over and over and over.

“If you go back in time and kill your grandfather,” he says, and seb looks at him, intent and just that little bit amused, while he reaches into himself to get out the same answers he first heard on that hot july afternoon.

You sound just like my philosophy professor, charles told him then, and he laughed like it was the funniest joke he’s ever heard. 

Of course you did, cheater, charles thinks now, as he presses clues into seb’s hands, hoping he would know which ones to keep. I will know the last of your tricks, soon.

When he falls asleep, seb still nestled tightly against him, he dreams of his arms heavy with bronze feathers, his colossal wings large enough to shelter seb whole. 

He wakes up to the stubborn curl on the crown of Seb’s head that refuses to lie flat tickling his nose. It's a dim nowhen in the container; the clock they perched on one of the boxes tells him it's another 62 hours until they dock.

"It’s okay, you can sleep more," Seb mumbles, nuzzling his forehead into Charles’s shoulder. 

Charles wraps the top of the sheet over the length of his arm and tugs until it covers them head to toe.

Hi hello still completely knackered still on my bullshit also not me saying ill come with a better piece later and showing up with this rip

Knackered tenet anon are you trying to break my heart are you oh my god. Oh. My god. Years and years and years of trust and having each other's back and unadulterated affection and undisguised longing and suddenly, you lose Him, and you meet the He who doesn't recognize you, doesn't know the lengths you would go to protect him, doesn't see the heartbreak in your eyes every times you turn away (Seb does see, he does, he just can't comprehend why)--oh. It's enough to break a man. It's enough.

And shatter me won't you? Charles reaching for Seb's neck to take his vitals, Seb catching his hand and pulling it away from his neck (his most vulnerable point, something he used to offer to Charles on a daily basis) and placing Charles' fingers on his wrist instead. The message is clear. I don't trust you. Keep away.

Charles swallowing the glass in his throat down and forcing himself to be content with knowing Seb is alive. For now.

For the next three days Charles just goes through the motions woodenly, holding himself together by thread and sheer will alone, until Seb finds his hand and guides it to his throat. Charles freezes. It's a different message altogether now. Seb's saying quietly, "That wasn't fair."

(Wasn't fair, a different Seb thinks. Wasn't fair? He was cruel. He twisted the knife. No wonder Charles had looked at him all the time as if he were seeing a ghost. No wonder he looked like he tasted sadness every time they made eye contact. No wonder he shrunk in on himself, tired and so anguished whenever Seb inserted distance between them. How could you, Seb says to a distraught version of himself, looking back at him in the mirror. How could you do that to one who loved you so?)

[nevada-wrytes]

Chapter 3 - When the Ocean Starts Retreating (And You Don't Run Away)

Content warnings: Underage drinking, alcohol, kissing

Here's the link to the previous chapter and here's the link to the next one!

Birds of a feather flock together- or however the saying goes- was entirely based on falsehoods. Raven could name many birds that would like to never see his face again— and it’s not like he didn’t mirror the same sentiment.

“What do you think of this dress?” Dahlia held out a thrifted nightgown with all the toppings: ruffles and lace and buttons where they do not need to be.

Raven, from where he was belly-flopped over a cushiony ottoman, craned his neck to look. You’d look like a pearl. “It’s too cold,” he huffed, collapsing limply back to his default pose.

“Well obviously I’d layer! But anyways, do you think this would match my Docs better than the green maxi dress..”

Raven turned off the part of him that could process speech. His mind felt stuffy after so long at the he-should-really-stop-calling-this-a-pep-rally-funeral. Not to mention his stomach was rumbling. Damn, when was the last time he ate?

Dahlia, having sensed his unwillingness to be of any fashion help, had gone to pester her siblings for advice, which left him the rest of the room to mope around.

He got up from the low ottoman with an intake of breath and a good stretch, enough to hear his spine snap and pop pleasantly. Then he gleefully jumped on to Dahlia’s bed and burrowed into the thick duvet and blankets. They still smelled like her, and for once he allowed himself to devour- taking deep, greedy breaths.

Once he had assembled himself a little nest, he poked his head out and almost knocked over a framed photo on the nightstand. He caught it with his fast reflexes (not bragging or anything) and gingerly set it back.

Something about the photo caught his attention. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen it before, or like it was revolutionary photography skills- it was just a selfie of Dahlia in between an older frowning man with a bushy mustache and a tiny woman. He’d seen her parents before (kind of had to as her would-be sort of boyfriend) but- this time it felt different.

The people in the photo seemed so- genuine. Nice. They seem like the kind of family who would be upset if something happened to their own.

Raven thought about his own family. He hadn’t seen them in a while- did he miss them? Would they be upset if something happened to him- wait- no, what was he thinking?

Raven got up and shook those thoughts away as if he was putting a giant cotton swab in his brain and swishing it around.

“Raveeeen~” Dahlia’s voice floated through the hallway. She was already fully dressed in a cute outfit and braids that made her look like a Studio Ghibli character. She slung a tote bag over her arm. “Ready to go?”

Raven gave her his best bright smile. “Yup!”

He took her by the arm and together they walked out.

“I like your hair, did Aspen braid it?

“Yeah! He said two braids would look the best.”

“It frames your face nicely. I want to grow my hair out so I can braid it too..���

ˇ

There was no keg-standing at the party— and for that, Raven was immensely disappointed. He wanted to have a true American highschool experience. Dahlia told him he should’ve gone to a frat house rather than a quaint New England town.

Besides that, the party seemed alright. Some rich kid was hosting it at his ski lodge— which was just a revamped log cabin in the middle of the woods equipped with a tennis court and swimming pool. Oh, and a jacuzzi— although it was unfortunately being occupied by couples who forgot social distancing was a thing. They did not seem in a hurry— Raven was never getting a turn in that hot tub.

Dahlia steered him away. “Oh, I think I see my friend’s over there- I’m gonna go say hi-” She let go of his arm to wave, “-hey! Girlies!”

Raven felt a fond smile grow on his face as he watched her run off. He mosied on back to a snacks table— someone had put a framed photo of the dead girl from the funeral next to the red solo cups. What a harsh reminder of what they were all supposed to be doing there.

He took a cup, weighed the pros and cons of drinking tonight, and then deemed that all irrelevant. In went two full ladles of whatever hard liquor x everything else in your pantry concoction something had made. He was pretty sure he saw a gummy worm bobbing in his cup. It tasted like burnt sugar going down, but brought back a pleasant warmth in his fingers.

Idly, he milled over to the dance floor. Someone had hung up fairy lights and lanterns around the patio, and with the canopy of trees in the background, it almost looked like the fortune teller’s tent.

He was sick of those stupid fairy lights.

Before he could leave, Raven felt rather than saw the stranger come up to him. His body stiffened on its own accord, but he willed himself to chill.

"Hey." Raven turned around, all nonchalant, and his eyes widened.

The stranger— an absolute Beast of a man— was taller than him (and he was almost six foot) and had an impressive amount of piercings dotting his face. Dark shaggy hair fell into his eyes from his wolf cut. He wore jeans so ripped you could practically see his thighs- and so many chains- he must have spent years harvesting them from prisoners. It was agonizing looking at him— how could someone be cooler than Raven, the coolest guy ever??

"I like your shirt." He had a deep, smooth voice, too. He didn't fail to notice Raven's staring, in fact, the corner of his mouth curved upwards around his lip piercing. Raven felt his face grow hot. Any self-respect he had sank to the floor.

"My- my shirt?" He looked down to see what he was wearing. It was an old rock band t-shirt from a group long disbanded. "Oh- er- thank you?"

"It's vintage, right? Which thrift store did ya get it at? I work at one, you know, so if you ever wanted a discount-"

"What? Oh, no, I got this shirt while they were on tour."

"What?"

He spotted Dahlia in the crowd by herself. "'Scuse me-"

Raven surprised her from behind with a hug, "Guess who!"

Dahlia jumped, nearly spilling her drink. "Raven!" She settled back in his arms. He smiled and began to sway to the beat of the music. Dahlia said nothing.

Raven cursed himself for how awkward his next words were going to be. "Hey- ugh, what's wrong?"

Dahlia hummed. "It's nothing. My friends were just saying some mean shit about the girl who died. I mean- I didn't really care about her either but- it's not nice to spread rumors when she's gone and all that-" Dahlia turned to face him, "Raven, if something happened to me, would you be upset?"

"I- What?"

The music stopped. "Hey, hey, hey, party people!" Someone had commandeered the mic from the karaoke machine, "This is your host, Ronnie speaking! I know some of you've been rumbling about bad weather- but don't worry, Ron's got you all covered. If this place goes south we still have the whole basement- and there's a pool table!- So don't fret, just enjoy the music, alcohol, and party as if we're gonna die tomorrow!!" He chuckled. "I mean you never know, one of us could be next!" His eyes shot directly to Raven.

The music continued shortly after, seemingly no one had heard the last part of Ronnie's speech. Raven looked back at Dahlia but she wasn't there. Panic surged through him.

"Dahlia?" He looked over the heads on the dance floor but couldn't see the familiar brown locks.

"Dahlia?" He found a group of girls huddled by the drinks table, but they shot him a weird look.

"Dahlia?" His voice was a whisper. He had somehow made it to the edge of the backyard, right by the woods.

The overcast sky was pitch black at this hour, so the forest seemed even darker than usual. A cool wind rustled the dry branches. As he looked up, he saw dozens of beady eyes staring at him.

"Raven?" He willed himself to turn around. Dahlia stood on the last step of the deck, two drinks in her hands.

"What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't find you."

"I just went to get some drinks. Come on, these are hot."

ˇˇ

They found a quiet corner away from the noise of the central party. Raven cupped a steamy drink in his hand. He took a sip and was delighted to find out it tasted exactly like Autumn. And cinnamon.

"What is this?"

"Cider. There's alcohol in it too, so it'll warm you right up."

"Hmp. Nice."

They quietly drank. Dahlia was first to speak up.

"Do you want to go home?"

Raven took a second to answer. "I don't want to leave you here alone."

"I'd go with you."

"What? But you were the one who wanted to come here."

Dahlia shrugged. "Yeah, and now I'm here. I had a fun time, it's probably late, I wouldn't mind leaving. Besides-" She got closer, "I don't want to force you to do anything you're uncomfy with.

She was staring right at him. Raven felt lost in her large eyes. He swallowed and set down his drink. "You didn't force me- I don't do anything I don't want to do regardless-"

"Hmp." Dahlia smiled. She was getting really close. Her breath smelled like alcohol and fruit.

"So this is okay?" Her lips were right next to his ear. His face went red- and he wasn't sure if it was just from the alcohol or not.

"Yes, yes it's fine."

"And this?" She kissed his neck, right underneath his jaw.

"MHM! YUP!" He shut his eyes. Let her pull him close. Found where his hands slot around her waist. Where his lips fit around hers. Where their breaths merged into one.

It was drunken revelry at its finest. One last hoorah.

Tag list: (ask to be added/removed) @thebonecarver @victorfrankingstein @confused-as-all-hell @iambecomeyourvillain @brekkercookie @fallen-from-olympus @purpl-cryptid @reyyya @thecurlychameleon @naz-yalensky @thesexypanda-boo @kazoo-the-demjin @twelve-kinds-of-trouble @robbiinn

[sleepisforcowards]

Chapter 1

Boston, Massachusetts April 4th 1937

The tiny specks of dust basked in the glowing sunlight that peaked in through the open window, curtains drawn back.

A small thud was heard in the room as yet another shirt was added to the growing pile scattered around the uncarpeted oaken floor. The culprit responsible for the discarded mess was a young boy, rummaging through a thin closet in the corner of the room. His hair, a messy blonde colour, bopped in and out of view as he continued his thorough search.

A small sound of triumph sounded from the boy as he leant back onto his knees, an off-white button up shirt in his grasp.

He gave the shirt a quick sniff, checking it’s cleanliness. With a quick shrug of approval he shrugged it on over his undershirt and began buttoning it up.

The door to the room, a rainbow of browns, was pushed open with a slam into the already defaced wall to the side of it, an indent which broke away the white paint from the wall was visible to anyone who happened to look.

“Ma says to hurry it up Mikey,” a slightly older girl spoke matter-of-factly, she had blonde locks which were braided and fell over her shoulder. Her eyes, unlike the boys hazel, where a deep chocolatey colour and held a level of maturity his lacked.

Mikey mock-glared at the girl and stood up, “yeah yea-” he stopped mid-sentence and analysed the girls appearance. She wore a clearly quite expensive pale pink dress that went just below the knee with white frills and makeup dusted the girls face. A smirk played at his lips as he raised an eyebrow, “and who are you dolled up for, Huh?…that fella from down the road you’re always hangin’ bout with?”

The girls cheeks reddened, “his names Robert..and maybe I am, what’s it to you?” Her eyes where narrowed in a glare that Mikey could tell, from being on the receiving end of many snarls from his sister, was forced.

With a shrug of his shoulders he answered her, “nothin’ just curious..”

He watched as she seemed to be debating something in her head before she opened her mouth, “I need to make an impression okay, there’s loads of pretty gals that go our church.”

Mikey looked up from doing his tie, “so?”

“Jesus Mike..” she mumbled, “I’m thirteen now! Aunt Clara says she was scoping out boys at my age”

He rose a brow, “wha? Since when did u care what that old bat says- OW! What was that for?!” He rubbed his arm, attempting to soothe the stinging sensation.

“Don’t be rude Michael! She’s the one who bought be this dress anyways, I’ve found she’s quite interesting.”

“God Esme, you even sound like the woman! don’t let ma hear you saying stuff like that, you know she hates that Claras guts!”

“Ma knows aunty bought me this for your information! She says it was kind of her!”

Mikey found himself rolling his eyes at his sisters bragging tone.

Before he had a chance to reply a voice called from somewhere downstairs,

“OI WOULD YOU TWO HURRY IT UP, WERE LEAVIN SOON!”

“Just- get ready Michael.” She left before he could respond.

He finished up his tie, which was loose around his neck and tucked his shirt into the waistband of his pants.

Grabbing his shoes from the floor, he checked his reflection in the window. With a thrown he licked his finger and rubbed at the mark on his cheek.

“MIKEY!”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m coming!” With a huff he made his way out the room. The stairs creaked as Mikey jogged down the stairs, missing steps as he went. As he reached the bottom, a woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties was stood with her hands on her hips in front of him.

“Michael Francis what have I told you about jumping down those stairs?”

Mikey felt himself cringe at the use of his middle name, “sorry ma.”

Suddenly, a small girl with identical blonde hair to Mikeys appeared at his mothers side and was looking up at her with big pleading eyes.

“Ma! Can I sit next to Mikey in the car? Oh please mammy!!” The child tugged on her mothers coat.

“I thought you wanted to sit with your sister?”

“NOOOO!” The girl shook her head before sticking out her tongue, “Esmes just gonna end up talking about that Robbie fella! She always does!”

Mikey smirked at the girl, “come on then Flo, you can sit next to me eh? We’ll talk about whateva’ you want.”

The girl beamed up at him and grasped his hand, and he felt himself being tugged away by the small girl. He heard his mother call something about wearing a coat so he grabbed his from the coat hanger on the way out.

Esme was already in the car with their older brother Johnny, who got the privilege of sitting in the drivers seat as he had just learnt how to drive but in Mikeys opinion his brother wasn’t the best at it. He’d never say that to his face of course, unless he wanted a swift smack to the back of the head.

He watched as Flo stepped on her tippy-toes to open the car and he quickly got in, landing in the seat next to Esme while Flo sat next to him.

Mikey helped his little sister with her seatbelt just as his ma got in the car, “right John, try not to crash okay?”

Johnny only scoffed feigning offence, “I ain’t gonna crash alright?”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Mikey turned to his sister as she continued her teasing, “Pa told me you nearly crashed into the sweet shop down near our Clara’s?”

John turned to look at the three in the back with a raised eyebrow, “hey shut yer trap Esme, what you butting in for?”

They’d made it to the church thankfully all in one piece, though there was a little incident with a dog in the road but Mikey had decided to let it slide..for now. The minute he got out the car, he’d whipped his head around after hearing a familiar voice call his name.

A boy the same age as Mikey, jogged towards him with a boyish grin on his face.

“Alright Tommy-boy?” Mikey greeted once the boy was close enough, he was slightly taller than Tommy but not enough for it to feel uncomfortable when they stood together.

“ m’ fine.” He blew a piece of brunet hair out of his eyes, “me sisters are driving me up the wall though, never been happier to get out of that car I swear.” Tommy was the oldest of 5, having 4 sisters and it was a known fact to Mikey that he despised it with every fiber of his being.

Mikey looked back over at Tom when he leaned in, “me n Harry Crilton are planning to go town if you wanna come?”

“Wha’ now? Me ma would kill me if she knew I was skipping Tommy.” Despite his tone, Mikey was already on board with missing out on church, it was boring anyway and the benches always made his back ache afterwards.

Tommy only shrugged with a grin, “then I guess you better not let her find out?”

He stared at the boy for a moment but Thomas only returned it with a raised eyebrow. He caved after a few seconds of the back and fourth looks.

“Fine.”

They’d done this enough times for Mikey to know the drill. He’d go to his ma, tell her he was gonna sit at the back with Tommy and that they where going to go to the pier afterwards and he’d just walk home, and like always his ma would tell him to be back by supper time. If you asked Mikey it was a full proof plan.

[inkskinned]

she trails one finger down my cheek, sighing. "I'm gonna miss you."

i roll my eyes, lying back against her uncolored bedspread, watching the room settle into the correct form. she always gets like this, right before an Assignment. she takes our Roles a little bit too seriously. my brain is already sloshing with the pacing of the Narrative - a little stilted, a little distant. I'd been in Close Third in the last one, and more poetic. her hands make shadow puppets on the bright pink walls; the room shifts and become covered in art; shifts and become covered in band posters. then back to pink.

she'd been my Best Friend Forever since kindergarten, usually. the oldest we'd ever met each other was in middle school, but that Assignment had been pretty bleak anyway, and she'd only been in-and-out of the picture. I'd barely seen her. i loved her, usually, from the moment i met her - she usually had done something Charming in some way, solidifying our bond for the Audience.

"you're gonna be fine," i tell her. "we'll be back here in no time."

she sighs and curls up next to me, turning so our noses almost touch. she smells familiar, like drying ink. then she smells like mint and mown grass. then she smells like herself, for a second, before she's back to peppermint. "well, you're gonna be fine," she says. "The Main Character always is."

"this again." i roll my eyes a second time. this Assignment feels like it is heavy in the eye-rolling. i had told her before: i'm jealous of her Role just like she's jealous of mine. the Best Friend Forever gets to be quirky, spunky, cute. she always has a personality like a firecracker - even if sometimes that firecracker had a harsh edge to it. in most Assignments, she'd run around, starting - or getting me out of - loads of trouble. she gets to have grand adventures without too much Character Development, which is always painful for me and kind of annoying. she is always Assigned cool interests and hobbies, whereas i can feel my singular Driving Interest crystalizing in my bloodstream. "i think this time i'm Interested in yearbook. Gag me." I mime choking, she wrinkles her little lopsided nose in a giggle.

"you just hate it from stuff that's leftover from your last Assignment, though." she looks up at the ceiling. "you'll be actually Interested soon. in this one i'm gonna have a secret thing about fashion magazines. now that is gag-me."

"remember when you were like, so -"

"like so into porcelain dolls?"

"and i was like, Interested in -"

"you were deep in the paint of effing biology." she wrinkles her nose again, like a little mouse, and i realize i love this new face, the way i love all of her faces. i like this tic she has. sometimes her tics are supposed-to-be-ugly; i love them every time anyway. she's my Best Friend Forever, I can't not love whatever she is. she bites her lip. "oh gosh. i'm already talking like the Assignment. that's quick."

"sounds Young Adult. I haven't been able to swear in, like, a millennia." i don't usually get to swear though, regardless of Audience, since swearing is a Best Friend Forever thing. although sometimes i would be Assigned to just-swear if it was a big-deal kind of moment, and those Assignments were fun. the words would pop out of my mouth like a soap bubble, big and afraid of themselves. and my Best Friend Forever would always look at me, shocked and awestruck.

i loved when she looked at me like that. it wasn't in every Assignment, but it was always so gratifying to be in her eye like that. to be seen, the way a Best Friend Forever sees you.

she takes my hand gently. she's usually a little bit bigger than me, but in this one, she's smaller than average. slim. we're probably going to have a Big Fight about jealousy - whenever she's slimmer, the Audience needs to know she's also Insecure about it. Usually it's the other way around - I'm slimmer, and Insecure that i don't have her curves. in those, she's always "better with boys." until, at least...

like she reads my mind, she sighs again. "I know. i just hate the part where you meet Him."

i'm not startled by how on-the-same-page (ha! maybe i'm Funny in this one) we are. she's my Forever person. the Him changes a lot, but she is a delicate constant. she knows me - even when i'm not-me. or not this me. whatever. "i mean, it might be different this time."

she sits up. i sit up too, disoriented by the strange violence of the action. she pushes the heel of her palm into her cheekbone. "it sucks, you know?"

i can tell by how she wrinkles her nose that she is understating it. i've known her Forever, after all.

nose wrinkle. "we're always the most dynamic and interesting part. you and i, and how we grow up together, and how we interact, and how we try to get over the same things. i know we have a lot of Big Fights, but we always end back up together at the end."

it's a sore subject. i betray her a lot for Him. i can't help it. "i know, but maybe this time - i mean, it's not always ..."

her eyes flash while she turns to me. "you just, like, get caught up in Him. every time. and i have to, like, watch you leave."

"i don't always leave." i feel pouty, suspicious that she is right. it is a Main Character thing to be Right in The End, not a Best Friend Forever thing. i don't always do it the Right Way, but I always end up back here, apologizing to her. she always ends up being okay with it, because i'm always Right.

"you do always leave. and it doesn't make any effing sense, because He never makes sense like we do, you know, like... you both are never - like, your Development with Him, is never like, actually...." she moves her hands around in the air as if trying to find the term, but gives up. "the Audience even thinks it."

I hold my breath at her blasphemy. "don't bring the Audience into -"

she grabs at the roots of her hair. "i'm right, though. you meet Him, and because you are a girl, and you are the Main Character, you love Him, and you forget about me." her hands drop to her lap and her thin shoulders pull forward as if she has been suddenly deflated. the anger all seeping out around her. she's usually not able to stay angry at me long - loving me is her Role.

the air feels heavy between us. thick of something unwritten. i don't know the rules of this one. in the space between Assignments, she can be a little wild. her Role doesn't sink her as deep into the Assignment - she has wiggle room where i don't.

i try to tease her, nudging her with my shoulder. "i didn't realize you had a jealous Assignment this time."

she looks up at me. biting the inside of her cheek. i can see her jaw working against the muscle. "i'm always jealous," she whispers.

"that's natural," i assure her. "it's a Best Friend Forever thing. I'm always jealous, too, just a little. you know that."

"it's because we actually see each other. because we actually know each other. because we're made for each other." she doesn't drop my eyes. her hands take mine again, warm and soft. again, that feeling that she is a familiar love - a long love, a deep love - comes sloshing up inside me. i was made to love her, and i was also made to betray her. in order for the Character Development to work, i have to love her hard, so it hurts when i choose Him. she has to love me hard, too. "it's..." she breathes deep, as if through a choke. i wonder how much longer before we'll be in the Assignment, and unable to talk like this. it can't be much longer at all. "it's just stupid. every time, you see Him, and for no reason, he's just better and you leave and -"

"you know i don't want to hurt you, though!" it's an old argument. i feel the pattern of it, glad to be back on script. "you know i never -"

"you just see Him, and it's like magic, and it doesn't mater that He makes no sense - "

"it's about growing up! it's about Character Development! it's not about you, you know that, i love you, i just always Love Him, and -"

"and i am jealous -" she grabs my face, desperate, her voice thick. the room around us starts to shift, and i can tell by how it is pulling itself together that it's solidifying into the Assignment. someone is writing us into a space. her words are garbled for a second, and i feel the hair on the back of my neck rise as she fights the Assignment.

"we're gonna be okay," i promise, "i'll love you the whole time, you know that, even if -"

when she kisses me, something happens in the pit of my stomach. i've been Kissed many times, by many Hims. it is sometimes electric, dizzying, powerful. it is sometimes cataclysmic. it is sometimes rushed, hurried, overwhelming - sometimes harsh, dominant. i have been Kissed until i saw stars, and Kissed perfect.

this is not that. i don't have words for this. i have no narrative. there is only her, and only me, and no story, her hands on my cheeks. i realize, in the seconds we have - she's crying.

then i am on her bed again, which is pink and purple patchwork, and she is across the room, lying on the floor, kicking her heels up while she reads a magazine lazily. we've known each other from preschool, when she punched someone for stealing my candy. we both got detention - who knew preschoolers could get detention - and we'd be inseparable ever since. she listens to loud music but loves fashion magazines; and i love her.

she's saying something, but my old phone pings, lying on top of the Yearbook editing i'm doing. i look down, frozen. she asks me something, but i can't hear her, staring at the notification on my screen. i don't even notice her getting up to investigate.

her hair tickles my cheek while she reads the phone over my shoulder.

she grins. "oh my gosh." she says. "you got invited to the party, holy guacamole. do you know who's gonna be there? baby, you need to go."

i know i need to. after all, after a little complaining, i am going to go. we will try on all her clothes first. and while i'm there, i'll be a Main Character, and not-quit-fit-in.

and while i'm there, i'm going meet Him. and it will be Magical. for some reason, there are tears pricking at the side of my eyes, even though i have no idea why. this story is funny, and light, and amusing.

she grabs my hand, and she is warm, and familiar, and i feel Insecure that she's so thin. i feel Insecure - and - something - a memory, or a -

"come on," she says, and, for a second, something in her eyes is deeply sad, and the time between us feels like fraying satin.

but then she breaks out into a grin. "i know just what to dress you in. i can't wait. you're gonna meet Him."

[sweetdreamsbuck]

The ‘Sebastian from this angle’ post that you reblogged had me giggling because I saw the first photo and my mind went THERE IS OUR BEAUTIFUL BEEFY MAN! 😍 Probably getting a little flustered because of a text that bunny sent him even if it was just something simple like ‘hi baby, i miss you’, and then he’s totally finishing up the days work in the next 10 minutes and rushing home like “heard you missed me bun, can’t have that now can we?”. Anyway I also wanted to come by and say thank you for sharing him with us. I’m also someone who has found a great deal of comfort in him, so thank you. ❤️

𝐢 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲, 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤. 𝟏𝟖+ 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐝𝐧𝐢

he knew he shouldn't have checked his phone.

not when you were being so sweet this morning. not when he had to forcefully peel himself away from your warm thighs wrapped so perfectly around his waist, from your kisses and playful fingers, from those lips and the honeyed whispers they teased his ear with. 'please lumby, just 5 more minutes,' a raspy sigh behind the skin of his ear was usually all it took for him to give you just what you wanted.

bucky hated that he had to go to work today.

'miss you so much lumby. so lonely without you' the text read. attached was a selfie, innocent enough– but it stirred something so tingly within him.

you wore that pout he wished he could get tattooed right over his heart and those wide eyes that always knocked the wind out of him.

he fidgeted with a hand in his hair, checking around him to make sure none of the men in the yard saw him physically melt at the thought of you, at the sweet little gift his girl had sent all because she missed him. his eyes flicker back to the message, a warm blush spreading up his his spine and the back of his neck as a shy smile teased his lips. my pretty bunny...

another text came in.

'need you to warm me up, i miss you' an image of you on your knees in front of the bedroom mirror, his favorite flannel draped around your body without a closed button in sight. your face still rested in that delicious little pout, the softness of your tummy showcased so prettily behind the curtain of his shirt. your hand laid against the thickest part of your thigh peaking out of the fabric, practically taking up the entirety of the picture

he knew he shouldn't have checked his phone.

oh bunny... we can't have that, can we

shifting the legs of his jeans now growing too tight around him, he groans pressing the call button. before your breathing could fill his ear he growls "I'll be home in 5. you know what you do to me? can't have you missing me for even a second."

you smirk knowingly, well aware of the fact he'd already be in his truck and on his way home. but you're feeling sweet today, and he knows it "please hurry, can't wait any longer, lumby. m'so cold..."

he moans into the phone, echo of tires squeaking against the dirt as he undoubtedly clutches the wheel and the phone impossibly tight, milling over all the ways he needs to get his hands on you.

"you better be ready for me when i get through that door, bun."

you know just how to get what you wanted.

[eremiie]

hi PLEASE i neee stoner eren amd stoner reader😩

high off of you

❥ 8k words | nsfw | eren x reader

❥ you’re dragged to a smoke session by your roommate, and you actually enjoy yourself— maybe a little more than you should have; and eren jaeger is to blame.

❥ content: choking, lowkey breeding kink ish, praise kink, slight orgasm denial, overstimulation, drugs (weed)

content.

content is how you were feeling.

you had just gotten done with your shower, your covers were finally draped over your almost bare legs, your laptop was sat in your lap and you had put your hair up to get it out of the way. you were relaxed, you were calm, and you had decided you were gonna finish off your night with an episode of your favorite show, no matter how many times you had saw it.

"c'mon, we're going to get high."

your peaceful vibe was interrupted, and in the most abrupt manner your roommate could muster; he swung the door open not even bothering to knock, leaned against the doorframe and let his eyes survey your slightly mess room before landing on you and giving you the most goofy grin.

"connie, what the fuck?" you frowned and went to pause your show only to realize you hadn't even started it. with a sigh you looked back up at connie with clear irritation written across your face.

"what? don't you want to get high?"

"i just got out of the shower, i'm in bed now," you moved your laptop and threw the covers off of your legs and pointed to your shorts. "i have pajamas on and i was about to watch my show, no i don't want to get high right now." wasn't that the obvious? you couldn't lie, the offer was tempting since you weren't the one paying, and it gave you the opportunity to see your friends again, but the getting ready process had made you shove the offer down.

as if on cue connie seemed to read your mind. "you don't have to get cute or anything. it's literally just our regular smoke circle. just throw on a jacket and let's go."

you groaned and leaned your head back letting your arm drape over your eyes. "didn't we just come from sasha's house earlier this week? who the hell is supplying y'all this fast?" you tried to come up with an excuse to stay home, but connie was clearly one step ahead of you.

"it's not sasha's house it's eren's." the stupid sly grin on his face appeared and he leaned further into your room already knowing he had you trapped. he knew, much like the rest of the friend group about the undying tension between you and eren, but nobody could pinpoint exactly what it was. it wasn't that the two of you necessarily liked each other but you were... friendlier than friendly best friends. eren and you would flirt with each other more often than not and were very hands on. not to mention how excited you'd get when you got to see him, and vice versa.

connie didn't even give you the chance to respond to that comment, your answer was evident just by the way your attention spiked at the mention of eren's name, and the way your body stiffened in the slightest. he shut the door to wait for you and couldn't help but laugh at your feeble attempt of getting out of a session with your circle.

you lost, and you were slightly upset. any other words in your defense were stuck down your throat, and connie was already long down the hall. the only thing you were able to mention was a loud, "and knock next time, dumbass!" before you did as he said, grabbing your jacket and slipping out the door with connie.

that's how you handed up where you were now, at eren's shared apartment with mikasa and armin, although mikasa's car was missing from the parking lot.

"i love the outfit. it's giving me very much... hobo." connie looked you up and down stifling a laugh while the two of you waited at the door after the first ring.

you followed his eyes looking yourself up and down as well. you did look a little silly, black crew socks with crocs over top. you didn't even take it upon yourself to zip up your jacket all the way, the black fabric draping off your shoulder on one side revealing your shoulder only adorned by a single white strap to your cropped tank top. of course the jacket was a little big, covering your sleep shorts slightly. you weren't even sure if the jacket was yours.

"shut the fuck up." you kicked connie with your croc and he hissed, grabbing his shin before being a fool and hopping towards the door some more, spamming the doorbell.

"help! i'm getting abused!" and in that moment you wondered how you managed to share an apartment with the clown.

connie's ringing only stopped when the door flew open, sasha's figure standing there with a small smile. "hey!" her tone was cheery and loud as she grabbed connie's hand pulling him into a dramatic hug before reaching a hand out to you and pulling you into one too. "i missed you guys!"

"sasha we saw you earlier this week." you forced yourself out of her grip with an apologetic smile just in case your gesture came off as rude. connie nodded in agreement and stepped aside already heading towards eren's room. i mean seriously, wouldn't it have made more sense for you not to come if he was that eager to smoke? they could've had more rounds!

"that doesn't mean i couldn't miss you." her hand embraced yours once more and she slammed the door shut, locking it and leading you to the door opened ajar on the other end of the hallway, of course eren's as he always had those red led lights bleeding from underneath the doorway. "connie told me you didn't want to come also, so this is a surprise."

you rolled your eyes. "so he knew i didn't want to come and still asked?"

"well it was worth a shot; and look where it landed you, you're about to be faded." and she wasn't wrong. she finally let go of your hand and opened the door, the bright LEDS hitting you straight on making you squint for a second before your eyes surveyed the room. jean was already chatting with connie on the futon while eren was sat on his bed with a tray in his lap, rolling the blunt.

what you didn't see was the glance he gave you when you first started scanning the room, immediately trying to look focused on rolling the blunt while attempting to hide his boyish grin. you likewise, you bit the inside of your cheeks to stop from smiling at the sight of the pretty boy; his brown locks pulled back into the sloppiest ponytail, and the hairs in the back of his head skimming the black top he wore.

"so she actually came?" jean voiced looking over to you and making his way over to you from his position on the futon to embrace you in a side hug.

"jean boy," you used his nickname to mock him before returning his hug causing him to grimace at you and pull his arm back. you started to laugh and rolled your eyes at his dramatic actions once more. "yes, yes i did come."

"doesn't she look stupid?" connie looked up from his phone at you and jean giggling under his breath. jean took in your appearance and tried not to laugh, a small smirk on his face that was wiped off when you slapped his chest then flipped connie off.

"shut your bald ass up, connie." you retorted.

"i'm growing hair, i keep telling you that!" and the whole room burst into laughter, sasha doubling over because there still wasn't a trace of growth on his head.

"connie, you have no room to talk you are actually stupid." sasha added before going over to sit with the boy after grabbing a bag of chips from the desk next to the open door.

you shut the door behind you and continued to stand awkwardly until eren spoke, "you're laughing but as soon as she takes that jacket off you're gonna try to jump on her, kirchstein." he said with a raise of his eyebrow before letting his eyes wander over your frame.

now you were really trying to hide your smile, and you cursed yourself when one graced your face anyways. "eren," you dragged out his name walking over to him on his bed before plopping yourself down and resting your head on his shoulder. "get me away from these idiots." you faked a sigh before eren chuckled and gave you a side hug much like jean’s before continuing to roll his blunt.

"damn jaeger, you were so quiet i forgot you were here." connie said, not looking up from his phone that sasha peered over as well.

"and stop making slick jokes and hurry up with the blunt." jean huffed scooting off the futon and resting his head on his palm. "i'm tryna smoke."

you watched eren look down at jean with a negative expression before continuing to roll, and you watched intently loving the way he looked while he did it. the way he let his tongue slide over the gutted blunt was enticing  and you looked from your position on his shoulder.

he let his eyes drift over to you without moving his head and then he placed the blunt on the tray grabbing the grinder and holding it out in front of you. "you wanna grind it for me?" he asked with a small smile and it caught you off guard. you took a minute to process what he said before you grabbed the grinder and let it come apart in two.

"i mean, i guess." he slid the tray over to your lap and did that chuckle again.

"do you even know how? i bet you've always had someone roll for you, huh?"

you couldn't help but break out into another smile, this one out of slight embarrassment before you bumped his shoulder playfully and setting down the grinder on the tray. "bye... i've only rolled once."

"she doesn't know how, and plus just earlier she asked me who our supplier was. even sasha knows that!" connie looked over and you met his eyes with a glare, a deadpanned expression crossing your face and the group broke into laughter again besides you.

"connie i'm gonna fuck you up." you muttered. your mood shifted once more though when eren began placing the weed into the grinder and closed the lid handing it to you.

"work some magic, babe." you were really trying not to show how excited you were, butterflies flapping their wings and flapping them hard in your stomach, especially at the nickname. you began twisting the small container and eren's calloused hands stopped yours from grinding too much. "that's good, that's good." he took it from your hands then pulled the tray over. "i got it from here."

"yeah cause she's gonna fuck it up." jean laughed and connie joined in his eccentric laugh filling the air as well causing you to groan.

"can y'all shut up? damn. you can't roll either jean."

ooohh's from connie and sasha bounced around the room and jean looked up at you amusement dancing in his eyes. "better than you."

"at least i look good while doing it." you sassed playfully while moving invisible hair behind you ear. you could've sworn eren nodded his head from next to you, and those dumb butterflies in your stomach began moving again.

"got that right." jean snapped back just as quick a flirtatious tone to his voice that caught you off guard and you raised an eyebrow at the sudden demeanor. eren looked up for a split second before glancing at you again, his eyebrows furrowed in... confusion maybe?

"weren't you just making fun of me earlier?"

"chill, we were just playing around, girl." jean responded with a shit eating grin before forming a heart with his hand and pouting at you.

"you better stop for eren gets on your ass, you know that's his girl." connie scrunched up his nose then looks towards you and eren for a reaction that he succeeded in getting. both you and eren looking up at him; eren's eyes holding more of a curious stare and yours more threatening. eren continued sealing the blunt soon after seemingly unfazed by connie's comment.

sasha gasped and widened her eyes at you. "stop! you know they don't date." she winked at you and wiggled her eyebrows and you pretended not to see her.

"yeah, they don't even date." jean added on, wondering how the conversation flipped from you to your relationship with eren so fast. it was annoying to him in the least, the group constantly commented on how you and eren should just get together and were clearly not just best friends, but the two of you seemed to haven't taken action yet.

"might as well." connie shrugged his shoulder. "anyways, jaeger finished rolling, let's get high." connie sat up, sasha lifting her head off of his arm as he did so and clasped her hands clearly ready to hit the blunt much like everyone else.

"you want the first hit?" eren rolled the blunt between his fingertips while letting the flame singe the end looking at you with those jaded green eyes, flecks of blue dashing across them in a way that made your heart melt.

"she gets the first hit too?" connie exclaimed staring at you and eren with a bored look on his face.

"who rolled the blunt?" eren asked raising an eyebrow at connie before letting his tongue run over his bottom lip and lifting the blunt from the lighter to watch the smoke float into the air, and ugh did he look good. when connie didn't answer he answered for him, "i rolled it, i choose who goes first."

"plus shes low key a newbie, this is what? her third session with us?" sasha chimed in grabbing the pillow that connie was laying on previous and rolling onto her stomach on the floor in front of the futon.

you pursed your lips before grabbing the blunt from eren, not even noticing that his arm was placed behind you until he rubbed your side in slight encouragement, his warm smile aimed at you. you put the brown wrap to your lips and inhaled the smoke, the gas irritating your airway causing you to let out a cough you tried to hold back.

eren began to laugh at you as you broke out into a fit of coughs, your throat attempting to clear up for you, and the worse the coughs got the more of your friends started to laugh, the only thing you could do was stick your middle finger up while sasha crawled to the same desk near the door to grab you her water bottle.

"i'm crying!" sasha laughed as she rolled the bottle over to the foot of eren's bed. eren's laughs died down too after he hit the blunt and then bending down to pick it up for you, untwisting the cap and passing the drug towards connie.

"woah, chill." he said before blowing the smoke from his mouth in your face causing you to suppress more coughs and fan it away. he tilted the water bottle to your lips and you let it swim down your throat, relishing in the sweet gesture from the boy next to you.

"eren," you mumbled his name taking the water bottle from his hand. you didn't get time to finish your sentence before his door opened revealing armin standing there in his pajama pants and sweatshirt.

all gazes turned towards him as he scanned eren's room growing accustomed to the new faces and scenery. "hi." he mumbled rubbing his eyes. "when did you guys get here?"

"did you just wake up?" eren asked slight concern lacing his face.

"yeah... i heard laughing. don't forget we share a wall." armin gestured towards the wall in which eren's futon laid against.

"i didn't even know you were here. i didn't see mikasa's car so i thought both of y'all just dipped." connie passed the blunt to sasha and fanned the air of the smoke letting the rest disperse after speaking.

"mikasa is at the library. she can't stand the smell of smoke and how loud you all are. i don't blame her." armin chuckled before walking over towards sasha who hit the blunt and gave it to armin's outstretched hand.

"armin you smoke?" you couldn't help but ask, the last two smoke sessions you went to with connie, armin wasn't there. as a matter of fact you never saw much of him because he excelled above you by some and the two of you didn't share any classes, yet you definitely knew him through eren.

"everybody hear smokes except for you." sasha said hoping her words would coerce you to come to join the smoke circle more indefinitely, not just pass by a few times here and there.

armin let the smoke inhale his lungs then removed the blunt from his soft lips. "i smoke with eren sometimes. not usually with all of you guys but... sometimes?" his response came more like a question than an answer as he bent down to give the blunt to jean.

"let armin hit it a couple times." eren used his head to motion the blunt in jean's hand to armin and armin nodded in agreement.

"yeah, i'm about to go back to my room anyways." armin took the blunt back holding it between his lips while leaning against the doorframe.

"why aren't you staying?" sasha pondered sitting up and cradling her pillow to her chest. armin took one last hit then walked over passing it to you which you accepted with a kind nod.

"i should be studying with mikasa but i fell asleep. i have a test tomorrow, eren does too."

"so eren's here getting high and he has a test tomorrow?" you give eren a playful disappointed glance that lasted a little longer than it should've. he met your eyes and then let his drop down to your lips before breaking out into a smile and leaning forward, burying his head into your neck. his chain dangled almost touching your lap and you felt the strands of his hair brush against your chin causing you to twitch at the tickling feel while inhaling the smoke from the blunt. when your hand dropped down to your lap he replaced your hand with his and put the wrap in his mouth while nuzzling into you.

"mikasa made me study with her for like a week straight, i'll be fine." he whined. you let a sigh leave you and found yourself stroking the hair on eren's nape while fiddling with the clasp of his gold chain adorning his neck. the smell of his cologne was mixing in with the weed, but yet that woody pine still overpowered the plant and you couldn't help but rest your head on top of his in efforts to get closer to the source of the fragrance.

"i still don't understand why the two of you haven't gotten together." armin announced eyes flickering back and forth between you and his roommate.

sasha flailed her arms out and her expression was relieved, although her eyes went wide and her eyebrows went up, "that's what i been trying to say! they already act like they date." armin nodded his head agreeing with her.

"we don't like each other, we're just friends i don't know why you all say that." you said a little too quickly, eren pulling away from your neck finally and giving you a once-over. you missed the warmth he brought but then turned your head back towards armin.

"yeah, yeah." he giggled rolling his eyes. "okay well goodnight." eren stood up and passed the blunt to armin who took one last hit then handed it back to sasha, then the rest of the room murmured a goodnight to the blonde relaxing in silence for a minute after his leave.

eren took it upon himself to scoot back on his bed until his back was hitting the wall once he sat back down, using his hand to beckon you to follow him. "c'mere." and you obliged until you were next to him, shoulders touching.

jean looked over to connie and sasha, connie still scrolling through his phone aimlessly giggling at his home screen for whatever reason and sasha looking up at the ceiling on her back now, bag of chips on top of her stomach as she got lost in her thoughts.

"remember when we used to like each other?" jean took it upon himself to abruptly reminisce on the past in the presence of his friends. he took a hit of the blunt thats length was beginning to falter, it on the verge of becoming a roach. he leaned over and passed it on to you, eyes trained on yours, completely ignoring eren's gaze

you furrowed yourself eyebrows trying to recall the time once you figured jean was talking to you, his stare telling, which you actually could. "...oh yeah, last year. i guess i did."

eren pulled one of your legs overtop of his and let his hand settle onto your thigh.

sasha's head perked up at the sudden conversation. "oh my gosh... you did like jean for a little bit. you used to gush over him-"

"sasha! i know, i know, but that was last year."

"i wonder why we didn't get together if we both liked each other, hm." jean looked upwards and tapped his chin in almost a mocking manner. "we used to hang out a lot actually now that i think about it, me, you, sasha and connie."

connie let out another burst of laughter and let his phone to drop to his chest. "yeah, remember that one time we got kicked out of the library because sasha got caught eating like four times and she wouldn't stop after that lady told her to?"

you chortled and sasha's mouth dropped open. "i don't even remember that, i thought you got kicked out because you wouldn't stop fucking laughing and that same lady told you to shut up like seven times!" and more laughter erupted from the ones who were there that day.

you passed the blunt to eren for the umpteenth time watching him take a quick drag then beckon to sasha to grab it as he didn't want to get up. "you both got kicked out, those were two different days." you shook your head at your friends antics and looked up at eren. "they're so dumb."

eren returned your stare and only then did you notice the way his eyes were half lidded, you were sure red was rimming them even though you couldn't really tell because of the red emitting from the lights in the room. he squinted at you and scrunched up his nose. "you look high." he ignored your last sentence wanting to stray away from the conversation he was barely apart of.

"i am high, stupid."

a small 'hmph' came from the back of his throat and it happened again, his eyes dropping to your lips causing him to lick his before he brought those same eyes back up to yours. you could've kept getting lost in them if you didn't jolt at the sound of jean clearing his throat and holding the blunt out to you.

you leaned over to grab it once more. "careful, it's a roach. don't burn yourself." he warned you, so you pinched it between your pointer finger and thumb and started to put it up to your lips but eren grabbed your wrist.

"wanna try something?" he asked you, plucking the faltering blunt from your hands and using the lighter beside him to fire it up a bit more. "wanna shotgun it?"

you had to trace back where you hear those words again... like a shotgun when you get to sit in the passengers seat? no, that wasn't it... you couldn't recall, but by the way sasha widened her eyes for the several time that night, the way connie's mouth dropped into an 'O', and the way jean's features were exasperated, him looking down to the bright light of his screen, you could only wonder eren's intentions.

he didn't even wait for a response from you, pulling through with his actions anyways. "inhale slowly, okay?" he inhaled as much smoke from the blunt storing it in his cheeks, the skin expanding from the inside and then leaned over his face mere inches from yours. he grabbed your chin with his fingers and you opened your mouth slightly watching as he opened his and let the smoke pour out of his tinted lips. you followed his instructions; inhaling very slowly hoping the moment could last a little longer, both of you staring at the transition of the smoke from one mouth to the other.

eren glanced to the side for a second to see if the others were watching, mainly searching for one pair of eyes. you saw his upper lip curl upwards slightly and you inched forward a little more subconsciously. eren watched the smoke grow thinner and felt the way your hands grabbed at his shirt tightly. he watched your eyes flutter and felt your noses brush together.

eren watched both of you lean in a little more until your lips brushed and came together, and felt the fireworks go off in both of your bodies, electric like sparks getting sent through his.

he ignored the gasps and groans of your friends and instead focused on the gasp that left your lips when they first connected with his, and the groan you elicited from him, lips meeting so fervently. he couldn't admit it until today but he wanted your lips on his so bad, your body on his so bad. he was so infatuated with you and the two of you being around each other majority of the time didn't help. he could only reminisce in the little touches and flirtatious gestures you passed back and forth on a regular day and use that to fuel his thoughts at night.

"eren," you mumbled against his lips your voice coming out like a whimper that went straight to his dick, causing him to wrap his arms around your body and pull you into his lap letting your legs swing over either side of him. eren didn't forget about the guests in the room, and as much as wanted to put on a little show in spite of jean, he pointed towards the door snapping his fingers twice.

"five dollars that they fuck?" sasha nudged connie's shoulder as they stood up and walked towards the door while she rolled up her chip bag bringing it with her. jean's figure was already halfway out the door, slamming it hard and making his way to the living room with the other two following.

"hell no, you're gonna owe me five dollars instead. i'm betting that they fuck."

"no, cause you know they're going to that's why i said the bet first, peanut head." sasha stuck her tongue out at connie and he shoved her out the door closing it softer than jean.

he kisses you even harder just basking in the feeling of your smooth lips against his slightly chapped ones, lips working in synchronization like they were made for each other and he felt so needy. his hands roamed your hips and waist, going underneath the jacket now hanging off your shoulders and feeling the bare skin of your stomach. your skin was so hot underneath his hand, just like the air surrounding the two of you.

you ground down into his lap and he hissed stilling your hips at the feeling, his mouth dropping into a circular shape, his eyebrows pointing up until a sigh left his lips once yours disconnected from his. you studied his face; his eyebrows scrunched up in lust and his lips parted slightly already missing the feeling of your lips. his nails dug into your hips as if you would run for whatever reason.

"_____... fuck." his tone was low and light and he leaned forward to press a chaste kiss to your cheek, his skin warm on yours. "you're so pretty,"

your face grew hotter than it already was and you leaned your forehead against his while your arms draped around his neck. "thank you,"

"i want you."

you closed your eyes and relished in his grip that became impossibly tight on your hips. "i want you too-"

"i wanna fuck you... i wanna feel you." eren's eyes fluttered shut as well, his forehead moving from yours to the crevice of your neck, planting his lips and nibbling on the thin skin. your breath hitched and your hold on his neck tightened. "i wanna have you."

"i'm right here, eren."

he held back a moan at how gentle and soft your voice was when you said those words, but you caught on and wanted to actually get one out of him. you wanted to pleasure him, you wanted him to shudder because of you, and you wanted your name to leave his lips like a song; but he wanted the same from you.

he was high, and high, and high off of you.

"lay down."

eren obliged with a smug smile, turning himself to the side while steadying you on his lap until his head hit the pillow, his flyaways bouncing to the sides of his face. "c'mere." just like earlier you listened to his words and leaned down so he could press his full lips against yours. his hands cradled either side of your face as you rutted your hips against him and swallowed his groans. his tongue swiped against your bottom lip and his teeth pulled at it as well until you gave him entrance to slip his tongue inside your mouth. you moaned at the feeling of your tongues colliding and dancing around each other even though both of your mouths were somewhat dry from the earlier smoke session, it still felt all good.

you felt fuzzy and your body felt like it was melting into his. when you pulled back for air eren gave you that same smile he gave you earlier, and you moved your kisses down his neck. once you reached the crevice between his shoulder and neck you moved his chain aside and licked at the spot, the feeling of your warm tongue against the shy skin causing eren to hold you a little tighter. you nibbled at the pretty skin and wondered if the mark you proceeded to leave would even be visible under the gleaming red lights.

"i don't know why you're trying to give me a hickey, they already know we're fucking." eren taunted letting his hands travel up your spine until they reached your neck, smoothing his fingers over it. you bit down on the mark as a way to punish eren for his comment then kissed it, finally pulling back.

"shut up."

eren let out a low laugh, and his low eyes raked over your figure with his lip trapped between his teeth. "when did you get my jacket?" he raised and eyebrow and began to remove the fabric that was resting at your elbows after unzipping it the rest of the way to reveal your top.

oh, so it was his jacket. you let out a laugh at your idiocy; you knew it was a couple sizes too big. "you look cute in it, but i want to see you now." he threw the fabric off of his bed and let his warm hands travel up until they cupped your breasts, your back arching in the least. his thumbs ran over your nipples, the feeling making you clench on top of eren. "like this," he pulled them hem of the white top up until you lifted your arms, now only left in your shorts and socks. he didn't even question the fact that you weren't wearing a bra. "shit..." he pushed you down until he could latch onto on of your breasts his tongue swirling around your nipple and you let the tingling feeling go down your spine until he popped off. eren begins to remove his shirt swiftly throwing it somewhere near his jacket.

you make work of your position on top of eren, scooting down on his legs and pecking his chest, abs, then v-line until your head was leveled with his dick. he stared down at you with a look of sultry while your hands worked to pull down his sweatpants. his hips lifted to help you out and you palmed at him with your hand watching him throw his head back when such a simple gesture relieved some of the tension he was feeling.

your mouth connected with his dick through the fabric, feeling for his tip that rested on his thigh and smirking against it when he hissed, hand flying to your ponytail that you threw up earlier that evening. "fuck, don't tease me like that baby."

"i wanna take my time with you." a pout formed on your face and your hands made their way to his waistband, the elastic material detailed with 'calvin klein' circling his hips.

eren's hands grabbed your jaw forcing you to look up at him before you could pull down his boxers. "and i want to fuck you... make you feel good."

your stomach twisted and even though you were just trying to do the same you couldn't help but rush pulling down the brunette's briefs until his cock slapped against his lower abdomen, your pussy squeezing around nothing at the view. his tip red and leaking and you knew that it'd be heavy on your tongue.

"eren..." he watched the way you eyed his aching dick, and he took it in his hands rubbing himself up and down with his hand while basking in your expression.

"hm?" you didn't even know what you wanted to say, you were just mesmerized and wasted no time prying his hands away to replace them with your own. your nimble fingertips ran over his tip to gather his precum and slide it over his length and he twitched, no, his dick twitched, and his fists clenched in anticipation for your hot mouth on him.

he decided to be courageous, to look down and try to watch you without spilling over himself too fast, i mean could you blame him if he did? your hands, the feeling of you over him, the way you would feel around him... he'd had wanted this forever and now it was in front of him.

in a way, he wanted to ruin you, not let this moment go in fear it wouldn't happen again.

so you finally attached your lips to his throbbing member, and he sucked in a breath hand trying to choose between flying to your head or to keep his hands to his self for now, but he chose the former his fist keeping a grip on your locks while you began to bob your head up and down. small sounds of pleasure left him and his eyes closed again, him trying to focus on not fucking your pretty throat so early in. he just wanted you and him to be one in every sense for as long as possible.

a mantra of 'yes,' and 'fuck,' left eren's mouth while your worked around him slicking him up and drawing lines up and down his cock with your tongue watching his reactions for a particular sensitive spot he might have; and you found it.

you went back up to his tip kissing it gently before letting the heat of your tongue slide down a vein on the side of his dick. "_____," eren moaned lifting his hips although he wasn't engulfed in your mouth. "i need it, shit, i need your mouth."

you giggled and placed his heavy dick back where he liked it for now. you felt it brush against your throat and you wondered if you could go any farther, sucking fervently and coming back up to spit on his head, adding more slick to him. when you went back down eren couldn't help it, he had felt when his tip touched your throat earlier and he most definitely wanted to feel that again.

his grip on your hair tightened when your swollen lips were wrapped around him again. he pushed your head down a little bit causing your hands to put more pressure on his thighs. eren opened his eyes to stare at you again, your mouth stretched out so lewdly over his cock, saliva starting to slide down his length from your mouth and your eyes shut as you tried to focusing on breathing. this only encouraged him further.

"i know you can take more, c'mon, go a little further." he said in a tone near a whisper while he lift his hips up more so that he could feel that ridge of your throat and hear another gag.

you pushed yourself, letting him take more control and then he felt it again; "mhm, right there baby, right there." he moaned when you whimpered, groaned and gagged, but this only pushed his animalistic fervor and he tried to push you down more but you lifted your head to catch your breath. "fuck, that feels amazing, angel."

you let the praise run over your body and went back down on him seeing how far you could go without his extra nudge then focused some more attention on his tip.

eren could feel the curdle in his lower abdomen but he tried his best to ignore it, letting your work him more. he let you swirl your tongue around him and pepper kisses down his length. he watched you try to deep throat him again and watched the tears spring from your eyes before you came back up, and all of this built up further until he tumbled over the edge spilling white heat into your mouth with a shout.

you were satisfied.

aching for him? yes, but satisfied at your job.

eren's thigh twitched and his eyes screwed shut as you didn't remove yourself from his length yet, cupping his balls and paying attention to his tip, overstimulating him, watching him shudder and gasp under you like you wanted. his dick hardened again while he contemplated whether to remove you from his length or let the over sensitivity go until he had no choice but to stop, and once again he picked the prior. "_____, please i want to be inside you now, wanna fuck you still."

you slipped off of him and crawled forward only now aware of the wet spot on your panties.

eren brought your face towards him kissing you with no hesitance despite him just being in your mouth. he pecked your lips and you smiled as he praised you. "you did so good, so good..." another peck and then his hands trailed down to the shorts you were still wearing, giving your ass a squeeze and spreading them. "but now i want to see that pretty pussy on my dick, yeah?"

you let him slide off your shorts and underwear simultaneously until your slick heat was exposed to him and to the air, feeling it brush over you before eren's hands could. your head fell to his chest feeling the cold metal of his chain underneath you, and your sore jaw parted when you felt his rough fingers gather up your wetness on them, rubbing through your slit. "eren..."

"c'mon, sit baby. we're not done yet; fuck yourself on me." he placed his lips on your the top of your head. "please?"

you picked yourself up and scoot back taking eren's dick in your hand once more. you didn't even care that he didn't have a condom, you trusted him, and you trusted the birth control you were on too.

finally you slipped down onto him and for him it felt like you were sucking him up inch by inch until he bottomed out inside of you. "so fucking tight... you're so wet." he groaned with his hands on your hips and yours on his chest steadying you. it had been awhile since you had been fucked and feeling so full again felt good, the stretch felt good and the slight pain subsided so quickly.

slowly, you guided yourself up and down eren's cock until you could find a good rhythm. your chest bounced above him and your ass clapped together, mixing in with the sound of your slick getting pushed in and out of you. "yeah, like that," eren hummed watching you focused, your pussy squeezing around him and you putting in the efforts to fuck yourself on him for both your pleasure.

eren's hands helped guide your body up and down him, and you leaned forward a little to add some more pressure to your clit. everything felt so good, the way he hit your cervix, the way your bud rubbed against his lower abdomen, you could definitely say this was one of the best fucks you had in a while. eren slapped your ass for encouragement before massaging the same area and relishing in your gasp.

"this feels good... and so much better when you're high." you sighed out while your face contorted in pleasure.

"or is my dick just that good?" eren joked looking up at you after your comment.

"shut it, eren.. and," you leaned forward some more. you were somewhat exhausted from riding already, thighs aching and body shivering from the pleasure. "i’m tired..." you admitted almost shamefully.

"you're tired?" he spoke in the way you would to a child while turning you around so you were on your side. his chest was against your back, the cold gold material resting between your shoulder blades and your ass snug against him. he lifted your leg and held it up while you guided him back inside of you until he was buried deep once again, this angle hitting even better.

"i got you," eren murmured against your neck while starting his pace slow. his hand trailed up to your neck and he gave it a light squeeze while pushing you further against him. he loved the way your ass bounced against his lower stomach when he started going faster, making him speed up his pace. "'m gonna fuck you so good."

you let out a slutty moan at his dirty talk, bringing a hand over to your mouth and shutting your eyes. he found that sweet spot inside of you and you couldn't help but react as well as he hit it over and over again. eren's hand on your throat went up to pull your hand off of your mouth. "don't try to hide that pretty voice, i want to hear you, i want them to hear you. get loud baby."

you were sure he felt the way you clenched around him, suffocating his dick as it slid in and out of you at a steady speed, and this time when you let out a moan you let him hear it, you were loud like he asked and tried to put your leg up even further so he could hit deeper.

"eren, fuck!" you were left pondering why you didn't think about this earlier, why you didn't listen to everybody who told you to get with eren. you could've been getting the best dick you'd gotten in years but both your stubborn, wavering feelings got in the way. "yes, oh my god, yes!" you cried out while eren bucked his hips up into you tightening his grip on your neck.

he turned your head towards him and engaged your lips again swallowing your cries and whimpers as he abused your pussy. your hand shakily made its way down to your clit to give you another push but he was quicker, dropping your leg and grabbing your wrist causing you to yelp. "eren, please."

"beg me." that same fervor from earlier returned. being edged on by your cries and shouts of his name, knowing how good he was fucking you and making you feel was such a turn on. "tell me how you want me, how you want my cum."

your breath was ragged and your leg was aching but you wanted it stretched out again where you could feel it deep. you were on the verge of tears. your hips rutted against eren for any boost, any pressure that you could get you to your high. the hand around your neck only gripped further as you didn't respond yet.

"c'mon, beg me baby."

"eren," his name came out broken, your back leaving his chest as your arched hard. "please fuck me, fuck me... please," he started to move again in the least, after all he was on the verge of cumming as well. "fuck, cum inside me, i want it, please." the sobs that left your mouth were so hot and of course he gave you what you wanted.

he fucked up into you after lifting your leg again and letting the fingers that were choking you slip into your mouth while he kissed and nibbled at your neck, speaking in between, praising you and marking you. his hand slipped from your mouth and he brought his wet fingers down to your clit rubbing for you until you toppled over the edge with a loud cry of his name. your eyes rolled to the back of your head as your cunt gripped him like a vice over and over again as if you were trying to milk him.

"ah, fuck," the way you were squeezing around him caused him to unravel himself, white painting your walls as he filled you up with his cum, shaking himself. "_____," he heaved as the two of you tried to come down from your escapade.

your breathing was beginning to steady again but you could still feel yourself pulsing around him causing him to pull out before it became too much. "eren.." you answered back as your head relaxed against his pillow while you rested in his grip. you felt his lips against your neck again, then stopping at your shoulder blades.

you were blanking out from tiredness, only then did you realize the state you were in, hair in somewhat of a mess, a sheen of sweat covering both of your bare bodies, and marks littering your body. not to mention the cum trying to ooze out of you. you didn't even realize when eren had gotten up until he came back, wiping you clean and only assuming he did himself too. he locked his door on the way back in and slipped his boxers back on, reciprocating on you with your underwear.

you could feel the bed shift, eren crawling in bed beside you after drawing out the covers from underneath both of you and wrapping them around you and him, bringing you against him before you fell back asleep.

༄ ༄ ༄

you woke up to a hand shaking you, your eyes lazily opening.

"wake up, _____."

"eren?"

the pretty boy smiled at you and studied your features as you tried to wake up completely. you were no longer naked, or in the same position you were from last night, now wearing a plain white shirt and your underwear.

"morning, i gotta head to class soon, remember i have a test, or did i-"

"don't finish that sentence." you rolled your eyes as you sat up completely eren laughing at you. you followed his eyes, them resting on your lips like always and you took it upon yourself to lean up and kiss him, this time quite innocently, domestic almost. "sorry, morning breath, but,"

eren this time cut you off with another soft kiss, his cheeks rising from his smile as he pulled you closer to him.

you didn't want to talk it out yet, you were somewhat fine with where everything was at now, although you knew your friends and eren wouldn't want to coax a direct answer out of you sooner or later.

but you were content with the way eren kissed you just seconds ago, content with his jacket and sweats you had to wear, you were content with having to use spare bathroom products at his house, you were content with the wave armin and mikasa gave you out the door, content with the walk you and eren shared to the college, content with the last kiss he gave you before his class.

content is how you were feeling.

content.

[dreamerstreamer]

Lucky in Love

Pairing: poly!Dream Team x gn!reader

Summary: [Soulmate!AU] It’s one thing to meet your soulmate in a lottery, and another to have more than just one. But when you end up winning Dream’s Minecraft Manhunt raffle, you find your world turning upside down in ways you least expect.

Word Count: 9.9k

A/N: behold, my first commissioned story! this story has been altered from it’s original form so everyone can read it, but the majority of the plot and writing remain the same. i had a lot of fun writing it, and i hope you all like it! <3

You stumbled into your bedroom with a yelp, your thumb flying across your phone screen to the home button and pressing gently. With a gleam, the time flashed back at you, and your eyes shot wide open.

You were going to be late.

Leaning forward on one leg, you pushed the door behind you shut with your foot, bouncing forward as soon as you heard it click shut. Your eyes swept across the room, your gaze catching on a swath of black cloth sitting at the foot of your bed. With a quirk of your lips, you tugged the shirt off the mattress before turning on your heel. Darting to the other side of the room, you easily settled back into your desk chair and let the shirt drop onto your thighs.

Grabbing your mouse, you moved your cursor to the YouTube bookmark at the top of your screen, your computer screen instantaneously flooding with light. You scrolled over to the left side of your screen, your mouse hovering over a familiar green icon before clicking, a new box popping into view.

Stream starting in 60... 59... 58... 57...

You felt your lungs tighten within your rib cage, your toes curling ever so slightly into the floor. It had been a nerve-wracking month of waiting and pacing, crossing each day off the calendar with an anxious grin. You almost couldn’t believe that the day had finally arrived. Letting out one last breath, you leaned forward, the t-shirt feeling heavy in your lap.

3... 2... 1...

All of a sudden, the screen went dark. Your reflection stared back at you from the dim screen, your excited eyes peering back at yourself with a curious glint. Reaching up, you brush an unkempt lock of hair away from your forehead, just in time for two familiar faces and a lime green icon to appear.

The Dream Team.

���Hey, guys!” Dream said, his voice sounding like a breath of fresh air. “How are you all doing?”

A flurry of hearts flew across the live chat screen, the lines moving by so quickly that you couldn’t tell when one message ended and another started. Practically bouncing in your seat, you couldn’t help the smile that skittered across your cheeks.

“Good,” you whispered aloud to yourself in the quiet of your room. You knew that they couldn’t hear you when you talked like that, that they wouldn’t know you had even replied at all, but it made their streams feel a little more lively nonetheless.

After a brief pause, Dream’s voice filtered through the air once more, just as bright and eager as it was earlier. “Good? I hope the answer is good.”

Your breath hitched in your throat, your heart flipping in your chest as your fingers curled into the shirt in your lap. That sort of thing happened sometimes: a streamer would say something and your verbal response almost made it feel like they were actually holding a conversation, like they were actually with you right now. These sorts of things were always a coincidence, but when everything in your world was connected by fate, sometimes you let yourself be a little hopeful, let yourself imagine that maybe it wasn’t dumb luck—that maybe it actually meant something.

Hell, maybe it meant you could be soulmates.

Soulmates were a tricky thing to think about, really, even if everyone knew they existed and that one day, they would meet theirs. No one could pinpoint when exactly soulmates came to be, but no one rejected their presence either way. It wasn’t like they wanted to, anyways. To have a person who was perfect for you linked to you by the universe—it was no wonder people were more than pleased to discover they weren’t just some old lover’s tale.

But even then, some were skeptics. How would you really know when you had found your soulmate? What if you missed them by accident? For you at least, you already knew what it would feel like. You couldn’t count just how many times you had asked your mother that very question, but you could practically rattle off her words by heart.

“You’ll know exactly when it happens, I promise, sweetie,” she would murmur, stroking your head with a gentle hum and soft eyes. “When you first touch, it feels like... like you’ve been struck by lightning, and you’ll be tingly all over. Something inside you just sort of clicks when you look at them, and you’ll just—you’ll feel it right here.” She tapped her finger over your heart, a wistful expression settling across her face. “It’s... it’s magical, and you’ll never forget that feeling—not for the rest of your life.”

The smile that would tug on your mother’s lips made you all the more hopeful, a heavy yearning settling deep into the crevices of your heart as the years went by. Even now, as you sat watching Sapnap and George bicker with each other while Dream chimed in with a snarky remark, you felt that same fleeting hope rising up in your chest, warm and soft.

Maybe—just maybe—they might be your soulmates.

Not that they actually were, of course. You knew better than to get your hopes too high.

But as you watched Sapnap’s lean a little closer to his camera and listened to George’s breathy laugh, you felt your heart swell the tiniest bit.

Connected by fate or not, these boys were special to you, even if you had never met.

Sapnap blinked as his eyes darted across his monitor, raising his eyebrows with surprise as he let out a short whistle. “Oh, wow, we’re pulling... holy crap—over seven hundred thousand viewers, right now.” You could vaguely hear the scrolling of his mouse, his lips twitching. “Everyone sounds so excited in chat, too.”

George’s eyebrow quirked. “I mean, of course they are. Manhunts are loads of fun—who wouldn’t want to be a part of them?”

Sapnap’s face split into a teasing grin, and he leaned back in his chair. “Ooh, you sure sound cocky, George.”

George blinked once, then scowled. “Wha—shut up, it’s true! Why else would there be so many people here?”

A devilish gleam flickered across Sapnap’s gaze. “To see your pretty face, maybe.”

George’s frown deepened, his eyebrows knitting together into a glower. “Sapnap, you—”

“Look, look,” he cried, wagging his finger at his monitor, “even chat agrees!” His lips curled up into a smirk, mischievous and amused all at once. “You’re not gonna say chat is wrong, are you, Gogy?”

You could have sworn a hint of rose flushed across George’s cheeks as he averted his gaze from his camera, his voice coming out softer than before. “W-Well, I—”

“Boys, boys,” Dream suddenly cut in, George’s words trailing off in an instant. Despite the firmness of his words, there was an amused lilt to his tone, the smile evident in his voice. “You’re both pretty, alright, but can we please move on? I bet everyone’s dying to know who won.”

George opened his mouth, then let out a sigh, shaking his head with a hint of a smile gracing his lips. “You know what, Dream’s right. Let’s move on.”

Sapnap snickered on his side of the screen, still grinning widely. “You just can’t handle the truth.”

George groaned, deadpanning into the camera. “We are not starting this, again.”

Sapnap smiled, but didn’t get to speak before Dream cut him off. “You’re right,” he said, sounding a tad more hurried than before, “we’re not, because I’ve got the results, right here.”

You suddenly sat up, your heart stuttering. That same spark of hope fluttered up between your lungs, and you found yourself shuffling your chair forward, squinting in anticipation. Curiosity quivered around the edges of your mind, a certain eagerness pawing at your side as you watched a white pop-up fill the stream.

Everybody had an equal chance of winning—you knew that. That everyone may include you, but it also included every other person who bought one of those shirts. It didn’t take a genius to know that you weren't going to win. After all, not everything was guaranteed like having a soulmate was.

“And,” Dream began, dramatic and slow, “our winner is...”

You squeezed your hands, clasping your palms together with a feeling you couldn’t quite name.

“...shirt number 267815!”

You blinked, your brows furrowing together. That number sounded... oddly familiar. Your eyes flickered down to the shirt in your lap, the white tag peeking back up at you.

It couldn’t be.

All of a sudden, Dream’s voice rang through the air once more, sounding even clearer than ever before.

“Oh, and the name connected to the shirt is... [Y/N]!”

Your heart came to a screeching halt in your chest, your eyes shooting wide open as your jaw dropped.

I... won?

You gaped at your screen, only half-registering the sight of Sapnap and George clapping. The chat had become a blur of words you couldn’t bring yourself to read, your vision growing hazy and unfocused with shock. I must look crazy right now, you thought to yourself distantly, rubbing at your face. This can’t be real.

George’s gaze locked directly onto the camera, and for a second, it almost felt like he was speaking directly to you. “Congratulations, [Y/N]!” He wrinkled his nose with an apologetic smile. “I hope I’m saying that, right. If I’m wrong, please tell me.”

Sapnap chuckled, shooting him a devious grin. “Knowing George, he’s probably wrong.”

Your lips twitched at the frown that flitted across George’s face before Dream took over again. “Ignore them—they’re being dumb.” Before either of them could protest, he quickly added, “Anyways, welcome to Minecraft Manhunt! We’re looking forward to meeting you. We’ll send you an email soon, and you can give us some more info there.”

You nodded at your monitor, your lips still parted in surprise. “We’ll be ending the stream now,” Dream continued, “but thanks so much for everyone else who participated. Your love and support mean the world to us!”

You could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke, and it sent a rush of warmth shooting down your spine. “[Y/N],” he murmured, suddenly sounding soft, “we’ll see you soon.”

As George and Sapnap waved one last time at their cameras with excited grins, you swallowed. Your heart rattled in your chest as the screen faded back to black, and you found yourself sitting face-to-face with your reflection once more.

You were right—you looked just as dumbfounded as you felt.

Slowly, you closed your mouth, lowering your gaze to the shirt in your lap. The axe that was laid out across your thighs somehow seemed brighter than it did before, almost as if someone had painted over it with a newer, shinier layer of white.

Lifting the shirt to your chest, you felt a wide grin tug at your lips—wider than any grin you had ever smiled before.

Maybe you were luckier than you thought.

Your finger hovered over the left button of your mouse, your breaths coming out shaky and short as they pumped through your lungs. The Discord call already had three icons waiting for you, and all you had to do was click to join them.

Breathe, [Y/N]. You’re only about to talk to three of your favourite content creators on the planet. It’ll be easy.

You paused, listening to the sound of your heartbeat thumping in your ears.

Oh, who am I kidding? I’m not fooling anyone.

A groan rose in the back of your throat, and you hung your head in your hands for a long moment. “C’mon,” you whispered to yourself. “You can’t keep them waiting forever.”

You sucked on the inside of your cheek, then lifted your head, nodding once, then twice. Yes, okay—calm. I can be calm. Your finger twitched. Let’s do this.

Your hand reached back for your mouse, the cool plastic melding against your skin as your cursor hovered back over the call. Squeezing your eyes shut for just a second, you let your finger press down, a familiar ping echoing through your headphones. There was a beat of silence. Then, someone spoke.

“Hi! Hello!”

You jumped at that sound of Dream’s voice, your heart skipping a beat as you quickly reoriented yourself again. “H-Hi, there,” you said as calmly as you could muster.

“It’s nice to meet you, [Y/N]! I’m Dream.” There was a slight pause, then he added hesitantly, “Did I say that right, by the way? Your name, I mean.”

Your lips curled up into a smile, and you felt the tension seep out of your shoulders. “Yes, you got it right.”

You could almost imagine him grinning to himself triumphantly. “Perfect.”

A new voice suddenly jumped in, just as eager as Dream’s. “Don’t steal the spotlight already, Dream,” Sapnap whined, his icon flashing green. “There’s three of us, not just you.” Ignoring Dream’s quiet apology, he quickly moved on. “I’m Sapnap—it’s great to have you here.”

“And I’m George,” another voice added, his prominent accent sounding like honey in your ears.

Every ounce of anxiety you had been feeling earlier felt so far away now, their voices carrying your worries off over the horizon. “It’s nice to meet you all, too. My name’s [Y/N], but you already know who I am, don’t you?”

“Well,” George said, drawing out the vowel, “we may know a few things about you, but we don’t really know who you are—that’s something we want to hear from you.”

Sapnap made a noise of confirmation, his mouth moving at lightning speed as he suddenly began to fire off question after question. “Yeah, like, what’s your favourite flower? Or season? Which one of us do you think is the most handsome? Ooh, what about—”

“Woah, woah,” Dream cut in, wheezing ever so slightly, “one thing at a time, to start. Let them breathe, at least!”

You couldn’t help but laugh at the hints of laughter tinting his voice. “It’s okay!” you said, your lips splitting into a crooked grin. “Although I don’t know if I can answer those questions.”

George let out a confused noise. “No? Why not?”

You hummed, swinging your legs around your chair. “Like for my favourite flower, I think they’re all really pretty and look nice, in their own little ways. Same thing for seasons.” You chuckled. “I’m too indecisive to pick just one.”

“But who do you think is the most handsome out of the three of us?” Sapnap prodded, excitement seeping into his tone. “It’s definitely me, right? Come on.”

“Hey,” George suddenly quipped, rushing through his words, “no flirting yet! We only just met!”

There was a brief second of silence. “I mean, isn’t that technically the best time to start flirting?”

“Sapnap.”

“Fine,” Sapnap sighed. You could practically hear him roll his eyes. “Friends first, flirting later.” You were about to breathe a sigh of relief when he added, “Carry on, though. I still want to hear your answer.”

Chewing on your lip, you stiffened, drumming your fingers against the side of your keyboard. “I’m telling you,” you sighed after a long moment, “I really don’t think I can pick. As a matter of fact,” you pointed out, raising a finger. “I don’t even know what one of you looks like.”

Now, it was Dream’s turn to speak up. “Then, talk about attractiveness, in general. It doesn’t just have to be about looks.”

You froze, your posture going rigid. Attractiveness in general…?

How could you possibly encapsulate their attractiveness just like that? Dream was so incredibly clever, and you loved to hear him talk about his passions. George was smarter than he let on, and you could see it in the way he coded their videos, working relentlessly to make them work. Sapnap was beyond affectionate, and just hearing him share his affection with those around him made your stomach melt. They were just handing you a recipe for disaster with a question like this, you knew it.

“This question is impossible,” you blurted, a gentle panic seeping into your tone. Narrowing your eyes, you leaned closer to your mic, adding with a teasing lilt, “Are you trying to torture me?”

“Maybe we are, maybe we aren’t,” Dream hummed, chuckling at the small whine that escaped your lips. “Either way, it’s cute to hear you struggle.”

Your breath suddenly hitched in your throat, but Sapnap was quick to leap forward. “Hey, what did we say about no flirting?”

Another beat of silence. “Killjoy.”

“Okay, moving on from that,” George said, quickly diverting topics, “how are you feeling, [Y/N]? Are you looking forward to the manhunt?”

You looked back at the call, your eyes locking onto the three Discord icons sitting next to your own. “Yes,” you admitted, “but I’m also very, very nervous.”

“Nervous?” Dream repeated slowly.

“Nervous,” you said again, “but a good kind of nervous.” You opened your mouth, then closed it. “Actually, I think excited is a better word to use. You guys always just seem like you have so much fun when you’re around each other, and I’m just...” You waved your hands in front of yourself, feeling your heart beat faster and faster while your face grew hot once more. “I’m just really excited to film with you all and play Minecraft together.”

Silence washed over the call, and your cheeks felt like they were about to burn right off your face. “Sorry,” you mumbled embarrassedly. “That—that probably sounds really dumb.”

“It doesn’t,” Sapnap said suddenly, making your gaze grow wide, “not at all.”

“Yeah,” George added with a joyful hum. “I dunno about those two, but I’m also excited to play with you, [Y/N].”

Dream guffawed, a scoff escaping his lips. “What do you mean you don’t know about us? Of course we’re excited! [Y/N] is great!”

You nearly fell out of your chair. “H-Huh?”

Dream’s voice was suddenly soft again, both parts soothing and cheerful all at once. “We might have only known each other for a little while, but I’m telling you, we’re beyond happy to have you here, and we want you to have a good time, too.”

“Oh, a thousand percent,” George said straight-facedly into his mic. “I’d trade you for both of these nerds in a heartbeat.”

Just like that, Sapnap was yelling as you heard Dream smack his desk. “George, what?! How could you say that?”

Giggling, you sank into your desk chair with a relieved smile, pressing a hand over your eager heart. “Thank you,” you murmured, only hoping they could hear the sincerity in your words. “I hope I don’t let you guys down.”

Their raucous bickering suddenly died down at the softness in your tone, and three voices spoke at the same time—each one sounding more honest than the last.

“You could never.”

You leaned forward in your desk chair, your eyes glued to your screen as you watched Dream’s avatar stand as still as a rock, frozen and entirely unmoving. Your finger hovered over your W key, waiting for the perfect moment to strike as your tongue darted out to flick over your bottom lip.

Manhunts may be stressful, but you were more than ready to tackle this one headfirst.

It happened so quickly that you nearly missed it. In one moment, Dream was standing in front of you, stock still as you stared him down. In the next, he was darting off in the opposite direction, already a whopping ten blocks away.

Sapnap’s voice shot through your headset like a bullet as he shouted, “After him!”

He didn’t need to say it again before the group was already dashing across the grassy field, boosting each other forward every other block. You clicked frantically at George’s backside, your lips twitching in glee as he shot the slightest bit closer to Dream. With each passing second, they ran further and further, Dream lying just a few steps out of reach. All of a sudden, he leapt off the side of a cliff, vanishing from sight in an instant. Coming to a screeching halt atop the hill, you watched as Bad peered over the forest, Sapnap and George hot on his heels.

“Where’d he go?” George muttered, confusion clouding his voice.

You shifted your mouse left and right as your gaze darted across your screen, scanning every pixel for even the tiniest hint of neon green. Just then, a gasp flew from your lips, and you caught Sapnap jolting in your direction at the sound.

“Look!” you cried, clicking to point over at the greenery. “He’s on the right—on top of the trees!”

Without missing a beat, everyone was leaping off the hill and barreling across the trees, ignoring their fall damage as they jumped over small gaps. “What is he,” George grumbled under his breath, “a monkey?”

You let out a tiny giggle at the genuine annoyance in his tone, but didn’t stop chasing after Dream’s running figure. Suddenly, he just barely missed his jump, bouncing twice on the same leaf block. He had only stalled for a brief second, but that was more than enough time for you to spam click your mouse. In a flash, Dream was tumbling off the tree, with you trailing right after him.

“I hit him off!” you shouted in glee, elation making every one of your syllables soar in your throat. “He’s on the ground.”

“Nice one, [Y/N]!” Sapnap chuckled with delight. “Now, don’t let him get away!”

The praise made the triumphant feeling that had unfurled beneath your ribs spread even farther under your skin, warming you from head to toe. Pushing forward, you nodded and slammed your thumb down on your space bar.

You had no plans of letting him escape.

You pulled your water bottle from your lips with a gasp, quickly screwing the cap back on before setting it down on your desk. Wiping your mouth with the back of your hand, you turned back to your monitor, your gaze focused on the anvil a few blocks away. To your left sat the portal, and to your right was a wall of obsidian.

You were four hours into filming now, but you still weren't tired. How could you be, when you were so close to the end?

Clicking on the anvil, you dragged the diamond axe in your inventory into the first slot before reaching for the enchanted book sitting just beside it. Forty-two levels—you would need forty-two levels to enchant your axe with Sharpness IV.

You glanced down at the space above your hotbar and grinned.

Luckily for you, you had forty-three.

Clicking once more, clanging echoed through your ears, and you placed your newly enchanted axe in your hotbar with a proud smile. It was an absolute pain having to kill as many mobs and loot as many desert temples as you did, but for this, it was absolutely worth it. Now, it was time for the rest of the plan.

“I have no idea how you came up with this,” George said earnestly, his character facing yours, “but I love it.”

You grinned, opening up your inventory and removing your amour. “I just got really, really lucky.”

Grabbing an invisibility potion, you suddenly paused, a hint of uneasiness sinking in your gut. If Dream noticed any particles, you would be dead in an instant, and your plan would be blown to smithereens. You would have to move quickly to make it work—almost ridiculously quickly.

Swallowing, you opened your mouth. “Do you guys think we can really pull this thing off?”

Sapnap let out an easygoing chuckle, your shoulders relaxing in an instant. “Oh, I know we can.”

Letting Sapnap’s confidence run through you, you held down your mouse’s right key, downing the invisibility potion in one go before turning to rush out of the portal room. Through your headphones, you heard Dream let out an inquisitive hum, curiosity flickering through his tone. “Just what are you guys up to?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, weather boy?” Sapnap fired back without missing a beat, his voice swimming with mischief.

While George let out a wheeze and you giggled at Sapnap’s sharp quip, Dream sighed, muttering, “So much for asking.”

Huffing out one last quiet laugh, the smile fell from your face, your eyes narrowing as your expression grew serious. You moved ever so carefully through the stronghold, weaving in and out of the labyrinthine halls like a snake on the hunt. Your gaze darted back and forth between the compass in your hotbar and your screen. With each sharp swing of the compass hand, you held your breath, turning until it was pointed forward again. You had been searching for a few minutes when suddenly, you spotted it.

A glimpse of green.

Dressed head to toe in enchanted iron armour, Dream’s avatar stood in front of a wall of furnaces, smelting away as he turned from one to the next. On the same wall was a crafting table and a chest. He was planning something, you just knew it, but you didn’t have the time to question what. After all, he was facing the wall opposite from you, completely unaware of your presence.

This was the perfect chance, and you weren’t going to waste it worrying.

Creeping forward, you stopped only when you stood just a single block away from him, switching from your empty hand to the enchanted diamond axe in your hotbar. With Sharpness IV, it would only take three critical hits for you to take him down.

For a second, all was still.

Then, you were pressing down on your space bar and clicking your mouse a half second later, watching with bated breath as Dream’s avatar twitched from your attack. One.

He had barely managed to turn around before you had already landed another hit on him. Two.

By the time he had pulled out his own axe and began scanning the seemingly empty air in front of him, you were slamming your finger down one last time. Three.

With a shout, Dream dropped dead before you, his inventory exploding into a mess on the floor at your feet. You blinked once. Twice.

Then, the call burst into a mess of screams and shouts.

Dream’s yell rang through your ears as George and Sapnap hooted in delight, Bad and Antfrost following with their own victory cheers. “What the heck?!” he cried, shock filling his every word. “[Y/N], was that you? Oh my god, where did you even come from?”

Practically gasping for breath, you nearly collapsed on top of your keyboard, the adrenaline slowly wearing off as you smiled triumphantly to yourself. “[Y/N], you did it!” Sapnap shouted, just as loud as before. “You—you just—holy crap!”

“I was so stressed,” you breathed, sagging against the back of your chair with a breathless laugh. “You have no idea.”

“You were awesome, so awesome,” George managed between giggles, his own voice sounding giddy and positively overjoyed. “I knew you could do it.”

Your cheeks half-felt like they were about to start hurting from how hard you were smiling, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care as Dream’s tired laugh filled your ears.

“Congratulations, [Y/N],” he murmured fondly. “You won.”

Just a week and a half later, you couldn’t believe your eyes as you scrolled through the comments section of the new video.

[y/n] was so funny omg

They made this manhunt feel so much more special

Their chemistry as a group was so good wtf!!!??!

please bring [y/n] back I am in LOVE

[Y/N] SUPREMACY

With each new comment you scrolled past, you felt your heart swell more and more in your chest with a mixture of joy and pride. You didn’t expect people to respond so positively to the video—to you.

You had barely made even a dent in the hordes of comments about you when a Discord notification popped up on your laptop screen. In a flash, you were pulling up Discord, quickly clicking on the appropriately named group chat, [Y/N] KILLED DREAM!!

Sapnap: hey

Sapnap: hey

Sapnap: hey did you read the comments

[Y/N]: i did! people were so positive!!

[Y/N]: i wasn’t expecting it

George: You weren’t?

You furrowed your brows, reading George’s question twice before typing once again.

[Y/N]: of course not??? i’m just some person

[Y/N]: you guys are the dream team

George: Don’t put yourself down like that

Sapnap: yeah everyone liked the video because they liked you

Dream: well then

Dream: how do you feel about coming back to film again?

You stared at your screen in awe, something hopeful and weightless rising in the expanse of your chest. Filming another video? With them?

You didn’t even have to think before your fingers were typing out a response.

[Y/N]: i would love to

Peals of laughter tumbled from your lips as you rolled over on your bed, your phone perched beside your head on your pillow. A split second later, a loud whine echoed from your phone speaker, and you found yourself laughing even harder, your lungs gasping harder and harder for breath with each giggle that was pulled from your throat.

Never in your wildest dreams would you have guessed that you would be here.

It had been nearly a year since the fateful day that brought you and the Dream Team together and a little over ten months since you had first filmed together. Now, three videos and countless streams later, you were closer than ever before, cracking jokes and pushing each other’s buttons like you had known each other their whole lives—maybe even longer than that. It took some prodding, but you even called Dream by his real name, now. As much as you liked the name Dream, Clay sounded much nicer, in your opinion. Texting daily was practically a sacred ritual now, and you couldn’t remember the last time you didn’t get spammed by their texts at least four times a week. Even now, as you lay on your bed with your phone connected to Discord at your side, you were chatting with them, grinning as wide as ever. It was a comfortably pleasant lull you had fallen into, the four of you—one that you wouldn’t mind spending the rest of your life sinking into.

It was comfortable indeed, but even as complete as you felt now, you felt like there was something missing—like there was a hollow cavern in your chest just waiting to be filled.

Yet another shout suddenly pulled you out of your thoughts, the noise sounding even more astounded than it had before. “How was I supposed to know that that was Russia?”

The sheer amount of shock in George’s voice immediately made you burst into another fit of giggles, throwing your head back. “There was Russian on the sign!” you managed between breaths. “It was so obvious!”

He sputtered at the sound of your laughter, sounding absolutely appalled by your reaction. “You can’t just expect me to be able to read Russian!”

You grinned, your voice dropping the tiniest fraction. “You act as if you don’t know how to say a few things in Russian.”

There was a moment of silence. Then, Sapnap whistled. “Touché, [Y/N]. You’ve got him there.”

While George groaned, surely smacking his palm into his forehead, Clay spoke up with a teasing hum. “You should play some GeoGuessr with us more often. You’re way better at this than George.”

“This is bullying,” came a distant complaint from George, his voice coming out muffled through his mic.

“It’s the truth,” you corrected with a cheeky grin. “You cannot deny that.”

There came a snort, followed by Sapnap’s gentle laugh. “Look at you, [Y/N], being so mean all of a sudden.”

You smiled lopsidedly, trying to push back the shiver that ran down your spine at the way his low voice made your insides melt. “You know you guys love it.”

“We do.” Clay’s voice almost sounded far away, muffled and hazy. “We really, really do.”

Your heart leapt into your throat as a soft silence washed over the four of you, your chuckles dying down and fading into the quietness of your bedroom. Sighing deeply, you picked at your nail, silently begging your heart to calm down again. It was right then when George softly piped up.

“Hey, [Y/N],” he said quietly. When you let out a small noise, he continued. “We… you would call us close to you, right?”

You laughed at the hesitancy in his tone. For a second, he almost sounded shy, and it sent butterflies fluttering through your stomach. “Do you even have to ask? We’ve been friends for months—of course we are!”

You could make out the faint sound of shuffling from Clay’s end, his icon flashing green. “Are—” He coughed. “Does that mean we’re close enough to ask you a… somewhat private question?”

You raised an eyebrow at his tone, your curiosity piquing. “Go for it,” you said gently, letting your eyelids flutter comfortably shut.

“Have you met your soulmate yet?”

In an instant, your eyes shot wide open again, and you lay frozen in your bed. In all the time you had known each other, not once had you brought up the topic of soulmates. It was almost as though you had simply skirted around it, too shy to press on about. But right now, with the topic lying right in front of your face, you couldn’t just avoid the topic.

Your fingers twitched as your mouth fell open. “N-No,” you stammered, the butterflies in your stomach going oddly still. “I, um, I haven’t. Have any of you?”

There was a pause. “No, none of us.”

You thought for a moment, your heart mulling over those four little words. Then, you exhaled and let your shoulders relax against the mattress, your nails curling into your palm. “I’m sure you guys have nothing to worry about,” you murmured almost hazily. “There are probably thousands and thousands of people who would love to be any one of your soulmates.” You chuckled, but it tasted bittersweet on your tongue. “Heck, there’s probably at least half a million fans who would be dying to take my place, right now.”

On the other end of the line, you were met with silence, but it was fleeting. “What about you?” Clay suddenly asked.

You blinked, your palm going slack. “Me?”

“You,” Clay affirmed, sounding more serious than before. “If you were one of our soulmates, how would you feel?”

The words left your lips before you could stop them. “Happy,” you blurted, suddenly feeling breathless. “So, so happy. I—”

You suddenly slapped your hand over your mouth, cutting yourself off with wide eyes. Realization struck you like a lightning bolt, and you could feel your blood run cold in your neck. I did not just say that.

“What—” George stopped. Then, a second later, he continued. “Which one of us would you want it to be? To be your soulmate?”

With trembling fingers, you moved your hand away from your mouth, your voice coming out small. “Are you asking me who I like most?”

He didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

You almost felt your heart drop, bolting upright until you were sitting atop your sheets. Wrapping your hand around your phone, you balanced it on your lap, uncertainty springing up in your gut.

Who... I like most?

Dream, George, and Sapnap. Sapnap, Dream, and George.

To think that just a year ago, you had never spoken to them—had only ever known them as three strangers through a screen. Yet here you were now, their voices soft against your ear and your heart aching at the sound of their laughter. They made you smile beyond belief, and you wouldn’t miss a call with them for the world, even if it was three in the morning and you were dead asleep. Although you had spent time with each of them individually, just as friends did, you loved spending time with all three of them together far more, and you didn’t want to imagine having them any other way.

George, Sapnap, and Dream.

Who did you like most?

You swallowed, then opened your mouth. “I,” you choked out, “I don’t—I wouldn’t—”

You stopped, your heart pounding like a drum between your lungs. You could feel them waiting for you, as patient and caring as ever. The thought made you want to curl up into a ball and cry. Screwing your eyes shut, you sucked in a deep breath and whispered.

“I don’t think I could ever pick just one of you.”

The silence that filled the air as you closed your mouth was tense. A million unspoken words ricocheted off the insides of your mind, your heart racing within the confines of your chest. The air suddenly felt too hot, and you kicked the covers off your legs, curling your knees closer to your chest and resting your burning cheeks on top of them.

“Maybe this is a sudden thing to say,” Sapnap whispered abruptly, his words coming out slurred as he broke the silence, “but I really, really want to know what you look like right now, [Y/N].”

You felt your arms go limp around your legs. “Me, too,” George added, thoughtful and faint. “I bet you’re beautiful.”

Resisting the urge to bury your face in your hands, you ran your finger along the edge of your phone screen, the glass pressing against your hot skin. “I—um,” you began shakily, “you’ll see when we meet, okay? This way, two of us can stay a mystery.”

Clay’s soft chuckle rippled through your bedroom once more, bouncing off the walls and making your chest ache even more. “Alright.”

You felt your chest constrict with heat, feeling like you were almost about to burst at the seams from the way they were speaking. “W-Well,” you laughed, trying not to sound as panicked as you felt, “on that note, I think I’m gonna go to sleep now.” You opened your mouth to continue when a yawn cut you off, eliciting a string of laughs from your phone speaker. “I’m feeling pretty tired.”

“Sweet dreams, [Y/N],” George murmured tenderly. “Talk to you tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow,” you confirmed with your heart battering against your ribs. “Goodnight!”

Reaching over, you pressed your thumb over your phone screen, exiting the call just as swiftly as you had joined. That had been hours ago now, and while you were tired, you couldn’t shake the churning sensation in the pit of your stomach—twisting and turning as you laid back on your bed. You slipped your phone onto your nightstand, plugging it in in a forlorn haze before lying back once more. Staring up at the lonesome ceiling, you frowned, your heart suddenly feeling like an anchor in your chest.

Without even an inch of doubt, you knew: you liked them—all three of them.

And it was going to be the end of you.

Having a crush was a dangerous thing in a world full of soulmates, especially if they were online—even more so if you had multiple. You could only ever find out if someone was your soulmate if you met them in person, and you had heard far too many stories of couples meeting in person, only to learn that they weren’t fated to be. Combining that with multiple soulmate bonds slimmed the chances even further. Multiple soulmate bonds weren’t exactly unheard of, but they were rare. You had never met anyone who had one, and you doubted that you would be the first you’d know to have one.

You suddenly felt it—that familiar spark of hope you felt all those months ago when you sat at your desk chair with a shirt on your lap. The hope that drew you to them now was the very same hope that connected you in the first place. Your heart leapt, lapping up every last droplet like a man dying of thirst, yet with each new spark that rained down in your chest, the thought clawing at the back of your mind loomed larger and larger.

Just what exactly were the chances all four of you would be soulmates? It had to be next to nothing if it wasn’t zero already.

This wasn’t like the manhunt raffle—lady luck could only be so generous.

Rolling onto your side, you felt something deep inside you reach its hands up and wrap around your lungs, squeezing as tightly as it could. The ache that shot through your insides stung like a hot coal, but you knew there was nothing you could do to soothe its hungry flames. Unshed tears pricked the back of your eyelids like silver needles, and you squeezed your eyes shut, choking back a muffled whine. Your bedroom suddenly felt too big, your bed too empty.

Hope could be beautiful, but it could also destroy you from the inside out.

“Do not leave the call.”

Clay’s chuckle sent a frown skittering across your face, and you let out a small whine as you leaned forward in your desk chair. “Aww,” he crooned, teasing and light, “are you jealous, Georgie?”

“N-No, what?” George sputtered, and you could almost envision the way his cheeks would flush a pretty shade of baby pink. “Just—just don’t hang up.”

“I’m telling you,” Sapnap laughed with a sly lilt, his voice sounding a little more distant than Clay’s, “he’s jealous.” You vaguely could make out the sound of his signal light from inside his car, a muffled car horn echoing from outside. “Or at least if he isn’t, [Y/N] is.”

At that, you whipped your head up, blinking wide as you shot a glare at Sapnap’s Discord icon on the side of your monitor screen. “Well, [Y/N]?” Clay drawled, a flicker of mischief dancing in his tone. “What do you have to say about that?”

You curled your fingers into your hands, a small pout settling onto your features as heat shot across your face. “I—I am!” you said, your voice coming out a fraction louder than you intended. When the other line went quiet, you shuffled back in your seat, your cheeks burning even hotter. “I am jealous, okay? It’s... it’s just not fair that you two get to meet before we do.”

There was a brief moment of silence. You were being childish, you knew, but at least you were being honest. Suddenly, Clay spoke. “We know, sweetheart,” he said gently, not at all realizing how your heart skipped a beat at the pet name. “But you’ll be able to meet us soon. Just wait a bit longer, okay? I’ll buy you both plane tickets if I have to.”

You pouted with a dejected whimper, your finger drawing small circles onto the side of your desk. “Okay.”

“Don’t sound so sad,” Sapnap chuckled with a soothing coo. “As soon as we can get you two over here, we will.”

You let out a sigh, swinging your chair from side to side with a frown. Was it so wrong of you to want to meet them so badly, to want to see them and hug them? Part of you didn’t even care if you were all soulmates at this point—you just wanted to hear them laugh in person. You wanted to make them smile. Was that really so much to ask for?

“I see him!” Clay suddenly shouted. Your head shot up faster than a bullet, and you heard the sound of a front door opening and slamming shut. “Oh, Sapnap.”

“Oh, Dream,” Sapnap called mockingly, his smile shining through in his voice. There was the sound of the car engine stopping, then a car door swinging open. “Holy crap, you’re way taller than I expected.”

You chuckled at the surprise in Sapnap’s voice, hearing George laugh along with you. “Jeez,” Clay muttered, his voice overlapping ever so slightly with the mic on Sapnap’s phone. “It’s so weird actually seeing you in person, oh my go—”

All of a sudden, Clay went silent, cutting himself off with a strangled noise of surprise. On Sapnap’s end, there was a muffled choking sound, then nothing. In a flash, you were upright, your eyes wide and your hand flying to your mouse.

“Sapnap?” George called, his tone soaked with worry. “Clay? Are you two alright?”

There came a gasp, and you could make out the sound of Sapnap struggling to search for words. “You’re—Clay’s my—”

Just like that, it clicked, like a switch had been flipped inside you. You felt something in your chest deflate, and you opened your mouth.

“Soulmates,” you whispered so quietly that you would have missed it yourself, had you not been the one to say it. “You two are soulmates, aren’t you?”

George fell silent. “I think so,” Clay mumbled, his tone coming out as if he were in a daze. “I’ve never felt anything like that before in my life—it definitely feels like what everyone says, you know? Just, really warm, and.... and...” He trailed off, ending with an enamoured sigh. “Yeah.”

Your mouth felt as though it had been sewn shut, like you wouldn’t have been able to force the words from your lips even if you tried. “How did we not know after all these years?” Sapnap giggled, his voice swimming in a mixture of disbelief and affection.

“We’ve never met in person up until now,” Clay mused, his sentence rising at the end. “This is the first time we’ve ever seen each other, let alone touched.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Sapnap murmured back wistfully. The call suddenly went quiet, and a deep, disappointed quiet fell over the four of you. Not a word was said as the harsh reality slowly settled into your hearts.

Clay and Sapnap were soulmates.

Only Clay and Sapnap.

“I’m happy for you two!” George suddenly shouted, startling you in your chair. He sounded oddly chipper—too chipper. “I wish—” He suddenly choked, pausing for a moment to catch his breath again. “I wish I was already friends with my soulmate. Meeting new people is hard.”

“Who knows?” Clay chuckled. His words were teasing, but even they couldn’t mask how crestfallen he sounded. “Maybe [Y/N] is yours.”

“Yeah,” Sapnap hummed in agreement, the hopefulness in his voice sounding just as forced as his soulmate’s. “You hear that, [Y/N]? Maybe you and Gogy were meant to be.”

Your vision was hazy and unfocused, your gaze focused on the window in your room. In the corner of the glass was a small spider web, just barely the size of your palm. You watched with blurry eyes as a fly caught in the sticky web beat its wings in desperation, struggling helplessly as a spider crawled out from behind the windowsill. You distantly wondered how trapped that fly felt—if it knew that there was no point in hoping for anything better, now.

Turning away from the window, you focused your gaze down at yourself, down at the black shirt you were wearing. A clean white axe stared back up at you, and you felt a bittersweet smile stretch across your face as you uttered a single word.

“Maybe.”

A loud beep echoed from the ceiling speakers, and you jumped at the sound. All around you, people were bustling in and out of gates, towing luggage behind them as they rushed down the crowded pathways and between loitering groups of people. You whipped your head this way and that at the sight, your head spinning with all the new sights and sounds.

It was still hard to believe that just a few months prior, you wouldn’t have been able to step foot in an airport like this.

To see people move from one place to the next, seeing loved ones and meeting new people for the first time was almost exhilarating, especially after all that had happened with the world. You liked it, and you certainly hoped that it was here to stay.

You had just started walking down the main path when you felt your phone ring in your pocket. Fishing it out, your face lit up at the caller ID, and you picked up without waiting another second, pressing the cool glass to your ear with a smile. “Hi, George.”

“Hey!” he greeted with a cheerful tone. “Did you get here safely?”

Rocking back and forth on your heels, you curled your fingers a little tighter around the handle of your suitcase with a hum. “Yep.”

“Good.” You could hear the smile in his voice, and it sent a familiar tingle of warmth bouncing down your spine. “How are you feeling?”

You paused, your steps faltering for a brief second as you pondered. “Nervous,” you said after a moment or two, “but a good kind of nervous.”

“A good kind of nervous?” he repeated with a fond tone. “I think I know the word you’re looking for.”

Your lips curled up at his words, your mind flashing back to a distant day from long, long ago. “Yes, George, I’m excited.”

The laugh that fell from his lips sounded like pure music to your ears, and you caught yourself thinking that you wouldn’t mind drowning in the sound. “Me, too.” As you wove between a few sectioned off groups, George added gently, “You know where to meet us, right?”

You nodded with a small noise of confirmation, making a sharp turn down yet another long hallway. “Yeah—I’m pretty sure Clay and Sap are already waiting for us.”

George snorted, both affectionate and teasing at once. “Oh, I know they are. I’ll see you there?”

You grinned, bobbing your head along to the beat of your suitcase wheels rolling across the polished tiled floors. “For sure. See you there!”

Lowering your phone from your ear, you pressed your thumb against the screen before letting it drop into your pocket once more. A sigh escaped your lips as you let the ache you had been suppressing tumble loose, throbbing and gnawing away at the shaky shards of your heart.

How long had they known that Clay and Sapnap were soulmates, now? Five months? Six? You weren’t sure if you could even bring yourself to keep count, anymore. It hurt too much to think about. You were happy for them, you really were. But the selfish part inside you still longed for their touch, even if they wouldn’t ever truly be yours. It wasn’t that you didn’t like George, but you meant what you said—you couldn’t pick just one, and you wanted all of them, as greedy as it was.

Shaking your head, you pushed forward, your gaze darting up to the navigational sign hanging from the ceiling. No matter how painful it may be, you weren’t going to let your own heart get in the way of how amazing today was going to be. You were meeting your favourite people in the world today, and nothing was going to take that away from you.

Not even heartbreak.

Glancing briefly over at a map on the wall, you huffed as you dragged your suitcase up a set of stairs and through the corridor, chewing on the inside of your lip. George’s gate was on the opposite side of the airport from yours, and Clay and Sapnap were waiting in the middle for the two of you. His flight had arrived a bit before yours, so you knew you were just going to have to find all three of them together.

After another few minutes of walking, you found yourself walking into the central dome of the airport, the glass ceiling filtering natural light into the room as you wheeled your luggage in. Your lips parting in awe at the sight, you swept your gaze across the busy room, scanning over every head you could find. You had only been looking for a few moments when a head of dark sepia hair caught your attention. Narrowing your eyes, you shuffled forward carefully. Then, your lips split into a triumphant grin.

There they were.

In a heartbeat, you felt your insides melt at the sight. Sapnap and George looked as handsome as ever, their lips curled up into dazzling smiles as they spoke, and Clay—oh, Clay. This was the first time you would ever be seeing each other’s faces, but you didn’t have to see him to know that he was pretty. With tousled golden locks and emerald green eyes that flashed like gemstones, he was everything you could have asked for and more.

Chatting casually with one another, all three of them were dressed in comfortable clothes, and you wanted to fling yourself at them and bury yourself into their warm touch. Sucking in a deep breath, you marched toward them, slinking around so that you were facing their backs. Hugs could come later—right now, it was time for a surprise.

Treading slowly and carefully, you only stopped when you stood a foot behind them, the giddiness rising in your chest as you finally opened your mouth.

“Sapnap was right. You are tall.”

The three of them immediately whirled at the sound of your voice, their eyes as wide as saucers as their gazes locked on yours. The grin on your face only grew wider as you watched their faces light up in unison, like a set of stars coming together in the night sky.

“[Y/N],” they said at the same time, blinking wildly as you sent them a small wave.

You laughed. “Here I a—”

“We were right, too,” Clay suddenly blurted, bending over slightly. “You are beautiful.”

Your cheeks flushed with bubbling heat, and you felt your heart leap in your chest. “I—ah, um,” you stammered, taking a step back. “You look good too, Clay.”

Sapnap took a step forward, reaching his hand out toward you with a soft smile. “So, we finally meet,” he hummed, a brilliant gleam flashing across his eye. “Does this mean I get to hug you, now?”

You grinned, and with a giggle, you were leaping forward, your suitcase wobbling behind you as you let go. The moment you felt warm arms wrap around your backside, you felt yourself relax.

Then, your skin suddenly felt like it was on fire.

Warmth surged up your spine like a rippling flame, your eyes shooting wide open as you gasped, your fingers curling into the soft fabric of Sapnap’s shirt. In an instant, you were stumbling back, clutching at the space over your heart. You could feel it going absolutely haywire in your chest, pounding like never before. Your entire body felt as light as a feather, and your mind felt strangely hazy.

Impossible—it had to be.

“Sap,” you choked out, your eyes locking onto his own wide ones, “you—”

“George, Clay,” he suddenly said, reaching a hand out toward the two boys, “get over here. Right now.”

The two of them had been standing stock still just a few steps away, their jaws dropped and faces contorted with surprise as they watched you and Sapnap tremble across from one another. Swallowing, George took the first shaky step forward, reaching his hand toward yours. The moment your fingers brushed, the same tingling warmth crashed over you like a wave, and you let out a soft noise, happiness blooming in your throat like a blossom in spring. You watched with earnest eyes as George’s expression mirrored yours, his rosy lips parted in surprise as his fingers latched onto yours. The hope you had locked away months ago came pouring out of your glowing heart like a waterfall, overwhelming every inch of your senses.

“It’s not just us,” you whispered, your voice brimming with nebulous hope. “It’s George, too.”

George lifted his head, his breath hitched as he turned. “That just means...”

All three of your gazes landed on Clay, who was still frozen in place, stock still with shock. Your eyes darted to Sapnap’s, then George’s. You nodded in unison, and without saying a word, you stepped forward. You slipped your hand into Sapnap’s, your heart trembling with adoration at how big and warm his palm was against your own. Sharing one last glance with one another, you nodded. Just like that, you were slipping your hand into Clay’s, George following suit while Sapnap grabbed his.

In a heartbeat, everything felt perfect.

The empty cracks in your heart no longer felt as wide as they once did, instead flooding with burning warmth and something that felt like love. Your head spun with dizzying affection, and you felt your vision grow watery, but for an entirely different reason, now.

God, you loved them, you loved them, you loved them.

At your side, Sapnap’s hand shook in yours, surprise lacing his every word. “I can’t believe it.”

“A four-way soulmate bond,” George breathed, his own mouth twitching up into a lovestruck grin. “I—I never thought we’d have one. I mean, I always hoped but—”

Suddenly, Clay spoke up, his voice hoarse but full of sincerity. “W-Woah, are you crying? What’s wrong?”

In a flash, their eyes were on you, who had let go of Clay’s hand to press your palm against your eye. “N-Nothing’s wrong,” you said, your voice shaking with overwhelming emotion. “I’m just—I’m so happy.” A quiet sniffle bubbled up in your throat, but it didn’t stop the smile from tugging at your lips. “I liked you all so much and I was so scared that only George was going to be my soulmate, because you’re all so important to me, and I couldn’t just give you guys up like that.”

“[Y/N],” Clay choked out, his own voice starting to wobble, “stop, please. You’re going to make me cry.”

Laughing, you leaned against him, soaking into the warmth of his body as his arm instinctively wrapped around you. “Just—just cry with me, okay? We can all cry together.”

You didn’t need to say it twice. Not even a split second later, and you felt two more pairs of arms snake up around you, a nose burying itself into your hair as a cheek pressed against yours. “It looks like you won more than just one lottery then, huh?” Sapnap mumbled from above you, his chest rumbling against your back.

“Yeah,” George chuckled, his fingers lovingly rubbing small circles against your arm. “First the manhunt, now this. Just how lucky can one person be?”

You smiled, rubbing your head against Clay’s shoulder with a loving hum. “I don’t know what the universe was thinking,” you murmured, your eyelids fluttering shut as you gently rocked back and forth together, “but I’m glad I won. You three are the best prize I could have ever asked for.”

You felt a pair of lips press a soft kiss to the top of your head, your heart sighing in your chest. “I love you,” someone whispered, too softly for you to tell who it was.

All around you, the bustling airport kept moving, full of life and bursting with energy as the crowds flowed around you like a river. The world was still moving, the planet still turning beneath your feet as you embraced one another, warm and safe in each other’s arms. But in that moment, none of that mattered. A dazzling spark danced along the crevice of your heart, bright and warm and oh-so full of hope as you opened your mouth to whisper back.

“I love you all, too.”