#anyway these tags are too long and detailed i should head to bed!

[snomillions]

another duster thought:

i genuinely think duster wanted to remain in DCMC, and wanted to retain the identity of Lucky.

if i'm remembering correctly, the DCMC is implied to have been brought to the nowhere islands due to porky's time shenanigans. which would mean that, after the end of mother 3, if the world really was reborn, there is no DCMC again. duster cannot leave tazmily to be a lucky bassist again.

it is 3am as i'm writing this and i'm not as eloquent as i would've liked and i would've added more but what gets me is the thought of duster being unable to escape the narrative.

imagine duster being able to break free of the narrative that was forced upon him by adults before he even knew of himself. imagine duster not having to be a thief anymore but instead being a bassist in a jazz band and having the time of his life. one must imagine duster being happy without some grand, overwhelming, identity-suppressing duty being imposed upon him.

or, alternatively, letting duster remain a thief because of his own choice.

[phagodyke]

I still can't believe they're charging THAT much for the shadow of the erdtree dlc... for like 2/3 of the base game price there fucking better be 100+ hours of content in there 🤨

[plutoccult]

HOW CAN I SNOOZE AND MISS THE MOMENT? YOU JUST TOO IMPORTANT

pairing: kei tsukishima x gender neutral reader

description: even after a long and frustrating day at work, you can’t help but fight to stay up with your favorite person on earth.

word count: 1.6k

also available to read on my ao3 here

author’s note: i wrote this because i hated my job at the time (i have since quit and found a job that pays me way more), and this idea spurred after a draining day at work. i debated on who to write it for, but ironically the #1 tsukishima anti (/j) @heavenfilm suggested i write it for tsukishima. i mean, since no. 1 party anthem was so successful, it makes sense for me to write for him once more. plus, the fandom is probably bumping again thanks to the new movie. i know this is short, but don’t most people want that? anyway, i hope you enjoy!

tags: @solefleurs @heavenfilm @mayariviolet @dragon-slayer5 @darthferbert @5sos-wdw @todorokiskitten @intheewrld @localgaytrainwreck @rasisarchive

taglist form here

the second you walked through the door and slammed it shut behind you, you wanted to fall to the floor and rot there. it was incredibly overdramatic, you were well aware of that, but you felt such theatrics were more than valid after the hellish day you had at work.

your job was easy for the most part. while you knew you wouldn’t spend the rest of your life working there, you at least wanted it to be somewhat tolerable. sometimes you dealt with annoying customers, treating you as if you were an idiot despite knowing the policies like the back of your hand. but today wasn’t one of those days where you put up with some snotty karen, funnily enough. the villain of your work day happened to be your manager.

when things are going their way, they’re the coolest person in the world. but whenever there was the most minuscule inconvenience, it turned into everyone’s problem, and you couldn’t stand it. it was like playing survival mode on the hardest level. many a time were you tempted to put your foot down and quit, but you were too afraid of being jobless for too long and leaving your boyfriend to pay all the bills. it didn’t help that applying for jobs was such a pain in the ass either.

after a long day at work, you scrunch your face in frustration then let out a long sigh, sliding your back against the door as you found comfort sitting on the carpet. too lazy to do anything else, even kick off your shoes, you sit there for a few moments with your eyes closed. it was the most relaxing moment you’ve had all day, but that title would soon be taken over once your boyfriend tsukishima emerged from your shared bedroom, having heard you come through the door just moments ago.

“y/n?” he pattered down the hall, finding you in your current position. “why are you on the floor?”

you open your eyes and see tsukishima’s face. it was hard to read him most times when you first met, but you had learned him inside and out, down to the way he let out a sigh once agreeing to something he didn’t really want to do. the sight of him just standing there, looking down at you with his head slightly tilted brought you utter joy. his face was the one thing you always looked forward to see after days like these.

“hi, my love.” you say. “it’s been a long day…”

“your manager again?” tsukishima asked. he knew you all too well.

“a pain as always.” you groan. it didn’t require any more detail than that for him to understand your struggle. days like these had been going on for a while, and it pained him to see you like this.

“well,” tsukishima offered his hand, you taking it immediately as he pulled you to your feet, bringing you close to him by wrapping an arm around your shoulder, all in such slick movements. “you should probably have some food then get to bed.”

you quickly shake your head in protest. you didn’t want to go to bed yet. you just got home. you wanted to spend time with him.

“go to bed? but i wanna stay up with you…” you pout.

while your puppy face was one of tsukishima’s weaknesses, he valued your wellbeing far too much than to be selfish and let you sacrifice time that could be spent resting.

“you need to rest.” he insisted.

“but—”

“you’ll fall over if you stand a second longer.” tsukishima interrupted you, gently running a hand through your hair, which almost lulled you to sleep on the spot despite your resistance. “i’ll bring you something to eat as long as you get to bed, okay?”

“okay…” you let out a sigh, looking down to the floor as you dragged your feet to your bedroom. you stop for a moment, your feet aching too much for you to bother taking another step.

“tsukki?” you turn around, tsukishima saying “hm?” as he anticipated your next words. “carry me?”

ah, of course. he couldn’t ever say no to that. “alright…”

tsukishima lifted you up with ease, a given considering he always stayed in tip-top shape throughout the years thanks to playing volleyball. as relaxing as it was to be in his arms, you fought like hell to stay awake, wanting to keep your eyes on that gorgeous face as long as humanly possible.

he placed you down on the bed, going as far as to take your shoes off your feet and set them aside. the constraint of your shoes were killing you all day, so you felt immediate relief upon their removal. you were thankful for tsukishima doing such things for you without you even having to ask. he truly understood you through and through, his love shown in his acts of service rather than words spoken.

“get comfy while i bring you a plate.” tsukishima placed a kiss on your cheek and ruffled your hair before leaving the room. you were tempted to get under those cozy blankets, but you knew it would only make you sleepy, and you couldn’t have that. you didn’t work all day just to fall asleep before you could spent more than just a moment with the one you love.

tsukishima found you yawning as you tried sitting up as straight as possible. he came in with a bowl of fettuccine alfredo, having made it earlier with you in mind, just freshly reheated for your enjoyment. but tsukishima couldn’t help but sigh at the display in front of him.

“didn’t i tell you to get comfy?” he rolled his eyes as he sat down on the bed next to you. “here. i’m sure you’re starving after a long day.”

“i’d start gnawing on your arm soon enough.” you joke and take the bowl from his hands. “but thank you.”

“i’d rather you didn’t.” tsukishima cringed at the thought. funnily enough, he thought that such a thing would affect his performance at games. he wasn’t the same as he was as a teenager, that’s for sure.

you’re too busy to even respond, inhaling your food like it was going out of style. sometimes you’re just too caught up at work to even think about taking a snack break. even if you did relax for once, someone was always bound to ask for your help because they either didn’t 1. have a clue on what to do or 2. feel like doing their job. you were truly stuck to a ball and chain because of these people.

once you finished the last bite, you didn’t have to say a thing as tsukishima took the bowl out of your hands, already thinking to wash the dishes for you later so you didn’t have to lift a finger. he placed the bowl down on the nightstand for a moment, grabbing the edge of your shared comforter, which you immediately took notice to.

“woah, woah, woah!” you exclaim and grab tsukishima’s wrist. “i’m not lying down!”

“you think just grabbing my wrist can stop me?” he snickered, harshly tugging the blanket like a magician pulling a tablecloth off the table while leaving the dishes unscathed. you plop over face first onto the bed as you try to scramble for the blanket, but fail miserably. tsukishima couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.

you roll onto your back and pout over his laughter. “what’s so funny?”

“i just don’t understand why you want to stay awake so bad. you’re clearly exhausted.” tsukishima said as he gently stroked your hair, almost trying to lull you to sleep. had he scratched a certain part of your head, you would’ve been a goner and he knew it.

“because i…” you sit up, continuing to resist your inevitable slumber. “i wanna spend more time just with you. you’re too important to me.”

“you’re important to me too.” he replied. “and if you weren’t, i wouldn’t care about your health.”

you can’t help but smile at his words. curse him for caring so much, you almost want to say, but how could you? it’s not like you’d rather he didn’t give a damn at all, you would never. but still, you can’t resist wanting to lay your eyes on him as long as you humanly could.

“ass.” you say, a giggle escaping your mouth with ease.

“butt.” tsukishima grinned, leaning in and planting a kiss on your lips. his kiss felt like a spell to you, and you’d be pulled in each and every time.

as you lay down now, the only source of light being the lamp on the bedside table, you find yourself starting to succumb to the sleep you fought so hard to resist. tsukishima took notice, pulling the blanket over your body and reaching his hands to scratch your head. you fell asleep within seconds, just as he predicted.

tsukishima couldn’t be mad seeing you in this state. sure, he missed you like hell all day, but watching you now, looking so peaceful, tsukishima knew this was one of his favorite sights in the world. if he could sit here and just stare at you like this all day, he would do it instantly.

“i love you, y/n.” he said, gently caressing your cheek, hoping he wouldn’t wake you up. “i know i should say it out loud more often, but i hope you know that i do. there aren’t enough words to describe the feeling, but i love you.“

even if you didn’t hear tsukishima, you could still feel his love just from him sitting beside you. you feel it when you look at his face down to when you yap your mouth off while he just listens. you would never feel this with anyone else, and you would forever try to savor it.

© plutoccult / 310802. please do not copy, repost, modify, or translate any of my content in or outside of tumblr. reblogs are appreciated <3

[floylia]

ELYSIAN ♫

05. Time is a bargaining tool

Time is a bargaining tool.

Scara knew that.

“You want me to feature on your album?” You repeated Scara’s words, beginning to doubt your ability to hear, “Do you realize how risky that is?”

Scara bobbed his head with pleased a expression etched on his face as if his words weren’t weighted with worry, “That’s why I asked you if you were ready to take a risk.”

You stood up, unable to sit still, now pacing across the room. Bambi must have sensed your unease, because he too, started following you while rubbing himself against your legs, “On a normal occasion, I wouldn’t mind. But you’re playing with two careers here. I might sound frustrating, refusing your offer, but don’t blame me for being realistic.”

“When have I ever cared about reputations?”

You fought the urge to smack him back into his senses.

“Never, but you’re in an industry where the public’s opinion can change the trajectory of the career you’ve established for years.”

And I don’t want you to go through that as well.

“We’re not puppets.”

“That’s debatable.”

Scara sighed, tousling his hair once again—his nervous habit, “We shouldn’t let them control us.”

It’s easier said than done.

But you understood where he was coming from.

You faced him, offering your utmost sincerity, “I don’t want to drag you in my mess. Nor do I want to cause more trouble than necessary.”

Silence engulfed the room. You glanced over at your friend. He’s deep in thought, gaze intense, expression unreadable. But you knew he was scheming, thinking of ways to persuade you—anything to assure you that all’s well, ends well.

Because what Scara wants, Scara gets.

“How long is your hiatus?”

You shrugged your shoulder and decided to sit back down. Bambi trailed you as he leaped up the bed and onto your lap. Clingy cats are the best, “I don’t know, but they’ll probably kick me out before it’s over. I have less than three months left, anyway.”

“What if we use this opportunity?”

“What do you mean?”

He crossed his arms, “Tell your story. Your silence leaves for more assumptions to grow.”

“I would if they let me use my voice. I was planning to wait until my contract is up to take legal actions.”

He tilted his head, “Why can’t you now?”

“Because they’re silencing me. Especially since my accuser is from the same company,” You deadpanned, stating the obvious, a detail he may have forgotten.

Scaramouche scoffed in disbelief, eyebrows furrowed as he shook his head in disapproval, “But they’re willing to throw you under the bus and take her side over you?”

“Which is why I don’t want to be responsible for ruining the career you’ve built for years. Even my friends are receiving unnecessary hate just because they’re connected to me.”

“So it’s a lost cause?”

You nodded.

“Can you…” Scara hesitated, wondering if he should continue, “Can you think it over some more? At least until your hiatus is up?”

You crossed your arms, failing to hide the faint smile creeping across your lips, “You sound desperate.”

“Enjoying my misery?”

“Absolutely.”

“I’ll win you over, just wait.”

Time is a bargaining tool.

You realized that.

Notes:

“We’re not puppets.” Haha so about that

another update cause i feel bad for ghosting 🫡

hope you all enjoy :))

i’m sorry if i couldn’t tag you (bolded = couldn’t tag)

Synopsis: After 7 years of enduring the media’s relentless pursuit of painting you as a villain, you’re forced to go through an indefinite hiatus with a tainted reputation on your head. However, just when you thought your career was over, a certain 5WIRL member wants you to feature on his solo career. Surely, this won’t affect your reputation once more, would it?

Scaramouche x fem!reader

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Taglist (open!): @aruatsu @magicalink @featuredtofu @scarasbaby @veekoko @v4lerixxq @scaranthropy @the-ghost-0f-t0m0 @vernith @thystarsshine @lily-lmao @lovemari @mellowberrie @kunikuzushis-darling @skyoverkill1 @alatusorrow @kukikoooo @kyon-cherri @keiiqq @tzuw1ce @xiaossocksniffer @kaitfae @infinitetrashbag @lvnalxve @lovelypadisarah @ulquiorraswife @sketcheeee @atyour-kitchencounter @pirate-of-the-dark-seas @neiiuna @sn1perz @kazioli @inelenastyle @hearts4shu @wisheslost @Kazeyozuha @kazumiku @Eostopiastar @chemiru @bananasquash @mujiwuji @danhenglovebot @chocolatesandvanilla @boomie-123 @kookiibun @help-whatdoimakemyusername @vavrin @beaniedoodz @misterpoofin

[silhouetteonpaper]

Avenging Is A Hobby

Summary: Going to school while simultaneously saving the world was supposed to be easy. But when your long list of missed assignments poses an issue, you realize something has to change. Wanda Maximoff x Reader WC: 2,453 Warnings: Mentions of combat, school struggles, not completely proofread

Staring at the bright computer screen in front of you, it was like the numbers on the page were runic symbols you couldn’t decipher. With a sigh, you close out of the tab containing your math homework, promising yourself you’ll complete it tomorrow.

Is that a lie? Probably, and unfortunately your math grade can only take so many more hits before a red ‘F’ lines your grade sheet. You originally thought balancing college and being an Avenger would be manageable, but slowly you’re starting to find that isn’t the case.

Back when the Avengers asked you to join their team, you agreed regardless of your plans to attend college. You always assumed being a ‘superhero’ was a hobby, and that you were more of a sidekick than anything else. Having a degree to fall back on was the smartest decision since you felt you weren’t really needed on the team. Once classes started, things were smooth sailing. Training after lectures, joining missions that didn’t conflict with classes, finishing homework on the quinjet, it was working out great.

But after the first semester you soon realized saving the world takes up a lot of stamina, leaving you too tired to even turn in a completed assignment. After seeing the horrors of the real world out on missions, you’d come back to the compound too exhausted to care about trivial things like schoolwork. It started to reflect on your grades, a few classes slipping from A’s to B’s, maybe even C’s. And your worst subject of all: math, all the way down to a D. If you kept up this rigorous agenda, the rest of your grades would increasingly suffer.

So, here you are procrastinating your math homework for the fourth night in a row. It’s already late, and your tired brain is in no place to even attempt solving any math problems, leaving you to head to bed.

A part of you feels bad for not completing each assignment on time, or for not caring as much as you probably should. But the other half of you is almost relieved to push the thought of school out of your mind, at least for the night.

The next day, you wake up in preparation for an early morning class. The entire team is already up by the time you step out into the kitchen. They’re all dressed in their combat suits, which was unusual for a normal morning.

“Hey, do you have class today?” Steve questions as you step up to the kitchen counter. The entire team seems to be devising a plan as they read over Tony’s tablet and talk with one another.

“Uh, yeah. Why, what’s up?” You ask with a curious expression. It looks like the team is preparing for a last minute mission, one you weren’t aware of. Your guess is Steve was about to invite you to join, seeing as the entire team was already planning on tagging along.

“Never mind, have a great class. We’ll be gone for most of the day, so we will see you later tonight.” Steve smiles as he moves to grab some toast from the opposite counter. You furrow your eyebrows in contemplation, missing one class wouldn’t hurt, right? You didn’t feel like confronting your bad grades today anyways.

“Actually, I don’t have to go. I can help you guys out today,” You voice. Wanda’s eyebrow raises as your comment, overhearing the entire thing. It’s uncharacteristic of you to skip a class, especially for a mission that was fully covered.

“Perfect, we leave in 30.” Steve tells you before heading over to talk details with Tony. You nod, grabbing an apple on your way to go change. In your haste to make it back to your bedroom, you don’t hear the strawberry-blonde following behind.

“What was that all about?” Wanda asks as you approach your bedroom door. You stop in your tracks, turning slowly as you look to the woman behind you.

“What was what?” You shrug, taking a bite of your apple. What did Wanda think you were up to? Did she somehow know about your wavering grades? You know she doesn’t look inside her friend’s minds unprovoked, but right now you’re on edge.

“Skipping class to join us? You haven’t skipped since that space mission we needed you for. I thought Steve made it clear you were good to miss out on this one?” She questions with crossed arms.

You tilt your head nonchalantly, attempting to be unsuspecting. “I don’t have much work to do in this class, if anything I’m ahead,” you like, looking directly into Wanda’s unsure eyes. “Besides, what’s so bad about having an extra hand today?”

Wanda thinks for a moment, and you can tell she’s weighing her belief in your excuse. Finally, she drops her arms and sighs. “Alright, I’ll see you on the jet.” You smile and nod, turning back into your room and shutting the door as a wave of relief washes over you.

You hope she isn’t on to you, but Wanda knows you well. She was the one who convinced you to follow your goal of getting a degree in the first place, which might make her equally disappointed if you don’t follow through.

But at the end of the day, what’s your true calling? Do you want to be an Avenger full time? Certainly they don’t need you enough for that… you’re simply a helping hand on the occasional mission. There’s no reason to think about it any longer, as the quinjet will be leaving soon and you’re perfectly happy in your current position. Right?

It doesn’t take long for you to slip on your suit and meet the team out on the landing pad. Tony already has the engines running when you hop on board, backpack in hand just in case you decide to get some school work done.

The team spreads out, some standing by the screen as more mission details are displayed, while others sit on various chairs and benches. You get comfy in one of the leather seats, your laptop propped on your lap as you scroll through all the red highlighted assignments marked ‘missing’. Sighing, you begin to take on the first one. Of course it’s the one you dread most, math.

It’s not like you are lazy and don’t want to do it, the numbers on the page just don’t make sense to you. And why would you care about some stupid numbers if there’s lives that need saving? Still, the ride on the jet leaves you with plenty of time to trudge through your assignments.

A few questions in and your mind already feels scrambled. “Hey Wanda? Could I get some help with this?” You ask the strawberry-blonde sitting across the way. She nods, moving to the empty seat next to you and peering over your shoulder at the laptop screen.

Although Wanda isn’t extremely amazing at math like Tony, she’s a great teacher. Even if she doesn’t know a specific problem, she’ll be right there by your side to figure it out together. Plus, you wouldn’t dare ask Tony to explain calculus if you didn’t want a full fledged speech on the importance of applying it to physics.

Wanda stares at your screen for a moment, furrowing her brow as she tries to work out the complicated problem in her head. You feel the urge to stretch your legs, the first few problems taking a decent amount of time. “I’m going to use the restroom and walk around for a minute while you look at that.” You tell her.

She nods, taking your laptop from you as you stand and head to the bathroom. Her eyes flit across the screen, the math problem equally as difficult to her. She wonders if there are any other math assignments you could work on, giving you the opportunity to come back to this problem later.

Wanda glances up, seeing no sign of you. She notices the button to go to your school portal, her hands moving the cursor off the math assignment and over to the long list of all assigned school work. 

She tries to hide her surprised expression when the red words ‘missing’ are listed down more than half the page. Wanda scrolls through the vast list of homework marked with red, her eyebrows raising as it keeps going. She knew something was up, and it hits her now exactly why you wanted to skip class.

Wanda has seen what she’s needed to see, her worries now validated. Before you appear back beside her, she closes out of your school portal and returns to the assignment at hand. She has to say something, but she knows it’s not a good idea to talk to you about it in front of the entire team, especially before a mission. The last thing she wants is to make a display of things and throw you off your game.

Instead, she waits until everyone is back at the compound, now preparing for bed after a successful mission. “Hey, do you have a second?” Wanda appears at your bedroom door as you finish drying your hair after a shower.

“Yeah, what’s up?” You ask, sitting on the bed and patting the spot next to you. She sits, taking a moment to think how to phrase everything. It pains her to think she had to go behind your back in a way to find out what was wrong, even if it wasn’t on purpose. But even worse than that, she feels hurt that you never mentioned you were struggling to anyone.

“When I was helping you with your homework, I happened to take a look at the other assignments… just to see if there was other math you could work on,” your heart drops as she takes a breath. “I saw all the missing assignments you have. What’s going on?”

You feel the familiar weight of disappointment filling your chest. Of course Wanda was going to find out, even without entering your mind, she can read you too well. Now it’s your turn to take a moment to think. Do you admit you’re falling behind? Do you make up an excuse? Regardless of what you choose, you quickly realize there’s no tricking Wanda. You have to tell her the truth.

“I’ve been falling behind in my classes, and my grades are starting to suffer too… I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner—I just didn’t want to disappoint anyone.” You admit, the words flowing out of you. You had hoped telling someone the truth would lift the heavy weight of disappointment, but it doesn’t, you still feel like a failure.

Wanda takes a deep breath as she places a hand atop your arm. “I’m not disappointed, I just want to know why this is happening. Is something wrong at school?” She asks with a soft expression. Meeting her gaze, you realize she truly isn’t mad, frustrated, or even disappointed like she said. She really does want to help.

“Each time I come home from a mission, after seeing cities demolished, people killed, and families torn apart, I can’t just sit down and complete and assignment. I feel like I could be doing more, I should be doing more.” The words that slip out of you feel… right. It’s the truth, and you didn’t even realize it until now. You want to do more. But compared to the other heroes on the team, there’s no way you could be a true Avenger.

“Hey, if that’s what you want, I want you to go for it. Have you considered becoming an Avenger full time?” Wanda asks, your gaze falling to the floor.

“Yeah… but I feel like you guys are more than capable without me. You complete missions all the time while I’m in class, you don’t need me.” You voice, watching Wanda’s expression fall.

She grabs your hand with both of hers, making sure you look her in the eye before she speaks. “I promise you that you are needed. You are an Avenger whether you pursue school full time or if you drop out completely. There’s a reason we keep you around,” She smiles, a warm glint in her eye as you take another deep breath. “You’re not just a fighter, you’re also quick-witted, empathetic, intelligent, and I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t by my side each time we board that jet.”

You look at her with watering eyes, those words finally washing away all of your doubts. The entire time you were so worried about not being enough for the team, Wanda already counted you in. “Thank you, Wanda,” you give her a smile through your teary eyes as she squeezes your hand. “I think I’m going to drop out, I can get a degree anytime, but there are lives that need saving now.”

Wanda grins, nodding at your decision. “We better let the team know, they’ll be overjoyed.” She tells you, pulling you up from the bed. You laugh, covering your surprise at the mentioned support over your choice. Does everyone really want you on the team full time?

Your question is quickly answered after you inform the group of your decision. “So, yeah, I’ll be free 24/7 for training and missions, and whatnot…” You work around saying it how it is, just in case anyone is unhappy with your choice. But to your surprise, the entire team cheers.

“Anyone who crosses us better watch out!” Steve exclaims.

“Thank god, now I don’t have to spar with Steve.” Nat teases, earning an elbow to the side from him as you laugh.

“Now I can train the future rocket scientist myself!” Tony adds, chuckling as you roll your eyes at him. You look over to Wanda, who’s grinning almost as wide as you. Thank you, you mouth to her, getting a warm nod in response. 

The group continues throwing praise your way, leaving you elated in place of the disappearing frustration. You understand why you felt the need to hide your struggles, but now you know there’s no benefit to it. The group of people standing here have proved their fondness for you, all that’s left is for you to knock down the last wall you built out of insecurity. The only thing that got in your way was yourself, and you now see that just a little support from a close friend can make all the difference. It seems that suddenly, the wall is gone, and in its place is an amazing team of heroes.

As the conversation slows down, Tony’s eagerness still remains. “Now that we’ve got a rock solid team, I say let’s party!"

[iheartyouyou]

SWEETHEART | Jeremiah Fisher

Summary: After your parents file for a divorce, you’re forced to move in with your mom’s friend until the divorce is finalized. You wished you could stay with your dad and your friends, but when you meet Jeremiah Fisher, that changes. And now you’re wanting to stay in the Cousins. Too bad things don’t last forever.

Word Count: 2.0k

Part: 7

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Authors Note: Fun fact I made this part so long that I had to split it in half. Anyways, no spoilers but the finale of tsitp???? 😍 (Wouldn’t let me tag some people :( )

Why’d you have to be such a complete idiot?

Now everything was going to be awkward. Why didn’t you just kiss him? You barely knew the dude though, and didn’t he have a girlfriend.

You groan as another message from your friends’ group chat comes in, talking about plans for the yearly fair that happened every summer.

How do you tell them to stop talking about plans in the same group chat as you as it’s making you jealous and your life over here is going to shit.

Putting your phone on silent, you shove your phone somewhere underneath your pillows as you exit your room, walking to the bathroom.

“…to the dinner— Y/N!” Belly shouts, stopping you in your tracks as you peeked your head into her room.

She sends you a smile, mascara wand in hand. She motions to her flower crown “Susannah got us these, you don’t have to wear it but yours is on the nightstand.”

You don’t miss the way Taylor rolls her eyes, turning away so she can’t see you.

“Thanks.” You smile, grabbing the crown.

“You should get ready with us for dinner! You know who’s coming? Cam.” Belly says, turning back to the mirror so she can finish her mascara.

“Cam…?”

“Sextus.”

“Oh yeah, that guy. You guys are official?”

Belly shrugs, a blush forming on her cheeks. “We’re also going to a party later, it was Taylor’s idea. Maybe you can borrow some of her clothes so you can hookup with someone there.”

“My clothes probably wouldn’t fit her…” Taylor mumbles, putting on the flower crown as she stares at herself in the mirror.

“I have my own clothes anyway, plus I don’t really want to ‘hookup with someone’.”

Belly turns to face you, one of her eyebrows raising in confusion before it falls back down. “Oh right, you’re hooking up with Jere.”

“What?” You quickly ask, checking behind you to make sure Jeremiah (or anybody for that matter) didn’t hear that.

Belly rolls her eyes, “I totally walked in on some date thing last night.”

“We were watching movies because of a bet—“

“Yeah sure.” Belly sarcastically remarks.

The whole conversation seemed to take Taylor’s interest as she finally turned to face you. “We all know his rep, wouldn’t be surprised.” She said to Belly, even though she was staring at you.

You furrow your eyebrows, “What rep?”

“His “hooking up with everybody” rep. Don’t know a single person here he hasn’t hooked up with.” Belly jokes, finishing her mascara as she shoves it into her makeup bag.

Hooking up with everybody? So, what, you were just another name he was trying to check off the list? Is that why he tried to make a move after barely just knowing you?

“Surprised he hasn’t made a move on me.” Taylor says, putting her hands on her hips.

“Taylor.” Belly warns, rolling her eyes. “Look, Jere Bear hasn’t hooked up with anybody since you’ve got here… well I think, anyway you should be fine.”

“Oh…” You mumble, scratching your arm as your grip on the flower crown tightened.

Taylor whips out her phone, sitting on the edge of Belly’s bed as she scrolled through whatever.

“How do you like… I don’t know, know that he hasn’t hooked up with anyone.. since… y’know.” You find yourself hesitantly asking, shifting your weight onto your left foot.

Belly groans dramatically, “He always comes to me and talks about them, with WAY too many details, it’s so gross but he’s always like “what should I do? should I call them back?” She mimics him in the last part.

Jeremiah Fisher was attractive. Okay, well, he’s probably the hottest guy you’ve ever seen and probably the first and last hottie to ever show you attention. And you hated hearing about this newfound information Belly was giving you, and even if you did let Jeremiah Fisher kiss you in that pool, there will be someone better looking and you’ll just be another name crossed off the list.

Belly basically shrieks when her phone goes off, jumping up and down as she looks in between you and Taylor. “Cam’s here!”

-

Can someone please bury me six feet underground?

Dinner was so awkward.

Well, maybe just for you.

But you could feel the awkwardness between you and Jeremiah, he avoided looking and talking to you. It was like you weren’t even there.

And you tried to not look at him, but sometimes you kind of just had to. Like, your eyes drifted there and you wouldn’t even realize it until someone would smack the table from a joke or a loud laugh coming from somewhere around the table.

“So why don’t you eat meat, Cam?” Jeremiah asked, stuffing his food into his mouth.

“Uh, the meat industry is like the number one contribution to global warming.“ He shrugs before continuing, “And I just like animals.”

“Just don’t come for my leather jacket.” Taylor quips, a smile on her face.

So what? She was nice to everybody but you? What the hell did you do to her?

“Pretty sure you mean pleather” Steven jokes, acting offended when Taylor flips him off.

Your eyes feel heavy, you just want to eat, clean up, and go to sleep.

“Y’know, uh, Belly eats meat. So, you let her kiss you with those lips?” Jeremiah says, taking a sip of his water.

“Guys.” Belly starts, already annoyed as her face gets hotter and hotter by the second. “Stop”

Cam chuckles, “I don’t judge people for eating meat, it’s just a personal choice, I don’t care”

Jeremiah continued his questions, “So you don’t mind if her lips touch a dead animal and those dead animal lips touch your lips, right?”

Belly sends a hard kick to Jeremiah, earning a small “ow” as Belly looks over to you for help. You shrugged.

“Pretty sure that’s not how that works, Jeremiah.”

For the first time that night Jeremiah looked at you, eyes wide with amusement. “And how would you know? Have you ever kissed someone, Y/N?”

You feel your cheeks getting hot with embarrassment as you shake your head. “I have.”

He mocks a surprised face, “You just kiss certain people or…?”

“I don’t kiss wannabe playboys—“ You start, ready to get up and slap him across the face if you had to before Cam interjected.

“No, it’s fine. I don’t mind at all—in fact…” Cam turns, pressing his lips to Belly in a quick peck. Enough for you and Jeremiah to stop talking, as well as the rest of the table.

It was quiet for a few moments as you stared at Belly in shock before Jeremiah and Steven started making gagging noises.

“Alright, alright, Belly’s allowed to kiss.” Laurel defends her, before she points at fork at Cam. “But that’s it.” She then bursts out into laughter as if it was the funniest thing ever.

“Mom, please!” Belly groans, “You’re so not funny, no more wine for you okay?”

“I’m sorry but I just don’t understand why anybody would want to kiss somebody who once fully shat in the bathtub.” Steven grimaces, using his hands to emphasis the point.

“I was like two years old!”

“Two? You were like six!” Steven says, both him and Jeremiah laughing their asses off.

“Shut up, Steven!” Belly shouts.

And after a few more quips back and forth, you zoned out as you played with the remainder of your food. You could hear your moms laughter in the background, nice to know she’s all happy.

The last thing said was Belly announcing they were going to Nicoles party before everybody one by one left the table, cleaning up and putting their dishes away.

You were one of the first.

You managed to escape upstairs after you cleaned up, ready to take a hot shower and sleep until 1 pm before Belly the announcer, once again announced that Cam would be giving you guys a ride as Jeremiah already left.

-

“You mind taking a picture of us?” Taylor asks, already handing you her phone before you could respond. You clench your jaw before nodding, waiting for the two of them to pose before snapping a picture.

Tossing the phone back to Taylor, unbothered to see if she caught it or not your eyes scan the outside of the house. Cup pong was going on near the front door, music blaring from inside of the house and you could see multiple people in there from the windows.

You follow the two girls into the house, Cam following shortly behind you.

As soon as you walked in, someone was sliding down the rail of the stairs. Surprisingly no liquid falling out of the cup they were holding.

“Belly! You came!” You see Nicole come out, her arms held out wide as she engulfs Belly into a hug.

The two shared compliments before Nicole dragged Belly into another room to show everybody else her flower crown.

“I’m gonna go find a drink, what about you Y/N?” Taylor mumbles, already taking off to the living room.

Your eyebrows furrowed, following her nonetheless as a drink did sound good. Taylor was already pouring herself a drink, handing you a empty cup once you were next to her.

She lightly elbows you, motioning you to Jeremiah who was sitting close by. “There’s your boyfriend.”

You look over, seeing how close Jeremiah was to the guy across from him. He was already staring at you, making awkward eye contact before you broke it.

Grabbing the first bottle you saw, you poured it into your cup before taking a large sip of it. And damn was it strong.

By the time you looked back at Jeremiah, he was already making out with the guy.

Taylor scoffs, “Guess Belly was wrong, you could totally find a way hotter guy here. C’mon.” She takes you by the arm, dragging you into another room as she looked for a “hotter guy”

“What about that guy?” She asks, motioning to a guy who was chugging a drink.

“Uh.. no.” You shake your head, confused as to why all of the sudden Taylor was being nice to you. It was if the second Belly ditched her, you were the second best option.

“Yeah, probably not. But I mean any guy here is better than Jeremy—“ She starts, pulling your arm to pull you into another room before you stop her. “Why are you being so nice?”

“What?” She makes a sour face at you, letting you go.

“You were acting like a total bitch earlier and now you’re acting like we’re besties.” You say straight up.

She rolls her eyes, “Are you that sensitive? I’m just trying to help you find someone! Unless you wanna go hookup with Jeremiah over there.”

“Why is it always about Jeremiah?”

“Because he obviously has the hots for you, well had them because now he clearly wants nothing to do with you.” She hissed.

Oh how bad you wanted to smack this bitch so hard right across the face her flower crown would fly off.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Really? Because he wouldn’t stop mentioning you earlier, saying he would be the one to give you a ride here yet you third wheeled with me.”

You gritted your teeth, “Why do you even care? Why are you all up in my business? This has nothing to do with you.”

“Because Belly also talks about you ALL the time! Maybe if you didn’t do whatever you did and messed things up, you would be hanging out with Jeremy and leaving me and Belly alone. I’m her best friend, not you. You hardly know her, actually, you hardly know anybody in this goddamn place so why don’t you go back to wherever you came from and make everybody’s lives easier?” She stormed off before you could even answer, stomping upstairs and leaving you with your thoughts.

You looked around, seeing as a few people were staring your way. You moved around bodies as you made your way outside, itting on one of the chairs nearby.

You hate this place. Just a few more days, then you can tell Susannah you want to go home, she’ll fly you home, you can stay with your dad and never see any of these people ever again.

Taylor was just a bitch who was jealous that her friend had other friends who weren’t her.

Fuck your life.

Taglist: @mindflay3r @lexi-2004 @buckys2thicc @agoodmansaid @jeremiahfisherslover @yourfavoritefangirl @leslienjazzy @natsgaygf @justkayleighhere @puptails @simp4jackharlow @yobabygirlally @whenmypartysover @mariaelizabeth21-blog1 @medusaslilsister @maexxc @siriuslysmoking @nowimyurdaisy @totallynotkaibiased @eevee0722 @theyallhaveluv4lyricb @wh0reforstefansalvatore @pariahsparadise @alice3612 @pancakelover837373 @angelbabyyy99 @lillygwenstacy @khloe-193 @buckysh0e @nctma15 @lovelygloomm @ashlenxx @yeosxxx

[sequinsmile-x]

I Knew You'd Linger Like a Tattoo Kiss - Forehead Kisses

-x-

A series of unrelated one-shots and mini fics about the many types of kisses Aaron and Emily share.

-x-

Hi friends,

Is it 2 am where I live? Yes. Should I be asleep? Definitely. Did I write this instead...yes. Yes I did.

Anyway, this is just very soft, and has a good dose of Emily/Jack softness too.

Please see the masterlist for a full list of tags, and the list of prompts for this series.

As always, please let me know what you think <3

-x-

Words: 2.3k

Warnings: Mentions of sickness (nothing detailed - they just have the flu)

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

Aaron is woken up by his girlfriend’s wracking cough. 

It makes him wince, sure it must be painful, and he sits up, blearily reaching for the lamp on the nightstand with one hand and for her with the other. He rubs soothing circles on her back as the room is bathed in low, warm light, and he winces again at the way she sucks in a breath. Emily coughs again and presses her hand against her sternum, her ribs aching with the movement. Her entire chest ached, a kind of pain that went hand in hand with the pounding in her head.

“Fuck,” she chokes out when she finally gets her breath back. She turns to look at Aaron and clears her throat, grimacing when it feels like she’s swallowed razor blades, and she offers him a shaky smile, “I’m okay.”

“Clearly,” he hums and leans in to kiss her forehead, concern flicking in his gut at the temperature of her skin. He looks at her nightstand and sees the empty glass he’d filled with water when they went to bed, “Want me to go get you some water?” 

She nods against him, “Yes please.”

He smiles and kisses her forehead, “I’ll be right back sweetheart.” 

She groans in response, purposely ignoring the laugh he fails to cover, and she slumps back onto the bed, her arms wrapping around his pillow as she buries her face in it, desperately hoping that the comforting scent of him would make it past her blocked nose. She grumbles when it doesn’t, cursing whoever she’d caught the flu from, no longer able to deny that she was sick like she’d been trying to the last couple of days. 

She only realises she’s drifted off to sleep when he wakes her, his hand gentle on her shoulder as he smiles at her, offering her a glass of water and some meds. She takes them gratefully, not missing how the corner of his mouth turns upwards when she takes the Tylenol without argument. 

“I’m sorry,” she says, placing the glass down on her nightstand before she curls up around him when he climbs back into bed. 

He frowns and tilts his head to look down at her, “What for?” 

“I should have just gone to mine,” she replies, “We haven’t been together long enough for you to see me like this.” 

It had only been two months. Two happy, joyful months stuffed full of more love than she’d felt in her entire life, the home she’d been looking for found with the man she’d loved longer than she would care to admit and his son. With anyone else, she’d worry it was all going too fast. She’d have run in the other direction if anyone other than Aaron had told her they loved her before they’d even left her apartment for their first date, but she’d said it back without thinking. 

She didn’t want to run anywhere anymore unless it was towards him and Jack anymore. 

He chuckles and kisses her forehead, wrapping his arms around her to tug her closer, encircling her with his embrace as if that alone could make her better, “What? So I could lay here all night worrying about you?” He quips, smiling when she rolls her eyes at him, “I want to look after you. I love you.” 

She pouts, allowing her headache, sore throat and the warmth of his embrace to let her settle into the pull of self-pity, “Even when I’m all gross?” 

“You’re never gross,” he says, leaning in for a kiss, laughing when a cough rips free of her chest and stops him. He rubs a hand up and down her back and settles for kissing her forehead instead, “But yes, even then.” 

She groans and buries her face in his neck, pleased when smelling him from the source works, when the scent of him, of home, somehow makes it through her blocked nose, “I love you too.” 

___

The moment he has to wake Jack up, instead of finding him in the kitchen already dressed for school, he knows he’s caught the flu too. He sits on the edge of Jack’s bed and winces at the feel of his forehead.

“Oh buddy, I think you’re going to have to stay home from school.” 

Jack groans, “My head hurts,” he says, his lack of argument about not going to school, something he loved, enough of a sign of how horrible he was feeling. 

“I know,” he says, pushing his hair from his forehead, “Want to go lay in the big bed with Emily whilst I get some medicine to make you feel better? She’s still not very well either.”

He was hoping that she wouldn’t be going to work either, was a conversation he was yet to have with his girlfriend, who was still lying in his bed and insisting that she was going even though she’d barely slept. Jack nods and Aaron stands up, offering his son his hand to help him out of bed. They walk the short distance to the master bedroom hand in hand, and Aaron hides a smile when Emily sits up in the bed, pretending she hadn’t fallen asleep again in the few minutes he’d been gone. 

“One more for the sick bed,” he says, letting go of Jack’s hand so he can clamber onto the bed.

“Oh, sweet boy,” Emily says, opening her arms up for Jack as he makes it to her side, gathering him against her chest and kissing his forehead, “I’m sorry you’re sick.” 

“Why are you sorry, Emmy?” He asks, furrowing his brow as he looks up at her, “It’s not your fault.” 

She smiles at him and runs her fingers through his hair, his innocence, the way he looks at her with such adoration, immediately ridding her chest of the guilt that had started to build there at the thought of making him sick, “It’s just not nice to see someone you love not feeling very well,” she says, looking over at Aaron, smiling when their eyes meet, “That’s all.” 

He nods and rests his head against her chest again, curling up into her embrace, seeking out the maternal love he’d been robbed of at such a young age, “Daddy says I can’t go to school, so if you’re sick too you can’t go to work, right? So you’ll stay home with me?” 

Aaron, barely, covers a laugh and she looks up at him, briefly narrowing her eyes, a silent well played in the air around them before she looks back at Jack curled up in her arms, and she realises there were much worse ways to spend her day than cuddled up with the little boy she already loved as her own. 

“Yes, sweetheart,” she says, kissing the top of his head, her eyes drifting closed as she breathes him in, “I’m going to stay home with you.”

___

He finds himself watching the clock, impatiently waiting for the day to come to an end so he can go home to Emily and Jack, his skin almost itching to see them. 

He’d offered to stay home too, feeling guilty that his girlfriend would otherwise be looking after his son whilst she was sick herself, but she’d waved him off. Assured him that she didn’t mind and that they’d be fine, an honest smile on her face as she winked at Jack and told him to pick out some movies for their day snuggling on the couch. Every time he thought he couldn’t be more in love with her she proved him wrong, his chest swelling with it as he watched her encourage Jack to take the cough medicine she herself had dubbed disgusting in the middle of the night, taking her dose without even flinching to let his son know it would be okay. He kissed them both on the forehead before he left for the office, and he left them under a pile of blankets on the couch, snuggled together in one corner as Emily whispered to Jack that, despite the flu that had hit them both hard, they’d have a fun day. 

He’s trying to focus on his paperwork, irritation thrumming under his skin every time he looks at the clock to find only a few minutes had passed, but it feels pointless, all of his attention on the updates Emily would send him every now and again. The most recent one was a photo of her and Jack, the little boy fast asleep against her, his mouth open and his cheek pressed against her chest, and a teasing caption to go along with it. 

Bad news - I think he’s taken your place as my favourite Hotchner. 

“You should go home.” 

He looks up to the door of his office and finds Dave standing there, his hands in his pocket as he leans against the door frame and smirks at him. Aaron sighs and looks at the clock, “It’s only 2 pm, Dave. I can’t go home yet.” 

“Why? Because you’re being so productive sat here wishing you were at home?” He says, raising his eyebrow, his smirk somehow deepening when Aaron opens his mouth to respond, cutting him off before he can even attempt to deny it, “Go home. I’ll deal with Strauss if she says anything.” 

It’s Aaron’s turn to raise his eyebrow, “I won’t ask what that means because I’m not sure I want to know.” 

Dave chuckles, “That girlfriend of yours is rubbing off on you,” he says, his voice full of nothing but affection for them both, “Go home. No one is going to hold looking after your family against you.” 

Aaron smiles, the thought of Emily as part of his family one that still warmed him from the inside out, a reaction he hoped would never fade, “I guess not,” he says, nodding as he stands up, his decision made as he packs some paperwork into his briefcase, his smile turning into a smirk as he looks at his friend, “And your encouragement of course has absolutely nothing to do with the wager going around about what time I’d go home today?” 

Dave’s eyes briefly go comically wide before he clears his throat, scratching at the back of his head, “You know about that?” 

“Reid copied me in on the email,” he replies, his smile getting wider when Dave rolls his eyes, “I believe 2 pm was your slot.” 

Dave scoffs, “Damn kid is a genius but can’t use technology to save his life.” 

Aaron laughs and pats him on the shoulder as he passes him, “If you need me for anything-”

“I’ll be sure not to call,” he says, nodding towards the elevators, “Go. We’ve got it covered here.” 

Aaron nods appreciatively and heads out the door, smiling to himself when he sees the way the rest of the team roll their eyes at Dave, mumbling to themselves as they dig into their pockets for their wallets. He texts Emily to say he is on his way home as he gets to his car.

At first, her lack of response worries him, even though logically he knows it means she’s asleep, but he can’t relax until he makes home and finds her and Jack both fast asleep on the couch, the DVD menu of the little boy’s favourite movie playing on a loop on the TV. Aaron smiles at the sight and walks over, crouching down to kiss Emily’s forehead, and then Jack’s, before he stands up straight. He sneaks a photo of the two of them, unable to help himself even though he knows Emily would kill him if she ever found out. Then he carefully tries to unwrap her arms around Jack, intent on putting him in his bed for now so they’d both be more comfortable. He smiles when Emily tightens her hold, her eyebrows furrowing as she barely opens her eyes, her lids seemingly glued together with sleep and just generally not feeling great. 

“It’s okay, Em,” he says, running his hand up and down her arm, “It’s just me.”

“Aaron?” She slurs, blinking to try and open her eyes properly, “You’re home?” 

He feels his heart swell when she refers to his apartment as home and he nods, “I’m home. I’m just going to go put him in his bed okay? Then I’ll be back.”

She nods and kisses the top of Jack’s head before she lets go of him and Aaron lifts him into his arms. He carefully walks down the hall and slips Jack into his bed, desperate to make sure he gets the rest he needs, and he tucks him in, ensuring his favourite toy is within reach before he kisses his forehead and leaves the room. When he makes it back to the living room, Emily is sitting up, rubbing her eyes and groaning. 

“What time is it?” 

“Almost 3 pm,” he says as he joins her on the couch and wraps his arm around her. 

She leans against him immediately, her body heavy against his as she yawns, “You left work early?” 

He kisses her temple, “I left work early.” 

It sits in the air around them, the importance of him doing it, the lessons he’d learned from past mistakes, unspoken but not ignored as they sit there in silence. 

“Honey?” 

He runs his hand up and down her arm, his lips still against her temple as he hums, “Yes, baby?” 

“If you ever show anyone the photo you took, I’ll kill you.” 

[nightdustfallen]

Finally made a ref sheet lol if any of ya'll needed a bit more of a full view to draw em here it is, as well as the accurate non-shadowed colors By the way, you can use the tag "nightly.art" to see all of my art if you dont want to dig thru all of the other art (of lovely and talented people) that i regularly reblog

Which i suppose also segways into an introductory pinned post? perhaps

Well im Nightdust!! my main fursona is this guy above me, he is called Nightdust Fallen, he is a breed of a husky and a wolf, making him extremely fluffy and puffy! The reason for his name is by the fact that (in my head canon or lore) he came from a bunch of fallen space star dust, hence why he likes space so much and staring at the stars, he also has some sort of ice magic i havent fully fleshed out yet, one thing i can say tho is that when he sneezes, he does it softly and he puffs out small ice snowflakes and can freeze things he touches he is also supposed to wear glasses like me but i suck at drawing those and forgot to include them here anyway so

He is very shy, doesnt talk much but is very protective of his very close friends and would do anything to protect them and make sure they're safe, he is a femboy (of course), enjoys listening to calm relaxing music and high octane electronic music at times, is a gamer, likes cuddling up in bed and i think that's it

It also doubles up as a self description of myself so yeah lol Still tho feel free to send me an ask if you have any questions or anything, with that said onwards to more personal stuff

I enjoy drawing obviously, but i also enjoy cooking stuff and origami, i play a lot of roblox usually to pass time but a game i really got into is "Voices of the Void" i really recommend but it's not for everyone, i like the game's concept and how detailed the space is there. For some reason, a lot of the time i am cold, my hands, feet, nose and limbs overall are very cold which is why i thought about giving my oc some ice magic thing. I am taken, in a relationship with my cutie bunny bf, and my sexuality is bisexual. As said before i do not talk much since im not the social type and usually freeze up or dont know what to say, hence why sometimes i take a long time to respond to something or my response is "dry" or not full of much emotion since i dont really know what to say or feel like im annoying if i talk too much. If you read thru all of that and get here then reply with the word bean so i know you're a true one hehe. I also often wait for others to start the conversation rather than me starting since i again, feel like i would bother the other person or like i could distract them if they are doing something

Anyways i believe that is pretty much it, thank for reading all of this if you did, and i probably didnt mention lots of details i should have but they arent coming to my mind right now

[redlittlefoxari]

Astarion Epilogue: An Adventure in Making Life: Chapter Eight: In too Deep in Waterdeep

Relationship: Astarion x Tav

Warnings: NSFW18+, angst, smut, Pregnancy, Fluff.

*This chapter contains Smut*

Summary: Tav and the others finally make it to Waterdeep. Before the whole gang can get back together Tav and Astarion decide to do some shopping and take a bath to wash their travel-worn bodies.

Master List

People who want to be tagged: @lunaredgrave @ofmyth-andmagicart

Twelve weeks pregnant

The following two weeks went by without any incident. You did your best not to blow up at anyone, and the others did their best not to mention your “sickness,” deeming it a sensitive topic. You leaned into the idea more and more and let their imaginations fill in the blanks as to what they thought it was. You gave little details, only ones that would play in your favor, such as, despite being sick, you wished to celebrate your good friend’s accomplishment. You started taking the herbs in front of them to drive home further that you were doing something to “fix your sickness.”

In the last town you passed, you and Astarion bought you some new armor, this time with less padding and with a band around the waist that allowed it to be resized if need be. You had to sacrifice better armor, but that was the price you had to pay actually to have armor at all.

“How are you feeling today?” Wyll found you coming back from the dense bushes as you needed to make a stop.

“Better so far, I’ve been able to keep everything down.” So far today, you haven’t thrown up, but you did feel more exhausted.

“That’s good…. Do you think you’ll uhh….” Wyll fumbled with his words, trying to find a polite way to ask if you would get better or if this was something that would take you from this plane sooner than they all would have wished.

“I think I’ll live. Jaheira said it’s just a matter of time before I feel better. She said maybe by the end of the year.” The lies were coming easier.

“That’s fantastic. How did you even contract this sickness?” Wyll was treading a little too close and asking far too many questions, but with your second trimester only two weeks away, you felt that it was okay to give more information.

“Oh, you know…. On an adventure, Astarion and I had taken us a while to realize what was wrong with me, but we figured it out.” Wyll nodded at your response.

“I’m just glad to hear you will be okay… I don’t know what Astarion would do if he lost you.” Wyll looked to the Vampire who was talking to Karlach.

“Me either but that hopefully won’t happen for a long while I’m only a hundred and twenty.” Wyll laughed at your response.

“Only! You elves really are lucky.”

The two of you walked back to the others, changing the subject to something a little less dire. Both Astarion and Karlach stopped talking and turned towards their respective partners. Astarion kissed you on the top of your head, and you leaned into him as he asked you if you were okay.

“It’s a shame the two of you can’t have children. You would make great parents.” Karlach gave the two of you a broad smile that showed her teeth.

The two of you froze. You tried to keep a look of fear from showing on your face as the group's eyes bore into you two. Wyll elbowed Karlach in the ribs and muttered something under his breath.

“Oh fuck I should have kept that to myself. I’m sorry.” Karlach rubbed the back of her head and looked away, embarrassed and ashamed.

“Yes, we’ll…. We have each other, and that’s all that counts.” Astarion spoke for you.

“Yes, and it’s tough for elves to have children anyway. We only have a certain number of souls, so we have to wait to be reincarnated.” You shrugged. “And we live for so long, so you have to wait for a natural death or a planned one.”

You could cut the tension with a knife. “Let’s get going. we are almost to Waterdeep, and I would like to take a hot bath and lay down on a bed instead of the ground.” Astarion pulled you with him up the dirt road that led to Waterdeep.

The rest of the party followed behind, going the rest of the two-hour walk, giving you and Astarion the space they thought you needed after the conversation about children.

“I will feel way better after the ceremony, and we can tell them the truth.” You whispered so only Astarion could hear.

“I don’t know, I kind of like making everyone feel uncomfortable. It's a lot of fun for me.” Astarion returned the whisper but punctuated his sentence with a laugh.

“I don’t. I feel bad these are our friends. I will be happier not having to keep anything from them.” You let out a heavy sigh.

It didn’t take long, and you could see the city limits of Waterdeep. It was a bustling coastal city that showed like a diamond. The water was crystal blue and had a large port that was the heart of the city. You knew that once you were in the city limits, you should make up any excuse to branch off alone and buy some new clothes since the ones that you brought with you, mainly the pants, no longer fit over your belly. The leather is too tight to give you any leeway.

You and your party walked through the gates, and an apparition of Gale appeared blue in color and slightly translucent. “Greetings, friends! I have sent this apparition to escort you all to my tower, which you will be staying in. If you would be so kind, follow me this way.”

The apparition turned and started walking, which you thought was a little novel since it wasn’t the real Gale and could just float to the destination that it needed to go to next. You giggled slightly at the apparition and Gale for being so literal about everything.

“Umm, hold on a second…” You spoke, and the apparition turned to face you.

“Yes?” It spoke.

“Is the tower that big purple and gold building to the north of the docks?” You pointed to the building in question.

“Indeed it is. Why?” The Apperition’s face mirrored Gales when he was confused.

“Then I think I’ll meet you all there. I want to get a few things before I go to the tower.” The party looked at you quizzically. “It’s just that… this place is warmer than Baldur’s Gate…. The clothes I packed are going to make me overheat in this weather.”

“That makes sense,” Karlach spoke up in your defense. “It is hotter than the hells here, and I should know.”

You sent a silent prayer up to the gods. “Exsactly! So I’m going to take an hour and meet you all back at the tower.”

“I’ll go with you.” Astarion broke from the group. “Someone has to tell you that you look fabulous.”

The others said their goodbyes and promised to see you later at the tower for dinner. You watched as your friends left the two of you alone. Astarion took your hand in his, and you looked at him. The sea air was causing his curls to have more volume and curl more tightly together. He ran his free hand through them to break them apart.

“Let's go to a dress shop… I’m tired of pants.” You looked around and found an outdoor market that had many stalls containing what you were looking for.

“I couldn’t agree more, darling. Plus, you not wearing pants makes it easier to get to all my favorite parts.” He kissed your cheek as it turned red.

“We are not having sex in Gale’s tower. I feel like his creepy apparitions are going to watch.” You started to make your way to the market.

“What are you not into being an exhibitionist? It can be very erotic.”

“I will do just about anything else with you, but I draw the line at having Gale’s creepy walking self-portraits watch us.” You looked up at him.

“I’m going to put that to the test, Darling.” You audibly gulped at his words.

You approached the first stall that had dresses and found that they were all long, beautiful sun dresses that had enough fabric around where your stomach would be to hide the bump that was getting larger by the day. There seemed to be four different styles, and the colors ranged from primarily greens, blues, and purples, with some being just white from not being dyed just yet. You bought two of each dress style in varying colors and one in white. The White one you intended to wear to the ceremony and buy some gold accents that would compliment your slightly tanned skin.

While looking at the other stalls, a few other styles of dresses caught your eye that would do more to show off your bump when you were ready to announce to the world about your soon-to-be half-v vampire child that you would be bringing into this world. These were purple, light blue, red, dark green, and white so you decided to buy one of each color, bringing the total of dresses you bought up to fourteen. That would cover all of the days in Waterdeep, and you would be comfortable because pants would not be involved.

Astarion approved of your choices and not just because there was a slit up the sides of most of the dresses that reached mid-thigh but because he thought you would look good in a burlap sack. The two of you continued to walk through the market when Astarion told you to wait a moment while he went to look at something that caught his eye. You are waiting for him to return, taking the time to sit and rest your tired feet. You were going to take a good, long, hot soak before dinner tonight.

“Close your eyes, darling,” Astarion said as he walked back over to you.

“Why?” You asked, being suspicious of his intentions.

“Just close your eyes, or I’ll go return it.” You did as he asked. “Now give me your left hand.”

You extended your left hand to him and felt his palm touch yours. “What are you doing?”

You felt something cool slide on your left ring finger and opened your eyes to see a beautiful rose gold ring accented with purple stones and small diamonds weaving around it. Words caught in your throat as you looked from the ring to Astarion, who was standing before you.

“Well? What do you think? Do you want to make this official or not?” He turned away from you, and you saw that his cheeks were turning red, and a look of embarrassment laced his features.

“It took you long enough.” You shot up from the bench you had been sitting on and wrapped your arms around his neck, turning his face back towards yours and kissing him deeply.

The two of you started to draw the attention of others around you as your kiss lasted for several seconds. It wasn’t a kiss to burn a fire deep within your bellies and drive passion. It was a kiss that was laced with love, a promise of devotion, and so much more than that. When you finally broke apart to look into each other's eyes, neither one of you spoke; you just smiled like lunatics at each other.

“Let’s go tell our friends you finally asked me the question I have been waiting for these past fifty years.” You looked back at the ring.

“Technically, I never asked.”

“I’m counting this as you did.” You detangled yourself from him, and the two of you started to make your way toward Gale’s tower.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Do you think he’s compensating for something?” Astarion asked as you neared the tower.

“I’m starting to think so.” You answered him in a monotone voice.

The sizeable purple tower was anything but subtle. It overlooked the sea and, for lack of a better word, towered over all the other buildings even remotely around it. The outer walls had fifty windows, and there was one large oak door that was ornamented with gold that made it look like the weave itself was guided to the door.

Before you could knock on the door, an apparition of Gale appeared. “Ah, you finally made it! The door is unlocked to you and all of my guests no need to knock; just come in. Your room will be to the left of the stairs on the third floor of the tower.”

“Thank you… do you guys, umm… watch people in these rooms?” You hesitate to ask, but I'm not sure if it would be considered rude. Or if it was a dumb question.

Astarion laughed. “Yes, do you just pop into people’s rooms unannounced?”

“No, Astarion, I will not be watching the two of you. I'm not an exhibitionist.” Gale spoke through his apparition. “Will the two of you just come in and get ready? Everyone is waiting for you two so we can have dinner.”

“Of course! We wouldn’t want to keep everyone waiting.” Astarion walked through Gale’s apparition, and it vanished.

As he opened the door to the inside of the structure, your jaw dropped. The tower on the outside looked like a lighthouse—a decent size but not overly large. The inside told a completely different story. It was five times the size of what it was on the outside, and you noticed doors along the walls that shouldn’t lead anywhere, but you knew that they did. This whole tower was a paradox.

“He’s definitely overcompensating for something…” You said as you walked towards the stairs and started your accent to your rooms.

“When he brings women home, do you think he asks if they wanna see his purple tower, and they’re disappointed?”

“Astarion stops; he can probably hear you.” You were out of breath by the time you made it to your floor.

“He knows I’m only joking. He did manage to have sex with the goddess of magic… he has to be decent, at least.” He opened the door to your room. “He does have good taste.”

The room was immaculate. Again, you questioned how it was possible for this room to exist. It was an open layout, with the bedroom opening into a giant steaming pool that already had towels, soap, and other assorted perfume bottles.

“He wants us to smell pretty for dinner, it would seem.” Astarion placed your new dresses out on the bed.

You took a long sniff of yourself. “Do be fair…. We have smelled better.”

Astarion shrugged and began stripping off his clothes. “We haven’t had a proper bath in forty-five days.”

“I bathed in the river as often as I could.” You started to strip off your clothes as well.

“I don’t have that luxury. Can’t step foot in running water, so I had to make do with wet towels the whole time.” He stepped into the hot water and moaned.

That was one thing you couldn’t fix. Being able to walk in the sun was no problem, but short of finding a cure for his vampirism altogether, Astarion couldn’t step foot in running water.

“You make it sound like that water feels better than sex.” You finished pulling the rest of your clothes off and made your way towards the water.

“At this moment, yes, it is.” He sank under the water and came back out just enough so that his eyes, nose, and ears were peeking out of the water.

“Well then, good to know I can be outdone by a hot body of water.” You dipped your feet in the water. “I see what you mean. I would take this over you, too.”

“So we’re in agreement we are in a polygamous relationship with this pool of water.” Astarion came up and reached for the soap Gale or whoever managed his massive tower laid out for the two of you.

Astarion looked at your naked body as you stepped further into the pool, his eyes moving up and down your body, drinking you in like he was dying of thirst.

“What? You’ve seen me naked thousands of times.” You fully submerge yourself in the water.

“And every time I do, I’m reminded just how lucky I am.” He grabbed a hand towel, got it wet, and then added the soap to it.

He pressed the towel to his skin and began scrubbing the road from his skin, and you started to do the same. The soap felt like silk as you moved the towel over your skin. You took your time going over your swollen breasts, massaging them to ease the tension from being compressed behind a breastplate for twelve hours.

“I can do that for you.” Astarion came up behind you, his hot body pressed to your back as he grabbed the hand towel from you. “You deserve to be treated like a queen for what you’ve been through these past weeks.”

“When do I get my crown?” You leaned into his chest.

“As soon as I am able.” He caressed your tiny baby bump as he kissed the crook of your neck.

You moved your neck so he had better access to your neck. “You can bite me, you know.”

“I’m not biting you.” He placed another kiss on your neck.

“Why not? Does my blood taste funny now?”

“No, your blood is by far one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. I won’t drink from you because I don’t want to hurt you. Our child is already feeding off of you.” He let out a long sigh. “Even though I want nothing more than to taste your sweet blood on my tongue.”

You felt a pulse of arousal course through you. The thought of him feeding on you makes the coil in your stomach tighten. You missed the feeling of his teeth on your skin, the feel of them puncturing your neck, and the feel of ice in your veins as he sucked your lifeblood.

“Just for a second…. We are about to have dinner, so my body can afford to lose some of its blood.” You felt his whole body go still. The feel of his own arousal pressed against your back. “Please…”

At the sound of you begging, his fangs scraped against your skin but did not puncture your flesh. “You will tell me if it gets to be too much.”

“Yes.”

At your confirmation, his fangs broke through your sink, and you moaned, grinding your ass against his hard length. He sucked greedily for a few long seconds before removing his fangs and licking the holes he left behind. It wasn’t enough; you wanted him to feed for longer, take all he needed from you, and more.

“Fuck…” Astarion’s breath was hot against your neck. “I want more…”

He moved his that was on your stomach lower and placed the other on your shoulder, pushing your shoulders down and causing your body to form a ninety-degree angle. You held onto the side of the pool, arching your back to give him a better angle for what you knew he planned to do next.

Astarion grabbed his length and placed it at your hot center just outside the entrance. “How do you feel about having sex in Gale’s tower now?”

“I think if I can’t have your fangs in me, I want the next best thing.”

At your words, he slid inside you, filling you to the hilt. You cried out in pleasure as he pulled out almost completely only to slam back in and set a tempo that stroked and tightened the coil growing in your stomach. One of his hands found your breast, and you moaned as the mixture of his length filling you and the sensitivity from your breast played off of each other in perfect harmony.

It didn’t take long for you to hit peak pleasure, causing your climax to crash into you. Astarion felt you tighten around him and upped the tempo to help you ride out your climax and for him to follow soon after. You felt his hot release as it filled you completely. You stayed connected, your bodies not ready to be apart just yet.

When you were finally able to leave each other, Astarion turned you to face him. He kissed you with every ounce of passion he had left, swirling his tongue in your mouth so you could taste your blood.

“We really do need to get to dinner before they come up here looking for us,” Astarion said as he broke the kiss.

“You go ahead. I have to finish cleaning up. Tell them to start without me. I’m very filthy.” You accented the last word with your breath.

“ Oh, I know, darling.” He kissed you lightly on your lips. “I’m the one that defiled you.”

Astarion got out of the pool dripping wet and dried off, putting a clean pair of clothes on. You watched as he dried and styled his hair. He delicately made sure that every curl was perfect before leaving you to finish washing up.

After about ten minutes, you finally deemed yourself clean enough to see your friends and stepped from the pool to begin drying off. Before you could grab a towel, you heard someone approaching your room, and the door swung open abruptly.

“Come on, you’re taking fucking forever, and the food looks….” Karlach stood at the door and froze as she took in your naked form. Her eyes moved from your swollen breasts to the small swell of your belly. “Are you pregnant

[millersdjarin]

I Only See Daylight

Chapter Four

Pairing: Din Djarin x F!Reader

Rating: E (eventually)

Chapter warnings/tags: slow burn, dad!din, bonding, injuries (not in detail), negative self-talk, mentions of past trauma/abuse

Chapter Length: 4.2k

Previous Chapter | Series Masterlist & Info

notes: im sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than the others! if it's any consolation, a few of the chapters in this fic are 10k, so there's that. :) i've set a posting schedule of mondays and thursdays, but this week i'm posting on sunday because i'm going to be travelling on monday and i have to stay off tumblr to avoid tlou spoilers until the evening. so, surprise :)

i don't wanna look at anything else now that i saw you

“How do you feel?” Is the first thing you hear when you wake, rolling over on your makeshift bed to find Mando standing at the cave entrance again. He’s leaning against the wall with one shoulder, his hip cocked out, one leg bent casually. 

Kriffing hells, how is he so attractive when all you can see of him is his posture and his impossibly shiny armour? 

You force the thought from your mind, blaming it on your half-asleep state. 

“I don’t know yet,” you answer with a grimace. It’s been two days since your fall. The pain is better, though the rest of your body feels stiff now, muscle soreness finally catching up with you after the tumble. There hasn’t been another storm, at least, so Mando has managed to hunt for every meal so far. He goes out to get water every morning, filling canteens to the brim. He makes you drink so much that sometimes it feels like you’re swimming in it. “Hydration helps with healing,” he says every time, even though you already know; he says it just to counter your playful glaring at him every time he hands you the flask. 

“Sun rose not that long ago,” he cranes his neck to gaze up at the sky, “if you’re feeling up to it, we can probably travel today.” 

You manage to sit up, but the minute you do, pain shoots down from the wound on your calf and into your ankle. It circles there around the joint and throbs. “Have we got any more ice packs?” 

“One more,” Mando answers as he heads right over to his medpack and gets it out. 

“We should ration it,” you hold out your hand to stop him activating it. “For when we’re travelling. I’ll probably need it.” 

He looks down at the pack, hesitates. Then nods and puts it away. “Do you think you’ll be okay to travel today? If so, we should move soon, make the most of the daylight.”

Shifting a little, you try to get a gage on your body, how it feels. A grimace makes its way onto your face without your consent. Everything hurts. Literally everything. Muscles you didn’t even know you had are strained and stiff. 

But you’ve been here for two days. He’s been stranded here for four. 

“If the answer is anything but yes,” his voice cuts through your rapidly declining thoughts, “then my answer is no.” 

Relieved, you smile. But you protest, “Mando, you’ve stayed with me so long now. I can make my own way back.” 

“No,” he says definitively. “We move when you’re ready.” 

You relax, settling back against the wall. You’re too sore to argue. 

“The kid’s enjoying the vacation, anyway,” Mando says, the lilt of a smile in his voice. 

As if summoned, Grogu steps forward from his little bed at the back of the cave. He yawns, his tiny mouth opening as wide as it can go, his eyes screwing shut. 

Oh, Maker, he is adorable. 

“You take time off a lot?” You ask with a wry smile as Mando scoops the kid up into his arms. 

The huff of a laugh comes through his helmet. “Not really.” 

“Why am I not surprised?”

Mando tickles Grogu’s cheek, earning a little giggle. 

You watch them. There’s that warmth again, creeping its way between your ribs, around your heart. 

You have to look away. 

All three of you are starting to get a little stir crazy by the time the night comes around. 

You’re feeling better, though. Mando’s hydration obsession is working to help loosen out your stiff muscles. It doesn’t help, though, that you have to keep getting up every hour to pee. Especially because you have to tell Mando every time nature calls, which is, admittedly, rather humiliating—it shouldn’t be, it’s fucking natural, but he’s Mando and he’s been making you feel a certain way, and you don’t want to have to admit to this terrifying yet comforting man that you have to piss. It’s even worse that he has to help you hobble outside, then walk away while you do your business, and come back and pretend to not notice the puddle sinking into the ground. 

It’s demoralising. Your cheeks are tired from flushing red all the time. 

But he insists on you drinking enough, even when you protest. 

“I don’t mind doing this, you know,” he says as the sun sets, an arm around you as you hobble to the designated Nature Area. 

“Yes, you do,” you grumble, kind of just wanting the ground to open up and swallow you whole. 

“I don’t,” he insists. “It’s fine. Besides, it’s good to move a little.” 

“A little? Mando, it’s every hour, on the hour, at this point.” 

The unfamiliar sound of a soft laugh comes through his helmet. If you didn’t know any better, you’d say it sounded fond. But you’ve never heard a laugh like that. So. “It’s good. Just call me back when you’re ready.” 

He never comes back until you call, no matter how long it takes you.

It isn’t lost on you, either, that you never would have been able to do this on your own. You’d have had to piss where you sat. Which seems like a worse concept than just ruining your leg, and subsequent mobility, forever by forcing yourself to walk home. 

As darkness approaches, Mando takes his flashlight—yours is long dead by now—and puts it in the far end of the cave. He stays over there, rustling in his pack for something. Curious, you watch, wondering what he’s doing; he angles the light strangely, propping it up with a few stray rocks on the ground, and then fishes out a small piece of canvas, pulled from what remained of your tent. He puts it over the flashlight, folds it once. 

Then, the light is softer. Diffused around the cave. 

Grogu, who is sitting against the wall playing with a little silver ball, looks up at the newly-lit cave walls and laughs in glee. 

“You like it, kid?” Mando asks him. 

The kid claps his hands together, gazing around. Mando laughs softly and sits back down beside the kid, watching him. 

You’re watching Mando. It’s impossible not to, with the soft light reflecting from his armour in a new way, casting new highlights and shadows across every curve and edge. You wonder what places he’s been, how he’d look in all kinds of light. Harsh, bright, sunshine of a bright summer’s day, the dark ashy colour beneath rain clouds. 

“Mando?” You find yourself saying. 

He looks up at you, one hand holding the kid. 

“Tell me about somewhere else you’ve been,” you request. “Please?” 

“Where do you want to hear about?” 

“Anywhere. First place that comes to mind.” 

For a second, he’s quiet, just looking at you. Considering. When he speaks, he doesn’t say what you expected him to, and his voice is softer than it should be. “You really want to travel, don’t you?” 

And, okay. 

That hits a nerve. 

You look away, blinking. It’s clear that you’ve tensed, that something has made you uncomfortable; and you expect him to backtrack, to apologise, but he just waits. So patient, like he wouldn’t mind if you didn’t say anything, or even if you just told him to fuck right off. You wish you could see his face, decipher his expression. Match it to the soft curiosity of his lovely voice. 

“Yeah,” you manage on a shaky breath, imagining yourself up there, in the vastness of space, free to explore the Galaxy. “Yeah, I do.” 

Quiet again. He’s giving you space. 

You take it, let it sink in. 

Then, his voice is there again, “So why don’t you?”

And if that isn’t a question and a half. “It’s, uh,” you clear your throat. You’re about to say it’s complicated. But that doesn’t even cover the half of it. Instead, feeling a cold, familiar dread slowly creeping through your veins, you say, “I like it here.” 

He doesn’t say anything, but he looks at you still, some kind of unexplainable patience coming from his dark visor. 

It’s unclear if he can hear the omission of the truth.

You don’t want to lie to him. 

You’re sitting here, in a cave that he so beautifully lit as best he can, on top of a bed that he made just for you to be comfortable, after he’s helped you pee about twelve times a day for the last two days. He’s been nothing but kind. 

And it’s not that you feel like you owe him answers because of that. Nor, in fact, that you think he feels you owe him answers. His quiet, unassuming patience in the dim intimacy of this cave is proof enough of that. 

No, it’s not that. 

It’s that you’ve been alone for so long. You’ve never said this to anyone.

And after all this, once you’re back at your hut and you’ve fixed his ship together, he’s going to leave. And you’re never going to see him again, anyway. 

So. 

“Truthfully,” you say, “as much as I like it here, it’s not where I’d choose to be. If I had another choice.” 

Instead of staying still and silent, he starts to nod. His gaze is unwavering, solid and stable, weaving its way into the tension and uncertainty beneath your skin, soothing it.

Grogu gets up and waddles over to you. He climbs clumsily into your lap.

Then, with a quick look to Grogu, Mando says, “I understand.”

And that, those simple words, make something release in your chest.

The weight of your confession doesn’t feel as heavy as you’d expected. In fact, it feels like something has lifted in the air between the three of you. Like even the kid understands. 

Well.

This is new. 

-

As the third morning in the cave rolls around, you wake up feeling much better. 

Once you’ve relieved your always-full bladder, you tell Mando as much, staggering back into the cave and to your bed. “You can stop over-watering me now,” you tease as he lets you back against the wall, gentle. Your hands are on the backs of his arms, and slide all the way down them as he moves away. You wish you could linger there, and the way he moves so slowly, his visor gazing down into your sleepy eyes, makes you think that he wishes that, too. 

As your palms brush against his wrists, he seems to catch himself. He pulls away quickly and turns to distract himself with the kid.

“So, you’re ready to travel?” He asks. 

“As I’ll ever be,” you reply, staring at him from behind. He has a nice behind. (And you need to stop. Immediately.)

“You can lean on me. We’ll take it slow, I promise.” 

Kriff, say that again… “I’ll be alright. You’ve got enough to carry.” 

He looks at you again. “I’m leaving the parts here,” he says, like that should be obvious. 

“What?” You frown. “But your ship…” 

“Once we find our way back, and you’re safe, I’ll come back for them.” 

“Mando, I can manage. Seriously, we should take the parts. You’ve been here long enough.” 

The helmet tilts. “You trying to get rid of me?” It would concern you, if the teasing in his tone wasn’t arousingly obvious.

You just about manage to recover from the stirring in your belly, and you laugh, “Totally. Sick of you already.” 

The kid, standing beside him, looks at you and makes a sad noise. His ears turn down towards the ground. 

Kriff. “Hey, I’m just kidding,” you assure him with a smile. As a peace offering, you reach your hands out to him, and he relaxes in an instant, immediately plodding over to you and climbing into your lap. You hold him, give him a quick hug, then just let him sit there. “Don’t tell anyone, but I’m actually gonna miss you,” you whisper into his ear. He coos happily, tugging at a loose thread on your coat.

When you look up, Mando is, of course, staring at you. This time, you know for sure that it’s at both you and the kid.

“What?” You ask. 

“Nothing,” he answers after a moment of hesitation. “I’m going to pack up. Then we can move. You okay to sit with the kid?” 

“You know I am,” you smile, and watch as Mando nods and heads outside.

That pang in your chest is back. Well, you’re not sure when it turned from a slow warmth into a pang. 

But it’s there. Too obvious to ignore. 

For a few miles, you manage pretty well. It took some convincing, but you got Mando to agree to taking the parts along with him in the end. You do lean on him, but only when moving over particularly rough terrain, fallen logs, or exposed tree roots. 

“How we doing?” Mando asks at around noon. 

“Fine,” you say, feeling a little breathless. 

“You sure?” 

“I’m sure. We can stop soon for a break.” 

Another hour passes, your ankle is starting to throb, and you’re really fucking glad that you saved that ice pack for this exact moment. 

Mando sits you down on a fallen log, keeping his arm around you until you’re properly seated, lingering just a little too long for you to tame the way it makes your heart beat wildly. To feel the heat of him through his flight suit, your hands and arms pressed to parts of him not covered by armour, just the soft parts; it’s a lot. When you first saw him, this wall of metal, you never thought you’d see any further than that. Kriff, you never even thought he’d get closer to your hut than he was when you had your blaster pointed at him. 

Maybe that would have been best. Because if he’d just left, if there was another way for him to get the help he needed, you wouldn’t be thinking about him the way you are right now. 

The softness of the crook of his elbow, the curve of his waist and hip. The warmth of his skin that you have yet to see an inch of. All of the weapons strapped to him, so close to you, close enough that if it were anyone else, you’d be scared. 

But it’s Mando. 

This might be the least scared you’ve been in a lifetime. 

He cracks the ice pack to activate it, then kneels down in front of you. Reaching out to grab a smaller log, he places it under your ankle, elevates your leg slightly. Then his gloved fingers tug at the hem of your trousers. “Can I?” He asks. 

Kriff. You nod, unable to form words. 

The rough-yet-smoothness of the gloves is all you feel at first, brushing delicately against your skin as he lifts your trousers, then unlaces your boots, gently pulling them off, followed by your socks. Your ankle is more swollen than it had been this morning, but you’d expected that. 

And, besides, that is not what you’re thinking about right now. 

Instead your mind can only focus on the softness of his hold under your foot, the gentle way he places the ice pack on top of it. The heat of his hand starts to come through. You wish it was his bare skin. Wish you knew what his skin is like. Is it calloused, or soft from always protecting them? Does he have scars? Is the hair on his arms dark, light, a thin covering or thicker, perfect to run your fingers through—

His hands are gone before you realise it. It takes your glitching mind a second to catch up.

You chase him with your eyes, silently wishing for him to come back. 

But then. 

Then. 

As he turns away, he reaches for the flask in his satchel. You watch his hands lift to his helmet, take a gentle hold of the base of it. At first you panic, thinking he’s about to remove his helmet, no you don’t have to do that it’s okay—

But he just lifts it the tiniest bit, such a small movement that you only know it has been lifted because he puts the rim of his flask to his lips and takes a sip. 

You can’t see his skin, not a hint of it. But you can hear him drinking, hear the water against his lips, the gentle gulps as he swallows. 

And the way it entrances you, takes you away from the forest and the pain of your ankle and the fact that this is so not appropriate for you to be thinking—yeah, it’s probably for the best that he can’t ever show his face to you.

You look away before he even lowers the helmet again. 

-

Maybe the worst part about all this is that you’re starting to dread Mando and the kid leaving. 

That’s not how this was supposed to go, not how any of this was supposed to play out. You helped him because it was the right thing to do, because it’s exactly what They would tell you not to do, because your life has been the same every single fucking day since you got here. 

But that’s been fine. It’s been safe. 

“Pass me that wrench?” Mando asks, breaking you out of your thoughts. 

You pass him it, noting the tilt of his helmet in a wordless ‘thanks’ before he turns back to his job. He’s up on a ladder, leaning against the ship’s exterior wall with one of the panels fully off, fixing something to do with the foundation for the body. 

His ship is bigger than you’d expected. He tells you that it’s bigger than his old ship, the Razor Crest, but only by a little. “It’s a similar shape,” he’d said, “but it has two bunks and more space. For the kid.” He has a star fighter too, apparently, docked at some other base off-world with a friend of his. It’s funny to imagine him with friends, though you’re not sure why. Especially because, since getting to know him the last few days, you know how generous he is. How kind, helpful. Gentle, despite everything. 

Why wouldn’t he have friends?

Beneath him, you sit on a crate and lean against the ship, waiting for him to give you more instructions. The engine has been mostly fixed now, as much as it’s ever going to be out here in the middle of nowhere using scrounged-up parts. He’s just getting the last of the body work done, enough to make sure it’s aerodynamically sound. 

It’s interesting, watching him work. You ask a lot of questions, and every time you do, you expect a frustrated sigh or an exasperated response. But he answers every question thoroughly, and it doesn’t even distract him from his work. 

The sun is warm against your face. The afternoon of Mando’s fifth day on this planet is drawing to a close, fading into the evening. As the sky turns to duller shades of blue, tinted with oranges and pinks, you can’t help but admire the way he looks beneath the light. His armour is always the same, always so distinctive, yet it reflects different lights in different ways. Sometimes it makes the beskar appear darker, like a gun metal grey. Other times it’s a bright silver. Then there are times like this, when it goes with the colour of the sky, reflects the beauty of everything surrounding him. 

You think back to the light in the cave, how that looked different still. The urge to see the Galaxy comes over you again, though this time it’s not staring at his ship and dreaming about taking off in it that does it; this time, it’s wondering what he looks like in even more places, more environments. Does the metal get hot in the sunshine? Or is it always as cool as it’s been when you’ve had the chance to feel it before? 

The kid is sitting on the ground in front of you. There’s a beetle scuttling around in the mud, and Grogu is toying with it, blocking it off when it runs one way, then doing the same when it runs the other. You wonder if he’s going to eat it, or if he’s just having fun by being cruel to the little six-legged creature. 

“Don’t play with your food,” Mando says to him, answering your silent question. 

Grogu looks up at him. His ears turn downwards, sulking. Mando ignores his obvious pleas to change his mind, turning back to his work. When Grogu looks back at the beetle, he only just catches it before it runs off, and instead of toying with it anymore, he just shoves it in his mouth with a loud crunch. 

You find yourself smiling at him. He smiles back, ears lifting again. 

“Alright,” Mando starts to step down from the ladder. You reach out and hold one of the ladder’s legs, knowing he probably doesn’t need you to, but still not wanting to risk it. Ladders make you nervous. “Think that’s the best we’re going to get.” 

You look up to the ship. He’s fixed the panel back on again. Now all that remains is the burnt metal from his “interesting landing”, with some bends in it, exposing little sections of the framework beneath. It’s definitely a patchwork job. But it looks better than it did when you got here this morning. So.

“How’s your leg?” He asks as he folds up the ladder. 

“Good,” you answer. It’s stretched out in front of you, propped on another crate. “Ship looks good.” 

With a resigned sigh, he puts his hand on his hips, and tilts his helmet to look up at his handiwork. “No, she doesn’t. But she’ll do.” Then he looks back to you, “I couldn’t have fixed it without your help. Thank you.” 

You shift under his gaze, unable to help it. Every time he looks at you it feels like his eyes can see right through you, and the part that makes you uncomfortable is that it doesn’t make you uncomfortable. Self-conscious and disgustingly aware of your own inappropriate, lustful thoughts? Yes. Uncomfortable? No. You don’t think it ever could. 

“Of course,” you say eventually. “And, hey, I’ve got a scar to remember our little adventure by, huh?” 

He laughs softly. You see the shake of his chest as the chuckle comes through his modulator. “I’m not sure that’s a good thing.” 

“Hm, no. But there’s no gift shop around here. So.” 

He shakes his head, and you imagine, hope, that he’s smiling under all that beskar. He certainly looks casual, a hand on one hip, one leg relaxed while his weight rests on the other. 

“Do you always stare so much?” You find yourself asking with a teasing, daring quirk of your brow. 

“Yes.”

“At everyone, or just me?”

He pauses. Your heart rate spikes briefly as you wait for his response to your terrible excuse for flirting. “At everyone,” he answers eventually, and disappointment starts to set in before he says, “But it’s harder to look away from you.” 

Oh. 

The disappointment quickly shifts to nervousness, heart beating fast again as you clench your hands in your lap. He just stands there, staring despite the awkward and loaded silence between you, and stares. As if he’s making his point by offering an example. 

You look away. Suddenly, your cheeks are hot. “You hungry?” You find yourself asking. 

He pauses again, then nods. “Yes.” 

“I’ll make us some dinner. You just come back to the hut whenever you’re ready.” It’s only as you stand to hobble back home that you realise he might not want that. You swivel back around to face him, backtrack, “I mean, unless you want to eat out here. Your ship’s fixed now, I guess you can—you can stay in that? You don’t have to come back with me. I’ll be okay.” 

Again, getting more and more infuriating with each silence he lets stretch out, he just stares. Kriffing hells, does he ever stop!? 

“Would you let me cook for you?” He asks, finally.

You weren’t expecting that. 

Shifting weight to your good leg, you raise your eyebrows. “You want to cook me dinner?” 

He nods once. “Yes. To thank you for all your help. And as a farewell.” 

You’ve been trying your hardest not to think about that part. It sits in your stomach, cold and dreadful and confusing, too far down for you to swallow it. “Alright,” you agree with a soft smile. “I can’t promise I’ve got any decent ingredients, though. You might have to perform a miracle.” 

“I’m up to the challenge,” he says, hooking his thumb over the belt around his hips. You’re distracted by it, finding your eyes sliding down to his middle before you catch yourself and look back up. The tilt of his helmet suggests he might have seen your gaze shift. “I’ll walk back with you. Just give me a minute.” 

You can’t find a reason to refuse. 

♡ updates posted Mondays and Thursdays ♡

notes: thank you for reading! all interactions are appreciated as always, but comments and reblogs especially fuel my need for validation ❤️ as always, the title and lyrics at the start are from taylor swift's "daylight"

taglist: @toobsessedsstuff @granillx @keepingitlokiii @shoe1412 @kiruoris @quentinor @yourunstablegf @moonknight-s-cumdump @senassn @samanthacookieone @local-fanfic-addict @your-slutty-gf @brilliantopposite187 @iwantjoelmillertoultraviolenceme

if you wanna be on the taglist, let me know! (pls specify if just the taglist for this fic, or the list for all my future fics ❤️)

[geesenoises]

wip snip

thanks to @teledild0nix for tagging me and giving me a good excuse to post this.

i wrote this two weeks ago, in a small fit of inspiration after thinking about one of my favorite movies, Columbus. idk where this thing is going, or if it's going anywhere, but i tried a little bit for the vibes of the movie. cw: mentions of termimal illness in a parent

-----

Draco had no great desire to be at his father’s bedside when he died, but his mother did and he could tell she needed him there. The hospice facility was light, airy, trimmed and furnished with birch and oak. The staff were all quiet and respectful, performing their duties with the height of discretion. And Draco still felt like he was being slowly crushed from all sides whenever he was there. He made sure his mother was comfortable in Lucius’s private room and then escaped outside.

There was a brook on the grounds. He stared at it sightlessly as he collapsed on to a bench overlooking it and lit a cigarette. He’d managed about three drags before some wanker chastised him.

“The designated smoking area is on the other side of the building.” Draco stiffened in recognition but obstinately took another pull from his cigarette.

“Everyone here’s dying anyway,” Draco muttered dispassionately.

Potter came to a stop in front of Draco’s bench and regarded him for a moment before sitting down.

“What do you want, Potter?” Draco asked tiredly without looking at him. “He’s dying. Another loose end tied up for you.”

“Erm, no, I’m not here to talk about your dad. Or, I am, but only to say—” Potter stammered out. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s been a long time coming. He’s been ill for years.” Draco looked around at the grounds. The clean lines of the building’s architecture and the sunlight gleaming off the brook, softly babbling over artfully placed rocks with lush ferns overhanging it. Every last detail expressed tranquility. Draco waved a hand at it all. “This is all probably better than he deserves.”

Potter didn’t have anything to say to that, probably neither wanting to seem eager in grim agreement, nor able to bring himself to offer a polite lie of demurral. They resolved into silence until it occurred to Draco—

“You too. I’m sorry. Terribly rude of me; it should have occurred to me sooner. Is it anyone I know?”

That seemed to startle Potter into flustered motion again. “Oh! No, er, it’s nobody. I’m not—I volunteer here sometimes. If they don’t have anybody to sit with them, or when their family has to be away. I saw your dad’s name on the room assignments when I was checking in today.”

Of course. Saint Potter, here to bless the dying. Never anywhere out of self-interest. Draco dropped the cigarette butt, stepped it out, and vanished it before Potter could tell him off for littering. He even cast a cleaning charm for the ash. He wouldn’t want to sully the consecrated ground Potter walked on.

“How noble of you,” Draco said, trying for withering and knowing he’d landed on parched at best. “If you’ll excuse me.”

He left without waiting for Potter’s response, heading back to his father’s room to make his excuses to his mother, letting her know he’d come back for her later. They’d taken rooms at a nearby well-appointed bed and breakfast and he apparated there as soon as he’d cleared the property boundaries.

tagging @moonmanatee @oknowkiss @wolfpants @citrusses @saintgarbanzo @basicallyahedgehog if you'd like!

[gepardling]

night-time rendezvous III w/ gepard .

desc. : HAPPY HALLOWEEN but nothing spooky happened yet. idk abt u but im kinda terrified of this guy's family. why haven't u ran away yet??? WHY ARE U STILL HERE?? im convinced its some vampire shit they do to make u trust them and be relaxed. anyways. longer chapter this time around ( wc : 2.5k )

tags / cw : sfw, but mentions of blood, injury and vampirism, gn!reader, (they/them used), vampire!AU for the Landaus, reader is a human, little bit of fluff, proofread but lore may change

index : prologue, part 1, part 2

— DAY 2

The remainder of your night proved to be uneventful as you tried countless methods to fall asleep. However, the unease stemming from the unfamiliar surroundings kept you awake. Sleep continued to evade you into the following day, and when you eventually awoke to the sight of the moon, it felt like time had frozen. Your thoughts were interrupted when Gepard knocked on the door. You blinked at the sight of him as he entered the room, fully illuminated by the silvery moonlight that spilled through the window.

The delirium from your earlier fevered state seemed to have lifted, and you could now appreciate the details of his striking appearance. He was a vision, a blend of aristocracy and danger. His tall, lean figure seemed sculpted from the moonlight itself. His sapphire eyes, softened by the pale glow of the moon, held a mixture of warmth and a hint of the insatiable hunger that defined his kind. He was the embodiment of centuries of existence.

Gepard's voice, however, brought you back to the present. "I see you're awake," he said with a soft smile, his sharp fangs gleaming slightly. "How are you feeling?" You could feel concern radiating from him, a strange juxtaposition to the undeniable predatory nature he concealed so well.

"You never... Told me about your family being, well…" You uttered, his strong presence intimidating you now that you're fully conscious. The sight of his fangs made you inch back slightly on the bed. Gepard noticed your reaction and sighed, his shoulders slumping as he perched on the edge of the bed, making sure to keep his distance. His gaze softened as he explained, "I'm sorry for not mentioning it earlier. It's... complicated."

His fangs, still visible, were a stark reminder of what he was, but he made no move to approach you. "My family, we're… revenants," he continued. "I know this must be overwhelming, but please understand, I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe." Despite the uncertainty you felt, Gepard's eyes held a sincerity that was hard to dismiss. His conflicted emotions were evident, a testament to the human side that struggled against his vampiric nature.

"I see," you breathed shakily, the apprehension you felt slowly washing away. "I'm guessing you're... quite old, then." You danced around the topic, not wanting to confront it head-on.

Gepard nodded, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Yes, you could say that," he admitted. "But it's not the years that define a person, it's what they make of them. And, well, I've been through quite a lot in my time."

"What do you... Well, eat...?" You glanced at him, not wanting to maintain eye contact for too long.

Gepard leaned back slightly, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I'm a vampire, so I do drink blood," he replied softly. "But it's not as... sinister as it might seem. I don't harm humans." He could sense your discomfort and quickly added, "I know it's a lot to take in, but I promise you, I would never hurt you. You have my word." The honesty in his voice seemed to reassure you somewhat, although the idea of a blood-drinking vampire was still a lot to process.

"Do you have any other family members I should be worried about?" You asked.

Gepard hesitated for a moment, his expression growing slightly pensive. "Serval is the oldest and the most… wary. But I have a younger sister. She's not as confrontational as Serval is. You don't have to worry about her."

"Ah, I see... What's she like?" You asked. 

Gepard smiled, his gaze distant as he thought about his younger sister. "Lynx is quite different from Serval. She's adventurous, a free spirit. She's not as interested in the traditional aspects of our kind. She spends most of her time traveling. You'd like her. She's open-minded and, well, not as... intimidating."

He hoped his description of Lynx would portray her as a more welcoming presence than his elder sister, Serval. "She sounds nice," you nodded, "I'm a traveler myself." 

Gepard's eyes brightened with interest. "You're a traveler? That's fascinating. Where have you been? Tell me about your journeys." He leaned in, genuinely intrigued. 

You lean back slightly, taken aback at his sudden interest, but you tap a finger on your chin and recount your last journey. "The last village I visited was nestled in a lush valley. The people were so welcoming, sharing stories by the fire at night. And in the highlands, I found a serene monastery where the monks taught me about their way of life and—," You spoke with enthusiasm, sharing the wonders you had encountered during your travels.

Gepard listened to you with a glint of admiration in his eyes, letting you ramble on without intervening. Suddenly, you paused, realizing you might have been monopolizing the conversation. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to go on like that."

Gepard smiled softly, his eyes never leaving yours. "Please, there's no need to apologize. I could listen to your stories all night. But…" Gepard arises from his seat, "You haven't eaten in a while, you must be hungry?" You suddenly became acutely aware of this and sheepishly nodded in agreement. He gave you time to freshen up, waiting for you outside the door.

After you exit, Gepard led you to a dining area, where a beautifully set table awaited. The room is dimly lit, with candles casting flickering shadows on the walls. The aroma of food wafts through the air, making your stomach growl in anticipation. The two of you sit down, and Gepard serves a delicious meal. As you enjoy the food, you can't help but feel a sense of calmness in Gepard's presence. It's as if you've stepped into a different world, which you technically literally did, one where the worries and dangers of your travels are temporarily forgotten.

That is, until Serval and Lynx enter the dining hall, their presence not going unnoticed. Gepard stands up to greet them and Serval smiles knowingly, while Lynx's eyes light up with curiosity. She gazes at you with a friendly, yet inquisitive expression. "Hello," she says cheerfully. "You must be the guest Gepard brought home. I'm Lynx. It's nice to meet you." She offers you a small wave. You pass her a friendly smile, feeling more at ease with her upbeat demeanor. Serval watches the interaction, her piercing gaze softened by a hint of amusement. It's clear that the introduction sparked her interest.

She's quick to pick up on the rosy tint of your cheeks, as well as the lack of two iconic pin-pricks on your neck, and it seems that Gepard was able to behave himself all day. The light mood is interrupted by Serval’s wilted tone. "I sincerely hope you're not planning on introducing your guest to mother and father, no?"

A knowing silence settled over the hall like a veil, and even Lynx's mood seemed to dampen. Gepard hesitates for a moment before responding, choosing his words carefully. "No, Serval. Their stay here is only short-term."

Serval raises an eyebrow, her gaze scrutinizing. "Well, you've certainly taken a liking to them, haven't you? It's not like you to bring a traveler home, let alone to introduce them to the family."

Gepard nods, a hint of vulnerability in his eyes. "Yes, I have. And you know why."

Serval's expression softens, and she concedes with a nod. "I do. Just be careful, Gepard. You know how our parents can be." The weight of Serval's words lingered in the room.

"Where... Are your parents?" Your quiet voice filled the silence, shaky fingers fiddling with the edge of the tablecloth to keep yourself at ease.

Gepard sighed deeply, considering how to explain his parents' absence. "They often go on trips, you see. Our parents are historians."

You listen intently, intrigued by the idea of Gepard's parents as worldly and curious individuals. "Where have they gone?" you ask.

"Many places," Gepard replies with a faint smile. "They're quite the collectors, too."

As he continues to describe his parents' adventures, you can't help but feel a twinge of regret that you won't meet them during your stay. "They don't sound very intimidating to me," you wondered aloud.

Serval's laughter chimed throughout the dining hall, "They'd have loved you before their trust was broken, maybe…"

Gepard interjects, trying to ease any tension in the room. "Serval, I'm sure they don't despise humans. They might have their reservations, but they're not unkind."

"Gepard, you know that not all people are to be trusted. The past has taught us that." Serval's words hang in the air, and there's an underlying tension that you can't ignore. 

As you eat your meal, anxiety swirls deep within the pit of your stomach. The tension in the room is palpable, and you can't help but think of your situation. You're now in the midst of beings far more powerful than you could have ever imagined, navigating the complexities of their world. All while hoping to find a way to leave this place and return to your own kind. The idea of being trapped in a villa with creatures who see you as an outsider, as a potential threat, lingered at the back of your mind.

Gepard waits for you to finish eating before standing up. The way his hand rests on your shoulder delivered a strange mix of comfort and unease. "Let's take a walk," he says to you, casting a glare in Serval’s direction. 

You nod in agreement, appreciating the opportunity to step away from the intense atmosphere at the table. Gepard's hand on your shoulder reassures you, and you follow him as he leads the way. As you walk through the moonlit gardens, Gepard's expression shifts from a mixture of concern and annoyance to a softer, more reassuring demeanor. 

"I apologize for my sister," he begins with a sigh. "But what she says is true. My parents don't take too kindly to a human on the villa grounds." Your chest tightens as you listen to Gepard's confession. The moonlight casts long shadows across the garden, emphasizing the gravity of the situation. You understand the implications of what he's saying - that your presence here, despite being under his protection, might not be safe. The thought weighed heavily on your mind.

"I appreciate your honesty," you respond, your voice tinged with worry. "But what do I do now?"

Gepard's expression reflects the complexity of his emotions. He wanted to protect you, but he's also torn between the expectations of his family and his affection for you. The decision ahead is not a simple one, and it hangs in the balance under the watchful gaze of the moon. "We'll discuss the outcome once you've healed," He urges, not wanting you to stress unnecessarily.

You nod in agreement, recognizing that dwelling on the situation won't change it. "Alright," you concede, trusting in Gepard's guidance. "Let's focus on getting me back to full health for now. We'll deal with the rest when the time comes."

The chill of the night bites into your skin, and you fail to conceal the shudder that ripples across your body. Gepard immediately takes notice, and swiftly removes his coat to drape it over your shoulders. The warmth of his coat, combined with his presence beside you, provides a comforting shield against the cold. Your features are quickly painted in surprise, but you offer a grateful smile and snuggle into the coat. As you continue your walk through the moonlit night, Gepard's hand finds yours, interlocking your fingers.

Neither of you say anything regarding your feelings for the other, and a love that feels almost forbidden begins to bud. In the quiet moments between words, a connection that neither of you had expected had formed. It was a love that dared not speak its name, born in the most unlikely of circumstances. The boundaries between your worlds blurred in those stolen moments, and you couldn't deny the warmth you felt in each other's presence.

Gepard escorted you back to your room with a promise to return, and as you lay in the dimly lit chamber, you couldn't help but wonder about the complicated path you had embarked upon. The villa held secrets that you were far from uncovering. You're left with a brief moment of reprieve, before Gepard returns with the physician in tow. The gentle knock on the door stirs you from your rest, and you sit up carefully to not disturb the cut on your arm.

The door creaked open slowly, and Gepard stepped inside, followed closely by the villa's physician. The physician, a middle-aged woman with kind eyes and skilled hands, approached you with a reassuring smile. She examined your wound carefully and began her work, cleaning and stitching it with practiced precision. Gepard stood nearby, his presence a silent source of support. As the physician tended to your injury, the pain ebbed away, replaced by a sense of relief. The room filled with the hushed murmur of their voices, discussing your treatment and the necessity for your recovery. You couldn't help but feel grateful for their care, especially Gepard's unwavering concern.

Once the physician finished her work, she offered you some medication for the pain and gave you clear instructions for your recovery. Suddenly, she pulled you close, whispering a low warning against the shell of your ear. "Be careful of this place." Gepard watched intently, his gaze never leaving you. With a reassuring nod, the physician stepped away, leaving the two of you in an awkward silence.

Gepard finally broke the quietude, his voice soft and concerned. "Are you feeling better? The physician says you'll need some time to heal, but I'm here to help in any way I can." The tenderness in his eyes was hard to miss, and the unspoken emotions hung in the air between you.

"I'm okay..." You whisper, looking down at your hands folded over your lap. You didn’t know what to think of the physician’s words. Gepard nodded, his gaze still focused on you.

As the night deepened, you felt the exhaustion of the evening begin to weigh on you. You had been through quite an ordeal in this unfamiliar place. Gepard didn't press for conversation, recognizing that you needed some rest. He pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down, keeping a watchful eye on you, as if guarding your peaceful slumber.

Your eyelids grew heavy, and the last thing you heard before drifting off was the soft hum of Gepard's voice as he whispered, "Sleep well. I'll be here if you need anything." In that moment, with the moonlight filtering through the curtains and Gepard's presence as your silent protector, you couldn't help but be lulled into a strange sense of safety in this villa, despite the complex web of secrets that surrounded you.

hm i cant tell if it's a red flag or not. suddenly all my judgement has been obscured by the sight of pretty, tall man!

[rogeriswater]

Don't Leave Me Now

xxvi

This work contains fictionalized versions of real events and people. Most details won’t be accurate to real life.

tags for this chapter: p.o.v changes, roger being a little bit of a jerk, some smut

August, 1968

~m.r~

We had a few days to spend in Los Angeles before we did our last shows in America. Then it would be back to Europe for us. Steve had surprised us and rented out some private beach-front cabins for the whole week. We had a whole five days to relax and enjoy ourselves before our next show. Steve told us we could do whatever we wanted during those five days, so long as we don't get into too much trouble.

Ronnie and I got settled into our cabin. Again, we had a place to ourselves while the boys were all stuck sharing one. I don't know why Rourkie never put me with the boys. I always had my own sleeping arrangements and my own dressing room. Perhaps he was just doing that to respect my privacy. But I know those boys would never try anything with me. Not that Roger would let any of them anyways.

Ronnie put her bags down on the one bed that was in our cabin. "Guess we're sharing a bed then" I bit my lip, staring at the bed as I thought. "What's churning in that brain of yours?"

"Do you think you could ask the boys if it's alright if you stay with them so you and Roger can switch?" I asked. Ronnie gave me an 'are you joking?' sort of look. I sighed. "Never mind, forget it"

"If I ask them if Roger and I can switch, that'll look really suspicious, don't you think?" Ronnie asked me. I crossed my arms and pouted. Ronnie glared at me. "Stop acting like a child. You and Roger can go without sleeping in the same bed for a week" That didn't stop my pouting. "I'm doing this for your own good, pup. I know the boys probably wouldn't care much, but what would Rourkie think? You both would get in so much trouble"

Perhaps Ronnie had a point. I don't know what the repercussions would be if Rourkie found out. He would probably try to separate Roger and I, or worse, ask me to leave the band. Besides, how hard would it be to go without Roger sleeping by my side for a whole week. Shit, I was fucked. I decided I needed a smoke and walk along the beach. I grabbed my carton of cigarettes and left the cabin. It was slightly breezy this morning but I didn't mind. There also something comforting about the feel of the cool sand beneath my feet. I stopped to light a cigarette. I took a drag as I stared out at the waves.

I felt a presence behind me and I didn't even need to look to see who it was. "I'm utterly fucked, Roger"

He grabbed my waist and pulled me against him. "Why's that, my darling?"

"Because I can't be without you in my bed for a week" I confessed to him. "Ronnie won't switch"

 "We'll figure something out, yeah sunshine?" Roger assured me. He grabbed my hand that was holding the cigarette and brought it up to his lips. He took a drag of my cig. I leaned back against him, my head resting against his chest. His arm was still wrapped securely around my waist. I could also feel him nuzzling his face into my hair.

"We can't stay like this here" I said.

"Hmm, and why not?" He asked.

"Because someone could see us" I tried to leave his grasp, but his hold on me just became tighter.

"I don't want to hide it anymore" Roger exclaimed. He let me go and turned around, ready to walk back to the cabins. "We should just tell them"

I grabbed his arm to stop him. "Roger, no"

He frowned. "It would be so much easier if they knew, sunshine. Are you ashamed of me or something?"

"Of course I'm not. It's just we're both still in relationships and—"

"Well that's an easy fix. I can break up with Judy, and you can file for divorce"

I stopped Roger right there. "First of all, a divorce is not as easy as a breakup. You have to get lawyers involved and there's a lot of paperwork" I took Roger's hand in mine and gave it a gentle but reassuring squeeze. "I know you're eager to be with me, and believe me I am too, but it's gonna take some time. And you know what, it'll be worth the wait"

Roger smiled, seemingly content with my answer. "You're right, love. I just...." He hesitated, unsure if he should say what he wanted to say. "I know it hasn't even been a year yet for us, but I wanna marry you, y'know?" My stomach fluttered at his confession. We decided it was time to go back. Roger had his arm around my waist as we walked back. "Sunshine, you know what I realized?"

"What's that, my love?" I asked.

"We didn't properly celebrate your birthday, did we?" Oh, Roger was right. My birthday had been back in June but we were so busy with touring, it had completely slipped my mind. Not that I cared though, I didn't like to make a big deal about my birthday. "We should change that"

"Roger, it's not that big of a deal"

"I insist"

I've learned when Roger was set in his ways, there was no point in arguing with him as he usually got what he wanted. That sort of thing made him difficult to work with sometimes, but it never changed how I felt about him. "Fine" I gave in. He smiled triumphantly before kissing me on my forehead.

...

It was early in the afternoon when I laying in bed watching some television. Ronnie was sitting on the floor with a bunch of photos spread out in front of her. I had heard my stomach growling and realized that I've barely eaten anything today. "Ronnie, do you wanna come with me to get some lunch?" I asked. I didn't feel like dining alone.

"I'm a little busy right now, pup" She answered. "Why don't you ask Roger? You two can call it a date"

I sat up on the bed and slipped my boots on. I was careful not to step on any of Ronnie's photos. I stepped outside and walked over to the boys' cabin. I just let myself in, and right away I noticed that Roger was asleep in his bed. He looked so peaceful when he slept. I couldn't help but kiss him, and I swear I saw him smile. Looks like I was having lunch on my own. When I exited the cabin, I had come face to face with David. "Hello David" I greeted him.

"Hello Maggie. What are you up to?" He asked me.

"Oh, I was gonna go somewhere for lunch" I explained, putting my hand to my stomach as it growled again. "I'm starving"

"I could join you, if you'd like?" He asked.

I thought for a moment. I didn't see the harm in letting David join me for a lunch. It's not like it would've been a date anyways. Friends have lunch together all the time. "I would be honoured if you would join me" I told him.

David flashed a smile at me. "Wonderful" The two of us made our way to a place to eat nearby.

...

I was having a really fun time with David. The place we went to wasn't too busy, but there was enough people there to keep the staff on their toes. David and I were in a booth in the very back corner. "So, that girl you met back in New York. Have you talked to her since we left?" I asked David.

David shook his head. "She's wasn't really my type"

"What is your type then?" I pried.

David looked right at me, before smiling as he spoke. "Blonde hair with blue eyes who can sing like an angel and can hypnotize with her body when she dances"

I blushed fiercely, not missing the intention behind his words. "David, I'm flattered but—"

"I know. You're a married woman" David chuckled. "But a man can dream, can't he? Though I am curious"

I raised a brow. "Curious about what?"

"About you and Roger"

I froze. Did David know? Had he caught us in an illicit act? "What about me and Roger?"

"Well, I've just noticed that you two seem to be glued at the hips at all times, you're always sneaking off together, and anytime I'm standing too close to you, Rog always looks like he wants to murder me"

"Are you implying that Roger and I are together?" I asked.

"Are you?" David pressed.

"No" I lied through my teeth.

"Okay then" David said. He smirked at me. "So, if you and Billy divorce, you're saying I might have a chance?"

That made me laugh. "I'm sure you'll find someone before that happens" David started to laugh too. That's the day it clicked in my head that he had feelings for me as well. But the difference between his and Roger's feelings was that David's were merely a schoolboy crush.

Now, Roger, he was in love with me, deeply infatuated and dare I say obsessed to an extent. He was also quite possessive at times. I loved watching his jaw clench whenever another man looks at me. I loved seeing the way his stare would harden at any male reporter who tried to flirt with me. It was hot and always got me horny as hell.

"Maggie!" David knocked me out of my thoughts. "I was asking if you were ready to head back?"

"Yes, let's go" We paid for our food, leaving a gracious tip for the waitress. David and I slipped out of the booth. I walked ahead of him and I could feel his stare on my legs. I turned to look at him. "Staring are we?" I teased him.

He blushed like I had earlier. "M'sorry. You've just got the nicest pair of legs I've ever seen on a woman, that's all"

"Why thank you!" I winked at him. I was very comfortable with these boys. I knew they already stared at me when I danced, and I didn't care if they stared at my legs, tits or my ass.

~r.w~

As soon as I woke up, I felt a faint sensation on my lips, like I had been kissed by someone. I put my fingers to my lips and smiled. Maggie must have come in here and kissed me while I was asleep. I had to go see her now.

I went over to hers and Ronnie's cabin, just letting myself inside. It was empty, with neither Maggie or Ronnie to be found anywhere. However, the television was still on, but left on mute, there were a bunch of photographs spread about the floor, and a camera was left sitting on the bed.

The telephone began to ring. I answered it and sat down on the bed. "Hello?"

"Waters" Of course. Of all people calling, it had to be him. "What are you doing in my wife's room?"

"I'm not fucking her, if that's what you were thinking" Though that's what I'd rather be doing right now. And I'd have Billy listen too. Have him listen as I plunge my cock deep inside her warm cunt. Make him understand that no one can please her the way I can. "If you were looking to talk with Maggie, I have no idea where she is"

"When you see her, can you tell her to call me back?"

Ha. I don't think so. "Sure" I didn't even give him the chance to hang up first. I don't know what it was that I hate about Billy, hated since the day I first met him. Yes, he was Maggie's husband when I should be, perhaps it was that he was a cheat when he first married her, but there was more to it than that. But what it was, I don't know yet. The door opened and I expected it to be Maggie, but was disappointed when it was only Ronnie. "Oh, it's you"

Ronnie scoffed and put her hand on her hips. "I'm sorry?"

"Sorry, I just thought you were Maggie, but since you're here, why won't you switch with me?" Ronnie rolled her eyes and made her way to the bathroom. "Please, Ronnie?" I tried to follow her but she shut the door in my face. "I really can't sleep without her. She makes the nightmares stop"

The door opened and Ronnie's head popped out. "What nightmares?"

"About my dad" I admitted. "They used to be quite frequent but since I've started sleeping with her, I haven't had one. I need her."

"Roger, I'm doing this for your own good. I don't want you two to get in trouble"

It was my turn to scoff. "There's got to be more to it than that"

Ronnie sighed. "You know what, there is. This whole tour, I've barely had even five minutes of sister time with her because of shows, soundchecks, interviews and whatever else. But as soon as she has free time, I don't get to spend that with her either, because you keep wanting her all to yourself"

"Just because she's your sister, doesn't mean you're entitled to her"

"And you are?" Ronnie stared blankly at me. "You know what, Roger? I like you, I really do, but at times you can be a complete asshole" She started to cry and then ran out of the cabin.

I myself was about to leave, but then Maggie walked in. I noticed that she was frowning. "Roger, why is my sister crying?"

I ignored her question. "Where were you, sunshine?"

Maggie crossed her arms. "Don't ignore my question Rog. Why is she crying?"

"I may have said something that made her upset" I admitted. "Now, you answer my question. Where were you?"

"I just went out for lunch with David"

"Why didn't you ask me?"

"I would've but you were sleeping, and I didn't want to wake you" She walked over to the bed and sat down on it. "Roger, it wasn't a date if that's what you were thinking. It was just two friends having lunch" I sat down beside her. "Now what did you say to my sister?"

I stiffened a little, not wanting to tell her out of fear that she'll be angry with me. "She mentioned something to me about how she never gets any time with you anymore because apparently I keep you to myself all the time. I may have said how she's not entitled to you just because she's your sister"

She sighed. "Roger, you can't say things like that to her. And she's right, y'know. I've barely had a moment to myself even, because you're so insistent on being with me all the time"

How ironic considering what she said to me that morning. "Aren't you the one who said you were "utterly fucked" because you can't sleep with me for the next week?"

"Shut up" She muttered as she looked down at her lap.

I placed my hand on her thigh. "It's alright, darling. I'm as you put it "utterly fucked" without you too" She turned her head to look at me. I cupped her jaw. "Speaking of being fucked..." I insinuated, running my thumb along her bottom lip.

"Not on the bed" Maggie said. "I have to sleep on it with my sister"

"The floor is an option" I suggested.

She giggled, standing up to go over and shut the door so that we wouldn't be disturbed. With her back still turned to me, I quickly undressed. I grabbed a few pillows off of the bed and I placed them on the floor. When I looked at Maggie again, her dress was gone as well as her knickers, both of which pooled by her feet on the floor.

She walked over to me and got on her knees. Maggie absolutely loved sucking me off. She always did so before and after a show. Had this been any other time, I would have let her, but I just wanted to get to fucking. "Not today, darling"

"But I want—"

I stopped her by gripping her jaw and making her look up at me. "I know you do, baby. You can have my cock in your mouth another time, yeah?" She nodded. I pressed a hard kiss to her lips. "Now get on your back. I love watching your face as I fuck you" She got on her back, spreading her legs for me so that her beautiful, glistening pussy was on full display for me. I kneeled in front of her. I held my cock and rubbed it between her folds. "Such a beautiful cunt. And it's all for me"

"It's all for you" She repeated. I pushed myself inside her, hissing in pleasure at the feeling of her warm and tight walls around me. I began to fuck her.

~r.f~

I can't believe Roger had the nerve to say what he did to me. I understand that he loves Maggie, but that doesn't give him the right to keep others that love her away from her. He better understand that I come before him in Maggie's life. Shit, I forgot my camera in the cabin. I really didn't want to go back there in case Roger was still there, but it was a really important possession for me.

When I got back to the cabin, I noticed that the door was closed. I opened the door and the sight I was greeted with nearly blinded me. Both Maggie and Roger were naked, with Roger on top of her and Maggie's legs wrapped around his waist. I was at least thankful their heads were towards me and it wasn't the other way around. "Oh dear God!" I shrieked, covering up my eyes..

"Ronnie!" Maggie gasped. I heard some rustling and shuffling. "Okay, you can uncover your eyes now" Hesitantly, I removed my hands from my eyes. Maggie was wrapped in a sheet and Roger had Maggie's dress draped over his lap. "What's wrong?" My sister asked me.

I refused to meet her eyes after what I just witnessed. "I need my camera" Maggie walked over to the bed to fetch my camera. "Having then were you?" I teased.

Maggie blushed as she grabbed my camera. I looked at Roger and the two of us made eye awkward eye contact. He cleared his throat and spoke to me. "Listen, Ronnie. I'm sorry for what I said to you earlier"

"Thanks, Rog" I said. I averted my attention elsewhere. I didn't exactly want to look at him while he was naked. Maggie handed me my camera. I looked at it. "You guys didn't use my camera, did you?"

"You mean did we take sexually explicit photos of ourselves?" Roger asked me with a laugh. "No, we didn't"

I grinned awkwardly. "Well, that's very good to know. I think I'll leave you two alone now, and you can go back to what it is you were doing" I left the cabin, closing the door behind me. I stood there, kind of stunned at the fact that I had walked in on my sister and her boyfriend fucking. I didn't realize I had been standing there until Nick approached me.

"You look like you've seen a ghost" He told me, waving his hand in front of my face.

"Oh, I uh.." I sputtered.

 "You caught them in the act, didn't you?" Nick guessed.

"No, I didn't—" Wait, what did he just say? "How do you know about them?"

"Two people wouldn't sneak off together as much as Mags and Rog do if they weren't shagging" Nick explained. "The others may be a bit blind to it, but I'm not. That, and Roger doesn't bitch to Maggie as much as he does to the rest of us when he's in one of his moods. How do you know?"

"Remember that day when we did the photoshoot right before Syd left?"

 "Ah, yes! Mags and Rog snuck off together, as per usual. I remember they were gone for an awfully long time"

 "I caught them kissing" Nick laughed and snapped his fingers as if to say "I knew it". "Why don't you tell them that you know?"

Nick shrugged. "Frankly, it's not any of my business. Do I feel sorry for Billy and Judy? Yes, but if they find out, that will be Roger and Maggie's mess to deal with" Nick had a point there. There came a very high pitched moan from inside, coming from Maggie. Nick and I both stared at each other, a little stunned at what we heard, but we couldn't help but start laughing. "I honestly never believed Roger was ever able to satisfy a woman, but I guess I've been proven wrong" He said.

I snorted. "Shut up! They're gonna hear you!" We heard another noise, only this time it was a deep groan, obviously coming from Roger. The two of us began laughing even harder.

"Ronnie, are you still out there?" We heard Maggie asking.

"Oh, shit, run!" I said before Nick and I both bolted. Once we were plenty ways away, we both broke out in laughter again until our stomachs began to hurt.

...

Evening time came around. We all decided to have a fire and lounge around it while we all just drank and talked. The faint sound of music coming from the record playing in Steve's radio served as background noise. Maggie and I shared a lounge chair. She sat in between my legs and leaned back against me. I combed my fingers through her hair, massaging at her scalp.

Roger was sitting in the chair beside us. Every once in awhile, I would glance at him. He had been staring at Maggie and I for quite sometime. I could see the jealousy in his eyes, even in the dimness of the glow of the fire. He was probably jealous of the fact that Maggie could sit like this with me, but she couldn't with him.

"I have some news for you lot" Steve had announced. We all looked at him, giving him our undivided attention. "You've been asked to do a soundtrack for a film that is being made" While everyone else voiced their excitement at the thought, I could see Roger rolling his eyes. Seems like someone wasn't too fond of doing a soundtrack album.

 "What's the film, then?" Maggie asked.

Steve proceeded to explain. "From what I've been told, it's about a young hitchhiker in Ibiza that meets an American girl. They fall in love and take drugs together"

"And when exactly would we be recording this album?" Roger asked.

"After the tour ends and you go back to the studio in January. So that gives you about five months to come up with some songs" After Steve finished his spiel about the new album, Maggie had excused herself to go for a smoke. I noticed that when she walked past Roger, she discretely touched his arm, indicating for him to follow after her. He waited several minutes, before announcing that he himself was going for a smoke, and he followed after Maggie.

"What do you think those two are doing when they sneak off like that?" Rick wondered out loud. Nick and I glanced at each other, as we were the only ones who knew what they really did.

"Maybe they really are just going for a fag" Nick said.

"Do you think they're shagging?" David had suddenly asked.

"They better not be" Steve spoke sternly.

"What's really the harm if they decide they want to?" I decided to ask.

"Pushing the fact that they are both in relationships aside, you just don't sleep with your bandmates" Steve explained. "It can complicate things, especially if deep feelings get involved. If Roger and Maggie did get involved, who's to say they won't have a huge fight and end things on a sour note? It would make working together difficult. And I'm not saying anything, but there is the concern of jealousy as well. Maggie's quite an attractive woman and I know you would all jump at that chance if you could" I noticed that David shifted a bit in his seat after Steve said that. "So it's best that none of you do"

With all that being said, Steve had excused himself for the night, saying he had a bit of work to do. With him gone, I decided to ask my question. "Is it true what Steve said? Do all of you find my sister to be attractive?" They went silent as if they didn't want to answer my question. "Boys, it's alright if you do. It's not like you'd be saying anything I haven't heard before"

There was a collective yes that came from all of them. "Though I'm pretty sure David does want to shag her" Nick said.

"I do not!" David tried to deny.

Rick began to laugh. "Come on, we can all see that way that you look at her when she's dancing on stage"

David sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck. "I can't help it, alright? She's just..." A smile grew on his lips. "She's just so incredible and beautiful. If she wasn't married, I think I would've made a move by now"

"Roger would strangle you if he heard you say that" Nick joked.

David scoffed. "Rog has no claim over her"

"No, but he would say that he does, considering he was the one that found her and brought her into the band" Rick said.

"No one has any claim over my sister" I made very clear. "Not even Billy does" Even though he apologized for it, I was still a little peeved over the fact that Roger thought he was entitled to my sister, just because he was in love with her.

Roger and Maggie had returned. Roger was looking mighty pleased with himself and Maggie's hair was a little bit of a mess. Maggie sat with me again and I noticed the fresh mark on her neck. That wasn't there before she left, so it was no doubt Roger's doing. "You two sure took your sweet time" Nick mentioned.

Roger shrugged. "We were just having a smoke while we chatted" Maggie was about to say something but that sound of a phone ringing interrupted her. It was coming from our cabin, meaning that it was most likely Billy calling her. She groaned in annoyance and excused herself to go answer it. "You think that's Billy calling her again?" Roger asked, sounding bitter about it.

"Who else would call her Rog?" Rick asked.

"Jude doesn't even call me as much as he calls her" Suddenly, we could hear yelling coming from the cabin. I don't know what Billy said to her but whatever it was, it really set her off.

"That doesn't sound good" Nick commented.

 "It never does" David added. He was right. Every time Billy had called Maggie, she always ended up screaming at him. Their conversation had ended, with Maggie calling him "a selfish cunt" before we heard her slamming the phone on the receiver.

Maggie had ran out of the cabin, wiping off tears from her face. She ran past us, carton of cigarettes in hand. I was about to go check on her but Roger beat me to it, bolting out of his chair first and following after her. I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest. She's my sister. I'm supposed to be the one supporting her. I'm happy that Roger cares about her so much, but he has to realize that her world doesn't revolve around him all the time.

~m.r~

 That prick. Where does he get off saying I'm the selfish one? He's the one who's selfish. He's a fucking selfish cunt. I sat down in the sand, placing my feet in the water. It was cold yet soothing. A presence came to stand beside me. I assumed it was my sister. "Ronnie, we can talk later, okay? I just want to be alone for now"

"If that's what you want, sunshine"

"No!" I protested, grabbing Roger's leg before he could leave. "Stay with me" He sat down with me.

"What did he say to you this time?" Roger asked me.

"He called me selfish because I don't call him enough and I'm never there when he calls me"

"You aren't the one being selfish, darling"

"You sure?"

"Of course" Roger pushed my hair behind my ear and then caressed my face. "Besides, how on Earth could you be selfish when you suck me off the way you do?"

I blushed at his dirty talk. "Roger" I turned my head to look at him. He stared back at me, his lips curling upwards into a lovesick grin. "I love when you look at me like that"

Roger hummed. "Like what, sunshine?"

"Like I'm the only woman in the world"

"That means I have to keep every other man away from you then" He ran his thumb along my bottom lip. "You're mine, darling. That idiotic husband of yours be damned"

"I'm gonna file for divorce when we go back" I spoke suddenly.

Roger pulled his hand from my face and stared at me in shock. "You mean that?"

I nodded. "I don't love him any more. Not in the way that I love you"

Roger grinned again. "Christ, love. You don't know how happy I am to hear that!" He grabbed my face again and kissed me hard. "I love you so fucking much"

"I love you too" I repeated to him. We didn't return to the others. We just stayed, kissing in the sand. I really was ready for that divorce. Roger is the one I want to be with and I was absolutely sure of that. I just wish I knew now how difficult it would be getting that divorce, because as you will soon learn, it wouldn't be easy for me.

[neoncherryblossom]

For the ask thing (I don't know how long ago that was but here you go anyway)

✅ What's something that appears in your fics over and over and over again, even if you don't mean to?

🦅 Do you outline fics or fly by the seat of your pants?

🤲 Would you please share a snippet of a wip?

🎨 How do you feel about fan art of your stories?

Hi! Nah you’re good, don’t worry about it.

✅ What's something that appears in your fics over and over and over again, even if you don't mean to?

Hmm good question. If this is talking about like little details, all my characters always end up being in one bed at some point. I had the realization when I was tagging a fic that most of them could be lumped into ‘characters literally sleeping together’ and I don’t what that says about me. 

I like it so I’m not changing it but still wondering what that means lol. 

🦅 Do you outline fics or fly by the seat of your pants?

(Already answered so I’ll go a bit more in depth what I meant.) I have flown by the seat of my pants perfectly fine, but having an outline, even if you thinks it’s bad, gives you a bit of a line to follow. I’ve already veered off the line of the fic I’m outlining but it’s still so much easier when I had some kinda physical plan about where I want this to go. It can be tweaked way too easily in my head so for long fics I think I’m going to try outlining first. Shorter ones are fine I think I’ll keep doing what I’m doing. 

🤲 Would you please share a snippet of a wip?

(Okay this is less of a WIP and more I was possessed to write this pre- Watching and Dreaming so if you like this and want more, you're gonna have to tell me because I don't think I'll finish it.)

“Raine?” he heard Adrien whisper fearfully and he glances at the Illusionist to see his pupils shrunk, his ears turned back, his body shaking as he stared. 

Why... 

“Hmmm?” and he finally focused on the doorway because that couldn’t be Raine, the voice was demeaning, wrong. “You have all awakened. I suppose it really is in my best interest to do... THIS!” 

And Raine’s mouth opened, a gush of green stuff shut out and was in front of his face in seconds, and with screams echoing in his ears (were any of them his?) he felt the green thing pry his mouth open (gross, wrong, what’s going on?) before gurgling down his throat and spots appeared in his vision as he stumbled. 

“DARIUS!” he lifted his eye to see Eberwolf and Raine running at him, Raine barring new scars, what happened, and a voice echoing in his mind.

“Yes,” a familiar voice cooed in his head and Darius felt his hair stand up on his neck, because Belos should be dead the Collector showed all of them how he effortlessly killed him, he should be- “This has been worth everything I’ve dealt with these past few months.” 

And his vision became clouded in green as he saw Eberwolf reaching for him, horror and panic staining his features.

---

🎨 How do you feel about fan art of your stories?

Never got any before but I would just like you to know that if I had any they would go in a very special place in my heart, my camera roll, my blog, my heart again. 

(I would love it a lot 😌)

[keefwho]

May 06 - 2024 Monday

11:01pm

5/10

I've been getting to bed late so I haven't had the proper time to write down my thoughts. It has to be quick tonight too. This morning I mowed the lawn for the first time this year, it was nice and looks so much better. I didn't rake though, I will next time. In the shower I tried to play VRchat again but I joined an empty world and stayed there. No one else joined. For breakfast I made my last jimmy dean sandwich and rice. My weight was up a tiny bit so I planned to have a light lunch. I started an episode of Black Mirror that DS recommended me and I got hooked. I was only able to watch half before work and I was eager to continue later. I popped in on BR and JG in their VC very briefly to see what was up.

For work I warmed up with arm sketches, looking at different muscle locations. Then I sketched the commissions I forgot to on Friday and finished GS's commission. I had 30 minutes to spare so I worked on a personal thing too. While reading comments at the beginning, someone had said all my characters look like cubs on an e621 tag bot post which was insane to me. Like I don't know what he's seeing. We also found out he likes school girl stuff so.

After work I continued Black Mirror while I snacked and made lunch. I ate the rest of my Salt and Vinegar chips and made lipton soup. Since my frozen bread broke apart, I used it in my soup instead of crumbled up crackers as a way to thicken it. I didn't boil it long enough though so all I got were chunks of soft, slimy bread that ruined the soup. I choked it down anyways but it was not fun. Then I started the first Black Mirror episode since I was curious.

In the afternoon I sketched something for DS that I got permission to continue with. I did some more sketches while I waited for that and that was pretty much the whole hour of friend art this week. The request winner didn't get back to me in time and neither did the second winner so I skipped requests today. With how I was feeling and the upcoming therapy appointment, I didn't work on anything else today.

Therapy was fine, we mostly went over what's been happening and how things are pretty stable. Next time I'm going to have some long term goals organized and maybe he can help me come up with a way to keep track of them so I keep working on them.

After that I hopped on Minecraft in a call with AE and BT. They didn't talk much. I was trying to figure out how to start my new snowman kingdom. Then DS called so I joined her while I played and we watched furry videos. I briefly switched to KSP and she headed to bed. While she did, I finished that first BM episode. In bed we did puzzles, set a new record for the crossword time, and I played KH2.

I want to give journaling more attention. Sometimes I do it as a chore and sort of mindlessly. I'd like to take my time and consider it as if I was writing for someone who has no context for anything in my life. I think it'll help me to expand in greater detail and assist in my communication/perspective taking skills. But to do that I need time so I should probably enforce a nighttime cutoff time again where I get off to do dishes and get ready for bed. Usually 10:30 has been good enough.

[coppeliafoxworth]

February 14th 2023

Happy Valentines Day!  

I know I haven't been updating recently and that's my fault.  I've been busy but then again I'm the one making plans.  Since it's been so long since I last updated I'm just going to list some more major things rather than give detailed accounts of each day.

-Had my nine-month anniversary with my lover

-My lover has a new truck

-My lover accidentally elbowed me so hard in the nose that my piercing scratched it and I started bleeding

-I lost more weight

-I still hate my job and am applying to new places

-Tax returns came back and I'm using them to go to school

-I have a psychological evaluation tomorrow that I hope I fail so they let me go

On to today.

Today I did not want to go to work, but I got ready and went anyways.  Pay day was today and I feel rude not going into work the day I get paid.

My workday started off with Theo telling me and one of my coworkers to remove the metal detectors from the front office since we didn't use them anymore.  It was supposed to be a simple and easy task but the nuts securing the bolts wouldn't come up; they just kept spinning.  After about ten minutes of trying to fight with them, another coworker came in with the saw-zaw and cut them from the floor instead.

After we removed the detectors, we went on a "smoke break."  The new building manager should be in any time soon and one of the rules of the company is that we can't have our phones in the building because of client information, even though we work maintenance.  

Theo and a few other of my coworkers are smokers so when they take smoke breaks the rest of us do too just to sit on our phones in our cars.

I used my time wisely and called a few offices I applied to check on my applications.  I've heard some people say they don't call places they've applied to because it makes them look desperate, but I think it makes you look like you're actually interested in the job and not just applying to anything you see.

After our break we had to help Theo get rid of old files and put in new ones.  We threw away all files from twenty fifteen and before.  The new files to be placed in storage were from twenty twenty.  

While my coworker was driving to the dump to get rid of the files, I was tasked with putting two partition walls in pieces by myself.  It took me over an hour and really pissed me off that no one helped me.  Once I got everything into the connex I had to stand outside another half an hour calling any of my workers to help me close it since the door was being a brat.

Once everything was handled, I started making my way back to the shop to sit down for a bit but Theo called me on the radio before I could even get through the door.  He wanted me to go grab something while he was sitting on his ass in the shop.  I was pissed but I grabbed it, brought it back, and said I was heading out for lunch.

I was really angry and went to Moe's just to get a diet root beer as they are the only place that has it.  I ended up walking out with a diet root beer and a tofu homewrecker bowl.  After I arrived back in the shop and ate lunch, I wasn't angry anymore, just disappointed in myself for eating so much.

The rest of the workday went by pretty nicely.  I mainly watched YouTube for the rest of the day.  Once I clocked out I made a beeline to my lover's house.  By the time I got there he was sitting in bed eating his dinner.  I laid down next to him and promptly passed out.  

We slept for a while and then left to go get his younger brother dinner.  When we got back though, we were welcomed by one of his old dogs leaving a watery shit for us to clean up.  He was not happy about this and started yelling before realizing that he was talking to a dog more than a decade old.  We left again for cleaning supplies and Febreze.

After we got back the second time the dog had ran away.  We found him walking down the road towards the house.  A car was pulled over and an elderly lady was looking at the tag on his collar.  We thanked her for stopping for him and took him back home.

Now I'm home and actually looking forward to work tomorrow.  I don't think I'm going to pass this evaluation and can only hope that they are forced to let me go because of it.