#anyways normal now apologies to my normal followers who go outside

[coolguypluiplup]

TIKTOK STOP SHOWING ME ANTI BOYDYKE TIKTOKS CHALLENGE

[paintyoureyeswithavividmind]

close to home | chapter sixty four

close to home | chapter sixty four

plot: time continues to move on for the reader

series masterlist

Pairing: Eventual Daryl Dixon x f!reader Word Count: 3,214 Warnings: violence, blood, typical twd, the passing of a beloved pet A/N: thank you for reading!! This chapter is going to feature the death of Tora. I know how much you all love her, but with all the time jumps and to continue this story, cats unfortunately do not live that long. I apologize if this is going to be trigger, and if it makes any of you feel better, I based Tora on my cat who is only 3, and I was sobbing writing this as well. So as a little pick me up, there is the beautiful and loving cat that I based Tora off of (and my bookshelf lol) at the end of this chapter

Weeks turned into months as you and Daryl worked on coming back together. By early spring, you were even more in love with and fully committed to him again. You trusted him again, which seemed to elevate Daryl in unexpected ways. He was more open with the kids and even Michonne and took a seat on the council--you declined Michonne’s offer for the hundredth time. 

By late summer, you were happier and healthier after Daryl returned to you. It was coming up on a year since you’d reunited with him, and things were almost perfect again. 

Almost.

With Tora’s age, you had her out of commission. She wasn’t allowed outside the walls, and stairs were getting too hard for her to climb. You or Daryl would have to bring her up and down. She was getting older after all these years, and you knew she wouldn’t make it to the end of the year. So you spent as much time with her as you could. She followed you around the community, cuddled with you and Daryl every night, and even with Dog. You had Siddiq look at her, of course, and you knew she was having kidney issues. But you could do nothing about it until she started showing pain.

Despite Daryl telling you it was a bad idea, you visited with Negan a few times every now and then. You meant what you said to him years ago, that you were moving past things and letting go of the anger. That meant there was room for a tiny bit of guilt for him spending the rest of his life in a cell, not that you thought he should be let out. But you went down to talk to him, and he was never an asshole to you. For whatever reason, he respected your marriage to Daryl and told you he just liked having someone to talk to. 

You knew Judith was doing the same but didn’t say anything. And Judith was Judith; she would do what she wanted anyway, just like her brother and father. 

Which was why Michonne agreed to let you and a group take her out for a hunt. She was nine now, and Michonne knew how important it was for her to know the ins and outs of the area around the community. She trusted you with Judith’s life. 

So you had Rosita, Eugene, Laura, and Aaron come out with you, as they did most of the out-of-community work anyway. Daryl was needed to help build up one of the new farming stands, so you couldn’t have him come. 

You were meant to meet them in a few minutes at the gate and could hear Judith bumping around in her room while getting ready. The two of you never seemed to get anywhere on time these days. 

“You gotta be kidding me,” You mumbled as you adjusted your belt. It was too tight around your waist. But it was notched where it always was, and then you realized it wasn’t the belt that was too tight. 

“No,” You shook your head as you walked to the mirror that hung from behind the door. You lifted your shirt and turned to the side.

“No, no.” You mumbled as you set your hands around your stomach. It was definitely sticking out more than it should’ve.

You let the shirt drop, which made you look almost normal, and then you picked the shirt up again as you thought about when you got your last period--but of course, it was never regular after the end of the world to begin with. 

“(Y/N), I’m ready to go…” Judith swung the door open but paused when she saw you. “Are you pregnant?” She yelled. 

You immediately pulled her into your room and shut the door behind her. “Do you always have to be so loud,” You said, which made her giggle. 

“Let me see.” She reached for your shirt, which you let her, and she pulled it up. “I remember how big mom’s tummy got.”

“I’m not pregnant,” You said, but you weren't so sure when you looked in the mirror. The symptoms you had for your first were surprisingly few; if it was the same, it wasn’t a wonder how you didn’t realize sooner. 

“I bet Daryl will be happy.”

“Go get your sword before I toss you out the window, missy.” 

***

“Judith!” You screamed, flicking blood off your machete. Your heart was beating faster than you ever could’ve imagined as you looked around the woods for your niece. You felt tears burn in your panic, and you looked at Rosita, who looked as desperate and scared as you. 

You followed Rosita through the woods, screaming out for Judith. You ran towards the sound when you finally heard her yelling that she was close. 

“I heard them calling, they needed our help.” Judith said. 

You looked behind her and immediately drew an arrow. Five strangers were following behind her, all out of breath and in bad shape. Dog was barking like crazy in warning, and you whistled to recall him. He sat next to you. 

Rosita and Aaron discussed with Judith as to why you couldn’t bring them back, and you watched her threaten that she wouldn’t come back. 

“We bring them.” You said. “I will talk to Michonne. I want us in group formation. There are walkers behind every damn tree.” You said. 

Eugene and Laura took the lead, while Rosita and Aaron took the back. You and Judith walked side by side with the strangers. You noticed the two quiet ones were talking in sign language, and you could pick up a few things they were discussing. 

“Hey,” You took a couple quick steps and looked at the one who heard you. You set your machete away and did your best to sign as you spoke. “I’m (Y/N). It’s been a while since I’ve signed. I wanted to reassure you that you’ll be safe. We’ll help your friend. I can’t promise anything after that.”

“I’m Kelly,” The younger one said as she signed. “This is my sister Connie.” You looked at Connie while she signed. “She said-.”

“I got the gist,” You said, then you did your best to sign again and had to spell out a few words you didn’t remember. I went to school for speech pathology before switching to medicine. It’s been a long time, though.

It’s nice to meet someone I can talk to you, Kelly always has to translate for me, Connie signed to you. You were able to understand most of it and you nodded at her, which made her smile. 

***

Daryl was the first one you saw when you walked through the gates, and you smiled, jogging up to him. Your bow clanged against his crossbow as you hugged, and he kissed you briefly before looking past you. “What’s all this?”

“Don’t ask,” You muttered. “One word. Judith.”

“Ain’ a surprise.”

You turned back to the strangers as they marveled at the community, and you saw in their faces how relieved they were. They had to have been out there for a long time. You couldn’t imagine it. After all this time, you didn’t know what you would do without the communities. 

There was a slight argument amongst the residents before Michonne showed up, and after looking them over, she had them put away into holding for the night so the council could vote in the morning. 

Daryl had more work to do, so he bid goodbye, and you walked home with Judith. 

“So when are you gonna tell him?”

“Judith.”

“What? I’m just asking. Would that mean I’m an aunt if you have a baby?”

You smiled, looked down at your niece, and then wrapped an arm around her. “No, sweetheart. It would make you cousins. You’ll be an aunt when RJ has a baby in many, many years from now.”

“But I could help you take care of it.”

“Judith.” 

“Maybe you can ask mom to help you since you don’t have any kids,” Judith asked as she looked up at you. 

You frowned slightly and tipped her hat forward to cover her eyes. “I did have a kid. I had a son. But he died in my belly.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Judith said. “Was it before?”

You nodded as you stopped by the stairs to your house. “It was.”

Judith gave you a big hug. “For what it’s worth, I think you’ll be a great mom. You’re my best friend.” 

***

You were standing in your room a few hours later naked, having just showered. Your long hair was dripping as you turned to look at yourself in the mirror. Your stomach wasn’t extended the way it would’ve been if you’d put on a bit of weight--which you’d gotten back to your regular weight after being shot--but it was just your lower belly. And it took you back to years ago with Liam, and you were this size at around five months. If you were pregnant, you’d be showing earlier. 

You pressed your hand against the swell and sighed loudly. Pregnant. After all this time, you couldn’t be, could you? Not after all these years. 

The sound of meowing caught your attention, and you quickly got dressed before walking over to the window. Tora was at the front steps, and you didn’t like the sound of her howling. Your fingers trembled as you looked at her for another second. She was pushing thirteen, which was on her breed's older side of the lifespan. 

You quickly rushed down the stairs and outside. 

“Tora, sweetie,” You said as you scooped her up in her arms. She’d been losing weight a lot in the past month. You knew her time was coming. 

She meowed quietly as she got comfortable in your arms. Living on your farm, you’d grown up around house cats and barn cats, and they all acted the same way when it was time. When they needed to say goodbye. So when you saw Tora looking up at you with those sweet, innocent eyes, you knew it was. 

Tears burned your eyes as you thought about your old treehouse and living there with her alone. How she kept you alive because you were too stubborn to let her die. And even before that, when Liam gave you to her on Christmas morning, she immediately crawled into your lap and started purring. Thirteen years was long for a cat in this world, and she spent most of it malnourished, even though you did your best. 

“(Y/N)? What’s going on?” 

You looked up at Judith with tears on your cheeks. “Can you run and get Siddiq for me, sweetie?”

Ten minutes later, Siddiq held Tora in his arms as you watched him press around her belly. When she showed discomfort and tried to scratch him, he gave her back to you. 

“I’m sorry. It’s probably the kidneys. I can use the machine on her tomorrow to take a look.”

You nodded, but you knew it wouldn’t come to that. She wasn’t going to make it through the night. 

“Do you know where Daryl is?”

“He was with Aaron. I think they were workin’ late on the farming stand.”

Siddiq said goodnight and squeezed your arm before he left, and then Judith wrapped her hand around your bicep. “Can I come with you?”

“I’m gonna bring her back here, Jude. I promise. Can you get some pillows and blankets on the couch? You know how she likes it.”

Judith nodded and ran back into the house. You sniffled a few times and started walking towards the center of the community. 

You were already crying when you saw Daryl with Aaron, working with flashlights to get the stand finished. You tried to call out his name but had to take a deep breath. Tora stirred in your arms and you shushed her, kissing the top of her head. 

“Daryl?” He turned around the moment he heard the tone of your voice, and you saw his face drop when he saw you. “Tora…she…” You broke out into tears. 

He tossed his tools aside, told Aaron he’d see him tomorrow, and then came to you. “Come on, darlin’, let’s get her home.” 

You nodded as he wrapped his arms around your shoulders and led you home.

Judith set up the couch like you asked her, and you gently set Tora on the blankets before sitting on the floor. You gently ran your hand along her body and fluffy tail, and she looked at you with those big eyes. 

Daryl sat down next to you while Judith sat on the couch. You pressed your forehead on the cushion near her paws and tried not to start scream-crying in front of Judith. You wanted to do that and throw things around and punch holes through walls. But you didn’t do any of that. 

“Why don’ ya go get ya mom, Judith? She’ll wanna be here.” 

Michonne joined you with a sorrowful look on her face. She loved Tora, although she didn’t show it. But you remembered perfectly her sneaking little bits of food to her when she thought no one was looking. 

After a little while, you let Tora sleep and leaned against the loveseat. Daryl sat beside you, and Michonne took the chair with Judith on her lap. You told them all silly stories about Tora before they knew her when she was just a kitten, and you told Judith how much her brother loved the cat and how you’d always find him stealing her every chance she got--which was something they had in common. Over the past six years, Tora often slept at the foot of Judith’s bed. 

It drew further into the night, and everyone was half asleep when Tora stirred on the couch. The bell from her collar rang as she jumped down and limped her way toward you. She curled herself up on your lap, and you gently pet her. Daryl took your other hand, and Judith and Michonne came to sit on the floor with you. 

“You’re okay,” You said through your tears. “You can sleep now. Say hi to Carl for me, okay, when you get there?”

Around two in the morning, Tora took her last breath in your arms. You sobbed, holding her body to your chest. Daryl held you while Michonne held a hysterical Judith. 

Your heart ached when Daryl tried to take her body from you, and you finally gave in. “Make sure she’s comfortable,” You sobbed. “Wrap her in her favorite blanket. Please be careful.”

“I got her, I got her,” He reassured you.

Judith came over to you and sat on your lap to hug you, and you held her tight as you both cried. 

“I wanna bury her next to Carl,” You said through tears. “I think they’d both really like that.” 

Michonne wiped away her tears, and she stood up. “Of course, we can plant some flowers. Anything you want. I’m gonna take Judith up to bed. You can sleep in my room if you want, honey.”

Judith nodded through tears as she stood up. “I wanna help bury her.”

You slowly stood up and ran your hand on the back of her head. “We’ll do it tomorrow morning before the meeting. Don’t worry, sweetie, I’ll wake you up for it.”

Your niece gave you one more big hug before Michonne led her to the stairs, and you could hear her crying on the floor above you. You sat down on the chair and hung your head in your hands. 

Footsteps caught your attention, and you looked at Daryl, who you knew was crying. He must’ve taken a few extra minutes to avoid crying in front of Judith. 

“Wrapped her up gentle, I promise,” Daryl told you and helped you up so he could hug you. “In her favorite blanket. We’ll bury her tomorrow.”

“We have to give her a funeral.” You cried into his chest. “A good one. She was my life.”

He rubbed the back of your head and kissed your forehead. “We’ll give her the best damn funeral Alexandria has ever seen, okay? Come on, let’s get to bed. Ya gotta try and sleep, darlin’.”

You didn’t want to; of course, you didn’t. But you knew you needed to, and sleep would make you forget. So you let him bring you upstairs, help you into pajamas, and then hold you while you cried yourself to sleep. 

***

The following day, Tora’s absence had you hysterically crying. It woke Daryl up, and he held you, rubbing your back and trying to help you calm down. Then your door opened, and Judith ran in. 

“I thought you left without me, and I missed it,” She started sobbing and jumped on the bed, pushing her way so she was lying between you guys.

“No, sweetie,” You cried and kissed her forehead. She cuddled up against you to cry. 

***

Aaron must’ve spread the word about Tora’s passing because your family was there as you carried her wrapped-up body to the small cemetery. Michonne must’ve woken up early to dig the grave because it was already ready and waiting next to Carl’s. 

You knelt on the ground and gently laid her body to rest. You wiped away your tears and stood up. Daryl wrapped an arm around you and nodded at Aaron, who grabbed the shovel. 

“I would like to say a few words,” Judith said as she grabbed your hand. “If everyone would please pay attention…” When everyone was, she spoke again. “I knew Tora my whole life. I heard stories about her sleeping in my crib with me. And she was the best cat I ever had. And I love her so much.”

You smiled through your tears at your niece, squeezing her hand. 

“One time when we were on the road,” Rosita said, “Before we found this place, she came up to me and sat next to me. It was weird for me because I’m a dog person. But she just sat right there. It was like she knew I needed to not be alone.” 

“I enjoyed watching her chase birds,” Eugene bowed his head. 

Your eyes filled with tears as Michonne stepped up. “She used to try and steal RJ’s food,” She laughed. “I always let her have some.”

“Thank you guys,” You said. “Thank you for helping keep her safe. She was special. And even though this is heartbreaking, I’m happy I was able to keep her safe. And she passed peacefully in my arms. Safe, and warm, and so, very loved.” 

You looked up at Daryl, the only one who hadn’t said anything. 

“I, uh.. I first met the cat when I first met (Y/N), when we almost killed each other. I remember thinkin’ she must be crazy for havin’ a cat. But Tora was good. And ‘m gonna miss her every day.” 

[sundeathh]

Hello.

I was wondering if I can have some Headcannons of Aizawa’s s/o who comes super closer of Eri, and wants to legally adopt her as their child? 

Yo! Long time no request. Sorry if I deviated a little from what you requested with this story. I ended up following what my mind suggested while writing. Anyway, I hope this satisfies you! :)

• Requests are open normally again. I usually take a long to write, because I always try to set a scene along with the headcanons. So I apologize in advance for the delay. 'Till next time!

.

LITTLE FAMILY

Request | Masterlist

Dynamics: DadZawa & Eri × S/O GN!reader

Fandom: BNHA | MHA Words: +2,9K

Categories: SFW, fluff, romance, home life, family dynamics. CW: None significantly worth the mention.

Informs: Hizashi appears as an extra. The word "Maddy" is used as a gender-neutral alternative to replacing the nouns "mommy" or "daddy." Feel free to read it as you please.

• Aizawa would be flattered. He would not show it to you at first, but you would eventually pick on some things he would do absently;

• Like when you are reading to Eri on her bed, and he quietly approaches the room to check on both of you. His lips would turn upwards every so slightly every time you turned to him with shining eyes to tell him Eri slept with her head on your lap;

• It was so heartwarming how she was finally opening up to you. It took a long, but now that she trusted you enough to sleep in your presence, it made all the wait worth it;

• You were already Aizawa’s significant other when they rescued the kid. He would vent to you about how troubled she seemed when he would get home after looking after her. And even though he would not say it, you could tell he genuinely cared and worried for Eri's well-being;

• It took time for both of you to be introduced to each other. And it took even more time for Eri to stop hiding away from you;

• When she first started living with Aizawa, his relationship with you turned into something a lot bigger than before and a lot harder too;

• But Eri was increasingly accepting you more and more. You three were becoming a true family, and you could not pretend like anything had changed by now, not after the events of today.

- - - - -

Aizawa had long left for work. The morning was still quiet from the rowdyism of the outside, and you were alone at his apartment with Eri, the little girl burrowed in between your legs with her back turned toward you as you both sat on the floor, your fingers brushing through her soft hair as you neatly tangled the strands into a braid.

You liked being there, and you liked Eri too. You loved this feeling of peace that followed each morning, and as you became so caught up with this comfortable sensation, you were almost startled when the kid turned her head away from the cartoon passing on the tv to look at you.

"Maddy, can I ask you something?" She said suddenly, cautiously trying to get a glimpse of your expression from the weird angle. You paused your brushing for a second. What had she called you just now? 

You thought for a moment and came blank before a smile tugged at your lips. Looking down at the kid, you met with a pair of shy; yet big, pleading eyes. "Yes. Of course, Eri. What is it?"

The little girl smiled and looked down sheepishly, her small hands clenched tightly in her lap, fiddling with each other like she always does when she is nervous.

"Why do you go away?" She asked quietly, biting her lip. Her voice sounded sad, and you instantly knew what she was asking. You would have to leave before lunchtime to work the next day, and you had your apartment to take care of too.

"Eri…" You began softly, putting your hand under her chin, lifting it until she looked up at you again. "It is not because I don't like you or don't want you around, sweetheart."

Her brow furrowed. "Then why?"

You sighed. "I'm sorry, Eri. But I have a job that needs me and a house to watch. When we become adults, we have responsibilities that come with our jobs. Sometimes, we have no choice but to leave to attend to it. That doesn't mean I won't come back later, though." You smiled at her.

Eri nodded slowly. "I understand," she mumbled before turning back around. "I miss you when you go." She finished in a whisper, her hands returning to the same position they occupied a few moments ago as if nothing had happened.

You chuckled before leaning over and kissing the top of her head. "So do I." You said, giving the little girl a final squeeze before pulling away. "What do you say we take advantage of this time together to bake some cookies?" You tried cheering her again with a grin.

Eri immediately brightened. "Cookies! Let's make cookies!" She exclaimed, jumping from her spot on the floor as if you told her another stray cat was coming home. 

You laughed as she grabbed your wrist and tried to lift you from your spot on the ground. "We have to bake plenty! Daddy will want some!" She shouted excitedly. 

You gave her an affectionate pat before she dragged you down to the kitchen. "We'll call him when his break time comes once we have finished making them." You replied with a smile as she stopped at the fridge to turn around and nod enthusiastically at your comment.

"Mhm!"

- - - - -

"How are the cookies, Eri?" Shōta asked the toddler over the video call.

She held one of her cookie halves in front of the camera as if it were an offering. "Yummy~!" She grinned before popping one in her mouth. Eri quickly swallowed it and then proceeded with the second.

"I bet they are! Good job, kiddo!" Hizashi praised her from somewhere behind Shōta. His voice sounded distant, but you could tell he was smiling brightly by the tone of his voice. 

A second passed before Shōta's deep voice cut through the device again. "I hope there will be some left for me. They look good." He commented, his lips twisting up at one corner as he glanced at you.

Your mouth turned into a smile in response as your cheeks heated up. Shōta was teasing you. He knew you were cooking for the two of them.

Eri giggled happily at the remark, and you felt yourself grin even more. Then, you rolled your eyes playfully, sticking your tongue out to the camera. "I'll eat everything." You teased, your voice filled with false bravado.

There was a snort, and you heard a peal of laughter coming from Hizashi, who seemed far more entertained by hearing your interaction.

"Of course, you will. We wouldn't want Eri getting a sugar rush now, would we?" Aizawa shot back in return, a twinkle in his eye.

At this, you could not help the giggle that escaped you, and you rolled your eyes again, more fondly this time, causing Eri to giggle as well as you.

"Well, I would better clean up the mess I made, then. Have fun with being teased by Hizashi." You said. "Let me know if there is any trouble, alright?"

Another laugh filtered through the speaker, and you were sure the corners of his eyes crinkled a bit as he grinned. "Will do. See you soon."

"Bye, dad!" Eri chirped happily, taking a bite off of another cookie, and before the connection shut, she was waving at the camera with a bright smile on her face, her eyes filled with adoration, love, and warmth.

- - - - -

Unfortunately, when Shōta came home later that day, Eri had already fallen asleep against her own will. You were not surprised in the least. After all, a toddler needed her sleep. Besides, she had been awake for four hours after dinner and watching cartoons on the television. 

You had already tucked her in bed when Shōta entered the apartment, finding your sleeping self curled up on the couch with a blanket over you. Eri was not the only one that fell asleep unexpectedly after all. 

He smiled fondly, shaking his head at the sight of you. And, after leaving his shoes, scarf, and bag at the door, he walked over and gently scooped you off the couch, cradling you carefully in his arms to take you toward his bedroom.

Before he had even started lowering you over his bed, however, you woke up from your slumber groggily. Your eyes widened at the sudden movement, and you squirmed uncomfortably in his hold as he laid you down on his bed.

"Sorry, kitten… Did I wake you?" He whispered, bending down and stroking your cheek.

You shook your head slightly. "Didn't fall asleep on purpose..." you murmured, frowning sleepily at him before mirroring his action and reaching up to caress his cheek. "I was waiting for you." You explained with a tired smirk, running your thumb over his lips before dropping your hand.

A gentle smile spread on his lips, his tender gaze never leaving yours. "Is that right?" The man whispered, leaning forward slowly before speaking again. "Go back to sleep, baby. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" His breath tickled your skin, and Shōta pressed his lips against yours briefly before placing another quick kiss on the tip of your nose.

He started to pull away to stand up, but before he could fully move, you reached up and wrapped your arm around his neck, pulling him down onto the bed beside you. He stumbled a little but managed not to fall on top of you and landed beside you with a soft thump.

His dark eyes stared at you in amusement, raising a brow inquisitively. "What's got into you?" He said, chuckling at your actions.

You frowned, your eyes fluttering closed for a moment as you took a deep breath, your lips curving upward in a small smile. "Can't I spend five minutes cuddling with my boyfriend without having any problem?" You murmured while resting your head on his chest.

Another chuckle rippled through his body, and you felt it against your cheek. "Sure." He murmured, running his hand softly down your spine before pressing another quick kiss on top of your hair.

With a content sigh, you nestled yourself closer, wrapping an arm around his torso, holding him close against you while his heart beat steadily beneath your cheek. It had become a habit whenever you slept over – even more than usual nowadays – and you loved every minute of it.

As far as you were concerned, you would spend your life like this with him. And suddenly, an ebullient thought popped into your mind.

"Shōta?" You called, your voice muffled by his shirt. He hummed questioningly in response, and you lifted your head from his chest and looked up at his tired yet loving eyes.

"Eri called me 'maddy' today." You stated softly. Your words caused his features to change slightly, making him seem pensive. But he did not react negatively at all. Instead, he gently placed a hand behind your neck, bringing your face back into his chest. 

He stroked your arm with the other hand before moving to kiss your brow softly. "Eri does call you that sometimes," he murmured, his fingers continuing their dance along your skin, moving in slow patterns, making you relax. "Well, at least when she's talking about you. She always refers to you like that to me. Don't mind it." He added before letting out a sigh.

You nodded once, and his hand finally stilled at your earlobe after trailing idle patterns across your skin. "It's just… something Eri calls you sometimes. I don't mind it either, though." He assured, his fingers moving to brush your cheek. 

You exhaled a sigh, feeling the weight of the conversation settle on your shoulders – this was precisely why you had been avoiding talking about these things. You were not sure where it had come from, but somehow, Eri had caught you off guard.

So, you swallowed the lump you had in your throat to admit what you thought. "I liked it," you said quietly. His hand paused for a fraction of a second before it resumed its movements along your skin. "Really?" He inquired.

You nodded your head slowly in reply, feeling the muscles in your face starting to ache with the effort of keeping it neutral. Then, he stayed silent for longer than necessary before saying something else.

"Good," he voiced, "I'm fine with it."

This statement surprised you slightly, but you did not say anything about it, letting him continue with his movement along your shoulder blade and upper back. Then, he finally settled his hand on your side, and the room fell with a comfortable silence.

Soon, Shōta's heartbeat was lulling you to sleep without you even realizing it, and despite your efforts to stay awake for a bit longer to enjoy each other's presence for a while, you both fell asleep quite fast.

About half an hour later, however, you were brought back to awakening with the door widening open.

"Maddy?" Eri asked shakily; tears you could not see due to the darkness in the room formed in her eyes, her bottom lip trembling slightly as a tiny whimper slipped past her lips, pleading for attention.

You quickly sat up in the bed, yanking Shōta away from his slumber with the sudden movement, causing him to groan lowly.

"Eri? What happened?" You questioned, squinting your eyes at the small frame in the doorway, worry stamped on your face. "Did you have a bad dream?"

The little girl only hiccupped before nodding faintly. You immediately shifted, turning toward a sleepy-looking Aizawa, who blinked his eyes open before rubbing them, attempting to clear the drowsiness from sleep.

When he noticed that Eri had woken up, he pushed himself upright, propping himself against the pillows. "What happened?" He asked worriedly. 

And instead of answering his question, you gently coaxed a "come here" to the kid, patting the space beside you on the bed so she could climb up between you.

She wasted no time climbing up, settling herself in your lap with her face buried into the crook of your neck, arms snaking around it before she began sniffling loudly. Then, you moved your arm downward over her legs, grabbing the blankets before pulling them up. 

"Shush, now, dear. You are safe." You reassured the girl in your lap, running your hand soothingly through her hair. "Everything is alright. Go back to sleep, okay? We are here with you." You whispered.

She seemed appeased with your assurance and buried herself further into your embrace before closing her eyes again. You wrapped your free arm around her midsection, pulling her closer as you glanced at Aizawa, whose expression was frustratingly unreadable. 

But he sighed heavily, moving an arm up to rest it over both of your middles, pulling you closer together. And without hesitation, you nestled into the warmth of the bed, closing your eyes as Shōta ran a hand down your arm, coming up and grasping your hand tightly in his.

Your lips curved into a smile at the sight you caught yourself in: Eri had her arm tangled around your neck with her leg plopped over your hip, while Aizawa caged you both as you nestled together, which caused your heart to swell. It felt like home.

And after a few moments, Aizawa's eyes drifted shut as exhaustion claimed him. And soon, all three of you fell asleep holding each other.

When you opened your eyes to greet the next day, Aizawa was already awake, resting his head over an arm as he stared at the ceiling. Eri was sprawled in the middle of the bed, seeming peaceful in her slumber.

For a moment, you just watched them for a long time, smiling at the sight before you reached a hand towards the man. He seemed lost in thought as he kept staring blankly above him, so you traced the contours of his face silently with the back of your fingers to make him realize that you were awake.

A faint smile adorned his lips at the sensation. "Morning," he greeted, his voice low and hoarse.

"Morning." You replied, giving him a warm smile as his eyelids lowered. "Sleep well?" You inquired, your tone light as you moved your hand to run a finger down the length of his forearm, pausing at his wrist to rest your arm over the sleeping kid between you both.

A deep sigh left his mouth before he answered. "Yeah." His voice trailed off as he glanced at you, studying you intently for a moment. "Are you okay?" He questioned after a short pause, his eyes boring into yours. You smiled in response, nodding your head slightly.

"Didn't think you would take that well." He commented quietly, and you frowned. "Why wouldn't I? Eri is important enough for me. It does not matter what happens." You admitted quietly, unsure why you had confessed your feelings this easily.

"I know." He muttered. "I just... I never expected you would be okay with that." He added, lifting his arm off the pillow and stretching lazily. "And I never expected you would go out of your way to look after her all by yourself." He added with a sigh.

You shrugged, shifting your gaze down toward the sleeping girl. "Maybe I want to." You whispered, biting your lip at what you wanted to confess. 

And without warning, his hand came up and cupped your face, his thumb brushing tenderly over your cheekbone. His expression softened, a small smile gracing his lips.

"I do, too." He said quietly before pressing a soft kiss against your forehead, dropping his hand onto the bed. He then turned his head slightly, glancing down at Eri. You followed his gaze for a few seconds, observing how peacefully she lay.

A soft chuckle escaped your lips before you shifted your eyes again and gazed directly into his own. "Do you think we will ever be a real family?" You breathed out quietly, taking him by surprise.

You knew he was not one for expressing his emotions very well, but you could tell that this question weighed heavily on his heart as much as it did in yours.

A soft smile spread on your lips before a small laugh slipped past you. "Who knows, I guess?" You shrugged nonchalantly, watching as the corners of his lips curled upwards slightly as well.

"Yeah... maybe. I hope so."

Likes, reblogs and comments are appreciated! Requests are welcome, check the fixed post.

[karmawonders]

Congrats on 800 followers!!!

Ever since I learned about SAGAU, I have been nervous to play music (idk why though??) But I listen to people like Cupcakke and Ayesha and now I'm wondering what the acolytes' reactions would be to the creator playing weird music ^^

🌸Thank you, thank you!🌸

Ahh, I do enjoy myself some good Cupcakke and Ayesha. I got both of em on my playlist, haha! I listen to some pretty out there music as well, if hyper-pop counts as weird. Who knows~ Anyway somehow this became Consort!Diluc and I apologize, my brain went running with this ask and it became.. this.

Warnings: Sexual Content. Cult and Self Aware AU. Somewhat Yandere.

Contents: This could be considered a crackpost at some points. Includes the song squidwards nose / commentary from because I bop to it, aight? . There is mention of "holy dildo." Forgive me i thought it was funny. Diluc is completely devoted to you(he wants to be your consort) and is suddenly worried about his dick size. Not beta read we die like rex-lapis.

Anyway!

I imagine it would be a normal day like any other in Mondstadt. The city is bustling, Flora giving people cute little flower crowns to promote her flower shop, bards singing about various topics and styles, Knights of Favonius helping people find lost cats, etc etc.

In the middle of the town square, stands your current puppets (thats what I call the"vessles" in my au) , in this case the traveller. I imagine depending on the emotional connection/friendship level you have to each of your puppets, people can sometimes hear you through them. Like a walking speaker or smth.

Since the twins don't got a friendship level, its just the equivalent of maxed out. They're crafting up some condensed resin for you, since you were AFK and they knew you were going to do so anyway. They were doing their best to ignore the loud music that they are emitting whilst doing so, Timaeus and others looking at them with wide eyes.

It isn't often your non-puppets hear obvious signs of the creator themselves, ya know! Literally everyone likes listening to you, whether it's Lofi music, rock, pop, or your voice itself!

Whenever they hear your voice from one of your more connected puppets, everyone is just filled with bubbles of happiness and excitement. Like! yay! I am directly in the High Gods presence! Sorta! Not really but its stilly exciting!

This time though, its a bit more of a "Ayo what the fuck?" sort of feeling instead of the usual.

Loudly blaring from their beings, was Cupcakke, and the iconic song "Squidward Nose".

Jean? Red faced, making sure no children are in the area, hands covering her face as she does her best, and fails, to think on who "dora the explorer" is, instead thinking about her god wanting a dick apparently as large as "squidwards nose". She has the church and the sisters notate this in a book. Might be some form of holy dildo or something, who knows.

Lisa is laughing her ass off the entire time, patting her on the back as she helps annotate notable things in the song with a few of the sisters from the Cathedral. Gotta keep their holy bible updated, afterall. She is tempted to write a new thesis for the scholars at Sumeru just for kicks and giggles about how their High God could potentially be more human than formerly assumed. She has a great new evidence, after all~ then again, the scholars at Sumeru are batshit crazy, so many not.

Venti is right at the travellers side, committing the song to his memory the best he can. Definitely getting in the way of them actually crafting the Resin, much to the twin's annoyance. He is always at whoevers side when you are playing any type of music, the music is completely new to him after all. You can bet he will be doing his best to sing the song at any late night tavern performances, even if he isn't getting all the references outside the obvious sexual stuff. Its an instant hit at Angels share, not just because Venti is singing it, but because the High God apparently likes the song as well. Also because its a great song.

Speaking of Angels Share, Diluc's face, is obviously, also as red as tomato when he hears Venti reciting the song later. He enjoys very much being a puppet, and he is definitely incredibly devoted to the High God. (aka you). He has to be devoted if he wants to fully commit himself to you, and possibly be your consort if you come down to Teyvat one day! This entire situation is completely uncouth, much to his dismay. He thinks its ruining your image before he realizes it is simply expanding it. Also, he is very upset. He is packing down there, definitely. But now he is self conscious because what if squidwards nose is better? He should honestly really kick out Venti, even is he is an Archon. Its getting in the way of his business.

Kaeya and Rosaria know about Diluc's somewhat obsessive worship and desire to be your consort, and they also know exactly why thats he is so red faced and upset and Venti's song. And because they absolutely enjoy it, they keep on giving Venti bottles of alcohol for encores of the song. And more, and more. Until Diluc has to excuse himself and leave. They are laughing the entire fuckin time. They always enjoy listening to your music whenever its playing, and they definitely agree that you should play similar songs more often. Its incredibly amusing.

🌸

Anywho's, that was fun to write! I do not know why Diluc was on the mind, but to be honest, I simp for the man highkey soooo-

Hope that was all alright for you dear Anon, and I hope you have a good day!

🌸Want to support me? Here is my Ko-fi and Masterlist!🌸

[clarepreed]

First Date

Story Content and Summary - 5,563 words. After recovering from the events in Stressed to Death, Ginnie and Holly are on their first official date. Despite their obvious chemistry, a freak accident threatens to tear them apart forever. Commotio cordis, on-site resuscitation.🏳️‍🌈

--

Ginnie waited on a bench outside the restaurant, repeatedly wiping her damp hands on her sundress. She wasn’t sure she’d worn the right thing; she liked this dress, and she thought she looked pretty in it, but now she was worried she was too dressed up. Or not dressed up enough. Ginnie tapped her fingers on her thighs, rocking slightly on the bench.

I’m too early. I’m just going to sit here and nervously sweat, she thought. Holly will worry if I seem nervous.

Then: When do I NOT seem nervous?! 

Ginnie huffed at herself and stood, automatically smoothing her dress down in the back and patting the skirt to make sure she hadn’t dropped her wallet or her phone.

“Hey, Ginnie! Are you okay? Am I late?” Holly’s husky voice interrupted Ginnie’s spiraling train of thought.

Ginnie whirled around, her face blushing hot. Holly stopped a few steps away on the sidewalk, looking cute in slim fit brown pants and a boat necked shirt. Ginnie squeaked out: “Hi! No, you’re early! Um… I’m just nervous.”

Before Holly could reply, Ginnie blurted: “Just a normal amount of nervous. Not ‘die on the sidewalk’ nervous.”

Ginnie was looking at Holly’s nose, but she still took in the strange expression that passed over the other woman’s face.

I’m making her uncomfortable.

Ginnie opened her mouth to apologize, but Holly interrupted her, her mouth breaking into a wide smile. “I want to laugh, but I don’t know if I should.”

“Oh, please do,” Gennie said, her hands twisting in her skirt. “That’s why I said it. I joke a lot when I’m nervous.”

Holly took a step closer, her hands plunging into her pockets and then pulling them straight back out. Her eyes skimmed over Ginnie, setting off a warm tingly feeling in Ginnie’s belly. “Hey, um, you look really pretty. That’s a nice dress.”

“It has pockets!” Ginnie exclaimed, demonstrating by slipping her hand in one.

“That’s great. Uh… may I give you a hug?”

Instead of responding verbally, Ginnie lurched forward and threaded her arms around Holly’s ribs. She squeezed the taller woman tight.

“Yes,” she murmured, her lips brushing Holly’s collarbone. Holly’s arms folded around her and they stood for several seconds in silence. Finally, Ginnie said: “You smell good. Spicy?”

“You smell sweet. Like candy.”

“That’s because I ate a bunch of Jolly Ranchers on the bus.”

Holly chuckled. They were embracing for much longer than normal, or so Ginnie assumed. Not that she minded. She could hear Holly’s heart beating fast and strong beneath her ear. The other woman’s embrace was warm and firm. Tears suddenly pricked Ginnie’s eyes, and she murmured: “Thank you.”

Holly leaned back, though she didn’t release her grip on Ginnie. “Are you okay? What are you thanking me for?”

“It’s just that we haven’t seen each other since I got out of the hospital. Texting isn’t the same. Thank you for saving my life. I hope I’m not making you uncomfortable.”

“Not at all, Ginnie. I’m really glad you’re back in the city.” Holly laughed. “I was afraid you’d decide to stay with your parents. I mean, if you did, I was going to ask you out anyway. But it’s nice to have you here.”

“I’ve never dated a woman who hasn’t had at least one super long-distance relationship.”

“God, that’s so true.” Holly squeezed her and then released the hug. “Ready to eat?”

“Yes! This is my favorite restaurant!” Ginnie gushed, gesturing for Holly to follow her. “The owners are from Seoul and Atlanta. The menu is small but really varied and even my parents were happy with the food! They have the best starters… The acoustics are good inside, too. It’s never too loud. This place is my comfort restaurant. I hope you like it!”

Holly stepped up to the door and pulled it open. “After you. I looked up the menu when you suggested this place and it sounds great. Of course… I just really like food.”

There was a small line at the host stand, so they joined at the end. Ginnie pointed up at the vaulted ceiling. “They have art up there! Little sculptures of birds.”

Holly stepped close and looked up. Ginnie felt something at her side and glanced down, spotting Holly’s hand held out to her, palm up. She reached down and took it, a blush running up her chest to her face. Holly bumped her arm against Ginnie’s. “Was that smooth?”

Ginnie snorted and clapped her free hand over her mouth. 

“I made you snort,” Holly said, looking over at Ginnie. Holly pulled her pretty lips into yet another big smile. “And blush.”

Dropping her hand down to fidget with her skirt, Ginnie said: “I like you.”

Holly squeezed her hand. “I like you, too.”

“I don’t feel as shy as I thought I would,” Ginnie murmured. They were getting close to the host stand now. 

“Good. Only good vibes tonight.”

“How many?” the host asked. “Two?”

“Yes,” Ginnie and Holly spoke simultaneously.

“As soon as Tom gets over… Here he is. Enjoy your meal, ladies.”

They followed the server, walking through the dining room, still holding hands. Ginnie registered small sounds; the clink of silverware on plates, the murmur of voices, soft instrumental music. A snapping sound, followed by a sharp zzzzzzzzzt!

Something small and dark flew at them, too fast to avoid, and she heard a soft thump followed by a short huff of air from Holly. 

Holly dropped like a stone, so suddenly that Ginnie had little time to do more than clench the abruptly limp hand in her own. The weight on her arm jerked her down to one knee. Holly sprawled face down on the floor, making no effort to break her own fall.

“What the fuck was that?” she heard someone say, their voice loud in the quiet room.

“Holly?” Ginnie heard her own voice, high-pitched and wobbling with surprise and worry. She released Holly’s hand and turned to put both of her knees on the floor, her hands resting on Holly’s back. Her date lay still and silent, unresponsive to her touch or her voice. “Holly! What happened?”

Ginnie shook her, then looked up. The room fell silent; a few seconds later she heard someone tentatively call out: “Hey, is she okay?”

Crawling around to Holly’s other side, Ginnie leaned close to her face. To her shock, Holly’s big warm eyes were open, staring, seeming to look through her. Her lips were slack, a glistening line of drool stretching from the corner of her mouth down to the floor. 

“HOLLY! HOLLY!” Shouting in her panic, Ginnie dimly registered that she was kneeling on some kind of cord or rope, and she reached down to touch it. “What…”

“Is she breathing?” Tom the server asked.

Ginnie closed her eyes so she could concentrate and leaned closer, lifting the back of her hand next to Holly’s lips. She waited, her other hand coming up to stop her ear, using the closest one to listen to any sounds that might come from Holly. Eventually, however, she opened her eyes and stared up at the red-faced server. “N-no…”

“I’ll… I’ll get the manager,” Tom said, staring at them for several more seconds before scurrying away.

“Fuck the manager!” someone said. “Call 9-1-1!”

Ginnie rocked back and forth for a few seconds before she shook her head violently and reached for Holly. 

I need to put on her back, right? Ginnie pushed on Holly’s shoulder and hip, rolling her clumsily onto her side and then tipping her onto her back. Holly flopped as though her bones had dissolved. Ginnie gasped, spotting a dark stain soaking into her pants. She peed herself? That can’t be good.

“That!” a woman’s voice. The dining room was growing loud now, as people shouted and pushed back their chairs. “That thing on the floor! That’s what hit her!”

It should be me, Ginnie thought wildly, desperately trying to filter out the sounds in the room. Holly’s the one who knows what to do!

“Someone call 9-1-1, dammit!” a man shouted. A glass smashed to the floor and someone ran by in clicky-clacky high heels.

“I did! I did, I’m on the phone—”

“Miss!” A woman’s voice cut through the din. “I’m Melissa, the manager. What happened?”

Melissa crouched at Holly’s other side, then reached out to tip her head back, opening up the line of her neck. She leaned close, her ear by the unconscious woman’s slack mouth. Holly’s tan skin was growing ashen by the second, and Ginnie realized with a sick feeling that her lips were turning blue. “She’s not breathing!” the manager snapped, and then she leaned over Holly, her fingers moving along the lifeless woman’s ribcage.

Ginnie watched as the manager pressed the heels of her hands between Holly’s breasts and then pushed down hard. Holly let out another huff of air, and Melissa called out: “One!”

Numb with shock, Ginnie stared as the woman’s clasped hands pumped Holly’s chest, making her stomach pop up against the waistband of her pants. She could see the shadow of her ribcage bobbing up and down in time with the shrug of her shoulders. 

“…six, seven, eight, nine, ten—Miss? Are you comfortable giving her breaths?”

A few seconds passed, and Ginnie stammered: “Wh-what? Breaths? Yes, I…”

“Tip her head back to keep her airway open! Twenty-three, twenty-four…”

Ginnie’s hands shook as she rested one hand on Holly’s forehead, then the other on her chin. She vaguely remembered doing this years ago in her college health class. Of course, that had been a mannequin. Not happy, sexy, kind Holly.

Help her, help her, help her…

“…twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty! Pinch her nose, NOW!”

Ginnie pinched Holly’s nose and then bent over her, hesitating only a second before drawing a deep breath and sealing her mouth over Holly’s. She heard a rush of air between them as she exhaled forcefully. 

“Faster!” the manager ordered, and Ginnie gave Holly a second quick breath. Holly’s mouth was soft and damp, her skin still warm with the life that had flowed through her moments before.

Then the manager continued chest compressions. Ginnie remained hunched over Holly, her fingers pinching her nose and her other hand on Holly’s chin. She could feel her head wobbling from side to side as Melissa worked on her. Her gaze fell unbidden on Holly’s dark eyes, staring up at the ceiling. 

“Holly, Holly, Holly, Holly…” she muttered under her breath. Her own heart pounded a panicked rhythm. 

“…ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen…”

“There’s an ambulance on the way,” a man said from somewhere above her. “But my friend went looking across the road for an AED!”

“…twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty!”

Ginnie was faster this time, her mouth closing over Holly’s and delivering an efficient breath that made her date’s chest rise before she broke the seal. It rose again quickly with the second breath. Holly’s forced exhale blew into Ginnie’s face as the manager resumed chest compressions.

“One, two, three, four, five, six…”

She felt herself rocking over Holly’s motionless form and made herself stop, swallowing hard. Her eyes burned with unshed tears, though Ginnie couldn’t identify what she was feeling other than panic.

“—flagged one down at the intersection! They’re coming!”

“…eighteen, nineteen, twenty…”

“An ambulance?”

“Are we in danger from the other—”

“—cops coming, too? ‘Cause—”

“Twenty-eight,” Ginnie muttered in time with the manager before dragging in a breath for Holly. She covered her lips, hoping they weren’t cooling off, that she was just imagining things. Two breaths, two lifesaving kisses.

I wanted to kiss her for real, she thought, and then blurted out: “Is she dead?”

No one answered her.

“…nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen…”

Ginnie released Holly’s nose and patted her cheek. Her voice came out quiet and broken. “Holly, Holly, Holly… No…”

“…nineteen, twenty, twenty-one…” Chest compressions looked painful, though Ginnie knew Holly couldn’t feel them now. She thought she could hear the occasional crackle when the manager’s hands forced Holly’s chest down to beat her heart.

They hurt later. They hurt a lot later. They’ll hurt her later if she—

“…thirty!”

Ginnie pinched Holly’s nose and pushed two breaths into her lungs. A tear rolled down her cheek and dripped onto Holly’s chalky face. Ginnie wiped it off with the back of her hand.

“Everyone out of the way, let the medics in!” boomed the same man looming above her.

Everything seemed to speed up. Two people in dark blue uniforms pushed through the crowd, wheeling a gurney as they hurried across the room. Someone put a hand on her shoulder and said something she didn’t understand, though when they grasped her elbow she got the idea. She found herself sitting in a chair close by as the medics relieved the manager and one of them pressed gloved fingers into Holly’s neck.

“I’m going to close service,” she heard the manager say. “Quickly. No bills, no to-go boxes. Just politely get everyone out of here. I have to call Gray and tell him…”

“What happened?” the other medic asked, though Ginnie wasn’t sure who he was talking to. He’d opened a duffel beside him and was holding a plastic piece next to Holly’s face.

“Something hit her in the chest,” Ginnie said. Her voice came out too quiet, and she cleared her throat as he slipped the plastic piece between Holly’s teeth and turned it. “Something hit her in the chest and she just… fell…”

The first medic had already started chest compressions, and his hands looked huge against Holly’s chest. She could see Holly’s chest sink and her stomach bulge up each time he rolled his shoulders down.

“That’s it!” the man with the loud voice said. A man with a bald head and broad shoulders leaned into Ginnie’s line of sight and pointed at a silver-colored hunk of metal laying on the floor. An eyelet protruded from the top with a piece of frayed rope threaded through it. Several feet away were the scattered remains of a sculpted bird. “Those fucking birds, man…”

“Strike to the chest,” the second paramedic said. He finished assembling some kind of mask with a large bulb on one end and a line of tubing that lead to what Ginnie recognized was an oxygen canister. As the first medic paused compressions, the second pressed the mask to Holly’s face, lapping his fingers over her chin. His other hand squeezed the bulb twice.

“Get her on the monitor,” the first paramedic said. “One, two, three, four, five…”

“Cops are here,” the loud man said. “Uh, wife wants me to get out of your hair; I see her waving from the door.”

“Thank you, sir,” the second medic said. He’d pulled what looked like a duffel with an old school computer monitor in the front close to Holly and then drew a pair of shears out from another bag. He snipped the neckline of Holly’s shirt without preamble, then quickly cut through to the bottom when his colleague lifted his hands. He snipped Holly’s lightweight bra down the middle and across the straps, and then compressions resumed.

Ginnie blushed as Holly’s chest and stomach came into view. The other medic cut off the rest of Holly’s shirt while the first thrust his hands rhythmically into her sternum. Holly had moderately-sized, round breasts with large aureola, which wobbled in time with each chest compression. 

“Miss?”

Ginnie blinked and looked away from Holly, toward the source of the voice.

Tom, the server, stood next to her, trying not to look at Holly. His face was pale aside from two ruddy spots on his cheeks. “Um, we are closed. I am sorry, but we need you to leave.”

“I’m not going anywhere!” Ginnie gasped, incredulous. Anger made her face go hot and a few more tears squeeze out of her eyes. “That’s my… that’s my… that’s Holly, and—”

“Not her, Tom! Jesus, go back to the front.” Melissa, the manager, stepped between Tom and Ginnie. “That’s her girlfriend!”

Ginnie looked back at Holly. The man with the mask was giving her breaths, and as soon as he laid the mask down, he reached for a large packet. He cut the top open with the shears and dumped out a set of what Ginnie recognized as defibrillator pads and leads. As the first medic continued rocking his weight into Holly’s sternum, the second tore the backing off the first pad and smoothed it onto the skin above Holly’s right breast.

Holly’s head tipped to the side. Her eyes were still open, wide and startled-looking. Her chin nodded with each compression. 

“Miss? Miss?” A hand gripped Ginnie’s shoulder, and she flinched, pulling herself out of the manager’s grip. “I’m sorry, jeez, I… What’s your name?”

The second pad went on Holly’s side, below her left breast. Shortly after, an angry-sounding alarm filled the air 

“What?” Ginnie asked. The compressions looked scarier now that Holly was half-naked. She had an athletic body, but Ginnie thought her collarbones and fingers looked delicate, and the extended line of her neck appeared fragile as the medic turned her face back upright, pressing the mask over her nose and mouth. Ginnie gripped the seat of her chair, swaying side to side.

“Your name, sweetie.”

“Ginnie.”

“Pause for analysis,” one man said.

“There’s our backup,” the second said. Two more paramedics walked quickly through the restaurant, carrying their own set of bags.

“V-fib. Charging to three-sixty.” 

Ginnie’s eyes darted from the newcomers to Holly, sprawled on her back with a medic pushing hard and fast on her chest. The medic suddenly raised his hands, and the other said: “All clear. Administering shock.”

“Ginnie, how—”

Holly’s torso jerked, and her limbs flinched. The second her body stilled, the original pair of medics switched places. Another pair of gloved hands found Holly’s chest and started forcing her sternum down toward the young woman’s heart. Steady beeping sounds emitted from the cardiac monitor.

“What have we got?” one of the new paramedics said. “I’m James, this is Sandra.”

“Chris and Scott. Witnesses say our patient, Holly, was struck in the chest by that counterweight. She was in ventricular fibrillation when we analyzed and I’ve given her one shock. James and Sandra, I need her intubated and her blood pressure.” Chris handed over Holly’s mask. “I’m going to prep a push dose of epi.”

“What?” Ginnie remembered that the manager was trying to talk to her. “What was that? I’m sorry…”

“Don’t apologize, sweetie. Do you have a ride to the hospital when it’s time?”

“A ride?” Ginnie briefly squeezed her eyes closed. “A ride to the hospital?”

“I can take you. If you came here in an Uber or something… let me drive you.”

“I rode the bus…” Ginnie pressed both of her hands to her face. She could hear one of the medics quietly counting out chest compressions.

“Okay,” Melissa said. “Why don’t you let me drive you? I’ll pull my car up behind the ambulance and we can follow them.”

“Okay,” Ginnie said. “That’s fine. That’s fine. That’s… fine.”

“Do you know how to get hold of her family?” Melissa asked. 

Ginnie dropped her hands into her lap and opened her eyes.

The view was even more frightening now. Four paramedics working on Holly. One of them injected something into Holly’s outstretched arm. Another continued to perform deep and rapid chest compressions, making Holly’s body rock and her stomach pop. A third pumped up a blood pressure cuff. The fourth, a woman, had Holly’s mouth open and a metal device wedged between her teeth. The woman held a tube in her other hand.

“Pause compressions,” she said. She was lying on her stomach, her face close to Holly’s.

Her name is Sandra.

The medic pumping Holly’s chest stopped. She saw Chris pluck a stethoscope from around his neck and plug the earpieces into his ears. Sandra quickly but carefully fed the tube down the metal device and into Holly’s throat.

Holly’s family.

“I have her mom’s number,” Ginnie said, her hands slowly reaching for her dress pocket. Chris had the bell of the stethoscope to Holly’s chest. “I… I can text her.”

“You’re in,” Chris said. “Continue chest compressions!”

Sandra unhooked the bag and used white tape to secure the tube in place, taping one end to Holly’s cheek, winding the tape around the tube and then tearing it off and pressing the end on Holly’s other cheek. She did this with a second piece of tape and then reconnected the bag. Ginnie watched her squeeze the bag between every ten or so compressions. 

Ginnie slipped her phone from her pocket, unlocking the screen automatically.

“Will you be taking her to South or Harper?” she heard the manager ask.

“Harper,” Chris said. “Pause to analyze in five, four, three, two, one… Come on, now… Still in v-fib. Charging to three-sixty.”

“While you’re texting her mother, Ginnie…” the manager paused until Ginnie looked over at her. “While you’re texting her mother, I’m going to move my car, okay?”

“Oh… k-kay.” Tears ran down her cheeks again, this time at the thought of telling Holly’s mom what had happened.

“Everyone off? Clear…. Administering shock.”

Holly bowed up and relaxed. James slid in and took over chest compressions. Ginnie noticed he had black gloves instead of blue like everyone else.

Holly’s face was more visible now that she’d been intubated. Staring eyes. Full lips parted around the tube protruding between her teeth. There was a quiet whooshing sound every time Sandra squeezed the bag. Scott leaned in with the shears and cut from the waistband of Holly’s pants down to her knee. Then he pressed his fingers into her thigh crease.

Ginnie cradled her phone in her hands, opening the messaging app. She didn’t want to contact Holly’s mom. Not while they were resuscitating her. Not while a stranger shoved his hands between her breasts. Not while a tube ran down her throat. Not while a man connected her to an IV bag. Not while her pulse points were exposed and pressed.

Not with her ashen skin and bruised chest, her staring eyes.

What the fuck do I say? ‘Hello, Mrs. Diaz Aguilar. It’s Ginnie. We spoke that one time. Um, I have bad news. There was an accident with a bird in the restaurant. I don’t know what happened, but something hit Holly in the chest and now she’s dead.’

Ginnie swayed side to side, trying not to break out into sobs as she typed out: This is Ginnie Courier. Holly had an accident. They are going to take her to Harper General.

“Administering amio,” she heard Chris say.

The paramedic’s hands on Holly’s chest made noises with each chest compression. His gloves squeaked against each other and her soft-looking skin. His weight thumped into her unresponsive body. Ginnie wondered if she would still hear puffs of air escaping her if she were closer.

Her mind trailed back to her own time in the hospital, before her parents had made it up to see her. She’d wake up and Holly was always there, holding her hand. Dozing sometimes, but waking up as soon as she stirred. She was tender, even though they were essentially strangers to each other. Strangers with crushes and a strong, if newly formed, connection. Even in her hospital bed, her chest burning with pain, Ginnie felt her body respond to Holly’s touch. Holly’s smile. Holly’s voice.

I should have tried to kiss her then, she thought. But I was afraid it was too soon.

“Analysis in thirty seconds,” Chris said. He finished cutting off Holly’s pants, leaving her in a simple pair of hip-hugging underwear. Ginnie watched him run his hands and eyes over her legs; she assumed he was looking for injuries. As soon as he released them, Holly’s legs rocked in time with the relentless thrusts to her chest. He hadn’t removed her shoes, and Ginnie realized with a pang that they were both wearing a pair of high top Converse shoes, just in different colors.

“Pause compressions for analysis…” Chris had his fingers to the crease of Holly’s thigh again, and his eyes were on the monitor. “Still in v-fib. Resume compressions while I charge to three-sixty, then I want Sandra to sub in on the next round.”

Ginnie’s thumb hovered indecisively over the “send” symbol, the digital paper airplane that would send Holly’s mother down a spiral of anguish. Her own parents hadn’t learned of what happened to her until she was already stable. It had to hit differently. Even so, her parents had been acting strange ever since. Mom was over-solicitous. Dad kept giving her money.

Holly’s body rocked under another ten chest compressions and then the paramedics all leaned back, raising their hands.

“Everyone clear? Administering shock now.”

Holly flinched, her back coming up slightly off the floor, her breasts shaking, limbs jerking. She’d barely stilled, alarms screaming, before Sandra slid into place, her hands slotting between Holly’s breasts. The cycle of compressions and breaths continued. 

Ginnie sent the text, shaking with sadness and trepidation.

“One, two, three, four…” 

Holly remained limp. Scott squeezed the bag, sending oxygen into the tube running down Holly’s throat. Chris gave her another injection. Sandra rolled her shoulders over her hands, palms pumping Holly’s sternum. Holly’s stomach bulged, and her legs rocked.

Ginnie’s phone vibrated in her hand. She looked down and saw that Holly’s mother was calling her. Instantly, she felt as though her throat had closed up.

I can’t…

“…nine, ten! One, two, three…”

“Hold compressions! Rhythm and pulse check!”

The medics pressed their fingers to Holly’s neck, wrist, and groin. That’s when Ginnie noticed her eyes were closed.

“Holly?” she whispered.

“Sinus rhythm!” Chris said, sounding excited under his professional facade. “Pulse confirmed. We’ve got her!”

What’s wrong?!!!!! Holly’s mother texted. What happened?

Holly is aliv, Ginnie texted back, her fingers clumsy. call n a minute

Then she clutched her phone to her chest, rocking as she broke down into sobs.

Days later

Ginnie paced back and forth across the waiting room, her hands busy with a plastic tangle fidget. She had the vague feeling she was bothering people, but she felt like she had to keep moving or she might explode. She kept her path as far away from other people as she could. She had a single earbud in, her favorite playlist cranked a little too loud for hearing safety. She was trying to drown out her own thoughts, though she didn’t want to put in both earbuds and miss someone calling for her.

Ginnie’s mind kept filling with terrible images: Holly staring up at her with dead eyes, Holly intubated, Holly’s bruised body sprawled out under a paramedic’s thrusting hands.

Holly is okay. Her mom said she’d let me know if anything changes. I’m going to see her in just a bit and she will be okay.

“Okay, okay, okay…” she muttered, her voice muffled underneath her mask.

“Ginnie?” A familiar woman’s voice interrupted her anxious train of thought. Ginnie looked up and spotted Holly’s mother, Gena. The older woman looked tired but happy, her gray-streaked hair pulled into a messy bun on top of her head and her generous lips drawn into a big, encouraging smile. A surgical mask dangled from her left ear. “Hey. Are you ready to come see our Holly?”

“Yes!” Ginnie blurted, quickly putting her earbud back in its case and dropping it into her bag. After a moment’s hesitation, she dropped the tangle inside as well. “Is she okay? Is she awake?”

“Yes, she’s awake. And she is doing much better.” Gena held her arms out to Ginnie. “May I have a hug?”

Ginnie nodded, her voice disappearing somewhere deep inside of her. She let Gena embrace her, her own arms sliding around the other woman’s back. Gena squeezed her tight.

“I know you said you didn’t do much, but my understanding is that when EMS arrived, you and the restaurant manager were p-performing…” There was a long pause, and when Gena continued, her voice was husky. “You were helping her. Every second was important. Thank you, Ginnie.”

Ginnie felt her face burn hot as she squeezed the other woman back. After a moment, Gena released her and leaned back to look her in the face.

“I’m not stressing you out too much, am I? Holly, bless her, was worried about stressing you out. I suppose I don’t blame her after what happened to both of you.” Gena pulled her mask back over her nose and mouth and gestured at Ginnie, apparently not noticing that Ginnie was looking everywhere but Gena’s eyes. “Come on, Holly will wonder what I’ve done with you.”

Ginnie followed Holly’s mother down the hall, her fingers worrying the strap of her crossbody bag. Eventually, they arrived at a room with Holly’s name written on the marker board next to her door.

“I’m going to go get some coffee,” Gena said. “Holly doesn’t have a roommate as of this morning, so the two of you will have a little privacy. Can I get you anything from the cafeteria?”

“No, but thank you,” Ginnie said, though her attention was already pulling her into Holly’s room. She didn’t hear Gena’s reply.

When she stepped inside, she spotted Holly instantly. Looking smaller than her true height, leaning back against pillows with her hair tied back. Her eyes were closed, full lips slightly parted. Ginnie hurried to the foot of Holly’s bed and then froze, her fingers tapping against the thumb of each hand. Holly opened her eyes and yawned.

“I’m sorry,” Ginnie blurted.

“What for?” Holly asked, yawning again.

“You’re tired. And they wouldn’t let anyone but your mom come see you in the ICU…” Ginnie felt her throat grow tight and her eyes water. “But I am really happy to see you, Holly.”

“You can take your mask off in here, Ginnie.” Holly rubbed her eyes and pushed herself up higher on the pillows, wincing. “If you want to.”

“Oh! Can I help you with something?” Ginnie asked, hurrying to Holly’s side. Then she snatched the mask off her face and crammed it in her bag. 

“No, I’m okay. But thank you for asking.” Holly reached out for Ginnie’s hand, tugging her closer. “You look pretty. But tired.”

“I’m fine.” Ginnie wrapped both of her hands around Holly’s. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore and tired,” Holly said. “But otherwise I’m really good. I have one more test and then I get out of here. It’s looking like I’m going to be fine. I guess sometimes people have to have an implanted defibrillator after something like this, but my heart is okay.”

She tipped her head at the monitor at her bedside, then gestured at the leads snaking their way out of her hospital gown. “All this stuff tickles.”

“I’m really glad you’re okay,” Ginnie whispered. A tear trailed down her cheek. “I thought you were going to die.”

“Oh, hun, please don’t cry.” Holly squeezed her hand. “I’m okay. Thank you for helping me.”

“I didn’t know what to do! If the manager hadn’t stepped in… Holly?”

“Yeah?”

“When you feel better, will you teach me what to do? I took CPR in college but I didn’t really remember…”

Holly fell silent and her cheeks flushed pink. She reached up with her free hand and tried to ruffle her hair, only to remember that it was still tied back.

“Oh, I shouldn’t have asked!” Ginnie blurted. “I wasn’t thinking…”

“No!” Holly protested, letting out a nervous laugh. “I want to teach you. When I’m not so sore, and I’m out of here. We can… practice.”

“Thank you.” Ginnie sighed. “I don’t want to feel helpless like that again.”

“Hey,” Holly said. Her face was still pink, and she gave Ginnie a sly look. “I can think of something else we can do while I’m in here.”

“Yeah?” Ginnie asked.

“Kiss me,” Holly said, her voice husky and deep. “Please?”

“Before one of us dies?” Ginnie asked. Her heart hammered in her chest, and she felt the tiniest bit lightheaded.

“Sure,” Holly said, chuckling. “Whatever, I just want to kiss you. Please.”

Ginne released Holly’s hand and stepped closer to the bed. She knew her fingers were cold, but she touched Holly anyway, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, then tracing her jaw with her fingertips. Leaning in, she pressed her lips to Holly’s.

Holly’s lips were soft and warm, and Ginnie felt her hands come up, cupping the back of Ginnie’s neck, threading lightly through her loose hair. 

Instantly, Ginnie wanted nothing more than to climb into Holly’s hospital bed and stretch out alongside her. Their lips parted simultaneously, and the kiss deepened, tongues plunging and hands clutching. Holly took an audible breath through her nose, her chest heaving.

Ginnie broke the kiss, worried by the panting sounds coming from Holly.. She kissed around her soft mouth and murmured: “I’m sorry, I’m smothering you.”

“I’m okay!” Holly protested breathlessly. “I’m not dying, that was just really good! I think we’re on to something!”

“I promise we’ll do that again when you’re out of the hospital!” Ginnie kissed the tip of Holly’s nose.

“Can we do it again now?”

-- Ginnie and Holly return in Practice.

[fluffshisuga]

Hello, I was wondering if you could do a Tyler Galpin x reader where the reader knows that he's a huge and completely fine, and like one day the reader is with someone and they touch them on the shoulder or start an argument with themas the hyde sees them as a threat???

Hello! I made while taking a break from the other Tyler fic, which is giving me a bit of a hard time, but its getting there. Anyway, thank you for the request! I hope you like it, its not my best work but my brain stopped working for some reason and I’m out of cookies. Also, I have two Xavier fics in the works, not sure when those will be out. Love you guys.

Warnings: Tyler lowkey beats up a man, mentions of death because this is Tyler, nothing else really. Gonna call this one “Protective” probably. I didn’t come up with a name until just now-

The lights outside grew dim as the sun set, its golden glow soon replaced by streetlamps and the odd car driving past. You looked down at your drink, made to your liking by memory. Tyler had managed to always have a cup of your favourite drink ready for whenever you showed up, always warm to combat the cold night air. You sighed as you looked over at the clock, 20 minutes until the coffee shop would close, and a few minutes later Tyler would get off work. You looked over at the counter and watched as Tyler cleaned up the area. Normally, people didn’t come in this late for coffee, and most of the chores for the shop were finished. You stirred your drink, taking a sip as you continued to look outside.

A man walks in, his heavy footsteps alerting you of his presence. Your eyes followed him as he made his way up to the counter, a slightly annoyed Tyler ready to take his order. You tuned out the man as he gave his order, returning your gaze outside. Once again, you were interrupted. The man sat in booth with you, taking his seat on the other side of the table. You cursed yourself and glanced up at him. He gave a friendly smile and asked how your day was. He asked simple questions, what was your name, did you come to the coffee shop so late at night often, where did you go to school. It was all very boring, and you glanced over at the clock, 10 minutes. Tyler was busy cleaning, but he would glance over at you every few minutes to make sure you were ok.

You really didn’t want to make a scene with the man, nor upset him. Knowing Tyler, he never really had control over himself, and any danger placed on you would immediately alert him, so you kept up a polite façade and answered the man’s questions. Until you felt his foot tap your calf. At first you thought it was an accident, sometimes you would accidentally tap someone with your foot as well, it was one of the ways you met Tyler when he sat with you and some of the friends you two shared. But the man kept tapping you, and he eventually tapped your hand with a finger. “Look, uh, sorry. I was actually here waiting for someone, so if you would excuse me,” you stated, getting up and grabbing your drink. You moved to a table closer to the counter, glancing around for Tyler. He was nowhere in sight.

The man followed you, wrapping his arm around your shoulder. Your body became stiff, your instincts kicking in as you spun and slapped him in the face. “Get away from me!” You shouted, moving away from the man. He continued to advance on you, but you were able to distract him for a moment by throwing your drink into his face, burning him. He turned to look for you, coming face to face with Tyler, who grabbed him by the collar. You watched as he threw the man across the room with ease, making his way over to him and beginning to punch him in the face several times. You could only watch, unable to do anything to stop Tyler. Eventually he stopped and dragged the man out of the shop and returning a few minutes later.

When he walked back in, you were trying to clean up the mess you had made, apologizing to him as he knelt beside you to help. “I didn’t think he would get that annoying, now I made a mess of the floor and now we’re going to be late to the movie.” You said, hurrying to grab a mop to clean up the small blood mess left from the beat down. Tyler sighed and helped clean the place up, “Weird way to say thank you, but I love you too?” You chuckled as you slapped his shoulder, “Thank you. But I could have handled it. Anyway,” you paused, looking outside. “What did you do with him?” Tyler shook his head, “don’t worry about it. Not gonna bother you anymore.” With that, the two of you cleaned as quickly as you could, running out of the shop and making your way to his house quickly to get a change of clothes, and heading off to the movies.

The next day, the news had given a report of a dead body found on the outskirts of the woods. They reported that he was mauled by what appeared to be a bear, and that there was no evidence of foul play. You looked over to Tyler, who had kept a straight face as he handed you your drink. You flipped your phone around to show him, eyebrow raised to ask the silent question. “Really, again?”

[isolaradiale]

“It pains me to do this, but…” Mimosa hovers over her dream machine, teary-eyed with a sledgehammer in hand. The answer of how to bring this madness to an end had been clear from the start. It wasn’t the most intricate solution but rather the simplest, yet it still pained her.

Solaris only looks on expectantly, as if he had always known this was how the experiment would end. “Get it over with already, won’t you? Don’t be so dramatic, it was imperfect anyway.”

“It may have been imperfect, but it was mine! Now all I’ll have to show for it is…a scrap heap!” Before Mimosa can give herself any more time to doubt whether or not she should, she lifts the hammer high, then brings it down onto the machine with a crashing metallic thunk.

Another hit.

And another, and another, until it stops functioning entirely. The smoke that once poured out of the machine’s vents began to die down. Mimosa crumples to the floor in a heap, staring dejectedly at her creation.

The whale that had swallowed the city’s inhabitants came to a slow halt during its leisurely swim in the skies. Those in its belly felt it pause, along with the low rumbling sound that started to reverberate around them. Their nightmare creations then followed suit in the sudden pause, only to begin melting into puddles of gastric juices that flowed back from where they came from. The scenery of lands familiar to citizens also melted away, leaving them surrounded by darkness once again.

And then, rather unceremoniously, the whale itself gives one last whimper as it makes its descent from the skies above before its body disintegrates into dust. Those trapped inside its belly are left without much choice as they are forcefully ejected and the sudden light from the outside leaves them momentarily blinded. When their eyes finally adjust, they all find that they’re back in their homes, lying down on their beds, and not a single thing seems to be out of place. A quick look out the window also shows that the city itself has gone back to normal, the usual blue sky and blistering summer heat ready to greet the inhabitants.

-

A voice rings out from above the sky, echoing throughout the entire city for anyone who bothers to stop and listen, “Testing, testing…is this thing on?”

It’s Mimosa, here to give an apology!

“Right! So, how did we all enjoy my little experiment? You’re all still alive, aren’t you? Sorry about the abrupt end, but you know how these sorts of things can be…” There is no response, of course, because how could they respond in the first place?

“…Anyway! As a token of my appreciation, I’ve left you all with a little souvenir to remember your experience by! Who knows, it may just serve as a key to something important in the future! Bye for now!” With that, the voice fades.

And the citizens, upon looking under their pillows, find a single golden feather waiting for each of them. What they choose to do with it is up to them in the end.

--

Thank you for participating in our anniversary event, Phantasm Amalgam! We hope you enjoyed yourselves. Please remember to add 100 Stars to your trackers for participation!

As per Mimosa's generous gift to your characters, everyone will find a golden feather underneath their pillows to do whatever with! You can keep it or get rid of it, but it's always going to end up back in your personal inventory somehow. Enjoy!

[misc-obeyme]

THE THREADS THAT BIND

CHAPTER TWELVE

MASTERPOST for summary/info/chapter list

a/n: If you thought the last chapter was angsty... well, it gets worse before it gets better. But fear not! This story has a happy ending, so you know things will be resolved!

GN!MC x Barbatos | word count 1,410

Warnings: kind of a lot of angst this time, MC is crying

You woke up in the middle of the night, sitting up in bed and rubbing at your face. You had been having some kind of nightmare, but you couldn't quite remember it. You looked around the guest room and frowned. The memories of the night when you were cursed came flooding back. You had been woken by a strange nightmare then, too. One you couldn't remember.

You considered getting out of bed. You were awake now and you didn't think you could go back to sleep just yet.

But last time you had done that, you had gotten cursed which had inevitably brought you to this moment.

You were about to try to force yourself back to sleep when you felt a tug on your heart.

Right before your eyes, a teal thread manifested through your chest. It was glowing faintly, stretching out from you across the room and disappearing into the wall.

No, you thought. No, not the curse again.

But there was something different about this.

You got out of bed and left the room. The thread in your chest stretched away down the hall. You followed it.

As you walked along, the thread seemed to be absorbing into you. When you looked behind you, it wasn't there. It was connecting you to something.

The teal color indicated that it was leading you to Barbatos. But you didn't understand why or how it was happening. Certainly you were quite far away from him when you had woken in your bed, but there was no pain.

You couldn't tell if this thread was a remnant of the curse or not. It looked so similar and yet it felt so different.

Eventually you found yourself outside of Barbatos's bedroom door, the thread disappearing through it. You weren't surprised that it had brought you here. What else could have caused a magical thread like this to appear?

You considered your options. Wouldn't Barbatos be asleep right now? It was the middle of the night. You yourself were still in your pajamas, feet bare and hair mussed. But you were here. And if you left now, you might not have the courage to come back again.

You knocked on the door.

Barbatos opened it after only a moment.

Your heart squeezed hard. He was wearing the same set of green pajamas he had always been wearing when you woke up to him redirecting your dreams.

He smiled at you. He was clearly still tired and he wasn't able to mask the pain in his smile as well as he normally did. Seeing it made you feel like your heart had ruptured.

You hadn't even been paying attention to the thread in your chest, your eyes entirely on Barbatos. Now you looked down and saw that it was running through him, too.

You reached out and touched it, but your fingertips went right through it. "Do you see this, too?" you asked.

"Indeed," Barbatos said. "I do believe it is the result of a potion that was likely given to you during dinner this evening."

You looked up at him and cocked your head. "You put a potion in my drink?"

Barbatos met your eyes. "No. I think it was the Young Master who took it upon himself to do so."

You blinked. "Diavolo did it? But I didn't even notice!"

Barbatos shook his head. "The Young Master can be sneaky when he wishes to be. I apologize, MC. I should have been there to stop him."

You shuffled your feet a little. You thought about asking him why he wasn't, but it wasn't like you didn't already know. Instead you said, "It's fine. What kind of potion is it anyway?"

Barbatos opened his door a little wider and stepped aside. "Would you like to come in? We can discuss it, but you needn't stand outside my door all night."

You blushed a little, but you went inside his room. He shut the door behind you. There wasn't much in the way of furniture in Barbatos's room, so you found yourself sitting beside him on the edge of his bed.

"I am familiar with the effects of this particular potion," Barbatos said. "It manifests in different ways, but its purpose is to indicate the truth of a person's heart. If there is something that occupies the person's waking thoughts, something that consumes them, something that dominates their feelings, this potion will reveal it in some way. It is harmless. The effect of it will wear off by morning."

Both of you looked down at the thread that stretched between you. It started with you and it ended with him. There was no doubt what the potion was indicating. And yet, it only spoke of your feelings. It only revealed your heart.

You couldn't look up at Barbatos. You were sure that his expression was the same as it always was. Neutral, perhaps a tired smile, but you were too afraid that there might be a hint of pity in there, too. And that was something you didn't want to see.

"I guess it's no surprise that it showed up like this, then," you said quietly. "You already knew, though, didn't you? You didn't need this thread to show you what you already knew."

"Neither did you," Barbatos said.

You closed your eyes. "I'm sorry I lied to you before."

"You needn't apologize for that," Barbatos said. "You simply weren't ready to speak to me then."

"You're too nice," you said, the threat of tears evident in your voice. You looked up at him, then, unable to stop yourself. You weren't sure what you saw there on his face. "You're always looking out for me, always considering my feelings, but what about you? You're really good at pretending like it doesn't hurt you, but I can see that it does. Why are you so accommodating of me when it causes you so much pain?"

Barbatos was leaning toward you, as though he wanted to reach out, to hold you, but was restraining himself. "I have learned over the years that it is best to wait," he said. "That if there is something someone needs to tell me, that they will do it in their own time. I can handle the discomfort of it until they're ready."

You felt the tears begin to fall down your cheeks, hot and heavy. They were slow and thick, the heat of them seeping into your skin.

"I feel empty," you said. "I feel like there's something missing inside me. Ever since the curse was broken, it's like something just hasn't been right. I miss you. Even when I see you, I miss you. It's like you're here beside me, but you aren't really here, not like you were before. I can't explain it. It doesn't make sense. The curse was painful and it was a burden, but I almost wish…"

You covered your mouth, ashamed at what you were about to say. It was too much to consider that you almost wished you were still bound to Barbatos.

He seemed like he was about to say something, but you cut him off.

"It doesn't matter, though, does it?" you said, dropping your hand again. "I know I'm not the one in your future. How can you let yourself feel anything for anyone else when you know that person could come into your life at any moment? I've just been having a hard time dealing with it."

"MC," Barbatos said. His face was blurry through your tears, but there was no mistaking the anguish in his eyes.

You stood up abruptly, the little trail of teal light the clearest thing in your vision. "I just need more time to grieve the loss of you."

Barbatos stood up, too, reaching out for you as you turned away and practically ran out of his bedroom door.

You were relieved when he didn't come after you.

You wandered the halls of the castle. Without the thread to guide you, you realized you had no idea where your guest room was. Now that you were leaving Barbatos behind, the thread would only lead you back to him if you followed it.

You found an empty room with several sofas, sank down onto one, and let yourself cry until you ran out of tears. You considered going to look for your room, but before you had decided to do so, you had fallen asleep.

masterpost | chapter one

chapter eleven | chapter thirteen

masterlist | Thank you for reading!

[rmedgg]

The human who didn’t know Pt. 2

Pairing: Normie male reader x Enid Sinclair and Wednesday Addams

Chapter 2: Trip and New friends

I apologize for taking so long on getting the second part on here link to the first part is right below this so read that before this or don’t (I recommend you do) also any poll on the author notes can be disregarded as the story is already on chapter 14 so until I catch up on here they can be disregarded anyways enough ranting please enjoy

Y/n pov

"So what exactly did you mean when you said I'd be someone worth following behind? I asked Blake as he lead me through a patio area

"Exactly that, you see my pack has its own rules and traditions we follow. When we meet someone we deem strong wether it be by there character or, by their strength we follow them. As those people are usually the best leaders." He stated in a matter-of-factly tone.

"So I'm your leader now? And what's with this pack your talking about." I asked incredulously 

"Yes. My wolf pack when as I'm a werewolf or could you not tell? Either way when we turn 16 we are allowed to start or join our own packs. All you need to do is acknowledge me and we'll even get a mental link." He said with some underlying excitement in his usual monotone voice.

"What the hell am I even supposed to respond." I thought as we walked in silence for a couple of minutes to our dorm room.

Bland and boring is how I would describe the room, it was made of some sort of dark wood, the room layout itself was basic just two full size beds, two dressers and, two desks. One of each on either side of the room. On the back door there was a door that opened up to a bathroom. The front wall that you saw when entering the room was taken up by a big circular window that opened up to a balcony.

Stepping outside and onto the balcony looking out I saw that it overlooked the patio area we had walked through to get to our dorm hall. Nodding in approval.

"Hey I'm going to look around campus alright. Maybe see if I get to know some of our neighbors." I told Blake as I walked back into our room from the balcony and made my way to the door.

"Ok, just be back in an hour, as Ms.Weems is taking us along with Richard and Tommy to get stuff for our rooms." He told me

I nodded having forgotten of the other two as I exited the room, I noticed the door across from ours was open and there was music playing. I made my way across and knocked on the open door.

A 6' 2" Caucasian boy with brown hair walks towards the door.

"Can I help you?" He asks

"Ah sorry to bother you, I just wanted to introduce myself since it seems that well be neighbors."

"Oh I'm Xavier Thorpe, and you are?"

He said with a smile as  extended his hand

"I'm Y/n nice to meet you Xavier. I responded and shook his hand

"So what are you?" He asks curiously

"What do you mean?" I asked confusion probably written all over my face.

"Yeah like what type of outcast are you? What else could I mean?"  He said with a chuckle

"Oh well I guess a nerd." I said while smiling

Xavier's expression then went from a smile, to confused

"No your not understanding what I'm asking you. Like what are you? A werewolf? A siren? A vampire? A gorgon? A psychic? Or one something else?" He said

"Just a normal human just like everyone else is. " I told him annoyed

He stared at me then suddenly burst into laughter "Oh man you almost got me, no way a normie could make it into nevermore. What are you seriously?" He asked again while still laughing.

"I already told you I'm a regular human." I told him annoyed that he was laughing

He then looked up and saw that I was serious "You're actually just a normie?!" He shouted in surprise

"What the hell is a normie?" I asked

"It's a person that's just a human and not an "outcast" you know like the people this school is made for." He said now getting irritated

"Yeah outcasts like people who were bullied for being different" I responded irritated by the conversation that seemed to circle around.

"No not that type of outcasts you moron, did you even look up this school or it's history? Never mind it  doesn't matter this school is for "outcasts" such as werewolves, vampires, psychics, etc."  he said

"Well no I didn't read it I just saw outcasts and assumed it meant kids who got bullied for being different or quirky. Either way those things aren't real your just delusional." I replied quickly

"Me delusional, come on then I'll show you." He said confidently

"Alright then." I said not believing him at all.

We walked into his room. The set up was like ours, each side of the room was decorated differently. Xavier made his way to his desk, sat down and drew a spider.

"Oh man you showed me man." I said trying to hold in my laugh

"Oh shut up, and give me a second." He said focused on his drawing, his hand hovering over it, a couple seconds later it moved,and started crawling around his desk.

"Oh shit! What then hell! How'd you do that?!" I asked surprised making my way closer to his desk to get a better view.

"Ah shit man, sorry for doubting you. That's dope as hell though man." I apologized while staring at the spider

He then snapped and the spider dissolved into dust. "What your not going to freak out and insult me like others do? He asked shocked not looking at me

"Bro let's be realistic even if I wanted to do that, it would be stupid to. Since I don't know the extent of your powers for all I know you can make that shit venomous and kill me in my sleep. Plus that was dope as fuck I wish I had powers." I said awestruck as to what I just witnessed.

"Wait if he has powers does this mean that Blake was telling the truth, and was being serious. Awe shit." I thought

"Wait so your serious about being a normie?"

"Uh yeah, no powers from me. I'm able to attend since I won the scholarship. I also didn't bother reading the website as I thought it meant like Emos, goths, otakus and those types of outcasts." I said

Then I heard it laughter first soft then booming, Xavier turned to face me and he was laughing. "Oh man your a total riot, what type of dumbass applies for a school without reading its history. I can tell we'll become great friends." He said as he wiped away a tear

"Alright man I'll leave you to it I'm going to go and explore the campus and see if i can make any more friends." I said as I waved at him and left his dorm

"Alright man, I'll introduce you to my roommate whenever he gets back from town. Before I forget careful of who you go telling your a human most here have bad experiences with them and would probably put you on some sort of kill list. " said Xavier seriously

"Thanks for the heads up man, but it'll probably be announced when Ms.Weems announces the winner of the scholarship. " I said

"Well if she does I've got your back." He said seriously

"Well thank you." I said as a smile painted itself on my face

As I made my way down the hallway to the staircase, and then subsequently down the stairs into the lobby of the residence hall. Which seemed like the lobby of some high end hotel only without a receptionist. I looked around looking at the furniture. There was 2 sofas and 4 arm chairs which all seemed comfortable enough to sleep in. Along with 2 round tall tables with 2 chairs each meant to be used for studying as there were wall outlets easily accessible. At one of those tables there was a tan short male with black hair and square framed glasses. He seemed to be watching a video of some sort. So I made my way over to him.

"Hey sorry to bother you mind if I take a seat?" I asked

"Huh, you asking me?" He asked seemingly confused with a stranger coming up to him

"Yeah." I responded "my name is Y/n L/n by the way." Stretching my hand out for a handshake

"Ah sorry I'm not used to being approached, but I'm Eugene Ottinger." He said while taking my hand to shake it seeming to have relaxed a bit

"Nice to meet you Eugene, would it be fine if I take a seat?" I asked

"Likewise. Yes please be my guest." He responded quickly "if you don't mind me asking what are your thoughts on bees?" He asked enthusiastically

"Well I like the honey they make, I have also wanted to try honeycomb but I've never had the chance too. Other than that I don't have any real opinion on them. Why do you ask?"  I replied 

"Oh I just love bees, I actually want to see if I'll be allowed to make a beekeeping club." He told me passionately

"Oh that sounds cool if you do I'll be your first member if you wouldn't mind having me. So if you don't mind me asking,why you're so passionate about bees?"  I asked him

"Really that would be great Y/n. Well you see I've never really ever fit in anywhere, or had friends. Well bees have always been there for me ,it's as if they can understand me and they're very good at keeping secrets." He said a bit downcast

"I'd assume they are good at keeping secrets. Well you won't have to worry about not having friends as you've already made your first." I said smiling

"Really we're friends?" Eugene asked surprised

"Of course, why else would I have approached you." I asked chuckling

A phone started to ring  "It was nice meeting you Y/n but my mother is calling me. I'll see you around." Eugene said as he got up from his spot at the table.

"Well see you around" I replied

"Ok so I've made 2 new friend not bad Y/n not bad at all, I still got 20 minutes to go and explore might as well" I thought to myself

Getting up from my spot in the table, and walking towards the entrance doors. I push one open and make my way outside. Taking a nice deep breath of fresh air and look around taking in the surroundings. There seems to be groups of people around this patio area.

"Yeah two friends is more than enough for today." I thought, as I needed an excuse as to why I shouldn't approach any of the groups. 

Looking around I see an open table, as I make my way over to it I observe each group. There seems to be 4 main groups, can't really tell what they are maybe Blake or Xavier can tell me later. When I eventually make it up to the table I take a seat and put my head down the weather is perfect for an afternoon nap. As I'm starting to doze off a excited voice greets me.

"Hi there, I'm Enid Sinclair." Said a blonde girl with blue and pink highlights with an infectious smile

"Huh, oh nice to meet you, Enid I'm Y/n." I said trying to purge the drowsiness from almost falling asleep.

"Oh I'm sorry did I wake you? She said looking concerned

"Ah no it's fine it's probably better that I don't fall asleep I have something to do in like 15ish minutes. So I should be thanking you." I said trying to reassure her

"Oh that's good, mind if I take a seat?" She asked

"Oh you're fine." I responded

"What happened for you to get that scar?" Enid asked looking at the scar on my left eye curiously

"A bit direct aren't you?" I laughed

"Oh I'm sorry if it's a sensitive topic. I was just curious." She said panic evident in her voice

"Don't worry bout it, I actually got this somewhat recently,. I was in a fight and he got me good but I got him back." I told her

"Woah, why were you fighting him? She asked leaning in closer

"Well we were fighting in the tournament for the scholarship." I answered

"Oh right that's a thing. So what are you? I'm a werewolf" She asked changing the subject abruptly

"I'd rather keep it a secret. Sorry." I told her looking away as to not make eye contact

"Don't worry." She responded happily "Do you have an Instagram? I could get so we can stay in contact? She asked eagerly

"Yeah let me just type it in." I said as I grabbed the phone she was handing to me

"Well I have to go." she said as she got up "I'm going to go get lunch, unless you want to come with me" she smiled

"I would love to but unfortunately I have to go with my roommate, to see Ms.Weems." I stated

"Oh that sucks" her smile faltering for a second "Maybe tomorrow then?" She asked

"Yeah why not, I shouldn't have anything planned." I said

She nodded as she got up from the table we were sitting at, and walked away.

"My goodness my eyes have been blessed with this beautiful woman." I thought as I watched her walk away.

Getting up from the table, I stared to walk about towards the residence hall, as I still had 5 minutes left before I needed to be there but I think I've had enough exploring for one day. As I made my way upstairs and into my room I saw Blake laying down on his bed with his headphones on.

"You're back earlier then I expected you to be, in all honesty, I thought I was going to have to hunt you down." Said Blake with a smile.

"Oh ha ha." I said as I took a seat on my bed

"We should make our way to Ms.Weems office, no?" I asked Blake

He nodded and got up

"Let's go then" he said

Background conversations was all that was heard as we walked towards Ms.Weems office, as we walked in silence. We approached a door that had a name plate on it which stated principal's office. Blake then knocked behind the door we heard a muffled voice that told us to enter. After entering Tommy and Richard where there sitting while on there phones. Richard was the first to look up, his face immediately turned from bored to a wide smile.

"Y/n how are you man, it's as if you disappeared on us after the tournament" Richard said excited to see me

"It because he was in a coma remember idiot Ms.Weems even told us." Tommy told him without skipping a beat or looking up from his phone.

"Oh right." Richard said sheepishly

During our interaction I could see Ms.Weems was staring at us smiling happily at the bond we seemed to have made after knowing each other.

"Ok, we'll be headed down to Jericho so you guys can get decor for your rooms, please remember that you are representing Nevermore so do try no to get into fights." She said looking towards our group seriously.

Opening the top drawer of her desk she pulled out four envelopes all numbered one through four in Roman numerals

"These contain the prize money for each of you." She said as she handed them to each of us Blake receiving the one numbered 1, Tommy the one numbered two, Richard the third and me the fourth and final one.

"You guys can get whatever you may need or want. Just know towels, and other basic toiletries will be supplied for your as your dorms are the only ones with private bathrooms." Ms.Weems told us

"Will you accompany us ? Or will you just be dropping us off?" I asked

"I had planned on accompanying you, but I have a faculty meeting so I will have to drop you guys off and then when you feel your done you can just call me." She said as she got up from her desk and made her way to the door  "Let us go before it gets any later"

As we followed her to the van, I could see that the other students were staring at us as we walked through the patio area. We got into the car after walking for 5 minutes and Ms.Weems started to drive towards town. After 30 minutes of driving I saw a sign that read welcome to Jericho.

"Remember guys do not cause any trouble." Ms.Weems said in a very serious tone

"Ok." we all said practically at the same time

She then stopped in front of a furniture store. We all thanked her for the ride as we got out of the car. The town had a very creepy feel to it, it looked like a old style town that would be in a "Friday the 13th" type of movie.

"Alright let's go get furniture." I said walking towards the stores entrance

"Oh do you actually need furniture?" Asked Richard

"Yeah, you don't?" I asked looking at him incredulously

"Nah our families just bought us the stuff and sent it to us like 2 weeks ago man." He said nonchalantly

"well all I'm getting is clothes, since I didn't even have my own room back home." I told him

"So your not like us?" He said confusion on his face

"What rich? No or why else would I have applied for a scholarship?" I asked looking at there faces to see if they were joking

"Well that, and you didn't join it just to fight? Everyone who joins that scholarship is usually just to fight not for like actual financial help." He said

"Obviously he didn't idiot, he didn't even know what "outcasts" were." Said Tommy as he pulled one of Richard's rabbit ears

"Alright I'm going in, to look for a lamp and see what else might be interesting." I said as I walked into the store

"We're right behind you." Said Blake

As we wondered the store looking around I could tell that the employees were watching us intently, as if we were criminals with a record of being thief's. Eventually finding a nice desk lamp that reminded me of the one that crushes the I in Pixar movies, and paying for it. As we were walking out Blake, Tommy and Richard were looking at a couch. Without even turning around Blake asked "Do you think it would fit in our dorm?"

"I don't think it fitting in the room would be the issue, but rather how would you get it up the stairs." I told him

"Me and Richard should be able to jump it up to the balcony" Tommy said matter-of-factly

"What is our room going to be the hangout spot?" I asked

"Obviously it's bigger than our room."  Said Tommy

"Then sure go for it we'll make it fit if it doesn't." I said chuckling

"Ok." Said Blake before walking to an employee to purchase it and have it delivered to the academy

"Thank you come again." Said an employee as we left

"Well we have an hour before Weems comes and gets us. Let's get tattoos?" Said Richard looking excited

"Of what carrot muncher." Said Tommy

"Hey I'll have you know that's offensive, demon spawn." Richard said quickly "Anyway we could get our Roman numerals tatted on us. Hell I'll even pay for them." He continued

We all looked at one another and silently agreed. So we made our way to the conveniently place tattoo parlor across the street, because I mean who doesn't want to go get a tattoo after buying some furniture. As we walked in the man who was sitting at the desk, immediately smiled when he saw Richard.

"So you were able to convince them eh Richard?" The man said with a smile

"Something like that." Richard replied

After discussing where we would get the numbers we each sat at a different tattoo artists table. As we all sat down and the artists started there prep work Blake turned towards me and asked if I had though about what he had told me earlier that day.

"Look man do as you please, if your happy following a "normie" do as you please. Just think it through I wouldn't want you to be ostracized. After all I'm weaker than you" I said seriously

His laughter boomed in the small shop "Oh man you worried about me. I doubt my family would care in all honesty. Being a leader doesn't mean bring the strongest it just means you'll do what needs to be done, when it to be done."

"Normie?!" Everyone besides me and Blake yelled surprised

"Yes. I'm just a normal human being who was dumb and didn't read anything about the school." I said while smiling

"Oh man your a crazy son of a bitch man." Said the owner of the shop as his employees nodded there heads in agreement

I just laughed, and shrugged, and the artists just smiled and started to tattoo us. Tommy got his number on his trapezius, Blake got it on the left side of his neck, Richard got it on his arm, and I settled to getting it on the back of my right hand.

"Man Y/n not bad you only cried for 3/4th of the tattoo." Laughed Richard

"Yeah we'll I'm just a human, with normal pain tolerance." I responded eyes red

"Did you cry when getting all those earrings you have? Tommy said laughing

"As if these were way less painful." I responded chuckling

After Richard payed the tattoos and we tipped the artists. We decided to go to a cafe for the last 20 minutes before Ms.Weems was set to pick us up. As we walked up to the cafe named Weathervane and a bell jingled as we entered it.

"Welcome in." said a dirty blonde teenager wearing a brown shirt and red apron behind the counter.

"Hi, can I get a black coffee" asked Blake turning his head to ask what we wanted

"I'll take an ice coffee" said Tommy

"Me too" added Richard

"I'll take some green tea please." I said

"Ok coming right up." the cashier replied

We decided to take a seat at a booth with Blake and Richard on the inside, while Tommy and I were on the ends. I got up to use the bathroom quickly. After getting back and waiting a bit longer the server came over with our drinks, we thanked him as he placed them on the table. As we were silently enjoying our drinks, a drunk adult approached our table.

"Hey everyone! Look at these freaks thinking they can come to our town and act as if they're one of us." said a man as he put his hand on Tommy's shoulder causing him to tense up and turn towards the man

“Hey would you mind moving your hand from my buddies shoulder.” I asked trying to not sound as scared as I felt

“Oh tough guy aye?” He said having moved his hand from Tommy’s shoulder to the table and leaned in closer

“Hey leave those guys along Mr.Rodgers.” Said the cashier

“Oh stay the hell out of this Galpin! You fucking brat!” The now identified Mr.Rodgers yelled

Motioning my head for us to get up and leave, getting small nods from the other three as we started to get up

“Hey no need for problems sir we were just leaving anyways.” I said as I got out of the booth allowing Blake to get up too

“Oh you don’t want problems yet you had no problems coming to our town? He said as he grabbed my shoulder seeming to have gotten angrier by my statement

“Ah shit how are we going to get out of this one?” I thought as I something Blake told me earlier came to mind please work “Blake can you hear me?” I thought hopefully

“So you were paying attention to what I told you earlier.” Blake responded mentally looking at me from the corner of his eye for a split second with a small smirk

“I don’t know if it’s possible for you to communicate with Tommy and Richard somehow, if so do it and get out there’s a second exit they can use straight back and to the right. I saw it when I went to the bathroom earlier.” I relayed to him mentally

“I’ll let them know, and link them in as they’ve been part of my pack since middle school.” He reported “I was able to link them successfully sir.” he said with the tone of a solider

“Can you all here me? If so bend your right index finger in order ascending.” I said as I glanced at each of them trying to not make it obvious to the drunken older man

I looked down to Blake’s hand first and saw his finger bend, then Tommy’s and finally Richard’s. A subtle smirk made its way onto my face as I sharply exhaled trying to not laugh out of joy

“Something funny you punk.” Said the man as he shoved me back

“Run now, your all faster than me go and find Ms.Weems, or actually give me 5 minutes if I’m not out by then go and find her otherwise wait across the street.” I told them through the link

“Will you be fine?” Asked Blake mentally

“Oh please who gave you that scar? So now go!”

In the blink of an eye Blake turned around and ran towards the front door, while Richard jump over a table and ran, and Tommy turned and ran out both making there way towards the back door as the man went to grab Tommy I spartan kicked him in his stomach causing him to stumble back and focus on me.

“You’ll be fighting me.” I said with newfound confidence

“Oh I’m going to enjoy killing you, fucking freak!” He shouted as he rushed towards me

Quickly grabbing the mug that held my tea earlier I swung it and it hit him on the face landing a solid hit causing the mug to shatter against the left side of his face. Causing him to stumble the right, which i immediately followed up with a kick to the face that missed since I slipped on some drops of the tea that spilt when the mug broke. Catching myself from falling, I was able to push him down as he was trying to stand back up as he hit his face against the tough wooden flooring of the cafe a sickening crunch was heard. The empty shop was silent besides the heavy breathing of Mr.Rodgers, getting on one knee, and raising his head by his hair.

“You damn monsters thinking your superior to us, normal humans!” He said as blood pored from his obviously broken nose hatred in his eyes

“Unfortunately for you I’m just a human, I dumb normal human who didn’t know.” I whispered to him with a smile

A laugh escaped my lips as his eyes widen in shock at my statement. Know that no matter who he told they’d doubt him

“Oh and if I ever hear you talk shit about one of my friend or classmates, I’ll make sure you regret it. So I hope this makes you change your views on the Nevermore students. Since we’re 10 times more monstrous ” I said looking down at him with a smirk

“Now I hope we can put this behind us, and start on the right foot. Don’t forget to apologize to Mr.Galpin here. Sorry bout the nose.” I said as I pat his back and he just nods

“How much for the mug I destroyed?” I ask the cashier

With a surprised look “uh $4 bucks should be fine.” He replied not to sure what to say

“Sounds good I say as I put a ten on the counter. Take the change as a tip and sorry bout the mess.” I said as I turned to leave checking the time on my phone

“Oh thank you, please come again; don’t worry about the mess” He said smiling

As I made it out with 30 seconds left I made my way across and nodded towards the three boys, and motioned my head as for them to cross the road and join me

“Let’s not keep Ms.Weems waiting boys” I said as they patted my back

“That shit was dope man!!” Said Richard as slapped my back

“Ah shit that hurt you asshole!” I said while shoving him with my shoulder

“What did you tell him?” Asked Tommy

“Just that I hoped he would treat Nevermore students with respect, and that I’m a “normie” and I hoped we could put this all behind us. Oh and apologized for the broken nose.” I said as that last thing caused them to stop mid step and look at each other as I continued walking

“Oh man your rugged, where’d you learn to fight like that man?” Asked Richard excitedly

“Oh I just used to play a lot of MMA on the xbox 360 with my brothers and well play enough and having brothers you just start mimicking what you see and do in game.” I said laughing at the memories of my brother and I playing and play fighting

As we walked they just looked at me as if I’d grown a second head

“I look fine right?” I asked them

They just nodded still shocked at my earlier statement of where I had learned to fight. Ms.Weems was in her car waiting for us. I waved at her as we approached her car and got in. I was up front and the other three made there way to the back.

“So how was the trip?” Ms.Weems asked smiling

“It was fun I got a lamp and Blake ended up getting a couch for the dorm. We got tattoos and went to get something warm at the Weathervane.” I said smiling

“Oh that’s nice…. WAIT TATTOOS?!” She yelled while looking at us shocked as we just smiled and showed her

“Oh are you going to want to left over money back? I think I have like $100 bucks left.” I asked disregarding her worries about the tattoos

“No you can keep it, it is yours after all, I will be needing an explanation on the tattoos, so don’t think you’ve gotten away with it.” She stated looking at me

“When will your furniture be delivered?” She asked

“Tomorrow.” Blake stated

We pulled up to the school, thanking Ms.Weems as we exited the car and made our way to the dining hall to get some food. As we walked I noticed that Blake was to my right, Tommy to my left and Richard directly behind me, almost as if they were knights protecting a king. Causing me to smile, and make our way to the serving area and got our food I decided on some ground beef tacos with tomato, lettuce, cilantro,onion, salsa and sour cream. The others got more basic foods like two slices of cheese pizza for Richard, two chicken sandwiches for Blake and a grilled chicken salad for Tommy. As we all sat down and started to eat, I noticed Enid walking by and looking towards me so I wave at her and she does the same. At the same time I see Eugene walking with his food towards the exit.

“Eugene come and eat with us man!” I shout across the hall

He turns and walks towards us and sits down.

“This is Eugene guys, Eugene the guy with the werewolf ears is Blake my roommate, Richard is the one with the rabbit ears and Tommy is the one with the horns.” I said introducing them to one another

As the meal progressed Eugene started to open up more and more getting more comfortable as time passed. Talking more about himself and bees as we just listened and asked questions and joked around with one another. After an hour and a half of eating and conversation we decided to make our way to our dorms. As me and Blake enter our room we fall onto our beds exhausted from todays events. Then we realized we didn’t lock the door so we had to play paper, rock, scissors to see who would get up and I lost. Getting into my bed I fell asleep as soon as my head touched my pillow.

__________________________

Thank you for reading the second chapter of my book. 

There will be one more chapter that takes place prior to Wednesdays arrival and it's going to basically be the next day, then some school related things and probably building the relationships between Y/n, Enid and Xavier and possibly Rowan.

Or let me know if there's someone specific you may want to make a relationship with

[thealphashitter]

A Walk In the Park | Five X Male Reader | Chapter Three

"Oh my God, I am so, so sorry are you okay?” A familiar voice said to Five. He opened his with a groan to find the same boy from school sitting on the ground apologizing to him. Five didn't have time for this, he needed some fresh air and he needed it now.

Five quickly spotted an alley 20ft in front of him and swiftly stood up and made his way over there. He turned into the alley and spatial jumped into his secret spot in the New York State Park, a small enclosure in the forest.

Five fell on the ground and groaned, he looked around but felt sharp leaves cut at his face, most of them just grazing but a few got him good. He needed to find a new spot to teleport to.

Five stood up and looked around. One lady with a stroller walking by looked at him and walked faster down the pathway. There wasn't anybody other than him and the lady getting increasingly further away from him. Good. He needed peace and quiet. He made his way out of the bush and made his way down the path opposite to the lady. Humming a little tune as he did so.

Five had many great memories here. He would often escape the house and come here on many occasions when everything became too much for him. Sometimes his mother would take them all down here on the weekend and they'd run around and play like normal children. Sometimes they'd play hide and seek and nobody would be able to find Five until they had to go home, which only then he would reveal himself to the others. He would be very proud of himself for winning the game. Sometimes the others would get fed up with him but they still included him nonetheless. It was also one of the only times they would hang out with Victor –or as you would know as Vanya at the time– and include him in their activities.

He looked at the little pond that younger Five had always wished to fish in. There was a golden retriever with its owner playing with a dog toy by the edge of the pond. It was one of those rope ones with a knot on the ends. He gazed at the dog remembering one of his missions at the commission.

Five had been sent to kill off the father of a family. It was one of his first missions and he was around in his early 20s. He made his way down the streets of New Orleans and found himself at a townhouse. He walked up the steps and hesitated at the door before he heard a dog barking. He took a deep breath and rang the bell. He heard heavy footsteps and the door opened to reveal a very thin man with long brown hair in a white tank top and basketball shorts that looked like they were about to fall off him and reveal his ass to the world. His eyes were bloodshot and he had something rolled in paper in his other hand, probably a blunt.

Five opened his mouth to speak before he was interrupted by an older woman's voice coming from inside the house. “Adam, who is at the door?” The woman said before appearing behind Adam with a dish and a cloth in her hands, a golden retriever following close behind. Adam tossed the blunt to the side and turned around to face what Five assumes is his mother. “I dunno’ Ma, he just showed up here-” “Aidan Fischer ma’am, I was wondering if I could have a word with your husband? I'm an assistant of his boss and I was told to bring these to him immediately.” Five gestured to the briefcase that he used to travel space and time with, a smile feigning innocence on his face.

The woman quickly smiled and put the dish and cloth in one hand while extending her right hand to Five. “Dolly darling, my husband is just in the living room.” Dolly said. She disappeared for a moment and Five heard her say “Hey Pumpkin? One of your boss’s assistants is here with paperwork for you!” Dolly said. Adam stepped to the side and gestured for Five to come in and that's what he did.

Five stepped into the home, Adam closing the door behind him as he went outside, probably to look for his blunt. Five didn't care though, none of that was his concern anyway. All he needed to do was kill the man and be done with this.

Five turned into the living room and put on a smile as he greeted the man who he was about to kill. The golden retriever from earlier had curled itself up on one of the couches next to the father. “Hello there Mr. Pavlinsky, I am here because of our mutual boss, I hope you know that.” Five said to the man, honestly he was just saying random things in hopes he gets it. Luckily Mr. Pavlinsky didn't say anything about it. He seemed to be more upset about the fact he was getting work related stuff after-hours.

Mr. Pavlinsky sighed, he switched the TV off before letting out a groan and turning to face Five. “So, what does the big boss want me to have that requires you to interrupt my wonderful evening?” Mr. Pavlinsky asked, annoyance coating his words. “Well Mr. Pavlinsky, it's quite an urgent matter and he told me to get it to you right away.” Five said as he pulled out a gun from his suit and stood up, pointing it at Mr. Pavlinsky’s head. Mr. Pavlinsky's eyes widened as he put his hands up. “Hold on, we can talk about this-” Five pulled the trigger and gone was Mr. Pavlinsky. The dog beside him woke up and was now whimpering in fear but Five didn't pay much mind to him as he opened the briefcase and back at the commission he was.

Five blinked, letting the memory leave his mind. There was no need to dwell on the past. He took one last glance at the dog and owner and continued on his walk.

[once-ler-ask-blog153]

But with Mike and Sally(the security guards I named)

⬇️. And mentions of my OC Kaiyo⬇️

Credit for the original story goes to @simplydannie she she writes cool fanfic go check her blog out! 😁ok now onto the story!

Link to original story if you want to read it

——————————————————————————

Sally the female mount rageon guard felt a little sorry for him before glancing over at her partner Mike who was the male Mount rageon gaurd standing next to her. “The law is the law Sally I’m sorry but…” mike looked at her as she furrowed her eyebrows feeling sympathetic for veneer. “Sally you know that….” Sally looked away from him and crossed her arms “Sally come on..” Mike tried to get her to look at him.

“He’s been through enough in my opinion jail is too harsh of a punishment!” Sally said in a firm tone and faces away from him arms still crossed. “Have I mentioned you look pretty today!” Mike said to his gf “ether you change veneers jail time to community service or no cuddles.. for an entire week!” She said looking at him again.

Mike sighs softly and adjusts his hat “fine! I’ll do it for you!” He walks over to veneers cell and grabs the key to unlock it

Veneer steps back as he began to shiver a little with fear “Don’t please…” Mike looks up at him “Don’t worry kid… just follow my lead” he whispered to veneer and opened the jail cell door before gently grabbing Veneer’s wrist and has veneer put his arms behind his back.

Mike walked up next to sally with veneer as both guards were walking down the hallway with veneer.. before they could get outside to the courtyard Mark The toughest security guard there lowered his sunglasses “where ya taking him!” He demanded “is it sooo bad veneer just wants some outside time! Sheesh” Sally replied glaring at him “it’s not exercise time yet!” Mark adjusted his sunglasses again. “I said veneer wants his outside time… so move aside OR I WILL MAKE YOU!” She yelled which startled the guard in front of her to do so.

“By the way you come near veneer.. you put your hands on him or even THINK about doing so….” Sally pops her knuckles and gave him a angry glance “I’ll be your new worst nightmare!” She huffed and continued to walk down the hallway to the courtyard door.

When they finally got outside to the courtyard Sally and Mike sigh with relief as Mike let’s him go. “There’s no way in hell you’re getting that penalty! That penalty shouldn’t even exist in the first place!” She said too Veneer “Thank you?” Veneer replied rubbing his wrists as he sounded a little confused “why are you being so nice to me anyway…” the green haired teen looked leans against the wall “there’s no such thing as a bad teen just… a misunderstood kid!” The female mount rageon guard also leaned against the wall next to veneer.

That’s when the clamp on veneers locket came loose and fell to the ground Mike picked it up and gently dusted it off as it opened “who’s this?..” he looks at the picture. “My little brother Kaiyo” veneer kicks at the ground “velvet and I were his legal guardians but a damn security guard took him away!”

-_-\FLASHBACK/-_-

Kaiyo held on tightly to veneer as another security guard gently grabbed him and tried to pull him away from Veneer. “No! Leave me alone!” Kaiyo kicked the security guard but another one grabbed Kaiyo and picked him up “you don’t need criminals bring your legal guardians!” He tells Kaiyo at this point the little Mount rageon/troll hybrid was screaming and crying.

/END OF FLASHBACK/

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard Kaiyo scream that loud before…” veneer sighs “THE SECURITY GAURD SAID THAT!!!” Sally clenched her hands into fists “OH. MY. GOD! That… that’s messed up!” She yelled “I have to agree with Sally” Mike added.

~End of chapter 1~

———————————————————

[the-haunted-office]

A door within the office creaks open. Orange light bleeds into the room, along with a spectacular amount of moon dust. There's the crunching of heavy boots outside, followed by a gloved hand reaching into the office. Heavy, assisted breathing can be heard from the other side of the door.

R carefully peaks their visored head into the long corridor, watching for any signs of those horrid monsters that normally reside within the remains of facilities. However, this place was... different. None of the walls looked decrepit. Neither did all the floors, nor did it smell of the remains of the poison sprayed by the spore lizards. In fact, R had never seen a place so clean before in their life.

Since they had been a great asset to the company, they upgraded their ship engine, updated their terminal and let them jet away. To be fair, they did pick a moon they've never seen before. 427-Parableus? There's not many notes on the company terminal about this moon. All it did was show up in the terminal autopilot directory, they typed it in and forced the ship to bring them here.

While they continue to peak from the doorway, a loud thumping of a giant beast begins to follow behind R. For a moment, they remain calm, hoping that the beast is yet to see them. They can't decide what the best decision is for them. They need to make quota. This place looks like it would have heaps of high quality items laying around. But this environment is incredibly disturbing to them.

The thumping stopped, forcing R to slowly turn around, hoping not to make too much noise. The Forest Guardian had frozen in place, looking directly towards R. Then came the enormous roar of the eyeless dogs, hoping to track down R's movement. The Guardian began to run, it's decaying arms stretching out for R. The dogs, feeling the vibration of the Guardian moving towards R, began to leap and follow in hopes they would receive a small, rather delectable dish.

R stepped into the corridor and slammed the door behind them. As they leaned against the door, they could feel the eyeless dog continuing to crash into the door behind them. Maybe someone would help them? Or maybe they'll find a horrid beast.

Most importantly, they hope those dogs will go away.

[ For any of your muses :)c / R / @reubyrp ]

Dorian is rather enjoying its existence. There's a lot about it to enjoy, after all. All the wondrous sights and sensations, not to mention all the little creatures inhabiting its walls. It sure does love those little humans. They're so much fun to observe and converse with. To learn about.

Well, most of them are human. Some of them are dead, though, but that's all right, they are pleasant too. Even the ones who sometimes accidentally leave pools of blood on its floor are pleasant. The ones who shoot holes in its walls are questionable, but at least they tend to apologize when it screams and they realize that it can feel pain.

Dorian has a rather good relationship with the humans who live within its walls. They all take care of each other. They protect it from dangerous outsiders and keep it nice and clean and decorated. They even feed it! That's quite nice of them. And Dorian keep them protected from the elements and provides them space in which to live. It's a nice symbiotic set-up, the way humans and buildings were meant to live together.

Now this creature who has just stepped through one of its doors... Dorian can't quite tell if it's human or not. It seems like it might be, although it's dressed a bit funny. And it's acting in a rather peculiar manner.

The Office decides to greet the potential human in a friendly manner anyway. "Hello!" it chirps, its voice seeming to come from all directions at once, or at least not from a location that can be pinpointed. "Is something bothering you there? I assure you this place is quite safe! Most of the time. I am not dangerous, at any rate. Have I frightened you? I haven't meant to, so if I have, I do apologize. Ah. My name is Dorian, and this place is, well- me. And you are welcome here. Do you require a human face to speak to? Because I can- I can call one out for you. There are plenty of them here, you see, and, um... Why are you backed up against the door like that?"

[yooglefics]

Read the new apology and I'm just 😔 like, I get what he did wasn't totally right and technically he did broke the law, BUT all the media and public harassment is so... wild. Like, why are you even holding people ( normal people whose only difference with you is their job as entertainers ) to high standards? Why are you putting a guy you don't even know ( because parasocial relationships and all ) on a pedestal and under a magnifying glass to watch his every move?

I get there is also the whole “he is a role model” aspect of it, and they're ambassadors to things about values and that is like “okay, yeah, you should be careful with your image”, BUT WHY IS HE A ROLE MODEL?

Don't get me wrong, he is inspiring to me, but I don't think he is the best one to be choose to be a role model when he talks about not worrying about school ( not that i disagree but yk ) haha and if you don't like his actions, I don't know, don't follow him? Don't listen to his music? Just ignore him? Wild concept, I know, but you don't have to engage with things you don't like. You don't have to accept that guy is a role model and follow his lead like everyone else.

And yeah, I guess the fact that one of them finally messed up is huge and that's why everyone that ever wanted to say or justify their dislike and anger towards them is going crazy about it. But, again, why do you have a guy under a microscope? Why do you care so much about his life and expect him to be completely perfect when he is also human and humans aren't perfect and make mistakes? Why is it so big just because he is an entertainer?

I get that sometimes their career plays or can play part in things. Personally, there's another idol whose actions I side eye sometimes and the fact that he is an idol plays a part in it, because I feel the lines get blurred and I've seen so many cases where famous people use their fame as an advantage to get things ( not saying this idol does, I don't know him like that lol ). Like, sometimes the power dynamics can't, and shouldn't, be ignored because maybe some one at some point can actually take advantage of it, you know?

Also, this whole thing with him and the media made me think about a situation with and actor a few years back and how it was know his stress levels were so high ( he was in a variety show and for some reason they measured his heart rate and went “uh, let's try again because this is a bit concerning” ) and all and just… I hope myg has a good support system and that he is taking care of himself.

Is a bit complicated because I'm like “there shouldn't be so many people outside the station waiting for a statement because this should be as big of a deal” but I'm also like “what's wrong with people who told off this artist on insta about making a cute animation of him outside the station and army holding his hand???” Because yes, I guess he didn't necessarily consent to being filmed, but technically it's public footage because that was even on the news ?? Is not like the picture from his brother's wedding or the ones taken out and about ???

I'm rambling now, and I wanted to end this showing you that animation because it's cute and it could soothe the heartache a bit, but I guess I'll wait to see if the artist puts it back up.

Anyway. Idk, guys, I'm always thinking about parasocial relationships and the wilderness of it all, but this week has really made me realize that maybe it is really one of those things that not a lot of people think about and that's why we should be talking about it more. So, this is my contribution to the topic, and if you haven't, you should read chappell roan post, too.

[ncfan-1]

I’ve been thinking more about Indara, and I think I have revised my opinion on her involvement in what happened on Brendok. Before, just coming off of watching Episode 7, my assessment was that she was largely blameless up until the point where she made the decision to scapegoat Mae. My opinion has changed since then. Now, I look at Indara, and my opinion has changed. She no longer seems as blameless as I felt her to be.

After all, Indara was the one in charge of their original survey mission. She was the one in charge of the Brendok team. She was the leader. What her team did while they were out on this survey mission was ultimately on her head. And Indara turned out to be a pretty weak leader, didn’t she? She would not put her foot down, would not take a stand, would not tell Sol no and then follow up by sticking to it. Instead, she lets herself be swayed into doing things that she has stated are a bad idea and outside of their mission’s purview.

Indara is right that the Coven will take all four of them going in at once as a threat. And yet when Torbin and Sol insist on following her in, she doesn’t put her foot down, doesn’t tell them once and for all that it’s not a good idea, and she will be going in alone, whether they like it or not. She knows it’s a bad idea, and yet she allows herself to be talked into acting out the bad idea anyways.

She herself tells Aniseya that they have the right to test potential Padawans, inflaming an already tense situation. But why did she say that? Indara herself says that they can’t take the idea of testing Osha (and by implication, Mae) seriously, so why on earth did she say that in the first place? Why waffle like that? Why not stick to your guns, politely apologize for intruding, and then leave without pressing the issue where the children were concerned? Sol is insisting on these things, but Sol isn’t in charge here, and Indara has rightly clocked that he is blinded by his feelings.

Indara is the one who allows this to go on as long as it does. If she had put her foot down, if she had acted as a leader, this situation would not have gotten so out of control as it ultimately does. You can tell that she doesn’t want anything to do with the Coven, and that she doesn’t think that her team should interfere with them, and yet she allows the interference to go on for so long that Torbin is finally tearing off towards the fortress because she’s allowed him to gather the information that causes him to latch onto the idea that he can go home, and from there, everything falls apart.

And then we come to the moment where she is the one who makes the call to scapegoat Mae, and while she says that she’s doing it for Osha’s sake, in context of all of this, this decision comes off as really selfish and self-serving.

Indara was the leader. She was in charge. This is the bitter truth of leadership: everything your subordinates do on your watch is on your head. But Indara doesn’t want to take responsibility. Indara doesn’t want to catch shit for what Sol and Torbin did. She thinks that she shouldn’t have to take any portion of the blame for fifty dead adults and one dead child. She could have put her foot down, could have acted as a leader, but she didn’t act as a leader then, and she refuses to step up as a leader now, and at least take responsibility for her weak leadership after the fact.

So she tells everyone that a little girl did it all. She tells everyone that there was an Evil Child on Brendok, and she killed everyone. Indara symbolically earns her death by this final act of weak leadership. She refuses to take responsibility for the consequences of her weaknesses as a leader. She tries to wash her hands of the whole thing.

But she can’t do that. Because she’s painted Mae as a murderer. Imagine if Mae emerged out into the galaxy, and she wasn’t out for revenge. If she was just trying to have a normal life. How could she possibly have a normal life, after Indara had painted her as a mass-murderer to the entire galaxy? How could she clear her name? How could she convince those around her not to turn from her in fear and disgust?

Indara symbolically earns her death by shirking responsibility for her weak leadership and scapegoating Mae instead. She told the galaxy that Mae was a murderer. Mae became a murderer by killing her.

[vagabondfromkanto]

//Been having some thoughts about the first episode and Ryuko's introduction today, and it seems highly appropriate to dump them here. So.

No but Kill la Kill does a fantastic job with establishing who its protagonist is right off the bat, in my opinion. On all accounts.

She's tough as fuck but also that facade breaks immediately as soon as she gets confused by people acting weird. Like, trying to shake her down in an alley? Logical, normal, her turf. Immediately capitulating?... energetic people?... brother-sister dynamic?... wha-a?...

They literally went "Look how badass she is! Have you looked? Okay now know that she's also a dork."

Also we immediately know that she's street smart and not that law abiding, because to intercept the steal Mataro (who steals constantly!) was trying to pull and switch up her wallet for the lemon without the boy noticing would require an experienced sleight of hand.

She's all 'come at me' when jumped by enemies she's not interested in fighting (and she proves her confidence well-founded), but she loses her cool and attacks head-on the second it gets personal.

She's hot headed and attacks head-on BUT she knows when to quit, AND she knows not to turn her back on the enemy until they're distracted (see: Fukuroda tripping).

She goes immediately from undefeatable-without-even-breaking-a-sweat to getting the shit beaten out of her.

She's a tough punk walking around with zero regards to the rules and she steals someone's moped with zero hesitation, but she comes back to leave the deliveries so that the guy can finish his job... and she returns the moped next day WITH A POLITE APOLOGY NOTE. (I fucking love her.)

She does not break down and allow herself any kind of weakness until she thinks that nobody can see her.

She barely speaks to Mako outside of what she needs to learn and actively puts up walls and dodges all attempts at being friendly, but she DOES immediately jump back in to protect her when Mako is used as a hostage. (Granted, she was going back for Satsuki anyway, but she COULD've used another route, especially when the whole school was distracted. Except that she couldn't, 'cause she's Ryuko).

Like, quite literally, these are all her fundamentals established immediately.

She's a good fighter, but she's not invincible. She's street smart and is more familiar with adversity than with friendly people. She's stubborn and reckless but she knows her limits (in later episodes every time she's about to lose she runs away - and we know that it's not just thanks to Senketsu's warnings, 'cause she does it here without him yet).

She's a delinquent but she tries to be polite and considerate (btw IMMEDIATELY followed by the second episode where she deeply apologizes for punching Bazaro despite quite frankly being well within her right to do so).

She will act cold towards you at first but she's incredibly quick to care and help (see also, for example, ep 4).

And despite us not knowing the whole story yet, it's immediately evident that she's sad as fuck underneath the cocky smirk.

99% of what she does and how she acts in the rest of the episodes is foreshadowed in the very first one. Like, they rip off the mask right away and don't leave the viewer with any delusions. Which, in a way, is what makes us want to root for her so bad, I think.

[imgeekgirlfan]

Till Death Do Us Part│#TheLastofUs

Pairings:  joel miller x Black!reader [From The Last of Us : TV Series]

Major character death/Heavy Angst/Canon Divergence  

Synopsis: You are Sara Miller's mother (who recently divorced Joel) and your daughter was killed. You blame Joel and want to kill him, but as the Fireflies' leader, you need Joel's help getting Ellie and yourself to Vaccine Research Center #TheLastofUs  

AN: This series has 5 episodes in total, So now we have reached the halfway point. I hope there are still readers following this series until now, And as I mentioned before, I'm not good at English. If my translation is not good, I apologize

Taglist: @flaneurpastel​ (If you want to be added in this fic, just tell me in reply )

➡ Previous : Next

Act 3 : Broken People

You anticipated that there would be many questions from Ellie while sneaking out of town together. Because Ellie is a curious kid, she doesn't hesitate to say whatever comes to her mind, allowing both you and Joel to hear.

"Do you two know each other?"  "Can we trust Joel? I don't really like him." "Where are we going to spend the night?" "Is it still far?" Along with countless other questions that you couldn't remember,

Sometimes you pretended to be indifferent and shrugged it off, but sometimes you didn't.

"I don't like this awkward atmosphere. You both are so strange," Ellie raised her hand and hugged herself, her small forehead furrowing as she swept her gaze back and forth between you and Joel. "you guy act like old married couple who just got divorced"

You and Joel hesitated almost synchronously and inadvertently turned to face each other without an appointment. At that moment, a short burst of laughter echoed from the young girl.

"Haha, gotcha."

"Quiet!" The middle-aged man warned sharply, his face showing great restraint, not to lay a harmful hand on the girl. Ellie was smart enough to know what to do in this situation, she quickly ran in to hide behind you, You turned to look at Joel and smirked slightly, causing him to take a breath before turning his face and fleeing.

You felt like an adult who had to travel and handle two children at the same time.

Joel and Ellie were too similar. That was a major reason why they didn't seem to get along well at first. They bickered and quarreled almost all the time. When combined with the difficulties of long-distance travel and other factors (evading bullets from soldiers and fending off Runners who unexpectedly attacked), everything seemed to worsen and caused you to have a headache several times.

"I don't understand how you can tolerate a man like that," Ellie blurted out to you one night after just finishing eating canned beans for dinner. She leaned against the old, damp sofa next to you, gazing at Joel, who was standing guard outside the door, then turned to speak to you again. "Wouldn't it be better if we escaped together, just the two of us? Leaving him alone, he won't die anyway."

"We won't leave him," you said firmly, rejecting it without even taking a moment to think.

There is a significant reason why you chose not to leave him. It's because he has chosen not to leave you.

Despite initially insisting that he would only accompany you outside the city, in the end, he continued to follow you, even though it meant being far away from town.

Although Joel pretended to be annoyed and disliked having to endure you or Ellie, deep down, you knew he didn't really feel that way, not even a little. Otherwise, he would have turned back long ago. There are many reasons why Joel should do that, but he made the decision not to, and you trust him. No matter what happened in the past or what lies ahead in the future, this man is still willing to go with you.

So how can you leave him? No way

"Do you still love him? Joel, I mean."

Normally, you would tell Ellie to shut up. However, this is the first time you couldn't give her or even yourself any answers. It's as if there's a lump in your throat that renders you speechless. You lower your gaze to the broken wooden floor, pondering the unanswered questions.

Once you loved him, and once you hated him. That's the truth that has passed.

But what about now?

Every question always has an answer; you just aren't brave enough to accept it.

"Oh, my God! You love him."

"Shut up, Ellie," you finally manage to say, and the slightly louder tone grabs Joel's attention easily. He turns towards you, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. You quickly put on a neutral face, as if nothing had happened. Well, maybe the truth has already happened. and the one who knows it best is Ellie

"I don't understand you at all," the young girl muttered softly, audible only to the two of you. "Why don't you open up and talk about it to him?"

"You're only fourteen, Ellie. There are many things that you still don't understand, especially when it comes to love."

The laughter from Ellie sounded mocking and taunting. while her green eyes reflected the dim light, flickering when they met your gaze. And the look you saw surprised you, as it was the same glint Joel had.

"I've had love too, and I understand it no less than you do," Ellie replied.

You've experienced loss; Joel has experienced loss; and Ellie has experienced loss.

"Riley, my first friend and my first love," she said, uttering the name of another girl with a clear trembling in her voice. "Riley and I got infected. She didn't survive, but I did. Life isn't fair"

Her body began to tremble, followed by tears streaming down her face. Ellie's mournful voice penetrated your heart, causing you immense pain. You embraced Ellie tightly, not feeling yourself as you too began to cry.

How can two broken souls heal each other? You cannot know.

_______________________________________________

The journey in the morning did not go as smoothly as expected.

The three of you were trapped in a deserted building. Every corner and every floor of the building were filled with Clickers and Runners. Joel volunteered to lure them away and instructed you and Ellie to escape ahead.  You wanted to fight alongside him, but you knew that Ellie's life was the most important. Reluctantly, you paused for a moment before grabbing Ellie's hand and running together.

"Give me the gun. I can help you."

Ellie noticed the exhaustion on your face. Your legs were sore from running down the stairs non-stop. Your sweaty hands clenched the gun, which had just fired to take down several infected moments ago. You were tired, almost out of breath, but you still managed to keep your composure. Quickly, you swapped the magazine of the gun without looking at Ellie "No,I won't give a gun to a fourteen-year-old to shoot recklessly."

"I can aim well.  Just trust me"

"Ellie, I said no. Your job is to run fast. I'll take care of the rest."

"What should I do if they attack me? Should I throw a sandwich in my bag at them?"

"Just shut up and do as I say, alright? This is not the time to argue."

Both exhaustion and endless arguments distracted you. Just for a moment before one of the Runners lunged at you. You fell swiftly, and the gun and bullets scattered in different directions. Now you had nothing to defend yourself against these powerful creatures, apart from your small, weary arms and legs. It wasn't enough. At that moment, you thought it was the end for you. There was no way you would survive unless a miracle happened.

But then, the sound of a gunshot rang out, The bullet pierced through the Runner's head by Ellie

The lifeless creature fell heavily on top of you. You managed to catch your breath before pushing the corpse away. "Okay, I believe you can shoot accurately," you muttered under your breath as you lifted yourself up once again. But Ellie wasn't amused at all. She dropped the gun and quickly embraced you tightly, causing you to feel a slight pain.

"Holy shit! I thought you were dead! I'm sorry, it's my fault."

"But I'm not dead; it's alright."

The girl continued to hold onto you as if afraid that if she let go, you would slip away forever. You could feel Ellie's tear-soaked face seeping through the fabric right where she pressed against you. You knew very well that this was not the time to hesitate. Instead of rushing Ellie, you chose to respond with a hug, Whispering to her that everything was okay, you placed your hand on her dark brown hair, the same color as yours and the same color as your daughter's.

In that moment, you realized how much this girl meant to you, not just because she was the hope for a cure and a new world, but because she made you feel like when you first held Sarah in the delivery room.  —pure, joyous, unconditional love.

Ellie reminded you of Sarah.

And you were willing to give everything you had, even your own life, to ensure this girl would have a long-lasting existence.

Fortunately, besides your injuries, no one else's life is in danger. The three of you managed to survive by a hair's breadth and find shelter in a secure, dilapidated building. However, the atmosphere that followed was filled with constant tension throughout the day. Ellie still feels remorseful and blames herself for causing your injuries. Meanwhile, Joel appeared greatly agitated after realizing that you nearly died in the fight. You knew he was ready to unleash his anger upon you, and you don't want his angry words to hurt Ellie even more. So, you reluctantly decide to let Ellie be alone for a while before dragging Joel to another secluded room, away from the young girl's awareness of the conversation between you and him.

This is ridiculous! You almost threw your own life away out there." Joel's voice lowers, dripping with a frightening intensity. His eyes almost seemed to burn right through you. It was the first time you faced such genuine anger from him, as Joel has never shown any signs of being mad at you, despite the frequent arguments you've had in the past.

But this time was different, and you didn't desire to provoke another conflict with this man, especially when you were exhausted and injured like this. As you pondered, you absentmindedly raised your hand to touch the fresh wound on your own arm, feeling the sudden, sharp pain. Then you quickly withdrew your hand before Joel could notice.

"Joel, it's not important. What matters is protecting Ellie."

"No! Stop saying that to me!" His firm grip tightens on both of your shoulders, squeezing a bit too hard, causing you slight pain. Joel's face was still filled with anger, but his voice now sounded both subdued and trembling. "Your life is just as important."

No...Those weren't the words you expected to hear from the mouth of your once-beloved, who parted ways so bitterly.

Joel is gazing at you as if he wants to delve deep into your soul, crossing the walls you've built. But you're afraid to let him come closer. So,you chose to avert his gaze intentionally. Some things warn you not to lock eyes with him right now.

"I apologize for involving you in this situation," you said, your voice straining as your nails dug into the palm of your hand. It was a difficult decision for you to speak out. "But if something happens to me, promise me that you will protect Ellie for me."

Joel chuckled dryly, as if what you just said was nothing but a silly joke.

"You're on the verge of killing yourself, one way or another. Do you realize that?" he said.

"This is my life, Joel. It's my choice," you replied, your emotions starting to turn sour. The fire within you was simmering and ready to burst. "If you don't want to do it, then just go back to town and forget what I said."

"Oh! I bet you won't last three days without me," he retorted.

"And what does it matter to you if I die, Joel? What does my life mean to you?"

"It does matter because I don't want you to die!"

You reiterated to yourself that you were determined not to meet his gaze directly. However, in the fleeting seconds after he retorted, as you inadvertently looked back into his eyes, amidst the reflection of the anger directed at you, you also saw something hidden and enduring that had been there for a long time. It had never changed.

Tommy didn't lie to you when he told you that Joel still loved you.

And it remained true.

In the midst of the silence that seemed to stretch on for eternity, though it had only been a few minutes, Joel finally released his grip on your shoulder, slowly, almost reluctantly. He looked worn and fragile, as if he could break at any moment.

"Sarah and you, i just...i can't take it anymore"

You made the decision to stop his words with your lips, and the moment he embraced you tightly before transitioning from rough kisses to deep, tender ones, everything you desired was realized. Whether it was the taste of him or the stubble grazing your face, you were aware that all of this was what you had longed for—being in Joel's warm, embracing arms and kissing him until the world crumbled or there was no tomorrow for you and him.

Finally, Joel withdrew his lips reluctantly, but his face didn't veer away from yours. His dark eyes met yours, as if using his gaze to convey everything that words and emotions couldn't express.

"I'm sorry for everything, both to you and to Sarah. It's all my fault. I should have done better to keep you both in my life," he said.

Your smile was bittersweet. It still hurt deeply for you, and you couldn't bring yourself to forgive him completely. But at the very least, you no longer hated him. You leaned closer to Joel's cheek and softly replied, "And this time, I want you to keep Ellie in your life too. Can you do that, Joel?"

Joel raised an eyebrow, surprised by the seriousness in your tone. "You must really love that kid," he remarked.

"You're the same," you said, chuckling slightly. After living with him for so long, you could sense what he truly felt inside. "Even if you pretend not to like her, I know you never really thought that way about her."

Joel didn't answer your question, but he didn't deny it either. It was an acceptance that wasn't wholehearted. You smiled wider than before and glanced towards the nearby room where Ellie was.

Your voice was barely a whisper, intended only for you and Joel to hear. "She made us both think of Sarah, didn't she?"

"She stings more than Sarah."

"Because Sarah is like me, but Ellie's like you. Too much, in fact."

"Are you saying that I'm stingy?"

"Yes, both stingy and tough to handle. Hard-mouthed but deep down always kind-hearted." You turned back to Joel once again and noticed a faint smile on his face—a simple smile that had been missing from his life for a long time. "I believe you're like that, Joel. I believe in you."

You held his hand tightly, as if entrusting something incredibly valuable and intangible in his hands. The invaluable thing called trust weighs heavily and cannot be seen.

It's not easy for you and Joel, whether it's this mission or your complicated relationship. The time that had gone missing is still a matter that requires much time to heal. And this journey is no different. It could end with beautiful success, or it could end with mistakes and losses that have happened before. Anything is possible.

You know in your heart that the path ahead is difficult, but you also know that he will never let you down,for sure.

_______________________________________________

You bid Joel farewell temporarily because there's something important you want to discuss with Ellie privately. And when you returned to the room, you noticed Ellie holding the comic book 'Savage Starlight' in her hands, appearing eager to read it. However, you could tell that she wasn't really interested in it at all. Because as soon as you open the door, her gaze immediately turns to you, looking like she wants to know something. You give Ellie a small smile before walking over to sit next to her on the sofa. "Hello, Ellie."

"Hey," Ellie shrugged before putting the book down, a hint of concern in her eyes as she turned to look at you. "Are you okay with Joel?"

"Everything's fine."

That's a lie for now. It's something you know deep in your heart.

"I have something for you." As you spoke those words, you couldn't help but think of the Christmas holiday. A gift for a young girl should be something cute and beautiful, like a doll. However, the thing you're about to give Ellie is quite the opposite because it's your own handgun. The same gun Ellie pleaded for before. "I think you should have it."

Her green eyes widen, alternating between looking at you and the gun with surprise. "You really want me to have it?"

You want to say no. In reality, you don't want her to be involved in all of this. Ellie was too young for all of this. She's too young to bear the weight of the world's expectations and your own.

But with your own self-awareness, you know there's no better alternative. Ellie is the only one who can do it. She can do what neither you nor Joel can do.

"When you have this gun, I want you to make a promise to me. Can you do that?"

Ellie frowned, uncertain, and hesitant. Yet she reluctantly nodded.

Her answer makes you smile once again before placing the revolver slowly into Ellie's hand and clasping her hand with both of yours, just as you did when you entrusted Joel with all your trust. This time, you're entrusting it to Ellie as well.

"No matter what happens, don't hesitate to pull the trigger, even if it's me."